Got Wisdom?

Friday, October 6, 2023

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.  The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.  Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.  The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.  They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.   They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.  They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.  How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  Keep your servant from deliberate sins!  Don’t let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  Psalm 19:7-14

King David taught his son Solomon what wisdom looked like.  Soaking-up all the truth of Scripture, David summarized wisdom by the qualities God’s Word will become in a believer’s heart:

     ·       God’s Word is impeccably-perfect…reviving the soul

     ·       God’s Decrees are trustworthy…making the simple person wise

     ·       God’s Commandments are right…making joy flourish in the heart

     ·       God’s Commands are clear…light on life’s path

     ·       Reverence towards God is pure…an eternal blessing of clear conscience

     ·       God’s laws are true…making fairness an everyday experience

Knowing God’s ways bring life, wisdom, joy, insight, and permanence; His way and blessing are available to all who will worship the true, living God.

David concluded his prayer recorded in Psalm 19 with a question and answer. 

The question:  How can I understand my own heart…all the sins hidden there?

The answer:  Humble confession that I can’t know the depth of my own heart’s sins merely by my own wisdom.  I must place my heart in God’s hands…ask Him to forgive and cleanse me, so my proclivity towards sinning won’t control me.

David closed the prayer with one final request:  Lord, whatever I’ve laid before You, O Lord…may it be pleasing to you…do what you will with me…you are the bedrock of all my days and eternity.

If you’ve ever wondered where to start with praying to God, go back to Psalm 19 and grasp the depth of how anyone should (and can) approach Almighty God.  This is the model for placing your life in His care, and your heart’s love at the foot of Calvary’s cross.  The result of studying God’s love letter to humanity is revival for the soul, wisdom for making decisions, joy in the heart, light on your journey as you step-out each day with a clean conscience, and a burning desire to spread justice and fairness to every creature on earth. 

Did he leave anything out?

For You Today 

David’s son, Solomon, took his dad’s evaluation of God’s Word to heart, and both history and God’s Word call Solomon the wisest man ever.  That’s not a bad place to start your day.  It will make finishing your day an adventure that won’t disappoint.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of Pixabay.com                   

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Showers of Blessing

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders.  From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.  Psalm 65:8

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!  Isaiah 12:3

The Feast of Tabernacles is an incredible reminder of God’s goodness.  It has its root in the deliverance of the Exodus.  Moses was God’s chosen leader of the captive slaves.  They were rescued ultimately by water that was moved by the hand of God.  Pharaoh let the people go…and then had a change of his hardened heart; he sent the armies after them.

Moses’ band of freed slaves was caught between mountains on the left and right, with the Red Sea in front, and Egypt’s army behind; it seemed certain to be a slaughter and re-enslavement of Israel.  But God opened up the Red Sea and the people walked to safety on the other side.  The army followed, but all were drowned as God released the waters.  As Israel witnessed this deliverance, Moses sang a song of praise to God which was four hundred years in the making^[1].

As the children of Israel turned from the Red Sea’s waters and wandered in the desert they found more water at Marah, but it was bitter.  God sweetened that water with a branch he showed to Moses.  When there was no water at all, God instructed Moses to speak and the water gushed from solid rock.

Too much water, bitter water, and no water – all terrible; all wonderful, as they displayed the power of God and His kindness to his wandering people. 

The Feast of Tabernacles was kept for centuries after the events at the Red Sea, Marah, and all through Israel’s “glory days”.  It was a week-long celebration.  The people would leave their homes, and live in makeshift shelters of tree branches, remembering how God made the mighty waters safe, the bitter waters sweet, and the hidden water flow.  They remembered God’s great gifts; especially the water!

Certainly Isaiah had all this in the back of his mind when he wrote about drinking deeply from the fountain of salvation.  It is the picture of God rescuing His own; it is our story too.  As it was in the desert, so it is today.

The Scriptures declare that when we were in the darkness of sin’s grip, lost as could possibly be, Christ came by water and bloodto wash us.^[2]  He came and died to rescue and redeem all who would turn to Him. 

For You Today 

Here’s a question to chew on today:  Is it a bigger miracle to make a dry path in the ocean, bitter water sweet, or a barren wasteland gush with water….than it is to take away the sins of somebody like me…or you?

·       Moses simply stood still to see the waters part. 

·       He only had to throw the branch God gave him into the pond at Marah to make the waters sweet. 

·       And he just spoke to the rock to turn on the faucet. 

·       But for our sins – it took the priceless blood of the Lamb.

Are you washed in the blood?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Searching for JOY - Part 5

Thursday, June 29, 2023

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart . You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.  Philippians 1:6-7

Being assured of some things in life is a necessity.  Without a certain amount of confidence you cannot function like God intended.  What are you absolutely certain about?  Death and taxes?  Government corruption?  Long Sunday sermons? 

What really important things are you certain about?  You know, stuff that will still matter a hundred years from now.  Paul was convinced about salvation.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Are you that certain of heaven?  If you are, let me remind you that heaven is a place better than any other – and it's yours!  Listen, if that doesn't produce genuine joy in your soul, your joy bone is broken!

There's a certain joy about participating together in kingdom work.  There is a camaraderie that develops when people work together.  Now, there’s no doubt that you can certainly experience cooperative spirit and a family atmosphere in your job, civic work, or helping a neighbor.  But, there is nothing better than kingdom work, sharing in God's vineyard.  The reason is that we not only participate together, we participate together in the grace of God.

This letter to the Philippians:

·       is a call to the community of faith (away from our isolation);

·       it is a call to self-denying serving (away from our selfish ways);

·       it is a call to standing for Christ-likeness and Godly living (despite today's pluralistic trends)…

·       it is a call to respect and cooperation between men and women of God, and all persons – a partnership in the gospel. 

·       and it is, thankfully, a call away from Mudville – a place of no joy, into the matchless joy of the Kingdom of God. 

And there we would find our purpose, our peace, our prayers in partnership, our persuasion, our participation in the gospel, and our joy ...real joy!

For You Today 

Let’s end our time today with a prayer:

Father, often we are so flat and joyless.  That’s so different than what Jesus told his first disciples…that he had come and shared with them so that his joy would be in them, and their joy would be complete. 

Jesus, talk to us like that; place your joy in us – fill us so that it’s bubbling-up from within, and running all over anybody we meet. 

We pray in the Name of the Father, Because of the Son, Cooperating with the Spirit…Amen!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Searching for JOY - Part 4

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.  Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  

Philippians 1:2-3

We left off yesterday with discovering a sense of purpose for your life.  That is an intregal step to experiencing the joy of peace through prayer.

Here is a marriage Paul performed - the words grace and peace.  Grace is the Greek word, peace is the Hebrew.  The order is theological; grace comes first (from God’s forgiveness), and then the gift of peace follows, flooding our soul with joy. 

If we read our times correctly, many people are looking for peace, but are looking in all the wrong places. 

·       Politicians negotiate treaties, supposing that peace is the result. 

·       We look to police to keep the peace (their title is "peace officer"), supposing that legal order passes for inner peace (joy). 

·       The popularity of drugs shows us the craving for peace, as people attempt to gain escape velocity from the war (within and without) by getting high for a few hours. 

The high that is really needed is grace.  You cannot experience peace until you've known God’s grace; both are a gift from God.  There can never be a friendship with God, peace that passes understanding, until there is a settlement of the wages of sin.  The joy of peace comes after the gift of grace through the cross.  The order is important.  Peace comes after the grace.  That is the prelude to having joy when you pray, because prayer can never be heard in Heaven by those who have not settled the sin issue first.

Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  Philippians 1.4-5 

The Philippian church had been faithful.  Their gifts, prayers, and encouragement had followed and undergirded Paul throughout his ministry.  It is wonderful to have faithful people who love you, and whom you can count on in the lean times to lift you in prayer to the Father. 

For Paul it was like watching his children grow up and outdo him.  My father came to all my high school football games.  Both Mom and Dad were there at all the important times in my life.  In a way only a person who knows he's loved can understand, I do understand that they rooted for me to be everything God wants me to be.  And they kept me in prayer daily; joy does that.

For You Today 

That’s the partnership in the gospel – the joy of casting your prayers with those you love and work with in Christ’s mission.  Paul's partnership with the Philippian church was joyfully connected at the prayer-joint.  Theirs was a partnership of prayer.  Frankly, there is no other way to serve Him.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Searching for JOY - Part 3

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  Philippians 1:3-6

There’s a question that must be answered before leaving all the “Mudville” stuff:

Who are the most joyful people?

It stands to reason that believers who practice their faith would be the most joyful.  As participating partners in the faith we share together the mystery and splendor of the gospel ... and that produces some things:

JOY OF PURPOSE

Paul called himself a servant.  The word literally means “slave”.  That doesn’t sound too joyful, but in ancient times a servant could come and go as he pleased, within certain limits.  A slave, however, was a lifetime property of his master.  Paul humbly addressed himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. 

It takes a great deal of humility to enslave yourself to another.  What can make a person do something like that?  Paul sensed that being In Christ was greater than anything else life offered.  Paul was a "mainstream mover and shaker" of the highest order!  Then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and he discovered all that self stuff was empty – empty – empty!  Paul had been climbing social, political, and personal ladders, but compared to the loveliness of Christ, all that personal fulfillment stuff paled, lost its attractiveness, and faded into oblivion. 

Paul used the phrase In Christ or In the Lord some 150 times in his epistles.  Much like a fish lives in water, Paul could feel the close, comforting, compelling presence of Jesus in every waking moment.  Paul had given himself over to the cause of Christ – it had become his purpose.  There is something unique and joyful about people who are driven from within, in a noble cause that is from above. 

In the novel, The Man Who Lost Himself^[1] a detective is trailing a man in Paris.  He wants to know if the man he was after stopped at a certain hotel.  He went to the clerk at the desk and gave his own name, asking if he was there.  He knew he wasn't registered; he wanted to have the clerk search the register so he could peek!  But, to his surprise, the clerk looked up and said, Yes, he has been looking for you.  He's in room #40; I'll have you shown right up.  What could the detective do?  He followed the clerk to the room, whereupon opening the door, the man came face to face with another man who looked remarkably like himself, just 20 years older.

The story behind that story is that there is a person out there whom you must face someday.  It is the person you're becoming.  How is that happening?  The purpose to which you give yourself will define the person you will become.  Paul gave himself to Christ as Lord and Master – slave for life! 

For You Today 

The spiritual principle is that the slave will do the Master's will, and in the doing, become like the Master.  In Christ, Paul's life was purpose-filled, purposeful; he called it the joy set before him.  A partnership in the gospel gives joy of purpose.  Tomorrow we will look past purpose to peace and prayer.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

---

[1]Sitwell, Osbert, THE MAN WHO LOST HIMSELF, (St Clair Shores, Mich, Scholarly Press, 1971)

Searching for JOY - Part 2

Monday, June 26, 2023

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.      Philippians 1:3-6

We ended yesterday’s thoughts with the question:  Can you really experience joy?  We can all probably agree on the definition of joy; the main question is:  what produces it, and how can we have joy in our everyday life, continuously? 

I want to show you two realities about joy – first, the characteristics of our contemporary culture’s stab at joy; then, tomorrow – the Apostle Paul’s thinking. 

Culture Characteristic #1 – We are ALONE

Philosopher Thomas Wolfe said, Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.^[1]  In the contemporary scene we are isolated behind our air-conditioned walls, transfixed moth-to-light-like, to our blaring computer games on Smartphones and DVD players; we are protected from interruption by our straight-to-voicemail.  Isolated from, and insulated against human touch, we find out about ourselves from the nightly news.  And the news is lonely!  There's little joy in that Mudville.

Culture Characteristic #2. We are ASSERTIVE

From the first stamping of little, two-year-old feet that don't want to go where mother said, to the constant mashing of the horn buttons on freeways, assertiveness is the America we've come to know and despise.

 Sacrifice and service have become foreign words in America; corporate raids and takeovers make billions, and no longer does it matter what happens to the person on the assembly line, or the family having to stand in line for a handout.

Culture Characteristic #3. We are AMBIVALENT

Ambivalence is a strange development for a land of such passionate beginnings.  America was born in the hearts of people with fire in their bellies.  There was a sense of right and wrong; of good and evil.  Today’s culture is as dependent upon the direction of the prevailing winds, as on any code of morals or values.  A newspaper columnist pointed out how this slide towards ambivalence has made us a nation of orphans where child-guidance is concerned:

We are infinitely more comfortable dealing with each other in the gray vastness of 'how does it feel for you?' than in terms of right and wrong.  One look at the status of our children and we know that what we are doing isn't working.  Children need right and wrong.^[2]

One of the reasons our children take drugs, take little interest in life, and take other students’ lives is that they see no firmness of commitment to an ethic, ideals, or to each other.  Options dominate our thinking. 

·       If I don't like this circumstance I'll change it. 

·       If I can't change it I'll go elsewhere, where it feels better to me. 

I like you alright, but if you do something that displeases me I just might 'option you out' with a .357 magnum – or a divorce -- or an abortion – or some cocaine – or even just a glance.  Hey!  I can take you or leave you, dude! 

For You Today 

Alone…Assertive…and Ambivalent is our culture.  But we were created for better than that; we are hard-wired for community and its’ blessing…more tomorrow.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

---

[1] Thinkexist.com

[2]Edwards, Drew, Article, VIEWPOINT, (Jacksonville, Fl, The Florida Times-Union, Oct 3,1992)