September 3 – A Safe Refuge (Psalm 16)

“Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” (Psalm 16:1)

IN WORD:
If we are to receive the wisdom of God, we must know who He is. Though knowing who He is begins with reading about Him in the Word, it does not end there. God is to be experienced. And, much to our anxiety, He is to be experienced in the crucible of life, where fires burn and hearts melt. It is in the trials that we learn the most about God. It is in having to trust Him that we become wise.
David often referred to God as his refuge. He would know. The would-be king had spent long seasons hiding in caves and fleeing the irrational wrath of Saul. But the caves were not his refuge. David knew that there was a surer, safer source of protection. When all of life seemed to be against him, David could hide in the safety of God.
Dictionaries define refuge as a place of safe retreat. No refuge conquers the threats and the dangers we face — it protects us from them. It will not promise us an absence of conflict or pain. But it will provide a haven of rest when the conflict or pain is intense. And we can take deep comfort in the refuge we are promised. It is not a cave or a bunker or a bank account or a good plan. It is God.

IN DEED:
Do you know Him as your refuge? You can never know this side of God until a crisis strikes. But when it does, He is there to be found. He may seem absent at first, but He does not ignore your pleas. Though you pray for deliverance — and deliverance will come, in one way or another — He first wants you to know Him as the place of safety and rest. The Father’s desire for His children is that we know, in the most treacherous trials of life, that His presence will welcome us home. When we just want to hide, we can hide in Him.
Storms rage, but the good Father never leaves His children out in the elements. He takes them in. They will have to wait out the storm, but they can wait it out within the solid walls of His presence, where a warm fire glows and His hand comforts. The wise will always go there first.

“This is a wise, sane Christian faith: that a man commit himself to God; . . . That therefore that man ought not to be afraid of anything.” -George MacDonald-

September 2 – God, The Redeemer (Psalm 49)

“But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”(Psalm 49:15)

IN WORD:
This verse is what it’s all about, for us and for others. This must be the first pre-occupation of all our plans and purposes. It is not our productive work habits, inheritances, or any other windfall during our lives that divides the successful from the impoverished. The grave does that. Only then are true riches counted.
Is it not amazing how much time people spend securing their lifestyles, their careers, their education, and their living conditions compared to the little amount of time spent on the things of eternity? It is a sure sign of depravity when men and women cannot — or do not care to — see beyond the grave. One day in eternity, many will look back with astonishment. They will see how much effort went into things that do not last and how little went into things that do not die. And there will be gnashing of teeth.
Look at the above verse. That is the claim and the hope of everyone who has seen through the world’s illusions of fame and fortune. Everyone who was snubbed by worldly elites will not care when he or she is redeemed from the grave. None of the games people play will matter then. No social, economic, or political rivalry will matter then. There will be two kinds of people — redeemed and not redeemed.

IN DEED:
It is enormously important for us to keep life in perspective. It is dangerously easy to get sucked into the world’s value systems. But a depraved culture is not a reliable source for what — or who — is truly valuable. God’s Word is. Any other focus is a misplaced trust.
Do you get discouraged easily by your status in life? Then ask yourself: Who defined that status? God or the world? God only has two classes, and He always welcomes you into the better one. The world has many classes, and they’re all false. Who would you rather believe?

“God is the judges of all social systems.” -Oscar Romero-

September 1 – Death, the Equalizer (Psalm 49)

“All can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.” (Psalm 49:10)

IN WORD:
It is one of life’s deepest mysteries. We who were created for eternity and given the capacity for eternal affections often place those affections on transient things. We are all capable of the Sinai treason: While God was speaking eternal truth to Moses on the mountain, the Israelites were in the valley worshiping a golden calf. A piece of metal. No breath, no life, no power — just an earthly material that shines. God still speaks eternal truth by His Spirit and the Word, and we still worship gold. The mysteries of life rarely change.
Perhaps “worship” seems a little harsh. We all know that having wealth isn’t the same as wealth having us. We can own it and use it without being controlled by it. But our sense of mastery over our possessions is often an illusion and always a dangerous temptation. Far too easily, our things begin to own us. We do not bow down and sing their praises, but we would bow down in grief if they were taken away from us. We’re far more attached than we think.
This wisdom psalm by the sons of Koran is right: Death is the great equalizer. Those who have wealth and those who do not will all have exactly the same amount when they breathe their last breath. We leave this world as we came into it — naked and destitute. We may have been well taken care of in our stay here, but none of our comforts last. Wealth for its own sake is only as meaningful as the dirt we’re buried in.

IN DEED:
What is our way out of this trap? Most of us do not resolve to go through this life as ascetic monks and nuns or as poor beggars. We have money and we use it often. What is the spirituality in that? We can leverage temporal wealth for eternal purposes. God has made that possible. The money that decays tomorrow can be invested in the lives that last forever. Riches and godliness can be a powerful combination. Wisdom ensures that they are.

“The use of riches is better than their possession.”
-Fernando de Rojas-

August 31 – Wealth, The Illusion (Psalm 49)

“Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me — those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?” (Psalm 49:5-6)

IN WORD:
Psalm 49 is a wisdom psalm. It instructs us in the ways of God and warns us of the ways of men. It offers us a picture of the futility of human resourcefulness. It reminds us that those who hold power in this world — generally the wealthy — hold no power over the children of God.
Why would the psalmist fear when evil days come? Because we live under an illusion that our lives are at the mercy of others — the people we are indebted to, those who govern us, the bureaucracies and massive institutions, and more. You can’t fight city hall, and you can’t buck the status quo. When powerful people tell us what to do, we must either do it or come up with the funds to go to court. Since that isn’t an option for most of us, we’re left to swim downstream with the rest of the world. We feel bound by its ways.
The good news of Psalm 49 is that we really are not bound. We are not obliged to fit ourselves into the value systems of money and power. The cliques and clubs of a world gone wrong simply do not matter. They are false categories, figments of the world’s imagination. Status — especially status based on possessions — is an ugly illusion. It will be shattered in the end.

IN DEED:
Why is this a comfort? Because we easily feel discouraged when we view ourselves in the context of a distorted and deceptive world system. It swells with pride in its accomplishments, and we feel left out. But our status is not based on social, economic, or any other system imposed on us. It is based on who we are in Christ. Our value is based on what God has done for us. Our usefulness is based on the Spirit who dwells within us. Our significance is not defined by anything that we can’t take with us when we go. Those who trust in such things will be broken-hearted. Those of us who do not can never be shaken.

“Theirs is an endless road, a hopeless maze, who seek for goods before they seek for God.”
-Bernard of Clairvaux-

August 30 – Inevitable Guidance (Genesis 50:20)

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”(Proverbs 16:9)

IN WORD:
Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery. It was an unexpected turn, especially in light of the dreams he had recently had. Those dreams foretold his family bowing down to him. Becoming the property of wandering traders didn’t seem to fit the plan. Neither did his years in an Egyptian prison. Had God abandoned him? Were his dreams really just the product of a self-righteous imagination? How could he be so far off track?
Joseph wasn’t off track. The plans of his brothers for harm fit with the plans of God for good. Though everyone involved was quite unaware of God’s hand, their steps were ordained by Him. He had seen the whole tragedy ahead of time and had woven His plan into it. Or he had seen the plan and woven the tragedy into it. We’re not sure exactly how His sovereignty operates in the self-will of humanity, but we know that it does. Even when life throws the unexpected at us, it is never unexpected for God. He always has a plan.
That’s hard for us to grasp. Sometimes life seems far off course. We think we’re too far astray, or that circumstances are reeling out of control. But we forget: We are children of the God who sees ahead and who has already interwoven His good, sovereign plan with the strange, presumptuous will of human beings. We are not as off track as we think.

IN DEED:
If God’s sovereignty applies to the actions of Joseph’s jealous brothers, it certainly applies to our decision-making processes. We stress and strain over finding God’s will, and it’s important to seek His direction in all things. But if we’ve made that honest attempt and go forward in faith, there is no sense in turning back and wondering if somehow we missed His perfect plan. He has ordered our steps, even when we weren’t sure of them. Long ago, He took our will even when we were willful and used it for His purposes. How much more will He keep us near His plan when we aim at faithfulness? Seek God’s will and determine to pursue it, but don’t stress about your steps. He always puts them in order.

“Thy ways are past understanding, but Thou knowest the way for me.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer-

August 28 – Spiritual Anxiety (Romans 3:21-31)

“He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”(Romans 3:26)

IN WORD:
The gospel takes a lifetime to really understand. Perhaps we will always be exploring its depths and never finding its boundaries. Though we try to rest in the salvation God has offered to us, it still hasn’t completely sunk in. We try to earn it, if not by legalism then by proving the earnestness of our faith.
How do we compromise the purity of the gospel? Every time we look at ourselves to see if our salvation is genuine, we have compromised it. When we ask whether we’ve done enough good works, we’ve made salvation something to achieve. When we ask whether we believe strongly or purely enough, we’ve made salvation a matter of our own resolve. Either approach will give a deep sense of anxiety; they both base salvation on the fickle heart of a human being.
There is a spiritual angst deep in the heart of many Christians. It is an unsettled feeling that perhaps we have not done enough, believed enough, struggled or sacrificed enough. Paul offers us the cure: God is both the Just and the Justifier. Salvation begins and ends in Him. Everything about it, other than our simple acceptance, is a gift.

IN DEED:
What does it mean that God is both just and the One who justifies? It means that the same One who demands holiness accomplishes it for us. The same One who orders a sacrifice of blood provides the sacrifice of blood. He requires of us perfection; in Jesus, He offers His own perfection in our stead.
The remedy for our salvation-anxiety, whenever it creeps back in, is to fix our eyes on Jesus. Don’t look within at the quality of your faith, and don’t look at the abundance of your works. Look at Jesus. Count on what He has done. Rest in His work. Know that He has satisfied God fully — for you.

“Justification takes place in the mind of God and not in the nervous system of the believer.” -C.I. Schofield-

August 27 – Secret Sins (Psalm 90:8)

“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
(Proverbs 9:17)

IN WORD:
The truest measure of our spiritual maturity is always found in private moments. When no one is looking, how pure are our eyes? When we are alone, how honest are our prayers? When there is no threat of being contradicted, how accurate are our words? The secret life is the true life. It is who we are before God. He sees all.
Fallen human nature has a universal tendency: We are more concerned with our reputation among others than we are with our standing before God. We do not want friends or strangers to know our deepest secrets, but we have no embarrassment about them with God. Is it because we know He sees and understands? Perhaps so. But when sin is involved, His holy eyes are more grieved than those of any stranger. Yet we fear the stranger more.
That is why Jesus spent a lot of time encouraging His disciples to guard the integrity of their secret life. Their spirituality was to be most honestly lived behind closed doors — the prayer closet, the fasting schedule, the hand that gives tithes and offerings. These are the signs that maturity is real and not just for show. But this is the secrecy we save for our sins.
It is natural for us to keep our sins in darkness and to show off our spirituality. But God doesn’t ask for what comes naturally; He calls for the opposite. We are to expose our sins — confess them to Him and others — and to be humble in our disciplines of the Spirit. Faith will show itself in works, but it will never show off. Sin, on the other hand, will hide itself from others, but it can never hide from God.

IN DEED:
If you are like most, your reputation is sacred to you. You guard it well. But which matters more — your reputation in the world or your reputation with God? The opinion that counts the most is His, and God’s assessment of our secret sins is graver than we thought. Live transparently before Him. Confess them all in naked, heartfelt honesty. Let Him shine in your dark corners.

“It may be a secret sin on earth, but it is an open scandal in heaven.” -Lewis Sherry Chafer-

August 26 – Beyond Pettiness (2 Timothy 2:23-24)

“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” (Proverbs 17:14)

IN WORD:
What is it in the human psyche that compels us to pursue a matter straight into the heart of a conflict? Do we just enjoy a good fight? For some reason, we frequently feel we must establish truth — as we see it — in even the most petty of disagreements. We often value our opinions more than we value our relationships.
Why is that? What is it that so captures our indignation that we will sacrifice friendships and feelings over something that just isn’t worth it? Blessed are those who do not have a contentious spirit within them, but most people at some time or another have struggled with one. It is human nature. We feel offended when people disagree with us, and we are bent on establishing who is right and wrong; even when there is no right and wrong.
Does this mean there’s no place for conflict? Obviously not. We are called to stand up for what is morally and spiritually right — to a point. Even Jesus was no stranger to conflict, and He is our model. But we must develop the discernment to know what is worth fighting for and what is not. Most of us find ourselves frequently confused on the issue.

IN DEED:
When you sense a conflict escalating, what is your response? Do you take it as a challenge to win? Or can you step back and assess whether it is really worth fighting for? Broken relationships are no pleasure to God. He even inspires the writer to call a quarrel “sin” a few verse later (Proverbs 17:19). Petty squabbles once begun are hard to stop. They do not suit a child of God.
Learn to practice a discipline of restraint. Do not run from an important issue, but neither should you pursue a pointless one. Let relationships become more important to you than petty proofs and problems. God has done so with us. We must do so with others.

“I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord’s people were divided.” -D.L.Moody-

August 25 – Praying An Agenda (Numbers 24:10-14)

“Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. . . . ‘I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.’ “(Numbers 24:10)

IN WORD:
In the strange story of Balaam and Balak (Numbers 22-24), we read of a king convinced that it must be the divine will to save his people. He summoned Balaam to pronounce a curse against Israel’s coming horde. We marvel at Balak’s inability to understand. Poor simpleton; he just doesn’t get it. Blessing and cursing is not about his personal agenda; it’s about God’s. Balaam even tells him the rules up front, but Balak simply can’t get it out of his head that if he pays enough, pleads enough, and promises enough honor, the sorcerer will be able to establish the divine will all by himself. Obviously, he can’t. Balaam can only do what God tells him to do.
Balak is an easy target for our contempt. What a fool! But aren’t we often similar? Isn’t that how we approach prayer? We try to persuade God to bless our own agenda. We come up with a plan in all confidence that it’s surely God’s will. We miss a crucial step in the process. The first item of business in any prayer request is not to ask God to defend our position, establish our plans, or fulfill any other aspect of our agenda; it’s to ask Him what His agenda is. Balak’s bull-headedness led to utter frustration. Are you utterly frustrated, too?

IN DEED:
How often do you pray for your agenda without consulting God for His? Are you absolutely sure that what you’re asking for is a part of God’s plan? We don’t have to know every aspect of God’s will before praying, but we must pray with an understanding that His will, believe it or not, may contradict ours. We simply must forsake our assumptions and be open to that. Never be a Balak in disguise, using prayer as a sanitized form of sorcery. Use it to get yourself in line with the divine program. Then, pray your heart out.

“You cannot alter the will of God, but the man of prayer can discover God’s will.” -Sadhu Sundar Singh-

August 24 – Exposed Motives (Psalm 139:23-24)

“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”(Proverbs 16:2)

IN WORD:
In our constant quest for self-improvement, we focus on the things we do. As we grow spiritually, we measure ourselves by our actions. We’re preoccupied with outcomes, and as long as those are improving, we think we are improving.
But God has a different agenda. He looks at our motives. In fact, Jesus was particularly harsh with a group of legal experts whose deeds were right but whose motives were wrong. The outward behavior, while important, could be ruined by misplaced intent. God wants internal integrity. If that is there, deeds will follow. But it is entirely possible for us to appear right on the outside and be hollow on the inside. Jesus referred to that phenomenon as “whitewashed tombs” — a beautiful exterior masking the death within.
The problem with our perception of ourselves is that we are rarely discerning enough. All of our ways seem innocent to us; we think our intentions are good. But God calls for a closer examination. Are we acting out of self-interest or a passion for God and His Kingdom? Are we focused on our reputation or on His? Are we disciples for the long haul or because we want something soon from God? The answers aren’t as easy as we might think. We cannot arrive at them ourselves. We must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit. He must shine heavy doses of reality into the hidden purposes of our hearts.

IN DEED:
David asked God to search him and know his heart (Psalm 139:23-24). He knew that his intentions mattered to God. He knew well enough that he needed a more objective assessment than his own. There is always more to our designs than we see.
Do you want God to expose your intentions? Ask Him to. He who is motivated by holiness and compassion wants you to share His desires. He wants His motives to become yours. He wants you to share in a purity deeper than you can ever imagine.

“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.” -A.W. Tozer-