Monthly Archives: May 2013

May 11

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Psalms 28, 39, 41, 42, 43; 2 Samuel 16:16-17:23

We’ve all heard it said, “life is short”. But do we have a clue about the length of life on this earth compared to eternity? David said it’s like taking a breath. Ninety years on earth is like the time it takes to inhale. A second? A fraction of a second?

So, yes life is short. But what we do in this hiccup in eternity is so important. In fact, nothing is more important because the choice we make here will determine our eternity.

It’s not like we have to hurry and live a good life or get involved in a church or give more money to charity. Those things certainly effect the quality of life we enjoy while we’re here. But there is only one question God will ask of us when we see him face to face.

What did you do with my Son?

At that moment our good intentions, our good deeds, our position in society will be laid aside and all we’ll have is the answer to that question.

Is Jesus my Savior? Yes – or No.

May 10

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Psalms 37, 9, 10, 27; 2 Samuel 15:37, 16:15

What does it mean to ‘delight in the Lord’? David writes that those who do will receive the desires of their hearts. He goes on to say commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do it.

This sounds like a recipe for getting my way. Like my nephew’s dog who rings the bell by the door when she wants to go out. Sure, she rings the bell when she needs to relieve herself in the  yard. But she also rings the bell if she sees a squirrel or hears the neighbors dog outside.

So is David saying if I love God enough, if I ring the love-bell just right I’ll get whatever I want? Is God that genie in the sky who grants wishes if we feel the right feelings or say the right words?

David’s psalm goes on to talk about the battle he has going on with his enemies. In fact, all the psalms we read today are about struggle and victory. They are about wickedness and righteousness. In other words, they are about victory over sin and our enemy, Satan.

If we take a few verses out of context because we like how they sound we don’t have an honest interpretation of Scripture. So what does it mean to delight in the Lord? Read on. Trust, commit yourself to God, do good, be still, turn from evil. The Bible says we are to love God with all our hearts, our minds, our souls.

It’s kind of funny. If we love God like the Bible tells us to, if we are committed to him, if our walk with him is grounded in Scripture, our desires come from him, too. It’s no longer what we want but what he wants for us. Then we will receive the desires of our hearts, his desires for us.

Father, thank you for always wanting what is best for us. Help us to stay so close to you that we will want what you want. Help us to lay aside our selfish ambitions and trust you with every detail of our lives. May we delight in you and praise you for all you do.

May 9

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Psalms 3, 4, 11, 23, 26, 12, 36; 2 Samuel 16:1-14

I’m sure when David wrote these psalms he couldn’t have imagined what life would be like in 2013. But God knew. And what he inspired David to write he knew would speak to hearts then and now.

“Help, Lord, for the godly are no more.” And that was written long before reality TV was the rage.

David wrote, “we own our lips… who is our master” before freedom of speech was an amendment to any constitution.

Psalm 36 talks about the wicked who don’t fear God and who think so highly of themselves they don’t recognize sin in their own lives. I’ve heard even some preachers who call themselves Christian say how important it is that we love ourselves, that we find strength within us, that we are worthy and capable. I’m not seeing that in Scripture.

I pray that God would continue to speak to us through his written word and that he would find his people pouring over the pages looking for direction, encouragement, correction and truth.

As we read each day I pray God will be able to teach us because we are willing to be taught. Then may we go about our day, set apart, and ready to use what we learn to lead someone to Christ.

God, I thank you for inspiring men like David to write down the words you would have us read in 2013. I thank you that it spoke to people in David’s day and that it still has power to change lives today. May it change mine.

May 8

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2 Samuel 24:1-25, 15:7-36; I Chronicles 21:1-30

Not sure why counting the troops was such a big deal. Maybe it wasn’t the census that was a sin, but doing it without going to God first was.

Once again I am reminded that if God isn’t in it, even the simplest, most innocent act can be sin. I wonder how many examples of this lesson are recorded in the Bible. Dozens, I expect. And always those who are obedient to God are blessed, those who go in on their own suffer consequences.

This year as I read God’s Word I am struck at the importance of this theme. Yes, God is loving and forgiving, gracious and kind. But he is none of that at the exclusion of his holiness and his demand to be obeyed.

If we worship a god of love, a tolerant god who accepts multiple avenues to him, we worship a worthless idol. That is not the God of the Bible, who is loving AND holy, who is forgiving AND a righteous judge, who cannot tolerate sin AND who gave his life so that we can stand before him faultless when we accept him as our Savior.

My prayer is that we will go to God on his terms, that we will obey him in every detail of life. And that we will share him with others, knowing there just is no other way.

May 7

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2 Samuel 5:13-16, 13:1-15:6; I Chronicles 14:3-7, 3:4-9

Did you ever want something so badly you couldn’t think of anything else? This thing, or this person would become your obsession. You’d think about what it would be like to have it, you’d dream about it, agonize over it. You get to the point where you believe you’d never be happy without it.

Maybe wanting this thing began to effect your day-to-day. You became moody or depressed or angry. You may have prayed God would give it to you, even if you knew it was a sin. You convince yourself you deserve it.

But does getting that thing ever bring the happiness you envisioned? Amnon took Tamar and once he had sex with her he hated her. His obsession ruined his life, Tamar’s life, and effected his  entire family.

Do you find yourself thinking… I’d be happy “if”? If I got married, if I had a different job, if I had a nicer house or drove a better car.

God is reminding me that if my focus is on anything or anyone other than him I am worshiping an idol. And he is very adamant about me not worshiping anyone or anything but him.

Amnon allowed himself to entertain sinful thoughts which became his focus. As he continued to feed his thoughts they grew until he was out of control. The result? Let’s just say it ended badly for all of them.

May the thoughts we think, the desires of our hearts be acceptable to God. And if we find our focus is on anything other than God, may we recognize it as sin and repent of it before we, too, are out of control. 

 

May 6

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Psalms 138, 139, 145, 8; 2 Samuel 21:1-14, 9:1-13

If you read nothing else today, I hope you will take a minute to read Psalm 139 and let God tell you how much you are loved. He will remind you that he has been with you since the moment you were conceived. In fact, he knew you thousands of years ago and saw you then as clearly as he sees you today. 

He wants you to know that he is always with you… even in the darkest of days.

And here is what touched me this morning. Verse 17 says – How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them.

God is letting me know that there isn’t a moment when he isn’t thinking about me. There isn’t a second of the day when I don’t have 100% of his attention. I don’t have to whisper a formal prayer to get him to turn his eyes toward me. And he never puts me on hold while he talks to someone else.

His thoughts concerning me outnumber the grains of sand. “You hem me in, behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” I love this picture.

I don’t understand how this can be but I believe it with all my heart. You and I are loved by the God of creation. You and I are always on his mind and he is always present with us both. We are hemmed in individually, hugged tightly individually.

So I hope you read Psalm 139. Let the “I” written there come from your heart. Let God hug you today. 

May 5

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2 Samuel 23:20-39, 8:15-18, 7:1-29; I Chronicles 11:22-47, 18:14-17, 17:1-27

God says “no” to David and what does David do? David praises God. God makes it clear that David will not build the temple and instead of pouting or getting angry David thanks God for blessing his family.

I don’t know anyone who enjoys hearing “no”. We tend to want what we want when we want it and the word “no” gets in our way. But we can learn from David’s example.

Because the truth of the matter is we can’t always get what we want. And what we want isn’t always what is best for us.

Remember – prayer is not like rubbing a genie’s lamp. There is no magic if you say the right words or conjure up the right kind of faith. God wants us to bring our requests to him and lay them at his feet. And you can’t lay those requests at his feet if you are still holding on to them. God wants us to trust him to do the right thing with those requests as we let them go.

A “no” to a prayer isn’t a sign that God doesn’t love us or hear us. Just the opposite. A “no” means he loves us enough to want what’s best for us. And he knows what’s up ahead is even better!

Loving Father, thank you for wanting what is best for us. Help us to trust you enough to really let go of those things we think are so important. Hear our prayers and answer them according  to your will. And may we accept the “no’s” as well as the “yes’s” as gifts from you.

May 4

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Psalms 124, 108, 60, 44, 20; 2 Samuel 8:9-14, 23:18-19; 1 Chronicles 18:9-13, 11:20-21

Even David experienced defeat once in a while. He knew what it was to be distressed and feel as though God had forgotten his misery. He boldly questions God – Why do you sleep? Why do you hide your face?

Sometimes I think we put undue pressure on each other by suggesting a sanctified life is like a walk in the park. We may get the idea that having faith means always accepting life with a smile on our faces. We may even have been told that Christians never question God, that doing so is a sin. 

I’ll tell you right now that there have been things that have happened in my life that have caused me to ask some questions. I don’t believe God intends for us to stop thinking and feeling when we accept him as our Savior. 

But I, like David, have learned that even when I don’t understand, God assures me of his love and gives me hope. There is something… Someone… greater than anything this world can hand me. 

So I will continue to question. I’ll continue to ask for victory. I’ll keep on going to God with my heart’s desire. And even though I may not get the answers I think I need this side of heaven, I’ll trust him because he can be trusted and he loves me more than I can even imagine. 

 

May 3

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Psalms 51, 103, 21, 2 Samuel 12:24-31, 8:2-8, 23:20, I Chronicles 20:1-3, 18:2-8, 11:22

We sin. It’s not like we wake up each morning and decide to disobey. But we are fallen, we are human. And we sin.

Unconfessed sin and an unrepentant heart have serious consequences, not the least of which is a broken relationship with our holy God.

Did you pray with David today as your read Psalm 51? Did God bring to mind that thought or action that you identified as sin? God desires truth in the inner parts. What did he reveal to you this morning?

David prays, “cleanse me”, “wash me”, “create in me a pure heart”, “renew a steadfast spirit in me”, “restore to me the joy of your salvation”. He prays these things with confidence that God will do it. He’ll be whiter than snow!

Then, in Psalm 103 he praises God from his inmost being. He says God forgives all our sins, heals our diseases, redeems our life, crowns us with love, and satisfies our desires. Doesn’t that make you want to praise him, too?

Father, thank you for the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood. I pray for all of us today, that you will examine us and reveal unconfessed sin. Then may we bow before you with repentant hearts. Wash us. Cleanse us. Restore us through your Son. And then may we go about our day praising you for what you have done.

May 2

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2 Samuel 11:2-12:24, Psalms 6, 32, 38

David was so mad at the rich man who took the pet of the poor neighbor’s children to serve it for lunch. In fact, David wanted the rich man to die for being so mean and thoughtless. Until he realized he was that rich man.

It tends to be easier to recognize sin in everyone else except ourselves, don’t you think?One might call someone out for having an affair, yet visit pornography in the privacy of their own home. Another might condemn a person for murdering a neighbor yet vote for legislators who enable unborn children to be murdered without penalty. We might break off a relationship because someone lied, yet tell our boss we got caught in traffic instead of overslept.

Didn’t Jesus say something about taking care of the plank in our own eye before we worry about the splinter in someone else’s?

This is not to say that we shouldn’t identify sin in ourselves and in others. We want to hold each other accountable before God. The lesson here is that we need to be honest about our own sin as well as the sin of others. We need to ask God to forgive us before we tell someone else to do the same.

Sometimes we might think if we protest loudly and often enough about some sin in someone else’s life people won’t notice that sin in us. 

But be warned. God notices. We may be able to pull off a charade with those people around us, but God sees it all. And he paid for it all. 

May we confess our sin and accept his forgiveness. Then… and only then… may we lovingly point others to the cross where they can find forgiveness, too.

Father, may we not ignore sin in our own lives or in the lives of our loved ones. Give us the ability to see ourselves as you see us. Point out those things that need confessed. And may we fall at your feet in repentance. Thank you for the forgiveness that is ours for the asking. Thank you for the precious blood of Jesus.