Great are Your mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your ordinances. ~ Psalm 119:156 (NASB)
This Thanksgiving Season I am filled with gratitude to God for his abundant mercies in my life. Recently I was reading the writings of Puritan pastor George Swinnock (1627 –November 10, 1673). Though he was really writing on the value of Christian meditation, I thought these words he shared were also instructive to us on how to stir up a spirit of thanks-giving. He wrote:
Mediate upon His mercies to you from birth. Look at the dangers you have been delivered from, the journeys you have been protected in, the seasonable help He has sent you, the suitable support He has afforded you in distress, the counsel He has given you in doubts, and the comforts He has provided you in sorrow and darkness. They are present with you by [thanksgiving]. Do not forget the former favours bestowed on you and your family. Then meditate upon present mercies. How many do you enjoy—your house, family, body, and soul are all full of blessings! Think of them particularly. Spread them out like jewels to your view. Mediate on how freely they are bestowed, on their fullness and greatness. O, your soul’s mercies—the image of God, the blood of Christ, eternal life, and season of grace! Your whole life is a bundle of mercies. These stir us up to bless the GIVER.
I pray that this Thanksgiving you will take time to spread the jewels of his mercy to you out for all your family to behold. Though your year may have been hard, once you honestly reflect upon his blessings as Swinnock instructs I imagine you will see there remains a bundle of mercies for which you also may give thanks. May such reflective thanks center you upon the Lord Christ that you may find warm-hearted joy in Him.
Marveling at His mercies!
Pastor Scott
Happy Thanksgiving from my family and our Church Staff to you!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Generation to Generation Praise
“One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4
As I read Psalm 145:4 I get excited because I realize God has populated our church in such a way that we can do as the verse instructs. Frankly, some churches can not. You may know of churches that are largely of one generation, either only older folks or only filled with young adults. I am sure God is doing great things among them too, but it is sure a joy to be a part of a multi-generational church where one generation can commend the Lord to the next. There is something beautiful about the dynamics of Psalm 145:4 taking place in a local church setting. I guess it helps me see that our church is truly functioning in a biblical way. As a pastor, that is always my heart’s desire.
Last night (Wednesday 6 pm) I led a study of Psalm 145 at our church that was simply delightful to me. What a wondrous Psalm that praises God for what he has done and who He is. David uses multiple adjectives to describe the works of God that were filling him with praise. Then, on the heels of my recent message series on the attributes of God (hear them at www.fbclw.com “BIG GOD, little me”), it was exciting to hear those present cite the attributes of God stated plainly in this psalm. We also noted that this incredible song of praise begins with David saying “I will exalt you, my God the King” (145:1) and ends with David saying “Let every creature (lit. all flesh) praise His holy name forever and ever.” Yes, praise is not merely to be an individual exercise of faith but we are to urge all creation to join in the mighty chorus of praise to our great God. Verses 11-12 emphasize that we who know God are to tell others of God’s glorious kingdom and “speak of his might so that all men may know” of the wondrous works of God and of His kingdom. Do you hear the missional emphasis in that? It is unmistakable! Thus, our worship is intended to draw others to know and praise the Lord with us. Consequently, worship can and should be a means of witness.
Among those to be influenced by our praise of God and his wondrous works are the succeeding generations. Psalm 145:4 (cited above) makes this very plain. I think that holidays like our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday become an ideal occasion for the older generations to tell their children and grandchildren of God’s mighty acts. Is it too idealistic to envision a grandfather sitting on a sofa with a grandchild or two around him as he tells stories of God’s goodness to him in bygone years? Is it far-fetched to envision grandmothers around the dinner table telling all present of how God answered various prayers throughout her lifetime? Perhaps I am nostalgic or too influenced by Norman Rockwell. But I think that would be one clear way to obey Psalm 145:4 this Thanksgiving.
This Sunday (11/21/10) at First Baptist Church we will give our services over to this kind of generation to generation praise and thanks to God. During our Sunday morning service you will hear from various church members tell of incredible things God did in their lives this year. You will hear of the transforming work of God’s Spirit within those who walk in obedience to Jesus as Lord. We will celebrate the goodness of God through the testimonies of church members in our morning worship service and then Sunday night after our church family dinner we will have “open microphones” for anyone to share their own testimony of praise and thanks to God with all present. So join us this weekend at First Baptist Church, Lake Wales as we flesh out Psalm 145:4 and give testimony to the greatness and goodness of God in our lives. Then, may your homes be filled with praise to our Lord and King, from generation to generation this Thanksgiving and always.
Praising & thanking our Lord with you,
Pastor Scott
they will tell of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4
As I read Psalm 145:4 I get excited because I realize God has populated our church in such a way that we can do as the verse instructs. Frankly, some churches can not. You may know of churches that are largely of one generation, either only older folks or only filled with young adults. I am sure God is doing great things among them too, but it is sure a joy to be a part of a multi-generational church where one generation can commend the Lord to the next. There is something beautiful about the dynamics of Psalm 145:4 taking place in a local church setting. I guess it helps me see that our church is truly functioning in a biblical way. As a pastor, that is always my heart’s desire.
Last night (Wednesday 6 pm) I led a study of Psalm 145 at our church that was simply delightful to me. What a wondrous Psalm that praises God for what he has done and who He is. David uses multiple adjectives to describe the works of God that were filling him with praise. Then, on the heels of my recent message series on the attributes of God (hear them at www.fbclw.com “BIG GOD, little me”), it was exciting to hear those present cite the attributes of God stated plainly in this psalm. We also noted that this incredible song of praise begins with David saying “I will exalt you, my God the King” (145:1) and ends with David saying “Let every creature (lit. all flesh) praise His holy name forever and ever.” Yes, praise is not merely to be an individual exercise of faith but we are to urge all creation to join in the mighty chorus of praise to our great God. Verses 11-12 emphasize that we who know God are to tell others of God’s glorious kingdom and “speak of his might so that all men may know” of the wondrous works of God and of His kingdom. Do you hear the missional emphasis in that? It is unmistakable! Thus, our worship is intended to draw others to know and praise the Lord with us. Consequently, worship can and should be a means of witness.
Among those to be influenced by our praise of God and his wondrous works are the succeeding generations. Psalm 145:4 (cited above) makes this very plain. I think that holidays like our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday become an ideal occasion for the older generations to tell their children and grandchildren of God’s mighty acts. Is it too idealistic to envision a grandfather sitting on a sofa with a grandchild or two around him as he tells stories of God’s goodness to him in bygone years? Is it far-fetched to envision grandmothers around the dinner table telling all present of how God answered various prayers throughout her lifetime? Perhaps I am nostalgic or too influenced by Norman Rockwell. But I think that would be one clear way to obey Psalm 145:4 this Thanksgiving.
This Sunday (11/21/10) at First Baptist Church we will give our services over to this kind of generation to generation praise and thanks to God. During our Sunday morning service you will hear from various church members tell of incredible things God did in their lives this year. You will hear of the transforming work of God’s Spirit within those who walk in obedience to Jesus as Lord. We will celebrate the goodness of God through the testimonies of church members in our morning worship service and then Sunday night after our church family dinner we will have “open microphones” for anyone to share their own testimony of praise and thanks to God with all present. So join us this weekend at First Baptist Church, Lake Wales as we flesh out Psalm 145:4 and give testimony to the greatness and goodness of God in our lives. Then, may your homes be filled with praise to our Lord and King, from generation to generation this Thanksgiving and always.
Praising & thanking our Lord with you,
Pastor Scott
Friday, November 12, 2010
Numbering Our Days
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” ~ Psalm 90:12
Having had two dear friends die in the past couple weeks and a third receive the news he was to “get his house in order” has made me think about the brevity of life lately. After all, one of these men was 45 years old and the other 50 years old and my age is squarely in the middle of theirs. The verse that has been on my mind is Psalm 90:12, written above.
As you may know Psalm 90 expresses both the eternality of God (90:2) and the mortality of man (5-6). When referring to the span of a person’s life in verse 10 Moses writes “they quickly pass, and we fly away.” The longer I live the more I agree with that!
Therefore, verse 12 is so crucial to mediate on and live by. I will share my meditations on it here. First, we are instructed by the Lord to number our days. We are each allotted a given number of days on the earth. Some get more and some less. Some are past already and some are ahead. God alone knows the number of days before and behind us. Ironically, though we cannot know their number Psalm 90:12 tells us to number them aright. How can we? Sure, we cannot. But the Lord is telling us to not overestimate how many there are. Do not live as if we will be on earth forever. Recognize our days are ticking away and then we will be accountable to Him. What is the first phrase saying about our days then? It does not mean to count them out, but to make them count.
Why are we to number our days aright according to Psalm 90:12? The last half of the verse says so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. A heart of wisdom? I realize most in American culture think of the heart figuratively as the seat of emotions, yet in Hebraic thought the heart meant much more. The heart was seen as the center of a person. Given that reality this divinely-given text is calling us to have wisdom in our inner being. So here is what that means to me.
· Wisdom should guide my affections, attitudes and decisions. Wisdom should guide my feelings, my thinking my acting. There is no time to waste on ungodly loves, unhealthy feelings, or unholy attitudes.
· Wisdom in my heart would also affect the priorities, values, and goals of my life.
· Wisdom should dictate my use of resources and the relationships I pursue. If I have numbered days how foolish it is to let my relationships be fractured by unforgiveness or unspoken love. In such situations wisdom would urge immediate and continual reconciliation with all. I should freely and intently love others in God-pleasing ways. I should treasure my daily experiences with family and friends.
· Wisdom in my heart would also drive me to a closer relationship to God. If I recognize that very soon I will be with the Lord I should seek to cultivate a relationship with him. Wisdom, as written of in the Old Testament, always began with a reverence of God (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10; 11:2). So my relationship with him must begin there as I recognize that the Lord will soon be my judge (Hebrews 9:27). Yet it should also lead to an intimacy since after judgment as a true believer in Jesus I will share joyous eternity with Him.
· Wisdom means I use all the days I have left well before God and others. This means living within God’s will and boldly giving witness to him before a world full of temporal people just like me. Each day I must live with an active awareness of God being with me and directing me to use my moments as He intends. Numbering my days aright means there is no time to squander on trivialities. A heart of wisdom would tell me all activities must be filtered by the reality that my time on earth is running out day by day.
These have been challenging thoughts for me. I have been re-evaluating these various areas of my life this week. I hope as you personally meditate on Psalm 90:12 God will guide you also toward a wiser heart. For Psalm 90 is plain: Life is brief. Eternity is forever. So we must wisely choose how we will live each day before the Lord eternal.
Seeking a wise heart!
Pastor Scott
Having had two dear friends die in the past couple weeks and a third receive the news he was to “get his house in order” has made me think about the brevity of life lately. After all, one of these men was 45 years old and the other 50 years old and my age is squarely in the middle of theirs. The verse that has been on my mind is Psalm 90:12, written above.
As you may know Psalm 90 expresses both the eternality of God (90:2) and the mortality of man (5-6). When referring to the span of a person’s life in verse 10 Moses writes “they quickly pass, and we fly away.” The longer I live the more I agree with that!
Therefore, verse 12 is so crucial to mediate on and live by. I will share my meditations on it here. First, we are instructed by the Lord to number our days. We are each allotted a given number of days on the earth. Some get more and some less. Some are past already and some are ahead. God alone knows the number of days before and behind us. Ironically, though we cannot know their number Psalm 90:12 tells us to number them aright. How can we? Sure, we cannot. But the Lord is telling us to not overestimate how many there are. Do not live as if we will be on earth forever. Recognize our days are ticking away and then we will be accountable to Him. What is the first phrase saying about our days then? It does not mean to count them out, but to make them count.
Why are we to number our days aright according to Psalm 90:12? The last half of the verse says so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. A heart of wisdom? I realize most in American culture think of the heart figuratively as the seat of emotions, yet in Hebraic thought the heart meant much more. The heart was seen as the center of a person. Given that reality this divinely-given text is calling us to have wisdom in our inner being. So here is what that means to me.
· Wisdom should guide my affections, attitudes and decisions. Wisdom should guide my feelings, my thinking my acting. There is no time to waste on ungodly loves, unhealthy feelings, or unholy attitudes.
· Wisdom in my heart would also affect the priorities, values, and goals of my life.
· Wisdom should dictate my use of resources and the relationships I pursue. If I have numbered days how foolish it is to let my relationships be fractured by unforgiveness or unspoken love. In such situations wisdom would urge immediate and continual reconciliation with all. I should freely and intently love others in God-pleasing ways. I should treasure my daily experiences with family and friends.
· Wisdom in my heart would also drive me to a closer relationship to God. If I recognize that very soon I will be with the Lord I should seek to cultivate a relationship with him. Wisdom, as written of in the Old Testament, always began with a reverence of God (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10; 11:2). So my relationship with him must begin there as I recognize that the Lord will soon be my judge (Hebrews 9:27). Yet it should also lead to an intimacy since after judgment as a true believer in Jesus I will share joyous eternity with Him.
· Wisdom means I use all the days I have left well before God and others. This means living within God’s will and boldly giving witness to him before a world full of temporal people just like me. Each day I must live with an active awareness of God being with me and directing me to use my moments as He intends. Numbering my days aright means there is no time to squander on trivialities. A heart of wisdom would tell me all activities must be filtered by the reality that my time on earth is running out day by day.
These have been challenging thoughts for me. I have been re-evaluating these various areas of my life this week. I hope as you personally meditate on Psalm 90:12 God will guide you also toward a wiser heart. For Psalm 90 is plain: Life is brief. Eternity is forever. So we must wisely choose how we will live each day before the Lord eternal.
Seeking a wise heart!
Pastor Scott
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