Falling in Love
Psalms 63:1-5 (NRSV)
O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips.
Psalms 42:1-2 (NRSV)
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Do you recall the first time you ever felt the presence of God? It might have been while hearing a sermon, or listening to a choir sing, “How Great Thou Art.” His presence might have felt so heavy that you could scarcely wait for the altar call. And then, after falling on your knees in humility, that heaviness was lifted and replaced with a joy unspeakable and full of glory. And for a long time afterward, you wanted nothing more than to be in the presence of God. You read your Bible, even though there were parts you did not understand. You never missed a church service. You listened to Christian music, and you were the first to volunteer for opportunities to serve. You had fallen in love with God—He was your portion, your inheritance, and you knew He was all you would ever need.
But life has a way of getting in the way of even love of the purest kind. You began to miss days reading the Word, your prayers were shortened to Please and Thank You. Someone told you about a great song on a popular station and you switched over from Christian radio. Before too long, you began to skip church—you were so tired and there were so many other things to do.
But the thing you don’t understand is that the more often you miss going to church, the less you miss being in church. You still love God, of course, but you are no longer in love with Him. The sad thing is that your relationship with God has changed, and you scarcely notice.
This scenario happens all too often as we struggle to balance all of the areas of our lives. But our world has slipped into chaos. My heart is heavy much of the time because man’s cruelty to man has reached new depths. And I know the only thing that will help me is to stay in love with God.
David was a man who knew the heights of joy and the depths of despair. When counseling
folks I’ve always suggested reading two books of the Bible every day—the gospel of John and the Psalms. I love John because it is such an intimate account of Jesus’ life, and the Psalms because David experienced all of the highs and lows of life, but still he loved God.
Our pastors are preaching on Jonah and I found myself comparing the behavior of Jonah and David. When David got into trouble, he didn’t blame God. In Psalm 51 David admits his sin. But in the second chapter of Jonah, the prophet blames God for his predicament. One man accepts responsibility. The other man shifts the responsibility. One man prays before, during and after the battle. The other man only prays in the belly of the fish.
So which man had fallen in love with God? With which man would you rather identify?
Choose to fall in love with God. Choose a lasting relationship with God. Pray before and after the battle like David. Do not wait until you are in the belly of the fish.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
He Leadeth Me
Isaiah 41:10
do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
1 He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
I am not a very fearful person. The older I become, the less fearful I am. I think of all of the “fear not” scriptures and remember that in 2 Tim 1:7 I am told God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a sound mind.
for by his hand he leadeth me.
Once again, I woke up singing, this time “ He Leadeth Me” by J.H. Gilmore. And I am comforted by the lyrics, as well as the words found in Isaiah 41 that urge me not to fear.
Join with me today in thanking God for His promises and declaring that “ today is the day the Lord has made—I will rejoice in it and be exceedingly, abundantly glad.
May we today and every day let God lead us and strengthen us as we put our trust in Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Is That Where the Story Ends?
(NCV) Jonah 4:9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you think it is right for you to be angry about the plant?”
Jonah answered, “It is right for me to be angry! I am so angry I could die!”
10 And the LORD said, “You are so concerned for that plant even though you did nothing to make it grow. It appeared one day, and the next day it died.
11 Then shouldn’t I show concern for the great city Nineveh, which has more than one hundred twenty thousand people who do not know right from wrong, and many animals, too?”
(NCV) Luke 15:28 The older son was angry and would not go in to the feast. So his father went out and begged him to come in. 29 But the older son said to his father, ‘I have served you like a slave for many years and have always obeyed your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to have at a feast with my friends. 30 But your other son, who wasted all your money on prostitutes, comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!’ 31 The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Have you ever thought about the similarities of these two men and how their stories end? Both tales seemed to end abruptly, with less than an adequate resolution.
The first is the story of Jonah. You remember—Jonah was sent to Ninevah with a word of condemnation. The Ninevites were to be destroyed. But Jonah did not want to deliver the word. He did not care that these people would be destroyed—his issue was that if they received this word, he believed they would repent and be saved.
So Jonah ran—he ran down to Tarshis, down to Joppa, down to the hold of the ship, and finally down to the belly of the fish. Because, you see, that’s what sin does, it separates us from God, driving us ever downward, away from the light and into the darkness.
Jonah ultimately relented, went to Ninevah, preached God’s word, and, just as he feared, the Ninevites were saved. For the story was never about Jonah or even the big fish, but the love, mercy and redeeming power of God.
Jonah was so angry he just sat under a tree. It was a tree God provided for shade, but just as suddenly as it appeared, it died. Jonah mourned the loss of the tree, but refused to change his views of the Ninevites. And that is how the story ends, with Jonah consumed by anger.
The second story is about the prodigal son. Again we all know the story, but have we noticed that there are two prodigal sons, not one? Even as the youngest son was restored to his father, the older son became separated from both his father and brother because of his anger over what he clearly perceived as favoritism.
I will admit right now that I am a happily ever after person. I want the story to end where lessons are learned, relationships restored, and life is good. Yet in both of these Biblical accounts, there is no happy ever after, because both men were consumed by anger.
We cannot rewrite the ending to these Biblical accounts, but allow me to suggest our stories have not yet ended. May we be honest before our God, asking Him to shine the light of truth upon our lives, so that our thoughts will be aligned with His. That, for me, is my happy ever after.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What Would Jesus Do?
(NRSV) Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
When I read these words of Paul, I wonder what it will take for us, as Christ followers, to live in this manner. If actions really do speak louder than words, then shouldn’t the way we live every day model the way Jesus taught us?
I think of the bracelets that became popular in the ‘90’s—you know the ones—WWJD—and I want more than anything to live this kind of life. I desire to live with humility, seeing others through the eyes of Christ, for surely if I see people as Jesus sees them then love will reign supreme.
But then someone is unkind to me, not just once, but repeatedly. And I realize that bearing with one another in love is not just words on a page, but a lifestyle. Ultimately, I see that it is my responsibility to maintain an atmosphere of peace, and the poor behavior of another does not relieve me from my responsibilities as a disciple of Christ.
May we purpose to live in such a manner that all who meet us can identify us as Christ followers, not because of what we say, but because of what we do.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Choose You This Day
(NRSV) Joshua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. Psalm 48
Have you considered recently the magnitude of Who God is? For me, to meditate on the different aspects of His character is almost overwhelming, but ultimately satisfying. You see, when we learn about His character, then we are learning all we need to know about the Most High God.
I was listening to one of my sermons on YouTube and I said there are certain things God cannot do. A little girl spoke up and said “God can do anything!” I replied, yes, God can do anything, except go against His character because His character, revealed in His names, is Who He is.
We are doing a study at church on prayer, and Pastor Greg has made the distinction between community centered prayer and kingdom centered prayer. The first instance deals with me centered prayers: health, protection, what I think I need. But in kingdom praying, there is a distinct shift from what I think I need to what brings me into alignment with God’s redemptive purposes.
You see, our prayers will always lack the power to be effective until we align ourselves with God.
Most of us were taught to end our prayers with “in the name of Jesus.” But if we do not understand the meaning of that phrase, we may as well just say “thank you and good night.”
Why? Because that simple phrase, in Jesus’ name, means we are asking for something in agreement with Jesus. We are asking our Father to hear and answer our prayers because they align with His kingdom purpose.
So what does choosing who you will serve have to do with prayer? It’s all about aligning who we are with Who God is and we can only achieve such alignment through Bible study and prayer.
May we today, and every day, choose God and His kingdom purpose. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 