Psalm 75

Psalm 75

We praise you, God,
    we praise you, for your Name is near;
    people tell of your wonderful deeds.

You say, “I choose the appointed time;
    it is I who judge with equity.
When the earth and all its people quake,
    it is I who hold its pillars firm. 
To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns, 
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
    do not speak so defiantly.’”

No one from the east or the west
    or from the desert can exalt themselves.
It is God who judges:
    He brings one down, he exalts another.

In the hand of the Lord is a cup
    full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
    drink it down to its very dregs.

As for me, I will declare this forever;
    I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
    but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

This week will conclude our journey through some of the Psalms of Asaph. We spent four weeks unpacking Psalm 73. Before we move on, I wanted to dive into one more of my favorite Psalms of Asaph. As I read Psalm75, a few things stood out to me:

-God chooses the appointed time to exact his judgement. 

-God is the one who brings one down and exalts, not us.

-In the end, we can trust the judgment of God to exact his wrath upon the wicked.

 Asaph spends a lot of time focused on how God will repay the wicked and exalt the righteous. His conclusion is that it’s up to God, not Him. Let’s remember this week that God’s judgement in God’s time is perfect. 

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Psalm 73 - Part Four

Psalm 73:21-28

When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;
    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds. 

As we unpack the last eight verses in chapter 73, I want to share some things that stood out:

-Asaph is confessing his sin and admitting his ignorance of the things of God.

-He is acknowledging that even though he drifted in his thought life, God was still with him, guiding him with wise counsel.

-As the chapter concludes, Asaph realizes and makes it known that nothing on earth can compare to his Creator. 

-He closes by saying that the only reasonable thing for him to do, would be to tell others how wonderful and powerful his God is.

Can you relate to what Asaph is saying? Once again, I can relate very well to the statements he is making. It’s important that we are honest before God in confession. When we do this, we are renewed in our connection with Him and through that overflow, we can tell others about the power of our God. After all, it is the joy of our salvation that prompts us to share it with others.

Psalm 51:12-13

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

Psalms 73 - Part Three

Psalm 73:13-20

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
    and every morning brings new punishments.

If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground;
    you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes;
    when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

As we unpack the next eight verses in chapter 73, I want to share some things that stood out: 

-Asaph begins to think that being obedient to God was a waste of his time. 

-Then, he complains about his affliction and the daily ‘punishment’ he experiences.

-He can’t understand why things are the way they are and thinking about it brings him trouble.

-Once he entered the sanctuary of God, his perspective immediately shifted.

-Things begin to make sense when he understands that the wicked may be successful now, but for eternity they will be separated from God. 

Can you relate to what Asaph is saying? Once again, I can relate very well to the statements he is making. I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve asked why bad things happen to good people; and why good things happen to bad people. Trying to figure this out in our own mind without God’s help will drive us mad, just like it did Asaph. However, once he was in the presence of God, his perspective shifted. When we let God fill us with His wisdom and His perspective, we can begin to have peace in even the most baffling situations. Let’s challenge ourselves to view things from a heavenly perspective this week. After all, God’s thoughts and ways are far superior to ours. 

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Psalms 73 - Part Two

Psalm 73:7-12

Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.

Therefore, His people turn to them
and drink in their overflowing words. 

The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”
Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.

 As we unpack the next six verses in chapter 73, I want to share some things that stood out to me:

-Asaph is very frustrated at the “success” and “ease” that the unrighteous are experiencing. 

-He starts by pointing out their lack of restraint towards themselves. 

-Then, he points out their lack of restraint towards others. 

-Finally, he points out their lack of restraint and irreverence towards God. 

-He closes out verse 12 by pointing out their obvious “success” once again. 

Can you relate to what Asaph is saying? I know I can. However, comparison can destroy our peace and sense of purpose if we let it. When we begin to focus on what others are going through, how easy they have it, or how successful they are, we begin to lose focus on what really matters. We must remain focused on Jesus and not compare our situation to others. After all, God will exalt us in due time.   

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Psalms 73 - Part One

Psalm 73:1-6

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
    I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore, pride is their necklace;
    they clothe themselves with violence. 

Psalm 73 is a chapter of Scripture that was the inspiration for naming our ministry “Asaph Talks.” Asaph was a musician who served in the temple worship of God during the time of King David. Asaph authored Psalm 50 and Psalm 73-83. I love the honesty, authenticity, and raw description of his feelings that Asaph wrote in Psalm 73. I want our ministry to display that same honesty and authenticity, therefore, we named our ministry after Asaph.  As we unpack the first six verses in chapter 73, I want to share some things that stood out to me:

-Asaph starts off by offering reverence and respect to God by reiterating that God is good to Israel.

-Then, he begins to confess his shortcomings and describes that he was in the process of slipping and losing focus.

-Finally, he describes in vivid detail why he felt that way. He shares with God that the wicked are prospering and growing old with what seems to be no consequences for their wickedness. 

This is a very honest confession for Asaph to take to God. He didn’t pretend that all was well and lie to God about how he was feeling. He let God know exactly how he was feeling and what he was dealing with. As we pray this week, let’s be honest with God. Let’s go to him with our shortcomings and doubts and present them to Him for restoration and completion. After all, God’s Word tells us we can approach His throne with boldness.

Hebrews 4:16

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

Approval

Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

In the 1800s, when Verdi premiered his first opera in Florence, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation. Verdi, the composer, stood in the shadows, his gaze fixed on one figure in the audience—the eminent Rossini. Verdi's heart longed for the nod of approval from this maestro. He cared not for the accolades of the crowd but sought the affirmation of the master musician alone.

Paul's words in Galatians 1:10 resonate deeply in our hearts, stirring questions about the motivations driving our actions. The apostle confronts the Galatian believers with a fundamental choice: are they seeking the approval of people or of God? He challenges them to consider whether their decisions are dictated by a desire for human praise or a devotion to serving Christ. The words ‘seeking the approval’ means to impress, to win over or to persuade.

It's natural to try to impress and win over others, seeking their approval and validation, but as the Gospel reminds us that our ultimate allegiance should be to serve and honor God rather than conforming to worldly standards. Like Verdi, many of us find ourselves navigating a world that demands conformity and validation from others. We may feel pressured to conform to societal norms, seeking affirmation through likes, shares, or applause. Yet, Paul's message reminds us that our primary allegiance should be to God. When we prioritize seeking His approval above all else, we align our lives with His will and purpose.  Let's not conform to worldly standards but seek transformation through God's will, knowing that His approval is the ultimate validation.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Foreshadowing Things to Come

Luke 24:27

 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

In the above passage, two men are walking down the road after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They were talking about all that took place. A third man joined them for a walk and some conversation, their eyes were prevented from knowing the identity of their walking companion.  Little did they know it was Jesus Himself. Jesus spent their time on the journey unpacking the Old Testament texts that foreshadowed His life, death, and resurrection. This is a conversation that I would have loved to be a part of. It’s important that we understand scripture points to Jesus. The way we read the Bible should be in a way that’s looking for The One. All of scripture points to Jesus. The Old Testament points to Jesus coming to Earth. The gospels document His time on Earth. The Epistles tell us how to live in light of Him coming to Earth. Revelation tells us about Him coming back. 

Reading the Bible in a way that looks for Jesus is eye opening. My favorite example of this are the Passover instructions in Exodus 12. The instructions to put the blood of the unblemished lamb on the side doorposts and above the door are a clear foreshadowing of when the unblemished lamb (JESUS) is on the cross with blood running from his hands and his head. All the flawed men documented in the Old Testament are a foreshadowing of the Perfect One to come. Moses led the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery. There is a better Moses- Jesus. David delivered his people from the grips of the Philistines. There is a better David- Jesus.

Solomon led his people through peace and prosperity. There is a better Solomon-Jesus. The scriptures all point to Jesus. As we enter this Easter season, let's read the scriptures in a way that allows us to see Jesus and the gospel in all parts of the scripture.  After all, you don’t want to be like the Pharisees who searched the scriptures only to miss the point.

John 5:39-40

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

He Defeated Death

Hebrews 2:14-15

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

No one is looking forward to their death. I know that I am not. But we don’t have to be afraid of it if we know Jesus. It’s important to remember just how powerful and life-changing the gospel is. As the verses above describe, one common fear of all mankind is the fear of death. The enemy uses this fear of death to his advantage to hold mankind captive. However, through the death of Jesus, the captivity of death has been abolished. I was recently praying for a loved one who is sick and may experience death soon. As I prayed, I felt God reassure me in my spirit with the following truth, “Son, I have already defeated death.” This was a powerful reminder to me that God has already defeated this common foe we all have. Let’s rejoice in this truth.

When we fully understand that we have life in Christ beyond this earth, it changes the way we live our life on earth. As believers we can live confidently on this Earth, knowing that what happens here is not the end. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, we have eternal life that begins when we enter into a relationship with Jesus. When life on this earth ends, our life in Christ does not. After all, we can’t even comprehend what awaits us in heaven. 

Romans 8:18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 

Turn the Page

Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I love the beginning of March. I know spring doesn’t officially start until late March, but you can feel it in the air. The lawns are getting cut, fresh pine needles are being spread around houses, baseball is in full swing, and it’s staying light outside until late in the evening. I love it. I think one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is because it signifies a new page being turned. The dark, short, cold, gloomy days of winter are almost behind us, and the days are now marked with new growth, sunshine, and endless possibilities. When you turn to a blank page, you can write whatever you want on it. It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s ready for a new story. 

Our faith walk can have seasons like this as well. There are dry times in the Christian walk. We have seasons where God seems far away, where the trials and temptations set in and don’t seem to be going anywhere soon. There are times in our Christian walk when it’s cold, dark, and gloomy in our mind and in our hearts. Nothing seems to be going right and our prayers seem to be going into a black hole. But we can shift our perspective to gain a new outlook on these seasons. The tough seasons always end at some point, and the sun starts to shine again. I encourage you to look ahead during these dark seasons and be ready for what God is doing to prepare you for the next season. It’s coming, it’s only a matter of time. After all, God has made everything beautiful in its proper time. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Stuck

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Nothing feels worse than being stuck in a pattern of behavior that you feel like you can’t get out of. Especially when you’ve made the decisions and created the habits that put you in that spot. I’ve faced situations like this in my life and I know how they feel. You begin to lose hope, forget who God is and what He’s capable of. Guilt, shame, and despair set in. What are we supposed to do when we feel stuck in a pattern of behavior that we can’t seem to get past? I’ve developed a plan that I use when I need to get unstuck. I’ve shared this before about defeating temptation but it’s also an effective plan to get unstuck.

1)    Tell God – When we are honest with God about our sin, He is faithful to cleanse us from our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

2)    Tell Somebody – The enemy wants us to stay isolated when are stuck. But God’s Word tells us to confess our sins to others for healing. (James 5:16)

3)    Take practical steps to get back on track – Sometimes, getting unstuck is as simple as avoiding the behavior that got us there in the first place. It’s not always that simple, but it’s a place to start. (2 Peter 1:5-9)

If you’re currently stuck in a destructive pattern of behavior or thoughts, I encourage you to get honest with God, get honest with others, and take steps to get past it. God desires for us to come to Him when we are stuck. The enemy wants us to stay isolated and stay stuck. When we bring our deeds into the light and let God work in us, we can get unstuck and become the person God desires us to be. Don’t stay stuck and in despair. Come out into the light and let God grow you through the process. After all, the old has gone, we are new creations in Christ. 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone, the new is here.

Unconditional Love

Matthew 3:17

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.

My youth baseball career ended in August 1998 at Edna Love Park in Indian Trail, N.C. The championship came down to three teams: my team (Columbus County), Indian Trail, and Hope Mills. We beat Indian Trail to get to the championship game and then lost a close game to Hope Mills and were eliminated. I didn’t get much playing time that summer. I battled it out for the starting spot at third base with another guy and he won the spot. I got one at-bat per game. I remember my dad telling me to make sure I got my money’s worth during that one at-bat, and I did. When the tournament ended, I remember walking out of the dugout and meeting my dad on the way to the parking lot. He gave me a big hug and said, “Just like Jesus’ dad told him, I want to tell you, you are my son, I love you, and I’m proud of you”. I will never forget that moment, it was all the affirmation I needed, and it set the tone for me going forward. 

Do we think that our father God feels that way about us? If we did, it would change the way we approached life. Jesus was yet to do any miracles or ministry when his Father said the above scripture about Him. God loved him simply because He was His son, not because he had done anything to earn it. God’s Word tells us that He feels the same way about us. Our identity and worth in Christ are based on what He has done and His mercy, not what we’ve done. When we grasp this truth, it will transform our daily walk. Quit trying to earn the love and approval of God and accept and embrace it. If you are in Christ, you are treasured by the Father. After all, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Prowling

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
 
The Enemy (Satan) is real, he’s alive and well. God’s Word tells us The Enemy is the ruler of this world system we live in (Ephesians 2:2). The battle is real. I used to think that the more mature I became in Christ, the less intense the spiritual battle would be. I was wrong. The battle intensifies as you grow. The Enemy knows that tall trees fall the hardest. The more you mature spiritually, the more your influence grows, the closer your marriage gets, the more intense the battle becomes. But rest assured, the battle has been won by the finished work of Jesus on the cross. However, until we are with Jesus in eternity, there will be a fight. With that in mind, here are times when the enemy prowls the hardest.
 
-In failure: Look at Elijah from last week (1 Kings 19). When we are down to our last straw, The Enemy whispers for us to go ahead and deliver the knockout blow. He tells us to go ahead and prove we are a failure.
 
-In success: Look at David (2 Samuel 11-12). He achieved all he ever wanted, he had success. He laid back, checking out his kingdom, and there it was. He ended up committing adultery and murder all in one disastrous turn of events. In our success, The Enemy whispers that we have what it takes without God, we forget how broken we are. 
 
-In conflict: The Enemy is the master accuser (Revelation 12:10). During conflict he whispers to us that there is no hope for this relationship, for this marriage, for this child, for this church. In the moment he tells us this conflict will never be resolved. 
 
Don’t bite on The Enemy’s lies. He’s the father of lies (John 8:44). We don’t have what it takes to fight this battle. Only the finished blood of Jesus will conquer. After all, our weapons are not of this world.
 
2 Corinthians 10:4
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
 

Next

1 Kings 19:4-6
While he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
 
When you’re stuck in a rut and feel hopeless, the hardest thing to do is the next thing. I know the feeling. You know what you need to do, but you just can’t do it. The task at hand seems insurmountable, the journey ahead is too far to travel, so you never even begin. Have you ever felt like that? Elijah felt that way in the verse above. He was a prophet chosen by God, but in his anguish, he prayed for God to take his life and fell asleep under a tree. An angel appeared and told Elijah to do the next thing. In this case, the next thing was simply eating, nothing profound. After he ate, he laid back down, then he ate again, then he had strength for the journey, and then had an amazing encounter with God. It’s no coincidence that this powerful encounter with God happened shortly after his biggest season of despair. That’s how it works, and the enemy knows that too. At your lowest point, the enemy entices you to quit, he prowls around wanting to take you out before you start. But God wants you to keep moving. We keep moving by doing the next thing. 
 
When in doubt, do the next thing. Don’t quit, you must start somewhere. If you are down by four touchdowns, you can’t score them all at once, but you can get the next first down. You can’t run three miles until you take the first step. You can’t conquer addiction without getting through the first day clean. Life is all about doing the next thing. Our journey with Christ is the same. The task is insurmountable without Christ. But His strength is sufficient to conquer what He’s called us to. When in doubt, don’t try to do it all, just do the next thing. The God that gives you strength for the next thing will be there for the next thing too. String enough next things together and watch what happens. Trust me, He’s faithful. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself.
 
Matthew 6:34
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Grace

Luke 6:36
Be merciful, just as your father is merciful.
 
A few years ago, I allowed my emotional volatility to guide me into a heated disagreement with my wife. I said things that hurt her and went to sleep without apologizing. The next morning, she and our oldest daughter were leaving early for a cheer competition. Our younger daughter and I were sleeping when they left and planning to meet them there later. As my wife was leaving, she noticed I’d accidentally parked my truck in a way that prohibited her from getting her car out of the driveway. As you may have experienced, rearranging cars in the morning while in a rush isn’t pleasant. But Rachel not only moved my car, she pulled it back into the warm garage and put the sunglasses I’d left in her car back into it. As you can envision, this process likely took her just under two minutes, but when rushing in the morning, that’s basically an hour. This left a lasting impression on me. In return for my hostility, she responded with grace. I deserved to be riding in a cold car with the sun in my eyes. However, I was riding in a warm car and my shades on. In summary, it’s hard to stay angry at someone who repays opposition with grace.
 
In relationships, grace is like the oil that lubes the moving parts of a car. When grace is abundant, parts run smooth. When grace is scarce, there is friction. Should we have boundaries and expectations in relationships? Absolutely. But that’s not the focus of this writing. The point of this writing is to remind us that our default response as believers should be grace, not retaliation. I’ve found that my ability to extend grace to others is directly proportionate to my ability to receive grace from God. I can’t extend what I won’t receive. We often don’t need another class or another book on how to show grace. We simply need to soak deeper in the grace that’s been poured out to us from our Father. This grace is received only through faith in the finished work of Jesus. Only when it is received, can it be extended to others. After all, only those without sin are qualified to throw stones.
 
John 8:7
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Regrip

Hebrews 12:12
So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.
 
We’ve all had an experience where we were carrying something heavy. During the process, our hands started to hurt, maybe they got a little sweaty, our back started to tighten up, and we needed to take a break. We simply needed to put the object down, get a better grip and keep going. The goal stayed the same, the process stayed the same, and the destination stayed the same. However, the grip that got us to where we were, wouldn’t get us to where we were going. We didn’t quit carrying the load, we simply had to regrip and keep moving. This is also a good approach to have in our Christian walk. There are many things that cause us to lose our grip and we are tempted to quit. The more complex life, leadership, ministry, and relationships get, the weaker our grip can get. However, we must remind ourselves of this: don’t quit, regrip.
 
I remember standing in the back of the church with my dad right before my wedding ceremony. He looked at me and said, “Jesus reached down into the pit and grabbed us, we just need to keep holding on to Him and gripping Him tight, He will take us where we need to go”. It was the best marriage advice I ever received. When things get tough and my grip gets weak, I don’t quit, I regrip. What’s going on in your life that you need to stop and regrip? God has grown me in many seasons where I wanted to quit. Growth typically starts where comfort ends. I wish that wasn’t true, but it is.  We must constantly regrip in athletics, coaching, business, ministry, marriage, parenting, relationships, and in our own life struggles. My encouragement to you today when you get tired, weary, worn out, and are ready to bail, is this: don’t quit, regrip. After all, Jesus has taken hold of us, and His grip never tires.
 
Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
 

Life

John 17:3
This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

I spent many years thinking that eternal life and the purpose that comes with it would start after my life on this earth ended. I thought that entering into a relationship with Jesus was the end of the story. I thought that the entire point of life was simply to begin a relationship with Jesus by grace through faith, eventually I would die, and eternal life would begin. While this train of thought brings more hope than believing in nothing after death, it’s still not fully accurate. According to the scripture above, Jesus says that eternal life is knowing God. If this were our only purpose on earth, it would make more sense for us simply to be zapped up into heaven immediately upon conversion. But this isn’t the case. We stay on this earth, as new creatures of God’s Kingdom, with a purpose. Our natural life is invaded by the eternal life in Christ, and our true purpose begins.
 
The end goal isn’t simply to submit to Jesus, then wait around on earth aimlessly until eternal life begins. Receiving the grace that initiates a relationship with Jesus is the beginning of true life, not the end. Eternal life begins on this earth. When the supernatural Kingdom of God invades our being on this earth through the Holy Spirit, our eternal life begins. Then, our purpose, mission, and passion begin to take root in a heavenly perspective. The wiring, gifting, and experiences of this earth become agents of the pursuit of God’s Kingdom. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, heaven and earth meet and dwell inside of us. Our goal is not to simply teleport to heaven among conversion. Our goal is to do God’s will on this earth until we are called home. After all, God’s will is to be done on this earth as in heaven, and He’s chosen us to carry that out. Embrace that calling. Our eternal life has already started. Let’s start living that way.
 
Matthew 6:10
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Vengeance

Romans 12:19
Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay says the Lord.
 
I struggle with thinking that it’s my job to exact all vengeance. I feel like I need to make it right, get the other guy back when wronged, or hurt them before they can hurt me. This is a painful way to live at times. The core of this behavior stems from right thinking. God wants us to speak out against injustice and to protect those who can’t protect themselves (Proverbs 29:7). However, my flesh takes this God-given thought and seizes an opportunity to sin. I go over and beyond. When someone cuts me off in traffic, I want to let them know about it. During conflict, I want to be condescending to the other party to let them know how wrong they are and how right I am. When an umpire or official would make a call that negatively affected my team, I wanted to let them know in the most degrading way possible how wrong they were. When someone says or does something that hurts my wife or kids’ feelings, I want to inflict physical harm on them. Go ahead and judge me if you want, I’m just stating the truth. I’m not condoning this type of thinking and behavior, but it is reality sometimes. It’s also wrong. I’m a work in progress. 
 
God’s word tells us to always leave room for God’s vengeance. He tells us not to repay evil for evil (Romans 12:17). This is one of the hardest truths in God’s word for me to grasp. It goes against everything this world teaches. This doesn’t mean don’t protect yourself from threats or danger to you or others. But it does mean to not go beyond that. Don’t think it’s your job to exact all vengeance in the world. Most people that have lied about me and schemed against me have eventually faced their consequences, some haven’t. It’s not my job to exact vengeance, that’s God’s job. Be careful not to get self-righteous here, we’ve all wronged or slandered someone in the dark that we don’t want to come to light. Don’t poison your soul with the responsibility of vengeance. That’s up to God. After all, everything hidden will eventually be revealed. 
 
Luke 12:2
There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

Focus

Deuteronomy 8:12-14
When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases, be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 
 
I speak a lot about staying faithful and focused during adversity. I write a lot on staying close to God during tough seasons, mundane seasons, tragedy, and disappointment. But what about when we experience success? What do we do when we get the job we want, make the money we need, win the big game, see the healing we prayed for, experience a booming year of business or a fruitful season of ministry? Sometimes, a season of success can reveal more about the flaws deep in our heart than a season of adversity. How do we handle it? I believe the answer lies in our focus. The verse above was written to the Israelites as they prepared to possess the land God promised them. He knew they tended to drift from Him when they experienced prosperity. God remains faithful, but we can drift during prosperity just like the Israelites if we lose focus.
 
The key is to focus more on The Creator than the created. Just like seasons of adversity bring us to our knees in dependance, seasons of success should bring us to our knees in gratitude. In Luke 5, after a long night of unsuccessful fishing, Jesus told Peter and his crew to let their nets down in a different spot. When they did, they caught so many fish their nets began to break. They needed help to haul them all in and the weight from the fish began to sink the boats. This was undoubtedly a memorable catch for Peter. How did he respond? Did he immediately go to shore to start selling his catch for profit? No. He immediately fell at Jesus’ knees. Peter worshipped in response to this miraculous provision because he had the right focus. His focus was on the Source of the provision, not the provision. Let’s renew our focus this week. Let the seasons of success turn your focus back to the source of the success (God), not the success. After all, The Creator is worthy of worship, not the created. 
 
Romans 1:25
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

Obscurity

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.
 
Everybody wants to be somebody. Everybody wants their name to be remembered. It’s part of being human. However, this desire can sometimes run contrary to accomplishing the work of God. In the verse above, the more recognition that John the Baptist received, the more he reminded people it was about the One to come (Jesus) and not about him. The goal of John’s ministry was to point people to the One, not to point people to himself. Jesus modeled this too. In John 6, He withdrew when the people wanted to crown Him as king. He knew it wasn’t his time yet. While on earth, Jesus never fought for notoriety, He fought for obscurity. Obscurity is the state of being unknown or unimportant. The more people wanted to crown Jesus and give him credit, He deflected it to His Father. In that season, Jesus knew that his Father was the one to be glorified. Obscurity is the road less traveled, but it’s often where God does the most work. Jesus was born in obscurity. Think about that for a minute, God Himself in the flesh, born into complete obscurity on the outskirts of town. 
 
The biggest deterrent to any movement of God is when the person or people leading it think they are more important than the Source of the movement (God). The road to success in God's Kingdom is littered with those who thought it was about them and not God. The world they were trying to impress and the praise they were seeking ultimately devoured them. My best ministry successes have been marked by times where no one even knew who I was. Others get recognized, God gets the credit, and I get in my truck and ride off in obscurity. I would be lying if I said this didn’t frustrate me at times. But this is the way it should be. A good ambassador of God’s Kingdom should be like a good referee or umpire. If they do a good job, no one knows who they are. Jesus fought for obscurity, we should too. Whose credit is it? Ours or His? We know the answer to that question. After all, a kingdom worker’s reward is ultimately on the other side of eternity.
 
Luke 10:20
However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Courage

Numbers 13:30
Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let’s go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!”
 
The passage above is from one of my favorite sections of scripture. In Numbers 13-14, Moses sent the leaders from each of the twelve tribes out to scout the land of Canaan. It was the land that God promised to give the Israelites. All twelve men went out to scout the land. The land was beautiful, flowing with milk and honey, just like they were told it would be. But the land was inhabited by people who the Israelites thought could overpower them. So the leaders spread a bad report about the land and decided they couldn’t conquer it. But Caleb quieted the people, and insisted they could conquer the land. Joshua also refused to bow to the fear of his peers. In that moment, Joshua and Caleb expressed godly courage. This show of fear and cowardice led to grave consequences for the cowardly, but great reward for Joshua and Caleb (read Numbers 13-14).
 
Godly courage is different than worldly courage. Joshua and Caleb were not confident in their own strength and courage. They were confident in the God who sent them on the mission and the courage He poured into them. They knew that if God called them to a land to conquer, He would provide the victory. In summary, the God-given courage and the reward He promised, were far greater than the adversity and pain they would face to claim it. What ground has God given you that you don’t have the courage to conquer? What has He already promised you that you are too afraid to seize? The road will be tough, the terrain will be rocky, the enemy is growling, and the people between you and there may look powerful. But God is the conqueror. I’ve spent too much time cowering in fear to things God has already defeated. Let’s quit letting fear keep us from what God has called us to and display the courage to act. I’d rather stumble on the way to Canaan than strut through the wilderness. How about you? After all, God’s people don’t draw back.
 
Hebrews 10:39
But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.