A verse that has come to mean a great deal to me and there is another verse similar to it later in the Psalms (Psalm 90:12) is Psalm 39:4 and then I appreciate the subsequent two verses that tie into it as well. But of particular blessing to me that I believe has helped me is verse 4,
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.”
It may cause wonder why a text like that is helpful to me and has helped my ministry. Maybe the following will explain…
Possibly because in my career I am often around death, I was just at a funeral today; possibly it is the melancholy in me, but I don’t see the span of my life as long. I don’t expect to die soon by any means, I am only 38…I say only, even though 38 seemed very old not so many years ago…but I am only 38, yet in spite of that I don’t view life or my life at least as a long expanse, I don’t see that I have that much time, I see my days or the days I have left “as a mere handbreadth.” (v. 5a)
I also look upon my life the totality of those 38 years and I see a lot of waste. Many years spent in absolute sin…and still to this day I see far too many moments wasted in sinful living and I know that is time I’ve lost, I am losing that belongs to God.
Therefore with these two thoughts in mind, I’ve found that this text (Ps. 39:4) and Psalm 90:12,
“Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
or as I like to think of it based on the song lyric…
“Teach me to count my days, teach me to make my days count.”
affirm that I only have a short life to live for Jesus. I only have this span of time to make a difference for Him and then I am gone.
Within a generation or so no one will remember me. No books will be written about me. My name won’t be in the church annals of history.
The only legacy I will have is the people I played a small role in helping to fall in love with Jesus and their names written in the Lambs Book of Life and because I don’t see my life as long and I view life as very fragile and because I was careless with so many years and so many minutes these texts are special to me because they remind to drive, to push, to strive, to dream, to work, to talk, to share, to prod, to demand excellence in ministry from myself and my team, because I only have a short span to serve Jesus and then I’m done.
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.”
I will share something with you, in my quiet time sometimes when I am alone and no one else is around (of course it happens sometimes when everyone is around in church during a hymn or something) I may hear a song about the love of Jesus, or I’ll read a scripture about Jesus’ love, or the Holy Spirit will just speak to my heart of His love through the stillness or through the love of one of my boys, or through a memory I’ll recall and I start to cry…I cry first because I am so grateful for Jesus’ love, but honestly I cry just as much because I’m worried, I’m worried that I have not done enough, not in regards to my own salvation, I trust that I am “saved by grace through faith”, but I cry because I am worried that I have not done enough to reach others.
I think of my uncle who I love so much and I think of my friend who died last year. I think of my close friends that are living now. I think of the young men I’m coaching in baseball. I think of the people I ruined my witness to because of my sin. I was overzealous and drove them away or I was lazy and didn’t follow through, and I cry, because I don’t know if I’ve done or did everything I could to introduce them to Jesus.
This text, coupled with my melancholy self reminds me that my life is fleeting and I only have yea long to be a witness and that knowledge drives me to never settle for status quo in my personal witness or in the ministry sphere I have influence on.
So if you wondered why I would say this text has been a blessing to me and has helped me in my ministry, that is how this text has helped me. And maybe some of you that get annoyed or wonder about my obsession with evangelism will understand it better now.
Well that was more than I planned on writing but there you go 🙂
Tomorrow’s Reading: Job 27 & 28
From day one David did nothing but improve and enhance Saul’s kingdom, and yet Saul found hatred in his heart for David. We see here the clear signs of an insecure leader.
Leaders should celebrate with the victories that come from the team around them.
Leaders should work to improve the position of those around them.
Leaders should enable further successes of those around them.
Saul did none of this. Yet the integrity of David was so great, he continued ’till he could no longer strive to be not only a servant of Saul, but a close companion.
Both David and Saul when anointed had the Spirit of God come over them in a strong way. In our leadership the Spirit of God only remains in us to the extent that we choose to have Him stay.
David and Saul were both chosen. They both were mighty. They both were handsome. But one chose self and one chose sacrifice and God honored the latter.
Tomorrow’s Reading: Psalm 39-41
I know this post won’t make me popular with some, but the correlation and lesson just jumped out at me as I was reading the following that I couldn’t help but write out my thoughts…popular or not…
“Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.10 Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” Exodus 1:8-10
History should be our teacher! Whenever leaders begin to appeal to the negative aspects of nationalism bad things happen!
Listen to what this new king is saying and tell me if any of it sounds familiar:
History should be our teacher!
Why aren’t there more Christian voices…why aren’t there more Adventist voices speaking out LOUDLY against such rhetoric?
Nationalism over humanitarianism has never worked well in history and it won’t this time around either!
Tomorrow’s Reading: 1 Samuel 16-20
“For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.” -1 Corinthians 12:14-16
A word we need to hear! Every person that has by the grace of Jesus been attached to His church, His body is a “member” of that body. In other words they have a role. This means that the member that sneaks out during the last song who doesn’t support God’s body with their treasures and in the utilization of their time and talents is in no less way a member of the body, “‘I am not a part of the body,’ it is NOT FOR THIS REASON ANY THE LESS a part of the body.” That individual is still part of the body, just a dysfunctional part of the body and injured a crippling part of the body. The result then of this is not that these members only effect themselves…no quite the opposite…
“if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” -1 Corinthians 12:26a
Each person whom God has put in a church that chooses to not engage, not support, not give of treasure, time, and talent is causing the entire body, the entire church to suffer at some level.
Our decisions are about more than just us!
Engage today!
Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 1-4
While there are several items that I could write upon in this reading I want to share with you the text/story that my heart was most drawn to…
“‘Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his ownhousehold.” 5 And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He wondered at their unbelief.” -Mark 6:1-6a
The verse of this story that really struck me was verse 5 then explained in verse 6a.
“And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” Mk. 6:5
Now I don’t know about you but those sound like miracles…and not to shabby ones at that. No miracle other than just a ‘bit of healing.
Why would Mark sound so nonchalant about this? It is because we see in verse 6a what Mark and I am sure what Jesus saw as the true miracles of great note…
“And He wondered at their unbelief.” -Mk 6:6a
What is unbelief or rather belief related to most directly in the scriptures?
“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” -Mark 16:16
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” -John 1:12
“so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” -John 3:15
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” -John 3:36
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believein your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” -Romans 10:9
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,” -Ephesians 1:3
Belief in the examples above and many more in scripture directly tied to salvation.
So when I read in Mark 6 that “Jesus could do NO miracle there” but then I clearly read that Jesus did do some miracles there I have to ask myself then what is really the important miracles?
And the answer in verse 6a comes, “He wondered at their unbelief” and suddenly I realize the miracle that was lacking in this town which was the priority of Jesus and His disciples, was the miracle of true heart change. The miracle of salvation!
Now can I apply this at a level to us in our modern world. Jesus still served these people, He healed many after all. But He left disappointed and there is even a level of condemnation over this town for not having believed in Jesus.
We are still to serve the our communities no matter what their response is. We see that Jesus did that. But far too many churches celebrate doing good deeds of service like it was the pinnacle of our calling. The pinnacle of our calling is to bring salvation to our fellow man/woman. So we should serve, no matter what, but we should never celebrate or be satisfied, or pat ourselves on the back if it doesn’t help lead people to Jesus!
That is what the Holy Spirit has communicated to my heart in this story of Mark 6.
I pray you have a blessed week and let us all serve…but let us also work for the salvation…the true miracle…in others lives!
Tomorrow’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 11 & 12
There are some very powerful insights in this reading from the book of Jeremiah. It begins with a beautiful call upon Jeremiah’s life.
The best line in the calling is,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth.’ -Jeremiah 1:7a
This line does not just apply to youth’s it applies to all people. Replace the word, “youth” with whatever your excuse is, my excuse is and it applies to us all…
It is a call for us all!
Chapter 2 and verse 5 is a powerful question!
“What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after emptiness and became empty? -Jer. 2:5
Israel has sinned and God through Jeremiah is asking them to give them evidence for what cause they had to pursue anything in life other than God.
What evidence do we have against God for our wanderings away?
I know I have none!
Several times throughout these 6 chapters we are reminded that the judgments that are coming upon Israel and Judah are a result of her own choosing. They have nothing to do with God’s choosing.
“Have you not done this to yourself
By your forsaking the Lord your God
When He led you in the way?” -Jer. 2:17
And it is not even just because they sinned. We are sinners, God understands that…listen to why the judgment is coming upon them…
“Behold, I will enter into judgment with you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ -Jeremiah 2:35b
We should all remember that the final judgment is not God saying “I can’t forgive sin,” it is God allowing the consequences of sin we have not asked Him to remove to destroy us.
Yes God was upset by their sin, but judgment came not because of sin, but their unwillingness to recognize they had sinned. We see this restated in chapter 3…
“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not look upon you in anger.
For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God
And have scattered your [j]favors to the strangers under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.” -Jeremiah 3:12 & 13
“For I am gracious…ONLY acknowledge your iniquity…”
Why in part did the people not acknowledge their sin? The leaders of the people…
“They have lied about the Lord
And said, “Not He;
Misfortune will not come on us,
And we will not see sword or famine.” -Jeremiah 5:12“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?” -Jeremiah 5:30, 31“For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.” -Jeremiah 6:13, 14
Some may ask why are the people punished due to the wicked guides?
Notice in that middle passage…
“And My people love it so!”
The people were not without blame because they embraced the excuse for their sinful ways. They wanted a rationalization and their spiritual leaders gave it to them.
The last quote Jeremiah 6:13, 14 hits too close to home in our modern world. There is too much superficial healing going on in the spiritual world when disaster and great trial are just around the corner.
And we can see in our world as in the world of Jeremiah. We see it currently with those who are embracing candidates that should make us blush. We see it in the TV we watch that should make us blush. The war we hear about that should make us aghast. We are becoming a society like that in the day of Jeremiah…
“They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to blush.” -Jeremiah 6:15b
We’ve become so acculturated to sin we almost don’t even know “how to blush” anymore.
Jesus come soon!
Tomorrow’s Reading: Mark 5 & 6