Wisdom Of Life

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."  Psalm 106:1 Psalm 106 describes the "mighty acts" that God performed for His people, and the long history of their rebellion against Him. The Psalm reminds us that Israel "made a calf and worshiped an idol," "exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull," and "forgot the God who saved them." And yet, God never stopped loving them. Amazing, isn't it? Our heavenly Father's love "endures forever." We live in a "what have you done for me lately" world. Our interaction with most people is conditional. For you, this conditional acceptance may have started when you were a child. You may have had a mother or father who demonstrated their love only when you performed. They expressed great pride over "A's" and "touchdowns" and "homeruns" and "first chairs" and "le...

Scriptures: Romans 14:7-12   In the New Testament, Lord is the most frequently used title for Jesus Christ. Although we rarely use this term in our daily lives, we are all quite familiar with another word: boss. That is basically what Lord means—one possessing authority, power, and control. The Word of God describes Jesus as the head of the church, the ruler over all creation, and the Lord of lords and King of kings (Col. 1:15-18; Rev. 3:14; 17:14). The realm of Christ's reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth. No one—not even those who deny His existence—can be free of His rule or outside His sphere of authority. Although Satan tries to convince us that liberty is found in doing what we want, true freedom is acquired only through submission to Christ's loving lordship. Even death cannot release anyone from the authority of God's Son. He is Lord of both the living and the dead. All people must decide to either yield or rebel against Him...

"Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him." Psalm 98:1 Many years ago, we had Sunday evening services at our church where people could stand up and share a short devotion. Every year, the parents of a longtime member would visit and his father would share. The first time that I heard the father speak, it was amazing. He took an obscure passage of the Old Testament and made it come alive. When he visited the next year, he shared from the same passage. It was still pretty good. Then the next year ... same passage. And the next year ... same passage. The first year I heard the guy, I likened him to a Bible-teaching John Wayne. By year five I saw him as Barney Fife. The guy only had one teaching bullet!  I have seen more than a few people get stuck in a spiritual rut. Every time you talk with them, God is "teaching them" from the same passage. They praise God for the same ...

Scriptures: Mark 16:15-20  Suppose I asked what the mission of the church is—how would you answer? Although the church accomplishes many tasks, its only message to the world is the gospel of Christ. Everything else we do is merely an extension of that primary goal. The gospel we offer the lost is superior to every worldly philosophy. Never outdated or in need of correction, it is always sufficient to meet humanity's greatest need: reconciliation with the Creator. Although the message is always the same, methods of making it known are many—including the spoken word, music, printed material, and electronic media. But all these avenues of communication require the individual involvement of God's people. It is every Christian's responsibility to use his or her spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities to help fulfill the Great Commission. Some Christians think that this role is given only to pastors, missionaries, or other people with an "up-front ministry....

"And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”  Psalm 78:72 This verse describes three things that we should be committed to do as followers of Jesus. It gives us the framework for how to lead well. Shepherd . Empty sheep pens never get messy. But where there are sheep, there are messes. Shepherding is the calling to be involved in the mess of people's lives. Adultery and addictions, divorce and depression, broken bodies and broken hearts--life is messy. But shepherds (imperfect and broken themselves) are willing to wade through the mess and tend the sheep. Integrity of heart . Shepherds must tend their hearts. It won't take long for an unhealthy shepherd to have a pen full of unhealthy sheep. Leaders must lead themselves before they can lead others. Skillful hands . Leaders are learners. We must constantly develop shepherding skills that benefit those God has placed in our charge. An unskilled, untrained, and undis...

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:14-21 Every day, you get out of bed, put on clothes, and walk to the table to eat breakfast. You greet the rest of the household and maybe read the paper. A few minutes later, you drive to work at 60 m.p.h. on a strip of asphalt where other vehicles can pass by within four feet. In the first hour or so that you’re awake, your body completes thousands of complex tasks that are so routine they go unnoticed. Our physical frame is a creation of remarkable beauty and intricacy. And while certain parts seem more attractive than others, all are useful. The body’s interdependent nature—that is, the way every part relies on other parts to perform properly—is an apt metaphor for a Christ-centered church. When believers use their gifts and talents to operate together lovingly, the whole body functions properly to the glory of God. However, churches today are filled with people who feel insignificant. Upon seeing the successful work of others,...

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”  Psalm 73:23-24 Asaph was discouraged. Even though he was the leader of one of King David's three Levitical choirs, even though he was serving the Lord, Asaph "envied the arrogant when [he] saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Psalm 73:3). Asaph said, "When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply" (Psalm 73:16). But then he gained an eternal perspective. In contrast to the temporary and ultimately meaningless gains of the "wicked," Asaph noted the godly advantages. Check out four benefits found in today's passage.  "I am always with you." The personal relationship we have with the eternal God is more precious than any earthly possession. Check that--all earthly possessions! The Creator is always with us, living in us. Presence! "You hold me by my right hand." Asaph s...

Begg "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." Psalms 119:37  There are various kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the fool, the merriment of the world, the dance, and the cup of the dissolute--all these men know to be vanities; they wear upon their chest their proper name and title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain things--the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in a portfolio as in a theater. If he is spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ and make our God the great object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the prayer of our text: "Give me life in your ways." The psalmist confesses that he is dull, heavy, all but dead. Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best motives cannot quicken us, a...

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”  Psalm 68:19 In some stretches of life, the burdens are weighty. Sickness, diagnosis, treatments, and recovery produce a tangible load on our souls. Death and grief cloud our hearts and minds with a thick fog. Job loss shocks, then discourages. If the new job doesn't come on our timeline, a wave of "what-if" panic sets in. Challenges with children, strained relationships, delayed dreams, death of dreams, failure, sin ... the list of heavy burdens continues. The weighty stretch becomes unbearable when we feel the load must be carried alone. The situation is always present. We feel the weight with each step. Soon a once overflowing heart is depleted of joy, energy, and desire to keep going. But, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior" we don't have to carry the things that weigh down the soul! We don't even have to share the load! We have One who carries every w...

"W hen I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise--in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”  Psalm 56:3-4 Scott is a daredevil ... to say the least. I have never seen him back down from anything. From his cycle riding to his traveling the world to his business ventures, the term "risk-taker" aptly describes him. That's why I was so surprised when he wouldn't climb the pole to the zip-line platform. Granted, the zip-line platform was high. And granted, the pole to the platform demanded a few maneuvers, but I never expected him to say, "I'm not climbing that pole!" No matter how much I encouraged and cajoled, his feet stayed planted on the ground. We had some serious (and not so serious) discussions about Scott's refusal to climb. But here's one thing that we concluded: everybody has a "pole of fear." You may be described as a risk taker, but there is something you won't or ...

Scriptures: Jeremiah 17:5-8   An acorn needs nutrients and time to grow into a tall, sturdy oak tree. Likewise, men and women of conviction develop gradually through committed  Bible  study and  prayer . Ready to get planted firmly in biblical truth? Here’s how: Make a list of issues for which you need to form a conviction. Here are questions to help you get started: Do you consider the Bible true and trustworthy? Do you think that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved? What is the Holy Spirit’s role in the lives of believers and unbelievers? Are we to forgive others in every situation? How should Christians approach finances? What’s your purpose in life? What is your role in the church and at work? How should you think and act regarding social issues like capital punishment, abortion, and racism? It is my hope that these questions will open the eyes of those who haven’t contemplated how their personal philosophies have developed. It’s time to chan...

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”  Psalm 42:5 The Christian life is not free from challenges. In fact, this may not be the news you want to hear--a person following hard after Christ will experience some hard times. No one goes out seeking a dark valley. But, ready or not, here they come. Do you know anyone who hasn't experienced a deep disappointment, a relationship break-up, a loss, the death of a loved one, an undesired move, a wayward child, personal rejection, illness? The list goes on. In this life there will be trouble. In his book The Faith, Charles Colson has an excellent chapter dealing with the inevitable suffering of the Christian life. Based solidly in Scripture and illustrated with stories of real people, Colson says that "suffering belongs to our calling as Christians." Regarding the inevitability of tough times, Colson writes, "This is why easy-believ...

Scriptures: Romans 14:20-23   A person of conviction has become convinced, by either evidence or argument, that his beliefs are true. Today, most men and women would rather live by preference than conviction. They choose to believe something based on certain conditions and circumstances. When the situation changes, so does their loyalty. In other words, a lot of people vacillate on issues that require a firm resolve. Contrast this wishy-washy approach with the mindset of the great men and women of Scripture. Despite many years of unfair treatment, Joseph never wavered in his commitment to godly principles . As a result, he was in the right place at the right time to ensure Israel’s survival (Gen. 50:20). Daniel, another righteous man in an idolatrous land, earned the trust of foreign kings by standing firm in his beliefs (Dan. 1:20). When his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also refused to compromise their beliefs, they influenced a king to recognize Jehovah as t...

“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?”  Psalm 42:1-2 The deer is out of breath and out of strength. Running through the mountains has exhausted his body but focused his mind. There is one thing he can think about ... one thing he needs. He yearns for a mountain stream, running with cold, refreshing water. He pants for water, and searches where to find it in order to satisfy his thirst. The psalmist likens the deer's quest for water to his desire for God. As every part of the deer desires a drink, so every part of the psalmist craves God. His inward parts thirst for the living God. He wants to be near God, wants to enjoy God, wants to experience God and wants to be satisfied by God. That's not only the desire of the psalmist, is it? You and I want the same thing. We have tried many things that left our souls dry. We have sampled the world's offerings with...

Scriptures: Proverbs 6:6-8   God is a masterful Creator. He has integrated many of His principles into the fabric of nature so that we can see His handiwork and learn of Him (Psalm 19:1-6) . If you desire to acquire wisdom, do not neglect to look outdoors for His lessons. Now, of course, the outdoors sometimes comes inside. If you’ve ever battled ants in your kitchen or pantry, wisdom probably isn’t the first trait you would attribute to them—you probably would choose a description more like determination. But to the lazy person, God points out these tiny creatures as an example of wise living. Simply consider how many characteristics of the ant people would be smart to adopt: preparation, cooperation, perseverance, diligence, unity, and the list goes on. So interacting with righteous men isn’t the only way to acquire wisdom. God also wants us to observe the lowly ant that He created to work in community. There’s much to learn from the created world...

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”  Psalm 27:4   My most dangerous times are unfocused times. Pursuits, activities, and responsibilities--all good in and of themselves--pull me in many different directions and, more often than I like to admit, I lose my focus. Spurgeon says it this way, "Divided aims tend to distraction, weakness, disappointment." I have experienced that to be true. But King David, a man with much on his plate, focused his sights on "one thing." This singular endeavor was his heart's desire and active quest. David wanted a heart ignited with a burning passion to follow hard after God. He was not content to just read about God or think about God or talk about God. David desired to experience God's presence every day of his life. An ignited heart is not cloistered in a commune. The fire burns...

Scriptures: 1 John 5:14-15   Parents train their children to do many tasks—from knowing which clothes match to handling money. Perhaps the most important skill we can teach is how to follow God’s direction. We are blessed that our omniscient and mighty Father is willing to make His way known to us. He wants to reveal exactly what to do in every situation. In fact, He promises this: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8). Let’s explore how to discern God’s will at each crossroad of life. The first step is to make sure that we have repented of all sin. Listening to God while holding onto iniquity in our heart is like using a foggy and unreadable compass. After confessing and repenting, we can ask for direction. Next, we should read Scripture regularly with a seeking, open heart. The Bible is like a lamp on a dark path (Psalm 119:105). The last step involves God...

Scriptures: Romans 15:4-13   Despite man's best efforts, the world's longing for peace remains unfulfilled. Each new generation has high hopes for reconciliation among people and nations but in the end faces disappointment. One day Christ will return and make everything right. Until then, believers are called to be His ambassadors of peace. However, becoming a Christian does not automatically change us into people who pursue kindness and unity. At times we're quick-tempered and impatient and find it hard to live in harmony with others. We may have trouble letting go of attitudes or habits that hurt those around us—and occasionally we don't even want to. God knows our true character and has provided the Holy Spirit to transform us into Jesus' likeness. The Spirit opens our minds to understand and apply Scripture. He gives us the power to say no to ungodliness and to replace me-centered thinking with a Christ-centered viewpoint. He patiently produces His fruit in u...

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." —Isaiah 6:8   God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “…who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14) . That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear “the voice of the Lord” continually asking, “…who will go for Us?” However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of...

With All My Heart   “To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.”  Psalm 9:1-6   Thanksgiving is neither conditional nor compartmentalized. Thanksgiving does not say, "I will thank you if ..." or "I thank you, God, for this but not for that." Thanksgiving does not hold out or hold back. Thanksgiving is the expression of the "whole heart." We can praise God with all we have ...

Scriptures: Matthew 26:47-50   I’ve counseled plenty of folks who argue that they are not worthy of God’s love. Of all the passages I could point to that describe the Lord’s devotion, today’s is the one I think best showcases the unqualified friendship He offers His followers. As Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion, Judas Iscariot approached him with a band of men. The betrayer stepped forward and kissed the Lord’s cheek. And what was Jesus’ response? According to another disciple, Matthew, He called the man “Friend” (Matthew 26:50). Judas expected Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth and drive the Romans out of Israel—anyone who could calm a storm at sea could easily remove an oppressive government! But Judas’s interest in Jesus was more personal and political than spiritual. In fact, John reported that his fellow disciple stole from the money box (John 12:6). Today the...

Scriptures: Luke 15:11-24  Humanity tends to project its own faulty habits onto God. This is especially true regarding the nature of His love. We think we must barter, plead, or try hard to earn the Lord's favor. But as the prodigal son learned, the Father's love is unconditional.   The wayward son expected his father's love to be diminished. Therefore, he went home hoping for a place among the family servants. Imagine the boy's delight when Dad greeted him with a hug and a celebration. His actions certainly didn't merit an outpouring of affection, but Jesus' parable is all about a Father who doesn't give people what they deserve. A love based on conduct would keep people guessing, Have I done enough? Instead, God cares for you simply because you're you, and He expects nothing in return. Consider the prodigal's life after his homecoming party. He didn't move into the servants' quarters and get to work. He was reinstated to his place as the...

Scriptures: Ephesians 5:15-17   Oftentimes we think seconds are not terribly important. But seconds tick away into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days. We’ve all been amazed at how swiftly days turn into weeks, months, and years. Think of it this way: a seventy-year-old has lived about eight hundred and forty months—that is the equivalent of two billion, two hundred seven million, five hundred and twenty thousand seconds! While you read that last sentence, about five seconds of your life elapsed, and you can never go back and decide to use them differently. As small as they are, seconds are holy, because they are a creation and a gift of God. How we use even these small time increments makes a difference. If God has a plan for each life—that we live it for His purpose and His will—then we must consider how we spend not just years, months, and days, but even minutes and seconds. And the time to decide is now, before any more of your life passes...

" For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, LORD for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long? Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?” Psalm 6:1-5  Sometimes sleep won't come. Sometimes the pain seems unbearable. Sometimes anxiety attacks the soul. Sometimes we don't know if we can make it another day. We cry out, "How long, LORD, how long?" We are confused and frustrated. We long for God's healing. That's where David is in today's psalm. The circumstance is not known but one thing is clear; David is in "deep anguish." He feels that God is disciplining him. His body is weak. He doesn't know how much longer he can make it. He is...

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David. “Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, LORD, detest. But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple”   Psalm 5:1-7 There is no right time or wrong time to talk to God. In fact, we should always have Him on our hearts and minds. But there is great wisdom in starting each day with prayer. David's repeated phrase of speaking with God "in the morning," is a great model for us to follow. David's desperation for God's help causes him to cry out. David knows...

“Let us draw near with a true heart.”   (Hebrews 10:22) The command we are given in this passage is to draw near to God. The great aim of the writer of the book of Hebrews is that we get near God, that we have fellowship with him, that we not settle for a Christian life at a distance from God. This drawing near is not a physical act. It’s not building a tower of Babel by your achievements to get to heaven. It’s not necessarily going to a church building. Or walking to an altar at the front. It is an invisible act of the heart. You can do it while standing absolutely still, or while lying in a hospital bed, or on the train as you commute to work. This is the center of the gospel — this is what the garden of Gethsemane and Good Friday are all about — that God has done astonishing and costly things to draw us near to himself. He has sent his Son to suffer and to die so that through him we might draw near. Everything that he has done in the g...

“And God saw that the light was good.”   Genesis 1:4   This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord's dividing it from the darkness. We now note the special eye that the Lord had for the light. "God saw the light", He looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light, dear reader, He looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to Him as His own handiwork, but it is like Himself, for "God is light." It is pleasant for the believer to know that God's eye tenderly observes that work of grace that He has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure that He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people--b...

Scriptures: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Believers are born into a living hope. However, people who are without Christ have no foundation for their expectations and desires. Many live with a false sense of security. They assume that what is important in this life is the physical and material. But there is no safety in things (1 Tim. 6:9). Those who pursue wealth and health rather than God find that their dreams either go unfulfilled or fail to satisfy. Believers anchor their hope in the solid rock of Jesus Christ. His words are always true and His promises always kept. I'll sometimes hear a person project his or her unfulfilled desires on God and then argue that He came up short. But Christians who make a request and submit to God's will always get an answer—yes, no, or wait. The Lord does not disappoint those who seek His will. Don't misunderstand that statement. We might feel temporarily let down when something we hope for is not in God's plan. But He doesn't go back on the ...

"And j ust as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”  (Hebrews 9:27–28)   The death of Jesus bears sins. This is the very heart of Christianity, and the heart of the gospel, and the heart of God’s great work of redemption in the world. When Christ died he bore sins. He took sins not his own. He suffered for sins that others had done, so that they could be free from sins. This is the answer to the greatest problem in your life, whether you feel it as the main problem or not. There is an answer to how we can get right with God in spite of being sinners. The answer is that Christ’s death is an offering “to bear the sins of many.” He lifted our sins and carried them to the cross and died there the death that we deserved to die. Now what does this mean f...

Scriptures: Romans 8:31-34   Throughout life, there will be times when our sins and failures lead us to conclude that God is disappointed or angry with us. How can He still love me after what I've done? If I'm really forgiven, why do I still feel so guilty? At such times, we need to fix our eyes on the truth of Scripture and ask the questions Paul posed in Romans 8. • If God is for us, who is against us (v. 31)? Our heavenly Father proved His loyalty to us when He delivered His own Son over to death in order to save us. Without Christ's atoning death on our behalf, we would face eternal separation from God. • Who will bring a charge against God's elect (v. 33)? No accusation against us can stand, since at the moment of salvation, the Lord justified us. This means we were legally declared righteous, while still in our sinning condition. No one can reverse this transaction and make us guilty again. To doubt our blameless standing in Christ is to declare His atonement in...

“By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10) Grace is not only God’s disposition to do good for us when we don’t deserve it. It is an actual power from God that acts and makes good things happen in us and for us. God’s grace was God’s acting in Paul to make Paul work hard: “By the grace of God . . . I worked harder than any of them.” So when Paul says, “Work out your own salvation,” he adds, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). Grace is power from God to do good things in us and for us. This grace is past and it is future. It is ever-cascading over the infinitesimal waterfall of the present, from the inexhaustible river of grace coming to us from the future, into the ever-inc...