A Mighty Fortress

Psalm 59:16-17 *
16 But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
*New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

These words describing God as “my fortress” are a reminder of some of the words written by Martin Luther, entitled “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”

In the second verse and a portion of the third, Luther writes, (Italics added for emphasis)
“Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing;
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us;

The hymn ends with the following:
“The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Though Him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom us forever.”

Thank goodness for the place of refuge, for the strength, and for the assurance we have from the One who has already won the victory, our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Tribute to David

A very good guy, David Crowson, went jogging this morning. Before he made it back to his home on earth, he was summoned to his home in heaven. I've known David for a long time. He was a man who was committed to his Lord and to his family. I just had to add this picture of him to what I had to say about him, because it so typifies his life. This picture was taken during a mission trip to Latvia in 2004. His involvement in the lives of young people goes back as far as I have known him, and I'm sure even further. Countless young people have been influenced by the strong witness of this man of faith.

To his wife, Jane Ann, and to his children, Luke, Drew and Cara, as well as the others of his family, we pray God's comfort at your time of great loss.

We are all the benefactors of having the privilege of knowing David Crowson.

Can Fasting Involve Something Other Than Food?

Isaiah 58:5-11*
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Since I have no claim as a scholar, what I have to say about my understanding of the verses above may not agree with the scholars; however, there seems to be room for interpretation of these verses from Isaiah that fasting may involve something other than going without food. There seems to be an indication that God wants our fasting to include self-denial that involves a ministry to those less fortunate than us.

How I treat the poor, the oppressed, the hungry; how I treat my own family; what I have to say about others; all of these things involve some level of self-sacrifice. My level of commitment to God is being measured by my level of concern for others. In James 2:17* are the words “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” So if I am to attempt to measure my faith, I must use a yardstick that includes a measure of my action.

Am I being asked to do anything more than what Jesus did for those He encountered during his time on earth? Definitely not! If the son of God was willing to do these things, should I also follow his example? My gratitude for God’s love should compel me to do as He has done. God’s blessing for my obedience include: God will hear my prayers; He will be my guide; He will satisfy my needs (note this isn’t my wants); and God’s glory will guard my backside. I become the blessed for blessing others.

*New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Spirit - Steadfast or Wavering?

Psalm 51:10 (NASB) “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” According to the Amplified Bible, this verse is rendered, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.”

Is a right spirit based on proper alignment of external circumstances or inward renewal of a right relationship with God? If I depend on external circumstances for renewal, I might as well give up; therefore, the answer has to involve my relationship with God. If self-help were the answer to renewal, then I am ignoring the relationship component.

Can my understanding of a steadfast spirit be correct if I believe this is a goal to be aspired to rather than a destination where I am to reside? To ask God to renew the steadfast spirit would indicate to me that the writer has possessed the steadfast spirit in the past and is asking that it be renewed, as if he had lost it and needed it to be renewed, so it must be God’s ideal for us. As a sinner, I may not attain, but I should aspire for a steadfast spirit.

Romans 8:6 (NIV) “The mind of sinful man [Or mind set on the flesh] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;”

When I am troubled in spirit and not at peace, I must seek to let go of whatever is troubling, reducing my control, and allow the Spirit to be in control. I understand this in principle, but am still struggling with the practice.

A review of the statements about faith by Jesus in the Gospels reveals an interesting contrast. To those He healed, the statements made about faith were a commendation for the faith exhibited by the person or persons being healed or the faith exhibited by those advocating for those needing to be healed. By contrast, many pronouncements by Jesus to his disciples and followers contained a statement regarding the “little faith” exhibited by these individuals.

In Hebrews 11:6, the writer makes the statement “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

How do we acquire the level of faith pleasing to God? Paul, writing in Romans 10:17, says “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 14:23 also indicates “…whatever is not from faith is sin.”

We may do well to review the verses below to see what Jesus had to say about true faith.

Faith Statements of Jesus to those He healed:

1.Centurion - "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.
2.Paralytic - And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven."
3.Bleeding woman - "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well."
4.Two blind men - "It shall be done to you according to your faith."
5.Demon possessed daughter - "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.
6.Blind Bartimaeus - "Go; your faith has made you well."
7.Sinful woman who anointed Jesus feet - “Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
8.One of ten lepers - "Stand up and go; your faith [has saved you] has made you well."
9.Blind beggar - "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."

Faith Statements of Jesus to his disciples and followers:

1.Matthew 6:30(preceded by statements to store treasures in heaven and not to worry) "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
2.Matthew 8:26 (disciples in boat in storm) He said to them, "Why are you afraid, m you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.
3.Matthew 14:31 (Jesus walks on water, Peter’s attempt) - Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
4.Matthew 16:8 (disciples) But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?
5.Matthew 17:20 (disciples could not heal boy with demon) And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
6.Matthew 21:21 (withered fig) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.
7.Mark 4:40 (Jesus calms storm) - And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
8.Luke 12:28 (Jesus addressing his disciples) - "But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!
9.Luke 17:5-6 (apostles) - The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.
10.Luke 18:8 (parable of the persistent widow) "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
11.Luke 22:32 (Jesus remarks to Simon before Simon betrayed Jesus) – “…but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

Scripture quotations from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Awesome God

Psalm 47 (NIV)
1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

When I read this Psalm, the words of the tune "Awesome God" by Michael W. Smith (Album: Worship Track: Awesome God) come to mind.

"When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just puttin' on the Ritz
(our God is an Awesome God)
There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(our God is an Awesome God)
Well the Lord He wasn't jokin'
when He kicked 'em out of Eden
It wasn't for no reason that He shed His blood
His return is very close and so you better be believin'
That our God is an Awesome God

REFRAIN
Our God (our god) is an Awesome God
He Reigns (he reigns) from heaven above
With Wisdom (with wisdom) pow'r and love
Our God is an Awesome God

When the sky was starless in the void of the night
(our god is an awesome god)
He spoke into the darkness and created the light
(our god is an awesome god)
Judgment and wrath He poured out the Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an Awesome God"

Rules or Relationships

The kinds of people who get rewarded in the workplace are typically those who work hard, who do the right things. There’s nothing wrong about this in a system based on merit and what a person can do for the organization.

Aren’t we tempted at times to conclude that what is good for an organization and what brings “success’ is therefore the same characteristics that God is seeking in us? We transfer our organizational mindset to our relationship with God and conclude that I am to be busy doing for God, being religious and pious.

What happens in any relationship when the relationship is based on merit and what a person can do or earn from the other? Someone in the relationship is always behind in doing for the other and feeling the obligation to “earn” the other’s favor.

If our salvation were based on earning it, then we would need to be doing something for God, being religious and pious; however, the writer of Psalm 40:6 indicates that God does not want this from us. - “Doing something for you, bringing something to you—that's not what you're after. Being religious, acting pious—that's not what you're asking for. You've opened my ears so I can listen.”(1) God did not provide a salvation by merit and based on what I can do for God. Rather, it is a salvation based on what He did for us and it is a gift from Him.

When one accepts this free gift of salvation, then what is it that God expects of us? The writer of Micah 6:8 says, “But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.”(1)
This list seems to indicate that God is highly interested in my relationships with people.
- Am I fair and just?
- Am I compassionate and loyal in my love? (Do I really care?)
- Am I more serious about my relationship with God than I am in my own self-image?

Rules tend to stifle and hem things in as well as being impossible to follow in every situation. Relationships are definitely more amorphous and organic than religions based on a set of rigid rules. Change is a part of relationship – there’s always room to grow.

(1) The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Troubled? – Could it be testing from God?

After the Super Bowl victory, winning Coach Tony Dungy said, “The Lord doesn't always take you in a straight line. He tests you sometimes.”

Genesis 22: 1-2 (NIV) specifically states that God tested Abraham. “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Abraham did not skip the test and run. He did what God had told him to do. When God saw that Abraham was faithful, he spared Isaac and blessed Abraham as promised.

God allowed Satan to test Job and when Job proved faithful, God blessed him.

When is the trouble we face a testing from God? How do we know? How do we respond?

When the people of Israel did not follow God’s leading into the Promised Land, He tested them in the desert for forty years. Could it be that my lack of faith in one matter creates the need for God to bring me back to himself through further testing? When we fail to follow God, we are in a sense testing Him, something we are told not to do except for testing Him with the tithe (Malachi 3:10).

In Paul’s writings, he urged the Christians to test themselves as to their faith. James said that the testing of our faith develops perseverance.

God listens even when we question or accuse Him, as David did in Psalm 39:12-13 (NIV) "Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were. Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more." It seems to me that our questioning of God, when done in an attempt to learn the source of our trouble, is part of the process of becoming what God intends us to be.

Souce of Hope

No Hope without God – Ephesians 2:11-12* “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands-- remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Planned Hope - Jeremiah 29:11 “'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’”
Hope in God - Psalm 38:15 (NASB) “For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God.”

Holy Spirit-powered Hope - Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Hope of Glory - Colossians 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Living Hope - 1Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Hope for Grace - 1Peter 1:13 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

*Quotations are from NASB

A Recipe - The Way to Get What You Desire

Now that it is nearing Valentines Day, the advertisements for chocolate candies are everywhere. Chocolate candy is one of my favorites and there’s nothing better to me than homemade chocolate candy. To satisfy the desires of a chocoholic, the cook must have the proper recipe.

So what is the recipe for getting what our heart desires out of life? In Psalm 37:1-8, we are given a recipe as to what to do to get the desires of our heart. There are about ten ingredients:
Don’t fret
Don’t envy
Refrain from anger
Turn from wrath
Trust in the Lord
Do good
Delight in the LORD
Commit your way to the LORD
Be still before the LORD
Wait patiently for him


Will following this recipe allow me to have anything my heart desires – to change God’s will?

Or will this recipe, when followed in submission to God, change my heart to desire the things that are in conformance with God’s will?

Note that the first four ingredients involve things I must not do and the last six are things I must do.

The last two ingredients, be still and wait patiently, remind me of how difficult it is to wait for the chocolate fudge to cool and harden. If I don’t, I end up with a mess trying to eat it early.

Isn’t that the problem when we try to shortcut the recipe for life?

Tribute to Tony Dungy

Hearing what Tony Dungy said last night after his team had won the Super Bowl reminded me of the verse 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB) "...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;..."

He said "I'm proud to be the first African-American coach to win this. But again, more than anything, Lovie Smith and I are not only African-American but also Christian coaches, showing you can do it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that."

It's wonderful to see a man testify to his faith before an audience of the world. Tony's demeanor was one of humility at the very apex of what could be perceived as the ultimate in football achievement.

A Good Day

What defines a “good day”? Is it a day I get whatever I want, a day when nothing goes wrong? How can I increase the odds of having a “good day”?

Psalm 34:12-14 (NIV) “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

David indicates that we must watch our speech and our actions if we want to have a good day. Proactive pursuit of peace seems to be an untypical habit. Maybe we need to pursue the peace described by the Prince of Peace in John 14:27 (NASB) "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Am I Under Control or Being Controlled?

Psalm 32:9-11 (NIV) “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”

I have learned a great deal about horses over the last few years, and one thing that amazes me is the power that resides within the body of a horse. Yet a horse can be controlled with a bit and bridle (most of the time). My horse gets a bucket of feed each morning, but before I feed him, I put a bridle on him so I can lead him where he needs to go when he finishes eating. That small bridle makes a significant difference in the horse’s attitude regarding who’s in charge. The bridle is necessary because he has no understanding of where he is to go.

I think the writer of these verses makes a good point that we are to be submissive to God’s control without the necessity of some sort of restraint. A horse is much happier if he is unrestrained within the fences than he is on a rope tied to a restraint. When the writer refers to “the LORD's unfailing love” surrounding “the man who trusts in him” it reminds me that I am fenced in by the love of God. It is much better to be free within God’s fences than to be bridled with no understanding of what life is supposed to be.