Through

Perhaps one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture is The Twenty-Third Psalm. We learn it as children. We hear it read at funerals. Even people who don't regularly attend church or who don't spend a lot of time in the Bible have heard of this Psalm.

One of my favorite verses in that Psalm is the fourth verse which says "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."  

This is a verse I often find myself thinking about. And as I have been thinking about that verse recently, a few words have stood out to me. Even though. Through. With me.

"Even though" is an expression of certainty. This tells me not to be surprised when tough times come. It tells me they will come. But in spite of the tough times.......no matter what happens.....even though.......there is no reason to fear. The certainty is that tough times will come. The certainty is also that I don't face them alone.

"With me". I'm not alone. No matter what happens. "Thou art with me." What a comfort! Even though tough times come, even though I may feel alone, I'm not! Over and over through the Scriptures this truth rings true!

Matthew 28:20....."I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

2 Chronicles 16:9....."The eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the whole earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

Psalm 3:3......"But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory and the One who lifts my head."

But I think my favorite word in this verse is the word "through". "Through" tells me that no matter what I'm experiencing right now, what valley I'm in, what the difficulty is, it isn't permanent! I won't be in this tough time forever, because this verse tells me that I walk through the valley. I don't walk into it to stay! And that, my friends, brings me great comfort!

The "into" comes later, in the last verse of the Psalm, when "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6b).

Until then, whatever I'm walking through is part of the "all things" that are working together for my good and His glory (see Romans 8:28-29). So I walk through the valley with my eyes fixed on Jesus, not on my circumstances, because Jesus is with me. As He promised He would be. Even in the valley.


"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB, emphasis mine)

Dealing With Frustrations

"Where do I go when there's nobody else to turn to?

Who do I talk to when nobody wants to listen?

Who do I lean on when there's no foundation stable?
I go to the Rock. I know He's able. I go to the  Rock."
(Dottie Rambo)

 

Frustrations. We all have them. Life can be frustrating, can't it? There are big frustrations - HUGE frustrations. And there are little frustrations. And there's everything in between.

 

We can be frustrated by all sorts of things.

 

By having your house painted.

By an infection that just won't clear up.

By the power company deciding to shut off your power for a few minutes just as you're about to blow-dry your hair.

 

By standing in the slowest line at Walmart.

 

By traffic.

 

By chronic illness. 

 

By waiting for a diagnosis, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Or just waiting to get an appointment with a doctor!

 

By a spouse or children who just don't listen.

 

By being left out, not invited to a friend's birthday party. Or even worse, being left out of a family gathering.

By being ignored.

 

By waiting for a phone call that never comes.

 

By having too much month at the end of the money.

 

By your job. Or by not having a job. And not being able to find a job.

 

By really needing a vacation. By wanting to take the family on a nice vacation but really needing to put tires on the car instead.

 

By being misunderstood.

 

By not being able to lose those last few pounds. Or by not being able to stick to your healthy eating plan, no matter how badly you might want to. Or by not getting started on that healthy eating plan in the first place, even though you know you need to.

By wanting to be taller. Or shorter.

 

Frustrated by all sorts of things. By people. By circumstances. By life.

 

Just frustrated.

 

Where do we turn? What do we do? How do we cope?The words of an old gospel hymn may help us answer those questions.

 

 Living below in this old sinful world
Hardly a comfort can afford.

Striving alone to face temptations call,
Where could I go to the Lord?

Where could I go, where could I go?
Seeking a refuge for my soul.
Needing a friend to help me in the end,
Where could I go to the Lord?

(Billy Sherrill/Glenn Sutton) 



 

 

Life can be frustrating. For believers and unbelievers alike. Putting our faith and trust in Christ is not a guarantee that life will no longer have challenges or frustrations. But it is a guarantee that we don't walk through those situations alone. That Christ Himself, through the person of the Holy Spirit, is with us in every difficulty. And that we can turn to Him for comfort in every situation. Indeed, where else could we go?

 

 

"On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."  (Psalm 62: 7-8 ESV)

"Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."  (John 6:68 ESV)

 

Ancient Words

"Holy words, long preserved,

For our walk in this world,

They resound with God's own heart.

Oh, let the ancient words impart.

 

Words of life, words of hope,

Give us strength, help us cope,

In this world, where e'er we roam,

Ancient words will guide us home.

 

Chorus:

Ancient words ever true.

Changing me, and changing you.

We have come with open hearts.

Oh, let the ancient words impart.

 

(-Michael W. Smith)

 

We sang this in church yesterday. It's a relatively new hymn, written in the late 20th or early 21st century. It's one of my favorite of the newer hymns. Perhaps it's a favorite of yours as well. But even more than the text of this hymn, I love what it is written about.

Ancient words. Oh, how precious are the ancient words of Scripture. How blessed we are that God has revealed Himself, His works and His ways, to us through the written word, preserved down through the centuries for us. Whether we are reading the Scriptures in their original languages, or no matter which English translation we are using, these are words to be treasured. As Paul told us in his letter to Timothy, they are "profitable" for us......"for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" that we may be "equipped for every good work."  (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

 

It is because these words are so precious and because they are profitable for us that I get so disturbed when I hear them misused or misapplied or inaccurately quoted. We are told in the Book of Joshua to "Be very careful to observe the commandment and the law" (Joshua 22:5 ESV). It is my belief that those words did not apply only to the Hebrew people getting ready to enter the Promised Land, but that we must take them to heart as well. We must be very careful. We must study the Word of God carefully and we must apply it carefully. And we must be very careful that we don't mix into the Word things we have heard from other sources and put those words on equal standing with the Word of God.

I cringe, at least inwardly, when I hear people say things like "God helps those who help themselves", and who really believe that is a Biblical saying. In fact that saying does not come from the Bible, but comes from "Poor Richard's Almanac", written by Benjamin Franklin and not said by Jesus! The origin of that phrase actually goes back to Algernon Sydney in a 1698 article titled "Discourses Concerning Government"!

The Bible actually teaches that God helps the helpless. For example, look at Isaiah 25:4 ("For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress.....") or at Romans 5:6 ("For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.")

And I really, really cringe when I hear, as I did recently, things like "well, you know what Jesus said.....hate the sin and love the sinner." The problem is, Jesus didn't say that. Mahatma Ghandhi did.  And centuries before him, a similar phrase was used by St. Augustine of Hippo.

I'm not saying all this to be critical, but rather to demonstrate what a Biblically illiterate people we have become. And that breaks my heart. God has given us His word.....this "Ancient Word"......and we just take it so for granted, especially in the United States. With our virtually unlimited access to the Word, in multiple formats and in multiple translations and with multiple copies of the Word in our homes, we act as though that is enough. As though physical access to the Word is all we need. And if we pick it up and dust it off occasionally, or if we read a verse or two here and there, or if we show up on Sunday morning, that's enough.

But it isn't nearly enough. How do we know that there won't come a day in this country when we won't have that unlimited access to the Word of God?

What gives us the right to be such lazy Christians anyway? It is my firm belief that God has given us His Word, this written revelation of Himself, in order for us to know Him better, in order for us to read it and study it and understand it. So that we would then know how we should live in a way that honors and glorifies and magnifies Him.

Life is not all about me. Or all about you. It's all and only about Him. And knowing how to live life in a way that honors Him, that is in obedience to Him, is learned by studying His Word, those "Ancient Words" that have been left to us. 

Oh, that we would value those words more. That we would spend time in those Words. That we would study them. That we would hide them in our hearts. That we would handle them accurately.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."                 (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB)

 

Influence

A big college football game was played on Monday night. Congratulations to the Clemson Tigers on their decisive victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.


While I am not a Clemson fan, I am a fan of Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeny. These quotes from his interview following Monday night's game explain why I think so highly of Coach Sweeny


"It's a blessing, and it's just simply the grace of the good Lord to allow us to experience something like this."


"All the glory goes to the good Lord."


Dabo Sweeny is not ashamed to speak boldly about his faith. I love that. And I'm challenged by that.


You and I don't have the kind of platform that Coach Sweeny has. Most of us are not surrounded by media hanging on our every word. Most of us aren't that famous. Most of us don't have the opportunity to influence that many people.


But each of us does have a platform. A place of influence. Everywhere we go, day after day, people are watching and listening.


How are we - you and I - using our influence? Are we pointing people to Jesus?


Something to think about.


"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 NASB)


"I will be accountable to God for this: what did I do with all those kids he gave me? What did I do to build His kingdom?" - Dabo Sweeny

Be Still

Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher of the 17th century, once said, "Nearly all the ills of life spring from this simple source: that we are not able to sit still in a room."


God said, "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)


Something to think about.

Precious Memories

It's another wet morning here in Spartanburg. As I looked at my Facebook memories this week, I was reminded that this kind of rain has become fairly common over the last couple of years.


While we are watching it continue to rain here in South Carolina, I have friends who are in the Holy Land. This morning they were praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. As I have been thinking about them this morning, I'm remembering previous trips to the Holy Land. (That's much more pleasant than thinking about this incessant rain!). I've particularly been remembering previous "last days" in Jerusalem. The last day of our trip typically begins with prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. We walk through the Kidron Valley and go to the House of Caiphas. We walk the Via Dolorosa and we end the day at the Garden Tomb.



Those are precious memories indeed! I came across this photo this morning. Al snapped it near the Garden Tomb on our last trip.

I remember that day well. I was tired. My feet hurt. It was the first day of what would end up as a very serious cold/sinus infection/ear infection. At the time, I was feeling pretty miserable. Even so, I would do it all again if I could! There is something so special and so precious about being there. About walking where Jesus walked. About celebrating the Lord's Supper there in the Garden near the empty tomb.



Those are wonderful memories. I know that my friends who are there in Israel today have made wonderful, lasting memories. I'm so glad they have had this opportunity. But I confess that I'm just a wee bit envious! Because no matter how many times I have traveled to Israel, my heart still has a longing to be there!



Memories are wonderful things. I'm so thankful that God has given us the gift of remembering. And for photographs that capture the memories! These are a few of my favorites:

 

 

In this season of my life, where many memories are lost to me,

how thankful I am for these memories!



Saturated

It's raining this morning. Again. In fact, we have had a lot of rain here in South Carolina in recent weeks. Quite a lot.

For the past several months, South Carolina has seen more than its share of rain. As a result, the ground is saturated with water. 

What does that have to do with you and me, other than being tired of rain. Just as the ground around here is saturated with water, so do we need to be saturated, not with rain water but with the Word of God. 

Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness and answered each temptation with the Word. (See Matthew chapter 5.) We, too, face temptations, and we need to answer them just as Jesus did. With the Word.  And the only way we can do that is if we know the Word. If we have saturated ourselves with the Word of God.

Being saturated takes time. The ground did not become saturated with water by a five minute sprinkle of rain. It became saturated by steady rain over time.

How much time are you willing to commit to the Word of God this year?

Here at the beginning of a new year, why not make a decision, a fresh commitment, to being saturated in the Word of God?

"The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure,

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward."

(Psalm 19:7-11 ESV)

 

 

"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness."  (1 Timothy 4:7b NASB)

A Prayer for the New Year

When I began blogging on New Year's Eve 2008, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. In the beginning, in many ways, it was a lot like talking to myself, or perhaps talking to an imaginary friend across the table! Along the way it has become a vehicle for me to share what God is teaching me. Through everyday life experiences. Through what I read, whether in Scripture or elsewhere. It has become a place to sit and think, to reflect on life lessons. And a place to share these life experiences and life lessons with others. Along the way, I've tried to share honestly from my heart and it has been my hope that in some small way, the words I write will be an encouragement to someone somewhere.

When I began, I had no idea that I would still be writing all these years later. Or that I would publish a book. Or that another books would be in the works. I had no idea how many people would read the words I have written. No idea how hearing from those who read my words would encourage me.

I had no idea. But God did. 

And as this blogging journey continues into this new year, I have no idea where it will take me. But God does.

"Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established."   
  (Proverbs 16:3 NASB)


As one year has ended and another has begun, I want to thank you for stopping by. And I want to offer my very best wishes for a Happy New Year, a year of joy and peace and our Father's bountiful blessings! As we begin this new year, this is my prayer for each of us:



Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be,

In working or in waiting, Another year with Thee;

Another year of leaning Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, Of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of mercies,Of faithfulness and grace;

Another year of gladness In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of progress, Another year of praise;

Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love;

Another year of training For holier work above.

Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be

On earth, or else in heaven, Another year for Thee.

 -Frances R. Havergal

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Happy New Year! It's that time again! Today we mark the beginning of a new year. Time to take the old calendar off the wall and hang a fresh new one. Time for fresh clean pages in the planner. Time for a fresh start.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that 2018 just flew by! Maybe it's a sign of getting older, but I can sometimes hardly believe how quickly time passes. Yet here we are again at the beginning of another year, and it's that time again - time for New Year's Resolutions. You know what I mean. It's time to make those ridiculous promises that we make at this time every year. Things like "I will lose 50 pounds by Friday" or "I will never allow anything chocolate to pass my lips ever again", or some other equally unattainable promise that will be broken before next Tuesday.

Have you ever noticed how resolutions are often vague? I need to do better. I need to lose some weight. I need to spend less money. I need to read my Bible more. With all that vagueness, how can we ever know whether or not we have actually accomplished anything?

That's why I no longer make New Year's resolutions. Instead, it has been my practice in recent years to set some goals for the new year, to determine a way to be accountable about those goals, and to have benchmarks that I can check periodically to mark my progress. That works much better for me than those pesky soon-to-be-forgotten resolutions. 

As I have been reflecting this last week on the year 2019, I looked back through my journals to the goals I set at the beginning of last year. I did pretty well in some areas and not quite so well in others. I followed the Bible reading plan I began last January, although I have not quite completed it. This year I read more slowly and often paused for some pondering, so I'm continuing on with this plan until I finish it. Then I'll decide on the next plan.


Although I began the year doing well in the areas of healthy eating and weight loss, I didn't end the year quite where I had hoped to be, so I'm pressing on in that area into the new year. I made great strides in my stroke recovery in 2018, and I am so thankful to God for that.

All that brings us to the beginning of a new year, and to a fresh opportunity to see God at work. It's time to set new goals and make a plan for reaching them.


This year my focus is on prayer, and as I read my Bible this year, I'll be looking for that word, and I'll be focusing on what the Bible has to say on the subject. My goal in that process is to be a better pray-er.  My prayer as I read is, Lord, teach me to pray.  I'll be marking those passages in my Bible, and I'll be writing down what I learn. Because writing helps me remember. In addition, I'll be keeping a more detailed prayer journal, writing down not only a list of things to pray about and the answers I receive, but writing down my prayers as well. Because writing helps me stay focused. And particularly in my post-stroke life, writing helps me remember. I have goals in other areas of my life as well.  Healthy eating. More exercise. Reaching my goal weight. New writing projects.
I have set my goals and made a plan, because having a plan helps me stay focused. My plans are written down, because writing helps me remember.

What about you? Have you thought about goals and plans for the new year? Having a plan in place, especially in the area of Bible reading, helps you stay focused. If you don't have a plan, there are a number of good plans available. I encourage you to read Scripture each day. Don't limit yourself to reading a devotional book. Read directly from God's Word. Read what God has to say, not just what others have written about it.

One of my favorite devotional books over the years as been My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Year after year I return to this book. And year after year, as a new year begins, I am drawn to this particular passage of Scripture, the passage with which Chambers begins the year:

".....my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."  (Philippians 1:20 NASB)

Beyond all the goals and resolutions and plans and dreams, this is the one that matters most. That Christ be exalted. That is my earnest expectation and hope. To honor Him in all I do. In all I say. In all I am.