Psalm 90 What if........

Psalm 90:12

Teach us to number our days aright-

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

You’ve heard the question before-

Maybe even contemplated it-

“What would you do if you knew……..

You only had a ___ to live?

A sense of urgency rises in me.

My mind seems to………

Take off on its own-

To spontaneously begin to sort through the random-

Searching……… Looking ……..

For what’s important.

Father-

Teach me-

Open my eyes to see-

Transform the way I do life-

Because of the reality of…………

Death.

Father-

Thank You-

Thank You for the Hope and Truth

Of Life here with You………

 and the Life to come.

Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNEC735juI4

What did you See?

As we approached the intersection with a green light I noticed a car approaching as well. It was approaching from my right on the street crossing the line of traffic we were in. From my angle I could see that the driver's view of the traffic light for his road was clearly red. Fortunately this driver had his window down as he slowed down preparing to make a right turn-

but looking right through my two partners and myself

as we made our way on our bicycles through the intersection and into his path. As he began to pull on out into what seemed like inevitable disaster for us- I was able to catch his attention with a loud Hey-Hey-Hey. In the nick of time (Thank You Lord) he saw us and was able to quickly stop. It was classic-

He couldn't see us because we were not what he was looking for!

Over the years, this has become one of my favorite tendencies to point out to my students.

It is a tendency that has several variations-

People usually only see what they are looking for-

If you know what you are looking for at the outset you have a much better chance of finding it, but maybe really missing some other pretty cool stuff-

How you see something will many times determine what you do with it- that is how you process what you are looking at.

I don't think this has a greater effect anywhere than when we approach Scripture.

It is very difficult to approach Scripture without our preconceived notions-

our upbringing-

our personal experiences-

previous teachings-

our cultural biases-

our........... you name it coming into the mix.

The great determination as we approach God's Word must be to intentionally and wholeheartedly go into the process looking for the Truth.

What I find myself and many others doing is going to the scripture looking for justification- Looking for those things that will show that my own views are right.

So many times we look right through or past those things that don't seem to help our position.

Like all the rest of our Great Faith- Bible Study Requires Humility. I must come to the Scriptures willing to be shown wrong- willing to give up my position- Dedicated to finding Truth above all else. If we come to the Scriptures seeing only what we want to see there is a severe danger that we might just run right over someone.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-Breathed.........so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12 For the Word of God is Living and Active.......It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit........It judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Holy Spirit of the Living God- move in me for a relentless pursuit of the Truth. Give me a willingness to give up my own way and see what is real. Lord Jesus, Thank You for living out all these things for me to see. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear You alone. Amen

What will God give me?

My wife says I am needy- She is right. Oh by that she means I am needy in terms of her time, her presence, being engaged with her- wanting to have deep conversation and undivided attention. Again- she is right!

Truthfully, my neediness goes far beyond those things- to depths of my own spiritual poverty and abject weakness. I am truly a Man in need of a Saviour on every possible level.

John 16:23-24 Jesus said,"I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive and your Joy will be complete."

So what does all this mean- this asking in the Name of Jesus? Are these the magic words we can throw on the end of our prayers and somehow obligate God to come through? I don't think so.

A man is known by his name- In a sense, when I hear a name and I know the person, immediately impressions based on that knowlege rise up in me. I have a sense of the man's character- who he is- really. On the other hand if I don't know the man I have no impression - the name means nothing to me. Maybe asking in the name of Jesus is somehow dependent on knowing Jesus- Intimately- Personally.

So then, maybe this business of asking in Jesus Name is at it's core, really an invitation to get to know Him.

In all this- some would accuse me of watering down the power of asking in His Name. They might say that My faith is weak and I am just looking for an excuse to cover that up. They might say if I really beleived I would boldly ask specifically for what I want and God would come through because of my faith. I will be the first to admit that my faith is not stong enough- I cry out with the man in Mark 9 who brought his son for healing

"Jesus, I do believe- Help me to overcome my unbelief."

There is power in Jesus Name. There is power in Prayer- asking in Jesus Name- I believe that with all my heart. He will give me what I ask in His Name- that is in accordance with the Father's Will- those things that will bring the Father Glory- Express the Father's Character- and to the extent that I am in touch with the Heart of God- that I know Jesus- that I am united to His Heart- I will be able to ask in His Name.

Lord God Almighty, I ask in the name of Jesus that You give me Courage to overcome fear. I ask that You give me Wisdom that I might know Your Will- what is the right thing to do or say in all my dealings in this life. I ask that You give me a will to follow You more closely. I ask that You make Love and Truth and Justice the marks of my Life. I ask that You come against my enemy the Devil and all his work and plans and demons that attack me and my family. I ask that You be at work in Julie and Rebecca and Matthew's lives to bring each of their hearts to be united to Your own Great Heart. In the name of Jesus I ask that You increase my Faith- my Trust in You. Do this Lord God, please do these things by supernatural means and natural means. Father, give me opportunities to be Courageous and Wise, but please Lord, beyond these opportunities rise up in me to actually be Courageous and Wise. I am needy- I need Your salvation in all these things. I do believe- help me overcome my unbelief. In the name of Jesus I pray all these things. Amen

Wisdom

Have you heard the story about the Preacher who was hired to take over at the Local Baptist Church? It seems after his first sermon on Kindness the congregation was ecstatic- the Search Committee had indeed landed a fine catch. Well come the second Sunday on the job it seems for some reason the new Pastor got to the Pulpit and once again delivered exactly the same sermon on Kindness. The congregation was a little distubed, but no one quite had the courage to say anything. Well it seems that after 2 more Sundays of the same, finally the people could bear it no more and as Baptist are apt to do- They called a Deacon's Meeting to address the problem. As a result, the Chief Deacon was sent to confront the new Pastor over his lack of variety in Sermon topics. Cautiously the Deacon approached the Pastor with those classic words,"Pastor, we've been talking, and the congregation has some concerns. We are concerned that for 4 weeks now you have come to the front and delivered the same sermon week after week- Don't you have any other material?" At this point the New Pastor simply looked at the nervous Deacon and smiled as he said,"Oh yes I have plenty of other material, but I figured it would be good to wait on that until I saw some sign that you all were actually listening to my Sermon on Kindness!"

Proverbs 1:7 "The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom"

Isn't this really where we seperate Wisdom from knowlege?

That is that we take what we hear seriously enough that it actually becomes transformative in our lives.

I have come to believe that Fearing God has little to do with being scared. I am not even sure respect is the best way to paraphrase the word Fear. Standing in awe of the One who made us and holds our lives in His hands is closer, but .........

I really believe Fearing God means taking Him seriously. It is the idea that as He speaks, I take what He says and put it into action in my life.

We can become great Biblical Scholars with immense knowlege and a Systematic Theology that stands as intellectual genius, but still have wisdom elude us. I think it was Oswald Chambers who suggested if we really want to know God- we will get a whole lot farther with a tiny bit of Faithful Obedience to what He has already revealed than many hours searching the mysteries of the scriptures and trying to fit them into some sort of workable systematic theology that lines up with our own notions. I may have added a bit of my own mindset there- if so- I will be sure to ask Chamber's forgiveness when I see him.

James 3:13 and 17 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life- by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom." ........

"But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Father, rise up me for true Wisdom- for knowlege of You that is transformative. Seal Your Word to my Heart and work it out through my hands. Holy Spirit be ever present in me to remind me of all that has already been revealed. Bring others into my life that will spur me on to Love and Good Works. All praise be to You my Lord Jesus for how You showed me the walking living breathing Wisdom of God. Amen