Tag: Providence Reformed Church

Psalms are songs, poems, intended to teach and to aid in worship. The people of God would sing these to learn, to grow in the Lord, to honor their Creator, and to express their hearts. Psalms are good and useful to us as we worship and grow in the Lord.

 

But have you ever stopped to consider how different the psalms are from the things that we put forward for songs of worship today? Let’s take a look at Psalm 13 and see just how different it feels.

 

Psalm 13

 

1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

 

In verses 1-4, the psalm does not sound like anything we sing today. The psalmist is hurt, afraid, even desperate. He is not pretending a fake happiness to impress his friends. Instead, he is asking the Lord how long it will be before God answers his prayers. The psalmist fears he will die. He fears that those who would destroy him will boast over his demise.

 

Only in the final 2 verses does the tone change, and not even then does it change to a ra-ra, happy clappy sort of thing. The psalmist declares that he will trust in the Lord. he acknowledges that God is faithful, and so he will expect and rest in the salvation to come. God has and will continue to deal well with his children, and the psalmist places his hope right there. His hard circumstances have not changed, but his hope is rekindled.

 

Now, let me make a couple of disclaimers. I am not at all a person who believes that only the Psalms should be sung in worship—in fact I think that to be a bad idea. Nor am I someone who opposes joy in our songs. Neither do I think that all modern worship music is messed up.

 

But what I see is that, for so many of us, a song like this one would have no place in our worship service. Can you imagine any song in a modern church service expressing our sadness, fear, or frustration? Can you imagine a “How long O Lord” from the platform in your local church? Can you imagine singing a song that is 2/3 sorrow with 1/3 hope at the end? In most congregations, this is unthinkable.

 

But here is the problem, do you think that the people coming into the church are living only happy, easy, fulfilled, safe lives? Do you think that we no longer, in the depths of our souls, need to express to God our pain and our desperation that he come rescue us lest we die? Do you think that there is not a need for the hurting to feel able to express their hurt in the congregation instead of putting on a falsely happy face and being encouraged to cheer along with the crowd?

 

Friends, our lives are not easy. Even in Christ, even with the Spirit of God, we hurt. Worship has room for that pain to be expressed. Worship has room for that sorrow to even be sung as we also express our courage and hope that the Lord is and will always be faithful. There is and should be time for great joy and celebration in worship. But shallow happiness is not all there is to our lives, and it should not be all there is to our song. 

I have always found the passage about Jacob’s wrestling match with the Lord to be fascinating, but also difficult to interpret. What is going on? What are we to learn? God wants us to know this story. But God does not spell out everything we are to get. And I cannot spell that all out yet either, though I think there are a few things worth noting.

 

Leading up to the main event that night, Jacob has proved himself a trickster, liar, and schemer. But he is not the only one. Laban has lied and lied again, tricking the trickster. Rachel, for her part, tricked her father and her husband in stealing his household gods and then successfully hiding them from his investigation. And the wives of Jacob scheme and scheme again for his affection and his children. This is a messed up family.

 

But now the Lord has told Jacob to return to the promised land, and Jacob knows that danger awaits. Last time Jacob saw Esau, his brother was plotting his demise. What will happen when he gets home. So Jacob again schemes, dividing up his family and sending Esau a present, hoping to appease his anger and survive.

 

Genesis 32:24-30 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

 

And there is the wrestling match. How very strange it is. But I think, with scheming and lying and self-reliance in the background, we can learn some very important truths. Jacob had lived under the care of God for years. But Jacob also likely saw himself living by his wits. Jacob had encountered the Lord before, but Jacob was not in any way a clear follower of the Lord. There is nothing that would indicate that Jacob, before this night was a convert.

 

Now, in the debt of the night, the Lord physically comes to Jacob and starts a wrestling match. For the night, the Lord wrestles with Jacob and does not use his might to defeat the man. But, as daybreak comes, the Lord, with a simple movement, dislocates Jacobs hip, clearly showing us that, at any time he wanted, he could have crushed Jacob.

 

Look at the change that comes over Jacob. Jacob begins by striving as if he might win. Then, after his injury, Jacob clings to the Lord and asks for a blessing. It seems that the confidence of Jacob is changed. He will not make it on his own. Now he sees that he only survives under the mercy of the Lord.

 

As Jacob asks for a blessing, the Lord asks Jacob a question, “What is your name?” Consider that when Isaac asked Jacob his name years ago, Jacob lied. Jacob means heel grabber, supplanter, cheater. Jacob is the name of a liar. But here, when Jacob gives his true name, the Lord gives Jacob a new name, a better one. God names Jacob Israel, a name which means to strive with God.

 

What do we see? Jacob has been a liar and a trickster. He has thought he would make it on his own, surviving by his wits and cleverness. But, when he comes face-to-face with the Lord, Jacob realizes that he is not at all able to make it on his own. He needs the blessing of God. He needs the mercy of God. His battle against God has to be over. And when Jacob asks for the mercy of God while confessing his true nature, God forever changes Jacob to Israel.

 

That is our story too. We are sinners before the Lord. We have all thought we would make it on our own. We have all schemed, hidden our faults, and tried to come out on top. But the truth is, when we face the Lord, we cannot win. The only way to have peace with God is by confessing, telling the truth about who we are and what we have done. The only way to have peace with God is to, in faith, yield to his authority, to stop fighting and to bow in humility.

 

The wrestling match Jacob had with God is one many of us have had. The way to victory is through surrender to Christ, the God-man, who came to rescue and bless us. We admit our sin. We believe in Jesus. We surrender to his mastery. And we ask him for his grace. Then, just as he did with Jacob, the Lord gives us a new identity as a forgiven child of God.

We get so busy, so distracted in life. We see what is in front of us. It all looks so solid, so important. And in our minds, if we are not careful, we can forget the truth that God is, that God made us, and that we exist for him and his glory.

 

In my Bible reading plan, I had two separate passages point me to this truth. One was a psalm asking God to stop the wicked who oppress the helpless and poor. The other is the story of Jacob traveling to the home of Laban. Both passages show us people who should know that God is there, but who miss that fact.

 

 

Psalm 10:4

 

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

 

Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

 

The wicked brings himself to a place where he can say that he believes there is no God to call him to account. Jacob, on his part, got so busy with his life that he found himself surprised by the presence of the Lord.

 

Both passages call us to a simple place of remembering the Lord. We must slow down and look. WE must pause and think. We must remember eternity. We must seek and know the Lord.

 

If we fail to believe that God is, we will eventually have no basis for morality. If we fear no eternal consequences, nothing else will be strong enough to help us to turn ourselves from evil. If we focus only on this life, we will find that we miss the joys of the Lord and the purpose for our being.

 

How then can we remember the Lord? This is only done by spiritual discipline. Daily reading the word of God is crucial. Daily prayer is vital. Regularly speaking with the people of God about the things of God is part of the process. Sharing the gospel of Christ with those who do not know him is a must. And, of course, shaping our lives so that Sunday, gathering with the people of God for worship, is central to all that we are and do has to be of the highest priority. Without the word, prayer, believers, witness, and worship, we will forget the Lord. WE will start to live like this life is all there is. And in doing so, we will miss the good glories of God and we will turn toward that which dishonors him.

There are many elements of Christianity that appeal to almost all people. We tend to like the concept of love and mercy and kindness. Many like the idea of a happy afterlife. Most, I think, can happily go along with the idea of a deity who helps the oppressed, or at least a faithful people who do things to help those less fortunate than themselves.

 

And, of course, there are many things about the faith that are not so popular. High on that list is the concept of judgment. It is not popular today to speak of the concept of the justice of God, his wrath, the proper punishment for sin. It is not politically correct to allow the world to think that you might be judgmental, or even worse, that God might dare to judge people for their thoughts and actions. This, of course, is true except for the greatest of criminals or the worst of historical figures. We tend to be OK with saying that they face the judgment of God.

 

But, if we are going to be faithful to the word of God, we must also grasp that judgment is a major element of the revelation that God has given us. The Lord is righteous. The Lord is a judge. The Lord will judge.

 

Just look at these few verses from Psalm 9.

 

Psalm 9

 

3 When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before your presence.

4 For you have maintained my just cause;

you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever. … 

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

8 and he judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with uprightness. … 

16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah

17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God. … 

19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

20 Put them in fear, O Lord!

Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

 

Recall that the Psalms are songs of worship.
These are proclamations of the truth and character of God. These are things that show us the Lord’s greatness. And there is simply no way around it, judgment is part of the greatness of God.

 

When we talk about the Lord, we cannot accurately speak of him without including the concept of righteous judgment. The Lord will perfectly and properly punish every single sin, every offense to his holiness. God cannot be good and simply overlook sin, pretending that it either did not happen or that it is no big deal.

 

The good news, of course, is that god provided a way that he could both perfectly judge every sin and still show mercy to his own. That is what Jesus came to do. Jesus is punished by the Father for the sins of all God will ever forgive. Thus, all who come to Christ are forgiven, not because God ignores their sin, but because God properly punished that sin on the cross. All who refuse the grace of Christ, however, choose to face the judgment of God for their sin on their own. And if we do not point these truths out, we do not fully express the truth of who God is.

 

Some people are overly fascinated by the concept of judgment. Some hate any hint of judgment. But a proper look at Scripture gives us a picture of a God who is right to judge and who has provided a means, one means, of grace.

How important are we? Really, how big a deal are human beings? That all depends on your worldview, doesn’t it?

 

If your worldview is one of naturalism, human beings are no more important than any other collection of physical matter in the universe. There is no way that an honest and consistent naturalist can call one stack of chemicals worth more than any other stack of chemicals. Thus, in that worldview, if it remains consistent, humans are worth exactly the same as a dog, a tree, a rock, or a cloud. Sure, we can do a different kind of work and show advanced thinking, but none of that is intrinsic value.

 

On the other hand, many people in the world come from a humanistic perspective. These have given themselves a high position in their estimation of worth. We look at our lives and we assume that we are the center of the universe. We determine that we have the right to shape our own lives, our own moralities, and our own version of what we will call truth. We say that all that fits our liking is good and all that opposes it is bad. We clamor for open-mindedness so long as the things others believe do not challenge our own morality.

 

But those who have a biblical worldview must see things differently. All throughout Scripture, those who know the God of the Bible understand that the Lord, he is the one who determines all that is true and right. God is the one who made us. God is the one who commands us. God is the one who determines morality. God is the one who lets us know what is our value. And all of creation around us is designed to show us the glory of God.

 

Psalm 8:3-4

 

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

 

The psalmist in the verses above makes a proper judgment of himself as he looks at the universe around him. He sees the heavens. He looks at the sun, moon, and stars, and he realizes his smallness. The psalmist neither assumes himself to be the reason the universe exists nor does he assume himself to be a collection of randomly united chemicals. Instead, the psalmist sees the vastness of space, lets that remind him of the majesty of the Creator, and wonders aloud how God, in the midst of such a creation can still value mankind.

 

In that thought is the answer to any question of human value. We are worth something, not because of chemistry or function, but because God has valued us. The Lord has looked upon us and granted us worth. He created us for a purpose, and his purpose is what makes us special.

 

Thus, the naturalistic worldview is not true, for we have worth. The humanistic worldview is not true, for our worth is not self-determined. The proper worldview is a sense of awestruck humility as we realize that, in the midst of a massive and glorious and intricate universe, the Lord looks at us and cares.

How big of an obstacle are you facing in your Christian walk? Is there something that you know the word of God calls you to do or to be that you think is just too much? What part of your following the Savior is too hard?

 

In Genesis 18, God comes to speak with Abraham and Sarah. They are 99 and 89 respectively, and they have had no children. The Lord promises that, within the next year, when they are 100 and 90, God will give them a son. Sarah, of course, laughs at the concept. But God is not amused.

 

Genesis 18:13-14 – 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

 

The question that God asks is super-significant. Is anything too hard for God? Of course, with a cup of coffee in my hand and the Bible open before me on a Monday morning, the answer is easy. Of course nothing is too hard for God.

 

But the real question is not for in my quiet time. It is for my daily life. It is for your daily life. Is anything too hard for God? Is there a call the Lord has given you that is too hard? Is there a command that the Lord has put in his word that is beyond his ability to help us fulfill? Is there a promise of the Lord in his word that he is not strong enough or faithful enough to fulfill? And of course the answer is no. Nothing is too hard for God.

 

So, what are you facing that you think is too hard? Has God called you to confess a sin that you do not want to confess? Has God called you to put away a sin from your life you think is too difficult? Are you facing a fear or a depression that you think cannot be overcome? Are you battling to come out of a sorrow or grief that feels bottomless? Nothing is too hard for God.

 

The Lord wants his followers to understand that, if we are his, there is no command of his that we cannot follow. He wants us to grasp that, if something is in his will, it can be done. He does not fail. The Lord does not promise us easy lives, but he shows us in the word time and time again that he is strong and faithful. He shows us that he can do in us what we could never do in our own strength. He reminds us that nothing is too hard, nothing is impossible for the Lord.

 

Let this give you hope. Let it give you confidence. Let it call you to repent of faithlessness and doubt. Let it move you to cry out to the Lord for the strength and courage to obey him in all things.

In reading the story of the life of Abraham, we see multiple places where Abraham attempts to take control of his circumstances. Sometimes the Lord allows Abraham to cause himself some disastrous consequences. Other times, the Lord simply tells Abraham how things will go.

 

As we read this story and see it unfold, we need to keep our focus on the real story God is telling us. Yes, we can learn from Abraham’s faith and his failures. Yes, we can learn from the miraculous way that God provides. But the big story in the book of Genesis is how God makes the promise of one to come to rescue his children, and how
God preserves that promise even when people do everything they can to mess it up. And the life of Abraham shows us God’s sovereign hand at work.

 

Take a peek at this one instance of Abraham attempting to give his 2 cents on how the plan of God should go.

 

Genesis 17:17-21 – 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

 

Abraham is 99 at this point. He had a son 12 years earlier. And now God is continuing to promise Abraham a son, Isaac, to be born to Abraham through Sarah. Abraham still has trouble believing that this will come to pass.

 

Even worse than Abraham’s doubt, at least for the main point of the story, is Abraham’s attempt to alter the line of promise. Abraham asks God to simply let Ishmael be the one who carries the promise of God so that this whole thing with Sarah does not have to happen.

 

Notice, in this case, that God does not entertain the suggestion from Abraham. In this instance, God has a plan, and God will carry it out. Abraham and Sarah will have a child together at ages 100 and 90 respectively. That child, Isaac, will be the one to carry the line of promise from God. Isaac will be the next step in bringing to the world the Messiah. And
Abraham has no say in the matter.

 

If you read the rest of Genesis, you will see things like this happen with each step of the process. God chooses Jacob over his brother Esau. God shapes some crazy life circumstances to make Judah the one of the 12 sons of Jacob who carries the promise. God performs a miracle to determine that Judah’s son Perez will be the one carrying the promise. In all this, God shows us that he is in control.

 

All of the Bible is about the promised one from God, the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus. All of the Bible is about God doing what man would mess up. All of the Bible is about God showing us that he is holy, glorious, just, merciful, and sovereign (among so many other things. God is in control. God will carry his plan to completion. We can trust him. We must submit to him. We should give him glory for accomplishing all that he sovereignly wills to accomplish. And we should learn not to try to change his plans as if we could ever have a better idea.

I think we all know that, as believers in the 21^st century, there are a lot of pressures to compromise. Our world is more aggressively against the basic standards of morality in Scripture than in any time of the existence of the United States. Basic assumptions about human life, about sexuality, about the goodness of following God are all no longer understood truth. Yes, I know that the world has always been bad in this way or that, and I know that many generations have said that things are worse than ever, but in the measure I am presenting, we are living in a unique age for the US.

 

As the world and its understanding of morality moves away from the basic Judeo-Christian ethic that was ingrained in the founding fathers of our country, even those who were by no means Christian, the church has a new type of obstacle to face. For centuries, we could survive, even be respected in the culture, while holding to our values. Even those who disagreed with or simply refused to live by Christian ethics did not, for the most part, condemn the church for her ethics. But that is changing.

 

The big question is: how will we live in this era? How will we function? Will we hold to the word of God? Will we fold under pressure?

 

Genesis 12:10-13 – 10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”

 

Just after God promised Abram that he and his family would be the chosen people of God, a famine hit that sent Abram to Egypt. On the way, Abram realized that he was in danger in Egypt. His commitment to his marriage put him at risk. Abram feared that the men of Egypt would kill him in order to take his wife from him.

 

This put Abram into a crisis point. Should he be faithful to the morality of marriage? That would put him in danger. Or, might he compromise on this particular moral issue in order to survive?

 

We all see what Abram did. In an immoral move, a cowardly move, an abusive move, Abram commanded his wife to lie about their marriage. Abram stepped away from the standards of God in order to try to win for himself safety in a hostile land. And the word of God is clear as the story continues that this was wrong, faithless, and dishonoring to the Lord.

 

Do you see the parallel? We sit in a land that demands that we let go of the standards of God. This could be in the area of marriage and sexuality. It could be in the area of elicit drug use. It might be in the area of other forms of basic morality. But our world tells us that the morals of society are changing and that we must adapt, even approve of what the Bible forbids, in order for us to be safe and accepted. What will we do? Will we compromise?

 

Every time a church steps away from the word of God in order to please the culture, we are like Abram saying, “No, she is my sister.” Every time we pretend that it is OK to do that which God forbids, we dishonor the Lord. Every time we hide the word of God in order to gain the favor of the town we live in, we fold under pressure.

 

Friends, may we never be like Abram here. We will be tempted. The pressures will come to bear. What will we do? May we cling to the promise of God, the word of God, and the standards of God. May we rather be ridiculed, ostracized, or even persecuted than to fold under the pressure of the world to turn from the way of God for a supposed safety. 

 

For most in the world today, the concept of being ruled by a king is a very foreign thing. We do not have in our minds a genuine picture of yielding ourselves to someone with absolute authority in the land. And here I am not talking about a brutal dictator, nor am I talking about a figurehead monarch, but simply a single person who is the total ruler of the land.

 

But when Scripture talks about the Lord, the Bible talks in kingly terms. God is not the head of a government that keeps him in check. God is not the president who must compromise with a congress or the prime minister making deals with parliament. God is the supreme, the sovereign, the only Lord and king.

 

A common thread in the Bible is the fact that humanity, at the core of our sinful nature, has tried to throw off the rule of God and be our own masters. In Genesis 3, the woman was tempted by the idea of herself being her own master, sitting in the place of God.

 

Also hear the words of the enemies of God in Psalm 2.

 

Psalm 2:1-3

 

1 Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

 

Verse 1 tells us that the scheming to come is in vain. They cannot win. But the rulers of the earth, the people who should be bowing down to God as King are scheming. And the language is that of revolt. They act as though being ruled by God is to be bound, tied up, imprisoned. And so these enemies of God have determined in their own lives to throw off the bonds of god and be free, their own masters.

 

But the remainder of Psalm 2 shows us that God is not threatened by the schemes of the kings of the world. He is not thrown off his game by people thinking that they will be their own masters. Instead, the Lord scoffs at our foolish schemes. The Lord promises to send his own King, his Son, into the world to rule. And God commands all, from smallest to greatest, to bow to the Son before it is too late.

 

What should we take away from such a Psalm? I suggest two kingly thoughts. First, recognize that, when we sin against God, whether we think it to be big or small, we are rebelling against the king. WE are saying that we want to burst the bonds of God and be unrestrained in our self-rule. This makes us see our sin as more ugly, more rebellious, and more ungrateful, which is exactly how we should see it.

 

We should also grasp that, in our determination to escape the rule of God, we are making two great mistakes. One is the simple fact that we cannot win. WE will be ruled by the Lord. The other is the fact that the rule of God, if we will submit to it in Christ, is not a burden but a glorious grace.

 

Christians, think of God as your King. Do not let that thought slide past you too quickly. The Lord you have asked to be your Savior is also the Lord who claims absolute authority over every aspect of your life. He is good. He is wise. He is kind. But he is King. To battle against him is crazy and self-destructive. To surrender to him is wise and right.

It’s a new year. At this time, we all love to make plans for somehow modifying our lives and doing things better. We plan to exercise more, read better books, eat better food, and all the rest. And while all this is good, I would like to propose to us one simple commitment for the year that carries with it a promise of the blessing of God.

 

Psalm 1

1 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 scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 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 starts off the worship song book of the Bible with a simple reminder. We are blessed by God when we walk, not in the ways of our naturally evil hearts, but when we instead make our lives and focus center on his holy word. The blessed person is one who delights in the word of God and meditates on it, reading it, studying it, applying it, obeying it.

 

We should be careful not to look at this passage as a do this to get that sort of passage. God has never been like the pagan fertility gods of the world’s false religions. God does not perform for us on a payment system. Rather, the point of the passage is that the one who loves God will love his word and obey it. The one who loves God’s word and obeys it will experience the blessings of God because he or she is a child of God. Loving the word of God is both a symptom of being a true child of god as well as an avenue to the blessings of God.

 

As this new year begins, I would urge us all to love the Lord our god by loving his word. In doing so, we will experience the glory of God and the soul-satisfying blessings he promises. This is good and wise.

 

How then will we love the word of God this year?

 

• Read it – You will not love the word of God if you spend no time in it. Make this a priority.
• Read it with a plan – I like to use a Bible-in-a-year plan. But that is not the only way to read. However, choosing to read a different passage every day, whatever pops into your head at the time, is not wise. That will leave you outside of the context and flow of Scripture. And reading without a plan makes it far easier to skip.
• Read with someone – It would be wise to find a friend or three and see about reading through the same plan or the same book together. This will not only promote accountability, but it will also give you a great topic for conversation as you share convictions and insights together.
• Attend worship – This would be a good year to make worship attendance a higher priority. You need to be with the people of God hearing the word of God faithfully taught. 

 

We could say so much more, but for now, let me simply encourage us to love the Lord by loving his word. This is a way to start 2018 aimed at the blessings of god.