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Meditations on Psalm 19 Part 3

<Read part 2

Psa 19:12  “Who can discern his errors?” [For me, my inner being is to a large part inscrutable, opaque, below the conscious. In there I unknowingly sin with wrong motives, wrong attitudes, wrong desires, wrong emotionally-based, deeply ingrained responses. These errors are from my flesh, from the inherited residue of sin from past generations, from the subtle working of the devil, from input from the world. It is there—but its penalty has been paid in Christ’s death and resurrection, praise be to you, so we can pray:

“Forgive my hidden faults.” And know that we are forgiven. I praise you that you are slowly increasing the depth of understanding in this area, showing me more and more of my hidden faults that I may knowing confess, reject and obey you in these areas. Praise you for your persistent, patient and powerful work in my life.]

Psa 19:13  “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.” [This is where I am fully responsible and where I very much need your grace, your help and guidance, Lord Jesus, my great Shepherd. Praise you for the continual upward progress of your transformational work that I see daily within and without: the warning, conviction, insight, motivating and protection, help of the Holy Spirit in giving a biblical response to pressures that push towards personal sin. You are making supernatural responses more natural for me. You are persistently, lovingly at work; you are my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Shield, my Strength, my Stronghold. In you alone is the needed help in the battle with sin, self and Satan, with you alone is there hope, power and victory.]

“Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” [Only in you, Lord, only in you is there hope of being blameless, without reproach, innocent of great sin. Praise be to you for your unwarranted desire to help, your unreasonable love, you undeserved grace. You are marvelous in your Might, great in your Grace and wonderful in your Wisdom as you usher us farther up and further into the freedom, growth and grace of your Kingdom. Glory be to you.]

Psa 19:14  “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,” [Yes, Lord, may both my inner and outer man please you, for out of the heart flow the words of my mouth. Yes, Lord, bring this continual transformation. Help me to think your thoughts, meditate on your Word, respond with your wisdom, speak your Truth. And may you be greatly pleased with the obedience growing in my being, the result of your good work.]
“O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” [You are my LORD, that is, Yahweh, Jehovah, the Holy God, pure and sinless, separate and other, who hates and will judge all sin, while somehow you love sinners and provide a way of escape for us. You are the God of wondrous qualities, of gracious goodness, of seeming paradox, able to join together what looks contradictory from our limited perspective.

As my Rock you are the stability of my life, the source of rest, of shade, of protection, of hope–in you I can take refuge.

You are my Redeemer, the purchaser of junk so you can turn it into treasure. You are the One who wanted each person in the world to come to you, to believe, to become your child, dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on, doubly cherished and delighted in. You, the great Savior brought us out into a spacious place, before your throne, before your face, before the hosts of heaven and there you delight in us, your unfinished and cherished children.

Praise be to you for your crazy love, you wild wisdom, your glorious grace. You are worthy of our worship today and through all eternity. I bow before you, O King of the universe, Lord of time, Ruler of all creation. To you be honor, glory, praise and exaltation in my life today. Amen.]

 

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Three Things that Should be Growing in Our Lives, Part 8

<Read Part 7

A real example of a “worldview shift opportunity.”

Here’s a actual situation of a local church leader in a Middle Eastern culture who struggled with a difficult, personally painful situation pointing his need to make a worldview shift.

.Harry and Ivan were two people whom  John, the leader of their little church, had helped extensively.  He had spent much time encouraging and counseling them individually. He had given each of them financial help from his own pocket. He had helped with the wayward son of one. He had confronted one on some difficult issues. He had built faithfully into their lives.

One day Ivan came to John and told him how Harry had done an unethical and dishonest thing right in front of him. They discussed Harry’s seeming lust for more income leading him to unethical behavior, his failure to lead his family well spiritually and his refusal to help a brother when it was within his power to do so, preferring instead to help an unbelieving relative. [Perhaps you can see in this last item how Harry was acting totally within a Middle Eastern worldview: family first no matter what.]

This was one of several such talks they had. John often tried to tone down Ivan’s anger, and to turn the conversation to other things.

Several months later, one of the expats working in this little church called John and asked him to come to a meeting to talk about relationships. It was not good timing for John as he was under a lot of pressure from his extended family, and was preparing to leave in two days an extended study trip abroad.

When John arrived, there were Ihan and Harry, along with two expats. The meeting started off hot and went to scalding. Ihan accused John of gossip and slander as well as unethical business practices. John was flabbergasted at this turn of events. All the love and help he’d given these guys, and this is how they acted? He steadfastly denied any wrong doing–especially when these two guys had done the exact things they were accusing him of–and attempted to hold in his anger. He refused to acknowledge that he had gossiped or slandered Harry. It was not a good meeting. Everyone left dissatisfied.

Now, the question is, biblically, what should John do?  It is clear what he should do according to his culture. He should keep up a front of being right (to admit fault would be a weakness and would bring shame on him). He should cut off his relationship with Ivan and Harry for their insulting him, and he should keep away from the expats that dragged him into such a shaming situation.

However, looking at it biblically there are three very different things he should do. First, he should confess to God his sin in the situation. He did talk with Ivan behind Harry’s back. He was angry at Harry. He did speak as if there was no good in Harry’s life, slandering him.  Second, he should then go to each of the other people involved, confess his poor behavior at the meeting along with his stubbornness, pride, gossip, slander and unrighteous anger. And third, he should ask for forgiveness.

Whoa! How many western believers would do such a thing? Yet the difficulty, the contrast with his natural worldview is much greater for John.  The gap between what John’s shame culture dictates (do whatever it takes to defend and preserve your honor, at all costs avoid losing face.) and a biblical worldview (humble yourself, confess sin, ask forgiveness). is huge. Humanly speaking, these are impossible demands.

Yet, if John is willing to reject his natural worldview and act according to biblical standards, he will be transformed, the power of his testimony will increase, he can be again filled with the Spirit and he will be a more useful instrument in God’s hand.  That’s the power that flows when we are willing to make a worldview shift.

How about you? Are you ready to embrace a biblical worldview at the cost of humiliation? If our foremost desire is to love, glorify and serve Jesus, we can answer with a hearty “YES!” We know that humiliation is the shortcut to humility. And we know that in such obedience, we can glorify God, be further transformed and be more useful for Him. In a biblical worldview, what more could we ask for?!!!

 

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Meditations on Psalm 19 Part 2

< Read Part 1

Psa 19:7  “The law of the LORD is perfect,” [you make no error, Lord, what you revealed is exactly right, perfectly stated, totally trustable.]
“reviving the soul.” [To learn your law, to obey your ordinances brings life, refreshment, growth and strength to our souls, our minds, our wills our emotions. They are brought more in line with what you originally intended—just a taste of that, but none-the-less, a touch of eternal reality. Praise you for putting it within our grasp within your Word.]

“The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,” [They are absolutely right, true, correct and therefore we can rest in them. Even if men take some out of context and twist them to their own purposes, that does not negate the genuine wisdom stored up in them for those who handle the Word of God correctly.]
 “making wise the simple.” [We are all simple in comparison with you, Lord. Who can understand the power that holds together the protons in the nucleus of an atom? Who can know the paths of the stars? Who can know what is right in every situation? Only you, Lord God, and you graciously share much of that wisdom with us in your Word. Praise you for your generosity!]

Psa 19:8  “The precepts of the LORD are right,” [You make the lines clear: this is right, that is wrong. I praise you that you do it more in principles than particulars, presenting us with the power to know what is right in various situations. ] “giving joy to the heart.” [Knowing brings security. Knowing the boundaries and keeping them brings joy. Joy is one of the gifts you have for us, one of the pleasures you desire us to have in growing amounts. John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” It is there for the taking, we just need to take your Word seriously.]

“The commands of the LORD are radiant,” [Your Word shines like the noon day sun, showing us the way, what is right and wrong, where to step and what to avoid] 
“giving light to the eyes.” [with your Word I know what to do: do not lie; do not steal; do not commit adultery; be faithful; be kind; forgive; love by obeying Truth; find your delight in God; do what is best; pray all the time.  There is no question about many things. And where it is not so clear and simple, you wholeheartedly give wisdom.]

Psa 19:9  “The fear of the LORD is pure,” [To obey you takes us in the direction of genuine holiness, away from the pollution of our flesh, the world and the devil. To fear God, not man, to obey You, to reject fear of man, this leads to purity.]
 “enduring forever.” [And what we do out of fear of you will last forever. To obey Truth because we love you, even if it is a tiny, one second act, is something that will have significance for all eternity. It is a glory-giving, grace-displaying, goodness-giving opportunity, fulfilling the purpose for which we were created, to bring honor to you.]

“The ordinances of the LORD are sure” [There is no doubt, no shakiness, no uncertainty  in your Word. What You command and reveal is absolutely sure and correct. We can count on it. ] 
“and altogether righteous.” [There is no sin, no wrong motive, no dark side, no hidden evil, no selfishness, no imbalance in your ordinances, Lord. They are purely, positively, powerfully right. We can always be confident in it.]

Psa 19:10  “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;” [They last forever, they are perfect, they cannot perish, their value is immeasurable, they are vast beyond conception. Much greater in value than gold—and much easier to transport from one situation to another.]
 “they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” [They bring the sweetness of life, the nectar of joy, the taste of heaven, the joy of life.]

Psa 19:11 “By them is your servant warned;” [To not pay attention is dangerous. They reveal danger, show the way around evil and protect us from our own wrong desires. It is up to us to obey, we must pay attention to what you reveal.]
 “in keeping them there is great reward.” [Not just preservation from danger and disaster, but immense rewards come from obeying your commands, Lord. Rewards both now and forever (peace, joy, strength, wisdom, grace, love, positive relationships, fulfilling significance and purpose, security today and for eternity, continual growth and many others, an ongoing stream of your goodness being poured out on your children who truly love you with all their heart and strength and mind and soul.]

May we wholeheartedly, consistently, confidently, humbly exalt and obey your Word in every area, every situation, every thought of our lives so that we may constantly give you an ongoing flow of glory and honor, Lord.

Read Part 3 >

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Meditations on Psalm 19 Part 1

Praise you, Lord, that you are the God of communication, that you have laid out before all mankind the message of your being and your being the creator.  As it says in Psalm 19

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” [Even in its fallen state, creation shouts out that there is a good and wise Creator. Anyone looking at the way things are has to see that they are made, they are not the result of chance. The beauty, the complexity, the rhythms of life, the power—all speak of a creator.

Psa 19:2  “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” [We are constantly surrounded with the message: “There is a Creator: He is wise and wonderful!”]

Psa 19:3,4  “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” [I think of my Eskimo friend who grew up in shamanism on the Eastern shore of Siberia. Looking at the beauty of the mountains, sea and animals, he came to the conclusion that the demons they worshiped, who did such ugly things, could never have created all this beauty. “There must be a good creator God,” he thought. And when he met a believer on St Lawrence Island, he was ready to  believe. He heard the message and understood it.]

Psa 19:5,6 “In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.  It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.”  [So You, Lord, provide for us through the sun all the energy, food, light and heat that we need. You, O Lord, in your wisdom, grace, goodness and power made the sun, and it speaks to us of your provision and love.

So why do so many not believe? They have the veil over their faces, put there by sin, held there by the enemy. Only as we turn to you is it taken away. Praise be to you, Lord, that you call all to turn, even though you know that all will not accept. You are the God of undying, unending goodness, supremely, positively good. In spite of what we are, you are good to us–because it is your nature: you are Love, you are Light, you are Life, and you will go on being these things no matter what those around you do.

I praise you for your goodness, for your righteousness, for your holiness, for your loveliness. I praise you that you have caused your face to shine upon us, that you in your great love have equipped us, that you protect us, that you call us to partnership with you in the great plans you have for the conclusion of the world, for the sweeping of many into your Kingdom, and for the ending of evil in the universe.

You are worthy of all worship, you are supremely worthy of honor, glory, praise, exaltation and obedience. I bow before you this morning, Lord, I rise up before you to give you glory and honor and praise today by walking in the light of your Word, living a life worthy of you, doing what I know pleases you.]

Read Part 2 >

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Results of Intentionally Nurturing My First Love for Jesus

< Three things, Part 7

I wrote earlier about nurturing our first love for Jesus.  As I’ve worked at this, some results of basking in His love have become apparent. First, there has been a strengthening of my inner being, a solidifying of my emotional state.  Things that used to shake me up or disturb me now have much less effect.  This reminds me of the verse “I cried to the Lord and He strengthened me with strength in my soul.” (Psalm 138:3 KJV)

Second, fear of man is lessening.  It is amazing how many of my decisions have to do with fear of man.  For instance in dressing, I naturally think of whether others would approve or disapprove of my clothes instead of thinking what would honor God and open the way for more witness.  Now others’ possible thoughts have less power as I see more of the pristine, powerful, perfect character of Jesus.

Third, things of this world are fading more into the background.  As I face negative possibilities, it has become easier to ask God to do what is best rather than beg Him for what I want. It is better to surrender the situation to Him, for He knows the best course to take.  It may mean that the decisions will not go the way I want because God has a plan to bring about some greater good.  When delays and problems come up, I can praise Him for what He is going to do in this. His glory, wisdom and goodness shine far more brightly in my understanding, making the negatives of this world pale in comparison.

This upward trajectory will probably continue as I persist in nurturing my first love for Jesus, intentionally gazing on Him, praising Him, worshiping Him in my quiet time. I hope this will be true for you, too, as you intentionally nurture your first love for Him.

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The Marvelous One

Good morning, Lord, my Great Shepherd, you who are the Owner, Protector, Guide and Lover of my soul.  You are the marvelous One who has reached down into the slime and sludge of the world to buy back those who had strayed into the kingdom of the devil, who became his agents of destruction.

We deserved to be slaughtered, but in your great love and compassion you provided a way to save us. You called us to yourself, you cleansed us, you transformed us from pigs into sheep and brought us into the Kingdom of Light, where your beloved Son rules.  And now you shepherd us through the rest of the days you will give us here on earth.

In your great wisdom and will, out of your immeasurable riches and power, through your complete knowledge and insight, by your grace and goodness you provide all that we need for the moment; we truly have no lacks in the area of need, only in the area of wants.  Praise be to you both because you desire to give what is needed and because you have the unlimited resources to do so! You are worthy of worship, of exaltation, of honor and praise and I bow before you, giving these to you today.  May you be glorified in my life today.

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Prayer of Wonder, Worship and Submission

This morning I praise you, Lord, for what will come today: the unknown, the unplanned, the interruptions, the painful and the pleasant. You, Lord God, are the good Savior, my Shield, my Strength, my Stronghold (Ps. 18:2b). You are all I need for today.  It is a certainty that you will do what is best in your faithfulness, in your goodness, in your wisdom, in your love, in your righteousness, in your grace, in your power.

I praise you for the privilege of being weak—there is so much out of my control (99.9%), while all is within yours. You know what you are doing, you have a plan, you are moving all to a conclusion, bringing it down to a point from which all will expand into eternity, filling the universe with good, righteous, godly and gracious acts, events and beings. No one can stop you, no one can thwart you.

I praise you for your Word and for the wonder of meditating on it, having it trickle down into my being, bring cleansing, insight, transformation and joy. You are the great Wonder yourself, always having more to reveal to us of your Glorious and Gracious character.

I praise you now for what you will show today, do today, provide today. May I give you glory all through today, Lord, by choosing to obey what I know to be true, trusting you, praising you in and for all things, delighting in my weaknesses, rejoicing in your strength, exalting in your righteousness, wisdom and power.

I bow before you in worship, I rise up to walk with you in obedience, in godly fear, desiring to bring you glory before the seen and unseen hosts. Amen.

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May you be Exalted, O God my Savior! Psalm 18

Psa 18:48  “who saves me from my enemies.” [Yes, O Lord God, “I call to you, who are worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. You reach down from on high, you take hold of me, you draw me out of deep waters.” (Ps 18:3,16). You are the faithful One who constantly watches over me, not primarily for my comfort, but for my being able to give you glory before the nations, praise be to you.]

“You exalted me above my foes;” [“You rescue me from my strong enemies, from my foes who are too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:17)]

“from violent men you rescued me.” [They “confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me.” (Ps. 18:18,19)]

Psa 18:49  “Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.” [You are worthy of glory and honor and exaltation and praise, you are worthy of being lifted up among the nations. You are God, you are Lord, you are Sovereign, you are Good, all the time.]

Psa 18:50  “He gives his king great victories;” [You give opportunity to participate in your victories every day, with every temptation, every stress, every test an opportunity to take up your grace and glorify you. You are sufficient, you are great, you are powerful, you are loving, worthy of obedience.]

“he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,” [your faithfulness endures forever, your grace flows endlessly, your goodness never fails. You are ever the trustable One, always carrying us through the battle, to the heights and beyond.]

“to David and his descendants forever.” [And so you have proved faithful in providing the promised Savior from the line of David, confirming your unfailing kindness to all the Jews and all the Gentiles. You are the Lover of the twisted ones, Redeemer of the rebels, Savior of evil creatures, Shepherd of the scattered flock.

Praise be to you for your unreasonable Love, your illogical grace, your outrageous kindness, your amazing goodness, all poured out upon us day by day. Glory be to you in my life today, the Great and Good God!]

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A Trinity of Insights Revealing the Diamond of God's Character

To have a continually growing knowledge of the greatness of God requires a trinity of insights, which the Holy Spirit is ready to give to those who seek them in Jesus.

First is seeing more of the makeup of God through His Word and His work in our lives. His beautiful, sparkling character is like a huge, multifaceted, perfectly cut diamond.  If we were to set such a diamond in a stand on a table, it would be marvelous and majestic in its greatness and intricacy as it caught and reflected the light of the room. So it is as we delve into the Word and see more and more of God’s person.

Second is a growing knowledge of our natural depravity as we stand in the light of His presence. If we were to drape a black velvet cloth under and behind the diamond of God’s character, the contrast would bring out more powerfully the richness of His beauty.

So a growing understanding of the depravity of our flesh[1] shows us more clearly and deeply the wonder of a God who is holy,  hates and judges sin, and yet loves and redeems sinners at great personal cost. We cannot begin to grasp the expense, the wonder, the power, the beauty of God’s love if we forget where He has brought us from; no, we need a growing understanding of what we were and what our flesh is.

Third is a growing revelation of how much we are forgiven, how much we are loved and delighted in by God. If we were to set up a focused spotlight to shine directly on the diamond of God’s character with it’s backdrop of black velvet, even more beauty would be revealed: inner facets that before were invisible would be brought to light. The effect would be stunningly, brilliantly, powerfully overwhelming.

So we, in the unpleasant understanding of our depravity and the resulting grasp of how much we are forgiven and loved, can focus the light of praise on God’s greatness. We can exalt Him for pouring out on us His wonderful forgiveness, His rich love, His healing grace and His abundant goodness. We can grasp more of how much we are undeservedly accepted, loved and delighted in.  We see more of how much He has poured upon us His deep love, warm delight and constant care.

Then we will be given new and astounding understanding of His character, leading to further transformation of our character to become more like His. The diamond will then shine forth more powerfully, giving us further reason to love, worship, praise and obey Him.

[1] As Paul walked with Jesus, he grew in his understanding of the depravity of his flesh, going calling himself in his earlier writings the “least of the Apostles”(1 Cor 15:9), then seeing himself as the least of the saints in his middle years (Eph 3:8), then in his old age understanding  that he was the “worst of sinners.” (1 Tim 1:15)

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How Much Does God Love us?

In spite of what we deserve, in our relationship with Jesus, we are:

Deeply cared for,

Deferentially loved,

Deliciously  doted on,

Deeply cherished,

Delectably delighted in.

(Col 3:12)

It is with His whole will that Jesus loves us:

Eph 1:4-6  “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world… in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

Meditate on that, soak in it, rejoice in it.

When we begin to understand how much we are loved, we become a wider, deeper channel of God’s love for others and of glory to Him.

Eph 3:18,19 “I pray that you…may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Basking in that truth, in the light of His love lavished on us

Brings transformation of our mind, will and emotions

That His love may shine out from us to others,

Bringing Him great joy and honor.

Lord Jesus, help me to better grasp how much you love me, that your fullness and love may overflow from my being onto all those around me.  Through this may they come to know your love in the same power.