From wicked to righteous

The wicked are estranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

Psalm 58:3

All people are born wicked. We are born in sin. From the womb we are sinners through and through. Our sin will lead our first steps astray. Our first words will be lies. That is our natural state. This is why we are answerable to a holy God before Whom we deserve to be cast in judgment. This is why we need Jesus to save us. All of us, each of us, every one of us is wicked at birth.

Scripture is clear that this lost condition is endemic to us all. And we are held accountable before a holy God. We are born into sin. We do sin. We need a Savior. None of us, born as we are in this desperate and depraved condition, have the capacity to please God or make amends for our wickedness. We remain estranged. We walk further away with each lie we speak, each disobedience we choose, each sin we selfishly commit in disregard of a holy God.

God judges wickedness. There are two methods for this. One is in a life that ends in eternal punishment by a just God. The other is in faith that trusts that Jesus bore that punishment for our wicked nature on the cross, and then rose from the dead that we might eternally live cleansed by His redeeming blood. And this is the “reward for the righteous” from the “God Who judges on earth” (Psalm 58:11). In Jesus we know the forgiveness for sin, the restoration of our estrangement, the righteousness that holds us close to a loving God, and the truth that erases all the lies! Praise Him for the way He turns the wicked to be His holy ones!

with all I am

Awake, my glory!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

Psalm 57:8

With all I am

I will praise You

With all my mind

I will seek You

With all my soul

I will worship You

With all my heart

I will love You

Glorious God You deserve

All I have

With all I am

I begin today

With all my mind

I take in the splendor of the dawn

With all my soul

I entrust my life to You

With all my heart

I will feel You near in glory

Saving God I am Yours

With all I am

far from sand

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Matthew 7:26

Lord,

My prayer today is simple: Let me live solidly built on the rock secure foundation of hearing AND doing what You say. May Your authority not only pique my interest but also control my choices. May Your wisdom be more than a thought, but also in my actions. Will You please help me to do what You say?

Your own warning tells me that just because I read Your Word does not mean my life will be stable. Just because I say I am Christian is no guarantee. I must be a man who does what I say I believe, lives what I trust, and puts into practice what my Lord preaches.

The expectation from You, my Lord, is that saving faith is a living faith. This I know, my God. And I will seek to be among Your wise “doers” of all that You say!

Amen

lip service failure

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:23

On a future day

some will say

     “Lord, Lord…”

Surprise declaration

of rejection:

“Depart from me!”

“Workers of iniquity!”

“You said what you do

but I never knew you!”

It isn’t enough

to say verbal stuff

if with the will of the Father

you never seem to bother.

Many can falsely claim

to believe in The Name

while living such a lie

will fail them when they die.

In the now

it has to be how

     Jesus is Lord.

Obedience shows

more than I know.

I seek to obey

what Word and Spirit say

“Well done!” I want to hear

from the Lord I love and fear.

careful inspection

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

Matthew 7:18

Jesus began this section of the Sermon on the Mount with a warning against judgmentalism (see Matthew 7:1). Then he asks His followers to live by a clear criteria that cares about how others wish to be treated… the famous Golden Rule: “…whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…” (Matthew 7:12). This is a standard by which we evaluate our actions and motives and a standard that people may use to evaluate Christians.

But Jesus does NOT teach that actions are neutral. He links what we do on the outside with who we are on the inside. He uses the analogy of fruit and tree to help us understand that nothing we do is motive-free. And the fruit shows the health of the tree. Jesus thus encourages analysis of the fruit… good fruit = good tree… bad fruit = bad tree. Discernment and judgment are to be practiced by Jesus’ guidelines. This is far different than judgmentalism where “my criteria” is the standard. In a context on this kind of careful inspection Jesus Himself called certain people “dogs” and “pigs” (Matthew 7:6) and warns that others might be false prophets (Matthew 7:15). He calls us to recognize fruit and make the determination ourselves (Matthew 7:16). Thus the command to “judge not” in Matthew 7:1 isn’t about making determinations, it is about being careful HOW we do so.

It is important to protect out hearts from the sin of judgmentalism. That means we realize that “how” we look at sin, starting first with ourselves, is key. We don’t forget our own real need to pull logs out of our own eyes first. We realize judgment begins with us and is God’s to do ultimately. We treat others with respect and love as we would want to be treated, wanting to repent of our own sin, and hoping our loving words can convince others to repent of theirs. Yet if bad fruit is clearly in evidence we have to recognize it for what it is. First in our own hearts… then in helping others get to the root of their own diseased tree and stunted fruit. It is wise to evaluate the fruit of our lives by Jesus’ standards.

thin path

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:14

O Keeper of the narrow gate I come to You today. I have chosen to follow You just as You have chosen for me to follow. And the path I have been on has been hard. There is more ahead that will be narrow and rugged. I look to You. I know this is the path of life, and I will hike it to the summit!

Some men tell lies about an easy way. They stand at a wide gate and convince a crowd that coming to You is about a gilded path of wealth and happiness, no sickness, no trials, and no difficulty. They walk a wide road to hell and destruction, all the while invoking lies and producing blindness. I’ll have none of that!

Give me the climb. Give me the steep rocks. Lead me through the canyons, into the valleys, across the raging waters, and up the cliff faces as necessary. The thin path strengths my trust in You, Jesus. And yet it is nothing like the road You took up Your hill, to die for me! You created this path to my life by Your dying. I will live on it even as it means I climb with difficulty and with desperate determination and purpose. When I am weary, be my Guide, O Holy Spirit. Be my hope, my Leader, and my companion, Lord Jesus. Urge me on, Father. I will hike with the few.

Amen

holy pursuit

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Do I really believe that relationship with God is a worthy pursuit? Jesus taught that those in His kingdom who live under a good and gracious Father still make effort to enjoy the benefit of that relationship. We don’t just sit back and wait on God. We pursue the gift of His care. We are in an active pursuit of a loving, holy, gracious God Who loves us.

And so I reflect on what Jesus taught. I must ask of God. My prayers must be worshipful but also I must respectfully request from Him. And Jesus says the Father is ready to grant what I need. “Everyone who asks receives.” He is a good Father Who answers in care, love, and willingness to grant by His power.

Yet in my asking I must also seek. That seems to be a root action behind requests. Do I seek my answer from God only after I have exhausted my own attempts at provision or been disappointed by the world? Seeking means seeking first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33)! Will I seek truth, answers, life’s satisfaction only from my God? “The one who seeks finds.”

And finally, will I knock at God’s door to find it opened to the new and the better place? We enter protection under a roof when a door is opened. God longs to be a shelter, help, and home for those who knock at His door. “To the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Lord,

Help me pursue You by asking, seeking, and knocking. May Your provision, Person, and presence meet all that I will always need!

Amen

Your speck/my log

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:3

Forgive my critical inspection

when I have not done self introspection

You have a problem, that is true

but I fail to see I am a problem to you

I judge you for an irritation

failing to control my agitation

that speck in your eye I magnify

my log goes unidentified

Forgive me Lord for ignoring my sin

while my own brother’s sin I spin

into the worst offense that I can see

I need Your Spirit to chasten me

show me the wrong I do

so I will listen to You

Forgive me brother, too

when I sit in judgment of you

this log must go

so my sin I can know

then we can restore

and find grace once more

freewill sacrifice

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;

I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Psalm 54:6

Where does my praise come from? Does it arise from my own free choice, welling up from a thankful heart, willing to give up my sacrifice to the Lord? Do I offer praise that costs me something… an offering of sacrifice? I think all too often I am disengaged… with the assembly reading words on a screen, humming a familiar tune, just going through liturgical motions and calling it worship. Lord, help me to sacrifice in praise to You. Help me get up early and stay up late! Help me give up my time, my thoughts, my personal treasures and to place them on an altar of joyous praise to You, my Savior, my King, and my God!

Why would such a sacrifice be worth my efforts? It is because by Your very nature… by Your very name, O Lord, YOU ARE GOOD! I believe this. I have trusted Your good name when everything around me felt awful and life betrayed my trust. I have believed You are good when everything in life screamed to me that all was bad. I found You to be my portion when all else was empty. You kept me focused when everything else was shrouded in a dense fog of uncertainty and grief. You were good then. You are good now. Your name, my God, is good and I will praise You!

So today, by choice, with a grateful soul, I offer up praise. Now, in an early morning when my body craved sleep, instead I give You this freewill offering of my praise. It seems small, but You are magnified in it. I know that Your name, O Lord, is good… it is excellent… it is power… You are my praise… Mighty God! Healer! Sustainer! Joygiver! Anxiety-slayer! I am for Your praise! You are for my good! I give thanks to Your name, O Lord!

wondrous love

Blessed be the LORD,

for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me

when I was in a besieged city.

Psalm 31:21

I love David’s words here describing God’s saving nearness to him in a time of intense difficulty. And here I am with another Monday feeling like I too am besieged! Sometimes that is just the way the week starts. Here I see that David blesses God for showing wondrous steadfast love. “Steadfast love” is David’s poetic way of talking about grace from a loving God. It is a covenant-keeping God in love Who pours Himself into a painful situation and rescues. So this is wondrous love indeed! It is grace! It is perfect for a Monday mentality that needs grace to rearrange it! And it has me singing an old gospel song… (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN)

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul
What wondrous love is this, O my soul
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I Am
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing
While millions join the theme, I will sing

And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be
And through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on
And through eternity, I'll sing on

O Lord Jesus,

I bless You for Your wondrous love and grace. When sin besieged me You died to set me free. And whatever difficult circumstances or besetting sins I feel or whatever painful besieging circumstances I fear now, You are here to show wondrous, steadfast love. And I will sing of that great love… with my life, and for eternity!

Amen

Jesus and anxiety

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

Matthew 6:31

Jesus’ command telling people “do not be anxious” does not sit well with today’s psychologized society. The first tendency of most people who have been taught that anxiety is an uncontrollable physical reaction and that science has yet to unlock all there is to understand about the physiological roots of emotion and fear would be to smugly laugh Jesus’ command aside. “Jesus was part of an ancient misunderstanding of human psyches.” “Do not be anxious? LOL! Jesus might as well tell us ‘do not breathe’!”

So this reigning psychological interpretative grid of human experiences combines with an age that has given us technology that creates unprecedented alarm and anxiety. We are contentious people, split over politics, opinions, ethnicity, and even the most basic of human differences, gender. We have instant electronic attachment to everything that is alarming. Our phones blare constant alerts. Provocative posts are meant to stir responses. Our politicians now deliberately poke and push to elicit fear, anger, and adrenaline! Our entertainment is loud and volatile. Relationships are so selfishly motivated that they are guaranteed to fail. Anxiety looms over everything… always under the surface… always around the next turn.

But Jesus is right! And the reason anxiety is not god is that Jesus is God! He is the Prince of Peace. Jesus is our Provision and our Protector. Jesus gives daily hope… daily help… a measured calm for the turmoil that rages around us. The secret to saying “No” to anxiety is saying “Yes” to Jesus. That doesn’t mean we won’t feel shaken from time to time. It means He is there when the fear comes and He is right beside us to take us beyond it. Anxiety and physical fear may still plague us, but they don’t have to control us. We have a Savior Who can handle our fear and increase our faith… He Who walks on water in the midst of stormy waves calls us to be “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

heart treasure

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

We talk about our treasures. Our eyes light up, our words flow faster, our diction is crisper, our enthusiasm flows when our treasure is our topic. Listen to what a person talks about the most. Or more graphically on display, look at what predominates their social media feed. You will find their treasure as surely as if they handed you a map with an “X” marking the spot.

We think about our treasures. We can’t help it. What we treasure will consume our free thoughts. Treasures dominate our minds, our hopes, our dreams, our plans, and our waking AND sleeping moments. What I catch myself daydreaming about most in an alone moment probably points me to what my heart may currently be treasuring.

We feel for our treasures. When I cry over a loss, I may find an uncovered heart treasure in the tears. When I have anxiety over the future, my worry fixates on what my heart treasures. What angers me? That too is something that points to a perceived devaluing of my treasure. What appalls me? I perceive others not treasuring what I treasure. My feelings often wrap themselves around what my heart treasures, adorning treasures with deep personal emotion.

We choose our treasures. What have I chosen? What decisions will I make today or have I made around what my heart values? How do I choose to live my life? Look at how a person lives, whether miserly or extravagantly, sensually or practically, spiritually or materially, and you will see a museum built to the treasures of their heart. These museums are erected by their choices around the treasures they value the most. We choose to live around what our hearts treasure. 

The words of Jesus then invite us to deeper introspection. Will I let His insights into seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness inform my inventory of my treasures? Will I let Him reorder what I treasure… indeed, will I let Jesus be ALL that I treasure?

in secret

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:18b

In secrecy You know me.

God, You know my motivation…

my every inclination

is no mystery.

I am exposed before You.

You understand all that I do.

I am a living history.

I cannot hide any inclination.

I am open to Your investigation.

In secrecy You know me.

In secrecy I give to You.

God. purge my ambition

and in every situation

empower my ministry.

I seek Your kingdom.

I proclaim Your freedom.

Give me divine victory

over pride-filled self-deception…

may Jesus be my reflection!

In secrecy I give to You.

In secrecy I sacrifice.

All my selfish pride

no longer will I hide.

In Your presence I am free.

Transform this heart of mine.

Let Your glory always shine.

Make a light for all to see.

In Jesus I am crucified,

so that Your power is magnified.

In secrecy I sacrifice.

meaningful prayer

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:7-8

Payer is intimate soul conversation with God. It isn’t rote religious ritual. It isn’t about mindless repetition. It isn’t about following some prescribed formula to gain access to answers. That’s what pagans did according to Jesus. They repeated the names of their gods over and over to appease the deity’s egos. They prayed memorized prayers rapidly, repeatedly, often with a talisman in hand to physically feel themselves repeating a prayer a specific number of times or in rhythmic sequence. So any religious system that tells you to repeat prescribed penitent prayers for a specific number of times to appease deity or atone for a wrong is utterly pagan according to our Lord.

Jesus says to talk to the Father. He is already intimately concerned about us. He knows what we need before we ask, so our prayers aren’t about magical persuasion. They are about entering into worship, submission, gratefulness, and awe of the God Who knows us and cares for us. This is so much deeper than pagan ritualistic thinking. It is so much richer than Pharisaical show-making. This is soul intimacy with our soul’s Creator. He loves to engage in that conversation!

Take into account John Calvin on why we pray:

Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may release themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into His arms; in a word, that they may declare that from God alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things.

giving in secret

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:3-4

Jesus expects generous giving to the needy to flow from His followers. The admonition in Matthew 6:2 is not “if you give” but “when you give.” Jesus expects Christians to care about the poor. Jesus expects His people to give to help the neediest. Jesus expects us to care in physically measurable ways. And the attitude by which we do so is also very important. We can negate the reward of our giving by our selfish attitudes.

In Jesus’ culture the Pharisees, the religious show-offs on the right side of the aisle of ancient Israel, loved to draw attention to their gifts to the poor. They blew a trumpet as they dropped a gift into the coffers of a local synagogue. They made sure people saw their “good deeds”. They were motivated by pride and displaying their wealth. But Jesus much more prefers anonymous donors! In fact, His command is that our giving should be “in secret”. It is the opposite of the virtue-signaling public show. If possible, we need to give willingly, generously, and without getting the credit. That’s the call of true heart-felt generosity and the kind of true righteousness God the Father will always reward.

Lord,

May I be a steward of the means You have given me to give in secret. May Your reward be my sole motivation. May humility be the way I live out what I give out!

Amen

Vindication

Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,

according to your righteousness,

and let them not rejoice over me!

Psalm 35:24

What was David asking for in this cry for God to vindicate him? He wanted God to clearly involve Himself to point out the stark difference between David’s righteous commitment to obey God and the evil motives of David’s enemies. David trusted the Law AND the covenant that the Lord had made with him as king.

To be vindicated by God meant that all the opposite characteristics shown in the actions of David’s sinful accusers would be shown by David’s life. God would defend him. It meant that the light of God’s justice would shine on his enemies’ evil motives, exposing the intentions of their hearts. David’s true worship of God, offered in faith and obedience would be revealed for all to see.

This cry for vindication was an appeal to God’s righteous, faithful love. God always keeps His promises. And a faithful, consistent, holy God will vindicate His people. They may suffer for a season as the wicked seem to thrive and press in around them. But the Lord will vindicate them. He will show His faithful care. He will not allow faithfulness to Him to be snuffed out by the wicked.

The gospel shows us the ultimate vindication. Wicked men marched Jesus up Golgotha. Wicked men condemned and crucified the perfect, faithful, obedient Son of God, heir of David’s covenant, and Messiah. But by resurrection from the dead God defeated all those evil actions and vindicated His Righteous One! And now Jesus clothes those who trust in Him with His own perfect righteousness and will vindicate His faithful followers. May His righteousness be our strength, hope, and vindication always! 

…by the word of Your lips…

With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

Psalm 17:4

God’s people have always had the challenge of living above the ways of sinful humanity. God calls us to righteous living. David sings in this Psalm about navigating the tension of the “ways of man” and avoiding the “ways of the violent”. How did he achieve success while living with the reality of those pressures? How did David find the power and ability to please God and keep His commands amidst such a chaotic culture?

The answer to these questions is found in the wisdom, strength, and power of the Word of God. David committed to knowing, loving, and obeying scripture. “By the word of your lips I have avoided…” was the reason for David’s remarkable confidence and success. He was confident not in his own power. He saw the truth of God lead him from the works of violent men. David was a man of the Word, stable amidst the chaos of surrounding culture. Scripture held his heart true to God. Scripture ordered his thoughts and directed his heart to do what God asked of him. God’s Word kept the King faithful, and it does the same for us today!

Lord Jesus,

You are the Living Word. And as I obey the gospel, as I turn from sin and cling to Your grace, as I let Your Spirit fill my thoughts and incline my heart to the wisdom of Your Word, I believe that You will help me navigate a destructive, sin-filled, hateful, violent, and chaotic culture. We live in a world where the works of man defy Your truth and devalue Your creation daily! And violent men by force now destroy with so much pain, greed, and defiance. O how we long for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Who will end all this chaos and restore us by the Word of Your mouth. Do so soon! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Amen

Begging Borrower

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Matthew 5:42

I am poor 

I am vulnerable

I have nothing to offer

Your grace to proffer

Yet You are rich

You are capable

You reach out to my poverty

give Yourself extravagantly

Lord, I lack everything

Yet You pour out to to me

treasures of Your redeeming love

found in a Savior come from above

Now my soul is filled

in Your raining mercy

I am called to be complete

as I sit rich now at Your feet

Others still are beggars

others are still in great need

fill me with love to care

meet their need in me, bring You there

When I needed

Lord, You gave to me

so with gospel truth from my heart

help me to be generous from the start

In my giving

may I see clearly

not the begging, but You meeting their need

so that Your grace, their poverty may exceed.

a lust problem

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28

It is sadly true of this culture at this time that Jesus’ clear warning about how sexual sin devastates at the heart level is entirely ignored. It is so bad that the kinds of behaviors that would once have been publicly decried even by unbelievers are now explained away quite awkwardly and unbiblically among Christians. A political figure on a talk show brags about playboy conquests and NEVER publicly repents of that sort of talk? We waive it off as an imperfection from younger days and tell people he is still our best champion for religious rights. A pastor or televangelist’s latest tryst raises eyebrows? We step around it and talk about the need to forgive and restore.

I’m all for Jesus forgiving the worst things we do. He does redeem from sexual sin. But I am not in favor of a casual treatment of Jesus’ own words on sin right here in His magnum opus Sermon on the Mount! Sexual sin starts in the heart, scars the heart, callouses the soul. And in a world that is now so openly pro-porn, pro-sexual exploration, pro-sensuality of ANY KIND, and anti-Jesus on these matters, we need to heed the warning of Jesus all the more! Looking to lusting is already a major sexual sin. Inciting a passion not meant for anything other than private expression in monogamous, heterosexual marriage for life will lead to awful consequences. Sexual sanctity and sanity is guarded at the heart.

Lord,

You know my heart and I pray that I will heed Your words in the online, all-the-time, entertainment-driven, cultural sludge that seeks to incite lust… help me stand true to you… to my marriage… to my heart!

Amen