SHUT THE DOOR!… Psalm 131

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I love this psalm.  Simple yet profound.  Do you feel the same way?  King David is its author.  One of the ‘Psalms of Ascent’, sung as pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem.  It speaks of an attitude of contentment that can only come from hoping in the Lord, a hope that lasts forever.

An attitude–not of pride or arrogance, of one who tilts back his head looking down on everyone else. Quite the contrary.  With a head that tilts to the side in understanding and mercy… looking up to others, looking further up to the Lord in heaven.  An attitude… then a contentment.

Like a weaned child, a babe who contentedly trusts the provision and care of one’s mother.  Totally satisfied, completely trusting and grateful… being with mother.  The arrogant person will always be looking for something bigger and better,  always climbing and clutching to find what is always out of their grasp.  Plans become schemes to outdo and outperform, to win…win…win,  at any cost.  The mirror-opposite of the weaned child is the schemer, plotter and finagler.

Contentment is letting God handle the things way out of our control.  To know that being in His hands is far better than any human schemes.  Life is more than spinning a story woven with lies and half-truths. It’s best to be honest and transparent.

Here’s the call to commitment– life is best lived leaning in on the Lord.  We have some choices to make in life. You do.  I do.   Arrogant or humble?  Always clamoring or resting in the Lord?  Knowing when to hurl yourself into something and when to step back and give it to God.  Knowing when to open or shut the door.  Knowing that our trust in Him will produce a hope that is unsinkable, a hope that lasts for…well, it lasts forever!

 

Prayer:  Lord, help us to know when to dive in and when to step back.  To be humble and content,  satisfied always hoping in You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

UNLESS THE LORD…Psalm 127

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A friend of mine gave me a letter from C.S. Lewis, the famous author.    My friend had written to him in 1959, complimenting him on one of his books that she had read.  He responded with a handwritten letter, hand-addressed from Cambridge University where he had to add an extra stamp for airmail.  I have it framed, both the letter and the envelope, and it hangs on the wall in my study.  That letter is special to me.  I look at it, often picturing him writing it, taking it to the post office and buying that extra stamp.  He said he was most appreciative of my friend’s  compliments, and acknowledged her hope that they would not make him vain.  His response was this–‘even if they make me vain, it is better to be vain than proud’.  There’s a head-scratcher for you!  What does that mean?

I’ve pondered that for years.  But that’s C.S. Lewis…makes me think and wonder.  What I don’t have to chew on is what the Bible says about trusting in the Lord to direct our lives and care for us.  No doubt about what God means.  Pride comes when we leave the Lord out of our lives , when we resort to prayer as that last resort, not first and foremost.  Pride comes when we get lost in a world of our own making, not knowing who’s really in charge and who will triumph in the end.

We believers know who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Stop your worrying and fretting–I’m looking in the mirror at myself right now!  As Psalm 127 says, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house…’  Fears and worries help not at all.  Let the Lord do the building.  Will we?

Know that the Lord is–the LORD!.  Hold your head up high.  Look over the fog of this world to the clear skies of heaven, where He is and where we’ll be some day.  Won’t that be the very best?  Not proud… but loved and cherished forever!  Amen to that!

 

Prayer:  Lord, we trust you with today, tomorrow and forever. In Jesus’ wonderful name.  Amen.

KNOCKING AT THE DOOR… Revelation 3:14-22

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I can hardly remember any one of my relatives who was interested in the things of the Lord. Some yes, but precious few even darkened the door of a church except for a funeral or a wedding.  They seemed uninterested in God.  These were not bad people.  They didn’t commit murder or adultery, that I knew of.  No, these were my Aunt Bertha, my Uncle Herman, Uncle Heinie, Tanta Olkers, Nana Gibson.

Ordinary folk, funny characters all, my family.  But so many seemed to have no interest in God.  After decades of Christian ministry,  I wonder about their lack of curiosity… and my longing for Him.  Why?  What happened?  After all, I’m no great shakes, no one special, no one marked for any sort of greatness.  Not at all.  As you can guess.

Of course, who knows what goes on in the private quarters of one’s heart and soul?  I don’t.  But they seemed to have no interest.  And I always did.  All that I could see around me, from a little boy onward, bore the imprint of His hands and heart.  I could hear Him knocking at the door of my life.  Knocking gently.

Knocking…knocking…knocking…somewhere within.  I sensed that quiet voice speaking my name, wanting to know me and be with me forever.  Me?  Yes…me!  That voice of Jesus…now my friend, my Savior, my Lord having crossed the threshold of my heart.  I don’t know why many of my relatives didn’t seem taken with God.  Maybe they didn’t hear Him knocking at their door or whispering their names?  Why did I?  Have you?  He’s there.  Knocking and whispering to come to Him.  Who could reject such a gentle call?  Not me!

 

 

Prayer:  Lord, I hear you and thank you for being in my life through your Son Jesus Christ.  May all in our families hear you and love you as their own Lord and Savior.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

WOULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT THAT!…Psalm 124

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It was so embarrassing.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was sharing with a client how someone else, who remained anonymous, had done so well in the stock market because they didn’t know how to stop their monthly bank authorization of $20.  Every month for years and years, $20 mysteriously flew from their bank account into their unfathomable mutual fund account with our company. These folks were now wealthy, but didn’t have a clue.  A financial planner with our company hadn’t been to see them in decades.  They couldn’t even make heads-or-tails of their quarterly statements, which were dense and arcane.

As a brand new planner in their area, I went to see them.  Very quickly it was obvious that this was an uninformed  couple– now worth quite a bit of money!   I asked them why they continued putting hard-earned money into something they did not understand.  Their answer was priceless–‘we didn’t know how to stop it!’  As it turned out, they sure were glad that ignorance was bliss, with a lot of shekels thrown in for good measure!

Now this wasn’t embarrassing for me, it was joy and happiness for them.  What was, though, was that when I was sharing this story with someone else, they finished my punch line for me because I had told them this same inspirational story before.  I was repeating myself… and they let me know it.  Red in the face!  Where’s the door, let me out!  I still cringe at the thought.

Maybe I’m just getting older(who said there’s no ‘maybe’ about it?!), repeating myself over and over.  Here’s a helpful thought, though.  Psalm 124 repeats a thought unashamedly!  Verses 1 and 2–‘if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side…’  Stated and then restated in the next verse.  Why repeat the idea that without God, we’re toast?  Wiped out, ruined, come to nothing and no good?  Well, I guess it’s repeated because we need to keep reminding ourselves of where and from whom all of life and its blessings truly come from–the Lord and He alone!

Keep repeating it even when you don’t feel like it.  Especially then.  Over and over.  Would you please repeat that– ‘Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth'(verse 8). Keeps us humble and grateful.  For if He made all creation, He can and will take care of us.  He’s on our side.  He loves us.  Really!  That’s worth repeating all day long!  I’ll say it again…’if it had not been the Lord who was on our side…’

 

 

Prayer:  Oh Lord, how easy it is for us to forget that all of our life is from you.  Thank you, over and over, for everything.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

GIVING WHO THE COLD SHOULDER? … Jeremiah 6: 1-15

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I don’t like it when someone gives me the cold shoulder.  Who does?   Being looked down upon, held in contempt, with an eye-full of scorn.  I remember a boss of mine, in a church no less, who used to greet me by saying, ‘well, how is everything in your little life.’  Little life?!   I was too young at the time, and too afraid to say what was on the tip of my tongue!  Poor guy, he was so impressed with his big-shot life!  Guess I should have been too, but I wasn’t!

No one likes to be treated with scorn.  And that’s what the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah says about how God’s people treat Him and His Word.  With scorn and the cold shoulder. Can you believe it?   Jeremiah 6: 10–‘to whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear?  Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen;  behold, the Word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;  they take no pleasure in it.’

God and His Word an object of scorn?  Might as well spit in His face.  That I do not recommend.  For us, who are believers in Jesus Christ, we know that with the difficulties of life, we can place each and every one of them squarely on His broad shoulders –and He will carry them for us.  He shoulders our burdens.  His are the best to lean upon.  The God, in whom I take such great pleasure, and whose Word is a lamp to my feet, a light to the bi-ways  of my not-so little life!

Give Him the cold shoulder?  Who…to God?  What are you crazy?  In Jeremiah 10:21 the Lord tells the prophet to proclaim that ‘…the shepherds(the religious and political leaders) are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord…’  Call it what it is…to ignore the Lord, not to seek His will and love is just plain s…t…u…p…i…d!  That’s what it says.

Let’s be smart…lean on Him, His shoulders are broad and strong and good.  Take pleasure in Him and His Word.  Enjoy!

 

Prayer:  Lord, we love you.  We need you and thank you for always being right there, shoulder to shoulder, next to us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

SO NICE TO BE INVITED… Psalm 122

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Isn’t it nice to be invited?  Whatever the occasion, it doesn’t really matter to me.  A graduation, a wedding, dinner at a friend’s home, to our church to pray for all kinds of needs.

Years ago, my wife and I were invited to a Bar Mitzvah of a dear friend’s grandson at the local synagogue.  It was quite an honor to be included as if we were special friends to them, which we were.  To be invited meant so much.  To be thought of,  to be wanted, for them to be honored with our presence…that’s so special, isn’t it?  Don’t you feel that way when someone you care about let’s you know that they want you to be with them,  to share that special moment together?  Of course you do.

Psalm 122 verse 1–“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!'”  Invited to God’s house…they were wanted and welcomed into the house of the Lord.  Not them alone,  but you and me as well.  Invited to be in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  His nail-pierced and -scarred hands are always open to us.  Always reaching out in our direction…to reassure us of His love and His desire for us.

God is reaching out to everyone all the time.  If only they would listen…and open the door of their hearts (Revelation 3:20).  If only they would open their ears and eyes.  If only they would stop the cacophony of strident voices all around, and to sit in silence at His feet and hear His wonderful voice in the Word of God, the Bible.  If only…

The invitation has been in the mail for a long time.  Have you responded to Him, to His invitation?  He loves you and will forever.   Like the psalmist who said ‘I was glad when they said to me…'(Psalm 122:1), you’ll be glad that you RSVP’d the King of Kings and accepted His invitation of salvation and new life.  I’m glad, so glad… And you?

 

 

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for inviting me to have a relationship with your Son Jesus Christ.  What a privilege.  In His name.  Amen.

HIDDEN BUT NOT IN HIDING… Psalm 119:9-16

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The other day I decided to read all of Psalm 119 in one sitting.  It’s the longest chapter in the Bible.  The longest Psalm–all 176 verses.   Have you ever done that?  I’ve done it many times.  It is the most amazing psalm of all.  Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that it is an Hebrew alphabet acrostic. What in the world is that, you might ask?

There are 22 sections of 8 verses each in Psalm 119, with each section beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  The first letter of each of those 8 verses of every section begins with the same letter.  So, the 1st eight verses all begin with the letter ‘Alef’, the next 8 all begin with ‘Bet’… and so on until you get to verses 169-176 where all begin with the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ‘Taw’.  A masterpiece of creative writing, at its very best.  All praising the Lord for the gift of His Word.  His Law and commandments, statutes and precepts…all those synonyms for His gift of the Bible, from A to Z, all inspired, all truthful, all encompassing.  From beginning to end, we have a gift from Heaven that is incomparable.

While visiting our son and his family, one of our grandsons blessed us by repeating some verses from the Bible that he had memorized at his kid’s church program.  He was six years old.  And to hear him share God’s Word from his heart was about the biggest joy we could ever experience.  He is hiding God’s Word in his heart.  Hiding it, not hidden away for none to see, but putting it in the deepest part of his life, his heart and mind, so that as he grows up and experiences all the things that happen in life, those words will be there for him.  To help him…to guide him…to bring him back to where he needs to be and where he needs to go.

Did you start that young in life putting God’s Word deep within?   I didn’t.  I was a teen and my memorizing the Bible was hit-and-miss, at best.  But who cares when you start?  The only tragedy would be to never start at all.

No matter what your age…get into God’s Word.  Get it into your mind and heart.  If you do, I know that that’s a regret you’ll never, ever have.  Start today…maybe sit down and read that amazing Psalm 119, all in one sitting!  Not a bad idea, if I must say so myself!

 

 

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Bible.  As I spend more time with you each day, open up its treasures to me to see you in all your glory.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

READY OR NOT!…2 Timothy 4:1-5

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I’m taken with what the Apostle Paul says to young pastor Timothy– ‘be ready’.  To not be ready is not an option in the Christian life.  Too important–to be ready.  And willing.  Leave ‘not’ out of it!  Commitment is called for.  A nod of ‘yes’.  No fence-straddling. No wishy-washy hemming and hawing.   No ‘fair-weather’ believers need show up at the recruiting office of God’s forces.

The apostle says to ‘be ready’.  I wonder what comes to mind?  ‘Be ready’! I think of when I was a brand-new financial planner with American Express Financial Advisors.  I had the best manager I could ever hope for.  A delight to be with.  Honest, caring, and understanding.  Rare to find anywhere.  He wanted to know how much money I wanted to make my first year.  Really?  It’s that easy?  Is this a trick question?   Pick a number out of thin air?  Name it and it’s yours?

Well, no.  Not really.  Of course not.  Based on the dollar number that I came up with as a goal, he could show me the activity required to generate that kind of income.  How many phone calls I had to make each week.  The number of appointments made,  followed by the number of analyses of prospect’s needs and goals I had to make.  Then, how many new clients I needed each week and how many investment dollars I would bring in to reach my own goals.  In other words, I had to work hard and smart and, above all, honest.

Couldn’t get to the end result without lots of preparation and getting ready, i.e. work…work…work!  The Apostle Paul says to be ready.  Get going.  Stop making excuses for yourself.  Get into your Bible.  Let God’s Word get into you.  Bathe yourself in prayer.  Not only ’emergency’ prayers, but praise and intercession and whatever comes to mind.

Visiting a Roman villa in England reminded us of all the time the Romans spent in bathing.  Frigidarium, tepidarium, and caldarium were so well constructed and well used…at great effort and expense.  As believers in Jesus Christ, bathe in Him.  Bathe in His Word, the Bible.  Time alone with your Lord and time with other believers.   Sharing Him with those who need Jesus Christ more than they could ever imagine.  Be prepared–whatever it takes, whatever the cost.  ‘Be ready…’

 

 

Prayer:  Dear Lord, make me ready for all you have in store for me today.  I’m yours, Lord.  Thank you for all the excitement of the days ahead…with You!  In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

WHAT DO THE SIMPLE FOLK DO?… 1 Timothy 6: 17-19

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When in Cornwall, England, we toured the castle where King Arthur supposedly was born.  Quite the hike in and out, but well worth it as there were wonderful views of land and sea from those ruins.  In my head I was humming the song sung by King Arthur in Lerner and Lowe’s musical ‘Camelot’– ‘What Do the Simple Folk Do?’.  Simple folk…like you and me.  Not simpletons; hopefully, but common folk.  The bread and butter people of life.  Not royalty or the hoi-poloi.

The simple life…that we all yearn for.  But do we?  Then why do we allow such messes to rear their ugly heads in our lives.  Taking on other’s worries.  Butting our heads in where they don’t belong.  Fretting over the same old stuff.  So, do we really want the simple life?

If so,  the Apostle Paul has such good advice found in 1 Timothy 6: 17-19.    You say that these words are for rich folk–‘as for the rich in this present age’.    Isn’t that us?   We have so much.  We are spoiled.  Just me.  Not you?  You’ll have to decide for yourself.  Rich in this present age, Paul says, is best lived with humility,  knowing the blessings of God are not due to what I deserve or even have earned.

He says to be humble and grateful, knowing that what we brought into this world is what we’ll take out of it!  So, thank the Lord for all His many blessings.  But on the other hand, if we have very little– could it be that the less we have, the more we lean on God and learn of Him?  Could be.

Paul says to enjoy what we have.  We will, if we do so with open hands.  Willing to share, eager to give when truly needed.  What we have from God is a blessing.  Still more blessed to give, as our Lord said!  Doesn’t just feel good, but it also builds a foundation for us in heaven.

To cap it all off,  Paul says that living this way is ‘taking hold of that which is truly life'(1 Timothy 6: 19).  Truly living…the real deal…the simple life.  It is simple.  Not really complicated.  Sound good?  We should try it…!

 

Prayer:  Dear Lord, you have given us so much.  And we are grateful people.  Thankful for all your blessings.  Help us to share more, enjoy more and really live the life you intended  for us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.