a monthly devotional journal
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Issue No. 51 |
February 1995 |
In this issue:
Perspective 1 - Generous God, Obedient Servant
Perspective 2 - 20/20 Vision
Perspective 3 - Banquet
I once attended, by invitation, a Men's Bible Study/Breakfast. Meeting at 6:45 every Wednesday morning, this group of around 100 guys listens to and discusses a topical curriculum (with ties to James Dobson's Focus On The Family) on becoming "the kind of man God wants us to be." It is an interdenominational study to which--at least on the day I attended--I was the only one who brought an actual Bible. In fact, the recitation of the quote in the sentence above was the one and only time God was even mentioned; Scripture was never cited--much less used as a source. Allowing for the obligatory time of chatting over coffee and doughnuts, the "study" consisted of about 20 minutes of talk from the leader, followed by about 15 minutes of small group discussion.
This Study/Breakfast was surely a profitable time for many in attendance; I have heard more than one person sing its praise. But we shouldn't call it anything but what it was: a time for essentially decent men to gather together to encourage each other to be better husbands and fathers.
For me, the Spiritual blandness of this episode is illustrative of how we can allow ourselves to be lulled into a comfortable complacency. It comes dangerously close to the lie that "people are basically good and God is a loving god who wishes only the best for people; just live a good, generous life of not hurting others and He will conduct you safely into heaven."
Jesus called us to be salt, not insipid.
Matthew 5:11-13
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."He hates tepid faith.
Revelation 3:14-16
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit [vomit] you out of my mouth."Life is too short to waste our time with a mediocre faith. Mediocrity is the same as standing still--and a faith that is standing still, in this society, is losing. Live your life--your life in Christ--to its fullest.
We (the corporate "we," of which you are a part) are surrounded by mediocrity: a pervasive ordinariness with which we must continually do battle to prevent it seeping into our pores. Too many churches--mainstream and fringe denominations alike--skip lightly and conveniently over the convicting truth of Scripture. Weekly they meet to shake hands and share a contented joviality, sing a handful of familiar hymns, and daydream through a sermon until 12:00 noon rouses them for pot roast and an afternoon nap.
The "Reagan" era lulled us into accepting "wholesomeness" over real Spirituality. Our fortieth President is widely credited for a return to wholesome, apple-pie American--even Christian--values. Yet when asked once if he were a born-again Christian, he only mumbled something about his parents always sending him to Sunday School. George Bush and Dan Quayle continued the call for wholesome family values over fatherless video pregnancies. Wonderful. We need it. Wholesomeness is surely a good thing. But these good and wholesome practices have only an extrinsic relationship with the things of God and the living of a life according to His word--a life that has a hunger for God and His word.
Perspective 1
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Psalm 119:17-20 is a pleading, hungering cry to know more of the things of a righteous and holy God. Yet it does not stop with simple knowledge; it is also a song of commitment to live a life according to that knowledge.
In a day when bland mediocrity is the accepted norm, we find here the words of someone for whom mediocrity would be an unthinkable compromise.
"Deal bountifully" means to reward or bestow some benefit; to grant.[1] The word translated "live" would describe a life lived to its fullest; a whole life, fully realized.[2]
The heart tuned to God and His ways understands that such a statement can indeed be made in all humility. It is not the demanding tone of the spoiled brat, saying: "Gimme everything I want!", but the quiet assurance of the penitent who knows that his master meets out grace according to His standards.
Ephesians 1:7-8a NASB
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.That same heart tuned to the things of God understands that what God gives us--whether it be the bounty of reward or the bounty of trials--still belongs to Him, and is to be lived or used for His glory.
A paraphrase of 119:17 might read: "Be generous with Your blessings, for I will use them to sing Your praise and do Your work."
Psalm 13:6 NASB
I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me. "David joins here two together, which whosoever disjoins cannot be blessed. He desires to live; but so to live that he may keep God's word. To a reprobate man, who lives a rebel to his Maker, it had been good (as our Saviour said of Judas) that he had never been born. The shorter his life is, the fewer are his sins and the smaller his judgments. But to an elect man, life is a great benefit; for by it he goes from election to glorification, by the way of sanctification. The longer he lives, the more good he doth, to the glory of God, the edification of others, and confirmation of his own salvation; making it sure to himself by wrestling and victory in temptations, and perseverance in well doing."[3]In verse 17, David[4] is saying to God: "Fill my life with your righteousness, your wisdom--your Spirit! I am your servant; give me my orders. I will only have a rich, complete life as long as I live it according to your word."
In this portion of the Psalm there is also the echo of David's earlier, Psalm 51, wherein he vents his passionate repentance over his misspent passions with Bathsheba.
Psalm 51:1
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.Here the bounty requested is the bounty of forgiveness. Just like the passage in 119:17, however, it is a fairly balanced request--a request with a promise.
Psalm 51:12-14
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.[If you do ...]
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me,
[If you do ...]
... my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
These are the words of someone who understands the give-and-take of a life lived with a personal God.
David knew that you don't just ask--you ask expecting to receive; you don't just receive--you receive with gratitude and thanksgiving; and you're not just thankful--you express your gratitude by offering up praise, and making yourself available to be used by a loving and generous God.
Into the Word
2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.Deut. 12:18 ________________________________ 1 Samuel 2:1 ________________________________ 2 Chron. 7:10 ________________________________ Neh. 8:12 ________________________________ Neh. 12:43 ________________________________ Job 22:21-26 ________________________________ Psalm 2:11 ________________________________ Psalm 4:7 ________________________________ Psalm 5:11 ________________________________ Psalm 16:8-9 ________________________________ Eccles. 2:26 ________________________________ Romans 15:13 ________________________________ 2 Cor. 1:12 ________________________________ Philip. 4:4 ________________________________ Col. 1:10-12 ________________________________ James 1:2 ________________________________
Digging Deeper--Moving Higher | |
Fill all my vision, Saviour, I pray,
Let me see only Jesus today;
Though thro' the valley Thou leadest me,
Thy fadeless glory encompasseth me.Refrain:
Fill all my vision, Saviour divine,
Till with Thy glory my spirit shall shine.
Fill all my vision, that all may see
Thy holy Image reflected in me.Fill all my vision, every desire
Keep for Thy glory; my soul inspire
With Thy perfection, Thy holy love
Flooding my pathway with light from above.Fill all my vision, let naught of sin
Shadow the brightness shining within.
Let me see only Thy blessed face,
Feasting my soul on Thy infinite grace.[5]
"Even life is a gift of divine bounty to such undeserving ones as we are. Only the Lord can keep us in being, and it is mighty grace which preserves to us the life which we have forfeited by our sin. It is right to desire to live, it is meet to pray to live, it is just to ascribe prolonged life to the favour of God. Spiritual life, without which this natural life is mere existence, is also to be sought of the Lord's bounty, for it is the noblest work of divine grace, and in it the bounty of God is gloriously displayed. The Lord's servants cannot serve Him in their own strength, for they cannot even live unless His grace abounds toward them.Being is a poor thing if it be not well-being. Life is only worth keeping while we can keep God's word; indeed, there is no life in the highest sense apart from holiness: life while we break the law is but a name to live."[6]
Making It Personal
Anyone calling God Father and Jesus Christ Lord has a life filled with "bounty." Take some time to list some of what God has brought into your life.
How is your life more "whole," more "fully realized" in Christ?
How does "keep Thy word" involve more than simply obeying the Ten Commandments?
Into the Word
Verse 17 suggests that it is actually possible (not just a desire) to "keep [God's] word." Do you think this is true? Some believe that people will never be able to obey God completely as long as they inhabit this temporal form. Others believe that it is, indeed, possible to obey God completely. What do you think? Use Scripture to back up your answer.
Perspective 2
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This verse is a true companion to the previous. If we are to "... live and keep Thy word," then we must be able to read and digest that word through the eyes of God.
As a writer, I often wish that people who read what I write could do so complete with the thoughts and intentions--even sounds and pictures--I had when writing the words. When I write a new play or musical, and it goes into rehearsals, I often wish that the actors could see their characters with the same vision and passions I had while creating them.
But when it comes to the book written by God, we certainly can know the mind of the author, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
"If it be asked, seeing David was a regenerate man, and so illumined already, how is it that he prays for the opening of his eyes? The answer is easy: that our regeneration is wrought by degrees. The beginnings of light in his mind made him long for more; for no man can account of sense, but he who hath it. The light which he had, caused him to see his own darkness; and therefore, feeling his wants, he sought to have them supplied by the Lord."[7]
How often have I said something like: "I just don't get much out of this passage," or "This verse seems to be repeating what was already said in the previous verse." In those times it is always my eyesight that has been dimmed, not the "wonderful things" in Scripture.
There is an important difference between our physical eyesight and the Spiritual comprehension spoken of here. Without corrective surgery or accoutrements such as eyeglasses or contact lenses, we are pretty much born with whatever physical eyesight we have--and that eyesight usually degenerates with time and use. Stare at a computer screen all day and by the end of the day your eyes will be quite tired.
Our Spiritual "eyesight," however, only improves as we use it. Every hour spent poring over the words written by God serves only to sharpen our sight and improve our understanding of His mind.
"Some men can perceive no wonders in the gospel, but David felt sure that there were glorious things in the law: he had not half the Bible, but he prized it more than some men prize the whole. He felt that God had laid up great bounties in his word, and he begs for power to perceive, appreciate, and enjoy the same. We need not so much that God should give us more benefits, as the ability to see what he has given."[8]
Into the Word
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.Neh. 8:3 ________________________________ Psalm 1:2 ________________________________ Psalm 119:97-104 ________________________________ Romans 3:1-2 ________________________________ Ephes. 6:17-18 ________________________________ Col. 3:16 ________________________________ 2 Tim. 3:14-15 ________________________________ Hebrews 6:4-6 ________________________________ James 1:18 ________________________________ James 1:22-25 ________________________________ 1 Peter 2:2-3 ________________________________ 1 Peter 4:11 ________________________________
Digging Deeper--Moving Higher | |
O God of Light, Thy Word, a lamp unfailing, Shines through the darkness of our earthly way, O'er fear and doubt, o'er black despair prevailing, Guiding our steps to Thine eternal day.
From days of old, through swiftly rolling ages, Thou hast revealed Thy will to mortal men, Speaking to saints, to prophets, kings, and sages, Who wrote the message with immortal pen.
Undimmed by time, the Word is still revealing To sinful men Thy justice and Thy grace; And questing hearts that long for peace and healing See Thy compassion in the Saviour's face.
To all the world the message Thou art sending, To every land, to every race and clan; And myriad tongues, in one great anthem blending, Acclaim with joy Thy wondrous gift to man.[9]
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key,
That shall unclasp and set me free.Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
Ev'rything false will disappear.Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!Open my mouth, and let it bear
Gladly the warm truth ev'rywhere;
Open my heart, and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine! Amen.[10]Making It Personal
List some ways God can open--or has opened--your eyes to behold "wonderful things" from His word.
How do we acquire God's perspective for reading His word?
Select a smaller epistle from the New Testament, such as Colossians or Galatians, and make a list of "wonderful things" you discover there.
Into the Word
Consider three possible ways to read God's word: 1) without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; 2) with the Spirit's indwelling, but with dulled eyesight; 3) with a quickened Spirit that is sharpening the eyesight.
Select a familiar passage of Scripture and try to interpret it from each of these three perspectives. What differences do you find between the three?
Perspective 1
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In one of His final earthly acts of mercy, Jesus knelt before His Father on behalf of His disciples.
John 17:15-17
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.Jesus, better than anyone, knew what it was to be a stranger in a strange land. After the purity of heaven, this earth and its people could only have been, at best, a curious and awkward environment for the Son of God. Curious people doing curious things--their impact on Him relieved only by the advantage of their being His own creation. No surprises.
But out of Jesus' compassionate heart flowed the understanding that we, too, as His followers, would be subjected to that same homesickness for the halls of glory. As brothers and sisters, joint heirs, Jesus knew that we, like Him, would feel like people set out of time and out of place.
The word translated "stranger" in this passage[11] is also used in 1 Chronicles 29:15.
1 Chron. 29:13-16
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you."
But the Lord does not leave us empty-handed. In our possession is His very word. Spurgeon reminds us of its power for our lives.
"If these are gone, what have I else? Since nothing around me is mine, what can I do if I lose Thy word? Since none around me know or care to know the way to Thyself, what shall I do if I fail to see Thy commands, by which alone I can guide my steps to the land where Thou dwellest? While we wander here we can endure all the ills of this foreign land with patience if the word of God is applied to our hearts by the Spirit of God; but if the heavenly things which make for our peace were hid from our eyes we should be in an evil case--in fact, we should be at sea without a compass, in a desert without a guide, in an enemy's country without a friend."[12]
If we feel the stranger on this earth, the remedy for our discomfort will not be found in anything of this earth. Our solace, our peace, will be found in the things of God--those things which not only instruct and counsel, but envelop us in His love and protection.
God's word reminds us of His ongoing commitment to us, of His justice, grace and mercy. His word describes the righteousness and holiness of our heavenly Father, bringing conviction as well as comfort. His word will answer the questions that nag at us from those who have no portion of His grace. His word will enlighten, encourage, and strengthen.
Do you hunger for it? Is your "soul crushed with longing" for God's word?
Psalm 42:1-2a NKJV
As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.Into the Word
Genesis 17:8 ________________________________ Genesis 23:3-6 ________________________________ 1 Chron. 29:13-16 ________________________________ Psalm 39:12 ________________________________ Psalm 51:1-19 ________________________________ Psalm 119:30-40 ________________________________ Psalm 119:45-48 ________________________________ Psalm 119:65-66 ________________________________ Psalm 119:73-74 ________________________________ Jeremiah 14:8 ________________________________ John 17:1-26 ________________________________ Hebrews 11:9 ________________________________
Digging Deeper--Moving Higher | |
My soul, be on thy guard, ten thousand foes arise; The hosts of sin are pressing hard to draw thee from the skies.
O watch, and fight, and pray, the battle ne'er give o'er; Renew it boldly every day, and help divine implore.
Ne'er think the victory won, nor lay thine armor down; The work of faith will not be done, till thou obtain the crown.
Fight on, my soul, till death shall bring thee to thy God; He'll take thee, at thy parting breath, to His divine abode.[13]
"Note well that our desire after the mind of God should be constant; we should feel holy longings 'at all times.' Desires which can be put off and on like our garments are at best but mere wishes, and possibly they are hardly true enough to be called by that name--they are temporary emotions born of excitement, and doomed to die when the heat which created them has cooled down. He who always longs to know and do the right is the truly right man. His judgment is sound, for he loves all God's judgments, and follows them with constancy. His times shall be good, since he longs to be good and to do good at all times."[14]
Thy Word is like a garden, Lord, With flowers bright and fair; And everyone who seeks may pluck a lovely cluster there. Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine; And jewels rich and rare Are hidden in its mighty depths for every searcher there.
O may I love Thy precious Word, May I explore the mine, May I its fragrant flowers glean, may light upon me shine. O may I find my armor there, Thy Word my trusty sword; I'll learn to fight with every foe the battle of the Lord.[15]
Making It Personal
Time to be honest: Do you hunger for God's word? Is your soul crushed with longing after His ordinances? We're not necessarily taking about "making time" here; we're not talking about juggling your busy schedule to force a little Bible reading into the mix. What we're talking about is having a passion for it. In your hand you hold God's word! His timeless, personal, precious voice. Why don't you hunger for it?
What can you do to nurture in yourself the kind of hunger for God's word expressed by David?
Into the Word
Read all of Psalm 119, making note of David's response to God's word--and how you can have that same response.
Issue No. 51
February 1995[1.] 1 Gamal, gaw-mal', Hebrew Stg 1580; a primitive root; to treat a person (well or ill), i.e. benefit or requite; by implication (of toil) to ripen, i.e. (specific) to wean :- bestow on, deal bountifully, do (good), recompense, requite, reward, ripen, + serve, mean, yield. (return to footnote 1)
[2.] Chayah, khaw-yaw', Hebrew Stg 2421; a primitive root [compare Hebrew 2331 (chavah), Hebrew 2421 (chayah)]; to live, whether literal or figurative; causative to revive :- keep (leave, make) alive, x certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (x God) save (alive, life, lives), x surely, be whole. (return to footnote 2)
[3.] William Cowper in The Treasury of David. (return to footnote 3)
[4.] While the name of the author of Psalm 119 may never be conclusively known, most (but not all) scholars believe it to be the work of David. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that great 19th Century preacher and author of The Treasury of David (devotional commentary on every Psalm), believes it to be David: "We believe that David wrote this Psalm. It is Davidic in tone and expression, and it tallies with David's experience in many interesting points. In our youth our teacher called it 'David's pocket book,' and we incline to the opinion then expressed that here we have the royal diary written at various times throughout a long life. If David did not write it, there must have lived another believer of exactly the same order of mind as David, and he must have addicted himself to psalmody with equal ardor, and have been an equally hearty lover of Holy Writ." (return to footnote 4)
[5.] Avis B. Christiansen (b.1895).. (return to footnote 5)
[6.] C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David. (return to footnote 6)
[7.] William Cowper in The Treasury of David. (return to footnote 7)
[8.] C.H. Spurgeon, Ibid. (return to footnote 8)
[9.] Sarah E. Taylor (1883-1954).. (return to footnote 9)
[10.] Clara H. Scott (1841-1897). (return to footnote 10)
[11.] Ger, gare, Hebrew Stg 1616; or (fully) geyr, gare; from Hebrew 1481 (guwr); properly a guest; by implication a foreigner :- alien, sojourner, stranger. (return to footnote 11)
[12.] C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David. (return to footnote 12)
[13.] George Heath (1750-1822). (return to footnote 13)
[14.] C.H. Spurgeon. (return to footnote 14)
[15.] Edwin Hodder (1837-1904). (return to footnote 15)
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