Year 2, Day 225: Psalm 91

Psalm 91

I love the thought that comes with the opening line of Psalm 91.  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I love it because it’s totally anti-humanity.  Let me explain.

Take your typical teenager.  They clearly dwell in the shelter of their parents.  However, from the perspective of the teenager many times this is seen as a curse.  Your typical teenager can’t wait to get out and get “free.”  This is because being in the shelter of the parent also inherently means being in their shadow.  I was there.  I didn’t want to be in their shadow.  I wanted to make my own shadow! I remember feeling like I wanted to be on my own.  {However, Lord willing I still respected my parents.}

Even as adults, how many of us genuinely enjoy being in someone else’s shadow?  We just don’t like it.  We get jealous.  We covet.  We want the spotlight.  We want the attention.  We want life to focus on us, right?

Now read through that first line again.  To dwell in the shelter of the Lord is to abide in His shadow.  The psalmist knows that it is a good thing to be in the shadow of the Lord and not in a position to be alone and making our own shadow.  Life should be about God, not about us.  This psalm takes a look at humanity and from verse 1 talks about how humanity gets it screwed up.  Life is about God, not about me.

Why does our life need to be about God?  Well, how many of us can really save ourselves?  When the going gets really rough, how many of us can genuinely still love our neighbor and think about anyone besides ourselves?  When push comes to shove, isn’t the human instinct to push back?  Isn’t the human instinct to “look out for number one?”  Yet, can any of us save ourselves when it really counts?

No, it is God who saves us.  It is God who reminds us that we should care for the neighbor.  It is God who protects us so that we can love another.  It is God who gives us peace in the night so that we can find rest and shelter.  Why shouldn’t it be about God?  From this perspective, shouldn’t God be the focus?

Look at the promises that the psalmist gives as the psalm comes to a close.  “He will charge His angels to guard all your ways.”  This is a quote often tied to the story of Jesus Christ.  To the one who holds fast to God He promises deliverance.  God promises to protect the one who knows His name.  {The Hebrew word here does not necessarily mean “to have knowledge” but rather “to acknowledge.”}  God promises to be with us in the midst of trouble.  He promises to lift us up and to honor us.  He promises to satisfy us with His salvation.

Again, I repeat the question that has run the whole way through my reflections on this psalm.  Why wouldn’t God be the center of our life?  For all the stuff He does and for all the blessings He provides, why wouldn’t He be the center of our lives?

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Year 2, Day 224: Psalms 89-90

Psalm 89

In my Vigor of Twelve blog, I’ve been walking through Galatians verse by verse.  We’ve just finished the part where Paul talks about Christ being Abraham’s offspring.  Then I noticed that as we turn to Psalm 89 that phrase is repeated again, but this time with David.  It’s really a subtle point, but it is a point I want to draw out today.  It’s been a while since I’ve done some deep word study.

In verse 4 of this psalm God says of His covenant to David, “I will establish your offspring forever.  I will build your throne for all generations.”  At first it sounds like a promise to the biological family of David {In other words, the Jews}.  After all, in English words like offspring – or crowd, or deer, or sheep – are words that are called “Mass Nouns” or “Uncountable Nouns.”  They can talk about an individual or a collective.  We can’t tell by the spelling; we must look at context to decide just how many people are involved.  Fortunately, this is not true about Greek and Hebrew.  Plural nouns and singular nouns have completely different endings, so they are utterly distinguishable.

Thus, we note in the original language that the noun is singular.  Literally, the psalmist is talking about a singular offspring – and this might be why so many translations go with “descendant” here instead of “offspring.”  This is why Paul can say what he says in the book of Galatians about the promises made to Abraham {and by inference, David} being made to a single true spiritual descendant: Christ.  Therefore the promises made to the offspring – or descendant – of Abraham and David are made to Christ.  This means that those promises and covenants apply to those who are spiritually in Christ.  {For the record, this same point is also true about the reference to David’s offspring in verse 36.}

Thus we can look at this verse in the psalm and hear the psalmist speaking through the Spirit to a time of anticipation.  The anticipation is the coming of the one true spiritual descendant and the building up of His throne forever.  We have a name for this spiritual descendant: Christ.  We have spiritually been called to be welcomed into His kingdom and the building up of His throne forever.  In this psalm, God is about more than just honoring the Jews.  In fact, He isn’t about that at all.  The psalmist is anticipating the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of His covenant to that Messiah.

Let’s quickly turn to the rest of the psalm.  There is a neat dynamic here.  First, we see this promise to the descendant of David lead to the praising of God’s name.  Who is greater than God?  Who set the world in motion?  Who called north and south to be what they are?  Who alone always knows what is happening in the sea, on the ground, and in the heavens?  God’s name should be praised!

Then the psalm turns to a plea to God to not forget His promise.  As I listen to the plea, mindful of what I know about Christ to which the psalmist did not have access when he wrote the psalm, I must answer the plea with a single spiritual piece of advice.  God will remember His covenant that He made with those who are spiritual and are obedient to His ways.  He has given grace to us; we must repent and receive it.  We must live as though He is our God.  Then we can absolutely live in confidence that He will not abandon us!

Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is a neat psalm with a fourfold progression of purpose.  The first part of the psalm is set to remind us and God of just how great He is and how much His name deserves to be praised.  He is everlasting.  He is present as generation after generation of human beings pass before His presence.  He is constant, steadfast, faithful, dependable, and true.

The second portion of this psalm turns us to consider ourselves.  We are swept away by God’s wrath.  In other words, because of our sinfulness we deserve condemnation.  Even the things that we do in secret are known in His presence.  Even though we know this, we as human beings have difficulty remembering this fact.  Even though we know that God knows everything and we will be held accountable, we still choose to sin.  We don’t have the power to do choose otherwise.

The third portion of the psalm is a plea to God to teach us to abide in ways that are different than our nature.  If our nature is destructive, then we should desire to live in a different nature!  We need to know that this other nature can only come from God and through obedience to His ways.  If there is to be meaning in life, it must be meaning that is derived from God’s nature rather than our own.

The last point of this psalm turns us and reminds us once more how glorious God is.  It is His glory that works in us.  It is His work that is meaningfully shown to the world.  It is His favor that makes any difference at all.

I find it neat to look at these progressive psalms.  They help provide balance and structure to life.  We begin by looking at God’s qualities.  That helps us see ourselves as we truly are, not as we would blindly see ourselves.  That helps us genuinely desire change in who we are.  That helps us remember how great the Lord actually is.  This is a pattern I know I can appreciate more in my life!

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Year 2, Day 223: Psalms 87-88

Psalm 87

In Psalm 87 we find out that the sons of Korah have an incredible attachment to the city of Jerusalem.  Clearly the psalmist approaches this psalm with a perspective that God has a special attachment to Jerusalem.  Why shouldn’t he?  After all, it is Jerusalem that God has David capture.  Before David, was not Melchizedek (a noted follower of God) from Salem (which became Jerusalem after it was captured by the Hebrew people)?  Jerusalem has a long history of being led by people who follow God.

What is really interesting about this psalm, however, is that although it is focused on Jerusalem it is also very much focused on non-traditional Jews.  The entire second half of the psalm celebrates the people from outside traditional Jewish genealogy who convert and become “one born there.”

The reason that this thought is significant is two-fold.  First, it shows that conversion to Judaism is something that is valued.  It demonstrates that the ancient Jewish tradition taught about conversions and teaching the faith to the rest of the world.  This psalm helps us understand that there were people within Judaism that appreciated and took seriously God’s call for the Jews to go to the world.

However, there is a second reason that this psalm is significant.  This psalm is attributed to laying the foundation for the theology that Paul writes in Galatians 4 – especially in Galatians 4:26.  In that chapter Paul spends a good amount of time talking about how the true descendants of Abraham are not the genealogical relations to Abraham but rather the people who share the same spiritual faith.  The theology of this psalm – a psalm that celebrates the faith of the Gentiles who convert – allows Paul to write what he does in Galatians.

Psalm 88

As we turn to Psalm 88, I am reminded of the study that we did in the book of Job several months back.  Here is a psalmist who feels abandoned.  Here is a psalmist who feels as though he is left for dead.  Here is a psalmist that feels as though God has abandoned him.

Furthermore, like Job this psalmist feels as though his companions shun him.  The psalmist claims to call upon the Lord every day, but there seems to be no response from the Lord.  This psalmist really does seem to be in a position to learn from the experiences of Job.

I can’t say that I haven’t been there before.  I can’t say that I don’t know what it is like to wonder if God has quit watching over me.  I can’t say that I don’t wonder occasionally if I really am still a part of God’s plan.  It is normal for us to enter into periods of doubt when things seem to be going poorly for a spell.  It doesn’t mean that it is necessarily right, but it is human nature.

As I contemplated this psalm, I remembered back to the lessons that I learned back in Job.  Just because things go wrong doesn’t mean God isn’t there.  Just because things go wrong doesn’t mean that the events aren’t a part of God’s plan.  Who are we to determine what God’s plan actually is?

It is natural for us to feel as though God has left us when the world is against us.  But that doesn’t mean that we have any right to question God.  It does give us an opportunity to call out to Him, though.  We should feel comfortable turning to God and explaining our perception of the world around us; but we must remember to not cross the line by presuming to be God, either.

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Year 2, Day 222: Psalm 85-86

Psalm 85

The beginning of this psalm is another cry to the Lord to remember to be faithful.  It begins by calling God and the people to remember that the Lord has saved them in prior days.  There is a call to remind the people and God that God has forgiven past iniquity.  There is a reminder that God does withdraw his wrath from us.

Then, there is a natural turn to ask God to do it once more in the future.  The plea is that God’s relationship would not just be a thing of the past.  The plea is that the people will once again feel God’s presence in their life.

However, the part of the psalm that fascinated me today is the end of the psalm.  Traditionally, this psalm is interpreted as though the attributes of love, faithfulness, peace, and righteousness are all from God.  And I believe that is a fair interpretation.  However, as my thoughts ran with this psalm I’d like to present another way of interpreting this psalm.  I don’t think the traditional method or the method I consider below are necessarily mutually exclusive.

The end of the psalm brings image after image of a genuine meeting alive.  The first of these meetings is steadfast love and faithfulness.  Do you hear what the psalmist is saying?  God is steadfast love.  What God is looking for is faithfulness to Him!  Life works out best when His steadfast love is met with our genuine faithfulness.

The next meeting is between righteousness and peace.  Of course, God is righteousness.  For what does God’s righteousness look?  God’s righteousness is looking for people who desire peace with God instead of hatred against God.  God has already offered peace to us through the forgiveness of sin; He is looking for those people who desire such peace.

The third genuine meeting is between faithfulness and righteousness.  Faithfulness springs from the ground; again this shows God’s desire to see faithfulness from humanity.  Righteousness looks down from the sky.  As we remember from the first example of meetings that I talked about here, God is looking for faithfulness.  He is willing to meet our faithfulness with His righteousness in addition to meeting it with His steadfast love.

These three “meetings” really caught my attention today.  They demonstrate the relationship between God and His people.  Yes, God can do it all on His own.  Be He is looking for a response from us.  He desires for us to want peace and for us to live faithfully to Him.  As the psalmist says, surely salvation is near to those who genuinely fear Him.

Psalm 86

In psalm 86 we return to a psalm of David.  I could tell that it was from David even before I read the title.  There is a genuine humbleness, repentance, and desire to follow God’s ways that comes out of the psalm.  Let’s look at some of these dynamics.

First of all, there is a serious concern for humbleness.  David takes time to praise God and remind God that it is God who will be the subject of the nation’s praise.  It is God that David desires to worship, not himself.  David calls himself God’s servant and places himself in a subservient position.  David is clear that his life ultimately does not revolve around himself and his own desires.

As for repentance, how many times in this psalm alone does David ask for grace?  David knows that he is not perfect, and he knows that he cannot earn his salvation.  His salvation depends upon God’s grace.

Then there is my favorite line in this whole psalm – and it is really the line that told me that this psalm was written by David.  “Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth.  Unite my heart to fear Your name.”  That is a line that genuinely sounds like David.  The reason it sounds like David is because it is a line that is from a person who knows that he is not living according to God’s ways and he is continually genuinely struggling to do so.  That is what I absolutely love about David.  David knew he wasn’t perfect.  He knew he had messed up many times.  But David never quit pursuing God’s ways.  Thus, we can see the Biblical cycle of repentance, forgiveness, and turning to God over and over in David’s life.

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Year 2, Day 221: Psalms 83-84

Psalm 83

Psalm 83 is a fairly vindictive psalm.  Essentially, Asaph is calling out judgment upon his enemies.  Asaph is calling out judgment upon those nations that have decided to rise up against the nation of Judah.  Certainly from a Christian perspective – love your neighbor – there should be some inherent chafing against this psalm.

However, at the same time we need to remember what is happening in Asaph’s life.  The king of Assyria marches on the northern kingdom of Hebrew people, called Israel.  Israel is captured and the king of Assyria takes the people captive.  A few years later a new king of Assyria decides to also march of Judah, the kingdom in which Asaph lives.  Hezekiah is king over Judah at this time.  While God reassures Hezekiah that Judah will not fall, that does not mean that they are not without hardship.

Now we enter into the world of the psalm.  Asaph is lamenting because in the midst of all of these troubles with Assyria all of these surrounding nations are coming and picking on the people of Judah.  Essentially, Asaph is complaining because the nations surrounding Judah have adopted a “kick ‘em while they’re down” mentality.

Nobody likes to be picked on from every angle.  Nobody likes the feeling that the vultures are circling.  Nobody likes the feeling that they are friendless and nobody cares.  That’s about where Asaph is in life.  Because Asaph sees trouble on every side, he turns to the only source of help to which he can turn: God.

While I might not agree with Asaph’s desire to call his enemies into judgment, I cannot fault Asaph’s emotion.  Nor can I fault his desire to turn to God and recognize that God is the only source of help.  All of those are good things, and we can learn from Asaph’s example in this respect.  When the world circles around us and plans to kick us for as long as we’re down, where else should we turn but God?

Psalm 84

Psalm 84 is another psalm of great imagery.  The psalm begins with a call to long for the courts of the Lord.  I can really resonate with this thought.  I long to have a life where all the people around me abide by God’s will.  Not that I long to shorten my life here, but I do long to be with God.  I think this is also echoed by Paul in Philippians 1:23-24.

The next stanza contains more familiar imagery.  The sparrows find a home in God.  Even the little seemingly forgettable birds are cared for by God.  Again we find a similar image in the New Testament when Jesus teaches in Matthew 10:29-31.  Even the sparrows are loved by God; if God can love all the sparrows He can certain love all of us.

In verse 10 we find more similar teaching.  A day in the court of the Lord is better than a thousand days here on earth.  Peter says a similar comment in 2 Peter 3:8 when he says that a single day is as a thousand years.  In other words, nothing beats being in the presence of the Lord.

In the second half of verse 10 we get another impressive analogy.  The psalmist says that he’d rather be a doorkeeper (servant) in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  In other words, the psalmist would rather be a servant to God than a master of his own evil.  This is almost an identical sentiment that Jesus speaks in Matthew 18:7-10.  Better to cut ourselves away from sinfulness entirely than master it and be in Hell.

After looking at these images, I can agree with the psalmist.  Blessed is the one who places his trust in the Lord.  It is about God, and there is nothing better than being with Him.

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Year 2, Day 220: Psalms 81-82

Psalm 81

There are some really neat images to be found in this chapter – although I will confess that the second half of the chapter is fairly depressing.  But before we get there, let’s listen to the images in the first half of this psalm.

Asaph is encouraging the people to sing.  He wants him to bring out the tambourine, the harp, and the trumpet.  Think about those instruments.  The voice can mimic just about any kind of music.  The harp can be solemn or rejoicing.  But what about the trumpet and the tambourine?  Those are instrument that naturally lend themselves to celebrations, announcements, and moments of jubilation.  Asaph is not calling his people to sing dirges; rather he desires the people to sing in exultation.  He wants the people to enjoy the singing.  He wants them to raise up a strong voice in praise of their God.  He wants them to worship as we should worship – in joyful celebration of our relationship with God.

What are they to celebrate?  They are to celebrate how the Lord redeemed them from Egypt (Remember that Asaph lived at a time when their captivity under Babylon was drawing near).  They are to remember how the Lord brought them up out of oppression.  They are to remember how God delivered them.

There is wisdom in this psalm.  Imagine the internal stress of singing a song about deliverance at a festival of the Lord when it appears that your country is on the verge of going into oppression once again.  It had to tear the people apart to sing joyfully about a rejoicing past while looking at a bleak future.  Yet, there is still wisdom in this psalm.  Imagine the voice of wisdom that the exodus story can speak to the future of the Hebrew people as they stare down a second round of captivity.  There is a wisdom that speaks through the ages in this psalm.  If God was able to bring his people out of captivity once, He can do it again.

I am reminded of the song “Anatevka” from the song Fiddler on the Roof.  The song begins with a dialogue between some people in Anatevka and their rabbi as the Jews are being forced out of their home.  The question is posed: “Rabbi, we’ve waited all our lives for the Messiah.  Wouldn’t now be a good time for Him to come?”  The reply comes, “We’ll have to wait for Him someplace else.  Meanwhile, let’s start packing.”  That’s wisdom in the midst of misery.  That’s the very power of this psalm.  God has brought us this far, He can be with us in the future.

Then we turn to the second half of this psalm.  This psalm of joy turns to a psalm of lament from the perspective of the Lord.  He desires that His people will humble themselves and turn from their ways.  He yearns for the day when there would be no strange god among them.  But the Lord knows the truth.  This is not likely to happen – at least not in great numbers.

Don’t believe me?  Look at verses 11-12.  “But my people did not listen to my voice.  Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own counsel.”  That’s a tough quote.  But is it much different for us now?  Are we a people known for our submission to God?  Even in our churches … when is the last time that you heard someone say about another person, “Wow, there is a person who has submitted to God!”

Oh how the Lord must yearn for us to seemingly do the impossible and turn from our ways.  Oh that such a day would indeed come.  As Asaph declares towards the end of the psalm, I can’t wait for the day when the people of the Lord follow His ways.  Oh the day when the people of the Lord listen to Him and walk in His ways!

Psalm 82

Psalm 82 was a little difficult for me to wrap my head around as I read it the first time.  I think it is because of the way the ESV formats its paragraphs.  But it should be read as verses 2-5 are speech from God while verses 6-8 are to be read as the words of Asaph.

Look at the words of the Lord as He looks down in judgment upon the earth.  Humans judge unjustly and show partiality.  We tend to overlook the weak, the destitute, the fatherless, and the afflicted.  God’s command is that we should rescue the weak and deliver people out of the hands of the wicked.

Even among Christians, this is still true, isn’t it?  I mean, I’m not trying to paint every action of every Christian as evil.  Certainly there are moments when Christ shines brilliantly forth!  Praise God that there are those moments!  But don’t we all still have moments of partiality?  Don’t we all still have moments where we make snap decisions and they turn out poorly?  Do we always rescue the people we are sent to rescue?  Are we always a father to the fatherless?  I am ashamed to confess that I am guilty of occasionally walking around in the darkness that my own sin shrouds around me.

All I can say is that I join Asaph’s response.  Arise, Oh, Lord.  Judge the nations that you shall inherit. 

We are guilty.  But by His grace He makes us something we are not. Again, Praise be to God!

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Year 2, Day 219: Colossians 4

Closing Reminders

As Paul brings his letter to the Colossians to a close, he sets up his list of last reminders.  As we look at this list, we can learn some spiritual guidelines.  Often it is when a person says goodbye that they end up saying the most important things.

• Paul tells the Colossians to continue to pray.  But they are not just to pray, they are to pray watchfully and steadfastly and with thanksgiving.  How many times do we approach our prayer with dissatisfaction, non-anticipation, and as though it is a chore?  We should be thankful that we can be in a meaningful relationship with God.  We should be thankful that we can come into His presence and touch the Spirit of God in prayer.  I don’t know too many people who have a meaningful prayer life except through daily repetition, practice, and the right attitude.
• Then, Paul asks for a prayer request for himself and his companions.  Notice for what Paul asks.  He asks that he and his companions might be used by God to open a door to the world.  This is really cool.  Remember that Paul is in prison when he writes this.  He could ask them to pray for his release.  He could have asked that they pray for his health, nourishment, or sanity.  But Paul’s focus is not on himself.  When Paul asks people to pray for him, he asks that they pray for God’s use of him in an evangelical nature.  The fact that Paul asks for prayer for God’s agenda to be done and not for his own personal health or status should be telling to us.
• Paul then reminds the Colossians to demonstrate wisdom to the world.  This makes a lot of sense as well.  From an evangelistic perspective, we need to do things that legitimately draws people to our testimony.  Making foolish or rash decisions will not accomplish that outcome.  Demonstrating wisdom – especially lifelong wisdom – will absolutely bring people who are searching.

The Fellowship

Then we march through a list of Paul’s associates. 

• The first is Tychicus.  Notice that Paul says that Tychicus will tell them everything.  Yes, it could be that Tychicus is going to give an oration of the letter – that was customary.  But it is likely that Tychicus is doing more than orating Paul’s words.  Tychicus is going to tell about the journey.  He is going to fill in all the details that Paul trusted him to be able to do.  This is a great statement of trust that Paul gives to Tychicus.  He knows the heart of Tychicus and knows it can be trusted.
• Then we have Onesimus.  Onesimus is a runaway slave that Paul meets in Rome – or whatever prison Paul is in when he writes this – and convinces him to go back to his owner.  This is actually the subject of the book of our Bible named Philemon (Onesimus’ master).  But look at how Paul speaks of Onesimus.  Paul doesn’t call him a slave.  Paul doesn’t warn the Colossians that a person of “that class of people” is coming into their community of believers.  Rather, Paul calls Onesimus a faithful and beloved believer.  Onesimus may be a slave, but in Paul’s eyes Onesimus is a brother.
• Aristarchus is a Macedonian man who voluntarily journeyed with Paul even after his arrest in Jerusalem. 
• Mark – who on a prior missionary journey had abandoned Paul – has found his way back to Paul’s side and trusted company.  That demonstrates forgiveness. 
• We’ve already spoken about Epaphras in a prior blog post. 
• Finally we meet Luke – Paul’s faithful companion and documentation expert for the New Testament.  He wrote Luke and Acts.  

All told, this is a group of faithful witnesses called to Paul’s side to do the work of the Lord.

Share The Word

Finally, Paul greets them and asks that this letter also be read in Laodicea.  Good theology is just that: good theology.  Yes, some advice is context specific.  But some theology is absolutely universal.  Anywhere that there are sinners there is a message that the Word of God can speak into their hearts.

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Year 2, Day 218: Colossians 3

Things From Above

Paul gives some really solid advice in the opening verses of chapter 3.  Seek the things that are from above.  Seek the things that are where Christ is.  When Paul puts it this way, it makes a lot of sense.  If God is our God, then why wouldn’t we want the things that He desires?  The scary part of this is that if we want things the He does not want, then He really isn’t our God, then, is He?  If Jesus Christ really is our Lord, why would we want anything that isn’t a part of His domain?  If our comfort really is found in the Holy Spirit, why would we want anything to which He does not lead us?

Death to Ourselves

Paul goes on in verse 3 to say that we have died.  No, not physically.  But as Paul says in Galatians 2:20, the believer is crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us.  If God is really our God then we should consider ourselves as dead and live for God’s ways instead of our own. 

How do we consider ourselves dead?  Paul gives us a really nice list in verse 5. 

• We need to give up sexual sins.  Think about this one for a second.  How much would life be easier if the only sex that people had was with people to whom they are married?  Think of how many aspects of life our sexuality affects, and how different life would be if we as a race could reign our sexuality under control!  Also notice that this one is first on Paul’s list.
• The next one that Paul lists is impurity.  The word here is largely a word that means impurity through sexual means, but it can mean any uncleanliness from any source.  The main point is that it is behavior that makes us unclean.
• The next one on the list is passion, which literally is “pathos” in the Greek language.  It is the root for our word pathological.  These are behaviors that are driven from passion and an intense emotion.  It doesn’t mean that they don’t require thought, but it does mean that these are acts that are not inherently thought through.
• The next one on the list is evil desires, which is really just a New Testament way of saying coveting.  However, this word doesn’t mean just coveting, it has more to do with coveting our internal desires.  Things like overeating, alcoholism, and sexual satisfaction.  This is not the simple coveting of a person’s car or wealth.  This is a coveting of something that becomes a part of who we are.
• The next one in the list is coveting in general.  Here’s another one that I can ask the all-around simple question about.  How much better would life be if nobody ever got jealous of what another person has?
• Then Paul talks about the things that come out of our mouth: lies, slander, obscenities, etc.  Paul’s point is not unlike James’ point in James 3:5-12.  Our tongue is one of the most deadly weapons that we own.  

We need to remember this.

Life To An Identity In Christ

Instead, look to the life that Paul advocates.  

• We should be a people of forgiveness.  
• We should be a people of compassion.   
• Humble.  
• Kind.  
• Patient.  
• Bearing with one another.  
• Holy.  
• Grateful.  
• We must be a people of Christ’s peace.  
• Paul tells us to keep the Word of God in us as well as to teach and admonish the people around us whenever we can.  

We need to live in the Lord.  This is what it means to be a people of God.

Community

Then Paul goes about talking about the home.  Paul begins with the husband and wife relationship.  Wives submit to the husband; the husband loves the wife.  Children are to honor their parents; fathers are not to discourage their children.  Slaves and servants are to obey their masters genuinely, not simply to please them and look for personal gain.

All of this can be summed up simply: work for the Lord.  In a sense, this brings us back to where Paul begins in this chapter.  If we just live life as though Jesus is actually our Savior and God actually is our God, wouldn’t life be better?  If we model this behavior in our homes, will it not trickle out into our life in the world?  I’ve heard it said that “it starts at home.”  I think that’s true.  A good prayer life, a good relationship with God’s Word, the ability to have meaningful relationship with other Christians, a service-minded outlook, and a life of stewardship all begin at home.  If we live and learn the lessons that God would have us live and learn at home, this world would be a better place.  If we don’t take it seriously and mess it up at home, should it surprise us that our culture in general is getting it wrong, too?

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Year 2, Day 217: Colossians 2

Investing In One Another

As we carry on Paul’s thoughts in this opening paragraph of Colossians 2, we can really hear a sense of personal investment that Paul has for the Colossians.  Remember, these are people that he has never met.  This is a church Paul didn’t plant.  Yet, he feels a deep pain for the Colossians.  Paul wants them to remain faithful in the Gospel.  He wants them to remain steady and confident in the faith.  He wants them to be united together.  This is a great note of spirituality that we can carry through from yesterday’s study.  Spiritual people yearn for other people to remain spiritual whether you know them or not – even whether you like them or not.

Infiltration

Having attempted to genuinely convince the Colossians of His desire for them to remain faithful, Paul turns to the main reason for writing this letter.  Paul is concerned that there are false teachers infiltrating genuinely spiritual churches.  Paul has good reason to fear this.  The same thing happened in Galatia.  Paul watched the Galatian church forgo their foundation in God’s grace only to rely once more upon the idea that they can be saved through obeying the Law.

Look at the examples that Paul lifts up in this chapter.  Circumcision made without hands.  Buried in baptism, raised in faith.  Cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  Paul doesn’t come right out and say it, but he considers traditional 1st-Century Judaism one of the greatest threats to Christianity in his day. 

The direction of the threat may have changed, but the threat itself is still alive today.  1st-Century Judaism is no longer around to threaten Christianity.  However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have people that put their faith in things besides Christ.  Some people believe that their attendance on Sunday will save them.  Some people believe that their baptism will save them.  Some people believe that their “choosing Jesus” will save them.  The truth is that all of these things – and more – are great, but they are all responses to what actually saves us: God’s grace through Jesus’ death on the cross.  Christ is sufficient; nothing else needs to be added as a requirement for salvation.

We should attend regular worship of God.  We should be baptized.  We should choose Christ!  But we do all these things as responses to what actually saves us, what He has done for us on the cross.

Stand Firm

Paul continues his caution for the Colossians.  He encourages them to let nobody judge them.  He encourages them to have an attitude in which the things they do they do for Christ and for no other reason.  He encourages them to refrain from the worship of distractions such as the worship of angels or saints or visions.

This is great advice for Christians of today, too.  How many religious people today genuinely worship angels, or saints, or the mother of Jesus, or people who have visions of heaven?  We have all kinds of people who desire to add something to their worship of God, when really our worship of God should be all that we need!  Why do we have any need for anything besides Christ and that for which Christ stood?

The last paragraph appears to be another stroke against the rules and regulations of 1st-Century Judaism.  Paul talks about the regulations of handling, touching, and tasting certain things and how the Colossians need not bow to such regulations.

Paul’s point behind all of this is subtle.  Notice that he is not saying that such things are inherently bad.  There is nothing wrong with deciding to not touch or taste a particular food or object.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with many of the traditions that we have.  But the problem is when we do them because we think that it is necessary for our salvation.  When we do that, we turn what would make a great response out of faith into something that takes the place of Christ.

In the end, this chapter really has me thinking today about why it is that we put anything in importance above Christ.  Why do we come into churches and demand that things be done a certain way?  Why do we assert that prayer must happen a certain way?  Why do we assert that people must teach a certain way except for a few crucial truths, or dress a certain way, or say the magic words, or whatever they happen to be for a particular denomination?  Should it not be enough for us to look for people who are in relationship with Jesus Christ and come along side of them and celebrate in their relationship with Jesus Christ?  Must we put other things ahead of our genuine relationship with Jesus Christ?

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Year 2, Day 216: Colossians 1

Background For Colossians

As we turn to the book of Colossians for a few days, it is important to understand a bit of the theological history between Paul and the people of Colossae.  The church in Colossae was not founded by Paul.  In fact, in Colossians 2:1 we have Paul’s confession that he has never seen the Colossians face to face.  It is likely a church founded by Epaphras, of whom we hear in Colossians 1:7.  Epaphras is most likely a disciple of Paul’s who heard him preach and teach in nearby Ephesus.  Thus, although we don’t absolutely know this for sure, Colossae is likely a church founded by a disciple of Paul’s, making Paul the “grandfather” of the church – if you can allow the analogy.

Prayer For Strangers

The reason that this is important is because of where Paul begins this letter to the Colossians.  Paul prays for the Colossians – a people he’s never met!  Paul yearns for their continued faith.  Their place in the kingdom of God genuinely matters to him.  This goes to show us that you don’t have to know someone to genuinely care about them.  You don’t even have to have met them face-to-face.  Genuine Christian love is a spiritual thing, and being spiritual means that it can form over any means because it is the Holy Spirit that forms it within us.

Furthermore, although Paul has not met them, Paul still also desires to teach them.  Paul wants them to be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding.  He wants them to bear good fruit in both deed and knowledge of God.  He desires that they be strengthened by God so that their testimony can be powerful and patient in the Lord.  He wants to make sure that they understand that all of this is possible only because it is God who has brought us forth out of the darkness of sin and placed us into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

It All Begins With Jesus

Paul then begins to speak about Jesus Himself.  What better place to begin than in Christ? 

Paul tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God.  In other words, Jesus is the flesh and blood that humans beings need to have.  We have difficulty staying faithful to things we cannot see.  This is true about all of us.  We may or may not obey the speed limit on the highway until we see a physical representation of the law in a police officer – then suddenly we all become perfect drivers.  Kids might watch whatever they can on the television until the parent comes home or into the room – then suddenly the television switches to what the child knows the parent will approve.  So it is with Christ.  We have difficulty knowing God’s love and His desires, so He sent us Christ so that we might see Him quite literally in the flesh.

Paul then speaks about how Jesus Christ holds everything together.  He was at creation; being God, all things were made through Him.  He is the head of the church – it is He who sets our agenda.  Paul reminds us that He is the firstborn of the dead and those who are in Him can therefore take hope in that we too shall be raised.  Paul reminds the Colossians that through Christ’s obedience on the cross we are reconciled to Him.

I think this last point is a very significant one that we in Christ’s church should not forget.  Sometimes Christians act as though we deserve to be in the church.  Sometimes we take God’s grace for granted.  Sometimes we treat our ability to come and worship him more like a chore than an opportunity.  More than occasionally we treat God’s Word like an unapproachable relic than we do a document that is living and breathing life into us.  As Paul says in this chapter, we are alienated from God by our very nature.

Continue In The Faith

As Paul concludes the paragraph on our alienation from God, Paul gives the Colossians something to really think about.  In verse 23, Paul clearly says that Christians will only be presented as blameless and holy if we continue in the faith.  Once we turn to God, we need to keep turning to God.  We need to not shift away from the Gospel.  We must make sure that we live lives that demonstrate that our whole hope rests in God’s grace, love, and mercy.

Persevere Through Suffering

Paul ends this chapter with a brief discussion on suffering.  Paul is writing this letter from prison (probably in Rome, but possibly in Ephesus).  He has been beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and accused falsely – among other strife.  Why have all of these things happened?  Quite simply, they happen so that others might know the love of God.  The focus of the Christian is not on the self.  The focus of the Christian is doing whatever it takes to be obedient to God.  The focus of the Christian is to take God’s Gospel to those who need to hear it and who are willing to hear it.

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Year 2, Day 215: Psalms 79-80

Psalm 79

Knowing a little bit of history when we read Psalm 79 is helpful.  It is possible to hear Asaph’s words and think he is being petty and childish.  After all, it seems like Asaph comes right out and tells God to go be angry with the rest of the world and stop being angry with the Hebrew people.  If we’re not careful, this psalm can be read as though Asaph is trying to have a theology that is based on the thought that “At least we’re better than they are.”  We need to be careful to not read Asaph’s words in this light of trying to exalt his own people by condemning the nations around him.  For that is not at all what is going on in this psalm.

Asaph was one of the chief singers and psalm writers during the time of King Hezekiah.  If you remember from our study of the books of the Kings, Hezekiah was one of those kings that repented and became faithful to God and God allowed him to live for a bit longer and allowed Jerusalem to avoid capture for a bit longer.  So at the writing of the psalm, Asaph understands why the Lord has been angry with His people.  He understands they have rebelled.  But he is participating in a reform movement.

That’s what makes this psalm really neat.  Asaph understands how the people have rebelled.  And he is seeing the tide turning back to God.  As he is watching the people come around, he now has the opportunity to go to God and to say to Him that the people are responding!  Thus, when Asaph asks how long the Lord will be angry, it isn’t that Asaph is weary from punishment but that he understands why the punishment was happening and how long God will continue to hold them accountable since they are repenting.  Essentially, Asaph is really asking when it is that judgment will end and forgiveness will begin.

That’s a fair question.  We know that God forgives.  We know that God forgives far more than He should and far more frequently than He should.  But I think we all can’t help but wonder how long the time period for our punishment will be.  It’s just the nature of creation.

I think to my two lovely greyhounds.  Most of the time they are great dogs.  Once and a while one of them does something that they shouldn’t and they get yelled at.  You can see in their response as they slink off that they understand they are in trouble.  They sit just out of reach and look up at me, waiting for me to announce for them to come and be forgiven.  When I do, they usually spring up and come bounding over, longing for the relationship to be officially declared “Restored.”  That’s where Asaph is in this psalm.  Asaph is longingly looking to God and wondering when the command will be given by God to come and be happily welcomed back into the arms of the master.

Psalm 80

Psalm 80 is much in the same line as Psalm 79.  Asaph calls upon the Lord to see the people and see the condition in which they are forced to live.  Asaph reminds God that they are turning and if God will but look down from heaven then they will turn all the more!  This is a psalm that cries out for the attention of God.

What makes this psalm slightly different from the previous one is Asaph’s return to images of the past promises and covenants.  Asaph not only wants God to see the present reform going on among the Hebrew people under Hezekiah; he also wants God to remember His promises.  He wants God to remember the historical relationship.  Asaph wants God to remember that it was at His hand that the Hebrew people were brought up out of Egypt and it was at His hand that the Hebrew people were established in the Promised Land.  Asaph wants the Lord to remember His promise that if they repent then God will forgive.

In yesterday’s blog post I spoke much of looking to history so that we can find God and find hope in God’s continued presence throughout history.  We can also look to history and remind God about His promises.  Not that God needs a reminder, for the record.  But sometimes it does us good to be reminded of God’s promises, too.

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Year 2, Day 214: Psalm 77-78

Psalm 77

Psalm 77 is a psalm of Asaph, and it is likely a psalm about a time when he was troubled and could find no peace.  I have to confess that I have been in such a place.  In spite of my faith in God and in spite of my confession that there is no salvation except through Him, that doesn’t mean I can perfectly let God be in control.  Sometimes it is difficult to see God’s plan – even if we fully believe that there is one.  Sometimes it is difficult to cast all of our cares upon Him even when we know it is the right thing to do.

In those times, it will likely be helpful to do what Asaph does here.  Asaph stops thinking about his current situation and begins thinking about the past.  He thinks about a story that he has heard that is similar to his current situation.  Then he looks for God in that story.

In this particular example, the story that Asaph finds comfort in is the Exodus story out of Egypt.  The freedom of the Hebrew people was through the water – a path that nobody could see.  The salvation of the Hebrew people was on a course that no single person would have ever guessed, because no person was able to grasp what God was doing.

When Asaph looked back to the story of the Exodus, he saw God clearly in the water.  He saw God in the thunder and lightning.  He saw God in the parting of the waves.  Although he was struggling to see God now in his current situation, he could see God clearly in the past and it brought him comfort.

This brings us full circle.  When we look to the past, we can see God at work because His work is displayed and we know the end result.  When we look to the present we cannot always see God as clearly because his hand is hidden in the future.  This is the power of knowing the past.  When we know the past, we can easily identify with the power and faithfulness of God.  If we can see God at work in the past, then we will be able to see the present and the future more confidently.  It works for Asaph.  It can work for us, too.

Psalm 78

Psalm 78 is another psalm that makes the same point as Psalm 77.  We have a lot we can learn from history.  However, this psalm is pointed in a slightly different direction.  Psalm 77 spoke about looking to the past to gain faith and confidence.  Psalm 78 speaks to looking to the past to learn from them and not make the same mistakes.  I think both are incredibly true lessons.

If we look at a few of the examples – and it’s a long enough psalm that we cannot look at them all – what we can see is that in spite of God’s action, people don’t pay attention.  God opened heaven and gave the Hebrew people manna in the dessert.   For the record, I love the imagery of God giving them the food of the angels.  I’ve never thought about it that way.  But the really sad part about this is that the people became ungrateful for the manna.  They had the opportunity to experience something that none of us will likely ever experience and they got tired of it.

Another example is when Moses brought water out of the rock.  The psalmist uses that imagery combined with the imagery of God’s bringing of quail and paints another great expression that I love: God set a table in the dessert.  Quite literally, God had done so.  God had given them an abundance of meat, bread, and water in the dessert and the people still rebelled.

What is it that got their attention?  God’s wrath.  When God’s wrath came upon them – and there are many times that this happened – the repented.  But they weren’t genuinely repenting.  They didn’t really want to follow God.  They simply wanted to escape God’s wrath.  Their hearts didn’t really turn to God, they simply turned to God to make their life better.  So when God’s wrath left them, they rebelled again.  They ended up proving that their tongues were lying when they declared God’s praise.  They weren’t in it for God; they were in it for themselves.

Time and time again the people rebelled.  Time and time again God showered them with grace and they didn’t respond.  Time and time again it was only God’s wrath that evoked any kind of response.  But the responses evoked by wrath were never genuine.  We can and should learn this lesson.  We need to learn to love God and genuinely love His ways and stop loving God because we are afraid of His wrath.  Love based of fear is never really love as we see demonstrated again and again in this psalm.

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Year 2, Day 213: Psalm 75-76

Psalm 75

Psalm 75 is all about God’s supremacy.  There are some pretty scary images in this psalm.  There are some fairly stern words.  But before we get to those, let’s talk a bit about how those words are set up.

It is God who tells the boastful to not boast.  It is God who tells the wicked to quit acting in self-centered ways.  Even before we get to the judgment we can see God’s righteousness in that He gives fair warning.  God tells humanity what is bad for us.  It is just up to us to listen.

Then we get to a really scary image.  This psalm contains a version of the “cup of God’s wrath.”  Listen to the words used to talk about this cup.  The cup is in God’s hand – He is in control.  The wine in the cup has fermented – meaning that it has been building up over time.  The wine is abundantly mixed – implying that God will distribute His justice evenly to all who deserve it.  It is God who pours out the contents of the cup – reminding us again that God is in charge and things happen according to His control.  The cup is drunk all the way down to the dregs – implying that the full measure of God’s wrath will be made known.

Those images should haunt us.  Do you really want to drink from the cup of God’s wrath – knowing that you fully deserve to do so?  Do you really want to endure the complete brunt of God’s wrath?  Do you want to drink in the cup of God’s wrath all the way down to the dregs?  No, we should want to do whatever it takes to avoid that.  We should recognize that we are not perfect and then humble ourselves while turning to God and listening to His voice.

It may sound strange to hear Asaph turn from this image of God’s wrath directly into the praise of God.  After all, how many of us usually feel like praising God immediately after thinking about how much we could feel His wrath?  But on the other hand, it is through the recognition of His wrath that we come to an understanding about how wonderful it is to know God’s grace!  This is why Asaph can come directly into giving praise to God immediately after talking about God’s cup of wrath.  He knows how fortunate we all are to avoid having to drink that cup.  Our gratitude alone should cause us to sing the praises of God forever!

Psalm 76

Psalm 76 gives us a few more images at which we can marvel.  If we look to the beginning of the psalm, we can see that God breaks the weapons of war.  God doesn’t simply avoid them, or dodge them, or even defend against them.  God breaks them.  God makes our offenses against Him useless.

The next great image that we have is the psalmist’s claim that the Lord is more majestic than mountains full of prey.  Think about this one for a second.  What is a mountain full of prey?  A mountain full of prey is essentially a lifetime of prosperity.  A mountain full of prey means that a person can eat their fill.  God is more majestic than this.  Essentially, the psalmist is saying that God is more majestic than a lifetime of prosperity.  Now that’s a bold claim!

If we skip down to verse 10, we hear that even the wrath of mankind will praise God.  When we are at our angriest, even then God can draw praise out of us.  What does God have to fear from us?  Not only does he break our weapons of war, but even when we do rise up against Him He can work it out for His glory.  He really can wear our anger like a belt because it turns out to glorify His name.

Indeed, we can marvel at God’s greatness.  We should give Him praise.  He can do incredible things with us; He can do incredible things even when we are against Him.  Why shouldn’t we give glory to His name?

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