“…nor sits in the seat of scoffers (Ps. 1:1).”

Scoff: verb 1. Speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way; an expression of contempt (synonyms: mock, deride, ridicule, taunt, dismiss, or belittle)

My son just returned home from playing with another boy in the neighborhood.  As he has on many occasion after playing with this particular boy, Jacob came in with frustration, and was a little bit angry.  This time, the other boy had mocked Jacob for wanting to return a ball that Jacob knew didn’t belong to his friend.  While Jacob knew this was the right thing to do, the other boy didn’t want to do it.  He began to tease Jacob and say hurtful things to him.  He was scoffing at Jacob for wanting to do what was right.

David continues to describe the downward progression that we began talking about a few blogs ago.  In the Keil and Delitzsch commentary on Psalms, the authors offer this rendering of the verse, “Blessed is he who does not walk in the state of mind which the ungodly cherish, much less that he should associate with the vicious life of sinners, or even delight in the company of those who scoff at religion.”  We might think this is a lesson only for the young; but, how easy it is for a lot of us to get sucked into the lifestyle of the ungodly, especially when our reputations are at stake.

 We don’t want to be seen as “pushing our religion down their throats,” or as “holier-than-thou,” or, heaven forbid, judging others.  While all of that may be true, there is nothing in the Scripture that suggests we should hide our faith, or pretend as though it isn’t important to us, and join these others in their sin.  It is preferable to take a firm stand for what we believe is right, than to succumb to the temptation that results from not wanting to offend someone.

 This brings up a related issue.  Why do we feel the need to always be on the defensive when it comes to our faith?  From childhood, we learned we were not supposed to “hide it (our faith) under a bushel.”  We are called to be salt and light, and we are reminded of the words spoken by Paul to Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (II Tim. 1:7).”

We have effectively been intimidated into not sharing our faith, even while others are apparently free to openly discuss their lifestyles, their values, and their behaviors.  We worry about being ostracized, isolated, judged ourselves, and even ridiculed.  I have been so as well; but, I found there are many opportunities where I can share what I believe, and that it sometimes makes a difference to those around me.  Sometimes, we are the ones who can effectively turn the conversations around to what is more appropriate and productive.  Sometimes, choosing to act upon what we believe can make a difference in terms of the outcome of a project, or the outcome of a major decision.

 A couple years ago, I and others in my office were in a very difficult situation, which could have resulted in a loss of business, and a scarring of our reputation, even though we had done nothing wrong.  I was encouraged in my time with God to express confidence that we were going to come out of our situation unscathed.  I especially felt compelled to share this with one of my supervisors, a marginal Christian, who never openly spoke of his faith.  I not only spoke to him on a regular basis; but, I also would text him Scripture to give him encouragement.  We did come out of it as I had hoped, and his faith grew exponentially, I believe as a result of my sharing with him.  I also spoke to one of my other supervisors, who was not a Christian.  I continue to trust God used that time to influence him.

At times, it is best we not associate with those who only scoff at our beliefs.  But, there are other times, we need to take a stand for what we do believe, and not back down.

Godspeed, Phil

 

Don't stand in the way

A second lesson that comes to us from Ps. 1 is that we are not to “stand in the way of sinners.”  It is a natural progression that, if we entertain the counsel of the wicked, instead of seeking the counsel of the godly in our lives, we will, inevitably find ourselves staying too long and being influenced by them.  We need to examine what has influenced us along the way and what may even now be influencing our walk with the Lord.

Recall how God told Joshua not to turn to the right or to the left, but to be careful to “obey all the law” Moses had handed down to him (Joshua 1).  Joshua was further instructed to meditate on the Word day and night, so that he would be “careful to do everything written in it.”  Our focus must be very similar.  We must not even slightly be distracted by wrong counsel or wrong influence.  Our conscience should become alarmed when we are so deterred.  After a while our life begins to take on a different direction and we will become like them.

I worked with an attorney who worked with prosecuting criminals day in and day out.  He came to me concerned because his wife had noticed a change in his demeanor, that he was becoming more grim and negative, even at home with his children.  Even our outward appearance can take on the features of the work we do.  I know, for example, my mouth turns downward into a frown if I focus on my work too much and allow it to influence my attitude.  Just look at the President after he’s been in office for a couple years.  An amazingly young looking man can all of a sudden appear to be years older.  How much more are our hearts affected by the continual influence of others?

The Hebrew tense of the verbs used in this verse suggest this a man who has never done this.  Unfortunately, for many of us, that horse has already left the stable.  The difficult, then, becomes extricating ourselves from where we have been walking, sittiing, and standing.  It isn’t easy to remove ourselves from relationships that are especially long-standing.  However, Jesus told His disciples, “No man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).”  Once we have started down this road, there is no turning back.

If we are to become more like Christ, we must obey all the law, not turn to those on the right or left, stay focused upon the Lord and His Word, and let go of wrong influences, and the ways we have been influenced by them.

Godspeed, Phil

 

My new book, "Here's My Heart, Lord," is now available on Amazon.com.  it speaks of the problems of our hearts that get in the way of complete devotion to our Lord. 

 

 

Two Ways

 Are you happy?  Instead of “blessed,” Zorn translates Ps. 1:1 in this way, “Oh, the happiness that man experiences…”  This particular Psalm has a lot to say about being happy.  David’s purpose in writing this Psalm seems to be to promote the way of the righteous.  This Psalm commends living right, those we call the righteous, indicating what they avoid, what they delight in, and what that kind of life looks like. Zorn writes, “The Psalm is brief, consisting of some 65 words in Hebrew, and to the point.  It calls for a decision.  In the OT, if one is not godly, he is not wise, for there wisdom and godliness are inseparable.”

Wisdom directs one to the ways of God, to do what is right in the sight of God and to avoid doing what is evil.  What is involved in order to do what is right and to avoid doing evil?  David describes a progress.  The man who wants to do what is right will not walk, stand, or sit in such a way that will lead to a lack of godliness.

First, the godly man does not entertain the counsel of the wicked.  He is careful to seek out godly counsel, the wisdom that comes from those who know the Lord and know His Word.  Further, the godly man spends time with the Lord to listen to Him.  Gordon Smith (Listening to God in Times of Choice) writes, “Urban Christians, in particular live such harried lives that there is little time for reflection, prayer and silence, and consequently little time to attend to the quiet presence of God and the prompting of the Spirit.”

Some would argue that we cannot hear God and we cannot expect to have His counsel.  Willard (Hearing God) argues that is more dangerous to presume we cannot than that we can.  He contends, God has created us for intimate friendship with Himself.  Why would He choose to not communicate with us?

Two questions we need to ask of ourselves…are we in relationships that speak the truth into our lives, or are some of our relationships questionable?  While we are to minister to all, we need to be careful in terms of getting into personal relationships, where we are seeking counsel from those who are clearly not talking to God.  Secondly, are we taking/making time to listen to God? 

The Obedience Factor

What is success?

It doesn't matter where you are at in life, you can't avoid the call to be successful.  Students are expected to be successful in their academics, in their athletic events, their other extracurricular activities; not to mention, they want to be successful in getting a date to the prom.  At work, at play, in relationships, we all want to be successful, right?  Success may be the right word for most of these situations, but is that all that our lives are about, being successful?  If that is the case, then is it any wonder most of us are rarely happy?  Most of the time, do we feel successful?

Kent and Barbara Hughes, in their book, "Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome,' note that the Bible consistently links success with obedience to God's Word.  One of my favorite passages related to this topic is Joshua 1:7-8, where God tell Joshua that if he wants to be successful, he must "obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go."  Isn't that what we all would want, to be successful in all that we do?  But, what are we talking about?  Is success about winning all the time?  Is success about making it to the top?  Is it about being the best, the brightest, a Marine?

In an earlier chapter in their book, the Hughes say that success is about serving.  When Jesus' disciples argued about who was the greatest, Jesus knelt and washed their feet.  Then, he called upon them to do the same--to be obedient and to serve in the same manner that He did.  How are we to serve?  We are to serve by being obedient to what we have been called to do.  Hughes writes, "Never are we greater, never do we know greater joy, never are we more successful than when we are obedient to His will."

What has God called you to do?  Before you can be successful, you need to figure that out.  We can determine most of what we are to do by reading and listening to His Word.  We can also spend time at the feet of the Master and learn from Him.  Take time daily to listen to determine how to be obedient.

Godspeed, Phil



 

Does it really matter?

Several times this week, I have told people that we need to let what matters matter.  Why is it so difficult for us to stay focused on what really matters?  In our relationships?  In our work?  In our relationship with God?  I am sure you have heard the description of someone that they major in what’s minor.  I think that describes most Christians.  We major in what really doesn’t matter.

Jesus confronted the Pharisees with their pettiness over His not washing his hands before a meal.  Apparently, his mother never taught Him any better; or maybe He just was looking for an opportunity to get into a debate with the Pharisees over their religious practices.  He went on to chastise them over their placing a burden upon the people by demanding they comply with rules and regulations that they themselves couldn’t even follow to the level of perfection they demanded.  Paul confronted the same problem in Galatia.  He wrote to the church there, that they needed to quite trying to justify themselves by their doing the right things.  The only thing that really mattered, he wrote, was “faith expressing itself through love (5:6).”

We can’t make ourselves any more righteous or any more significant by doing.  Yet, I find as I work with even those in positions of leadership in the church that they are focused more upon their doing than their being.  Our focus needs to be on our being…being more like Jesus.  We seem to appreciate that we are not saved by our works; yet, we seem to think we must prove that we are worth the sacrifice of God’s Son after the fact.  Nothing we can do on our own really matters.  The only thing that matters, as Paul wrote, is trusting God as He leads us to demonstrate His love to those around us, in the same way Christ demonstrated the love of the Father through His life and His death.

It is nothing but a distraction to think that we need to focus all our attention on doing what is right.  I have a sign in my office that states, “It is exhausting masquerading as a normal person day after day.”  Let’s stop the pretense.  We are not normal.  We are not good.  We are not capable of doing enough to be worth what the Lord did for us at Calvary.  But, we can share His love with others around us. Nothing else matters.  But, that does.

Godspeed, Phil

 

 

Have you stopped dreaming?

“At some point, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory.  Instead of creating the future, we start repeating the past.  Instead of living by faith, we live by logic (Mark Batterson, “The Circle Maker”).”

For some time, I have felt challenged to look at my prayers and I have to admit, they are often somewhat vague and simplistic.  They lack any imagination.  They have really become quite logical.

What Batterson suggests, and I agree, is that we reach a place where we stop using our imagination and dreaming of what could be.  We forego our idealism for pragmatism, or realism, or whatever we choose to call it; and settle for what we believe is more attainable.  We leave most of what we pray for up to God, praying with all sincerity, “Thy will be done.”  What we have really done is lost our connection with God and subsequently lost our faith.  Batterson suggests that the true measure of our faith is how specific our prayers are to God, and asserts, “The more specific your prayers are, the more glory God receives.”  However, many of us are afraid to be too specific when we pray.  We feel as though we need to leave God plenty of cushion in case He wants to do something besides giving us what we want.  And yet, James writes, we have not because we do not ask God for what we want (James 4:2).

Some of us have lost track of what we really do want.  Often we seem to give up praying for what we want because we don’t get what we really want.  Yes, we have to admit God does provide, He does protect, He does answer some of our prayers, but not the really important ones.  As it regards these, we run out of patience with God, we tire of asking and feeling disappointed, we feel somewhat uncertain about our own faith and don’t want to feel to blame, so we stop asking; because after all this, we don’t really believe God wants to give us what we want.  We even doubt ourselves as to whether we know what God really would want.  But, what if we are right?  What if what we have prayed about is what God wants to give us, that God really does want to give us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4)?

 What if the reason we don’t see answers to our prayers is because we give up too soon?  Batterson writes, “You are always only one prayer away from a miracle.”  What if God is asking us to wait?  What is He has already heard and answered your prayer, but you just can’t see what He is doing?  What is He is just asking you to trust Him?  What if He wants you to keep dreaming and planning and trusting?  Think of Joseph who spent 7 years in prison before realizing God’s plan for him?  Think of Noah who spent 40 years building an ark?  What about Abraham who waited until he was 100 years old before he had a son?  And what of those listed by the writer of Hebrews, who “were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised (Heb. 11:38).”

 “Dreaming is a form of praying and praying is a form of dreaming…The day we stop dreaming is the day we start dying (Mark Batterson, “The Prayer Circle”).”

 

Keep dreaming!

Godspeed, Phil

Perfect

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).”

I just finished watching one of those competitive races on television, where couples take on various challenges over a series of several weeks, hoping to win a million dollars.  Inevitably, the couples end up arguing, sometimes name-calling, and being quite frustrated with each other.  It is amazing to me how individuals who are extremely successful in other areas of their lives, can be made to feel so inadequate; all because they can’t eat grilled cobra or bungee jump from a bridge.

I see this on a regular basis in individuals and couples that come to my office.  People who feel they have to be perfect in everything.  It is a horrible affliction to have and carry with oneself throughout your life.  Often, it has to do with trying to measure up to some unrealistic expectation, some unattainable standard of excellence that isn’t even measureable.  I usually ask them who they are trying to please.  They use words like “should,” “ought,” and “have to.”  Again, somewhat rhetorically, I ask, “Who says so?”

At one time, I battled the same demon.  I grew up, like many of these individuals feeling I could never be good enough.  As a result, I determined to try harder.  Unfortunately, I carried this attitude over into my relationship with God.  I thought I “must (should, ought, have to) be perfect.”  With some relief, I now know this isn’t true.

The Greek word used here refers to being finished, having reached its end, as in something being completed.  Any of these words could easily be substituted.  We tend to focus on the word “be,” assuming that it is a state we are to be in right now.  However, the verb tense in the Greek supports a different conclusion.  We are to make this our aim.

Jesus had been encouraging his disciples, in the previous verses, to love the way the Father loves, not just our neighbor, but even our enemies.  He concludes with challenging them to be perfect (to love) the way the Father does.  B.W. Johnson writes in his commentary, “It will require a constant struggle while in the flesh to come near so high an ideal, but it must be our continual aim (People’s New Testament with Notes).”  On this earth, we will not “attain absolute perfection, but we have placed before us, as a model, the perfect ideal, and we will constantly ascend higher by striving to attain to it.”

We don’t have to beat ourselves up for not being perfect.  Christ became the perfect sacrifice on our parts.  That is not the expectation placed upon us.  It is our aim, and praise God, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6).”

Godspeed, Phil