March 13, 2011 (I Peter)

I have strayed from my reading plan because of the Women's Retreat coming up. The theme will be from I Peter, so I am going to be reading it over and over and over for the next month.

The book's main theme is enduring under trials. And how do we do that? By trusting Him.

⁵ And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.

 ⁶ So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.

I have always loved this following set of verses.

 ⁸ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. ⁹ The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

But the part of that that still seems illusive to me is the part of being 'happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy'. I realize I don't really 'have that', and the reason is that I am not really living in full faith and trust of Him. I'm am realizing that same thing by the other book I am reading. I'm realizing God is changing me. He's not done with trying to conform me to His image. And the great thing is, He will never stop. He promises to continue to do that until Christ returns. He wants us to know Him as He is. We are so 'duped' by the world and seeing things through the 'world's eyes' that we don't even see Him in the everyday ways He tries to show us His power and goodness. I'm beginning to look for Him more in the everyday things. I have a long way to go, but I'm encouraged.

March 12, 2011 (Various Psalms)

I am reading a book called "One Thousand Gifts" and I am seeing God's Word through a different lens now. The premise of the book is about thankfulness - and I am seeing that theme woven through scripture. In this verse I was struck by the phrase "as the law requires" - God's law required thankfulness.

^122:4 All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people—
      make their pilgrimage here.
   They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord,
      as the law requires of Israel.

Next I read several psalms where the psalmist is asking for God's deliverance, and in doing so is recounting all his troubles. They seem very 'discouraging'. But then I saw this ending to one like that:

^28:6 Praise the Lord!
      For he has heard my cry for mercy.
 ⁷ The Lord is my strength and shield.
      I trust him with all my heart.
   He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
      I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

And I saw where our focus changes our perspective. If our focus is on our problems, then we are discouraged and 'down in the mouth'. But if our focus is on God and His trustworthiness, we 'burst out in songs of thanksgiving'!

Psalm 42 was my last Psalm for today, and it seemed fitting to end this way, because once again, the psalmist shows us that our focus determines our outlook:

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
      Why is my heart so sad?
   I will put my hope in God!
      I will praise him again—
      my Savior and ⁶ my God!

   Now I am deeply discouraged,
      but I will remember you—
   even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
      from the land of Mount Mizar.
 ⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
      as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
 ⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
      and through each night I sing his songs,
      praying to God who gives me life.

When we get our eyes off of our troubles and onto Him who pours out His unfailing love upon us, then 'through each night we can sing His songs', 'praying to the One who gives us life'.

March 10, 2011 (2 Samuel 13-18)

The first part of David's life is all about his faith in God - how he gave God credit for all the things he did as a shepherd; how he trusted God to deliver him from Goliath; how he trusted God to protect him when Saul was chasing after him; how he wouldn't kill Saul because of his fear of God's word 'to not touch the Lord's annointed'; of him recognizing that the plunder they took when they defeated enemies was really from God; of his desire to build a temple for God.

And then, the big sins. Adultery. Murder. And these remaining chapters seem to be the story of a man who lost his confidence. Of a man that perhaps wasn't really sure of the Lord's forgiveness even though Nathan the prophet had said "Yes, the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin.' But previously he had been told, "From this time on, the sword will be a constant threat to your family, because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own." There would be no more peace in David's lifetime.

And here are the events in the chapters immediately following David's sin:
First of all, one of David's sons rapes his half-sister, Tamar. David was angry, but does nothing.
Absalom, Tamar's brother, kills the half-brother who raped his sister. David mourned many days, but does nothing.
Absalom flees, and after some time, David longs to be reunited with him. He is brought back to Jerusalem, but David does not want to see him, and has said he must never come into his presence.
Absalom rebels, steals the hearts of David's followers and sets himself up as king. He comes back to invade Jerusalem, and instead of David fighting for his rights and his dynasty, he flees.
Absalom sleeps with all David's concubines that didn't leave the city, bringing great shame to his father.
David instructs his army to fight Absalom and his army, but he asks them to deal gently with Absalom.
Absalom is killed and David mourns, bringing great distress to his army.

All of this brings a great amount of 'sadness' to me. It seems as if David was operating apart from an awareness of God's love for him and apart from a relationship with Him.  In these chapters I never really saw him pray to God. This one verse is telling:

^15:25 Then the king instructed Zadok to take the Ark of God back into the city. “If the Lord sees fit,” David said, “he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. ²⁶ But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.”

He had no confidence in the Lord and therefore had no confidence in himself.

There was a time when I felt this way. I had sinned deeply against God and had no confidence in myself or in the fact that God still could love me. I didn't want to live anymore. I wanted to die. I wanted God to kill me because I didn't have the guts to take my own life. I continued to read His Word, but did so only because I knew I should, not because I was getting anything out of it. But then I read this verse:

2 Samuel 14:14 - "But God does not take away life. Instead He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him."

I wish David could have read words like those. Those words were what 'brought me back' - those words were from God to me. I heard Him speak. I heard Him tell me He still loved me. I heard Him tell me He wanted to walk with me again. And I believed Him.

March 9, 2011 (2 Samuel 11-12, I Chronicles 20)

Today's reading encompassed the story of David and Bathsheba, and although I've read it many times, I saw something that I had never noticed before. I'll get to that at the end.

I just have such a hard time with understanding what David did, but realize any and all of us are capable. And it starts with little things, like not being faithful to your responsibilities. The story begins with "The following spring, the time of year when kings go to war, David sent Joab......". The verse said "when kings GO to war" - David was king, and yet he stayed behind and sent someone in his place. It all started there - not doing what he knew he should do.

And then we read "Late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap....". So not only was he unfaithful to his responsibilities, he was lazy. I get the feeling he was bored: reminds me of the saying 'boredom is the devil's workshop' came from.

So when God confronts him with his sin, He reminds David that his sin was against Himself when He says "because you have despised Me by taking Uriah's wife as your own".  He sinned against Bathsheba and against Uriah, but the ultimate sin was against God.  And whenever we sin, 'we give the enemies of the Lord great opportunity to despise and blaspheme' God.

The baby is born, God takes the baby, Bathsheba gets pregnant and has another son and they name him Solomon. Verse 26 of chapter 12 begins "Meanwhile, Joab and the Israelite army were successfully ending their siege....".  I'm not sure how long the army was at war, but I get the feeling it was a long time. A long time for David to be out of God's will - to be shirking his duties. I would imagine if he had to do it all over again, he would have gone to war as he should have; he would have done what he needed to do to keep in line with his responsibilities. That's the beauty of God's word. He allows us to see the mistakes of others so that we don't have to make them ourselves. But He also gives us a choice. We can choose whatever path we wish, but He has forewarned us of the consequences.  I skipped this portion, but let me go back to it:

^{2 Samuel 12:7} “The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. ⁹ Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. ¹⁰ From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.

 ¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. ¹² You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”

 ¹³ Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

   Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

Just because David repented and confessed, there were still consequences he had to suffer. Yes, he was forgiven, but there are always consequences for sin.

March 8, 2011 (Various Psalms)

No matter what happens in this world, we have to remember this:


 ^75:3 When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil,
      I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.

Psalm 66 speaks of God's power and all He does, but then there is this sentence stuck at the end of a sequence:

^66:6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
      and his people went across on foot.
      There we rejoiced in him.

This Psalm closes with an excellent pattern of praise, prayer and praise:

^66:16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
      and I will tell you what he did for me.
 ¹⁷ For I cried out to him for help,
      praising him as I spoke.
 ¹⁸ If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
      the Lord would not have listened.
 ¹⁹ But God did listen!
      He paid attention to my prayer.
 ²⁰ Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
      or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

As the Psalmist talks of his prayer, I think the phrase "praising Him as I spoke" is key. The reason it's key is that he knew who he was praying to. He knew that God was able to answer his prayer. And he also knew that God may choose to answer it in a way he hadn't planned on. But he was praising Him as he prayed and showing that he was in subjection to Him.

We can't give up. The Psalmist shows that in this sequence:

^69:13 But I keep praying to you, Lord,
      hoping this time you will show me favor.
   In your unfailing love, O God,
      answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
 ¹⁴ Rescue me from the mud;
      don’t let me sink any deeper!
   Save me from those who hate me,
      and pull me from these deep waters.
 ¹⁵ Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
      or the deep waters swallow me,
      or the pit of death devour me.

 ¹⁶ Answer my prayers, O Lord,
      for your unfailing love is wonderful.
   Take care of me,
      for your mercy is so plentiful.
 ¹⁷ Don’t hide from your servant;
      answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
 ¹⁸ Come and redeem me;
      free me from my enemies.

And yesterday I saw that more than sacrifices, God wants our hearts to be thankful. I see that again here:

^69:30 Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
      and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
 ³¹ For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
      more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
 ³² The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
      Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
 ³³ For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
      he does not despise his imprisoned people.

March 7, 2011 (Various Psalms)

Sacrifice - what does it mean to sacrifice? When I hear the word I think of sacrificing my time. Back in the Old Testament it primarily meant to sacrifice animals on the altar - so in that regard, it was a sacrifice of their time as well as their resources. So in Psalm 50 when I read verse 5 - “Bring my faithful people to me—those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.” I thought of the Israelites bringing their sacrifices. And then, I read verses 7-13:

⁷ “O my people, listen as I speak.
      Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
      I am God, your God!
 ⁸ I have no complaint about your sacrifices
      or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
 ⁹ But I do not need the bulls from your barns
      or the goats from your pens.
 ¹⁰ For all the animals of the forest are mine,
      and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
 ¹¹ I know every bird on the mountains,
      and all the animals of the field are mine.
 ¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
      for all the world is mine and everything in it.
 ¹³ Do I eat the meat of bulls?
      Do I drink the blood of goats?

God didn't want the sacrifices of their resources or their time. What did He want instead?

¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
      and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
 ¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble,
      and I will rescue you,
      and you will give me glory.”

He wanted their hearts. He wanted a thankful heart that was thankful because of a deep trust in Him. He doesn't care about what we give or do for Him, because all of that can be done without even giving Him a second thought. We can give because we know we should. We can serve because we know we should. And we can do it all in His name and for Him, without even giving Him the time of day. What does He say?

²² "Repent, all of you who ignore me,
      or I will tear you apart,
      and no one will help you.

In the busyness of daily life, do we ignore Him? God forgive us and help us to sit at Your feet, hear from Your Word and have a deep sense of gratitude to You for all You have given us in Christ.

²³ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
      If you keep to my path,
      I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

March 4, 2011 (Various Psalms)

One of today's Psalms has some of my absolute favorite verses in it:

^25:14 Friendship with the Lord is reserved for those who fear him.
      With them he shares the secrets of his covenant.
 ¹⁵ My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help,
      for he alone can rescue me from the traps of my enemies.

I love the thought of being God's friend. I'm looking forward to my time away with God in a few weeks. I want Him to share some of His secrets with me.

Here's part of another one I like:

^33:13 The Lord looks down from heaven
      and sees the whole human race.
 ¹⁴ From his throne he observes
      all who live on the earth.
 ¹⁵ He made their hearts,
      so he understands everything they do.
 ¹⁶ The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
      nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
 ¹⁷ Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
      for all its strength, it cannot save you.

 ¹⁸ But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
      those who rely on his unfailing love.
 ¹⁹ He rescues them from death
      and keeps them alive in times of famine.

 ²⁰ We put our hope in the Lord.
      He is our help and our shield.
 ²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
      for we trust in his holy name.
 ²² Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
      for our hope is in you alone.

And now some real words of wisdom:

^39:4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
      Remind me that my days are numbered—
      and that my life is fleeing away.
 ⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
      My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
      human existence is but a breath.”
                         

 ⁶ We are merely moving shadows,
      and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
   We heap up wealth,
      for someone else to spend.
 ⁷ And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
      My only hope is in you.

Our time on earth is brief. It's time to not just know these truths in our head, but in our hearts. All our busy rushing ends in nothing. How much time are we spending with Him? Hearing from His word and sharing what we have found with others. That is what REALLY matters.