July 25, 2011

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

This seems to be the Summer of discontent.

The NBA players and owners are at an impasse and the players are locked out. So is the NFL. And our political leaders can’t seem to agree on the best way to address our massive debt and deficit problems. We are discontent in our play and in our plan to pay.

Contentment is hard to find. In our study of Psalm 142 we learned that the Psalmist finally found some contentment in the cave and he did it by focusing his heart and mind on what he loved not on what he lacked.

That appears to be the same approach the writer of Hebrews took in this challenging verse. If you love money will you ever have enough? Certainly, if you love $100’s then you will want $1,000’s. When you get $1,000’s you will meet someone who has $10,000’s and you will be discontent again because you will be focusing on what you lack. I think you see the point.

This verse implies a very important fact, contentment is a choice. You are content when you decide that you will be content. And the key to that is to fix your heart on Who you love rather than on what you lack. When you have Him, you have everything you need! He will fill the God-shaped vacuum in your heart and until that happens you will never know contentment.

 

I like the verse to the old chorus we used to sing – “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”

Stop fussing about what you lack and begin focusing on what you love! You will find contentment!

July 24, 2011

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 

How do you know that God loves you?

How would God know that you love Him?

God made a commitment to you when He sent His Son to die for your sins. And He requires a commitment from you.

I have been beating the commitment drum for the past week. There is a good reason for that. Love is a relationship and relationship requires commitment. God desires a relationship with you so badly that He made the first commitment. For you to receive His love you must make a commitment to Him.

The most important human relationship is marriage and marriage requires a commitment from each partner to the other. Love cannot begin without commitment and it cannot grow without further commitment and it won't continue to grow without continued commitment. It is this hard work that builds healthy relationships.

If you want to do relationships better do commitment better. Commitment means I sacrifice first. Commitment means I serve first. Commitment means I forgive first. Commitment means I listen better. Commitment means I become more patient. Commitment means I give the benefit of the doubt. Commitment means I love unconditionally, like God loves me.

Obviously, if I am to commit to loving like God I must be committed to God. How can I love like Him if I don't know Him? To love like Him I must allow Him to love through me. And, if I need to grow in my love I need to deepen my commitment.

If you are struggling in relationships, examine your commitment level.

July 23, 2011

“I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Psalms 142:5

It amazes me how many Christians are looking for the fast, flashy, quick-fix, five-step formula to spiritual maturity. If there is something that looks like a sure short-cut, they are on it.

Before I get off this topic of commitment I want to assure you that there is no short-cut or superhighway to becoming a spiritual giant.

Don’t get caught up in these shallow stupid fantasies of the flesh. The only way to spiritual maturity is the way David did it – commitment. Commitment was the one constant of his life. It didn’t matter if he was caring for sheep, confronting a giant, cowering in a cave, conquering enemies, or wearing a crown he was fully committed to His God.

You will have to be committed in the mundane tedious tasks that meet the needs of others when God calls you to that. There will be some giant risks you will be called to confront and some giant-sized spiritual enemies you will have to defeat. There will be lonely difficult times when you will feel like you are trapped in a cave and no one cares – even God. Every one of those challenges will require a commitment to keep chasing and embracing God. David had his cave and Jesus had His cross and so will you!

But, the fact is you will be committed to something. Everyone is! And whatever you commit to will cost you – ultimately it could cost you your soul.

Do you need to renew your commitment to obey and follow God? Have you been thinking about bailing on your commitment? Where is your commitment being tested? Usually when it feels like you want to get out it is time to get back in.

 Jesus proved God’s commitment to you. David showed us what it looks like. It’s your move!

July 22, 2011

I have been sharing some insights regarding the nature of commitment from Psalm 142.

The Psalmist found himself trapped in a cave primarily because of his commitment to God. Sometimes commitment seems like a trap because when you commit you eliminate every other option. Jesus' commitment led Him to a cross. If you are a committed Christian there is a cave or a cross in your future.

Also, his commitment was tested the longer he remained into the cave. He cried out and complained to God but never caved in on his commitment.

Because he endured the pain and loneliness of being trapped in a cave his commitment became stronger and he found a measure of contentment. Here is how the Psalmist found some contentment in the cave:

He Clarified – Where is my focus?

I think the key to contentment is focusing on what you love rather than on what you lack. If you obsess over what you do not or cannot have you will naturally stir up discontentment. Rather, concentrate on what you DO have in the One you love - God. The fact is that when you have God and His love you have all you need!

He Confessed - "I cry to you, LORD; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.'"

Anytime you may feel your commitment wavering and you are tempted to doubt, confess your faith and confidence in the Lord! It will always work! There is tremendous strength in positive confession.

He Committed

Another good practice when it comes to keeping commitments is this - when you feel like getting out of your commitment - recommit! When loneliness and discouragement and the pain of being trapped in your cave weakens you so you are tempted to quit, renew your commitment! Tell God, "I will love you in the cave!"

Learn from David and also from Jesus. Consider this - "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12:3

When Jesus' commitment led Him to the cross He stayed focused on the One He loved and the joy of pleasing Him! That's how you find contentment in the cave!

July 21, 2011

“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”   Psalms 142

So, here you are in a dark, damp, desolate, disgusting cave and you don’t like it. You feel like you are trapped because you are. That's how commitment works, which is why you need to work on your commitments.  So when you feel trapped and you don't like the feeling what do you do?

The Psalmist could have given up and turned Himself in to the King and hope for mercy. He could have killed the King and do away with his enemy. But His commitment to His God would allow Him to do neither. So he decided to bear the consequences of His commitment to serve God, even though it was terrible in the cave.

You do what David did:

Complain - “I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.”

You don’t have to like it in the cave. Who would? David was innocent. He had done nothing to deserve being hunted down like a stray dog, but he had managed to get on the wrong side of an insecure king.

I imagine it would be hard enough to be public enemy number one if you were guilty but it is very unfair to be totally innocent but still have your life totally disrupted.

Pour out your complaint to the Lord. But when you complain, don’t curse the Lord or don’t accuse the Lord. When you complain, let it out and get it over with – keep it short.

Cry – “Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.”

Being trapped in a cave and having your life completely disrupted is very difficult. Long dark lonely nights in a damp cave can take an emotional toll on a person. The natural way to release emotional pain is to cry out. The Psalmist cried out.

I can think of another innocent Man Who was brutally treated and cried out to God in His agony. His Name was Jesus and He was the Son of God, Who became your Savior. He cried out from the Cross and complained to His Father.

Frankly, most people these days, including Christians bail on their commitments at this point. When they are feeling trapped and life is very uncomfortable they "cave in" rather than stand true to their commitment.

David cried and complained in the cave but did not cave on his commitment. Jesus cried and complained on the Cross but He did not cave-in. How about you? Are you feeling trapped and thinking about caving in on a commitment? This is where character is built and integrity shows. What will you do?

Calm Down and Connect - "LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Once the Psalmist dealt with his ragged emotions and calmed down, he fixed his focus back on His God and reconnected with his faith. He remembered why he had committed to God in the first place. Just when he felt like getting out he got back in. The good news is that when we can't leave the cave, God can come to us! He can comfort and encourage and strengthen so we don't cave in on our commitments.

 

If you have feeling trapped in a faith commitment or a family commitment or a financial commitment - you don't have to cave in. The Psalmist proves it!

July 20, 2011

“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy! I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”    Psalms 142

Some of your know that this Summer I am doing a sermon series entitled “Summer In the Psalms”. This week I am focusing on Psalm 142. Some have called this chapter “the cry from the cave” because that is where the Psalmist found himself as he fled from King Saul.

As I studied this portion of Scripture I saw something that I didn’t find in any of the commentaries I have referenced. The obvious theme is that of loneliness and isolation of being trapped in a cave. Certainly that is the case but I asked myself, “Why is he in the cave? Is he a trapped there as a helpless victim? What was he doing in that cave?”

That is when I realized that this Psalm is not primarily a lesson on loneliness but it is an illustration of what it means to be committed.

How so?

David found himself in that cave because of his commitment to God. His commitment to God made him a giant-killer and a hero among his people. That popularity didn’t sit well with King Saul who became jealous of David and insecure about his throne. This apostate King saw the godly David as a threat who had to be eliminated. As a result, David had to run for his life.

If David had not been committed to the Lord he could have surrendered to Saul and saved himself a lot of trouble.

Commitment can put you in a cave at times. When you stand for what is right and true in a fallen, immoral, and godless world you can face ridicule, rejection and vicious attacks on your reputation. It can be lonely standing for what you believe in a politically correct culture.

The fact is, commitment is a trap. I say that because making a commitment means that you have eliminated every other option. You are a prisoner to your choice. But commitment is the only trap that leads to freedom! So David was trapped in the cave because of his commitment to obey and honor his God. He had no “plan B”.

A contemporary example of a good man who has been trapped by his commitment to honor God is Judge Roy Moore from Alabama. Some of you may remember him and may have wondered what Judge Roy Moore has been doing since he was removed from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom wall. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama! But Roy Moore remains unbowed and not intimidated.

If you are totally committed in your Christian faith there will be times when you feel trapped. When you are totally committed in your marriage there will be moments when you feel trapped. Any important commitment will be the same – because you are by your own choice! In fact, if you never feel trapped you are probably not committed.

Over the next few days I will share some stuff from this Psalm that will help you understand what to do when you feel trapped.

Stay tuned!

July 19, 2011

"I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge, no one cares for my life. I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me."   Psalm 142

Over the years as I have worked and worshipped in the church I have become convinced that one of the most essential components of faith is also one of the most misunderstood. What is that essential? It is commitment.

The misunderstanding centers around the notion that you can be "sort of" committed or "mostly committed". That makes about as much sense as believing you can be "sort of" pregnant or "sort of" sky-diving.

Commitment means "devotion to a cause or a person" or "loyalty given to a cause or a person" or "joining exclusively to a cause".

Commitment begins when a person chooses to become devoted to a cause or to a person and in so doing excludes or subordinates all other loyalties to that choice. In truth, whatever you are committed to is your god. But in this case, the Psalmist is talking about making a commitment to trust God for salvation and becoming devoted to Him. But now that we are on the other side of the cross, that commitment is to be devoted to God through trusting Christ to deliver you from your sins,

That commitment should be made as a decision of the will because you understand He is the only Way to God and therefore, the only hope for Heaven. When you make that decision in that way you give your loyalties completely to Him and eliminate all other options. Jesus said, "Any man having put his hand to the plow and looks back is unworthy of the Kingdom of God."  God said, "You shall have no other gods before me."

Commitment requires you to be all in for Christ. Faith is a plunge from whatever you trusted before into a total hope in the grace of God.

You are either fully committed or you are not committed at all. Are you committed?