My Talk With Me

“Praise the Lord, I tell myself, praise his holy name.”  Psalm 103:1

A few days ago, I called myself—twice in one morning!  The explanation is too long and dull to recount, so suffice it to say that the first was an accidental call from my cell phone to my land line, and the second was me dialing my own number thinking I was calling back the person I thought had just called me!  Hearing a recording of my own voice caused me to pause, look more closely at my phone, and realize that I was the one doing all the dialing!  I had to laugh, (what else does one do when questioning her own sanity??), but I also wondered—“What would I tell myself if I could really call myself?”

Most likely my conversation with me would be filled with reminders of things I need to do or want to do, and, actually, such dialogue would be quite Biblical.  Repeatedly in the book of Psalms, the writer talks to himself about things necessary and needed, and the discussion always includes the words, “O my soul”—a rather poetic way of saying, “I tell myself.”  So what does the psalmist keep telling himself?  To praise the Lord, to remember His grace, and to rest in God alone.

“Praise the Lord, I tell myself, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and don’t forget the benefits of being his—he forgives your sins, heals your sickness, redeems your life from the pit, crowns you with love and compassion, and fulfills your desires with things that are good (Ps 103:1-2).  That’s great stuff for you to tell you—and for me to tell me—over and over.  We know that our amazing God deserves constant adoration for who He is and what He does, but the pressing matters and petty distractions of each day often push worship down or off our priority list.   And so we need to repeatedly say, “Praise the Lord, I tell myself, praise his holy name.”

We also need to regularly remind ourselves that our contentment, significance, and fulfillment are found in God alone.  Our hang-wringing fretting and heart-gripping worry will greatly diminish when we take our own advice to “find rest, I tell myself, in God alone.  Your hope comes from him”(Ps 62:5), and to “be at rest once more, I tell myself, for the Lord has been good to you(Ps 116:7).  The peace that passes understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus when we place our requests before God and trust in Him to bring about His best(Phil 4:6), but since we are easily stressed, we need to tell ourselves often to rest.

Praise the Lord, remember His grace, and rest in God alone. 

It’s good to tell those things to others.  It’s even better to tell them to yourself.

 

Practice What You Preach

“You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?”  Romans 2:23

King David wrote Psalm 69.  He wrote it to be sung.  He even chose a lovely tune called “Lilies” to go with the lyrics, but verse six always makes me stop singing and start thinking.  “May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel”(Ps 69:6). Or, to say it another way, “May nothing in my life make other Christians cringe.”

You know what it’s like to be sharing with someone about Jesus and have that person immediately start listing the sinful actions of Christians they know or know about. You’ve experienced the awkwardness of explaining that Christ-followers aren’t perfect, just forgiven, while, at the same time, trying not to sound like you’re defending or excusing another’s wrong.  Since none of us like to be in that spot, all of us should try to keep ourselves and others out of it, and the best way to do so is by practicing what we preach.

The Apostle Paul hits home hard with this one.  Seems that some Jewish believers in Rome were quoting the Old Testament law with pride but not piety, and Paul reminds them that their works should match their words.  “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?  You who preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?  You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?”(Romans 2:21-23).  If we’re talking the talk but not walking the walk, all we’re doing is making God sound bad.  “As is it written, ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’”(Romans 2:24). God’s infinite glory can never be diminished, but its reflection in our lives is marred and dulled when we speak God’s truth but fail to show it. 

That was King David’s big fear and the Apostle Paul’s big fuss.  Both knew it was easier to instruct than obey, but both realized the importance of practicing what we preach.  Might not be a bad idea to stop singing sometimes and start thinking. "Do I show what I say?" and "What in my life makes others Christians cringe?"

Don’t just ask yourself the answers.  Ask God.  And let Him help your walk equal your talk.

Set or See?

“My eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord.”  Psalm 141:8

 I faced a dilemma last Sunday during communion.  Our family sits close to the front (very close, my girls would say!), so after retrieving my little cup from the tray, I had a long time to wait until I drank it.  Sadly, never at loss for sins to confess and, gladly, never lacking blessings for which to be grateful, I decided to pass the time in prayer but quickly discovered that if I closed my eyes, I wobbled my juice.  So I just sat there looking at it.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my husband setting his down in the handy-dandy holder attached to the adjacent pew, leaving his hands free from wobble and worry.  When it came to the cup, I soon realized I had two options to avoid a spill:   stare at it or set it down.

In truth, that choice confronts us daily, not just the first Sunday of the month.  We continuously face various circumstances where we must decide to either keep the cross as our focus or find what we consider a more comfortable or convenient solution.  Though there is surely nothing wrong with setting down your cup during communion, setting aside the sacrifice which it symbolizes, even for a moment, brings devastation, difficulty, and lost opportunity. 

Set aside the cross when you’re frustrated, and your angry words will wound someone’s spirit.  Set aside the cross when you’re mistreated, and your “getting even” gets ugly.  Set aside the cross when you’re tempted, and your desire quickly escalates to doing.  Set aside the cross when you’re busy, and your schedule becomes more important than God’s agenda.  Set aside the cross when you’re grieving, and your heart will have no hope.

Only by keeping our eyes on Jesus can we avoid the spills in our lives which make big messes.  Focusing on our mighty God and His amazing grace never means that nothing bad will happen, but a continued concentration on Christ causes us to know and trust God’s character more fully.  We realize that He sovereignly works all things—even tough things— together for our good, whether on earth or in eternity.

We might think that taking a hands-off approach to the cross leaves us worry and wobble free, but, in truth, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus is the only way to live stable and sure.

Don’t set down what you should always see.

Even for a moment.