Psalms Challenge

I am setting a Psalms challenge for myself: to go through the Psalms, picking out verses that impart more knowledge of who God is. Sometimes I think people are hesitant to know God because they do not know what kind of God He might turn out to be.

I love the poetry and purpose of the Psalms, as they are both songs and prayers, both cries of pain and praise, and both personal and able to be used in the assembly of believers.

Today is Psalm 1:

Though this Psalm is primarily about the righteous man and the wicked man, the last verse tells us that, "the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

This reassures me of God's justice, love of righteousness, and hatred for wicked things. In a world that is often tainted, and in novels where the hero has to have a "tragic flaw," it is so comforting to know of God's pure, righteous character.

In a world of so much injustice, it is good to know that God is following each person, and knows their ways, whether wicked or righteous. And His justice will be carried out.

Of course, we are all the wicked man (or woman) at some point, walking in the counsel of those who don't have Godly things in mind. But If we are delighting in the law of the Lord, and have accepted the blood of Christ, by faith, as an atonement for our sin, then we are given His righteousness, which we can walk in!


Thank God for His righteousness and justice today. Thank Him for the blood of Christ, by which you can be called righteous. What a great God we serve!

Let the Little Children Come

Working with young children, I have discovered a true secret: God is at work even in very young hearts and minds. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these because they believe in things so easily.

All I have to do is tell them that God is Holy, set apart, and perfect. He never makes mistakes. And they believe it. They are willing to believe there is a perfect and Holy God out there who loves them. Not simply because they are naive, but because they have not learned to be skeptical. There is something refreshing about such genuine and childish faith.

One 5 year old girl told me she didn't know God, so I told her that even though she didn't know Him, He knew everything about her. I told her He knew everything she had ever done, and even knew how many hairs were on her head. She was very impressed.
So then I told her that He knew even the naughty things she had done, yet He still loved her, and He sent Jesus to die for her so she could be with God.

"Oh, I love Him! I love God!" She shouted uncontrollably, clearly delighted at this news. Sometimes I think we make it all too complicated, and feel we have to know everything about God, and the mystery of salvation, before we feel we are a "real Christian."


But God made it clear that it is, "By grace through faith that you have been saved, not by works, so that no one can boast." Accept the free gift of salvation today, with a childlike faith, but a heart and mind that are ever-seeking more knowledge of your Father.

Living Monuments

I enjoy graveyards. Not in a creepy, emo way, but because I can read the names, the dates, and think about the lives of those who came before me on this Earth. Sometimes, though, it seems to be a contest to see which person has the biggest tombstone or monument erected in their name.

I cannot help but think, however, that the trees in the graveyards are much taller and more grand than any tombstone or monument. They also have the propensity to grow. A stone, however, remains a stone.

A stone stands for the life of one or more individuals, and marks their remembered presence here on this Earth. A tree, however, is a monument which honors it's Creator, testifying to His existence and grandeur. The bigger, and more beautiful it becomes, the more glory it brings to God!

It is a beautiful thing to remember that, "It is He who made the Earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the Heavens." (Jeremiah 10:12)

God's works testify to His power, His wisdom, and His understanding, but often our works testify to our stubborn stupidity. "Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, there is no breath in them." (Jeremiah 10:14).

Tombstones are not our idols, but they can represent the meaningless toil we endure on this Earth when we have anything else as our goal besides God. Knowing Him, enjoying Him, and following Him in obedience should be our response. If we become more like a tree, growing and stretching towards our Creator, acknowledging that it is He who formed us and He who guides our steps, then we will become ourselves a grand monument to Our Great Lord of Heaven!

Belief vs. Understanding

       In recent discussion and debate, much has been said by many parties, both to myself and to the general Christian populace, in the way of faith being ignorant of Reason. Western society clearly dictates that reason, and therefore science, which is assumed to have been lead entirely by reason, is what gives us truth. If we cannot find a reasonable explanation for something, then it lies unproven and therefore, foolish to place our trust in.

     Augustine had much to say on belief and reason, which can be summed up in his assertion, "Let him who says he has not yet understood hear counsel. For since it was a great and profound matter that had been spoken, the Lord Christ Himself did certainly see that all would not understand this so profound a matter, and He gave counsel in the sequel. Do you wish to understand? Believe. For God has said by the prophet: Unless you believe, you shall not understand. (Isaiah 7:9)"(Tractate 29).

     I had a conversation recently where the friend I was discussing the matter with could find no rational evidence to prove God. Even the evidence I found in my own life, my friend argued, could be said to be the result of a psychological construct which led me to interpret my life in such a way. I agreed that this was possible from a fully rational mindset.

      Many find faith to be irrational and ill-reasoning: but as Augustine proposes, and as I responded to my friend, faith can precede knowledge and reason. If we only believe in what we feel is proved beyond a doubt in our minds, then we are placing our faith in Reason. we are saying that the human capability to reason is the greatest test of truth, and we judge that we can interpret facts/ data correctly in such a way that will lead us to the truth. 

       It seems unreasonable, however, to trust in reason alone. For example, we are often wrong. What do we do then? We can admit that we are wrong, but how do we know we are wrong? What have we to test our reason against but our reason and the reason of others? What it comes down to is that every one places their faith in something. I place my faith in God, and I believe He is redeeming my reason every day to think more like Him, drawing me closer to the truth. And for the Pontius Pilates who would question, "What is truth?" I would respond, "Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." If they ask me how I know, I will respond, "by faith, which He has given to me, that I may know, beyond a doubt, that He is Lord."

In John 18:37 Jesus Himself replied, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” He is the truth, and those seeking the truth will listen to Him. Our Reason is obviously not always true, and therefore a degree of faith is always necessary.

     Faith always precedes reason. So, are we placing our faith in God or in the minds of Men?

True Wisdom Leads to Worship

In reading of how very blessed King David was, and then his son Solomon after him, I am amazed by how God makes so much of mere human beings. He pours out on them undeserved grace and blessings. The blessing Solomon has been known and admired the most for is wisdom, but The Bible makes it clear that this wisdom is not his own.

"And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt." I Kings 4:29-30 ESV

God gave Solomon this great wisdom, which he could have used for self-glorification and fame. His wisdom certainly did bring him fame, as people from everywhere came to hear him speak and have him settle disputes, but instead of accepting that as an appropriate ends, he seeks to build a house for God. God blesses Solomon with great wealth, power, admirers, and wisdom, and Solomon does not glory in the blessings, but rather seeks to glory in God as he recognizes, "now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. And so I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to David my father, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.'" I Kings 5:4-5 ESV

If we are truly seeking wisdom from God, to know and follow in his ways, "If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:4-5 ESV

God promises wisdom to those who seek it to honor him, but it can get so spoiled! Instead of using it for God's glory and instead of it turning our hearts to worship, we can fall into the trap of believing we have superior knowledge. I have fallen into this trap in group discussions or even in speaking with someone else. If I feel that what I have to say is greatly wise and worth saying, then I will speak before listening. That is, there may be someone else in the room that God has chosen to say that very thing through, and I just stole that opportunity from them.

If the goal of wisdom, which is from God, is to glorify God, then there is no room for ego-stroking. If we are using it to make others admire us or to make ourselves feel that we are worth something, then we are abusing a gift from God and idolizing a blessing instead of giving worship where it is due.

So why are we not, as a body of believers, building temples to God? I don't mean literally, though that would be nice, but in our hearts, in the core of our being, are we focused on building a house for God, making His name great, or are we focused on building our own palace and waiting for others to pay tribute?

Practically, four ways you can give God glory through wisdom(this is a challenge to myself as well)

1) Allow God to speak words of wisdom through you, even if you have heard them before, through those around you and give Him thanks each time He does so.
2) When you speak something that is wise or others acknowledge as wise or moving, give God thanks and don't take the credit...point others to God
3) Always seek wisdom at the feet of God-admit to Him daily that you are a fool, because you are (I am too, for that matter) and thank Him for the grace He gives you through wisdom
4) Spend time praising God for His wisdom and His ways

Gentleness: What is it, really?

God has been drawing my heart to meditate on Colossians 3:12-17, but especially v.12, which says,

"Put on, then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience..."

The ESV Bible uses the word, "meekness," which is a synonym for gentleness. Though Gentleness can be defined as being an "absence of bad temper," it is so much more.

Galatians 6:1-2 Instructs us that, "if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

A "spirit of gentleness" is more an unwarranted and intentional kindness. In the body of Christ, believers need to be restoring each other more, and spending less time tearing one another down.

Too often I have opened myself up to another believer, admitting a sin or struggle, only to have them tell me how wrong it is and why it is wrong. By the same token, I have heard the things that another believer is engaged in and condemned them in my heart.

If we, as a body, are to encourage one another and build one another up, while not disregarding the importance and holiness of God's law, then we need to approach one another as a fellow sinner, with true compassion and intentional kindness.

When we are "restoring" someone, we are not merely doing God's dirty work for Him. The Holy Spirit is what brings true conviction and repentance to a human being. To restore someone is to bring them back to where they one were, to gently remind them of something God has already taught them.

I have many examples of when I have not restored people gently, but perhaps an example of when I did is more useful. I had a friend who was entering a relationship with a young man who was not a Christian, and I had coincidentally been in the area when the young man was casually discussing the relationship with a friend of his. He made it clear that it was not a "serious relationship" and that he was still looking for his "dream girl."

I prayed about the situation, armed myself with scripture, and set out, hoping my words would be guarded and determined to save my friend from an ill romance. I asked her about her relationship with the young man, and she had the same casual attitude that he did about the whole thing. I asked her what she thought that God had to say about a Christian dating someone who was not a Christian, referring to the ever-typical "unequally yolked" argument.

Instead of anger, she reacted calmly by saying that yes, she remembered that, but that it was only something she was trying out for a while. I warned her to be careful, and not to get her heart broken. Now, what she did with that is between her and God. I had spoken the words that God had placed on my heart to say, and no more, for once in my life.

I prayed for her fervently since that time, but did not bring it up again--she was well aware of what she was doing, and I am neither the Judge nor in control. When I approached her, God gave me the grace to speak from a place of loving concern, not judgment. Most importantly, God gave me the grace to let it go, and not continue to press her to "make the right decision."

Gentleness is not something you can fake--it is a true gift of the Holy Spirit. Are you speaking to others gently today? Are you sensitive to where they are in their walk with God, and speaking to them on that level? Is your heart calloused, and do you need God to soften it? I need Him to soften mine many times each day, and I pray He will do the same for you.