PSALM 119: 65-72 TETH
Psalmist praises LORD verse 65
YOU have dealt well with YOUR servant – O LORD
according to YOUR word
Psalmist asks for teaching moments verse 66
Teach me good judgments and knowledge
for I have believed YOUR commandments
Psalmist realizes he went astray before chastening verse 67
Before I was afflicted I went astray
BUT NOW have I kept YOUR word
Psalmist realizes that the LORD is good verse 68
YOU are good – and do good – teach me YOUR statutes
Psalmist realizes that people will lie about him verse 69- 70
The proud have forged a lie against me
BUT I will keep YOUR precepts with my whole heart
their heart is as fat as grease
BUT I delight in YOUR law
Psalmist praises the LORD for affliction verse 71- 72
It is good for me that I have been afflicted
THAT I might learn YOUR statutes
the law of YOUR mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:65 “YOU have dealt well with YOUR servant, O LORD, according to YOUR word.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Dealt – 6213 עָשָׂה, עָשָׂה [ʿasah /aw·saw/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1708, 1709; GK 6913 and 6914; 2633 occurrences; AV translates as “do” 1333 times, “make” 653 times, “wrought” 52 times, “deal” 52 times, “commit” 49 times, “offer” 49 times, “execute” 48 times, “keep” 48 times, “shew” 43 times, “prepare” 37 times, “work” 29 times, “do so” 21 times, “perform” 18 times, “get” 14 times, “dress” 13 times, “maker” 13 times, “maintain” seven times, and translated miscellaneously 154 times. 1 to do, fashion, accomplish, make. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to do, work, make, produce. 1A1A to do. 1A1B to work. 1A1C to deal (with). 1A1D to act, act with effect, effect. 1A2 to make. 1A2A to make. 1A2B to produce. 1A2C to prepare. 1A2D to make (an offering). 1A2E to attend to, put in order. 1A2F to observe, celebrate. 1A2G to acquire (property). 1A2H to appoint, ordain, institute. 1A2I to bring about. 1A2J to use. 1A2K to spend, pass. 1B (Niphal). 1B1 to be done. 1B2 to be made. 1B3 to be produced. 1B4 to be offered. 1B5 to be observed. 1B6 to be used. 1C (Pual) to be made. 2 (Piel) to press, squeeze. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: At times when the situations are extreme we are tempted to forget how well the Lord has treated us! The teth strophe fosters appreciation of aspects of Yahweh’s goodness (טוב). God’s past benefits and revealed character, the positive value of suffering, and the preciousness of the Torah are all themes of praise. [Word Biblical Commentary, 188.] The psalmist trusted that the Lord would deal with him according to His word and acted accordingly. This implies that the psalmist was a student of God’s word and experientially had seen God demonstrate his character of keeping his word.
The psalmist was a student of the word of God and throughout the 119th Psalm he brings every principle of life back to the word of God. As a student we should also be ascertaining whether the word of God is worthy of trust or not. Before a difficult situation arises like a death of a loved one or financial ruin we need to determine where we will place our life’s wellness. For the psalmist he had learned that the Lord is trustworthy!
CHALLENGE: If you are experiencing difficulty take some time to review God’s word (perhaps Hebrews 11) to see God’s trustworthy character! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed YOUR commandments. (2940 “judgment” [ta‘am] means taste, behavior, advice, understanding, discretion, discernment, or perception.)
DEVOTION: One of the things that people what you to learn while you are growing up are to have good taste in friends, habits and food. We have to learn what is good for us in many areas of our life. If our family was not interested in teaching these things to us we found that others that the LORD put into our lives were willing to help us in these areas. God wants us to learn what is in “good taste” from HIS perspective in our life if we are to be true followers of HIM. Sometimes HE teaches us the easy way and other times the hard way.
The Psalmist went through a time period of affliction but it was for his own good. The LORD allowed affliction in his life to help him to be a genuine follower of HIM. HE does the same thing in our lives to help us know what HE expects of us. HE wants us to learn discernment in all areas of our life.
Sometimes our perception of what a genuine believer is can be wrong. As we learn more about the LORD HE gives us a clearer picture of what HE wants us to do for HIM and HOW HE wants us to do it.
Too often we show poor taste in our actions. We can blame our past upbringing or other reasons but the LORD is creating a new creature in us and we need to be allowing HIM to produce a new person out of our old person. It takes a lifetime but HE is willing to work with us. Are we willing to work for HIM?
CHALLENGE: We have to continually change our taste to please the LORD to be the best servants.
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: 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. (7683 “astray” [shagag] means to err mentally, sin ignorantly, deceived, swerve, or meander.)
DEVOTION: This is the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet used in an acrostic.
The Christian life is one of ups and down. There are good days and bad days. There are times when we feel that heaven is closed to our prayers. There are times when we are moving away from the LORD and we want to hide from HIM.
Remember that the LORD chastens HIS children. HE sends weakness, sickness and pre-mature death to those who are genuine believers when they meander away from HIM.
The Psalmist had just such an occasion in his life. He wanted the LORD to teach him the truths of HIS word. He believed the commandments were true. However, he still wandered from the truth of the world of God.
During this time of wandering the LORD sent affliction his way. He realized it was the LORD who was directing these afflictions. He knew the reason for the afflictions. He confessed the truth that he deserved the afflictions.
He states that he understood that the LORD had been good to him. He also knew that the LORD would be good to him in the future. However, at present he had to deal with the fact that he was not pleasing the LORD with his actions.
Once he started walking the wrong path the enemies of the Gospel started spreading lies about him. They were a slippery bunch of people. They could spread lies and not have any consequences in the present.
The Psalmist promised to obey the Word of the LORD. He even stated that it was good that he was afflicted. He understood that the LORD loved him even during his affliction. Do we understand these truths?
This word seems to convey a person who has wrong views about the truth of God’s word. The only way to correct wrong views is to study the Word of God to find out what is true.
When we are afflicted do we have a desire to find a closer walk with the LORD or we get mad at God and become bitter. Those who want a closer walk during their affliction study the Word of God more and pray more.
One problem is that, when the affliction is over and we have made our promises to God – we forget. Hence there come more afflictions. We are a stubborn people. It takes a lot of affliction to keep us learning the truths of God’s Word. We often think that after we have learned things the hard way we could teach our children not to follow in our same footsteps but they have to learn for themselves. It is hard for parents to see it.
Do we think it is hard for God to watch each generation learn the same truths the hard way? Let us set an example that the younger generation can follow. As the psalmist states – the Word of God is better than silver and gold. Do we practice this with our children?
CHALLENGE: Truthfully inform your children that you struggle with your walk with the LORD. Tell them when you are being chastened of the LORD. Explain what to do if they are chastened. Tell them that you are going to try to set a good example in front of them.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep YOUR precepts with my whole heart. (2950 “forged” [taphal] means to whitewash, to smear, to coat, to stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance, or plaster over.)
DEVOTION: There is always a group of people in our lives that like to give us a hard time. Some of them even lie about us but that is something that they will have to answer to the LORD for when they face HIM in judgment.
We have the responsibility to act with the help of the Holy Spirit in a way that is pleasing to the LORD. This is something that is a challenge as we know that we are still sinners even after we confess our sins and ask the LORD to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Our lives continue after we make the decision to follow the LORD. I did it at the age of twelve at summer camp. I started attending a good Baptist church and tried to learn what it meant to be a genuine believer.
Throughout the years I have grown in my understanding of the Bible and the life I should live as a follower of HIM. I have not always succeeded but I have confessed my sins and continued to follow HIM.
Each of us has to do the same if we are going to be a genuine follower of the LORD. Our daily walk is important. We have to confess our sins daily and allow the LORD to forgive us. We are not to listen to the enemy when he comes, whether human or in our mind, and challenges us to think that we are not a genuine believer because we still sin.
God knows our heart and HE is working with us until we die to help us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit to continue to grow. HE is able!
CHALLENGE: Trust the LORD when HE promises us forgiveness if we confess our sin and MOVE ON!
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: 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted: that I might learn YOUR statutes. (6031 “afflicted” [‘anah] means to be humbled, to humiliate, to oppress, to be caused to experience great unhappiness, or be wretched.)
DEVOTION: God has to humble us at times because we become individuals that can become prideful of our actions as a believer. We can brag about how close we are to the LORD or we can say that the LORD has blessed us more than others and tell them so. It is hard for some people to be humble and the LORD has to deal with those individuals regularly because of their attitude.
Genuine believers are humble in their actions when it comes to what they have to say to others and they don’t brag about all the things they have done to make themselves look better than others.
God want us to be to be learners from the time we become believers until the day we die. HE wants us to help others with a proper attitude. HE wants us to know that we are not above HIM sending something to humble us into our life to make us realize that HE is in control and we are not.
We need to understand that God is dealing with each individual believer in a way that will cause them to grow and to be humble in the process. HE wants all genuine believer to work together for the good of HIS kingdom and not be in competition with each other to think we are better than other.
Teamwork is what the LORD is looking for in the church and in our communities to spread HIS message of salvation to all those in our world.
CHALLENGE: Are we working with those in our church and in our world who are genuine believers to spread the Good News of salvation to all those around us?
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Went astray verse 67
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word verse 65, 67
Commandments verse 66
Statutes verse 68, 71
Precepts verse 69
Law verse 70, 72
Better than silver or gold
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 65
HE is good verse 68
HE is a teacher verse 68
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Astray verse 67
Proud verse 69
Lie verse 69
Bad heart verse 70
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Servant verse 65
Teachable verse 66, 68, 71
Good judgment verse 66
Knowledge verse 66
Believe verse 66
Afflicted verse 67, 71
Keep the Word of God verse 67, 69
Obey with whole heart verse 69
Delight in the Word of God verse 70
True wealth verse 72
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
God does what is good (v. 65–66). The phrase “according to” is used frequently in Psalm 119 to relate a request or a fact to the Word of God. God acts according to the precepts, promises, and principles revealed in His Word, and we should pray and act accordingly. To ask God for something that is not according to His will and His Word is to ask ignorantly and selfishly (James 4:3), and if He gives the request to us, we will be sorry and wish we had not prayed. This happened to Israel when they asked God for flesh to eat (106:15; Num. 11:31–35). Therefore, we should pray the prayer of verse 66, for the better we know God’s Word, the better we can pray in God’s will and obey God’s will. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 120). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, &c.] Or, a good taste: of the Lord himself, how good and gracious he is; of his grace and love, which is better than wine; of his word and the truths of it, which are sweeter to a spiritual taste than honey or the honeycomb; and of the things of the spirit of God, which are savoury to a spiritual man, a distinguishing taste of things; for as the taste discerns perverse things in food, so a man of a spiritual taste distinguishes good from evil, truth from error; discerns things that differ, and approves of those that are most excellent, and abides by them. Or, a good sense, as it may be rendered; a good sense of the Scriptures, the true and right sense of them; and to have the mind of God and of Christ, and of the spirit of Christ, in the word; and to have distinguishing light in it, and a well-established judgment in the truths of it, is very desirable: as is also a spiritual and experimental knowledge of them, a growing and increasing one; a knowledge of God in Christ, and of his will; a knowledge of Christ, his person and offices, and the mysteries of his grace; which a truly gracious and humble soul desires to be taught, and is taught of God more or less. For I have believed thy commandments; the whole word of God, and all that is said in it; that it is of God, is the word of God and not the word of man; and therefore he was desirous of being taught the true meaning of it, and to be experimentally acquainted with it; the word of God is called his commandment, Psal. 19:7. Or the precepts of the word; he believed these were the commandments of God, and not of men; delivered out by him, and enforced by his authority; and therefore he gave credit to them, and loved them, and desired better to understand and do them: or the promises and threatenings annexed to them, which he believed would be punctually fulfilled upon the doers or transgressors of them; and as for himself, he cheerfully yielded the obedience of faith unto them. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 221). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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66. Judgment, here, is literally ‘taste’, not in our sense of artistic judgment, but of spiritual discrimination: ‘for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food’ (Job 34:3). Cf. Hebrews 5:14. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 461). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Good judgment is requisite for godly living in an evil world (v. 66). The psalmist prays that the Lord may give him wisdom. “Knowledge” (daʿaṯ) primarily denotes the knowledge of God in one’s communion with him and secondarily the “response” to the life of fellowship with the Lord. The psalmist prays for discernment and proper actions, flowing forth out of a living relationship with his God. (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 749). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge; for I have believed thy commandments
If the perception of the Lord’s merciful dealings with my soul is obscure—Teach me good judgment and knowledge. Give me a clear and enlarged apprehension, that I may be ready with my acknowledgment—All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. Or even with an enlightened assurance of his wise and faithful dispensations, still would I urge this petition before him, as needful for every step of my path. Indeed this prayer illustrates the simplicity and intelligence of Christian faith—always desiring, asking, and expecting the most suitable blessings. For what blessings can be more suitable to an ignorant sinner, than good judgment and knowledge: “knowledge” of ourselves, of our Saviour, of the way of obedience—and “good judgment,” to apply this knowledge to some valuable end? These two parts of our intellectual furniture have a most important connection and dependence upon each other. “Knowledge” is the speculative perception of general truth. “Judgment” is the practical application of it to the heart and conduct. No school, but the school of Christ, no teaching, but the teaching of the Spirit—can ever give this “good judgment and knowledge.” Solomon asks it for himself—Paul for his people.6 Both direct us to God as the sole fountain and author.
We cannot fail of observing a very common defect in Christians—warm affections connected with a blind or loose judgment. Hence too often a lightness in religion, equally unsteady in profession and in practice—easily satisfied with a narrow compass in the vast field of Scripture, instead of grasping a full survey of those truths, which are so intimately connected with our Christian establishment and privilege. Much perplexing doubt, discouragement, and fear; much mistaken apprehension of important truth, much coldness and backsliding of heart and conduct, arises from the want of an accurate and full apprehension of the scriptural system.
This prayer has a special application to the tender and sensitive child of God. The disease of his constitution is too often a scrupulous conscience—one of the most active and successful enemies to his settled peace and quietness. The faculty of conscience partakes with every other power of man of the injury of the fall; and therefore, with all its intelligence, honesty, and power, is liable to misconception. Like a defect of vision, it often displaces objects: and, in apparently conflicting duties, that which touches the feeling, or accords with the temper, is preferred to one, which though more remotely viewed, really possessed a higher claim. Thus it pronounces its verdict from the predominance of feeling, rather than from the exercise of judgment—more from an indistinct perception of the subject presented to the mind, than from a simple immediate reference “to the law and testimony.” Again—matters of trivial moment are often insisted upon, to the neglect of important principles.2 External points of offence are more considered, than the habitual mortification of the inward principle. Conformity to the world in dress and appearance is more strongly censured than the general spirit of worldliness in the temper and conduct of outward non-conformists; while the spirit of separation from the world (which may exist in a somewhat wider range of Christian liberty, than the narrow perception of some professors has conceived,) is totally disregarded. Thus are non-essentials confounded with fundamentals—things indifferent with things unlawful, from a narrow misconception of what is directly forbidden and allowed.4 Conscience, therefore, must not be trusted without the light of the word of God; and most important is the prayer, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge.”
The exercises of this state of feeling are both endless and causeless. In the well-intended endeavor to guard against a devious track, the mind is constantly harassed with an over-anxious inquiry, whether the right path is accurately discovered; and thus at once the pleasure and the progress of the journey are materially hindered. The influence, therefore, of this morbid sensibility is strenuously to be resisted. It renders the strait way more strait. It retards the work of grace in the soul. It is usually connected with self-righteousness. It savors of, and tends to produce, hard thoughts of God. It damps our cheerfulness in his service, and unfits us for the duty of the present moment. What, however, is more than all to be deprecated, is, that it multiplies sin; or, to speak more clearly, it superinduces another species of sin, besides the actual transgression of the law of God. For opposition to the dictates of conscience in any particular is sin, even though the act itself may be allowed by the law of God. We may, therefore, sin in the act of doing good, or in obedience to the liberty and enjoyment of the Gospel, as well as in the allowed transgression of the law. Indeed, under the bondage of scrupulous conscience, we seem to be entangled in the sad necessity of sinning. The dictates of conscience, even when grounded upon misconception, are authoritative. Listening to its suggestions may be sinning against the liberty, wherewith Christ has made us “free,” and in which we are commanded to “stand fast.”2 No human authority can free from its bonds. Resistance to its voice is disobedience to God’s vicegerent, and therefore, in a qualified sense at least, disobedience to God himself. And thus it is sin, even when that which conscience condemns may be innocent.
The evil of a scrupulous conscience may often be traced to a diseased temperament of body, to a naturally weak or perverted understanding, to the unfavorable influence of early prejudice—to a want of simple exercise of faith, or perception of the matters of faith. In these cases faith may be sincere, though weak; and the sin, such as it is, is a sin of infirmity, calling for our pity, forbearance, prayer, and help. In many instances, however, wilful ignorance, false shame that will not inquire, or a pertinacious adherence to deep-rooted opinion is the source of the disease. Now such persons must be roused, even at the hazard of wounding the conscience of the more tenderly scrupulous. But as the one class decidedly sin, and the other too frequently indulge their infirmity, the excitement will probably be ultimately useful to both. Both need to have the conscience enlightened; and to obtain “a right judgment in all things”—by a more diligent “search in the Scriptures”—by “seeking the law at the mouth of the priest”—and, above all, by earnest prayer with the Psalmist—“Teach me good judgment and knowledge.” Thus they will discern between what is imperative, and what is indifferent: what is lawful, and what is expedient. If “whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” then the only prospect of the removal of the doubt will be increase of faith—that is, a more full persuasion of the Divine warrant and instruction. “Howbeit there is not in every one this knowledge;”2 yet the exhortation speaks alike to all—“Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Indeed the most favorable symptoms of scrupulosity (except where the disease originates in external causes) partake of the guilt of wilful ignorance; because none can be said sincerely to ask for “good judgment and knowledge” who do not diligently improve all means of obtaining it. If, therefore, the scrupulous shrink from honestly seeking the resolution of their difficulties in private conferences (where they are to be had) with ministers or experienced Christians, so far they must be considered as wilfully ignorant. We would indeed “receive them,” “bear with their infirmities,” and encourage them to expect relief from their hard bondage in the way of increasing diligence, humility, and prayer. While their minds are in doubt concerning the path of duty, their actions must be imperfect and unsatisfactory. Let them, therefore, wait, inquire, and pray, until their way be made plain. This done, let them act according to their conscience, allowing nothing that it condemns, neglecting nothing which it requires. The responsibility of error (should error be eventually detected) will not be—the too implicit following of the guidance of conscience—but the want of due care and diligence for its more clear illumination. Generally, however, the rule will apply—“If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”5
But, besides the scrupulous conscience, the imperfectly enlightened conscience presents a case equally to be deprecated. Often does it charge to a sinful source those incessant variations of feeling, which originate in bodily indisposition, or accidental influence of temptation. Sins of infirmity are confounded with sins of indulgence; occasional with habitual transgressions of duty. Only a part of the character is brought under cognizance; and while short comings or surprisals are justly condemned; yet the exercise of contrition, faith, love, and watchfulness, is passed by unnoticed. Thus the Gospel becomes the very reverse of the appointment of its gracious Author. It brings ashes for beauty, mourning for the oil of joy, and the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise. If this evil is “not a sin unto death,” it is “a sore evil under the sun,” which may often give occasion for the prayer—“Teach me good judgment and knowledge;” that, in the simplicity of faith, I may be blessed with a tender conscience, and be delivered from the bondage of a scrupulous, and from the perplexity of an unenlightened conscience. Let my heart never condemn me where it ought not. Let it never fail to condemn me where it ought.
But alas! the perception of our need of this “good judgment and knowledge,” is far too indistinct and uninfluential. We need to cry for these valuable blessings with deeper earnestness, and more diligent and patient waiting upon God. Divine wisdom is a treasury, that does not spend by giving; and we may ask to be enriched to the utmost extent of our wants, “in full assurance of faith.” But this faith embraces the whole revelation of God—the commandments as well as the promises. And thus it becomes the principle of Christian obedience. For can we believe these commandments to be as they are represented—“holy, just, and good,” and not delight in them? “In those is continuance”—saith the prophet—“and we shall be saved.”2 Convinced of their perfection, acknowledging their obligations, loving them, and living in them, we shall “come to full age” in the knowledge of the Gospel, and, “by reason of use have our senses exercised to discern good and evil.” (Bridges, C. (1861). Exposition of Psalm 119: As Illustrative of the Character and Exercises of Christian Experience (Seventeenth Edition., pp. 105–109). New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Because of attempts to kill Paul, he is taken to Caesarea to await trial.
INSIGHT
Jesus says, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). This certainly describes Paul. As he stands before the Jewish Council, Paul knows that his life is in peril. He also knows that the Council is divided between Pharisees, who believe in the resurrection of the dead, and the Sadducees, who do not. When Paul deliberately brings up that issue, the ensuing dissension is so great that the soldiers take him away, thwarting the immediate plot against him. (Quiet Walk)
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In the historical dockyards at Chatham in England is the largest collection of Royal National lifeboats in the U.K.. On many of the lifeboats, printed numbers show how many times the boat has launched, and how many lives it saved. It’s a haunting presentation of how life can sometimes hang on a precipice, and what it takes to rescue souls lost at sea.
The dockyard is also an interesting analogy for the Church in this cultural moment. Sometimes churches seem more like a museum of saints, a place where salvation is remembered. Here, redemption is often described in the past tense, focused on what God has saved us from. Or, like the dockyard at Chatham, we mark our success by souls saved, with little reference to what happens next for those whose life is in Christ, much less their families, communities, or societies.
This presentation of the Church isn’t inaccurate, but it is inadequate. Our salvation isn’t only about being saved from sin and hell, but also about being saved to eternal and abundant life and for a redemptive purpose. Once Christians experience the life-changing impact of the Gospel, God’s restorative work alters every aspect of their lives. This is more than being saved from Hell, and it’s even more than being saved to eternal life.
The famous pastor John Newton embodied this. When he famously wrote, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see,” he revealed that he was not only redeemed from the incredible evil he perpetuated as a slave trader but that he was now given new vision, new direction, and new life. Newton inspired William Wilberforce, the great abolitionist, in the same way.
For over four decades, Wilberforce fought against the horrible and inhumane practice of slavery, and also for what he called the “reformation of manners.” He didn’t see success immediately, especially on slavery. In fact, he was three days from dying when he heard that the Slavery Abolition Act was passed. But, in embracing the scope of God’s redemptive work in Christ for the world, his personal redemption didn’t stay private, he became a public force for good.
Each year, the Colson Center gathers with Christians from across the country for an event named in Wilberforce’s honor. The Wilberforce Weekend will be held in Orlando, Florida, May 13-15. This year’s conference will explore, from a variety of angles, the scale and scope of God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ. Our goal will be to see all of life as redeemed by Christ.
Together, we’ll explore how Christ is best understood, not just as our personal Savior (though He is), but also as the center of reality. This means recognizing the essential links between who Christ is and creation, redemption, the kingdom of God, and all of history.
(Break Point)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Exodus 22-24
When God speaks it is wise to listen! The people of Israel had found this to be true as they have journeyed from Egypt to Mount Sinai. Throughout the journey, the Lord had been directing them and leading their way with a cloud and a pillar of fire.
In Exodus 19:3, God spoke to Moses and commands him to come up on the mountain to behold His presence. Mount Sinai became a pulpit of sorts for God to command and give ordinances to the people of Israel that they might live righteously before Him.
In the chapters of Exodus 19-23, God graciously presented to the people a set of standards or laws that they were to observe among the tribes of Israel. Each of these laws were instructions on how to live and conduct their lives.
Before the leaders began the ascent in Exodus 24:1, Moses presented the covenant of the Lord to the people of Israel. With one voice the people stated, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do” (24:3). After completing the sacrifices and the sprinkling of blood upon the people, Moses and the leaders climbed the mountain (24:9), where they could see God and dine with Him. Moses then is separated further and spends an additional forty days and nights with God on the mountain.
It is a critical moment when man makes a covenant with God as the Israelites did. Although we may not see the mountain quake or the fire descend as Moses and the people of Israel did, God has not changed. The people of Israel needed to do more than just listen to God. They had made a covenant with God to obey His commandments. May we have an ear to hear and a will to accomplish that which we covenant before our Savior (Revelation 1:3).
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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Moses reminds the Israelites of the Lord’s blessings on them.
INSIGHT
Following God has never been easy. God never intended for it to be. He tests us to know what is in our hearts and to teach us that we do not live by bread alone. When things are too easy, we tend to be ungrateful. We tend not to give God the recognition for His blessing. In chapter 8, we see God’s love and care, along with His tests and trials. We need both to be healthy. To grow, we need sunshine and rain. (Quiet Walk)
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JESUS PEOPLE
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3
The end of salvation is that we should have eternal life. What is a Christian? What is Christianity? The definition given by the New Testament is that a Christian is a person who possesses eternal life. Perhaps the best way of emphasizing that is to consider how it is that we hold such a low view of Christianity and the Christian life. What is the average person’s conception of a Christian and what makes one a Christian?
Some people seem to think of it in terms of country. They still speak about Christian countries and non-Christian countries, as if the whole country could be Christian. Others think in terms of church membership. Others think in terms of living a good life, following Christ and His teaching, trying to apply it personally, and getting other people to do the same.
But according to the New Testament, all that does not even begin to make one a Christian, and the world is very often quick to detect the hollowness of the claims in such people who call themselves Christians. I was reading of a distinction that I think was common among many Chinese people in past years. They called all the ordinary foreigners Christians, but others they called “Jesus people.” What they meant was that they regarded everybody who went to China from the West as Christians, because they came from so-called Christian countries, and most of them claimed that they were Christians. But the Chinese saw that they were often drunkards and immoral and so on and they felt that if that was Christianity, they did not want it. Then they found that there were other people who came from the same countries and who also called themselves Christians. But these lived a pure, holy, and kind life. They seemed to help people and were altogether different, and the Chinese began to c all them “Jesus people,” because they seemed to be like the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
A Thought to Ponder: The end of salvation is that we should have eternal life
(From Saved in Eternity, pp. 125-126, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
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Love Your Loved Ones
If he comes to you, welcome him. Colossians 4:10
Amos was an overbearing extrovert, and Danny was a loner wracked with self-doubt. Somehow these eccentric geniuses became best friends. They spent a decade laughing and learning together. One day their work would receive a Nobel Prize. But Danny tired of Amos’ self-centered ways and told him they were no longer friends.
Three days later, Amos called with terrible news. Doctors had found cancer and given him six months to live. Danny’s heart broke. “We’re friends,” he said, “whatever you think we are.”
Paul was a hard-nosed visionary and Barnabas a soft-hearted encourager. The Spirit put them together and sent them on a missionary journey (Acts 13:2–3). They preached and started churches, until their disagreement over Mark’s desertion. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance. Paul said he could no longer be trusted. So they split up (15:36–41).
Paul eventually forgave Mark. He closed three letters with greetings from or commendations for him (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24). We don’t know what happened with Barnabas. Did he live long enough to be reconciled with Paul in this life? I hope so.
Whatever your situation today, try to reach out to those with whom you may have had a falling out. Now is the time to show and tell them how much you love them.
By Mike Wittmer (Our Daily Bread)
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Wrong or Right
He has made everything beautiful in its time. ECCLESIASTES 3:11, NIV
When you made a covenant to your spouse, it wasn’t just a promise to stay married. It wasn’t a pass/fail exam. It was a sacred pledge to care for and nourish each other—to meet the other’s needs and receive the other—to accept and embrace each other as God’s personal provision for your needs.
But obviously, your wedding vows are made long before you really know the person you are marrying—before years of sharing the same house, the same bathroom, the same dishwasher, the same everything. By then you are aware of the maddening little things that just get under your skin.
It’s at points like these when some husbands and wives conclude, “I think I married the wrong person.” That thought is not abnormal, but it is dangerous. If that thought has ever crossed your mind, I ask you to think carefully about this timeless advice from author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar:
“I have no way of knowing whether or not you married the wrong person. But I do know that if you treat the wrong person like the right person, you could well end up having married the right person after all. It is far more important to be the right kind of person than it is to marry the right person.”
All of us inevitably come to places in marriage where our objectives and attitudes clash with each other, sometimes pretty strongly. We don’t make it all the way through without encountering stretches of road that are filled with potholes, bridges out and some steep grades. But what would happen if we chose to accept rather than reject, to be thankful rather than spiteful, to give encouragement rather than disapproval?
I guarantee you, Mr. and Mrs. Right are the people in your wedding pictures, even if it hasn’t been looking like it recently. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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SOMETHING TO REALLY THINK ABOUT
Did you know your brain shrinks if you don’t drink water? People who complain of getting dizzy when they stand up can be from not drinking enough water? Did you know people with Alzheimer’s brains keep getting smaller as the disease progresses. I wonder if they didn’t drink water. Your body is 40-75% water. Water flushes out your system, keeps you regular & keeps your skin from drying out & keeps the wrinkles down.
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We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.
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