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Are you in?

Light coming from book in woman's hands in gesture of giving, offering. Concept of wisdom, religion, reading, imagination.

Deuteronomy 23; Psalms 112–113; Isaiah 50; Revelation 20

Yesterday Jon talked about the fear of the Lord – fear, a noun, defined as reverential awe. Today I also want to talk about fear, but a different kind of fear – fear, a noun, defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).

Revelation 20:15 may be the scariest verse in the Bible. It describes the final judgment- the last chance for people to be in or out. Either your name is written in the book of life and you will spend eternity with God or it is not and you are condemned to spend eternity in hell away from God. Eternal torment. This reality should strike fear, a truly distressing emotion, into the heart of anyone who doesn’t have confidence they are in.

If your question today is, “how do I have confidence I am in”, let’s review:

God’s invitation is open to all – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

We all need it – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23a).

We can’t earn it – …but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b); For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus is the only way – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Jesus paid the price for us – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

We must affirm faith in Jesus to be saved – If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

God’s plan for salvation isn’t about fear. It is about love. Do you still need to put your faith in Jesus Christ? If you haven’t already, would say this prayer with me today?

God, I confess I am a sinner and deserve the consequences of my sin. But, I believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection made a way for my forgiveness. Today, I am turning from my sin and putting my trust in Jesus and Jesus alone. Thank you Lord for forgiving me. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

The Fear of the Lord

Today’s reading has three verses referencing a fear of the Lord. That made me wonder if I actually fear him, so as an exercise to help me think about what it means to fear something, I brainstormed on a few things that I actually do fear: falling off the edge of a cliff (even though I’m nowhere near the edge), ladders, electricity, clowns, extreme turbulence, diving into shallow water, and lack of preparation. Some irrational fear in there but some healthy fear as well.

Deuteronomy 22; Psalms 110–111; Isaiah 49; Revelation 19

He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 111:5)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all those who practice it have a good understanding.
    His praise endures forever! (Psalm 111:10)

And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.” (Revelation 19:5)

I’ve come to view the word fear in these verses to be reverence as opposed to a common “fear” of something we might want to run away from. For example, I don’t fear a hot stove, but I have a healthy respect for its intended use and corresponding dangers when misused. In what ways do I reflect a lack of fear (reverence) in the Lord? What does fearing the Lord look like? How is this wise?

Creating the table below was a great exercise to challenge my thinking and behaviors. Each of the earthly focused items are all too near to the way that I live, so creating this table reminded me of my current focus and where it needs to be.

My earthly focus disrespects, dishonors, or demonstrates a lack of fear of God when I…	My eternal focus demonstrates fear or reverence for God when I…	The wisdom…
Blatantly disobey to feed my own desire. If it feels good, I do it!	Obey his commands, even when I don’t want to. Die to self.	And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38)
Keep on sinning. He’ll forgive me right?	Choose to give up a recurring sin and remember the price that Jesus paid for me to be forgiven.	For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
Put my trust in wealth, power, and pleasure. I choose the lies that the world tries to tell me.	Put my trust in Godly things. His word, guidance from the Holy Spirit, his mercy through Jesus.	The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy (Psalm 111:7)
Seek “what’s in it for me” in this relationship.	Meet someone new and contemplate how I can share the love of Jesus with them. Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit so as to make Jesus known. Share what a difference Jesus has made in my life.	And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)
Try to speed through the week to get to the weekend for some fun!	Slow down. Rest. Live in the moment. Thank God for each new day, for the little things. Live in prayer and set aside time for the reading of scripture.	And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (Mark 6:31)
Worry about the future; my job, family, and finances.	Give it all up to God. He’s got it!!! He may not give me what I think I want, when I want it, but he’s in control and that’s that!	Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

For God’s Glory

Tearing up another crumpled paper ball for the pile

Deuteronomy 21; Psalms 108–109; Isaiah 48; Revelation 18

I sat and sat trying to find the perfect story to explain Isaiah 48. I wanted to tell how we all take Gods promises and use them to glorify ourselves. Like the time that God honored my prayer for more business and I decided the growth was because of my superior product knowledge. I also wanted to tell about how we all have carved idols, we just name them other things. For example, I asked God for a car so that I can get to work more easily and he granted my request. I bought a Cadillac and quickly rose to the top of the parking lot. I am sure thankful for his great provision. Heck, I even tell anyone who asks that it was a gift from God.

If I were to write that story, I would also have to explain that these prayers are just like the Israelites. Isaiah lashes out at them in the very first verse. He illustrates that we are quick to invoke God’s name in all things, but our actions don’t reflect his commands. This is where it gets hard because people don’t want to hear about God’s commands. They only want to know about how loving and merciful he is. Besides, if he didn’t want us to sin, he wouldn’t have given us the desire to do so, right? That conversation would have taken us all the way back to the Garden of Eden. I would have to remind the reader that our bad choices demanded that God establish rules, even rules that are impossible to keep. Our failure to keep them illuminates the Truth. They can show us when we are stealing glory from him. The story would conclude with an explanation of why we are here. It would say God created us for his good pleasure and to give him glory. The answer is easy really. In fact, the answer to all of our problems lies right there. Give him the glory. When we do, he returns peace and righteousness. When we don’t, we get cut off and destroyed. In the end, I wonder why we didn’t pray for his glory and our righteousness in the first place.

If I were to write that story, I would feel really awful for having gotten it wrong all these years. I would wonder if there is still hope for me and if God could still love me. I would shed a river of tears feeling hopeless and guilty. And then I would remember Jesus.

Someday, I will write that story.

How to prepare for battle

Today’s reading: Deuteronomy 20; Psalm 107; Isaiah 47; Revelation 17

June 15th, 2016

Deuteronomy 20 contains laws pertaining to warfare. Today we will dive into those focused on the army (verses 1-9) but instead of closing with a question, here is one for your consideration as you read; if you knew a battle was coming soon that you were going to fight in, what would you do today?

When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. – Deuteronomy 20:1–4

Like everything else, the Israelite conception of war centered on trust in God. This meant they did things different than most nations. For example, God’s law discouraged them from keeping a standing army. Back in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we see the restrictions placed on the king. You might think things pertaining to the king would list off rights and privileges, instead we find a list of restrictions and obligations. The restrictions and obligations all pointed to trust in God. The law restricted the king from amassing power; no amassing horses for a cavalry, nor wives, nor wealth for paying an army. He and the people were not to build up trust in things of this world. The obligations pointed to where the king’s power actually comes from and where he and his people should place their trust. The king’s obligation upon taking the throne was to write a copy of the law, to keep it by him and read it every day he lives that he may learn to fear the LORD his God; to keep the law and do it that his heart not be lifted up among his brethren nor turn from the commandments. With this in mind the verses above were to a civilian population formed in to a militia only when needed. The law regarding the army continues.

And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. – Deuteronomy 20:5–7

Here we have another oddity when compared to other nations. In the time of war a nation will often call up the young men from among the people to fight for her. Here is the opposite. We see here a list of able bodied men who were told in a sense ‘we don’t need you to fight for us, get out of here.’ Let me explain my presumption at them being able bodied. They either just built a house, planted a vineyard, or married. Interesting. Again clearly we see a different idea of battle plans; trusting in things of this world are dismissed and replaced with trust in the LORD.

And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart. And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people. – Deuteronomy 20:8–9

The last law pertaining to the army is quite clear. The first two sections we looked at apply to who we trust in and who we do not trust in. This law deals with those we do not subscribe to the truth. Go home. God’s got this. The dismissal of the faithless protects the faithful.

Extra credit:

Exodus 17:8-15 – Moses trusts in the LORD in battle
Joshua 6 – Joshua trusts in the LORD in battle
Judges 7– Gideon trusts in the LORD in battle

Gentle Reminder

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 19; Psalm 106; Isaiah 46; Revelation 16

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good his love endures forever. What a great reminder and song in Psalm 106:1

Please, sit back and give the yoke to Jesus. He is our co-pilot on this mission.

Our entrance slip for today does require you to think of three mighty acts God has done for you this year. These events can be around yourself, family, or others. Look close and take a minute to reflect.

Do you have your acts? A few I thought of included 1) God baptizing my wife Jennifer 2) God joining a group of brothers and sisters in Christ to go through the bible in a year together and journal everyday 3) God providing healing and love through a time of loss in our family. There has been more but I would love to hear yours. Really looking closely at our lives, there are miracles daily we can find when we take time to notice.

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise? Psalm 106:2

I’m amazed and captivated as I learn more about the amazing miracles performed by Jesus in our Bible. Still even being a witness to these mighty acts then or mighty acts today we can forget about our eternal kingdom and look for instant gratification. Why do we struggle with this?

Psalm 106:13 But soon they forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

How often do we do leave out His counsel? I struggle when I want things now and of course my way. I sit here and laugh at this because it is right here in our face but yet I still try to take the wheel and think I’m in control. I’m at times enticed by worldly things that draw me away from remembering all of what God has done and is doing for me. I’m sorry. In our instant gratification world we need to look to the Lord and ask if this is what He wants us to do. Just like in the Psalms we need this reminder often so we don’t get lost in this world. Here is your reminder for the day!

God puts amazing and hard events in our lives to remind us of His amazing power and help us to avoid the instant gratification lifestyle. He uses our struggling times to humble us, help wean away from worldly things that can control us, lift up our prayers, make us more compassionate, remain faithful and dependent on Him, and encourages us to submit it all to God and His purpose for our lives. I know there are things weighing on your mind or battling you for attention. Push submit now…

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Psalm 106:44-45

How great is our God! His love endures forever. He gives us grace even when we don’t deserve it. He is faithful and gracious and sent His son for us and to die for our sins. What a wonderful Father.

Dear God, please give us the wisdom, understanding, and love to call on You in all we do. Give us Your timely reminders that it’s not about us or the other gods we hold up, its about You. It’s about trusting in the promise You made to us. Father, we pray you help us to recognize Your voice and follow Your lead in all we do. Amen

Have a God counseled day!

Conquering the Beast

Today’s Readings: Deuteronomy 18, Psalm 105, Isaiah 45, Revelation 15

Like a little fool I’m going to write to you today about the book of Revelation. I’ve been a little hesitant about the book of Revelation from the beginning. Ok, if I’m being honest, it’s more like I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. It seems like all the seasoned Christians I know have very distinct and specific beliefs about the meaning and implications of its teachings. Usually, I don’t put much effort into researching and learning about the Revelation passages because I know I’m just not going to get it in that broader contextual this is the meaning of life sort of way. Today though, I couldn’t get away from it. I took some great notes on other ideas for the journal but there’s something in Revelation today for all of us.

“And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire-and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb…” Revelation 15:2-3

Those who had conquered the beast. The beast. What is the beast? Is it Satan himself, or is it the empty promises he sells? I can’t begin to tell you and neither can my three study bibles. But what’s alive in this passage today is the image of me standing on the banks of a sea that is on fire. And in my hand is my beast, the image of my beast and the number of its name. Isn’t that a powerful image? If just for a moment we put down our Starbucks and iPhone and imagine ourselves there, on the shore, next to the sea, on the day that all evil in this place is abolished. You have conquered the beast forever more, and now you stand as the fire burns out with the harp of God in your hand singing the song that Moses and the Israelites sang when they were delivered out of Egypt.

If you are anything like me, you woke up this Sunday morning to learn that yet another 50 people had been gunned down at the hands of terrorists and instead of crying you started to feel a little bit numb. Our day-to-day life is now permeated with the reality of hatred and violence. It’s getting harder and harder to take these stories in, to see the photographs and absorb the real time video. If you are anything like me, it’s because you realize that it’s not just happening in a place far away anymore. It’s not just happening to people in another country that are awake when we sleep. It’s happening to people that aren’t so different from us, that live not so far away from us. If you are anything like me, you may look at your children and wonder whether they will be called to stand firm in their convictions for Jesus in the face of real danger.

It’s all very scary stuff. Until you read the word of God. Until your realize that the song of Moses that we hear from the Israelites in Exodus 15 is repeated by the apostle John in Revelation 15. Revelation was originally written to the seven churches of Asia but it was meant for believers everywhere. As modern Christians it reminds us that the world we live in today is a reflection of the world Moses lived in and the world that John lived in after the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. We hear the angels singing:

“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” Revelation 3-4.

Remember that today. His righteous acts have been revealed. He has already revealed himself to us. Although there are plagues there is also redemption. He alone is holy and all nations will come to worship Him. We need not be afraid. The beast wants us to stand, frozen in fear, to deny what we know is true. But we know we’ll be among those that conquer him, we’ve got his number.

Stand on the shore this Monday morning and light your fire of passion for Jesus Christ.

SELFISH

With wonderment I began to see for the first time how truly selfish I was. Now the question was; what was I going to do about it?

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 17; Psalm 104; Isaiah 44; Revelation 14

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” A second angel followed and said, “’Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” -Revelation 14:6-8

The Book of Revelation is mystical and strange, but there is no mystery that it proclaims the glory of God over all. And like the entire Bible, it draws constant attention to God’s holiness and the importance of seeking restoration with God before the final day of judgement.

Lately I have wrestled with bad behavior of others which has both surprised and disappointed me. Fortunately, now, when I observe this “bad behavior,” I am learning to see myself, like in a mirror, one that I am not afraid to look at anymore.

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. -Matthew 7:5

In the interest of time, due to a crazy week of home improvement colliding with travel plans on both ends and lots of work related opportunity and challenge (as usual); I have selected a page from the epilogue of a book I hope to be releasing next year.

I am able to speak with authority about selfishness and self righteousness, because I have struggled with this disease my entire life, and still do. What I am certain of is this: anytime my focus is more on me than on God or others, I am heading for trouble. This happens time and time again. Fortunately I have been rescued by God, and in His power I have hope of restoration, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

God please grant me the faith and power to surrender my will to yours. Amen.

Here is a page from “Wisdom of The Hidden Places; A Search For God”

American writer John W. Gardner once wrote: “Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it gives pleasure and separates the victim from reality.” Eventually I came to see that any focus on self, unchecked, was profoundly destructive, the basis for all that was evil; the very foundation of sin! Slowly, over time, I began to emerge from the poisonous fog of self obsession, trying to escape the prison of my narcissism — my alternative reality.

I was a cultural Christian drowning in the spiritual hydraulic of my narcissism only to be rescued by a collaboration of principled atheists and agnostics, true believers and the Holy Spirit. God was everywhere, even in the places he was not invited or rejected. His Spirit didn’t have to be embraced or even acknowledged, but it couldn’t be denied.

My story is not the proclamation of personal holiness, or a testimony of some great spiritual achievement, it is rather a story about a lost boy who struggled to find the love of an earthly father, who wrestled with grief, personal power and other powers while learning how to love.

I found my Heavenly Father in the end, but in no way do I consider myself better than anyone I have met along the way — I remain a sinner. The difference is this — I have been set free from my slavery to sin and have chosen to follow the righteous path; and only in God’s power, not my own, did this journey became possible.(Romans 6:6)

Through my father’s struggles and mine; and in the struggles of my children to find their place with God, I learned who I was, and who I was meant to be. As I began to rest more and more in God’s perfect will, I was less inclined to over-reach for the things of this world. That’s when everything finally started to fall into place. The more I learned to trust God, the greater my peace and joy. Situations that had once caused anxiety were now turning into anticipated opportunities to see God’s hand in my life.

Belonging

Mom and his young son holding hands

Deuteronomy 16; Psalm 103; Isaiah 43; Revelation 13

My nine year old daughter Annika has been going through an interesting “phase” for the last couple of years. Every time we take her somewhere (school, church etc.), she is petrified we are going to forget to pick her up. I’m happy to say I haven’t actually forgotten to get her, so I can’t really figure out where this fear comes from. I do know for certain, however, it frequently causes her to worry and occasionally get really upset. Case in point – we had a pretty good snow storm in Central Illinois this past February 24. Because of the snow, Annika’s school arranged an early (12pm) dismissal and cancelled all after school activities. I received the mass email/phone message from the school and made arrangements for my Mother (her grandma) to pick her up early. No problem. In our house, you don’t get your own phone until 5^th grade, so I had no way to let Annika know of the plan. The school supervisors don’t go home until all kids are picked up, so no big deal, right? Wrong! My Mother received a phone message from Annika. She was sobbing so hard she could barely get the words out. She had called from her teacher’s phone to make sure my Mom knew of the early dismissal, then Annika pleaded with my Mom to be there at noon to get her.

Another interesting characteristic of Annika’s current “phase” is she also loves to hold my hand. I’m pretty sure this is because she just likes to be with me, or perhaps this is just her way of keeping track of me? Either way, Annika’s actions demonstrate an acute awareness of who she is, to whom she belongs and who is watching over her. She gains an incredible sense of comfort from simply knowing I am there.

The context for verses 1-7 of Isaiah 43 is the tribe of Judah suffering under Babylonian rule. In the first seven verses, we see God reminding his people who they are, to whom they belong and the protection he provides them in the midst of their hardship. The comfort I find in this passage comes from the unchanging nature of God. These truths were applicable in the Old Testament and they still apply to our lives today.

Truth #1 – We are created by God (verse 1)

He who created you, he who formed you
I have called you by name

Truth #2 – We belong to God (verse 1, verse 7)

For I have redeemed you – as a verb, redeemed means to gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment
You are mine
Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory

Truth #3 – God watches over and protects us (verses 2 and 3)

I will be with you
You shall not be burned
I am the Lord your God, your Savior

I won’t lie. As a mom, I love that Annika loves to be by my side. (At least for a little while longer, age 13 will be here before we know it!) But what I really hope to teach Annika is that her identity, her belonging and protection come from Jesus. I’m an okay mother. He is a perfect father who will watch over and protect her all the days of her life.

Why doesn’t everyone worship Jesus like that?

Deuteronomy 15; Psalm 102; Isaiah 42; Revelation 12

My wife Amy and I recently attended a live music event with approximately 22,000 other fans. It was a sold out show so the stadium was packed. This band has enjoyed great success over the last several years represented by multiple awards as well as a large and energetic fan base. Amy and I are familiar with every one of their songs and it seemed the crowd was as familiar as we were. From the opening song through the encore, the crowd cheered, clapped, and sang with hands held high.

Amy looked at me during the show and asked “why doesn’t everyone worship Jesus like that?” I love her simple, yet insightful observations… what a great question because he is SO WORTHY of our heartfelt, relentless worship! When I shared the theme of this post with a peer, (thanks to Kerry Myers for your input on this) he responded: “People exhibit great passion and enthusiasm at their favorite concert because they’ve approached the event with great excitement and anticipation about who they are going to see”. Shouldn’t that be how we approach our worship, no matter where we are? Are we excited and in great anticipation as we approach our God because he alone is God, or are we going through the motions, serving him our leftovers?

Jesus did so much for us, and he has promised much more goodness to come. Today’s reading has several worship-worthy attributes of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and here are just a few:

Psalm 102:12 tells us that he is enthroned forever. All other earthly kings have been, or will be dethroned. Our king will never be dethroned; he will remain in authority over all things for eternity!
He “hears the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die” (Psalm 102:20) While this can hold true for physical prisoners which is likely the context of this verse, I cannot help but think of this metaphorically in that the prisoners are us in our sin, and that Jesus is the one who sets us free from the death of our sins.
Psalm 102:25 tells us that God made the earth. He made this place! Think for a second about the making a planet. He did it, and it is oh so good! Thank you God!
Praise God for what he says is true, that he gave prophecies that have been fulfilled through Jesus Christ. The Old Testament (before Jesus walked the earth) prophecy in Isaiah 42:1 refers to God’s servant, in whom his soul delights and that God has put his Spirit upon him. Isaiah 42:1 gives me chills because I know deep in my heart that it plays out much later in the New Testament in Matthew 3:16-17: And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street (Isaiah 42:2). This verse is also documented in the book of Matthew as being fulfilled: Matthew 12:14-21

Today I’m praising and thanking God for my dad, Don Harris, and wanted to say happy birthday to him. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of my dad as a lifelong trait is that he is wise. He has always taught me the importance of seeking wisdom, and has always shared his wisdom with me. In addition to his wisdom he’s an excellent businessman, humble, forgiving, kind to all, generous, and fun. My commitment to exercise comes from his example; too bad I did not follow his example in being an excellent golfer… Happy birthday dad!

Two Diseases

Deuteronomy 13–14; Psalms 99–101; Isaiah 41; Revelation 11

According to John Calvin, “every man labors under two diseases. In prosperity, he exalts himself extravagantly, and shakes off the restraint; of humility and moderation; but, in adversity, he either rages, or lies in a lifeless condition, and scarcely has the smallest perception of the goodness of God.”[1] I was thinking about this as I read Psalm 100 today. Consider how each of these “diseases” cause us to interpret the Scripture differently.

Psalm 100 (ESV)	In Prosperity	In Adversity
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!	Declare your gratification and happiness for everyone to see.	Grumble to all the world, as loud as you can!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!	Be happy with what you have done. Sing away, life is good!	Do your work, even in agony. Come into God’s presence with despondency
3 Know that the Lord, is God!	Know that you have everything under control.	Where is God?
It is he who made us, and we are his;	We have evolved so wonderfully	If he didn’t want us to be this way, he shouldn’t have made us this way!
and the sheep of his pasture	We live in the land of plenty. Go get yours!	God doesn’t care!
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!	Look what you have done for yourself. Others should come to you for help!	Go to God complaining and blaming him for all your problems.
Give thanks to him; bless his name!	You should be thanked for all that you have done!	Curse God for all of your troubles!
For the Lord is good;	Man, you am good;	The Lord is tired of us all!
His steadfast love endures forever	for all the days of your life	His wrath is upon us.
and his faithfulness to all generations	Your kids and your kid’s kids will be set for life!	we are on our own.

Father God, help us to see our attitudes as they really are and make us aware of the spiritual diseases in our hearts. Heal our hearts, Lord, with your Word and your Truth. Make them new.

[1]
Calvin, John (2011-11-15). Calvin’s Complete Bible Commentaries (With Active Table of Contents in Biblical Order) (Kindle Locations 173172-173175). . Kindle Edition.