Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
May 2006

May 1, 2006

Psalm 1:1 says: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.....

Today, in an accountability group of men that I am a part of, we discussed the issue of 'selective obedience'. The authors of the book we're going through ("Every Man, God's Man") referred to Saul as "a timeless poster child for every man (or woman) arrogant enough to turn his (her) back on God's revealed will". We discussed how easy it is to select the portions of God's Word that we feel may be a 'cinch' (What? How possible is that, really?) for us to obey and proudly talk about; but how that with such 80/20 obedience, the 20 percent is what always ends up sinking our ship.

A topic which frequently visits our conversations is the need for more men to "have a steady consumption of God's Word". Happy and content is the man whose confidence in the Word of God, which he knows and constantly applies to his life, enables him to not give in to the varied seductive temptations which would draw his heart away from godly principles (think Samson or Saul, for example). Happy and content is the man whose desire to honor God has produced behavior consistent with God's will, and who proves it by not following the course of life or imitating the mode of action of the wicked who surround him and whose relentless intent it is to cause the godly to digress from the path of holiness.

May such happiness, blessedness, and contentment be ours today!

Thank You, Father, for Your Word. May we - men and women! - increasingly be known as 'people of the Word'. Saturate our minds, our hearts, our lives with Your Word. It is truly for Jesus' sake we pray, Amen.

May 8, 2006

Psalm 138:6 says: Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly...

If this weren't so, how would you and I 'make it' through each day? How would we be able to face the circumstances of life? When Hannah gave birth to Samuel, the child of her prayers and of God's extraordinary blessing (I Samuel 2), she prayed a magnificent prayer of praise and acknowledgment of God's sovereign authority and power. Though she had been barren for many years, her prayer reveals her unshakeable trust and confidence in the Lord of glory. I am mostly impressed with verses 7 & 8 as I compare it with today's verse in Psalm 138. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. In other words, the Lord is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him. (See Ephesians 1:11,12) And Hannah, it appears, had patiently waited - and prayed - through years of poverty and dust existence, so to speak, while waiting for Him to look upon the lowly and 'seat her with the princes' (See Psalm 113:9).

How often have you heard someone say, "Why would God in heaven give me the time of day?! There must be many other important things He has to do!" Both the question and the statement are valid. But, as you can well imagine, the attitude of heart behind them is of utmost importance. The Lord is on high; why would He be interested in me? Here's where I must meet the heart criteria, so to speak: He looks upon the lowly. In other words, He looks favorably upon those who don't cherish inflated ideas of their own importance; those who freely acknowledge their 'low' estate before a holy God; those who don't arrogantly insist that God explain everything He does. Blessed are the poor in spirit... blessed are the lowly! Does 'lowly' sufficiently describe you and me?

Who could be compared to You, O Lord? Far below You are the heavens and the earth. You stoop to look and You lift the poor from the dirt and the needy from the garbage dump! (Psalm 113:5-7) We worship and adore You for such mercy and grace! Amen.

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