What God Wants. Psalms 50-51; First Thessalonians 5

May the mumbling commence!

What does God really want from us?  It is a question that we have looked at before.  Let’s look at a couple of passages.  The first is from Psalm Fifty:

"O my people, listen as I speak. 

     Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! 

I have no complaint about your sacrifices 

     or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar. 

But I want no more bulls from your barns; 

     I want no more goats from your pens. 

For all the animals of the forest are mine, 

     and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. 

Every bird of the mountains 

     and all the animals of the field belong to me. 

If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you, 

     for all the world is mine and everything in it. 

I don't need the bulls you sacrifice; 

     I don't need the blood of goats. 

What I want instead is your true thanks to God; 

     I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High. 

Trust me in your times of trouble, 

     and I will rescue you, 

     and you will give me glory." (Verses 7-15)

God does not want sacrifice.  The Lord wants obedience.  Do the right thing.  Do the godly thing.  Be true to your Father in heaven.  Trust in the Lord.  Give God the glory.

And you will be saved.  Read now from Psalm Fifty-one:

You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them.

If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.

A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise. (Verses 16-17)

What sacrifice is acceptable?  The psalmist tells us that a broken spirit and a broken and repentant heart is the sacrifice God looks for.  So, it is NOT about pointing fingers.  It’s about taking responsibility for our own sins, as hard as that is.

We are woefully broken before the Lord.  But, there is another way.  Read from First Thessalonians chapter five:

But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.  For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.  He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return.  So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (Verses 8-11)

Our armor for this change of ways is faith and love and confident hope.  Our salvation is secure.  We no longer need to be tied up with our sins of the past, present or future.  We can serve the Lord as we serve God’s children.

What an encouragement!  Let us build one another up with this Good News!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Worship God - There is Nothing Better to Do. Psalm 48-49; First Thessalonians 4

May the mumbling commence!

Oh, to praise and meditate on our wonderful God!  That is what makes a blessed day.  It is neither the work of the day nor the weather.  It is neither the people who accompany us on our way not the people who are absent.  A wonderful day is spent remember the many benefits the Lord gives us.  Read from Psalm Forty-eight:

O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple. 

As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth.

Your strong right hand is filled with victory. 

Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice.

Let the towns of Judah be glad, for your judgments are just. (Verses 9-11)

Indeed, God alone deserves our praise.  When we walk in the Lord’s Way, victory is sure.  Rejoice and be glad.

Worship the Lord and praise His Name.  Rejoice and be glad.  There is nothing better in the entire universe to do.

It’s all about the unfailing love of the Lord.  Read from First Thessalonians chapter four:

But I don't need to write to you about the Christian love that should be shown among God's people. For God himself has taught you to love one another.  Indeed, your love is already strong toward all the Christians in all of Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we beg you to love them more and more.  This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we commanded you before.  As a result, people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others to meet your financial needs. (Verses 9-12)

When we emulate the love of our lord, we can never rest on our laurels.  Love is an unpaid date that never is paid in full.  Love each other and love God more and more each day.

What does that look like?  Lead the quiet life.  Mind your own business and work honestly with your own hands.

Know that the world does not revolve around you or your wants.  Live for God and for other people.  People will see your godly way of life and respect you.

May it be so in all our lives!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

A Mighty Fortress is Our God! Psalm 46-47; First Thessalonians 3

May the mumbling commence!

A mighty fortress is our God!  Can you hear the music that often accompanies those words?  I can.  I thought of those words as I read Psalm Forty-six.  Read it below:

God is our refuge and strength, 

     always ready to help in times of trouble. 

So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come 

     and the mountains crumble into the sea. 

Let the oceans roar and foam. 

     Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

Interlude 

A river brings joy to the city of our God, 

     the sacred home of the Most High. 

God himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed. 

     God will protect it at the break of day. 

The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumble! 

     God thunders, and the earth melts! 

The Lord Almighty is here among us; 

     the God of Israel is our fortress.

Interlude 

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: 

     See how he brings destruction upon the world 

and causes wars to end throughout the earth. 

     He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two;

he burns the shields with fire. 

"Be silent, and know that I am God! 

     I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world." 

The Lord Almighty is here among us; 

     the God of Israel is our fortress.

Interlude

God is our refuge.  God is our fortress.  We can be still and know that God is among us.

God is greater than all our woes.  God is greater than the chaos that often times consumes our lives.

Be a witness to the mighty acts of our Lord God.  Honor the name of our Creator and join the rest of creation.

It just makes me want to sing!  Yesterday was a blessed day of holy singing – set apart for the glory and magnification of the Lord God.  First there was the hymn sing at church.  Then there was the concert performed by the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus last night.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Like the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus, we gain strength as we bond together.  We gain strength to do what the Lord has made us to do.  Read from First Thessalonians chapter three:

May God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus make it possible for us to come to you very soon.  And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you.  As a result, Christ will make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy when you stand before God our Father on that day when our Lord Jesus comes with all those who belong to him. (Verses 11-13)

Yes, Satan wishes to divide and conquer us.  The Holy Spirit of God seeks to bond us together in love.  Let’s continue to gather with our faith families for strength for the journey.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

Stubborn Faith; Stubborn Hope. Psalms 41-45

May the mumbling commence!

Today is the day for song.  Today is the day for a concert of praise to the Lord God Almighty.  Today is the day I’ve been looking forward to.  Hymn sing!

Good hymns that are based on Scripture can show us the way to live our lives in all circumstances.  Take for example a couple of Psalms that stand as a pair.  (Indeed, in the Hebrew Bible they are counted as one.)  Psalms Forty-two and Forty-three show us how to cling tenaciously and stubbornly to our belief in God when our lives seemingly are falling apart.

Many people will recognize the beginning of Psalm Forty-two as a hymn that many people hold dear.  Now read the context of that verse that blends easily with Psalm Forty-three:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 

I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? 

Day and night, I have only tears for food,

while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, "Where is this God of yours?" 

My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be:

I walked among the crowds of worshipers,

leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks—

it was the sound of a great celebration! 

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember your kindness –

from Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. 

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. 

Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,

and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. 

"O God my rock," I cry, "Why have you forsaken me?

Why must I wander in darkness, oppressed by my enemies?" 

Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound. They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?" 

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!

O God, take up my cause! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. 

For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside?

Why must I wander around in darkness, oppressed by my enemies? 

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me.

Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. 

There I will go to the altar of God, to God – the source of all my joy.

I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! 

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!

Do you see what I mean?  I have separated Psalm Forty-two and Forty-three by a line.  The recurring phrase in bold italic blue is repeated once again in Psalm Forty-three.  The themes of the Psalms are both similar.

They psalmist is in time of great discouragement.  God seems to be absent.  These times come upon even the greatest leaders of the faith.  The message is clear:  Cling to faith and have hope.  Give unto God praise and worship. Do these things and you will find joy!  

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

Speak Out! Psalms 39-40; First Thessalonians 2

May the mumbling commence!

What does the Lord require of us?  It is a question that is often asked in Scripture – the passage from Micah comes first to my mind.  But there are other scriptures that speak to this question that help give a more complete view.  Read from Psalm Forty:

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.

Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—

you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 

Then I said, "Look, I have come.

And this has been written about me in your scroll: 

I take joy in doing your will, my God,

for your law is written on my heart." 

I have told all your people about your justice.

I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. 

I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart;

I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.

I have told everyone in the great assembly

of your unfailing love and faithfulness. (Verses 6-10)

Obedience is better than asking forgiveness through sacrifices and offerings.  And obedience means doing the will of the Lord.  Where do we find the will of God?  We comb through the Scriptures.  We plant the Scriptures in our hearts.

And we find joy in our lives that we didn’t think was possible.  What does that joy call us to do?  We do not put God’s Word on our hearts to hide it.

We tell people about the salvation of the Lord in His love and faithfulness.  We tell those who are willing to listen.  We tell those who are not willing to listen.  We cast fear aside and speak out.  We praise and worship the Lord in this way.

To tell and to speak about the Lord is one of the reasons we were made… one of the original plan of our Creator.  No wonder it feels so right regardless of the consequences of speaking out!  And, at times, there are consequences.  Read from First Thessalonians chapter two:

And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God's churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. 

For some of the Jews had killed their own prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us and driven us out. They displease God and oppose everyone by trying to keep us from preaching the Good News to the Gentiles, for fear some might be saved. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last. (Verses 14-16)

As we seek to do the Lord’s will, may we keep focused on the more eternal perspective of God.  For we are but travelers in this world!  We are moving through this world as aliens to the great city that will be finally established by our Lord.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Interconnected & Contagious. Psalms 37-38; First Thessalonians 1

May the mumbling commence!

We are integrated beings.  Though we may think of our physical health and our spiritual health and our emotional health individually, they are interconnected.  Dis-ease in one area will cause dis-ease in the others.  Read the words of King David from Psalm Thirty-eight:

Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;

my health is broken because of my sins. 

My guilt overwhelms me—

it is a burden too heavy to bear. 

My wounds fester and stink

because of my foolish sins. 

I am bent over and racked with pain.

My days are filled with grief. 

A raging fever burns within me,

and my health is broken. 

I am exhausted and completely crushed.

My groans come from an anguished heart. (Verses 3-8)

There can be no doubt.  Physical health and spiritual health and emotional health are not isolated.  Sin and a broken body often go together.  Wounds will fester and stink.  Pain will be a constant companion.  Fever will rage and energy will ebb.

But, all of this being said, it is not right to equate all disease with a spiritual root.  Sometimes pain and fever and wounds exist with no spiritual root.  That, though, does not mean there is no connection.  To swing too far in either direction would be to miss the mark.

As in many other things in life, balance is key.  With a proper and healthful balance in our lives, we will be a beacon for Christ to the people around us.  Read from First Thessalonians chapter one:

And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God.  And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven – Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (Verses 8-10)

Such a healthful balance is hard to create and maintain, but, when we do, the effects are contagious.  Yes, Christians become contagious.  They help to bring other people to Christ.

Are we contagious Christians?  Let us seek to be with all our heart and mind and soul and strength.  It is the way of love.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Rest in God's Care. Psalms 35-36; Colossians 4

May the mumbling commence!

God cares for all creation.  Trust the Creator to take care of you.  That message is strongly communicated through the verses at the heart of Psalm Thirty-six:

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

your justice like the ocean depths.

You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. 

How precious is your unfailing love, O God!

All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. 

You feed them from the abundance of your own house,

letting them drink from your rivers of delight. 

For you are the fountain of life,

the light by which we see. (Verses 5-9)

God cares for you… whether or not you think the Lord exists.  The basis for this fact is evident in the wonderful creation around us.  It is such a delicate balance, yet balance it most often does.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, can find shelter in God… like shelter under the wings of a protective hen.  God is the source of all life and light.  Help us, O Lord, to live abundantly.  Help us to attempt to live like Jesus, in total obedience to You.

We have hope because of what the Lord has done for us.  When people ask, we need to be ready to answer.  That is what the Apostle Paul asks of us in the last chapter (chapter four) of Colossians.  Read a couple verses below:

Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone. (Verses 5-6)

May we season our conversation with other so that it is gracious and Spirit-filled.  In that way only will we be effective.  Let the Spirit of the Living God do its work.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out