Rise up and call her blessed!

Psalm 128:1-4

¹ Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in obedience to him.
² You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
⁴ Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the LORD.

In an effort to instill in my boys a sense of love and respect for their mother, as well as a sense of security that their mommy and daddy love each other, I will occasionally break out into some kind of spontaneous public display of affection.  For example, I might say “Boys, isn’t your momma beautiful!”  Or if the misses and I are exchanging a quick kiss, I might decide to point it out – “Corbin, Tripp! I’m kissin your momma!”  Since my boys are five and four, they still find this amusing and sweet, brandishing those little smiles of theirs.  I’m sure one day, this same kind of display will elicit different reactions from my boys.

Gross dad!  Yall love each other, we get it!  Cut it out!

So, this morning I was sitting at the breakfast table with the family, and was reminded of something Mark Driscoll pointed out in the parenting section of his book Trial: 8 Witnesses from 1&2 Peter. He quotes the reference in Psalm 128 to wives and children, saying that this comes to his mind every time he sits down at the table to eat.  This morning, I was struck by my wife’s beauty, and decided to engage in some pastoral parenting.  Here’s the rundown:

Me: Tripp, you know what I love?

Tripp: What?

Me: (putting my hand on Keelie’s arm) THIS GIRL!

Tripp: (pointing enthusiastically at his mommy) I love her TOO!

Corbin: (hugging his mommy) MOMMY!

Sometimes we’re loud at the table.

I’m sure all of this made Keelie feel appreciated and loved.  It also made me feel pretty good about my efforts to teach my boys to love and respect their mom.  Like the husband of Proverbs 31:28-29, I want to set the example in my home of praising my wife.  I want my children to grow up treasuring their mother, and aware of all that she does for them.

How about you, husband?  How about you, dad?  Have you told your wife lately how much you love and appreciate her?  Have you told her in front of the kids?  Why not send her an email or text right now?  Why not embarrass your teenagers when you get home tonight by kissing her in front of them?  Compliment her cooking, and ask the kids what they think.

Cherish your wife, and learn all you can about her, and honor her (1 Peter 3:7), and do so in front of the kids.

Bible in 90, Day 45: Fearfully and wonderfully

Psalm 135-Proverbs 6

I have these red birthmarks on my left forearm.  They’ve faded with age, but they used to be very red.  One day when I was about 5, I was minding my own business, eating my lunch at day care, when a teacher walked up behind me.  She looked down at my arm and saw these red splotches on my forearm.  She assumed I had a terrible rash/reaction, or worse yet, I was horribly burned.  She called out to another teacher, they both grabbed an arm and snatched me out of my chair.  They started running to the office, my feet barely scraping along the floor.  I asked in a panic, “Where are we going?” “The office!” they shouted.  Now I was really freaked out, the office was for disciplinary problems!  “Why!  What did I do wrong?” I pleaded.  “Nothing, it’s your arm!  The burns on your arm!”  “My birthmarks?” I said, confused.  They stopped.  “You have birthmarks?”  They put me down as let me resume my lunch.

I hated those birthmarks.

They were a constant source of low self-image for me all through my childhood.  Eventually, I stopped thinking about them as much, right about the time I got those warts on my knees.  Then there were the early teenage years, bulking up before the growth spurt, looking like a pudge.  Later it was my jacked up teeth.  I had a bad self-image most of my early life.

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite psalms.

It changed my view of myself radically as a teenager and early 20-something.  When I read David’s words, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God, it flipped everything around.  I no longer saw the birthmarks as in utero mistakes and blemishes on my forearm.  Now, I saw them as God’s own handiwork.  (By the way, it’s a big part of why I don’t have any tattoos, I got tats from God!)  I realized that the pudgy period was a step on the way to becoming the man God created me to be, from the womb!

God knits each one of us together in our mother’s womb.  He takes precious care to create each one of us.  David says that God’s thoughts toward us are innumerable (vv. 17-18).  I have a little jar of sand that an old friend gave me.  It serves as a reminder that, just as I couldn’t count the sand grains in that jar, let alone the whole earth, so also I couldn’t count God’s precious thoughts toward me.

In the last two verses, David makes an interesting application of this truth.  God knows us intimately.  Our forms were not hidden from Him while we were in the womb.  The same is true today.  We cannot hide from God, even in our inmost being.  God can search our hearts, He can test our thoughts.  He knows if there is any offensive way in us, and He can correct us.

Let’s remember that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We are just as God planned us.  Let’s love our own bodies, not in vanity and arrogance, but in appreciation of God’s handiwork.  Let’s remember that we are not hidden from God’s searching.  We cannot hide our sin from God, for He knows us inside and out.  Let’s bring our sins to God, including our self-hatred, confessing the wickedness of them, and seek both His forgiveness and His correcting truth.

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 44: Yes that’s the book for me!

Psalms 109-134

*(slightly altered) image courtesy of my buddy Billy at stock.xchng

Today we read the shortest chapter in the Bible, and the longest!  Psalm 117 with just two verses, is the shortest, and Psalm 119 with 176 verses is the longest!  Psalm 119 is considered a masterpiece of Hebrew poetry.  It uses a form known as an acrostic to talk about the Bible.  This particular acrostic form takes each letter of the Hebrew alphabet in turn with each line within a stanza beginning with that letter.  So, the first eight lines begin with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, aleph.  The next eight begin with bet, and so on.  This is not the only acrostic in the psalms to use the full alphabet, but it is the only to use each letter for eight lines a piece, giving it its great length.

In using the alphabet in this way, the psalmist is poetically describing the perfection of the Word of God – the obvious theme of this psalm.  Today, we might say the Bible is perfect from A to Z.  Or we might write out characteristics of the Bible beginning with all 26 letters of the English alphabet to show its perfection.  The point is clear, the psalmist regards the Scripture as being complete, holy, and perfect.

Hopefully, you have at least a similar belief, otherwise this 90 day challenge wouldn’t make much sense.  Maybe you’re not doing the challenge and you’re just reading this because you came across it or someone referred you to it.  I’d challenge you to read the Bible, consider its claims, and see where you stand.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is living and active, that is powerful and life-changing.  You cannot read the Scriptures, apply it to your life, and be the same.  It will change the way you think about yourself, about others, and about your actions.  It will challenge your motives and intentions, your world-view, and your assumptions.  It will give us the knowledge and wisdom we need to avoid sin (Psalm 119:11).  It is sufficient to equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Let’s take advantage of this great gift of God!  Let’s continue to read it, memorize it, meditate on it, talk about it with our brothers and sisters, and apply it to our lives (Psalm 1:2, 119:11, 97; Ephesians 5:19-20; James 1:22).  Let’s not be like the one who looks into a mirror, walks away, and forgets what he has just seen (James 1:22-25).  Let us learn from God’s Word and let it shape our lives.

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 43: …for He is good!

Psalms 90-108

*image courtesy of my buddy Billy at stock.xchng

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

You’ll find this phrase all over the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 16:34, 41; 2 Chronicles 5:13, 7:3, 7:6, 20:21; Psalms 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1-3, 136:26; Jeremiah 33:11).  It seems to have started with David, and became a customary word of praise.  It sometimes was used as a call and response, where the leader would say the first two parts, and the congregation would respond with “His love endures forever!”

Today we came across the first of eight uses of it in the Psalms.  We talked previously about this phrase (Day 34), but there we focused on the faithful love aspect.  Today, we will look at the middle section of the phrase, “for He is good.”  There is a saying today that is somewhat parallel in that it is widely known and frequently used by many churches.  It goes like this:

Leader: God is good!

Congregation: All the time!

Leader: And all the time…

Congregation: God is good!

Hearing this on a regular basis, just like hearing the phrase from psalms frequently, is a good thing.  It serves as a reminder to us of one of God’s essential attributes – His goodness.  This is what I call one of God’s “omnis.”  He is omnipresent (He is everywhere), omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnibenevolent (all good).  Now, without the fourth omni, the other three are pretty scary.

Think about it for a minute.

Imagine a Being that is everywhere, knows everything, and can do anything.  That’s a bit scary.  All that power, but can you trust it?  Isn’t that the great fear in Superman 3?  The man of steel loses it after being subjected to red kryptonite, and goes on a rampage.  The world’s greatest hero becomes the world’s greatest villain because now all his power is not being harnessed by good intentions.  Now, multiply that by infinity, and this is the Malevolent Being we’re talking about!

What makes the God of the Bible who He is instead of a cosmic sadist is that He is good.  It is the goodness of God that makes it so we can trust Him.  Unlike some religions that must appease their god through ritual and sacrifice, we can serve God with a glad heart, trusting that He is all good all the time.  We don’t have to worry about Him suddenly snuffing out the universe.  He is good.  And as we’ve discussed before, even when things seem to be going bad, God is still good and is working out His plan (Romans 8:28).

Let’s remember this.  Let’s give thanks to the Lord, because He is good.  Let’s praise Him with our words, our actions, and our lives, because He is good and His love endures forever.

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 42: Passing it on

Psalms 69-89

“Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.” (Psalm 71:18)

One of the most important themes in the Old Testament was that of passing on the knowledge of God to the next generation.  Those things which God has chosen to reveal about Himself belong to those to whom He reveals it, and to their children (Deuteronomy 29:29).  We recall Deuteronomy 6, where the people are instructed to make the Law a part of everyday life in the home and family.  It is both a sacred duty, and a blessed privilege to be able to teach the next generation those things which we have learned, especially the things of God.  Psalm 71 shows us the passion of the author to do just that.  He asks God to give him enough time on earth to teach the upcoming generation about Him.  Psalm 78 gives us a demonstration of this.  Asaph gives a run-down of the highlights of the Old Testament from Jacob, through the time in Egypt, the Exodus, the wilderness wandering, the conquest of the Promised Land, the period of the Judges, right through the kingship of David.  One cannot read this psalm and walk away without knowing the power and might of God.

We have this same responsibility and privilege today.  It is up to us to pass on the knowledge of God to the next generation.  We must pass on the responsibility of carrying the truth to a new generation.  It is odd for me to say this, because in many ways I am the next generation.  I am not yet shouldering the full burden.  And yet, I am already in the process of passing on what little I’ve learned to my sons and to the children and youth in my ministries at church.  Paul told Timothy to take what Paul had entrusted to him, and entrust it to faithful men who would entrust it to others (2 Timothy 2:2).  This represents four generations!  Take what you’ve heard, pass it on, and train them to pass it on as well.  I’ve heard it said that the parenting process isn’t done until you’ve taught your children to be parents.  This is so true, and it is true of the Christian life as well.

Let’s seek God’s sustaining power to see us through enough years that we may pass the baton to another generation.  Let’s not neglect our duty and privilege to do just this by not using our long life to declare God’s power.  Let’s pass it on!

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 41: That’s a lotta cows!

Psalms 45-69

*image courtesy of Thoursie at stock.xchng

We were driving home from a youth event in Charlottesville, VA.  It was one of those stretches of road that winds through rolling pasture land, dotted by the occasional barn, silo, or farmhouse.  As we rounded one bend, we saw a green hill with several black cows roaming about on it.  My buddy Daniel, who was the youth pastor at the time, said, “Hey look!  My dad owns those cows!”  The youth were incredulous.  “No way!” they shouted.  “Yeah, right!”  But Daniel insisted, “Yes he does!  My father owns those cows, and a lot more!”  I caught the reference right away, but he strung the youth along for about 15 more minutes before he broke into a small Bible study in the van.  It was a great teaching moment.

“…for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10).

God speaks to two people in this psalm, the righteous and the wicked.  To the righteous He commends their sacrifices.  But with the commendation He adds a reminder of His independence.  He reminds them that He doesn’t need their sacrifices.  God asks rhetorically, “Do I eat the flesh of bulls?”  (v. 13)  He is reminding the readers that He is not a man and does not require food.  Unlike the religions of the nations, the sacrifices the Israelites offered were not food for God.  The righteous are to continue in their sacrifices (v. 14-15), but not because God is reliant upon them.

Here comes some of that God humor I love.

God says, roughly, “If I were hungry, you’d be the last one I’d go to!  I own it all!  I could eat whatever I want to.”  God created everything, and therefore He owns everything.  Not only does He not require food, but if He did, He has access to all He could need without us!  The fancy theological term for this is God’s aseity.  That is, His self-being.  God has no cause or creator, He just is.  He is not sustained by anything (food, water, air, some other force), He simply is.  We, on the other hand, are contingent beings.  Our existence is contingent on something else (food, water, air, God’s sustaining power).  The fact is, we need – God does not.

However, this does not diminish our standing.  In fact, it almost elevates it.  In religions where the god needs sacrifices sets up a different kind of relationship.  The god needs the people, so he must put up with them.  The truth of the Scriptures is that God doesn’t need us, He chooses us.  He doesn’t put up with us because He needs our worship, He chooses to be in relationship with Him out of love.  Think about that – God chose you.  But, let’s remember that this choice is by grace, and not anything wonderful we’ve done (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Let’s live in light of this truth. We have nothing God needs from us.  He is not, nor will He ever be, obligated to us.  We owe everything, our very existence and its continuation, to Him.  Let’s honor God with our sacrifices of praise so that we might see the salvation of God (Psalm 50:23; Hebrews 13:15).

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 40: Our Father, which art in heaven

Psalms 25-45

*image courtesy of nem youth at www.sxc.hu

My dad and I don’t always see eye to eye.  No father and son do.  We’ve had times when we were closer, and times when we really weren’t getting along very well.  One thing has never changed – I’m his son, and he’s my dad.  Dad used to play this song for me when I was a kid.  It was Love Without End, Amen by George Strait.  I don’t think I got it when he first played it for me, but the older I get, the more the song clicks with me, especially now that I’m a father.

I’m fortunate.  I know my dad, and I talk to my dad.  Not everyone does.  Not everyone has an earthly father they can look up to.  But, for those of who are in Christ, we have a heavenly Father.  David reminds us of this, in a way, in Psalm 27.

This is another one of those psalms where David is seeking help from God against his enemies.  But this one starts out with confidence and hope in God.  This psalm’s theme is definitely focused on God’s presence and faithfulness.  His heart’s desire is to seek God, and he knows he will find Him.  He is confident in this because of God’s faithful love.  He proclaims that even if his own father and mother were to forsake him, God will receive him.

God promises us that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  This is part of His love for us as our Father.  We don’t talk nearly enough about the Fatherhood of God.  We talk about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, as though that’s the Trinity.  While there is some precedent for this in the New Testament, it’s hard sometimes to remember that the Trinity is made up of Father, Son, and Spirit.  We have a Heavenly Father!  Those of us who are in Christ have been adopted by the Father (Ephesians 1:4-5)!  Because of this, we can call God, “Father.”  Not only this, but we can call Him “Abba” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).  Abba is the Hebrew/Aramaic equivalent of “daddy.”  It is one of the first words a first-century Jewish boy or girl would learn.

We have a Father who loves us and will never leave us!  Some have seen this modeled in their own fathers, and some have seen just the opposite.  For those who have a faithful father who has been the rock of their lives, take comfort that God is even more faithful than him!  God can come through even when your father might fail.  For those who have a less than faithful father, or maybe don’t even know their father, know that God the Father adopts all those who come to Him through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  This Father will never leave you, never fail you, always loves you.  If everyone in your life forsakes you, if everyone else lets you down, the Father will still receive you.

I never noticed this before, but George Strait sings, “When I became a father, in the spring ’81…”  I was born May 1981, so this must’ve really connected with my dad!

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 39: Let God arise!

Psalms 1-24

*image courtesy of melisbfly at www.sxc.hu

Did you catch it?  Over and over again in our reading today, a word kept popping up.  I thought I knew exactly what I was going to write about after the first psalm today, but then I heard it.  I kept hearing it.  This word kept finding its way into the text.

Arise.

The writers (David mostly) kept calling upon God to arise (Psalm 3:7, 7:6, 9:19, 10:12, 12:5, 17:13).

).  What exactly does this mean?  Often in the Scriptures, when we “see” God, He is seated on His throne as we’ve discussed before.  Now, when a great king rises up out of his throne, you can bet something interesting is about to happen!  When the King of the Universe rises up out of His throne, the whole of creation pays attention.  David calls upon God to rise up against His enemies on behalf of His people.

Sometimes people have trouble with these psalms.  They are called imprecatory passages, passages where someone calls upon God to deliver judgment on someone else.  The problem some people have is that it doesn’t seem to match up with the God of love that they picture.  But if you read your Bible (and that’s what we’re doing these 3 months!), you discover a different picture of God.  He is a God of judgment as well as love.  He is a God of wrath as well as mercy.  In fact, one of God’s essential attributes, one that is discussed uniquely in the Bible might surprise you.

Holy, holy, holy.

God is holy above all else.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God is love, love, love; or grace, grace, grace; or peace, peace, peace.  The only adjective used in this way is “holy.”  God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and His love is a holy love.  God gives grace (Proverbs 3:24, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5), and does so in a holy manner.  God’s chief attribute is His holiness.

God’s holiness includes His hatred of sin and injustice.  Because of this, He judges sin and sinners.  Peter warns us against forgetting or denying God’s judgment (2 Peter 3:3-9).  He reminds us that God’s judgment will come, and it will be fierce.  God is a just God.  In the end, all the accounts will be settled, and things will be made right again.

This is why I don’t have a problem with David’s words.  We as Christians are supposed to pray for our enemies and bless those who curse us.  However, David appeals to the justice of God, and this is okay.  We should always pray for sinners to be saved, but we do so understanding that those who do not accept Jesus are rightfully condemned and judged (as would we be if we did not accept Jesus).  God is a God who judges sin and corrects injustice.

The good news is that God is also a God who saves.  While we all deserve the wrath of God because of our sin, Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for us (Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16-17).  But, rest assured that one day God will arise in judgment.  He will set the record straight.

Let God arise!

*originally at Words of Reason