Worth Keeping Around

If you had to assess your life and your behavior for any period of time, would you say that you are doing something to make it worth keeping you around? Are you worth your pay at work? Are you worth the love and kindness you receive in your home and church? Are you worthy of the good things God does for you?

David prays in Psalms 6:1-4 for mercy from God, and then in Psalms 6:5 he says something very unique and interesting: "No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?" If you were to say this to God, what would His response be to you?

Would God respond to your plea with: "You don't remember me, anyway." or "Do you praise me while alive?" I hope that God would say to each of us, "I will answer you because you praise me with your whole heart." I want God to be pleased enough with my worship to hear me when I pray.

Praying Through

Praying isn't just saying a few words to some being you can't see and hope exists; prayer is intense conversation with the Creator of the universe, and your Redeemer. Jesus repeatedly admonished His disciples and followers to pray. He asked His disciples to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. When He found them sleeping in Matthew 26:40, he asked Peter, "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?"

While the disciples were sleeping Jesus was praying so earnestly that the Bible says in Luke 22:44 that His sweat became like drops of blood. I doubt that anyone has ever struggled and prayed in the fashion that Jesus did at that point. He didn't just pray a little prayer and then come back to get the disciples and wait for them to come and arrest Him. He prayed for an hour, then checked on the disciples, then prayed some more, then checked on them again, and then prayed some more. He prayed all the way until his betrayer was close at hand; until it was time to go.

We as men should follow the example that Jesus led us in here to be leaders at prayer time. We should be the first to hit the altars at altar call, and the last to leave. We shouldn't be waiting for everyone's heads to be bowed so nobody will catch us going up to pray, and we shouldn't try to sneak away from the altars while everyone is still praying to go back to our seats. Prayer is never a thing of shame; it's our opportunity to approach God's throne and talk to Him.

Also, we should be staying in prayer until we're through praying; until the conversation with God is over. We don't have to quit praying because the guy beside us got up from the altar. What greater thing could we do, and why would we be so afraid and try to hide it? Men, I urge you to get in the altars and seek God. Make a prayer time at home and seek God. Let Him speak to you through prayer, and you will never regret it.

Asking for a Hand-Out

Men often have a serious issue with asking for help when they need it. We're stereotyped by not stopping for directions, not reading the instructions, and expecting to be able to work things out for ourselves. Looking again at Peter in Matthew 14:25-31, we are likely all familiar with the story of Peter walking on the water with Jesus.

Let's look carefully though at what exactly Peter was doing here. Peter was the only disciple who asked for permission to walk on the water with Jesus. After Jesus said, "Come", Peter was the only disciple who stepped out. Peter was the only disciple to have been recorded to have ever walked on water.

Then Peter noticed what was going on around him. He lost his fixation on Christ and got started looking at the waves, and feeling the wind blowing on him. He met with some resistance, and he began to doubt. We often cover up and say we don't doubt, we believe God is all-powerful. Peter was walking on water with Jesus, and began to doubt.

Which leads us to Matthew 14:30, where we find Peter beginning to sink, and crying out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" He didn't wait until the water was over his head. He didn't wait until he was floundering around drowning. He called out for Jesus when he was beginning to sink. He asked for help, and Jesus reached His hand out, and caught Peter.

Jesus immediately asks Peter, "Why did you doubt?" He didn't ask why Peter had called out for help; He didn't question Peter's need for Him. He only asked why Peter had doubted. As men, we're prone to fall into this trap of doubt, even when so close to Jesus as walking on the water with Him. We need to remember that we need to call out for help, for prayer, and for assistance immediately, when we begin to sink, and not wait until we're blubbering and wallowing in our failure.

Gentle Joy and Peace

Does you have joy in everything you do? Think back to the last time you did something you know you shouldn't have; did that bring true joy to you, or did it drag you down? How long did it take you to get back up, or are you still struggling? Philippians 4:4-5 tells us God is near, and we should rejoice in Him always. Can you rejoice in the Lord while doing something that drags you down spiritually?

Then, after you realize that you've sinned yet again, you wring your hands and worry; you worry about getting caught, worry about whether or not God will forgive you yet again, worry that it won't be the last time. But Philippians 4:6-7 tells us not to worry about anything, but to talk to God about everything and His peace will guard our hearts and minds. His peace will be our shield if we'll stop worrying and just turn our problems over to God.

The last two verses of this section, Philippians 4:8-9, then gives us the most simplified version of everything that the entire Bible contains and teaches. If we all practiced just these two verses, and truly lived by them, we would have nothing to worry about. I love the last sentence there, "And the God of peace will be with you." Not "He might be" or "He'll occasionally be", but "He will be".

If you're having problems, struggling with addiction, or you've got worries weighing you down, I would encourage you to write down these verses somewhere where you'll always see them or commit them to memory. When Satan comes to try to drag you back into sin, into worry, or take away your joy, repeat them to yourself. It's a promise in the Word of God, and you can count on it in your life.

Who Made You the Judge?

We pick up this Saturday in the middle of David's prayer in Psalms 5:9-12, where we find him describing his enemies to God, and asking God for resolution. In Psalms 5:9 David says some pretty harsh things about his enemies here. Often we're told it's bad to talk bad about your enemies, but when you're talking to God, he already knows how you feel about them, so telling Him is just being honest with Him.

Then David asks for resolution to the problem from God. Psalms 5:10 starts out with "Declare them guilty, O God!" Often we take this into our own hands, and we usurp God's divine right to judgement, and declare that a person is guilty. It's human nature to try to be like God. We need to remember that we are all guilty. Every one of us has committed a sin worthy of death; all sin is worthy of death.

David recognized God's right to judge his enemies. David knew that they had sinned and rebelled against God. Sin and rebellion are most commonly easy to spot. 1 Timothy 5:25 says that deeds that are not good cannot be hidden, and Galatians 5:19 says that the acts of the sinful nature are obvious. David could easily recognize their betrayal of God's principals, but David also recognized that he, as a human, had no right to pass judgement on another, since he also had been guilty of sin at times.

So the next time we go to pass judgement on someone, let's remind ourselves of David, and ask God to be the judge, since it's not our rightful place anyway.

Preparing to Run

I've recently decided that I should spend more time exercising than what I have been. One way that I thought of to do that would be to increase the amount of walking that I do until I'm in good enough shape to run. After stepping up my exercise routines for a very short time, I decided it was time to test out the new strength in my legs and see how far I could run.

Surprisingly, I was able to run a considerable distance further than I had been able to previously. When I got home that night, my legs were on fire though. The next day, my ankles hurt so bad I could hardly walk. Apparently, I had done tendon damage by not being properly prepared to run. In all my preparations to walk, I got my media player out, headphones, etc.; stretching was never on my list.

When I decided to run, I stretched first, but because I hadn't made it a habit before exercise to stretch, my body was unprepared to deal with the added stress. My legs were strong enough, the muscles could handle it. I'm reminded of our daily dealings with God in all of this. We pray a little every day, read our Bibles; we're just walking along with God. Then, we come upon a hard time, and have the need to run, and we falter or we injure ourselves because we weren't used to stretching our spiritual lives that far.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 says to exercise yourself to Godliness. You exercise normally by practicing what you want to do at the top of your training routine and you'll always be ready to do your best. If you do the bare minimum for the stage you're on, you'll find yourself injured trying to reach the next phase.

The Bench-Warmer

What kind of follower of Christ are you? Do you jump at every opportunity to get involved in your church, volunteer to help any time you can lend a hand? God knows what kind of Christian you are, and whether you're just warming a bench at church or if you're committed to following Him and doing all that you can to further the kingdom of God.

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is a liar. Too often, someone who appears sincere in their worship is simply putting on a good show for those around them. No matter how sincere you appear to be, God knows the intention of your heart, and you aren't fooling Him, even if everyone around you falls for it.

The Bible goes on to say in Jeremiah 17:10 the God searches our hearts and minds and will reward us according to what we deserve. Matthew 6:1-2, 5, 16 tells us that if we are just putting on a show for men, then the recognition of men is the only reward we'll have; Matthew 6:3-4, 6, 17 shows us that if we are sincere with God, then our reward will come from Him.

God is not pleased with our praise when we do it for the recognition of men. God only recognizes and rewards us for our praise to Him because we love Him and want to serve him. So will you be a bench-warming hypocrite, looking only for the praises of men, or will you be on fire for God, simply because He died to save you?

Sharing the Suffering

When we think of "suffering" for Christ these days, often the idea of "getting laughed at" at work is the first and is often the only thing that comes to mind. In extreme cases, we think of the boss that doesn't like us because we won't participate in illegal or unethical behavior at work. Around the world, there are countless countries and territories where being a Christian isn't just "rough", but is also illegal, and in some cases punishable by death.

As we occasionally hear the stories of missionaries imprisoned and tortured, our reaction is that of relief that "we don't have it that bad." The Bible says in Hebrews 13:3 we are to share in the suffering of fellow believers, and we are to remember those who are in bondage just like we were bound with them. We're part of the same body of Christ. How do we so easily forget that one of our arms is tied behind our back?

If you were bound, you wouldn't forget it every day other than when a missionary visits your church. If you were truly suffering adversity, you wouldn't forget to pray continually for relief. When a part of the body of Christ is bound or faces hardship, the entire body suffers. We should be praying continually each day for the deliverance of those in conditions worse than our own. We should literally remember them like we were right there with them.

In Philippians 1:7, Paul writes that every Christian shares God's grace with him, whether he was in chains or free. We're all part of the same body; we're all partakers of everything that happens to each member of the body, even when we don't recognize it. As we live our comfortable lives this year, let's remember those less fortunate. Let's pray for them each day.

Our Morning Prayer

Do we take time in the morning to make our needs known to God? Psalms 5:1-3 shows us that David did. David made his needs known to God in the morning, and then waited in expectation through the day for those needs to be met. When we ask God for something, how often do we truly expect an answer? How often do we expect an answer so much that we wait in expectation through the day for the answers to our morning prayers to come?

How often, if we were to show the simple faith that David shows here, would our needs be met much quicker, or how much quicker would we recognize that our needs had been met? How often do we miss the answer to our prayer because we're never expecting it to be answered in the first place?

My prayer is that God will help me to have this simple faith so that when I pray, I will not only have faith that God will answer my prayer, but have such faith that I expect it to be answered in the very same day.

Confidence in God

Do you have confidence in God? Would you tell someone who opposed you that God listens to you when you pray? David had the courage to do just that. Psalms 4 is believed to have been written the morning after Psalms 3. This is during the time when Absolom is leading a rebellion against David. It's almost as if David sings this prayer to God knowing that some of his enemies might hear it.

David starts this psalm out with thanks to God (Psalms 4:1), then begins directly addressing his enemies (Psalms 4:2-5). He addresses them in such a manner that shows that he has the utmost confidence that God will take care of him, and protect him from them.

Then, in Psalms 4:6-7, David contrasts hid faith in God with the faith that his enemies have. He shows that his enemies have faith in the things of the world: grain and new wine. David's faith, however, is in the joy of the Lord. David is an example here of Colossians 3:2, having set his faith in God, not on the things of the world like his enemies.

Lastly, in Psalms 4:8, we see David's confidence again in God. He says he can rest well at night because his peace comes from God. Do we have enough confidence in God to place our entire trust in Him, and have peace knowing that He's watching over us?

Running and Singing

Merry Christmas to all the readers who find themselves faithful in the study of God's word! Let's remember the reason we celebrate this season: God our Heavenly Father sent His Son down to earth to teach us and ultimately become our final sacrifice for sin. Let us give thanks this Christmas that we can have salvation because of the birth that we now celebrate.

In Psalms 3:1-2 we see that David is being pursued by Absalom, his rebellious son. During this troubling time, we see that David is writing a song of prayer to the Lord. He doesn't start out with a complaint; he doesn't start out with a praise. He starts out by just telling God what's going on in his life. He doesn't make any bones about it, he just states the facts -- "God, I've got a lot of enemies here, and they're saying you won't deliver me."

Once David has told God what's going on, he makes a statement in submission and worship of God. Psalms 3:3-6 shows David's trust in God, and makes a massive statement about his past experiences with God's grace -- "You protect me, comfort me, and when I talk to you, you answer. I can sleep easy knowing I'm in your hands. I won't be afraid no matter how many people come after me." David doesn't say "you give me everything I ask for." He just puts his trust in God's protection and comfort, knowing that God is listening, and that God will answer.

Now that David has told God what's going on in his life, and he's let God know that he recognizes that his life is totally in His hands, Psalms 3:7-8 outlines David's request to God -- "Deliver me from my enemies, because only you can. Bless your people." Even in David's request to the Lord, the attitude of submission remains. When we pray, is this the attitude we bring to the altar with us? Do we submit ourselves to God completely? I know often I find myself demanding things from God, and I have to humble myself and say "not my will, but yours".

As we celebrate the birth and life of Christ today and throughout the new year, let's keep a humble spirit. We are the temple of the Lord. You wouldn't go to your friend's house and demand that he do something for you. You are God's house; be reverent to Him, you're just a guest in your body. Let's all pray with the spirit of David -- "God, I'd like your help and deliverance, but I'm in your hands."

What Are You Looking For?

You get what you pay for. You get as much out of it as you put into it. As you make your bed, so must you lie in it. These are all sayings that most of us are probably familiar, and there's quite a bit of truth in them all. What I want to focus on though, are the questions: "What are you looking for when you study God's Word?", "What are you looking for when you go to church?", and "What are you looking for in your relationship with God?"

Jesus asked the people that were following Him about John the Baptist, "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet." (Matthew 11:7-9) A lot of people went out to see John the Baptist, but there were a lot of reasons that they went. Some went to see the crazy guy eating locusts and honey, some to see a prophet.

All of the people found what they were looking for, but because many were looking lower, they were disappointed when they found the very thing they expected to see. Had they all been looking to find a prophet, they all would have found a prophet, and would have been amazed by God's presence in him. John the Baptist ended up in prison and beheaded because of this. Is this the attitude we take with us into prayer, into church, and into reading the Bible? Do we see what we expect to see, or do we open our hearts to receive the Word of God in a way that changes our lives?

Here's one we don't hear as often: "A bad workman blames his tools." If you're looking to find fault, if you're looking for something to give you an excuse for your attitude and behavior, look inside. The people around you can't make you into something that you aren't. As Hebrew 12:2 says, we need to keep our eye on Jesus, and not forget who He is. That is the only way we will be able to rightly see what we're looking at, and to receive the joy of the Lord, instead of being disappointed at finding what we sought.

Fruit

What kind of fruit do we bear? Matthew 7:15-20 tells us a little bit about the type of fruit we bear, and it tells us also that "a good tree cannot bear bad fruit". Do we only bear good fruit? I know that sometimes still my depraved nature of Adam takes over and I bear bad fruit. I have to continuously watch for these bad branches, and ask the Gardner to remove them; ask for Him to prune me so I don't have bad branches, and bear bad fruit.

Matthew 7:21-23 goes on to tell us that there are a lot of people who will even claim to have performed miracles and cast out demons in the name of Jesus, but God will tell them, "I never knew you." Galatians 6:3 tells us that if we lift ourselves up undeservingly, we are lying to ourselves. We may show "some" good works, point to some things that we've done and say, "but look at what I did", but we are not saved by works, we are saved by faith.

Galatians 5:19-26 then gives us a good reference point for what fruit is of God, and what fruit is of the flesh. It sets a basic moral code, it's not all-inclusive; we do need to follow it in spirit, and not just by letter. We should confess our faults, and pray for each other according to James 5:16. We shouldn't be shy about falling into an altar and asking God's forgiveness. And we shouldn't hesitate to go pray with a brother at the altar.