Truthworks

 ”My soul thirsts for you….in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1, NIV)

In our Bible we are told that David wrote this Psalm, celebrating the joy he found in fellowship with God while he was in the desert of Judah.

“Did you say, ‘The Desert of Judah?’”

Yes.

“Isn’t Judah a part of the Promised Land?”

Yes.

So, are you telling me that there is a Desert we have to traverse in the Promised Land?”

Yes.

David not only traversed the Desert of Judah; he sang praises to God while there! Commenting on this Spurgeon wrote, “David did not leave off singing because he was in the wilderness, neither did he in slovenly idleness go on repeating Psalms intended for other occasions. Rather, he carefully made his worship suitable to his circumstances, and presented to his God a wilderness hymn when he was in the wilderness.”

“God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” (Psalm 63:1~4, NIV).

This Song is interesting for many reasons.

First, it encompasses present, past and future. David says, “God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

That was his present condition when He wrote the song. He was faced with the difficulty of dryness, yet he did not lose sight of the fact that God was his God. This is a present tense relationship. Perhaps your own season of dryness should be characterized with a similar confession of faith: “God, You are my God.” It is, after all, the truth.

Then David says, “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.” This is past tense. There was a time, glorious and unforgettable, when David beheld the beauty of the Lord and inquired in His holy Temple; a time when he danced with all his might and worshipped in the beauty of holiness. It is good to remind ourselves during the dry times of just what we have seen and known of the Lord in times past.

Can you recall a time when the Lord’s Presence was real and near; a time when you were enthusiastic in worship and service? That time was valid; and your present dryness does not negate the gains that were made for Christ when the river flowed freely. Just because you are dry does not mean you are dead. Pause for a moment and reflect upon those life-impacting encounters you have had with the Lord in the past. Let their memory be the momentum that carries you forward through this valley.

And then David looks in faith to the future when he writes, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” This future hope shows us that we go through the dry times; we are not left in them. A better day is coming; the Lord will not leave me in this dry and weary land where there is no water.

Start singing praise, O child of God; for the Lord is with you nevertheless!

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).

After 400 years of silence from Heaven, a man is sent from God with a message. His name was John, and they called him the Baptizer. His message was singular – “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” Thus does the New Testament begin.

These words were not spoken with a snarl, like we see on many tired and angry pulpit faces these days. No! John’s message was filled with hope and wonder. When he said the word repent, it was not a rebuke — but an invitation. An invitation extended from God Himself, offering His fallen and captive sons and daughters a way out of the darkness.

The word means “to change.”

It signifies the turning from one thing, and unto another. In this case, it is the turning away from the bondage of sin unto the liberty of Christ’s kingdom. Thus John says, “for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” In other words — you can turn from sin to God because His ruling authority has now over-ruled all other claims to your soul.

There is no title, nor deed, nor any papers of authorization clutched in greedy hands, that surpass the unyielding power of the Lord’s decree that you be free.

And free you are, despite all lies to the contrary. Now, you may indeed not be walking in your freedom; but that does not mean it is not yours. It just means you need to repent – that is, you need to change. You can now because the power of God is present to help you.

As Light is immeasurably greater than darkness, so is Jesus far greater than the prince of darkness. And His Kingdom is superior in every way to the kingdom of darkness. There is no law from that dark world that can now do anything but wither like a weed in the blaze of Christ’s royal ruling power.

All satanic decrees have now been overruled, and all tried cases have been overturned. The captives have been released from the dungeons of doom, and restored to their better estates. And this made the Headlines in Heaven!

Now then, what will you do today on Earth? What good turn can you make that demonstrates the present power of Christ’s rule in your heart. What stand can you take that shows openly the defeat of the devil, and the withering weakness of his wicked kingdom?

Oh, prove today to a watching world that the Kingdom of God is at hand! And your life also will make Headlines in Heaven!

“Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry…” (Matthew 12:18-19).

Is it possible that God is even now looking for that man or woman whom He may place His hand of blessing and anointing upon, raising them up in our time of need to serve as a Deliverer, a Judge, a Hero, or a King? And is it possible that it might be you?

Do you have what it takes?

Jesus shows us by His example what a chosen and anointed servant is like. First, He shall not strive, nor cry. The word strive means, “to contend, to dispute; to argue with irritating persistence.” This, Jesus never did; nor should we who seek to follow His way. He spoke the truth in love, and what He said stood on its own merits — needing no wrangled argument to attest to its authenticity.

The word cry means, “to make a clamor; to protest insistently and noisily.” You know, it’s that obnoxious and dominating style of pontificating that so often shows up in public debates. In fact, the distinction between striving and crying is the one is private, and the other public.

Striving is how one individual acts when speaking to another individual, particularly if the other disagrees with what is being said. Crying is how an individual acts when speaking to a crowd; using hype and emotion, and force of opinion, as a cover for his lack of truth and substance.

Thomas Carlyle said, “In any controversy, the moment we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth and have begun striving for ourselves.”

When God puts His Spirit upon a man or woman they will be marked with a composure that sets them apart from the standard fare of public converse and clamor. They will speak in such a manner as to educate, enlighten, engage, and empower those who listen to them.

I pray that you may be such a person — someone whom God would choose to use; in whom He is well-pleased, and upon who He would put His spirit. Someone so anchored in truth and covered with love that there is no need for striving and crying — just serving all who cross your path for the great good of man and the greater glory of God.

Yep…that’s God’s choice today.

“He stood between those who had died and those who were still alive, and the plague stopped.” (Numbers 16:48)

“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” So wrote Charles E. Weller in 1867, as a simple exercise in warming up his fingers for using a new-fangled invention called the typewriter. Little could he have known how perpetually relevant this spontaneous and unadorned sentence would be through the decades. Certainly no one can fail to see its timeliness for us today.

Some fifty years ago A. W. Tozer wrote, “In times of extraordinary crisis ordinary measures will not suffice. The world lives in such a time of crisis. Christians alone are in a position to rescue the perishing. We dare not settle down to try to live as if things were normal.”

Yet it seems as though we may have done just that. Ask any American what the numbers 9/11 mean, and the answer is immediate. It is a day that changed our world forever; a wake up call for our Nation. But what about the numbers 9/16, 23, and 30. Does anyone know the significance of those numbers? They are the three consecutive Sundays following the tragedy of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. This was the wake up call for the Church.

On the first Sunday, 9/16, America’s churches were packed with distressed and heartbroken people seeking answers and hope from a God they had grown distant towards. And by the third Sunday, 9/30, after listening intently to our songs and our sermons, they realized that for the most part there were no answers to be found. And saddest of all, instead of finding hope, they often encountered little more than hype.

I realize there are many exceptions to this, and no doubt your church is one of them. After all, there are pockets of faithfulness in our cloistered circles of contained community. But, your exemplary character and great effectiveness notwithstanding, I’m talking about the wholesale lack of impact that the Church, generally speaking, had on our staggered Nation. In America’s most vulnerable moment of hunger for the divine, citizens came and found our cupboards filled with candy, and we ourselves on a sugar high.

Sociologist Alan Wolfe traveled the country for two years after 9/11 observing several different denominations and religious services, and presented his findings in a book, The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith (Free Press). He writes, “Far from living in a world elsewhere, the faithful in the United States are remarkably like everyone else.”

I find his use of the word remarkable to be, well, remarkable. It shows how genuinely surprised he was by his findings. He fully expected Christians to be different, and was quite astounded to find us essentially just like every one else.

So there you have it. Blunt, and without anesthetic. The question now is what are we to do about this? We can yawn, roll over and go back to sleep. We can protest that his perspective is biased and liberal. We can react like the devoted Hindu who saw water from the sacred Ganges River viewed through a microscope, and smashed the microscope when it revealed the holy water teeming with disease. We can clap our hands faster, jump higher, and sing louder – trusting that the bad man will go away. Or, we can answer the call of God to a higher and nobler walk of faith – a faith that makes an obvious difference in our lives…and in our world.

If ever there was a time for we who profess faith in Christ, who are by His own pronouncement “the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a city set on a hill” – it is now.

If ever there was a time to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven, it is now. If ever there was a time to do all things without murmuring and disputing, so that we might be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, it is now.

If ever there was a time for the redeemed of the Lord to say so, it is now.

If ever there was a time to stir up the gift that is in us, no longer ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor drawing back for fear of rejection and ridicule, it is now.

If ever there was a time to hold fast the pattern of sound words, standing in the grace of Christ and enduring hardships as good soldiers, it is now. If ever there was a time to shun profane and vain babblings, and to flee youthful lusts, it is now.

If ever there was a time for diligence in presenting our case for Christ with dignity, it is now. If ever there was a time for private piety to become public virtue, it is now.

Now is the time for all good men and women, all good boys and girls, to come to the forefront of faith and show the power of Christ’s Gospel through lives marked with love and faithfulness. Will you be among those who stand up in this day when so many bow down to lesser gods? Will you show up, speak up, pray up, stay up, and step up so those in your sphere of influence can hear, see, know, understand, and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God?

SAY not the struggle naught availeth,
The labor and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.
If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e’en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.
Arthur Hugh Clough

What if it came down to you? What if it was true that your comrades, in yon smoke concealed, but for you possessed the field? What if? Would it not stir you to a heroic effort beyond your fear; to a courageous faith beyond your doubt; and to a true nobility beyond the rank and file of ordinary living? O, I pray so! For if ever there was a time when you needed to be counted – it is now.

“As for me….I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake to find myself beholding Your form and having sweet communion with You.” (Psalm 17:15, Amplified Bible).

What is it that you want — that you really, really want? What is it that, by having it, your life will be filled with joy and deep satisfaction?

We all want something — something that will satisfy us to the depths of our being. And the world displays its many fares for us to consider. For some it is money. “Yea, gimme money; that’s what I want; and if I have it I will be happy.” Others want power, or sex, or knowledge, or whatever.

As for me? All I really, really want is to walk in unbroken friendship with Jesus; to hear His voice, to see Him at work, to join with Him in what He is doing, and to rejoice at His side. A song from my childhood comes easily to mind as I ponder this today –

“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand…

“I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name…

“Than to be the king of a vast domain,
and be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
this world affords today.” (Rhea F. Miller, 1922)

How about you? What is it that you really, really want?

“that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

Most people who are reasonably acquainted with the Bible will readily recognize certain passages. Take for example Paul’s words from Romans, known and loved by all Believers alike –

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2).

This provides us with timeless access to get in on what God is doing. Here is how it works.

First, Present Yourself to God. When this happens a change will occur – your thoughts will shift from being fashioned after the world’s way of thinking and living, and your mind will be renewed. You will no longer be conformed to this world, but will become more and more the person God has intended for you to be.

Then, and only then, will you be able to PROVE for Yourself  the ever growing circle of all the amazing possibilities which are found in God’s purpose for your life. It is what Paul call “the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

Instead of merely doing what everybody else is doing, or even settling for what seems right to you – aim high. Don’t settle for anything less than the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is your better, and your better is your best.

As you examine your life today, ask these question of yourself.

Am I conforming to this world in my thoughts and actions? Is there a difference in my life between the general consensus of the popular ideas that most people embrace without a second thought?

Am I by steady diligence and faithful pursuit of God proving what is good for my life? And, am I pressing on beyond the good to find that which is acceptable? And do I have what it takes to move beyond what is acceptable until I find and live in the perfect will of God for my life?

This, my friend, is how we each can get in on what God is doing. And that is the secret of a full and richly fulfilling life. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.” Find the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God will usher you more and more into that life.

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GNB).

Solomon’s proverbial insight are as relevant today as ever before. “Be careful how you think,” he tells us, “your life is shaped by your thoughts.” In the New Testament we are told by the apostle Paul that our lives are transformed by the “renewing of our minds”(Romans 12:2). In other words, beliefs determine behavior.

If you believe the right thing — you will do the right thing. And the exact opposite is also true. If we believe a lie, we will live the lie — and our lives will fall short of the glory of God. So, be careful how you think. And, to this end, be even more careful who you choose to befriend; for we ultimately become like those with whom we most closely associate.

If you spend your time in the companyy of complainers and murmurers, critics and fault-finders, nay-sayers and dream-killers — then your life will diminish, your light grow dim, and your presence become dull around others. Spend your time in the company of faithful men and women, who walk in the Spirit and know the Word of God; who understand the Times, and who spend their lives to help others succeed — and your path will grow brighter and brighter.

We are living in historic times – times that require deep conviction and decisive courage. We must not be so absorbed with self interest that we become easily offended with what we don’t understand and, thus, make rash and stupid choices. Our thoughts must become formed by truth; our opinions must become enlarged by intelligence; our words strengthened by wisdom and grace; our behavior monitored by self-restraint; and our interaction with others marked by respect and civility.

What hangs in the balance in these days of global turmoil and uncertainty could be the very welfare of our world. “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

Think truly. Decide courageously. Act nobly. Stand firmly. Live generously. And die honorably. Your life matters now more than ever, and how you think shapes your very life. And what you choose to do with your life has lasting consequences.

“Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever, ’twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble, when we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and fortune, and ’tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses while the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied.

Though the cause of evil prosper, yet the truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong;
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.”

by James R. Lowell, 1845

“Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8)

Care to take yet another stoll with me in the Museum of Memories? The year was 1972. Belinda and I were newlyweds, and “in the ministry.” (That’s preacher-code for broke). We had managed to get into a conference being hosted in Dallas, and during the lunch break we made our way into the downtown area to find a place to eat.

The problem was that we didn’t have much money, so we had to pick and choose carefully.

I remembered a place where I had eaten some months earlier when I had been downtown. It was called Deluxe Diner’s #3. It was a shotgun style café, long and compact. There was just enough room inside for the grill, the cooks, the counter-top, and customers seated on bar stools. That left about a two foot clearance for people to come and go from behind the stools as they were done.

Once you entered the place you suddenly realized that the only reason they named it Deluxe Diner’s 3# was to make you think there were two more somewhere else.

But, they had the best hamburgers in the world, and served them on a “Mount Everest” pile of golden, greasy fries. My mouth is watering even now as I write about ‘em.

We made our way in, sat down and ordered one large double cheeseburger with fries, and two ice teas. We figured we had just enough cash to cover the cost, so we would split the burger and share the fries. You got a lot for your money there.

As we were eating, a business man sitting next to Belinda, opposite of the side I was on, started a conversation with her.

“Good burgers, huh?” he asked.

“Yes they are,” Belinda answered.

And the conversation went on like that for a bit. He said he was a business man with Sun Oil Company, and that he often ate at Deluxe Diner’s #3.

There was a moment in the conversation as I looked across from Belinda at the man, that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, “This man is going to pay for your lunch.”

After several minutes passed the man got up to leave and made his way to the cashier, saying nothing more to us except, “Have a nice day.”

I then prayed, “Lord, I know you told me this man would pay for our lunch, but what am I to do when we leave if the cashier tries to tell me he didn’t do it?”

At that moment I felt a tap on my shoulder and tunred to see the businessman. “Son, I just paid for your lunch,” he said, “so don’t let them try and pull anything over on you when you get up to leave.”

Jesus said it best – “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8)

“Called by God.” (Hebrews 5:4 KJV)

I was invited to speak at a historic church in the North East, a church that was facing a defining moment in their long history. I realized that showing up and simply preaching a sermon would not be the thing to do –  they were desperately needing a word from God, and they were fully expecting me to bring it. I could sense what the Lord was stirring me to say, and on the plane ride to my destination I took a napkin and wrote down these words.

“There is a calling on your life; a purpose that God has assigned to you. Thus, you can make a difference. However, this calling is not uncontested. To answer it one must be ready to contend for it against challenges great and plenty. The key will be in keeping your heart open and responsive to God. In the end a great work will have been wrought, and a lasting legacy endowed with the grace of God. Shudder, therefore, at the thought of saying no.”

When Sunday arrived I preached a message about answering the call of God upon our lives, and during the sermon I took out the napkin and read what I had written to the congregation. It was a dramatic moment. I could tell immediately that the Lord was speaking to many.

Perhaps He is speaking to you even now.

There is a call of God upon your life; a purpose He has for you; an assignment for which you are uniquely suited. Your life matters. You can make a difference in some way that counts. There are no inconsequential people – and certainly this is true of you. History is upon us now in its full measure, and the time has never been more certain than now for men and women to answer the call and deliver the goods.

However, you must know that there is an enemy engaged in war against your soul. The call on your life, and you answering it, pose a great threat to this enemy. Thus, he will oppose you in every way – seen and unseen; subtle and spectacular – so as to turn you from your call, deter you from your cause, and diminish your life’s effectiveness and potential. Do not cooperate with him! Fight the good fight to become the man and woman God created you to be, to fulfill the purpose for which you were born, to achieve the goal toward which you press. Submit yourself to God and He will exalt you. Resist the devil, and he will flee!

Open your heart to God and let Him fill it with His Spirit. He will give you the desire to go the distance once you decide to do so. He will honor your dedication by granting you success day by day — here a little, there a little — until at length a great work will have been achieved in you and through you for others. He will garner your determination with His supply of strength, so that no weapon formed against you will prosper, no lie spoken against you will prevail, no bandit sent to rob you will succeed, and no word or work you do will fall ineffective to the ground. You will triumph as He takes hold of your hand and secures your labors in His Name.

Even now as you read these words the Lord makes this offer to you.

“Here am I, Lord; send me!” This was how Isaiah responded. Won’t you follow his example and do the same? After all — there is a calling on your life.

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

Here the Psalmist uses poetry to show the contrast of choices that have faced people in every generation through the ages– and prevail even in our own times today.

Chariots and horses — or God.

Chariots and horses; these two images are always associated with the great empires of the past — Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman. The Psalmist uses the image of chariot and horse to symbolize “the power of the flesh.”

Simply put — he is posing a contrast of choices: trusting in yourself and others, or trusting in the Lord.

To further underscore this biblical theme Isaiah the Prophet joins his voice with the Psalmist — “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!” (Isa.31:1). And then Isaiah explains what he means — “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit.” (31:3).

Like the Psalmist, Isaiah is posing a contrast of choices — trusting in yourself and others, or trusting in the Lord. Trusting in the power of the flesh…or the power of the Spirit. What or Who are you trusting in these days?

Some trust in Government – a foolish choice indeed. “Put not your trust in princes (i.e., politicians), nor in the son of man in whom there is no help” (Psalm146:3). Surely you have learned by now how true this is!

Some trust in Gold – yet another foolish choice.  Paul wrote, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God” (1Ti 6:17). Oh, how easy it is for the wealthy to “trust in their riches” — yet at the same time, as Jesus said, “How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mar 10:24).

As for me and my house, we will trust in God. The Psalmist writes, “We will remember the name of the Lord our God.” The word remember used in this verse basically means “to mention, and to make known.” The Amplified BIble reads, “we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.”

Let the life-giving and soul-cleansing power of these verses sweep over your soul today:

“Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Psalm 2:12

“Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” Psalm 5:11 

“Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!”  Psalm 31:19 

“The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” Psalm 34:22

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Psalm 37:3