Delight Yourself

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

~Psalm 37:3-4

I’ve heard many Christians repeat this verse, especially verse 4, as if it’s the magic key to Heaven. I’ve heard preachers give sermons on delighting in the Lord that sounded like a discourse on why they prospered, and the congregation didn’t. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with material gain or having money. I like having money because I like boots and money allows me to have new boots…lots of them! I like being able to get from week to week without wondering how to pay the light bill or worrying about being able to keep my dogs’ Barkbox™ bill paid. In the long run, boots and Barkbox™ are things I don’t need but they certainly fall into the category of “desires.” However, in the biblical context, delighting in the Lord and the desires of our hearts has a different context that has nothing to do with material wealth, wants, or needs.

God isn’t about the wealth of this world, and why should He be? It all belongs to Him anyway. What He is concerned about is the state of our hearts and minds. When we pursue wealth and material desires, our minds become focused on that, which can lead to a dogged pursuit of something we never have enough of and will go to any lengths, even illegal ones, to possess. How many people get into trouble over money? How many people commit robbery and murder to have the things they want? The pursuit of getting what we don’t have knows no class, race, age, or social standing and in the end, it’s simply selfishness and greed that motivates people to get what they want at any cost. And that takes us far away from delighting in the Lord.

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19).”

God’s ways and our ways are often two very different things—God acts out of generosity and love, while we act out of selfish desires. But delighting in the Lord is the first step to aligning our will with His. Delighting in the Lord is wanting what He wants, saying what He says, doing what He does. It is coming to a place where our worth is found in Him and not in the things of this world. Some of the greatest figures in the Bible, like Noah, Job, David and Paul, delighted themselves in the Lord. They took true joy in knowing God and following Him, but it didn’t mean they had an easy life. Noah and his family were the only people spared when God destroyed the earth with the flood. Noah was a righteous man, but he spent roughly 100 years building the ark and getting the animals on board. Job was a wealthy man who delighted in the Lord, but he wasn’t spared great loss or physical pain when the devil came calling. David was a shepherd boy with nothing who became a wealthy king with everything. He is described as a man after God’s own heart but that didn’t keep him from great loss, betrayal, and threats against his life. Paul persecuted Christians until he met Jesus on Damascus road. He spent the rest of his life serving the Lord, which often meant being homeless, hungry, shipwrecked or in jail. All of these people delighted in the Lord and had the desires of their hearts, which was to know the Lord their God intimately and fully. When we delight in something, we desire that thing. We pursue that thing. We go to any lengths to have that thing. The same thing happens when we delight in the Lord.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You.  But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works (Psalm 73:25-28).”

Read Job 11-13; Psalm 73

©2018 Marie McGaha

Restoration

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard Him and saved Him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

~Psalm 34:1-10

King David wrote most of the Psalms. He was a man with problems, but he was also a man with great faith and love for the Lord. It’s true that most of his problems were brought on by his own fleshly desires and failure to obey the word of God, but David was also teachable. No matter what he went through, David was able to see the Lord’s hand in every aspect of his life. Even when David was pursued by his enemies, lost children, or committed sins that grieved God’s heart, he never failed to acknowledge is wrongs and confess his sins to God. David had a contrite spirit and knew that God would answer and forgive him. That doesn’t mean God didn’t allow David to suffer the consequences of his actions, but God never abandoned him.

How many times in life have we grieved the heart of God, but instead of confessing that sin, we kept going in the wrong direction? That is one ploy the devil uses to lure us further from God. If we begin to think that our sins are too great, or that we’ve sinned too often, or that God must be getting tired of hearing our excuses, then the devil has us right where he wants us. And the further we get from God, the closer we get to hell.

Paul called himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15), and Isaiah said, “woe is me, I have unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). David cried out, “I have sinned against you” (Psalm 51:4), and the tax collector said, “I am a sinner” (Luke 18:13). In every case in the Bible where someone admitted their sin, God forgave and restored them to a point better than they were prior to sinning. That’s because once we admit our sin and ask forgiveness, God doesn’t remember that we sinned (Isaiah 43:25). We are brand new, like a newborn baby, before Him. We are innocent in His eyes and forgiven of everything we have done.

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago (Acts 3:19-21).”

God is the God of restoration, making all things new again. He restores our souls (Psalm 23) and gives us new life. Throughout the gospels, (Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 7: 31-37; Mark 8:22-26; Luke 5:12-25), we see the evidence of God’s restorative powers in the lives of those Jesus touched. What Jesus did then, He continues to do now. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8) and will never leave us. The work Jesus was sent to do on the Cross works within us today. His blood covers our sin and brings us to repentance before God. No matter what our particular brand of sin, it is not so big that Christ can’t or won’t forgive when we ask.

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite’ (Isaiah 57:15).”

Read Job 11-13

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Mercy & Grace

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

~Hebrews 4:14-16

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God. As humans, we don’t really deserve mercy or grace. We have failed God on such a grand scale, yet He continues to show mercy by allowing the world to continue because He knows there are still those out there who will come to accept His grace through Jesus Christ. God shows us mercy by not destroying us when He has every right to, and He shows us grace by forgiving us for everything we’ve done and giving us everlasting life in Heaven. It is His great compassion for us that allowed Christ to come to earth and die for our sins. It is His great compassion that allows us to be forgiven and live a life we don’t really deserve. But one day, God’s mercy and grace will come to an end and instead of being our salvation, He will be our judge.

My pastor in California used to tell the following story that shows the difference between Savior and Judge:

One day a man was driving to work and saw a car had plunged over the railing into a creek and was filling with water. A teenage boy was trapped in the vehicle, struggling to free himself as the water rose around him. The man jumped the railing, slid down the bank and plunged into the freezing water. He was able to break the window and cut the seatbelt, freeing the teenager. He dragged the boy to safety and stayed with him until help arrived. Many years later, the teenager had become a man and broke the law. He was arrested and brought to court. He immediately recognized the man on the bench as the same man who had dragged him from his car all those years ago. He said, “Don’t you remember me? When I wrecked my car all those years ago, you were the one who saved me!” The man looked at the prisoner and nodded. “Yes, I do remember you. But then, I was your savior. Today, I’m your judge.”

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24).”

Today, Jesus Christ is our Savior, full of mercy and grace. One day we will stand before Him, and He will be our Judge. We have only this lifetime to do one thing right, and that’s to ensure our eternal destination is in Heaven. That is why God showers us with such great compassion despite the things we have done. That is why Christ died on the Cross at Calvary. It is not God’s desire that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation (2 Peter 3:9). He has done all He can to provide for our salvation and the rest is up to us. God loves us so much, He died for us in the person of Jesus Christ. God loves us, but it is up to us to love Him back.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:1-10).”

Read Job 7-10

©2018 Marie McGaha

Blessed Be The Name of The Lord

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

~Job 1:20-22

It doesn’t take many years on this planet to figure out that life isn’t fair. In fact, life is downright unfair and it’s a lifelong struggle to get through. Life hurts us mentally and physically, and from time to time, can leave us gasping in the dirt trying to figure out what happened and what’s going on. The one thing that’s certain is that life won’t leave any of us unscathed but how we handle life’s distress, disasters, and disappointments is totally up to us. I think it’s why I like reading the Book of Job so much. The devil unleashed his worst on Job, yet through everything he endured, Job “did not sin or charge God with wrong.” As a chaplain, I have heard many people blame God for what is wrong in their lives, even people who claim to not believe in God, blame Him when things go wrong. I have also had many people ask, “Why would God allow this to happen?” Answering people who blame God is much easier than answering why He allows things to happen.

I know in my own life I have endured many losses from the death of a daughter to the death of grandchildren and a husband. I have watched my father battle cancer, as well as having many friends who have either had cancer or had a loved one with cancer. I’ve grieved with others who have had similar losses in their lives, and I’ve stayed awake many a night praying for an answer to “why?” In truth, I don’t know why God allows the things that happen to us, especially to those who serve Him in everything they do. Yes, it does seem unfair to me; yes, it does hurt to think that God isn’t as concerned as I think He should be; but no, I do not blame God because I believe the Bible.

“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified (Romans 8:25-30).”

When we are called by God, we know who we are in Him. We know that no matter what happens in life, it is a temporary situation. We know that what happens here on Earth strengthens and refines us and conforms us to the image of Christ. We know that there is a better plan, an ultimate plan laid out for us by God before we were even created in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), and the God who planned for us to be born will never forget or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). We are His and He has written our names on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). There is nothing we go through that God has not already prepared a conclusion for that is strictly in our favor. So if the odds are rigged, they are definitely in our favor!

The story of Job is a life lesson for us all. Yes, there will be great losses and great grief. Yes, our friends will turn on us, and even our families will abandon us. We will be betrayed in ways we don’t expect or see coming. We will shed tears, feel like life’s biggest loser, and sometimes we will be tempted to give up and walk away. But in all things, we must remember that God is in control and He is our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). I have had to repeat Job’s line many times in my life, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.” So I hope this gives you encouragement no matter what you may be going through right now. It’s okay to cry and be discouraged, and it’s okay to grieve our losses, but we also have to remember that God still has our best interest at heart and in the end, He will make all things right again.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).”

Read Job 1-6

© 2018 Marie McGaha

The Lord's Prayer

"Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

~Matthew 8:9-13 

         

          Jesus prayed. A lot (Luke 5:16). He prayed in every situation absolutely convinced His prayers were heard and would be answered. He got up early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35) and He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Jesus prayed at His own baptism, He prayed prior to selecting the disciples, He prayed before He was arrested, and He prayed on the Cross. Jesus knew that His relationship with God was based on communication through a rich prayer life. So let’s look at one of Christ’s most famous prayers, The Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13.

          Our Father: Our prayers are directed to Father God in Heaven. There is only one God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things, including us. He is the one who set life into motion and is in control of all things, including our lives from before our conception throughout the rest of eternity. We have a paternal need within us, a desire to know that our Father will take care of our every need. God is the ultimate father, caring for each one of us, making sure our every need is seen to.

         Hallowed be Your name: The word “hallowed” means “holy, set apart, consecrated, to be treated as holy.” When we say “hallowed be Your name,” we are acknowledging that there is no one higher than God. We are stating that we understand God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. We are acknowledging that our lives belong to Him.

Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven: When we declare God’s will to be done on earth, we acknowledge that we are giving up our selfish, self-centered wills and are willing to accept that God knows best for us and for the whole of society. When we look around society, it’s obvious that humankind does not know what’s best and no matter how we’ve tried, we haven’t fixed any of the world’s problems. God is the only One who can fix problems in our personal lives and that of society. When we give up our stubborn wills and hand our lives over to God, we find that life gets much easier.

         Give us this day our daily bread: God is a good Father and cares for His children. We are not to worry about what we will eat or wear, God knows what we have need of and He provides for us (Matthew 6:8, 26-27). The children of Israel wandered the desert for forty years, yet they were clothed, fed, and had fresh water to drink. We do not have to fear going hungry when our lives belong to God because He cares for us (Matthew 6:31).
         And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: We are acknowledging our need for forgiveness, but not only that, we need to forgive those who have offended us. Forgiveness is not for God and it’s not for others, forgiveness is for us. When we ask for forgiveness from God, we are acknowledging that we need Him as our Father, and we cannot continue life on our own. Each and every one of us needs forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26) in order to be received by God, and the only way to receive forgiveness is through the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a free gift, but we still have to accept it by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Being forgiven allows us to forgive others. It’s not always easy but it is possible. Unforgiveness in our hearts blocks the flow of God through us. That God-shaped hole inside of us is meant to be filled by God alone, not by unforgiveness. When we forgive others, we free up our souls for God’s glory and our peace of mind.

        And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil: These words have probably been the most disputed, but understand, God does not “lead” us into temptation. However, He does allow temptation to come near us in order to refine us. Trouble is a fact of life and no one is immune to it. It’s how we handle the trials of life that refine our lives in Christ Jesus. When we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-18), we are arming ourselves with the best weapons against the devil. God will deliver us when we have done all and choose to stand in the face of adversity.

        For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever: The Kingdom or Heaven, the Power of Heaven, and the Glory of Heaven is God, is of God, belongs to God, was brought to earth when Jesus Christ was born, and was shared with us when Christ died on the Cross. Praise the Lord for sharing His kingdom, His power, and His glory with you. Amen: So be it!

(From Keys Of Heaven by Marie McGaha © 2018 - Coming from Dancing With Bear Publishing  Fall 2018)

Read Esther 6-10

Weekend Reading Psalm 119

Counting Joy

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

~James 1:2-4

Life is full of unavoidable trials. People are going to let us down, break our hearts, and disappoint us. Some events in life are going to make us doubt and question what we are doing and why. We don’t have control over what other people do, and we can’t always be in control of events that occur in our lives, but how we deal with situations is within our control.

Counting the trials of life as joy seems to be a contradiction, but when we read the above verse in context, it isn’t the trial but the result of the trial that we count as joy. Trials test us, our faith, and our character. The result of the trials in life is that it makes us stronger, increases our faith, and draws us closer to God. Even circumstances that feel as if they will break us serve a higher purpose. Withstanding trials doesn’t mean we can’t cry, feel anger, depression, or doubt while going through them.

Some people think that being a Christian means never wavering or expressing any of the emotions that come naturally but Christ expressed all those emotions in His life. He was angry with the money changers (Matthew 21:12); He was moved to compassion (Luke 7:12-15); He showed great love (John 13:23); His heart was broken when Judas betrayed Him (Mark 14:10-72); He was abandoned (Matthew 26:56); He experienced doubt on His way to the Cross (Matthew 26:39); He felt agony when being whipped and beaten, and suffered physical and mental pain while on the Cross; and He gave up hope when God turned away from the sin laid upon Him (John 19). Yet, through everything He suffered, Jesus did not sin (1 Peter 2:22), and instead of hating those who had tortured and hurt Him, He asked God to forgive them (Luke 23:34).

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).”

Steadfastness “literally means fixed in place but is chiefly used figuratively to indicate undeviating constancy or resolution, as in steadfast faith.” We can be steadfast in our faith no matter what we are going through in life because of all the things Jesus went through for our salvation.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).”

Read Esther 1-5

©2018 Marie McGaha

Lift Your Eyes

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

~Isaiah 43:1-3 

There are times in life when we are tired, worn out, and drained. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and recharge. I find being alone with God is the best way to do that. I turn on my favorite worship music, I dance and sing and praise God. I read the Bible and I pray. I watch videos of my favorite teachings from Rabbi Schneider and Pastor Irvin Baxter. Not always in that order. I am a visual person and an interactive person. I like being able to express myself in whatever way fills my heart and soul with the peace that can only come from a holy Lord. Worshipping Jesus Christ for who He is and what He’s done in my life gives me the peace that surpasses all understanding. No matter what goes on in life, I know I can count on Him.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore (Psalm 121).”

God’s promises never change. They are the same today as they were yesterday, and they’ll be the same tomorrow as they are today. No matter what happens in life, or how we feel, or how tired we get, the Lord is still on our side. He is still our advocate in a world that tries to tear us down. He is our peace when the oceans rage and the volcanoes flow into the sea. He is our comfort when the earth shakes, and the wind spins out of control. He is always with us no matter what is going on in life, or even when life is smooth as glass. Our only job is to accept His great love and love Him in return. Jesus Christ showed His great love for us when He died on the Cross (John 15:13); we show ours in our worship, prayer and Bible study.

“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything (1 John 3:19-20).”

Read Nehemiah 7-9

©2018 Marie McGaha