Wisdom’s Promise

So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it.

Proverbs 2:20-21

Wisdom promises me a good way

a path for my feet to stay

where God leads His people well

in righteousness with Him to dwell

Wisdom leads me to inhabit a land

given by God’s good hand

filled with mercies always good

helping me please Him as I should

Wisdom walks before the Lord

righteously following His great Word

integrity marks the soul’s way

that in wisdom will always stay

Wisdom walks the way of God’s good

wisdom will surround my neighborhood

living in the wisdom of God’s way

He leads and controls every day

rejecting God’s wisdom

Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

Proverbs 1:29-31

When people turn their backs on God’s wisdom, here is what they really lose: 1) True knowledge. Without God’s perspective knowledge is limited, warped, and corrupted by sin. It is more than incomplete though. It is inaccurate, deceiving, and false. Only God is the source of truth. 2) Respect for a holy God. Without God, we will worship the wrong things because human beings are hard-wired to worship AND WE WILL! The rule of false gods always destroys and disappoints. 3) True direction. Without the counsel of God’s Word, life choices are a pathetic roll of the dice. Sometimes a random good choice may occur. But often our choices turn out to be pain-filled and destructive because they are based on our own sinful desires. 4) Course correction. There is no way to get back to a true path when the internal GPS is hard-wired in sin to lead us to hell.

What happens when God and His offer of wisdom is rejected may not look so bad to people at first. God will let sinners have their way. And they will eat of the fruit of their choices and have their fill. And it may temporarily seem to satisfy. Until they want more and realize mortality and the grave are the only end in sight. Why are so many of the mega-rich obsessed with finding eternal health and youth? Could it be because all the wealth and power only shows their inability to avoid the inevitable? It is truly spiritual suicide to reject God.

There is a way out. Wisdom still calls out to any who will listen. The gospel of Jesus Christ is offered in the public square. True knowledge is in Jesus. A holy worship of God is found in belief in the gospel message. God’s loving direction comes to those who repent of sin and believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. We can receive God’s Holy Spirit and find direction in God’s Word. Our lives are made holy and we can correct our ways through knowing Jesus, following scripture, and yielding to the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Wisdom’s voice still leads us to Jesus!

Lord of peace

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Lord,

I receive Your peace. I live under Your reconciling grace. You are my Lord. You gave me peace with God. You will lead me to be at peace in You with Your Church. You call me to proclaim Your peace in a rattled world.

Amen

Work quietly and earn a living.

For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12

Paul addressed an unusual problem that had crept into the Thessalonian church. Because false teachers had introduced a destructive heresy saying Jesus has already returned (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3), there were people in the congregation who were led astray by this false doctrine, consumed with either worry or laziness. These people had stopped working for a living and were instead living off others. This eschatological inequity split the church into two categories; 1) Those who kept working and providing for their families, dismissing the outrageous heresy. 2) those overcome by bad theology, obsessed with it, who quit their careers, waited for it all to end, and begged their way into being a burden to the rest of the church. It is this group of prophecy buff freeloaders that Paul reprimanded seriously!

And in that reprimand we see a principle and a reminder for how all Christians live as they wait for Christ’s return. It is very simple: Don’t change a thing. Stay at following Jesus and proclaiming the gospel. Wake up every morning, go to work, do your job, make a living, provide for your family, trust God in your calling to provide for your needs. Christians obey Christ and wait for His return by simply going on with life and concentrating on the Great Commission.

Alarmist eschatology always wants to circumvent this. It is unbiblical. It is sinful. It is heresy to neglect preaching the gospel and replacing it with alarmist end times speculation. I am disheartened every time I see Christians participate in headline hermeneutics. We serve Jesus best in bringing Him into our day to day activity. Bring Jesus to the factory and work hard! Bring Jesus to the job site and build well! Bring Jesus onto the sales force and help people! Bring Jesus to the classroom and teach! Bring Jesus to the clinic and heal! Bring Jesus to the office and lead, organize, and conduct business benefitting the King of Kings! Work quietly. Earn a living. Follow Jesus. Wake up tomorrow and do it again. Don’t give up.

“Fear not, little flock.”

Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 12:31-32

Modern worry has a strange physical appearance. It wears unusual masks on the outside. It hides profoundly deep inside new technology. Could the ultra convenience of Amazon consumerism and rapid delivery of nearly everything a person wants or needs be hiding a heart of worry? Could “Uber-eat”ing our way through days be a kind of awful insecurity that has turned hearts to worship an internet-powered, touch screen tech god? Has convenience blinded us from the One Who truly provides for us? If so, are we subtly being called to worship a tech kingdom rather than to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first?

God wants us to know the pleasures of His provision for us. He calls us to live not fixated on earthly things. We should not worry about what to eat, what to wear, what to do, or how much we have. We reject materialistic anxiety. That is what worldlings do… people who only live in a limited life perspective fixed on material wants and needs and blind to life in the Spirit.

Instead, we trust the God Who made all things, is above all things, and longs to care for His children. He has provided salvation in His Son. He has placed us in His kingdom. And He will take care of our needs with no reason for us to be caught again in the tyranny of materialistic anxiety. He shepherds us as His own little flock. He calms us tenderly: “Fear not, little flock.” He loves us greatly: “Fear not, little flock.” He owns us and cares for us intimately: “Fear not, little flock.”

Praise God for His Word.

He declares his word to Jacob,

his statutes and rules to Israel.

He has not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 147:19-20

God’s Word is a precious gift. If God had never spoken, the universe would not exist. Everything literally exists and is sustained by His Word. And God gave His written Word to humanity that we might know Him. It came through one people, the Israelites, to the world God has made. And so much is known about God and about us and about how we may know God in His Word.

Thank God for His Word! In Genesis we see God make Himself known in great promises that began a way to save a race that had rebelled against Him. He chose a plan to bring a Savior. He chose one man and one woman, Abraham and Sarah, to produce His chosen people. To those people He brought His Word. And to those people He would send His Son, born an Israelite, Jesus, the Living Word!

In the Pentateuch God revealed His holy Law. Praise God for His Word! In it Israel saw His vast holiness and learned their great need of atonement for sin. And in that law priests and sacrifices provided the means to know God, all the while pointing to a great Savior, a Great High Priest yet to come… Jesus, Who would offer Himself as the last sacrifice once for all for the sins of the world.

Thank God for His Word! Prophets warned Israel to repent and follow God’s Word. They foretold not only judgment for disobedience, but the glories of a future kingdom. They testified to the failure of Israel’s earthly kings and looked forward to the reign of the King of Kings. They tenderly portrayed the love of a suffering Savior Who would die for sin and be raised again in power.

Thank God for His Word! For gospels that let us walk with Jesus! For history that sees God at work in actual events! For prophecy that gives us a certain future! For epistles that ground us in sound doctrine! Praise the Lord for His Word! It is a powerful and precious gift!

five reasons to sing alleluia

The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 146:10

The LORD will reign. He rules. He will always be the God Who reigns. There is no second place for God. He is above all, over all, in control of all, the king of everything! And He reigns well. God is the wise King. He is the loving King. He is the sovereign King. Nothing escapes His royal decree. God is the emperor of everything.

The LORD will reign forever. God has always been in control of His universe. He is reigning over it now. And this will never stop. And for those He has redeemed, no matter what is going on in the world now, an eternity of His loving, glorious control over everything awaits them. God reigns forever. Jesus is Lord forever. We will love Him forever!

The LORD is your God. This infinite, eternal, reigning God is a personal presence to all who love Him. He is a God Who makes Himself known intimately in Jesus and personally in the abiding presence of His Holy Spirit. He is not a cold or distant deity… He is personal. God is dear. God is relational. The Lord is our God. The Lord is my God. The Lord is your God.

Praise the Lord! Alleluia! He is to be praised because He rules us. Alleluia! He is to be praised because He reigns forever. Alleluia! He is to be praised because He is faithful to every generation. Alleluia! And this day, I join in an unceasing, unending, unbroken Alleluia! Praise the Lord!

Your Wondrous Works

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Psalm 145:5-7

Your works, O Lord, are wonderful.

I will think on what You’ve done

worshipping Spirit, Father, Son.

Saving me from fallen state

on all Your grace I meditate.

You have done awesome deeds.

I cannot help but tell

all You have done so well.

Help me declare all my days

the greatness of Your mighty ways.

Abundant good is everywhere, my God.

As I worship Your great name

and spread to all Your saving fame,

lead me, Lord, to always sing

with wild abandon to my King!

suffering to brag about

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

2 Thessalonians 1:4

Paul, of all people, knew the costs of personally following Christ and joining a hated minority. He was the original persecutor of Christians. Yet God sovereignty intervened on the road to Damascus and Jesus turned Saul the persecutor into Paul the persecuted apostle. And everywhere Paul went with the gospel, lives were changed, churches were born, and afflictions eventually came to those who followed Jesus. Paul knew this as a sure sign of faithfulness to the gospel: sinners would take offense when other sinners were saved AND the world would turn against those who faithfully follow Jesus.

But when Paul thought of these believers addressed in this letter, he was filled with a sense of gratitude. Their persecutions signified their faithfulness. They suffered regularly with endurance because they were legitimately following Jesus. They had abundant, growing faith (2 Thessalonians 1:3a). They modeled legitimate, Christlike love for one another in a growing care and fellowship (2 Thessalonians 1:3b). And Paul would “boast” of all this in thankful worship to God. Serious believers will look more like Jesus, including the fact that they will suffer as their Lord did.

So we should not be surprised when the world maligns Christian faith. This culture does NOT owe us some kind of alignment with Christian values. It has been opposed to Christ from the start. It ALWAYS has been against the gospel and until Christ returns it ALWAYS will. We don’t expect anything else. In fact, something is wrong when the world speaks glowingly of a church… Jesus Himself expressed that His blessing falls on and stays with the persecuted in His Beatitudes. He warned His disciples that a chummy reception by the world is a warning, not an achievement (Luke 6:26).

Lord,

Until You are revealed from heaven with Your mighty angels we will expect to be hated as You are. Give us steadfast faith and endurance! Strengthen us for this daily experience.

Amen

against the darkness

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Luke 11:20

Jesus explains most succinctly why spiritual activity surrounded His public ministry. God’s kingdom had arrived with Him. And it was being met with a show of force by Satan’s armies. Jesus faced demonic spirits because a kingdom was being opposed. But it was not difficult for God to defeat demons. God barely had to lift a finger. Jesus spoke and demons fled. Those once held captive in demonic darkness were set free under the new King’s love and power.

Detractors to Jesus’ miraculous works attributed His control over spiritual forces to the Devil. But this was not possible. The Devil would not divide his own kingdom. Instead, the True King now walked the world. Jesus is that King. And He was taking back occupied territory! He attacked the strongholds of Satan. He took away demonic gains. He spoiled the enemy (Luke 20:21-22). That power was on display every time Jesus confronted the demonic.

And that power is still found in Jesus. He changes lives. Jesus can break strongholds of sin if we let Him rule over them. Past abuse, sexual immorality of any kind, pornography, alcohol and drug addiction, occultism, sexual confusion, self-harm, self-worship, relational pain, racism, hate, and a host of other demonically fueled strategies all fall when we allow our Risen King to storm the strong man’s lair and break the armor of the enemy. Oh that the gospel would continue to pillage the foe!

“The prince of darkness grim

we tremble not for him

his rage we can endure

for lo, his doom is sure

one little word shall fell him

That word above all earthly power

no thanks to them abideth

the Spirit and the gifts are ours

through Him Who with us sideth…”

faith over feelings

I cry to you, O LORD;

I say, “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.”

Psalm 142:5

This is a song that David wrote while hiding alone in a cold, dark cave, This probably occurred in the days when Saul was hunting him down to kill him. He cried out to God. David complained to God. He told his trouble to God (vs 1-2). And David felt horrible. His spirit felt weak (vs 3). He felt unseen and alone (vs 4). He felt like nobody cared (vs 4). He was being actively persecuted (vs 6). His enemies were stronger than he was (vs 7). You might label David as depressed in the common therapeutic vernacular.

As bad as David truly felt, he still fought mightily to hold on to faith. He instinctively cried out to God (vs1). He knew God’s mercy would be what he needed (vs 1). The troubles and complaints poured out TO God and not AGAINST God. Faith can honestly tell God the rough stuff. God can handle our unprocessed raw emotion. David believed God knew his situation (vs 3). He knew God cared (vs 4). He cried out in faith that God was his solution and his salvation (vs 5). He prayed in faith, requests for deliverance (vs 6-7a). He envisioned by faith a time when he would not be alone and afraid, but instead, surrounded by righteous people in an experience of God’s lavish grace (vs 7b). Faith was tenacious despite the hard feelings.

Lord knows all of us have times where difficult feelings come in overwhelming circumstances. And scripture calls us to believe God. We believe God AND we hurt. We believe God AND we complain. We believe God AND we pray hard for difficulties to change. We believe God and envision a brighter promise from Him. But always, and deeply, we must believe God.

In Jesus we have a Savior Who NEVER fails us. In His darkest hour, bearing all of the sin of all the world, of all time, Jesus felt abandoned by the Father. And Jesus know unspeakable sorrow. He bore all that for us. Yet… three days later Jesus emerged the Victor over sin and the grave! By faith we too can believe that the Man of Sorrows is now the Lord of Life! And He can deliver us as we trust Him even in our coldest, darkest, loneliest caves.

Worship Prayer

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Psalm 141:2

I come to You, O God

My heart enthralled

by You I am called

and in You I see

all I ever need

my prayer in worship of You

I lift my voice, O God

to You Who hear

and are always near

my praise I give

as in You I live

my praise in prayer to You

I lift my hands, O God

extolling Your great name

telling of Your fame

my heart worships only You

I’m grateful for all You do

my thanksgiving offered to my God

I remember Your works, O God

I read them in Your book

I see them everywhere I look

Your deeds so wonderful

Your grace so powerful

I know You live, my Lord

As I pray to You, O God

my soul with truth aligns

with Your sweetness satisfied

my soul You raise

as Your name I praise

my worship prayer to You, O God

the wicked against the righteous

Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;

preserve me from violent men,

who have planned to trip up my feet.

Psalm 140:4

This prayer for deliverance in all of Psalm 140 helps us to understand the desperate lengths evil people will go to in order to stamp out righteousness and make wickedness the accepted social standard. This psalm is very descriptive of what characterizes people who are evil, and how this world works against those who stand for God and His truth.

What evil people are:               What evil people do:

Evil (vs 1).                                 Plan evil (vs 2)

Violent (vs 1).                            Stir up wars (2)

Slanderers (vs 11).                     Serpentine speech (3)

                                                   Plan to trip up the righteous (4)

                                                   Try to ensnare the righteous (5)

                                                   Plot evil (8)

                                                   Seek exaltation (8)

Sin has not stopped creating this kind of evil chaos. If anything, it is increasing. It is imperative that Christians pray against the actions and plans of evil people today. There is a war here… now… and eternity is at stake.

Lord,

Deliver us from evil. There are many who plan against You and Your righteousness. They stir up wars continuously. They speak with the serpent’s wicked lisp and foment rebellion against You and all that is holy. They plan to trip up any person who stands for righteousness. They set traps. They plot evil. They cancel what is true. They seek the worship only of what is wicked.

Maintain the cause of the afflicted! Execute Your justice for the needy righteous people under their attacks. Lord, help Your people to dwell safely, thankfully, in Your presence. Turn the evil plan of evil people against them!

Amen

precious thoughts

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

Psalm 139:17-18a

David counted as most precious the Word of God. He knew the thoughts of God, because he studied the Word of God. He reflects on that magnificent process as he sings his song of praise. The magnitude of God’s revelation is astounding. There is a vastness to God’s revelation that expands our own spiritual awareness and transcends our finite intellect. We become most appreciative of our great God when we examine the multitude of blessings and meaning in our God’s great words. We see His care for us, His power and majesty, and our place of praise and service to Him as we contemplate His Word!

And the experience that David had is now even more full for Christians. David had just the Pentateuch, just five books of the Law, that he found massively encouraging. We possess at our fingertips sixty-six books of depth, beauty, and precious power. They should be beyond dear to us. They stretch into a vast collection of God’s thoughts, a galaxy of newness to us as we turn every page, study every book, listen to the Word preached, find strength and comfort in God’s promises, and rejoice in the hope He reveals!

O Lord,

How precious to me are Your thoughts! What a privilege to hold it, read it, study it, know it, memorize it, and believe it. Your thoughts direct my thoughts when I apply myself to Your Word. Your thoughts inform my choices. Your thoughts change my actions. Your thoughts create holy behavior pleasing to You. And all of this is the most precious, most powerful book that abides forever as Your Holy Bible!

Amen

rejection expected

For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.

I Thessalonians 3:4

Paul was direct in his disciple-making. He proclaimed the good news of the gospel along with the realistic results of believing the gospel. And everywhere that Paul preached this, there was controversy and persecution. He did not hide this from anybody. The churches God used him to found were forged in trail and pain. None of that was any secret.

This reminder to the Thessalonian congregation was sent in a letter that Paul wrote from a Roman prison. He used these moments to communicate in letter when he could not visit in person. Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians might lose heart at his imprisonment, so he sent Timothy to encourage them. Paul was himself encouraged when Timothy returned with a report that the church was still thriving. And even in distress and pain, the joy of mutual ministry keep the gospel moving forward!

Do not be surprised then, brothers and sisters, when Christian faith is assaulted by a culture controlled by sinful desires. It WILL happen. We must suffer affliction if we are indeed going to be true to the gospel. And Paul’s goal was never to protest the culture, but rather to encourage disciples amidst their affliction. How we ever got to this entitled delusion of thinking Christians should be happy, healthy, wealthy, and influential is beyond scripture! Take heart… affliction and rejection are the way the culture confirms the authenticity of our faith. They tried to cancel a perfect, holy Jesus. They will reject His disciples as well.

Lord,

We know we will suffer if we follow our Lord Who suffered rejection, crucifixion, mockery, and death at the hands of a hostile culture. And so we realistically accept that the glory of our salvation and the power of the resurrection provide perspective. May we be true to proclaim Your love and grace, even as an evil world hates You.

Amen

rejectors be damned?

And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them.

Luke 9:54-55

Followers of Jesus are not dispensers of God’s wrath and judgment. Yes, we follow the only true and righteous Judge. Yes, one day all justice will be delivered by Jesus. But Christians are not the ones called to mete out God’s wrath on sin.

Ironically, in this gospel account, Jesus was getting closer to Jerusalem, focused on His upcoming passion week and sacrifice. That is the setting for this shocking episode. Traveling through Samaria, Jesus sent messengers ahead into a village hoping to be received with hospitality. But the classic rivalry between Samaritans and Jews met them with a cold refusal. They were not welcome. James and John gave into the racial hatred and were offended. They suggested that hell was what that village should get right then and there. And Jesus would have none of His disciples’ hate. He turned immediately to them to address their calloused bigotry and rebuked them for it. They found another village that was receptive.

When a culture hates Christ and the truths Christians represent, we can be tempted to adopt the “go to hell” attitude of James and John. And I believe Jesus would rebuke us sharply. In the gospel of Luke, as the story progresses, Jesus is going to soon lay down His life for ALL who would reject Him. And He came to save, giving us a message of salvation, not a call to damnation. The world is already damned. A day of judgment has been appointed. Jesus will lead all judgment. But until then, a season of grace is here. Freedom to proclaim the gospel is everywhere. The world may impose the consequences, but they are trivial! We are called to respond to rejection not with revenge, but in obedience we should obey the call to invite sinners to come to receive mercy from Jesus!

It is too easy to just let a fallen world be damned. It is much more Christlike to love people, even in their lost state and in their defiance, calling them to see a Savior Who loves them despite their enmity! Even when sinners lead a culture AWAY from Jesus, we should hope for grace and pray God grants them faith so that some may be saved. We aren’t the dispensers of judgment. We should not darkly comfort our vindictiveness. God, help us stay clear of that kind of hate. We are the givers of grace. God will settle it all in His Day. Will we believe this?

our lives & the gospel together

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

1 Thessalonians 2:8

Ministry isn’t for those who demand social distance. To be a Christian committed to disciple-making means we commit to getting close to people. It’s about vulnerability, friendship, transparency, intimacy, and love like a family. It’s messy sometimes. You aren’t transactional and aloof. You must be interpersonal, sacrificial, and involved. It’s a personal commitment. Paul had just shared in verse seven that his missionary team was gentle, like a nursing mother with an infant, when bringing the gospel to Thessalonika. They were sacrificial. They provided care and support and nurture. And their hearts got close to the people they loved with the gospel.

When we make disciples in the church we make close friends and intimate family. We don’t hold back. We give. We love. We serve. We win. We lose. We care. We pour ourselves into one another. No need is too big to go unmentioned… No problem too difficult not to share… No heartache too personal or deep… No sin kept secret. Our lives are open and wrapped together around our Savior and it is a wonderful, dear kind of life.

God help us not to be mere members of churches that feel cold and uncaring. Save us from being stale, procedural, and institutional. Give us these hearts of affection that Paul and company described here! Let’s share the gospel, and all ourselves, together because our lives are so very dear together. May we know the blessings of such close and meaningful life-giving community!

loved and chosen

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;

sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,

Israel as his own possession.

Psalm 135:3-4

God is indeed good. His grace is wonderful, shown for us forever. He is worthy of our praise and it is beautiful to offer praises to Him! God is good. This I know.

At the time this psalm was written, God’s covenant with Israel was the way His goodness was personally known. Every Israelite was in a unique position, member of a covenant community, chosen by God Himself. He kept them, fed them, protected them, and provided all that they needed. They were His chosen people. They lived to worship and obey the God Who had chosen them out of all of the peoples of the earth to display His glory and might. And so when these chosen people gathered at His temple to worship Him, they reminded themselves of God’s great love and goodness. They honored His covenant. God is good!

And in Christ, right now, God has called out a people for Himself. A new chosen people, holy and beloved, blessed by God with all heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus, are now called to worship Jesus and display His transformative gospel glory to a watching world. We sing the praises of our Savior. We know that the Lord is good. We gather to proclaim His goodness and we scatter into our world to make Jesus known to all people. And from all the peoples of the earth, God is calling even more to come be His chosen people for the glory of the Risen Son.

Lord,

As one of many brothers and sisters “loved by God” and “chosen in Him” (1 Thessalonians 1:4), I have the privilege of living in a unique way, in a community of people You have set apart to praise You and proclaim Your gospel. Help us make Your praises and Your power known!

Amen

my soul

For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 9:25

Jesus

I come to You

to lose my life

and be found again

eternity in Your hands

given out to me

this is no loss

Jesus

You died for me

so I now die

to self and sin

buried and so cold

reborn again in You

I find my life

You saved my soul

Jesus

I gain the most

in this holy death

trading shame for joy

gaining Your great life

my grateful heart sings

with all I possess

Jesus

My cross I take

to follow Your path

You lead my way

Your example I see

as I go forward

Your gospel to live

enthusiasm and expression

Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and let your saints shout for joy.

Psalm 132:9

When leaders are righteous, God’s people rejoice. This is a prayer that the priests of God’s temple who were charged with all the daily worship and sacrificial duties, would themselves be men not just committed to a task, but to holiness. It is a hope to God that righteous character would enrobe the hearts of the priests. Then they would lead not just out of mere duty, but in personal holy delight. Their robes would be righteousness. Their deeds would please God because their hearts would seek God.

And in this hope, Israel would rejoice. Holy hearted priests would lead a holy community of saints in shouts of joy as they worshiped. It would be holiness that would yield happiness. Enthusiasm for righteousness would ignite expression in worship. Passion for a holy God would bring praises shouted aloud in the worship gathering. 

O Lord,

I want to serve You with a passion for Your holiness. And I know that only You will make me holy. I am sanctified by the final sacrifice of Jesus, my perfect Great High Priest. And that righteousness that is only found in Christ now clothes me. May my praises, and the songs of all Your redeemed saints, be expressive, joyful, and loud as the joy of our salvation burns in us!

Amen