Is this the day the Lord has made?

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Contrary to a lot of popular opinion on the matter, this oft quoted, and heavily posted snippet of scripture is NOT about this day, today, as though God is sending us a cheerful word to start our day off right. Careful examination of the context from Psalm 118 shows that the psalmist is rejoicing in the Messianic expectation that was to come. Look more carefully at the setting around this verse:

21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me,
and art become my salvation.
²² The stone which the builders refused
is become the head stone of the corner.
²³ This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
²⁴ This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Clearly, this is not simply a cheery thought for the day, but is part of the greater image of the salvation of God that the psalmist expects. The Messianic bent of these words are familiar to New Testament readers who see Jesus himself quoting the passage to assert that he is the fulfillment of that prophecy (Matthew 21:42).

Such misuse of scripture is a common occurrence, especially when we start posting verses isolated from the context in which they were spoken or written. While common, it is also dangerous.  I have seen posts in which an isolated verse is posted as someone’s “message” to the world, or to their readers, and is used (abused?) simply because the poster thinks that the Bible reinforces their own predetermined viewpoint.

Think carefully before you post scripture to support your views. If the text and context agree, that’s great, but if not, then we would all be well-advised to seek affirmations of our own views elsewhere. We may have gotten our particular “favorite” from the Bible, but that does not make it God’s Word.

Is Humility a Thing of the Past?

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10 NRSV)

It’s hard to imagine anyone promoting the idea of humility today. Everywhere we look, someone is asserting their pride in who they are, what they have done, the choices they have made, or the things they believe. It seems no one is prepared to admit that what we are is often a corrupted version of who we could be. Gone are the notions of shame over our failures, confession that our choices are frequently wrong, and our beliefs that sometimes defy logic. James is writing to a group of people who are not that different from ourselves. There were people who insisted that their daily lives, what they said, did, and believed would all be justified by the notions that they were people of faith. He has already dealt with that idea in Chapter two with the declaration that “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:14-16). When our faith is replaced by pride that we know best, our ideas cannot be wrong, and our words and practices are inconsequential, then we need to take the words above seriously. Maybe you haven’t got it all together. Perhaps you are mistaken, in error, or just defiantly wrong. Think about it, and consider whether we (and those around us) might benefit by our humbling of ourselves before God, and letting Him do the exalting.

WWJP

You may remember the bracelets a few years ago that would encourage wearers to keep in mind what Jesus would be likely to do in a given situation. Emblazoned with WWJD or “What Would Jesus Do?”, the hope was to get people to think about their actions and words by comparing their intentions to those of Jesus as revealed in scripture. I’m not sure it ever had the intended effect, but their was a certain wisdom in it.

Fast forward to our present day and age, immersed as we are in electronic instant communications and it becomes apparent that a similar reminder might be appropriate for us. I would like to suggest WWJP or “What Would Jesus Post?”

I am amazed every day to see some of the damaging posts in online social media that reflect a judgmental, critical, and intolerant attitude from people who otherwise identify themselves as followers of the Lord Jesus. The seething anger toward a culture from which these people feel so disconnected and estranged is coupled with a generalized intolerance for anyone, any government, or any system that does not support their views. And so, these folks feel justified in spewing their bile out on everyone and everything that bothers or upsets them.

That is not to deny the right of any person to speak up for what they believe in, or hold dear, but when it comes out as disrespectful of others, or offensively inconsiderate of other points of view, these “(self) righteous few” do not deserve an audience.

I look high and low in scripture to see where that might be encouraged as a legitimate approach, yet I find nothing. In fact, the only time I see anything similar is in Jesus condemnation of the religious leaders who engaged in these same practices. In dealing with the world at large however, Jesus didn’t judge them, He reached out to draw them near in forgiveness and reconciliation.

The next time you are tempted to post something, ask yourself if you just want to vent your spleen no matter who you hurt, or how you damage the image of the church, or do you want others hear the message of forgiveness that came from Jesus own lips? What do you think? What would Jesus post?

Hanging By A Thread

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ (Luke 12:20)

If you knew this was your last day on earth, would it change what you are doing? Human beings have an uncanny ability to deny reality, and live in such a way that one might be led to believe they are going to live forever. I wonder how many of those whose lives were snatched away in Toronto last week woke up thinking that this would be their last day. Likely none of them, but that doesn’t change the reality of what took place, and now the shattered and broken lives of family and friends is all that is left.

Our hearts naturally ache for everyone affected by this tragedy, but an even worse tragedy may befall anyone who doesn’t take seriously the lesson of such events. We are all hanging by a mere thread. Life comes with no guarantees. Of course, we don’t want to spend our lives thinking about and fearing death every moment. We want to live, but we need to be prepared, realizing that every moment of every day is a gift from God. That has to impact the way we live.

How then will we live out this day? Will we spend it complaining or being thankful for each moment? Will this reality influence the things we talk about, the way we spend our time, or the things we worry about? Will we live this day out in bitterness and anger, or in forgiving and accepting others? Will we spend the day assuring ourselves that we will deal some other time with Jesus’ call to accept His claim on our lives, or will this be the day that we finally realize what the Bible means when it tells us that “Now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

You have a precious opportunity to respond to God’s love for you today. You have a chance to begin anew today to love God, and the people around you, by letting God make you into the person He wants you to be. Don’t throw it away.

I hope we all have many more opportunities to be everything we were made to be. But the reality is, for you and for me, we only have today, right now. The thread of life is far too fragile to make assumptions.

What’s On Your Mind?

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 (NRSV)

It’s hard not to notice how critically negative some folks can be all while claiming to be “saved by the grace of God.” It seems that “salvation” for these people puts them in a place where they can become unmerciful critics of anything that does not meet their self-righteous standards. Their attacks range from political issues (and politicians themselves), to cultural values (only theirs are the right ones), to thoughtless criticism of religious views and traditions that do not meet their demanding standards. The list goes on, but you probably get my drift.

How unlike Jesus, or even Paul who felt that the repressive and often dangerous political situations of their day were not the ultimate concerns of the time (though fairness and justice were constantly encouraged). It’s interesting that they never sought to condemn the political authorities of the day, even though Paul and Jesus would both meet their death at the hands of the Roman government.

Cultural values and systems likewise were not their primary concerns. They both knew that cultures are not sanctified by condemning those who participated in them. Certainly some aspects of their cultures were inconsistent with the gospel, and had to be (and were) rejected, but both understood that human culture was by its very nature alienated from God, so sinful behavior in a sinful world was no surprise. The answer was a new, sanctified life in Christ for every individual possible. The world was never going to change by shrill judgement and condemnation.

Even other religious views and traditions were not something  that could be altered by shunning those who disagreed. Human hearts are changed by the love of God in Christ, something that God does, not us. Our part is to live with love for God, and for our neighbors filling our hearts; that will do more to bring people to Christ than our angry words, impatient shouting, and self-righteous condemnation could ever do. What if the people around us saw us living out the words of Philippians 4:8 (above)? Do you think they might actually think that knowing Christ is worthwhile after all?

Beacons

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14,16) NRSV

What an awesome responsibility! God shines light into this world through His people. People who are looking for light in the darkness of this world need help to find the true source of light and life. We are invited to help them by shining as lights pointing to that ultimate Light, Jesus Christ. They may not come to your church, they may not be helped by radio or TV messages, but they still have you. You have the privilege of lighting up the path to someone looking for God. Don’t let your light grow dim, the world doesn’t need judges or critics, it needs light, the light God has put in you.

Stayin’ Alive

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. (Psalm 119:93) NRSV

We live in a culture that is very health-conscious, and focused on preserving a good quality of life for as long as we can. Not only is that understandable, but such concerns to maintain and preserve health are laudable goals for anyone. Unfortunately, we often overlook the one true source of all life worth living. God’s word, applied to our hearts on a daily basis is a life-giving thing. Sure, we can take care of our minds and bodies, disciplining and exercising our physical selves with some benefit, but the effect is limited to this present life. We will die one day, regardless. The life Scripture speaks to is reaches far beyond the cradle to grave experience common to all humanity. The Psalmist saw it, and thus reflects the deep-seated reality that real life comes from only one Source, what the New Testament refers to as the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, God Incarnate (Heb. 12:2). His precepts, His word, His truth is the source of genuine, and eternal life. Listen to Him, He’s speaking to you right now.

On our way

I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14 HCSB

Paul recognized that his journey was one that would last for his entire lifetime. He consistently held the goal of God’s call in Christ as the focus of his life. In doing so, he could freely admit that he had not arrived, but was always on his way toward that goal (vv.12ff). It takes great humility of spirit to admit that we do not have all the answers, we have not yet taken hold of our prize, but we are on our way. Strangely, we hate to confess that there is so much more to know about Christ, about our faith, and about our living out that call. We prefer to show our supposed expertise, our depth of knowledge and so on. Such people, in other words, like to think they have arrived, though they would never say that aloud. To be unteachable is to be unreachable. Let us, with Paul, rejoice in our weakness and insufficiency (2 Cor. 12). Then, and only then can we  be the malleable people God wants us to be.

Living in Fellowship

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 KJ21)

What a blessing it is to live in fellowship with those around us. We share the wonderful grace of Christ’s life and love flowing in us and through us. We celebrate the forgiveness of sin, and a real joy in simply being together.

It is interesting to note that John’s words of admonition are going to a group of believers who knew intimately how difficult it can be to live out this high calling in an unbelieving world. Fellowship was about the only thing they could hang onto and it was, and remains, a priority within the church. Sadly, the groups and factions that make up the present day church around the world seem to have forgotten this critical point. It often seems to me that we spend an inordinate amount of time and energy distancing ourselves from those who differ from us. We want to make the point that our theology is the correct one, our beliefs about secondary matters are the only correct way to live out our faith. And so, we criticize, and judge those who do not agree with us. We hurt one another, we divide the church, and we are more interested in proving ourselves right than we are in walking in the the light as He is in the light. John tells us that this will result in fellowship in Christ, and that fellowship stretches far beyond the walls of our particular place of worship. Perhaps we are not walking in the light where we thought we were, and have contented ourselves to get used to seeing dimly and feeling our way along in the darkness we have created. May God wake up His church in every nation, tribe, tongue, denomination, and splinter group before it is too late.

Ay, there’s the rub

When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. John 15:10 NLT “How can I better show my love for Jesus? He is so amazing…

Source: Ay, there’s the rub