The Days Of Our Lives

“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days….”  Psalm 34:12

Wanna better day?  A better life?  Apply this advice from a sane guy who pretended to be crazy.  “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”(vs 12-14).

Times were rough when David penned these phrases.  With a jealous King Saul hot on his trail, David fled to enemy territory and sought refuge with the Philistines.  When his attempt at incognito failed, David faked insanity so the local ruler wouldn’t want him around.  As he praised God for his escape, David called close those who would hear his instruction.  “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord”(vs 11).

“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days….”  Aren’t we all in that audience?  Don’t we want the days of our lives to be joyful and pleasant?  Don’t we desire to minimize the bad and maximize the good?  To love life and not loathe it?  Then we should listen up and live this out:  “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”  The biggest mess comes from our mouths.  Watch your words and why you say them.  Trouble turns up when we don’t tell the truth, and life goes south fast when we speak in selfishness or anger.

Correct actions require constant effort, so “turn from evil and do good.”  Though the bad may be tempting, don’t indulge.  You always have a choice, and your decisions determine your days.  “Seek peace and pursue it.”  Resolve to live at peace with God and others. Guilt makes us restless and agitated, so seek peace by shunning sin—and by shutting up.  Every argument isn’t yours to win.  Every discussion doesn’t need your last word.  Staying cool when things get hot is best for all involved.  David knew the pain and the price of evil words and angry actions, and he begs us to be different.

Manage your mouth.  Eliminate the lies.  Abandon what’s wrong.  Embrace what’s right.  And go after peace, even if it means letting go.

Days make up our lives. 

Make the most of both.

Why Holiness?

“Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”  Psalm 29:2

What if He wasn’t?  What if God wasn’t holy?  Would it matter?  Would it make a difference?  David’s instruction to “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” invokes images of majesty and glory, but what’s really so splendid about holiness?

Perhaps if God wasn’t so perfect, the pressure on us might be less intense.  If His standards weren’t set so high, we might not need so much help.  God’s demands would surely decrease if He slipped up every now and then.

But is that really what we want?  A God who isn’t always good?  A Father who isn’t forever faultless?  If God isn’t holy, He isn’t God at all, and we are left to wonder and wander in a world of variables with no absolutes.  God’s holiness is what makes right, right and wrong, wrong.  His holiness gives us hope, for only a holy God can serve justice and share grace.   Without God’s holiness, the world would be helpless—and hell.

But God is holy, and heaven rejoices.  The myriad of praises around His throne harmonizes with the relentless rhythm of “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty”(Rev. 4:8).  This ceaseless exclamation is a never-ending declaration of God’s never-faltering perfection.

He is flawless, and we are thankful.  He is beyond our best, and we rejoice.  His character is immaculate, and His actions are impeccable.  “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all”(1 John 1:5).  How holy.  How splendid.

“Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

There really is no other way.

The One Thing

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”  Psalm 27:4

Pretend you’re standing on a beach holding a brass lamp found buried in the sand.  Its shape hints at its secret, and a hopeful rub will produce a genie and a granted wish.  What would you ask for?  What would you want?

While the scenario is silly, the question is serious.  What is your greatest desire?  What is the one thing you would request if you knew for certain you would receive?  Though life is rarely so straightforward, our response reveals much about our passions and priorities.   Our answer indicates what’s in our hearts and on our minds.

David offers his reply without hesitation in Psalm 27.  “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple”(vs 4).  In short, David desired God.  No one else and nothing less would do.  Though delightfully aware of the blessings those who seek God will find—soul safety, protection, and security (vs 5-6)—David’s focus was not God’s hands but His face.  He wanted to live with God, look at God, and spend time with God.  “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek” (vs 8).

In the eyes of many, David already had it all.  He had climbed the ladder of success from shepherd to sovereign.  He was popular and powerful.  His home was fancy; his bank accounts full. Women adored him, and men admired him.  David had fame, fortune, and a family, but they weren’t enough.  Only God would do.

David wanted to be up-close and personal with this God who was his light, salvation, and stronghold (vs 1).   He wanted to move in to God’s presence and never move out.  He wished to be where God was.  In David’s day, God’s residence on earth was a gold-plated wooden box—the ark of the covenant.  David had moved the ark to Jerusalem and placed it in a special tent so he could be near God’s presence, but he longed for so much more.  He yearned for the day when the barriers would be obliterated and he could see his beautiful God face to face.

David’s desire should inspire us, for his dim glimpse of God hardly compares to our bright panorama.  Bethlehem’s star lights the path to His glorious cross where we’re stunned by the mixture of justice and mercy.  The empty tomb shatters the dark dread of death, and we see in living color the promise of eternity.  God’s presence is our present—the gift of His Spirit until we get home.  “God who said, ‘Let shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).  In the face and grace of Christ we see the beauty of God, and we should never look away.

Don’t want more from God; want more of God.

You always get your wish when God is your desire.

Soul Sharing

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”  Psalms 25:1

While all of us share some with some, most of us tell all to none.  The reasons vary.  Too risky.  Too redundant.  Too revealing.  But just because we don’t share, doesn’t mean they aren’t there—those hopes, fears, and feelings which mix in our souls and make us who we are.

Our lack of disclosure is often wise (everybody doesn’t need to know everything), but there is One to whom we can divulge all the details and it still be good.  “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul,” David declares(vs 1). “In you I trust, O my God,” he exclaims(vs 2).  Those around David didn’t understand how he felt.  They didn’t sense his fears or know his faults.  David was lonely and troubled (vs16).    He was miserable and had messed up (vs18), so he looked to God and lifted up his soul.  “My eyes are ever on the Lord”(vs 15).

“Pour out your hearts to him,” David instructs us, for God can be totally trusted(Ps. 62:8).  He won’t turn on us or against us.  He doesn’t shame us or shun us.  He listens; He loves; He will never leave.  Such security gives us confidence to confide in Him, to disclose our anxieties, ambitions, and inadequacies.  We don’t do life well on our own.  God knows we need His help, so admit it and ask Him.  “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long”(vs 4-5).

Be honest about who you are, and be honest about what you’ve done.  God knows all your sin—past and present.  In the goodness of His grace, He has wiped it away, so don’t let guilt get in the way. “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good.  For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great”(vs 7,11).  Since you can’t hide your wrong from God, hand it to Him and let Him handle it.

You will never tell God anything He doesn’t know, but He will tell you much you need to know.  “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them”(vs 14).  God whispers Himself to those who are close, to the ones who communicate with Him and cherish Him.  Such intimacy is not awkward but amazing, and is the deepest desire of both God’s heart and ours.  Lift up your soul and be fully known and fully loved.

Do some soul-searching about your soul-sharing.

Life is best when lifted up.

Ultimate Ownership

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.”  Psalm 24:1

It’s all His.  Every acre, every account, and every asset.  Everyone you can hold and everything you can have all belongs to God.  His ultimate ownership has existed since creation, and no desire or design of man can alter the arrangement.  It’s all His.  Princes and paupers both need the reminder.

When we’re concerned about cash to cover the bills or a roof to cover our heads, knowing it’s all His brings comfort and confidence.  The previous psalm (Psalm 23) aptly declared that if God is our guide, our needs will be supplied.  “Do not worry,” Jesus said, “about what you will eat or drink or about what you will wear. Your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things”(Matt 7:25,32). He distributes His wealth as He wishes and will always care for His own. Through various manners and methods, resources will be provided for the essentials of life.  (It’s good to remember that the extras are optional, so if we are required to let go of a possession—or if we never acquire one we really want—it obviously isn’t a necessity.)  The One who owns the riches of the universe will see to it that we have what we need.  It’s all His.

Th0se same three words which bring peace in our austerity also bring purpose in our abundance, for if we’re honest, rarely is the cupboard bare, the closet empty, and the garage able to be described as sparse.  Most likely we have a surplus of stuff which overflows from dressers, attics, and sheds.  A culture of acquisition influences our homes and our habits, and we often find ourselves figuring out how to get more.  

Loads of money and lots of things aren’t always bad as long as we understand they’re part of a time-share.  During our time on earth, God shares some of His stuff with us.  Before we arrived, someone else managed it.  After we’re gone, He’ll pass it on to others.  But for the few years in between, He entrusts us with treasure to enjoy and employ.  You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead, so “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven”(Matt. 6:20).  Use your possessions and your pocketbook well.  Always put people before things, spend and share your resources to deepen relationships with others, and support God’s work locally and globally.

If having more in your name brings glory to His, sign away, but remember Who holds the deed.  It’s all His.

Hold on loosely.

Use it wisely.

Invest eternally.

We couldn’t have a better landlord.

The Song of a Happy Sheep

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my shepherd.  I will never lack anything I need.

In Him I find rest, satisfied and secure in His lush goodness.  In Him I am refreshed as my desires are fulfilled by His purity and perfection—not with the stagnant or toxic reservoirs of this world.  In Him I am restored, for each time I fall, He gently picks me up, brushes me off, and sets me back on my feet.

Every moment of the day He leads me along the path that is best for me and brings Him glory.  Even as I travel through life’s deep, dark valleys, I am never alone.  Tears may fall from anguish and grief but never from being abandoned or forgotten.  The rod of His Word comforts and corrects me.  The staff of His Spirit connects and counsels me.  He keeps me close, and I know all will be okay.

He goes before me and gets the future ready.  Those who want to bring me down see His preparation and power, and they stay away when He is near.  He coats me with the oil of His presence, for His love, joy, peace, and patience help repel irritation and reduce confrontation.

Just as a cup spills out when filled beyond its brim, my heart overflows with the Lord’s abundant blessings.  Each day of this life, I can leave behind His goodness and love everywhere I go, and in the next, His home will be my permanent address—forever.