January 21 -- "Serenity Now"

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 37

"Serenity Now"

“Serenity Now!” That was the humorous cry of the fictional character, Frank Costanza. And, it is the cry of billions of people around the world looking for just a moment of peace and serenity in their lives.

There is a profound lack of peace and unrest in our world today. People are simply not at peace with their governments, their workplace, their relationships, and, most importantly, themselves. People are struggling with finding rest for their souls. Finding any kind of inner peace or world peace seems to elude billions of people. People are anxious and worried about many things. Even Christians at times experience troubled hearts and lack of peace and serenity. But that’s not what God intended. Our loving Heavenly Father, knowing our propensity towards anxiety and worry, has made a way for every human being to experience “serenity now.”

Peace, in the Bible, comes in four “flavors.” First, is peace with God. Peace with God is, at its core, a spiritual reconciliation between family members. It's a restored relationship between our Heavenly Father and His wayward and rebellious children. The way to peace with God is only through faith in Jesus Christ – “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

The second form of peace is cessation of war between fighting factions, countries, or people. We refer to this elusive experience as “world peace.” It is something we all long for and pray for. True world peace can only come when the people and governments of the world submit themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Only then will peace reign.

The third type of peace is inner peace, or serenity. We call this the “peace of God.”  It is a spiritual calmness that invades your soul and replaces your anxiety and worry. This type of inner peace comes only to the follower of Christ and only when they are trusting God with the affairs of their life – “And the peace of The Christ will rule in your hearts, to which you are called in one body” (Colossians 3:15) If you are dealing with unrest and worry in your life, today is the day Jesus is calling you to “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Take a moment right now to be still in the presence of God. Lay your burden down. Ask Him to remove your unrest and replace it with His indescribable peace. Trust Him with your troubles and rejoice in His peace.

Finally, we come to future peace. This is the peace spoken of in Psalm 37:11. On the day when we enter into God’s eternal presence, one of our most remarkable experiences will be being astounded at the “abundance of peace.” We will simply be blown away by Heaven’s perfect peace and calmness and serenity. It will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced! For sure, that will be “serenity now!”  What an experience this will be. It will be beyond our greatest expectations as we “delight ourselves in abundant peace!”

January 20 -- "The Legacy of Good Advice"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 28 & Psalm 112

"The Legacy of Good Advice"

King David, the man after God’s heart, had lived a good life. Although he had many struggles and failures, his life was marked by the blessings of God.  Now, he is about to die at “a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.” (1 Chronicles 29:28) In his final few days, he made it a point to pass on his legacy to those who would follow behind him. First, he addresses the leaders of Israel. Then he turns his focus on his son, Solomon.

In verses 9-21, we read of David’s charge to his son. He passes on the plans for construction of the Temple in Jerusalem and encourages Solomon to remain strong and courageous as he takes on this important project. The most profound and poignant portion of this charge is found in verse 9: “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” (NLT)

David’s charge to Solomon to “know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart” is one of the repeated pieces of advice found in the Bible. With these words, David reminds his son that the MOST IMPORTANT pursuit ahead of him was to maintain a right relationship with the Lord. All of his other challenges and pursuits in life pale in comparison to this one most important pursuit. David knew that he could no longer “carry” Solomon along in the faith – it is something he must make personal and do for himself.

The dictionary defines “legacy” as an amount of money or property left to someone in a will. But this definition of legacy falls far short of God’s definition. In God’s kingdom the most important thing you can leave to your children and grandchildren is a vibrant faith and love for God. All the riches and property in the world are worthless compared to the vast wealth of knowing God and serving Him.

As a parent or grandparent (or brother, sister, cousin, friend, neighbor, coworker) your most sacred duty is to leave a legacy of faith for those who come behind you. Make sure that you constantly advise them that they must know and follow God and that “if you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.”

January 19 -- "Holy and Awesome!"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 27 & Psalm 111

"Holy and Awesome!"

On the day we finally arrive in Heaven and look back on the history of our planet, there will be three things we will declare about our experience with our Creator: He sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name!

He sent redemption to His people. Repeatedly. Yahweh is a God of redemption. In Hebrew, this word “redemption” literally means “to place a distinction or division between, thus to liberate.” God repeatedly throughout history is seen liberating His people. By placing a distinction between Noah, who found grace in His sight, and the rest of the corrupt population, God liberated Noah and his family from the flood waters. God placed a distinction between the Jews and the Egyptians when, through Moses, He liberated the slaves from their bondage. Repeatedly in the history of Israel, we see God stepping in and sending judges to liberate them from the hands of their oppressors. Later He sent Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel to liberate them from Babylon. And, in the most profound act of liberation, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to redeem an entire lost world from sin, misery, and eternal death.

He has commanded His covenant forever. Yahweh has made a legal agreement with the human race. This covenant contains His binding oath that He will perform certain things on behalf of those who accept the terms of His agreement and agree to follow Him. The New Covenant is the unchanging promise that God makes with humanity that He will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. “’But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’”  (Jeremiah 31:31-33). This is His forever, permanent covenant with mankind – it will never be rescinded or broken.

Holy and awesome is His name. Because Yahweh has sent redemption to His people and established His forever covenant with them, there is nothing left to say but that He is holy and awesome. The word “holy” means to be like none else. It reflects the fact that Yahweh alone is unique and separate from all other beings. It carries the idea of being pure and sacred and free from defilement of any kind. And His name is “awesome!” The Hebrew word here means to stand in awe, reverence, and honor of the One who is like no other.

What will you be doing in Heaven? Praising your God’s holy and awesome name as you reflect on His redemption and eternal covenant. That day can’t come soon enough!

January 18 -- "The Satisfier of Every Need"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 26 & Psalm 145

"The Satisfier of Every Need"

As God was creating the world, He had to take into account the dietary and nutritional requirements of each living thing. He had to make sure that there were the proper kinds of foods for the various classes of animals, plants, and other living organisms. Imagine the failure it would be for you to purchase, say, a horse but not purchase the necessary hay and feed it would need to remain healthy and strong. Now, imagine the colossal failure it would have been For God to have created a particular type of animal and placed it in our world, but didn’t create the necessary food to sustain that animal. Fortunately, as our genius and unfathomably wise Creator made all of the living organisms, He placed them in an environment that would “satisfy the desire of every living thing.” 

From the smallest organism to the largest plants and animals, our God made sure to create a world where there were adequate supplies for all. He created phytoplankton, bacteria and other protozoa for the microscopic organisms to feed on. At the same time, He made sure there was an adequate supply of plants, fruits, and vegetables for the herbivores to eat and a variety of smaller animals for the larger carnivores to be satisfied. What a hand this is that holds in it all the food that meets the desires and necessities of His universe of creatures! 

Implied in this verse is the truth that God has not left nature, He is in it. The great Spirit of God is embedded in all the wheels of His machinery. There is a Personal God in personal action, in all of the natural world. He is not a God who is far off, or who is disinterested in the daily affairs of our world. No, in fact, He is constantly opening His hand and satisfying the necessities of “every living thing.” As Jesus said, “not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge” (Matthew 10:29). Wherever there is a creature that God has made to need anything, that creature shall have what its necessities determine.

This verse goes on the say that the Lord who meets the needs of His creation, does so with righteousness and kindness. Some may view our God as an angry ogre “in the sky” just waiting to inflict pain and punishment on those He chooses. But our God is far from that. In the kindness and gentleness of His heart, He is just waiting to supply righteousness, peace, and joy on those who call upon Him. The deepest desire of this “living thing” we call a human being is the deep need to be connected to and in fellowship with his/her Creator. His hand is open. He is waiting to satisfy that desire in your life. Come to Him and discover the greatest kindness you can imagine. He opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing.

January 17 -- "Guide Me to the Level Ground"

Today’s Reading: Psalms 143 & 144 

"Guide Me to the Level Ground"

Have you ever gotten lost while hiking or walking through unfamiliar territory? If you have, then you probably wished that someone with knowledge of the terrain would show up to lead and guide you out of the spot you're in and back onto the right path.  This is exactly how David is feeling as he cries out for God's Spirit in verse 10 to lead him to level ground.

This Psalm is a cry for help.  David, whose desire was to live his life according to the will of God and not according to the will of David, finds himself lost in the "dense forest" and "rocky cliffs" of life. He is tired and thirsty and hungry and needs help getting back to the clearing.
The phrase “lead me on level ground” at the end of this verse has a very interesting meaning in the original Hebrew language. This verse literally means “guide me to level plain.” It carries the picture of a being on a hike in the wilderness, caught in the thorns and thickets and surrounded by cliffs and rocks and calling out for a wise and experienced guide to lead you  confidently back into the solid level clearing. 

In the Scriptures, the “level plain” was a safe and proper place for God's children to walk – the place of holiness, righteousness, faith, and obedience. It alludes to a spiritual condition in which there is a firm foundation of solid ground underneath us – a spiritual level ground so to speak.

David knew that if his plea to fulfill God’s will with his life were to become reality, he would have to be taught and guided by His all wise and knowing God. In fact, if he was not taught by God what His will is, he had no hope of discovering that will, let alone doing it.

What about you? Do you want to live your life according to the will of God? Do you want to discover His highest and greatest calling for your life? If so, are you pleading with God to lead you to that level ground? Stop trying to figure it out with human reasoning or problem solving. Simply acknowledge your own wretchedness and cry out to Him to teach you His will and to lead you to the place of holiness and righteousness.

January 16 -- "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

Today’s Reading: Psalms 131 & 139 

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

As the great singer, Louis Armstrong, once sang, ♫“I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” ♫ It is a wonderful world God has made. Even He thinks so! (See Genesis 1:31) As He stepped back from His acts of creation, He saw everything He had made, and behold, it was very good. Our God finished His creative work by taking delight in it – He saw all that He had made – and behold, it was wonderful in every way.

Think about how wonderfully made you are. Much like your Creator, you are a triune being – made of body, soul, and spirit.  Your body is, of course, the physical part of you designed by God to interact with the “very good” environment He created. It is your human anatomy made up of several very complex and ingeniously designed systems: skeletal, muscular, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems all controlled and maintained by your unmatched brain and nervous system. Every human being – all tissues, body parts, and the organ systems are made up of billions of cells - the fundamental unit of life. Your body is truly fearfully and wonderfully made. And I think to myself…

Your soul is comprised of your consciousness, mind, emotions, and will. Your soul is mysteriously able to perceive and understand things in the intellectual or psychological world. Your soul is your personality, who you are. With your soul you think, reason, consider, remember, and wonder. You experience emotions like happiness, love, sorrow, anger, relief, and compassion. And you’re able to resolve, choose, and make decisions. With your soul, you are able to communicate and interact with other human beings. Your soul is indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. And I think to myself…

Your spirit is the deepest part of who you are.  It is the invisible life force, wind, or breath found in all living human beings. By means of this innermost part, you are able to contact God and have fellowship with Him in the spiritual realm. The spirit is the part of you that covers matters like faith, trust, worship and so on. The spirit is seen as the innermost part of your being. It is enveloped by your soul, which in turn is enveloped by your body.  It’s in your spirit that you find meaning and purpose in life. Your spirit is also fearfully and wonderfully made.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful God who made such a wonderful world!

January 15 -- "He Regards the Lowly"

Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 25 & Psalm 138 

"He Regards the Lowly"

Although we were created in God’s image, sin has marred God’s creation. As a result, it seems to be built into our nature to categorize and classify members of the human race. We see some as “upper” class and some as “middle” or “lower class.” And those who perceive themselves as being in the upper class have a tendency to disregard, or even disrespect, those who they see as “lowly” (common, ordinary, unfortunate).  Some even see it as a great offense if someone attempts to break into their circle or personally approach them.

But our God is not like us! Our Lord God is high royalty – He is the only true “upper class.” He is the King. He is the Lord. As the Creator of the universe, He truly is far above all space, matter, energy, and life. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He possesses vast and endless wealth and power. “For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” (Psalm 97:9)  As such, He has no obligation to respect or regard those who are below Him.

But here’s the amazing thing… He is not offended by any of us attempting to gain an audience with Him or personally approach Him. He welcomes all. He invites us into His “inner circle.” In fact, the Bible goes out of its way to teach us that God doesn’t see social classes the way human societies do. To Him, there is neither rich nor poor, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female. All are alike to Him. And all are loved deeply by Him. In fact, He loves us so much that He humbled Himself and became a “commoner” just so He could rescue us from sin - “Though He was in the form of God… He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in the likeness of man.” (Philippians 2:5-8) Today’s key verse (Psalm138:6) says that this God – the LORD - “regards” (respects) the lowly. He gracefully welcomes the common, ordinary and unfortunate people into His presence.

And yet, so many people seem to be “afar off” from Him. If God is so welcoming, what then is the barrier that keeps so many people away?  There is only one barrier that keeps people from accessing Him. And it is not Him. Human pride is the barrier. This verse goes on to say that “the haughty He knows from afar.” The “invisible barrier” that keeps us away from our King has not been put there by Him, it has been put there by our pride and arrogance. He broke every barrier to come to us. He only asks in return that we approach Him humbly and accept His grace and love.  Those who remain haughty will keep themselves out of His “inner circle.”