Psalms: Shout it Out!

The Psalms exhort us to speak of God, exalting His excellencies, proclaiming His wonders for all to hear.

Psalm 9:1 I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Thy wonders.

Psalm 35:28 And my tongue shall declare Thy righteousness and Thy praise all day long.

Psalm 71:15 My mouth shall tell of Thy righteousness, and of Thy salvation all day long.

Psalm 96:2-3 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

Psalm 145:6-7 And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; and I will tell of Thy greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness, and shall shout joyfully of Thy righteousness.

Let's be faithful to eagerly proclaim God's greatness and the salvation that only He can give.

Telling it Like it is

What do you think of when you hear the word witnessing? It is easy to think of it as a planned activity, or even an event or program. I have been thinking about it quite a bit lately. Our church (Believers Fellowship) has declared the next 12 months The Year of the Gospel. I have been reading encouraging and challenging posts at Kelly's Korner.

I have also read about it in Luke. We see three examples of 'witnessing' that are definitely not a planned activity, event, or program. It is just people talking about what God has done in their lives. They simply tell what they know.

In Luke 2 angels appear to the shepherds in the fields, and the shepherds go to Bethlehem and see the newborn babe, the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. But they don't just experience it themselves; they talk about it to others. Verse 17 says, And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. Verse 20 says, And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. The shepherds were eager to speak out of all that they had seen and heard. We need to do the same.

Later in Luke 2 Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple to fulfill the customs of the Law, and one of the people they encounter there is Anna. She gave thanks to God for this newborn Messiah, and she (v. 38) continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. We need to continue to speak of Him to those we come in contact with as well.

In Luke 8 Jesus heals a man who had been possessed by a legion of demons. This man wants to accompany Jesus, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you. God had done great things for every Christian. We need to be faithful to speak of Him to others.

Let's pray for one another, that we would be be bold and faithful in following these examples.

Sense and Sensibility: Spiritual Life

We have been using Jane Austen's contrasting images of Sense and Sensibility to gain a better understanding of the first phrase in Titus 2:5, to be sensible (self-controlled, discreet), and to see how we can live this out in various areas of life.

How can we display this quality in our spiritual lives? It may seem like it doesn’t fit, or it would stifle our worship or fervency, but that’s not what God’s word says.

In 1 Corinthians 12-14 Paul addresses some problems in the Corinthian church regarding spiritual gifts and worship. His concluding statement in 14:40 says, But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.

In 1 Timothy 4:7 we are instructed: Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness

A woman of sense would be consistent in her practice of the spiritual disciplines, knowing how vital they are to her life. She has a plan for her Bible reading, perhaps journals or keeps a prayer notebook. Her church attendance is regular, and committed. She values the teaching of God’s Word and listens to it attentively. She shows a pattern of spiritual growth in her life.

A woman of sensibility at times will demonstrate a real intensity in her spiritual life. At other times, when she is discouraged or caught up with other pursuits, her walk with the Lord seems empty and shallow. At times like this, she might withdraw from any spiritual activities, until she feels close to the Lord again. Then she will read her Bible and pray, but perhaps with no plan or pattern. Her church attendance and involvement is erratic. She responds to music and teaching with great emotion, but often fails to put what she’s heard into practice.

James 4:8 says, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

We must pursue our spiritual lives with discipline and consistency, when we feel particularly close to God, and even when we don’t.

This is really the key to displaying this quality in every area of life.

Carolyn Mahaney says, "One behavior, if diligently pursued, will promote self-control (NIV transation) in every area of your life…It is the daily practice of meeting with God…When we meet with God, we can find peace in the midst of trying circumstances, an eternal perspective where we have lost sight of the truth, and power to fight our battle against sin."

Being sensible, consistently demonstrating good judgment and appropriate restraint, is not a personality trait. It is a command from God for us, that we might act in a manner fitting for sound doctrine, and thus bring glory and honor to His Name.

But our personalities might more naturally be like one of the two sisters in Austen's story. So if you naturally tend to be the woman of sense, make sure you are acting not in your own strength, but in the power of the Spirit. Reach out to others with humility and compassion. If you tend to be more emotional and sensitive, pray that God would enable you to be obedient to Him. Seek to let truth lead you rather than your feelings.

It is my prayer that this quality, which is so important to God, would be a growing reality in all our lives.

Sense and Sensibility: The Heart

The Biblical heart if very different than modern American thinking. In the Bible, the heart is the core of the inner being. It includes our thinking, our emotions, our desires, our will.

Proverbs 4:23: Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

2 Corinthians 10:5 exhorts us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Philippians 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Miss Sense takes these commands very seriously. She is continually reining in her thoughts and emotions. When she has a thought or emotion that is not pleasing to the Lord, she puts that thought off, and instead puts on thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy. Or to put it another way—when the video starts playing in her mind, of hurt feelings, or worry, or discouragement, or anger, she hits the eject button. She refuses to let her mind dwell on those things. She takes those thoughts captive by examining them in light of God’s word. She guards her heart. Her emotions may be intense, but she strives to keep them under control.

Miss Sensibility is dominated by her thoughts and emotions. She lets them have free rein. She has quite a video collection, and she views them often. She plays that disc of her hurts over and over again. Every wrong done against her is reviewed, and rewound, and played in slow motion. Those anxious thoughts are fed by her imagination and allowed to build and grow. Her attitude of discouragement is examined and analyzed and cultivated, and prohibits her from carrying out the responsibilities in her life, which only makes her more discouraged. If anyone tries to correct her outlook, she moans, “You just don’t understand”. Her life is one big roller coaster, but she has no intention of getting off.

Ladies, this area of life is so important. Our hearts overflow into our words and actions, so we must take this seriously. Let’s be honest here. We as women are emotional creatures. This is something we all have to deal with.

In her book, Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney says, "We must understand that our feelings are not authoritative. Just because we feel something doesn’t make it true."

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones has said, "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself".

We must stop listening to ourselves, and remind ourselves of the truth of God’s Word. We must be sensible.

Sense and Sensibility: Speech

Words are powerful--for good or evil, to build up or to tear down, to comfort or to criticize. So it is important that our speech is sensible.

The Bible has much to say about our speech. Luke 6:45 reminds us that our mouths speak from that which fills our hearts. So this is not only a tongue issue, it’s a heart issue. It’s definitely an area where God wants us to demonstrate self-control, to be sensible.

Being sensible in our speech is also what’s best for us.
Proverbs 21:23: He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.

What does sensible speech look like, or should we say sound like?

Ephesians 4:29: Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

This verse would describe the pattern of speech for our woman of sense. Certainly she wouldn’t display perfection in this area, but this would characterize her overall manner of speaking.

She would be diligent to guard her tongue.
She would be careful about the timing of her speech.
She would seek to build others up with her words.
She would vigilantly avoid gossip, either giving it or receiving it.

Our woman of sensibility has a favorite verse regarding the tongue as well.
James 3:8: No one can tame the tongue...
So she doesn’t even try; her words flow freely. No one needs to wonder about her emotions; her words make them very clear. She eagerly enjoys the dainty morsels of gossips; she just can’t help herself.

Many verses in Proverbs contrast two opposing images; we could label them sense and sensibility.
Proverbs 10:19: When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable(sensibility), but he who restrains his lips is wise (sense).
Proverbs 12:18: There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of the sword (sensibility), but the tongue of the wise brings healing (sense).
Proverbs 15:1: A gentle answer turns away wrath (sense), but a harsh word stirs up anger (sensibility).
Proverbs 15:28: The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer (sense), but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things (sensibility).

God hears our words before we even say them, so let’s commit to speak in a way that will honor Him. We want to speak sensibly. What verse encourages you to speak sensibly? Please share it in a comment.

Sense and Sensibility: Finances

We are borrowing Jane Austen's pictures of Sense and Sensibility, personified in the two Dashwood sisters, to look at the first phrase of Titus 2:5, and how we can be sensible, discreet, or self-controlled in various areas of life. Today's topic is finances.

The Bible has much to say about money and possessions. Christ Himself had more to say about money and possessions than about heaven and hell combined. 1 out of every 10 verses in the gospels is about money and possessions.

God says so much about money and possessions because He knows this is an important area of our lives. It is something we need to deal with just about every day. It is definitely a spiritual issue, and an area where we must be sensible.

We need to realize that everything we have really belongs to God.
Psalm 24:1: The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.
Haggai 2:8: The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of hosts.

So if everything we have belongs to God, we are merely stewards, or money managers.
1 Corinthians 4:2: In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy
While the context of this verse refers to spiritual resources, God requires this of our physcial resources as well. The woman of ‘sense’ takes this stewardship seriously. She wants to please the Lord with her finances.

Therefore, she has a plan for her finances, a budget. Her purchases are made according to this plan. She gives regularly to the church. Because she plans ahead, she can help those in need.

She isn’t stingy or miserly, but she is frugal. She’s a wise shopper. She has a plan for her meals, and shops from a list. She knows where to get the best deals. She saves up for larger purchases, and sets aside money for those unexpected events—car repairs, medical emergencies, etc. She balances her checkbook and pays off her credit card bill each month. She is content with what God has given her.

Miss Sensibility, on the other hand, thinks budget is a dirty word. She doesn’t think about being God’s steward, she thinks about pleasing herself. She shops according to her desires, not any kind of plan. It doesn’t matter if she can’t afford it. I’ll just charge it, she thinks. She may even hide her purchases from her husband, or lie to him about what she has spent. She shops where it’s most convenient, or at the most popular place, regardless of cost.

She is a sucker for any kind of advertising gimmick. She’ll buy things she doesn’t need because she has a coupon or it’s on sale, and thinks she’s being a smart shopper. No interest until 2010 will sound too convincing to pass up. Her giving at church is pretty much hit and miss, perhaps more miss than hit. She either foregoes giving to missionaries or those in need, or gives to them extravagantly. She is most always discontent, but perhaps a trip to the mall will take care of that!

The reality is we are God’s stewards. The only question is whether or not we are faithful.

What have you found that helps you be a faithful steward of the financial resources the Lord has placed in your care? What money-saving tips do you practice? Please leave a comment with your suggestions.

Sense and Sensibility: Time Management, Priorities, Scheduling

In our ongoing series on Sense and Sensibilitiy, today's topic is time management, priorities, and scheduling.

The woman of ‘sense’ knows that this is a very important area, so she gives it serious consideration and planning.

Ephesians 5:15-16: Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

To display good sense you must:
--Know your priorities and regularly evaluate your practice to make sure they match.
--Have a prayerfully planned schedule for the day and week.
--Continually be on the look--out both for ways to maximize your time, and time wasters that must be eliminated.
--Remember that interruptions and unexpected events are part of God’s sovereign plan for your day and life, and should be embraced, not fumed over.
--Realize that making the most of your time will involve saying No! to many things, even good things.

On the other hand, time management, scheduling, and priorities may seem like words of restriction and limitation to the woman of ‘sensibility’. She wants to be free to spend her time as her fancy leads her. She has no plan, so she flits from one activity to another, not accomplishing the truly important in favor of the enjoyable or seemingly urgent.

Or perhaps her particular bent of sensibility manifests itself in perfectionism. Her house is immaculate, but her family doesn’t feel like they can be at home there. Her ducks are all in a row, but relationships are neglected.

God calls us to use our time wisely, making the most of our opportunities. That’s being sensible.

What techniques do you use to make the most of your time?

Sense and Sensibility: Food and Exercise

In the previous post, we began to look at the term "sensible" (or discreet, or self-controlled) from Titus 2:5. We are going to borrow Jane Austen's contrasting viewpoints of sense and sensibility to look at different areas of life, to see how we can apply the truths of Titus 2 to our own lives. Today the topic is food and exercise.

To take a ‘sense’ approach to our food, we will be governed my moderation.

I Corinthians 10:31: Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

To glorify God we must be thankful for the food He has given us. It is okay, even appropriate, to enjoy the food He has given us. We want to be good stewards of the bodies God has given us, so we must seek a generally healthy, nutritious diet.

I think it is very easy to see food as a totally non-spiritual issue. But that is a lie. God commands us to glorify Him in all that we do, including our diet.

Elisabeth Eliot said, "We cannot give our hearts to God and keep our bodies to ourselves."

In contrast, a ‘sensibility’ approach to food could take a number of forms.

Probably most frequently we overindulge our desires in this area. Our senses tell us, I want chocolate, or potato chips, or ice cream, or whatever is your own favorite, and, in this case very literally, we feed that desire. We eat not to glorify God, but to please self, or because we’re discouraged, or nervous, or angry, or bored.

But sensibility can take other, more deceptive forms.

We can be zealous regarding our diet, but for all the wrong reasons—such as vanity, sensuality, desire for acceptance, fear of man.

We can become obsessed with healthy eating to the point where it, rather than God, dominates our thinking, discussions, and decision making, and we become judgmental toward others. God wants us to eat in a way that will glorify Him. That’s being sensible.

Miss Sense knows that exercise is good for her, part of a healthy lifestyle. She has a plan and puts it into practice with a reasonable degree of consistency, on days she feels like it and days she doesn't. Miss Sensibility again can go to extremes. She may avoid exercise altogether, or participate only when she's in the mood. Or she may be an exercise fanatic. Fitness is the driving force in her life. She frantically fights against the aging process and is determined to work out like a 25 year old, even if she's 50. Actually she needs to work out even harder, because she still hopes to look like that 25 year old.

In this area of life, who are you--Sense or Sensibility?

Please share any ideas or practical steps you take that help you to be sensible, or self-controlled regarding food and exercise.

Sense and Sensibility

If you are looking for a Jane Austen book club, you've come to the wrong place! I am just borrowing her imagery to look at the first phrase in Titus 2:5.

Titus 2:3-5: Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.

This is part of a larger passage in Titus 2, where Paul commands Timothy to “speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). The focus here is not on preaching doctrine, but practical instructions for living. In verses 2-10, Paul goes on to give detailed description of fitting, or appropriate behavior for different groups within the church—older men, older women, young women, young men, and slaves.

This instruction is not a list of good ideas for those who want to go above and beyond; these are commands for us so that we will honor God’s word, be a shining testimonies to even our enemies, and make the doctrine of God our Savior appear attractive to others.

The phrase, to be sensible (in the NASB), is also translated to be discreet (KJV), and to be self-controlled (NIV, ESV). As I looked in various lexicons and commentaries, I found all these descriptions:
Of a sound mind, sane, in one’s senses, curbing one’s desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate
Mature judgment and proper restraint
Common sense and good judgment
A well-balanced, properly regulated mind; discreet and prudent
You can see why the translators had a hard time capturing this concept in a single English word!

To get a better understanding of this concept, let’s look at other places in the Bible where this term is used.

In Titus 1:8 and 1 Timothy 3:2 this is one of the requirements for an elder.

In our context of Titus 2:1-10, this is the only quality required for everyone. In verse 2 older men are to be sensible. In verse 6 younger men are to be sensible. The term in verse 4 which is probably translated encourage or train in your Bible is a form of this same word, literally the older women are to bring the younger women to their senses, implying that the older women are to be sensible themselves. And of course we are looking at it here in verse 5, for the younger women. This quality may seem unimportant, perhaps even a little boring, to us, but it must be important to God if He requires it of everyone. We need to think of it as important as well.

Other forms of this word are used in:
Mark 5:15—After Jesus heals the man possessed with a legion of demons, it says he was in his right mind

Romans 12:3 commands us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment

In 1 Peter 4:7 we are commanded to be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. This verse highlights the spiritual implication of our concept. If we are being sensible, we will realize our dependency on God; it will drive us to our knees.

While this term encompasses the idea of self-control, it is broader than that. A totally different word is used in Galations 5:23.

By looking at the ideas of sense and sensibility from the Jane Austen novel, I think we can see a contrasting picture that will help us understand this biblical concept, and how we can apply it to our own lives. In today’s thinking and language sense and sensibility might seem like synonyms. But in Jane Austen’s day they were opposites. Austen uses these terms to capsulate the two sisters that are central in her story. Sense and sensibility summarize each one’s framework for living. If you’ve ever read the book or seen the movie I want you to picture those two sisters. One is dominated by sense. She seeks to make wise decisions, even when it means restraining her own emotions and desires. It’s not that she doesn’t feel strongly, but she exercises self-control. The other sister is dominated by sensibility—she is totally consumed by what she senses and feels. In modern language, we might describe her as excessively emotional and sensitive. Not only does she not curb her emotions and desires, she eagerly feeds them.

Over the next few posts, I want to look at several areas of life, and paint two pictures--actually, they will merely be preliminary sketches—one of sense, which for our purposes we will embody our biblical concept, and the other of sensibility. As we look at these different areas, look for ways you can put this into practice in your own life.

Holidays: Ideals can be Idols

Holidays can be wonderful. They offer a special time to spend with family and friends, enjoying the relationships God gives us. They can also be times of disappointment and unmet expectations.

I recently had a great holiday, well, really, it was the day after Mother's Day, but that's close enough. I was able to spend time with all three of my sons, and my grandson. We spent the day at Disneyland with Ben, Bobby, and his wife Christa, and their son Tyler. The picture to the right is Ben, my youngest, me, and Bobby, my oldest. On the left I am enjoying a silly moment with my grandson, Tyler. That evening we had dinner with Billy and Cory. Sorry, no pix.

Mother's Day is one holiday where it is very easy to make the ideal an idol.

Maybe you are not a mother, but greatly desire to be one. That desire can become an idol of the heart with little or no effort, and Mother's Day becomes a day of self-pity.

Maybe your ideal Mother's Day comes from a Hallmark commercial, complete with breakfast in bed, flowers, lunch or dinner at your favorite restaurant, and new jewelry. When that ideal fantasy doesn't become reality (I can almost guarantee you it won't!), your day is ruined. You spend the day regretting what you don't have instead of rejoicing in what you do have. Your ideal has become an idol.

Maybe your Mother's Day includes a family celebration with multiple mothers, so you have to serve instead of being served. You respond dutifully, but perhaps also resentfully.

Maybe you are struggling with a difficult child, or a wayward teen or adult child, and your frustrations and disappointment dominate your holiday.

Maybe your children are grown and gone, and none of them, or not all of them, will be with you on Mother's Day. For most moms, having all the children and grandchildren around her would be the ideal holiday. If that ideal has become an idol, the day can be filled with dissatisfaction and discontent when the crowd is small or non-existent.

The possibilities are abundant, our hearts are idol-factories. So we must guard our hearts. As the next holiday approaches, we must search our hearts for any idealistic and idol-istic expectations, and confess them as sin. We are then free to enjoy the opportunities God gives us with thankfulness, not disappointment. When we focus on pleasing the Lord, and not ourselves, we can always have a happy holiday.

When it Doesn't Make Sense

It is easy for Christians today, myself included, to evaluate commands from God's Word from some personal perspective. Maybe the command seems too difficult, or it is in direct conflict with the wisdom of the world or our own emotions, or it just doesn't make sense. We have become masters at justifying our own disobedience. Instead we need to obey whether it makes sense or not, whether it is popular in our day or not (usually it's not), whether our emotions are cheering us on, or screaming No!

This isn't an issue unique to our day. Peter faced the same concern. We find one such occurence in Luke 5:1-11. Verses 4-5: And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at Your bidding I will let down the nets." It's easy to imagine Peter's thoughts. "I'm the professional fisherman here, your request doesn't make any sense at all." Yet, out of his respect and love for Jesus, he obeys.

You probably remember what happens next. Verses 6-7: And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish; and their nets began to break; and they signaled to their partners in the other boat, for them to come and help them. And they came, and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. Jesus was in control. He knew the fishing situation far better than the fishing experts.

The same is true today. God is sovereign. God's wisdom is far above our own. Isaiah 55:6-7: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways", declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Romans 11:33: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

We don't need to understand; We need to obey. Peter understood the crux of the matter. In verse 8 he says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" We are the sinners; Christ is the Savior. We are the sheep; He is the Good Shepherd. We are the clay, He is the potter. We are the slaves; He is the Master. We need to obey Him, no matter what.

In the Swim

Our pool was officially finished today. Praise the Lord! Today the temperature was in the 90s, perfect swimming weather. So Bruce and I both took advantage of it. Actually I went swimming yesterday as well, even though everything was not completely finished and hooked up. There was a pool full of water, it was hot, I thought, "Why not?"

God is so gracious to not only meet our basic needs, but bless us in so many additional ways. He indeed "richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." (1 Tim 6:17) I am thankful that He has so graciously provided for us to have a pool. So whatever of God gifts you are enjoying, whether it's your favorite food, or spending time with family and friends, a special hobby or recreational activity, or even your

favorite salad dressing, enjoy it and praise God for it.

Not only are we to enjoy what God gives, and be thankful, but we can share what we have with others. So, if this picture looks inviting to you, give us a call, and come over and swim!

Back to Blogging

After months (actually, more than a year) of not being able to access my blog after my computer froze when they were updating the way blogger operated, (It wasn't just my technological ineptitude, even my kids couldn't figure it out) I discovered I could access it from my laptop. Praise the Lord! Blogspot is much more user friendly than wordpress, so I am happy to be able to return to blogging here.


Last month I was reading in Psalm 119, probably my favorite--176 verses exalting the Word of God. What a blessing! We will be studying it this summer in our women's Bible study; I'm looking forward to it! Here are just a few of my favorite verses:

v.4--Thou hast ordained Thy precepts, that we should keep them diligently.

v.11--Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.

v.38--Establish Thy word to Thy servant, as that which produces reverence for Thee.

v.92--If Thy law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.

v.128--Therefore I esteem right all Thy precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.

v.140--Thy word is very pure, therefore Thy servant loves it.

v.160--The sum of Thy word is truth, and every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting.

v.165--Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.

And here's the verse I've been praying this week--for myself, and those on my prayer list:

v.27--Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, so I will meditate on Thy wonders.

I would heartily recommend that you spend some time in this wonderful psalm. If you go to Believers Fellowship, sign up for the summer study, or at least get the material so you can study it on your own.

As you read this psalm, you can't help but notice the whole-hearted devotion of the psalmist to God and to His Word. As I pray verses from this psalm, I trust that the Lord will change my heart, and I might more consistently stand in awe of Thy words. (v. 161)

A Firm Grip on God's Word

Pursuing avenues of spiritual growth requires discipline. I have to be disciplined and committed to walking along the beautiful path, much more disciplined and committed than I have been to blogging! One of the primary avenues we need to pursue is God's Word.

In his book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney says, “No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

Notice it says all Scripture. Not some, not even most, but all.

It is inspired—literally God-breathed. John MacArthur says,
“Scripture first of all and above all is from God and about God….The Bible is not a collection of the wisdom and insights of men, even of godly men. It is God’s truth, His own Word in His own words.”

All Scripture is profitable—beneficial, productive, sufficient

For teaching—to show us God’s path
For reproof—to show us when we get off God’s path
For correction—to help us get back on the path
For training in righteousness—to help us stay on the path

Through Scripture we are adequately equipped for every good work—no exceptions.

It is clear that if we want to progress on the path to spiritual maturity, we need to have a firm grip on God’s Word.

Pursue Avenues of Spiritual Growth

The beautiful path is the path to spiritual maturity. Over the next several posts, we will look at three keys on that path. The first key is to Pursue Avenues of Spiritual Growth.

While the Spirit is at work in the life of every true believer, and no growth happens apart from His work, that does not mean that the path to spiritual maturity requires no effort on the part of the believer. Quite the contrary.

Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul sets the example for us as we press on along God’s path.

The Spirit’s work and the believer’s work are demonstrated in Colossians 1:29
And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Paul is laboring, toiling to the point of exhaustion, and striving, an athletic term from which we get the English word agonize, but it is all according to God’s power which is mightily working in him. That needs to be our practice as well. John MacArthur says, “All his toil and hard labor would have been useless apart from God’s power in his life.”

1 Timothy 4:7 tells us to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.

The Greek word for discipline here is gymnazo, from which we get gymnasium. It is speaking of training. This is a time of year when many people are starting a new fitness regimen. It is a great time to start or rethink your spiritual fitness regimen. To make progress along the beautiful path, the path to spiritual maturity, we need to exercise our spiritual muscles, and that takes discipline.

We want to be actively pursuing avenues of spiritual growth. We could discuss many profitable spiritual disciplines, such as worship, evangelism, serving, and giving. But in upcoming posts I want to focus on just two—God’s Word and prayer. Both are key elements to any spiritual exercise program.

The Beautiful Path

When you become a Christian you begin a great journey, which will culminate when you enter the glorified state to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One day we will finally be like Him. Our sin, and selfishness, and struggles with the flesh will be gone forever. Hallelujah! But it is a journey, we do not get their overnight.

2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way:
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

The Spirit is at work in our lives, conforming us to the image of Christ.

In the next several posts, I am going to discuss the path to spiritual maturity.

What does this path look like? The Psalms describe this path in a number of ways.
Psalm 16:11 calls it the path of life
Psalm 23:3 refers to paths of righteousness
Psalm 25:10 says, "All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth "
Psalm 27:11 calls it a level path

Sounds like a pretty good place to be! When we go the way God has designed for us to go, it truly is a beautiful path.

God is at work, leading us along His path, and we, like Paul, can be confident that the Lord will complete His work in us.

Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Does that just mean we sit back and let the Spirit work? What part do we play in this great journey?

We'll look at that next time.

Bountiful Blessings from a Gracious Giver

Today Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving. Many will eat turkey, spend time with family and friends, take naps, and watch football, but few will actually give thanks. Fewer still will give thanks to the true God, who is the one who bestows every good thing and every perfect gift. Christians will probably spend some time counting their blessings and thanking God for His abundant goodness. But thanksgiving should not be limited to the fourth Thursday in November. God commands us to be thankful as a way of life.

1 Thessalonians 5:18--in everything give thanks

Ephesians 5:20--always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father

Colossians 3:17--And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

So while thanksgiving is to be standard operating procedure for a Christian, it is appropriate on this day to spend some time contemplating God's bountiful blessings and thanking Him for them.

God has truly blessed me in so many ways.

I thank Him for His gracious gift of salvation. He opened my blind eyes to see my own helplessness and hopelessness, and made me a new creation in Christ. He continues to graciously work in my life, like a master artist lovingly and faithfully chipping away at my ugly selfishness, conforming me to the image of His Son.

I thank Him for His marvelous word, in which I can learn of Him, and see the depth of the riches both of His wisdom and knowledge.

I thank Him for the wonderful family He has so graciously given me. I thank Him for a godly, wise, steadfast, and faithful husband, who is my very best friend. I thank Him for three wonderful sons who love and serve the Lord. They are a marvelous testimony of God's amazing grace to me; they are such special men. I thank God for a godly daughter-in-law who loves the Lord and mothering our grandson. I love being encouraged spiritually by all of their blogs. I thank God for a soon to be (22 more days!) daughter-in-law, who God has so graciously brought into my son's life. We will soon have two beautiful daughters-in-law, inside and out. I thank God for a grandson, and pray that God will graciously work in his life to make him a mighty man of God.

I thank Him for the gracious blessing of fellowship. Last weekend we returned to San Antonio, where we had lived and my husband had pastored for 10 1/2 years. It was a joy to see many friends again, and to hear how the Lord was working in their lives. Even though we have been gone for almost 1 1/2 years, it was so easy to just pick up where we had left off, and enjoy sweet fellowship together.

Mostly I thank God for just being Himself. He is so awesome, absolutely holy, completely good, immensely powerful, infinitely wise, and totally loving.

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, or can show forth all His praise? Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the Lord! Psalm 106:1-2,48

Happy thanksgiving!

Hope Against Hope

In our culture, we are hopeful about many things. We may hope for good weather for a special activity. A student may hope to do well on an upcoming test. Right now many Detroit Tiger fans are hoping their team will come back and put up a fight in the World Series. I am hoping the USC Trojans finish their season strong and continue to win.

We may hope for a lot of things, but even in our hope we aren't always very hopeful. Although Tiger fans are still hoping to win the World Series, they are down 1-3, and may not be very optimistic.

Biblical hope is totally different. It is not wishful thinking; it is a confident expectation. Abraham displayed this kind of hope, described for us in Romans 4:18-21. In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

Abraham had hope in a hopeless situation. He was 100 years old, and his wife Sarah was 90. From a human perspective, their chance of having a baby at this point was no chance at all. It was impossible. Yet Abraham did not become weak in faith (v. 19); he did not waver in unbelief (v.20). How could he do this? He was fully assured that God was able to fulfill His promise (v. 21). God had promised a son, and Abraham trusted God. He knew God would keep His word.

Like Abrahm, we can count on God's faithfulness.

Psalm 12:6--The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

Proverbs 30:5--Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. God's Word passes the test every single time.

Deuteronomy 7:9--Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation to those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Psalm 36:5--Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Thy faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Deuteronomy 32:4--The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.

Isaiah 25:1--O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; for Thou hast worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. God's faithfulness is absolutely perfect.

Are you facing a difficult situation? From a human perspective, do your circumstances seem hopeless? Follow Abraham's example, and focus on the Lord. He is sovereign, good, loving, and powerful. Remind yourself of these truths, and you too can have hope against hope.

Lamentations 3:21-23--This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lonvingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.

Dwelling on the Praiseworthy

In an ongoing look at Set your Mind, Set your Course, we have seen the POWER of the mind. Whatever dominates our thinking is going to dominate our lives, whether we want it to or not.
We have seen the PRIORITY of the mind. We are to set our minds on things above. We are to have an eternal, spiritual perspective on life. We have been looking at the PATTERN for the mind, found in Philippians 4:8. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. We have looked at these terms one by one.

Our last attribute is praiseworthy, literally on or upon praise. Nothing or no one is more worthy of our praise than God Himself, our amazing Creator and sovereign Lord.
Here we’ve come back full circle to focusing our thoughts on God. I must fix my eyes on Jesus, as I’m instructed in Hebrews 12:2. When my thoughts are dwelling on my precious Savior, my heart is filled with praise, and the things of this world grow strangely dim, as the song says.

When I set my mind on The One who is praiseworthy, I have set a course to please the Lord.

Let me share a couple of my favorite praise passages.
Psalm 103:1-2--Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.
Philippians 3:20-21--Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

What verses or thoughts stimulate you to praise the Lord?

Our minds are busy, we’re always thinking about something. Let’s purpose to let our minds dwell on things that our pleasing to the Lord, and thus set our course for spiritual prosperity.

Dwelling on What's of Good Repute and Excellent

In Philippians 4:8, the Lord gives us instructions as to what He desires in our pattern of thinking. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Our minds are to dwell on thoughts of good repute--well thought of, highly regarded, admirable. This kind of thinking searches for the good rather than the bad, in ourselves and in others.

What forms the basis of your self-image? Do you obsess over your faults and weaknesses, the things you've done wrong? Or do you focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, thankful that He died to forgive sin, and has made all who believe in Him new creatures? Does your mind dwell on who you are in Christ, on the reality that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him, on the riches of His grace which He has lavished upon us, on the riches of the glory of our inheritance in Him, on the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe? (Ephesians 1)

We all know from personal experience about hurtful feelings. Maybe someone has said something unkind to us, or disappointed us in some way. How do we respond? Do we nurse our hurt feelings, and replay them in our minds over and over again, with the initial offense, whether real or imagined, growing each time? This is the opposite of thoughts of good repute. I need to focus on the good qualities of others, the positive actions they have taken toward me, and what positive actions I can take toward them. I want to focus on the positive in others, not the negative.

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

What are some practical ways we concentrate on the positive? What has helped you to overcome evil with good in your relationships? What has helped you to think thoughts of good repute, about yourself or others?

When I set my mind on thoughts of bad repute, I set my course for self-pity, bitterness, and misery.

Now the terminology changes—if there is any excellence. In the Greek if can mean different things, this one could be translated since. We are commanded to think about the excellent.

Ecclesiastes 9:10a--Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might
Colossians 3:23--Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men

Excellence is what God desires from us, but it is very easy to fall into better than, or good enough thinking.

Well, I think I am a better Christian than so and so. I’m doing a good enough job to get by.

How do we think about the responsibilities God has given for us to do? These take on many shapes and styles for different women and at different times in our lives—maybe it’s a ministry opportunity, a responsibility we have as a student, an obligation at our place of employment, or just the day in day out activities of life. Do we take a better than, or good enough attitude? Or do we seek to please God in all we think, say, and do, and pursue excellence?

When we set our minds on better than or good enough thinking, we set our course for mediocrity and self-righteousness.