Do You Have A Ho-Hum Christianity"?

Those of you who follow my devotionals know by now that I get a lot of my inspirations from the book "Search My Heart, O God" by Kay Arthur , sub-titled "365 Appointments With God" , from which I read one every day. I love the book because each day's readings are "short and to the point." I frequently dog-ear pages that I think would make a good devotional message to encourage others. The one on September 14th had a message that fit the bill, so I felt led to share it with you today. It started out, "Do you have a ho-hum Christianity?" "Ho-hum" is not a phrase that's used that much today, but when you do hear it, you instantly know what's being conveyed. So, I went to the Web to get a definition of the word. It had two: (1) "dull, boring, flat, out-of-date, or lacking in originality"; (2) "indifferent or lacking enthusiasm". Well, I thought that neither of the definitions fit the Christianity I know, but they sure might fit how some of us seem to act in our treatment of practicing the faith that we say we love. The article talked about how we present ourselves as Christians, such that people looking at us from the outside, would be able to see that we are different than others who do not consider themselves Christians. I guess the real question is, "Do we practice what we preach? Or, on the other hand, are many of us guilty of too frequently just going through the motions? That means that, no matter what else may be going on in our lives, we show up (sometimes, but not always with consistency) on Sunday mornings for the obligatory 90-minute service, and greet each with a smile and handshake (or in the case at Grace Harbor, with a hug) because we think that's what's expected of us. Yet, on Monday through Saturday, is there anything that we do, with our lives as "practicing Christians", that is any different than what "non-Christians" do with their lives? I think that the key might lie in the word "practicing". How many of us are really "practicing Christians, and what does that mean? Like so many other things that some of us might be passionate about, i.e., reality shows, sports, television, movies, etc., are we equally as passionate with our time in pursuing spiritual things that have eternal meaning?

Personal Prayer

"I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 17:6

David walked close to the Lord. Even though his life was a veritable rollercoaster of ups and downs, a white knuckle ride that spanned from rebellion and defeat, all the way to revelation and victory. He kept pursuing God. No matter what, he relentlessly sought the Lord, no matter what his circumstance

Serious Business

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Not too often will I write two devotionals from one Psalm, as I continue to work through all 150 of mostly David’s writings. But this verse will be an exception because I quote it so often.

My Rock

"I love you O Lord my strength, the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:1-2

God indeed is my rock. Nothing else, NO ONE else is as sure, as strong or as reliable. He is my only fortress, my only deliverer, my only refuge, my only shield, my only salvation provider and my only stronghold, I hang onto God. I often hang onto the Lord because nothing else can help and nobody else can do what He can do. He can change things, nobody else can. He can make things happen. He alone is able to move heaven and earth. That is why He is awesome and why I need Him, love Him and worship him. No matter what happens or what kind of help I need, or how hurt, desperate, needy, confused or troubled I get, He is my rock.

Reminders

"The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations." Psalm 33:11

What is the plan and purpose of God? I read here that they are firm, and long lasting and that they come from His heart, but what exactly are they. Scripture tells us that He plans to bless us, and prosper us, to love us, and provide for us. So, why is it that we struggle so hard to discover His plan and purpose for us? I have always believed that God has our best interest in mind. My God is a loving and compassionate God, that cares deeply and sincerely for His people. My problem is that I too often forget to run my plans and purposes by Him. I seem to get an idea going without really ever checking it with Him. How could I change that? How could I get to where I figure out that I am in God's will, before I figure out that I am out of His will? I am sure that you ask these questions too.

The Hiding Place

"You are my hiding place." Psalm 32:7a

The short phrase Hiding Place evokes a number of thoughts and memories. My first recollection of hearing these words takes me back to summer camp as a youth. A pastor shared in a message the testimony of Corrie Ten Boom, who was a Dutch Holocaust Survivor, who was arrested because she hid Jews in a special Hiding Place in her room. She was responsible for the safety of scores of Jews and when she was released from prison due to a clerical error, she later learned that she was to be executed the following week. To her that Hiding Place was where God provided for the safety of the innocent and persecuted. Such faith and faithfulness has made her testimony one of the most compelling ever. She once said, God doesn’t have problems, only plans. That brings to mind my other thought about Hiding Place, the worship song which says, You are my Hiding Place. You always fill my heart, with songs of deliverance, whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You, I will trust in you, let the weak say I am strong in the strength of my Lord.

Taste and See

"Taste and see that the Lord is good..." Psalm 34:8a

I really am totally inspired by these few choice words from Psalm 34. The whole Psalm is about God helping us in times of trouble. David writes these particular words after he feigns insanity to escape from Abimelech. So, David is pretty amped up about God's deliverance of him and is appreciating the depth of his relationship with the Almighty. The knowledge of the awesomeness of God, and trusting Him completely, is one of the richest experiences of life. For me, when David puts together taste and sight in discovering the goodness of God, it illustrates an amazing correlation.

Tested

"Test me, O Lord and try me, examine my heart and mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth." Psalm 26:2-3

I do trust God, and God alone, because He forgives my sin and loves me anyway. He is the only one that I would honestly allow to examine my heart and mind. I know how unacceptable some of my thoughts are and some of the motives of my heart, too. Because of His ever present, perfect, and merciful love, I put myself in the court of His consideration to be tested and tried. Even if I fail, He will restore me. Even if I am guilty, He will acquit me. No matter what, He is totally trustworthy with my very soul. I believe completely in His righteousness, that by the blood of Christ I am spared from judgment. Though I suffer consequences I will not be condemned, and I am not lost. Knowing this is foundational to my faith. Whatever situation or circumstances besets me, “I know whom in I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.” The day of judgment is coming and I trust my eternal fate to my Lord Jesus. That is why I walk by faith continually, even when I stumble, and sometimes stumble and fall, and then crawl. God gives me strength to carry on, no matter what.

Who Cares

"But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." Psalms 10:14, 17 & 18

I am so moved by the fact that God cares. With the rampant oppression of countless people around the world and the overwhelming number of orphans in the third world due to the continuing spread of the Aids virus and political conditions that victimize people, my God cares. We should be like Him in this way. We should not look away from the suffering and grief, but respond because God has given us the resources to help. I know times are tough but I encourage you to consider sponsoring a child. We do, through Compassion International and our relationship of support and correspondence is a rewarding experience. If you are not already doing this, maybe get a group to do it. Like any commitment, it is serious, yet if we want to be a people, like David, after God’s own heart we cannot pretend not to see or know or care. He cares, we care, and that is how it should work. That is why we tithe to Missions as Grace Harbor Ministries. Because we care, we are involved, we respond, we commit, and we follow through. We should respond to the true victims in this world with compassion and support. We should do it individually and corporately. We can choose in this life to be part of the solution or not. If we don’t help in some way, we miss the opportunity, the responsibility and the blessing.

Forsaken

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Psalms 22:1a

The Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord was to be a descendant of David and many of the Psalms refer to Him. Psalms 22 is one of the major sources of prophecy regarding the coming Messiah and refers specifically to Jesus suffering on the cross.

An Emphasis Lesson

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness, for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psalms 23

There are passages of scripture that almost everyone knows. Not many I regret to say, but other than John 3:16, I would say that the 23rd Psalm is probably the most recognizable Biblical reference, by far. Think about it for a moment, no other chapter is as well known. The only other possible comparison is Genesis 1:1, but Genesis 1:2 is sure harder. You could quote a bunch of the Ten Commandments, but maybe not where to find them or the Lord’s Prayer. Because it is known by its chapter number, I believe the 23rd Psalm maybe just about the best known chapter in the Bible.

Misery Loves Company

"Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted." Psalms 9:11-12

In this life, we will face a number of injustices. Some from the sin and wickedness in the world, some from within the family of God (regrettably true) and some that we just bring down on ourselves or emanate from within us.

God Cares

"But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." Psalms 10:14, 10: 17, 10: 18

I am so moved by the fact that God cares.

What Seeds are We Sowing?

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Kim:

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

Though it is impossible to control the circumstances and situations that occur in our lives, we have absolute control as to how we respond to those situations. At the end of the day, many unexpected situations and circumstances may hit our life, but what speaks to the wisdom in a person is how they respond, not how they react to those difficult situations.

Good Repetition

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" Psalms 8:1a

Much of the early contemporary praise and worship music was very repetitious. Sometimes just one or two Bible verses sung repeatedly often sung in a round. One of the criticisms of this music was its simplicity as compared to the great hymns. Yet, I must confess, in my young developing faith, this style both got me in touch with who I was singing to and caused me to memorize more scripture than any other mode of teaching I had thus far in my life at the time. Whether it was the one word song, “Alleluia” or the never ending choruses of, “Father, I adore You”, I learned the Word of God and how to connect with God, the object of my praise when I was worshipping.

What are You Expecting?

"He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head." Psalm 7:14-16

Sometimes it can feel like everything and everyone is out to get you. Some days you wish you would have stayed in bed. We make enough of our own mistakes, missteps and miscues without having misunderstandings, misguided murmurings and mischievous malcontent added to my miserable mix. David was often “fed up”, “maxed out”, and “done” with troublemakers and enemies and any and all who would judge him or destroy him. He turns to God and asks to be delivered and dealt with if necessary. We all know too well this kind of utter frustration usually fueled by people and predicaments most often is totally out of our control. Turning these matters over to God is essential. David writes three very picturesque verses to vent his vitriol and I think not only unloads his perception of his persecutors, but maybe, gets just a little picture of his own potential for problems. I know I sometimes see myself in my own sermons. Hmmmm.

Are you a True Worshipper?

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." John 4:23

I hope that time has come for you, or at least is soon to come when you could with total honesty say that you worship the Father in spirit and truth. What kind of spirit? A spirit of humility, confidence, and passion. What truth? The truth as only He can reveal it to us. When we face ourselves and get over ourselves and begin to live “in Him” outside ourselves and beyond ourselves, then we begin to experience true worship. The true worship that puts Him first, that would do anything for Him. The kind of worship that is free to exult in Him, and praise Him, and glorify Him. The kind of worship that is servant-hearted, and generous, and willing and totally trusting in Him.

God Rules

"The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord is on His heavenly throne." Psalms 11:4a

Our God reigns! He rules! He is sovereign! Whatever else happens, that will not change. Anything you can imagine happening, however devastating cannot alter that fact. Even if the earth evaporates, God will still be on His heavenly throne. Let’s make this the ultimate truth even more personal; with a list of scenarios that could concern us, some more serious, some more trivial. Please feel free to add or modify any so they apply better, in case I miss some.