Yearning for God

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Psalm 84:1–2

Have you ever been so in love with someone that just being near them is a thrill? Suddenly, the places and things connected to that person become precious to you. The house they live in or the scent of their perfume or even the clothes they wear may become precious to you simply because they belong to them. That is how the author of Psalm 84 feels about the Lord. 

Psalm 84 begins with praise for the dwelling place of God. The psalmist says that God’s dwelling place, the temple that Solomon built, is lovely. In fact, his soul yearns and even faints to enter the courts of God’s house. His heart and his flesh cry out for the living God.

Don’t miss that. The psalmist’s desire isn’t to go to church… it’s to go to the place where God is. Yes, Solomon’s temple was glorious, but what the psalmist longs for isn’t pretty buildings or beautiful ceremonies… it’s God Himself. He longs to enter into God’s presence.

During this time in the Old Testament, God’s presence was especially concentrated and located within the temple, in Jerusalem. That was the place God’s people went to meet with God, to enter His presence. And this psalmist is so in love with the Lord that he longs to enter God’s presence in that special place.

Do you? Are you this eager not to come to church and see your friends but to enter into God’s presence… to sing His praise… to bow at His feet in worship? Do you long to get up early and have a personal time of worship with Him?

You see, as modern Christians we have a privilege that this psalmist did not have. He had to travel to Jerusalem to be where God’s presence was specially focused. But we carry God with us everywhere we go. Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside us. We don’t have to go anywhere to meet with Him. All we have to do is quiet ourselves and the noise around us and seek Him. 

But do you desire Him enough to do that? Is God this precious to you? Are you this in love with Him? Do you derive this much joy from His presence? 

For most of us the sad answer is... no. Ask the Lord right now to help you love Him more. Commit, right now, to think more about how precious He is and not to take the privilege of His presence for granted. Stir your love for Him by setting aside a regular time to spend alone with Him. And don’t just read your Bible during that time, but spend a portion of it simply loving and worshiping your God. 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2

You make thousands of decisions every day. But according to the very first words of the very first psalm, your blessedness in life is largely determined by what you choose NOT to do. Psalm 1:1 says that you will be blessed if you choose to steer clear of wicked, sinful, mockers.

Think of this decision as a guardrail of sorts for you life. When you drive down a road with a steep dropoff to one side; a nice, sturdy guardrail can be a real blessing. It can help you avoid disaster. So too, can deciding not to go the way of sinners! 

Scripture tells us plainly that those who rebel against God's rule - the wicked, the sinful, the mocker -  are headed for destruction. Their path leads to ruin. So, it's a blessing for anyone to set up a guardrail in their life by making the decision not to go that way. 

Instead, Psalm 1 advises you to delight in God's Word and meditate on it. Biblical meditation is about going over God's Word again and again to help you digest it better... not unlike a cow chewing its cud. In fact, in the original language, this word for meditate means to mumble or mutter. It pictures the believer muttering the words of Scripture to himself night and day gaining a greater understanding of it as he does.

So, here's two more decisions you can make today. First, choose whether or not you are going to go the way of the wicked, the sinner, and the mocker? If you want to be blessed, you won't. Second, choose whether or not you will make the time to meditate on God's Word? If you want to be blessed, you will.

Plant Yourself by the Stream

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

This passage says that God’s Law (or His Word) is like a stream of water that refreshes and strengthens us. If we'll plant ourselves beside the Word and meditate on it day and night, then we'll be like a tree planted beside a stream. A tree whose leaves never whither and whose fruit never fails. This analogy tells us that we can grow and prosper endlessly in our faith if we will only ensure a steady flow of God’s Word into our lives. 

Never underestimate the importance of God’s Word in your life. Never believe the lie that you have grown beyond needing to read it. The Bible is endlessly refreshing and nourishing. Its treasures are never-ending. You always need more of it.

But notice that we need a steady flow of the Word, not an occasional dumping. Imagine a tree planted in hard ground. If a big raincloud dumps a bunch of water on that tree all at once, most of the water will run off that hard ground. Very little will have time to saturate the ground and get down to the roots where the tree can take it in and retain it. The tree benefits very little from that kind of rain.

We often make this mistake in our Bible reading. We rush through our Bible reading. We do it quickly just to get it done. And because of that we get very little benefit from it. Instead, I encourage you to read your Bible slowly. Give it time to sink in and saturate your soul and produce life change. 

Often, I will read the same chapter of Scripture everyday for a week and only then move on to the next. This helps me to make sure I don't miss anything in the chapter. It gives me time to think about and understand the more difficult parts of the passage. And it makes it much more difficult for me to ignore the parts that I don't like. Try it in your own life. Here's a Scripture Meditation Plan I am using this year. I invite you to read the Bible slowly with me in 2025.

How to Grow in Holiness

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.

John 17:15–17

In John 17, we have a record of Jesus’ prayer on the night before His crucifixion. And do you know what He prayed for? Knowing that He is about to leave them, Jesus prayed for His disciples and for those who would believe in Him through their testimony (that’s you). He asked God to protect us from the evil one and to sanctify us (or make us holy) so that we will live differently than the rest of the world does. 

‌‌

And what is it that Jesus asks the Father to use to make us holy? What is supposed to be the means of your sanctification? It’s God’s Word! 

When you read the Bible it changes you. It sanctifies you. Reading God’s Word has a purifying effect on your life; it increases your holiness.

Robert Saucy in his helpful book titled Scripture says this, 

“The testimony of an old Scottish Christian finds an echo in every believer’s heart: ‘I have a most depraved and sinful nature, and do what I will, I find I cannot make myself holy. My friends cannot do it for me, nor do I think an angel in heaven could. One thing alone does it -- reading and believing what I read in that blessed Book; that does it.’”* 

‌God’s Word is sanctifying! ‌

Peter was one of the 12 disciples that were with Jesus on the night He prayed this prayer, and he must have understood that Scripture sanctifies us, because he urges believers in 1 Peter 2:2 to “crave pure spiritual milk like newborn babies, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” ‌‌What could this pure spiritual milk be but God’s Word? 

Think about that metaphor for a moment. When a baby drinks milk, it nourishes him and causes him to grow. That’s what reading the Bible is like. It’s your spiritual food. Reading it nourishes your spirit and helps you grow in your salvation. It helps you mature. That’s why reading your Bible is so important, because God’s Word is powerful! Reading the Bible makes a difference in your life. In fact, I would go so far as to say, that if you aren’t feeding on the Word then you are not growing.

‌‌So let me encourage you to read God’s Word, because it is one of the main ways you grow in holiness. And ‌have a plan for how you are going to go about reading the Bible. The Bible is too important a tool in your Christian growth to be so haphazard with it. There are all sorts of different ways you can go about it but here's a link to the Bible reading plan I am using. It'll take you through the entire Bible in a year, or (if you prefer) you can do just one testament or the other this year and make your way through the entire Bible in two years. It doesn't matter what plan you use as much as it matters that you read the Bible. 

*Saucy, Robert. Scripture: Its Power, Authority, and Relevance. (Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TN) 2001, p10-11.

Thirsty

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Psalm 42 begins with an arresting description of the Psalmists longing for God. Imagine a deer that has been fleeing a predator. Imagine how thirsty it must get bounding with such speed through meadows and woodland, darting at the smallest sound, running for its life. If it could speak I imagine it would say "I'm dying of thirst!" It pants and longs for a cool drink of water. Have you ever been there? I know I have. Well, that feeling captures how the psalmist feels about God. His soul cries out, thirsty and desperate for his God. He feels as though he will die if he doesn't enter God's presence soon. 

I've been there before. I can remember actually being excited to go to bed at night because I couldn't wait to get up in the dark of the early morning hours to commune with God, to feel His presence, and to worship Him with no one else around. Yes, I've been there before, but it's been a while. Lately, it's been a struggle just to drag myself out of bed in the morning. Then I have to motivate myself to open God's Word instead of opening my phone. Maybe you can relate. 

If so, join me in praying and asking God to give us the longing, the spiritual thirst that Psalm 42 speaks of. Let the cry of your heart be "Lord, make me thirsty!" And let's commit together to get up early tomorrow and drink deeply from the well of Living Water. And may our souls be refreshed, and may we learn to long for Him above all the cheap imitations this world has to offer

Laid Bare

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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13 

God’s Word is living and active. It doesn’t just lie there. It has power to accomplish God’s purposes. 

God’s Word is like a double-edged sword, so sharp that it can cut through the most minute dividing lines. It can divide joints and marrow. It can even divide soul and spirit, two things which we often think are the same. So, God’s Word is like the sharpest and most exacting of blades.

The passage goes on to say that “everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” That phrase “laid bare” is really interesting, and it’s a beautiful picture of what happens to you and I when we come face to face with the power of God’s Word. Laid bare is the same word that was used of animals when they were sacrificed. It describes an animal being led to the slaughter with its head thrown back and its neck (the most vulnerable part of its body with the largest arteries) exposed before the sword of the slaughterer.

Now, that’s not a very endearing metaphor is it? But the truth it drives home is this... we all lie fully exposed and vulnerable before the greatness of our God and His powerful word. God’s Word is living and active and it overpowers us and it cuts us like a double edged sword, but we serve a good and loving Father who puts us in that position of vulnerability not to harm us but to heal us. Like a surgeon with His scalpel, God cuts us to heal us. He uses His Word to cut the cancer of sin out of our hearts. But in order for Him to do that we must be “laid bare” before him completely exposed and vulnerable.

So if you are tired of being overrun by sin and if you are willing to climb on the surgeon's table, then get more of God's Word in your life. Here's a link to the Bible Reading Plan my church is doing in 2021. Why don't you join us? 

Pursuing God in Quarantine

For the past five Sundays the church I pastor has been unable to gather physically in worship because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We do not yet know how many more weeks it will be before we are able to gather again. So what should the believer do when we can’t gather as a church? It seems to me that this is a good time for us to focus on our personal relationships with God.

The stuff we do at church helps strengthen your relationship with God. We give you tools and support to help you grow and connect with God personally. But sometimes Christians come to church and put all the tools in their tool belt and then leave and never put them to use. There’s a lot of value to what we do here at church corporately, and right now you aren’t able to get some of what you need as believers. You can’t get some of the fellowship and support that the church would normally give you. I’m not minimizing that, but it’s important that we remember that Jesus didn’t die so you could listen to sermons; He died to give you direct, personal access to God.

Matt 27:50-51a teaches us this. "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." This curtain was symbolic of the separation between God’s presence and His people. When Jesus died on the cross that curtain was torn in two to show that Jesus’ death gives you direct access to God. This access to God’s presence is the most precious gift you have ever been given and yet many of you take it for granted.

Even when we can't meet as a church, you can still meet with God. You don’t have to go to a temple or a church building to enter His presence. You can commune with Him anytime, anywhere. But how many of you are wasting this opportunity! You waste the Word that He labored to place in your hands. It sits on your shelf collecting dust. You waste the great privilege of entering His throne room in prayer. You don't think you have time for that. And you waste the opportunity to bless Him daily with wholehearted worship, adoration and praise because doing so makes you feel uncomfortable. Don't waste your greatest privilege in life, Christian. Don't miss out on having a living, vibrant, and personal relationship with God. Pursue Him! Especially now when you are cut off from so much of the Christian life, don't cut yourself off from God.

The Magi: Eagerly Seeking to Know Jesus

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:1-2

Magi were interested in all things mysterious. Many were experts in astrology and how the stars might give portents of the future while others focused on magic, dreams, or prophetic books. Some were honestly seeking truth; others were less sincere. But I like to think that the magi who visited Jesus were sincere truth seekers. And there can be little doubt that they eagerly sought Him and went to great lengths to meet Him. 

The Bible tells us the magi came from the East. It gives us no other details than that. Some speculate that they came from Babylon. There was a large Jewish settlement there which would explain how they came to know of the Jewish expectation of a coming Messiah. If they did come from Babylon, it would have been an 800 mile trip taking about 40 days for them to see Jesus. And that doesn’t even include all the time they spent trying to figure out what the star meant when it first appeared, or the time they spent preparing for the trip. All that to say, these men went to great effort to seek Jesus. Shouldn't you do the same?! 

I want to encourage you to make a great effort to get to know Jesus in 2020. Eagerly seek Him. Might I suggest you start a Bible reading plan here at the beginning of the year? Reading God's word is one of the most important things you can do for your spiritual growth. Pick a translation that works for you and read it early in the morning, or on your lunch break or before you go to bed. Or get an Audio Bible and you can listen to the word of God on your phone or in your car. Many free Bible apps already come with a version of the Audio Bible. Find a way that works for you and do it. I promise, whether it is your first time through the Bible or your hundredth, you won't regret carving out the time to seek Jesus. 

All throughout Scripture God promises to meet us halfway when we seek Him. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” And in James 4:8 we are told, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” So, what do you have to lose?  Don't you think it is high time that you made a great effort to know God?! I do. 

If you need a place to start, here's the plan I will be using this year. Bible Reading Plan 2020. 

Top 5 Reasons to Read the Bible (W.o.W. Rewind)

1. His Word is Powerful!- God's words are so powerful that He created everything in existence simply by speaking. Imagine what powerful change His words can bring about in your life.

Now the earth was formless and empty... And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3)

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.(Psalm 33:6)

2. God's Word is True- We are surrounded by lying voices. All day long they tickle our eyes trying to sell us their product. Aren't you tired of being lied to? Don't you want to know the truth about the world, yourself, and God? Go to the Bible! It speaks only the truth.

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

3. The Bible Brings Salvation- Talk about the power to change a life! Every person who ever went from sinner to saint did so because of God's Word. Apart from the Word we could know almost nothing about God. It's only through the Bible that we learn about His plan of salvation and are called to repentance and belief. 

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:18)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

4. Scripture Grows Us and Guides Us- We all want to improve. We all wish we had a little more self-discipline or a better understanding of God's plan for our life. If you want to grow in the Lord, if you want to become the best version of yourself, if you want guidance, then the Bible is exactly where you need to start.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... (1 Peter 2:2)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)

For the word of God is alive 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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

5. God's Word Defeats the Enemy- Have you ever noticed how Jesus fought temptation when the Devil came to meet Him in the desert? He fought the Devil with the Word of God. The Bible is a powerful weapon against temptation and the lies of the enemy. In fact, Revelation tells us that in the end all the enemies of God will be defeated by His words.

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:13-15)

For further reading...

• Read anything in the Bible! But if you don't know where to start or if you haven't read the Bible much before, then start with here: Mark, Luke, or Genesis.

I Love You More than Candy

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103

My wife and I sometimes use childish terms to express our love to our children. We'll say things like, "I love you more than I love pizza." Or "I love you more than peanut butter!" Or, if we really want to express the full height of the human emotion of love, we'll say, "I love you more than I love candy!!!"

Psalm 119:103 smacks of this kind of communication. By comparing His Word to honey, God stoops to use a metaphor we'll understand to help us see just how good His Word is. Now I can't claim to be an ancient Middle Eastern culinary expert, but I believe honey was the primary, and possibly even the only, sweetener the ancient Israelites had at their disposal. So to say that God's Word tastes sweeter than honey in that culture is really saying something. It's like saying God's Word is sweeter than sugar. It's better than candy.

Most believers have experienced this sweetness that God's Word can provide.  There's nothing sweeter than when the right passage of Scripture hits you right when you need it in just the right way. It isn't merely that in these instances the Bible hands us exactly what our souls were desperate for, but it is also the arrestingly beautiful way God's Word communicates these truths that makes it so good. 

But God's Word can't meet you where your need is if you never read it, If it's never in front of you, if you never find the time to pick up your Bible to read and think deeply about what it says, then it won't be sweeter than candy to you. Instead it will be more like that bowl of hard candy your great aunt leaves out at her house on her side table that no one ever eats. How sad!

So "taste and see that the LORD is good!" (Psalm 34:8). Take a moment and read a chapter of God's Word today, and the next day, and the next. Make room in your life for something good. I promise you won't regret it.

Unveiled Faces (W.o.W. Rewind)

Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out...the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining.

Exodus 34:34-35

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

Christians have a unique privilege in this world. Once we were blinded by sin like everyone else, but now, by the power of God's Spirit, our eyes have been opened to see who God really is. We are ushered into God's very presence by the power of the blood of Christ. We not only contemplate God through the Scriptures, but we have His very Spirit dwelling in us. This Spirit helps us to understand the Bible and it gives us an unprecedented closeness and relationship with God. 

We behold the glory of the Lord like few, if any, did prior to Christ's coming. And as we gaze intently at God's glory and contemplate His goodness, miracle of miracles, we are changed! God's Spirit works within us to transform us into the image of the very God that it reveals to us. 

Christians are meant to reflect who God is. The longer we walk with Him the more like Him we ought to be. We shouldn't hide this transformation. As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

This leads all Christians to several pertinent questions:

• Am I being transformed into the image of God from one degree of glory to another?
• Am I taking time to behold God's glory, to enter His presence and gaze at Him?
• Am I letting the light of God's transforming work in me shine for all to see so that He may receive the glory?

Our Closest Friend

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land... Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.

Deuteronomy 34:1, 4-6

Moses once spent 40 days in God's presence on Mt. Sinai receiving the law. Now, at the end of his life, Moses climbs another mountain to be alone with God again. Moses will never enter the Promised Land because of his failures. God holiness will not allow Him to ignore Moses' sin, but he does call him up on a mountain to see the Promised Land before he passes. Then Moses' God ends his life. Notice the tenderness here. The passage implies that God cares for Moses' body like a friend would. His body was born up from the mountain and taken down and buried in the valley. Whether it was the hand of God or of angels that did this, we do not know. But God saw to it that his friend received a proper burial.

It's fitting that Moses' life should end this way. Elsewhere Scripture says of him that "the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend" (Exodus 33:11). He enjoyed an uncommon communion with God, often entering into God's presence alone. This brings to mind a proverb. "Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy" (Proverb 14:10). Our most cherished loved ones are often physically present with us at the significant events in our lives, yet even they cannot truly be ushered in to share the experience in our heart. Just like Moses, there is a sense in which we all experience our highest and lowest points alone. But it doesn't have to be this way. Scripture teaches that human hearts lie open before the Lord (Proverbs 15:11). There is a communion the believer can have with God that far surpasses any earthly relationship. Those who believe in Jesus have the very Spirit of God dwelling in them. Who can know my heart better than me? The Spirit within me can! Through His Son Jesus, God has made a way for you to enjoy nearness to Him that is even greater (in some senses) than what Moses enjoyed. God can be your closest and most trusted friend with whom you truly can share the big and little moments of your life. 

So I encourage you to make time to spend alone with God. Cultivate a relationship with Him. Make it a priority. Get up early and spend time in prayer and Bible reading. Find a method or a rhythm that works for you and keep doing it. It takes time to build an intimate relationship with a person; shouldn't we expect it to take time with God as well? So stick it out. Set aside thirty minutes a day for seeking God in Bible reading and prayer and don't give up. If you are honestly and humbly seeking Him, He will meet you halfway. (James 4:8).

Understanding

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130

Over the past few weeks I have been working my way through Psalm 119. It is an acrostic poem in which the first letter of each stanza begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Now, I'm no poet. (Far from it, actually.) But if I were to sit down and write a poem, I can't imagine coming out with something as long as Psalm 119. With an astounding 176 verses, it is the longest chapter in the Bible. What muse could so inspire a poet that he could write a single poem this long and this beautiful? 

Answer: God's wonderful word.

Almost every one of this chapter's 176 verses is dedicated to declaring the goodness and glory of God's word. So today I wanted to skip all the fancy writing and simply remind you that God's word is incomparably wonderful. If you feel like your life is shrouded in darkness, or that you just don't understand God, or that you can't quite grasp what is happening in the world today or how you got to this place in your life- then God's word is exactly where you should turn. 

It gives light. It brings understanding. And the best news of all is that you don't have to have an advanced degree or be some smarty pants to understand it. It is God's gift to the simple! 

So don't leave it sitting on the shelf or riding in the floorboard of your car until next Sunday. Pick it up, open it, and read it. Ask God to give you insight so you can rightly interpret His words and gain precious understanding.

I Will Not Be Driven Away

The arrogant mock me unmercifully, but I do not turn from your law.

Psalm 119:51

Do you know that Satan has a strategy to keep you away from God's Word? He wants you to ignore it, to leave it sitting on the shelf. He wants you to reject it, to walk away from it and choose to live your life on your own terms. And if you must persist in reading it, then he wants you to misunderstand the Bible and misapply it to your life. 

Consider the strategies the enemy employs in the Bible. The first time Satan attacked and tempted a human what did he say? Genesis 3:1- "Did God really say?" He starts by casting doubt on God's sure word. And the second thing he said was a direct contradiction of God's word. "You will not certainly die" (Genesis 3:4). First, he cast doubt on God's Word, then he called God Himself a liar. 

Consider one more example. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness the second of his three temptations was built upon a quote of Scripture. Satan actually quoted Scripture at Jesus trying to trick Him into sinning. He tried to confuse Jesus, to make Him think that God's Word said He should do what Satan was tempting Him to do. Of course, considering that Jesus Himself is the Word and the greatest revelation of who God is, Satan failed.

What strategies is the enemy using to try to keep you away from the Bible right now? For the psalmist it was mocking. Even in our world today, people line up to deride and mock those who openly believe God's Word is without error and to be taken as 100% true. In response to those who verbally abuse him the psalmist says, "...but I do not turn from your law." You can almost hear the psalmist cry out with determination, "I will not be driven away from God's good word!"

He refuses to be driven away because he knows that God's word is 

• Full of wonderful things- Psalm 119:18 & 129
• The source of life- Psalm 119:25 & 93
• Better than silver or gold- Psalm 119:72 & 127
• Eternal- Psalm 119:89
• Wisdom- Psalm 119:98-99
• Understanding- Psalm 119:130 & 169
• True- Psalm 119:151 & 160
• Peace- Psalm 119:165

So join with me in saying "I will not be driven away from God's Word!" Not by my busy schedule, or by force of habit, or by my sinful addictions, and certainly not by the mocking ridicule of naysayers. I believe that God's Word is true and good, so I will persevere in reading it and prayerfully applying it to my life. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible is dedicated to sing the praises of God's good word. Dedicate your life to studying that Word, living by it, and giving glory to God for it. So what's the best way to start doing that today? Read it! 

Why the Old Testament was Written

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

I Corinthians 10:11

When was the last time you read from the Old Testament? Did you dive into II Kings in your personal quiet time this morning? Is Lamentations your favorite book of the Bible? Probably not. But consider this, of the 66 books in the Bible, 39 or almost 60% are in the Old Testament. It covers nearly 2,000 years of God's dealings with His people while the New Testament covers less than 100. Not enough to convince you? How about this: the Old Testament is the only written Scripture that Jesus or His contemporaries had, yet we largely ignore it.

Most of us, when we do find time to pick up the Bible, tend to stay in the relatively familiar New Testament. It's less confusing and more accessible. Jesus is in it, and it's just... easier. But when we ignore the Old Testament altogether (either in our personal Bible study or in the church) we rob ourselves of an important gift God has given us.

In I Corinthians Paul reminds his readers of several Old Testament stories then tells them that these things took place as an example for us. The stories in the Old Testament are living illustrations. They show us how we ought to live and how we ought not to live. Moreover, Paul says that God saw fit to make sure these stories were written down for our instruction. We need all the help we can get to think rightly and make good decisions in this world. We simply can't afford to miss out on God's instruction for our lives. While there's no denying that the New Testament is at the heart of Christianity and that it probably even deserves to be read more than the Old Testament; when we ignore the Old Testament altogether and treat it as a lesser class of Scripture, then we doom ourselves to be ignorant of important lessons God has for us. 

So pick up your Bible and read from the Old Testament today. As you do, here are two pointers to guide your interpretation.

1. Context- Because the Old Testament covers a time span of roughly 2,000 years, it's important to have some idea of the context surrounding what you're reading. A good study Bible like the ESV Study Bible will have introductions to each book to help you out with this.
2. Literary Type- Pay attention to what type of literature you're reading. For example, books like Genesis are historical writings. In these books the authors' primary concern is recording what happened in a factual manner without commenting on the morality of specific actions. Be careful here! Just because the Bible faithfully records that something did happen, doesn't mean that God approves of the actions the men and women took in that story. Look for the times when God or the author breaks into the story to give their opinion. These asides help you to rightly understand the stories where no commentary is given.

It's Not My Problem. The Problem is with Everybody Else.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:21-25

There is something inherently Christian about having your eyes opened to your own sin. The Bible tells us that sin is deceptive and blinding (I John 2:11 & Matt 15:14). It also says that the great deceiver, Satan, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they will not see the truth of the gospel of Jesus (2 Cor. 4:4). So no man comes to God in faith seeking salvation unless God's Spirit first opens his eyes and reveals to him his need for salvation (John 6:44 & John 3:7-8). A good example here is the Pharisee Saul. He believed he was serving God faithfully. He was meticulous in preserving his righteousness and zealous about protecting his religious traditions from the new sect that was infiltrating it. Imagine his surprise when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and said to him "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). Even as his physical eyes were temporarily blinded by the light, the eyes of his heart were opened to see his own sin. All of us who have repented of our sin have experienced a similar (if less dramatic) moment in which our eyes were opened to our sin by the Spirit of God.

This makes it all the more sad to consider how many Christians walk through their daily lives completely blind to their ongoing sin. Too many of us are arrogant. Too many are hypocritical. Too many are easily angered. And far too many of us seem to think that the problem is with everyone else but ourselves. How can we combat this? How can we guard against it?

2 Tim 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." The Bible is useful for correcting not only others but also ourselves. James puts it this way: when we read Scripture it is like looking at ourselves in a mirror. Scripture is sharper than any double-edged sword and it judges the attitudes of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). The Spirit of God dwelling in us uses Scripture to reveal sin that is still present in our lives. In these moments when the Word casts light on our sin we have a choice to make. We can find any reason to excuse ourselves for our failure; we can find any distraction at hand to take our minds off of it and cause us to forget what we have seen; or we can "humbly accept the word planted in us" and act on it. We can repent of the revealed sin and put into practice whatever God prescribes. 

So, what if we committed to run towards obedience in these moments? What if the next time Scripture reveals our sin we try hard not to make excuses, not to over think, but simply to look for what God would have us do, and then do it as quickly as possible. Don't be merely a hearer of the Word, put it into practice in your life. Don't work against the Spirit, work alongside Him as He strives to reveal and remove the sin that still entangles you.

For further reading...

• Check out the linked verse above.

Make the Most of Your Time

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16

How much time do you spend in the car on an average day? How about over the course of a week? Now, imagine what you could accomplish with that time if there was a way to make the best use of it. Within the past three weeks I have taken two major road trips that required me to spend between 45 and 50 hours travelling in total. That's a lot of travel time for a guy who's morning commute consists of walking across the parking lot! So I was intent on trying to find someway to redeem this time.

Ephesians 5 reminds us that it's important for us to make the most of the time we have been given on earth. There is so much evil around us, that it can be very hard to know God's will for our lives and to think clearly about the decisions we face on a daily basis. We should take every opportunity we are given to redeem time that would otherwise be wasted and use it to fill our hearts and heads with a deeper understanding of God's Word. That's why I settled on finding a way to listen to sermons and to the Word on my road trips.

Almost all church websites (and certainly those run by the well-known pastors of our time) offer downloadable audio recordings of their sermons. Many even offer the sermons via podcast from week-to-week. There are also free Bible apps for your smart phone that not only offer different versions of the Bible but even come with audio versions of the Word as well. If your car stereo has a way to plug-in your mp3 player, then you can listen to sermons or an audio Bible from your mp3 player through your car stereo with ease. But not all of us have the newest features on our cars. On the longest of my two road trips my car was not equipped with this technology, so I compromised. They make portable speakers that plug into mp3 players which get pretty loud. I borrowed one of these from a friend, and it worked well enough that I have since gotten one of my own. It has already gotten good use.

Imagine listening to part of a sermon each morning on your way into work. How might that change your outlook on the day? Imagine listening to the Bible with your children as you drive them to school in the morning. How much of an impact could that have on their lives over the course of many weeks, months, and years? Redeeming our time in the car is only one example of how we can make the most of the time God has given us. Perhaps the Lord is speaking to you about another way you need to make the most of your time. If He is, then listen to Him. What is important is taking small steps to get more of the Word in your life daily.

For further listening...

• The Gospel, Possessions, & Prosperity- This is a thought-provoking and thorough survey of what the entire Bible has to say about money and wealth taught by David Platt at The Church at Brook Hills. It is a four session study. Each session is an hour. I am currently on session 3 and loving it. I highly recommend it.

How to Run a Race (Part 1)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

The modern Olympics find their origin in the ancient Olympics which took place from over 700 years before Christ to almost 400 years after him (source). The New Testament was written during the time the ancient games were taking place, so several New Testament authors allude to the Olympic Games. In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul likens the Christian life to an Olympic race. He wants to teach Christians how to run a good race, and he boils his advice down to this: forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. Over the next two weeks, we will look at these two pieces in turn.

First, Paul tells us that we must forget what is behind. The word Paul uses for forget means “to forget, neglecting, no longer caring for, given over to oblivion” (source). Paul is saying that Christians need to make a clean break from their way of living life before they accepted Christ. We must completely abandon it, because as long as we are looking to live like the past we cannot strain toward the life God calls us to.

“What was behind” for Paul is laid out in verses four through seven. Paul’s former way of life was full of religion and ritual lived out to try to earn God’s favor. The problem? God doesn’t grade on a curve. He doesn’t consider our worthiness in relation to other people, but in relation to His own holy perfection. Scripture tells us that our righteous deeds are all like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). Thus, Paul could never be good enough or perform the rituals well enough to stand before our perfect God having earned His favor. Thus, Paul learned that it is only the grace of God applied to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus that has the power to make us worthy of God’s acceptance. Having left this old way of relating to the world and to God behind, Paul is dead set on never turning back to it.

How do we live this out though? What is behind for us? For many of us what’s behind is not all that unlike Paul’s background. Many of us grew up in various forms of legalism trying to earn God’s favor as well. Others most certainly did not. Others grew up in the world with no religion to speak of, living for the moment, and doing whatever would bring pleasure or dull the pain. Whatever your background is, Paul’s exhortation holds. We must all neglect our old way of living. We must give it over to oblivion and make a complete and clean break. The tendency to fall back into old habits and old ways of relating to God is strong for all of us. So what can we do to prevent it?

Warren Wiersbe pulls a helpful illustration from these verses. He says that Paul is conjuring the image of runners in a race who all of the sudden decide to look behind them as they run. Can you imagine the comical and disastrous scene that would unfold if all the runners in an Olympic race started looking behind them as they ran? They would all but certainly collide and fall all over each other. His point, of course, is that it is just as disastrous and silly when Christians try to strain forward to their high call in heaven as they look backwards at their old way of living life (Be Joyful, p. 108, 1974).

So how can we avoid looking back? We all know that Olympians must have a carefully controlled diet if they are to compete at peak performance. So too, Christians must control what they take in spiritually. The most helpful thing I have found in my own life is a steady diet of the Word of God. I must be careful to remind myself that when I read the Bible daily I am not doing so in order to somehow impress God, but rather I am doing it for myself. I need to daily look into the mirror (James 1:22-24) of God’s Word and be reminded of my own sinfulness, God’s grace, and His unending forgiveness. This alone has the power to kill the arrogance of self-righteous legalism, or the ongoing shame and guilt tied to my sin. So, daily read God’s Word for your own health, and remind yourself not to turn back to your old way of life. Remind yourself that Christ saved you from that empty way of living. You left it behind. Don’t look back. Don’t keep the artifacts and the relics of that old life around to trip you up.* Make a clean break and give your old way of living over to oblivion.

For further reading...

• James 1:22-24- God's Word is a mirror that we not only need to daily look into but we also need to act on what we see.
• Isaiah 64:6- ALl of our righteousness is like filthy rags before God.
• Luke 9:62- No one looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.
• I Corinthians 9:24-27- Do you not know that not all the runners in the race get a prize.
• Luke 14:33- Jesus asks for a clean break from our old life. He says that we must give up everything to become His disciple.

*Although there is no direct quote to be noted. Much of my thought in this last paragraph has been shaped by Paul David Tripp's book Dangerous Calling (2012). More specifically the idea that I need to daily read God's Word to be reminded of my own sin and be met with God's grace has been brought back to my attention by Tripp. Also, he applies the words "artifacts" and "relics" to refer to those holdovers of our pre-Christian selves that we find popping back up in our lives from time-to-time.

Top 5 Reasons to Read the Bible

Top 5 Reasons to Read the Bible

1. His Word is Powerful!- God's words are so powerful that He created everything that exists simply by speaking. Imagine what powerful change His words can bring about in your life.

Now the earth was formless and empty... And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3)

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.(Psalm 33:6)

2. God's Word is True- We are surrounded by lying voices. All day long they tickle our eyes trying to sell us their product. Are you tired of being lied to? Do you want to know the truth about the world, yourself, and God? Got to the Bible! It speaks only the truth.

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

3. The Bible Brings Salvation- Talk about the power to change a life! Every person who ever went from being a sinner to being a saint did so because of God's Word. Apart from the Word we could know almost nothing about God. It's through the Bible that we learn about His plan of salvation and are called upon to believe. 

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:18)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

 

4. Scripture Grows Us and Guides Us- We all want to improve ourselves. We all wish we had a little more self-discipline or a little more understanding of who God is or even a plan for our lives. If you want to grow yourself up in the Lord, if you want to become the best version of you that you can become, if you want to feel like your life has some guidance, then the Bible is exactly what you need.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... (1 Peter 2:2)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)

For the word of God is alive 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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

5. God's Word Defeats the Enemy- Have you ever noticed how Jesus chose to combat temptation when the Devil came to meet Him in the desert? He fought the Devil with the Word of God. The Bible is a powerful weapon against temptation and the lies and confusion of the enemy. In fact, Revelation tells us that in the end all the enemies of God will be defeated by His words.

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:13-15)

For further reading...

• Read anything in the Bible! But if you don't know where to start or if you haven't read the Bible much before here are some good books of the Bible you can begin with: Mark, Luke, or Genesis.

How to Study the Bible

The intent of this blog is to help people get into the Word of God. Normally I do that by offering a short devotion on a passage of Scripture. My desire is that this will whet your appetite and entice you to read more of that glorious book for yourself because I know personally how easy it is to let a week go by without taking in God's Word.

 

This week I want to offer you something different, but something which I sincerely hope will prove helpful. Many Christians have never been taught how to study the Bible. These believers are discouraged and spiritually malnourished when they don't need to be. You don't need a seminary degree to understand the Bible. In His grace, God made sure that normal, everyday adults can read and understand the Bible on their own. Below is a simple Bible study tool pulled together from a number of sources to help everyday people just like you read and study the Bible for themselves.

 

All you need to do is pick a short passage of Scripture (most Bibles break the Scriptures down into sections for you), read it, and answer the questions. They don't all apply to every passage of Scripture. But some of them will apply to your passage. These questions will highlight important indicators in the passage that will help you draw out the author's main point.

 

My challenge to you is to walk through this Bible study method right now using Matthew 6:19-21 as your passage of Scripture. I pray that the Lord uses it in your life.

 

*****

The Inductive Bible Study Method

Step 1: Pray and ask God to help you understand this passage of Scripture.

Step 2: Observation- Read the passage several times and answer these questions? They will help you identify  the author’s main point.

1. What precedes this passage? What follows it? (Context, Context, Context!)

 

2. Are there any repeated words or phrases? What are they?

 

3. Does the author make any comparisons?

 

4. Does the passage reveal a cause and effect relationship?

 

5. Does the passage have a climax or a major point that it builds to?

 

6. Does the author use figures of speech like quoting a saying or exaggerating for effect?

 

7. Is there important phrases like “therefore” or “because of this” that identify a main point?

 

8. What verbs are used to describe action in the passage?

 

*Go the Extra Mile!- You won't always have time to do this, but if you really want to understand a passage, answer these questions. Doing so will require either skimming the entire book of the Bible or consulting a study Bible or commentary which has an introduction to the book.
9. Who is the author or speaker?
 

10. What is the overall message of the book, and how does this passage fit into that message?

 

11. What historic events surround this book?

12. What type of literature is it? (Historical Narrative, Poetry, Letter, Prophecy, etc…)

Step 3: Interpretation- The Original Audience
1. What is the author’s main point for the original readers of this passage? What did the author want them to do, believe, or know?

 

Step 4: Generalization- All Believers at All Times
1. How can the author’s main point be written in a single sentence so that it is relevant to all believers at all times? What does the author want all believers to do, believe, or know?

 

Step 5: Application- Believers Today
1. How does main point apply to believers today? What specifically do believer’s living in your culture and your time need to do, believe, or know in response to this passage?

 

Step 6: Implementation- Me
1. What must I change in my life personally in response to this passage?
(Ask yourself the questions below to identify potential areas of implementation.)
• Is there a sin I need to avoid?
• Is there an example I should follow or avoid?
• Does God promise me something in this passage?
• Do I need to confess something to God?
• Do I need to thank God for something?
• What do I need to tell someone or do for someone because of this passage?
• In what ways does this passage train me to be more like Christ?

 

Step 7: Respond in prayer by thanking God for what you learned and asking forgiveness for any sin in your life.

*This Inductive Bible Study method has been taken from Creative Bible Teaching by Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt as well as a talk sheet developed by Patrick Hamilton for use in the study of John.