Tag Archives: Psalms

Don’t Waste a Crisis

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I am not fluent in many languages. Some many even argue I’m not too fluent in English!

But, there’s always been a statement about something in Chinese language that has intrigued me.

In the Chinese language, they don’t have “letters” like we do, but instead they have characters with represent words and concepts.

In that, I’ve always heard that the Chinese word for “crisis” is the same word as “opportunity.”  That’s not exactly true, there are two characters that make up the word crisis, one character is danger, and the other is opportunity.

But, we se in that language, the word crisis is related to the word opportunity.

What does that have to do with anything?

Listen to the words of Psalm 119:

71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, *
that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is dearer to me *
than thousands in gold and silver.

Have you thought that about your affliction?  Have you allowed your trials, troubles, and afflictions to draw you closer to God?

Every moment we are alive, every moment we breathe, each of these events, they are chances to for us to grow closer to God.

Are you using the trials of life to draw you closer to God?  Are the moments of hurt, are they driving you to prayer? To read the Word?  To be in communion with God?

Trials and troubles, they will push us to God or away from God.  What is happening in your life?

Are you allowing your troubles to drive you closer to God? For only in Him will we find peace and comfort and hope in the midst of trials.

Every trial is an opportunity to grow closer to God.  They aren’t fun, they aren’t easy, and they aren’t something that we to go through.

But, they can draw us closer to God.

Are we allowing that happen?

In our walk with God, let’s not waste a moment.  Even these moments of trials and troubles, they can draw us closer to God.

Let’s not waste a single moment.

Delight

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My kids make me really happy.

My reflection is a little later than I anticipated because they wanted to spend time this morning snuggling. And I’m a sucker for that.  Anytime my kids want to snuggle up to me in the morning, or at night, I just can’t help it.

Now, are their times they drive me crazy.  Of course.  Just like there will be times in the future I drive them crazy. And just like I’m sure I drive Holly crazy all the time 🙂

But, I love them. I delight in them at all times. And outside of my walk with God, they really are my truest joy in all my life.

And every parent understands that.  Every grandparent, Aunt/Uncle, each of us, we know what it means to delight yourself in that child.

Hear the words of the Psalmist this morning, from Psalm 18:

18 He delivered me from my strong enemies
and from those who hated me; *
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster; *
but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into an open place; *
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

He rescued David this morning because He delighted in David.

This morning, God delights in you.  You make Him happy.  He really does love you.  No matter what you’ve done.  No matter what.  Just as a parent delights in their child, so does God delight in you.

You make His eyes light up.  You are precious to Him.  You are His delight.

Today, no matter what.

We had an awesome Sunday this past Sunday at Asbury, and I knew it was going to be a great day when our first song was “Come as You Are” by the band Pocket Full of Rocks.  It starts off this way:

He’s not mad at you
He’s not disappointed
His grace is greater still,
than all of your wrong choices

God delights in you.  He’s not mad at you.  He loves you.

He delights in you.  Live in that knowledge today and each day.  You are His delight.

May He be our delight.

What Consumes Your Soul?

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This morning as I read through some scripture this morning, I was thinking about the things that happen that get me in trouble.

Why do I choose to do wrong sometimes?

Why do I choose sin? Why do I choose the wrong path?  Why do I make bad decisions.

We all do, don’t we?  It’s part of our human condition. As Paul said, “The things I ought to do, I do not do, and the very thing I should not do, is the very thing I do.”

Why?

What can keep up from picking that wrong path?

Then I read part of Psalm 119:

20 My soul is consumed at all times *
with longing for your judgments.

What consumes your soul?  What is it that really consumes you?

What do you think about?  Where does your mind drift?  What is it that occupies your thoughts?  When you are thinking about nothing, what are you thinking about?

Is it God? Does God consume your mind?  Your will?  Your imagination?  Your very life?

Scripture tells us that God is a consuming fire.  He desires to consume all of us. Take of all of us, transform all of us.

Are we letting Him do that today? Are we letting Him consume us today?  Are we giving Him all of us today?

He desires to consume us.  Do we desire to be consumed by Him?  In that, in doing that, in allowing Him to consume us, we will find life.

What consumes you?  Is it God?  What consumes your soul today?

Just in Time

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I’m a schedule person. I put everything that needs to be done into my phone. I joke with church folk that if I don’t put the things that I need to do in my phone, it’s not going to get done.  I’ve got a schedule that I keep, things I check off my to list, places to go, people to see.  Wesley said don’t be trifling with you time, and I try not to be.

So, there’s nothing that irritates me about myself more than when I’m late for something. I’m normally on time for stuff, or early, but man oh man, I’ve had a run of lunch meetings recently where I leave the office just a few minutes later than I’d like then, bam, I’m late.

That always drives me crazy when I do that.

No one likes it when folks are late.

Particularly when we feel like God is late.

We’ve got our schedule. We’ve got our time that everything is supposed to happen on. We’ve got ideas about how things are supposed to run.  We’ve got our plans!

And, God doesn’t always work on time frame, does He?  He doesn’t always do things the way or in the time we’d like, does He?

His way is different than our way, His time is different than our time.

I was reminded of that while reading Psalm 102

12 But you, O LORD, endure for ever, *
and your Name from age to age.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to have mercy upon her; *
indeed, the appointed time has come.

The appointed time has come.  Perhaps not in the time the people would like.  But, the time God has appointed. The time God has desired. The time God has planned.

God is never later.  God’s clock is just different from our clock.

God works things out in the time and in the way that they need to work out.  Maybe not in the time and in the way that we’d choose. But in the time and in the way that is best.

Today, trust.  Even if we think God is late.  Even if things are not coming on our schedule.

Trust.

God is never late.  He is always on time.  Even if we don’t realize it at the time.

Good Reminders

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What is it in life that worries you?

What scares you?

What robs your sleep?

We’ve all got something.  Something that makes us uneasy, something that makes us fearful, something that keeps our hearts afraid.

What is that for you.

I’ve got a list of things that worry me.  I’m a worrier, it’s just how I’m wired.  I worry about church, I worry about family, I worry about friends. It’s just what I do.

So, I need to the words of Psalm 71 quite often

3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you are my crag and my stronghold.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from of the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
5 For you are my hope, O LORD God, *
my confidence since I was young.

As big as my worries are, God is bigger.  As big as my problems are, God is bigger. As big as my stresses are, God is bigger.

And God is at work in all our lives. Do we really believe God led us to this point to leave us here?  Do we really think that God will abandon us after all these years?

God is with us. He is now, He has always been. He will be with us today and will be with us tomorrow.

What do we have to worry about?  What do we have to fear? Why do we have to be afraid?

We don’t.  God is with us.

I need to be reminded of that every once in a while.  Like today.

I don’t know if you needed this word this morning, but I did.

Thanks be to God, who is bigger than whatever it is we face.

Now, go out and live today with the confidence of being a child of God!

Waiting

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I don’t sit still well. Never have, never will.  I don’t like waiting. If I’ve got an appointment of some sort that I feel like will take a while, I bring things to do.  I don’t like waiting.

Not many of us do. It’s kind of a helpless feeling. You’re there, waiting on someone else, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Listen to the words from Psalm 62

1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.

There are in scriptures, particularly in the Psalms, this command to wait. To wait upon the Lord.

Why? Why would God want us to wait upon Him? Why is that something we should do?

For the reason we don’t like to wait.  It reminds us that it is not about us. We are not in control. It’s not, in the end, all up to us.

There is a God more powerful than us that does not conform to our schedule and our will, but will conform us to His schedule and to His will.

No one likes waiting. I detest it. But, in, the end, we need to learn to wait upon the Lord. For it teaches us who is really God. Who is really in control. Who is really at work.

It’s all about God.  It’s all about His will.  It’s all about what He wants to do.  May we have the grace today to wait upon Him.

And may we know the freedom and life that comes from waiting upon Him.

Be Still

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I’m not a person that sits still well.  It’s not something I like or something that I do well in any way.  I sit still behind my desk too long, I’ve got to get up and move around.  I just don’t have the wiring to sit around and do nothing.

And, that’s how it feel sometimes when I’m not active.  I’m just doing . . . . well, nothing.

And then, I read a passage like I did this morning in Psalm 37

7 Be still before the Lord *
and wait patiently for him.
8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

The Psalmist reminds us something important that I don’t like to do – be still before the Lord.  Wait upon Him.  Still your heart before Him.

Why?  Why is this important?  Why do we need to do this?

We get so busy. We have so much going on each day.  So many concerns, so many worries, so many things that seem to be so important for us to do.

We can lose perspective. We can forget what is really important.

What is really the most important thing today?  Another task? Having a right heart with God?

That is why we need to be still.  Breathe.  Listen.  The world pushes us towards busyness and activity.

God says – slow down. Listen for me.  Listen for my voice.  Seek me while I may be found.

You don’t have to quit your job today.  You don’t have to abandon your family.  You don’t have to stop doing what you are assigned to.

But, take a moment today.  And just listen. Still yourself.  Listen. Slow yourself.  Listen.  God longs to commune with you.

No matter what you have going on, take a moment today to be still before Him.  Perhaps on commute to work.  Over lunch.  In your office.  In the garden. Wherever.  Listen.

He wants to speak.  If we will just quiet ourselves and pay attention.  We will hear.

Constant Forgiveness

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Today I was reading through one of my favorite Psalms.  And, I love the Psalms. They just speak to what is on our heart so many times. They are so honest, so full of emotion. Just like us, at times they are over joyed with God’s goodness. At times they are heartbroken over our sin.  They speak so many things we feel.

I was reading Psalm 25 when some verses jumped out at me:

7 Gracious and upright is the LORD; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
8 He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.
9 All the paths of the LORD are love and faithfulness *
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
10 For your Name’s sake, O LORD, *
forgive my sin, for it is great.
11 Who are they who fear the LORD? *
he will teach them the way that they should choose.

There is this notion, that I’ve never really picked up until I read it this morning. The Psalmist says that God is with the humble and the righteous, that He leads and guides them.

So, you’d think the Psalmist was one of the humble and righteous that God guided, right?

Notice what the Psalmist says right after through – Forgive me of my sin, for it is great.

Then it hit me. Perhaps what it means to be righteous isn’t to be perfect.  If that were so, who could be righteous at all.  None of. Perhaps what it means to be righteous is understand our constant need for forgiveness.

Part of being rightoues is to understand we are sinful and we can’t statnd without God. That we can’t do it ourselves. That we need God. That our own strength and will is not enough to “make” us good. We need the power of God, the grace of God, the might of God.  We need His strength.

And, we need His forgiveness. Today. Everyday.

Part of being strong is to realize we are weak and frail and can’t do it.  And  when we think we are strong, we are headed for a fall.  When we think we’ve got it figured out, we make a fool of ourselves.

When we think we are righteous we fall into sin. When we realize we are weak and in need of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness, we find His life. We find His power.  We find a new day, a new start and a new forgiveness.

I think part of what it means to be righteous is live under God’s constant forgiveness. And under His constant forgiveness, we find life we can’t find anywhere else!

A Short Week

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About the only downfall of a long weekend is that it produces a short week.

You’re thinking, no, Andy, a short week is also a good thing.

It is, in some ways. But, in others it’s not.

At least for me.

I get so focused on getting everything done that I need to get down that I find myself rushed, I find myself unfocused, I find myself not really paying attention to what matters most.

I got so focused on trying to get done the things that I have to do, I feel like I’m so short of time, I forget what I really need to focus on.

So, I really needed to hear the words of Psalm 119 this morning:

15 I will meditate on your commandments *
and give attention to your ways.
16 My delight is in your statutes; *
I will not forget your word.

I will not forget your word.  A powerful statement. We are not going to forget about God forever, I know.

But sometimes, with deadlines coming, and tasks to accomplish, and things that have to get done, we forget.

We forget to slow ourselves. Pray.  Listen.  Remember His word.

I know you’ve got a busy day today. Lots to do. Meetings and worries and all sorts of stuff.

I know it’s a short week.

Don’t forget. Don’t forget to slow yourself. Don’t forget to take time to listen. Don’t forget that God is there, even in a busy short week.

Don’t forget His word.  Don’t forget Him.  Listen. Seek.  Knock. And you will find.

Don’t forget what really matters.

Check List

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Believe it or not, I’ve always felt like religion was easy.  To be religious can mean, at it’s most simple just a collection of things that we should and shouldn’t do.  Religion, at it’s most simple, is a check list.

That’s what a lot of folks think about faith. And honestly, that’s what a lot of believers think about faith.  If I just do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that, than it’s all taken care of.

Today, in Psalm 50, the Psalmist says this

13 Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make good your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”

We are reminded that faith is not, in the end, about what we do, or don’t do.

Now, there are things we are supposed to do and not do. But, it doesn’t start with that.

It starts with that heart for God.  It starts with that relationship.  It starts with a desire to know and be known, to love and be loved.

It’s not about a check list.  It’s not about making God love us.  It’s not about doing what Christians are “supposed” to do.

It’s about understanding that we are loved more than we’ll ever know. That an awesome, holy, and righteous God simply loves us.

And it’s about knowing that we are supposed to love God, and love each other in that same way.

So, if there is a check list, it’s not “religion.”  It’s love.  Love God. Love each other. That’s it, that’s the list.