365 Reflections

To be saved is to experience the joy of the Lord. He brings you back from the captive places of this world that either other people or your own lusts (and mostly both at the same time) bring you into. The Bible is a record of God repeatedly restoring His people from exile. They were saved from Egypt in Abraham and Isaac, they were saved from Egypt through Moses. They are saved from Assyria and will be brought back from Babylon. And every time, their salvation produces JOY.  Isaiah 52:7–8 (ESV) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. The prophet calls on God's people to sing! To recognize the glory of salvation in that even the ugly parts of the messenger of salvation are beautiful! God reigns a...

Deuteronomy 28 is hard to read. God outlines all the curses for disobedience to the law according to the covenant He has made with Israel. If they are to be His people, He is to come first for their lives. Deviating from his direction will only lead to disaster and pain. In the middle of a long list of curses that would come upon them is a hint at what causes people to crumble in their quest for the "good life" without God. Deuteronomy 28:47 (ESV)   Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, Did you see it? They did not serve the Lord with JOYFULNESS and GLADNESS. And why did they not serve Him with joyfulness and gladness? Because of their "ABUNDANCE of ALL THINGS." I'm firmly convinced of this: It is far more dangerous to be rich than poor. Poverty is visible and challenging. It is demoralizing and terrible in so many respects. We must never belittle the struggle of those...

What do you do when you don't desire God. Psalm 63 is wonderful... but is it often our reality? Psalm 63:1 (ESV) O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Can we say the same? If we are honest, we'd say we don't desire God nearly as we should. But here David seems enamored with God. So what do you do when you don't desire God? Psalm 63:2 (ESV) So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary , beholding your power and glory. David went to Church. I think this is an important point for those of us who don't desire God. Go to church anyway and see what happens. When we get in the presence of God and His people, our desires are trained for heaven. (So long as it's a good Gospel-driven church). We need to understand that the desires we have are largely shaped by the things we put in front of our eyes. When I watch a food show late a night, I immedi...

God is light and Truth. All Truth and all Light come from God. James calls Him "the Father of lights." Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 Light and Truth. What we always need, God always has. The Psalmist prayed this when he felt the most distant from God... Psalm 43:3–4 (ESV) Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. The Psalm prays for God to SEND THEM OUT.. the implication being that both light and truth do not come from within, they come from without. Apart from God we are all walking in darkness and lies, deceiving and being deceived. Mankind has been on a constant quest for deception from the garden of eden. Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately si...

Many Christians are still spiritual babies. They need someone else to speak wooing words over their lives. This is not Christian maturity. Christian maturity means that I have learned how to speak to myself in words of confidence regardless of my feelings or emotions. This was what David did in Psalm 42-43. In his sorrow, he spoke to himself and encouraged himself to hope in the Lord even in the midst of sorrow and sadness. Psalm 42:5–6 (ESV) Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. David does something else in this Psalm. In the midst of sorrow and longing, he not only speaks to his soul, he prays to his God.... Psalm 42:8–9 (ESV) "a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock...." Prayer is always an answer in the times of desper...

Psalm 30:4–5 (ESV) Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. In the context of the whole Psalm these words come alive. David is rejoicing over God's healing, saving and empowering work in his life. He knows God has done great things for him and he turns it into praise. But there was a time when David encountered the anger of the Lord. It was short, but it was enough. David repented and sought the mercy of God... Psalm 30:8–10 (ESV) To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!” God did hear, and God did save. God turns his life from mourning over sin to gladness in His righteousness. I think we miss...

Psalm 27:1 (ESV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? This is by far my favorite Psalm and one of my favorite portions of scripture.  I want to live with NO FEAR. But it doesn't happen from within. It comes from fully trusting in the Lord who is good and will be with me and for me by His Amazing Grace. The Psalmist exudes confidence from the relationship he has with his Lord.  No matter if adversaries or foes attack, or an army attack, or war break out against him - he will be confident. Then he turns his attention to the house of the Lord. The blessing of dwelling with The Lord and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. There is fullness of joy. There are pleasures forevermore. There is real meaning and life - in the presence of the Lord. To have such complete confidence in the Lord is freedom. That you don't have to strong in yourself. Our st...

On to the Psalms. Psalm 1:1–2 (ESV) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. The first Psalm lays the groundwork for the entire Bible. The Bible consistently portrays two opposite paths. The path of God's Word and every other option. From Cain and Abel to Lot and Abraham, to Jacob and Esau, and on to Peter and Judas. One path consistently yields blessing, the other path only harm and destruction.  The first word in the Psalm is "Blessed." It's the Bible's word for "happiness" I love how God gives us the path of happiness.  The Lord wants us to find the right kind of happiness.  God doesn't withhold it, God doesn't dangle it before us like a carrot. But He gives one clear statement here about how to find true and lasting happiness.  The first key to finding h...

Peter gives us one of the best pictures of the Work of God in salvation I think in the whole Bible.  It's a beautiful detailing of te Gift we have through Faith in Christ - the crowning of God's plan from the beginning... 1 Peter 1:10–12 (ESV) Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. First, think about what this is saying.  Prophets searched this out and found out they were simply pointing to Christ for our good!  So that we could look at their lives and see Christ revealed in their writings an...

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ( Philippians 2:14, 15 ESV ) It's easy to hear, and easy to read, and easy to say but it's another thing to do this verse. But we cannot help thing of how grumbling is what's kept the Israelites out of the Promised land in the Old Testament. Grumbling is serious. It's not even a physical sin. It's a verbal sin. It's funny how different we measure sins from how God measures sins.  I looked up the antonym of grumble online.  The answer was: "silence."  What's your complaint? Is God taking too long? Is God not answering your prayers the way you'd like? Is He letting life happen in a way you'd want changed? Think of how stupid that is.  He is God.  And you are His child.  He is a good Father.  A better Father than human fathers.  I t...