Reflecting God

RG AUDIO 022112Psalm 139:13-24

It came in yesterday’s mail, from my dentist, “Reminder: You are due for your six-month cleaning.” I wish my family physician would do something similar.

Christ is the Great Physician. And it stands to reason that if our physical bodies need a check-up once in a while, our spiritual lives also need an examination. If you haven’t had a thorough spiritual exam recently with the Great Physician, it’s time for an appointment.

We’re told in Psalm 139 how to make the appointment. We’re to pray: “Oh, Great Physician, search me. Shine your heavenly magnifying glass on every part of my life—inside and out. Examine my motives, my feelings, my relationships, my thought life, my conversations, what I do in my spare time, how I dress, how I treat people, my actions and reactions—everything. And if you find something that’s not right, please bring it to my attention. Make me aware, and I’ll commit it to you.”

RG AUDIO 022012Psalm 139:1-12

I crouched between a dozen dresses, three pairs of shoes, and some stuffed animals. I was certain my friend would never find me inside the closet. But no sooner had a minute passed when the closet doors were opened, dresses parted, and the blanket pushed aside to reveal my surprised face at being discovered so quickly.

Because Hide and Seek is a children’s game, I’m often amazed at how many adults are still playing it . . . with each other—and unfortunately—even with God. If we’re genuinely maturing in our faith, we’ll come to realize that being “found” is a wonderful thing! The fact is God always knows where we are and everything about us is comforting. For the totally surrendered disciple, this brings divine protection and guidance. But for the nominal Christian who is still playing games with the Creator, it will spell frustration and resistance to know that nothing can be hidden from God.

Our heavenly Father yearns for intimacy with his children.

RG AUDIO 021912Psalm 106:34-48

Psalm 105 emphasized the importance of God’s grace. Psalm 106 illustrates the evidence of the endurance of God’s grace. The Israelites clearly portray how one sin leads to many and ultimately God’s judgment.

God commanded the people to destroy the nation of Canaan, but they committed the sin of omission and neglected to obey. Compromise leads to contamination. They sacrificed innocent blood and lost the generation.

Once more, they were the recipients of God’s anger and punishment. He allowed other nations to have power over them, and they suffered oppression at their enemies’ hands. However, God extended grace to them for two reasons. Their afflictions and cry for mercy moved him to compassion, and he remembered his covenant to be their God.

God’s grace and love for his people offers mercy instead of justice. God’s long-suffering responds to rebellious sinners.

RG AUDIO 021812Psalm 106:24-33

Forgetfulness leads to faithlessness. The people of Israel had short memories of God’s miracles, deliverance, and provision. They despised, grumbled, and disobeyed. They worshiped and sacrificed to lifeless gods. “They rebelled against the Spirit of God” (v. 33a). Moses and Aaron asked God for water for the thirsty people, and God said, “Speak to the rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” (Numbers 20:8b).

As we examine our lives today, are they steeped in disbelief resulting in a critical spirit? When a “thank you” or “I’m praying for you” was appropriate, was the response “I don’t like the worship style” or “The salvation invitation was weak.” Leaders thrive on encouragement. They die from criticism and disobedience.

Moses, like other leaders, make the choice to remain faithful or receive the consequences. However, the people who follow the leader also make a choice to support or hinder.

RG AUDIO 021612Psalm 106:1-12

Was it Moses or winds that parted the Red Sea? Over the years, scientists have sought to find a logical explanation for the parting of the Red Sea. Computer simulations suggest an east wind could have parted the waters. However, the dry land, exact timing of the crossing, and the Egyptian army swallowed in the waters present difficult to explain details. One person commented, “The scientific explanation takes more faith to believe than accepting the biblical account at face value.” How God chose to divide the waters is insignificant compared to why he chose to perform this miracle.

The people sinned, forgot God’s kindnesses, and rebelled at the Red Sea. When they saw their adversaries drowned, they believed God was with them. “Then they believed his promises and sang his praise” (Ps. 106:12).

Do we need a miracle to know God is with us? God is in the restoration business.

RG AUDIO 021512

Psalm 105:37-45

Recently, a new AndroidTM phone hit the market. The company touted a slide-out keyboard, a fast processor, and a pocket-size design. One of the great features is the GPS. Speeding cross country, this handheld black box of knowledge directs to the nearest restaurant, service station, or RV park.

However, this is nothing to compare to the age old GPS (God’s Positioning System) that brought Israel out of Egypt.

God remembered his promise to his chosen ones. His provisions satisfied and rewarded them. God did not simply bring them out of bondage. He brought them from afflictions to advancement. God performs this same miracle in the lives of those who seek release from the bondage of sin. Their lives are forever changed and blessed with his provisions of forgiveness and grace.

Just as God desired obedience from Israel, he desires obedience today.

RG AUDIO 021412Psalm 105:16-36

Sellers and purchasers met to complete the sale. Title, instructions, and two keys passed to new owners. One key turned on the ignition. The other key unlocked the motor home door. However, there was one problem. There were two different locks on the door with a key for only one. Several days after the sale, the new owner inadvertently locked the one without a key. An open window became a temporary entrance that day. Later, someone offered a master key as a permanent solution.

God, as the “Master Key,” was the only way deliverance for the children of Israel was possible. Moses and Aaron played important roles in the deliverance, but God alone delivered.

God is the deliverer from spiritual bondage. God’s Word, godly pastors and counselors, inspirational books, and supportive friends are instruments in God’s hand. Ultimately, the “Master Key” must fit the lock to open the heart to glorious freedom.

RG AUDIO 021312Psalm 105:1-15

Oh, if trees could talk! What a story they would tell. Many have grown for hundreds of years. The beautiful Teton National Forest portrays this. However, fire, insects, and unfavorable weather conditions take their toll. Many giant evergreen trees have nothing left but trunks strewed at odd angles along the mountainside. The amazing site reveals small- and medium-sized evergreens stretching to the clear, blue sky. Did man plant these new trees? In answer to these questions, the sign states clearly—“Reseeded Naturally.” What a God we serve.

Psalm 105 reviews God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his chosen ones. Humanly, it seemed impossible for a great nation to come from one man and for “strangers” who wandered from nation to nation to possess and inherit the Promised Land. God’s covenant did not allow anyone to oppress his anointed.

God calls his people to continual praise and radical obedience for the past, present, and future.

RG AUDIO 021212Psalm 101

David was referred to in scripture as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). In Psalm 101, David poignantly describes his desire to do all that he can to please God and to serve him completely. He wants to model himself, and his reign as King, after God’s supreme plan. He yearned to live a godly life, but alas he was only human.

Robert Burns, in his poem, “To a Mouse” first used the phrase, “The best laid schemes o’ mice and men / Gang aft a-gley.” It is most often translated these days as “The best-laid plans of mice and men do often go awry.” In other words, despite our best intentions and goals, we often fail.

Despite, his own human failures, David continued to repent and to seek out God’s will for his life. His litany of spiritual motives and desires in this psalm should inspire us to do the same.

RG AUDIO 021112Psalm 100

God is God. If we believe it, we need to act on that belief. The prophet Elijah challenged the people of his day with this truth in a question, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing” (1 Kings 18:21).

In the comics, Charlie Brown is often accused of being “wishy-washy” by his friend Lucy. Lucy once told Charlie, “You’ll always be wishy-washy.” His response was, “Why can’t I change just a little bit? I’ll be wishy one day and washy the next.”

A wavering, wishy-washy faith is very dangerous, but conversely, a solid faith, as spoken of in Psalm 100, will stand us in good stead throughout our lives. As a matter of fact, God’s faithfulness will never waver. “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v. 5).

RG AUDIO 021012Psalm 98

Olivia Newton-John once had a hit song entitled, “Let’s Get Physical.” My thought at the time was that the world needed a song to counterbalance that sentiment that would be titled, “Let’s Get Spiritual.” Psalm 98, which encourages praise to God, might inspire a song with the title, “Let’s get animated.”

The entire psalm should motivate the believer toward action with such phrases as “Sing to the Lord, a new song” (v. 1), “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (v. 4), and “make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn (vv. 5-6a).

Too often Christians want to remain passive about their faith in God, and many actually want to simply have a “silent witness.” This psalm encourages us not to remain silent any longer about the wondrous things of God. It challenges us to share the good things of God wherever we go and by whatever means we have available to us.

RG AUDIO 020912Psalm 97

Billy Graham once shared that scientists say they do not know what light is. They said that they know the effects of the sun, but don’t exactly know all about it. They also said that they know that no plant or animal or human life on this earth can live without light.

Here is an immutable truth: darkness cannot overcome light. We can go into the darkest room, and if we light a tiny candle, or a match, the light will always overcome the darkness within the room. This truth should be a great encouragement to us in the spiritual realm as well. No matter how dark our circumstances may seem, the Light of God, can lift the darkness that pervades our being, when we seek for the Light.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). A Sunday school chorus that we sang as children said, “The Light of the World is Jesus, and if you come to him, he will cleanse you from your sin.

RG AUDIO 020812Psalm 94:12-23

Once, during a time of great anxiety, a Christian sister gave me some advice, she said, “Rest in the Lord.” It proved to be very helpful advice.

The Quakers quiet their hearts and spirits before God when they gather for worship through a meditative state they call “centering down.” When they rest in the Lord and “wait” on him, they believe that he will bring them understanding, direction, and peace.

Some people have said that to “wait on God” is a more active process, much like when a servant “waits” on tables for others. It is true that it is hard to concentrate on our problems when we are in the midst of serving others. In addition to serving God, Brother Lawrence, the author of the book, “The Practice of the Presence of God,” advises that we stay in touch with him. He said, “There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it.”

RG AUDIO 020712Psalm 94:1-11

Some lessons need to be continually learned again and again. Wisdom demands that we focus upon the One who gives wisdom. Since God is the source of wisdom, we must continually remind ourselves to turn to God when we are without the wisdom we need.

Warnings like “thin ice,” “detour ahead,” and “falling rock zone” are all important, but perhaps “low on wisdom” should flash on our mind’s eye when that is our circumstance. The psalmist reminds us of God’s awareness of our needs when he asks the following questions, “Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?” (Ps. 94:9).

God knows what we need, even before we ask for his help and guidance, but he wants us to be wise enough to call on him. He desires worship, fellowship and connection with him on a regular basis. Because God uses us as his instruments, we also want to be ready to help others to see their need to turn to him.

RG AUDIO 020612Psalm 91:1-16

A story went around a while ago that the atheists in America had created a prayer line for callers. According to the story, when you dialed the phone number, no one answered.

The psalmist reminds us that it is not that way with God. He lets us know that when we call on him, he hears us and answers our needs, particularly when we are in trouble. Having someone who is totally dependable to call on in a crisis is worth more than gold.

When a major blackout hit the northeastern United States, caused by a major failure in the Niagara Frontier power grid, a woman called up the New York City Fire Department to confess that she had caused it. She said that she knew her old toaster was faulty and she shouldn’t have plugged it again. She was assured that her toaster hadn’t caused the crisis.

God’s power doesn’t fail. He is all powerful, and fully trustworthy. When we approach God about our needs, we can rest in him for the results.

RG AUDIO 020512Psalm 90:11-17

If you are looking for something specific, it is important to know where to go to find it. As valuable as Google and other computer search engines are in researching certain elements, they are usually knowledge based rather than wisdom based. Wisdom comes from God.

When Solomon was chosen as the king of Israel he asked God for one thing—wisdom. He knew he would succeed if God would grant him his wisdom. Later, when confronted with great challenges like building the Temple in Jerusalem or complicated court decisions involving his subjects, God’s wisdom proved to be more than sufficient.

In Proverbs 9:10, Solomon writes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” He also says, “If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer” (Prov. 9:12).

Solomon failed only when he relied on his own understanding, as each of us will, apart from God’s resources.

RG AUDIO 020412Psalm 90:1-10

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was the title of one of the most famous sermons ever preached. It was preached by Jonathan Edwards in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741. Many people literally fainted with fear as the sermon was being delivered.

Although Psalm 90 wasn’t the minister’s text on that occasion, it does mirror the sentiments of that sermon. It points out our sinful nature and God’s justifiable anger as a result. The psalm also shows the fleeting nature of our time on earth.

While each of us is born for eternity, our lives on earth may last only  70 years. Our soul lives forever. Our eternity is decided by the lives we live and the decisions we make while on earth. The key decision we need to make, using our God given free will, is centered around what we do with Jesus. Our personal salvation depends on our faith and upon God’s grace.

RG AUDIO 020312Psalm 84

Some doctors have said that more than half of all physical illness can be attributed to emotional causes. How we feel about things “in our hearts” may well have more to do with how our body is feeling than we may think. That’s why doctors, using Latin, formed the word “psychosomatic”—it is a combination of the “psyche” (mind) and soma (body) working against each other.

Unfulfilled yearnings can lead to distress. One of our most basic needs and desires is to know God.

Seven year old, Andrew declared, “I have a space in me that only God can fill!” He obviously wasn’t talking about a physical space but a spiritual one.

The psalmist is expressing this same longing and desire in this psalm. His longing is for a dwelling in the house of God.

When we desire God and his presence, we are truly on a spiritual journey. When we find him, our mind and body can fully rest in him.

RG AUDIO 020212Psalm 80:12-19

Everything is all right. The vast majority of people on earth are right-handed, with only about 15 percent believed to be left-handed.

When speaking of people who are there to help us, we speak of our “right hand man” never our “left hand man.” Likewise, no one has ever heard of “lefteousness”—we only ever hear of righteousness.

In Psalm 80 there are appeals for God to send the Israelites a deliverer. Some believe that the “man at your right hand” (Ps. 80:17) actually refers to Israel itself, being restored by God so that they could be his people, and a solid, free nation, again. Others believe that this is a word of prophecy concerning Jesus, who often referred to himself as “the Son of Man.”

There is a clear request for a “savior” to help rescue and restore Israel to its past greatness in this psalm, but more than that there is a clarion call for its spiritual salvation as well.

RG AUDIO 020112Psalm 80:1-11

Women are advised by self-defense counselors, when under attack, not to yell, “Help.” Rather, the advisors say they should yell, “Fire.” The reason for this advice is that often people run away from cries for “help,” but most people come running when they hear the word “fire.” Sincere cries for help to the Lord, however, are not ignored.

The psalmist addresses God as the “Shepherd of Israel” (Ps. 80:1) and asks for his help for the captive Israelites. His petition has three parts: (1) Restore us, O God Almighty; (2) make your face to shine upon us, (3) that we may be saved” (Ps. 80:7). Three different times at key points in this psalm, there is a pleading intervention for the Israelites to be brought back to God where they will be saved.

Too often we tend to be self-reliant. We commit the sin of independence by not calling on God to save us. He is perfectly willing and able to be all that we need.