Lamp . . . Light – April 12, 2024

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

Psalm 81

Psalm 81:10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open Wide your mouth and I will fill it. NIV.

Unlike the Israelites, I was never in physical bondage in Egypt. I did not face the depravations of slavery and oppression, including attempted genocide. I did not experience God’s miraculous deliverance through the plagues, not the journey to the promised land with its pillar of fire by night and cloud by day along with the daily (except on the sabbath) provision of manna. What a great heritage of God acting on behalf of His people the Hebrew nation possessed. Sadly, they often squandered that heritage spending it on their own selfish and vain ambitions.

I did, though, for a period squander my spiritual heritage in bondage to obsessive compulsive behavior. This pattern of living eventually brought me to my knees broken and pleading for God to do whatever it took to make me His man. God brought many people into my life. They modeled ways of connecting to God which were new to me and my openness to God’s working helped me to respond. I commence taking practical actions of cultivating spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation, daily reflection utilizing journaling, accountability, confession, and correcting the wrongs I had committed.

In particular God brought into my life a local pastor. He, for almost ten years, met with me twice a month and shared his life, wisdom, and friendship. I experience something similar to what I envisioned the Biblical David experienced with his brother-in-law Jonathan. The Bible described that as having their hearts knit together. How grateful I am that he walked with me on my journey to a new life empowered by the Spirit.

I can now open my mouth to receive the numerous gifts God provides and, like my pastor friend, pass those along to others.

Thank You for how You have developed my heart and life to love You more fully and follow You more completely. Fill me with all I need to share Your love with those around me. Amen

Lamp . . . Light -March 9, 2024

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

Psalm 67

Psalm 67:1, 2 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth and salvation among the nations. NIV.

How quick I am to latch onto the first part of this verse. Perhaps you, also, desire for God to be gracious and to show His favor upon your life, your family, your church, and your occupation. Who doesn’t want to receive good things? The life from above we receive through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection is a marvelous gift. Not only does it encompass eternal life in the Kingdom, but it also includes experiencing God’s transforming Spirit molding us into Jesus’ likeness. Another benefit is belonging to a community of people on a similar spiritual journey along which we share our joys and sorrows as we encourage each other to maturity and lives of service to others to the glory and honor of God.

It is normal for us to desire God’s blessings and that is a factor in the customary practice in many churches to close worship services with a benediction (which is to utter or bestow a blessing). Yet, the end of blessing is not personal enjoyment, but a proclamation of God’s wondrous grace and acts among people.

The second part of the verse provides the rational for requesting God’s blessing. First of which is to provide a demonstration of God’s gracious dealings with people. God demonstrated His love for us by, while we were still bound in sinful rebellion, He sent Jesus to die in our place. In so doing God rescued us from our insolvable situation and brought us into a relationship which changes us. We are new creations able to respond to God in loving service and to mature into people who better express characteristics like: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Even this demonstration of God’s ways leads to a second impact of God’s blessing on His people. God also makes know His salvation. Because of His love God desires people to willingly respond to the invitation of the free gift of salvation. Strangely many people are stubborn. We often feel we have to earn God’s favor by engaging in numerous good actions and then maybe God will listen to us. To demonstrate His love God has chosen to redeem me and (I trust) you also and makes us exhibits to those around us that He had done in Christ what we cannot do. You and I can say like the man born blind, “Once I was blind, but now I can see.”

Continue to bless me, so that any change in me will tell those around me of Your power, love, and transforming grace. Amen.