The power of a list

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 1-10;  Psalm 65

TO CHEW ON:"Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed." Psalm 65:1


Do you make lists?

I do — lists to remind me of what needs to be done, to organize my thoughts, help me with shopping, pack without forgetting anything, keep me on track when I give a talk or speech ...

Psalm 65 is David's list of praise and thankfulness to God. He praises God for:
1. Hearing and answering prayers (Psalm 65:2).
2. Providing atonement / forgiveness for sin (Psalm 65:3).
3. Choosing people to come near to Him (Psalm 65:4).
4. Being approachable (Psalm 65:4).
5. The temple (Psalm 65:4).
6. The joy and satisfaction of living in God's presence (Psalm 65:4).
7. The way God inspires confidence (implied is the need to remember ways God has come through for them in the past) (Psalm 65:5).
8. God's power as illustrated in nature — the grandeur of mountains, God's ability to calm physical and people storms (Psalm 65:6-7).
9. That He is visible and available to all on earth (Psalm 65:8).
10. The reliability of day and night (Psalm 65:8).
11. God's nourishment of the earth with rain (Psalm 65:9-10)
12. An abundant harvest (Psalm 65:11-12).
13. The beauty of a pastoral scene (vs. 13).

David's list is a good example of one way we can set the tone of the day by focusing on God's gifts to us. Instead of dwelling on what's wrong with life, what we dread, fear or regret, let's focus on the good stuff.


PRAYER: Dear God, I'm sorry for my frequent lapses into worry and ungratefulness. Today I choose to think about You and reflect on the things for which I can praise and thank You. Amen

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 65

The Bible Project VIDEO: 1 & 2 Chronicles (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Antidote for covetousness

Naboth's Vineyard - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 20-22; Psalm 100

TO CHEW ON: "So Ahab went to his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, 'I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.' And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food." - 1 Kings 21:4

Covetousness is what Ahab felt when he looked out his window and saw Naboth's garden—so lush, so well-cared-for, so close. It would make the perfect vegetable garden for him.

But when he offered Naboth to exchange the garden for another, or buy it outright, Naboth turned him down. He put more value in hanging onto his inheritance than pleasing the king. This must have galled the king doubly. For not only could he not legitimately take the garden but he had been spurned by one of his subjects.

[What does it mean to covet? To desire, eagerly, long for, especially to desire something belonging to another, long or lust.]

Covetousness is  common and seems, on the surface, almost harmless. But it is serious. "You shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor's" is one of the Ten Commandments. Here are some examples of covetousness and its results from the Bible:

• Achan coveted coins and a beautiful Babylonian garment when the Israelites conquered Jericho. He took and hid them, though God had clearly said that all the Jericho spoil was to be destroyed. Achan's act led to his destruction and that of his family - Joshua 7:21-25.

• Coveting and threatening to take Israel's riches were of the threat of Syrian king Ben-Hadad - 1 Kings 20:2,3,6.

• Gehazi's coveting of the lovely things Naaman offered Elijah led to lying and deceitful behaviour. When found out, he was stricken with leprosy - 2 Kings 5:20-24.

• The Pharisees' love of money caused them to scoff at Jesus' counter-culture view of it - Luke 16:13,14.

Though covetousness is wrong, who of us hasn't indulged in it from time to time? What is its antidote?

I'd say CONTENTMENT.

Let's consider and put into practice Bible advice like this:

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5.

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain … And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" - 1 Timothy 6:6,8

PRAYER: Dear God, please make me aware of places where covetousness has entered my life in various areas: coveting others' physical things, success, status, security… Help me to be able to truly say, "I have learned in whatever state I am to be content" - Philippians 4:11. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 100

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

You shall not covet

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus19-21

TO CHEW ON: "You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant or his ox or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's." Exodus 20:17 ESV

A modern version of this verse might read: You shall not covet your neighbor's magazine cover house, her granite counter tops, or her chef-quality stainless steel kitchen. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, his home theater system, his SUV, or anything else that is your neighbor's.

Think what serious trouble the advertising industry would be in if everyone suddenly started obeying this. For isn't stimulating the desire to possess what we don't have behind most advertising whether in print, online, or TV? 

On the surface the sin of coveting may seem insignificant when compared to the other sins on this list We are tempted to ask, is covetousness—a sin so endemic to our culture we hardly notice it in ourselves or others—really as serious as murder, or stealing, or adultery? It's not even an action, just an attitude.

Yes, it is only an attitude, but what an attitude!

• It whispers to us that what we have is not enough or good enough and plants a seed of dissatisfaction with God and His provision in our lives.

• It can be a gateway sin—the first step down the road to committing a more "serious" sin, such as stealing or adultery.

• Covetousness was the active ingredient in Satan's temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-6) and continues to appear first on the ingredient list of temptation through the centuries (James 1:13-15).

What is the best way to overcome covetousness? Perhaps it's not a head-on offensive at all but the oblique defense of distraction and replacement. Today let's  distract our covetous tendencies with an attitude of thankfulness, and replace the list of things we want with the things we have. Instead of covetousness, let's nurture contentment,

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for highlighting the dangerous attitude of covetousness. Help me to detect it and then defeat it with gratitude and contentment. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 23


The Bible Project VIDEO: Exodus 19-40 (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Practice contentment

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 13:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5-6

Covetousness, it seems to me, is one of the big engines that drives our capitalist system. For example, new versions of electronics come out several times a year. So why would we want to hang onto our old smartphone, computer, or tablet when there's a new one that does more things faster? New styles in clothes and house decorating have us refreshing our wardrobes every season, redecorating the house every few years.

The system needs us to spend money in this way to keep going and growing. Manufacturers, investors and advertisers are masters at exploiting our natural tendency to want what the next person has, or the newest and best. Their goal: make sure we're never content.

These verses in Hebrews tell us to act, indeed to be, the exact opposite. The various translations add shades of meaning to the simple words of the NKJV.

"Let your conduct..." is rendered "Let your character and moral disposition..." (AMP), "Don't love..." (NLT), "Keep your lives free..." NIV, "Don't be obsessed with..." (MSG).

"Covetousness" is called "...love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]" AMP (I'd say that covers about everything!). "Don't be obsessed with getting more material things" says the Message.

Instead we are to be content. This because God has promised to be with us always. Even if we lose everything, no one can take away our relationship with Him and our hope of a future with Him.

I ask myself, is that enough for me not to need that new car, updated dining room furniture, Caribbean cruise that my friends rave about?

PRAYER: Dear God, please press home to me the importance of contentment. Help me to make choices that foster it. Amen.

MORE: Angles on contentment

- Our relationship with God enhances it (Proverbs 15:16).
- It can be nourished in any circumstance (Philippians 4:11).
- It makes possible the novel state of being content with one's wages (Luke 3:14).
- With it we can learn to enjoy and appreciate the simplest things in life (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Practical repentance

Image from Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 3:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And he (John) went into all the region around Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." - Luke 3:3

By the time Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke he had made the connection between Isaiah's prophecy (what he quotes in Luke 3:4-6 from Isaiah 40:3-5) to the coming of Jesus as Messiah and the role that John the Baptist played in preparing the people for Jesus.

Luke saw John as that "voice of one crying in the wilderness." The preparation that he preached was repentance (metanoia). As we saw a few days ago, repent means to feel remorse, change one's mind, and reform.

When John's convicted hearers responded to his message with "What shall we do then?" John gave practical examples. Repentance would be evident when they…

• Turned from selfishness to generosity to the extent of sharing life's everyday stuff of food and clothes - Luke 3:11.

• Turned from using questionable business practices to being honest - Luke 3:13.

• Turned from using intimidation, bullying, and lying to practicing honest justice - Luke 3:14.

• Turned from whining about wages to being content with them - Luke 3:14.

In these weeks of the Advent season, we also prepare our hearts. As we let the Holy Spirit shine His light into their farthest corners, what do we see that we need to repent of? Perhaps we need to deal with some of the same vices John pointed out of selfishness, dishonesty, bullying and intimidation, injustice, discontentment. Or maybe it's something else—fear and anxiety, distraction, sensuousness, envy, lust…

Whatever God shows us, let's deal with it in repentance (feel remorse, change our mind, reform) as we prepare to celebrate Jesus coming to make His home within us.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this clear and practical example of John the Baptist, who took repentance out of the realm of theory into real life. Please show me where I need to repent.

MORE: Second Sunday of Advent

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. Today's liturgy begins with this collect:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Duel between fear and faith

From The Children's Friend - Part 2

"Jesus Calms the Sea"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 4:21-41

TO CHEW ON: "But He said to them, 'Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?' " Mark 5:40


Earlier this year I had the assignment of writing and then facilitating an online Bible study course—"Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety"—for the women of my church. Through that process I have thought a lot about fear, worry and anxiety, asking questions like what is a fearful, anxious state, why is it in our lives, and how can we get rid of it?

It's important that we do because living in a state of fear is not normal for the Christian. Jesus' parable about the sower (our yesterday's reading) bears that out when He talks about the "cares of this world"  as one of the features of the unproductive thorny soil (Mark 5:7,18,19).

In our reading today Jesus goes through a storm on the sea with His disciples. The fierce winds so buffet the water that waves soon start to swamp the boat. The disciples are afraid. They wake Jesus, who is asleep in the boat, He calms the storm and then chides them: "' Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?'"

In this statement He pretty much distills the topic of fear into a simple duel between fear and faith. My Bible's notes on this passage say: "Jesus contrasts fear with faith and equates fear with no faith. Faith here means trust in God's helping power in crisis, a help that is both present and active in Jesus" - J.Lyle Story, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1357.

[Faith—pistis—means conviction, confidence, trust, belief, reliance. In the New Testament pistes is the divinely implanted principle of inward confidence, assurance, trust, reliance in God and all that He says - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1372.]

Some truths for me, for all of us to weave into the fabric of our lives:

• Our faith is in Jesus who clearly said, Don't worry. God will take care of you - Matthew 6:25-34.

• Everything that happens to us is God-allowed and works for good (as a part of the process that conforms us to become like Jesus) - Romans 8:28-30.

• We can cast our cares (worries, concerns, storm-stresses) on God - 1 Peter 5:6,7.

• We practice contentment in our situation, knowing He remains with us through everything - Hebrews 13:5,6.

• Our faith in God (His power and love) brings peace even in the middle of the storm - Philippians 4:6,7.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to make a habit of facing each storm with faith in You—faith in Your love for me and Your power to bring Your good intentions for me to pass. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What's your focus?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

TO CHEW ON: "Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw was from the hand of God....For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight." Ecclesiastes 2:24, 26a

I still clearly recall some of the books I read when I was a kid. One such was a set by L. M. Montgomery. Pat of Silverbush and Mistress Pat tell the story of a girl who, like her fictional cohort Anne, lives on Prince Edward Island. Pat is passionately in love with her PEI home. The setting of the story becomes almost another character as Montgomery describes the connection this character has with her home, the garden, and the tree-lined lanes and roadways of the Island.

The book had the effect of making me look at my own surroundings. No, my Saskatchewan home was nothing like the PEI idyl of the story. But I began to notice unique and wonderful things about the place I lived. I paid attention to the expansive prairie sky with its variety of cloud formations. I took note of the whisper of the poplar leaves in the Log Cabin Bush where I would sometimes sneak away to read. I can still remember the comfort of waking up to the contented clucking of chickens on a summer morning.

In the middle of his discontented railings about how pointless every aspect of earthly life is, Solomon -- the writer of Ecclesiastes -- comes up with the thought that shows how ancient is the wisdom of my childhood discovery. Solomon expresses how it is a good thing to focus on the blessings of everyday life when he says: "Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor."

Solomon brings up this idea elsewhere in Ecclesiastes too (in fact, it is considered by some to be Ecclesiastes' secondary theme):

- He speaks about how "He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11).
- He calls the ability to find joy in one's own efforts and accomplishments a "heritage" (Ecclesiastes 3:22).
- He describes the sleep of the hard worker as "sweet" (Ecclesiastes 5:12).
- His proverb "Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire," reminds us of the importance of being content with what we have (Ecclesiastes 6:9).
- He praises the value of common blessings, marital fidelity and hard work (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10).

Solomon's reminder to enjoy the blessings of each day is a timely one for me. Like him I all too easily get distracted by trying to puzzle out my role and purpose in life. Meanwhile I miss the small but innumerable gifts sent my way each day.

In fact, one of the benefits that comes from such an observant and thankful outlook may just be help with the big-picture puzzling. For the promised result of the right focus, according to wise Solomon, is the gift of "wisdom, knowledge, and joy to a man (and woman) who is good in His sight."

PRAYER: Dear God, I thank You for the blessings of my life.  Please help me to focus on Your everyday gifts to me with a full and thankful heart. Amen.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Undemanding workers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 10:1-12


TO CHEW ON: "And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labourer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you." Luke 10:7-8

In talking about the nitty gritty of the mission on which He was sending seventy disciples, Jesus gets right down to details about practical things.

• They were to go in twos.

• When they went from town to town, they were to:

- Bless their host house with peace.
- Stay in one house, not house-hop from place to place.
- Eat the food they were given. In fact He gives the food instruction twice.

Bible scholars suggest that these disciples were giving some unspoken signals as they followed Jesus' instructions:

1. Contentment with their accommodations: "…avoiding even the appearance of caring or wishing for dainties" (*Pulpit Commentary).

2. Their accommodations were not a freebie or a "beggar's alms"* but like earned wages.

3. They were to eat what was set before them. For these Jewish men, did this include carelessness about whether or not the food was ceremonially clean or unclean? Was this the beginning of Jesus breaking down their repugnance toward the Gentiles? Our commenter again: "There seems a quiet recommendation not to be rigid in inquiring as to the cleanness or uncleanness of the viands…. It seems probable that extreme rigidness in this particular, now that mission work on a broad scale had commenced, here began to be relaxed."* Of course this relaxation came out clearly in Paul's letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:27).

Although these instructions may not seem relevant to us, especially if we're not involved in foreign missions, there are things in them we can apply wherever we spread the good news. (On the other hand, with the world coming to us, they may be absolutely relevant as we interact with immigrant neighbours.)  

1. It's good to go out with a buddy (it could be a spouse). Matthew Henry says: "Christ sent the seventy disciples as two and two that they might strengthen and encourage one another." 

2. Contentment with our surroundings, and eating what is put before us, takes the focus off the comfort and aesthetic of the surroundings, the food and drink so the gospel can be the main feature.

3. Our contentment with whatever the setting in which we spread the gospel demonstrates God's acceptance of the people with whom we interact.

(Of course these days we host most of our itinerant speakers, evangelists, workshop leaders etc. in hotels. I wonder whether we don't lose something by no longer hosting these leaders in our homes… just thinking out loud.)

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to live by principles of contentment and acceptance in my everyday life. Amen.

MORE: Your home—a tool of ministry?

"Each of us can participate in some way in evangelism through hospitality—the use of the home as a tool of ministry. The genius of the home is that it is universal to each Christian. We all abide somewhere—in a room or a dormitory or an apartment or a bungalow. In this inhospitable world a Christian home is a miracle to be shared. Perhaps a child needs shelter from her mother's shrieks by resting on our stairs. Maybe someone will knock on our door with tears in her eyes looking for peace. There's not one of us who can't say, 'Come in. Why don't you come in?'" - Karen Burton Mains, Open Heart, Open Home, p. 137

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

The power of a list

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 65:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;

And to You the vow shall be performed." Psalm 65:1

Do you make lists?

I do. Lists to remind me of what needs to be done, organize my thoughts, help me with shopping and packing, keep me on track when I give a talk or speech ...

Psalm 65 is David's list of praise and thankfulness to God. He praises God for:
1. Hearing and answering prayers (Psalm 65:2)
2. Providing atonement / forgiveness for sin (Psalm 65:3).
3. Choosing people to come near to Him (Psalm 65:4).
4. Being approachable (Psalm 65:4).
5. The temple (Psalm 65:4).
6. The joy and satisfaction of living in God's presence (Psalm 65:4).
7. The way God inspires confidence (implied is the need to remember ways God has come through for him in the past) (Psalm 65:5).
8. God's power illustrated in nature — the grandeur of mountains, God's ability to calm physical and people storms (Psalm 65:6-7).
9. That He is visible and available to all on earth (Psalm 65:8).
10. The reliability of day and night (Psalm 65:8).
11. God's nourishment of the earth with rain (Psalm 65:9-10)
12. An abundant harvest (Psalm 65:11-12).
13. The beauty of a pastoral scene (Psalm 65:13).

David's list is a good example of one way we can set the tone of the day by focusing on God's gifts to us. Instead of dwelling on what's wrong with life, what we dread, fear, or regret, let's focus on the good stuff.

I'm going to spend some time today making a praise and thanksgiving list (especially fitting, because this is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada). Will you join me?

PRAYER: Dear God, I'm sorry for my frequent lapses into worry and ungratefulness. Today I choose to think about You and reflect on the things for which I can praise and thank You. Amen

MORE: A gratefulness community

Canadian writer Ann Voskamp began an initiative some years ago to encourage everyday gratefulness.  She challenges readers to, over time, list 1000 gifts which they jot down and share with others. These can be things as small as the comforting taste of bread and butter, to life-changing events like the safe birth of a baby.  Bloggers from around the world come together on A Holy Experience (Ann's blog) every Monday to share links to their writings of gratitude. There is a Gratitude Community on Facebook too. Though I finished my 1000 gifts project some time ago, I found listing things for which I am grateful such a powerful focus-changer I have continued the practice privately. Why don't you give it a try.

Ann's book One Thousand Gifts released in January 2011 and continues to be a best-seller.

 (From the archives)