Vapor

“You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.” (Psalm 39:5 CSB)

Well, that’s not exactly an encouraging thought, is it? Anyone like to think of his or her life as a “vapor?” Someone who lives 60, 70, 80, or 90 years or more would like to think that there was at least some degree of substance to his or her life, some legacy. The human perspective says it is so. History books seem to be saying that some lives have had real substance, real impact. The eternal perspective says something different, though.

In the eternal scheme, a life really is little more than a vapor. It is like the “dash” between the dates on a grave marker.

While this thought might be somewhat distressing and depressing for some, the psalmist’s point is not to produce that effect but rather to remind us of the importance of forsaking sin and seeking God. A few verses later he wrote, “My hope is in You.” Our hope for a significant life, one of substance, one that has a legacy to it is found only in a personal relationship with the Lord.

Lord, Teach us to number our days rightly, so we may gain hearts of wisdom. Amen.

A Happy Camper

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” (Psalm 34:7 CSB)

What a great assurance! The angel of the Lord sets up camp around those who fear (respect, revere, worship) the Lord, and rescues them.

This very thought yields at least three effects. First, it creates a sense of safety. We can be at peace and rest within and know that everything is all right because of the Lord’s presence. Though raging events may surround us, knowing that the Lord’s “camp” is around us produces a sense of safety within.

This thought also yields a feeling of freedom. The confidence that comes from the truth and reality of God’s presence actually allows us to live free from the fear that can paralyze. That fear is supplanted by a sense of awe. The presence of a sovereign God vaporizes fear.

This thought further yields a harbinger of hope. God’s presence gives us the absolute assurance and certainty of our salvation. He rescues us. He saves us. The fact of His presence sends forth this harbinger to say that everything is going to be all right. He calls us to trust.

Lord, May we place our trust totally in You as we move through this day, knowing this truth that the angel of the Lord encamps around us. Amen.

Comfort in Affliction

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3 CSB)

You should read the whole first paragraph of 2 Corinthians 1. In one short paragraph Paul mentioned the word “comfort” 9 times. It is difficult to know Paul’s motivation for writing this, though his objective is clear. He wanted to point the Corinthians to the truth of God, the truth that God comforts us in our afflictions. The church apparently needed that encouraging word, and based on the larger picture of what Paul wrote, he and his team had just experienced some overwhelming affliction, probably in Ephesus. It isn’t clear what the affliction was, but it was severe enough for Paul to write, “We even despaired of life.” (verse 8)

Affliction comes in many forms. Regardless of form, though, the impact is universally some degree of devastation. There will be pain, whether physical, emotional, social, or spiritual. We can try to “tough it out” until it passes. On occasion that may work, but affliction that goes to a level of devastation beyond our ability to deal with or resolve or endure leaves us feeling powerless, so that the only thing we can do is go to God.

God does not prevent affliction. He may prevent it at times, but not always. Paul could give clear testimony to that, just as many of us could. While we may not understand fully why God allows this to happen, what He wants us to know is that it is in the midst of affliction that, when we turn to God, we experience the comfort only He can bring.

Lord, We sometimes find it difficult t make sense of some of the afflictions we go through in life, but we trust Your purposes. And we look to You for mercy and comfort. Amen.

Wise Grief

“For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18 CSB)

Wait a minute, Lord. Are you sure about that? I mean, I know this is Your word, but I’m not sure I fully understand this.

Why would this be true? It would seem to be just the opposite. How can it be that more wisdom brings more sorrow, and more knowledge brings more grief? It just looks like the wiser and more knowledgeable you are, the happier and stronger you would be.

This does seem to go along with an old proverb we all know, “Ignorance is bliss.” As long as you don’t know anything, you can be fully at peace, munching grass in the pastures with the cows, pretty much oblivious to everything else.

Here’s how it works. Knowledge leads to responsibility, and responsibility leads to a proscribed action. The truth will set you free, but that freedom will bring responsibility, so that you are no longer able to ignore those proscribed actions that become evident from your knowledge or wisdom. Knowledge creates accountability. If you come to understand that the world is lost and going to hell, you are no longer able to sit around and do nothing about it. Your heart becomes burdened for the lost, and you grieve for their lostness. Such wisdom brings grief.

Father, give us more of this wisdom, so that we can discover more ways to resolve this grief through the actions You lead us to. Amen.

Pitiable

“If we have placed our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.” (1 Corinthians 15:19 CSB)

Why? Why is it pitiable if our hope in Christ is focused only on this earthly life? Why is it pitiable for Christians to not believe in the resurrection of the dead?

Simply put, it is because, like all other religions, we would be engaging in a religious or spiritual “spinning our wheels,” or “going in circles,” so to speak. Everything would be pointless, and Christianity would then be no different from other religions. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, animism, shamanism, and Christianity would all be served up on the religious buffet, and you could just take your pick. One would be good as another. We would be no different than a market barker hawking his wares in the midst of a cacophony of other market barkers. The bottom line is that there would be no such thing as hope. A stated message of hope would, in fact, in that case be devoid of any real hope. Worse, it would be a flat out lie.

Jesus, His resurrection, and the resurrection of the dead is the foundation of the hope we proclaim. Without it, we have nothing to say.

We thank You, Father, for the power of the resurrection and the hope it gives us. Amen.

Grace Impact

“But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me with not ineffective.” (1 Corinthians 15:10a CSB)

Personally experiencing the grace of God is one of the bedrock truths of who we are as Christians. Paul understood this truth with great depth as he tried to express the concept to the Corinthians. He recognized that his entire identity was shaped by the grace of God and bonded to the grace of God. He had once persecuted the church, but experiencing God’s grace “up close and personal” effectively changed him, his identity, and his entire life-orientation. The old had gone, and the new had come.

We also who have personally experienced God’s grace and continually do so have been shaped by it and are still being shaped by it. We are a work in progress. Grace has had its impact. And it still does. We are who we are by God’s grace. And what we will be continues to take shape. God alone knows what this is, and He will keep working on it.

Someone once asked Michaelangelo how he sculpted such beautiful pieces such as the Pieta. His response was, “I see the image in the rock and remove what doesn’t belong.” Sometimes God’s grace involves removal of what is not needed. Sometimes it involves adding what is.

We thank You, Lord, for Your grace and for the effectiveness it has in our lives. Amen.

A National Trust

“The Lord is the strength of His people; He is a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.” (Psalm 28:8 CSB)

Americans swell with pride and emotion when we hear songs like, “God Bless the U.S.A.” Some of us well up with tears when we hear the national anthem or see an American flag. National pride is a great “feel-good.” Is it adequate, however, as a source of strength for a nation?

Americans greatly support our military. Young men and women even today are on battle fronts, putting their lives on the line on foreign soil for the sake of freedom and democracy. A strong military is a truly wonderful asset for a nation with positive values, but is it adequate as a source of strength for a nation?

Freedom is almost an indescribable wonder. So many peoples around our world are basically in pain because of the domination of tyrannical rulers. Many have never known what it means to be “pain free.” They tend to accept their status as is and can even refer to the small amount of freedom they have as freedom. To have the level of freedom we enjoy in America, however, is almost unparalleled elsewhere. But is freedom a source of strength for a nation?

There is only one real Source of strength for a nation, and that is the Lord. That nation whose national trust is in the Lord is the nation that knows what true strength is. That is the nation that is invincible.

Lord, Help our nation to return to You as its national Trust. Help us to see that true strength is found only to the degree that we trust in You our Strength. Amen