Reserved Worship

Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. [Psalm 100] 

If the Psalms sound like a little much to us, it is because we are consumed with idolatry.

When it seems too much to praise God with the abandon found in the Psalms to do so, it reveals that we are reserved on behalf of our idols including the idol of self.

The only reason anyone would consider it over the top to give constant exuberant accolades to God (as the Psalms declare) is because their loyalties are divided among idols and it would be out of character to exalt one above the others.

Praising God only at church one or two days per week is, in essence, a mockery of God and a glaring testament to the foolish idolatry of religion. God is really not interested that we reserve prescribed times to worship Him. When we reserve time to worship God, we inadvertently allot time to worship idols outside that time.

...And yet we wonder why God doesn't move the way we thing He should!

Regardless what we think, idols take our focus off God alone and render us "praise-less.' Debt, insurance, medicine and technology all fit this description of idols. To defend them is to worship them, reserving inadvertent praise for them that belongs only to God.

There is but one remedy: repent of our divided loyalties to idols abandoning their ways entirely so that we might singularly worship God in purity.

Father, my "praise-less-ness" indicts me severely. I want to break all ties with idols and worship You alone. Forgive my reservations in worship of You for they signal my idolatry. Please help me for only You are good and worthy of all my worship and praise! So be it.

Got Doubts?

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. [Psalm 94.19]

I hope no one ever has doubts. Doubt is a bad place to be. But the fact is, doubts come against everyone at some time or another.

According to Psalm 94.19, there is a solution for doubt: God's comfort. 

God's comfort is His Word. God's Word assures us of His character. God's character is comforting.

I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. [Psalm 121]

To be very clear: if we are to have genuine hope and cheer in this life, it will come as comfort from God. It would appear that hope and cheer are possible without the comfort of God (like a happy drunk). But, it should be understood that it is impossible for the comfort of God to come without hope and cheer.

If the Psalms teach us anything, it is that to truly know God is to have His comfort that manifests in (gives) hope and cheer (praise). 

To know God is a testimony in and of itself. 

To know God is to know His Word. 

To know God's Word is to know Jesus.

Because Jesus came as a physical manifestation of all God's character, He said:

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. [John 14.27]

The "gift" Jesus spoke about in John 14.27 is the Holy Spirit given to dwell in us and remind us of everything Jesus said as God in the flesh.

We might see then that the opposite of genuine hope and cheer is trouble and fear. God's comfort does not give trouble and fear! The Holy Spirit does not give trouble and fear. Trouble and fear are never comfort from God.

Father, the value of Your Word - Your comfort - Jesus Christ - is immeasurable. As I am found "in Christ," I am found in the fullness of Your comfort and I have hope and cheer, not trouble and fear. So be it!

He Alone Is My Refuge

This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. [Psalm 91.2] 

On this date one year ago, I published the article "God Alone? Or, God And...?" I challenge those reading this today to read that article from a year ago and then consider this verse from today's One Year Chronological Bible reading:

My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. [Psalm 71.7]

"Being an example" can mean dying as much as it means living. My "example" is not whether I live or die, but whether I trust in the LORD alone as my refuge (my strength and protection) in life or death.

There is no such thing as "faith in God AND..." Faith in God needs no other support system regardless what the anecdotal Parable of the drowning man (Wikipedia) attempts to convince otherwise! God can use man and his knowledge all He wants to (and, has in the past), BUT, the moment we turn to man and his knowledge in any degree of pluralistic faith (faith in God AND...), we have committed spiritual adultery - idolatry, as defined by numerous accounts in the Bible.

Father, may I be found with such resolve to trust in You alone that whether I live or die in so doing, there is absolutely no possibility of my faith in You being questioned for its singularity. May my testimony and example be that I trusted in You ALONE! So be it.

I Don't Trust In Money

Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave. [Psalm 49.5-9] 

"I don't trust in money!"

Father, You know I had a whole article written out ...that I eventually deleted. Suffice it to say, I want the words recorded here to be true in me, "I don't trust in money." So be it.

Trusting God

All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. But for your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep. [Psalm 44.17-22]

"All that happened" was Psalm 44.9-16, and, it was bad!

As much as we may be tempted to create a doctrine of suffering from this passage, we should, first of all remember that if this is indeed placed chronologically in the Bible (and, it is), idolatry was as rampant as ever. So, there's that. 

But also, as we should do with any Old Testament passage we find "difficult," we should see if the New Testament sheds any light on it. And, in the case of this passage, we find direct address of it in Paul's letter to the Romans:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8.35-39]

It would seem there may be times when bad things happen that we can never explain. But, this does not mean that we are hopeless. It means that we have Jesus Christ and the very keys to heaven. Jesus taught faith. And so, we can be sure that we cannot "be good enough" to be saved but that, in faith, we can enjoy every blessing of the power of heaven culminating in eternal life.

Father, I want to be found trusting You. Even though I know I must rid myself of idols and sin, I know that so doing is no guarantee of a trouble free life, because "ridding myself of idols" can become an idol unto itself - an idol of "my own efforts." May I be found only in faith - faith in Jesus Christ. So be it.

What's Wrong With That?

An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?” [Proverbs 30.20] 

In light of the intensity and frequency of my recent responses about idolatry, Proverbs 30.20 particularly stands out.

Idolatry is spiritual adultery. And yet, in just the few conversations I have had with people regarding idolatry recently, most see no problem with the way debt, insurance, medicine and technology have undeniably consumed mankind. In those conversations, it has not been uncommon to hear the question, "What's wrong with that?" or hear the statement, "I don't see a problem with that."

As long as people feel wealthy, protected, healthy and smart, what could be wrong with it? But, isn't there a cost? Are not interest payments, insurance premiums, prescription medicines, and expensive gadgetry so smart that it's even called "smart" all become oppressive slave masters controlling all but precious few moments of people's lives? The immediate gratification offered by debt, insurance, medicine and technology quickly becomes a relentless financial burden. What's more, people will openly complain about the oppressive nature of debt, insurance, medicine and technology out of one side of their mouth, only to go on to defend them saying, "What's wrong with that?" out of the other.

A man who pays for and has sex with a prostitute, and then goes home to thank his wife better look out! Is it any different to be "serviced" by debt, insurance, medicine and technology and then go and thank God?

An adulterous woman indeed meets a need, but the need she meets is not hers to meet. She is a whore - a substitute for the pure marriage relationship between a man and his wife. What she initiates is a downward spiral not easily corrected for her lover, while the only reason she is doing it is for the money...

Criminal investigations often start by "following the money."

Regardless what the marketing campaigns of debt, insurance, medicine and technology all "say," they are carefully and competitively devised to entice and secure patrons. For the good of the people? No, for the bottom line - they are all in it only for the money, just like an indifferent, money-grubbing whore. All they need to do is entice and enthrall their impatient or fearful patrons just enough to secure their repeat business so their shareholders can be assured of their holdings' profitability. It's just business. "What's wrong with that?"

God's people are quite adept at identifying hookers on the street, but are willfully oblivious of the spiritual hookers they pay dearly every day.

I am not suggesting here that 'getting rid of idols' is, or ever will be, easy. But I am saying getting rid of idols is necessary if we are ever to have a faithful (faith-filled) relationship with God. 

Father, may our eyes be opened. And, most importantly, when Jesus returns, may He find genuine faith in us. So be it.

Does God Detest Our Prayers?

God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law. [Proverbs 28.9] 

I believe the First Commandment provides insight into God's priority in what makes up "the law":

You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.3]

When asked which is the most important commandment, Jesus basically summed up the first four of the Ten Commandments in the following exchange:

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. [Matthew 22.36-38] 

As we consider how Jesus' conversation continued after the answer above, we find Him further expounding upon His first answer with the following:

A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22.39-40] 

Jesus' continuation of the conversation, with an answer to a question that was not asked, effectively made ALL the Ten Commandments equally important as the second "equally important" commandment was a summation of the last six of the Ten Commandments. Jesus conveyed therefore that the first four Commandments could be summed up in the words, "love God," and the last six as "love man."

So, if "love God, love man" sums up the entirety of the law, the Proverb above then clearly answers why prayers go unanswered: because God and man are not effectively loved (ignoring all the law) by the one or ones praying.

Shall we dig deeper? I think so, as I myself have my own unanswered prayers!

The "love God" part of Jesus' revelation in Matthew 22 points us to the first four Commandments. Interestingly enough however, only the actual Second Commandment uses the word "love" (as in "loving God") in its context:

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

The fact that "loving God" is part of the wording of the Second Commandment should give us ample reason to understand what the Second Commandment is all about, ...shouldn't it? The Second Commandment is a specific warning against idolatry! It must also be observed that the words "make for yourself" are included in the warning about idols even though they reflect the imagery of things created (given) by God Himself. The fact that man, in all his knowledge, is a creation of God includes him and all his accomplishments as potential idols.

Every person involved in a relationship with another person understands, at least to some degree, what jealousy is about. Let's explore this in particular as it relates to the Second Commandment. Let's say a husband specifically tells his wife that he intends to buy her dinner on a given night. He comes home that night in great anticipation of their dinner date, only to find that his wife took their twelve year old daughter to dinner instead. Is that husband going to find the fulfillment he desired in treating his wife? NO. Yes, the wife gets dinner (and has to pay for it herself) but effectively invokes jealousy in the husband by depriving him the enjoyment of her company even though is was their own daughter (creation) she had dinner with. If the wife responds to the husband, "it was your own creation I ate with and your own money that paid for the meal!" will that satisfy the husband? We all know the answer to that question!

Idolatry is NOT just about provision. Idolatry is about relationship!

Debt, insurance, medicine and technology ALL provide something God said He would provide (wealth, protection, health and knowledge). They are all indeed "children" of man's arrangement with the materials and abilities given by God, however, the relationship of faith in God alone is clouded, at best, when God is excluded. It is not enough to reason with God or man that because God ultimately created everything used to make for ourselves what He promised to provide, that that "credit" suffices to fulfill the First Commandment:

You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.3]

Let's get back to the husband and wife scenario as it relates to the subject passage in Proverbs above from today's One Year Chronological Bible reading. After the dinner date fiasco, let's imagine the wife then asking the husband for a new car...

Father, help us to understand that Your law is not about rules, but about relationship. Help us also understand that our relationship with You can be summed up in one phrase: faith in You alone (understanding that faith works by love). Only You can reveal the truth of this to us. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear when we realize that our prayers are not being answered. So be it.