Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 ESV.
This morning during worship, I had a renewed sense and desire to be searched by the Lord, to have Him direct His holy gaze into my heart and bring to the light the wicked ways within me. I went to this verse...
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
I also visited this classic verse from King David's psalm...
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 ESV
The bible says that we should purify ourselves as He is pure. It had been a while, too long of a while, since I had asked the Lord to search me and reveal any grievous ways within me. As followers of the holy One, we should be asking the Lord to remove the unholy things from our hearts. If I am to be intimate with Him, I must come to Him on His terms.
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalm 24:3-4 ESV
And so it is. For us to be close to the pure One, we must purify ourselves. One way to do that is to ask the righteous judge to refine us, search us, and reveal any sinful, grievous ways within us.
Let's ask Him today, and never stop.
Showing posts with label psalm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psalm. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
What Does Your Heart Say?
One of my favorite verses, Psalm 27:8, and a great one to consider as we gather to worship the Lord tomorrow.
You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, do I seek."
What does your heart say?
Friday, October 21, 2011
Precious Marbles
Yesterday I began a post about commitment. I had questions regarding commitment to believers in the church, yet ended with a possible answer in love. In fact, I believe it was the answer to my questions. I want to write more on this subject, but not tonight :)
Tonight, I want to give an update.
Remember the marble post? Well, I ran the numbers. I calculated them up. I numbered my days.
Numbering my months hit me the most. I know how fast a month goes, and when I numbered them, 500 or so, I was taken back. Just a few hundred? My life?
I am understanding more and more why the Psalmist wanted to be taught to "number" his days. It truly works in us that heart of wisdom that he talks about in Psalm 90. It helps us to remove the foolishness of thinking our lives last forever, and empowers us through the Holy Spirit to make the most of the moments we have in front of us.
I can honestly say, this whole thing has been having an impact on my life, for the good. I have thought more than once when I am with my kids, that the moment before me is like holding that marble in my hand. After today, that marble will be gone, never to be held again. It helps me to open my eyes and my heart to the precious moment before me with my children that so often I look over and exchange for the unnecessary burdens I allow myself to carry around in my heart and mind.
So, Lord, once again,
...teach us to number our days
Tonight, I want to give an update.
Remember the marble post? Well, I ran the numbers. I calculated them up. I numbered my days.
Numbering my months hit me the most. I know how fast a month goes, and when I numbered them, 500 or so, I was taken back. Just a few hundred? My life?
I am understanding more and more why the Psalmist wanted to be taught to "number" his days. It truly works in us that heart of wisdom that he talks about in Psalm 90. It helps us to remove the foolishness of thinking our lives last forever, and empowers us through the Holy Spirit to make the most of the moments we have in front of us.
I can honestly say, this whole thing has been having an impact on my life, for the good. I have thought more than once when I am with my kids, that the moment before me is like holding that marble in my hand. After today, that marble will be gone, never to be held again. It helps me to open my eyes and my heart to the precious moment before me with my children that so often I look over and exchange for the unnecessary burdens I allow myself to carry around in my heart and mind.
So, Lord, once again,
...teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Numbering Our Days
Moses, in Psalm 90, says,
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
I had heard this Scripture passage before (or one like it), but didn't really understand it until yesterday.
I've mentioned in another post that my boss and I have had some good conversations over the past several months. We as a company have been pushing and working hard to complete a massive project. It's an exciting and stressful season, and my boss, Bill, and I were talking about an upcoming event where the product will be sold. As we discussed, somehow the topic of the end and brevity of our lives came up.
And I'm glad it did.
Bill began sharing about a guy he once heard about who had a bunch of marbles and two containers of some sort. The man placed marbles representing the number of weekends he had left to live in one container, and the other container held the number of marbles that represented the weekends already spent. As each weekend went by, so one marble was taken out of the number of weekends left, and placed into the number of weekends spent.
Then Bill began an exercise of counting the number of weekends he has left in his life. He estimated the average age of a man to be say 72, and Bill is in his mid to upper fifties.
Talk about a wake up call.
He asked me at one point what would I do if I new I had only 15 years left of my life.
Again, a wake up call.
For some reason, I live as if I will live forever. I'm sure its part of being young, but it seems like at some point in a persons life, they realize that life doesn't really last forever. They realize that most of their life is behind them. Maybe they begin to number their days.
Moses asks the Lord to teach him to number his days, so that he might have a heart of wisdom. When we learn to number our days, it awakens us to the value and meaning in this very moment I now live. It teaches us to be thankful for every day I have on this earth, and to make the most of those days. I don't want to wait until I am older to learn to number my days, rather, I want to learn in my younger years. Life is much shorter than we many times realize.
None of us know when we are going to die. Bill wasn't saying he knew when he would leave this earth. His parents are well into their 80's and he could live that long or longer. But for the sake of numbering his days, he selected an average age and went through this exercise. I am going to go through the same exercise, and I would invite you to do the same.
Find out how many weekends you may have left on average, the number of days, the number of days with your children before they leave the home (consider too the time you are away from them if you work outside the home). Look at how many marbles have been used up as well.
Write it down. Look at the numbers.
May they awaken us to have a heart of wisdom, and to make the most of the time we have.
One thing I've realized as I have thought about this, the marble only travels one direction. You can't ever take a marble from the days we have spent and place it back into the days we have left. That marble is gone. That moment is gone. Never to be used again.
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Amen.
Then Bill began an exercise of counting the number of weekends he has left in his life. He estimated the average age of a man to be say 72, and Bill is in his mid to upper fifties.
Talk about a wake up call.
He asked me at one point what would I do if I new I had only 15 years left of my life.
Again, a wake up call.
For some reason, I live as if I will live forever. I'm sure its part of being young, but it seems like at some point in a persons life, they realize that life doesn't really last forever. They realize that most of their life is behind them. Maybe they begin to number their days.
Moses asks the Lord to teach him to number his days, so that he might have a heart of wisdom. When we learn to number our days, it awakens us to the value and meaning in this very moment I now live. It teaches us to be thankful for every day I have on this earth, and to make the most of those days. I don't want to wait until I am older to learn to number my days, rather, I want to learn in my younger years. Life is much shorter than we many times realize.
None of us know when we are going to die. Bill wasn't saying he knew when he would leave this earth. His parents are well into their 80's and he could live that long or longer. But for the sake of numbering his days, he selected an average age and went through this exercise. I am going to go through the same exercise, and I would invite you to do the same.
Find out how many weekends you may have left on average, the number of days, the number of days with your children before they leave the home (consider too the time you are away from them if you work outside the home). Look at how many marbles have been used up as well.
Write it down. Look at the numbers.
May they awaken us to have a heart of wisdom, and to make the most of the time we have.
One thing I've realized as I have thought about this, the marble only travels one direction. You can't ever take a marble from the days we have spent and place it back into the days we have left. That marble is gone. That moment is gone. Never to be used again.
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Amen.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Widow, Stranger, and Fatherless
This isn't the first time I've seen this. The widow, the stranger, the fatherless. God has a heart for adults and children in these situations.
I was reading out of Psalm 94 verse six and saw how the psalmist refers to the wicked as the ones who kill the widow, the stranger, and the fatherless. I was reminded yet again and began questioning myself, "What is it that I'm doing to reach out to the people in these situations?"
Unfortunately it isn't much. And yet, if it's God's heart, it should be mine as well. If he has a heart for the broken, as His image bearer, I should too. If I am not actively reaching out to people in need, am I much better than the wicked? If my mouth is silent, and my hands are busy doing other things - never lifting up the hurting and broken - am I any better?
I was reading out of Psalm 94 verse six and saw how the psalmist refers to the wicked as the ones who kill the widow, the stranger, and the fatherless. I was reminded yet again and began questioning myself, "What is it that I'm doing to reach out to the people in these situations?"
Unfortunately it isn't much. And yet, if it's God's heart, it should be mine as well. If he has a heart for the broken, as His image bearer, I should too. If I am not actively reaching out to people in need, am I much better than the wicked? If my mouth is silent, and my hands are busy doing other things - never lifting up the hurting and broken - am I any better?
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