Grab the Handrail

“Righteousness keepeth [him that is] upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.” (Pr 13:6 AV)

Righteousness puts us ‘in the way’, but it also keeps us there.  As I sit and write, we are under a severe wind advisory.  An enormous tree across the street had blown over.  That tells you just how blustery it is.  Where I walk the dog, we are sheltered out of the wind.  However, I just took him out in a wind-whipped area and a plastic bag attacked him.  Needless to say, my little dog is a bit jittery.  The wisest course of action is to take him in the corner of the backyard that is sheltered on three sides.  There is little to no wind there, and any wind swirls at a very low speed.  Wickedness is like that wind.  If we are not careful, it will knock us right off our feet. 

The way of looking at righteousness helping the upright is like guardrails along a treacherous path.  The older I get, the more I appreciate handrails!  Especially when the walker wears bifocals or trifocals, handrails are great!  One cannot depend solely on depth of field when the eyesight isn’t the best.  Those guardrails keep us from falling.  They tell us of the edge or width of the stairs as well as the grade of incline or decline.  Those guardrails are not solely for stability.  They are an invaluable source of information.  They instruct when level ground is approaching.  They tell us of the length of journey one is required to take.  Turns are announced not just be sight, but also by touch.  Handrails can tell us how treacherously a path might be by the permanence and design of the handrails.  If they are decorative, then we know the stairs or path is short and not all that difficult to navigate.  However, if the guardrails are sturdy and bolted to a stone wall, we know the journey might be a bit of a chore.  We are already on the path which we need to be walking, but the guardrails keep us on the path without falling or getting lost.

God’s word is like this.  The guardrails are there to keep us safe and get us from one point to the next.  They are there regardless of who we are or how much we think we need them.  They are the same for everyone.  One size fits all.  The handrails are indiscriminate.  They are absolute.  They do not adapt to the walker.  The walker must adapt to them.  The word of God is the same.  It is the constant we need to navigate a difficult pilgrimage.  The key is to have the humility to use the handrails.  Too many are too proud.  They don’t need the assistance.  My wife has a handicap permit for parking.  She has complications from cancer.  Yet, when we try to use it while riding as passengers in someone else’s car, the driver feels like he or she is taking advantage.  Not so.  The permit is there for a reason.  The handrails are there, whether we think we need them or not.  There is no harm in using assistance if it is there to us.  Pride is the enemy here.  If we are to stay on the upright way, the guardrails of the word of God are the way we are going to do it.

Praise God for What We Will Never Know

“My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof].” (Ps 71:15 AV)

For I know not the numbers thereof!  Absolutely.  The psalmist could mean the days he has left, or he could be referring to righteousness and salvation.  Either works.  The vast majority of our beloved sages understand the reference to be for the latter.  This begs a question.  Just how many things has God done for us of which we are never aware?  I imagine the righteousness of which David refers is righteous judgements on his behalf.  For the N.T. saint, we can extend this even further to include the righteousness of Christ that grows in us day by day.  The salvation of which David speaks is not limited to eternal salvation.  Rather, David is speaking of salvation from all sorts of threats.  As a king of the most powerful mid-eastern nation, no doubt he had enemies of whom he had no knowledge.  Only the LORD knows how many plots of assassination were foiled by His intervention.

We don’t know what we don’t know, but we can assume based on the character of God.  As a father, there was much from which I kept my sons.  Most of which they never had a clue.  When they were young, we lived in a neighborhood that was plagued by gangs.  To my sons, the graffiti was comical artwork.  But to those of us who were in the know, it was much more than that.  The sneakers hanging from the power lines were not an old ornament or a prank.  It meant something.  A red laser dot from an undisclosed location meant far more than a bored child who wanted to scare someone.  The worldly wise knew how to keep their eyes open for pending trouble.  Many times, I diverted my sons from a dangerous situation, and all they thought was that dad was being fun again and taking them for ice cream.  It wasn’t until they grew and became more aware that they realized what I had done all those years.  At the time, it never dawned on them that dad was saving them from harm.  To them, it was normal life.

If God is our Father and He has parental responsibilities, it stands to reason He would do no less.  Our heavenly Father in omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.  He foreknows all things.  Therefore, He can see all threats that could harm us even to the smallest of detail.  It may seem as though the work of God is idle.  After all, harm comes to the saint.  We are not protected from all.  But if we assume all that we see is all that God sees, then He is not a benevolent and interceding God.  If we believe David, and by extension God, then we must assume there are far more threats in life that could cause harm than those which actual do.  Those that do cause harm are allowed by a sovereign God for our growth and benefit.  Which then naturally suggests that there are far more ills that could have come our way but never did.  Praise be to God!

Cleaving is a State and Much as a Practice

“But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.” (Jos 23:8 AV)

Good advice, regardless of the context.  Yet there is context to consider here.  These are the last words of Joshua to Israel. He is old and well stricken in years.  He knows he is about to go the way of all flesh.  He has led Israel through thick and thin.  They have fought many battles together.  The two and a half tribes have just made a covenant with the remaining tribes that neither was to forget nor deny the other.  They had, for the most part, conquered all their inheritance.  Those nations left were a means for God to test the resolve of Israel’s faithfulness.  Now, they stand the moment when leadership will once again change.  Sometimes for the better.  Sometimes for the worse.  Israel, it its best day, stood on victory’s ground.  They had promised to love the LORD with their whole hearts.  They promised to follow the law.  They promised to worship only the one true God.  It wouldn’t be long before they broke their promises.  The thing is, this challenge should be a daily one.  In other words, if we make it a daily goal to cleave unto the LORD, it will soon become a lifestyle.

Being married for almost 40 years, I know a bit about cleaving.  Cleaving is a feeling of unity between two people that is painfully inseparable.  Two people walk together through shared experiences and shared dreams.  They know each other almost better than they do themselves.  When two people are cloven together, they know what the other is thinking and can often finish the other’s thoughts.  Outside of our walk with God, there is no other relationship like it.  None.  Not with our parents.  Not with our children.  A marriage relationship is unique and is a shadow of what our relationship with the LORD should and can be.  When two people cleave together, they complete one another.  Without the other, the one not what he or she was meant to be.  Loneliness doesn’t even come close to explaining the feeling when one is absent from the other.  They change each other.  When done right, they change one another for the better.  Marriage is a blessing from God that, if done in the will of God, is a slice of heaven on earth.

This cleaving is even more meaningful when the saint cleaves to the LORD.  There is a bond that surpasses the love of people.  This cleaving is so permanent that Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  One thing that makes marriage special is the growth that comes thereby.  Joshua told Israel to cleave to the LORD from this day forward, as they were in the present.  In other words, cleaving has with it the idea of continuance, permanence, and change.  If one were to ask a newly married couple if it were possible to love their new spouse any more than they do at that moment, inexperience would answer, probably not.  They cannot imagine how they could love this person and more than they do at that moment.  The thing is, as two people live a life together, love matures, changes, and deepens.  This is Joshua’s plea.  Continue in the love you have for your God, but in the process, love Him even more.  I think this is the key to walking by faith and obedience.  It isn’t enough to accept Christ and then stay as we are.  We are establishing a relationship with almighty God.  Our Creator is not the most important personal relationship we have.  Cleaving means adhering.  It means becoming inseparable.  It means yielding the heart in vulnerability to someone whom you can trust.  As we started out the day we accepted Christ, we must continue.  We must remain cloven to the God who created us and saved us.  As we started, we must finish even better.

Death Is In His Hands - And Praise God for It!

“[He that is] our God [is] the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord [belong] the issues from death.” (Ps 68:20 AV)

Yes, sir!  Praise the LORD that all things concerning death are in His hands!  Amen and Amen!  David makes this obvious statement in the context of salvation, not damnation.  There is nothing to fear.  Eternity is one heartbeat away.  What a glorious day that will be!  Who knows, with the whole Iran thing, we just might be closer than we think.  Regardless, if the soul has trusted solely in the LORD Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and atonement from sin, then eternity is our final and perfect abode.  Anxiety melts away when we realize just how good God is and will be.  Heaven awaits the thirsty soul that wants nothing more than the perfect presence of God.

Every once in a while, I watch train videos.  I know, really interesting, huh?  These are usually through mountainous regions and picturesque countryside.  At the beginning of the video, the creator often shows a map of the trip with any interesting landmarks or places of interest marked on the map.  Sometimes, tunnels with their lengths are delineated.  These tunnels can be extremely short.  Or they can be the opposite.  Extremely long.  Some of these tunnels can be thirty to sixty minutes of travel time.  When studying for sermons, and these videos are on, one can be distracted by how long those tunnels actually are.  But I can imagine what it would be like riding on a train like that.  The only thing one can see is darkness.  Unless you are riding in the engine and have the luxury of a lamp, darkness is all you see.  Until the light at the end of the tunnel marks the end of a dark journey, the demeanor of the passenger might suffer.  When the light at the end of the tunnel shines, no matter how small it may be at first, there is hope that the journey will soon be over.

Now, our lives have never been one long tunnel.  There have been good times as well as not so good times.  It is the nature of our human experience.  However, one can honestly say that living would be immensely better if there were no bad times.  The issues of death belong to the God of our salvation.  An issue is something that comes forth from something else.  Usually used to describe that which issues from the body, like infection, defecation, or cleansing; an issue is that which comes forth in order to make or keep the body healthy.  Therefore, when David speaks of the issues of death he is speaking of that which comes forth from death that makes the person much better off.  HEAVEN!  The presence of God is there, and although death will be the worst of all human experiences, from it comes an eternal bliss that cannot be compared.  Praise God that our GOD of salvation is in control of that which comes from the most unpleasant of all human experiences.

He's Boss

“He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.” (Ps 66:7 AV)

How appropriate for our day today.  With wars and rumors of wars, it seems the nations think themselves greater than their Creator.  No doubt our weapons of war are terrible.  All told, if all were used, no doubt almost all of humanity could become extinct.  Yet, not for all the weapons of war of all the nations of the earth can even scratch the glory of God.  Not any.  Not all!  It is sad, really.  Our rebellious third rock from the sun thinks it can collectively conquer God.  It thinks that if the majority of mankind rejects the sovereign Creator, then He is obligated to leave them alone.  Oh, not so!  God created it all.  And therefore owns it all.  How foolish we are to think we are anything.  We think that if we do not believe in Him, then He does not see us.  Out of sight, out of mind.  If God does not exist, then there is no one to observe our wickedness.  But belief that God does not exist does not mean He does not exist.  Our Creator, the First Cause, exists whether we believe in Him or not.

How much more are we that know Him accountable for our rebellion?  What, you say?  How can a child of God be in rebellion against the God who saved Him?  But we can.  And we are.  When we deliberately ignore what the word of God requires, or worse yet, change it to appease our own hearts, we are in rebellion.  When the revealed word of God is as plain as the nose on the face, and we refuse to follow, we are in rebellion.  When the word of God commands certain things like holiness, faithfulness, and sacrifice, and we think it is an option, we are in rebellion.  If the truth be told, the body of Christ is far more rebellious than we may care to think.

God isn’t going to change.  Nor for us.  Nor for anyone.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  God requires what He requires and will not bend to rules simply to please those whom He created.  We were created for Him and not He, us.  He sees everything and will express His pleasure or displeasure.  He rules forever.  There are no elections.  There is no force, real or imagined that can dethrone Him.  He is God, and we are not!  Mic drop!

The Awesome Privilege of Prayer

“O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.” (Ps 65:2 AV)

What a verse!  But what of the wicked?  They don’t pray.  Will they come and speak to God?  Listen to Paul.  “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9-11 AV) The simplest definition of prayer is speaking with God when God hears our speaking.  It matters not what a soul’s standing with God might be.  If the wicked speak to God and God hears their speaking, they have just prayed.  The answer will not be as they wish, but God did hear and God will answer.  Have you ever heard the line, “Well, I’m just not a prayin’ man”?  Perhaps it was a line in an old spaghetti western.  As the enemy encircles and the minister encourages prayer, the toughest guy says this line.  As if God admires his courage!  Prayer is seen as a weakness.  Sure, we go to prayer because we are weak.  But that is not the only reason.  We go because we are strong, too.  The guarantee of being heard, as stated above, it the reason we go to God in prayer!

Prayer is both a privilege and a gift.  Imagine!  We can talk directly with our Creator.  If we are saved, we have the wonderful and gracious gift of speaking with our eternal Father.  Of all the years I spent in a false religion that spoke of God as an angry and displeased Creator, when Jesus saved my soul the privilege of prayer was a blessing beyond words.  It has taken a lifetime of walking with God for me to realize and accept His true nature.  Prayer was and is a big part of that.  If God were like the Wizard of Oz; unapproachable and intimidating; then there would be little point in salvation.  Prayer is the Christian privilege that sets us apart from all other religions.  We do not approach a distant Creator or Controller for the mere purpose of appeasement.  Jesus Christ paid for our sins.  There is no appeasement necessary.  We are the accepted in Him!  When we go to prayer, our conversation is not limited to gaining God’s favors.  Yes, we are to pray for our needs because it is the polite and respectful thing to do.  But prayer is far more than listing a bunch of stuff we think we need.  Rather, it is a conversation with our sovereign God, King, and Father that we might know Him!

When David states the obvious in the verse above, I think it is far deeper than it at first appears.  David was a man after God’s own heart.  All one needs to do is study the book of Psalms to realize the depth of David’s prayers.  There were requests.  But there was also praise.  There were complaints, but there was also worship.  There were concerns, but there was much adoration.  When he states that God hears, and therefore all will seek His ear, shows us that there is a deep desire to know our Creator.  The wicked simply do not like the terms.  Heaven will be heaven because the saints have the privilege of learning and knowing the eternal and limitless Creator who calls us beloved.  Praise be to God!

Working Hard at Sin

“They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward [thought] of every one [of them], and the heart, [is] deep.” (Ps 64:6 AV)

I was struck by the phrase ‘diligent search’.  My mind immediately went to how hard we work at sin.  This wickedness is not merely yielding to in impulsive temptation.  This degree of sin is planned and executed.  At what point does working for pleasure become a pleasure in itself?  To accomplish something means to make an end of it.  Therefore, those who sin as a conscious choice of life exhaust all avenues to experience that sin.  It ends one of two ways.  Those bent on sin will work very hard at finding it.  They will look at every conceivable place.  If sin is not found, a new search ensues.  I guess what strikes me as odd is that sinful mankind will work extra hard at self-pleasure that only ends in emptiness and destruction, but will not work equally hard at righteousness.

This reminds me of a situation many years ago.  A couple traveled a significant distance to visit my wife and me.  We had known this couple for a long time.  Their marriage was strained, and they thought a vacation would help.  One problem they faced was that the husband was a substance abuser.  He had been for years.  He was in and out of rehab.  This fella even traveled thousands of miles to enter a program.  He was clean for a while, but eventually fell back into old habits.  At the time of our visit, we lived in a very high-crime city and neighborhood.  It was the second day of their week-long visit that the husband said he needed to go to a bank and deposit a check.  I thought that was odd since the likelihood of finding a national bank similar to the one they used at home would be a feat.  Off he went, and he left his wife behind.  Which I thought was also odd.  He was gone for several hours.  That was also odd.  An errand that should have take no more than thirty minutes took most of the morning.  I later found out he had hit the streets and was looking to score some drugs.  The thing is, our neighborhood was extremely dangerous.  Especially for someone like my friend.  He worked awfully hard to find his drug of choice even to the point of risking his life to do so.

Our phones and computers come with search engines.  Based on the settings one has, the results can be rather wicked.  Filters have to be put in place to avoid seeing things the browser need not see.  The same is true with sin.  We can work awfully hard as self-pleasure.  We can go to the extent of our search to feel, see, or think something that God calls wicked.  The best practice is the install filters.  We have the filter of God’s word.  We have the filter of fellow believers.  Most of all, we have the filter of the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit.  If only we would work just as hard at holiness as we do sin, we would be more like Christ than we are.