The 18^th century French philosopher Voltaire wrote, “Common sense is not so common.” I wonder if he was thinking of our age when he offered that social critique. Probably not! My guess is that every age could claim that title.  Unfortunately, common sense has rarely been all that common.

The thing is, there are people aplenty in every age, including ours, who don’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain.  They’re not stupid, mind you. Some are even very intelligent, well educated, and in some respects, quite successful people.  IQ is not the problem; it’s EQ—they lack emotional intelligence. They don’t do very well in their relationships, they mismanage their emotions, they lack impulse control, they have not mastered delayed gratification, they habitually steer right into the ditch in decision-making—they lack common sense.

Do you know anyone like that? I’m sure you do; images are probably flooding your might right now!  So how about you? How’s your EQ?  The thing is, there’s not a whole lot you can do about how others do life, but you can work on your own emotional intelligence.  How?  Go to God.  That’s what Proverbs 2:6 says: “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” That’s where you start.

The Bible says God is quite liberal in doling out wisdom to those who lack it and are willing to ask him for it. (James 1:5-8) But asking alone doesn’t guarantee a continual supply of Divine wisdom.  God expects something of you. The next verse in Proverbs 2 says, “Lord grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.” (Proverbs 2:7, NLT).

That means the spigot to God’s wisdom will stay fully open to you if you will walk in honesty—with other, with yourself, and with the Lord—and walk in integrity—the congruence of what you believe and how you behave. Furthermore, Proverbs 2:8 adds that God expects you to treat others fairly and to walk faithfully before him. As those considerations are met, the Lord himself has promised to not only give you wisdom, but  to wrap you protectively in that wisdom.  Among other things, and most importantly, that means his wisdom displayed in you will protect you even from yourself.

I like what George Barnard Shaw said: “Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius.” When enough of God’s wisdom gets absorbed in your core to where common sense becomes your natural response to all of life, you will be known on earth and celebrated in heaven for the best kind of genius—your uncommon sense.

Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” ~C.E. Stowe

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

For the next seven days, discipline yourself to stop before every decision, every response to people and every emotional reaction to first ask, “what would wisdom have me to do?”  Then do it.  It might be clumsy at first, but stick with it until good sense becomes common for you.

Proverbs, Chapter 1:

“You ignorant outfit!” If I heard that scathing remark from my red-faced-vein-in-the-forehead-about-to-explode father once when I was growing up, I heard it a couple dozen times.  Obviously my childhood home wasn’t one of those touchy-feely places where mom and dad gave a whole lot of thought to my self-esteem.  They were determined not to produce an offspring who turned out to be a fool—someone who is, as the Bible defines it, morally deficient.

The older I get, the more I appreciate their old-school approach.  As columnist George Will writes, “Modern parents want to nurture so skillfully that Mother Nature will gasp in admiration at the marvels their parenting produces from the soft clay of children.” Not my parents; they were more concerned that one day I would stand before God, at which point all three of us—dad, mom and child—would hear, “well done, good and faithful servants.”

Whether you are doing life as a parent, or you are simply doing life as a child of God, remember that holiness is a far better attribute than happiness and fear of God outshines feeling good every time.  So learn to lean into the Lord’s discipline, and help your children to embrace it, too.  Put wisdom at the top of your wish list—for you and them.  And if you desire for you and yours to do life well, make “the fear of the Lord” the center and the circumference of your home. Solomon said it this way in Proverbs 1:7,

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

My friend, the fear of the Lord is what enables us to do life courageously, confidently and flourishingly well—and by the way, it’s the only way that produces the kind of esteem worth having: Not self-esteem but God’s esteem!

Where there is fear of God to keep the house, the enemy can find no way to enter. ~Francis of Assisi

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

Read George Will’s article, “Self-Esteem, Self-Destruction”, http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/03/self-esteem_self-destruction.html. Also, find an opportunity as soon as possible to talk with your children about 1) what the fear of the Lord really is, and 2) the important distinction between eternal holiness and temporal happiness.

Pastor Ray is just a few days away from launching his new blog postings.  Join him each day as he walks with you through the book of Proverbs.  In fact, why not join him in reading a chapter a day in Proverbs throughout the month.  For example, on Day 1 read Chapter 1, on Day 2 read Chapter 2 and so on.  Each day he will pull out an insight from the chapter to share his thoughts.  And, don’t forget….he would love to hear your thoughts too!

So…be wondering what’s going on with Meditations lately?

Well, we’re on hiatus…taking a break…getting ready for a reboot.  The blog is about to make a comeback, so hold on.  In a few days, you will see a brand new look and a refreshing new approach to our daily interactions with God’s Word.  We think it’s it going to be fun!

Thanks for your patience!

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again.
Ecclesiastes 1:9

Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every
one that heareth it shall tingle.
1 Samuel 3:11

There is nothing wrong with looking for the best deal.  We are to be good stewards of the finances God has entrusted to us and go after the finest quality at the most affordable price.  But when it comes to that which we are called to sacrifice unto the Lord, it is to be just that—a sacrifice!

If what we give to God cost us nothing; if we have cut corners or gone on the cheap or have manipulated a discount; if we give second hand or second best when we could have done better, then it is not a sacrifice.  God deserves our best.  Now understand that our best is not to be compared to someone else’s best—it is simply that which for us is of the highest quality and the deepest devotion and the greatest love.

King David illustrates this kind of costly sacrifice here as we close the book on II Samuel.  This story was important enough that the Holy Spirit inspired the human author to include it in this inspired account of David, thus leading us to conclude that it represents a principle of giving God expects us to observe.

The context of this story is David’s refusal to accept a plot of land for free—land that the prophet Gad had instructed the king to secure upon which he was to build an altar.  The altar was for a sacrifice that would absolve David of his guilt in wrongly ordering a census of Israel’s fighting men and stop the plague that God has visited upon the nation that had resulted from David’s disobedient act.  The sacrifice David wanted to make was a serious one—there were 70,000 fresh Israelite graves to prove it.  The altar to be built to accommodate that sacrifice had been ordered by God—so this was a matter of utmost importance.

After Gad’s instruction, David went to Araunah, who owned the land where the angel of the Lord had ceased his destruction of the Israelites, and this was the spot where the sacrifice was to take place.  Araunah responded to David’s request to buy the land by offering it for free—along with the sacrificial elements—all in the name of the Lord.  But David refused this generous offer, insisting on paying full price for both the land and the animals to be sacrificed.

In refusing to accept the land for free or at a discount, David established an enduring and God-honoring principle for sacrifice:  “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God offerings that cost me nothing.”  God always asks for our best—and he deserves nothing less!

So how are you doing in the sacrifice department?  Does that which you offer God cost you your best—that which represents your highest quality and the deepest devotion and the greatest love?  If not, now is the time to start a new pattern of giving.  If it does, keep it up!

Just Saying… Charles Thomas Studd wrote, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

David was in trouble—due to no fault of his own.  He had been a model citizen.  In fact, he had proven himself a true national hero during a military crisis when the courage of Israel’s warriors had failed them. As you know from I Samuel 17, David had unintentionally made a name for himself on the battlefield by killing Goliath of Gath—the champion-giant of Israel’s archenemy, the Philistines.

As a result of this heroic act, David, still a young man, was recruited into King Saul’s army, and fast-tracked right to the top as captain and confidante to the moody and maniacal king.  He was even given Saul’s daughter, Michal, as his wife.  But things turned bad when the unstable king began to show signs of irrational and insane jealousy toward David. It got so bad that he took out a hit on David’s life.

This psalm was written when David got wind of Saul’s plan, forcing him to leave his wife, abandon his home and flee for his life.  As you can see from the title given in the Psalter (Psalm 59:1), Saul had sent his henchmen to stake out David’s house in order to carry out their immoral and illegal plot (Psalm 59:3). And according to David’s song, they were doing more that just trying to murder him: They were attempting to assassinate his character in the eyes of a nation that had come to adore him as their warrior-hero (Psalm 59:10-11).  So David writes about them and puts a tune to it—a song that immortalizes their evil and invites divine destruction down upon their heads.

So what does a psalm like this have to do with you? Is there anything in David’s diatribe meant for your edification today?  My answer is “yes”—this psalm is edifying and it does have everything to do with you. You see, although I doubt that you will ever have a “hit” taken out on your life, chances are there will be people in your life from time to time who will try to assassinate your character and ruin your reputation.  When that happens, you can reach back to David’s experience and, if nothing else, remember this one thing:

Though people can kill your body, assassinate your character, and ruin your reputation, they can never steal your song.

At the end of the day, evil people will be no more, but your integrity will keep you in favored standing with the only One who has the power of eternal life and death.  Powerful people may try to bring you down, but God is your “Strength”; they may try to force you out, but you have One whose name is “Fortress”. (Psalm 59:9,16) They may make your life miserable, but you belong to One who is your “Shield”. (Psalm 59:11)

Evil people and unfair times will pass, but God stands forever—and since you belong to Him, you will stand forever, too!  So go ahead friend and sing. I normally don’t recommend Elton John songs for worship, but you may want to even sing one of his:  I’m Still Standing.

Just Saying…The Puritan preacher, Thomas Watson said, “Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset; eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.”

The sin-seeds sown by David through his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband to cover up the pregnancy that had resulted from the affair were now being harvested in the rebellion of the king’s son, Absalom.  David had been completely forgiven by God (II Samuel 12:13), but his sin had set into motion a series of tragic consequences, which Nathan the prophet had predicted (II Samuel 12:14), that would devastate David both personally and publically.

The low point of David’s kingship must have been Absalom’s conspiracy, coup and then the resultant death of this favorite son. The events of this dark season were beyond tragic for David and Israel, and so unnecessary—as is always the case with sin.  Certainly the Apostle Paul’s assessment of sin was spot on: “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a)  One sin, and as a result, the stench of death was in the air over all Israel—both literally and figuratively.

In spite of David’s self-inflicted disaster, however, the king found a way to reach into the reservoir of Divine grace and wisdom available to every believer and humbly submit himself to the merciful hand of God as he journeyed through this sin-harvest season. And as David did, he found just what he needed, especially at times like this: Even more of God’s great grace.

What is it that releases God’s great grace at times when grace is the last thing we deserve?  It was that which always moves the heart and hand of God: True humility and complete submission to the sovereignty of God.  David truly meant what he said—I am ready to receive whatever God has for me—let him do whatever his wisdom would dictate.

Now that is an incredibly mature response to a self-induced disaster.  Unlike some people who whine, blame and pout, David demonstrated confidence in the judgment of God, he focused on God’s presence in the moment and left restoration—if there was to be any—to a later time, and he submitted himself completely to the will of God, no matter what the divine plan would bring about.  Such humility of heart and submission to the Sovereign’s will are the very reasons God himself proclaimed David to be a man after God’s own heart despite the many mistakes he made throughout his lifetime.

It is that very posture, when it comes from an authentic heart before God, that allows the second half of Romans 6:23 rather than the first half to become the defining reality of our lives: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  For sure, we have been promised life in the age to come, but when we yield our sin-prone selves to God through true repentance and humble submission, some of that eternal life is leaked to us in the here and now.

Just Saying… Thomas Merton wrote, “If we are willing to accept humiliation, tribulation can become, by God’s grace, the mild yoke of, His light burden.” Now that’s sometime to chew on!

Read Mark 15:1-16:20

When The Father Turned His Back On The Son

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until
the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Mark 15:33

Go Deep: Frederick the Great, was the King of Prussia for almost a half century in the 1700’s. He was in Potsdam when he encountered one of his generals, who was in his severe disfavor. At their meeting the general saluted with the greatest respect, but Frederick abruptly turned his back on the officer. To that, the general humbly said, “I am happy to see that Your Majesty is no longer angry with me.”

That got Frederick’s attention, so he turned and asked, “How so?”

The general responded, “Because Your Majesty has never in his life turned his back on an enemy.”

It was said that the general’s daring statement led to his reconciliation with Frederick.

There was another time in a far more important place when God turned his back on his Son as he hung on the cross. In that moment, the Father treated his Son as an enemy; his wrath was poured out on him as he hung on that cross. Jesus became God’s enemy and paid the price of reconciliation so you could become God’s friend.

On the cross, Jesus took on your sins and mine—he became sin for us.  It was our sin, the sins of the whole world, that he bore on the tree, and it was that sin at which God’s righteous anger was directed. The Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:21,

“For God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Simply, yet marvelously, Christ’s death on the cross was the only means to our reconciliation with God. Jesus paid the ultimate price to satisfy God’s righteous wrath and bring us peace with God.

We who were enemies were brought near to God, now as friends.  How wonderful, how marvelous, is God’s saving love for us.  By Christ’s death, we were once sinners, but now God’s friends.

Just Saying… Martin Luther wrote, “Christ took our sins and the sins of the whole world as well as the Father’s wrath on his shoulders, and he has drowned them both in himself so that we are thereby reconciled to God and become completely righteous.”  If you are a Christian, it doesn’t get any better than that!

Read Mark 13:1-14:72

Are We Really Living In The End Times?

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the
master of the house is coming.
Mark 13:35

Go Deep: Will there really ever be a second coming of Christ? The early believers were convinced that Jesus would return in their lifetime, but he didn’t. Were they mistaken?

Now it’s 2,000 years later and he still hasn’t returned. Can we keep saying we are living in the end times and that Jesus could come back at any moment, or are we mistaken as well? All these signs that he predicted here in Mark 13 have been fulfilled—yet still no Jesus! Are we just fooling ourselves?

We would do well to remember what Jesus said in Mark 13:31 & 37, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away…And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

I suppose it is possible that Jesus could delay his coming another 2,000 years—I don’t think so, given the increasing instability of Planet Earth. Whatever the case, 2,000 years is no reproach whatsoever to God’s faithfulness or the truthfulness of his Word. That is precisely the point Peter made in II Peter 3:4 when he responded to the scoffers who taunted, “Where is the Lord’s coming?”

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:8-9)

The real reason Jesus has delayed his return is not negligence or carelessness, but kindness and mercy. And frankly, I am glad for that! I am glad Jesus didn’t return in 1956, because I would not have been born. I am glad that Jesus didn’t return in any one of the years since then, because in each successive year I know people who became followers of Jesus and were spared from a Christless eternity.

The fact that 2,000 years have passed is utterly irrelevant to the promise of Christ’s return. His coming is still imminent. It could occur at any moment. And his command to be watchful and ready is just as applicable today as it was to the early church. In fact, the possibility of his return should be even more urgent for us because we are now 2,000 years closer to it.

Paul said in Romans 13:11-12, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.”

The writer of Hebrews said, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith.’” (Hebrews 10:35-38)

What Jesus, Paul, Peter, the writer of Hebrews and every other New Testament author are all saying is that one of the greatest acts of faith is simply this: To keep an eye on the sky and live each day as if Jesus might return at any moment!

That is how the early church lived, and that is exactly how God wants you and me to live! And if I were to truly grasp that, here is what that would mean for me today:

• I would be more patient in suffering. (Hebrews 10:32-39)
• I would be more loving and kind. (Jude 21)
• I would be more assertive in sharing Christ. (II Peter 3:9)
• I would be more forgiving to those who have hurt me. (James 5:8-9)
• I would be more careful in my moral life—my thoughts, attitudes, words and actions. (II Peter 3:11-12)
• I would be a better steward of the resources God has given me. (Matthew 25)
• And I would be more focused on the eternal and less concerned with the temporal. (II Peter 3:13)

The truth is, we were made for another world! Jesus said, “when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28, NLT)

So as you go about your business today, keep one eye on the sky—this could be the day!

“Even so, come Lord Jesus!”

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis wrote, “Has this world been so kind to you that you would leave it with regret?  There are better things ahead than any we leave behind…If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” And honestly, I can’t wait to see my new home!

Read Psalm 54:1-56:13

Are You On God’s Side?

Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Psalm 54:4

Go Deep: You will often hear people talk about God being on their side.  Politicians, religious leaders, even ordinary people like you and me toss that belief around like a pro athlete guaranteeing a victory in the big game.  But just saying it doesn’t make it so!

President Abraham Lincoln was once asked during the Civil War if he believed that God was on his side.  His response was one that we would all do well to think about, since it represents the only true guarantee of Divine help and victory.  Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Here’s the deal:  If we’re on God’s side, we cannot fail.  If we’re on God’s side then God will be on our side, and our victory is guaranteed.  David discovered that—the story can be found in I Samuel 23:7-29—which is the basis for this psalm.  He was on the run from King Saul, because the king was bent on having David killed.  The young shepherd had just landed in the next of what had been too many hideouts, Ziph, when the people of that village turned him in to Saul.  Saul seemed to finally have David cornered—it looked like it was game, set and match this time.

But David was on God’s side—and God was on David’s side.  Suddenly, just as Saul was ready to pounce, the king got some bad news that enemies on another front, the Philistines, were attacking, so he left pursing the cornered David to tend to that pressing business.  And David was once again delivered when there seemed no way possible to escape. (I Samuel 23:27-29)

Was it a coincidence that Saul was distracted in that moment when he had David dead to rights?  Not at all!  You see, God was at work here, bringing about his purposes in David’s life.  David was destined to be king, and God was teaching him how to be a good king.  And good kings need to know that God can be counted on for help and sustenance when the king is on God’s side.

God wants you to know that too. Even when there seems to be no way out for you, God is close by; he is working out his plan; he is teaching you how to be a king; he is showing you that he can be counted on to help and sustain you.  And there is only one way to really learn that, which like David, means that you will have to have your back against the wall so that the only way out is through a mighty and miraculous deliverance through the strong hand of God.

And when you are on God’s side, sooner or later, like David, that will be your story too!

Just Saying… Charles Spurgeon was right: “Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.”