My Psalm 119 story…chapter 4

Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Psalm 119.37, NLT

The sunrise is spectacular this morning. The air is clear and cool and the color of the warmth promised to soon come is playing on the rooftops of the buildings near where I live. After I took the dog out for her morning “constitutional,” I trimmed the roses at the entrance to our walkway. The bushes are in full bloom and I can smell the fragrance of red every time I go to, and come from. The dew fell heavy on the grass last night and the clover seems particularly happy. A mourning dove coos restlessly from the corner of the deck seemingly ignorant of  the loud reply of expectant chirps and whistles coming from the trees all around. It would seem that everything was just right in the world…

I watched a PBS show on Lyme disease last night. It was frightening. One of the contributors spoke about Nature and what it provides and how it challenges us.  I thought aloud, “What nonsense!”. If Nature exists as an end to itself, what a cruel, wicked entity it is indeed. All we “discover” serves only to inform us of our own terminal condition and real powerlessness. There is no god created by any religion more vile and cruel than Mother Nature if she is indeed the source for what we experience.

My eyes are surrounded by worthless things. How do I know how to distinguish from the valuable and the vacuous? Is a piece of premium paper marked with the numeric symbol “100″ valuable? Is an oak ringed by one hundred years of effort to grow and withstand the elements of its survival valuable? Is an infant human, unable to breathe without mechanical assistance and bearing only the assurance of demands of many resources in the years to come, valuable?

Without God’s word on these matters, how could I know? What life could I have if I were bereft of his unchanging and unalterable word guiding me to understand that life is worthwhile not because it exists, but because it is an expression of His sustaining grace. How could I steward nature rather than ravish it for my own selfish pleasure? How could I know that beauty is real without understanding that it is a reflection of His glory, howbeit dim and tarnished?

Lord, keep turning my eyes.

Psalm 119 story…chapter 3

Keep me from lying to myself. Give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. (Psalm 119.29, NLT)

I am ashamed of how often I lie to myself. In fact, whenever I think about it just how often I practice self-deceit I blush: “I’ll exercise in the morning” (lie); “I’ll pray about it later” (lie); “I’ll only have three Hershey kisses” (lie, lie, lie). I normally don’t do this intentionally, but self-deceit is part of my inherited human condition.

I need an intervention.

Enter God’s instructions. I know for many the word “instruction” is an offense. We don’t pay attention to them anymore unless necessity requires it. Perhaps we may pull up a YouTube “how-to” video in a pinch, but we want our life to be ordered in such a manner as to alleviate the need for instruction of any evident sort. We expect our “user interface” to be intuitive and self-guided. No direction required.

My heart requires instruction. Left to its own desires, my heart would engage all sort of harmful attitudes and behaviors. It is sad, but wholly true. So what does this “privilege of knowing” afford me?

A “gentle reply” is the best remedy for angry conversation.
My mind is best occupied with the things that are virtuous, lovely, and pure.
That my neighbor is not a nuisance but an opportunity to share God’s love.
My stuff will decay and disappear, so I can share my treasure here freely and without fear.
That my wicked-bent heart/mind is rejuvenated and recreated by the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit when I worship.
And so much more.

What part of God’s instruction makes a difference in your life?

Psalm 119.18, Chapter 2

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Psalm 119.18 NLT

I recently watched a movie described on Netflix as “teen scream.” It was mostly silliness, but in several key scenes I noticed that my wife had hid her face in a pillow or behind a blanket, even as my daughter made fun of her. The reason for the eye-shield was obvious; I did not need to ask. My wife knew whatever was “next” would not be something she wanted to see. It would be scary.

I think we often approach God’s word in the same manner. We close our eyes so we don’t have to face things in our lives that deeply trouble us. God’s word is said to operate at the most secret place of our being, the place where all the stuff too scary to look upon is tucked away. We think, perhaps, if we don’t open our “inner” eyes the frightening may just disappear with the next change of the scene.

Of course this is not true, the scary things in our lives do not go away like the monsters under our bed if we just pull the covers over our head. This line in the song is actually an announcement of the return of day, not a call to peer into the heart of darkness.

Imagine what it would be like to squeeze your eyes tight in terror only to be gently, but firmly, informed by a trusted loved one that there is no reason to fear. You cast a furtive peek from the smallest slit possible and to your delight the oppression of the past is erased by the instructed present. No longer will uncertainty and the unknown rule in ugly terror. The way ahead is illumined and directly in front. There is no creeper lurking behind a partially opened door, nothing to startle from the shadows of the dim corner. Only wonderful, applicable, truth. Truth you may have missed previously because you could not see it, but you know in the same way you know the best way to eliminate the suspense of the moment is to flip the light switch on to reveal the contents of a room.

So why stumble around in the dark, knowing evil is prowling when all we must do is ask our Lord to raise up our face from the pillow or to remove the blanket and introduce us to His wonderful truth?

…Psalm 119.11b…

…that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119.11b)

Most people understand this phrase in a purely religious sense: “I must not violate the demands of God.”

The intent of this part of the song is much different, however. The first phrase of this line speaks to what is in the heart. Hiding the treasure of God’s word in the heart is the prerequisite for “not sinning against.” This is a personal and intimate confession not a religious check box. This phrase is not a declaration against murder or stealing or even refusing to rest on the Sabbath day. It is the heart’s cry against its own self-exalting inclination to instead remain fully yielded to the Sovereign of the Universe.  Yes, the same Sovereign who quite mysteriously finds a means to implant His immense Spirit into the deepest part of those whom He loves.

We dismiss the power of this confession at our own peril. The word translated “sin” means quite simply to “miss the mark.” To the modern mind it makes no sense unless it is understood that the “mark” for which we aim is the very character and authority of God. Which one of us would consider ourselves sane and in the same breath declare ourselves God? Yet that is what we do silently, day by day, as we exercise our will either against, or often without regard, to the only true Authority.

God’s word hidden at the center of our person facilitates the knowledge of God’s will, the desire to do that will and the ability to act on the desire. What impact has hiding God’s word in your heart had on you?

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you-Psalm 119.11 NLT

My Psalm 119 story…in process

Psalm 119.11 (NLT) I have hidden Your word in my heart…

Most of us hide things for one of two reasons:

1. We are ashamed or embarrassed by something or,
2. the thing hidden is of value and should be protected against the destructive forces of this world.

In the case of God’s word, it must be hidden as a confession of its worth. God’s word is said to abide through the generations. What other treasure do you have that will last that long? God’s word is said to be the basis for life in the same way eating is the basis for life. What other food do you possess that never expires, never decays? God’s word is said to be the key to “understanding and wisdom.“ I have a key to my house, to my office, to my car. All these keys give me access to important resources, none gives me entry to comprehending my complicated life one bit better. Do you have a key giving you access to the comprehension of the mysteries of your life?

Tucked away in my heart are the people for whom I am most passionate: My wife, my children, my family, my closest friends. At the center of the center of passion is the Source, my Creator, who declares His unrestrained, furious love. His words wooing me to follow must spring from my heart, one of billions He uniquely fashioned “in secret”. Does God’s passion reside in and flow from the center of you? In my heart are the experiences, thoughts, and interests I reserve against the consumption of the world at large. These are the precious things “of me” which are only summoned for sharing among my closest and most trusted confidants. God’s word, deposited and growing in this secret and sacred space, is a revolution within me and impels me to become that which I could never aspire to be on my own and to freely give away what I could never attain by my effort. How does God’s word in your heart change your inside?

Naked, Needy, and No Instructions

So this is the time of year where “pretend” rules the culture.  We pretend we have money, so we spend a lot. We pretend we believe in something so we either go to church or Macy’s, whichever suits. I could go on, but since this is Black Friday and many have already seen the best and worst our culture has to offer today, I will save the rant for another time.

As a congregational leader, I am always looking for ways to make this season significant.  I deliberately protect Main Street from being over scheduled with “church stuff” all month-long and I try to teach truth absent of the acceptable pabulum of sentimentality attached to the next thirty-three days.

Every year I take a risk with the teaching topic for the month.  This year I am jumping out of the plane. I have actually jumped out of a plane before, would do it again. It was totally worth it.

I digress.

It is my firm conviction the generation coming is going to be the last American generation unless there is a revolution toward renewed culture unlike anything seen before. I will write about the basis of the conviction as we move through the month, but a click back here or here or here will give some background.

In the month to come I will tell the story of Jesus’ advent from the perspective of his parents. The narrative begs for this to be done by someone, so I am going to take my shot at exploring the subject. It occurred to me that Joseph and Mary were not exempt from the same terror of uncertainty known to every first time parent: how do I take care of this child? Their challenge was arguably more intense than most, but their day-to-day reality was deliberately similar to that of every parent before, and since.

How did God know Mary and Joseph wouldn’t mess up His son? What was God thinking dropping Jesus off naked, needy and with little to no instructions? I believe God knew exactly what He was doing and that we can learn much from Jesus’ upbringing as we try to guide our children today.

Here is a treat I discovered through a friend of mine in the northwest (thanks Denise).

RightNow-The_Parent_Rap-HD

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