Jump Start # 238

Psalms 104:1-4 “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, stretching out Heaven like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers.”

  Today, we are using a few more verses than we normally do. I wanted you to capture the adoration and praise toward God that is expressed in these powerful words. It is easy to make our relationship and our worship of God to be about us. We pray our needs. We sing the songs we like. And in all of this God tends to be a secondary point to our Christian life and walk. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. God is our life, as Paul said in Col. 2. We need to express it in words of praise to God. Praise is about pouring on the positives. It’s opening up the door of your heart and letting your feelings out.

  In our context, we don’t know the setting here. Was the writer in worship with others or is this a private meditation he had? Either way, it doesn’t change the expressions. Our praise of God should not be limited to Sunday’s in the church building.

  Notice how vivid and alive and poetic his praise of God is. It’s not technical. It’s not clinical. It’s not like reading an encyclopedia. I like how so often in Psalms the writer talks to his own soul. He begins, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” That’s incredible. You’ll find that sprinkled throughout the Psalms. Have you ever talked to your soul? He did.

  God is very great—that is the opening theme. From that principle, the writer imagines God sitting right above him in the clouds. Light, water, clouds, wind and fire become part of the description of God right above Him. He doesn’t see God as far away, in the faint stars. He’s walking on the clouds and wind.

  This chapter in Psalms is long. The majority of it is about the splendor of God. The creation and the world about the writer are reflections of God. It is His world. The grass, the trees, the wind, the sky—these are God’s and God is very near. Be careful here, he does not say that God is the wind, nor God is a tree—he is not saying everything is God and God is everything. You won’t find that here. God is supreme, distinct and holy. The created world is His world. He uses them and they are at His fingertips.

  God is so good to us. First, He has given you today. Not everyone has that. For some, their lives ended this week. Others, last month. Others, years ago. But He has allowed us another day. God is good.

  God has given us abilities, families, opportunities and promises. No life has not been touched nor blessed by God. God is good.

  We often in thinking like this will consider our jobs, this country, freedoms and such like. It’s easy to think that God is an American. He’s not. There are many in this land and others who do not have jobs, freedoms and stuff like so many of us have. We need to see God beyond American eyes, and see how He has blessed all mankind and touch all lives.

  Consider His book. Every morning I am finding a powerful passage from the Bible and writing a few thoughts about it. Today is number 238. We’ve hardly begun. I doubt you’d start your day with my quoting and writing about Mark Twain, the daily finance or a joke of the day. There is something about His book, His words, His ways that touches us and changes us.

  Consider His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is God sent. He is our way out of this crazy, sin sick world. He is our hope for seeing God. God so love, the passage says, that He sent.

  Consider His work in our lives. God includes us and invites us to work with Him in building His kingdom. I doubt the President would invite me to help him, I’d probably make things worse. I’m sure the Colts won’t ask my advice about playing ball. But the God of Heaven includes you and I in the greatest work of all. God is good.

  There are many brethren world wide who do not have the American blessings that we have, but they have the same Heavenly blessings from God. He loves all of us and wants all of us to spend forever with Him.

  Great is our God! If you really felt that way, how would you show it? You’d start by telling God that. Then, you’d get about living the righteous way He wants you to. That’s how!

Roger

Jump Start # 237

Psalms 51:16-17 “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

  The mighty man of Israel, David sinned. The one who was after the heart of God, fell and hard was that fall. This chapter is David’s prayer to God for forgiveness. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. The secret sin was going to be known because she was now pregnant. David deceived Bathsheba’s husband, a soldier in David’s army, in a series of attempts to make it seem like the child was his. When all failed, David had Uriah killed. Others of David’s army died that day. The consequences of sin are heavy. David marries Bathsheba. The baby is born. Through all of this David is silent toward God. The man who gave us so many Psalms is hiding behind his guilt. Finally, when God has had enough of this He sends Nathan the prophet who confronts David. God knows. God always knew. David breaks down in confession to God.

  This chapter is David opening his heart to God. It’s hard to read this without seeing tear stains upon the pages. We see a man who wants back what he lost—his wonderful relationship with God. He is sorry—not for being caught, not for hurting others, not for letting others down—but for what he as done to God. All sin is a strike against God. It’s choosing to stand with Satan rather than God. Ever since Eve listened to the serpent in the garden, we face that same choice—believe God or believe Satan. We make the wrong choice too many times.

  Our verse reveals what moves God. Do not read into this that sacrifices are not important. They are. God commanded them. In the context, it is a contrast that David is emphasizing. To have sacrifices, but an unmoved, guilty heart does nothing for God. Going to church services without being moved that you are in the presence of the Holy God does no one any good. Sing all you want. Give all you want. But if you heart is cold, calloused, unchanged, and refusing to bend to the God of Heaven and earth—all those actions are a waste of time. God, first and foremost, wants your heart. He has always wanted that. That is the one territory that He does not rule without your choice and your will.

  David realized that a broken heart touches God’s heart. When we are sincere and truly sorry for the wrong we have done, God is moved. Forgiveness follows. This is much more than mumbling, “I’m sorry,” like a guilty person does in the court of law. He does that so his sentence will be reduced. He is just repeating what his attorney told him to say. Not here. Not this. This is genuine. This is sincere. This is a person who realizes the depth of misery and pain that they have caused the God of Heaven. This is a person who is not trying to save their own neck, but to apologize to God for hurting Him.

  Broken, means sorry. Contrite, means changed. You won’t find David committing this sin again. He learned. He was changed. He was a better man. He was a new man.

  We often keep a person from reaching within as David did. We’ll tell someone, “It’s alright. We all mess up from time to time.” Or, “It’ll be ok, just give it some time.” No sir. Don’t do that. I’m not implying get the salt shaker and pour it into a broken and bleeding heart, and make a person feel like a heal. I’m saying let their guilt and shame take them to that level and then show them the way back to God. The prodigal “came to his senses” when he became broken. His contrite heart led him back home to his Father. It will do the same for us. God heals the broken. God lifts the hurting.

  I think, there are times we want God to do that without us having to hurt. But all of God’s mercy and forgiveness comes AFTER we offer to God a broken heart. It’s easy to see the mistakes David made. It’s easy to say, “He really messed up.” But what about us? Can we see that about ourselves? Are our sins “whiter” than David’s? Have we fallen before the holy God and told Him that we are sorry for the pain that we caused HIM? Our sins have hurt God.

  This is what God wants—broken and contrite hearts. Without that, God can’t do much with us or for us. Pride keeps us from getting broken. Excuses keep us in sin. Honesty, faith and love will make us realize where we are.

  Give this some thought today…then give it some prayer. God is waiting for you to admit. God is waiting for you to say the words, ’I’m sorry.’ God is good. Don’t be afraid, but also, don’t be a fake! God knows!

Roger

Jump Start # 236

Psalms 92:1-2 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night.”

  Giving thanks and singing praises to God, sounds like a church service. But I don’t think that is the intention here. The subtitle of this chapter says, “a Song for the Sabbath Day.” This Psalm would have been sung primarily in the home as the family reflected and worshipped God. It is a great personal admonition. Here the entire day is covered. In the morning, the righteous declares God’s lovingkindness. God has given us yet another day. Another day to serve Him. Another day to bless others. Another day. Not all get another day. All of our days are numbered and there is a time when they run out. Realizing that makes a person view each day as a gift and a blessing from the Lord. It is “lovingkindness.”

  At the end of the day, “by night,” this person declares God’s faithfulness. The day is done. He has been about with others, and with his family. Promises, plans and dreams have been shared. Encouragement offered. Truths reminded and repeated. And through all of this, God’s faithfulness. God kept His promises to Israel. God kept His promises concerning His son, Jesus. God keeps His promises toward us. God is good. God can be counted upon and depended upon.

  Beginning the day and ending the day with songs and prayers to God. This passage is one of the reasons we started our “Jump Starts” every morning. Mornings can be crazy for many of us. Some wake up tired, running behind and the day goes down hill from there. But what a difference, a few moments with God makes. Reading one of His passages or singing a hymn on the way to work just seems to make the sun shine, even on a dark, cold morning.

  Then ending the day with God, what a great thought that is. A person has been places and done many things and he ends it by thanking God. God has been good to him, once again.

  The person of this Psalm has surrounded himself with God, from the morning until the night. His thoughts are about God. Sprinkled throughout this person’s day would be prayers for the food he ate and a burning desire to walk with the Lord.

  The more of God we put in us the less room we have to fill ourselves with ourself or with the things Satan offers. Morning, noon and night with God. Isn’t that what Heaven will be like? We like this concept, the problem is something always happens and it messes us up. I know this well. At 3:00 this morning I was in the emergency room with one of my kids, allergic reaction to something. All his fine. I didn’t spring out of bed bright and early like I usually do. It was more like a groan and a grunt. But you catch yourself, take a breath and then realize God is still there. It helps, it energizes and it puts your focus where it needs to be.

  Morning, noon, and evening with God. Give it a try. Some days will be easy. Others not so. The giving of thanks to the Lord does as much good for us as it does for God. We need it. We need to be reminded. There is so much to be thankful for.

Roger