December 20 -- "A Contrite Heart"

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 12 & Psalm 51

"A Contrite Heart"

The Hebrew introduction for Psalm 51 tells us that this is “A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” King David’s incident with Bathsheba is a dark moment in his life and reveals to us the depths to which sin can drive an otherwise godly man. David’s sins in this moment included pride, lust, adultery, deception, and murder. Truly a dark chapter in his life. We see from this that David was a sinful man, just like you and me.  After being “found out” by Nathan the Prophet, David confessed and repented of his sin. In Psalm 51, with a deeply penitent heart, David pleads to God for the remission of his sins.

David was a great sinner, a human being just like all of us, capable of being enticed by the lusts of his flesh. But, at the same time, he was truly a man after God’s heart. Deep down, far below his sinful desires, he longed to do God’s will and was grieved when confronted with his failure.

A person after God’s heart loves the things God loves and the ways He prescribes. Though he may deviate from those ways at times, he will return—for God will not let him rest in his sin. All true children of God will be called back to Him when they wander.

David’s heart was truly broken over his sin and he came to God here in true heartfelt repentance. He mentions his contrite heart in verse 17. To be “contrite” before God means that we bow down with the awareness of our spiritual bankruptcy, our inner spirit is crushed with its guilt, we have genuine and deep sorrow for how we have offended our loving God, and we have a determined desire to do differently. A contrite heart does not seek to fool God or others, nor to rationalize or excuse our sin. A contrite heart produces true repentance.  As with David, we don’t ask God to ignore or disregard our sin.  Instead, we admit our sin and plead for God to have mercy according to His “abundant mercy.”

When we become aware of our sins, iniquities, and transgressions we need to know that God isn’t interested in empty apologies and He doesn’t want our promises to do better.  God desires a broken and contrite heart which is the true sacrifice of one who determines to turn from sin, to forsake sin, and to abandon it.

 

December 19 -- "David's Unguarded Moment"

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 11 & Psalm 70

"David's Unguarded Moment"

One evidence supporting the trustworthiness of the Bible is the remarkable honesty with which it tells us about its heroes like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, and the others. The portrait of each and every hero is painted with dark spots and all.  We are told of their failures as well as their triumphs. So it is with David – shepherd, giant-killer, poet, soldier, and king. Here is a very great man. Here is “a man after God’s own heart” who loved the Lord deeply.  But at the same time that David’s army is winning a military battle on foreign soil, Scripture records that he is losing a moral battle at home.

Second Samuel 11 records a dark day in king David’s life. This story of David’s moral failure is a vivid illustration of a principle taught in James 1:13-15 – “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

The principle is this: sin is not just a one-off event, it is part of a process.  Sin has, as it were, a ‘domino effect’.  Evil desire leads to sin, and sin leads to death.  In other words, there are triggers, and there are consequences. 

The trigger was an unguarded moment.  It was spring-time, the time when kings should be off to war with their troops.  David had sent his army, under its commander, Joab, to besiege the city of Rabbah.  But David stayed at home in Jerusalem, relaxing.  He could afford to.  This was a time of military strength, of material prosperity, of personal leisure.  This was his unguarded moment. In this moment, he allows the casual glance to become a lustful gaze which progresses into rationalizing thought and culminates in his tragic moral failure. He commits adultery then begins a tangled web of deceit to try to cover his sin.

David’s experience presents a stern warning to all of us – watch out for those unguarded moments! “Idol hands are the devil’s worship.” We are all susceptible to the lure of sin and, if we don’t constantly keep our hearts in check, we too could fall victim to our sinful desires. The words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12 drive the point home: “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Beware of the unguarded moment.

December 18 -- "Our Influence on Others"

Today’s Reading: Psalm 69

"Our Influence on Others"

King David is going through a rough time politically. His “poll numbers are down.” His popularity has been declining because he has made some decisions that were not popular with all the people. In his heart, he feels that his decisions have been consistent with God’s will, but he acknowledges that he is not perfect and that he may not have done everything completely right. In Psalm 69, David is grappling with all of this. He is feeling abandoned by his friends and hated by large numbers of his citizens. He is feeling like the waters of opposition are swirling over his head and his feet are sinking in the deep sludge.

The life of a leader is not always a “bed of roses.” Especially so for one who seeks to honor the Lord and infuse godly principles into his/her decisions as a leader. At times, doing the right thing can seem very lonely. Family, friends, employees, church members, and even whole nations can be soured by a decision (or group of decisions) the leader has made. This was the case for David, and it certainly was the case for our Lord Jesus Christ, whose zeal for God caused Him to be reproached and hated by many. It will be so for any of us who are called to lead others in any capacity.

The key thought in Psalm 69 is David’s concern for the spiritual condition of others. His prayer in verse 6 is a heartfelt request that he not be the cause of others’ shame or dishonor. In the midst of his own struggles, David did not focus on himself, but on others. He did not want his decisions to be a stumbling block to anyone who hopes in God and seeks Him. His desire was that his decisions as a leader would facilitate and encourage worshippers to become closer to God, not further away. “Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,” he prays. And “let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me.” David’s deep prayer was that his actions, however unpopular, would not have a negative influence on anyone seeking the Lord.

This should be the heartfelt attitude of every follower of Christ. All of us are in positions of influence to some degree or another. It should be one of our primary concerns that what we say, or do, or the decisions we make, does not influence another person to stumble in their relationship with Jesus. The Apostle Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 8:13, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” Paul was writing specifically about eating meat that had been offered to idols, but you can substitute other actions in this verse and the principle remains the same: “Therefore, if [anything] makes my brother stumble, I will never [do that thing], lest I make my brother stumble.”

Others will not always agree with you one hundred percent of the time. But they should always find that you are being faithful to, and consistent with God’s will to the best of your ability. As expressed in the song by Steve Green, “O may all who come behind us find us faithful, may the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe.”

 

December 17 -- "Father of the Fatherless"

Today’s Reading: Psalms 67 & 68

"Father of the Fatherless"

What an amazing God we serve! Mighty in power and glorious in majesty while at the same time being tender-hearted and compassionate to our needs. Repeatedly in Scripture, Yahweh is described as a Father to the fatherless and a Protector of widows. “He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18) “The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” (Psalm 10:14) “You defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.” (Psalm 82:3)

Although Yahweh is “in His holy habitation,” He is not far from any one of us. Of all the ways the Lord God Almighty could have chosen to relate to humanity, He chose the language of family. He could have described Himself as a benevolent dictator, kind boss, or patient landlord. But instead, He chose the word father. He presents Himself as a Father because we all know what a father should be and do. Even if we did not have earthly fathers who treated us well, we have an intrinsic understanding of what a good father should be. God planted that understanding in our hearts. We all have a need to be loved, cherished, protected, provided for, cheered for, and valued. We all long to have a loving father look into our eyes and say, “I’m proud of you, son/daughter.”  Ideally, an earthly father will meet those needs. But even if he doesn’t, God will. Throughout Scripture, God describes His love for us as that of a caring parent.

God has a special place in His heart for the orphans and fatherless (see: Deuteronomy 24:20; Jeremiah 49:11; James 1:27). He loves to adopt new “kids” into His heavenly family. He loves it when His followers on earth heed the call to foster and/or adopt a child who is fatherless. This is a high calling and God will honor those who step out into the unknown and trust Him to bless such a family!

The Lord offers to fill the role of a Father in the lives of all, especially it seems, those with no father.  As a human father would do, so the Lord invites us to call out to Him when we are in trouble (Psalm 50:15), to cast all our worries on Him (1 Peter 5:7), and to enjoy His company (1 Corinthians 1:9: Psalm 116:1; 1 John 5:14).  He models for us the characteristics He had in mind when He designed fatherhood. Although many times earthly fathers do not live up to the ideal, God promises that, in Him, no one has to be without a perfect Father.

God is not aloof from the needs of people. Nor is He a mean old ogre just waiting to inflict pain on humanity. Our God is tender-hearted and compassionate to the needs of all. The world needs to hear about a God like that! 

December 16 -- "Don't Get Cozy With Sin"

 Today’s Reading: Psalms 65 & 66

"Don't Get Cozy With Sin"

Have you ever been in prayer and suddenly had a disturbing sensation that God simply isn’t listening? It has happened to all of us. Sadly, for many of us, we just limp along praying the same old prayers, half-hoping those prayers are heard and half-suspecting they are not. One of the reasons God may not be listening is because we’ve allowed iniquity to remain unchallenged in our hearts.

The Hebrew word translated “cherished” or “regard” in Psalm 66:18 literally means “to see” and it carries the idea of seeing something but not acting upon it. Thus, this verse is telling us, seeing iniquity in my heart and doing nothing about it, is a cause of the Lord turning His listening ear away from us. If I have known iniquity was there, or even encouraged it, or if I pretended it wasn’t there, or even loved my iniquity then God will not – cannot – hear my prayer. The Message* paraphrase puts it like this: “If I had been cozy with evil, the Lord would never have listened.” 

“Iniquity” means sin that is an inner act of willful disobedience to God. It refers more to matters of the heart than outward actions. Scripture specifically identifies the following iniquities: bitterness (see Acts 8:23), greed (see Acts 8:18–23), lust (Job 31:1–12), and stubbornness (I Samuel 15:23). Others include anger, clamor, slander, malice, cursing, rudeness, selfishness, irritableness, resentfulness, and jealousy. As human beings with fallen natures, we are all susceptible to committing these sins. But when we do, we must acknowledge, confess, and forsake our sin. We must not allow any of these sins to be welcomed into our hearts. We cannot allow them to take up residence inside of us. Getting cozy with these sins can cause the Lord not to listen to your prayers.

The idea is this: in order that prayer may be heard, there must be a purpose to forsake all forms of sin. If you long for God to hear your prayers, don’t let iniquity settle down and make itself at home in your heart – kick it out! Deal with it!

Take a moment right now to get alone with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Ask Him to shine His floodlight of truth into the dark spaces of your soul. Do any of these sins dwell there? Have you let these things take up residence inside of you? Have you become cozy with sin? When the Holy Spirit shows you the truth of what is hiding there, be quick to acknowledge, confess, and forsake your sin. “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” [or any other iniquity] springs up and causes trouble” (Hebrews 12:15).

(*© Eugene H. Peterson ; The Message; by NavPress Publishing)

December 15 -- "Your Part vs God's Part"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 19

"Your Part vs God's Part"

David and his troops were undergoing some difficult battles. As the clashes became more and more challenging, David’s army leaders (Joab and Abishai) devised an ingenious military strategy – we will do our part and let God do His part. With these words, they acknowledged that victory comes only when we diligently use the strength we have, while we let the Lord use His strength to bring the victory. They acknowledged that they were responsible for their personal efforts, but God was responsible for the results.

This is a lesson we must all learn – that God is responsible for the outcome. We are to diligently serve Him and use our spiritual gifts to serve the Body of Christ – but it is up to Him how things turn out. This doesn’t mean you don’t have a part to play. You do! His will is for you is to be on the spiritual front lines, using your strength to support the cause of Christ. We are repeatedly called to take action in our Christian walk. Psalm 2:11 says, " Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Romans 12:11 exhorts us to, “Not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” These are commands for each of us to take action. We are not called to sit on the sidelines and watch God win the game. We are called to “get off the bench” use the skills and strength that we have. But, at the same time, we must let God decide the outcome.

We must learn to let the Lord do what seems good to Him. He has given you certain spiritual gifts and you must discover those gifts and use them with all of your strength to serve the Lord. “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” (Romans 12:6)  Is your gift prophecy? Then prophesy in proportion to your faith. Is your gift serving? Then serve others with all your heart. Is your gift teaching? Then diligently hand out the truth of God to others through your teaching. Whatever your gift may be, “I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6).  

But always remember – God is responsible for the outcome. Two individuals may both have the gift of evangelism. God may use one to preach in giant stadiums to thousands of people, while at the same time using the other to quietly lead his coworker to Christ. The results are not your responsibility – they are His!

So, dear follower of Christ, don’t focus on the numbers. Don’t focus on the outcomes. You have your part. God has His part. Your part is to focus on diligently using your skills and strength to do the task the Lord has set before you. Use your strength for His people and His kingdom and His purposes, and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.

December 14 -- "Dealing With Defeat"

Today’s Reading: Psalms 10, 60, 75, & 76 

"Dealing With Defeat"

It can be hard to come back from defeat. Being defeated can have a domino effect in our minds. As we become overly-focused on our failure, our hearts and minds can go from simply “licking our wounds” to deeper discouragement and, if left unchecked, can spiral into full blown depression and, in some cases, feeling abandoned by God. Experiencing defeat is never easy. It can make us feel like we don’t even want to try again.

Here in Psalm 60, King David and his troops had undergone a series of defeats at the hands of enemy armies. David was feeling dejected and abandoned by God. He begins to wonder if God is angry with him and has rejected him. As he goes through a list of how he feels about experiencing defeat, you can sense that coming back from this could be difficult for him. Some of his feelings include: You have rejected us; You have broken our defenses; You have been angry; You have made your people see hard things. David’s complaints express his feelings of anxiety and dejection. He is having a very hard time with defeat.

But David doesn’t stop there. Thankfully, as he expresses his sorrow at being defeated, he simultaneously reminds himself that God is not finished with him and Israel, and he will once again experience victory. Interspersed with his complaints, we find prayers of faith: Oh, restore us; May your beloved ones be delivered; Give salvation by your right hand; Oh, grant us help against the foe. David wisely took his defeat to God and left it at His feet. In spite of his feelings of defeat and discouragement, he knew in his heart-of-hearts that the Lord would never abandon him. You can sense his heart and mind coming around from a place of dark discouragement back to optimism and faith in God.

David concludes this Psalm with these faith-filled words, “With God we shall do valiantly, it is He who will tread down our foes.” He wisely turned his eyes off of his defeat, stopped licking his wounds, and once again began to trust fully in God and His promises. This provides for us an example to follow when we experience defeat in our lives. We must not let our minds travel to dark places and discouragement. We, like David, must turn our eyes off of our hard defeat and back onto our Mighty God.

Are you having a hard time after experiencing defeat in your Christian walk? Do like David and turn your eyes off of the failure – stop trying to analyze it. Remember that God is not finished with you and He will bring victory. Stay the course! Try again, dear follower of Christ. Try again! Trust in Him to tread down your foes.