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.

Living Proof

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”  Psalm 19:1

It’s very obvious that God is. 

Only the blind can’t see His beauty.  Only the deaf can’t hear His voice.  Each morning cries out His character, and each evening exclaims His praise.  “The heavens declare the glory of God…Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge”(vs 1-2).  Everyone everywhere should be listening for “there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world”(vs 3-4).

On a canvas of sky God has written His works.  Like a happy man on his wedding day, the sun beams as it steps onto the horizon.  Like a champion racer who loves to run, this blazing fireball zips around its track.  Just as none can escape the sun’s heat, no one has a valid excuse for a hard heart “for since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and his divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). Creation is our first clue that God is real and really cares.

What He says is our second.  On a canvas of stone God wrote His words—for Moses to pass on to us.  His perfect law, trustworthy statutes, right precepts, and radiant commands, give us life, make us wise, bring us joy, and help us discern.  More precious than gold, His sovereign law, and the rest of the Scriptures, are sweet and nourishing.  “By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward”(vs 7-11).  What God says shows us who we are and shows us who He is.

And on the canvas of our souls God writes His will—His desire for us to be His and His alone, His passion for us to live in His grace and His strength.  In Him we find forgiveness—“Forgive my hidden faults”(vs 12).  In Him we experience victory—“Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me”(vs 13).  And in Him we discover the reason and the purpose for every word we say and every thought we think—“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer”(vs 14).

The One who lit the sky is our Lord.

The One who wrote on the rock is our Rock.

The One who rights our wrongs is our Redeemer.

May our lives declare His glory. 

May our lips proclaim His praise. 

May we be living proof of His power.

And may we never be silent.

The Perfect Love Song

The Perfect Love Song

“As for God, his way is perfect.”  Psalm 18:30

Finally. After years of being threatened, trailed, badgered, and battled, David was finally free—free from “the hand of Saul and all his enemies.”  When the Lord delivered David from his foes, he sang a song to God, a love song with lots of verses.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength,” the ballad begins(vs 1).  This adored Deity is David’s rock, his fortress, his deliverer.  He is David’s refuge during the rough times and his protection during peril.  David’s relationship with God didn’t shield him from danger or difficulty, but it did guarantee he had someone to turn to when life turned south.  “The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me…In my distress I called to the Lord….My cry came before him, into his ears”(vs 4-6).

With the most picturesque description of power in the Bible, David then sings of God’s salvation. The earth trembles from divine anger as our fire-breathing God splits the sky and soars to earth.  Swathed in darkness and shouting thunder, God’s lightning arrows scorch His enemies while a blast of His breath scatters the sea.  “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of the deep waters.  He rescued me,” David exults(vs 7-17).

Such deliverance inspires confidence and incites praise.  “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall,” David boldly exclaims(vs 29). “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!  Exalted be God my Savior!” he joyfully revels(vs 46), and, in unashamed amazement, David declares the mind-blowing truth, “You stoop down to make me great”(vs 35).  

Had David been allowed to edit his own life story, he would surely have erased the times of trouble, the years of being a fugitive, the many confrontations with his enemies and adversaries, but instead of complaining about past circumstances, David rejoices in his rescue and rests in God’s sovereignty.  As he looks back on his journey of struggle and salvation, he can only sing, “As for God, his way is perfect” (vs 30).

God stooped down to make us great.

God stooped down to give us grace.

The least we can do it lift up our love.

God and the Good

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”  Psalm 16:2

God and good go together and can’t be split up.  No matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to have one without the other.  If you have God, you have what is good for “the Lord is good” (Ps 100:5). If you have something good, God is involved because “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).  If you take GOD out of GOOD you’re left with O—nothing. This truth is not a clever play on words but the striking reality which prompted David’s admission and submission in Psalm 16. 

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing”(vs 2).  Faced with this fact, David bowed his heart and said, “God, You are the ruler of my life. There’s nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to where I can find anything of lasting value or worth.”  Though we know this to be true, the siren song of distractions and desires is strong, but when our chasing of dreams or delights pulls us away from God, we only catch heartbreak and hurt, for “the sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods” (vs 4). 

To avoid the pain of vain pursuits, vow with David, “I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips” (vs 4).  In other words, make sure your worship and your words aren’t giving your best to what isn’t best because only God has “made known to you the path of life”(vs 10), only God “will fill you with joy in His presence”(vs 12),  and only God has prepared for you “eternal pleasures at His right hand”(vs 11).

God isn’t only in the good; God is the good.  Submit and stay close.

There’s nothing good about not being near God. 

Still Standing

“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.”  Psalm 11:4

A quick look or listen to media of any sort makes obvious the fact that glorifying God and enjoying Him forever is not the goal of the majority.  Most are focused on self-promotion and self-gratification with little consideration of the One who created and sustains them.  Sadly, the relentless pursuit of power, treasure, and pleasure leads them to not only discard the boundaries God established for our protection and delight but also to disdain those who hold to such unchanging truths.

Ours is not the first generation to face a degenerating social and spiritual culture.   Almost three thousand years ago, David felt the fire of being surrounded by an enemy aiming flaming darts at the very center of who he was and what he believed.  “Look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart”(Ps 11:2).  And David ran—straight to the One who is truth.  “In the Lord I take refuge”(Ps 11:1). 

Traditions, standards, and even laws shift and switch with the whims of man, so much so that we feel (and fear for) the earth trembling beneath our feet.  Sensing this terror in his time, David wondered, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”(Ps 11:3), but he answered his own question with the assurance that the true foundation will never crack or crumble. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne”(Ps 11:4). He is the same almighty, holy, righteous, compassionate, gracious, and good God—yesterday, today, and forever, and though heaven and earth may pass away, what He has said will remain past time (Matt 24:35).

Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul encouraged his friend, Timothy, that though many around them had twisted the truth of Christ, the basis of their belief was a “bulwark never failing.”  “God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription, ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness’”(2 Tim 2:19). The two statements complement and complete each other.  The first declares our salvation—God knows His own.  We need not need fret about our eternal security for our relationship with God depends solely on His righteousness and not ours.  The second denotes our sanctification—God is transforming His own.  The result of that relationship is progress in the process of following Christ daily.

A growing understanding of the grace we’ve been given should encourage us in the power of the gospel to bring about change that is good—one person at a time.  We should be informed and engaged, holding unswervingly to our faithful God and His truth, and knowing without doubt that though the temporary may topple, “I lay in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a  sure foundation; the one who trusts in Him will never be dismayed”(Isa 28:16).

When things seem to be crumbling on earth, look to heaven.

God’s sovereignty and His salvation are (and always will be) still standing.