Month: November 2015

Psalm 25:1-10

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment


             I admit there are things from my past I am neither proud of nor happy about.  Yet, thanks to God Almighty, that he has selective memory.  God remembers according to his nature and character (merciful and showing steadfast love) and not based on the stupid sins of our youth.  God freely chooses to forgive and has made the means available for us to experience daily cleansing and victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.
             Memory is a not a minor theme in the Old Testament.  Rather, remembering is a major focus that pops up again and again.  How we remember past events is of upmost importance to God.  We are to not dwell on and keep remembering any former indiscretions of either ourselves or others.  Since God does not hold the past over our heads, neither are we to do so.  On the other hand, we are to keep in mind and continually remember the great works of God, especially in redemption.  What has happened in the past either by us or against us is not the real issue; the most prescient issue is how you and I interpret those events.
             Today we can choose to remember in the way God remembers.  Thanksgiving meals with family and the holiday season with relatives are, for some folks, a sheer duty.  Even the best of families have those within their ranks that can make for difficult relations.  Paying attention to our memory and how we choose to remember can be a significant part of interacting with others.  If we like it that God has shown grace to us, then the least we can do is let that same grace flow from us to others who neither deserve it nor expect it.  Let’s give thanks to the Lord, for he is good in forgiving sin and showing infinite mercy.  And let’s express our gratitude through selfless words and acts of grace which reflect the nature of God.
             Gracious God, you do not hold grudges and always act according to love.  Even though you could have condemned me, you saved me.  Despite the fact that I have fallen short of your glory, you delivered me.  I remember your mighty redemptive deeds in Jesus, and I give you eternal praise and thanksgiving.  Amen.

2 Samuel 2:1-7

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            “David inquired of the LORD.”  This is a wonderful commentary that characterized the life of King David.  Saul had pursued David, seeking his life.  But now Saul had been killed in battle.  Any other person in the sandals of David would have immediately set about to do away with any rival factions, any people who had been loyal to the previous ruler.  But David was not just any other run-of-the-mill kind of king.  He did not presume to act on his own accord, or know exactly what he should do.  Instead, he inquired of the Lord.
 
            David not only did an astounding thing by not wiping out those loyal to Saul, but he did one better:  he showed steadfast love to the men of Jabesh-Gilead who had been devoted to Saul.  David blessed instead of cursed; he acted kindly instead of coldly; he honored the memory of Saul instead of stamping out any vestige of him from the land.  David did not venture to immediately consolidate his power and rule over Israel and Judah.  Rather, he sought God, and his actions reflected the nature and character of God.
 
            Perhaps our words and actions do not always reflect the character of God because we dare to speak and act apart from inquiry of the Lord.  Maybe we only seek the Lord if we have enough discretionary time at the end of the day, or if we are in a pickle we want to get out of.  What if we began each day with seeking the Lord?  What if our default disposition and immediate knee-jerk reaction to everything was to ask God what we should do?  If we carve plenty of time to do so each morning, maybe we will be known as people who show steadfast love, and people who are after God’s own heart.
 

 

            Loving God, you are attentive to all I say and do.  Let my words reflect your gracious character, and my actions work in accord with your good purposes to the glory of Jesus.  Amen.

Psalm 63

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Those that visit this blog with any regularity know that I believe the book of Psalms to be a vast untapped resource of devotion and prayer for many Christians.  In those dark times when we don’t know what to pray, how to lament, or what to say to God; in the joyful times when we want to proclaim praise, give thanks, or express our blessings and longings; in every season of our lives the psalms have something to offer us in our relationship with the God of all creation.
 
            Today’s psalm was originally uttered to God when David was roaming in the wilderness avoiding Saul’s malevolent intent.  David expressed his yearning, desire, and hope in order to connect with God and be led by him, step by step.  David praised God in his circumstance, longing to be satisfied with spiritual food and drink.
 

 

            Just as we are to pray the psalms, speak the psalms out loud, and meditate on the psalms, so we are to also sing the psalms.  The Psalter Hymnal of old, as well as many contemporary praise and worship songs are words from the psalms, meant to help, encourage, and give voice to our own current experiences.  Inspired by the psalms, take a few minutes today to listen to “God You Are My God” by Michael W. Smith, or check out a compilation of music from the psalms, for example, “The Psalms Project”, which aims to get all 150 psalms to music.  Maybe even make up your own tune to today’s psalm and sing it to the Lord.
 
            Whatever we do, let the psalms help form and shape a profound spirituality for us which helps to more deeply connect with the God we long to know more and more.  Soli Deo Gloria!

2 Kings 23:15-25

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            To say that King Josiah cleaned house would be a gross understatement.  Having found the Book of the Law, lost for generations deep within the temple, Josiah took its words to heart and set about a campaign of reformation like no king before him.  Indeed, Josiah was determined to restore and implement the Law in the life of the nation of Judah.  His zeal knew no bounds.  Josiah was relentless, radical, and redolent with the smell of transitioning the Jews back to the true worship of Yahweh.
 
            King Josiah did not just re-institute the Passover and other festivals of the Lord; he first upended the pagan worship which had moved in like a death-dealing cancer.  Josiah cut it out with ruthless precision.  He made ashes out of Asherah poles and put pagan priests out of business permanently.  He did away with everything that was contrary to the worship of the One true God, including spiritual mediums, household gods, and sacrificial high places.  In order to turn his heart fully to God, he did away with all competing gods.
 
            If there is to be true repentance, there must be a two-fold process:  turning away from what is false; and, turning toward what is true.  Turning from sin without turning to God is merely a half-repentance.  And turning to God without turning one’s back on sin is both denial and dangerous.  We are to put off the old clothes of injustice, and put on the new clothes of righteousness.  We are to forsake the old in order to embrace the new.  There needs to be a radical gouging out of sin so as to replace it with what is just and right.  It must be born in mind that none of this is pretty or romantic; it is a messy ugly process of dispelling darkness and letting light shine.  It is not for the faint of heart.
 
            Where to begin?  Make a fierce, brutally honest inventory of your life.  You cannot turn from something that you are not really aware of, so create in your schedule some time in the week to connect with God.  After identifying some areas for change, list the things that stand in your way of turning from them, i.e. fear, despair, financial repercussions, etc.  Face the obstacles honestly and forthrightly.  Then, begin to form a rudimentary plan to forsake the old ways and embrace new paths of righteousness.  This is but a beginning.  Let God take that process and direct it in ways he wants to take it….
 

 

            Holy God, you are jealous for your own glory.  I decide today to identify and put away all that is contrary to your righteousness and will for my life.  And I choose to turn to you with all my heart.  In body, soul, and spirit I belong to you.  Amen.