Monthly Archives: May 2010

Lights and Lamps

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Today in the Psalm from the morning, we see one of the more famous verses in Scripture, about Scripture.  It’s 119: 105

105 Thy word is a lantern unto my feet *
and a light unto my paths.

I remember this as a child in VBS at Johnston Chapel UMC. We’d start off every VBS day with the pledge the American Flag, the Christian Flag, and then the pledge to the Bible. This verse was one of the parts of the pledge that I can still remember from my childhood.

And many of us may remember the Amy Grant song “Thy Word” which quoted this verse as part of it.

So, many of us are very familiar with this passage. It’s one of my favorites, but it’s taken on a new meaning for me over the years.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That sounds good, doesn’t it?  It sounds calming and reassuring.

It is. But, there is one catch to it.  Lights and lamps, they don’t always provide the most light.  In fact, if you look at the text, it says it will be light to our feet, and lamp to our path.

It will give us light for the next step.

No necessary the step 10 steps from now.

Sometimes, we just have enough light to know what the next step is. The next move is. The next action is.

We may only know what we are supposed to do today.  We may not know what we are supposed to do tomorrow. All we know is today.

It’s kind of like the manna they gathered in the Old Testament. The were only supposed to gather enough for that day, and trust in God for tomorrow.

That’s hard. We want enough manna for tomorrow. We want enough light to see 10 steps down the road.

We don’t always get it. We get manna for today. We get light for our next step.

And then, as we take that next step, we get light for the next. And the next.  And the next.

We will have all the light we need, all the direction we need. We just have to trust.

We have light for this next step.

What is your next step?  Will you take it? God will give you the light that you need.

Mercy

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As I was reading a portion of Psalm 78 this morning, the last passage really spoke to me:

38 But he was so merciful that he forgave their sins
and did not destroy them; *
many times he held back his anger
and did not permit his wrath to be roused.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh, *
a breath that goes forth and does not return.

This Psalm recounts how the people of Israel turned from God again and again and again.

It tells of how God brought punishment to them over and over for their sin.  And how, after a time of repentance, He forgave.

But, they would fall down again and again and again.

And each time, He would forgive.

This last passage tell us why. He remembers they, and we, are just flesh.  God knows our strengths.  And He knows our weaknesses.

Do we think He is surprised by our faults and frailty?  Do we think He is stunned when we fall?  Do we think that God didn’t see out mistakes coming?

He created us.  He knows us better than we ever know ourselves.  He knows all there is to know about us.  He knows our mistakes before we even make them.  He knows we are sinful and weak and frail.

And He loves anyway.  He loves you.  He loves me.  He loves in spite our mistakes.  He loves us in spite of what we’ve done wrong.  No matter what it is. God loves us.

No.  Matter.  What.

He doesn’t love us for our strength or despise us for our weakness.  He loves us.

He is a God of Mercy.  May we rejoice because of that. And may we understand today just how much we are loved.

Strength

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Today as I was reading the New Testament Reading for the day in Colossians, something really jumped out to me.  Here are verses 11-14

11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We are encouraged to be strong – but not with our own strength, but with the strength that comes from God. Why? Why are we to be strong in that strength in particular? Aren’t we strong enough as it is?

The text tells us we need to be ready to endure everything with patience.  In other words, trouble is coming. Trouble is coming down the road at some point. It could be today, it could be tomorrow. It could be a year from now, a decade from now. Who knows. But, trouble. is coming.

And, Paul tell us not just to suffer through this trouble, but to endure it with patience, and even joy. Now, I can’t do that. I don’t even like waiting at a red light, much less endure troubles with patience and joy. If I’m going through something I don’t like, I want it to be over as quickly as possible.

That’s what I want.  That may not be what God wants.  God may be wanting to teach me something through a time of trial. He may be wanting to teach me dependance upon Him.  Trust of Him. Faith in Him.  To teach me that this world is not my home.  That my life is not not found in the stuff of the world.  He may be wanting to teach me many, many lessons.

But, without the patience that He longs to give me, I will miss them.  And, without His strength, I do not have that patience. Without His strength, I do not have His wisdom. Without His strength, I will not learn, I will just muddle through, whatever I’m doing.  Even the good stuff.

So, that means for us today, if things are great, then we need to be faithful. We need to be worshiping, reading scripture, and praying. We need to be connected to God and to His people. We need to be living His life. Because, trouble will be coming some day. And for us, this may be the day of preparation for that trouble that is to come.

And, if we are going through troubles, remember. Your strength is not found within you.  It is found in God. Don’t rely upon yourself, your strength, you wisdom. Trust in God.  Lean on Him.  Turn to Him. Rest in Him.

And, then you will find more strength than you ever through possible.

Today, and always, for strength, turn to the source of our strength. Turn to God.

How We Treat One Another

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Today was one of those cool days when I was reading and I noticed a theme emerge in the texts this morning. First, from Psalm 72, talking about the King:

1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice.
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

Then, from Leviticus

9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.

And, finally, from 1 Thessalonians

12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

What is this common theme?  What stood out?  In each of these passages, as Christians, we are called to do something. Help those less fortunate. Care for those in need. Love one another.

Basically try, as best we can, to love God and love each other.

The light of Christ within us must make a difference not just in how we live.  It must make a difference in how we treat one another.

The Christian life is not only a life of moral stands, but it is a life of love and service to God, AND to each other.

The Christian life is not a life lived in an ivory tower.  It is a life lived among each other. It is a life lived in an imperfect world with imperfect people.  It is life lived in among challenges and trials and work and worry and sweat and tears.  It is a life that is sometimes very hard.

And, it is a life that calls us not to be just “good” people, it’s a life that calls us to make the world a better place. We are called, we are commanded, to work for good.  To care for those that are weak, to give our lives for something greater than ourselves.

To live for God and live for each others.

In the end, our love for God is seen in our love for each others.  If I say I love God, but hate my brother or sister, what good have I done?

The Christian life, in the end, is so much concerned with theology or belief or opinions.  The Christian life is concerned with our love for God Almighty. And with how we treat one another.

What You Were Made For

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Yesterday in a Bible Study, we were talking about the weather that’s come through the area recently, talking about the flooding thats hit Nashville and Memphis, talking about the river of oil rushing towards the Gulf Coast, talking Coal Mine disasters, talking about earthquakes, talking about Icelandic Volcanos, talking about all that’s been happening in the world.

And then a question was asked that didn’t really expect.

Is the world coming to an end? It was not asked in a wild-eyed, conspiracy laden way, but in a calm, sober voice. One that looked around at all that’s been happening and wondered, wow, what are we to make of all this.

I responded with the assurance, yes, each day we live, we are closer to the return of our Lord. Now is the return to be today?  Tomorrow? The day after?  That I don’t know, and that I leave in God’s hands. Because even Jesus said no on knows the hour or day.

I was thinking about when I read a passage from 1 Thessalonians this morning:

9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Paul was writing to the people there about the Second Coming. He writes about all that is to happen, about all these mysteries. But then He begins chapter 5 with this passage about being faithful and reminds them – you were made for salvation.

You were created not for wrath, but for salvation.

God is not out to get you.

God is not out to punish you.

God is not out to crush you.

We were not made for that.

We were made for salvation, for life, for love, for grace, for hope, for all that is good and noble and peaceful.

In the storms of life, the storms of this world, the storms of our soul, never forget that. Never forget what you were made for. Never forget God’s purpose for you.

To be loved.

Never let your fears outweigh the love that God has for you.  You were made to be loved.

By God, and by others.

Today, may we live as we were made to be. May we live in that awesome love and life of God.

Gathering up Tears

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Today, as I was reading Psalm 56, verse 8 drew my attention:

8 You have noted my lamentation; put my tears into your bottle; * are they not recorded in your book?

A friend of mine gave me a pottery jar one day. It’s replica of a piece that women used in ancient times, and what they would do is this. As the men would go out fighting wars, when the women would cry over their men being gone, they would cry into the pot. And then, when the men came back, supposedly they could show their tears to their beloved as a sign of much they missed then and how loved they were.

I think that’s a great story about love and longing and that is what I think of when I read that passage today.

We have a God that loves us enough that no only does He notice our tears, but He gathers them up in His bottle. We have a God that loves us enough that our tears matter to Him.

Sometimes we can let our feelings fool us into thinking that God is only there during the good times.

That only when things are going great that His presence is with us.

That only the laughter is blessed.

That only happiness counts.

Today, we see that God gathers our tears. God knows our pain. God cares for our hurts.  God knows our longings. God mends our hearts.

God is not just god of the good and the easy. God is not just god of the carefree and the happy.  God is not just god of the easy valley and smooth road.

He is God, even when we walk through the shadow of death. He is the God when the tornado comes and the oil slick is headed our way.

He is God, even in the tears.

Today, He will gather up our tears. Because they are precious to Him. Because we are precious to Him.