RSS

Tag Archives: christianity

Psalm 119:129-136 (Pe)

07 Aug

Pe

129 Your laws are wonderful.
    No wonder I obey them!
130 The teaching of your word gives light,
    so even the simple can understand.
131 I pant with expectation,
    longing for your commands.
132 Come and show me your mercy,
    as you do for all who love your name.
133 Guide my steps by your word,
    so I will not be overcome by evil.
134 Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
    then I can obey your commandments.
135 Look upon me with love;
    teach me your decrees.
136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
    because people disobey your instructions.

Psalm 119:129-136

Dear God, I am at a point at work where I actually need to toughen up when it comes to “law.” Things have gotten a little loose over the summer in a couple of areas, and it’s time for me to have to tighten things up. And I am not a good tightener. But it has to be done. I’m just thinking about it here because of the laws you have for us. We get loose with them too. We drift. We assume you’re looking the other way. All the while, we are grieving you and we are grieving your Spirit. How do you correct us? What is the most constructive way for me to correct the staff this morning? With that said, let’s see what I might be able to get out of today’s verses.

  • 129 Your laws are wonderful. No wonder I obey them! – They really are wonderful. I really do need them. They really are good for me. Thank you for your love as exhibited through them. If you didn’t have them for us how would we know you care?
  • 130 The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. – The line about the “simple” seems a little mean, but the point is taken. The more I know from you the more I know of you. And as a simple man, the more I can understand. Help me to learn your word and help me to know how to teach your word when given the opportunity.
  • 131 I pant with expectation, longing for your commands. – There are some days I long for your commands and some days I don’t. This morning, frankly, I’m distracted by what I mentioned earlier. But I do get excited about learning from you sometimes. Help those moments to be longer and longer and more frequent.
  • 132 Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name. – Ah, your mercy. I long to receive it and I need to give it. And that goes for all kinds of people. Your mercy, Father, is what allows the world to move forward. The mercy you give us and the mercy we give to each other. Even the mercy we give to you when we are angry with you and then accept that your ways are not our ways. But thank you for showing me your mercy and teaching me to show it to others.
  • 133 Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. – I just want to walk in and be in your light. Let your word be a lamp unto my feet and light upon my path.
  • 134 Ransom me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey your commandments. – I can always obey your commands, whether I’m captive or not. Even if I am oppressed by evil people, give me your freedom of soul through my loyalty, devotion, and obedience to you.
  • 135 Look upon me with love; teach me your decrees. – Oh, I know you already look on me with love. And you are ready to teach me whenever I am ready to learn. Help me to be ready to learn, and thank you for looking upon me with love.
  • 136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions. – Does my heart break for those who don’t know you? Not enough. Help me to really care for those who don’t know you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 7, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:113-120 (Samekh)

05 Aug

Samekh

113 I hate those with divided loyalties,
    but I love your instructions.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
    your word is my source of hope.
115 Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
    for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
116 Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live!
    Do not let my hope be crushed.
117 Sustain me, and I will be rescued;
    then I will meditate continually on your decrees.
118 But you have rejected all who stray from your decrees.
    They are only fooling themselves.
119 You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
    no wonder I love to obey your laws!
120 I tremble in fear of you;
    I stand in awe of your regulations.

Psalm 119:113-120

Dear God, it feels like today he is drawing that line between himself (as righteous) and others he sees as unrighteous. My initial gut response was to look at this and criticize him for not having more mercy towards the others. I’m just most of those he deems as “evil-minded” or as having “divided loyalties” don’t wake up feeling like they are evil-minded or have divided loyalties. If they are lost, they probably don’t realize it. Don’t they need his love and not his condemnation?

But then I have two more thoughts. First, maybe I need to see these things either in myself or the people around me and address it. Would the psalmist consider me to have divided loyalties? Would I live up to his standard? Do any extent, would he be right about me if he thought that? Second, this is before Jesus revealed your nature to us in human form. Before he explicitly came and taught us. And Jesus did two interesting things. He raised the bar on sin so that even this psalmist would realize he doesn’t measure up (he uses the word “hate” in verse 113 to describe his feelings towards some people, which Jesus called out in the Sermon on the Mount). We have to be careful about calling on you to draw a line and smite people on one side of it because we never know where we might be in relation to that line. The other thing Jesus did, however, was offer this unbelievable grace that met us where we are and then told us to sin no more.

That was a long into for this passage. Let me look and see where there might be verse by verse.

  • 113 I hate those with divided loyalties, but I love your instructions. – Is there a part of me that needs to delineate and recognize others I need to at least be wary around? Is there a role you have for me to play in their lives to call them to yourself? Are there areas where my own loyalties are divided and I don’t realize it? Holy Spirit, work with me on this, I pray.
  • 114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. – How do I use you as my refuge and my shield? I think it is mainly resting in the knowledge that you are my God but my life is simply to serve you between now and my first death which will be followed by a second life that will know no death. What can man do to me? Help me to be above reproach on everything.
  • 115 Get out of my life, you evil-minded people, for I intend to obey the commands of my God. – I’m fortunate in that I don’t feel like there is anyone in my life who is trying to get me to not obey your commands. I mean, there are some people in the community who wish I would do some things I consider to be contrary to Jesus, and they want me to do them in your name, but they aren’t a regular part of my life.
  • 116 Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed. – I don’t know how the psalmist would define “living,” but I suspect our definitions are different. You are my God. My life is at your disposal. Show me how to live it today. My only hope is in you.
  • 117 Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will meditate continually on your decrees. – This, I can get behind–mostly. I don’t know what he means by rescued, but just being emotionally and spiritually sustained by you is enough. I don’t need to be physically sustained by you. I love that I am. I am grateful for the amazing things in my life. I am grateful for your love and provision. I am grateful for you. I guess I’m just trying to say that that’s not why I’m here. That’s not what I expect of you. But I am grateful for what I have. I really am.
  • 118 But you have rejected all who stray from your decrees. They are only fooling themselves. – When I think of putting names to those I consider to have strayed from your decrees, I know that if I were to tell them that they would be shocked and completely reject the idea they have strayed. In fact, they would probably think I have strayed. Maybe we are all fooling ourselves. Show me if I am fooling myself, Holy Spirit.
  • 119 You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum; no wonder I love to obey your laws! – Do you? Is this how you work? I think we all get skimmed off the earth about int he same way. Maybe we are all wicked. And I don’t know who is subject to the second death and who is not. I don’t know where the cut line is on that, but I know I hope my heart is what you’re looking for because I do love you.
  • 120 I tremble in fear of you; I stand in awe of your regulations. – Father, you are God. You have laid out a way of living that is so amazing. I am sorry so many of us, including me at times, reject it for our own selfishness. The irony is that allowing our selfishness to abandon your regulations is actually not in our self-interest. We are such fools! I am such a fool!

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 5, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Revelation 2

03 Aug

The Message to the Church in Ephesus

2 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

The Message to the Church in Smyrna

8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

The Message to the Church in Pergamum

12 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:

13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

14 “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15 In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

The Message to the Church in Thyatira

18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:

19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.

22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,

To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod
    and smash them like clay pots.

28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Revelation 2

Dear God, I’ll be teaching a Sunday school lesson at a local church this morning on these letters. Frankly, studying them closely has been a good reminder to me that you don’t just look the other way at our sin. You bring us to yourself. You call us to yourself. You offer forgiveness. But then you still command us to go and sin no more. You tell us, “You have heard it said…, but I say…,” raising the bar to a level that is uncomfortable for even the most self-righteous person. So this morning we will talk about not loving you enough, not loving others enough, and making compromises with sin. We will talk about how doing all of the right things and even being faithful in the midst of persecution is a problem if our hearts are still not discerning and allowing you to examine us for sin we’ve allowed to infiltrate our lives. Sin I’ve allowed to infiltrate my life.

So here is my lesson for this morning that you and I worked on yesterday (at least I hope you were part of it–I think you were):

The Set-Up

  • John was on Patmos in exile for preaching about Jesus.
  • Jesus appears to him and identifies himself.
  • Jesus tells him to write everything he sees down and send it to the 7 churches in Asia

The Church at Ephesus

About the city itself:

  • Important trade city.
  • Beautiful city with many temples
    • Temple to Artemis, one of seven wonders of ancient world
      • Artemis was goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity
    • Also had amphitheater that held 45,000
  • Visited by Paul, Timoth, Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos.
    • Some traditions say Apostle John lived there in old age.

How does Jesus describe the Ephesians:

  • The Good
    • Hard working
      • What kind of work is Jesus referring to?
    • Patient endurance
      • What were they patiently enduring?
    • Rejection of evil people
      • What would an evil person look like for them to reject?
      • What would rejection look like?
    • Discerning who is a false apostle and rejecting
      • How do you identify a false apostle (Christian)?
    • Patiently suffering for Jesus
      • What do you think their suffering looked like?
  • The Bad
    • Don’t love (agape) God/Jesus/Holy Spirit like they used to?
      • Agape, Eros, Phileo, & Storge
        • Agape (ἀγάπη): This refers to unconditional, selfless love, often associated with divine love or charity. 
        • ·         Eros (ἔρως): This describes passionate, romantic love, often involving physical attraction and desire. 
        • ·         Philia (φιλία): This denotes the love between friends, characterized by affection, loyalty, and shared experiences. 
        • Storge (στοργή): This refers to the love between family members, particularly between parents and children, highlighting natural affection and bond. 
      • What does agape love for God look like in this case?
    • Don’t love (agape) each other like they used to?
      • What does agape love for each other mean or look like in this case?

How do you think “The Bad” happened?

  • How does one or a collective group lose their agape love for God and others?
  • What does it look like when a person or group of people look like the church in Ephesus?
    • Quoting Earl Palmer: In this way the love of God had become for the Ephesians a theoretical starting fact, one of the sentences on the menu, but not the very daily bread by which they were even alive in the first place and through which they would continue to stay alive. This was a spiritual illness that haunted Ephesus, and until this letter arrived, it was an illness of which they were probably unaware.
  • Selfishness creeps in: It seems like when selfishness creeps in we just don’t have the capacity to love God and love those around us like we should, or even at all. We start getting concerned about our rights. Then we eventually start to fight for ourselves instead of for others. We stop sacrificing for others and start to expect others to sacrifice for us.
  • What other areas of our lives does this pattern of losing our agape for others play out?
    • How do we keep that from happening?

Hope for repentance:

  • Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
    • “Victorious” is repentance.

The Church at Smyrna

About the city itself:

  • Wealthy city 40 miles north of Ephesus
  • Temples to different Greek and Roman gods, including Zeus and the “goddess of Rome.”

How does Jesus describe the church in Smyrna:

  • The Good
    • They faithfully suffer through persecution and poverty
      • Their poverty might be, at least partially, due to persecution
      • Poverty can be especially difficult in a wealthy environment
      • They might be persecuted because of denouncing worship of other gods or the emperor in Rome
  • The Bad
    • None

Jesus’s encouragement to them

  • Not much material hope for this present world
    • No promises of wealth
    • No promises of physically surviving
  • Promise of not being harmed by the “second death.”
    • Acknowledges the existence of Satan (verse 9) and/or the devil (verse 10)
    • Satan/devil does not have ultimate power.

Hope for repentance:

  • Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
  • Earl Palmer: As a Christian I am able to face up to tragedy as tragedy and not artificially to assume the stnce that it has somehow not really happened. It means that there are bad experiences and events that happen to us and because of us. These events are negative and harmful. They are like jagged rocks that scar the landscape of our life’s journey. But the discovery we make in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that they very landscape uon which the angry outcroppings stand is surrounded by a larger grace and will so that life can go on. The field will grow see and bear healthy crops because the power of God’s gift of life is greater than the deadening effects of either human sin or cosmic evil. This is the reason we do not lose hope; this is also the reason we are enabled to call a jagged rock a jagged rock. “I will give you the crown of life (verse 10).”

Rebuking the cultism of fear:

  • We do not need the world’s power to stand up to dangers of this age.
  • Jesus gave us four tools and four tools only to impact the world around us:
    • Prayer, service, persuasion, and suffering.

The Church at Pergamum (Pergamos)

About the city itself:

  • 45 miles north of Smyrna
  • Was the Roman capital for the area (133 B.C.) (throne of Satan acknowledges its role as capital for the region)
  • Center of emperor worship in the Roman world.
  • Many impressive temples to Asklepios, Zeus, Athena, Nikephoids, Dionysus, and others.

How does Jesus describe the church at Pergamum:

  • The Good
    • Faithful in the face of persecution
      • Antipas martyred
    • Do not deny being followers of Jesus
  • The Bad
    • Eat food sacrificed to idols
      • 1 Corinthians 8:4-13
    • Sexual immorality
      • What do we make of the “sexual immorality” Jesus refers to here?

How do you think “The Bad” happened?

  • Allowed outside influence.
  • Gave into the temptation of something they already wanted.

Hope for repentance:

  • Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
    • How do we examine our own hearts and discern what sins we have allowed into our lives?
    • The manna is the good food we need as opposed to the junk food we have selfishly pursued
    • Earl Palmer: The white stone was a symbol in the Roman world used in legal trials, academic grading systems, and at athletic games…The point is dramatically symbolized for the Christians at Pergamum. Their drift into sinfulness does not need to be the last word for either themselves or for others. In spite of the harm that has happened, there can be healing—a new identity to fulfill the identity distorted by sin; healthy food from God who knows of the human need to be fed and healed, and made whole.

The Church at Thyatira

About the city itself:

  • 30 miles inland (east) of Pergamum.
  • Outpost to protect the trade road between Pergamum and Sardis.
  • More trade guilds than any other Asian city (Sir William Ramsey).
    • In the biblical context, a trade guild was a group of individuals practicing the same craft or profession, organized for mutual protection, social, and religious benefits. These guilds were less like modern labor unions and more like fraternal orders, focused on regulating trade, ensuring quality, and providing social support for their members. 
    • Big temptation to give into religious views of trade guild in order to be able to commercially participate and survive.

How does Jesus describe the church at Thyatira

  • The Good
    • Love
    • Faith
    • Service
    • Patient endurance
  • The Bad
    • Focused around one person and her influence: Jezebel
      • She is leading the people in the same type of sins described for Pergamum
        • Sexual sin
        • Eating food offered to idols.

How do you think “The Bad” happened?

  • Why did some follow Jezebel
    • Gave into the temptation of something they already wanted.
  • Who are people who have the opportunity to be Jezebels in our lives?

Explicit promises for both good and bad groups

  • Jezebel and her followers
    • Great suffering for Jezebel and those who follow her
    • Jezebel’s children will die
    • Each will get what they deserve
  • Those who repent and/or remain faithful and do not follow Jezebel
    • No further suffering will happen beyond what they have already endured.
    • They will get authority over all the nations

This one closes differently than the first three letters.

  • Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Father, I want this to be a time of real self-examination and repentance. I’ll do the other three letters next week, and then we will see how to tie it all together. For right now, however, I just want us to sit with these four churches and the Holy Spirit and ask that our hearts be examined. Convict us where we need to be convicted. Comfort us where we need to be comforted. Teach us through your Holy Spirit and through each other.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 3, 2025 in Revelation

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh)

01 Aug

Lamedh

89 Your eternal word, O Lord,
    stands firm in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
    as enduring as the earth you created.
91 Your regulations remain true to this day,
    for everything serves your plans.
92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy,
    I would have died in my misery.
93 I will never forget your commandments,
    for by them you give me life.
94 I am yours; rescue me!
    For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.
95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me,
    I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.
96 Even perfection has its limits,
    but your commands have no limit.

Psalm 119:89-96

Dear God, this psalmist is working so hard for your approval. He is working so hard for your protection. I just want to give him a hug and tell him about your love for him. I want to tell him about grace and mercy. I want to tell him the story about the rich young ruler and how Jesus loved him. If he had been a contemporary of Paul’s and read some of his epistles, how would this psalm have been different?

I’m not saying we don’t need to be mindful of your commands. We do! But it’s like I heard someone say about the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount one time. They said we don’t get your favor by obeying what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. We obey what Jesus taught by worshipping and loving you and receiving your mercy and grace.

I also heard someone recently talk about how we need mercy because of the fall, but grace is something you were giving to Adam and Eve even before the fall. You grace us with your presence and your love. That is just something that happens because you love us so much. What a lovely thought.

With that said, let’s look at the Lamedh section of Psalm 119.

  • 89 Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. – While everything around me might look confusing or crazy, nothing on your side of reality is in doubt. This is a great a deep verse. There is a depth of truth to is that is awesome. We were listening to the Bible Project Podcast yesterday, and the teacher was talking about John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, and all sorts of other gospel characters misunderstanding why John and Jesus had come. They thought it was time for redemption from Rome, not from their sin. None of us have much clue what is going on in real time. But you, O Lord, and your eternal word stand firm in heaven.
  • 90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created. – As I said earlier, your love for us is remarkable. Not only mercy. Not only grace. But then when we are bad to you, you are still faithful to us. Amazing. Humbling. Awesome.
  • 91 Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves your plans. – There are some days when I simply cannot see how everything serves your plans. Again, I have no more perspective than Zechariah or Peter had in their time. Probably much less. Okay, definitely much less. So it can be hard for me to see everything serving your plans, but I can at least appreciate how you can take everything and redeem it for your glory. As for what your plan is for the world or in all of this, I simply have no idea.
  • 92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. – Death even in living. I’ve seen some who are like that. Help me to be a source of your life to those around me.
  • 93 I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life. – My life comes through you. These prayer times aren’t my only touchpoint with following you, but they are an important part of it. And I didn’t particularly want to do this prayer journal this morning. But I know it’s part of my foundation that I need to 1.) connect to you and 2.) learn from you. Your commandments give me life.
  • 94 I am yours; rescue me! For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments. – I am going to reject the second half of this verse. I have no justification for you to rescue me or love me except that you chose to offer it to me through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling after Jesus’s ascension. But I will gladly label myself as yours. Rescue me, Father.
  • 95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind on your laws. – One of the things Satan would love is for me to get distracted from you by the hate or selfishness in my heart. I talked with a friend recently who had a lapse in his addiction. I told him that the times I find myself being most tempted by sin are the times when I am feeling sorry for myself. My selfishness. My rights. That includes the right to defend myself to others. But I reject that and pledge to keep my mind on you and your laws.
  • 96 Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit. – What an interesting verse. Your limits are beyond my limits. I am limited. You are limitless. So I humbly bring myself to you and ask for your mercy.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on August 1, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:57-64 (Heth)

28 Jul

Heth

57 Lord, you are mine!
    I promise to obey your words!
58 With all my heart I want your blessings.
    Be merciful as you promised.
59 I pondered the direction of my life,
    and I turned to follow your laws.
60 I will hurry, without delay,
    to obey your commands.
61 Evil people try to drag me into sin,
    but I am firmly anchored to your instructions.
62 I rise at midnight to thank you
    for your just regulations.
63 I am a friend to anyone who fears you—
    anyone who obeys your commandments.
64 O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth;
    teach me your decrees.

Psalm 119:57-64

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, my first thought was of Samuel and Saul and Samuel telling Saul that obeying you is better than sacrificing to you. Now, in that case, I think Samuel was really making a point because he knew that a sacrifice was in order, but it wasn’t the time for the sacrifice. No, obedience would have been better for Saul.

So when I read this passage this morning, I thought of obeying and how important it is. Your mercy is, unfortunately, necessary because there are too many times I do not obey, but that doesn’t mean I should strive for obedience. And it’s even for my good.

My wife and I were talking over breakfast about how neither of us when through a “party phase” in high school or college. Part of mine was because my dad was a recovering alcoholic and I thought it was best not to drink, but I also didn’t want to break the rules. That was part of my survival mechanism in high school. And, frankly, it didn’t really appeal to me. But I can say that obeying those rules and not getting drunk with my friends was advantageous. I don’t think any of us look back on the great time we had in high school hanging out together without alcohol with any regrets. I’m grateful for it.

With all of that said, let’s make our way through “Heth” and see what’s what.

  • 57 Lord, you are mine! I promise to obey your words! – What a wonderful expression of love. “You are mine!” Oh, thank you that you are mine. My wife and I have this joke from the movie Groundhog Day when one character won a date with another character at a charity auction and when they are still together the next day, the person who was auctioned off asks the bidder why they are still there. She replies, “I bought you. I own you.” This is said lovingly as a joke. It’s very sweet. My wife and I use that line on each other often. Well, you really did buy me, and I have sold myself gladly over to you. And now I am yours and you are mine.
  • 58 With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised. – The definition of blessings is interesting. I think it’s important to realize that the blessings I want are not material. The blessing I want is your love, your grace and mercy, and your use of me and my little life in any way you see fit.
  • 59 I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. – I really like this verse. This might be my favorite line of this whole psalm so far. It will preach. I like the idea of deeply considering and evaluating my life and then embracing you and your laws. Yes! I’m in. I made that decision a long time ago, but the zeal and fervor of it ebbs and flows here and there. I pray for more flow than ebb.
  • 60 I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands. – Yes. Without delay. Not, “I’ll start tomorrow.” Now!
  • 61 Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your instructions. – I’m trying to think of the sin that tempts me the most. Probably self-pity. Thinking I have rights to things that I don’t really have and then deciding I need to fight for those rights. I think of Saul feeling sorry for himself instead of embracing whatever your plan is. Help me to stay anchored to you and everything you continue to teach me.
  • 62 I rise at midnight to thank you for your just regulations. – My first thought here was, “Well, let’s not go crazy here.” I like being asleep at midnight. But I do need to just thank you more often. I was reminded of that in a sermon I listened to yesterday. I need to be more intentional about thanking you.
  • 63 I am a friend to anyone who fears you—anyone who obeys your commandments. – I’ve found myself being more skeptical of self-professed Christians lately. But when I find someone I believe genuinely worships you and submits themselves to your instruction and correction then I am all in with them.
  • 64 O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth; teach me your decrees. – With that said, I still have a lot to learn about submitting myself to you and your correction and instruction. Teach me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 28, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Michael W. Smith Worship

20 Jul

Dear God, I wanted to just have some Christian music playing while I got ready for church this morning, so I got on YouTube and started looking through the music section. I happened upon this concert by Michael W. Smith in Canada in 2002. I remember when this album came out. It was so successful they did a volume 2 of it. And I really liked it.

It’s funny how judgmental I can be, like I’m all that or I have it all figured out. I’m so sorry. My first response when I saw it this morning was to react negatively to all of the overproduction. Yuck. But then the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Exactly what is your problem? There is an arena of people, thousands of people, earnestly worshipping me as best as they know how. Just how you worship me as best you know how. Their worship isn’t perfect. Your worship isn’t perfect. But all of it delights me. It is a sweet fragrance to me.” So I sank into it and came in and out of my worship as I ironed my shirt, shaved, and just got ready for church. It was a good experience. And I appreciate Michael. I think he’s a good, earnest man. I think he’s a lover and worshipper of you. He’s also a brilliant musician–especially as a pianist. And his notoriety led others to join him that evening 23 years ago to worship you.

Father, I know my worship is flawed. I know my prayer life is flawed. I’d like to think I know just how inadequate I am before you, but I still think I oversell myself and undersell you. But you smile at me. You have mercy on me. You ask me to love you, which I do. You ask me to love others and have mercy on them, which I try to do. I just want to be who you need me to be today. Walk with me, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 20, 2025 in Hymns and Songs

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Romans 1:16-17

17 Jul

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 1:16-17

Dear God, it is so easy for us to make the “Good News” so complicated. I think the tendency of the modern American Christian is to say it is that we get to go to heaven and escape hell. But that’s not what you’re offering. You are just inviting us to use you for our benefit. The Good News tells us that faith in Jesus and everything he taught makes us right in your eyes. And following Jesus in faith and being right in your eyes brings us life. It’s right there. And on the other side of the veil, eternity with you is our destiny, and that’s great. And I don’t know what they cut line for eternity with you is.

I don’t know where you draw those lines. But I know that what you’re offering me and all of us is life now. If I ignore you and just walk through my life as best as I can in my own power then I don’t know what will happen to my soul. Jesus was a little vague on how you’ll decide those things. He said in Matthew 25:31-46 that some of us who claim to know you don’t know you, and some who didn’t realize they were loving you were loving you all along by loving the least of these.

Father, help me to be absolutely loving to everyone today. Help me to see every interaction with everyone who crosses my path as an opportunity to love. Give me ears to hear. Give me eyes to see. Help me to be slow to speak and quick to listen. Help me to be curious and not judgmental. Help me to offer you to those who need you. Help me to recognize those you are calling me to serve. Help me to be wise, shrewd, and discerning. Holy Spirit, speak to me today. Help me to hear you and your counsel. Give me the life Jesus promised and Paul offered.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 17, 2025 in Romans

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Colossians 2:8-10

16 Jul

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Colossians 2:8-10

Dear God, I was listening to the Geoff Moore and the Distance song “Tell Me Again” this morning while I was getting ready for work, and it was talking about some of the Bible stories from the Old Testament that I love so much, and I got to thinking about Daniel and then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Are these the most flawlessly-portrayed Bible characters? Okay, now that I think about it, there are a lot of Bible characters for whom we don’t really get to see their weaknesses. Isaiah. Even Paul after he’s converted on the road to Damascus seems pretty perfect. But all those guys from Genesis all the way through 2 Kings are pretty flawed. But when you get into the exile and you look at Daniel and the other three and how they worshipped and loved you through difficult times, even up to the threat of death, is really impressive.

But I know that I know that I know that if I were to tell any one of those four men that I perceived them to be as good and holy of people as there are in the Bible they would roll their eyes, laugh, and tell me just how flawed they were. They weren’t even close to being who they were designed to be. I just didn’t get those stories. In some way, I just get the Facebook version of their lives. The highlights. The greatest hits. And if someone were to see my greatest hits only then it would look pretty cool too. But there is a lot of crud that fills in between those highlights. And that’s okay in the sense that I don’t have to be perfect or even better than David to be good enough for you. In fact, the more time I spent with David the last few months working with the men from Christian Men’s Life Skills the more I learned that there really wasn’t that much about him I found honorable. He lied a lot. He killed a lot. But I think what made him different is that he leaned into you in his failings. He prayed. He sang and wrote psalms/poetry. And he didn’t take shortcuts to the throne. He waited on you. Ironically, I think he had my problem in that he seemed to have a problem with confrontation. He didn’t confront Amnon when he raped Tamar. He didn’t confront Absalom when he killed Amnon. He didn’t confront Joab when he killed Abner. He just kind of let things fester and left some of the confronting (and killing) to Solomon to do later. In fact, now that I think about it, Solomon is different because he wanted peace on all sides on a macro level, but he didn’t mind confronting individuals in front of him.

All of that is to say that this passage by Paul makes it clear that Jesus was different. He wasn’t a good man. He wasn’t a good teacher. He was you incarnate. He was you in the flesh. And somehow, through this reconciliation with you through Jesus, there is this piece of my nature, the core of me, that is whole. While I’m still here in the current earth, I will make mistakes. I will hurt people. I fill frustrate you and grieve you sometimes. But I also walk with this newness about me that, the more I allow it to, exudes your fruit. On a scale of 1-10, I might be a 3, but at least tomorrow I have a chance to be a 3.0001. Just a little more every day.

Father, thank you that you love me through all of this. Thank you that I can be sure that Daniel et. al. were just as flawed as I am. They had amazing faith in their best moments, but I am sure they also had their moments like Elijah where they were calling down fire and being powerful in your name in one moment and then hiding in caves from the king in the next. As a flawed man, I am in good company. Thank you for Jesus. Now, help me to take the mercy you have for me and give it generously to those around me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 16, 2025 in Colossians

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

James 1:19-21

15 Jul

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

James 1:19-21

Dear God, be curious, not judgmental. Oh, how I have gotten myself in trouble when I’ve been quick to speak and slow to listen. I can think of some instances at work where I got my dander up (how old does that phrase make me sound?) and decided I was going to make a point and be tough. Almost always–every time–it has backfired on me. I’ve almost always regretted it because I learned something on the back end that made me realize there was more to the story.

Which leads me to the first words I typed here. Be curious, not judgmental. Very few people wake up each day thinking they are going to be selfish and mean to others. There are some people like that out there, but they are 1 out of 100. The other 99, even though what they do might be offensive or mean, think they are doing the right thing. So maybe instead of judging them I should get to know them and understand why they think what they think or do what they do. Maybe I can help them. Or maybe I’m the one who is wrong and they can help me.

Then there is the second part of this paragraph. Get rid of all of the filth in our lives. I can see things that flash in front of me that tempt me. I can feel it happening in real time. I can feel my thoughts want to drift to places of self pity, selfishness, lust, or judgment. The more I can remove the outside stimuli from my life that help plant these weeds in my field the better off I will be.

Father, this is a new day, and I have to make a renewed commitment to following you. So I offer my life to you. I offer my decisions to you. Love through me. Live through me. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven through me. Bless those around me. Heal the sick–physically and emotionally. Care for those who are suffering. Comfort those who are mourning. Strengthen those who are helping. Be God over in Kerrville right now. Be with those people over there who are digging, discovering, and doing an incredible heroes work.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 15, 2025 in James

 

Tags: , , , ,

John 15:1-2

14 Jul

15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 

John 15:1-2

Dear God, tonight I am teaching on the Parable of the Sower out of Matthew 13, but it’s really something how many agricultural comparisons you made to our relationship with you through your presence in the world as Jesus. In this example, Jesus is our source of your presence in us. He is you and he is our connection to you. And honestly, it doesn’t make sense that you wouldn’t prune off the bad branches. If the new earth was full of people who had no regard for you or goodness in general, how would it be any different than this world?

And what of the pruning? I have a redbud tree in my backyard that we planted from a six-inch sapling. now, it is the tallest redbud tree I’ve every seen. In eight years, my wife has specifically watered it just about every day, and I have pruned it to give it a canopy tall enough for me to walk under. That seems to have pushed it taller and taller. I would guess it is about 20 feet tall now. I don’t know what it would look like if I’d just let it grow with no pruning, but it looks terrific now.

What would I look like if you didn’t prune me. If I just went off in every direction trying to represent you, worship you, and love you, but also having all of this dead stuff hanging onto me. All of this stuff that wasn’t a productive use of my time and energy. Also, the stuff that got knocked off because it was part of the sin I was holding onto and you knew I needed to be humbled and lean into you more.

Father, this is a great analogy. And I am grateful for how you are forming me. I am not there yet. I am not the man I want to be. I am not the man you know I can be. And I still have pain. Please help to make this pain in my life count for my formation and your glory in this world. I have two friends who have lost fathers this week. Please be with each of these women. Love them. Comfort them. Comfort them through their husbands, families, and friends. But comfort them through your Holy Spirit too. I know both of them are earnest worshippers of you. Help them through this pain. And I want to specifically lift up to you a couple that is precious to me that is going through a difficult time with a child. Oh, Father, be merciful. Help them to navigate this difficult path. Show them your love for them. Give them your peace. Give their child your peace. Use this pain to prune and not cast out. Make it count. Be powerful. Be healing. And use it to bring others into your presence as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 14, 2025 in John

 

Tags: , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →