Saturday, October 29, 2011
עניין של הלב
In ancient Israel, there were several types of offerings that were offered in the temple, two of which being the burnt offering and the sin offering. Burnt offerings symbolized being wholly surrendered to God, whether of the individual or the entire congregation. Sin offerings represented the sins of a specific person or family and were given to symbolize redemption. Many did it out of a sense of tradition, and not an act of worship. Today, Christians don't participate in these because it is no longer required of them from God. But how often do we do the things that Christians are "supposed" to out of a sense of duty? How often do we go to church, raise our hands in worship, and go to the altar to offer our offerings of outward surrender because we think it is expected?
" 6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.[a]
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required."
Psalm 40: 6
The Lord does not delight in meaningless sacrifices from us any more than he did from Israel. Going through the outward motions of Christianity is not what he desires of us. Reread verse 6. He doesn't require for us to go to church, to raise our hands and close our eyes while the music plays, to slip money in the offering plate, to serve in the soup kitchen....Granted, he would love for us to do all of those things. But let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. When we really do those things, what is our purpose? Is it to look good for our friends, our parents, our spouses, the church family? Is it to try and work our way into the good graces of God?
7Then I said, "Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."
Psalm 40: 7-8 (ESV)
Or does it stem from a desire to worship the Lord? This is a matter of the heart. God doesn't want our outward sacrifices. They are meaningless. The only sacrifice he desires from us is our heart. Jesus gave all on the cross. His very heart burst. We are to follow his example. So the real question is: do we give everything? He doesn't want our fake, lame sacrifices. He wants us to delight in coming to him with our struggles. He wants us to delight in coming to him and praising him for what he has done in our lives. He wants us to delight in giving our lives for his plan, his will. He wants us to delight in serving him.
Check out this snippet from verse 6: "but you have given me an open ear". It is such a sweet promise, but it is also a prompt to action.
The Lord desires nothing more than for us to run to his throne, as a child would to his daddy, and whisper these things into his ear. Young children trust their parents for everything, they tell them everything. There is nothing sweeter than a child's relationship with their parents. That is what the Lord desires of us: a relationship. That is why he rescues us, that is why he wants to be our trust. Because there is no other way that we can have a relationship with him. And sans relationship, we are incapable of living a changed life.
Look at your own heart. What do you see there? Do you have a heart of true worship, of true surrender? Do you see Christ?
Lord, give me a heart of worship.
Waiting for a changed heart,
Alicia
Psalm 138:8
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Lord is My Trust
" 4Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told."
Psalm 40: 4-5 (ESV)
Living a changed life requires us to do more than just allowing the Lord to lift us out of sin. Check out what verse 4 says:
"Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!"
In order to live a changed life, we have to allow what has happened to us to change our hearts. We have to put our whole trust in the Lord. We have to turn our backs to what the world tells us, and the things it worships. The world tells us that we can do it all on our own. It tells us that if we are better than most people, then we will be okay. So many people buy into that today. Christian people included. We accept Christ into our lives, and turn around and say "Well thanks for saving me, but I've got it from here". And yet, we still jump right back into our pits of sin, just like we talked about yesterday. Wake up church! The only way that we can keep from that is through the power of God. Without him, we have no power over the sins that we find ourselves in. We have to turn our backs to the lie that we can do it on our own. We have to relinquish the control.
Continuing on in verse 5, David praises the Lord:
"You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim them and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told"
I don't even know how to begin explain the wonder and awe that I have when I think of all that the Lord has done in and through my life. I run out of words. I know that the Lord promises to take care of us, to lead us in the way that we should go, and to fulfill HIS purpose in our lives, but there is just one stipulation: we have to let him. We have to trust that he has a plan, and that he alone has the power to deliver us from our struggles and make our lives a testimony to his mercy.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths"
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Notice the stipulation. Trust and he will do this.
Check out Hebrews 11! The majority of the chapter goes a little something like this: By faith, _________ did this and God did this. By faith, this person followed a crazy plan, and trusted in a God that they could not see, and in spite of their sins and failures, God used them. God pulled them out of their miry pits and he set them on a straight path and led them and used them for his glory. And all because, what? They had faith. They trusted. They allowed their lives to be a testament to the mercy and the righteousness of the Lord.
My friends, we have to trust. We have to trust that the Lord has greater plans for us than we do for ourselves. We have to get out of the drivers seat, and let God drive, trusting that he knows where we are going. That he sees the dead ends, the traps, the bumps in the road. Because until we do, the Lord will not be able to "fulfill his purpose" for us, as promised in Psalm 138:8. We will live empty, void lives. We will reach no one for Christ, because we will be so full of ourselves that no one will be able to see him shining in our lives. That is a pretty depressing thought to me. We are commanded to spread the good news of his salvation, to make disciples. How sad is it that most will never be able to fulfill that promise because we are too self-serving to let the Lord use us in the way that he intends? All because we fail to trust in the Lord's strength, and his strength alone? After he paid so much for our sin. Think about it. Jesus paid the price so we could be saved. He paid the highest price. And for what? So we can continue speaking the language of the world? So that we could worship our possessions? So that we can look at trash on the internet? So that we can fill our minds and our hearts full of the garbage that the world feeds us through television, music, and the like? I don't know about you, but that makes me feel sick to my stomach. The things that we do and consider "little sins" came at a big price to Christ. These things are nothing but filthy pits....and Christ paid the ultimate price so that we could be free of these things, and yet...we are content to wallow in them. While it sickens me that I so often allow myself to do and say things that spit in the face of my Savior's sacrifice for me, I take faith when I realize that through his strength, I can overcome those things and allow him to pull me up out of them. But we have to trust first. It is then, that the Lord can use our lives in a way that is totally glorifying to him, and way better than we could ever choose for ourselves. Trust, my friends, trust.
Trusting as I wait,
Alicia
Psalm 138:8
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told."
Psalm 40: 4-5 (ESV)
Living a changed life requires us to do more than just allowing the Lord to lift us out of sin. Check out what verse 4 says:
"Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!"
In order to live a changed life, we have to allow what has happened to us to change our hearts. We have to put our whole trust in the Lord. We have to turn our backs to what the world tells us, and the things it worships. The world tells us that we can do it all on our own. It tells us that if we are better than most people, then we will be okay. So many people buy into that today. Christian people included. We accept Christ into our lives, and turn around and say "Well thanks for saving me, but I've got it from here". And yet, we still jump right back into our pits of sin, just like we talked about yesterday. Wake up church! The only way that we can keep from that is through the power of God. Without him, we have no power over the sins that we find ourselves in. We have to turn our backs to the lie that we can do it on our own. We have to relinquish the control.
Continuing on in verse 5, David praises the Lord:
"You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim them and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told"
I don't even know how to begin explain the wonder and awe that I have when I think of all that the Lord has done in and through my life. I run out of words. I know that the Lord promises to take care of us, to lead us in the way that we should go, and to fulfill HIS purpose in our lives, but there is just one stipulation: we have to let him. We have to trust that he has a plan, and that he alone has the power to deliver us from our struggles and make our lives a testimony to his mercy.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths"
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Notice the stipulation. Trust and he will do this.
Check out Hebrews 11! The majority of the chapter goes a little something like this: By faith, _________ did this and God did this. By faith, this person followed a crazy plan, and trusted in a God that they could not see, and in spite of their sins and failures, God used them. God pulled them out of their miry pits and he set them on a straight path and led them and used them for his glory. And all because, what? They had faith. They trusted. They allowed their lives to be a testament to the mercy and the righteousness of the Lord.
My friends, we have to trust. We have to trust that the Lord has greater plans for us than we do for ourselves. We have to get out of the drivers seat, and let God drive, trusting that he knows where we are going. That he sees the dead ends, the traps, the bumps in the road. Because until we do, the Lord will not be able to "fulfill his purpose" for us, as promised in Psalm 138:8. We will live empty, void lives. We will reach no one for Christ, because we will be so full of ourselves that no one will be able to see him shining in our lives. That is a pretty depressing thought to me. We are commanded to spread the good news of his salvation, to make disciples. How sad is it that most will never be able to fulfill that promise because we are too self-serving to let the Lord use us in the way that he intends? All because we fail to trust in the Lord's strength, and his strength alone? After he paid so much for our sin. Think about it. Jesus paid the price so we could be saved. He paid the highest price. And for what? So we can continue speaking the language of the world? So that we could worship our possessions? So that we can look at trash on the internet? So that we can fill our minds and our hearts full of the garbage that the world feeds us through television, music, and the like? I don't know about you, but that makes me feel sick to my stomach. The things that we do and consider "little sins" came at a big price to Christ. These things are nothing but filthy pits....and Christ paid the ultimate price so that we could be free of these things, and yet...we are content to wallow in them. While it sickens me that I so often allow myself to do and say things that spit in the face of my Savior's sacrifice for me, I take faith when I realize that through his strength, I can overcome those things and allow him to pull me up out of them. But we have to trust first. It is then, that the Lord can use our lives in a way that is totally glorifying to him, and way better than we could ever choose for ourselves. Trust, my friends, trust.
Trusting as I wait,
Alicia
Psalm 138:8
My Help and Deliverer
Psalm 40 has been on my heart the past week. Check it out:
"1I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
Sometimes, I face days, weeks, and months where I look at myself and say something like the apostle Paul did: "I don't get it. I don't do what it is that I want to do (the right thing), but the very thing that I said I wouldn't do over and over again!". It utterly bewilders me that I can be convicted of doing something, and yet, when the opportunity presents itself to not do that very thing...I go and do it all over again! My purpose in life is to not live for myself, to live apart from this world, and to reach others for Christ. But I doubt. When I feel led to do something, I don't do it. Not because I don't want to, but it is simply a matter of a feeling of unworthiness. How can God reach anyone through some messed up person like me?
And then this passage hits me right between the eyes. Read Verses 1-3 over again:
"1I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD."
The Lord can use our sins to lead others to him, if and only if we will allow him to lift us out of the filth that we wallow in and live changed lives. I personally struggle with this part. Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy displeasing God with my words, actions and attitudes. I am just really stubborn. I like having things my way. And so often, that attitude is what gets me into trouble. I have it my way, which is often outside of the will of God, and then I find myself sunken into this "miry bog" as David calls it. But don't we all? Don't we all get caught up in doing whatever it is that we want to do, and that followed by more of what we want to do? How often do we kick God out of the driver seat? But isn't it amazing, that in spite of all that we do against the will of God that he still rescues us? Let me ask you another question, though. How often do we jump right back into our pits of destruction? I will admit, I do it a lot. But as I read this passage, I am like banging my head against my desk, wondering why I am so stupid. It is like not being able to swim, but jumping off the lifeboat time and time again, and then begging to be rescued. We can't fight sin ourselves, no more than someone who can't swim can save themselves in a 100 feet deep lake. So why on earth do we continue to jump right back in? God delivered us from that sin...why do we continue to put ourselves in positions where we have to fight it?
I want to go back to verse 3 again:
"3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD."
When God rescues us from our sins, he puts a new song in our mouths. He expects us to live changed lives. He expects that we will live our lives in such a way that it is like a "song of praise to our God". Friend, what does your life speak of? Does it speak of praise for yourself, and your own efforts? Or does it speak of praise for the Lord? Because unless it is the latter, your testimony will be worthless. Apart from Jesus, your life story will not cause anyone to "see and fear and put their trust in the Lord". It is definitely a thought to chew on, is it not? More to come.
Seeking deliverance as I wait,
Alicia
Psalm 138:8
"1I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
Sometimes, I face days, weeks, and months where I look at myself and say something like the apostle Paul did: "I don't get it. I don't do what it is that I want to do (the right thing), but the very thing that I said I wouldn't do over and over again!". It utterly bewilders me that I can be convicted of doing something, and yet, when the opportunity presents itself to not do that very thing...I go and do it all over again! My purpose in life is to not live for myself, to live apart from this world, and to reach others for Christ. But I doubt. When I feel led to do something, I don't do it. Not because I don't want to, but it is simply a matter of a feeling of unworthiness. How can God reach anyone through some messed up person like me?
And then this passage hits me right between the eyes. Read Verses 1-3 over again:
"1I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD."
The Lord can use our sins to lead others to him, if and only if we will allow him to lift us out of the filth that we wallow in and live changed lives. I personally struggle with this part. Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy displeasing God with my words, actions and attitudes. I am just really stubborn. I like having things my way. And so often, that attitude is what gets me into trouble. I have it my way, which is often outside of the will of God, and then I find myself sunken into this "miry bog" as David calls it. But don't we all? Don't we all get caught up in doing whatever it is that we want to do, and that followed by more of what we want to do? How often do we kick God out of the driver seat? But isn't it amazing, that in spite of all that we do against the will of God that he still rescues us? Let me ask you another question, though. How often do we jump right back into our pits of destruction? I will admit, I do it a lot. But as I read this passage, I am like banging my head against my desk, wondering why I am so stupid. It is like not being able to swim, but jumping off the lifeboat time and time again, and then begging to be rescued. We can't fight sin ourselves, no more than someone who can't swim can save themselves in a 100 feet deep lake. So why on earth do we continue to jump right back in? God delivered us from that sin...why do we continue to put ourselves in positions where we have to fight it?
I want to go back to verse 3 again:
"3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD."
When God rescues us from our sins, he puts a new song in our mouths. He expects us to live changed lives. He expects that we will live our lives in such a way that it is like a "song of praise to our God". Friend, what does your life speak of? Does it speak of praise for yourself, and your own efforts? Or does it speak of praise for the Lord? Because unless it is the latter, your testimony will be worthless. Apart from Jesus, your life story will not cause anyone to "see and fear and put their trust in the Lord". It is definitely a thought to chew on, is it not? More to come.
Seeking deliverance as I wait,
Alicia
Psalm 138:8
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