Sept 9 - Psalm 18:46 (Part 3)

The LORD lives!

Blessed be my rock!

May the God of

my salvation be exalted!

Psalm 18:46

Part one of our analysis of Psalm 18 deals with attack. Part two deals with rescue. Part three – if we want all of the exclamation points in verse 46 – is response, our proper response to God generosity.

In verses 18 and 19, it’s easy see our first two themes, attack and rescue. David says …

18 They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest,

but the LORD ... 19 led me to a place of safety ...

What is David’s response to God’s generosity? Celebration!

46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock!

May the God of my salvation be exalted!

You may know that as a popular American hymn of celebration. I do too! When God rescues, we ought to respond with praise and worship. (And we’d better pray we’re not like the nine of the ten lepers who forgot to come back and give thanks – see Luke 17.)

Blessing and exultation are the main themes in verse 46, but those aren’t most important realization. The greatest truth of Psalm 18 is that “the LORD lives!”

Many of us believe in God in theory. David believed in him in fact. Now, some will say “faith implies uncertainty or else it would be called fact not faith.” There is obviously some truth to that. But for David, he kept seeing God’s hand, God’s action, God’s power, and God’s grace. It wasn’t theory. It was reality.

The world scoffs at that kind of conviction. Why? Usually because they haven’t seen that evidence. That’s where faith begins. Even when we’re not sure we’ve seen God’s hand clearly, we are convicted. As it says in Hebrews 11:1, “faith is … the conviction of things not seen” (NRSV).

I pray that this is where all faith starts. But then I pray that …

•      as we grow in trust, we start looking for his presence …
•      and as we look daily for his presence, we’re going to begin seeing his hand more clearly …
•      and when we see his presence more actively, we’ll enter more fully into today’s third activity – a response with exclamation points!

In verse 46, that response is celebration!

In verse 1, that response is love! David says …

1 I love you, LORD; you are my strength ...

2 my rock, my fortress ... my savior ...

my shield ... my salvation ... my stronghold ...

Why does David love God? Because he’s grown to love him in a fact, and in spite of life’s circumstances, David knows God as his rock, fortress, and salvation.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who likes a life with

exclamation points!!!!!!!!

Sept 8 - Psalm 18:46 (Part 2)

The LORD lives!

Blessed be my rock!

May the God of

my salvation be exalted!

Psalm 18:46

In part one of our examination of Psalm 18, David cried to the Lord for help. In part two, here’s how God answered …

7 Then the earth quaked ... because of his anger.

9 He opened the heavens and came down ...

11 He shrouded himself in darkness, ...

with dense rain clouds.

12 [But] the brilliance of his presence

broke through the clouds. ...

14 His lightning flashed ... He shot his arrows.

[He] scattered his enemies ...

16 He reached down from heaven and rescued me ...

God absolutely quakes with anger when there’s injustice in this world.

But here’s the hard part … we don’t always see it. We don’t always see his answer. Sometimes God’s presence seems cloaked in clouds and darkness. Has God ever seemed slow or missing to you?

When trouble comes, we want the answer we want … and we want it when we want it.

•      Now, God sometimes literally and visibly saves us from the storm. That’s what we’re always hoping, and when we can see God’s hand in our timing, it’s awesome.
• 
  
•       But that’s not the only form of rescue. Other times, God saves us through the storms. God often helps us ride out the violence of the waves and the violence of the world. His answer may not have come in the form we hoped or the timing we wished for, but it’s no less kind or gracious.
• 
  
•      A final way in which God saves us is in spite of the storm. Now, this is by far our least favorite form of rescue – but let me be clear, it’s no less gracious. Too often evil seems to win. Too often on earth there’s destruction, death, and defeat. Without a confidence in heaven, we could literally have no hope. But when we cry out in faith, God will always “reach down from heaven and rescue” his faithful. Now, his answer may not be defined as victory in human terms. But whenever and however he brings us up to heaven that’s victory indeed.

In spite of the trials of this earth, there is always hope and victory with God. We may not always see him, he may seem “shrouded … in darkness,” but he is always and definitely there.

And when we claim that faith in unseeing but unwavering faith, we inherit all of the exclamation points in verse 46.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who has

a personal lifeguard

Sept 7 - Psalm 18:46 (Part 1)

The LORD lives!

Blessed be my rock!

May the God of

my salvation be exalted!

Psalm 18:46

Psalm 18 is a long Psalm, but it tells an important story. Indeed, if we make it the cry of our heart, we get all of the exclamation points found in verse 46!

Here’s the simple story. Part one …

6 In my distress I cried out to the LORD ...

My cry reached his ears ...

Point one, when there’s trouble in life, don’t try to conquer it yourself. Cry out to the Lord! Ask for help. The call will reach his ears. God will reach down. And if we watch carefully, we will see his hand, and then we can cry out like David …

28 LORD, you have brought light to my life ...

29 In your strength I can crush an army;

with my God I can scale any wall. ...

In Christ’s Love,

a Philippians 4:13 kind of guy

(I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me.)

Sept 6 - Psalm 17:15

When I awake,

I will be fully satisfied,

for I will see you face to face.

Psalm 17:15

Psalm 17 is a cry for help.

Have you ever had no other option than falling on your knees?

Life is tough. Hatred batters us. Injustice undercuts us. Greed robs us. Sickness pains us. Death grieves us. We’re too often worried, angry, helpless, and alone.

But you’re not alone.

Bookending Psalm 17’s cry for help is 1) a prayer of confidence at the beginning and 2) the reason for confidence at the end.

The prayer of confidence is: “6 I know you will answer.”

Do you have that confidence? Today’s verse tells us why David had such surety. He says his confidence and “satisf[action]” comes from knowing that “when I wake [O Lord] … I will see you face to face.”

Worry comes ultimately from a fear of death. But we don’t have to have fear when we know that when we awake from death, we will be blessed to see God face to face.

Do you have that confidence?

Too many people worry and fear that their sins are so black that they can never be forgiven. Let me remind you that if Jesus can forgive the very people who nailed him to the cross – “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34) – then he can certainly forgive you!

Having that confidence can allow us to pray, “6 I know you will answer.”

The confidence of heaven can also allow us to awaken daily to an earthly satisfaction. Knowing God and trusting in his saving help can help us see evidence of him each new morn.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s not a morning person

but has learned to see God more clearly

(even through the morning fog)

Sept 5 - Psalm 17:1

O LORD, hear my plea for justice.

Listen to my cry for help.

Pay attention to my prayer,

for it comes from an honest heart.

Psalm 17:1

“Pay attention to my prayer because __________.”

How does David fill in that blank? It’s the way we all ought to fill in that blank.

And yet we don’t.

Our hearts aren’t honest and clean. We knowingly break his commandments. And yet in the very areas of our rebellion, we still expect God to bless us.

•      Even as unmarried couples move in together, they ask God to bless their relationship.
•      Even as husbands cheat on their wives, they beg God to bless them with greater joy.
•      Even as a wife refuses to forgive, she prays that God will improve her marriage.
•      Even as children lie to their parents, they pray for more freedom.
•      Even as parents fail to spend time with their children, they ask God to fix their child.
•      Even as good churchgoers refuse to tithe, they want God to give them financial blessings.
•      Even as people refuse to take care of their bodies, they beg God to heal them.
•      Even as employees are lazy and ungrateful, they ask God to help them get a promotion and a raise.
•      Even as nice people fudge on their taxes, they complain to God about how life is not fair.
•      Even as good Christians fail to spend time daily in prayer, they expect God to snap to attention when a need arises.

Ouch. Hopefully some of those struck close to home.

Indeed, hopefully this list encouraged you to examine your own life and add a few more. Confession is often the beginning of greater healing and richer blessing.

God’s second greatest desire is to bless us. He yearns to answer our prayers. He wants to fill our lives with love, joy, and peace. But his second purpose never trumps his first.

God’s first and greatest desire is relationship. But we can’t fully know him when we aren’t even honest with ourselves.

Therefore, while most lives are always filled with incredible general blessings – we’re surrounded by the beauty of creation and good people made in God’s image – our Lord may withhold specific blessings until we yield our lives to him. Indeed, he may break us before he blesses us.

In today’s Psalm, David had a serious request – “9 protect me from wicked people who attack me.” Nevertheless, before he prayed, David first examined his heart. Indeed, this future king engaged in a three-step process before assuming it was proper to make a request to God. Obviously, we might do well to follow his advice …

      Review: Before praying, David searches his own heart. Now, it might sound prideful and presumptuous if any of us say, like David, “1 my prayer … comes from an honest heart.” But let’s remember that few people in history yielded their spirit to God like David did. And let’s assume that before he prayed, “1 O LORD … listen to my cry for help … for it comes from an honest heart,” David actually examined his heart to determine if there were areas that were impure.

      Repent: Do you know the difference between confession and repentance? Confession is acknowledging that we have sin. Repentance is acknowledging our sin and taking active steps to turn from it. When David says, “3 I am determined not to sin in what I say,” he’s acknowledging his temptation to use his tongue to curse and lie and tear down others, but he repents from this desire, determining not to speak in this manner.

      Recommit: In addition to confessing his sins, David confesses his faith! And it is an active faith, not a passive faith. David praises God, saying, “I am praying to you because I know you will answer.” In the midst of David’s trials, he is recommitting himself to faith … by doing what? Praying in confidence! In spite of hard circumstances, David’s prayer is an act of recommitment to God. Furthermore, in stating his desire to “4 follow [God’s] commands” and “stay[] on [God’s] path,” David is recommiting too.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who needs to

review, repent, and recommit

… daily

Sept 3 - Psalm 16:4

Those who chase after other gods

will be filled with sorrow.

Psalm 16:4

I shouldn’t doubt God’s wisdom. I especially shouldn’t doubt God’s commands. Nevertheless, I have a least favorite commandment.

           

It’s not one that you might imagine. It’s not some sin I’m aching to avoid. Rather, I just don’t see the point in it.

In the second commandment, God tells Moses and us, “"Do not make idols of any kind … You must never worship or bow down to them …” (Ex 20:4-5).

Now, let me backpedal a little from a first overstatement. I do see some point in this command. It would be silly to make clay frogs and say, “This represents the Lord God Almighty.” Other ancient religions did this.

It would be sillier still to proclaim that the God who made heaven and earth lived in objects made by human hands. (Paul chastised the Athenians about this in Acts 17:22-28)

With that said, however, I’ve never seen many truly faithful Christians picking out a favorite tree or a stuffed frog or a used Buick and imagining that God’s presence dwelled therein.

And yet we do it all the time.

How often have you heard a Christian say, “Well, I don’t envision God as a ________”? And we take some aspect of God described in the Bible, and we say, I don’t agree with that?

Have you ever done that?

•      Have you ever said, I view God as loving, but I could never conceive of him as angry. (And yet fourteen times, scripture specifically says: “the anger of the Lord was kindled.”)
•      Have you ever said, “my God is forgiving, but it sounds so harsh to call him a judge.” (And yet the New Testament is filled with the promise that God will “judge the living and the dead.”)
•      Have you ever heard anyone say, I could never believe in a God who sends people to hell. (First, God’s whole purpose is to invite people to heaven – not cast his children into hell! Nevertheless, hell is an undeniable destination as told repeatedly through the Biblical story.) 

The question is: Have you ever done that?

The answer is: When we do, we’ve made an idol.

It’s not an idol made with human hands. Nevertheless, it’s a false picture of God, forming in our minds. We are creating images of the Lord that are different from what scripture tells us that he really is.

We’d never be so blasphemous as to say, “God is in this clay frog.” And yet we regularly put the Lord in a box – loving but not judging, for example – and proudly tell others of the limited way in which we view him.

God is not the-God-of-the-box.

He’s infinitely bigger.

If you ever pause to think about this commandment, remember this advice: “Any depiction of God that makes our Lord seem smaller is probably false!”

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who doesn’t chase after other gods,

(but has to occasionally chase

misconceptions out of his own head)

Sept 1 - 2 Chron 7:14

A solemn assembly has been declared in Charlotte. Have you ever heard of one of those?

The prophet Joel puts it like this …

Declare a holy fast;

call a SOLEMN ASSEMBLY.

Summon the elders

and all who live in the land

to the house of the Lord your God,

and cry out to the Lord.

Joel 1:14

2 Chronicles 7:14 discusses additional facets of this “cry … to the Lord.” It says …

“If my people who are called by my name …

•     humble themselves,
•     and pray
•     and seek my face,
•     and turn from their wicked ways [which is repentance again],

then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Have you sensed a growing uneasiness about the condition of our world? People’s prayers seem increasingly urgent. But the first prayer that’s needed is repentance. Repentance is always the first and necessary precondition for mercy and restoration.

Thus a solemn assembly is being called in Charlotte. It is this weekend. Eighty people from Spirit of Joy are already signed up. If you can’t come to Verizon Amphitheatre on Sunday, Sept 2, one of our council members will be at church from 3:00-4:00pm.

Let us pray for our nation. And let us start, as this event will, with our own individual repentance.

For more information, go to

www.charlotte714.com

Aug 31 - Psalm 15:1

Who may worship

in your sanctuary, LORD?

Who may enter your presence

on your holy hill?

Psalm 15:1

I was the eldest of three brothers. I picked on them, of course. But I gave Bob a much harder time than Andy.

Bobby was just two years younger and nearly my size. Therefore, it would have made more sense to pick on my youngest brother, but little Andy was a little bit crazy!

Picking on him was like poking an animal with a stick. Sometimes he’d snap … and you never wanted to mess with him again!

My dad constantly tried to teach Bobby that principle, “Bobby, pop him in the nose just once, and he’ll never mess with you again.”

“But he’ll just hit me back harder!” cried my poor little brother.

We didn’t know it, but we were playing King-of-the-Hill. Though no hill was involved in this case, the principle was the same: The biggest, the toughest, and the most-determined reigned from on top. Pretenders to the throne occasionally push back, but the biggest bully usually wins.

Psalm 15 is King-of-the-Hill. God, of course, is eternally King. But our Lord is a different kind of King. Instead of pushing his subjects away from his presence, God invites us to “dwell [with him] on [his] holy hill” (PS 12:1 NRSV).

He invites us up the mountain.

He invites us to live in love and peace and glory.

And yet, too often we’re toppled. It’s not by the King, though. Rather, we topple ourselves.

The rest of this Psalm tells us that insincerity and sin lead us away from the mountain (v. 2). Similarly, slander – which tries to bury a neighbor under the weight of lies – is really burying us ourselves in a deeper muck. The mire of a swamp is obviously far from the top of God’s holy hill (v. 3).

Wait. Let’s turn that around. Instead of worrying about what knocks us down, let’s focus on what draws us higher.

•      Honoring those who are truly faithful (v. 4)
•      Keeping our promises, even when it costs us (v. 4)
•      Being generous, even in lending (v. 5)
•      Speaking the truth (v. 2,5)
•      Doing what is right (v. 2)
•      Leading a blameless life (v. 2)
•      Speaking the truth (v. 2)
•      Despising persistent sin (v. 4)
•      Refusing to hurt, harm, or slander (v. 3)
•      Having a sincere heart (v. 2)

What draws us higher? My summary is “persistently practicing integrity.” And what is integrity? It’s who you are when nobody else is looking.

I love that definition. But it misses one important truth: The King-of-the-Hill is always looking – looking on with love, yes, but still looking.

“Lord … who may enter your presence on your holy hill?” The answer is everyone. That’s the invitation.

The problem is that we play king-of-the-hill with ourselves. When we pretend that we’re kings in charge of our own destiny, we accidentally yet repeatedly toss ourselves into the valley of futility. When we humble ourselves and follow the commands of the true King, he lifts us up.

That’s the principle of Luke 14:10. The king, the host, yearns to say, “Friend, move up higher.”.

In Christ’s Love,

a recovering bully

(who needs to apologize

for trying to be a king)

Aug 30 - Psalm 14:1

Only fools say in their hearts,

"There is no God."

Psalm 14:1

Today’s verse prompts two important questions: What do fools say? And why does it seem like there are more fools than ever?

In the first chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul described why it’s foolish to say there’s no God. He says …

What can be known about God is plain to [all], because God has shown it to [us].

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So [those who don’t know him] are without excuse.

For though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. [Rather] they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools.

Romans 1:19-22 NRSV

How does Paul say that God should be known? Through creation.

But what’s the dominant creation story in our culture? It’s a story that involves only atoms and molecules, and requires of lots of time and chance. And what it doesn’t require is God.

It’s been said that whoever controls creation, controls culture. Our world’s dominant creation story is naturalistic. We apparently don’t need God. And without God, we’re getting more and more naturalistic – should I say, carnal – results.

Think about this …

     If everything must has a purely naturalistic explanation, then miracles can’t exist.

     If miracles don’t exist, then the Bible is unreliable.

     If the Bible is unreliable, then we don’t need to follow the Law, because that’s an unreliable component of an unreliable book.

     When we have no God or Bible or Law, there is no Ultimate Truth.

     When there is no transcendent standard, there is no ultimate right or wrong. Everything is relative. You can pick and choose what seems right to you. In other words, you can become your own god.

But what if God is real? What if his eternal power, invisible though it is, really should be plain to us all? What if God’s divine nature can be understood through the things he has made? What happens if we reject a God who is really real?

The Apostle Paul suggests that our world will become futile in its thinking. Are you seeing increasing futility in our world?

And what happens to a culture when minds are progressively darkened? Behaviors are increasingly coarse, and I know I’ve been tempted by habits that thrive in the dark. How about you?

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to shuck a lot of the things that are being called wise. And I’m ready to go back to some of old truths even if some people label them foolish and outdated.

Why?

Because God is timeless and changeless and gracious and true. I want his “best,” rather than the world’s “good.”

In Christ’s Love,

a fool … for Christ

Aug 29 - Psalm 13:1

How long, O Lord?

Will you forget me forever?

Psalm 13:1

NRSV

Have you ever had a day like Alexander?

Alexander says, “I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair … and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

That’s the introductory line from Judith Viorst’s classic children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Have you ever had a day like Alexander?

A second – and more important – question is: Have you ever had a day like David?

David was anointed the future king over Israel, but it surely didn’t feel like it. David spent half a book of the Bible being chased around the Middle East by the current king of Israel. Those were some terrible, horrible, no good, very bad years.

Have you ever had decades like that?

I have too many friends who’ve been swallowed – for years – by grief, guilt, and anger, by abuse and illness, addiction and pain.  Like David …

•     Have you ever felt forgotten? David cries, “1 O LORD, how long will you forget me?”
•     Have you ever felt worthless and invisible? David pleads, “1 How long will you look the other way?”
•     Have you ever felt like your faith was drowning? David questions? “2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
•     Have you ever felt like grief was going to swallow you? David worries about the “2 sorrow in [his] heart every day.”
•     Have you ever been stabbed in the back or felt like someone was out to get you? And have you ever felt like the bad guys were winning? David did. He cried, “2 How long will my enemy have the upper hand?”

What do we do in situations like this?

The world has some good – and not so good – advice:

•     Some say treat yourself. You deserve it.
•     Others says don’t treat yourself, because what your treating yourself with is probably bad for you. (Spoil sports!)
•     Some say go to bed early because things will look brighter in the morning. (Except if you have my problem, the bad stuff often happens first thing in the morning. Maybe I should just spend the rest of the day in bed!)
•     Others say distract yourself (because apparently TV is so good for you).
•     Some urge perspective.
•     Others suggest exercise – which actually is a very good release.

Probably the best worldly advice is not bad Christian advice either:

•     Help others. (Not only is there joy in blessing others, but it takes your focus off of yourself.)

I think I’ll stick, however, with David’s advice …

      Look up. David cries, “3 Restore the light to my eyes.” When we look down, the situation often looks dark and hopeless. When we look up, we’re looking to the source of light to restore our light.

      Remember: I like to remind people that when problems are rushing at you at sixty miles per hour (like bugs flying at the windshield), remember the rearview mirror. When we look back at all the times God has blessed us in the past, it’s easier to be confident as present and future problems rush at us. That’s what David says in verse 6. I’ll add a few words so it’s easier to see: “Because he has been so good to me [in the past] … I will sing to the LORD [in the present and in spite of my current circumstances].

      Pray: Whenever you begin to think, “3 turn and answer me, O LORD my God,” you’re remembering that your first and greatest need to turn and pray to him. God often and intentionally waits for us to ask before he answers. It’s not because he doesn’t care; it’s that he cares more about the permanent relationship than the temporary problem.

      Trust … before the answer comes: Some people wait until the answer comes to begin giving thanks. That’s natural. And that’s thanksgiving. Trust is giving thanks before the answer comes. Trust is knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God heard and that God will somehow, in the end, use this circumstance to bless our eternal existence … if we let him. Some circumstances turn people away from God – for a short while or permanently. But David gives us a model of faith. “But,” says David, “[in spite of circumstances,] I trust in your unfailing love.”

      Give thanks: Notice the verb tense in this next phrase. David says, “I will rejoice because you have rescued me.” To the rest of the world it looks like the enemy is winning. David knows that with God, the victory’s already been won.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who doesn’t have

triskaidekaphobia

(I’m not afraid of number 13

or the enemies in Psalm 13,

I’m trusting in God

Aug 28 - Psalm 12:1

Help, O LORD,

for the godly are fast disappearing!

The faithful have vanished from the earth!

Psalm 12:1

According to a story from a few decades ago, a traveling salesman was driving through the forest and spotted a group of lumberjacks. He crawled out of his car and proceeded to tell them about the wonders of a brand new tool – the chain saw. “Instead of cutting down two big trees a day, you can cut down twenty.” They bought ten chainsaws.

A month later, the same salesman was driving along the same road. “How are new saws working?” he called out, as he crawled out of the car.

The men were furious. You promised we’d cut down twenty trees a day with these saws,” they said, “but with these newfangled saws we can only cut down two trees a week.”

Afraid for his life, the salesman gently persuade them to let him inspect the chainsaws to see why they weren’t working. He pulled the cord on a gas motor, and the chainsaw immediately roared to life.

The lumberjacks jumped back and shouted, “What’s that noise?!”

There is a rumor in many churches that the Christian life is filled with power. Have you ever heard that? More importantly, have you ever experienced much of that? Maybe you’re like these old lumberjacks. You’ve been told tall tales about the gift of faith, but it hasn’t really roared to life in the ways you hoped. Sound familiar?

A few years back, a researcher was shocked by a series of headlines. Things like, “Christians Divorce Just as Much as the Rest of Society,” “Drink Just as Much,” “Are Alcoholic Just as Much,” “Lie and Cheat Just as Much.” If there was such a thing as the power of faith, this researcher wanted to know why – as our verse for today says – “the godly [seemed to be] fast disappearing.”

The answer came as he applied the data from another project he was working on. He was trying to come up with a working definition for – essentially – “a faithful, active Christian.” Instead of asking how many times people went to church, he started asking what they really believed. Listing a few timeless Christian principles, he started asking, “do you believe in all six or seven of these traditional doctrines of Christianity?” His basic principles were things like …

•     Do you believe God actually created the heavens and the earth?
•     Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, born of Mary?
•     Do you believe Jesus was crucified and literally rose from the dead?
•     Do you believe that Satan and evil are real?

What he found shocked him.

While most Christians believed SOME of these basic foundational principles, only one in eleven Christians believed them ALL.

•     One in eleven!
•     In other words, just 9% of Christians are “all in.”
•     Most believers pick and choose.
•     Most people who go to church every Sunday still say, “I like this part, but I don’t agree with that part”?
•     Ten out of eleven of us raise our own logic above the timeless doctrines of the faith.
•     Ninety-one percent of us tend to follow the whims of culture (or the lyrics of secular professors), rather than the unchanging Word of God.
•     We eventually make ourselves the arbiters of own truth, and then we’re surprised that we don’t live lives that are much different than the rest of the world.

Those are staggering results. But I know they are true. Why? Because that was my experience.

While I grew up in the church, I bought into the lie that I could decide right and wrong for myself. That changed one day when my attempts at life knocked me to my knees. I was unemployed, profoundly depressed, and utterly humbled. I had no hope except to admit that I couldn’t do it on my own. I submitted myself to God. I submitted myself to his whole Word and to the basic, traditional doctrines. And suddenly here was power, hope, and light. My outward circumstances hadn’t changed, but now I had a loud and powerful chainsaw. With God’s help, I could cut away successfully at life’s obstacles.

This researcher found that the-submitted-9% are two- … three- … five- … even eleven-times less likely to engage in the same sinful behaviors as the rest of the world. Submission doesn’t mean that we’re immune to the temptations in life! All it means that we’ll have a chainsaw rather than a butter knife as we try to cut through the weeds of sin and the jungle of lies.

By yielding our hearts to God fully and trusting in his Word, we can discover a power for living.

Are you all in? If not, what keeps you from it?

In Christ’s Love,

the tin-man

(a guy who traded in

his rusty axe for a chainsaw …

and as a result discovered

a bigger heart too)