Virtual Vitamins

Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

Verses 5-6 have been central to me personally for many years, and verses 11-12 are central to the whole idea of discipleship training, but this verse stand out to me this morning, especially because of how it is violated by so many. The current US administration seems to be a case study in this, with presidential arrogance – I’m smarter than you, so your opinion doesn’t count – and active courting and supporting of things that are clearly spoken of as evil in the Bible and considered evil by a majority of Americans. Just keeping up with the news can be enough to put a Christian in depression! However, that reaction too is a violation of this verse, because it supposes that the way we see things is how they really are, and it forgets that God is still God. God has used other actively evil governments to advance His purposes! Actually, the “wise in your own eyes” description applies to a large majority of politicians in any country. The only real course for a Bible-believing citizen is to pray the Lord’s Prayer in all earnestness and sincerity, and follow that up with specific prayer for individual leaders. That done, we need to relax and trust God!

I have certainly been tied in knots over political news more times than I care to think about, because that shows I’m not really trusting God. It is heart breaking to see the things that are being done to the American nation, but at the same time I am seeing that events are causing a great polarization, with those on the side of Biblical values waking up and standing up, and that is highly desirable. In Japan too, echoes of persecution for religious conviction are starting, and some people are waking up. I need to trust God and rejoice, regardless of what things look like in the short term. I have neither wisdom nor knowledge, but I know my God, and that should be enough.

Father, I’ve wasted a lot of emotional energy, over the past couple of years in particular, over things happening in the national and international arenas. Forgive my little faith. Help me personally to fear You and shun evil, not thinking I have the answers but resting in the assurance that You not only have the answers, You are the answer. Thank You. Praise God!

Psalm 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

We tend to forget that training involves repeated action that is increasingly like the real thing. This verse brings to mind my army training, which wasn’t necessarily enjoyable and was often exhausting! David knew that each thing God took him through prepared him for the next thing he would have to face. Life on this earth, though often delightful and certainly filled with blessings, is nonetheless a battle, and continues to be so until we reach heaven. God sees to it that the pressure isn’t constant, but He also sees to it that necessary lessons are repeated until we have learned them well. We don’t really like that! He was in all probability speaking metaphorically, but in Psalm 18:34 David said that his training had been so thorough that he could use a bronze bow. I’ve done archery, but I don’t think I could pull that off! It’s interesting that here, he speaks not only of arms but of fingers. Raw muscle isn’t the only thing that’s important! We need skill, finesse, to be able to handle situations well and come through victorious. God knows exactly what we need, and provides training to give it to us. We would like it to be instant, but that’s simply not the way it works.

I’ve certainly learned this lesson by experience, but even so I sometimes long to be zapped with abilities rather than having to be trained in them. I have ongoing areas of weakness, such as my tendency toward clutter and my failure to plan ahead, which I recognize are related problems. My improvement in those areas may be slow, but it is real, and God is incredibly patient with me. I don’t know what battles lie ahead, so I need to be faithful in the battle of the moment, knowing that it’s training to strengthen and prepare me for future victory. As a pastor, I need to communicate this gently to the believers, not belittling them for their struggles but encouraging them that God will bring them through and they’ll be stronger for it. When I have been through a similar struggle, I must not talk down to anyone, but rather assure them that God’s grace is sufficient.

Father, thank You for Your gracious, loving, training program. Help me not gripe about it, and help me encourage the believers to see it for the blessing that it is. It is so clear to me what training You are giving some individuals, but sometimes that isn’t so clear when I look at myself. Help me trust You at all times and lead others to do the same, so that Your will may be done in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

We have to be taught how to do God’s will, because our rebellious human nature has no idea how to do it. I’m reminded of the Japanese pastor who was standing with me in the church kindergarten years ago who said, “If you don’t believe in original sin, just watch these children with me for five minutes!” For us to learn to do God’s will, however, our commitment to Him must be clear and strong. David is here reaffirming that commitment, that Yahweh is his God. In the West we don’t have much grasp of polytheism, but Japanese Shinto and Buddhism are both clearly polytheistic, to the point that a TV program went around asking temple worshipers if they knew what god was celebrated at that temple, and most of them had no idea! Formal religion aside, many people today worship human intellect, or even technology, or any of a number of other things. If we are going to do the will of the Creator, we need to have a clear fix on who He is, and get it straight in our hearts and minds that He isn’t just God, He’s our God. For that, though, we also need some grasp of His character, and David demonstrates that here as well, speaking of God’s Spirit as “deeply compassionate and gracious.” (The Japanese may be going a little far in expressing it that way, but the NIV is surely too terse in just saying “good.”) To really do God’s will, we need to trust that His way is best, even if it is difficult in the short term. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He spoke of the broad and narrow ways. (Matthew 7:13-14)

I was thankfully taught from infancy that God’s way is best, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always sought to follow it. There are a lot of things I “know” that I don’t always “do!” God, with great patience and persistence, continues to provide lessons to teach me, but sometimes I receive them and sometimes I don’t. My biggest issue is follow through, which tells me I need to be patient and compassionate with others who have the same problem.

Father, I got really disgusted with myself yesterday when I realized how many things I have let slide. That’s all too common! Help me learn what You are teaching me so that I will be faithful and dependable, Your disciple indeed, to take care of the details while drawing many to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Psalm 119:151 Yet you are near, O LORD,
and all your commands are true.

God being near is never a matter of physical distance, because such distance is meaningless to an infinite God. However, we are all aware of what this verse is talking about, because psychological distance is very real indeed. When God seems distant, the first thing to do is ask why, and if any personal responsibility comes to mind, repent immediately. However, sometimes God seems to draw back from us for a period, to allow us to grow in trust so that we won’t be squalling babies, always wanting to be the center of attention. Once we have a level of maturity, we discover that God is near indeed. That can and should be a powerful motivator to discipleship. When we walk in submitted obedience to Him, then fellowship with Him is our privilege and joy. However, that also requires trusting Him, and that is often a snare. If we don’t fully trust that He is going to follow through with everything in His Word, then we won’t have the fellowship, the sense of nearness, that is so comforting and joyful. The fact of the matter is, trust is an essential. As Hebrews 11 points out, those who trust God don’t always see in this life everything they are trusting God for. That’s where push comes to shove, and we have to decide whether we are really committed. When the commitment is there, then the journey is worth it, and the eternal rewards are incalculable.

This is an issue for every believer, and I’m certainly no exception. I feel that I have made some progress, particularly recently, but I still have a long way to go. Intimacy with God has long been a major goal of mine, at least in my thinking, but you might not know it from how I have lived! I need to keep growing in awareness of His presence, not allowing things to distract me from Him so badly. That’s not to say that I’m to be doing religious things 24/7, but it is to say that my heart is to be open to God 24/7. Psychological/spiritual distance from God is entirely a matter of my attitude and obedience. I’ve got to remember that, and strive to keep God as my top priority at all times.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Often it’s the little irritations that distract me from You the worst. Help me trust those to You as well, giving the devil no foothold. The fax from the prefectural office yesterday is a case in point. Bureaucracy is often irritating! Keep me from letting things like that cause me to deny Your sovereignty, even for a moment. Help me trust You enough to rest, relax, and rejoice at all times, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.

The imagery here is very clear and simple: a dark room, and a door opens, light shines in, and suddenly those in the room can see and understand where and what things are. It is a very apt image indeed, as the Bible has much to say about God dwelling in light, and Jesus and those who follow Him being light in the world. The NIV loses that when it translates this verse as “The unfolding of your word brings light.” The writer of this Psalm didn’t know about Jesus as the Light of the Word, much less His followers fulfilling that function, but he loved the Word of God, and that is his focus. That’s a good thing for us to remember today, because our words are light only to the degree that they reflect God’s Word. All true light, as well as all power and authority, stem from Him, and we operate in those to the degree that we are submitted, obedient, and available to Him. As this verse says, God’s Word helps us understand what things are and their relationship to one another, giving us an accurate value system as well as wisdom in our daily activities. It is when we recognize that we are among the “simple” that we wake up to our need for the Word to give us understanding. Those who don’t know Christ don’t know that they are simple!

I keep coming back to the breakthrough it was for me to realize that God’s smart and I’m not, regardless of my IQ or book knowledge. However, I’m still tempted to think I know and understand things on my own, and that’s a trap. I need to let God’s Word fill me indeed, because it’s only by the Word, spoken by the Holy Spirit to my soul, that I have any genuine wisdom and understanding. At the same time, I’m to rest in the assurance that as I trust God and press into Him, He will indeed give me all the wisdom I need. (James 1:5) As a pastor and disciple-maker, I need to teach others to have the same reliance on God and His Word. Few that I deal with have the background in the Bible that I do, but I must not be proud or superior in teaching them, because that immediately removes me from the realm of wisdom. I must remember that everything I have was given by grace, and extend that same grace to others.

Father, help me walk in the light of Your Word so that I may indeed have fellowship with You and with my brothers and sisters in Christ. (1 John 1:7) Help me be an open, effective conduit of Your light to all those I encounter. I pray that You would give them ears to hear Your Word, hearts to receive Your light, so that they may be brought from the dominion of darkness into Your kingdom of light, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Psalm 119:98-100 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.

At first glance this passage seems quite conceited, but it contains some important truths. A genuine disciple is certainly going to be smarter than his enemies, because his enemies are going to be those who are in rebellion against God. A disciple is going to know that God’s commands are eternal, and therefore more important than anything temporal. A true disciple of Christ will learn from many people, but will have more understanding than they do because he is thinking God’s thoughts, lining his mind up with the Bible. And of course, a true disciple will have more discernment than any non-believer of any age, not from knowing the Bible but from obeying it. That last point is of vital importance, because we are so prone to equate head knowledge with wisdom, when they are very different things. Many intelligent, learned people have proved they have no real discernment by their rejection of God. Their problem stems from a refusal to acknowledge their responsibility to their Creator, and that rebellion makes them children of the devil. There is no wisdom there!

I have been guilty of conceit numerous times, but I haven’t been accused of it so much when it was real as I have been when I was simply trying to share the reality of Christ and the requirements of a Holy God. An assurance of salvation often comes across as conceit to those who don’t have it. That’s why it’s very important to come across as one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. I sometimes have trouble with that! A major problem for me is remembering that the people I’m talking to have no framework for grasping things that seem very simple to me. That’s not their fault, because they weren’t raised in a home steeped in Scripture like I was. I must continually seek the help of the Holy Spirit in communicating God’s glorious truth, because otherwise it will be like rain on a tin roof, making noise but not sinking in.

Father, thank You for that last image You just gave me. Help me have patience with my hearers, just as You have had with me. I pray that my words may be light and life, and not condemnation and confusion. Keep me from preaching down to people, even in their perception, and much less in reality. May I be generous with what You have given to me, raising up generations of disciples who love Your Word, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Psalm 119:67-68 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.

Psalm 119 is the work of a committed disciple from start to finish, so every verse, really, can teach us something about how to be such a disciple. These two verses, taken as a pair, remind us of a truth that has come out already in the series. This is the truth expressed most fully in Hebrews 12, that the difficulties we face are expressions of God’s love for us as our heavenly Father. Here, the psalmist is recognizing the good outcome of the suffering he has experienced. He comments on that, recognizing that everything God does is an expression of His character, which is to say, love. In response, he asks God to teach him how to live. That certainly sounds like a wise disciple to me!

I haven’t always expressed this degree of wisdom in responding to the things I’ve experienced! I have certainly done my share of grum­bling and complaining, failing to move forward because of griping about how things were. God has made it very clear to me that He’s not happy with much of what goes on in the world, but I know that every bit of it that is released to Him will be turned around and used for good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) I need to apply that knowledge day by day and moment by moment, not wasting physical and emotional energy on resentment and complaining, but renewing my soul and spirit by thanking and praising God. That’s not to say I’m to be a doormat, never seeking to change my circumstances, because the Bible is very clear that God wants to use us to bring His kingdom to this world, and that means active obedience. However, I am not to waste time and energy bemoaning anything. Rather, what­ever happens, I am to seek God’s will in it, and offer myself as His instrument to do whatever He desires to do.

Father, I feel I’ve made progress in this area, but You know even better than I do how far I have yet to go. Thank You for all You allowed me to do and experience yesterday. Thank You for all You have in the day today. Help me apply Your truth moment by moment, so that I will flow in the abundant grace and provision that You intend for me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws.

Discipleship is always a choice. We either choose truth, or we choose a lie. God is true, and His Word is truth. The devil is a liar and and father of lies. (John 8:44) Choosing to follow God means choosing the truth, always and consistently. Society mitigates very strongly against that. A TV program just last night was talking about the percentage of statements in given relationships that are false. Lying was portrayed as undesirable, generally speaking, but at the same time a young girl in the studio was praised for saying that she sometimes lied to keep from hurting someone’s feelings. The problem is, that is a slippery slope. If lies are justified in this situation, then why not this other one? Total honesty requires courage, as well as faith and trust in God. We lie to cover things up, forgetting that God sees everything. The psalmist speaks of placing God’s judgments before him. That means always being aware that God is the judge, and that all we say, do, and are is open before Him. Such awareness is a powerful motivator toward honesty! However, choosing God’s truth isn’t just a matter of personal honesty, it is a matter of believing what God has said. Some people would like God to speak to them, but they steadfastly refuse to believe what He has already said! God’s truth is ultimately very good news, but part of it is that we are sinners in need of repentance and salvation. If we don’t accept and act on that, we don’t receive the benefits of all the rest of it. It’s still true, but it becomes judgment for us instead of blessing. Choosing God’s truth can certainly bring some short-term pain, but choosing a lie brings long-term destruction.

I have the extreme blessing of having been raised in a family where absolute honesty was a foundational principle, and love of God’s truth was practiced and taught. However, few people around me have had such an advantage. I was talking recently with a woman who was saying what a great blessing it was to have married into such a family. They do exist, and God wants more of them, but they are still rare. As a pastor, one of my goals is to increase the number of such families. That has to start with instilling a love for truth, and specifically God’s truth, in individual believers. When that is established, the homes they build will be established on truth, and they will stand whatever the storms, as Jesus said. (Matthew 7:24-27) That’s one reason the devil hates families in general and Christian families in particular. I need to be fully available to God in bolstering strong Christian families, built on God’s truth.

Father, thank You again for Your amazing grace toward me. Help me be an open channel of that grace to all around me, inviting them into the blessings of Your truth, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Psalm 119:5, 11 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

In verse 5 the psalmist is desiring to be true to God’s laws, and in verse 11 he is expressing what he has done about it. He’s a smart disciple! However, simply memorizing Scripture isn’t exactly the same as storing it up in your heart. That requires thinking about it, turning it over in your mind and heart, examining its implications and creating links between the Word and who you are. That’s why Bible study is a life-long project. As long as we approach the Word with open, hungry hearts, God will continue to reveal more and more of it to us, and we will be strengthened, encouraged, corrected, and otherwise blessed. Some personalities are more into studying the Bible, while others are better at applying however much of it they know. We need both sides of that! As saints through the ages have discovered, regular daily devotions are one of the best tools for that. That’s not to say that we are to be slaves to a particular pattern, but it is to say that regularly taking the word in, considering it, and responding to it, is essential for the spiritual health of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I certainly have a strong habit of daily devotions, but that’s not to say I meditate on the Word sufficiently through each day. I need to let the Holy Spirit bring it to mind more, savoring it for the rich feast that it is. As a pastor, I desire to cultivate that attitude in the believers so that they too may enjoy the riches of the Word. Some of them are already there, but many are not. I am not to come across as a task master standing over them with a whip, but I am to be persistent and loving in encouraging them to be all they can be as disciples of Christ. Yesterday’s message through Brother Piro was a good example of what they can expect, because he gave new insight to a familiar passage, turning it around from an obligation to a release. I know it was a confirmation for me. Whether it was confirmation or fresh insight, I’m sure it blessed many.

Father, I can’t force anyone to be a disciple. I’m all too aware of my own on-again, off-again commitment. Help me be fully consistent so that I may encourage the believers to do likewise. May we together drink in Your word, feast on it and let it dwell in us richly, (Colossians 3:16), so that we may be strong against every temptation and fully available and useful to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the man you teach from your law.

This verse is a Biblical truth that many people don’t want to accept. Like little children, there is so much we don’t know and need to know, but we don’t want anyone to impose their will on us. Proverbs has a great deal to say about the benefits and blessings of wisdom, which most people would agree with, but it points out that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. (Proverbs 1:7, etc.) That is where many intelligent people refuse to be wise! The stupidity of hubris in the face of Almighty God is something they don’t want to acknowledge. That’s why the Bible also has a great deal to say about how God blesses the humble but deals harshly with the proud. As this verse says, it is a blessed thing indeed when someone acknowledges their need of instruction from God and submits to His discipline, becoming a disciple indeed. There is literally no end to the benefits of such a commitment, because they are eternal.

I was raised in a home where this was believed and taught, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my times of stubborn rebellion and hubris – or that I still don’t. I am deeply aware of the necessity of the cross of Jesus Christ to atone for my sins, and that is perhaps the greatest blessing of all. Without that awareness, I would be totally powerless against the temptations and onslaughts that come against us all. As I deal with those around me it must always be on the basis of that awareness, so that I may speak the truth in love so as to lift people up, rather than beating them down in any way. Sometimes it takes a sharp word to cut the ropes that bind people, or even perform surgery to remove deadly tumors, but as my father said to me years ago, I must be very careful that my words are in no way infected with pride, jealousy, or any such thing. As I seek to lead others in discipleship, I must keep watch to see to it that I myself am indeed a disciple of Jesus Christ, reflecting Him in all I say, do, and am.

Father, thank You again for Your grace. Thank You for Your generosity in teaching me, though I am slow to learn. Help me likewise be unstinting as I offer myself as Your instrument to teach others, not condemning them when they are slow to learn but remembering my own slowness, so that together we may become the disciples, the children, that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!