"how majestic is your name!"

I thought you might be more interested in hearing from the Lord today vs. me. This Psalm ministered to me and I hope it ministers to you as well, my friend.

“O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise

because of your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;

you put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,

and the fish of the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!”1

Selah

Read it, savor it, and then read it again. The Lord’s talking to you. Are you listening?

1 Psalm 8

sin and forgiveness

“So, when are you due?” I asked.

The shock on her face was clear, but it quickly changed to anger. Looking me in the eyes and leaning in close, she pursed her lips and said, “I’m not pregnant.”

I’m not quite sure why, but the woman never came back to church. Ever.

I’ve prayed over the years that my foolish comment wasn’t a hindrance to her faith. Despite the utter stupidity of my question, I’ve prayed that the Lord eventually healed her feelings and that she’s accepted Christ.

I still cringe when I think of that brief conversation when I first started preaching. In fact, in case you’re wondering, I never—never—comment or ask about a woman’s pregnancy unless I’m absolutely, positively sure she’s pregnant. And even then I’m very hesitant.

There’s no way I’m going to make that mistake again.

And yet, in other areas I do make the same mistake over and over again. True confession time: I have a handful of areas where I’m susceptible to sin. What those areas are is none of your business, but just when I think I’m doing well in one or more of them, I stumble. I sin.

Based on my experience, I’m not the only one with a handful of areas that cause me to fall on occasion. Maybe you can identify.

It’s during those times, when our humanity gets the best of us, that we need to read—and believe—what the Bible says about our sins.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”1

This verse doesn’t give us carte blanche to sin and then confess it, as if we’ve got the Lord over a barrel. I’m of the opinion if our confession isn’t sincere or if we have every intention of doing the same thing right away, I’m not so sure the Lord’s going to forgive.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.”2

But the Lord does forgive repentant sinners, those who truly recognize and admit their sin and have a sincere desire not to do it again.

So what are your weak spots, those areas where you’re prone to sin? And please don’t give me that, “I don’t have any weak spots.” That’s a bunch of baloney. Even the best of us have soft spots in our holy armor. I know what mine are and I’m betting you know what yours are as well.

Now that everybody’s uncomfortable, let’s deal with reality.

Number one, admit those problem areas to God and yourself. Two, ask God to help you not to give in to those weak spots. Three, be extra diligent to be holy in those problem areas. Four, when you sin—notice I said “when,” not “if”—confess it, thank God for your forgiveness and start the cycle all over again.

While some may regard my suggestions as “giving in” or being unnecessarily soft on sin, I believe it’s being realistic. After all, we’re only human and we won’t stop sinning until we’re with the Lord in heaven some day. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

While the Lord may completely deliver us from a sinful pattern, in my experience the area often remains a minefield of potential problems down the road. Think of an alcoholic who, despite being sober, still craves a drink, even years later.

Will I ever assume that a woman is pregnant again without knowing for sure? I can say with a bucketful of confidence that I won’t make that mistake again. Ever.

But other mistakes, alas, I’m not so sure about. They’ll be with me as long as I breathe air on this earth. And I’m guessing you’re the same way.

So when we fail—not “if” but “when”—let us “confess our sins,” for “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1  1 John 1:9

2  Psalm 51:17

rest for the soul

I sat in the car today in the garage with the engine off.  It was a wonderful 20 minutes of peace and quiet.

In addition to my driveway, my view included the rusted, weed-covered barbed wire fence across the street that surrounds the farmer’s field. That captured my attention for quite some time.

Oh, and the big excitement was watching my neighbor’s cat check out our trash can in the corner of the garage. He’d walk over, sniff the air, stand on his hind legs to see what he could see, walk away, and then do it all over again.

I could have been studying Scripture, exercising, doing chores around the house or even writing this blog, but I decided I could spare 20 minutes for myself. Not for you, anybody in my family or anyone else. I needed time for me. And just me.

Selfish? I suppose. But I rarely just slow down and do nothing, letting my mind wander wherever it wants to go. In fact, I often try and do two things at once.

That probably explains why sitting in the car in the garage with the engine off was such a treat for me. Downtime is a rarity.

And the best part of those moments is how God ministers to me in the quiet. How God quiets my anxious thoughts. And how God brings peace to my troubled soul.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.”1

He has, you know. Been good to me.

Even though I could easily list a few pages of problems and challenges in my life right now, at the end of the day, in the quiet of the moment, I remember.

I remember how good God is. How good God has been to me.

How does all of this apply to you? I’m not sure. But if you’re stressed out, worried and/or having trouble seeing the gracious hand of God in your life, you need a break.

So here’s your assignment. Grab your car keys, walk out to your car, get behind the wheel, and then sit quietly for awhile. No music, no phone, and no reading (except maybe a Bible or devotional).

Let your mind wander. Let life pass you by. Let your heart rate go down. And let God minister to you in the quiet of the moment.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.”

1  Psalm 116:7

criticism from the clay

He was everything I wasn’t: Tall, blond, blue eyes, a star athlete and a babe magnet.

I can still see him in his high school letter sweater with a big smile on his face and all the girls in the class looking at him, whispering among themselves. Meanwhile, a few desks over I’m secretly wishing an anvil drops on his head. If not that, perhaps a plague of some kind.

Except—and this was probably the most frustrating thing of all—he was a nice guy. A genuinely nice guy. Humble even though he was everything I wanted to be. Heck, he was what every high school guy wanted to be.

Comparing ourselves. I’m obviously guilty of doing that. Unfortunately, I still do that on occasion. (Not too much, of course, because I am, after all, preacher boy.)

“He’s the same age as me, but he’s not as fat. Rats! But, hey, he’s totally gray and I’m not—gotcha!”

I’m pathetic. Also sinful.

Comparing myself to others is never a good idea, but if it leads to discontentment and questioning how almighty God made me, well, I’m treading on thin ice.

"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to his father, 'What have you begotten?' or to his mother, 'What have you brought to birth?' "This is what the LORD says--the Holy one of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?"1

While this rebuke is directed against Old Testament Israel, the application to me—and perhaps you, if you struggle in this area as well—is obvious: We, as the clay, have no right to question the potter.

God didn’t make me tall, blond and with blue eyes that make girls swoon. So what? That’s the potter’s prerogative.

Translated, I need to be content with who I am, who God made me. While there are some things I can change, other things I can’t. It is what it is. I am who God made me to be.

How about you? Are you satisfied with your physical appearance? Are you satisfied with how God made you?

If there are things we can change, then we’re free to pursue them.  But those things that we can’t change, well, how about we just let them go?

"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker.”

1  Isaiah 45:9-11

stop!

He was heading straight for me with the police officer right on his tail. Figuring I’d help out, I jumped into the man’s path, held my arms out in front of me and yelled in a stern voice for him to “Stop!”

Amazingly, he did stop. Why I’ll never know. Perhaps he thought I was an undercover cop or something. Regardless, I escaped unscathed as the officer wrestled the man to the ground, cuffed him and took him away.

Afterwards, I walked the rest of the way to the convenience store, purchased a chocolate shake and went back to my apartment. The next day I read a small story in the local paper about a man who was arrested on a drug charge. I’m guessing that was the same guy who almost ran me down.

As I think back to that episode from my college days, I still wonder why I did what I did. I mean, I wasn’t a hero then and still aren’t. And yet, there I was on my Friday night mission to acquire something sweet and somebody needed to do something. Otherwise, the chase might still be going on.

What about you? Does somebody need to intervene in your life right now? Does somebody need to stand in front of you and tell you to “stop” whatever it is you’re doing?

Is it pornography? Gossip? A foul mouth? Drunkenness? Lust?

What is it? Come on, you know what I’m talking about. Please don’t act like you don’t.

What are you doing that you know is outside the will of God and needs to stop? As in right now.

“For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do-living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”1

Did that register with you? We’ve “spent enough time in the past doing what (non-Christians) choose to do.”

I say again: What are you doing right now that needs to stop? Do you really need somebody to literally jump in front of you as I did to that man so many years ago? Isn’t this written rebuke enough?

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."2

Stop it.

 

1 1 Peter 4:3

2  1 Peter 1:15-16

grace

I’m concerned about something, but I’m certainly not worried about it. After all, the Bible calls worrying sin.

Because I’m a pastor, and because I know it’s wrong, I try fooling myself and others by calling it by a different name: concern. The truth is, though, it is what it is. I’m worried. And if worrying is sin—and it is—then I’m sinning. As in right now.

I’ve prayed about the problem, and I know intellectually I can’t do anything to change the situation, but my stomach is all knotted up and I can’t stop thinking about it. So how do I turn off the brain? How do I turn off the worry?

This may come as a shock to you, but I’m not sure it’s always as simple as just turning my mind off. I mean, it’s not like there’s a switch or something. Sometimes I can pull it off, but if I’m all worked up, no matter how much I want to will it away worry can still haunt me like a ghost.

Can anybody identify?

It’s times like these that I feel utterly helpless, as if I’m not spiritual enough or mature enough. Aren’t I supposed to set the right example? As preacher boy, aren’t I supposed to be “Mr. Has-it-all-together?”

Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not perfect. In fact, I’m so flawed sometimes if you follow my example I might lead you off a cliff.  

The only thing left to do is throw myself at the mercy of the court. If the grace of God doesn’t cover me, then I’m in big trouble. If the Lord isn’t patient, merciful and forgiving, then I don’t stand a chance.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”1

Despite being a sinner—even as a I write this sentence—I believe the grace of God covers me and I’m forgiven despite my tendency to worry. And why? Because I have faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have full confidence in His sacrifice on the cross. And I believe the Bible when it says I’m forgiven, despite my being the king of sinners.

That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do everything in my power—and in the Spirit’s power—to eliminate worry from my life, but when I fall into sin God’s grace covers me.

That realization awes me. What does a holy, sinless and perfect God see in puny and sin-laden me? Why oh why does He forgive me? Why does He put up with me?

Why He loves me is beyond me. But I treasure it like nothing else. I treasure my heavenly Father who puts up with me. And I treasure my Savior who died for me.

“To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: ‘What gain is there in my destruction, In my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.’ You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.”2

1  Ephesians 2:8-10

2  Psalm 30:8-12

patience

I’m waiting for God to tell me what to write about today.

I asked for guidance and was sincere in my request. But there are cobwebs forming on the keyboard and the tick, tick, tick of the clock on the wall is beginning to tick me off, no pun intended.

Ever waited on God? Of course you have. Who hasn’t?

There could be any number of reasons why the Lord hasn’t provided me with a blog topic yet, but knowing my shortcomings as well as I do, I suppose it could have to do with patience. You see, I don’t have any.

Well, I guess I must have a little, otherwise my head would have burst by now and sprayed angry juice over everything.

In  meetings I want to strangle those who don’t get to the point. At the store I burn with anger when the line doesn’t go fast enough. And driving, oh my, driving is where my impatience spews out like lava out of a volcano.

In fact, this may surprise you, but in my experience everyone on the road is an idiot. Except for me, of course. And their mistakes? Well, I’ve never been guilty of committing them myself, at least not that I’d admit.

Ohhhhhhhh, crud. I think I’ve just stumbled upon a topic for today’s blog: Impatience and a short fuse.

Can you believe how sneaky God is? I never saw this coming. I just started writing and then…..this.

All right, fine, I guess I’ll go with it. Let me start with the obvious: I’m not like my heavenly Father. Unlike me He’s patient, and unlike me, He’s got a long fuse.

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”1

The above verses are talking about why the Lord hasn’t returned yet. And why hasn’t He? Because He’s “patient with” those on earth who haven’t repented of their sins yet. He’s putting up with them, hoping they’ll eventually make Jesus their Lord and Savior.

In my case, He waited patiently during 35 years of gross sin and unbelief before I finally came to my senses. He could have smited me any number of times, but didn’t. Unlike me, He kept His cool.

And so, here I am covered in sackcloth and ashes, guilty of impatience and a short temper. While I’ve had some fun with the topic, I recognize how destructive—and sinful—it is. And how destructive—and sinful—I can be.

So what about you? Are you impatient like me? Do you have anger problems like me?

If so, then you need to deal with it.  Like me, you need to confess it as sin and strive to be more like your heavenly Father.

Am I sorry now that I asked God for a blog topic? Yep. I’m guessing you are, too.

Yet, here we are. So let’s make the necessary life changes. And let’s be a little impatient about it, shall we?

1  2 Peter 3:8-9