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.

Sale on The BE Series Bundle: Paul’s Letters

I have long respected and appreciated Warren W. Wiersbe’s BE series. It is a devotional commentary set that answers questions that I didn’t think to ask and well applies Scripture passages for practical life. I own the entire series.

Usually, each book in the series sells for about $10. However, right now there is a digital sale going on!

The best deal I’ve seen so far is the nine book set of “Paul’s Letters” which is selling for $1.99. That is $85 less than normal and a great deal!

Typically, these sales are just for the day so act fast!

Proverbs 23:6-8 – The “Hospitality” of a Stingy Man

Proverbs 23:6-8 reminds us that insincere hospitality is repulsive.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Solomon warns against enjoying the food of a stingy man (lit. “evil eye”). The food may look good but stay away if it is not sincerely given. It appears that the stingy man values his food more than he values his guest. What a shame! This lack of hospitality becomes repulsive once the meal is finished and makes the guest regret saying anything complementary.

Application

  • Only accept hospitality that is sincerely given.
  • Be a blessing with sincere hospitality!

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!