This morning on the radio we looked at Psalm 119.  I love the heart of the Psalmist. It seems from reading that he has had a taste of the goodness of God and of following His ways and he is vowing to never walk apart from a life of devotion to God again.   That’s the heart I seek.     

Look at the words of the Psalmist and see his passion. 

Psalms 119:33-38

Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

preserve my life according to your word.  

Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.  

(NIV…emphasis mine)

Yet the Psalmist had apparently lived long enough to know himself.  He would make a vow, but then normalcy would set in again and, if not careful, he’d be right back to living to please himself again.  He dreaded that return to the mundane Christian experience.   

Continue to look at his words:

Verse 39-40

Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts!  Preserve my life in your righteousness. (NIV….emphasis mine)

It reminds me of what happened to Jonah in the belly of a fish.  He cried out to God with a heavy realization of what truly is valuable in life:

Jonah 2:8

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.  (NIV….emphasis mine)

God, help me today not to sacrifice your grace for the seemingly glamorous temporary pleasures and trappings of this world. 

Our community group is going through Purpose Driven Life.  For some of us this is a refresher and for others it is the first time.  (Interestingly, everyone in the group owned a copy of the book, but not everyone had read it.)  Last night we considered week two.  As a supplement to the book, I asked these questions.  We had lots of good discussions and I’m still pondering my answers. 

1. What does it mean “to please God”? 

    Do you believe your life brings God pleasure? 

2. How do you feel about the statement: Worship is not for your benefit? 

3. What is something your children do that makes you smile?  

    Would you rather have your children’s time or a plaque for the wall? 

    Do you want your children to trust you? 

    How do you think these the answers to these questions translate to your relationship with God?

4. If it’s true God smiles when we trust Him completely, is He smiling now about your trust in Him? 

    Where are you struggling/need to trust Him more? 

    Where are you struggling/need to obey Him more? 

5. What is one fear/worry/burden you need to surrender to God? 

6. What is the greatest barrier you have to prayer?

7. Have you weathered a time when God seemed distant?

      What did you do? 

8. How has your relationship with God changed over the years?

Spend some time considering these questions and your own answers to them. 

The Psalmist David cried out, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.” (Psalm 25:1-2) 

As you begin another work week, perhaps you, like me, would like to see God be God! Why not pray this prayer? “So, okay Lord, the rest is up to you. Do your thing! Make it happen! I’m counting on you. This is your week. Don’t let me down! May it be, (and I be), all you would have it/me to be!”

I don’t intend to sound irreverent, but isn’t that what we want? Don’t you agree that is basically what David was asking for in this Psalm? He wanted God to do His part as David did his. 

Think of it this way; we are to put our trust in God and God alone. We are to give Him priority in our life; above all else! We are to rely on Him and look to Him to supply all our needs. We are to abide in Him; literally allow Him to take up residence in our life, as we rest in His tender, loving care and He guides us through each day. He is to be the source of our strength and the desire of our heart. We are to let Him be the Lord of our life.

But, then, we want Him to respond to our commitment, don’t we? We want Him to protect us. We want Him to shelter us from those who would seek to do us harm. We want Him to heal our hurts and dry our tears. We want Him to grant us success, peace and joy. We want Him to keep us from the shame and persecution of our energies. We want God to be God; don’t we?

If that’s true then on this Monday, let’s actually do it.  Let’s let God be God! Let us wholeheartedly, unashamedly allow God to take over our activities, transform our hearts and minds into moldable instruments of His wonderful grace and glory. Let’s allow God to show off His best in us this week as we submit humbly to our Maker and wait on Him to supply all our needs!

(I know; that’s much easier to write than to do, but it’s my goal.  How about you?)

Obviously, God builds the church, but He uses people to build it. What kind of people does God use to build a great church? As a pastor, I have noticed some trends among church people who help move the church forward. The following is a list of characteristics of those type of people. Not everyone will have every quality, but it’s the combination of each of them in people that builds a great church.

Great church people:

1. Support the pastor and the church.

1 Corinthians 16:10‑11 When Timothy comes, treat him with respect. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone despise him.

A pastor is always looking for someone he can feel is his friend. Great church people are that friend.

2. Are encouragers in the church.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Great church people are a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. They look for ways to help, invite their friends and neighbors, and help without having their arms twisted.

3. Don’t think everything is about them!

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.”

Did you know everything may not go your way? Great church people are willing to allow the best to be done for the church even when it goes against their own desires.

4. Think outside the walls of the church. They think external not internal.

Acts 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me every where‑‑in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

If we are not careful, our churches could be hard to tell apart from a Country Club. Great church people think of those not yet in a church!

5. Maintain a friendly church.

2 John 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

Great church people make sure visitors never stand around long with no one to talk to. They are welcoming and friendly to everyone.

6. Believe and love God’s Word.

Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.

Great church people let the Bible guide them.

7. Grow in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Great church people pray more than worry.

8. Build on faith.

Hebrews 10:38 And a righteous person will live by faith.

Great church people are willing to walk by faith as God leads, even through the most challenging times.

9. Put God’s will first.

Mark 3:35 “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Great church people put God’s will ahead of every other agenda.

10. Enjoy meeting with God regularly.

Amos 4:12 says, “Prepare to meet your God,”

Great church people look expectantly for opportunities to worship God and experience Him with other believers.

I’m so thankful to be in a church with so many who make this list easy to write.

What would you add to this list?

Every believer wants to hear from God.  We want to know “Is this God?” “Is this what He is telling me to do?”  The Bible is full of incidents where God spoke to people in very definite ways at definite times.  The people of the Bible seemed to know when God was talking to them.  Sometimes when God speaks to us it is very clear to us that He has spoken, but there are other times when we are wondering if it was God speaking or the daily lunch special at our local diner. 

How do we take the circumstance of life, as mixed up and confusing as they can be, and figure out what God could be saying to us?  Here are some suggestions:

Mirror our circumstances with the truth of God’s Word.  God will never contradict Himself.  He will never speak to us through our circumstances in a way that will contradict His written word.  The Bible should be our first source of information when trying to discern the voice of God. 

God uses people to confirm His voice.  God often sends people into our path to confirm His will for our life.  We will encounter people who will distract us from hearing from God, but God will also use people to confirm His will.  It is important to discern those who are seeking the heart of God from those who desire to please themselves.  People who attempt to follow God with their life can help us to hear from God.  

Recognize that God operates from a plan.  Acts 17:26-27 assures us that God is orchestrating His plans through the events, decisions of life and all the people and places we encounter so that mankind will call out to Him.  Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  Rick Warren has sold millions of books telling us that we should live our life with a purpose…God’s purpose. 

Examine our circumstances in light of God’s overall plan.  When trying to hear from God through the circumstances of life, we should not try to make a decision on one event or set of circumstances.  Circumstances may or may not be God speaking to us.  We should look at our life over a span of months or years.  Jeremiah 29:11 indicates that God has a definite plan to proper us and give us hope.  When we look at our life over time we will be able to see what God has been doing. 

Don’t allow circumstances to keep us from hearing or obeying God.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (NIV) “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” The common sense thing to do when everyone opposes you would be to leave, but Paul knew the circumstances were not indicative of God’s will for his life. 

Sometimes our circumstances may look gloomy, but we haven’t heard the truth of our circumstances until we have heard from God.

Ask God to show us His perspective on the circumstances.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV) If we desire to hear from God through our circumstances we must intently listen for the voice of God.  Hearing from God is not always easy.  As followers of God we will spend our whole life trying to discern the will of God for our life; listening for His voice.  When life is coming at us we cannot seem to understand what is going on, we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for clarification.  We should feel free to ask, “God what did you mean by that?”    

God’s primary desire in speaking is for eternal purposes.  We limit God to this finite world when we fail to remember He is an infinite God.   When we are trying to discern God’s voice through the circumstances of life we should consider how what is happening around us fits into God’s eternal plan to save a lost world from destruction and to mold His children into the image of His Son.  God’s primary activity will be in these areas of our life. 

Hearing from God is critical for the children of God to know God’s will for our life.  We must listen intently and carefully for His voice through the crowd of noises in the world in which we live. Thankfully God has not given up on us, but is still speaking to His people today.  Our mission is to learn how to hear His voice.

http://www.christweb.com/MustardseedThoughts/FacingFear5.html

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