Thirsting for God
2007-04-20 02:25:33
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Psalm 42:1 (NIV)
I know just what the Psalmist was talking about, Lord. Having once experienced Your presence, life without it is a desert. No matter what else is going on, no matter how busy I am or how many other attractions there may be in life, nothing satisfies without You.
It’s not just something I enjoy. I enjoy classical music, but I can live if I don’t have it. I enjoy Thai food, but I won’t die if I never get to eat it. I enjoy my grandkids’ cuddles, but since I’ve moved so far away from them I have learned that I can survive without them. But I can’t live, I can’t even survive, without Your presence.
I’ve been in a desert, Lord. My head tells me You’re still there, because I know that Your Word says that You will never leave me or forsake me. Yet Your tangible presence is missing. Without it, I feel like I’m shrivelling up. I ne
Wasted on Jesus?
2007-04-19 14:56:01
“Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, ‘Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her harshly.”
Mark 14:4-5 (NIV)
I really don’t understand the attitude of these guys, Lord. It’s not as if they were falling over themselves to give to the poor normally. In fact, if Mary had given the bottle of perfume to them instead of pouring it on You, I’m betting they would have been hunting for an excuse to not spend it on the poor.
What got up their noses was that someone was lavish in her expression of love toward You - far more lavish than they were prepared to be.
Why is it that some people consider anything that is given unreservedly to You to be wasted? They think that a life spent in Your service is wasted; that time spent worshipping You is wasted; that money given for Your kingdom is wasted.
Yet, as she did when she sat at Your f
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, Jesus
Not Ashamed
2007-04-19 14:03:00
I am not ashamed of the gospel…
Romans 1:16
Boy, does this verse ever challenge me, Lord! I think of all the times I have been slow to speak Your truth into situations, the times I have been embarrassed to stand against the prevailing opinion. The times I have been silent when I should have spoken up. I would like to say that I am not ashamed of the Gospel, but I am so aware that many times my actions have said otherwise.
Yet it strikes me, Lord, that when I am embarrassed to share the truth of Your Word, I am actually showing myself to be ashamed of You. I am treating You like some not-quite-right backwoods country cousin, whom I may love very dearly in my heart, but whom I certainly don’t want to parade publicly before my far-more-sophisticated friends and neighbors.
You did things quite differently. Even though You had every right - and every reason - to be ashamed of me, You freely took the worst of my ugliness upon Yourself and bore it publicly at Calvary.
You d
He Ain’t Heavy …
2007-04-18 14:56:03
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Ephesians 6:2
Lord, I remember that “flower power” song of the 60s, “He Ain’t Heavy
, He’s My Brother.” For all the things that were wrong in that era, I guess we got a few things right. It seems the sentiment of that song was a reflection of Your Word in this verse.
It’s so easy for us to get caught up in our own lives, Lord. Whether it’s the day-to-day nitty-gritty stuff, or the major dramas, we get focused on ourselves and those who are closest to us, so much so that we can lose sight of the needs of others around us. And it seems that the further those needs are away from us, the more invisible they become. I read once that it takes one violent death in the immediate neighborhood to make the news, but thousands on the other side of the world.
What’s worse, when we do become aware of the needs of others, often we see that awareness as an unwelc
What Goes Round, Comes Round
2007-04-13 01:35:25
“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
Proverbs 11: 25 (NIV)
When I think about it, Lord, it seems that this is one of the few laws of life that is almost universally accepted. It seems that every society on earth has some form of it: the Golden Rule, karma, what-goes-round-comes-round. No matter what it’s called, the principle is the same: what you sow is what you will reap. Almost everyone accepts that.
So why is it, Lord, that just as it is almost universally accepted, it is also almost universally ignored? I mean, if everyone who says they believe this principle acted like they believe it, it would be almost heaven on earth. Everyone would be nice to other people, expecting others to be nice back to them. No-one would harm anyone else, recognizing that to do so would be to invite harm back on themselves. Everyone would be helpful, courteous, respectful, kind, efficient and generous, believing that others would then di
Wrath and Mercy
2007-04-21 12:57:48
“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known. In wrath remember mercy.”
Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)
Lord, I guess Habakkuk was one of those blokes who put their mouth into motion before putting their brain into gear. He started out by telling You how terrible the world was - or at least, the people in it - and how You really should do something about it.
In reply, You told him that You were about to do something: You were going to bring judgment on Your people, in the form of the Babylonians. Suddenly, Habby realized just what that would mean. It’s like he took a deep breath, gulped hard, and went, “Oh, whoops! What have I asked for?”
Suddenly he realized that this was not just a theory. Real people were involved. People he knew. Himself, even. Just two chapters after demanding Your judgment, he pleads for Your mercy.
At least he recognized that there are both sides to Your character. Y
Still Standing
2007-04-23 05:08:24
“… and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)
Lord, it seems to me that there are times when just to be still on your feet at the end of the battle is in itself an enormous victory.
Standing
isn’t always easy. There are times when it feels like you’re in the middle of a force 10 gale. All the “bits” of life are flying around you, and it’s all you can do just to hold your ground. Any thought of taking even the smallest step forward is totally out of the question.
But then, Jesus, I guess You understand that. More than any other person in the course of history, You had the entire forces of hell aligned against You. You were under attack from the moment You were born till the moment You rose in victory over death.
In a sense, You have still been under attack ever since, as Your people (whom You call Your Body) have suffered persecution through the ages, and all kinds of false philosophies have sought to distort,
Seeking God’s Face
2007-04-26 06:56:01
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Psalm 27:8 (NIV)
Lord, I love the things You give me. I am so grateful for Your gifts, both the spiritual ones and the natural ones. I love that I live in this wonderful country of Australia, and particularly in this beautiful spot in the country. I love that You provide for me. I love the friends and family that You have given me. Most of all, I love that through Jesus You have given me the free gift of salvation, that I can know with certainty that I will be spending eternity with You.
And Lord, I love that You use me. I love that when I preach people hear You speaking into their lives. I love that You use me to bring a more specific, personal word through prophecy. I love it when I pray for somebody and see them healed or set free. I love it when I can minister Your love personally to somebody through counseling or simply caring for them.
But, Lord, all those things are not enough. I don’t just
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Don’t Pray!
2007-04-25 14:36:50
Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
Jeremiah 11:14 (NIV)
Boy, You must have been really mad at Your people this time, Lord! I guess You had really had enough of them chasing after all the false gods of the nations around them, and at the same time behaving in a thoroughly immoral and unjust manner. After all, You had certainly given them plenty of warnings, sending prophet after prophet to tell them to get their act together and come back to You.
Yet, Lord, I can’t help but wonder why You told Jeremiah not to pray. I mean, You could have simply let him go ahead but ignored him. You could have said “no”. (One of my long-ago Bible college lecturers used to say that You always answer prayer. Sometimes You say “yes”, sometimes You say “no”, and sometimes You say “wait.”)
At first take it almost seems that You are concerned t
Don’t Butt In
2007-04-30 08:07:17
He who answers before listening - that is his folly and his shame.
Proverbs 18:13 (NIV)
I love the practicality of the book of Proverbs, Lord - and the fact that often there is a smile hiding just beneath the surface. This verse is like that.
You know, Lord, it’s really frustrating when someone does this. You’re trying to tell a story, and they butt in and finish it for you. Or you’re trying to explain something, and they get half the message and go off and do it wrong, because they didn’t listen to the whole thing. Or they just don’t give you a chance to finish before they are off at a gallop, airing their own ideas and opinions.
I’m really glad You call this kind of behavior what it is: folly. Just plain stupid. Why do people do it? I guess because they think that they are more important than the speaker. Or that they know more. Yet all they are really doing is demonstrating their ignorance and bad manners.
But then, I find myself asking, do we d
A Secure Future
2007-05-05 08:11:21
A SECURE FUTURE
My times are in Your hands …
Psalm 31:15
Lord, it seems we spend a lot of time thinking about the future. On a personal level, we think about what the future holds, whether our jobs will remain secure, whether we will be able to pass exams or to live reasonably comfortably in our retirement. On a global level, we think about things like global warming, Middle-East peace (an oxymoron, if there ever was one!) and the nuclear threat.
Of course, not all our thinking about the future is worry. Sometimes we are simply planning ahead, casting visions and setting goals. Things that are good and necessary if we are going to achieve anything in life.
Yet all our visions, all our plans, cannot guarantee us anything. A disaster could sweep them all away in an instant. Not only can we not see tomorrow, we have no guarantee that we will ever see tomorrow. If fact, we are not even guaranteed our next breath.
So, Lord, it’s good to know that even though the future is hid
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, Future
The Cheer Squad
2007-05-04 12:12:07
THE CHEER SQUAD
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders…
Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
Lord, I’m sure You know that there are times when life gets really lonely. It feels like there’s no-one on your side, no-one who is for you, no-one who is willing to cheer you on. You feel as though you’re all alone in the middle of the battle field, facing an army of giants.
I guess You felt that way many times, Lord. So often Your disciples just didn’t get it. They thought they were with You, but in reality they were light years from where You were at. Then, of course, there were the times when they didn’t even pretend to be with You!
For us, sometime that loneliness is based on reality - as it was with You, people are just nowhere near where we’re coming from. Other times, it’s an illusion - people really are with us, but somehow we’re not able to take hold of the truth of it. Eith
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, Squad
Sharp Words
2007-05-07 11:20:20
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
Lord, I remember when I was a kid being mercilessly taunted by other kids in the class because of my name. Mum would often quote that old proverb, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never harm me.”
It didn’t make me feel any better, and when I tried quoting it to the other kids, all it achieved was to provoke them to taunt me even more.
The truth is, words can hurt us very much. They can “push our buttons” so that we respond out of past experiences, even ones we have long since forgotten. They can tear down our self esteem. They can rend the delicate fabric of a relationship.
The worst thing about words is that they cannot be taken back. We can apologize, we can try to patch over the damage they have done, but still the words remain. It’s as though they are somehow inscribed on the pages of life in indelible ink.
On the other hands, our
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A Pep Talk
2007-05-12 00:44:24
Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why so troubled within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.
Psalm 42:11
Lord, I love it that Your Word is so honest. It doesn’t pretend that everyone who served You was up all the time. It records the down times, as well.
By the sound of this, the Psalmist was pretty down when he wrote it. He had been cut off from worship in the Temple, and feels as though You have cut him off. What’s more, he had to deal with the taunts of those who saw his predicament as a sign that You didn’t even exist, and that his faith in You was both unfounded and stupid.
All he could do was remember “the good old days”, and how he had delighted in being in Your presence.
I know where he was coming from. Lord, it’s really horrible when You go silent. There are times when Your presence seems to have retreated to the farthest corner of the universe, and my prayers don’t seem to even get as high as
Love and Faithfulness
2007-05-14 04:46:06
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the site of God and man.
Proverbs 3:3-4 (NIV)
Lord, this really cuts to the chase. It reminds me of when the Pharisees tried to trap You by asking what was the greatest commandment of the Law. Your response was “Love” - love God, love your neighbor. It really seems that one word is pivotal to everything in the Christian life.
“Love” is really easy to say, Lord, but not at all easy to do. I guess that’s because we have corrupted and diluted the meaning of the word so much. To most people in the world today, “love” is all about getting someone else to gratify my needs. We “love” people who are good to us, or who make us feel good, or who accommodate our desires.
Your kind of love is so different. It’s not about us at all, but about the other person. It’s about seeing t
A Word or a Beating
2007-05-19 02:53:49
A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Proverbs 17:10 (NIV)
Lord, when I read through the Bible it seems that You always did everything possible to call Your people back to Yourself. You spoke to them again and again through prophets, You used circumstances to nudge them in the right direction. When all else failed, You clobbered them, but that was always the last option.
For many of them, though, even the clobberings had little lasting effect. As soon as You restored them, they went right back to worshiping false gods, practicing immorality and dealing unjustly with the needy.
For some, though, that was not the case. People like David needed only to hear Your rebuke, and they were ready to repent and get right with You.
I guess it really comes down to where our heart is at. When we are in a real relationship with You, the closer we are to You the less we want to see anything get in the way of that relationship. The mere thought of something keepin
Self Deception
2007-05-24 21:35:31
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
Proverbs 16:2
Lord, how easy it is for us to deceive ourselves! We set our minds and hearts on a particular course of action, and convince ourselves that not only is the action right, but we are doing it for the very best, most pure, most unselfish motives.
Yeah, right! Most of the time we don’t have to scratch very far below the surface to find the WIIFM - What’s In It For Me?
Whether it’s promoting ourselves, making us look good in the eyes of others, setting ourselves up to receive rewards or simply making ourselves feel good, almost inevitably there is a selfish, less-than-pure motive lurking in there somewhere.
In fact, Lord, I find that no matter how hard I try, I can’t fully eliminate those wrong motives. I guess that’s part of the sin nature. Even when we do the right things, we do them from the wrong motives. The external looks good, but underneath it’s rotte
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All in the Same Boat
2007-05-23 22:08:20
The Lord said, “Say this to him: ‘Thus says the Lord. I am about to overthrow what I have built and tear up what I have planted throughout the land. Should you then seek great things for yourself?..’ ”
Jeremiah 45:4-5
Lord, it seems that Baruch was pretty upset about things at this time. He had heard Jeremiah pronounce your judgments against the nation of Israel, and that was cool. After all, they were only getting what they deserved for their flouting of Your Law and their worship of idols.
Then it suddenly dawned on him: he was part of Israel! Oh, whoops! At that point he wanted to make a deal with You - something along the lines of, “Let all those other evil-doers suffer, but keep me safe and let me prosper in the midst of it all.”
The problem for Baruch was, You were not having any part of such a deal. Seems Your reckoning was more along the lines of, “You’re in the boat with Israel, you go through the storm with them!”
When
Time Flies
2007-05-22 06:55:15
Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
Psalm 144:4
Lord, I don’t know whether it’s just that I’m getting older, but time seems to slip away so quickly these days. Days, weeks, months, years - they disappear before I even have time to look at them, till I find myself thinking, “Hey! Who stole the last six months?” (or, for that matter, the last six years?)
I read somewhere that time seems to go faster as you get older, because each year becomes a smaller fraction of the entire life you have lived thus far. So, when you were five, a year was 20% of your life - quite a big chunk, so it seemed awfully long. When you get to 50, a year is only 2% of your life thus far - a much smaller chunk, so it disappears much more quickly.
Seems like a reasonable theory, but it leaves me wondering: if time goes this quickly for me in my fifties, what must it have been like for Your people of old, who measured their lifespans in hundreds of years? After
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, Time Flies
WHERE’S YOUR TRUST?
2007-05-29 06:28:37
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7
Lord, it’s so easy for us to look at others and see the dumb things they do. So often when I read through Your Word, I look at the behavior of You people and think, “How could they do that? What on earth were they thinking?”
Like when they called on Aaron to make them an idol, even while Moses was up on the mountain with You receiving the Law. And when, having refused to cross into the Promised Land at Your command, they then decided to try to go in under their own strength. Or when they sent down to Egypt to get horses and chariots to support them in their battles, even though You had specifically told them not to.
Yes, Lord, Your people sure do dome dumb things at times. Of course, we would never do anything so stupid. Except when we imagine that we can live the Christian life in our own ability. Or when we use every natural means available to meet our needs, but ne
IF YOU SAY SO
2007-06-01 22:05:08
Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?
Lamentations 3:37 (NIV)
When You put it this way, Lord, the answer is pretty obvious. Nobody can. How could any human being ever overrule Your decree or Your will?
Yet there are so many in Your church who teach that we can have anything - absolutely anything! - that we want, we just have to “name it and claim it”, “blab it and grab it.”
You know, Lord, that teaching has never sat comfortably with me. I know myself too well, and experience tells me that had I been able to obtain the things I wanted at various times in my life simply by claiming them, the result would have been total disaster.
I remember seeing a kids’ movie a long time ago in which the hero released a genie from a bottle, and was granted the traditional three wishes. Now this kid was smart, and he figured that he only needed one wish to set him up for life. He wished that everything he wished for from that time on would be g
CYNICISM OR DISCERNMENT?
2007-06-08 10:29:47
“The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”
Proverbs 14:6 (NIV)
Lord, sometimes it seems there are so many conflicting voices around. One says one thing, the next says the exact opposite, and someone else says something different again. That in itself wouldn’t be so bad, except that oftentimes they all want you to accept what they say as absolute truth, simply because they have said it.
It seems, Lord, that it is very easy to take either of the extremes: believe nothing, or believe everything.
Believing nothing leaves us with cynicism: the kind of attitude that says, “I won’t even bother listening to you unless you can convince me before we begin that you have a rock solid case.” The problem with that is, until we listen nothing, not even the truth, will convince us. No wonder You call such a person a mocker, and say that he can never find wisdom. He has chosen disbelief - which is, according to Your Word
THE CONTEMPT OF COMFORT
2007-06-12 00:46:07
Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
Job 12:5
Ain’t it the truth, Lord! When we have never walked a mile in the other bloke’s moccasins, it’s so easy for us to blame him for the roughness of the road.
So often I’ve heard well-meaning Christians say that the sick aren’t healed because they don’t have enough faith. Or that the poor are poor because they don’t know how to handle money. Or that just about anyone who is having a rough time is going through it because he/she is out of Your will.
Yet, Lord, as I read Your Word, it seems to me that some of Your choicest saints suffered, sometimes terribly. And, as I look around the world today, I see the same thing: those who are most passionate for You, who are most on fire with Your Word and most bold in their witness, are the ones who are most likely to face persecution from man and fierce opposition from the demonic realm.
It seems that the kind o
JESUS WEPT
2007-07-02 06:46:09
Jesus wept.
John 11:35.
I don’t get it, Lord. You knew that you were about to call Lazarus forth from the grave. This would be one of Your most spectacular miracles - after all, the man had been dead for four days. No-one could possibly deny Your power over death once they had seen this.
More than that, You knew that much of the overt emotion around the grave was false - professional mourners, simply doing their job to help the family grieve (as if the family weren’t good enough at doing that by themselves!)
And even beyond that, You knew that the genuine grief of Mary and Martha and their family was unnecessary. You told them clearly that You were the resurrection and the life, and that anyone who believed in You would have life in You. You knew better than anyone there that death is only a doorway through which we pass to a different kind of life.
Yet, knowing all that, You wept. I find it hard to believe that You were simply caught up in the emotion of it all. That Yo
NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
2007-07-08 06:32:54
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
2 Kings 5: 13 (NIV)
Lord, sometimes it amazes me how good we are at missing the simple things. Sometimes, I guess it is precisely because they are so simple. Like Naaman, we want a big production.
I guess the whole show must have been quite an anti-climax for Naaman. He had come all that way, with his great retinue, on the mandate of no-one less than the king. And surely, if this foreign prophet could do such great things, he would have to put on a good show!
Yet when he arrived with all his pomp and ceremony, Elisha didn’t even bother to come out to meet him. He just sent the servant to tell Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan. What a letdown! Naaman’s pride must have been really wounded. And in the heat of that letdown and wounded pride, he ve
BEAUTIFUL FEET
2007-07-17 02:20:57
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace … who say to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Isaiah 52:7
Lord, I have a picture of the people of the city waiting anxiously for news from the battle front. Has their king and his army been successful in defeating the enemy? Can they return to going about their day-to-day lives in peace and security? Or have they been defeated? Will a marauding horde come swarming over the hill at any moment now, ready to kill, rape, loot and capture?
Then they see the runner. Even from a distance, they can see that he is signaling victory. The enemy has been overcome. Life can go on. With a collective sigh of relief they embrace the runner, the bringer of good news.
Even today’s wars, Lord, there is that sense of relief and joy when the news of victory comes, even though today the “runner” is more likely to be radio, television or the internet.
So, Lord, how come people don’t
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
2007-08-11 05:47:25
“What do you want Me to do for you?”, Jesus asked him.
Mark 10:51
Lord, am I missing something here? Or were You? The guy was blind. It was obvious that he was blind. Everyone in town knew that he was blind. Surely, Lord, You knew that he was blind. Surely that was obvious from everything about him. Surely it was obvious that the thing he wanted from You was his sight.
Was it just that You wanted him to say it? Were You trying to teach Your followers that a general cry of “Lord, help!” is not always enough? And if it isn’t enough, then why isn’t it? After all, You know all our needs - and our wants - far better than we do. Are those needs not enough to move You to action?
Yet, when I think about it, I guess they aren’t. If need were all it took, then surely there would be no hungry people in the world … no homeless … no sick … for that matter, no unsaved. Somehow it seems that faith has to get in on the act. But why? Su
DIFFERENT WAYS
2007-08-14 01:23:34
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, says the Lord, neither are your ways My ways.
Isaiah 55:8
Lord, it’s not news that Your thoughts are different from mine. It staggers me, just how much greater Your mind is than mine. Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like for an ant to try to understand me - or, for that matter, for me to try to understand the mind of an ant. But the gap is to great - I just can’t get my head around it. Yet the difference between Your mind and mine is infinitely greater than that between mine and an ant’s.
I can’t even begin to imagine the thought processes that went into the creation of the human body, or lay behind the architecture of the universe. I can’t imagine what it is like to know everything about every one of the six billion people currently on this planet - every cell of their bodies and how they are functioning, every thought of their minds and every desire of their hearts - never mind all those who have gone
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