An inheritance

Lord, you give me all that I need. You support me. You give me my share. My share is wonderful. My inheritance is very beautiful. I praise the Lord because he taught me well. Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind. I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. (Psalm 16:5-8)

It is good for us to remember who is right there with us, even when the hardest of things come to pass and we see no way out. God hasn't ever abandoned his children, and he isn't about to start now! We have ALL that we need to overcome whatever we face - we may not always see it immediately, but we have MORE than we need!

As this psalm draws to a close, the words of our psalmist really reveal his heart: "You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness." He desires God to teach him the right way to live - to help him with his choices. He wants his 'happiness' to be God-given, not something he can find in anything he could seek on this earth.

God's greatest joy is hearing one of his children ask for him to teach them his ways - the right way to live. The prayer for wisdom isn't prayed in vain - there is always an answer from our Creator. We have various ways of 'hearing' or 'seeing' God's wisdom, but it is always there for those who have chosen to make God their support and their source. 

There are many 'sources' for happiness, but only one source for true joy. There are many 'sources' for peace, but only one source for the peace that passes all understanding. We can seek an 'inheritance' in this world, or we can seek an inheritance that will make our world great. The choice is clear to me. How about you? Just askin...

Shall we make our nation great again?

Goodness makes a nation great, but sin is a shame to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)

It is GOODNESS that makes a nation great again, not a man, a political party, or an office. It is the people who set their hearts right with Jesus, welcoming him into their lives, and living in such a manner so as to please God who make it great. No one in the past, nor in the future, whoever holds office is capable of filling hearts with goodness - the very ingredient that makes a country 'great'. 

God changes the heart of a man or woman who welcomes him into their lives, giving him authority to rule and reign in place of their own pride or selfish will. Is it possible for other things or people to change a man's heart in the same way? I don't think it is, but it is possible to change a person's heart by leading someone into the pathway of sin simply with the use of misleading untruths. 

This is why it is so important for us to observe God's actions, see what responses his Son had while here on this earth, and allow his Word to correct any misleading 'untruths' that may have found their way into our hearts. Jesus didn't need to call attention to himself - those who desired truth came to him. Jesus didn't exclude those who were different - he welcomed them openly. Jesus didn't 'cover-up' bad behavior - he behaved well because he reflected the heart of his Father at all times.

The nation who wishes to be great again needs to seek God first. Remember, if his people, who are called by his name, humble themselves and prayerfully confessing their sins, turning from all manner of evil, God will restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Very specific steps there - humble oneself, prayerfully confess, turn away (repent) from sin, and seek God with all your heart. If we want a 'great nation' again, it isn't the man in office that will make it great - it is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings in your heart thata will! Just sayin!

Ask, Seek, Knock, then keep on knocking

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

Jesus is telling us how important it is to pray - to take our concerns, needs, hurts, and hang-ups to him in prayer. In other words, we are to use our words to express our need. What happens if we don't know what to pray for - when the situation is there, but we have no idea what to ask him to do for us in that situation? We seek wisdom. Sometimes we don't know what is happening in our lives, but we know we need God's help in that moment. We lay out our need, both the one we recognize easily, as well as the one we have a hard time articulating. Then we listen. Prayer is about asking, seeking, and knocking (importuning). We don't always ask, so how do we expect to receive. We might not always seek so as to discover. We may not realize it, but when there seems to be no answer, we might need to make the request over and over again. It doesn't mean God isn't listening, it could just mean he is waiting on us to be ready to receive, act, or change the course we have taken.

Ask (aiteo) - ask for with urgency. This word speaks to the attitude of a suppliant (one who makes a humble, earnest plea or entreaty), the petitioning of one who is lesser in position than he to whom the petition is made. To ask means to call on for an answer, which indicates that we believe there is someone listening. It also implies that we expect Him to answer. Ask is present imperative indicating that we are to keep on asking. This is to become the pattern of our life, a continual act of devotion. Jesus calls us to be in His presence continually.

Seek (zeteo) means to attempt to learn something by carefully investigating it or searching for it. Seeking is asking plus acting, implying that type of earnest petitioning that is coupled with an active endeavoring to see needs fulfilled. When you seek something, you rearrange your priorities so that you can search for what you desire until you find it. If we don't receive by asking, we seek. If we don't receive by seeking, we knock.

Knock (krouo) - to rap at a door for entrance, but then to keep on knocking. The English word "knock" comes from German word meaning to press for what you desire. The idea might imply praying in the face of difficulty or resistance. If you knock like this, you don't give up on expressing your need. You keep on pressing, until you receive the answer.

We might ask, but do we seek? If we don't receive what we need the first time we ask, do we keep our eyes and ears open to discover what God might want to teach in the moment? Search out God's answers. Don't just expect them to fall into your lap. When you learn to ask, seek, and knock, you learn to lean on Jesus more than on your own ability or strength. Just sayin!

Keep me safe

We can seek refuge in a great many things, such as our bank accounts, but I heard a report just the other day indicating that Americans once reported they felt 'secure' when they were making six figures - today they only feel secure when that 'six figures' is upwards of a quarter-million a year! The average worker goes into a new job interview expecting to make upwards of around $78,000 annually - up $5,000 from the previous year. If we haven't learned by now, our refuge is not in a bank accounts or retirement funds. It is found in God alone - all other 'placement of trust' is like taking refuge in a cardboard box in the midst of a hurricane!

Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” (Psalm 16:1-2)

Put your trust in money, and you soon find you are spending a whole lot of time and energy working to get money, thinking about money, and talking about how to make or get more money. The one who trusts in God will spend his time and energy building a relationship with God, thinking about God, and talking about God about how to get a bit closer to him each day. Where is it we place our trust? If our sense of security come from something in this world, we are going to find ourselves sorely disappointed when those things ultimately fail us. 

The thing we might miss in this passage is that our refuge actually requires us developing this relationship with God. Following Jesus means we put our trust in him - nothing else. We don't even consider a 'fallback' plan when we are seeking God this way. We see no other alternative 'place' or 'thing' in which there will be any form of 'refuge' (safety, protection, provision). If you think about it, Jesus will the Lord no matter how we think of him. He is Lord above all, but we need to make him Lord of all in our lives. What God looks for from each of us is more than 'lip service' to his rulership over our lives. 

If we don't always feel we have a refuge (that safe place), maybe it is because we have committed our lives to something other than this relationship with Christ. You may have said 'yes' to Jesus, but what do you reveal each and every day in the way you 'use your day'? Is your first attention directed toward him, or something else? Do you find it is the furthest thing from your mind to actually pray and read his Word, or do you long for those times together? Your true 'refuge' becomes apparent when you consider just how much Jesus' grace and presence really mean to you. If you want true safety, seek God first. Your refuge is in him, nothing else. Just sayin!