Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
August 2005
August 1, 2005
Psalm 41:4 "I said, 'O Lord, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have
sinned against you.'"
Tell me something, and be very honest: When was the last time you heard
an authentic confession of sin like David is expressing here?
This is such a serious question as to put in doubt a person's understanding
of mercy and grace and forgiveness if they do not deal appropriately with
the issue of sin! The modern day "in your face" refusal to accept
responsibility for wrongdoing and the consistent failure of masses of
Christians to humbly admit the depth to which we've gone to gratify our
ego and to escape the reality of judgment/discipline for sin should 'frighten'
every truly born again person! And, in that context, our children are
growing up modeling what they see in their parents: resistance to the
truth, defiance against the Holy Spirit, and outright rejection of such
character qualities as brokenness, humility, and honesty!
Oh for a greater spirit of brokenness in the church today which refuses
to cover up sin (Psalm 32:3-5); a bold self-exposure that doesn't waltz
around the mulberry bush by using terminology that doesn't come close
to the truth (Psalm 51:1-5); a humbled spirit which doesn't fear the agony
and anguish of 'defeat', i.e., surrender to the Holy Spirit and to truth
(Psalm 6:2,3); a broken, submitted heart which highly values forgiveness,
and therefore anxiously seeks the divine binding up of the gaping wounds
caused by sin (Psalm 147:3)!
Father, forgive the pride of our inflated egos which continue to stubbornly
resist the blaring authenticity of our sinfulness. You are our hiding
place. Deliver us from the self-aggrandizement which impedes the brokenness
which You so long to see evidenced in us (Psalm 51:17)! Bring a fresh
revival to our needy souls, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
August 4, 2005
Psalm 104:14 is only one of countless scriptures which describe the greatness
of our God in one way or another, and reminds us mortals of our utter
dependence upon Him: "He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants
for man to cultivate -- bringing forth food from the earth."
I hope you have awakened this morning with an unmistakable sense of the
vast and immeasurable greatness of God! "Great is the Lord! He is
most worthy of praise!" (Psalm 48:1) He is to be feared above all
earthly powers or authorities combined! (Psalm 96:4) So, seek to know
Him with all your heart because He does think of the little things like
making grass grow for the cattle and providing bushes and vines and veggies
for us to plant, prune, and pick. But, accept the fact that there will
be times when you will be totally unable to understand (Him), because
no one can fathom His greatness! (Psalm 145:3) And, when you begin to
feel 'down' or discouraged because of the growing masses of the ungodly
who surround Him with hatred and openly spew out their vitriolic denunciations
against Him and His people, let your faith be strengthened with the fact
that "he is more awesome than all who surround him" (Psalm 89:7)!
To whom, then, will you liken God? What image will you compare him to?
Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Didn't someone tell you while you were
still a child? God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth (no, it
wasn't square even back in the days of Isaiah the prophet!), and its people
are like grasshoppers! The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of
the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding
no one can fathom. (Read Isaiah 40:10-31)
Glorious and magnificent Father, what is man that you care for him, the
son of man that you think of him? (Psalm 144:3, 15) Today, may all those
whose God is the Lord walk in the full blessedness of who You are! Amen.
August 8, 2005
Psalm 108:12 "Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man
is worthless."
The shuttle landing was just postponed 24 hours because of weather complications.
When looking at some scriptures, I'm tempted to delay dealing with them
because of the problems they themselves raise with some of the Lord's
suffering servants. Personally, I have no heart hesitation when it comes
to believing that the only help you and I need is from the Lord God Himself.
There is no doubt in my heart - really! - that the help man has to offer
is, as the Bible says, 'worthless', and that it is only with God that
we will gain ultimate victory (Psalm 60:12). My concern is for those who
will read this whose life seems to be in spiritual shambles. Perhaps a
spouse has gone 'haywire'. Maybe a marriage teeters on the edge of reason,
leaning perilously in the wrong direction. Perhaps a life or family situation
has lingered for years and someone just wants to check out of it all and
run to some imagined 'better' place of escape. When a war goes on and
on, people get 'antsy', wondering how long a nation will take the heavy
losses and how long it will be willing to pay the subsequent exorbitant
physical and emotional price before just angrily walking away from it
all. A very sincere mother may sit outside a President's home property,
insisting she won't move until the President speaks with her about the
loss of her own son and whether the war efforts are truly justified or
not.
Questions which often come to my heart are: Who is the real enemy here?
Am I too often my own worst enemy? Does it help my situation to distrust
God because I perceive that there are inequities? Am I robbing myself
of a greater 'blessing' (such as brokenness, which is the doorway to greater
blessing, for example - Psalm 51:17) by continually striking out at Him,
even though the circumstances seem totally out of control and, from my
perspective (disgustingly earthbound though it be!) have been going on
far too long? I must not fail to eventually return to my senses and come
back to and cling to that which I know to be true in the light where everything
seems to be clear and understandable: "The Lord is a refuge for the
oppressed; He is a stronghold in times of trouble" (Psalm 9:9). There
may be no time frame for the duration of the situation; no back door.
There may be only the Truth Who in all ages has always been present, and
who has never failed to be gracious and powerfully helpful in times of
need, whether the process itself or the 'solution' was liked by His people
or not.
Merciful and very attentive, perceptive Father, keep us from cursing ourselves,
as it were, and from being our own worst enemy by turning our hearts away
from You! Amen.
August 12, 2005
Psalm 33:1-3 challenges us: "Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the
harp; make music to him on the ten stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully and shout for joy."
I love to watch, listen, and join in worshiping with a good praise band
like ours! Often, I'll be guilty of singing only for a little while and
then I get drawn away, captivated by the sounds coming from the bass as
Mark runs his fingers up and down the frets, adding to the fullness of
sound that fills the auditorium. Or, I sometimes just stand and almost
laugh as Rex skillfully flies into incredibly fast solo runs on the guitar,
and George fills in with chords, Mike carries the lead, and Tom works
the drums.
With the voices of Dan, Leia, Jessie, and Judy joining in, I have no heart
hesitation in raising my hands in pure worship of the living God and singing
joyfully to Him! Because the name of the Lord is GOOD, we freely praise
Him in the presence of other saints, don't we? It is most appropriate
for us to sing joyfully to Him (Psalm 33:1). It is good just to be near
Him (Psalm 73:28)! It is good to just praise Him and try to make music
that matches His greatness (Psalm 92:1)!
May today be a day of unfettered praise and worship in your heart as you
observe His gracious hand at work on your behalf, and as you witness His
holy purpose being carried out in all that He has planned for your life
(Ephesians 2:10).
Holy Father, You are faithful in all You do (Psalm 33:4). So it is
fitting that we praise You with joyful hearts. Fill us today with a passion
for Your purposes, that we might be to the praise of Your grace which
You have freely given us through the One You love (Ephesians 1:6). Amen.
August 16, 2005
Psalm 146:2 says: "I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing
praise to my God as long as I live."
My eyes rested briefly on the phrase "all my life". Without
being unduly morose or expressing unnecessary morbidity at this advanced
stage in my life, I recall a 13 month period in my young life when I turned
my back on the Lord Jesus and sought, with youthful intent, to blend a
bit more into the world around me. I had been a Christian almost 10 years
and was conspicuous before school officials, friends, church, and neighbors,
as a leader type, often in the public eye for one thing or another.
Was I tired of Christianity? I really don't think so. I think my sanguine
personality needed a bit more excitement and/or acceptance. Whatever the
reasoning within my heart, I began to smoke because my smoking buddies
seemed 'cool' at the time. I also drank several beers (sounds silly, huh?
But honestly, I could count the number of beers I drank on my two hands!
I wanted my friends to think I too was rough and tough and able to drink
with them!), though I hated the stuff! By the end of those careless months,
I was smoking three packs a day!! I allowed my mouth to spew out venomous
and vile things on the job and on the streets. I was dating a girl who
was not a child of God, and actually thought of 'marriage' at one point.
In short, I cannot use the phrase "all my life" without thinking
back to those 'lost' months of my life.
HOWEVER, fasten your seat belts, because they were not really 'lost' by
any means, contrary to appearance. Here's why. During those thirteen months
of 'backslidden' carelessness, the one thing I recall so vividly is that,
of the 390 days 'lost', there was never one of those days that went by
but that the Holy Spirit, the gracious "Hound of Heaven" reminded
me that the Lord loved me, that I was a child of God, and that the way
home was only a prayer away, so to speak. I will never forget!! Day or
night, awake or asleep, at a meal, in a bar, slogging through muck and
mud on my surveying job, smoking a cigarette, drinking a beer, cursing
with all caution thrown to the wind. The message was incredibly clear:
"I love you!" It was UNBELIEVABLE!! And, the day when I finally
humbled my backslidden, proud heart once again to the Savior was a glorious
day! It was over quickly, believe it or not! The Holy Spirit settled once
and for all those bothersome, youthful issues of sin and carnality and
restored my relationship with the Father and the Son. Glory to God in
the highest!
So, Father, I will praise you all my life. I will boldly speak of
Your faithfulness. I will sing praise to you, my glorious God, as long
as I live! Amen.
August 20, 2005
Psalm 120:6 "Too long have I lived among those who hate peace."
Imagine yourself walking - excitedly - through the streets of Jerusalem,
on your way to the temple to worship the living God. As you walk, the
crowd becomes larger and larger, adding to it scores of people whose inner
spirit is longing to join in unfettered praise, worship, and adoration
of the living God. In preparation for such worship of the loving, forgiving,
merciful and gracious, peace-giving Lord of glory, you cannot help but
appreciate what you have come to know as the great distinction between
the presence of God and the presence of your fellow human beings, the
majority of whom seem to "hate peace".
The heart of the heaven-bound child of God cries out, "Too long have
I lived among those who hate peace! Too long have I dwelt among those
whose hearts are hardened and at deliberate odds with the Lord of glory!
Too long have I resided among God-haters! I long for the peace of heaven!
I long to stand in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder at the
fact that He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. Oh, how marvelous!
How wonderful is my Savior's love for me!"
Yet, til that glorious day, we must live among those who hate peace because
they are at enmity with the God of peace. We must lovingly seek to bring
them, one by one, to the Giver of that true peace which comes through
the forgiveness of sin purchased for us through the shed blood of Christ
on the cross of Calvary!
Father, until we reach the peaceful shores of our heavenly home, give
us a heart of compassion for those who hate peace. In Jesus' name, Amen.
August 23, 2005
Psalm 93:1 "The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is
robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved."
When we were very young, on Saturday mornings my siblings and I used to
go to the Capital Building in Springfield, Illinois, to watch black and
white movies. I recall being impressed with some of the cowboy figures
whose western clothing, even in black and white, made me want to dress
the same way! The cowboy hat, sitting either straight on the head or slightly
tipped to one side, the fancy brocaded shirts, the shiny pistol strapped
to the side, and the carefully designed cowboy boots were what so many
young boys wanted to wear after seeing these 'heroes' settle the problems
of the West in such a consistently efficient way! No wonder their western
swagger, with hands extending slightly away from the hips and prepared
for all evil comers, was 'the walk of the day'! A desired image many young
boys had at the time was proudly riding into the fading sunset alongside
one of these 'princes of the West'!
I love the descriptive word pictures of our LORD which, within our hearts
we Christians know to be so true today, and which one day will become
reality: The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. I'm not
a kid any more, but, these words conjure up a strong kid-like feeling
within me that, even now, says, "Stay close! Where have you ever
seen such glory, splendor, honor, or majesty (Job 40:10)? When have you
ever gazed upon such brilliant, pure light (Psalm 104:1)?! When have you
ever seen such authority, influence, prestige, and superiority striding
not in arrogance, but in pure righteousness (Isaiah 63:1)? This is One
from Whom you definitely do not want to stray far. Where there is poverty,
He comes with wealth and honor (I Chronicles 29:12). Where there is weakness,
He comes with strength and power. Where there is injustice, He come with
equity (Psalm 96:10). Even distant onlookers are impressed (Psalm 97:1)!"
Sovereign God, forgive the insecurity of our hearts which focusing
on the temporal brings. May we today be enveloped and protected with the
knowledge and confidence that all things are as firmly established as
You want them to be until You make all things new (Revelation 21:1-3,
27)! Amen.
August 26, 2005
Psalm 126:1-2 "When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we;
were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues
with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done
great things for them.'"
For most of us, it is difficult to imagine ourselves as POWs or as a hostage
in the hands of terrorists. I still have mental images floating around
in my mind of photos I've seen of WWII, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam veterans
being released from captivity and given back their freedom. Some were
too weak to walk, they were so emaciated from lack of food, or torture,
or unbelievably unhealthy cells in which they were held captive. Stories
abound of the dreams of freedom, family, and fun memories which they dreamt
or of the thoughts which consumed their waking hours of what activities
they would do, or how much more they would esteem family members, or how
they would stop being so self-centered if, perchance, they were granted
their freedom once again. Imagine the uncontrollable laughter, the free
flowing joy, and the gloriously uninhibited expressions of happiness which
would emanate from those whose freedom had been stolen for a period of
time and had miraculously been given back!
I am greatly saddened by the seemingly inordinate number of Christian
marriages which are in deep trouble because of an independent spirit and
an individual, truth-resisting, self-centered focus of spouses. The enemy
has 'done a number' on so many of the Lord's people who have bought into
the freedom-stealing idea of having personal 'rights' or of 'having my
needs met' before they are willing to work on reconciliation or restoration
of a dying marriage! I am praying for the day when an increasing number
of 'captives', whom I sincerely hope are dreaming of and praying for biblical
freedom to be restored, will reconcile to their spouse and once again
be among those whose mouths are filled with laughter and their humbled
hearts filled with praise because the Lord has done great things for them!
Father of great mercy, touch the stubborn hearts of Your children
and turn them back to Yourself and to each other in love, forgiveness,
and restoration, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
August 29, 2005
Psalm 29:11 "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses
his people with peace."
Whether you're in hurricane or tornado season or not, this wonderful truth
is ours to feast upon for our maximum enjoyment! Of this truth it could
never be said that we are "eating more but enjoying it less".
This is not up for grabs; not something hoped for; not something we're
missing out on because God has been selfish with us and wants to see us
suffer and writhe in agony before He gives us His peace. He constantly
lavishes us with His peace whether we're in the storm or not.
We Christians are greatly tempted to doubt in the dark what we know to
be true in the light. His peace - the safety of His presence in us and
with us - is what makes the difference (John 14:27). He delights in blessing
His people with peace, His happiness; it's His nature. He is the God of
peace, the Protector of our ultimate welfare (II Thessalonians 3:16).
God made the first move toward us as we took pride in our enmity against
Him. He sent Jesus, who came and preached peace to us who were so helplessly
and hopelessly far away (Ephesians 2:17) from Him. Now, declared righteous
through faith and washed thoroughly by His blood, we revel with abandon
in His mercy, grace, and unfathomable forgiveness. We are 'safe' with
God; we have peace with Him (Romans 5:1). And, guess what? Of the increase
of His government and peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:7).
With the greatest latitude of application, the Lord gives strength (boldness,
power, might) to His people; He blesses them with His peace. The word
used carries with it the idea of saluting someone, of congratulating them,
of pouring out on them in abundance. Why such largesse? That we might
have peace! (John 16:33).
Generous Giver of every good and perfect gift, thank You for the inner
strength and peace which You give, without which today could not be lived
for Your glory. Amen.
August 31, 2005
Psalm 31:16 says: "Let your face shine on your servant; save me
in your unfailing love."
I can recall being on my hands and knees more than once looking for a
friend's lost contact lens in grass or on sandy ground. Depending on what
you're looking for, distance can be an 'enemy'. Proximity is vital when,
in darkness, someone is using a light to look for a valuable possession.
For many Christians, it is a challenge to convince them that God is near
when the going gets tough. And, even when He may be close but purposefully
silent, they are only sensing "He's far away!" Implication:
He doesn't care. Even in that weakened spiritual condition, however, we
kids of His have the prerogative, the free choice, to plead for open eyes
and hearts to see that His truly close, precious face is indeed shining
upon us. "I am with you always!"
Many would taunt the needy Christian with, "Who can show us any
good?!" Our response: "Let the light of Your face shine upon
us, O Lord. Though at this moment You may not have literal words or a
solution for us to satisfy our accusers (or even our own accusing hearts!),
and for all earthly purposes we may appear to be abandoned, let them at
least see the brightness of Your glory as You demonstrate Your grace to
us through Your glorious presence." (Numbers 6:25, Psalm 4:6; 67:1)
Father, when You 'hide' Your face, as it were, we become easily dismayed
(Psalm 30:6-7). We tend to become nasty and irritable, accusing You of
heinous crimes such as abandoning Your children (Matthew 28:20); or suggesting
that You could care less we are suffering or that we are needy in one
way or another. Forgive such sins against Your holiness. Restore us, O
God. Like the anticipated break of day, cause Your face to shine upon
us, that we may be saved (Psalm 80:3). Amen.
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