Psalm 12 for 2012

I’ve taken some time off from the blog to travel and enjoy the Christmas season.  However, with the changing of the wall calendar from 2011 (a date I could never imagine experiencing when I was a teen) to 2012, I thought it appropriate to fire up the ol’ brain cells and write another post.

During the past three calendar years, the media has tried to convince us that life in the U.S. holds very little promise of success and that our economic status has little hope of recovery. Some of those reports were exaggerated in order to gain viewers/listeners and to sell advertising.  Some reports were accurate.  I have no intention of trying to identify which were which. 

I found it humorous when in November the media suddenly began to report that the economy was “looking up.” Which incidentally was precisely 12 months prior to a major election.  Imagine that! As usual for any election year, those in power will be saying, “things are getting better because of us.” While those who want the power will be saying, “things are this bad because of them.”   What does all of this have to do with Psalm 12?  I thought you’d never ask. 

Psalm 12 while a short Psalm (it’s eight verses long) packs a lot of punch. It also fits our situation in 2012, because of a complaint, a comfort, and a confidence.  Some theologians claim it is messianic in nature prophesying the time of Christ’s birth.  Others associate it with apocalyptic  literature describing end times (see John Gill’s commentary, Introduction to Psalm 12).  Regardless of one’s view, it certainly fits where I see in our world today.

Complaint
The author begins with a complaint, very similar to the one made by Elijah (2 Ki 19:14), Micah (7:2), or by Habakkuk (1:1).  A complaint that, while somewhat exaggerated, could very easily be made by any of us today. In that complaint is a cry for help. 
Comfort
Then there is a very important part where David finds comfort in the sovereignty of God. He also takes note of God’s power but as well as His declaration to act against evil. The psalmist even points out the value and assurance of God’s words. 
Confidence
In the last two verses we read of God’s desire to be protector and provider to us. That while ungodly people may brag, and evil may appear to succeed, God will prevail according to His schedule. 

This period of time we call 2012 may be remembered many ways.  It may be an election year, a recovery year, a destruction year (according to the Mayans we have until Dec.), whatever year, but most of all it is a year for us to live what we say we believe.  During 2012, I’ll complain about things, but I’m going to bring my complaints to the one who can do something about it . . .  God!  Then I plan to take comfort in His power to address my complaints.  Finally, I will pray for a confidence that will help me to be patient and trust God’s timing in taking care of my problems. 

Happy New Year to all!                             

X-MAS SONGS

What is the deal with some of the songs that we label “Christmas Songs” or “Holiday Favorites”? I get songs like “White Christmas, Blue Christmas, Silver Bells, and even Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (colorful to say the least).  I get that people want to “Be Home for Christmas”, and we should wish each other “Feliz Navidad”, “because “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”!  Even songs like “Grandma Got Run-over by a Reindeer” and “Please Daddy Don’t Get Drunk this Christmas” make sense in a sick, weird, sort of way.

There are some songs that, when we look at the lyrics, really don’t have anything to do with Christmas!  For example a perennial favorite at Christmas is “Jingle Bells”.  It’s about snow, a horse, and a sleigh ride, (all common activities in Florida, Louisiana, and other southern states at Christmas). Nothing is said about Christmas at all (at least it’ sister song, “Jingle Bell Rock” talks about a Christmas Tree). How silly is it for people in Biloxi, MS to sing “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...” or “Winter Wonderland”, two songs clearly about weather and romance, but without any reference to Christmas.  Another example is “Frosty the Snowman,” again no mention of anything to do with Christmas (except of course snow).  My all-time favorite example of a mis-placed song at Christmas is Dean Martin crooning, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” This song is better suited for “True Love Waits” than for Christmas.

MY POINT
The temptation here is to join those who every year proclaim the lost meaning of Christmas in our society.  After all, that is not a bad point to make and it is certainly a valid observation.  I do agree with Charlie Brown that Christmas has become commercialized. Rather than climb on a “soap box” and join the bashing bandwagon. I would prefer to ask a couple of questions.

How did we ever start to associate those “non-Christmas” songs with Christmas? Why do we do the things we do, sing the songs we sing, and watch the same old shows we watch at Christmas? Why is it that people who do not attend a church service any other time of the year will attend a Christmas Eve or Christmas day service? 

I don’t object to those things, in fact, we plan our Christmas serves to target those who might only attend once or twice (the other time being Easter) a year.  My concern is that we do too many things without reflecting on why we do them.  We stop at a red light because not to stop has a high probably of causing us pain.  We shop at a particular store or purchase a particular brand name for other reasons which may or may not be so cut and dry as obeying laws. These are things people do knowing why they do them.  The great danger in life and in our relationship with God is when we do things without knowing or understanding why we do them.  More importantly, once we understand the “why” of our actions, we can better identify which actions are beneficial and which are harmful.

So, “Good Christian Men Rejoice” and everyone “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”!

YOU GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY

A couple of years ago the following article came to my attention:

Maine Fisherman Reels In Drowning Man

Hollowelle, ME (AHN) -- A man who jumped of a bridge into a frigid Maine river was rescued by a fisherman who hooked his shirt and reeled him in.
    Bob Greene, 42, told the Portland Press Herald that he was having his morning coffee and reading the paper at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when he heard a noise he thought must've been a bird. About twenty minutes later, he saw what he thought was a log floating down the Kennebec River. Soon, he realized it was actually a man and could barely hear a call of "help."
    Michael Gibbs, 25, told police he had jumped from the Cushnoc Crossing bridge in Augusta, known locally as the third bridge. While the 114-foot drop did not kill him, Gibbs did sustain injuries.
    By the time the men's paths crossed, Gibbs was faintly calling for help. Greene told reporters his first instinct was to jump in the water, but a 911 operator told him to try to throw something to Gibbs instead and pull him to shore. Since Greene was getting ready to go fishing, he used his fishing pole.
    Greene was able to hook Gibbs by the shirt, and though he said it was difficult to pull him in against the river's current, he was an experienced fisherman and maker of fishing rods, so he knew how to be ginger with the line so it wouldn't snap.

THE POINT

    What Bob Green did was meet a need.  Notice what he did not do.  He didn’t stop to question if he was qualified to help.  He didn’t wait thinking that someone else will take care of it.  Mr. Green didn’t even ask, “Do I know enough about this man to help him?” or “Do I know enough about rescue?”  He didn’t make excuses. He saw a need and acted with the tools and the talent that he had at the moment.
    Just recently I completed scuba certification as a “rescue diver.”  Part of that training involved CPR certification.  One of the things emphasized in CPR training is “doing something is always better than doing nothing.”
    The point of all of this is: GOD CALLS US TO SERVE. Sometimes it is for a moment, sometimes longer, but HE calls us to serve here and now.  No matter where a believer is in life, there is a place where he can participate in God's activities. Granted some areas require specialized training, but most areas require simply require devoted participation. 
    Not only does God direct us to serve Him by serving each other, but HE promises in the Bible that HE will provide what we need to accomplish what HE wants us to do.

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.” Exodus 3:11-12 (HCSB)

    Additionally, God promises that HE will bless us for being obedient in serving.    
“If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.
Leviticus 26:3-4 (HCSB)
    Also. . .
And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 (NIV)

    I have discovered that two types of churches exist, those who are serving God and growing and those who are serving themselves and not growing.  Churches that are growing are constantly seeking volunteers, because the need for workers is increasing exponentially with the growth. There are areas of need in every church, too many to list here, these are not things that require prayer about our level of involvement, they require participation.  Growing in Christ always involves going with Christ to serve. Get in on what God is doing, start serving. 
So, grab the fishing pole and cast out there.  Remember: WE ARE SAVED TO SERVE! 

LIVING A BIBLE DRIVEN LIFE

    The most fundamental question every person will ever wrestle with is "Why am I here?"  Unlike past generations, teens today aren’t looking for the meaning of life. Instead they’re searching for meaning in life, a purpose for living, something that makes their life worth living. For instance, in Colossians we’re told, "… for everything -- absolutely everything -- above and below, visible and invisible, everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him” (Colossians 1:16, Msg).

    The Bible teaches that God had five purposes in mind when he made each one of us. Discovering and living these purposes is the single most important thing any of us can ever do.  Teaching these five purposes to our children is foundational to truly training them in the ways of the Lord.

WE ARE CREATED BY GOD TO FULFILL FIVE PURPOSES:

Number 1: WE are planned for God’s pleasure –WORSHIP
Revelation 4:11 (NLT) says, "You, God, created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Yet, most teenagers struggle with love and acceptance. We need to build into their lives the precious knowledge that they were created as an object of God’s love. The Bible says "God IS love (1 John 4:16).” It doesn’t say "He has love,” it says "He IS love.”
In addition, teens need to know that there is absolutely nothing that can stop God from loving them.

Number 2: WE are made for reaching out to others–OUTREACH
Jesus said in John 17:18 (Msg), “[Father], in the same way you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.” Every believer needs a ministry to believers, and a mission to unbelievers.  Studies show most people who come to Christ -- at least in the United States -- come to him before they turn eighteen. Other studies show people are far more receptive to hearing the gospel from a friend than a stranger. This combination gives Christian teenagers an incredible opportunity for ministry and mission.

Number 3: WE are formed for God’s family–RELATIONSHIPS
He gave us this longing because his second purpose in creating us was for us to become a member of his family. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) teaches us, “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family.” We need to teach our teens that the Christian life is not just a matter of believing; it’s also about belonging. God didn’t create us just to be believers; we’re also made to be belongers to the family of God.

Number 4: WE are created to be like Christ–DISCIPLESHIP
He created each one of us to be like Christ, and we call that discipleship. God made us to transform us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Romans 8:29 (Msg), “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.”

Number 5: WE are shaped for saintly service–SERVICE
God created each of us to serve him, and in the church, we call that ministry. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) teaches, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Every Christian is created to serve, and that means each teen is called to ministry, created for ministry, saved for ministry, and uniquely gifted for ministry. The Bible makes it very clear that every Christian is a minister, regardless of age.

HOLIDAY ADS ASK, 'WHY BELIEVE IN A GOD'?

You better watch out. There is a new enemy in the Christmas wars.
    A couple of years ago, signs proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," were visible on Washington, D.C., buses. The American Humanist Association was sponsoring the ads that ran through the end of December. Fred Edwards, spokesman for the Humanist group, was quoted saying, "We are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds." The humanist group believes that “many people imagine that the only way to be good in this world is through belief in a god.”  Humanists use reason and the tools of science to better understand our world and the best way to live in it. Humanists understand that compassion for fellow human beings, as well as an acknowledgment of their inherent dignity and worth, must form the basis of our interactions with each other.  They offer the question, “Does religious faith offer the only lens through which to judge life’s events?”
    Several problems in our society exist as a result of a humanist philosophy. 
    The first problem is foundational to community and order within any community.  Humanists ask, “Why believe in a god?  Just be good for goodness sake.”  There is no such thing as existence without a god.  Voltaire was partially right when he said, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.”  People who refuse to worship or even acknowledge the One True GOD, always choose to worship a false god, most often themselves.  Whatever a person chooses to be their god becomes the basis for their values.  Who or what we worship, determines our view of what is right and what is wrong.  Without the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there are no absolutes, therefore each person chooses what is right or wrong based upon their own desires. 
    A second problem is exposed in the statement, “Just be good for goodness sake” (after all isn’t that why Santa Clause is coming to town?)  Why should we be concerned with goodness? If there is no god or no heaven, then why should anyone be good?  This attitude is demonstrated in society through the “just don’t get caught” philosophy of life.  The trend is to view our actions not as what is right or what is wrong, but rather by asking, “What are my chances of getting caught?”  Case in point: right now ask yourself, “When I’m driving, do I obey the speed limit because it is the law or do I disobey the speed limit because they never run radar on this road.” 
    So here are only two of the problems that result from a humanist philosophy, I assure you there are others that presently exist and more still to come. 
    There is a solution to these and other problems. As followers of Christ we can begin to share God’s love through our actions.  We can live out the promise in our lives.  It only takes 3 things:
PRAYING
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.  Luke 5:16 (NIV)
They [Christians] devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NIV)
The story is told of two church leaders discussing a major problem.  Having exhausted every possible solution, one of the leaders said to the other, “All there is left to do is to pray.”  To this the other replied, “Do you really think it is that bad? Has it finally come to that?” 
What a sad commentary on our faith when we view prayer as a “last resort” or “act of desperation” when it is instead our primary means of hearing from God.  Think of all the time wasted by praying after we exhausted all other options. Lets begin today praying first and then acting.

GIVING
" Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Malachi 3:10 (NASB)
Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"  Mark 10:28 (NIV)
And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. Luke 5:28 (NASB)
    Right now reflect on how you reacted to the word “Giving.”  There seems to be very few verbs that cause a consistently negative reaction or thought as the word give.  Why is that? And why do we almost always associate the word give with another word, money? 
    Perhaps the problem is we start with our possessions rather than starting with our own lives.  I don’t believe for a second that God needs our money or possessions.  In fact, it is the opposite!  WE NEED God to give us money and possessions.  Our society has gotten to a place where our possessions possess us!  Instead of giving our lives over to God, we have given our lives over to our stuff. 
    Tithing involves more than stuff, it also involves our thoughts, energy, talents, skills, words, in short, everything we think, say, and do.  We commit our whole lives to following Jesus’ example and then giving a tithe of what God already has becomes easy.  Instead of giving 10%, God gives to me 90%!

SERVING
For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. Galatians 5:13 (HCSB)
Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. 1 Peter 4:9-10 (HCSB) 
    Our world, in particular the United States, has lost something of great value.  We have lost the concern for others.  We are slowly losing the desire to serve without thought of compensation.  Evidence of this can be found in shows like “Survivor” where the hero, the winner, is the person who is the most “cut-throat” or ruthless.  There seems to be a growing trend in professional sports where the needs (or wants) of the player is greater than those of the team.  A good example is the epidemic of selfish acts on the football field and basketball court.
    Serving is not one of the hardest things God tells us to do, rather, it is perhaps one of the easiest areas for us to become obedient. Yes, serving might mean going to the farthest reaches of the earth and live under a bush eating bugs. More often it means being kind to the cashier as we check out or helping a neighbor. God tells us to serve one another because we need one another to get along in this world.

A WORD ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP...

    Life is about change, everything changes. There are two ways things change, they either grow or they diminish, some things change quickly, while some others extremely slow. Some changes are for the better (even if they don’t appear that way at first), while other changes are for the worse.

    The change that God values and supports, begins inwardly and then manifests itself in improved “spiritual” behavior and life style.  Since Jesus is the author of faith (He 12:1-2) it requires focusing on his life, imitating his behavior, and evaluating our own motives.  Religion, on the other hand, demands that we change our behavior in hopes that it will spur, instill, or implement inward transformation, which almost never happens.

    The following is excerpted from Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard:

VIM is derivative of the Latin term “vis” meaning direction, strength, force, vigor, power, energy, or virtue:  . . . If we are to be spiritually formed in Christ, we must have and must implement the appropriate V-vision, I-intension, and M-means. 

        And Here in a nutshell is the explanation of the widespread failure ot attain Christian maturity among both leaders and followers . . .  That is why today you find many professing Christians circling back to non-Christian sources to resolve the problems of their inner life.

        Instead of inward transformation, some outward form of religion–often today even called “a spirituality”– is taken or imposed as the goal of practical endeavor.  What is then important is to be a “good _____” (you can fill in the blank). . . . The individual even enforces it upon himself or herself as what is “obviously” right. But, whatever the details, authentic inward transformation into Christlikeness is omitted.  It is not envisioned, intended, or achieved. (pp 85-86)