Lamp . . . Light – April 6, 2024

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

Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. NIV.

I don’t know about other people, but I have a lot of plans and goals. I want to grow in my personal development of increased focus and discipline. I desire a healthy lifestyle with exercise, an appropriate weight, and management of health issues. In my relationships with my spouse, family, and friends I desire an authenticity and vulnerability which will help all of us reach our potentials. Financially I want the have enough resources to meet my daily needs and contribute to the causes of Christ throughout the world. I also want to invest my life into others so that they can cultivate a growing relationship to God. And I have a slew of writing and publishing goals: to publish the works of Dr. Dean, republish classic Advent Christian books, and to write books (both fiction and non-fiction). Whew, just listing these goals tires me. I relate to the person who said, “God put me on this earth to accomplish certain tasks. Right now, I have so many, I may never die!”

Underlying all these heartfelt goals lies a genuine desire to develop them under God’s leading. My desire is that my goals be God’s goals. Maybe it would be better expressed as I want God’s goals and purposes to mold my desires so that they are God’s and not simply mine. That way I can accept whatever comes as God’s guidance. Earlier this year as I was attempting to complete a writing project, I ended up in the emergency room with at urinary tract infection. This required a procedure which limited my movement and reduced my energy levels for over a week. God had my attention, if only to show me that I needed to slow down and rest.

Adopting this attitude of acceptance allows me to see the truth that God is working everything for my good. Slowing down as I needed to do caused me to adjust mentally and then complete two book projects. These were tasks I had almost completed but I in my procrastination had set them aside unfinished. God’s enforced inactivity provided space for me to reassess and clarify that (I believe) He desired I complete what I started before pressing on.

I offer You my desires. May they conform to Your desires for me and any work I may do for You. Amen.

Lamp . . . Light – February 13, 2024

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

Proverbs 11

Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. NIV.

One common motif Solomon uses in Proverbs is that of contrasts. He presents opposites to clearly demonstrate the dramatic difference between following God and self. He utilizes the wise woman (often personified as Wisdom herself) and the foolish woman; the virtuous woman and the adulteress; the diligent person and the lazy indulgent naive person; and the obedient son as opposed to the rebellious one.

In this verse the contrast is more straight forward between the righteous person and those who are wicked. And what a contrast it is! The righteous receive “only in good” while the wicked receive “only in wrath.” That’s a rather bleak juxtaposition. Solomon is not saying that every day of life is only and always good, but that the ultimate result for the righteous is the reception of God’s goodness. Likewise, the wicked may seem to prosper (Solomon warns us not to envy the successful wicked), but in the end they will face wrath.

Why the difference? The true children of God desire what God desires. Since God is good, all of God’s desires are good, helpful, and beneficial. He desires the best for His children, even if that means teaching them patience through delays and frustrations, strength through disciplined practice, and hope through walking amidst despair. God even implants desires in our hearts and these desires are themselves good. With assurance we know God will accomplish His good in us and that will reach its culmination at Christ’s return and our entrance into the eternal kingdom under King Jesus.

In clear contrast the wicked desire what is good for themselves. This is the desire which deceived Adam and Eve. They saw that the fruit was desirable to make them wise and to become like God. The moment they ate, they came under the wrath of God’s judgment. The remainder of the Bible story traces God’s plan of redemption and deliverance from those selfish desires. The wicked have no desire for redemption and so their hope is to get their desires by any means possible. God will give them what they hope for but poverty of life and destiny.

I desire to encounter Your love and will today. Grant me the grace to live in accord with Your desires for and through me. Amen.

Lamp . . . Light – January 22, 2024

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

Psalm 20

Psalm 20:4 May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed. NIV.

When I first read this, I thought, “Oh, good, I can get everything I want!” This is a very natural and, I will add, self-centered attitude. This verse does not guarantee God will give me everything I desire. Does not James (4:3) say, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” When I think of desires, I realized that they fall in three general categories. I have positive and godly desires. I want to love God with my entire being, I want to be helpful and encouraging, I want to be healthy. Other desires are neutral. I desire tasty food. I desire a comfortable house and reliable transportation. I enjoy science fiction and fantasy stories. I like doing crafts as well as writing. Lastly there are desires which are unhealthy or hurtful. I like eating the “whole thing!” I like winning arguments and discussions regardless of how the other person feels. I like accolades and approval.

Since I have such a range of desires, I need to present my desires to God and ask for help to determine which desires are the most beneficial to God, myself, and others. This way I can refine my desires into ones which God will delight in fulfilling. I utilize two tools to help me examine my desires and I use them (almost) daily. One tool is to use the anacronym T.H.I.N.K and evaluate my plans are whether or not they are Thoughtful, Helpful, Inspiring, Nurturing, and Kind. I also ask, often when reviewing my day how I did at being honest, unselfish, forgiving, trusting, and faithful. These tools help me evaluate my desires and to adjust my desires into ones which are pure and pleasing to God. When they conform to God’s will and character, He delights in granting my desires.

This is one path toward cultivating wisdom in my actions. Not only do I allow God to mold and refine my desires I also surrender my concept of success. My natural opinion of success is getting what I want. That’s the classic, “My way or the highway” attitude. I want to: get the highest grade on a test, the job I desire with the highest possible salary, a beautiful home, pastor the biggest church, preach sermons which people say are “great,” writing a best-seller. None of these, though, is what God considers success. God’s view of success is that I faithfully follow Him and cultivate a character of purity and love, and that my actions bring Him glory because they demonstrate that God does for me what I cannot do for myself.

Let’s all offer God our desires and standards for success and let Him refine them into the best possible.

Father, my life is Yours. Of myself I have nothing righteous to offer. Fill me with the desires which honor and glorify You. I surrender to Your Spirit to guide me in this endeavor. Amen.

Building Lasting Character

Sermon from July 21, 2019. The passage is 1 Peter 1:13 – 2:3.

Challenge: Write a personal pledge of allegiance to the Kingdom of God including at least the four “duties” described in the sermon.