Tag: Christianity

Recognizing God’s Presence

On By BrianIn Habit of Prayer

Psalm 139 is a great prayer that reminds us that God is intimately involved in our lives.  Part of that involvement is his constant presence.  As David prays, he recognizes God’s presence with him:

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me. (v7-10)

Do we recognize God’s presence with us when we pray?  Do we consider that he is right there with us?

The address to our prayers should remind us of who we are talking to and that he is right there listening to us.  When we start our prayers with “Dear Lord” or “Our Father” or something similar, these addresses ought to draw all of our attention to our very present God.  And yet I fear we too often zip right through it; we forget who we are talking to.  We just start talking without thinking about what we are doing.  At least I know I do. 

How different our prayers might be if at the beginning of each prayer we simply stopped to consider who we are talking to, if we recognized that we are talking to a great God who is right there listening to us.  We are not talking to the air.  We are not talking to ourselves.  We are not talking to a distant god who may or may not hear us.  We are talking to a very present God who hears every word.  As we recognize his presence, we can really talk to God as we should.

Prayer Quotes To Ponder

On By BrianIn Prayer Quotes

If we think we can do life on our own,
we will not take prayer seriously.
– Paul Miller

 Prayer is bringing your helplessness to Jesus.
– Paul Miller

 Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life.
– Paul Miller

 It is atheism to pray and not to wait in hope.
– Richard Sibbes

 True prayer measures no need too great or too small. 
It neither assumes human probability nor flinches
 in the face of human impossibility.
– James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke

 Jesus’ example teaches us that prayer is about relationship.  When he prays, he is not performing a duty; he is getting close to his Father.  Any relationship, if it is going to grow, needs private space, time together without an agenda, where you can get to know each other….  Efficiency, multitasking, and busyness all kill intimacy.
– Paul Miller

 A sign of true love and friendship is when two people treasure time to be alone to talk together.  So it is with the Lord and true believers.  They love to hear each other’s voice.  This involves a double grace – not only that a sinner loves to hear Christ’s voice, but also that Christ loves to hear a sinner’s voice.
– James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke

 When a man draws near to God in prayer, he forgets prayer…prayer goes for nothing, but Christ is all.
-I.Ambrose

 True prayer is fellowshipping with God. 
It is a foretaste of heaven’s eternal conversation.
– James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Mark Altrogge gives us several reasons why we must rejoice always.

Thinking about sin and morality, Stephen Altrogge warns us of the danger of turning a good thing into a moral and necessary thing.  And Kevin DeYoung reminds us that every sin is not the same in God’s eyes.  And Joe Thorn considers what it means to die to sin.

In the midst of rising prices and a struggling economy, here are ten principles from Proverbs on money and possessions.

And as you prepare for church tomorrow, be careful to worship God, not our feelings.

Have a great Lord’s Day with your local church praising God, studying his Word, seeking him in prayer, and encouraging one another.

Next week we will begin a four week focus on prayer.

My Shepherd

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

Psalm 23 is one of the best known, most beloved passages in the Scriptures – perhaps because it gives us great assurance in troubled times.  As I look around this world, I see a people living in troubled times.  I see the concerns, cares, struggles, and pain that so many are facing, so many are carrying.  I see financial concerns, health struggles, loved ones who are ill or dying or who have passed away, family struggles, struggles with sin, and the list could go on.  I see a hurting people in need of some assurance.  When we look at Psalm 23 we find that assurance as we remember that we have a great Shepherd.

The Lord is my Shepherd (v1a).  What a wonderful thing that God – the Creator of the universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – would care about little people like us, would choose to be our Shepherd.  And yet David makes it more personal than that.  He is not just our Shepherd, but he is my Shepherd.  I have personal relationship with God.  He cares about me.  He is my Shepherd.

Can you say that?  Can you say that he is your Shepherd?  Can you say that you are his sheep?  Jesus uses the same imagery in John 10:27-28.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Does God know you as his sheep?  Has he given you eternal life?  Eternal life in the Gospel of John is a relationship with God today that extends into eternity (John 17:3).  Have you received this eternal life, this relationship with God?  Jesus also says in John 10:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (v11)

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (v14-15)

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. (v17)

Jesus knows his sheep. He died for them and rose from dead.  And to be his sheep, we must simply believe in him.  Jesus said in verse 26:

But you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. 

If we do not believe, we are not his sheep.  But the opposite is also true.  If we believe in Jesus, we are his sheep.  If we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life, he will be our Shepherd. Have you received him as your Shepherd?  Have you become his sheep?  Without a shepherd you are a lost sheep, wandering in wilderness, chased by wolves, with no support, no help, and no hope.  But if you have Lord as your Shepherd – Psalm 23 gives you glorious truths that you can hold onto in troubled times:

He Provides For You

He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters (v2).  Sheep need green pastures in which to graze.  They need still waters to drink.  They need to lie down to rest.  And God provides food and drink and rest for you.  He provides for your needs.  He will take care of you in this uncertain economy.  Gas prices are rising, grocery bills are increasing, and health insurance and doctor bills are climbing.  Many people are without a job or losing their home.  In the midst of all of this, you can fret and fear, worry and whine.  Or you can look to your Shepherd –  he will provide for you. 

Spurgeon understands this verse as the Shepherd providing  spiritually for you.  He gives you the green pastures of his Word on which to feed.  God gives you living water, which is the Spirit at work in you (John 7:37-39).  Whether physical or spiritual, God provides for you.

He Restores You

He restores my soul (v3a).  Are you in need of restoration today?  The world offers many restoratives, but in the end they will leave you empty.  Only your great Shepherd can restore your soul, can restore you deep down where it hurts, where it aches, where you need it.  Are you cast down?  He will pick you up.  Are you weak?  He will give you strength.  Are you hurting and wounded?  He will bind up your hurts and heal your wounds.  Are you sinful?  He will pardon you and sanctify you.  Are you tired and weary?  He will revive you.  Are you wandering?  He will leave the 99 and come for you and bring you back (Luke 15).  Do you need restoration in your life?  Look to your Shepherd – he restores your soul.

He Leads You In Righteousness

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (v3b).  Through the Word and the Spirit, he leads you in righteousness.  He helps you to grow, to change, to be the person he created and saved you to be.  His grace teaches you to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:12).  He leads you, but are you listening to his leading?  Are you in his Word?  Are you following?  Are you obeying?  Or have you been straying from the right paths, wandering away from your Shepherd?  He leads you, but you must follow.

He provides for you, restores you, and leads you in righteousness, and so you can say with David: The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. This is the first of three statements about himself.  He shall not want.  He shall have no lack.  In God, he has everything he needs.  And why not, for God is the source of all good things (James 1:17).

And so you can be content in Him.  Many things of this world may be denied you, but in him you have what you need.  He will provide.  He will restore.  He will lead.  And so you can say with David in Psalm 16:5-6,

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

You have what you need in him; you need not look elsewhere.  Other gods, idols of this world, tell you that they can provide, restore, and lead, but they can’t compare to your Shepherd.  They can’t compare to your God.  Your God is a big God.  Your God is a strong God.  Your God is a powerful God.  Your God loves you.  He is your Shepherd.  And you can be content in him.

He Is With You

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (v4).  Back in verse three, the words could be translated – he leads me in right paths.  Our translations tend to suggest the moral sense (paths of righteousness), but it could also be taken as God guiding your life in his perfect right way, and sometimes that way leads though the valley of shadow of death. 

You walk through this valley when a loved one dies.  And in midst of your loss, your Shepherd promises that he is with you.  You will walk one day through this valley as you face your own death, but you won’t face it alone because your Shepherd is with you.  Spurgeon notes that it is the shadow of death.  If you know Christ, death has lost its sting – it is now merely a shadow of what it once was.  Spurgeon further notes that shadow implies light.  It is the shadow of death because on other side of death is great light – the Light of the world with whom you will dwell forever.

The sense here can also be broader than shadow of death.  It could be translated as the valley of deep darkness.  Certainly this would include times of loss and your own death.  But your valley today might be something very different.  It might be your health, an illness, pain.  Your valley might be weariness or depression or loneliness.  Your valley might be a family issue or a financial concern.  Some other trial may be taking you through the valley of deep darkness. 

Whatever the valley, your shepherd reminds you that he is with you.  He will not leave you.  If you stumble, he will carry you.  He will also comfort you.  He will calm you.  He will give you a peace that passes understanding in midst of valley. 

Finally, Spurgeon notes that you walk not in the valley, but through the valley.  The valley won’t last; one day it will be past.  Until that day, remember that your shepherd is with you and will comfort you.

He is with you in the valley.  That brings us to David’s second statement about himself: I will fear no evil (v4).  If God is on your side who can be against you?  And so you can trust in Him.   As David declares in Psalm 56:3-4,

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

And again David says in Psalm 16:8,

I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

In the midst of the valley of deep darkness whatever it is for you, you need not fear.  You need not be shaken.  He is with you, and you can trust him.  

He Blesses You

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies(v5a).  You may be surrounded by enemies, trials, or struggles, but he still provides a meal for you.  In the midst of the struggle, he still provides. He still showers blessings upon you.  Have you not found that to be true in your life?  No matter how deep the valley, there are little rays of light.

You anoint my head with oil (v5b).  Oil was often used to bind up wounds, so this may speak of the blessing of healing.  How many times have you been sick or injured, and God has healed you?  Spurgeon suggests it refers to the anointing of the Holy Spirit – and certainly the Spirit’s work in your life is a great blessing.

My cup overflows (v5c).  Your cup overflows.  It runs over.  In other words, God gives you blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon blessing…. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life(v6a).  His goodness follows you; that is, it pursues you – it is right there with you.  God showers so many good things upon you.  And then there is his mercy.  You fail again and again, and he shows mercy again and again.  The word mercy could also be translated as unfailing covenant love.  His love won’t let you go.  His love continues.  It is unfailing.  He will keep blessing you until that day when you will dwell in his house forever.

That brings us to David’s third statement about himself: I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (v6b).  You will dwell in his house.  He blesses you in this life, and he will continue in life to come.  And so you can hope in Him.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you have the hope that when Jesus your Shepherd returns, you will be raised with him to dwell with him forever.  Revelation 7:15-17 says:

Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

This is your hope – that you will dwell with him forever.

Conclusion

Do you know the shepherd?  Are you his sheep?  If not he invites you to turn from your sin and believe in him.  Through Christ’s death and resurrection, your sins will be forgiven, and you will know God as your Shepherd now and forevermore. 

And if you know God as your great Shepherd, remember:

He provides for you, restores you, and leads you in righteous, so you can say with David: I shall not want; I will be content in Him.

He is with you in the deepest valley, so you can say with David, I will fear no evil; I will trust in Him.

He blesses you now and forevermore, so you can say with David, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever; I will set my hope in Him.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ help you to keep your gaze on your great Shepherd.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

The last few weeks have been busy, and I haven’t had much chance to blog.  Hopefully next week will be better.  In the meantime, here are some good posts to ponder for the weekend on two important Christian virtues.

Humility

Joshua Harris gives us a good quote from J. I. Packer suggesting that humility is essentially a true sense of reality.  Russell Moore talks about how the devil encourages us to rethink reality by exalting ourselves.  And Kevin DeYoung reminds us that if we think we are humble, we probably are not.

Contentment

Stephen Altrogge has a new book out on contentment.  I haven’t read the book yet, but the excerpts I’ve read are helpful.  He invites us to consider the lies that keep us from contentment.  Pondering the cross and our adoption will also teach us contentment.  Meanwhile John Temple has a book on resisting consumersim, and Tim Challies shares from it several practical suggestions to fight against the constant urge for more.

Have a great Lord’s Day celebrating our risen Savior with your local church!

Fill Your Head With Scripture

On By BrianIn Habit of Scripture1 Comment

Many of the last sayings of Jesus on the cross come straight from Scripture, which leads James Montgomery Boice to write:

This means that Jesus was filling his mind and strengthening his spirit not by trying to keep a stiff upper lip or look for a silver lining, as we might say, but by an act of deliberately remembering and consciously clinging to the great prophecies and promises of God.  If Jesus did that, don’t you think you should do it too?  And not only when you come to die.

You need to fill your head with Scripture and think of your life in terms of the promises of Scripture now.  If you do not do it now, how will you ever find strength to do it when you come to die?  You must live by Scripture, committing your spirit into the hands of God day by day if you are to yield your spirit into God’s loving hands trustingly at the last.

For further thoughts on filling your head with Scripture, I encourage you to look at this article about memorizing Scripture.  John Wilson interacts with Joshua Choonmin Kang’s book, Scripture By Heart.  It is a book on my reading list, and Wilson shares one challenge from the book – spend 15 minutes a day memorizing Scripture.  How might our thoughts and indeed our entire lives change if we did this?  Perhaps we could live and die like Jesus….

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

On By BrianIn Holidays, Hymns

Tomorrow for Resurrection Sunday many will sing Charles Wesley’s great hymn, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (my sympathies if you don’t!).  Wesley wrote the hymn in 1739 for the first service of the Foundry Meeting House in London – the first chapel for Methodists who followed the Wesleys.  The hymn was originally written without the alleluias, which were added later by an unknown editor.  Most hymnals only have four stanzas, but below you will find ten, though only the first seven were written by Wesley.  The last three come from the 14th Century and were translated from Latin.  These last three stanzas are found in many hymnals under the name, Jesus Christ is Risen Today.  Both hymns share the same tune – Lyra Davidica. 

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Holidays, PASSION Points

Here are few good posts focused on the cross, resurrection, and our salvation for your weekend reading:

Jared Wilson considers the many things Jesus accomplished on the cross for us.

Steve Dewitt writes about Jesus’ resurrection body – which points to what our resurrection bodies will one day be like.

Tullian Tchividjian reminds us that because of Christ we are already righteous – and that changes everything.

Have a great Resurrection Sunday celebrating our Risen Savior!

Resurrection Week Reflections

On By BrianIn Holidays

Last week I posted some daily Passion Week reflections.  Below are some reflections for Easter and the following week to help us ponder what Christ’s resurrection means to us:

Sunday – Rejoice: Celebrate His Resurrection

Monday – Received – Embrace the Gospel

Tuesday – Raised: Live Your New Life

Wednesday – Reigns: Submit to Your King

Thursday – Resurrected: Victory Over Death

Friday – Returning – With the Lord

Saturday – Reborn – Hope in Your Inheritance

Sunday – Ransomed: Praise to the Lamb

Our Sins Drove The Nails

On By BrianIn Holidays, PASSION Quotes

And let us learn from the story of the passion always to hate sin with a great hatred.  Sin was the cause of all our Savior’s sufferings.  Our sins twisted the crown of thorns; our sins drove the nails into his hands and feet; on account of our sins his blood was shed.  Surely the thought of Christ crucified should make us loathe all sin.

– J. C. Ryle