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Click here to read Psalm 132-134 on BibleGateway.com

Feeling a little rebellious today? I hope so. We’re gonna break the Golden Devotional Rule. Instead of looking at just one chapter, the way God intended, we’re actually going to look at two. That’s right. It’s getting crazy up in here. I just wanted to warn you, in case that’s too much wackiness for you; don’t want to be responsible for any heart attacks, you know.

Psalm 133 and 134 are part of a group of Psalm called “songs of ascent.” While not many would bet their lives on it, the consensus among scholars is that these were songs that people sang as they traveled up to Jerusalem for various religious festivals. They are very brief, repeatable, and are generally positive in content (as opposed to some of the less-postive psalms that talk about God smashing people’s heads).

HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE

Psalm 133 refers to how awesome it is when God’s people (church folk, to you and me) get along with each other. This is both true, and unfortunately, rare. The Church is more often associated with people fighting amongst themselves, with outsiders, with their pastors and leaders, with other denominations, and just about anyone else we can think of. But if you ever been a part of a church where everyone is genuinely looking out for each other, you’ve seen how incredibly amazing that can be.

Psalm 134 gives us what may be the key. Verse 1 say “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who minister by night in the house of the Lord.” Originally, this referred to the priests who worked 24/7/365 to keep certain sacrifices and fires running in the temple in Jerusalem.  That means that some of them were working when everyone else was sleeping.  Some of them served God in the dark, when no one else would ever know. But let’s update this to our time. What is the house of the Lord now? The New Testament says that God now dwells in us, not in houses made by men. Who are the servants? Hopefully all us; anyone who is striving to serve Jesus.

BETTER CHURCH, FROM THE INSIDE OUT

If you research revivals or large church growth movements, there’s one common denominator (if you look for it) that sometimes is hidden behind all the flashy-ness. Almost all revivals start with a small group of believers (sometimes just one or two) that agree to meet together on a regular basis, care for each other, and for all of them to take the responsibility to individually seek God’s will. Often, these people go unnamed in the larger movement. They are not typically the super-pastors or evangelists that you may hear about; they are the force that sustains those in front of the cameras. They are the ones that pray when no one else is looking; that give what they have to others, that care more about being holy than than being known for being holy.

Do you want revival to come to your church? Do you want God to move in your city? Get alone with God and seek him with all your heart. Take care of fellow believers; put their needs ahead of yours. Be more concerned with supporting your pastor instead of “correcting” his mistakes. And be prepared to get absolutely no recognition for it. The ones who minister by night, who seek God when no one else is around, who support and encourage instead of looking to be fulfilled – these are the real heart of God’s work on earth.

Are you strong enough to be unknown?

Click here to read Isaiah 64 on BibleGateway.com

Why is sin so bad? Have you ever thought about that? In a technical sense, all “sinning” really means is “missing the mark.” Ok. So you missed the mark. We all do. We punch a puppy, we ask forgiveness, we move on. What’s the biggie? Why is God so obsessed with sin? Why not just let us do what we want, and then forgive us all in the end?

Perhaps we view God’s attitude toward sin the wrong way. It seems that more often we think “ok, here’s the stuff I can’t do or God will be mad at me. I know I should please Him, so I’m gonna work real hard not to do these things, even though it sure would be nice to try it once in a while.”  And so we sit and squirm under God’s almighty thumb, and look longingly at all the lucky sinners out there whooping it up.

I’LL HUFF AND I’LL PUFF

But God didn’t set up a “sin test” for us to see if we can measure up. Sin is not something that God created; it’s something we created.  Sin is us saying “I’m going to do it my way, not yours.” God didn’t invent sin, he simply describes it and tells us what the consequences will be.  The reason God talks about sin so much is because we, quite frankly, sin so much.  And God knows what will happen if that sin is allowed to run its course.

Isaiah 64 says “like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Sin is like a hurricane; it destroys anything in its path. You can stand outside on the edges of a hurricane, and it might even be a little a exciting for a while. But once it reaches its full strength, it will sweep you away, and not all your effort and good intentions will stop it. The only chance you have at that point is to find shelter; to get somewhere with a firm foundation and solid walls. Those walls keep you constrained, for sure, but that constraint is your safety.

GUARDIAN, NOT GUARD

All that God does is because He loves us. The reason God hates sin so much isn’t because of what it does to Him (making Him angry), but because of what it does to us (destroys our life). The reason sin is such a big deal to God is the same reason that a bonfire is such a big deal to a mother of a toddler. He knows that the pretty flames will attract His children; we don’t understand the danger, all we see is the excitement. Our viewpoint should be to see God as our protector and guardian, rather than as a prison guard that’s just checking to make sure we follow all the rules.

So He warns us. Repeatedly, over and over throughout the Bible. He put Himself in front of the fire, so that it will burn Him instead of us. And if we push around Him and jump in the fire anyway, He reaches in and pulls us out and gives us a way to be healed. That’s how God deals with sin.  That’s the kind of love God is.

How do you view sin?

Click here to read Matthew 11 on BibleGateway.com

You can’t please everyone.

We all know it, yet it seems that we can’t help but try. No less an authority than Bill Cosby stated that the key to failure was to try to please everyone, and this from the man who had one of the most pleasing shows in the history of television. Especially the one when he makes Theo pay for his rent with monopoly money. Classic. In any case, if ole Bill admits that even he had his detractors, there’s probably little chance for the rest of us to have smooth sailing.

You would think that getting along with other Christians should be somewhat easy; we all have the same overall goal, we all read from the same playbook, and we all have the same boss. Yet almost every Christian – particularly if one is a pastor or evangelist – can probably attest to the numerous times that people have challenged not only their interpretation and teaching, but even their salvation. We have little patience with people who answer to God instead of to us, especially if they follow Jesus differently than we think they should.

“YOU EAT UNKOSHER DOGS? SINNER.”

Jesus points out our dilemma. John the Baptist lived the life of the hermit, out in the desert, eating bugs: his fellow believers claimed he had a demon. Jesus comes along, lives in the cities (primarily), with and around people, eating this that and the other: the crowds called him a drunk and glutton. It seems a prophet just can’t win. No matter what you do, it always ends in a public execution.

The truth is, you will always have people who disagree with how you serve God. You don’t pray enough, you don’t study enough, you don’t help the poor enough, you don’t preach on forgiveness enough, you don’t preach on hell enough, you don’t evangelize enough, you don’t get to know people enough before evangelizing… it goes on and on and on. If you are in a position to talk to a pastor, ask them. I can guarantee one of the first lessons they learned in ministry is that you will always have people that dislike you and are trying to get rid of you. It’s the joy of spiritual leadership.

WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?

So what are we to do? The answer is simple, and difficult. Don’t worry about what others say. Easy to say, no doubt, and nearly impossible to do. Unfortunately, that’s about the only solution there is. (Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to anybody; God sometimes works through others to guide us or bring things to our attention. But that’s different than trying to please others.  See Peter and Paul’s fisticuffs in Acts.) If you want to be a spiritual leader, that’s just part of the gig.

We all have to make a choice; and it’s usually not a one-time choice. It’s a choice you have to make every morning when you wake up to the shrill voice of your alarm clock or the soothing serenade of a shrieking infant. What will you do today? Will you follow God wholeheartedly? Some people won’t like it. And I’m not just talking about those pesky non-believers who dislike you simply because of Jesus. I’m talking about your fellow servants of Christ; most often, they will be the ones to kick your spiritual loins the hardest. You must decide if you will change what you are doing to please them, or serve God to the best of you ability. To please the only One who matters in the end.

Who will you try to please today?