God: The Ruler Over All Nations - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 47:1-2,
 
"Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth."

As the Sons of Korah ponder the Lord Most High in his splendor and majesty, they acclaim him to be "awesome". Not in the sense of our current pop-culture usage of the word as in "cool" or "sweet" (if you are from the '60s - remember "far out" or "out of sight"?). Rather, they esteemed God in the sense of astonishing, astounding and fearful. The term "awe" originally carried with it a sense of fear or terror (see the Merriam-Webster online dictionary), and now carries a bit of "wonder" to it. The Amplified Bible uses (as well as the New American Standard), "to be feared". The older American Standard Version uses "terrible".

In any event, as the psalm makes clear, our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God we place our faith and trust in as we follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his gospel, is the King over "all the earth". He rules over all nations of the earth, "Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted." Verses 6-9.

Yes, God rules over Israel, and in spite of what atheists think or feel, God ultimately rules over America. In that sense, America is a "Christian" nation, not in the sense that Christianity is practiced by everyone, but by virtue of the fact that God rules over it. He is in charge, he allows, disallows or even causes what takes place. Even the "bad stuff". And, it is not just Israel and America, but Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. All the nations of the earth.

What makes this hard for so many to grasp is that so few people understand what God's agenda is in the world today. What is he doing? Why do all these things we see about us happen? Why are politics, our culture and society, the public square becoming so corrupted?

The answers to those questions are found in the understanding that the ultimate will of God for today, the ultimate agenda of God for today, is that he is building his kingdom today, and aggressively so since the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Here are a couple of important passages that help guide us in how he is pursuing that among the nations:

"From one man he [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:26-27. (By the way, this spells doom for the global community and "no-borders" crowd.)

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." Romans 8:18-21. God keeps us all unsettled and frustrated, and at times worse, to encourage us all to reach out for refuge, safety, relief - to find him!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Lord: Enthralled With the Beauty He Himself Creates Within Us! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 45:11,

"Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord."

Hebrews 1:8-9 informs us that Psalm 45 is a messianic psalm, a psalm originally penned for the wedding of a king back in the day, but in its intended fulfillment, a prophetic expression about our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 11 we read of the expectation of Jesus Christ being enthralled by the beauty of is chosen ones - us! In love he predestined his chosen ones (all who choose to place their faith in Jesus Christ) to be holy and blameless in his sight, Ephesians 1:4, a holiness and blamelessness he himself wrought within us. He has created for himself a people within whom he is enthralled!

The act of Jesus Christ in paying for our sins to enable the creation of a people for himself was carried out by the love of God. We are told repeatedly throughout the Scriptures of this wonderful love of God. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10.

Have you ever thought of what life would be like if God were not a God of love? What if he were only a God of justice (which he certainly is!)? Where would that leave us? But leave it up to the love of God, and we see his tremendous expression of it in the sacrifice of his Son that we might have eternal life! And, as we enjoy that unending life, we do so knowing the Lord himself is enthralled with the beauty he himself has created within us!

"'... let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:24.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The King and His Bride - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 45:6-7,

"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

Psalm 45 is a wedding song written to a king on his wedding day. Some have surmised the king to be Jehoram (of Judah) to Athaliah, or Solomon when he married a princess from Egypt.

While we may be uncertain as to the identity of the king when this was written, one thing we can be certain of is that this psalm by the Sons of Korah transcended the wedding event of that day as the king referenced in it ultimately turns out to be Jesus Christ, the Messiah to come. The Sons of Korah, being carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke prophetically of Jesus Christ and his bride, the church.

In speaking of the superiority of Jesus Christ over all angels, the writer of Hebrews quotes God himself as the author of this passage in Psalms, "But about the Son he [God] says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;  therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.'" Hebrews 1:8-9.

Consequently this psalm contains some fascinating insights into the messianic kingdom of Jesus Christ and his bride, the church. Filled with allegorical allusions, the richness and beauty of our Lord, King Jesus, together with the church's premier status with him is expressed in a very remarkable and stunning way.

I am reminded of another remarkable passage in the book of Revelation, "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.) Then the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' And he added, 'These are the true words of God.'" 19:6-9.

Simply stunning...

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God At Work Within Us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 43:2,

"You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? "

Many manuscripts have psalm 42 and 43 combined as a single psalm. There certainly are refrains that are common to the two:

Verse 42:5 is repeated in 42:11 as well as 43:5. The phrase, "Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" in 42:9b is repeated in 43:2b.

Both psalms hold a common theme, that the psalmist feels abandoned by God to suffer at the hands of his enemies. In both he looks to the Lord, in spite of feeling as though he was abandoned by him, as his coming refuge and he joy he anticipates when that relief comes.

He speaks of a coming time when he will praise God, 42:5, as a result of the hope he places in him during his current difficulty. He repeats that anticipation in 42:11. He speaks of a future time, following his being rescued by the Lord when he will go about God's altar and that the Lord is "my joy and my delight." 43:4.

I can't help but feel the experience the psalmist went through of being both threatened by his enemies with a felt abandonment by God was designed by God to build his hope, his faith, his anticipation in the Lord such that he could say, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" 42:1-2.

I suspect the Lord takes us all through just these kinds of experiences in our walk with him. I am reminded of Paul's exhortation in Romans 12:11-12, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." As we may see the experience of the Sons of Korah in Psalms 42 and 43 in our own lives, possibly it is the Lord working within us to bring us to an aggressive pursuit of Paul's admonition in Romans 12 in our own lives.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Truthfulness and Transparency - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 42:5,

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

One of the things I love about the Scriptures is the truthfulness and transparency so evident in its observations about life and about us. The book of Psalms is no exception and possibly one of the best books that reveal the deepest yearnings, desires, disappointments, and so on that we all experience from time to time.

Unlike the Scriptures, when we show up on Sundays at church. everyone has a smile, we're all cleaned up, dressed appropriately, on our best behavior and anything but truthful and transparent. We all really know we are on our "Sunday best" when we show up and not reflecting that spat with our spouse on the way, the challenge to our patience in dealing with the kids, etc. We don't reflect the struggles we may have had during the week with not-so-good thoughts, contempt for the other drivers on the road and whatever else challenges that persona we carry about. Trust me, I am old enough to look back on my life to recognize these things and I know I am not the only one. And here, right smack in the middle of the Scriptures is an expression that challenges that "Sunday-best persona", a challenge of dejection, depression - a "mood disorder"? An expression of transparency and truthfulness.

The psalmist lays the cause for his dejection to the challenges he faces from his enemies, "'Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?' My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" Verses 9-10. He also claims to feel being abandoned by God, "I say to God my Rock, 'Why have you forgotten me?'" Verse 9. (Ever been there?)

When some may say believers are never to feel these kind of things, I suspect a lack of truthfulness and transparency. We are all struggling with a sinful nature, we live in a lost and fallen world dominated by a collective sinful nature while we await the glories of God's presence. We have God's Holy Spirit within our hearts, wonderful brothers and sisters to encourage us, pastors and others to build us up, the Scriptures to bring encouragement and endurance because God knows we need them. Here in Psalm 42 we find an expression that demonstrates why God provides us all he does to build us up.

When we gather together as believers we can be encouraged and built up. Our pastors carry a deep desire to bring that encouragement and edification to help us grow spiritually through these things, working in concert with the Holy Spirit as he works his craft within our hearts, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23.

Acknowledging our need for this spiritual growth is an important step and I believe the Sons of Korah help here by expressing one of the kinds of things that many of us feel from time to time. As it is asked, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?" many of us can identify with it. I can certainly identify with the complaint and I have spoken to many people who have as well. I suspect most of us have been there at times. The psalmist tells us his soul is downcast within him in verse 6 and the refrain from verse 5 is repeated again in verse 11 to end the psalm.

Of course, the psalm does not leave us with only a complaint against the challenges our soul may bring. The answer is found together with the complaint- the psalmist directs his soul to put its hope in God - and that the joy leading to praise awaits it there. And while that soul waited, the psalmist uttered that well known statement, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Verses 1-2. Might this be why God allowed the struggle?

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Causation or Manifestation? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 41:1-3,

"Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them— they are counted among the blessed in the land— he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness."

Is David suggesting in this psalm that we can earn good things from God by doing good works- in this case having regard for the weak? Look at what David says is in store for those who do so:

Deliverance in times of trouble, verse 1.
Protection and preservation, verse 2.
Regarded as blessed, verse 2.
Kept from the desires of their foes, verse 2.
Healed when sick, verse 3.

Who wouldn't want these things? All it takes is regard for the weak! Would you implement a regard for the weak in your life if you could get those things from God?

It is just this attitude and outlook that inspires within me an attitude that is not so much a regard for do-gooders. I find religious do-gooders to be motivated by self-promotion. A quid pro quo approach to God. If I do all the right things, then God has "promised" to reward me for my hard work and effort.

This is not the gospel. All the hard work and effort was done on the cross of Jesus Christ. He secured God's mercy for us. He secured a righteous standing before God for us. He secured all the blessings that will come to us as co-heirs with him.

As I read the Scriptures, we lack the ability to establish ourselves before God as those who deserve his blessings, his gifts to us. When we embrace Jesus Christ in faith we inherit God's blessings and gifts based on the work Jesus Christ did, by presenting himself as a sacrifice of atonement on the cross.

So, what to make of David's observation here? As a buddy of mine often says, "Very simple!" Those who have regard for the weak manifest the activity of God's Spirit in their lives. Anyone who does so certainly enjoys God's blessings.

Go back and read the beatitudes Jesus gave in his sermon on the mount, Matthew 5:3-12. Take the challenge to read them, not from the standpoint as a laundry list of things to do to get God's blessings (as has been promoted in so many ill-informed sermons), but as observations of those things that manifest a heart that has given itself to God (with the resultant expression in life), and found God's favor as a result. The reality is, it is a born again heart, filled with the Holy Spirit that is seen doing those things. The beatitudes are observations of a heart given to God, not a punch-list of things to do.

Being a do-gooder will never ingratiate one to God to secure his blessings. Being a lover of God does so.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Lord Listens! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 40:1,

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry."

The Lord listens!

David struggled and sought help from the Lord. He speaks of his patiently waiting upon the Lord which expresses his faith to me. David approached the Lord as he patiently endured his trouble fully expecting an answer from the Lord. And, he was not disappointed. He heard David and answered David's plea in his perfect timing.

I suspect many of us often feel we are somewhat isolated from heaven's help, from the Lord's listening ear. What if we suddenly realized that as we were calling on the Lord, that at that very moment the Lord turned his ear to us and listened! Listened to our heart's desires, our pleas, our frustrations, our calls for help. I think this is the kind of faith David operated in. I also believe we have been made privy to it so that all those with David's faith feel assured the Lord listens to us just as he did David.

David said, "Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him." Psalm 4:3. In Psalm 5:3 we read, "In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly." David had utmost confidence the Lord listened to his calls for help, "The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." Psalm 6:9.

So, what about us today? Does the Lord hear us as he did David? The writer of Hebrew tells us, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16. Paul reminds us, "In him [Christ Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Ephesians 3:12. I love the way the Apostle John puts it, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." John 5:14-15.

David shows us the way! God listens! Those of us who know Jesus Christ have an audience with the Creator of the cosmos!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Need a Divine Helping Hand? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 40:1-2,

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

Have you ever felt like David did here? Stuck in one of the many ruts life has to offer? In this psalm David refers to his own sins that have overtaken him, verse 12.

I suspect there are many of us who have felt our lives at times have been in the kind of place David so aptly describes here. Stuck, and in a slimy pit at that. Mired in some troublesome or "intractable situation" (the dictionary definition of "mire" when not taken literally). Feeling hampered or restrained in some way from extricating ourselves from whatever it is that has beset us, even due to our own devices.

In this psalm David tells us he cried out to the Lord in this kind of a situation and the Lord helped him in his time of need. "... he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." Verses 2-3.

One of the many things I love about the book of psalms is that the Lord wants us to know these kinds of things. He wants us to know that he is available and capable of helping us - not only in our darkest hours, but even when life seems to get more and more difficult a bit at a time.

I suspect it goes without saying, that if David waited patiently for the Lord, then he was seeking the Lord in faith. I firmly believe it is the Lord's desire for us to learn and experience his intention to deliver us when we approach him in faith.

As David says, "I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly." Verses 9-10.

What a refreshing hope we have in the Lord!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Hope in the Lord: the Forgiveness of Sins

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 39:7-8,

"But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools."

As David considers that sinful nature he struggled with (that we all struggle with), and the fact that the shelf-life of his time here on earth was so limited, he found a source of motivation to cast himself at the feet of God's mercy. He cries out to God to save him from his transgressions. This was his one hope.

We live in a day where there are many distractions, some important, and some not important at all, and these distractions can keep us from wrestling with serious considerations as David did. Sports, TV, social life, vacations, toys, all these things can have the effect of keeping us from the most important issues of all. Each of us suffer from sin, with the attendant judgment from God that brings. We also have very short-term lives in the scheme of things.

David wrestles with these issues and it brought him to where he needed to be: hope in God! Hope in God's love. Hope in God's mercy. Hope in God's kindness. Hope in God's desire to save us from his own wrath!

David's hope was not disappointed. Paul reminds us, "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

This certainly would include David. As one who lived prior to the payment Jesus made for our sins, he was one of those whose sins committed beforehand were left unpunished until that time Jesus Christ came to die on that miserable cross to secure the forgiveness for those sins.

Each one of us today can follow David in having our sins forgiven with a place guaranteed us in God's family. David looked forward to the forgiveness God provided through Jesus's sacrifice, while we have the clarity of looking back to it.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Enslavement to Sin - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 39:1-3,

"I said, 'I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.' So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue..."

In David's attempt to keep himself from sin by watching his ways and keeping his tongue from sin, he found he simply could not contain it, "But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue..." David struggled with sin. When he spoke with his tongue, he said, "Save me from all my transgressions", verse 8.

David had the Holy Spirit within him in one way or the other as we read of in Psalm 51. Since it was prior to Jesus Christ offering himself as a propitiation for our sin, and the resultant new birth we receive when we embrace him in faith, David's was a different experience than ours as believers. He simply could not master sin as he so clearly states in this psalm. Believers today, on the other hand, are no longer enslaved to sin as we were prior to our regeneration (being born again), "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin." Romans 6:6-7. Paul goes on to say, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Romans 6:17-18.

It is my opinion that David's experience with sin was more like the experience Paul talks about in Romans 7:14-20. There Paul talks about the dominance of the sinful nature of anyone who has yet to be regenerated. He does so using the first person personal pronoun in a figure of speech substituting the present tense of the verb for the past, called "heterosis of tenses" (present tense for the past in this case). As he does so, he claims the same passion for keeping God's law as all Israel did (at least at times) as pictured in their "traditions of the elders" and as witnessed to by Paul himself in Romans 10:2, "For I can testify about them [unsaved Israelites] that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge."

Sin's dominance in the life of someone not born again or regenerated cannot be overstated. The Scriptures call it an enslavement! Perhaps this helps explain some of the things we see in the lives of some of the ones around us. And, perhaps also, it helps explain some of the things we look back on in our own lives.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Our Impermanent Lives In This Age - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 39:5,

"You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure."

David considers the temporal nature of this life and how that impacts his outlook on the Lord's dealing with him while he is still here. On the one hand he asks the Lord to save him from his transgressions, verse  8. On the other he asks the Lord to remove the difficulties the Lord has brought into his life, "Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth— surely everyone is but a breath." Verses 10-11.

David also considers how pointless the pursuit of wealth is in this life, given its short-term nature, "Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be." Verse 6.

This psalm of David reminds me of one that Moses wrote where he said, "You turn people back to dust, saying, 'Return to dust, you mortals.' A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered." Psalm 90:3-6.

When I was a boy, summer vacation between the school years seemed like forever - filled with fun. Now that I am older, the years feel like they just fly by and it provides that perspective that David and Moses speak of. Life in this age is short, life in this age is temporary. We soon leave this life and enter into an age that will be without end: eternal life for some, and eternal death for others.

I feel the consideration of it is beneficial, productive and important. It snaps our attention away from all those things that tend to take us hostage and helps us focus on the vital and important things of our lives. When we look back at the end of our life, will we feel it was well-lived? Did we accomplish, maybe not those most fun things, but the important things? Did we invest this life in the one to come for us? Based on how we lived our lives are we bound for an eternity of expectant joy and fulfillment or one that carries the stench of death?

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

When Our Sin Strikes - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 38:3-4,

"... there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has
overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear."

In this psalm David cries out to the Lord in his anguish because of
his sin. He makes other comments in this psalm, "I am feeble and
utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart." Verse 8. "For I am
about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I
am troubled by my sin." Verses 17-18.

David looked to Lord for relief from the inner turmoil he experienced
from his sin. He closes this psalm with the follow words, "Lord, do
not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help
me, my Lord and my Savior." Verses 21-22.

Although David lived a millennium before the Holy Spirit began to be
given freely to all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ
(following the Pentecost event in Acts 2), he nevertheless was indwelt
with the Holy Spirit as one of the great heroes of faith in the Old
Testament. David refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit in Psalm 51:11.

Paul speaks of the inner conflict between our sinful natures and the
Holy Spirit that indwells all believers since Pentecost. "For the
flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that
you are not to do whatever you want." Galatians 5:17.

While believers will never be free from that sinful nature in this
life, succumbing to its promptings can have devastating consequences
for us. I have known of those who have even suffered mentally as well
as emotionally because of poor decisions in regard to a past sin.
David certainly exhibits that kind of consequence in his own life as
he calls out to God in desperation.

The good news is that although we retain that old nature when we are
born again, we are now no longer enslaved to it. Paul says of
believers, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness." Romans 6:18. While we struggle with the enticement of
our sinful natures, the Lord promises us a way out, "No temptation has
overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful;
he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you
are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13.

For any of us who may have found ourselves in David's plight following
some sin we have slipped into, we need to recognize that all sin has
already been paid for by Jesus Christ on that cross. And, while we
recognize that it was sin that prompted him to die on that miserable
cross, we need to embrace the love of our Lord, get up, dust ourselves
off and and recognize the truth that the Apostle John spoke of, "My
dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if
anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ,
the Righteous One." 1 John 2:1.

We all may fail from time to time, disappoint ourselves and the Lord
and possibly others. When that occurs, we need to be mindful that the
last thing we need to be is stuck in the morass of failure and find
ourselves unproductive and useless to the Lord as he pursues the
building of his kingdom today.

Ask the Lord's forgiveness, and the forgiveness of any others as
necessary, slip back into the harness of the gospel effort and get
back to pulling our fair share of the load. We don't need victims
here, we need healthy and equipped workers!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here:
http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply
and let me know..

Envying the Wicked - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 37:1-2,

"Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away."

David addresses the potential of God's people slipping into envy of those who reject the Lord and yet do well in this life. It is quite apparent that having wealth and all the wonderful things this life has to offer is not kept from those who reject the Lord. You recall Jesus saying, "... it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 1923.

David provides solid reasons for not envying those who reject the Lord, "Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked." Verses 37-38.

It is a theme that shows from time to time. Here we see it again in Psalm 73:2-3, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." In this psalm from Asaph, he found his answer when he beheld God in his worship. He says, "When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny." Psalm 73:16-17.

Here is what Asaph found as the final destiny of those who reject the Lord, "Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies." Psalm 73:18-20.

As Asaph, we can only maintain the right outlook when we follow Paul's admonition, which is what I am sure made the difference for David as well, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4.

Focusing our hearts and minds on the Lord brings the greatest perspective on all aspects of life, and among other things, keeping us from envying the wicked. We have an inheritance headed our way... they have something else.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Blind to Sin - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 36:2,

"In their own eyes they [the wicked] flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin."

David expresses this observation about the wicked - they simply have no understanding about their sinful condition. He says this observation comes from the Lord himself.

The wicked include all those who have failed to place their faith and trust in the Lord and as such are unregenerated without the facility to grasp both their condition and the plight they face of God's looming judgment of them. John says they walk about in a spiritual darkness, unable to see what it is they stumble over, 1 John 2:10-11. Particularly verse 11, "They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them."

In our minds we may find this contemptible of them, but I have shared in that reality myself (we all have). David certainly places them in such a light. Keeping that in mind, I think it instructive as we share our faith with others. The lost do not know what we know. They do not "see" what we see. They do not understand what we understand.

Our approach to those who need the gospel message need to be approached with that in mind. We should expect to encounter possible confusion on their part, maybe defensiveness, hostility, excuses, conceit, condescension. Most lost folks don't know what it is they don't know. Because of this many feel they have "woke" to other truths, other understandings, other answers to life's questions.

These things being the case, I love the approach taught by "Way of the Master" ministries over the years. Use God's word to help them see their sinfulness. Share what God has to say about personal sin and stay on that track. The employment of God's word to shed light on another's sinful condition is dicey but absolutely necessary. No one looks to be saved if they don't recognize their need for it.

Expect pushback. However, there are some who, when confronted directly and meaningfully in a sincere and courteous manner will acknowledge their need for forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:15 and Isaiah 52:7.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..  

David's Cursing - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 35:4-6,

"May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them."

Psalm 35 falls into a category as one of the imprecatory psalms - there are a number of them. An imprecation is to curse someone or something. David does so in illustrative manner in this psalm. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines curse as "a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one." To curse is also defined as "a profane or obscene oath or word." It is in the sense of that first definition that we are looking at here, "to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon." Synonyms for imprecation include anathema, ban, malediction, execration (the act of cursing) and "malison" (a new one for me - a curse or malediction).

You recall that God cursed the ground when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, and the serpent as well for his role. In Genesis 4:11 God cursed Cain for the murder of his brother Abel. In Matthew 21 we read of Jesus cursing a fig tree. Paul cursed all who do not love the Lord in his closing comments in his first letter to the church in Corinth. He observed that all who rely on the "works of the law" are under a curse, Galatians 3:10.

A lot of cursing going on in the Scriptures, so these psalms of imprecation should not surprise us. Here is what David sought from the Lord when he asked for curses from the Lord on his enemies in Psalm 35:

He asked for shame and disgrace, verse 4.
That his enemies be turned back in dismay, verse 4.
That they be like chaff before the wind, verse 5.
That the angel of the Lord drive them away, verse 5.
That their path be dark and slippery, as the angel of the Lord pursued them, verse 6.
That ruin overtake them, verse 8.
That they intangeled in their own net and fall into their own pit to their ruin, verse 8.
He asks for shame again and confusion, verse 26, shame and disgrace.

David could curse! He could imprecate! However, as I read these things, and as I do consider David's faith to be a role model for us all, I am reminded of what Jesus taught his followers, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:27-31.

I am also mindful of Paul's admonition, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Romans 12:14. He goes on to instruct us, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" (His quote of Proverbs 25:21, 22.

The take-away I have from this is that if I consider what David did as an example for myself, it best be done in the full counsel of the Scriptures. Will I be able to say to the Lord that my actions, attitudes and words resonate in harmony with what Jesus taught, what his apostle Paul taught?

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

In the Midst of Trying Times - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 35:17,

"How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions."

In this psalm David cries out to the Lord for help and relief from the abuse and horrible treatment he received from so many. Here is a list of some of the things he suffered at the hands of others:

They "contended" with David, verse 1.
They fought against David, verse 1.
They pursued David, verse 2.
They sought to take his life, verse 4.
They plotted his ruin, verse 4.
They hid their "nets" against David, verse 7.
They "dug a pit" for him to fall into, verse 7.
They ruthlessly testified against him, questioning him on things he knew nothing about, verse 11.
They repaid David evil for good, leaving him bereaved, verse 12.
They celebrated his failures, verse 15.
They gathered together secretly to assail him, verse 15.
They slandered David, verse 15.
They mocked David, gnashing their teeth at him, verse 16.
They gloated over David and hated him, verses 19 and 26.
They positioned themselves as David's enemies for no reason at all, verse 19.
They falsely accused David, verses 20-21.

Quite a list, isn't it? This was David's experience. This is also the very same David of whom God claimed was a man after his own heart, Acts 13:22. And, yet, as we see in our verse above, God had not rescued him from this assault from so many that was entirely unwarranted - "How long, Lord, will you look on?"

David lived the truth that those of "the world", ("Team Cain" as I call them) hate those who are God's own. "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:12-13.

I suspect many of us at times develop the notion that as a Christian God keeps us from this kind of difficulty, this kind of challenge, this kind of hardship, this kind of treatment. Yet, as we look at a man of tremendous faith, a man after God's own heart, look at how the Lord left him with the challenge (at least for a spell). Why did God allow it? I suspect it is a fulfillment of passages such as Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." I'm certain there may be other reasons as well. Jesus said, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19.

This speaks to me of suffering for at least a season. We might be thinking there is something wrong with us (of course it never hurts to take inventory) if we face such hardship. We might begin to feel something is wrong about our salvation or our faith.

It is my perspective there have been way too many sermons based on the notion that when we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, life becomes a bed of roses, that the Lord will keep all difficulty from us, that he will remove all that hurts and frustrates us. That is not the Bible I'm reading.

What I see in the pages of Scripture is that when we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ we become filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy as the Holy Spirit takes up his residence within us, 1 Peter 1:8. I read where the fruit of the Spirit begins to blossom in our lives, "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23. I read of the wonderful riches of the lavish inheritance the Lord has so graciously and generously bestowed upon us.

Paul tells us, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..." How amazing is that?! However, he ends his thought with, "... if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:17.

So, the next time you might be feeling like David did in Psalm 35 (and I suspect many of us do at times), remember, it is quite likely we should expect it and embrace it as Jesus' expression of his love for us (Revelation 3:19). There may be nothing wrong at all with us.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

Instruction In the Way to Go - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 32:8-9,

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."

David shares with us his experience of confessing his sins to God and having those sins forgiven him, even to removing all guilt for them. He says, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.' And you forgave the guilt of my sin." Verse 5.

What David found was very important to all of us who have concern for our relationship with our Creator and desire to spend eternity with him. In this context David tells us the above, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go". David's teaching was God inspired and preserved for us in the pages of Scripture. This is what I love about the Scriptures: they teach us! They teach us about God, about his character and nature. They tell us of the wonderful and magnificent things he has done. The Scriptures teach us how we all can be forgiven our sins and have the guarantee of eternal life, eternal pleasures at his right hand (see Psalm 16:11). The Scriptures instruct us in how to live our lives!

All of the human authors of Scripture are considered prophets as they all speak from God. Peter tells us, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21. In this way David does instruct us... only it is not just David, but the Holy Spirit instructing us through David and so when we read verse 8, that instruction takes on critical importance for us all.

Were we but to follow what David says in Psalm 32 we would find ourselves equipped in every way as Paul tells us, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Many have looked for a "User's Manual" for this life. Here it is!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..

What Faith Looks Like - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 31:2-3,

"Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."

In Psalm 31 David calls to the Lord for protection, strength and refuge from his enemies, "They conspire against me and plot to take my life." Verse 13b. As he does so he asks the Lord to come to his rescue quickly to be his "rock of refuge" and his "strong fortress", verse 2.

Then, in the very next verse he makes another request, "for the sake of your name lead and guide me". This second request follows on the heels of the request in the verse before! He is entirely convinced he has what he asked from the Lord in verse 2 (to be his "rock of refuge, a strong fortress") and predicated on the assurance he has for what he just asked, he makes his request in verse 3, "since you are my rock and my fortress..."

This is what faith looks like! Assured, convinced, trusting. All these without doubt, without waver, without vacillating. David, in full faith and trust is resolute and orders his thinking, his doing, his communication, his life accordingly.

Clearly David's faith brought to him knowledge of the Lord so that he both knew what to pray for and knew what God would provide. We see this in verses 19-20, "How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues."

David was a man of great faith, and consequently a man after God's own heart, Acts 13:22. Here is a man, like a number of people we read of in the pages of Scripture, to emulate.

This is what faith looks like!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..