Oct 23 - Psalm 5:4,7

O God, you take  no pleasure in wickedness;

you cannot tolerate  the slightest sin.

[But] because of  your unfailing love,

I can enter your house;  with deepest awe

I will  worship at your Temple.

Psalm 5:4,7

 

Sometimes we think of the Gospel as a "New Testament thing." Something new that started with Jesus.

 

But the Gospel wasn't "new" Jesus' with birth, death, or resurrection.  The things of God -- including the Gospel -- are "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Psalm 5:4,7).  The Gospel was (and is) God's plan from eternity.

 

And the Gospel is this ...

 

Point One

• Because God "take[s] no pleasure in wickedness" ^{Psalm 5:4} ...
• And because God "cannot tolerate the slightest sin" ^{Psalm 5:4} …
• Then "the wages of sin is [necessarily] death" ^{Romans 6:23} ...

Point Two

 

·         And "since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" ^{Romans 3:23} ...

·         Then we should all be "dead, doomed forever because of [our] many sins" ^{Ephesians 2:1}

 

Point Three

• "But God is so rich in mercy ^{Ephesians 2:4-5} ...
• and he loved us so very much ^{Ephesians 2:4-5} ...
• that even while we were dead because of our sins ^{Ephesians 2:4-5} ...
• he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead" ^{Ephesians 2:4-5} ...

Point Four

• "For by grace you have been saved through faith" ^{Ephesians 2:8} ...
• "And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" ^{Ephesians 2:8} ...
• "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" ^{John 3:16} ...
• Indeed, "God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us" ^{Romans 5:8} ...
• And, "because of [God's] unfailing love, [we] can enter [His] house." ^{Psalm 5:7}

That's the Gospel. Do you see it in the Old Testament too? God is eternally consistent.

 

So ... what should our response be? Today's verse tells us: "deepest awe" and "worship." 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is deep

-- deep in awe

 

 

Oct 22 - Psalm 4:6

There are many who say,

"Who will show us any good?"

Lord, lift up the light of

Your countenance upon us.

Psalm 4:6

 

There's a lot of discouragement in this world. "Who will show us any good?"

 

Some people don't have an answer for that question. And the bigger the hurt is in their life, the more desperate that question seems to become.

 

When you are hurting, do you cry with uncertainty: "Who ...?" ... Or do you cry with confidence: "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2).

 

When trials appear, strive to make your first response David's response. Not: "Who?" Not: "How?" Not: "When?" or "Why?" But simply and confidently: " Lord, lift up the light of  Your countenance upon us."

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't wonder "Who?"

a guy who simply says, "Thank You"

 

 

 

 

Oct 21 - Psalm 4:2

How long will you people

ruin my reputation?

How long will you make

these groundless accusations?

How long will you pursue lies?
Psalm 4:2

 

I've had to train myself to be any good at all in prayer. And to tell the truth, I still fall woefully short. 

 

My natural tendency is to let thoughts and ideas and frustrations rattle around in my own empty head. 

 

And I say "empty," because any "answers" that I come up with are only as wise or powerful as me ... which in the grand scheme of things is pretty powerless. 

 

I'm not wise enough to untangle the mysteries of the atom, the "formula" for life, or every grieving person's cry of "why?." But God is. 

 

My mind can't spin planets, part the seas, or raise the dead. But God is. 

 

And yet day-by-day I'm proud enough to live in my own head, rely on my own thoughts, and do my own thing. (And then complain when I get my own Ed-made results!)

 

I started this reflections by saying, "My natural tendency is to let thoughts and ideas and frustrations rattle around in my own empty head." And here's the question: Is that natural? Do you do that too? I think we all do ... including David who wrote this Psalm. 

 

But David did one powerful thing differently than me …

We normally think of Psalms as prayers (and they are). So why does David spend so much of this Psalm addressing other people? For example, "2 How long will you people ... make these groundless accusations? How long will you pursue lies?" That doesn’t seem like prayer, does it?

 

Prayer is conversation. And in verse 2, I see David as talking out loud (… but also to God, simultaneously). I think he’s much like Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof. (Have you seen that play or movie?!)

 

Some people interrupt events to stop and pray. Tevye – and I think David – viewed life as a running conversation that always includes God. There’s no need to stop and pray because they’re praying all the time!

 

Therefore, I don’t see verse 2 as advice to other people (How long will you do this or that?). I see David as crying out loud in frustration. I think he’s probably yelling at the top of his lungs – out loud … and maybe to no one in particular. "How long will you people ... make these groundless accusations?" And as he’s yelling, he’s still talking to God because he’s learned to see God who is always beside him.

 

And I suspect that God is … listening, commiserating, comforting, and whispering back … “They may not listen, David. They may not even care. Indeed, there’s a pretty good chance that they won’t ever do what you or I want. In a physical, practical sense, this life is a mess, and your life may personally get harder, David. But do not fear, my child. I am beside you. I love you. I will protect you. And in the end, all things will be made right.”

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants

that kind of relationship!

 

 

Oct 20 - Psalm 3:3

You, O LORD, are

a shield around me, my glory,

and the one who lifts my head high.

Psalm 3:3

 

What are you most afraid of?

 

Some will say spiders and snakes. Others are afraid of heights. Others quake at the mere thought of speaking in public.

 

Trace those fears back to their roots, though, and you’ll find that what we’re really afraid of is death.

 

·         We don’t like ladders and heights because we’re afraid that we might fall and die.

·         We don’t like dogs that bark and snakes that crawl because they might bite us and we might die.

·         We don’t like speaking in public because we might be embarrassed.

 

Wait … embarrassment is not a death.

 

No, not technically. But every time we’re embarrassed, we die a thousand little deaths. Every time someone gossips about us, it’s like a thousand little stabs in the heart. Every time we’re perceived as week or needy or foolish or vulnerable, it’s like a thousand little pin pricks.

 

As many times as we sin, fail, and fall short (see Romans 3:23), you’d think we’d be accustomed to being pin cushions. Bruised. Battered. And humble, rather than proud. But we’re not. We’re brittle. Therefore, instead of venturing boldly forward into life, too many of us isolate ourselves. We guard our feelings and hide our hearts.

 

Today’s verse tells us, however, that we should really be a little bolder. After all, we have “a shield around [us].” What is that shield? It is God – “You, O Lord, are a shield around me.”

 

I can still remember where I was when a light bulb went off in my wife’s head … and it sparked a newfound confidence in my heart. Reflecting on Romans 3:24, she said, “If God justifies us, we do we spend so much time trying to justify ourselves.”

 

Wow! Simple but profound.

 

We all waste so much time and effort in life trying to look good in the eyes of others. But really, there’s only one who’s opinion really matters … and that’s God! And God loves us. And forgives us. He calls us his child. He watches over our days. And by his grace, even death isn’t deadly anymore. Indeed, death is just the gate to heaven and an even better life.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s still

wise about ladders

and wary of snakes,

but is free in God’s

justifying grace!

Oct 18-19 - Psalm 2:1-4

Why do the nations conspire,

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and ...

He who sits in the heavens laughs

Psalm 2:1-4

 

Have you heard this old saying ... “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans”?

 

Well ... that’s the theme of Psalm 2!

 

It is not that God doesn’t care deeply about our hopes and dreams. It’s that his plans for us are bigger and better than our plans for ourselves!

           

We sometimes doubt that, of course!

           

It’s human nature to think that we know what’s best for us.

 

But human plans are inevitably laced with both altruism and selfishness, both faith and sin.

 

But God holds all of human history in his hands! And part of faith learning to trust that his plans are designed to bless us and the world in ways we don’t even see yet.

 

If our first consideration here is -- “Who is God?” -- then the theme of Psalm 2 is that, “God is big.” BIG!

 

Psalm 2 talks about king’s and nations. And normally, we think of these political forces as being powerful. And kingdoms are big. But they’re not BIG!

 

Let me share with you an example ...

 

In the first church that I served as a pastor, we had a forest fire threaten our community.

 

But most of us weren’t worried. We lived in an important town. One of the national laboratories was there. This community was vital to America’s strategic interests. So as the flames drew near, many of us had a false assurance that “the government” wouldn’t let anything happen to us.

 

How naïve!

           

Four hundred of the six thousand homes in town burned down.

 

I remember talking to a firefighter afterwards. He said they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. They were determined not to lose one home. Then the flames came over the final rise.

 

He said they were 70 feet tall. Propelled by 50 mph winds, they were bearing down on them like a freight train. He said they cut their hoses and ran!

 

We had a vain belief in the power of kings and nations. But nature dwarfed us. And it does all the time. We can’t control hurricanes, tornados, or earthquakes. Why? Because nature is big. But God is BIGGER!

           

Indeed, by definition, God is much BIGGER! He created nature. He birthed kings. He allows kingdoms. And he has made you.

 

So why do we conspire and make our own plans? The beginning of faith is learning to trust in a God who is bigger and better and wiser than you!e wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:2-3

 

In Christ’s Love,

a little guy

with a BIG God

 

 

Oct 17 - Psalm 1:1-2

Happy are those who ... delight ...

in the law of the Lord

Psalm 1:1-2

 

What seems to be the highest goal in our world today? People want to be happy, right?

           

The highest goal seems to be self.

           

People chase after pleasure.

 

But this is not a new phenomenon. Three thousand years ago the richest man in the world, King Solomon, said, “I will make a test of pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:1).

 

So he ate the richest foods, drank the sweetest wines, built the most magnificent buildings, and married the prettiest women (700 of them!). He said, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them” (Ecclesiastes 2:10).

 

The result? Solomon says, “I became great and surpassed all who were before me ... [but] then I considered all that my hands had done ... and all was meaningless … a chasing after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:9,11).

 

Coming to the end of his life, Solomon was suddenly shocked and humbled. He could take none of his accomplishments or accumulations with him. His wanton, gluttonous pursuit of happiness had been as elusive as trying to hold onto the wind.

           

Solomon’s depression could be the fate for all of us … or we can opt for the freedom of the very first Pslam.

 

“Happy are those who ...

delight ... in the law of the Lord”

Psalm 1:1-2

 

Wait! The law offers happiness?

 

I know! Nobody likes to be told what to do. But have you ever been in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people, and gotten the wrong result?

 

The law is wisdom. Therefore, it is freedom. It is life … because it points us to God. It is help … because it puts us in the right place, at the right time, with the right Person – God himself. Indeed, the law is the true secret to consistently getting the right result.

 

God, therefore, is showing us the path to true purpose, happiness, life, and joy.

           

Even Solomon finally figured this out. When he finally quit “chasing after wind,” the old king discovered that “pleasure is [only and ultimately] from the hand of God” (Ecclesiastes 2:11,24).

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who watched his wife

raise three sons of faith

and character,

using this motto:

“God’s way is the best way!”

 

Oct 16 - Psalm 1:1-3

Those who ... delight is in the law of the Lord

... are like trees planted by streams of water,

which yield their fruit in its season,

and their leaves do not wither.

In all that they do, they prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3

 

What’s brown ... with green dots ... and streaks of yellow?

 

No, that’s not the beginning of a bad joke!

 

That’s what much of northern New Mexico looks like. The valleys where I lived for 10 years are brown with occasional evergreen dots of juniper and piñon. But in the fall, the cottonwoods turn a brilliant yellow.

 

And it isn’t just an occasional cottonwood. It’s long, glorious ribbons of yellow. These leaf bearing trees can grow only one place in the desert. They line the stream beds, announcing the only abundance of water in the otherwise parched terrain.

 

Much of Israel looks like much of northern New Mexico. And as this Psalm suggests, about the only place where trees can “yield their fruit in its season” and where their “leaves do not wither” is indeed “by streams of water.”

 

With this image, the very first Psalm tells us something very important about God: 

 

He is water.

He is life!

 

Throughout the Scriptures, water symbolizes God’s cleansing, forgiveness, and healing. But it’s more than that …

 

·         Not only did God create life (Genesis 1) ...

·         Not only did God knit us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139) …

·         Not only does He breathe life into all creation (Genesis 2) ...

·         But God, like water, is what is needed to truly sustains us daily.

 

He gives us hope. He is the author of love. He is the wellspring of true joy. God, indeed, is life! The true rich and abundant kind of life that we all ultimately crave.

 

And yet ... it is still even more than that …

 

In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, when Jesus talks about “living water,” he says that it “14 will become in [us] a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” God is life … today and eternally! And when you learn to say, “the Lord God is my strength and my might,” then “with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:2-3

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s lived in deserts

and whose soul has been

occasionally parched

and can’t wait to see, therefore,

“the river of the water of life ...

flowing from the throne of God”

Revelation 22:1

 

Oct 15 - Psalm 50:6

The heavens declare

his righteousness,

for God himself is judge.

Psalm 50:6

The heavens declare God's bigness.

 

The heavens declare God's power.

"The heavens declare the glory of God!" (Psalm 19:1)

But what else to the heavens declare? As it says in today's Psalm, "The heavens declare his righteousness."

God invented this universe! He is in charge of this world! He gets to decide what is right and righteous – not us.

And if he is a good God, he WILL one day judge what is right and what is wrong. Either that, or he doesn't truly care about what is right and what is wrong. But fortunately our God is a very good God. He not only cares about right and wrong, but he also cares about you and me.

Yet there's a part of us – admit it – that really doesn't like the thought of God being a judge. That is for two reasons ...

·       First, we are like willful children. We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it. (Rebelliousness.)

·       Second, we don't like the thought of God as a judge because deep down we know that we sin ... and we feel guilt and shame. Therefore, we worry. We are afraid that if God is a judge, he will judge us and find us guilty. (Fear.)

Here's the bad news: God is a judge and you are guilty.

Here's the good news -- Romans 8 -- though God is our judge …

"31 God is [also] for us.

“33 [Therefore] who will bring any charge

against [you. me, and any of] God's elect?

It is God who [who, instead of damning us,

[lovingly] justifies [us].

34 [And] who is to condemn [us]?

It is Christ Jesus, who [instead] died [for us ...

and] is at the right hand of God

[and instead of condemning us]

intercedes for us."

Romans 8

It's called "imputed righteousness."

On our own, we are guilty. On our own, we are not righteous. But on His own, Christ died for us and "input" His righteousness upon us.

Yes, on our own we are guilty. But when we plead the blood of the Lamb, His bloody sacrifice covers the blood-guilt caused by our sin in its entirety, and his righteousness -- "input" onto us -- allows us to be justified (declared just) when standing in front of the eternal judge.

And because of that, I cheer with the Apostles in Ephesians 2: "8 by grace [we] have been saved through faith, and this is not [our] own doing; it is the gift of God."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't have to fear

because "Jesus paid it all"

... and yet, I'm the one who has to

work on the second discomfort

in having a judge: my rebelliousness.

(Jesus had better help me with this too

... and He and the Holy Spirit do

as I learn to give my life over to them.)

Oct 14 - Psalm 49:5

Why should I fear

in times of trouble,

when the iniquity of my

persecutors surrounds me

Psalm 49:5

On the day that I happen to be writing this, I am up early. I am waiting in the cell phone lot at the airport. And all morning, as the flight was repeated delayed, I’ve been listening to sermons on the book of Job. As I turn now to the Psalms, Psalm 49 is an eerie and wonderful echo of Job. Let me walk you through it ...

Verses one and two are a call for all of us to listen and pay attention: “Hear this, ... all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together.”

The Psalmist acknowledges that on this earth things are not always fair – at least as we might describe fair. Sometimes the poor in character prosper, while the rich in character struggle. But fear not -- the folly of “6 those who trust in their wealth" is about to be exposed. 

How? Why? Because at least in worldly terms, death has the final answer to our worldly circumstance. As it says in verse 10, "the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others." In other words, an earthly focus on prosperity will perish as surely as our earthly bodies will perish.

And if one's focus is only earthly, then "11 their graves [will be] their homes forever."

Indeed, as it says in verse 14, "Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol [let's call this abode of the dead, 'hell'] shall be their home."

"13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. ... 17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them."

So where is the hope? 

And here is what is remarkable ... And here, indeed, is the truest echo of Job. Here is the hope that we often miss when reading this otherwise discouraging book ... I believe that Psalm 49 prefigures the coming of the Messiah, we know to be Jesus Christ.

Verse seven says, "Truly, no ransom avails for one's life, there is no price one can give to God for it." Read that again. "There is no price [we] can give to God for [our own lives]." We cannot possibly be good enough in the eyes of a perfectly holy God. And our earthly riches surely cannot pay an infinite God nearly enough of a ransom. "8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice, 9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave."

So where is the hope? 

It begins with what are frequently the most joyful words in scripture, "but God"! "15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me." 

We can't pay a ransom high enough (verses 7 and 8). “But God" can! "15 God will ransom my soul from the power of [death, hell, the grave] and Sheol." Indeed, how "will" God "receive" a sinner like "me"? That is the gospel, which I believe this psalm is prefiguring. God himself – the son of God, Jesus Christ – will give his life as a ransom for me. 

Thanks be to God!

Indeed, as Jesus himself said -- Mark 10:45 -- "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

In Christ's Love, 

a guy who sings along with Job

who himself prefigured the coming

of a ransomer (a redeemer), singing,

"For I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; 

and after my skin has been thus destroyed, 

then in my flesh I shall see God"

Job 19:25-26

Oct 13 - Psalm 48:9-10

O God, we meditate

on your unfailing love

as we worship in your Temple.

As your name deserves, O God,

you will be praised

to the ends of the earth

Psalm 48:9-10

Have you ever heard anyone say, "I didn't get much out of worship today"? Have you ever said it yourself?

Many people treat worship like a performance. The pastor and the choir are the performers and we in the pews are the audience.

Wrong image.

In worship, we are the actors and God is the audience!

Worship isn't about us. It's what we owe Him … and what we are privileged to do for Him. "As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised."

And this Psalm tells us in part how to do this. It says ...

as we worship ...

we [will] meditate on

your unfailing love

Look at what this tells us ...

·       Who is God? The one who loves … unfailingly.

·       What should we do in response? Worship.

·       How should we worship? By celebrating, recalling, and meditating upon his love, goodness, and grace.

·       And what else should we do? Praise Him ... and not just a little ... and not just privately ... but publicly ... to the ends of the earth.

In Christ's Love,

a grateful worshiper

Oct 6 - Psalm 45:1

My heart overflows

with a goodly theme

Psalm 45:1

Do you remember the old TV theme songs?

In the sixties, seventies, and eighties when I grew up, the theme song often defined the show as much as the acting and plot lines. (Indeed, often the theme song was better than the acting and plot lines!)

Let me ask ... What is the theme song for your life?

Indeed, what is the theme of your heart? What tickles your fancy? What principles and priorities do you keep returning to? Do you have a vision or goals?

It's one question to ask: What do you WANT to be the theme of your life. But probably a better first question is: What really IS the theme of your life? Is it goodly and godly? Is it mediocre and slothful? Is it tainted too much by sin? Is it so busy that you can't even hear joyful music?

In your life, do the words of Mufasa to his son in The Lion King ever ring true? The king says, "[Child,] you are more than what you've become."

In your life, might that be a call to personal self-examination? I hope you see it as a call to action. I hope you resolve to have your heart overflow with a more goodly and godly theme.

It is a choice.

And it is a blessing.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to go …

where everybody knows your name

and they’re always glad you came

Oct 4-5 - Psalm 44:23

Rouse yourself!

Why do you sleep, O Lord?

Awake, do not cast us off forever!

Psalm 44:23

Re-read yesterday's devotion. It is also from Psalm 44.

It talks about discouragement that’s also in our world today.

Though written 3000 years ago, it uncannily reflects some of the ways that we have defocused our lives -- at least collectively in America -- on God.

Now read some of the rest of the psalm. Modern America has not quite reached the extent of this pit. Nevertheless, see if it doesn't describe how many of us are feeling today about our world and about our nation:

9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us, 

and have not gone out with our armies.

10 ... and our enemies have gotten spoil. 

12 You have sold your people for a trifle ...

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, 

the derision and scorn of those around us.

15 All day long my disgrace is before me, 

and shame has covered my face

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? 

Awake, do not cast us off forever!

24 Why do you hide your face? 

Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

25 For we sink down to the dust; 

our bodies cling to the ground. 

26 Rise up, come to our help. 

Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. 

Sound familiar?

Israel did prosper again. The discouragement did not last forever. But it started with faithful people, crying, "Rouse yourself, O God."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who want

to start the cry

Oct 3 - Psalm 44 several verses

Re-read yesterday's devotion.

 

It is also from Psalm 44. It talks about discouragement in our world today. It talks about the ways that we have defocused our lives, at least collectively in America, on God.

 

Now read some of the rest of the psalm. We have not quite reached the extent of this pit. Nevertheless, see if it doesn't describe how many of us are feeling today about our world and about our nation:

 

9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us, 

and have not gone out with our armies.

10 ... and our enemies have gotten spoil. 

12 You have sold your people for a trifle ...

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, 

the derision and scorn of those around us.

15 All day long my disgrace is before me, 

and shame has covered my face

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? 

Awake, do not cast us off forever!

24 Why do you hide your face? 

Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

25 For we sink down to the dust; 

our bodies cling to the ground. 

26 Rise up, come to our help. 

Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. 

Sound familiar?

Israel did prosper again. The discouragement did not last forever. But it started with faithful people, crying, "Rouse yourself, O God."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is crying

 

Oct 2 - Psalm 44:5

Only by your power

can we push back our enemies

Psalm 44:5

 

Before turning to the scriptures this morning, I glanced at the headlines. 

There are tensions around the world. And the US is involved in many. Will we, for example, put "boots on the ground"? Or will we limit our involvement to just air strikes? What does victory even look like anymore?

Because of superior firepower, the US will probably win the majority of skirmishes. But we're clearly losing the war. 

Why?

Because we don't understand the battle we're in anymore. 

The Psalmist says, verse 6 and 7, "I do not trust my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. It is you who gives us victory over our enemies."

But who or what is our real enemy? Ephesians 6:12 famously reminds us that "our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh." Yes, our enemy is not boldly sweeping across Iraq (ISIS) or hiding in the caves of Afghanistan or subtly destabilizing us through cyberattacks (China). Our greatest enemy in America is ... ourselves. 

There is no unity in our country. Why? Because we've spent the last few generations teaching children that Truth is relative -- a personal construct, an individual opinion. We've bought into the lies (and liar) that Paul warned us about in Ephesians 6. We've become a nation of proud individuals, seeking our own comfort and glory. And there is no unity when 300 million individuals view their own personal happiness as the highest ideal.

If we want victory in America it won't come from our military in Iraq or our government's war on poverty or our bank's economic policy. Our help comes from the Lord. Indeed, "only by your power[, O Lord,] can we push back our enemies."

And, let's be clear ... the enemy in America is self-centeredness. By decentralizing God, we've created a nation of 300 million lower-case gods. And healing -- much less victory -- starts with confession and repentance. 

Yours. 

Yes, we'd like the whole nation to repent, but it starts with you and me. We must first confess our self-centered individualism ... then we must witness boldly (and lovingly) to an alternative. 

And we must not be discouraged. The Psalm says correctly, "Only by your power can we push back our enemies." That's not a "maybe." That's an invitation to call on the name of the Lord. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who believes Romans 8:37 --

"We are more than conquerors

through him who loves us"