The Ripple Effect
(NIV) Psalm 120
A song of ascents.
1 I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.
2 Save me, LORD,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.
3 What will he do to you,
and what more besides,
you deceitful tongue?
4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom bush.
Psalm 120 is the first of the Psalms of Ascent, sung by those journeying to Jerusalem during the holy festivals. Jerusalem was later described by Jesus as “a city built on a hilll,” so as the people made their way up to Jerusalem they sang these psalms. Likewise, they were sung as the priests ascended the fifteen steps to the temple.
This first psalm deals with someone who has been lied about and is pleading to God for deliverance. When I was young I sometimes would exaggerate. Known now as hyperbole, I stopped when I was embarrassed more than once by someone countering with a more accurate version of events.
One thing I have noticed about a lie, is that once it has been spoken it takes on a life of its own. As a child I read a poem by James William Foley that said “drop a pebble in the water and in a moment it is gone, but the ripples they continue, on and on and on.”
The poet went on to say the same about an unkind word, and finally a word of cheer. Perhaps if we considered the ripple effect of our words and our actions, we would choose both more carefully.
May we leave ripples of love and kindness that would spread far and wide.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Help Comes from God
(NIV) Ps 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
There is such great comfort in knowing we can approach the maker of the universe, day or night, and He will be there. I have a list of folks who need a supernatural touch from God. But before I make my intercession known, I begin with praise.
I praise God for who He is, I praise Him for what He has done and I praise Him for what He is doing. I remind Him of seeing Hagar in the desert and meeting her needs. And I know if God saw Hagar’s plight, He sees mine.
There are some people for whom I am praying who have specific diagnoses, and there are others whose illness is real, but the cause as yet unknown.
But I know that regardless of the source of their sickness, the Healer is the God of the Universe and Jehovah is His name. He is eternal, everlasting and His nature will not change. So I praise God for what He is getting ready to do in the lives of CJ, CG, PW, SE, DH, CH, JT and DV.
May we understand and believe that God’s mercies are new every morning.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Mercy of God
(KJV) Ps 34:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide:
neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
It seems one of the characteristics of God that we fail to acknowledge is His mercy. We talk of His love, His faithfulness, His righteousness, but we don’t seem to realize we are recipients of His great mercy. Every single day.
In the South, we used to hear the phrase “Mercy me,” or “Law (Lord), have mercy”. But I wonder if we really understand what we’re saying. When we entreat God for His mercy, we are asking Him to spare us from the punishment we deserve.
And when we receive His mercy, two things happen. One, we can be sure our sins are forgiven. And two, it is incumbent upon us to give mercy to others.
Great is His mercy.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do Not Worry
(NIV) Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(NIV) Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
I wonder what would have happened if “Thou Shalt Not Worry” had been part of the Ten Commandments? Since God’s original laws are so often ignored, I would imagine a divine rule regarding worry would not have fared much better.
Not long ago someone asked me if worry is a sin. I responded with “Yes, worry is a sin because we are taking a situation out of God’s hands and placing it into our own hands.”
So, how long do we have to be a Christian before we learn that worry does not resolve anything? Do you know what helps us overcome worry better than anything? Prayer and Scripture. Scripture is either true or it isn’t. Prayer is either effective or it isn’t.
I would suggest if we do not already have a practice for dealing with worry, anxiety or fear, then we develop one today.
- If we can avoid getting into a situation that produces worry, do so
- Incorporate into our daily devotions scriptures that speak against worry and say them out loud.
- Take our worries and concerns to God in prayer, approaching Him with Thanksgiving
- Remember who you are and Whose you are. You are a child of the Most High God—Act like it
I wrote this poem a few months ago—short and to the point.
Pulling The Plug On Worry
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
If worry, concerns and fear
circled the drain like
bubbles in a bathtub,
never to be seen again.
You do not have to live with worry. It is a choice. Choose peace and choose joy.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Strength, Assurance and Peace
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
(NIV) 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
(NIV) Phil 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
(KJV) Ps 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD,
which made heaven and earth.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
I was thinking recently of some of my favorite Bible verses, and thought it might be fun to share a few.
When I was preaching, it was not unusual for me to preface the reading of God’s Word with, “this is my favorite verse.” I did not realize how often I shared “my favorite verse” until I retired and my churches gifted me a Bible where many of my congregants highlighted their favorite verses and wrote their names beside them.
What makes a verse a favorite? I think it must connect with us on an emotional level, and when that happens the scripture will be easy to memorize.
Although I read mostly the NRSV (new revised standard version), the verses I have committed to memory are from the King James translation. I used to take great joy in memorizing entire chapters, and I have purposed to at least recommit specific verses that give me strength, assurance and peace.
Join with me, won’t you, in making God’s Word an integral part of our being.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 