Responding to God's Call

God has placed a calling on YOUR life.  Every single person is a part of God's plan to further the kingdom.  Every. Single. Person.  Yes, that means you.

God didn't call you to just sit in a church pew every Sunday.  He didn't call you to pray a couple of times a week.  He didn't call you to sit on a board at your church.  He didn't call you to make sure your bible sits out on the coffee table.  

While all of those things are good and may be a part of the call He has placed on your life....

God has called YOU to go and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all He has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).  

That calling looks different for every person.  But that is the ultimate goal of the calling that has been placed upon each of our lives - to make disciples, to further the kingdom.  By entering into a relationship with Christ, you are accepting your responsibility in furthering the kingdom.

So now that you are aware that you have been called to make disciples of every nation, how will you respond?

Let's turn to Genesis 12 for some inspiration.

In chapter 11, we are first introduced to Abram (aka Abraham), briefly, through a genealogy.  The very first verse of chapter 12, we see that God has called Abram:

1 Now the Lord said to Abram,
'Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;

4 So Abram went forth as the Lord has spoken to him....

The Lord spoke and Abram obeyed.  Plain and simple.  Obedience is the best way to respond to God's call.  You could try and avoid what the Lord has called you to, as Jonah did (see the Book of Jonah), or you can obey.  "The Lord said to...Go forth....So Abram went forth...."

Do you respond to God's call like that?  Are you willing to leave where you are (comfort zone, physical location, emotional state, etc.) in order to follow the plan God has for you?  Or are you dragging your feet?

I know that You have called me to go and make disciples Lord, but that is waaaaay out of my comfort zone.  Give me a couple of years and then maybe I will be ready.  I need time to prepare myself.  

I know I told You I would be ready in a couple of years, but I'm just so busy right now.  With my new job and two kids, I barely have time for myself let alone the chance to go out and talk to other people.  Just wait for work to slow down.

Yeah, I'm working part time now.  But I'm just not ready to go, Lord.  Isn't coming to church on Sunday good enough for You?  I read my Bible and pray.  I even tithe and help out at dinners!  Maybe another time....  There are other people more equipped than I am.  If anyone knew what I had done in my past....  Lord, call someone else.  This isn't for me.

Sound familiar?  What if Abram had responded that way??  He may never have become Abraham.  And Abraham is the father of Israel!!  An entire nation!

Responding to God's call does not just affect you, it affects generations to come!  You are living a story that will outlast you!  In verse 7, the Lord tells Abram, who is childless at the time, that he will give this land (Canaan) to his descendants.  God is not just looking out for this generation but also for the next and the next and....well, you get the picture.  You must think bigger than yourself.

But maybe you aren't qualified.  Maybe you don't fit "the bill."  You have some horrible sin in your past that people would hold against you.  You can't make disciples!  You have never read a theology book.  And you certainly don't want to speak in public.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called"?

Abram, most certainly was not perfect.  In fact, in the very same chapter we see him diligently obey God's call to "go," we also see him sin.

11 It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, 'See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live, 13 Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you."

Abram lied to Pharaoh about his wife!!  She was taken into Pharaoh's house (Admittedly, Sarai is just as much to blame here...)!  Abram messed up.  And this is seen immediately after he responded to God's call in obedience.  This is so very intentional!  God wants us to see that we do not have to be perfect to follow the Lord's leading.  He still used Abram, and He will still use you!

Let's back up for a moment.  Do you remember when I said that your response to God's call isn't just about you?  It affects other people and generations to come.  Sin is the exact same way.  It does not just affect you!

17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.  18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me?  Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?'

Because of Abram (and Sarai's) lie, the Lord struck Pharaoh's house with plagues!  Abram's sin immediately had an effect on other people.  And I think it is safe to assume that some people could have died from this plague, which means that generations there after were affected.

Sometimes our response to God's call, when it is not obedience, is sin.  James 4:17 reads, "Therefore, to one who knows the right things to do and does not do it, to him it is sin."  If you know the right thing to do and you don't do it, it is a sin.

And that  sin doesn't just affect you.  It affects the people around you and generations to come.

How will you respond to God's call today?

Will you ignore Him?  Pretend like you didn't hear?  Make up an excuse as to why you shouldn't respond?

Or will you obey?

Once Upon a Time...

I want to tell you a story....

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a very stubborn nation.  They had lived a tough life under the tyranny of others.  But, thanks to the grace of God, they escaped from that tyranny and began their life anew.  Thankfully, God placed in their hands a guide to His will for their life.  They only had to follow it.  

But...being a stubborn nation, they ignored what God wanted for them and let their hearts stray.  God sent blessing after blessing their way and still they would not follow His will.  He sent punishment their way and, still, they would not follow His will.  So He gave them over to their stubborn, hardened hearts.  They would not enter His rest.

Who do you think I am speaking of here?

Possibly Israel.  Possibly the United States.  The truth is, it could be either one.  

Just like Israel, we were given a chance to follow the will of God.  He even gave us instructions by giving us His word (aka the Bible).  Yet, we harden our hearts and turn from His ways day after day.

Psalm 95:7b-10
7b Today, if you would hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
9 "When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
11 Therefore I swore in My anger,
Truly they shall not enter into My rest."

While our nation was not literally at Meribah or Massah, we have been in contention with God and we have tempted, or tested Him, which is the meaning of those two words (Strong's H4809 and H4532).  If any nation has followed after its own heart and neglected the word of God that was at their fingertips, it is ours!  We are just like Israel: "They knew God's ways well enough; but they did not like them; and would not walk in them" (Clarke).  What are God's ways?  How do we know them?  The Israelites had the 10 commandments.  We have the Bible.  He has given us a road map to follow His will!

And just like the Israelites: "It mattered not whether He blessed or punished.  They were impervious to both" (Expositor's).  It seems that no matter what happens to this country: fortune or famine, peace or terrorism, we never turn to God.  And this is why: "They strayed in heart; therefore they had an ever-increasing ignorance of the right road.  For the averted heart and the blind understanding produce each other" (Expositor's).  If that doesn't explain our country, I don't know what does.  The heart of the nation, the hearts of the people have gone astray.  Because of that, they can no longer see what is right...even when it is in the palm of their hands!  

We must be so very careful to keep our hearts in the Lord's will.  For once we begin to stray, it becomes more and more difficult to understand His way.  We are tempted and misled and eventually are hearts are hardened and "the seed sown on the rock never brought any fruit to perfection" (Henry).

Church, our job today, is to steady our hearts.  Our job is to give our hearts entirely to the Lord so that they do not harden and we are able to produce fruit.  For when we produce fruit, we encourage others to do the same.  And soon, one fruit tree becomes an orchard and then the orchard becomes an entire forest.  

Be the light in the darkness.  Be the fruit tree in this famished land so that one day, the Lord can harvest a forest full of fruit!

The Truth: Our Days are Numbered

Let me ask you a question.  And I want you to really think hard about the answer.

Do you know when you are going to die?

Seriously....do you?  Or don't you?

The answer is easy.  You don't have a clue....just like I don't have a clue.

But we live like we know we won't die until we're old and grey.  

We have no way of knowing if we will be old and grey or if we will even see tomorrow.

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

If you take a look at what the Bible has to say about our hearts, you will see that our hearts are the key to spending eternity with our Savior (for more on that, check out any of the posts I've written here).  We must be pursing the Lord with all that we are, and we can't do that if our hearts are not in the right place or if our affections are divided.  

It seems, however, that most of the general church population wants to put off cleaning up their hearts and giving them completely to the Lord until....well, until tomorrow. After all, we always have tomorrow.

But what if we don't?  What if we don't have tomorrow?

If you were to take a look at your life right now, would you be okay with everything if you died today?  Or are there things you need to take care of?  People you need to talk to?  Relationships that need fixing?  Family or friends that need forgiving?

Most importantly - is your heart in the right place with the Lord?  Could you present your heart to Him and tell Him that you gave it your all?  Would you be presenting Him with a heart of wisdom or a lukewarm heart that never left the fence?

I want to rephrase that verse for you a few different ways so that you really get the point.

John Wesley puts it this way: 

"Teach us...to consider the shortness of life and the certainty and speediness of death...That we may heartily devote ourselves to true wisdom."

Because, yes, death is certain and, often, quite speedy!  Therefore, we must devote ourselves to true wisdom which is seeking the Lord.

From Matthew Henry:

"We must live under a constant apprehension of the shortness and uncertainty of life and the near approach of death & eternity."

Everything we do should be with eternity in mind because this life is, most definitely, temporary and uncertain.

And lastly, Adam Clarke rephrases it perfectly:

"Let us deeply consider our own frailty, and the shortness and uncertainty of life, that we may live for eternity, acquaint ourselves with thee, and be at peace; that we may die in thy favor and live and reign with thee eternally."

 Eternity depends on our lives now.  Do you get that?  Do you really get that?  Everything we do, every choice we make affects that. 

Today, I challenge you to live like you were dying.

Make amends.  Apologize.  Forgive and let go.  Love like you have never loved before.  Give.  Enjoy life.  Be thankful.

And, most importantly, get your heart right with the Lord.

The Truth Is....

Here in America, it is so easy to fall into "the grass is greener" trap.  It is increasingly difficult for us to ever be content.  We are an instant gratification society.  Everything needs to happen right now, right away.  We are self-centered and self-righteous.  We think we deserve things just because...well....just because we....are. 

But that couldn't be further from the truth.  In fact, the truth is that "the grass isn't always greener" even though it looks like it might be.  The truth is that delayed gratification (learning to wait) is much better for you.  The truth is that we should be focused on others instead of ourselves.  The truth is that we don't deserve a thing.

Because we get all of that backwards, we tend to grumble and complain because we just aren't thankful for what we do have.

And let me tell you what, we all have much to be thankful for.  Yes, even if we're living on the street, abandoned by every last family member and friend, we still have much to be thankful for.

You see....

The truth is - God shows his lovingkindness toward us every single day.  And, when we accept His gift of salvation, He saves us from the depths of Hell.  And the truth is, we don't deserve it.

David points these things out in Psalm 86:

12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

And will glorify Your name forever.

13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great

And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol

This is the reason we should be thankful!

Every.

Single.

Day.

Ever single moment!

Because He loves us so much, God literally snatches ('delivers' Strong's H5337) our souls from the hand of the devil.  Because of that, we never have to see, we never have to live through the eternal destruction of Hell.

It is absolutely beautiful isn't it?

Especially when we have done nothing to deserve it...

The Truth: A Teachable and United Heart

Psalm 86:11
Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.

I absolutely love when one verse of the Bible, one single verse, can teach you so much.  This verse is one of those.  And I think it is absolutely beautiful.  As the Expositor's Commentary states, this verse "culminates in one of the sweetest & deepest prayers of the Psalter."

In verses 1-10 of this Psalm, David is crying out to God for help.  He wants the Lord to deliver him from his troubles.  Yet, "The thought of God's power carries [him] beyond remembrance of his immediate outward needs, and stirs high desires in him" (Expositor's).  David knows that, even though his physical and emotional life may be in danger, his spiritual life remains the number one priority.

So, first, David asks the Lord to teach him His ways.  Why?  So that he can walk in the Lord's truth.  David knows that he can't trust his own judgment.  We have too much of our own stuff that gets in the way.  We can't see the whole picture sometimes.  David was wise enough to know he needed guidance beyond himself.  If we rephrase it, it might sound something like this: "When I am in doubt concerning [my duty], make it plain to me what I should do; let me hear the voice saying, 'This is the way'" (Henry).  Does that plea sound familiar to you?  I know I've said something similar a few times in my prayers.  There are many times in my life that I am completely unsure of what to do, of what the right path is.  So I pray that God will guide me, and often ask for a neon sign.  ;) I don't want to miss what He has to say!  

Thankfully, He has given us His word to guide us through this life.  If we want to learn His ways, we need only spend time in His word and in prayer.  Then, we are able to walk in truth.  For what is truth?  His word is truth (John 17:17).  

David also asks the Lord to unite his heart so that he may fear the Lord's name.  That phrase struck me as unique.  And I was right!  The Hebrew word for "unite" is only used 3 times in the Old Testament!  And each time is very similar to our understanding of the word.  When you think of the word 'unite,' what do you think of? Bringing things together? Working together for a cause?  

That is exactly what the Hebrew word for unite entails.  David did not want his heart, his desires and affections, to be split between the Lord and the world.  He wanted everything he was to be focused on the Lord: "Let my heart be fixed for God, and firm and faithful to Him, and fervent in serving Him; that is a united heart" (Henry).  

Think about it this way - if you spouse loved another person romantically, would you feel very loved?  No - "Divided love is no love.".  Just as "the river that breaks into a multitude of channels is sucked up by the sand without reaching the ocean, and has no force in its current to scour away obstructions," so are our affections when it comes to the Lord (Expositor's).  If our affections lie in a number of different places, by the time they get to the Lord there is little left!  If our affections are going in a multitude of directions, there is not a strong force to push away obstructions, to get rid of things blocking the path to the Lord.  

We already know that the road leading to Christ is a narrow one.  So why would we put the full force of our affections anywhere but on that path.  Our affections cannot be divided!!  They must be fully aligned to that narrow road, headed to the ocean of our Lord's will.  

Only then can we fully fear His name.  Only then can we respect Him and revere Him in a way that He deserves.  

In conclusion, "There is no peace nor blessedness, neither is any nobility of life possible, without wholehearted devotion to one great object; and there is no object capable of evoking such devotion or worthy to receive it, except Him who is 'God alone'...The very conception of [Christianity] requires that it should be exclusive, and should dominate the whole nature" (Expositor's).  Christianity isn't something that only comes along on Sunday mornings.  It is the definition of who you are.  And if it isn't, well then, it's something else....

The Truth: Prayer for Longing

Psalm 84:1-4
1 How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You.

We can be so very grateful that we have access to the presence of God at all times.  We don't have to be in the Holy of Holies.  We don't have to be a priest or a Levite.  He is ours.  Or rather, we are His.  He is here with us!  

But still, can't you relate to these words?  They are full of passion, full of yearning.  I know I have felt this way.  Yes, God's presence is here all the time.  No, I don't have to be in a church.  But sometimes I don't feel God's presence like I do at other times.  And I yearn for Him to be near...much like the words of this song:

..."for dark is light to You
the depths are height to You
far is near, but Lord I need to hear from You

Be near Oh God,
Be near Oh God....." (Be Near, Shane & Shane)

We should constantly want to be in His presence, to yearn for His embrace.  Our hearts are made to long for Him.  Much like a baby bird longs for its mother....

I would like to lift up a prayer for all of you today:

Father,

You are good.  You are wonderful and full of love for each of us.

I pray right now that You would fill me and each individual reading this with a yearning to be in Your presence, with a desire to have You near.  Hold us close, Father, and make Your presence known in a powerful way.  I know sometimes I feel like You are so far away, that my words are bouncing off the ceiling.  And sometimes I even feel like You don't care.  I pray that You would rid those thoughts from my mind.  And if anyone else reading these words feels like I do, please do the same for them.  Remind us that You are here.  You are always here.

Thank You for loving us so much that You made it possible to have access to You at all times.  Thank You for caring enough to listen to and answer our prayers.  Thank You for Your presence.

In Jesus Name,
        Amen

The Truth: Two Roads Diverged....

I recently accepted a job with the local medical pregnancy clinic, Life Choices.  I am teaching sexual integrity to the local schools (8th, 10th, and 11th grade).  It is a daunting task, but this first week has been amazing!  However, any prayers would greatly be appreciated - this is a spiritual battleground if I have ever seen one!

A part of our curriculum covers integrity.  We talk about what that means: doing the right thing even when no one is watching.  We should all want to be people of integrity.  After all, no one wants to be the villain right?  

Then why are there so many people in this world that seem to lack integrity and morals?  I'm sure you can all think of someone or multiple people that you know who have gone their own way without regard to other people.  They follow the lusts and sinful desires of their hearts, hurting those around them as well as themselves.

I truly believe those people are the ones who have chosen to self-engineer their paths instead of following the path the Lord has laid before us.  Some of those people may not even realize this is what they are doing...but in the end, there are only two paths: your own or the Lord's.

Psalm 81:11-16
11 But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.
12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.
13 Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

We have all heard the poem by Robert Frost:

...Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - / I took the one less traveled by, / and that has made all the difference.

We are all standing before those two roads in the woods.  And we have to make a choice.  Do we go the way of the world and follow our selfish desires or do we take God's road, the one less traveled?

Let's take a look at the two different roads, shall we?

To take God's path means we 'hearken' to His word.  In other words, we listen and obey.  Much like Israel, we hear God's voice as no other people (Henry).  His word is at our fingertips and we are allowed to read it, study it, and talk about it without any repercussion.  Isn't that amazing!?!  His word is His will and "The highest blessedness of man is to have a will submissive to God's will, and to carry out that submission in all details of life" (Expositor's).  Let's focus on what listening to those words and choosing God's path and will means for us.  As verse 14 states, He would quickly subdue our enemies and adversaries.  Verse 16 goes on to say that He would feed us with the finest of the wheat and with honey from the rock He would satisfy us.  

The finest of wheat? Translate that to mean the best of the best.  When we listen to Him and obey what He commands, we will have access to the best of the best.  But what about the honey from the rock?  That isn't even possible.  You're right.  It isn't!  But God doesn't work in the realm of the possible.  He works in the realm of the impossible!  When we read the words 'and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you'  what we are to hear is something closer to this: you will no longer be "on the ground of the actual, but of the ideal...the expression is [one] for incomparable abundance" (Expositor's).  Did you catch that?  If we listen and obey we will be living the ideal, a world of incomparable abundance!!

But that isn't where it ends!  God is so incredibly amazing!  God is the definition of patience.  When we are striving to listen & obey, we sometimes fall off the wagon.  In those times, He has the most amazing "restraining grace" (Wesley).  He has every right to destroy us, but He restrains and give us grace - "His grace is His own...and He never gave His grace to any that could say they deserved it" (Henry).  Do you think you deserve His restraining grace?  I know I don't!  But He gives it anyways!!  

Why does God want us to serve Him? God "delights in our serving Him, not because He is the better for it, but because we shall be" (Henry).  God has so many promises for us inside of His will, along His path... His word clearly expresses those.  And His word never fails!

So if His word doesn't fail, what does?  We do.  We fail by choosing to go our own path instead of the Lord's.  When Scripture says that the Lord "gave them over" (vs. 12), it simply means that He let them go.  He let them go their own way instead of forcing them into His will.  And "when they were delivered up to their own lusts; that is worse than being give up to Satan, which may be [for] reformation (1 Tim. 1:20)...but to be delivered up to their own hearts' lusts is to be sealed under condemnation" (Henry). 

God does the same with us.  If we abuse His grace, if we think His grace will be there even though we choose to ignore His commands and His will, if we take His voice for granted and it  becomes just noise in the background that we don't even listen to, then we have chosen to follow our own path.  God will let us go our own way.  Unfortunately for us, "There is no worse fate for a man than to be allowed to do as he chooses" for "it is sin that makes our troubles long and our salvation slow" (Expositor's, Henry).

So you see, just as God never gives His grace to anyone that deserves it, "He never took it away from any but [those who had] first forfeited it" (Henry).  It is a tight rope we walk when we choose to follow our own path.  Eventually God's grace won't be ours for the taking any more.

I will leave you with this quote for the Expositor's Commentary that wraps it up pretty neatly:

"Self-engineered paths are always hard, and, if pursued to the end, lead into the dark.  The listening heart will not lack guidance, and obedient feet will find God's way the way of peace which steadily climbs to unfading light."

Are you heading into the dark or are you climbing towards the light?

God's Path or Your Own?

The Truth: True Beauty

Psalm 78:35-39
35 And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36 But they deceived Him with their mouth
And lied to Him with their tongue
37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful to His covenant.
38 But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them;
And often restrained His anger
And did not arouse all His wrath.
39 Thus He remembered that they were but flesh,
A wind that passes and does not return.

Why did they remember that God was their rock?  Because tragedy struck.  This is a recurring theme with the Israelites.  They forget about their Redeemer, fall into sin (as a lifestyle), God displays His anger, and they quickly tuck their tails between their legs and follow suit again.  Some afflictions in our lives "are sent to put us in mind of God as our rock and redeemer, for, in prosperity, we are apt to forget Him" (Henry).

Unfortunately, Israel did not have their hearts in the right place and they were not faithful.  They got into the habit of only turning to the Lord in order to escape the evils of life or His wrath.  That isn't truly seeking after the Lord.  That's only seeking to escape from something else!  Because their hearts weren't right in seeking after the Lord, "The pressure being removed, they returned to their habitual position, as all such penitents do" (Expositor's).  

Have you ever been witness to such "seeking" in this day and age?  Someone who lives a not-so-heavenly life is diagnosed with cancer and told they don't have long to live.  In an effort to save their souls, they suddenly begin attending church, serving others, and truly seeking after the Lord.  Then test results come back in and the cancer is gone!  Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!  They give God the credit for their healing.  For awhile, church attendance and their dedication to the Lord's work continues.  But soon, they aren't coming as often, their heart isn't in the work they are doing.  And pretty soon after that they quit attending church altogether, seeking the Lord has been forgotten.  It is no longer a priority now that the pressures of imminent death have been removed.

It happens.  Some of those people who were driven to the Lord because of their affliction stay there.  And that's awesome.  But some people only want the Lord when things are bad and then they don't have the time to seek him when all is well.  Their hearts were never in the right place to begin with and "when the heart is wrong, the life is wrong" (Clarke).  

But, in "the midst of this sad narrative of faithlessness, springs up, like a fountain in a weary land, or a flower among half-cooled lava blocks, the lovely description of God's" patience and restraint (Expositor's).  If we got what we deserved every time our hearts weren't in the right place...well...we would be doomed to weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Thankfully, "Though [Israel] often grieved His Spirit, and rebelled against Him, yet He seldom punished them, and when He did chastise them, it was as a tender and merciful Father.  He did not stir up all His wrath - the punishment was much less than the iniquity deserved" (Clarke).  And He does the same for us.  

God wants what is best for us.  He wants us to succeed.  He wants our hearts to be right.  And every single day He gives us another chance to get it right!

Every.
Single.
Day.

We are given second chance after second chance.  

Is that not the most beautiful thing you have ever heard?

The choice is yours to make.  Will your heart be in the right place today?  Or will you let it wander in the wilderness as the Israelites did?

Faith Through Generations, It Starts with Me : The Truth

This study almost brought me to tears.  For so many reasons.  I could blame it on hormones or the classical music playing in the background.  But, in reality, I know it was the Holy Spirit.  There are just some things that genuinely strike my heart more deeply than others.

Did you know that back before the printed word, history was passed down, primarily, through word of mouth?  It makes sense, but it definitely isn't something I pause to consider very often.  In fact, in Old Testament times, "oral tradition was the principal means of preserving national history" (Expositor's Commentary, emphasis added).

Psalm 78:5-8

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach them to their children
6 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
7 That they should put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
8And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

It is a beautiful passage of Scripture isn't it?  Our faith, the law, commands, and works of our God are to be passed down from generation to generation.  Why?  So that we would not be like our fathers (or ancestors) and be stubborn, rebellious. lacking a faithful spirit and a good heart.

Think about that for a second.  If we did this right.  If we taught our children the laws and commands, told them of the wondrous works of our Lord, and lived like we believed them all (with true faith) then the effects would be multiplying!!  

Our children would learn from us and their children from them and so on and so forth....

Each and everyone of them would be instilled with faithful spirit and righteous heart!  I pray every single day that I am able to instill these things in my daughter.  That when she grows older and has to make a choice between the world's way and God's way, that she won't even have to think twice.

As I read this passage, a lot of things came to mind....but the question that really got me thinking, the one that brought tears to my eyes was this: Am I capable of teaching my daughter the way she should go?  For Proverbs 22:6 states: Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Can I do that?  Only by God's strength and wisdom.  But how do I rely on that strength and wisdom, where do I find it?  His Word and Prayer.  They have to be a daily part of our lives.  Without them, we are lost.  And if we are lost, how do we show others the way?  

We should know the Lords laws & commands, as well as His wondrous miracles, so well that if we had to pass on this history orally we could do so without distorting or forgetting the truth. Our ancestors had no other choice.  They learned and memorized.  They didn't write the Word on a piece of paper, but on their hearts!

In order to train my daughter in the way she should go, I must write His Word on my heart.  I need to spend time in His word and in prayer daily.  Kids learn by what they see, not what they hear.  Setting the right example is key to teaching generations after me the way they should go.

It starts with me.

Finding Happiness for Your Soul : The Truth

There was a time in college where I really struggled with self-worth.  I had everything I needed.  Life was good.  But I wasn't happy.  Something was missing.  I needed to fill a hole in my life.  And I chose to do that with guys.  I didn't use a physical relationship to fill the hole, rather, I needed the emotional connection, the affection, the endearment to make me feel whole, happy, and fulfilled.  

That feeling of something missing is embedded in all of us.  People fill it with sex, drugs, alcohol, work, hobbies, or, in my case, relationships.  

I have a hunch as to why we feel that something is missing: our souls are longing to be happy and whole.  And our souls can only find that wholeness, that pure joy, when they are united with the Spirit of the one true God.

Find photo credit information here.

Psalm 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

As Matthew Henry states, "There is scarcely a verse in all the psalms more expressive than this of the [sincere] and devout affections of a soul to God."  It is a beautiful statement.  One that could only be made from the soul.  For, "He, and He only, that made the soul, can make it happy; there is none in heaven, none in earth, that can pretend to do it besides" (Henry).  

There are three things that should be noted here.

Our desires should be in God alone.  Heaven sounds wonderful.  But if we make Christianity about heaven and hell instead of about God, we are missing the point.  For, "Heaven without God were a waste to this man" just as it should be for all of us (Expositor's Commentary).  And nothing on earth should hold our desires more than the Lord.  But we cannot do that when our focus is elsewhere.  The Hebrew for 'besides' is 'im which is actually translated as "with" (Strong's H5973).  So vs. 25b could actually be translated "And with You, I desire nothing on earth."  We can so easily be distracted by the things of this world. But with God, those desires can be squelched!

 Our bodies are only temporal...and not that important.  Our flesh and hearts will literally fail at some point.  Everyone dies.  It is inevitable.  For some, the failing of the flesh is a tragedy and completely overwhelming.  And while we can mourn, our soul should stay happy with the joy of the Lord.  He is our strength, or rock, as the Hebrew is literally translated (Strong's H6697).  We can always take joy, though our flesh and hearts my fail, in knowing that we will one day be with the Lord!

And lastly, with God as our portion, we should always be content.  If you lost everything, your health, your wealth, your family & friends.  Would you still be content with your portion in Christ?  Would you still be joyful?  Matthew Henry rephrases the  Psalmists words in this way, "Earth carries away the desires of most men, and yet I have none on earth, no persons, no things, no possessions, no delights, that I desire besides thee or with thee, in comparison or competition with thee."  Can you say those words?  If, like Job, you lost absolutely everything, would your joy, your happiness, your faith, remain?  Is God truly your portion?  Is He your only desire on Heaven and on earth?

I would like to think that if all were taken from me that I could still find happiness in my soul.  But I pray that I never have to find out.  There are some things I could easily put aside, my health and wealth.  But my family and close friends...that's tough.  

I will strive to place God before all of the early distractions.  And I hope that you will do the same with me.  Only then will our souls find true happiness.

The Truth: Ignorant Fools

Sometimes in life, I act like a fool.  I can be rude & ignorant, brutish, or just downright stupid.  And usually, that side of me comes out around my family.  Mostly because, at the end of the day, they are still going to love me.  Even at my worst, my family still loves me.  Unfortunately, I know that isn't the case for some.  That when you act like an ignorant fool, your family leaves you in the dust.  But I have an amazing truth to share with you:

No matter how completely stupid you may act in this life God will never leave you in the dust.  He will only hold you closer.  Even at your worst, He will still love you.

Psalm 73: 21-24

21 When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
22 Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.

This Psalmist had been there.  He had completely been a fool before God.  He had looked around at the world and decided that it was completely unfair.  The unrighteous had so many great things going for them - money, power, food, and so much more.  They seemed so blessed compared to the righteous, to those that loved the Lord (sounds familiar doesn't it?).  And God saw his heart in those moments.  He was like a beast before the Lord.  The Hebrew for "senseless" is baa'ar meaning, "stupid, brutish, like cattle" (Strong's H1198).  

Yep, that's a cow...

I have been brutish before the Lord, as dumb as a cow...    I have come to Him in anger, demanding that he heal a loved one.  I have yelled at Him and told Him it wasn't fair.  But, nevertheless, He was continually with me.  He took hold of my hand and pulled me close.  I have been at my wits end, about to fall away, like the Psalmist, "He had all but lost his hold of God; but though his feet had almost gone astray, his hand had been grasped by God, and that strong hold had kept him from utterly falling (Expositor's Commentary).  After all, our safety in temptation and our victory over it is not from "our own wisdom, for we are foolish and ignorant, but [from] the gracious presence of God with us" (Henry).

I also believe that the Psalmist realized that God, as Romans 8:28 states, was using his temptations, his trials and tribulations, for good.  Take a look at the word pierced in verse 21.  The Psalmist's heart was angry and he was pierced within.  The Hebrew for pierced means "to sharpen" (Strong's H8150).  To sharpen something is to make it better, right?  I don't sharpen a knife to make it worse.  And I don't sharpen a knife that is already sharp.  I sharpen a knife so that it can be the best knife it is capable of being.  God sharpens us in much the same way.  He doesn't sharpen us to hurt us and He doesn't sharpen us when we don't need sharpening.  We are sharpened so that we can be the best children of God that we are capable of being.

Lastly, the Psalmist notes that with Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.  Even though God uses tough times for good and even though He remains through all of our foolishness, there still remains a responsibility on our part.  We have a responsibility to follow the counsel the Lord has given.  And what is that counsel?  His word and His spirit.  His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:05).  And ...we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit, who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God... (1 Corinthians 2:12).  God is offering us guidance every single day and we must utilize what we have been given, for "if we make God's glory the end we aim at, He will make our glory with Him the end we shall for ever be happy in" (Henry).

In conclusion, there are a few things to remember when we are tempted and tried - even when we are acting foolish and ignorant, God is holding our hand and working behind the scenes to bring about good from all the bad.  However, we are still responsible for following the guidance and counsel He has given us.  And if we do, we shall forever be with Him in glory.

Beautiful isn't it?