Posted on Friday, June 14, 2024

It’s Lonely At The Top

Leadership at any Level is a Tough Job

SYNOPSIS: What made David a great leader was how he endured under pressure. It wasn’t just his amazing victories, his ever-expanding kingdom, his winsome personality, and his musical skill, but it was his dogged determination to please God. David took his cues from the Chief Justice of the Universe rather than what would make him a more popular leader at the moment. More than anything, David wanted God’s blessing more than everything else—high approval ratings, more power, a larger palace, increased fame, and a stellar legacy. He simply lived for God’s smile, and that’s what made him great, that’s what fueled his endurance under pressure, that’s what enabled him to run strong and finish well. If you are a leader—in your home, at school, in your business, in the community, or at the church—live for God’s smile, and you, too, will be a great and enduring leader. At least God will think so, and he is really the only one who ultimately counts.

Moments With God // Psalm 109:28

Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because of your unfailing love. Let [my accusers] see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord. Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing! May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak. But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.

Can you imagine what it’s like being the president? At any given time, half the country, give or take, admires you and thinks you are doing a decent job, while the other half can’t wait for you to just go away. And that’s on a good day! It can be much worse than that for a president. Think about it—it is not uncommon for a sitting president to have sixty to seventy percent of the citizens treat him as if he were Satan’s spawn.

It is hard to imagine why anyone would want that job. And yet, every four years, a herd of politicians line up for their chance to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That can only mean one of two things: They are either crazy or they are called. (Actually, there are several other motives we could talk about—but we’ll save that for another time.)

I’m not sure who said it, but they were right: It’s lonely at the top. Leadership at any level is a tough job—president, pastor, principal, or parent. In fact, it is not only tough, but it can also be lonely, sometimes thankless, and even downright painful. It certainly was for King David.

David is another man whose leadership we tend to romanticize. But if we could catch David in a brutally honest moment, I think he would tell us just how unromantic his job was. If we just go by what he says in the Psalms, David lived with persistent criticism for much of his reign. It might even seem from reading these psalms, which, in a way, was nothing more than David’s spiritual journal, that he was a little paranoid. But that was only because people were out to get him.

What made David a great leader was how he endured under pressure. It wasn’t just his amazing victories, his ever-expanding kingdom, his winsome personality, and his musical skill, but his dogged determination to please God. David took his cues from the Chief Justice of the Universe rather than what would make him a more popular leader at the moment.

If you read this entire psalm, you will notice yet again that David bookends this detailed account of his detractor’s vicious accusations with his dependence on God:

O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. (Psalm 109:1-2)

But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them. (Psalm 109:30-31)

More than anything, David wanted God’s blessing more than everything else—high approval ratings, more power, a larger palace, increased fame, a stellar legacy. He simply lived for God’s smile, and that’s what made him great, fueled his endurance under pressure, and enabled him to run strong and finish well.

If you are a leader—in your home, at school, in your business, in the community, or at the church—live for God’s smile, and you, too, will be a great and enduring leader. At least God will think so, and he is really the only one who ultimately counts.

Oh, by the way, before I go, I want to encourage you to give your president a break. Here is a good rule of thumb: Pray for him twice as much as you criticize him. Do that, and I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that you’ll quit criticizing him.

Take A Moment: Pray for your leaders today—at every level. It is God’s will that you do just that!

Posted on Monday, June 10, 2024

Confidence!

The Outcome Is Predetermined

SYNOPSIS: What are you facing this week? Has God helped you in the past? Why wouldn’t he help you again? As you pray over this situation, call to mind the mighty acts of God from your past—and let the Holy Spirit birth confidence within you for the present. What God has done for you yesterday, because he is the unchanging and dependable God, and because he loves you with an everlasting love, he will do for you today, and again tomorrow. The outcome has been predetermined. You win! Now, get in there and play the game of your life.

Moments With God // Psalm 108:1-4

My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

A few years ago, since I was unable to watch it live, I recorded a pro football game on television in which God’s favorite team—and mine—was playing. I’m not normally a big fan of recording anything because I like the sense of watching something “live.” I like knowing the outcome has yet to be determined.

So, I broke my own rule and watched a game that had already been played. But also I broke a second rule: I had purposely found out who won the game before I watched it. I didn’t want to waste my time and get all bummed out if my team was going to lose. I know—I’m a fair-weather fan! But I’ll tell you what: I watched my team play with a lot more confidence because I knew they would crush the other team.

In a sense, that is what David is doing in this psalm. He is asking God for help in giving him victory over his enemies, but he is doing so confidently, knowing that the outcome has been predetermined. He has viewed the end of the contest in advance, and now he is returning to play the game.

You see, the words of David’s psalm are taken from two previous psalms in which he had cried out to the Lord for help, and in both cases, the Lord heard David and gave him victory. The first of these psalms is Psalm 57:7-11, where David fled into the cave to escape from King Saul. And you know the outcome of that contest: David ultimately triumphed over Saul’s murderous intent. God took care of Saul by taking him out of the picture, and God took care of David, taking him all the way to the throne by making him King over all of Israel.

The second is from Psalm 60:5-12 where God gave David an overwhelming victory against an extremely large Edomite army. The title of this particular psalm tells the story

For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune “Lily of the Testimony.”

There is something about a past victory that gives you confidence going into a new battle today. When God has helped you in the past, given you victory over the Enemy, supernaturally supplied your need, provided a spiritual breakthrough, and seen you through when there seemed to be no way through, you pray a little differently in the next crisis. You go to him with greater assurance, firmer expectation, and deeper peace than you might otherwise.

What are you facing this week? Has God helped you in the past? Why wouldn’t he help you again?

As you pray over this situation, call to mind the mighty acts of God from your past—and let the Holy Spirit birth confidence within you for the present. What God has done for you yesterday, because he is the unchanging and dependable God, and because he loves you with an everlasting love, he will do for you today, and again tomorrow.

The outcome has been predetermined. You win! Now, get in there and play the game of your life.

Take A Moment: Whatever concern you are praying over at the moment, do what the psalmist did: He recalled God’s past help, and by faith, he imagined that same help in the present.

Posted on Friday, June 7, 2024

God’s Love Never Runs Out

That Is Something Worth Singing About

SYNOPSIS: The entirety of Psalm 107 simply gives one example after another of how God, in his faithful love and enduring mercy, has freed his people from what they deserve. And at the end of each example, the psalmist expresses the call to gratitude: “Oh, thank God, he is so good! His love never runs out! All of you set free by God, tell the world!” I bet you could compose your own Psalm 107 of his love and mercy in your life. In fact, that might be a good assignment for you and me this week. And then, as the psalmist suggested, we should go tell the world. Now, that’s a pretty tall order, so how about starting the part of the world in which you live? Write your psalm and share it with your spouse, your family, your friends, and then your co-workers.

Moments With God // Psalm 107:1-2

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this.

I like how The Message version of the Bible renders the psalmist’s call to gratitude: “Oh, thank God—he’s so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world!”

God is good—all the time! That truly is the testimony of my life—and I have a feeling it is true of your life as well. Certainly, I ought to be proclaiming God’s goodness to anyone who will listen and even to those who won’t, much more than I do. Adding to that, the fact that I am, on my best day, not so good, and on my worst day, frankly, pretty bad, only brings out the brilliance of God’s overwhelming goodness even more.

The New King James translation of the psalmist’s words is even more meaningful to me: “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Mercy—I can really relate to that. Now, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying: I’ll take either enduring love or enduring mercy—I can’t leave without either one. Love and mercy are simply different facets of the same diamond we understand as the goodness of God.

But God’s mercy really speaks to me, and I’ll bet if you thought about it, you would say the same. Someone said that mercy is not getting what you deserve. The truth is, you and I depend upon God’s mercy every single moment just to draw in the next breath since the holy and righteous God has had every reason and right to annihilate us from the planet because of our sinfulness. Jeremiah said it well in Lamentations 3:22-23,

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The entirety of Psalm 107 simply gives one example after another of how God, in his faithful love and enduring mercy, has freed his people from what they deserve. At the end of each example, the psalmist expresses the call to gratitude: Oh, thank God, he is so good! His love never runs out!

I bet you could compose your own Psalm 107. In fact, that might be a good assignment for you and me this week. And then, as the psalmist suggested, we should go tell the world. Now, that’s a pretty tall order, so how about starting the part of the world in which you live? Write your psalm and share it with your spouse, your family, your friends, and then your co-workers.

I don’t know how they will feel about it, but you will certainly feel pretty good. That’s what heartfelt gratitude to God for his faithful love and enduring mercy does.

Take A Moment: Using Psalm 107 as your template, write a song of God’s faithful love and enduring mercy in your life. After each example, make sure to write your thanks to him. Then, share your psalm with the people in your world.

Posted on Monday, June 3, 2024

Be Careful What You Ask For

What You Want May Not Be What You Need

SYNOPSIS: Psalm 106 says that “God gave the Israelites exactly what they asked for—but along with it, they got an empty heart.” That should stand forever as a sobering reminder that what we desperately want may not be what we desperately need. They are often two different things, and we would be wise to recognize the difference. When we persistently refuse God’s provision, fail to exercise trust in his abundant care, forget to practice contentment in his goodness, neglect gratitude for his love, and greedily insist on what we want, there comes a point when God will say, “fine, have it your way.” What a sad and scary thing—that we might actually get what we want!

Moments with God // Psalm 106:13-15

But the Israelites soon forgot what God had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold. In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.

The psalmist begins, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1). So, here’s an important question: Do you give only theological assent to that belief, or do you truly believe that God is indeed good in the real world of your everyday life? The acid test that theological belief is congruence with practical belief in the daily manifestation of trust, contentment, and gratitude.

Quite often, when the ancient Israelites’ collective belief was put to the test, it failed. In this psalm, the writer details Israel’s sad history of unbelief as God led them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Along the way, God performed some of the mightiest miracles of all time—the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night, water from the rock, manna to eat every single morning for forty years—just to name a few. At every step, God’s miraculous and more-than-enough provision sustained his people.

Yet Israel was still dissatisfied. The people griped, they complained, they lusted for other things—they tested God, as well as their leader Moses, at every turn in the bend. So God decided to put them to the test as well, to see what was truly in their hearts. And here’s how he tested them: He gave them what they incessantly insisted on!

And when the children of Israel got what they wanted, they lustily, greedily, indulgently consumed it until it made them deathly sick—literally! God gave them what their hearts craved until their hearts caved under the weight of their own foolish desires. The Message translation of this text puts a more spiritual twist to it:

He gave them exactly what they asked for—
but along with it they got an empty heart.

That should stand forever as a sobering reminder that what we desperately want may not be what we desperately need. They are often two different things, and we would be wise to recognize the difference. When we persistently refuse God’s provision, fail to exercise trust in his abundant care, forget to practice contentment in his goodness, neglect gratitude for his love, and greedily insist on what we want, there comes a point when God will say, “fine, have it your way.”

What a sad and scary thing—that we might actually get what we want!

In all honesty, I hope I never get what I want. I don’t trust my own heart and the desires it conjures up. What I pray for, however, is to get what God wants me to have—all of it—and, along with it, contentment in the good and wise provision of the One who lovingly and continually watches over me.

Trust, contentment, and gratitude—that’s the acid test of a faith that is not only theological, but practical!

Take A Moment: Today (and every day), get in the habit of praying this simple but powerful pray that Florence Nightingale prayed: “The will of god, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”

Posted on Friday, May 31, 2024

Perspective Is Everything

What Gets to Me Has to Go Through God

SYNOPSIS: From this side of heaven, it seems as though the believer is either in the sweet spot of God’s grace or the hot seat of challenging circumstances. Life seems to bounce between the two. Figuratively speaking, you are either just a step ahead of the poor house or you have one foot in the Promised Land. But when you discipline yourself to view things from a heavenly perspective, you will understand that nothing you experience—for sure, the good, but yes, even the bad—that first hasn’t gone past God and through Christ before it gets to you. Yes, perspective is everything.

Moments with God // Psalm 105:43-45

He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for— that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.

From this side of heaven, it seems as though the believer is either in the sweet spot of God’s grace or the hot seat of challenging circumstances. Life seems to bounce between the two.

Has that been true for you—figuratively speaking, you are either just a step ahead of the poor house or you have one foot in the Promised Land? Throughout my life, I have drifted from one to the other, sometimes on a daily basis, but mostly it has been seasonal. Of course, I prefer the sweet spot to the poor house—who wouldn’t?

That’s the human perspective—we either get a burden to bear or a blessing to enjoy. This psalm speaks of both: Joseph under the oppressive yoke of the Egyptians (Psalm 105:17-18), or Joseph in the driver’s seat of Pharaoh’s court. (Psalm 105:20-21) The same was true for the nation of Israel: They suffered the indignity of slavery in Egypt for 400 years (Psalm 105:23) but later were delivered to the Promised Land, where they enjoyed the blessings for which others had labored. (Psalm 105:43-44)

But what we see as either burdens to bear or blessings to enjoy, God sees from the perspective of purpose. At times, God gives us a problem; at other times, God releases his provision—but at all times, God is fulfilling his purposes in us, for us, and through us. That is the better perspective—a heavenly perspective.

What a better way to go through life—whether we are enduring a season of burdens or enjoying a season of blessings! When God allows us to endure a problem, his purpose is that through it, we would live with an attitude of gratitude and call attention to his glorious deeds:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. (Psalm 105:1-2)

When he has brought us into the sweet spot of his favor, he does so that we might be energized and enabled to bring praise to his name through our obedience:

Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy; his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out! He made them a gift of the country they entered, helped them seize the wealth of the nations…So they could do everything he told them—could follow his instructions to the letter. Hallelujah! (Psalm 105:45, The Message)

Perspective is everything. From an earthly point of view, we bounce between problems and promises! But from heaven’s perspective, God is faithfully fulfilling his purposes.

Now let’s see—earth-bound view or heavenly perspective? I’m thinking heaven is the better way to go!

Take A Moment: If you can access it, listen to the old gospel song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. Give particular thought to the refrain, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Posted on Monday, May 27, 2024

Storms Happen

God Makes the Storm His Servant

SYNOPSIS: Most of the time, unlike a storm of nature, a personal storm has no end in sight. And when you are in one, you are constantly reminded of how small, insignificant, and truly powerless you are. But there is One who is bigger than the storm. And Psalm 104 reminds us that, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” So, if you are in a personal storm, just know that God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good. That is his promise, not mine!

Moments with God // Psalm 104:7-32

But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight…The Lord who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

There is nothing quite as unnerving as the fury of nature. I’ve never been in a massive earthquake, but minor ones are enough to make me shake in my boots. I’ve never been in a hurricane, but I’ve been on the outskirts of a tornado, and the aftermath of even such a localized storm blew me away. I’ve never seen hailstones the size of a softball, but I’ve gotten caught in a storm that pinged my car with golf ball-sized hail, and I’ll tell you, it was enough to send chills up and down my spine.

There is nothing quite like the unleashed power of nature to remind you of how small, insignificant, and truly powerless you are.

Then there are personal storms! You may be going through one right now. In many respects, the fury of nature is nothing compared to the devastating power of a personal storm. With frequent regularity, friends will describe to me their own personal storm—everything from an unbelievably huge financial crisis to an untreatable physical ailment to an unrelenting relational disaster to an unyielding emotional trauma—and they are truly big, hairy, audacious personal gale-force storms. And it is usually the case that their storm is not of their own doing.

You see, as you and I journey through life, storms happen!

I would rather face nature than go through what many of my friends have gone through. Not to downplay the trauma and the loss, at least a tornado, or an earthquake, or a hailstorm comes to an end—and then you can pick up the pieces and begin to rebuild. Most of the time, a personal storm has no end in sight. And when you are in one, you are constantly reminded of how small, insignificant, and truly powerless you are.

But there is One who is bigger than the storm. And the psalmist reminds us that, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” (Psalm 104:3-4) If you are in a personal storm, I don’t know how long or how devastating it will be, but I do know that God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good—that is his promise, not mine!

I don’t mean to minimize the sense of desperation your storm has brought you—I think I understand a little of what you are going through. But as surely as the storm reminds you of how small, insignificant, and powerless you are, I would also remind you that your God is bigger than your storm, and he is going to see you through it.

Storms happen—but so does God!

Take A Moment: Re-read Matthew 8:23-27, and if you are in a storm, simply do what the disciples did: They cried out to Jesus, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!

Posted on Friday, May 24, 2024

Soul Music

The Top Ten List of God’s Goodness

SYNOPSIS: God’s manifold and gracious benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18: To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant-keeping. God keeps his covenantal promises only with those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance, and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

Moments with God // Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

I love this psalm—it’s one of my favorites. For most people, it is right up there with the Twenty-Third Psalm, and if you are a lover of the Psalms, I suspect it has at least made your Top Ten.

David is on his game in this psalm; he’s in the sweet spot of Divine favor, the blessing zone, if you will, as he calls up from his memory banks his Top Ten list of why it is so good to belong to God:

Forgiveness—Psalm 103:3
Healing—Psalm 103:3
Redemption—Psalm 103:4
Compassion—Psalm 103:4
Satisfaction—Psalm 103:5
Justice—Psalm 103:6
Revelation—Psalm 103:7
Patience—Psalm 103:8
Mercy—Psalm 103:9-14
Love—Psalm 103:17

No wonder David “bookends” this psalm with “praise the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103:1, 22). What soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life-sustaining blessings that God graciously gives!

Of course, these benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18:

From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant-keeping. God keeps his covenantal promises only with those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance, and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

All I can say to that is, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! (Psalm 103:2)

So, take some time to remember the benefits of belonging to God. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!

Take A Moment: Take some time today to remember the benefits of belonging to God, perhaps even right down your own Top Ten list. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!