God's Instructions are Life Giving

Every Sunday I, along with many other clergy across the globe, pray the end of Psalm 19.  “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”  (Psalm 19:14, CEB) It is always my prayer as I proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, that God removes all of my own intentions and replaces it fully with the word that God has for the congregation I am serving that day.  I want God to be in control.  I want to only be a vessel. 

                This is the most familiar part of this Psalm but there is more to be gleaned from this prayer of David.  David begins his prayer declaring the glory of God in the meticulous and predictable way God has ordered creation.  It was a beautiful weekend this weekend.  I played golf on Friday, with the sun beating down on me.  Saturday and Sunday were equal to Friday’s beauty.  We are always assured that the sun will rise in the East and Set in the west.  I always know that if I am sitting on my cousin’s balcony at Clearwater Beach between 7:00 and 8:00 PM I will see one of the most beautiful pieces of artwork known as the sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico.  David doesn’t stop with his amazement at the glory of the ordering of God’s creation though.

                David continues to praise God for the ordering of God’s commands. Sometimes when people hear the word Christianity they think of endless lists of rules and regulations that they cannot possibly keep and they feel hopeless.  They feel as though they cannot possibly live into the expectations of Christianity.  The rules and regulations are burdensome and impossible.  This is not how David sees it though.  David sees the instruction of God as being life giving.  I believe David is right.  When you look at the 10 commandments you will notice that they fall under two basic categories:  Love of God and Love of others.  The commandments are summed up with the words, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”  John Wesley had three simple rules for the ordering of God’s instruction and commands.  “Do no harm, do all the good you can, stay in Love with God.” 

                When we look at these summaries of God’s instruction it no longer seems so burdensome and, like David, we can say “The Lord’s instruction is perfect, reviving one’s very being.” We can, like David, understand the benefits of living our lives according to God’s instruction.  The benefits include:

·         Becoming wise

·         Gladdening our hearts

·         Giving light to our eyes

·         Being enlightened

Pray the prayer of Psalm 19 today.  Be thankful for the order God brings to our lives. 

Do No Harm!

Proverbs18 is again full of admonitions about the lips and the tongues.  I have already reflected on the power of our words and our attitudes this week but if the writer of Proverbs found it bears repeating over and over, I think it wise not to gloss over it today.  Angry words hurt.  Tone of voice hurts.  We must be mindful of this when interacting with others.

            John Wesley saw three simple rules that we as Christians should follow.

1.      Do No Harm

2.      Do All the Good You Can

3.      Stay in Love with God

The Writer of Proverbs understands that words can certainly do harm. 

1.      V. 1-2:  “Unfriendly people look out for themselves, they bicker with sensible people.  Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing their opinions.” 

My father used to tell me I would “argue with a signpost.”  He was right.  I am a debater.  I enjoy a good argument.  I would have made a heck of a lawyer.  However, outside of the arena of debate teams and court rooms, bickering does nothing for the good and more often than not, it causes harm.  The wisdom of the proverb here is that we should “first seek to understand, then to be understood.” 

2.      Verses 6-8 read “The lips of fools make accusations, their mouths elicit beatings.  The mouth of fools is their ruin; their lips are a trap for their lives.  The words of gossips are like choice snacks, they go down to the inmost parts. 

3.      Verses 13reads: “Those who answer before they listen are foolish and disgraceful. “

4.      Verse 15 reads an understanding mind gains knowledge, the ear of the wise seek knowledge. 

Both of these verses point to the importance of listening.  Listening is much more important and healing then anything we can see. 

5.      Finally Verse 21 points out that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, those who love it will eat its fruit. 

Are we using our words for good or harm?  Are we starting arguments, gossiping, talking more than we are listening, or seeking to be understood rather than seeking to understand? If our answer is yes than are words are likely doing harm more than they are doing good.  Take time today to listen to those around you, really listen.  

Healed or Broken?-Proverbs 17

Last week my Facebook news feed was filled with blog after blog and opinion after opinion regarding divisive issues that threaten to divide the Methodist Church making it no longer united.  This week my Facebook news feed is filled with status after status and blog after blog of people sharing their opinion of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner.  No matter which side of the debate you fall on, persons from both sides have used language that divides, breeds hatred, and fans the flames of discontent.  It is easy to get sucked into such debates.  Your passions ignite and you believe you just have to weigh in with your opinion.  Then, someone disputes your opinion, you feel like you must come back with a defense and thus the snowball rolls and rolls and rolls and the only thing that has been accomplished in the end is your distaste for the people with whom you are debating.  Your heart rate goes up.  Your blood boils.  Your face gets hot.  Your mind becomes consumed.  It is not healthy. 

            Proverbs 17 has a few things to say about such things.  Vs. 14 states “the start of a quarrel is like letting out water, so drop the dispute before it breaks out.  Vs. 22 states “a joyful heart helps healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”  Finally, verse 27 states “wise are those who restrain their talking; people with understanding are cool headed.” 

            Certainly we are called to be prophets of truth; we are called to speak justice into an unjust world.  As an old mountain saying says “there is more than one way to skin a cat.”  Spitting words of hatred and condemnation is not God’s way.  So, the next time you’re scrolling through your news feed and you feel your face getting hot, your heart rate increasing, and your blood boiling, don’t stop, keep scrolling.  Do not be sucked in.  Do not let your joy be stolen.  You will not change anyone’s mind by sharing your opinion and engaging in the debate.  Minds are changed in the midst of relationship and experience.  Minds are not changed through the quarrels of Facebook. There are times and spaces for these types of discussions.  There are ways to go about them where we seek and stand on common ground. The wisdom of the Proverb is to say that it is not in the quarreling, it is not in the breaking of the spirts, and it is not in the hotheaded. 

            When you see these things.  STOP and pray.  Pray for those who you perceive are your enemies.  Cry out to God just as David did in the 17^th Psalm.  Do not engage!  

Is God in the Planning?

Proverbs16 continues with wisdom for life.  One of the wisest applications in this psalm comes at 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”  It’s easy to go through our day to day lives making plans and going about our business and not committing that which we do to the LORD. Many times it is not until those plans go haywire and we find ourselves in a mess that we remember God.  By then rather than asking God to be in our plans, we are asking God to get us out of a mess we find ourselves in. 

It seems that including God in our plans is one of the themes of this Proverb: Verse 1 says "to man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.  Verse 9 states “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  Finally the chapter ends with “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. 

The chapter opens with God being in control of our plans and our decisions and ends with God being in control of our plans and our decisions.  In between those beginning and ending verses are all the ways that we may include God in what we are doing. 

Today, when you are going about the busyness of your day and you find yourself making a plan.  STOP and ask God to be in charge of your planning.  It will make a difference.   

The Power of Words-Psalm 15 and Proverbs 15

InPsalm 15 the psalmist asks and answers this question:  “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?  Who may live on your holy hill?”  The answer is “they whose walk is blameless, and who does what is righteous.”  The Psalmist then goes on to describe the righteous person.  It is interesting to me how much speech has to do with right living.  The psalmist writes the righteous person “speaks truth from his heart and has no slander on his lounge” The righteous person keeps their oath, even when it hurts.”  Proverbs 15 also has things to say about our speech.  “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”  “The lips of the wise spread knowledge, not so the hearts of fools.”  “A hot tempered person stirs up dissension, but a patient person calms a quarrel.”  “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply-and how good is a timely word!”  Jesus’ brother James also knew the importance of speech.  In James 1:19 he says “Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for a person’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  He then devotes all of chapter 3 to the control of the tongue.  The tongue is a powerful thing.  The childhood adage “sticks and stones will break my bones but words could never hurt me” should read sticks and stones may break my bones but words will surely hurt me.  We are given two ears and only one mouth for a reason.  We should listen twice as much as we speak.  Pray today that God will grant you the patience to think and to listen before you speak.  Let your speech be healing speech!  

The Bible: A Living Word for All Time

Picture taken from google images

The Bible is a living document, which is one of the beauties of it.  I may read a passage one day and receive no inspiration from it and a year down the road in different circumstances that very same passage may be exactly what I need to hear.  That is one of the reasons it is so important to make a discipline and habit out of being in the scriptures daily.  You never know when what you are reading is exactly what you need to hear.  Some days it may seem like just an exercise or routine and the very next day it is what breathes life into the depths of your dying and thirsty soul. 

            I am reminded of this very thing this morning as I read Psalm 14 and Proverbs 14.  I’ve read them twice now and nothing jumps out at me to share with you today.  The very words of those chapters may be exactly what someone else needs to hear today. 

            The one thing that resonates throughout the psalms is God’s care for the oppressed.  Psalm 14 is no different.  The psalmist talks about people who devour other people.  It is assumed that the psalmist is talking about the poor.  “Highlighting the plight of the poor and alleviating their suffering were primary aspects of (John) Wesley’s understanding of Christian mission.”[1] The psalmist points out that regardless of what the evildoers and unbelievers do in regards to the poor that God will always be a refuge to the oppressed.  How are we as a church modeling God’s love to the oppressed?  How are we providing refuge to those who are exploited?  Pray today that God may open our eyes and hearts to know what next steps we can take to be a refuge and strength to the oppressed in our community. 

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[1] Green, Joel, ed, The Wesley Study Bible, Common English Bible (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2012), pg. 693

Spare the Rod Spoil the Child....A Different Perspective

Image taken from google images.

Over the 21 years that I worked in child welfare I cannot tell you the number of times Proverbs 12:24 was quoted to me as a defense for injuries being left on a child as the result of a spanking.  You know the one:  “Spare the Rod, spoil the child.”  Many people believe this verse condones and even instructs corporal punishment.  I will not use this space as a discourse on whether or not one should use corporal punishment.  What I will do is offer a different understanding of this often quoted proverb. 

            To understand this proverb you must understand a bit about a shepherds practice in herding sheep.  The shepherd’s tool for his trade is the rod and staff.  We recall the Psalmist of Psalm 23 writing “thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”  I don’t know about you but I would never describe the experience of being spanked one of comfort.  The shepherd’s rod and staff are comforting though.  You see, the shepherd used that rod and staff, not to beat or whip the sheep into obedience, but to guide and direct the sheep.  As sheep were being led down a path, the rod was used to guide them along the path and to keep them from straying off the path.  If a lamb were getting off the path the shepherd would hold out the rod to the lamb’s side to guide him back onto the path.  The hook of the staff was used it pull a lamb who was falling over a cliff or embankment back up onto the path and rescue it from certain doom. 

            What if we viewed parenting as a shepherding process.  The shepherd never needed to beat the sheep.  The sheep trusted the shepherd and knew the shepherds voice.  The shepherd fed the sheep, watered the sheep, made sure the sheep got rest, and protected the sheep from the wolves lurking and preying upon them.  The shepherd used the rod and the staff to guide and protect the sheep. In what ways can we guide and protect our children and keep them on the path that leads to life and not danger or doom?  The word discipline means to disciple.  How do we disciple our children? 

            Next time you see a child that is unruly and you’re tempted to quote spare the rod, spoil the child, I hope you will remember this alternative understanding of what that means.  I hope you will take the opportunity to model relationship building to that parent.  I hope you will pray for that parent and that child.