God’s Mercy Chases Me

Today is Thursday (almost there), June 21, 2018. Day 22,015.

Today is the longest day of the year. Summer began at 5:07 this morning.

Thirteen days until July 4!

146 days until Fallout 76!

“Talking with you is sort of the conversational equivalent of an out of body experience.” ~ Bill Watterson, from Calvin and Hobbes, no doubt someone’s comment to Calvin. The Quotations Page

The word for today is summerize (no, I did not misspell “summarize”), “to prepare (a house, car, etc.) so as to counteract the hot weather of summer.” Also, “to protect in hot weather for future use.”

As noted, today is the first day of summer. The high for today, though, is “only” projected to be 99, here. It is supposed to reach 103 tomorrow. I’ve lived in Texas sixty-plus years, and I still loathe Texas summers. Summer is by far my least favorite season. What is my favorite season? Why thank you for asking! It is Fall, or Autumn, depending on what you prefer to call it.

The Red Sox dropped another game to the Twins, last night, 4-1, and dropped another game in the standings. With a 49-26 record, they are now two games behind the Yankees.

The Rangers won their fifth consecutive game, beating the Royals 3-2. Their record is now 32-44, but they remain eighteen games back, as the red hot Astros became the first team to win 50 games. The ‘Stros also passed the Red Sox in the overall MLB standings.

The Orioles remain the worst in baseball, but just by a skosh. The Royals are barely ahead of them.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. 
I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. 
My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. 
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. 
Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! 
Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it! 
Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! 
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! 
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. 
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
Psalm 109:21-31

I believe this to be mostly a prayer of vindication. Far better, I think, to pray for God to vindicate me than to try to do it myself. Not that I am in need of vindication, at the moment, but there have been times in my life when someone above me, at work, didn’t believe I did enough. The problem is, they were either not aware of what I was doing, or it was not measurable, because it didn’t produce any statistics. When I pray to God to vindicate me, he takes care of me; I don’t have to worry about trying to defend myself. and because of that (and many other reasons), “With my mouth I will give threat thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.”

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. 
I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah. 
Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. 
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalm 143:5-8

A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23

The word in verse 6, that is translated “mercy,” is, I believe, chesed. This is a well-used Hebrew word in the Old Testament, often translated as “kindness” or “lovingkindness.” Here, it is translated, as most often, “mercy.” I have also read that the word “follow” might be better rendered as “pursue.” In fact, Eugene Peterson writes it this way:

Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of GOD for the rest of my life. (Emphasis added)

So ponder this, today. The undying chesed, or mercy, of God doesn’t just follow after you. It chases you.

Perhaps we should not try to outrun his mercy.

Father, Psalm 23 gives me so much comfort. I confess that I have not meditated on this Psalm much, lately. I do need to get back to that. I am eternally grateful that your mercy follows, pursues, chases after me. Help me to not run from it. May I walk with you, in Christ, by the Spirit, in your kingdom, faithfully walking and working in the easy yoke of Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

Grace and peace, friends.

The Lord Is My Helper; What Can Man Do To Me?

Today is Wednesday, June 20, 2018. Day 22,014.

Fourteen days until July 4. Which falls on Wednesday, so we’ll get one day off in the middle of the week.

147 days until Fallout 76!

“That man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much.” Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894, BrainyQuote

The word for today is thigmotropism, “oriented growth of an organism in response to mechanical contact, as a plant tendril coiling around a string support.”

We got back to the Y, last night, so that was good. I rode the recumbent bike for a while. It’s good to start getting some movement again.

The Red Sox lost to the Twins, as the bullpen gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Final score, 6-2. The Sox record is 49-25, and they are one game behind the Yankees in the AL East.

The Rangers won their fourth consecutive game, beating the Royals 4-1. Their record is now 31-44. They gained a game and are now eighteen games back in the AL West.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. 
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! 
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! 
May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! 
May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!
Psalm 109:16-20

If you’re keeping up with this, you remember yesterday’s prayers of the Psalmist, for all these bad things to happen to this person. Today, we find out why. So we see that, at least, the Psalmist had good reason for his negative feelings about this person.

Always remember that God cares for the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, the refugees. God is a God of love and compassion, as well as justice, and we, as his people, should have the same characteristics as him.

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— 
no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
Psalm 91:9-10

I memorized these two verses, years ago. They became a great comfort to me, as did the whole chapter of Psalms. Is there a promise that, if I dwell in the Lord, nothing bad will ever happen to me? I choose to think that is not the case.

Probably because it all depends on your definition of bad. There is a strong sense, though, of God’s protection in these two verses. And I do believe that, because I have made the Lord my dwelling, that he has protected me from evil all these years. I believe that with all my heart. But what about people who did not have the same experience?

I am not wise enough to have all the answers, but I will hearken back to my statement at the beginning of the last paragraph. It all depends on your definition (and perspective) of what is bad. There are things that happen to humans that other humans decide are bad. But what if they were “good” in the eyes of the Lord? Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” The definition of “precious” is, “of high price or great value; very valuable or costly; highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality; dear; beloved.” All of those things sound pretty good to me.

My father made the Lord his dwelling and his refuge. Yet, he passed away because of a fall which resulted from a rare muscular disease that he had. Did “evil befall” him? We might be inclined to think so, but perhaps not. He was definitely uncomfortable in his last days, perhaps even in some pain. But I am 100% certain that he never took his eyes off of that prize. And I am certain that his death was precious in the Lord.

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:6

And there it is, Father, in Hebrews 13:6. You are my helper; you are my strength; I will not fear; what can man to do me?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Grace and peace, friends.

Such Knowledge Is Too Wonderful For Me

Today is Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Day 22,013. Juneteenth.

Fifteen days until July 4!

148 days until Fallout 76!

“I loathe the expression ‘What makes him tick.’ It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solution, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm.” ~ James Thurber, 1894-1961, The Quotations Page

The word for today is turophile, “a connoisseur or lover of cheese.” I would think I qualify. I’m no connoisseur, but I certainly love cheese.

Not really a whole lot to write about on a personal level, this morning. The Rangers beat the Royals by the score of 6-3, and are on a three-game winning streak. Their record is 30-44, and they remain 19 games out in the AL West. The Red Sox did not play last night.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
Be not silent, O God of my praise! 
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 
They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 
In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 
So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 
Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 
When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! 
May his days be few; may another take his office! 
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! 
May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! 
May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! 
Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! 
May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! 
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! 
Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth! 
For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. 
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! 
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! 
May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! 
May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!
Psalm 109:1-20

So this is in the Bible. And, while it must be here for a reason, I’m pretty sure I could never bring myself to pray this kind of thing against someone, no matter how badly I had been treated. But I think it is okay for us to vent to God. Tell him how you feel about things. He can handle it.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 
even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 
If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. 
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 
They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. 
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 
I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. 
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139

This Psalm was in my Bible reading plan for the day. This plan bounces around in the Psalms, depending on what the other portions for the day are. It has long been one of my favorites, as it speaks of the absolute, infinite knowledge that God has about us. It also speaks of his presence. Since he is everywhere, there is nowhere I can go that he is not. For some, this creates awkwardness, uncomfortableness, or even terror. For me, it is comfort.

Father, I do, indeed, praise you, for I am “fearfully and wonderfully made.” When I think about the human body, and the way it works, I am amazed. When I think about the fact that you are everywhere, all the time, my mind cannot take it in. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” Remind me of these things as I navigate the day ahead of me. There will be challenges; there will be pleasures; there will be joys. May they all reflect your presence in my life.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

Grace and peace, friends.

Turning Natural Into Spiritual

Today is Thursday, September 8, 2016. (I had to think a minute.) 36 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” – Mark Twain

Word of the Day

Phalanx – a number of individuals, especially persons united for a common purpose. Also, (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping.

Today is Literacy Day. Now, if you ask me (which you didn’t), they have these last three in the wrong order. We had Read A Book Day, followed by Buy A Book Day, and now Literacy Day. Literacy Day should, at best, have been between buying a book and reading a book, don’t you think? On the other hand, I guess you need to have a book in order to learn how to read it. So, maybe Literacy Day should have been before buying and reading. On the other hand, as already noted, nobody asked me.

Mama’s cataract surgery went, as far as we know, very well, yesterday. The doctor was pleased. We were home by 11:30, and had some lunch. After lunch, my mother went and rested for a while, while I cranked up the PS4. Later, she came out of her room, I turned off the game, and we sat and talked until C got home from work. For dinner, we had our crockpot chicken soup over rice, and watched Major Crimes, followed by So You Think You Can Dance. It was a good day. As previously noted, C will be taking Mama to her follow-up this morning at 10:10 AM.

The Red Sox beat the Padres 7-2, and are now in first place by themselves, as the Yankees beat the Boo Jays. The Sox have the day off, and will play those Boo Jays in Toronto tonight. The Rangers, on the other hand, got beat pretty decisively, again, by the Mariners, 8-3. The Astros also lost, though, so their magic number is down to 15. They have 22 games left. The Sox have 23 left.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. Psalm 109:30-31

We don’t have a god of fables, some “heroic figure” from some mythology. We also don’t have a “philosophical god,” who is nothing more than a “divine idea” that helps us answer life’s difficult questions. “God is he whom we need at our right hand to save us from condemnation.”

“‘God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing’ (Sarum Primer). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

Today begins a two part reading called Do It Yourself. Right off the bat, let’s make it perfectly clear that this is not talking about salvation. “Deliverance from sin is not deliverance from human nature.” There are various things in our nature, such as prejudice, that must be destroyed by neglect. There are things that only God can deal with, but these characteristics of our nature are what must be changed by what others call the spiritual disciplines. (I have to say that I am continuously amazed as I work through My Utmost this time, in collaboration with the books I am reading on the disciplines. Chambers was teaching largely the same thing all along, but using different words.)

Our warfare is not against sin. That needs to be understood. We mistakenly think that we are fighting against sin. Jesus dealt with sin in the Atonement. “The conflict is along the line of turning our natural life into a spiritual life, and this is never done easily, nor does God intend it to be done easily.” We do this by the choices we make, by training our bodies to align with our redeemed spirits, as Dallas Willard said.

God makes us holy “in the sense of innocence,” and we must work that into our character “by a series of moral choices,” i.e., the spiritual disciplines.

Father, the further I go into this process, the more excited I get. But I also get more frustrated when I fail. Help me to not focus on the failures, but, rather, focus on Jesus Christ and his “easy yoke,” that I might walk fully in your kingdom and train my body by practicing these “moral choices,” as Chambers calls them.Teach me the ways of Jesus, that I may walk in them. Help me to believe Jesus, not just believe in him.

Come, Lord Jesus!

God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing.

Grace and peace, friends.

Stay Steadfastly True To Jesus

Today is Wednesday, September 7, 2016. 37 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Word of the Day

Corybantic – frenzied; agitated; unrestrained.

Today is Buy A Book Day! Oh, my goodness! This is one of my favorites!

I had a safe and uneventful trip to pick up my mother, last night. The first half of the trip out there was slow, of course, as I had to drive through rush hour traffic in Carrollton, Lewisville, and Grapevine. But once I got past I-35W on the 820, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Heck, after I got on the 180 at Weatherford, I don’t think I hit the brakes I got to Mineral Wells. Wait . . . there was this one spot where the speed limit drops to 60 at a little town called Cool.

Anyway, I’m up at the usual time, because Mama’s surgery appointment is at 8:00 AM, in downtown-ish Fort Worth. I figure we’ll leave the house around 7:00 and get there early. It’s outpatient, routine cataract surgery, so it shouldn’t take too long, and we’ll go right on home, afterward. Her follow-up is at 10:00 tomorrow morning. C will be taking her for that appointment.

The Red Sox and Rangers both won, last night, late games on the west coast. The Rangers beat the Mariners 10-7, and the Red Sox beat the Padres 5-1. The Boo Jays lost, so the Sox are back in a tie for first place. The Rangers maintained their 8.5 game lead over the Astros.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!
But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.
I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.
Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!
Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!
Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! Psalm 109:20-29

Since we are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3), our lives should be lived “beyond the fashions and opinions of other people.” Even if we draw the scorn of others, we still are recipients of the steadfast love of Christ. “The blessing of God is far more determinative for our lives than the curses of people.”

“Father, like Jacob at Peniel, I wrestle and wait. Only your blessing can make me whole. O God ‘from whom all blessings flow,’ bless me. In Jessu’ name. Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

. . . but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14

The water that Jesus gives us will become a well, a fountain that will “flow out of the saint as lavishly as it is imparted to him.” If this is not happening, if my life is not flowing out, it is my fault, not the Lord’s. Something is obstructing the flow. If I keep at the Source, what will happen? I will be blessed? That is not the objective. Out of me “will flow rivers of living water, irrepressible life.” That is the goal!

“We are to be centers through which Jesus can flow as rivers of living water in blessing to everyone.” This is not us passing our own blessings on. Rather, it is a river that continuously flows from us. This is accomplished in me by staying “steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.”

Father, keep me true to Christ. I know that I fail daily in this, but by your Spirit, it can be so. I desire to be this fountain, this well, out of which flows rivers of living water. But I don’t necessarily need to see it happening. What is more important is that I stay truly connected to the Source, which is Jesus.

Come, Lord Jesus!

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” . . . Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:15, 18)

Grace and peace, friends.

Focus On the Sovereign Source

Today is Tuesday, September 6, 2016. 38 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

Word of the Day

Will-o’-the-wisp – a light that appears at night over marshy ground. Also, a misleading or elusive goal or hope.

Today is Read A Book Day. When it comes to “holidays,” books are like chocolate. If the word is in the day, I’m going to choose that one. But seriously . . . read a book today. It doesn’t have to be a paper book. It can be a Kindle book (or other e-reader). Just read. What am I currently reading? The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy.

We didn’t do much of anything yesterday. The steaks and mashed potatoes were delicious. We watched the other Redbox movie that we rented, Joy. Let me tell you, there wasn’t much “joy” in it. I’m not sure what I expected, but it was mostly depressing. As always, it was enjoyable watching Jennifer Lawrence and Bradly Cooper. But Joy’s parents were horrible. Her mother was flat-out crazy (played by Virginia Madsen, who also plays a crazy woman on American Gothic), and her father was a manipulative you-know-what, encouraged by his lady-friend, played by Isabella Rossellini. Anyway . . . while the ending was satisfactory, the majority of the movie was depressing. If that was supposed to be inspirational, it failed for me.

Today, after work, I will be driving to Mineral Wells to pick up my mother. Then I will be taking her to her cataract surgery appointment tomorrow morning. C will take her for the follow-up visit on Thursday morning. Hopefully, this one goes as smoothly as the first one did.

We made a decision, yesterday, to rent a van for our Galveston trip. It will be more comfortable for the trip down there (four of us will be riding on that trip), and then, if R & J are able to join us, if we want to all go somewhere, for example, into town for a meal, we can all ride together. We had been kicking this idea around for a week or so, and it was either rent a van or buy one of those thingies that you strap on top of your car for extra luggage space. For some reason, I just wasn’t comfortable with that idea.

The Red Sox and Rangers both lost again, yesterday. Rangers got pummeled by the Mariners, 14-6. This was Cole Hamels’s second bad outing, which makes me worry that there is something wrong with him. The Astros won, so the Rangers are now 8.5 games ahead of them. The Sox lost to the Padres, one of the worst teams in the NL, 2-1. Fortunately, the Boo Jays lost, as well, so the Sox are still only one game out of first place. Elimination numbers are now being displayed. Minnesota is already eliminated in the AL, and Oakland is only 2 away from elimination. That means if they lose and Texas wins in the same day, they will be eliminated. In the NL, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati are already eliminated. In their defense, Milwaukee and Cincinnati are in the same division as the Cubs, who are 41 games over .500.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!
May his days be few; may another take his office!
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!
May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!
May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!
May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! Psalm 109:6-19

If you ever wonder if it’s okay to pray for curses on your “enemies,” read Psalm 109. There’s no indication that David’s desires were actually carried out, but the point is, he ranted to God, rather than someone else. It is much more healthy for us to go to God with our feelings about others than to carry on with another person. This generally turns into what we know as “gossip,” which is condemned by Scripture.

But if we examine the person David is referring to, we can see that, if we choose to live a life of cursing or oppressing, that will be what we are known for, ultimately. “Our words and our acts create conditions in which we ourselves must live.” When we choose to live in this way, unrepentant, and, therefore, unforgiven, “we live with the curses and pitiless actions which we set loose in the world.”

“God, teach me the pure speech of praise and the exalted speech of blessing. Help me to avoid blasphemous and complaining words as readily as I resist diseased and contaminated objects. May my ‘speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,’ so that I may bring glory to your name (Colossians 4:6). Amen.”

(From My Utmost For His Highest)

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ John 7:38

In today’s reading, Diffusiveness of Life, Chambers addresses the idea of obstacles that get in our path to seeking Jesus. The analogy is a river, which meets an obstacle in its path, and eventually either works its way around the obstacle, through the obstacle, or sometimes, even under the obstacle. Jesus told us that, if we believe in him, rivers of living water will flow out of our hearts. The thing is, believers are rarely allowed to see what kind of blessing they are to others.

“A river is victoriously persistent, it overcomes all barriers.” When barriers come into our lives, we sometimes make the mistake of concentrating on the obstacles. But if we pay attention to our Source, “God will either take you round the obstacle or remove it.” We must never get our eyes on the difficulty, but keep them on our Source.

“Never allow anything to come between yourself and Jesus Christ, no emotion, or experience; nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.”

Father, help me keep my eyes, my focus, on my Sovereign Source! Let me not focus on any difficulties that threaten my journey. Rather let me focus on Christ alone.

Come, Lord Jesus!

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Grace and peace, friends.

God Is Not Silent

Today is Monday, September 5, 2016. Labor Day holiday. 39 days until Galveston!

Quote of the Day

“All the people like us are we, and everyone else is They.” – Rudyard Kipling
(Listed as the “funny” quote for the day. I think it’s too true to be funny.)

Word of the Day

Sagacious – of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment : discerning. Also, caused by or indicating acute discernment.

Today is Be Late for Something Day. That will be pretty much impossible for me, today, since I don’t have to be anywhere at any time.

We had a pretty good day, yesterday. The worship gathering went well, and we heard what I believe to be an inspirational message on work and it’s place in our lives as believers. Afterward, we picked up lunch at Church’s Fried Chicken, and watched some TV. Later, we went to the grocery store for the week, and picked up some steaks and potatoes for lunch today.

We also hit up the Redbox at our Kroger store, where we rented The Intern and Joy. We watched The Intern last night, and it was a beautiful movie! DeNiro and Hathaway were brilliant. We will watch Joy (with Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, again, and the ubiquitous Bradley Cooper) today, probably while we eat lunch. We might go bowling at some point.

Both the Red Sox and the Rangers lost yesterday. The Sox lost 1-0 after Eduardo Rodriguez nearly pitched a no-hitter. It was broken up in the eighth inning by a fluke single. It was originally called out, but the lame Oakland manager called for a review, and it was overturned. I can’t respect the lack of sportsmanship in a manager who would do that just for the sake of breaking up a no-hitter. Yes, they wound up winning the game in the bottom of the ninth. But they are 20 games below .500. They can’t even see a glimpse of the post season this year. Bad form, Oakland manager. Bad form.

Meanwhile, the Rangers lost a close one to the Astros, 7-6. They play in Seattle today, and the Sox play the Padres (24 games below .500) in San Diego. Both of my teams are on the west coast. Sigh. At least today’s games are afternoon games.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Be not silent, O God of my praise!
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Psalm 109:1-5

God is not silent; he will not stop speaking to us. The “noisy condemnations” of people around us cannot drown out the “still small voice” of God, if we will only listen.

“Father, sometimes I think that you have stopped speaking, and then I discover that it is I who have stopped listening. Restore the hearing that has grown dull in disobedience, and then repeat the words I need to hear in faith. Amen.”

Father, my desire to to continuously listen for your voice, amidst the hubbub of the daily grind. There are so many “noises” (not all of them audible) competing for my attention. May your Spirit train me to hear only yours. I want to hear you. I want to know you more. I want to walk in the easy yoke of Jesus Christ, through all the phases of my life.

Come, Lord Jesus!

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” . . . Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:15, 18)

Grace and peace, friends.

To Know That Which Surpasses Knowledge

Good morning. It is Friday, October 9, 2015. Three days until our 30th anniversary!

Today’s word of the day, from dictionary.com, is tumescent. This adjective means, “pompous and pretentious, especially in the use of language; bombastic,” “swelling; slightly tumid,” or, “exhibiting or affected with many ideas or emotions; teeming.”

Today is World Post Day, celebrating an industry that is, apparently, being kept alive solely by junk mail.

Only one more sleep until we fly to Cancun, and drive (or be driven, rather) to Playa del Carmen. We have a lot to do tonight, as we begin packing for our five day trip. We have our seats claimed on both flights, and have had some contact with the hotel/resort in Playa. We are very excited about this trip.

I will not promise any blog entries after this morning, though. We plan to leave the house at 7:45, tomorrow morning, so we will be getting up around 6:00-ish. Whether I do a blog entry tomorrow, depends on how much time we have after finishing packing and getting ready. I don’t know what the wi-fi scenario will be at our hotel, so I don’t know if there will be daily updates from there. I will have my laptop with me, though. I play to take lots of pictures, which will be shared, even if they have to wait until we get back home, next Wednesday.

To make this even better, I have arranged to get off work at 3:30, this afternoon.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Heart Aflame)

Be not silent, O God of my praise!
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!
May his days be few; may another take his office!
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!
May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!
May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!
May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!
May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!
Psalm 109:1-20

I must confess that I have always struggled with this Psalm and others like it. I’m not sure if it’s in there to show us David’s humanity, or to tell us, “Hey, it’s okay to pray for horrible things to happen to your enemies.” Since this kind of prayer doesn’t seem to line up with what Jesus said, in regard to our enemies, I have to lean toward the illustration that David was human, and had emotions that sometimes got the best of him.

(From Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God)

As we continue looking at this idea of experience, the words “inner being” get tossed around a bit. What does that mean? Paul prays for the Ephesians, in chapter 3, verse 16, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Keller says, “It is the same thing as the heart, the center of both our personal consciousness and our most fundamental faith commitments.” It is where “the truths we know about Jesus with our mind can fail to register.”

We need to Holy Spirit to create within us a “spiritual sensitivity to gospel truth.” This is what Paul is praying for in Ephesians, as he continues in verses 17ff, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Where the ESV says “comprehend,” the NIV uses the word “grasp.” It is more than just believing. It is getting “a secure hold on something.”

Keller uses an analogy of photography. Once upon a time, cameras used this thing called “film.” It was chemically treated to make it sensitive to light. When the camera shutter opened, it let in light, bouncing off of the object being photographed. The film then “grasped” the image of the object, and, when processed properly, a photograph was produced. If the film wasn’t properly treated, the image would not be captured.

In the same way, our “inner being” needs a sort of “chemical treatment” by the Holy Spirit, in order to prepare us to “grasp” the truths that God gives us. Otherwise, they will make no real difference in our lives.

Jonathan Edwards expresses this idea in his sermon, “A Divine and Supernatural Light.” In this sermon, he uses the analogy of honey. There are, he says, two different ways to know that honey is sweet. One is that we can hear about it, and know it, rationally. We have heard from people, or we have read facts, and, therefore, with our minds, we know that honey is sweet.

But then, one day, we taste it. Now we know, experientially, that honey is sweet. Before, we could say, “I knew but I didn’t know.” In the same way, Edwards, concludes, “there is a difference between having an opinion that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and graciousness on the heart.”

This all sounds rather complicated, but really isn’t. When we seek the face of God, we are seeking experience that will embed itself onto our hearts (“inner being”), which have been properly prepared by the Holy Spirit. When this happens, our lives are changed.

Father, I pray, along with Paul, that I, and my brothers and sisters in Christ, will grasp, or comprehend, these truths that you give us, especially this knowledge of the “breadth and length and height and depth” of the “love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” May your Holy Spirit work in our inner beings to prepare us to take hold of these truths and change our lives.

I pray for this day, that our travel to and from work will be safe. May our work day be honoring to you, and may we display your Kingdom to those around us. I pray for our preparations tonight, that we can get everything done that needs to be done. May our trip be safe, relaxing, and fun, Lord, and may we be refreshed, both individually, as well as a married couple, as we spend these next five days celebrating what you have put together in us. Take care of our close family while we are away.

Come, Lord Jesus!

How is it possible to know something that “surpasses knowledge?” Only by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Grace and peace, friends.

Temptation is Common

Good morning. It is Monday morning, September 17, 2012. Today is “Constitution Day.” So get out there and take that morning walk.

What? Oh, THAT “constitution!” Okay. Well, it’s also “National Apple Dumpling Day.” But I was trying to avoid the dessert theme that runs rampant in “holidays.” Maybe it’s this kind of “Apple Dumpling…”

On this date in 1862, the Battle of Antietam occurred, which was the bloodies one-day battle in American history.
On this date in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed. Aha!
On this date in 1976, the first NASA space shuttle was unveiled. It was, appropriately, named the Enterprise. “Boldly go,” and all that, you know.
On this date in 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first black Miss America. Shortly thereafter, she became the first black Miss America to lose her crown due to posing for nude photos. Then she became a pop star.
And, on this date in 1981, a young Mexican pitcher named Fernando Valenzuela pitched his eighth shutout of the season, setting a new National League record. “Fernandomania” swept the nation.
Oh, one more. I can’t not put this in here. On this date in 1916, Manfred “Red Baron” von Richthofen shot down his first plane. You know, of course, that I MUST do this:

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Yesterday was a bittersweet day. We had a good worship celebration atThe Exchange, but it were saddened to learn that our youth pastor, Zach Schroeder, will be leaving us to go to Tennessee, to do youth ministry for “Life Church.” He will be sorely missed, but we wish him blessings in this new opportunity. Of course, we will certainly continue to pray for him and his family.

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Father, I pray for a glimpse of you this morning. May your Spirit fill me, that I might live this day in an attitude of unceasing prayer.

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Today, I’m reading Psalm 109. This psalm was written by David, and seems to center on the theme against vengeance over one’s enemies.

Be not silent, O God of my praise!
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. (1-5)

It is interesting that these “enemies” aren’t bringing physical violence against him. They are, rather, accusatory and lying about him. And his reaction is truly the only acceptable reaction. “I give myself to prayer,” David says. We can learn a lot from this. Now, David does say some pretty brutal things in this prayer, such as verse 8: May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! But if we look further, we see why David prays such a prayer.
For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! (16-18 )

At the end, David praises God, who stands ready to help the needy.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. (30-31)

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My Utmost For His Highest

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. 1 Corinthians 10:13

What is temptation? One thing it is not is sin. We must not mistake temptation for sin; “it is the thing we are bound to meet if we are men.” However, Chambers says, “Many of us suffer from temptations from which we have no business to suffer, simply because we have refused to let God lift us to a higher plane where we would face temptations of another order.”

One of the things that dictates what tempts us is our disposition. What is my personality? What traits do I carry on the inside? That is what will tempt me from the outside. “The temptation fits the nature of the one tempted, and reveals the possibilities of the nature.” This, of course, is very frightening. Many of us state that we would never be capable of such and such. Oh, but we are! All I have to do is look at where I am tempted to see what I am capable of, were it not for the grace of God and the Holy Spirit in my life! “There but for the grace of God, go I” becomes a viable phrase!

Many times, temptation is a “suggested short-cut to the realization of the highest at which I aim,” at which point it is not toward evil, but toward good. Sometimes the temptation comes at a point that makes it difficult to know if it is the right or the wrong thing.

We cannot escape temptation. Nor are we to think that we are tempted “as no one else is tempted.” The Scripture quoted above bears that out. Basically, Paul says, “You’re not special. Get over yourself.” What I go through, in temptation, is common. Even our Savior was tempted, and because of this, has the ability to comfort us when we are tempted, according to Hebrews 2:18. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

So what do I learn from temptation? I learn to run to the arms of the one who saved me. “You are good, you are good, when there’s nothing good in me,” the song says. “You are light, you are light, when the darkness closes in… You are true, you are true, even in my wanderings.” Beautiful song, beautiful lyrics. Jesus is here to help me when I am tempted, and that is how I fight the temptations. We will all be tempted, that is common. The question is, how will we respond to the temptations? Will we “struggle well,” or will we embrace the sin?

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Father, I pray that you continue to help me “struggle well” with my temptations. You have shown me what I am capable of, if you were to leave me alone to my own devices, and I was terrified. I praise you that you chose me to be one of yours, and that you placed your Spirit within me to show me the right path to walk on. I pray that you keep me on this path for the rest of my life. Don’t let me stray to the right or to the left, Father, but keep me on solid ground. I also pray that I not fall prey to the temptation to take short-cuts to where you want me. In truth, there are no short-cuts. I must take the path you have laid out for me, or I will not wind up where you want me.

I pray for this day, Lord. I pray that Christi will have a good work day, free from stress, and that her pain would be lessened. I’m still praying that you would heal her back, Lord. But I will also pray that you give wisdom to the doctor, that he might have some good recourse for her on Wednesday. I pray for my work day, that it would go smoothly. I pray for Stephanie’s day, that she would be drawn to your grace during this day, and that you would show her how much you love her.

I pray for Zach Schroeder as he and his family prepare to move to Tennessee for this new opportunity. Expand his ministry, Father. Fill him with your Spirit as he continues to lead students to be disciples. I pray for our church, as you prepare a new youth leader for us. I also pray for the finances of our church, that you would lead our members to be generous with the resources that you have given them.

Your grace is sufficient.

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Temptation is common; all are tempted, even our Savior. What is our reaction; how will we respond?

Grace and peace, friends.