Read: Psalm 6
There are many times in life when we suffer from physical illness and spiritual apathy. The Lord often uses these times to speak to our hearts if we are willing to listen.
The Psalmist was sick and felt that his sickness was a consequence of his sin. This type of thinking is called retributive justice. Retributive justice is when one receives what they deserve. However, retributive justice is not Biblical. God called Job blameless and upright (Job 1:8). Why would God allow evil to be inflicted by Satan on a blameless and upright man? Retributive justice means Job did not deserve the evil God allowed. However, Job’s perseverance through a time of trial led to a double blessing from God. This is not to say that we will all receive a double blessing from God when we persevere through trials, but God does bless perseverance.
James says to “consider it pure joy” when we “face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-4). Perseverance leads to maturity. When we persevere through trials we are blessed with a deeper mature faith and relationship with Christ.
The Psalmist recognized that in spite of his sickness he must continue to praise the Lord. He cries for God’s mercy to deliver him. In verse five he pleads for his life so that he might continue to praise the Lord. “Who praises you from the grave (Psalm 6:5)?”
In spite of sickness and in spite of trials we must continue to persevere and praise God. He is worthy of all our praise. In our trials we should cry out to God, like the Psalmist, because God desires that communion relationship with his children.
A favorite song of mine is, If You Want Me To, by Jenny Owens. I believe it has one of the best lyrics of any song I have heard. Read the words below. I pray it blesses you as it has blessed me. I will also post a link to the song so that you may listen while you read.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMKp4g_ZrGk
If You Want Me To
The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to
Chorus:
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering that Your love put You through
And I will walk through the darkness
If You want me to
’Cause when I cross over Jordan
Gonna sing, gonna shout,
Gonna look into Your eyes and see You never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to You
And I will walk though the valley
If You want me to
Yes, I will walk through the valley
If You want me to
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Touchy Subject
Read: Psalm 5
The Psalms are awesome. They are full of truth and inspiration. Psalm 5, however, opens a can of worms on a touchy subject. The subject of sin has become a touchy subject within our culture. Our culture would have people embrace relativism and pluralism. Postmodern culture would have us to believe that man is morally good. What may be bad for one is good for the other (relativism). Culture would also have everyone embrace all religions as leading to the same God (pluralism). Absolutes have faded and given way to an array of theoretical propositions.
When man fails to recognize that they are depraved of any goodness apart from God, arrogance settles within their hearts. We must all be careful to not fall to the sin of arrogance. Psalm 5:5 tells us that the arrogant cannot stand in God’s presence, and God hates all who do wrong. Before we get upset with the word hate (because it confuses our Sunday school version of God), let’s look at the original translation of the word. Hate in this context is the Hebrew word Sane which means to be an enemy. In other words, God is an enemy to all who do wrong. God still loves His enemies, but He cannot be an ally to the ones who oppose Him.
Comfort can be found in verses seven and following. We read that God grants mercy to those who revere Him and desire a worship relationship with Him.
It’s a touchy subject, but we are all sinful (Romans 3:23). It is only by God’s grace and mercy that we are allowed to be one of His children and worship in His presence (Ephesians 2:8). We must all repent of our sins (Acts 2:38) so that we can worship and bask in the presence of an almighty God. Let me encourage you to remain humble and continue to live a life that is a continual sacrifice of praise to God (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15).
Questions:
Are you an enemy of Christ, or are you part of the Lord’s army?
The Psalms are awesome. They are full of truth and inspiration. Psalm 5, however, opens a can of worms on a touchy subject. The subject of sin has become a touchy subject within our culture. Our culture would have people embrace relativism and pluralism. Postmodern culture would have us to believe that man is morally good. What may be bad for one is good for the other (relativism). Culture would also have everyone embrace all religions as leading to the same God (pluralism). Absolutes have faded and given way to an array of theoretical propositions.
When man fails to recognize that they are depraved of any goodness apart from God, arrogance settles within their hearts. We must all be careful to not fall to the sin of arrogance. Psalm 5:5 tells us that the arrogant cannot stand in God’s presence, and God hates all who do wrong. Before we get upset with the word hate (because it confuses our Sunday school version of God), let’s look at the original translation of the word. Hate in this context is the Hebrew word Sane which means to be an enemy. In other words, God is an enemy to all who do wrong. God still loves His enemies, but He cannot be an ally to the ones who oppose Him.
Comfort can be found in verses seven and following. We read that God grants mercy to those who revere Him and desire a worship relationship with Him.
It’s a touchy subject, but we are all sinful (Romans 3:23). It is only by God’s grace and mercy that we are allowed to be one of His children and worship in His presence (Ephesians 2:8). We must all repent of our sins (Acts 2:38) so that we can worship and bask in the presence of an almighty God. Let me encourage you to remain humble and continue to live a life that is a continual sacrifice of praise to God (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15).
Questions:
Are you an enemy of Christ, or are you part of the Lord’s army?
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