Category: Devotional Thought

More Love – Luke 14:26

God created mankind first and foremost to have a relationship with Himself. Our intense love of God makes all other relationships comparable to hate.

Godly families love one another, of this there can be no doubt. Godly husbands love their wives (Eph. 5:25-33; Col. 3:19) and godly wives love their husbands and children (Titus 2:4). Similarly, siblings are to love one another (1 John 3:10, 17; 4:20-21). Christ frequently uses familial relationships in His parables and in each case affection is expected (ex. Luke 11:11-13; 20:13).

However, Christ specifically states that a Christian is not His disciple if he values family more than he values Christ. Taken in combination with Matthew 10:37, it is obvious that our Lord is not endorsing the hatred that is evidenced in families throughout our world today. Rather, Christ is telling His disciples that nothing can take His central and foremost place in our lives.

Can following Christ cause strife in the home when spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, or child rejects God? Yes. Countless families experience the grief of relational and physical distance because of sin. Only those who love God rightly will relate with others as God intends (John 21:15-17).

Christ’s command is not to stop loving family. Rather, His command is that we not lose sight of our First Love. “More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!”

The Psalmist’s Despair (and how he finds joy)

Discouragement and sorrow are very real and unavoidable feelings. The writer of Psalm 42-43 asks a very blatant and honest question of himself: “why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?”

It would seem that the psalmist knows why he is discouraged. He mourns due to oppression (42:10) that feels like a sword in his bones (42:11). Desiring fellowship with God, he feels spiritual distance. He even asks God “why hast thou forgotten me?” (42:9) and “why dost thou cast me off?” (43:2). He poetically feeds himself with tears (42:3).

The psalmist truly does have reason to sorrow!

He objectively looks at himself and observes that he is discouraged. Then, he prescribes an incredible remedy for his own discouragement. Rather than organize a pity party, he objectively chooses to praise God!

Furthermore, the psalmist directly ties praising God with the emotion of joy (43:4)! He converts his discouragement into joy through the act of praise.

Are you discouraged today? Praise is not a feeling but rather it is a choice. You must choose to praise God despite your feelings. Only then will you begin to experience joy.

Personally, I have a playlist that I listen to when discouraged. Eileen Berry and Molly IJames well express the distress of Psalm 42-43 before turning to God in praise. Their song, “In Your Silence,” has been at the start of my playlist since I first heard it. May it be a blessing to you as it has been to me!

In Your word I find the echoes of the questions in my mind;
Have I fallen from Your favor, is Your ear to me inclined?
When Your silence is unbroken, though my prayer ascends each day,
Father, keep my faith from failing in the face of long delay.

While You wait in gracious wisdom and my doubts begin to rise,
I recall Your loving kindness, and lift my hopeful eyes.
While Your hand withholds the answer, I will not withhold my heart.
I will love you in Your silence, I will trust You in the dark.

When the troubled thoughts within me hold me wakeful in the night,
And the shadows that surround me seem to hide me from Your sight.
Father, bring to my remembrance mercies shown in days gone by.
Help me rest upon Your promise: You will not neglect my cry!

While You wait in gracious wisdom and my doubts begin to rise,
I recall Your loving kindness, and lift my hopeful eyes.
While Your hand withholds the answer, I will not withhold my heart.
I will love you in Your silence, I will trust You in the dark.

 

Psalm 4:8 – Peace

In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
-Psalm 4:8

There’s no need to stay up worrying over the what-ifs. God offers peace. The Hebrew word shalom (translated “peace”) includes the concepts of contentment, wellness, and safety. Does this attitude seem impossible? In David’s life, this attitude is the result of rehearsing and meditating on the truths in verses 1-7. It is the Lord alone who provides safety and security, the same Lord who always hears the cry of His children. The same Lord who has over and again granted relief in a tight place. The same Lord who is the source of all that is truly good. It is His presence that gives joy and His presence alone that gives this unexplainable peace–allowing His child to lie down and sleep after committing everything to Him.

Children of the Heavenly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Every foeman must surrender.

Psalm 4:6-7 – The Greater Joy

There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?”*
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
-Psalm 4:6-7

The scenery has not changed much. There are still many who are looking for some good to finally come. The good they seek is implied in verse 7–the abundance of grain and wine, or material prosperity. Perhaps these verses reveal the motive of the men mistreating David (v.2): they have misused and slandered David for their own advantage. David, not without hardship in his life, seeks good from a different source–the favor of the Lord. What about you? Are you seeking good today from the world or from the Lord? I am ashamed to admit that I often seek the good that I can see rather than the goodness of the Lord. May the Lord refocus our distracted hearts. The sweetness of fellowship with Him is worth far more than the earthly comforts and conveniences we so often crave. May our time, our spending, and our prayers show that we value the favor of the Lord. And may our joy and contentment show that we have found it.

Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.

*ESV, quoted above, places the closing quotation mark at the end of verse 6 (after “Lord”). ESV being the only English translation I see that makes this choice, I have chosen to defer to the majority of translations and end the quote after “good” (as NKJV, NIV, NASB, NET, HCSB; KJV does not include quotation marks).

Psalm 4:4-5 – The Path of Change

Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
Psalm 4:4-5

David continues to speak to the wicked. The realization that they are opposing the LORD should cause them to tremble* and cease from sin. David calls them to spend time alone in quiet reflection. There are two avenues of application here. First, you may be in David’s shoes, facing ungodly opposition. Here is a righteous response–not a seeking of revenge, but a confidence in the Lord, and an appeal to repent. Second, in honest heart searching, you may find that in some way you have put yourself opposite the Lord’s purposes. Here is the answer for you: (v.4) fear the Lord, turn from sin, consider your ways, and (v.5) make right your relationship with the Lord. Throw yourself upon Him and His forgiveness, which is through the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ.

*The Hebrew word here translated “Be angry” literally means “tremble.” Translations are divided on whether the trembling is in reference to anger or fear. I am inclined to understand it as fear, as this meaning seems to fit better with the message of the psalm.

His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul and you will see
‘Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

 

Psalm 4:2-3 – The Disadvantage of the Ungodly

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah.
But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself.
The LORD hears when I call to Him.
-Psalm 4:2-3

You may face, as David did, the opposition of those who are not following the Lord, but who are destroying your reputation and hindering the Lord’s purpose. David asks them, “How long?” In other words, “Have you not yet realized the foolishness and futility of your pursuits?” The comfort to God’s people is that the destructive works and words of men will not continue forever. So David appeals to these men to change their ways now. And yet even while they continue, he reminds them that they cannot prevail against God’s purpose for His own. Believer, God has set you apart for holiness, for His pleasure, for His special care. Let this assurance give you courage when life would dishearten you. Though ungodly men seem to succeed in their plans, we who follow the Lord have a precious gift that they do not enjoy—the delight and comfort of God’s presence, and the assurance that He hears our prayer.

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee,
Who from the heavens the streams of His mercy doth send thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
Who with His love doth befriend thee.

Psalm 4:1 – Call Out to God

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
–Psalm 4:1

God will not answer us if we do not call. Train your mind so that your first response when trouble comes is to call out to the Lord! The literal meaning of the Hebrew word translated “distress” is a tight or narrow place. Do you feel constricted or boxed in by your troubles? Cry to God. In the past He has given relief; certainly He can do it again. Literally, the Hebrew says, He has “enlarged for me” or “made room for me” (cf. Gen. 26:22; Ps. 18:36).

Because of His grace, He will hear your prayer. You don’t stand before God with your accomplishments, your own righteousness, or your reputation. Those things are not adequate to earn you a hearing with God. Come before Him weak and needy, and the God of grace will listen.

Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Proverbs 22:6 – Train Up a Child…

Several years back, I visited Bedford, VA to see the National D-Day Memorial. While there, I happened upon a dear older lady who attended a good local church. Well, I say “attended” but Betty (name changed) hadn’t been there much since her kids left the house. She was discouraged and heartbroken. Betty said that she lost her faith in the Scriptures, in her local church, and in God. You see, Betty’s children had made really bad decisions over the past decade since her husband passed away. She had clung to Proverbs 22:6 to prove that her children would turn out and now she believed that God had failed her and her family.

Proverbs 22:6 states…

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Has God really failed this woman? No.

First, the book of Proverbs is full of “truisms.” This means that Proverbs is an excellent source of general knowledge and “street smarts.” But, this also means that you can’t claim that every proverb will always happen exactly as stated. It is generally true that children with godly parental influence will turn out to be godly individuals. But, don’t expect God to take away your child’s free will! Even children with godly parents have the free will to make bad, life-altering choices.

Second, every verse in our English Bible has been translated from another language. The book of Proverbs was originally written in Hebrew. Here’s what it looks like in Hebrew.

חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

Wow, that’s quite different! And, it is an incredibly difficult passage to translate. This verse, like much of Proverbs, is a one-verse saying in ancient poetical form. I have great respect for the translators but in this instance I respectfully disagree with their translation. Here is another legitimate (and I believe correct) translation of Proverbs 22:6.

Dedicate a young man upon the entrance of his chosen path (or vocation) that even when old he will not turn aside from it.

While still a truism, this passage now has an entirely different intended challenge. It is a challenge for elder members of society (and parents) to help a young man remember life-changing events in his life. Take weddings for example. Abby and I will always remember the commitment that we made to each other on June 20, 2015. In part, we will always remember that day because of the many people who came to “dedicate” us to our chosen path.

Application

  • Know your Bible genres.
  • Make dedications a memorable and sacred event (for the good of the dedicatee).

What Happens After Death?

This past Saturday, a dear family friend passed away. We mourn with his family at their loss and yet we rejoice with him at his gain. He is finally experiencing what Paul knew to be true when he stated “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Why is death gain?

Death is not always gain. The Scriptures tell us that there are two places where one can go after death: with Christ or apart from Him (in hell). The Scriptures also tell us that you must choose during your lifetime where you will spend eternity (John 3:16). Every person on earth has a problem: we have broken God’s law. This is called sin (Romans 3:23). Sin violates God’s holy nature (Revelation 4:8) and means that we cannot spend eternity with Him (Romans 6:23). Mankind was not intended for hell, but it becomes man’s just dwelling because of sin (Matthew 25:41). Hell is separation from God. However, God loved us so much that He prepared a means of forgiveness through His Son, Jesus (John 3:16). Those who admit their sin to Him and and ask for forgiveness will be saved from their sin (Romans 10:13). Death is gain for those who have been forgiven because it means eternal unity with Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:23).

Would I like to be with Christ?

If you love serving yourself, then you would hate eternity with Christ. Heaven isn’t about you. Does this statement surprise you?

Being with Christ is a byproduct of salvation. Christ forgives men from sin to transform their lives (Titus 2:11-14). The sin-forgiven man should act like Christ, thus the term “christian.” Christians are saved from sin and should no longer enjoy things that displease God (Titus 2:12, 14). Christians are to live in wisdom, righteousness, and godliness (Titus 2:12) for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). At death, we no longer feel the urge to sin (Romans 6:7) and are therefore free to serve Christ (Romans 6:18)! If you love serving Christ, then you will love being with Him forever!

What will we do in eternity?

  1. We will serve Him (Revelation 22:3). As we focused on in the last section, heaven allows perfect service. We are freed from sinful desires and can fulfill our created purpose of glorifying our wonderful Creator. There are many aspects to our service. Rather than going into all of them, let me challenge you to post your favorite part of anticipated service as a comment below (include scriptural support).
  2. We will see God’s face (Revelation 22:4). Even Moses was denied the privilege of seeing God’s face here on earth (Exodus 33:20, 23). Yet, it is the privilege of every servant in eternity to see God’s face. Scripture also tells us that seeing God for who He is will make us imitate Him (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2). In eternity we have full access to our Creator!
  3. We will reign (Revelation 22:5). This does not mean that we will reign over others, but rather it anticipates our exaltation. God exalts His faithful servants (James 4:10)! In eternity, we will be eternally exalted!

Application

  • Accept God’s gift of salvation.
  • Live to serve God.

The Source of Conflict

James 4:1-3 states a very simple truth that has profound implications: internal lust has external consequences.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? ~ James 4:1

Do you see it? There are external “wars and fightings” among people because of “lusts that war” within people. These “lusts” are sinful passions/desires that are destructive to you and to others (v. 2).

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. ~ James 4:2

Lust produces both strife-filled communication (“fight”) and actions (“war”). Can strife occur for any other reason than someone’s lusts? I believe no. If there is strife, someone is revealing their sinful heart. There is no other source of strife apart from internal lust. Think about that!

Furthermore, lust will impede your prayers.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. ~ James 4:3

Lust-laced prayer is ineffective because it is sending wickedness before a holy God. He can’t be a part of your sin! God designed prayer as a wonderful communication channel between us and Him. We abuse His gift when we ask for lust fulfillment.

Lustful actions and prayers will never satisfy because they are based on desires outside of God’s will.

Application:

  • Fight against your internal lusts.
  • Trust in God. He alone can satisfy!