PSALM 53
Description of a fool verse 1
The fool has said in his heart
THERE IS NO GOD
Corrupt are they – and have done abominable iniquity
there is NONE that does good
Total depravity of man verse 2- 3
God looked down from heaven on the children of men
to see if there were any that did UNDERSTAND
that did SEEK God
every one of them is gone back
they are altogether become filthy
there is NONE that does good
no – not one
Evil men will be judged verse 4- 5
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge?
who eat up MY people as they eat bread
they have not called on God
There were they in great fear
where no fear was
FOR God has scattered the bones of him
that encamped against you
you have put them to shame
BECAUSE God has despised them
Deliverance only comes from the LORD verse 6
Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion
when God brings back the captivity of HIS people
Jacob shall rejoice – Israel shall be glad
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that does good. (8581 “abominable” [ta‘ab] means To abhor, to desecrate, to behave in an abominable manner, abhorrent, detest, be repulsive, behave in a vile manner, or vile in an ethical sense.)
DEVOTION: The Bible makes a contrast between those who are wise and those who are fools. Those who follow the LORD are wise. Those who don’t fellow the LORD are called repulsive.
These are individuals who don’t want to have anything to do with the God of the Bible. They might be people who even go to church but they are not really worshiping and obeying the standard of the Word of God.
Today we find that more and more people are not believing in the God of the Bible but in a god of their own making. It might be that they attend church but the church is not preaching the God of the Bible but a man-make god.
It seems that there are some who can get in a pulpit and say they are preaching but they are giving book reports or stories or something other than the genuine teaching of the Word of God. They are not worshiping the God of the Bible but a god of their own making even though they are opening a Bible in their service.
The fool is one doesn’t believe in the God of the Bible but one of their own making, which allows them to act anyway they like and not suffer any consequences. This false god has more followers than the God of the Bible.
CHALLENGE: We need to make sure that we are teaching the truth of the Word of God and give a CORRECT description of the God of the Bible.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. (1875 “seek” [darash] means to tread, frequent, to follow, to worship, inquire, make inquisition, search, or ask.)
DEVOTION: This Psalm gives us a true picture of our world. It has a common message with Psalm 14. God can look at every individual in our world and see him or her as individuals who do not understand HIS plan of salvation.
It seems like each individual tries to have his own plan of salvation. He wants God to accept his plan. He wants God to work with him. He wants God to accept him the way he is. That is not God’s plan.
The fool has said in his heart there is no God. He doesn’t want anything to do with God. He doesn’t want to obey HIS commandments. He doesn’t want to have a personal relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ. He doesn’t believe that there is only one way to please God, and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Most fools think that after this life is nothing. Some think that if there is a God, HE will let everyone into heaven. The majority of those in our world do not understand the Bible and God’s plan of salvation. They will stand before HIM one day and wonder what happened.
The Bible says that it is “appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment.” The Psalmist believes that there is a judgment day coming for those who go against God’s people. In the Old Testament it was Israel. Today it is the saints in the church. Those who oppose God’s people will be judged in the last days.
Are there some who receive these devotions who are not searching for a deeper relationship with God? Are there some that don’t understand that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ alone? It is our prayer that all those who receive these devotions don’t fall into the category of “fool.” It is our prayer that all that receives these devotionals are searching for a closer walk with the LORD. It is a DAILY walk with the LORD. Please pray with me that this is so!!! Thank you.
CHALLENGE: Comfort yourself in the fact that there is a judgment day coming for those who reject God. Comfort yourself that there is a day of salvation coming for those who trust the LORD Jesus Christ.
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: 3 Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Every – 3605 כֹּל [kol, or (Jer., kowl /kole/] n m. From 3634; TWOT 985a; GK 3972; 25 occurrences; AV translates as “every thing”, “all”, “whosoever”, “whatsoever”, “nothing”, and “yet”. 1 all, the whole. 1A all, the whole of. 1B any, each, every, anything. 1C totality, everything. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: When God wants to get our attention he repeats Himself. This repetition is done to remind us that He desires us to know the point being spoken. James Montgomery Boice states, “Anything God says once demands attention. Anything he says twice demands our most intent attention. How then if he says something three times, as he does in this case? This demands our keenest concentration, contemplation, assimilation, and even memorization.” This verse is stated in Psalm 14, here and Romans 3:10-12. As Boice points out this is something to be attentive to. Man is a sinner and we need to constantly keep this in mind so when sin comes against us we are not surprised by it! All have sinned and Christ keeps reminding us of his great love to us! Maybe we need to memorize that also!
CHALLENGE: Don’t be taken by surprise as sin in this world affects you! In the same manner be amazed at the mercy Christ extends to us every day! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up MY people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. (7121 “called” [qara’] means to shout, summon, to have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to, invite, or utter a loud sound.)
DEVOTION: There are two types of people in the world according to the Bible. There are those who call on the LORD for help and those who don’t think they need any help from God.
We all have met both types of people in our lifetime. If we are genuine follower of the LORD, we have a responsibility to talk with every individual we meet about the LORD. If they are not believers, we have to give a witness in a manner that will not offend them but will help them understand what it means to be a genuine believer in the God of the Bible who sent HIS Son to die on the cross for their sins. This means that we will give them enough knowledge to make a choice as to whether they will become a follower of Jesus Christ.
Once they have the knowledge of the truth of Christ, they can make a decision regarding their relationship with HIM. Some of them will respond positively but most will reject our message.
The second group is descripted in this verse as individuals who only want to cause problems for those who are genuine believers. They will do everything in their power to cause genuine believers to look bad in the eyes of others.
David knows what this is all about as there were people in his day that mocked him for following the LORD. He was not perfect but he did turn to the LORD for forgiveness and he was granted it.
CHALLENGE: We will all meet people who are workers of iniquity. This group is larger than the group that follow the LORD. Our responsibility is to witness. What they do with our witness is their choice.
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: 6 “Oh that the salvation of Israel, were come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” (“Salvation,” 3444 יְשׁוּעָה [yâshuwʿah ] 1 salvation, deliverance. 1a welfare, prosperity. 1b deliverance. 1c salvation (by God). 1d victory. [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: David writes this psalm asking for God’s salvation from evil people. What is interesting is the double fulfillment of this request, based on the identification of the salvation. Not only did God give David temporal salvation from his enemies, but He sent the one who would provide ultimate salvation in the person of His Son, Yeshua (Jesus).
In order for this to happen, it would be necessary for the Israelite people to go through captivity. While it is possible that David was thinking of the captivity of the Hebrew people in Egypt when he composed this psalm, a greater captivity loomed ahead for them. This would be the exile and captivity under the Assyrian (Northern Kingdom) and Babylonian (Southern Kingdom) empires. After this captivity, the people would have a reason to rejoice and be glad again.
Salvation seems most precious to us when we are going through our own times of suffering, and we pour out our hearts to God asking Him to deliver us from the sources of that suffering. Yet the salvation that releases us from our captivity to sin is the salvation that only Jesus could bring (Romans 6:17-19). He came to set us truly free in order to make us His children (John 8:34-36)!
CHALLENGE: Have you shared this salvation with anyone today? If you have not yet put your full faith in the salvation of God in Jesus Christ, do it now!!! (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
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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)
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)
Rejoice verse 6
Glad verse 6
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 2, 4- 6
Heaven verse 2
God has scattered bones of those against HIM verse 5
God has put to shame
those who are not followers verse 5
God has despised those against HIM verse 5
God brings back captivity of HIS people verse 6
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)
Children of men verse 2
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Fool verse 1
Saying no God verse 1
Corrupt verse 1
Abominable iniquity verse 1
Not doing good verse 1, 3
Gone back verse 3
Filthy verse 3
Workers of iniquity verse 4
No knowledge verse 4
Eat up God’s people verse 4
Not call upon God verse 4
Fear verse 5
No shame verse 5
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Doing good verse 1, 3
Understand verse 2
Seek God verse 2
Call upon God verse 4
Salvation verse 6
Rejoice verse 6
Glad verse 6
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David – author of this Psalm verse 1- 6
God’s people verse 4, 6
Israel verse 6
Be glad
Zion verse 6
Jacob verse 6
Shall rejoice
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
God has scattered the bones of enemies verse 5
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DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method. Thank you.
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QUOTES regarding passage
53:4–5. David expressed his amazement at the ignorance of those who persecute the righteous. He foresaw that the wicked will be in great terror and shame when God destroys them. This judgment is so certain that the psalmist envisioned it as already accomplished. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 834). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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This is Psalm 14 with some minor revisions and the addition of the last two lines in verse 5. One of the sanctuary musicians revised the original psalm to fit a new occasion, perhaps the defeat of the Assyrian army in the days of King Hezekiah (v. 5; Isa. 37). It’s a good thing to adapt older songs to celebrate new experiences with the Lord. The major change is the use of Elohim (“God”) instead of Jehovah, the God of the covenant. The psalm still exposes and refutes the foolish unbelief of those who reject God. The boasting of the Assyrians is a good example.
Verse 5b describes the scattered corpses of a defeated army after God’s great victory. For a body to remain unburied was a great disgrace in the ancient Near East, even an executed criminal was supposed to have a decent burial (Deut. 21:23; see 2 Kings 23:14; Ezek. 6:5). The Lord despised the arrogance of the Assyrians and put them to open shame. So will He do to the armies of the world that oppose Him (Rev. 19:11–21). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 191–192). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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53:4, 5 Again, there seems to be a switch to a particular class of sinners, namely, those apostates who persecute God’s people. How can they be so short-sighted? They are cruel and prayerless. They think no more of destroying the faithful remnant than of eating bread. And they never feel the need of speaking to God in prayer. They seem completely insensible to the fact that one day they will be seized with unprecedented terror. God will scatter the bones of those who wage war against His loyal followers. (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (pp. 632–633). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
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5. In terror such as has not been. While this is a possible translation, it is more straightforward to take it as ‘where no terror was’ (cf. av, rv, jb). This in turn could mean either ‘where previously they were not afraid’, or, more probably, ‘where there was no cause for fear’. The phrase is absent from Psalm 14, and introduces the considerable change in the rest of the verse, where instead of rsv the ungodly we should read, as in the Hebrew text, ‘him who encamps against you’, or ‘your besieger’. This may well give the clue to the change: i.e. the psalm in this form celebrates a miraculous deliverance through a sudden panic descending on the enemy (cf. e.g. 2 Kgs 7:6f.). For further details of the variants in this verse, see on 14:5b, 6. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, pp. 214–215). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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53:5 in great fear. The verse describes a sudden reversal in the fortunes of war. The haughty enemy besieging Israel was suddenly terrified and utterly defeated. Historical examples of such unexpected terrors to Israel’s enemy are recorded in 2Ch 20 and Is 37. scattered the bones. Perhaps nothing was more disgraceful to a nation at war than to have the bones of its dead army scattered over the land rather than buried. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 53:5). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
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Ver. 5. There were they in great fear, where no fear was, &c.] Before; neither of God nor man, nor any dread of punishment, but the utmost security, Rev. 18:7, 8, 10. For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee; either against Christ, or against his church and people; who set themselves against the person, office, and grace of Christ, and seek to distress and destroy his interest: the bones of such God will scatter: that is, he will destroy antichrist and his armies, which are his strength, as the bones are the strength of the human body; and make such a carnage of them, that the fowls of the air shall eat their flesh, and their bones shall be scattered here and there; see Rev. 19:17–21. So the Targum, “for God scatters the strength of the armies of the wicked.” Kimchi interprets it of the bones of the nations that shall encamp against Jerusalem, in the days of Gog; see Rev. 20:8, 9 and Aben Ezra observes, that thee respects either God or the Messiah. Thou hast put them to shame; this is either an address of the psalmist unto God, declaring what he had done; or rather of God the Father to his Son Christ Jesus; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech say this refers to the Messiah: and it may be expressive of the shame and confusion that antichrist and his followers will be thrown into, when they shall make war with the Lamb, and he shall overcome them, Rev. 17:14. Because God hath despised them; or rejected them as reprobates; given them up to a reprobate mind; and being ungodly men, has before ordained them to this condemnation. The Targum is, “for the Word of the Lord hath rejected them;” as filthy, loathsome, and abominable, and cast them alive into the lake of fire, Rev. 19:20. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 747–748). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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5. “There were they in great fear, where no fear was.” David sees the end of the ungodly and the ultimate triumph of the spiritual seed. The rebellious march in fury against the gracious, but suddenly they are seized with a causeless panic. The once fearless boasters tremble like the leaves of the aspen, frightened at their own shadows. In this sentence and this verse, this Psalm differs much from the fourteenth. It is evidently expressive of a higher state of realisation in the poet, he emphasises the truth by stronger expressions. Without cause the wicked are alarmed. He who denies God is at bottom a coward, and in his infidelity he is like the boy in the churchyard who “whistles to keep his courage up.” “For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee.” When the wicked see the destruction of their fellows they may well quail. Mighty were the hosts which besieged Zion, but they were defeated, and their unburied carcasses proved the prowess of the God whose being they dared to deny. “Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.” God’s people may well look with derision upon their enemies since they are the objects of divine contempt. They scoff at us, but we may with far greater reason laugh them to scorn, because the Lord our God considers them as less than nothing and vanity. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, p. 435). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall 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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Mollie Burnett sent this:
“In 1979, I was managing a Wendy’s in Port Richey, Florida. Unlike today, staffing was never a real problem, but I was searching for a someone to work three hours a day only at lunch. I went thru all my applications and most were all looking for full time or at least 20 hours per week. I found one however, buried at the bottom of a four-inch stack that was only looking for lunch part-time. His name was Nicky. Hadn’t met him but thought I would give him a call and see if he could stop by for an interview. When I called, he wasn’t in but his mom said she would make sure he would be there.
At the accorded time, Nicky walked in. One of those moments when my heart went in my throat. Nicky had Downs Syndrome. His physical appearance was a giveaway and his speech only reinforced the obvious. I was young and sheltered. Had never interacted on a professional level with a developmentally disabled person. I had no clue what to do, so I went ahead and interviewed him.
He was a wonderful young man. Great outlook.
Task focused. Excited to be alive. For only reasons God knew at that time, I hired him. 3 hours a day, 3 days a week to run a grill. I let the staff know what to expect. Predictably, the crew made sure I got the message, “no one wants to work with a retard.”
To this day I find that word offensive. We had a crew meeting, cleared the air, and prepared for his arrival. Nicky showed up for work right on time.
He was so excited to be working. He stood at the time clock literally shaking with anticipation. He clocked in and started his training. Couldn’t multi task, but was a machine on the grill. Now for the fascinating part…..
Back in that day, there were no computer screens to work from. Every order was called by the cashier.
It required a great deal of concentration on the part of all production staff to get the order right.
While Nicky was training during his first shift, the sandwich maker next to him asked the grill man/trainer what was on the next sandwich. Nicky replied, “single, no pickle no onion.” A few minutes later it happened again. It was then that we discovered Nicky had a hidden and valuable skill.
He memorized everything he heard!  Photographic hearing! WHAT A SKILL SET. It took 3 days and every sandwich maker requested to work with Nicky. He immediately was accepted by the entire crew. After his shift he would join the rest of his crew family, drinking Coke like it was water! It was then that they discovered another Rainman-esque trait. Nicky was a walking/talking perpetual calendar! With a perpetual calendar as a reference, they would sit for hours asking him what day of the week was December 22, 1847.
He never missed.
This uncanny trait mesmerized the crew.
His mom would come in at 2 to pick him up.
More times than not, the crew would be back there with him hamming it up. As I went to get him from the back, his mom said something I will never forget. “Let him stay there as long as he wants. He has never been accepted anywhere like he has been here.” I excused myself and dried my eyes, humbled and broken-hearted at the lesson I just learned.
Nicky had a profound impact on that store. His presence changed a lot of people. Today I believe with every fiber of my body that Nicky’s hiring was no accident. God’s Timing and Will is Perfect.
This Christmas, I hope we all understand what we are celebrating.
We are all like Nicky. We each have our shortcomings. We each have our strong points. But we are all of value. God made us that way and God doesn’t make mistakes. Nicky certainly wasn’t a mistake. He was a valuable gift that I am forever grateful for. We are celebrating the birth of the ONE that leveled the playing field for all of us. God doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, republican or democrat or black or white. He doesn’t care if your chromosome structure is perfect. He doesn’t care what level of education you have attained.
He cares about your heart. He wants us all to love and appreciate the gift HE gave us on Christmas, His son, the Savior, our salvation. His Son that was born to die for our sins. To pay our debt. To provide us a path for eternity. So this Christmas, let’s check our hearts. There is a little bit of Nicky in all of us and I suspect there is a Nicky somewhere in your life that is looking for the chance to be embraced.
Thank God for that. Thank God for His perfect gift, Christ Jesus.”
Copied from a friend’s page and what a beautiful story. (Thanks Karen and Mark)
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These are traits you and I can claim when the Spirit is in control:
You have an inner dynamic with which to handle life’s pressures.
You are able to be joyful … regardless.
You have the capacity to grasp the deep things of God that he mentions in his Book.
You have little difficulty maintaining a positive attitude of unselfishness, servanthood,
and humility.
You have a keen sense of intuition and discernment; you sense evil.
You are able to love and be loved in return.
You can be vulnerable and open.
You can rely on the Spirit to intercede when you don’t even know how to pray.
You have no reason to fear evil or demonic and satanic assaults.
You are enabled to stand alone with confidence.
You experience an inner assurance regarding decisions.
You enjoy a clear, shame-free conscience.
You can actually live worry free.
You are able to minister to others through your spiritual gifts. (Chuck Swindoll)
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Things of the World
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” (1 John 2:15)
We must be wary of the world’s “things,” because we are “in the world,” not “of the world” (John 17:11-16). The command in our text is that we are not to love the world or its things, not that we should remain blissfully ignorant of them. We are to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
There are big things of the world like nations and kingdoms (Matthew 4:8; Luke 12:30), as well as cares and riches (Mark 4:19), that can sap our focus and drain our loyalties. And there are “rudiments” and “elements” (Colossians 2:20; Galatians 4:3) that can twist our thinking and “spoil” us (Colossians 2:8).
We are warned that friendship with the worldly lifestyle and that which espouses the “things” of the world makes us an “enemy of God” (James 4:4). That is because such people embrace the “spirit of the world” and not “the spirit which is of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Those people speak about the things of the world, and the world listens to them (1 John 4:5).
God’s people may be “base” and “weak”—even “foolish” in the eyes of the world (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). Since the great Creator God has chosen us out of the world (John 15:19), it should not surprise us that the world “hates” those who belong to the Lord Jesus (John 17:14). Hence, the ungodly passions that drive the ungodly behavior of the world, “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
Those passions and the people who embrace them will “pass away.” But “he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:17). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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WHAT HAPPENS IN REVIVAL? PART 3
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.
Acts 2:46-47
The next thing I notice is that the church is filled with great joy and a sense of praise. Read again the terms used toward the end of Acts chapter 2. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.” Now that is how the Christian church is meant to be. Great joy, great praise to the Lord Jesus Christ and to God, glorying in this great salvation, in the new life they have received, and in this sense of heaven.
It is but the simple pattern of what has been repeated so frequently when God has poured out His Spirit upon the church. I never tire of quoting something I remember reading in the journals of George Whitefield. He was preaching on one occasion in Cheltenham, England, and he said, “Suddenly the Lord came down amongst us.” Do we know anything about that? Do we believe in that sort of thing or that it is possible? Now George Whitefield, even at his worst, was probably the greatest preacher this country [England] has ever known. But there were variations, even in his ministry. On this occasion he was surprised himself. There he was, preaching and having a very good service, when suddenly he knew that the Lord had come down among them. That is the wonderful thing, and it resulted in great joy, praise, and thanksgiving. When the church is in a state of revival you do not have to exhort people to praise; you cannot stop them, they are so filled with God.
A Thought to Ponder
When the church is in a state of revival you do not have to exhort people to praise; you cannot stop them. (From Revival, pp. 205-206, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Whenever a new person joined the team, I took time to outline his or her responsibilities – having kept a not of how I had done it before, and updating those notes as necessary – and going over in detail the way each individual task should be tackled. I tried to make a point of doing three things at that first meeting: first, fixing a date – perhaps a fortnight or a month ahead – to review how things had been going; second, encouraging the person to be in touch immediately if there was something he or she could not understand or felt out of depth in; and third, stressing the importance of striving after complete honesty and frankness with one another and other members of the team. (p. 232, On BEING A PASTOR by Derek J. Prime & Alistair Begg)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Luke 1:39-56
Surprise birthday parties and celebrations are gratifying when the person is caught totally unprepared. One of the most difficult things to do is to keep a secret. It is especially difficult when it is a very special event or detail that is going to impact many people.
The angel had left, and Mary was desirous to share with someone the exciting news she had been given. Who could share in her secret without casting judgment or suspicion? To the hill country of Judah, she went to visit the one person who could understand and relate to the story Mary was to reveal. Mary understood that not everyone was capable of hearing and responding to the extraordinary work of God.
Elizabeth had also experienced a supernatural work of God in her life, as she was once barren and now six months pregnant. She was filled with joy when the mother of her Lord came to visit her. Together, the two women were not only relatives but also innocent co-participants in this divine plan that was unfolding.
Elizabeth’s words of encouragement and comfort allowed Mary the freedom to express herself in the words that have become known as Mary’s song. The words are filled with Old Testament allusions and quotations that magnified the Lord and His promised prophecies. The expression of these words illustrate the trust and familiarity Mary had of God’s word.
Mary’s expression of praise erupts from a heart that is overflowing with adoration and worship. As we sing Christmas music and reflect upon the Mighty works of God this Christmas season, may our hearts reflect Mary’s words. A song, Mary, Did You Know?, is a great song to listen to and meditate upon how the mother of Jesus might have grappled with her major role in this divine program.
We also have a part to play in the presentation and program of Christmas this year! May we be filled with the joy and awe that radiates our love of Christ to a world that is increasingly skeptical. Despite the calls for canceling or reducing the Christmas story, may we tell those we encounter the amazing story of God’s coming to earth! The mystery is no longer a secret and we, like Mary, can sing and speak it confidently!
With an Expectant Hope,
Pastor Miller
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KEEPING GOD’S COMMANDMENTS
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John 5:3
There is nothing about which we can so deceive ourselves as the fact that we love God. A man may come to me and say he loves God. He says with Browning, “God’s in His Heaven, All’s right with the world.” But when something goes against him, he finds he does not love God. He says, “Why does God…?” Feelings are very deceptive. How do we know we love God? There is the next step—when “we keep his commandments.”
Our Lord emphasizes that in John 14:21: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.” You cannot separate these things. Love is not a sentiment; it is the most active, vital thing in the world. If I love God, I want to please Him—I keep the commandments. And what I may regard as the love of God in my soul is a pure delusion unless it leads me to keep God’s commandments and to live life as He wants me to live it.
“Again,” says someone, “you have just shifted the problem. This keeping of the commandments—what is this?” “Well,” says John in essence in a kind of footnote on which he is going to elaborate in the next verse, “what matters in this whole question of keeping the commandments is my attitude toward them. When I face the commandments of God, do I resent them? Do I feel that God is imposing an impossible load upon me? Do I groan and grumble and say, ‘Oh, this hard taskmaster who asks of me the impossible’?”
“If that is your attitude toward the commandments of God,” says John in effect, “you are not keeping them, and neither are you loving God, and you are not loving your brethren—you are outside the life altogether.” For someone who is truly Christian does not find the commandments of God to go against the grain.
A Thought to Ponder
Someone who is truly Christian does not find the commandments of God to go against the grain.mm (From Life in God, pp. 30-31, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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