O Lord, let not my eyes remove from you,
Neither to the right, nor to the left.
Let them ignore both wind and wave, both peak
of freezing snow and darkest valley of death.
In you I’d see all glory, bright against
The mid-day sun, in power and ancient wisdom,
And reason for each step to reach the Cross.
Greater Price
Job 28
What tiresome work man does for gain,
In search of precious gems!
He runs great risk of death and pain;
To gather wealth he sins. Continue reading “Greater Price”
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
When you see a house falling down, chances are there’s a foundation issue. If it’s a life that’s collapsing, you need to repent or jack that house up and pour a new foundation. Only a life built on the Rock will stand firm (Matthew 7:24-27). We’ve sing a few songs that remind us of this:
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
and …
The wise man built his house upon the rock. (x3) The rains came down and the floods came up. (x3) And the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand. (x3) The rains came down and the floods came up. (x3) And the house on the sand went smash.
and …
Jesus, You’re My Firm Foundation, I Know I Can Stand Secure; Jesus, You’re My Firm Foundation, I Put My Hope In Your Holy Word, I Put My Hope In Your Holy Word.
I. Hebrews 6:17-20. God tells us that it’s not if but when the storms of life come. If we are resting on His unchanging grace, then we are able to hold onto the hope that God offers us, this hope that is an anchor for the soul, where Jesus has gone before us beyond the veil into heaven itself. Or as this song says:
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In ev’ry high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.
II. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. Since the wise build their lives on the Rock, how should we build? Walking with Christ, we avoid the building materials that the world offers and begin our new life by being baptized (Colossians 2:6-12). Then, taking care how we build, our lives are tested with a refiner’s fire, and we sing:
His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
III. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. We stand firm when our lives found in Him. We must let Christ replace the perishable with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. Because He conquered death, we, baptized into Him can be clothed with His righteousness and stand blameless before the throne, singing …
When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
If we are truly being wise and not foolish builders of our lives upon Jesus, we can sing these choruses:
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.
and …
So, build your life on the Lord, Jesus Christ. (x3) And the blessings come tumbling down. The blessings come down as the prayers go up. (x3) When you build your life on the Lord, Jesus Christ.
and …
I Have A Living Hope,
(I Have A Living Hope, )
I Have A Future;
(I Have A Future;)
God Has A Plan For Me,
(God Has A Plan For Me,)
Of This I’m Sure,
(Of This I’m Sure.)
DON’T Lean on Me, When …
For many generations, the church in the West has been able to float lazily along on an inner tube because the current of culture was flowing in roughly the same direction. And so, we fell asleep, not realizing that in the past few decades the current has reversed its course. Like the frog in the pot that tolerates each increased degree of heat until it boils, Christians need to recognize what is happening to us and why.
I. John 8:31-47. Jesus addresses “the Jews who had believed him” and yet contrasts them with true disciples who abide in His word, know the truth, and do the works of God. It wasn’t enough for them to be descended from Abraham if the shriveled and wormy fruit they were showing was that of their father, the devil. The same goes for those who point to their baptism into Jesus for the forgiveness of sins but who are blinded by complacency in their faith or whose hearts are hardened by compromising with the culture. These love the world more than they love God (John 12:37-43).
II. 1 John 2:15-17. As we float along on the wide river that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14), we can take too much confidence that we differ from those drowning around us in degree but not in character. What Eve reasoned in her mind to justify disobedience to God (Genesis 3:2-6) is exactly that which describes those who love the world. The current of culture affects the love we have for God, which should be with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27-28), and therefore our obedience (John 14:15) and the seeking of His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
III. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. We’ve all heard Bill Withers’ song, “Lean on Me” that, if promoted, can be a false comfort from one not aware of himself floating with the current of culture. Rather, we must stick to Paul’s model of comforting and demonstrating of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 11:1). Our understanding before we became Christians was not to be trusted (Proverbs 3:5-6), so should it not be leaned on if we are complacent or compromised Christians. Rather, we must lean on God’s wisdom as found in His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Avoiding the world’s wisdom (2 Timothy 3:1-5), we must walk in the light and awaken (Ephesians 5:7-14).
We must all jump out of the pot that is almost at boiling. We must all sit up on our tubes and paddle furiously upstream. How much have you let tolerance of the world affect you?
What Portion Do We Have in David?
An heir to his grandfather’s and father’s big legacies, Reheboam had a choice if he would seek God like they did or lean on his own understanding. Just as we cannot get to heaven on the coattails of another’s faith, the new king should have tapped into what had made David and Solomon’s forty-year reigns great in the first place.
I. 1 Kings 12:1-5. Born sometime, no doubt, in the spiritual decline of his father’s reign into a chaotic household of 999 stepmothers or “aunts” who worshiped a variety of gods, Reheboam might argue today that he was a victim of a lost world plunged into sin and relative morality. And yet, he was on the waning edge of Israel’s golden age and knew the covenants God had made with his grandfather. His dad built the temple! At the moment of his crowning, however, Reheboam had a choice to make. Would he include God in his decision-making (Joshua 24:14-15) or would he lean on his own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6)?
II. 1 Kings 12:6-17. He had at least heard of his father’s wisdom given to him by God (1 Kings 3:10-13) if not seen those coming to the palace seeking it (1 Kings 10:21-27). But, he seemed to have forgotten the important ‘if’ attached to the gift (1 Kings 3:14) and the reason for the spiritual decline of the kingdom because his father had ignored it too (1 Kings 11:1-4). So, when forced to choose between relying on those who had advised his dad and stepping out on his own, he chose the counsel of the young men who had grown up with him. The result was that he did get to establish his own legacy–that of splitting God’s kingdom!
III. John 5:19-23. Jesus lived to be his Father’s Son as well … except that His Father was God! He went around doing good (Acts 10:38), spent regular time in prayer (Mark 1:35), insisted on others knowing the Scriptures as He did (Mark 12:24), and was an example for us to live up to (John 13:15). His dying on a cross and rising from the dead empowered us to be our Father’s children as well (John 20:17). So, we must seek wisdom (James 1:5-8), answer with gentle words (Proverbs 15:1-5), seek advice from godly counselors (Proverbs 24:6) who follow God’s Word (Psalm 119:24), and live as an imitation of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Oh, how things might have turned out differently if Reheboam had chosen differently!
Ask What I Shall Give You
Is it better to “grow up in the church” or to escape the world to seek truth on your own? The first may not know the sharp edge of the world’s heartache, but often a personal faith is taken for granted and underdeveloped. The second can create an abiding faith but a lifetime of overcoming sinful habits and baggage. Inheriting the kingdom from his father, Solomon began well as someone who grew up in the church often does. But, did he seek God or let his heart be led astray?
I. 1 Kings 3:3-28. In the beginning of his reign, Solomon loved God and walked in the way of his father, King David, yet as he still worshipped at the high places, there’s a hint that his heart wasn’t fully after God’s heart like David’s was (Acts 13:22). He asks for wisdom or discernment to govern God’s people, which pleased God, and he was granted many other blessings. What can an abundance of God’s grace do in a heart, vulnerable to temptation and sin, that is not fully chasing God?
II. 2 Samuel 12:7-9. When David had yielded to sin, the prophet Nathan tells him that God had given him much and would have given him much more, but David had repaid God’s grace by despising God’s Word. This principle is carried out in the New Testament by Jesus (Matthew 25:29). We must prove faithful in what we have been entrusted, so that God can use us in even bigger ways. Sadly, Solomon did not do this, allowing his blessings, projects, and power (2 Chronicles 1:14-17) and the comfort found in sin (1 Kings 11:1-4) lead his heart astray. Clearly, the wisdom he had to warn against such falling (Proverbs 5:1-9) wasn’t enough to safeguard his heart.
III. Philippians 4:4-7. If we seek God and His Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) and ask for wisdom (James 1:5-8), we must still apply these things to our hearts to truly live for Christ and honor Him as holy (1 Peter 3:13-16). How do we do this? We must sell all that this world has to offer (Matthew 13:44) and press on to the goal despite obstacles (Philippians 3:12-16), holding on to what we have already obtained and adding to that in increasing measure (2 Peter 1:3-11). Then God will guard our hearts.
What could Solomon have achieved if he hadn’t let his heart be led astray? How could God use you if you used what you’ve already been entrusted with to seek Him and His Kingdom?
Convincing Lies
Lord, keep away convincing lies,
Let truth be guide and guard;
Let wisdom see their winsome guise,
Keep love from being marred.
Make speech and actions always true,
And kindness most sincere;
Your word must wash and clear the view,
And free the heart from fear.
O God of glory, shine your light,
To show reality;
Put all that’s false and wrong to flight,
From sophistry cleanse me.
Watch Forthright Press for the author’s new book of prayers and poem.
Open to Me, Father
Open to me, Father, the pages of Scripture,
Show me your Self, your works of wonders,
What you hate, what you practice,
What you love, all your commandments,
Purpose of heart, and ways of wisdom.
Open, Lord, your mind of reason,
Show me the sense of this world’s workings,
How you bless, all things providing
To your holy and chosen people,
Born from above, obedient children.
Open, O God, the doors of service,
Bringing the lost into the Kingdom,
Saving souls for heaven forever,
Joy among the ministering angels,
Basking in your eternal glory.
Prayer is a choice. Make other good choices. Read Choose! 13 Choices to Transform Your Heart and Soul.
Please share this prayer with others, if it encouraged you.
We ask and pledge
Our Father who abides in and reigns from heaven,
- Cause your word to bear fruit. We will teach at every opportunity.
- Give your people wisdom. We will study your word daily.
- Sanctify us in truth. We will live in your holiness.
- Abide in our hearts. We will obey the commands of Christ.
- Gladden our homes. We will fulfill our marital and family roles.
- Make us courageous in our faith. We will open new frontiers.
- Come for your people. We will live with an eye to Jesus’ return.
These things we ask and pledge in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bible.11: You Search the Scriptures
Can you imagine a husband checking off a marriage list at the end of the day that included items like told her I loved her, kissed her, bought flowers, warmed her car …. The very nature of a relationship defies a checklist. It is intimate, deep, and abiding. And, while you can gain knowledge about your spouse, it is the application of that knowledge in your marriage that makes it a good relationship.
So it is with God. Knowledge of His Word is not the end but only the means to an end. It is what we are doing with that knowledge that makes all the difference.
I. John 5:36-40. Knowing the Bible isn’t the same as knowing God. This is what Jesus tried to get the Jews who were seeking to kill Him to understand. He does not refute that their Bible study was diligent. Nor does He dispute that in the Scriptures can they find the way to eternal life. Their struggle was in application. They refused to obey to know God (1 John 2:3-6), live them out, and recognize that they testified about Him.
II. Matthew 7:21-23. Bible study is the means to an abiding relationship with God. Since Adam and Eve ate the fruit and became like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:6-22), we have had to perceive the world through knowledge. Animals have instincts; we must be taught. This has many downfalls, but the biggest one is believing that if we are doing for God, then He knows us. In our attitudes towards worship, attendance, serving, prayer, and His Word, are we “doing His will”?
III. Hebrews 4:12-13. One of the reasons they, and we, refuse to come to Jesus to have eternal life is because we don’t like the double-edge on the Sword of the Spirit that cuts back on us as we try to wield this knowledge on others. Neither do we like our deeds exposed by the light (John 3:19-21), so we keep from applying knowledge of God’s Word from becoming obedience. We do not commit to an abiding relationship with God and so live in a state of quasi-light and quasi-darkness.
Many books have been written about how to have a better marriage, and these are people’s best guesses at situations that vary from spouse to spouse. But, only one Book has been written by God Himself that helps us have an abiding relationship with Him. Do you study it to love Him more?