Psalm 17

Today I was reading a short commentary on Psalm 17. It is written by one of my favorite authors, Warren Wiersbe. Dr. Wiersbe is the author of the "Be" series; commentaries on several books of the Bible. He presently lives in Lincoln, Nebraska where he is still writing.

Psalm 17 is one of the many psalms written by King David. Dr. Wiersbe says the psalm can be summarized in three words: "hear me, hold me, and hide me." It is the last of those that I want to center my thoughts. David writes in Psalm 17:8: "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."

A shadow is not very good protection. It does provide some shade on a hot summer's day, but it doesn't provide protection. But notice that David doesn't ask for any shadow, for he says: "hide me in the shadow of your wings." These are not just any wings, it is the shadow of God's wings; on that you can depend.

Dr. Wiersbe says that these wings were the wings of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies. David was saying, "I'm coming into the Holy of Holies. I'm coming to the very throne of God. Please hide me and hold me and hear me."

The image that David is using is the image of a bird, who provides shelter and protection under it's wing for it's young. Wiersbe says: "God's protection has far greater purposes than helping us avoid pain; it is to make us better servants for Him. God also protects us by guiding us through painful circumstances, not only by helping us escape them."

Deuteronomy 32:27 says: "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasing arms."

David concludes the psalm in verse 15 by saying: "And I - in righteousness I will see Your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing Your likeness." David found protection and provision for his every need in the "shadow" of God's "wings." That protection and provision came in the presence of the "eternal God," in the Holy of Holies.

Of the World

I have begun reading a new book. I try to always find something to blog about when I'm reading. The new book is: "Comeback Churches -How 300 churches turned around and yours can too."

In the first chapter of the book, while the authors are trying to lay the foundation, I read this sentence. "It's ironic that most evangelical churches are filled with people who live very much like the world but look different from it. It should be exactly the opposite. We should look similar to those in our community but act differently."

Those lines immediately struck a chord with me. I stopped reading further and reread those lines. The authors go on to comment that our church members "engage in the same lifestyles and sins as the unchurched." The church today has ceased to follow biblical commands.

We can't tell the difference between the churched and the unchurched, so how are we as the church supposed to be able to reach the unchurched? The Bible says that we are to be "peculiar" people. We are to live differently so the unchurched can see the difference Christ has made in our lives. When our lifestyles are the same as the unchurched then Christ can't be seen.

Is it any wonder why our churches are not growing? How can the church reach the unchurched when the church acts like the unchurched? She can't!

Evangelical churches need to become just that - 'evangelical.' The world needs to see that we live and act differently; then and only then will they be able to see Jesus and the change that He can make in their lives.

Wedding

I survived! That is my response to the weekend. For those who don't know, Megan and Clay tied the knot this past weekend. What a interesting and stressful time it has been in the past several months. I have tried to keep my mouth shut, which has been a very difficult thing to do. Needless to say, it has been stressful around the house.

The wedding and the reception were beautiful, if I must say so myself. I can say that because I had so little to do with it. The only thing I had to do was show up at the wedding and keep my mouth shut. Everthing went off without a hitch.

One of the good things about the wedding was being able to visit with family and friends that we don't get to see often. I was able to visit with some friends that we haven't seen in several years. One of those was my old roommate from college days. I was able to visit with him, his wife, one of his daughters and his niece. Even though it was a short visit, we enjoyed the time.

It was also good to visit with some former church members who have moved to other places. It was good to see some of these former members. We have lost touch with some of them, so the short visit was good. All of these former members are educators who have moved on to bigger and better things.

On a personal note, I must confess that my daughter was a beautiful bride. I already knew what a pretty girl, now young lady, she is, but to be able to walk such a beautiful bride down the aisle was an honor. I also made it though most of the weekend without too many tears.

I also must confess that when I received a text message from her on Father's Day, it brought tears to my eyes. Just knowing that she took time between flights to send me a text, made Father's Day very special. I also got to spend some time with my son Sunday afternoon. Just driving to and from Austin was a special couple of hours with my son.

I am a fortunate man to be able to have two such great children. My wife and I are trully blessed by God.

Friend of God

Jesus, a day before He was to be crucified, met with His disciples. The Gospel of John records those moments in John 14 - 17. It is in that context, following Jesus' teaching about the vine and the branches, where Jesus says: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Those are amazing words from our Savior. He changed the relationship with the disciples in that special moment.

Henry Blackaby says: "You did not choose to be a friend of God. This is by invitation only. Only two people in the Old Testament are referred to as being a "friend of God." Abraham walked with God to the extent that God referred to him as His friend (Isaiah 41:8). Moses spoke to God face to face as a man speaks with a friend (Exodus 33:11)."

Phillips, Craig and Dean have recorded a song, "Friend of God," written by Israel Houghton.
The song says:

Who am I that You are mindful of me?
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How You love me
It’s amazing

Chorus:
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend

What we need is to have such a special friendship with God - one that is totally devoted to Him - and that we have such an intimate relationship with the Almighty, that God would call us His friend. If you cannot describe yourself as a friend of God, commit yourself to seek after God with all your heart.

Mabel

I have just started reading a new book titled, "The Life You've Always Wanted," by John Ortberg. Ortberg is the Senior Pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA. The subtitle of the book is: "Spiritual Growth for Ordinary People."
In the book Ortberg relates a story from a friend of his. This friend was visiting a nursing home speaking to some of the residents. While moving from wheelchair to wheelchair he met Mabel. He spoke to her and offered her a flower and said: "Happy Mother's Day!" Mabel's response surprised him. She said, "May I give it away?" The man rolled Mabel over to another group of wheelchairs where she proceeded to give the flower to a lady and said, "This is from Jesus."
The man, moved by Mabel's response, began to visit with her two or three times a week. He learned that Mabel was blind, nearly deaf, had cancer that had caused her mouth to droop due to what the cancer had done to her face. He learned that she had been in the nursing home for 25 years, shortly after she had become blind.
Mabel lived on a farm with her Mom. After her Mother passed away, Mabel continued to take care of the farm. But when she became blind she, and unable to care for the farm any longer, she moved into the nursing home. He also learned that she had few visitors, lived in a room with other ladies that were in worst shape than she. The other ladies in Mabel's room, moaned and groaned most the day, every day. But Mabel never complained.
While reading the Bible to her, he would pause while reading, but she would continue to speak the passage by memory. He asked her one day about her life and her response was: "Jesus is all the world to me." Mabel began to sing:

"Jesus is all the world to me, My life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day,

Without Him I would fall;

When I am sad, to Him I go; No other one can cheer me so;

When I am sad, He makes me glad; He's my friend."

I began to think: here is a lady, obviously afflicted with pain and physical problems who had found her contentment in Christ. Mabel had discovered what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." She was content because she had been transformed by her Savior. Nothing in life mattered to her but Jesus.

That reminded me of a man in Jena, LA where I served for 12 years. He lived alone when he suffered a stroke. He laid in his house for a day or two unable to reach anyone, or they reach him. He stayed in the hospital for weeks until they moved him to the nursing home. Every time I visited with him - he couldn't communicate with you - he would just babble. But I noticed something. When we would sing an old hymn he would sing along with us. He knew every word. He couldn't communicate with anyone - but he could still sing about his faith in God.

We might not have understood him, but in his head he do what he was saying and singing.
We need to be like Mabel and others like her who can sing:

"Jesus is all the world to me,

My life, my joy, my all."

C.S. Lewis

I came across an interesting quote from C.S. Lewis. This quote comes from his last sermon, titled "A Slip of the Tongue." Lewis says: "Our temptation is to look eagerly for the minimum that will be accepted. We are in fact very like honest but reluctant taxpayers. We approve of an income tax in principle. We make our returns truthfully. But we dread a rise in the tax. We are very careful to pay no more than is necessary. And we hope - we very ardently hope - that after we have paid it there will still be enough left to live on."
Later Lewis adds these words: "It is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is ourselves. For each of us the Baptist's (John the Baptist) words are true: 'He must increase and I must decrease.' He will be infinitely merciful to our repeated failure; I know of no promise that He will accept a deliberate compromise. For He has, in the last resort, nothing to give us but Himself; and He can give that only insofar as our self-affirming will retires and makes room for Him in our souls. Let us make up our minds to it; there will be nothing "of our own" left over to live on, no "ordinary life."... He claims all, because He is love and must bless. He cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There's no bargaining with Him."

Future Generations

The Southern Baptist Church Music Conference is meeting this summer in Orlando, Florida. This years conference theme is based on Psalm 102:18, which reads: "Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord." I was immediately struck by the verse. The thought hit me - "what am I doing 'so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord?'"
As a minister am I doing anything that will make an impact on future generations? Not that I am significant, by any means, but am I making an impact on either the church I serve or on an individual that will cause someone not yet born to praise the Lord?
We need to be people who live in two worlds - the present and the future. Obviously we must live in the present, but we also should be seeking to make a difference in and to future generations.
I was reminded of a song by 4Him, entitled "For Future Generations." The lyrics of the chorus are significant for us to consider. "I won’t bend and I won’t break, I won’t water down my faith; I won’t compromise in a world of desperation. What has been I cannot change, But for tomorrow and today, I must be a light for future generations."
That song says it so well. We must be a generation that "won't bend," "break" or "compromise." We must be a "light for future generations."
Are we saying, singing, or writing something that will be recorded "for future generations, that a people not yet born will praise the Lord?"