Changing Direction: You Can Have Your Own Gilgal!

"The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.""

-- Joshua 5:9a

Are you a radically committed believer in Christ? Do you love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength? Are you living your life as an obedient servant of the Most High God? Are any of these really possible? This week's series of blog entries will look to an answer to this last question.

Some Christians have failed so consistently in their walk with God that they no longer believe consistent obedience to Christ is even possible! Seriously! I have talked to some who simply do not believe they can have freedom from sin and a consistent passion for Christ. If you are one of these people, living life in mediocre or lukewarm commitment to Christ, there is good news for you; you do not have to remain where you are! The Word of God says real change is possible!

When Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan into Canaan (Joshua 4-5) he and the people experienced a genuine "turning point" in their relationship with God. The people of Israel had wandered in the desert while the older, faithless generation among them (those of military age when the people did not believe God would give them the land of Canaan) died off. During this period of wandering, the children born to the Israelites were not circumcised; the Israelites were suffering from a severe case of lukewarm/cold faith in God and disobedient as a result. So at a place called Gibeath Haaraloth Joshua led the Israelites to be circumcised and rededicate themselves to God. After this step of obedience and recommitment the place at which they performed the circumcisions was called "Gilgal" or "place of rolling." The land was called Gilgal because after their recommitment, God told Joshua He had "rolled away" the reproach of Egypt from the Israelites. God had removed the stain of sin and unbelief from the Israelites when they renewed commitment to Him.

If you see yourself as less than a "10" in your walk with God why not make today a "Gilgal" in your own life? Why not choose to believe God can roll away the taint and damage sin has caused in your life? Your past failure does not negate God's power and ability to change your life. Turn your life over to Christ and watch what He can do in and through you today! Your part in this process is to actually believe and trust God can and will do what He says He can and desires to do! If you don't take God at His Word you will never see His "rolling action" in your life! He desires to roll away sin and the stain it has caused on your life...and He really can do it!

God is in the business of changing lives and He desires to do for you what He did for Joshua and the Israelites thousands of years ago. Real change is possible for our God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Believe it!

Pastor James

It's More Than Who You Know...Who Knows You?

"Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish." -- Psalm 1:5-6

I am thankful to be counted among the righteous of God. I don't consider myself righteous because of my merit or good morals but because of my faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sins on the Cross. I now stand righteous before the Lord God Almighty and on the Day of Judgement will be found holy, spotless and perfect. The blood of Jesus has cleansed me from my sin and changed me so that I am now God's kind of person (righteous).

What a tragedy to be among those who are void of God and found wicked on the Day of Judgement. There really will be a day of accounting at the end of time and those who have never placed faith in Jesus for the salvation of their soul will be declared for what they are, wicked. The wicked will have no place in the assembly of the righteous. Scripture teaches in Revelation 20 the wicked will be cast into a lake of fire for all of eternity. Hell is a real place and those who choose rebellion against God will go there.

God tells us in our passage today that He "knows the way" of the righteous. God is actually omniscient and knows everything so what do these words really mean for the believer? I believe Psalm 1 is teaching us something of the intimacy we have with God as believers in Christ. Those who have submitted their life to God now enjoy fellowship, ongoing fellowship, with God. God is interested in us, and because of our faith in Him, He now has the opportunity to demonstrate this interest in a myriad of ways. God's is not a dispassionate onlooker when it comes to our life. God knows us, loves us and is intimately involved in everything about us. God intends to be exactly what we have asked Him to be, our Savior and Lord!

James

Good and Evil: As Simple as Light and Darkness

"Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous." -- Psalm 1:4-5

Did you know darkness cannot be created? If you light a candle or flip on a light switch you create light but there is no switch to flip or item to use by which you can create darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of something; the absence of light.

Wickedness and evil are like darkness in that they cannot be created. Wickedness and evil are simply the absence of something; the absence of God. All of the terrible things that have ever been perpetrated in our world find their ultimate motivation and cause in the absence of God. God never intended for evil to be a part of our existence but when man kicked God out of his life in the Garden of Eden the mere absence of God's presence created a void where God's goodness once resided in the heart of man. This void, created by man's rebellion against God, was filled by evil just as darkness fills a room absent of light.

Jesus fills this void in our heart with Himself when we place our faith in His Cross for the forgiveness of our sins and give our life to Him. The moment we place faith in Jesus we begin to enjoy relationship with and the presence of God. At the moment of salvation we begin to experience God's goodness in our life! Our thoughts, words and actions become more and more affected by God's goodness as our relationship with Him grows stronger. One way in which we relate to God and grow in our relationship with Him is through the reading, study and meditation upon His Word. Thus, we have David's encouragement for the believer in Psalm 1.

A wicked man does not have a relationship with God and pays no attention to His Word. The wicked man has no hope of a truly prosperous life (as we defined it yesterday) nor any hope of eternal life. His life might look good today but there is no real nourishment in his soul, no real life, no genuine goodness. What a sad existence to live a life apart from the goodness of God and all of the prosperity a union with Him can bring. What a sad existence to never know your creator nor give Him the praise and worship which is due His name.

No matter how moral a man may be, only a relationship with God can make him good!

James

Christian Meditation and Obedience to God: One Thing Leads to Another

"and on His Law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers."

-- Psalm 1:2b-3

Meditation has fallen upon hard times in the last century or so. In fact, in my experience, I have read very little about meditating upon Scripture in Christian literature. We talk quite a bit about the study and memorization of God's Word but often neglect the very important and useful Christian practice of meditating upon the Word.

When God gave Joshua the charge to lead the children of Israel after the death of Moses He told him to be strong, courageous and obedient to the Law. God then went on to tell Joshua the method by which he could be obedient to the Law, meditation upon His Word. Joshua 1:8 reads, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate upon it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Sounds a lot like our passage in Psalms 1 today doesn't it? Successful living happens when we follow God's will for our life; when we follow after God's way of doing things; when we are obedient to God's Word.

I am not advocating a "health and wealth" gospel this morning! God is not teaching in these passages that we will all be millionaires if we follow the 10 Commandments. The word "prospers" in Psalm 1 means "to advance, proceed, prosper and be profitable." David is teaching that if we follow God's way of doing things, if we are obedient to Him, our life will progress in a good way in which we will find great blessing (happiness). There is no promise or formula presented in the Bible by which we attain material riches. Material riches are not the will of God for every man's life. God promises to care for our needs if we follow Him. However, God has not promised each man who follows Him a mansion, boat or mercedes.

Christian meditation can be practiced as follows:

1. Pray and ask God to teach His Word to you

2. Read a passage from God's Word...The Bible

3. Find a quiet place, consider the passage of Scripture you have read and think deeply about it

4. While considering God's Word ask the Him to reveal its meaning and application to your life

Christian meditation is never an emptying of our mind! Christian meditation is the practice of putting Scripture into our mind. When we practice Christian meditation the Word of God becomes a natural part of our day and its application a routine part of our existence. Time with God in Christian meditation allows opportunity for the Holy Spirit to change us and make us more like Christ. Ask God to help you learn and practice this important Christian discipline and enjoy the blessings and prosperity which are sure to follow!

James

The Path to Happiness

"But his delight is in the Law of the Lord" -- Psalm 1:2a

We are beginning this week with the first phrase of verse 2 in Psalm 1. This verse begins the process by which the Psalmist, in this case King David, will teach us how we can have a blessed life. The word here translated "blessed" carries with it the idea of being happy. We all hunger for happiness! So how can we live a life of blessing that is filled with occasions of happiness?

To "delight" in something means to take pleasure in, long for or deeply desire. David here helps us understand the rightful place of God's precious Word in the life of the believer. In David's day the only written collection of God's revelation of Himself was the first five books of the Bible. These first five books are often called the Pentateuch. So if you are reading a commentary and someone sitting in an ivory tower uses this technical term for these books you can recollect your time spent reading our friendly blog and know of what the writer speaks! In David's day the people of God called these first five books "The Law." Some Israelites also call these books the "Torah" which means instruction. These five books contained the law, or instruction, by which God intended the ancient people of God to live their life.

Today, our collection of God's written revelation of Himself, includes 66 books in what Christians call the Bible. We have much more revelation than those following God in the days of David (around 900 BC)! What an incredible opportunity we have to read the Scriptures so we might know God's heart and follow His revealed will for our life! But the challenge David extended to his first readers 2900 years ago remains for those read this Psalm today: "Will you long for, desire and delight in God's Word?" This is the only way in which a person might find true happiness; we must follow what God has said is true. We must accept the truth of who Jesus is, give our life to Him and live for Him. We find the way to do these things by reading, learning and meditating upon God's Word, the Bible.

If you lack desire for the Bible begin to ask God for a changed heart. God wants His people to spend time reading and meditating upon the revelation of Himself found in His Bible. Those who choose to live for God by study and meditation upon His Word will find themselves in a whole new world of blessing and happiness...that's a promise!

James

Be Careful Where You Sit!

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of mockers."

David here is talking about those who choose to sit down and make their "abode" with those who mock truth. Have you ever spent much time around those who mock righteousness and ridicule what God says is true? A Christian usually becomes a bit upset or angry at such boastings if it is overt in nature. However, we can be guilty of allowing lesser slights of our Lord to slide for the sake of "peace." Standing up for what is true is not always an easy thing to do.

Peace is a good thing as long as its preservation doesn't require sacrifice of what is true. Ignoring ignorance or picking our "battles" can be a sign of wisdom but we should be very careful not to allow ourselves to be numbered with those who malign God's truth for to do so is to strengthen the rebellion of those who war against the Lord God Almighty!

James

Be Careful Where You Take Your Stand!

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers." -- Psalms 1:1

Today I want to take a look at the second phrase found in verse 1 of Psalms 1, "nor stands in the way of sinners." What is David telling us with this small stroke of the "pen?" Interestingly the word translated here "stand" means to "take one's stand, take a stand or become the servant of." How interesting to consider all that this verse might mean for the Christian! If we take our stand with sinners we become the servant of the sin for which we take a stand. David here sounds much like Paul in Romans 6!

Sin may be very tempting but consider the consequences! Sin entices, embraces and enslaves the one who "takes his stand" with those who have chosen to reject God's will and way of doing things.

James

Where Are You Headed?

This week I want to spend some time in Psalm 1. This short chapter in the Bible is easy to memorize and I encourage you to do so as we meditate upon the truth of God's Word together.

Psalm 1 begins "Blessed are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." What a powerful encouragement to live life with God!

The word translated in our passage "wicked" was used to describe those who were outlaws, hostile to God and unrepentantly bad. We do want relationships with those who do not know Christ so we might be used of God to lead them to salvation. However, there is a difference between having a relationship with a non-Christian and "walking" with them. The word translated "walk" carries with it much more than the idea of a stroll in the park or simple association! David is here indicating a joining of one's life to the same type of "path" or behavior as those who have chosen to be hostile to God's way of doing things. Make sure your associations with non-Christians never lead you to change the path upon which you are walking!

We do well to remember the meaning of the word repentance when considering the first phrase of Psalm 1:1. We have turned and left the path of wickedness to walk a better way, the way of Christ. We now walk with Jesus and can never live life as one who never met Christ! Proverbs 4:23 reads, "Guard your heart for it is the well-spring of life." You and I walk with Christ now; may our heart never be deterred from the path we have chosen to walk!

James

Christian Meditation: Is There Such a Thing?

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and on His Law he meditates day and night." -- Psalm 1:1-2

Psalms 1 teaches the believer to meditate on God's Law day and night. The "Law" spoken of in this passage is what the Psalmist called God's Word. David wrote most of the Psalms around 900 BC and the only written Scripture at the time was the first five books of the what we now call the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books were called the "Law" at the time of David's writing. So David is teaching us to meditate on the Bible, God's revelation of Himself to man. When is the last time you were encouraged to meditate? Most churches shy away from the idea of meditation fearing people will confuse Biblical meditation with eastern varieties. But, proper meditation is important to the believer in Christ! A blessed life is promised to those who will meditate on God's Word regularly.

Eastern meditation encourages its adherents to empty their mind and think of nothing. This process allows the mind to become a playground of demonic influence and many folks have had altered states of "consciousness" by following such practices. This type of meditation should never be a part of the believers life!

Christian meditation is the filling of the mind with the Word of God. When believers meditate they open their mind to the Holy Spirit and allow opportunity for God's Word to indwell the deepest recesses of their soul. When believers meditate they offer their mind, heart and soul to God's Spirit. Christian meditation gives believers a better understanding of God's Word and helps them to better apply it to their life. Deeper understanding and application of God's Word then helps the follower of Christ to more readily obey God's will for his or her life.

Take time this week to meditate on God's Word. Read a passage, go to a quiet place, ask God to teach you and then consider what you have read. Allow time for God to bring understanding and application to the passage you read in your devotional time with Him. If you have never meditated upon God's Word you will be pleasantly surprised by the blessing such spiritual discipline can bring to your life!

James