Mike's 40 Day Journey

Psalm 1, SPACEPETS

S – is there a sin to confess? Those who walk in step with the wicked; those who stand in the way of sinners; sit in the company of mockers.

P – is there a promise to claim? Sinners will not stand in the judgment; the Lord watches over the way of the righteous.

A – is there an attitude to change? An attitude of disrespect and pride toward God.

C – is there a command to obey? Not so much a command, but there is an encouragement to delight in the Word and meditate on it much.

E – is there an example to follow? Follow the path of the righteous!

P – is there a prayer to pray? Lord, help me delight in Your holy and precious word.

E – is there an error to avoid? (see the attitude change and the sin to confess)

T – is there a truth to believe? The path of the wicked will lead to destruction; God watches over the path of the righteous.

S- is there something to praise God for? He watches over the path of the righteous. He enables me to find joy in His word.

As I go through these different questions, the repetitive nature of the exercise (some of the same answers appear several times), helps these words really sink in. I wonder if I really believe that a life of joy can be had by meditating on the Word of God? The truth of joy, the promise of joy – it causes us to be like a flourishing tree planted by a river. Why on earth would anyone not want to have that kind of life? One of the wonderful gifts of God is that He has given it to me 24/7. All I have to do is meditate on it and let it sink in. And yet that is one of the hardest things to do regularly. Lord, help me really believe that it is true – that your life giving Word can really make a huge difference in my life.

Psalm 1 – PICTURE IT!

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the LORD,
meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

⁴ But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
⁵ They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
⁶ For the LORD watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

What a contrast pictured between verses 1 and 2. I picture people who in their foolish and dark thinking look down upon followers of Christ as if we were duped. They want no part of God. But those who do want God, they delight (love that word), they delight in the God’s word and just can’t get enough of it. And the product of that delight? Flourishing trees bearing fruit, whose leaves never wither. I know people like that, whose joy rises above everything and they prosper no matter what the outcome. Oh to have that kind of attitude! To prosper with joy no matter the outcome.

But the mockers of God, they are said to be like chaff blown away by the wind. No true bearing in life, they are just scattered by every wind that comes through.

And we see now that God has His eye on the path of the godly. He knows what’s ahead and He has good things in store for the godly. Not that the path will be easy, but it will always be good and good for us. That’s the confidence a person who is full of joy posseses.

Lord I want the joy that comes from meditating on your word day and night. I want to know the joy of a life that knows I am on Your path and that You stand watch over that path all the time. Help me to bear fruit – the fruit of walking with You in the freedom and joy that comes from obedience.

Psalm 1 – Pronounce It!

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers. (1:1 NLT)

I’m reading the New Living Translation this week – I just like the flavor of the translation. It has a nice way of bringing out the tone of the passage.

Joys – such happiness. I picture a person jumping with joy with a big smile on her face. (I’m actually picturing little Maili.)
Not follow – not persuaded by, not take direction from
Advice – one’s counsel, one’s so called wisdom
Wicked – those opposed to Him
Stand around – hang out with
Sinners – the wicked ones referred to previously
Join in – participate with, to be a part of the group
Mockers – those who make fun of God, those who have no respect for Him

The joy that I can have has much to do with what I DON’T do as much as what I DO do. As I worked through this verse, I initially wondered what it meant to hang out with sinners. I mean, Jesus hung out with sinners. He came to seek and save the sinners with particular attention toward the ones looked down upon by the religious leaders of the day. But in Ps. 1, it appears that I shouldn’t be doing that. As I thought about it more, however, the Psalmist is talking about “the wicked” – referring to them as “sinners” and “mockers”. Such is the way Hebrew poetry is written with parallel thoughts with different words running through it. When I look at it this way, I see David telling us that joyful is the one who isn’t influenced, who doesn’t hang out with, and doesn’t participate with those who are opposed to God.

As I meditate on this verse, it brings to mind so many searching in this world for joy. They look in places that are opposed to God’s ways. Last night I purchased an item from a couple on Craigslist. In my conversations with this family, he was out of work, she was presumably a stay-at-home mom with a 16 month old toddler. There was just something about the vibe that made me so sad. She seemed so unhappy; a little skittish. Honestly, it felt like she was longing for something. When I asked what line of work he was in, and he shared that he used to own a business in Seattle, but the city had shut it down. Turned out that he owned an adult strip club of sorts. I’m not judging his heart, really. But that’s just not the place to find joy. Such darkness.

My prayer is that I might be able to, with my life and words, draw seeking people to Christ where an unspeakable awaits them. Lord, help me be a light in this dark world.

“Mike, I will meet all your needs according to my glorious riches in my Son, Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:18)

I think back over my last few days of devotions, and the common element is how much I need to do with the celebration service next Sunday, Good Friday, the Easter breakfast, and Easter program. So much to do in so little time. Yesterday I was reminded that God is the one who provides the strength I need. Today, I am reminded that He will be there to not only supply the strength, but He will meet the needs as well  – and there are plenty of needs to be met!

Lord, I pray that you will meet my every need in the abundance that is in accordance with the glorious riches in Christ. Thank you, Lord, for meeting my needs. Thank you, Lord, that as I prayed yesterday, that what you provide is enough to meet my real needs.

“Mike, you can do all things through my Son – He will give you the strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

A good reminder this morning that my strength comes from the Lord. When I feel weak or discouraged, He promises to give me enough. And enough is enough. I need to be confident that what strength He gives me, it is enough.

Lord, thank you that I can do whatever you ask of me through the strength of your Son. Lord, may He be the strength of my life.

“Do not be anxious about anything, Mike, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your personal requests to Me. And My peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus.” (Pil. 4:6-7)

As I said in yesterday’s devotional, it’s been very busy lately. The work is piling up, and of course, there is no opportunity to move deadlines like Good Friday and Easter! So there are times when I get anxious thoughts and begin to worry about the details. I am reminded today that I need to pray more. Paul says, “in everything”, so I need to be praying not just for my anxious needs, but even the ones that might be coming up. Yesterday’s reminder was to persevere – press on. Today’s is pray.

Lord, thank you for enabling me not to be anxious about anything. Thank you that I can come to you with everything going on in my life with prayers and petitions, that I can make my requests to you. And thank you that you provide peace that rises above everything in my life, even beyond my comprehension, and that you protect my heart and mind from things that can cause me to become anxious.

…I press on to take hold of that which you, Jesus, took hold of me. (Phil. 3:12b)

The verse isn’t much different from the original because Paul has made it personal himself in his letter.

This verse is important at this point because it has been a super busy last couple of weeks, and my times in the Word have not been as deep and long as had been previously. The message to persevere comes at a good time, and that is my prayer today.

Lord, help me to press on. I want to take hold of the very thing you called me to – to know you and love you and serve you in your strength. Lord, help me to press on and not become so distracted by busyness that I begin to slow down for lack of attention.

“For I am working in you, Mike, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Me.” (Phil. 2:13)

Oddly, but the first thing that jumps into my brain when I read this is, “where are you when my desires aren’t aligned with yours?!” It’s funny because I completely know it’s not His fault for any wrong desires. I think here, though, is I can take comfort in knowing that any desire that is good and right comes from Him. Any goodness in me is a sign that He is working and for that I can give Him praise. And then with that I can be confident knowing that if He wants me to do something that is pleasing to Him, He will give me the power to do it. Far too often I rely on my own strength to do what pleases Him. Far too often I don’t work in faith. And all the while God is the one who supplies the power, and that is a truth I don’t hold on to often enough.

Lord, I thank You for the desires You have placed in my heart. I know that sometimes they get mixed up with my own fleshly desires, but I ask that your desires would rise to the top and become greater than any earthly desires in my heart. And I ask Lord that You would give me faith to trust in Your power to do what pleases You. I’m tired of trying to do it on my own strength and carrying an unnecessary burden. Help me see Your power and not my own abilities getting in the way.

“Whatever happens, Mike, make sure you conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” -Phil. 1:27a

I go back to the first time we looked at this verse and that word “whatever” stands out. It doesn’t matter what happens, I just need to make sure I conduct myself in a manner that reflects the glorious worth of the gospel.

Today is pretty simple: Lord, help me to immediately think upon these words whenever I find myself wanting to respond to situations in an unworthy manner. And then help me know what that conduct ought to be. Give me a heart of thanks in whatever circumstances I find myself.

Be confident of this, Mike: I began a good work in in you, and I will keep it going until I’m finished, the day my Son returns. (Phil. 1:8 MK personal paraphrase)

Sometimes I can get discouraged, in fact I can get discouraged pretty easily. A criticism, a conflicted relationship, unmet expectations, a hard road…I know in my head that God will work things out. He always does. When I read this verse as a personal prayer to me, wow, it really does bring comfort. It brings confident assurance that things will be just fine.

Currently, I have so much to do between now and Easter. I’m not even sure what I’m going to do in some cases. I was actually starting to get worried, but this verse has a way of calming me down. “Don’t worry, don’t get discouraged,” says God, “I’m still carrying you.”

As I ponder this verse more, it is one that hits me in the bigger picture as well. Where am I going in life? Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing? When I feel discouraged as a pastor, am I confident that He is the one who started this whole thing? Questions to ponder further throughout the day…