Psalm 29 Ascribe to the Lord Glory

In my early years as a Christian, I developed a bad habit in my prayer life. I used to come to God and just blurt out all my needs. It is not wrong to ask for what I need, but I had not developed the habit to ascribe glory to the Lord. I was treating him as a messenger boy to go out and run some errands for me. I was approaching God with a "gimme" attitude that is selfish to say the least.

When I realize who is the God that I approach, my attitude is changed. I stop treating him like a messenger and start realizing that I'm standing before a God of glory and strength who deserves all the honor and praise a human being can offer. Actually, according to the psalmist, he deserves all the glory, honor, and praise that the heavenly beings can muster as well. 

"Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name." All our worship and adoration to God is not wasted. It is not exaggerated either. He deserves it all. It is due his name. In others words, it is expected. We could spend the rest of our lives, every minute of it, just ascribing glory to God and it would not be overdoing it at all. The love language that God understands is worship to his great name.

The Lord is enthroned above as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is not enthroned for a little time, but he is enthroned forever. Everything on earth is under his control and subject to his powers. The whole of creation is subject to him including my life and not the other way around. 

For this reason, now I always begin prayer ascribing glory to the Lord before anything else. When he taught his disciples to pray, he began with "Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name." I must learn to honor as holy the name of God and give him praise and glory before I attempt to present my list of needs. Then, it is proper to pray: "May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace."

Father, you are the awesome and benevolent Creator of all that exists, including my own life. You are the divine, eternal, forgiving, gracious, holy, invisible, just, kind, loving, and merciful God. There is no one and there is nothing like you. Amen.

Psalm 28 The Lord is My Strength and My Shield

The greatest benefit I enjoy in my Christian faith is that I don't walk alone through life. My God is with me in the joys of life and he is with me in my darkest moments. I can talk to my God about my problems and he will listen to me. God not only listens to me, but he also speaks to me offering encouragement, guidance, and counsel. Silence from God is a sign of judgment or displeasure. In Psalm 28, David indicates to God that his silence may cause him to become like the unbelievers around him when he cries out for mercy.

Despite the fact that I know that God is with me, I don't just bring out a laundry list for God to get to work. Neither David came to God with an attitude of demand. He would lift up his hands and worship as he approached God with his plea. I can't forget that God is worthy of worship and adoration. I must give him the glory and honor he deserves under all circumstances of life. In fact, David's description of unbelievers is that "they do not regard the works of the Lord or the works of his hands." As a believer, I am called to remember that I am approaching the Creator of all things including my own life.

I can't understand how the unbeliever lives life without God. It seems to me that the difficulties and disappointments of life are enough for me to need someone who can stand with me. It is good to have friends, but friends are not always with you. God is always with me. His presence is available 24/7 without interruption. He does not slumber or sleep and has no need of anything.

The strength I need to get through life comes from my God. I suppose one can muster strength from other sources to get through life, but this is precisely what idolatry is all about. God does not desire that I seek other sources. He wants to be the one and only source because he is my Creator. "The Lord is the strength of his people." In times of need, I can take refuge in him. "In him my heart trusts." For this reason, I can live my life in thanksgiving to him.

Father, you are my strength and shield. You are my refuge and shepherd of my soul. To you I run every day all the day long to seek help. Thanks for your presence and for listening my cry. Amen.

Psalm 15 Heart of Worship

Psalm 15 asks the questions:"O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?" The answer to these questions describes the kind of person that is welcome in God's presence; the kind of worshipper that perks God's interest. Jesus described the kind of worshipper the Father is seeking. In his words:

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 The description of the ideal worshipper highlights heart issues and not form. It goes deep into the motivations and desires of a person. The one who is acceptable in God's presence is one who goes beyond the practice of the Law into the spirit of the Law. Take note of some of the things mentioned: walks blamelessly, does what is right, speaks truth in his heart, does not slander with his tongue, does no evil to his neighbor, does not take a reproach against his friend.

If we take seriously our worship to our God, if we desire to live in his presence, we must strive to be people of character and integrity as described by Psalm 15. Not that we have achieved such status, but that we are striving for it with all our hearts. This psalm is a good mirror for me to take a look at who I really am and evaluate my intentions and motivations in my daily conduct. It cuts through performances and appearances to address the heart.

The person that practices these things with honesty and sincerity, not only enjoys the presence of God in his life, but also has the promise of stability - "shall never be moved." The promise of stability is not only for this life in the here and now, but it is for all eternity.

Father, change my heart to be one who desires to be in your presence more than anything else in life. Transform my motives and desires to match yours so that I may develop character and live a life of integrity with the promise of stability forever. Amen.

Psalm 7 When Slandered...

Some time ago, I was falsely accused of covering up the sin of a friend. In reality, I did not know about his sin and never set out to cover it up before other people. The unfair criticism of the people against me brought much pain to my life during those agonizing months. But there wasn't much I could do about it. Only time would allow the truth to surface and in the meantime, I had to endure the abuse. The truth is that I could not endure it on my own strength. My God became the source of strength I needed to stay above water.

Psalm 7 is a psalm for all who are suffering because of slander or unfair criticism. Cush, a Benjamite made some accusing remarks against David for which he suffered greatly. Instead of exacting revenge, David prays to the Lord for strength. We can learn a thing or two on how to respond to slander as we read this psalm.

First, we are to run to the Lord as our refuge to find safety in him and no one else, and nothing else. Then, as we pray to our God, we can make our claim of innocence before him, since no one else may believe us. Through prayer, we also keep a long term perspective on how those who slander will pay unless they repent. God is our judge and all these matters will be dealt with in the future by him personally. We need to surrender our desire to make them pay and turn them to God for payment. At the end of the psalm, we find that David ends with thanksgiving and worship. Ultimately, after processing our pain before God and relinquishing our desire for revenge, we can give thanks and praise his name.

My initial reaction to slander and unfair criticism is to lash out against my accusers. But that only stirs up more strife. At times, I felt the desire to run away from the problem, but we all know that running away would not solve anything. Many times, I felt like giving the cold shoulder with silent treatment by distancing myself from those brothers and sisters, but that would damage the environment of love and peace in the church. I most certainly don't want to be the culprit of such terrible negativity in the church.

Slander is painful. Unfair criticism is just that: unfair. But living these experiences teaches me to depend on God and make him my refuge. It helps me to see God as the Judge of injustice and not myself. When I learn to pray like David, I am set free to give thanks and worship my God. Ultimately, time will tell if what people say of me is true or not.

Father, when slandered, help me run to you right away. May I pray like David in your presence. Become my refuge and strength that I may be grateful and worship your name. Amen.

Psalm 2:11-12 Take Refuge

While I was living in Puerto Rico, during one hurricane season, a flood ensued due to much rain. I was driving at the time and I noticed that down the road a flow of water was coming my way dragging cars and whatever else along the way. I had the opportunity to turn away from the flood by getting on the sidewalk and a gravel patch to climb to higher ground and take refuge until the flood subsided. I was safe because I took refuge.

We are living in very uncertain times. The economy, the war, and the healthcare reform have everyone talking about what it will be. Unfortunately, many look up to our President as the one who can provide the certainty we need in life and ignore the true ruler who can be a true refuge for our lives despite the circumstances. Psalm 2 is a song with lyrics that uncover the plot of the nations to overthrow Israel and proclaims its Messiah as the only true refuge in times of uncertainty.

Jesus, the Messiah, our King is the only refuge. But for him to be our refuge, we must submit to him as our King and worship him. We must serve him wholeheartedly as the only ruler of our lives. Jesus, the Anointed One, came into the world to become the ruler of all nations, and not just of our individual souls. One day, he will sit on a throne above all nations and those who made him their refuge will rejoice with him. Unfortunately, those who reject him as King will be judged by him.

"Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Let's take refuge in Jesus!

Father, grant me the heart's desire to make your Son my refuge. Fill me with your Spirit to submit to his rule, worship him with joy, and serve him with all my strength. Amen.

Acts 13:1-3 Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

The Church at Antioch had a great blessing to have prophets and teachers - at least five listed here! From that pool of workers, the Holy Spirit chose Saul and Barnabas for another work according to his calling. Throughout the New Testament, prophet and teacher are offices of great respect. Paul himself wrote later on that we should procure the best gifts, among them prophecy. Teaching and prophesying are highly regarded because through them the Word of God is explained for the conversion of souls and the edification of the church. A healthy church should institute ways to build up new prophets and teachers.

It is worth noting from the list of teachers and prophets that Antioch was a multi-ethnic church and not bound by partiality. Saul and Barnabas were Jews; Simeon and Lucius were black people from North Africa; and Manaen seemed to be well connected with the upper class in Rome. All of them worshiped together and worked together for the kingdom of God. The Church must be free from partiality and become an open community of Christ to make an impact in the world. Though there were many tendencies to separate Jew from Gentile and Greek from Roman due to socio-econo-political reasons, the Church fought against those tendencies to establish a Church that is united in its diversity.

Since the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, it makes only sense that the Church is constantly seeking him in worship, fasting, and prayer. These are the basic disciplines of the deeper life in Christ. If I am to grow as a Christian, I must learn to worship, fast and pray. Notice that it is not a personal spiritual practice in this context. The Church at Antioch was devoted to these spiritual disciplines as a congregation. I must learn to worship, fast, and pray with my brothers and sisters as a concerted effort to seek his direction for the whole church. The Holy Spirit speaks to his church in an environment of worship, fasting, and prayer. How devoted am I to these disciplines? Moreover, how committed am I to practice them in unity with my brothers and sisters in the church?

The sendoff of Saul and Barnabas was the result of a church committed to seek the guidance of the Spirit in worship, fasting, and prayer. The fact that there is an imposition of hands for this sendoff tells us that the elders of the church were behind it. It also tells us that there is a process by which workers are recognized to be sent out to the field; there is a hierarchy; there is order. The expansion of God's kingdom depends on our willingness to send workers out into the field. I have to shift from the "us four and no more" paradigm to an open-fisted one, willing to send workers to the field under the guidance and direction of the Spirit.

Joshua 21 Cities and Pasturelands Allotted to Levi

The Levites are descendants of Levi, son of Jacob. Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Each one of them formed a clan with responsibilities related to worship. They were considered assistants to the priests (sons of Aaron, also descendants of Levi - Aaron is one of the great grandsons of Levi). In some places in the Bible they are also called priests, but to be distinguished from those who officiated. The Kohathites were to bear the sacred furniture of the tabernacle; the Gershonites, its curtains; and the Merarites its boards, pins, and poles. But they could not approach the holy things and act as priests. During the temple days, they were assigned duties of construction, singing, treasury as well as teaching and judging. They were also in charge of maintaining the cities of refuge.

God wanted to ensure that the promised land would have people serving the community in the area of worship. The amount of people involved in worship is impressive. They were scattered throughout the land making the priesthood and its services pervasive in the land. Interestingly enough, they were not allowed to have property as an inheritance. The property they managed belonged to other tribes, including the cities of refuge. The reason for a lack of inheritance is that God is to be their inheritance. Also, they were to live off the tithes and offerings of the people. Their appointment was from birth and they performed their priestly duties until death.

The establishment of God's kingdom upon the earth is about worship to our King. Today, we gather together as the priesthood of all believers to minister to our God and to one another in worship. One day, the whole earth will worship our King as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. From the beginnings of Christianity, we see a persecuted Church struggling to survive. But believers came together and shared their resources to ensure its survival. When Christ returns, we will no longer have to struggle for survival on earth because we will reign with him.

I am in awe of the dedication of the Levites. Their whole life was about God's kingdom. My life should be dedicated to the Lord just like that. I am also impressed with the system God instituted to take care of them. I can't understand why people have a hard time tithing and offering to keep ministry going upon the earth. Not only do people struggle to tithe, but many people don't bring the whole tithe to their place of ministry. They decide to spread their tithe among different organizations. No wonder it is so hard to keep the finances of the church at a healthy level to just maintain a building. I must say that today, most churches don't offer retirement benefits and once a minister cannot pastor anymore, he is out on the street with no property and no income. A far cry from the Levitical priesthood.

Father, may I serve you wholeheartedly with dedication and commitment. May I learn to give to sustain your work upon the earth. May I worship you in spirit and truth and promote your glory upon the whole earth. Amen.

Joshua 5:10-15 First Passover in Canaan

The Israelites enjoyed God's supernatural provision during their journey. Now that they are to enter the promised land, they will continue to enjoy the provision of God, but through the land he promised them. God is still the provider, but his provision is now through the promise. All my needs are taken care of by my God. He provides for my every need all the time.

Passover is the Jewish celebration of their freedom from slavery. On Passover, all those who placed the blood on their doorposts were spared from death - they were passed over by the angel of death. If I am to be effective in the conquest of the promised land, the establishment of God's kingdom upon the earth, I must live in obedience through Baptism and Communion. Baptism is my initiation rite into the Body of Christ as a born again believer. Communion is my Passover. In Communion, I remember the sacrifice of Christ that freed me from my bondage to sin and gave me new life. It also feeds my soul in the grace of God to sustain me in the battle.

The conquest of the promised land, the establishment of God's kingdom upon earth is my mission in life. Baptism and Communion prepare me for it, but I can't forget that I am not alone in this endeavor. Joshua encountered the commander of the army of the Lord who confirmed his leadership in the conquest. The commander of the army of the Lord is with me by my side. It is a reminder that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Intimate communion with my commander is a requirement to engage in this battle.

The conquest of the promised land is not for anyone, but only for those who have embraced the kingdom of God through Baptism and Communion and have committed their lives to an intimate communion with the Commander of the army of the Lord.

Lord, I want to be a good soldier in this conquest. You meet my every need. Fill me with your Spirit to remain in intimate communion with you as I wage battle every day. May I rely upon your grace as I march forward taking by storm the strongholds of ungodliness in this world.

Matthew 26:1-16 Jesus Anointed at Bethany

After arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus announced to his disciples that it was a matter of days before his death by crucfixion. The chief priests and the elders were plotting to arrest him and kill him. It is at this time that Judas Iscariot offers them his services for thirty pieces of silver and seeks for an opportunity to betray him. Hatred and betrayal are at their peak. 

In the midst of such high tension, the Scriptures paint one of the most beautiful pictures of worship to Jesus. Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, brings a pound of ointment made of pure nard. It was a very expensive perfume used for very special occasions and it was valued at the total wages for a worker in a year. Combining the perspectives from Matthew and John (12), she anointed Jesus, head and feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. Jesus called it a "beautiful thing" unto him as she unknowingly prepares his body for his burial.

For many, this act of worship was a waste. In fact, some questioned why the perfume wasn't sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Jesus intervenes on behalf of Mary and declares that there will always be opportunities to serve the poor, but not many opportunities are left to serve him due to his impending death. Jesus was pleased while the world was angry.

Giving my best to honor Jesus is never a waste. It is a beautiful thing. A heart of worship does not put a price tag on what it offers. It is not ashamed to display its passion and fervor in public. It does not care about the criticism of others. It is not afraid to honor and exalt the worth of Jesus. True worship is to offer my best in humility for the glory of my Lord.

Lord, I want to honor you as you deserve. May I always give you my best without fear of criticism. May I never hold back anything from you.

Matthew 21:12-17 Jesus Cleanses the Temple

It is difficult for me to picture Jesus angry and probably for most people. But anger is an emotion that every human being experiences. Anger in itself is not a problem. The problem is what I do with my anger. If I lash out at people and hurt them in my anger then I have a problem. The term "anger management" tends to depersonalize anger making it an object outside myself that I have to control by mastering certain skills. The truth is that what I do with my anger comes from within, the heart, and cannot be depersonalized that easily. What I really need is an inner transformation that will help me manage my heart not just my anger. I most certainly don't oppose acquiring skills to cope with anger, but don't want to ignore my need for inner change. 

What made Jesus so angry? For sure, the buying and selling of animals for sacrifices and the money exchanging activities were part of temple life. People came from all over the surrounding nations to worship. It was necessary to have a market for animals and change of currency available. Notice that Jesus' accusation is that the temple has become a den of robbers. The robbers were the people selling and exchanging. Instead of providing a fair price for their sales and exchanges, they had attached a heavy tax for the local government as well as a cut for themselves ripping off people. That's what angered Jesus.

What does he do with his anger? He goes into the temple and drives people and animals out  of the temple. He definitely made a scene by overturning tables and probably raised his voice to call the attention of those present. He certainly has a flare for drama, but for a good reason. It is his Father's house and he is consumed by the lack of respect shown by others. He is the Son with all the rights in the world to correct something so blatantly wrong as robbing in the temple courts. Instead of prayer, robbery was taking place.

Am I that zealous for God's business? Would I display my anger when I see God's purposes perverted? I pray God will give me the strength to do so. It is so easy to fall prey to the practical and the easy. For example, at church, why would I stand in the lobby or the hallway when everybody else is worshipping God? Why would I sit in the lobby to chat with someone else when the Word of God is being preached? Do I come to church to meet my friends or to meet God first? Understanding that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, why would I give my body to uses that insult God, like sexual immorality, overeating, drug abuse, etc...

Lord, may your holy anger move me to make changes in my life to please you. Help me overcome that which perverts your purposes in my life. May I drive out all that stands in the way of genuine worship and adoration to you.