The Richest of Fare

Isaiah 55 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Most of us spend most of our lives on things that don’t really satisfy, and on things that can be destroyed by fire, wind, or rain.  And it’s all because we’re trying to find that American dream, I suppose, of having it all – and ending up on top of the world.

We have to make a living, that’s a given.  And it takes long hours to make a living, and long hours to make a home.  So there’s not much time left over, or energy, to spend and labor on other things, right?

Not so.  We can spend and labor in the middle of our jobs, no matter how mundane they might be, and experience the “richest of fare,” even if our salary is not what we know we’re worth.  We can dine at the finest of tables, even if our home is lacking in fine silver and exquisite foods.

God wants us to delight in him, listen to him, obey him, and love him – and love our neighbors – all right in the middle of the countless hours we spend working hard to make a living.

When he’s at the center of all we do, we don’t focus on things, but on delighting in him – and work becomes more than  a means of paying bills – but rather an act of worship to him.

Airing Opinions

Proverbs 18:2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

I like Proverbs – this book of verses pulls no punches – each verse is to the point and blunt. 

There’s nothing wrong with giving an opinion, but in this verse it seems to refer to the kind of opinions that are “aired” or exhaled when we’re riled up or contentious.  Sort of like the opinions that are aired on Facebook – not asked for, not said with tact, and often misspoken and misdirected because they are rooted in hurt or lack of full knowledge.

We all need understanding.  When we gain understanding, our opinions and things we say won’t sound foolish or “airy.” 

Opinions actually have no foundation.  In fact, by definition an opinion is not necessarily based on fact.  And when we give one, we have to be careful that we aren’t judging someone in the process.

Sometimes, we even offer our opinions about God and his ways, and how he handles our lives for us, thinking we could certainly do it better. 

Let’s pray for understanding and wisdom, to be of the mind to trust him in all of his ways, lean not to our own understanding, and acknowledge him.

And in doing so, we will stay away from being called a fool.

Despise Not

Proverbs 3 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

This might be a hard verse to read, especially if our own fathers were/are harsh and degrading. Someone once told me the way to recognize the voice of our heavenly father as opposed to the voice of the accuser.  God doesn’t attack our character.  In other words, when he disciplines and rebukes us, we won’t hear, “You’re sorry.  You’re worthless.  What a waste you are.”  God loves us, purely, wholly, and perfectly.

And because he loves us, he instructs us and prods us along, like sheep, when we start to go astray or flirt with the darkness of the forest, or hang too near a cliff.  He delights in us, and he wants us near to him, and he loves us.

We as parents do our kids a great disservice if we choose not discipline our children as they grow and mature.  Kids need boundaries, with love.  Kids look to parents for guidance and they receive it, when offered with authority and love.

Receive God’s discipline in your life as he hooks that staff around your neck and pulls you away from danger. He’s all about saving your life.  He loves you that much.

His Pleasure

Psalm 147 says, His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

I’m so glad God’s pleasure doesn’t come from how strong I am, or how fast I run, or in how well the things I own and produce and work for me.  He doesn’t delight in how well I can sing, how awesome I perform, or how high I jump. 

He delights in me.

He loves it when I trust him, even when I don’t understand.

He is full of delight when I recognize his authority in my life and give honor.

He is thrilled when I place my hope in his love that never fails.

He is responsive to my heart that responds to him.

As we delight in his word, our Father delights in us – his creation – his image – his sons and daughters.  It’s his good pleasure to bless us.  

And that, he does.

Life Preserver

Psalm 119 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

There’s a reason we are told many times to delight in his word, his law, his statutes.  God knows that we will need his word to sustain us when life gets hard, when we don’t understand, or when we feel too weak to stand.  It’s in these particular times that God’s word is just like a life-preserver – it’s something we can grab onto in order to keep afloat.

Without his word, or even with it but despising it, we will perish.  His word is life.

There’s another verse in the New Testament that says wherever your treasure is, there is your heart also.  Our treasure must be the sweetness of his words, words we store up in chests like those who store gold, only to be opened and discovered daily with gasps of, “Oh my, he loves me that much?”

Never forget God's words to you. Delight in them. They are better than life.

No Good Counsel

Psalm 119 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

I have found in all of my life, that the word of God is the best counselor. 

People are great listeners, and offer great words of advice, and even include scriptures that encourage. But unless we receive the word ourselves, it does no good to spill our guts.

Those who counsel as a profession are helpful and instrumental in leading us towards thinking differently so that we can move forward.  But the word of God is what changes us on the inside so that we can actually move and keep from sliding backwards when we do.

When we delight in the word we will run to it when we’re in need.  We will take what others have counseled us to do, what friends and family have suggested that we do, and we can place all of that alongside the word, to see how it lines up...and then obey.

There is no good counsel apart from the word of the Lord.  

Ponder

Psalm 111: Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

I’m not sure how often I hear anyone use the word “ponder.” It means to think about carefully.

God’s works in the earth, in our lives, and in the lives of those around us deserve consideration and great thought.  If we delight in the Lord’s works, we will ponder them – think about them carefully.

If we don’t ponder them, we often lose sight of the goodness of God in our lives.  He’s at work daily, guiding our steps, providing what we need, showing his glory in the skies, etc. and if we just pass over them without taking notice, we get lost in life.  We get caught up in our busyness and never stop to realize how much God is with us and caring for us.

God’s at work in your life.  Stop today and ponder his greatness to you. 

Make this a daily practice to delight in the works of the Lord in your life.

Firm Steps

Psalm 37 says, The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Today is my birthday. And I’m thankful he holds my hand.  I stumble daily in my faith, I stagger sometimes with sorrow, and other times I just trip over my thoughts.  But when he has my hand, I know I’m safe and held.

I’m getting stronger as I get older.  I’m living and learning more about my Father as I live another day and observe the beauty of his love in my life.

I’ve seen and know that God is good.  And I don’t want to ever let go of his hand, because it’s the hand of the one who delights in me, and I in him.

And when I’m not stumbling, staggering or tripping, our dance is quite sweet!

Take his hand, let him hold it firm, and allow him to teach you the steps to the song that he sings in your ear as he leads you along.  

And don't be afraid of falling - he's got your hand.

Whole Being

Psalm 35:9, 10 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

Love these verses!

Something else we can take delight in is his salvation!  Our whole being (body, mind, and soul) can react with delight!

Here the writer exclaims with his mouth what he feels in his soul – thankfulness for the awesome Lord who delivered him.

We can respond with our body by lifting our hands, spinning around, laughing out loud, or even squealing with delight because we are saved from all that is evil in the world – rescued from the one who destroys.

When we realize the goodness of salvation that is ours for the asking, our  minds are blown away as a light comes on, and it dawns on us what an incredible love the Father has shown to us – that he sent his Son to die for our sins.

When our entire being responds to the Lord, we are taking delight in Him, and all kinds of good things are ours.

River of Delights

Psalm 36:7-9 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Can you imagine a “river of delights?”  I’ve seen some pretty rivers, especially ones that have lights in the trees that line the banks, gondolas floating down the middle, and cool eateries alongside where those floating can stop and obtain refreshment.

However, God’s river of delights is like none other.  There’s this fountain right in the middle of it – it’s always flowing – and those who drink of it live forever.  Now that’s delightful!

The river Jordan led the children of Israel into the promised land, and the enemies that pursued them drowned in the deluge that followed.  I’d say the Jordan is a river of delight because it marked deliverance from Egypt – forever!

Revelation talks of a river of life that flows from his throne, with fruit trees along the banks, and trees with healing leaves.

God’s river of delights awaits you.  There is plenty of abundance for you and yours.  You can drink until you thirst no more.  And you can see his reflection in the light of the river.

It’s a priceless ride down this river of delights, and he’s paid your fare, so come along…

Revel In It

Psalm 18 says: They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Did you know the Lord delights in you?  In the New Testament, God speaks aloud at Jesus’ baptism and says that Jesus is his son, a son that pleases him. 

It’s because of Jesus that God delights in us.  His son was perfect, he obeyed and fulfilled very purpose for which he was born, and God took pleasure in him.

It pleased God to send his son so that he could delight in his children, as well.  Sin separated us from God, so God bridged that gap, and made a way for us to fellowship with him – which brings him great delight.

There are confrontations you will have in this life – in fact they will be disastrous at times.  However, the Lord is your support and he will rescue you. Why?  Not because you are perfect, but because his Son who lives in you is perfect.

Revel in his delight over you today.

Delight in Him

There are many things about the Lord that should bring us delight, and when we delight in him, we are blessed.

This verse says: My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. (I Samuel 2)

This is Hannah’s song.  She prayed for a son and God gave her one. The Lord delivered her from barrenness.

What has God delivered you from?  If you know him as Savior, he’s delivered you from death.  If you know him as Lord, he’s delivered you from destruction.  If you know him as Friend, he’s delivered you from a life of isolation.  And if you know him as King, he’s delivered you from poverty. 

God is our deliverer.  And we can delight in that deliverance.

You can bet those who are rescued from plane crashes, capsized boats, or from being kidnapped are filled with delight when the rescuer comes.

Rejoice in the Lord and boast in Him. Delight in his deliverance.

Desires

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Hmmm, so if we are pleased with the Lord, he will give us everything we desire? That’s one interpretation.

Another might be that if we delight in Him, he will actually give us desires that are pleasing to him, ones he will fulfill because they bring him glory.

I think we might merge these two together and get a more accurate picture of what the Lord will do with us.

To take delight requires action on our part, to actually enjoy and be happy with the Lord.  And oftentimes, we are not happy with his lack of attention (at least that’s our perception) to our prayers, or we are disappointed with his lack of superman antics where he swoops down and saves the day. 

If we truly delight in his ways, his plans, and his purposes, then the things we desire will be the things in our lives that cooperate with those ways, plans, and purposes.

He’s a good Father, and it brings him pleasure to bless us. But sometimes what we desire isn’t the best choice, just like when we want to eat a pile of cookies for dinner. Tasty, but results in a stomach ache afterwards.

Try delighting in Him.  Twirl around with joy at his goodness in your life.  Jump up and down because his mercies and compassion are new for you each day. And smile at the mention of his name.

Your desires will then be fulfilled.

Acceptable Religion

The last verse of James:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

You want to know how to be accepted in the sight of the Father?  Live a pure, faultless life that includes looking after those in distress and keep yourself from the junk in the world.

You want to know how you can do that?  Ask God to grant you wisdom, which includes looking into his word and accepting what it says about you, about Him, and about his love.

The life that God accepts is not one that’s flashy, running here and there to fulfill our every whim, or a life full of lofty words we sing about him.  He wants our heart, and he wants us to offer it to him willingly.  He wants us to believe him.  And he wants us to respond to him by responding to others.

I’m not good at doing any of that by myself.  In fact, I can’t do any of it on a regular basis.  I fail miserably.

But I can read the word.  I can read the same book over 10 times until I believe what I read. I can hear his voice, because I belong to him.  And I can fall back into his arms when I’m weak – and he will be my strength.

Worthless Religion

James 1:26

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 

Another stern word.  Earlier, we read that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

The opposite of that is to let our tongues run loose like a wild bull let out of his stall, where he’s been pawing at the ground, just waiting for a chance to bust loose.

Keeping a tight rein on our tongues is not easy.  In fact, the  Bible says no man can tame his own tongue.  It’s a loose cannon, and when shot off – it kills all of those in its path.

Religion doesn’t save us, nor is it a badge we wear so that all who see us stop and say, “Look, she’s religious.” In fact, “religion” has gotten a bad reputation.

However, a person who loves God in word AND deed – who loves others as herself – is one that will be noticed.  That sort of religion is noteworthy. 

This is a daily exercise, taking our tongue and asking God to tame it, so that we are listening before we speak – in every situation.

Be Blessed

James 1: But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

This is the rest of the passage from yesterday. 

Once we look into the mirror of the Word, we realize that his ways are perfect and they free us.  So if we walk away  believing that, it’s like looking in the mirror and liking what we see.  We can walk throughout the day with our head held high, a spring in our step, and a smile on our face.

It’s up to us to choose to believe – or not to believe.

But if we believe – we will be blessed.

What do you see in the “mirror” today?  Don’t even think about walking away from it until you see that “perfect law that gives freedom” and then choose to walk in it.  

Don't Forget

James 1:22-24 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 

Have you ever looked in a mirror and walked away, forgetting what you looked like?  Most of us look, adjust our clothes, brush our hair, and touch up anything out of place, and walk away remembering how good we looked, or depressed because we can’t make ourselves look any better – even with all the touch-ups and time put forth to do so.

When I look into the Word I see all sorts of flaws in the way my heart looks, but I also see hope in that I don’t have to fix them – He sees them and covers them with his blood – HIS sacrifice.

And when I walk away from what the word says about how I look in his eyes, and I still beat myself up and feel unworthy and unaccepted, I’m in effect saying “Forget that.”  It’s a slap in God’s face.

So look into the word today, and if you see flaws and shortcomings – ask God to touch you up, make the adjustments, and straighten your mind – then walk away and remember how he made you perfect and beautiful.

And don’t forget it.

Accept It

James 1:21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Prevalent moral filth and evil – sounds like a description of our culture – right?  It’s all around us, but it’s up to us to keep ourselves unspotted from the soot, or the fog, that wants to settle upon us and block our way.  We have to get rid of it.  How?

We have to accept the word that’s planted in us – words of hope – words of wisdom – words of grace – words of life – and more.  Did you know that these words are planted in us when we read the Bible and hear what God says, but in order to walk free – we must accept them!

We can choose to believe lies that others say about us or lies we’ve heard since childhood, or we can accept the truth about how God sees us and his awesome love for us.

We can be saved from a life that just bends and sways to every morally decaying wind that smells so foul – just by accepting the word planted inside each of us.

Have you not heard?  God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.  Accept it. Be saved.

Produce

James 1:19-20 - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 

Wow, not sure I’ve ever read the last of this passage – our own anger never produces anything good, and certainly not what God desires.

Here in these verses it says we should be quick to listen.  Instead, we are usually quick to anger and quick to speak.  It’s these impulses, these outbursts, and these damaging words that wreak all kinds of havoc in our homes and among our family members.

So how do we train ourselves to listen, and to whom are supposed to listen? 

I think if we walk in the Spirit, we can listen intently when we are misunderstood, mistreated, or mistaken.  We can most importantly hear him say that He will handle all darts that are thrown against us, and we don’t have to just have knee-jerk reactions of picking up the darts and throwing them back.

So if human anger does not produce righteousness, then being slow to speak and slow to anger – because we’re listening to Him – must produce all kinds of good things in us.

Shadows

James 1:16-18 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Herein lies the danger – deception.

Any time we are enticed and lured into believing lies about God and his goodness and love, we are deceived.  So here we are told, “Don’t be deceived.”

Shadows change during the day, as the sun rises and falls.  However,  God doesn’t shift around like a shadow, in the shadows, or in scary dark places. 

God’s gifts are good and perfect.  In other words, when we ask of him wisdom, he grants us strength to endure, power to choose a straight path, and eyes to see from a high position. 

The word of truth (Jesus loves us and died for our sins, rose again so that we might live) – when we believed it – gave birth to our new life.

He chose us.  He set us above all creation. To worship Him.

Herein lies life – faith in the truth.

Dragged Away

James 1:13-15 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;  but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

So in this passage, what are we being tempted to do?  Since this passage is all about enduring trials and hardships, in context I believe it’s saying being tempted to walk away from our relationship with Christ, and tempted to follow after riches and wealth. 

Keep reading, and we see that this temptation is not of God, and in fact it’s when we are dragged away and enticed by our own “evil desire.” 

Did you know that desires are like seeds?  If we desire something so much that it becomes something we think about day and night, it’s going to spring up like a weed – or a flower – and govern our garden.

In fact, we are enticed to desire evil things, daily.  The lure of wealth and riches is huge – because we see that it brings happiness and fun.  The enticement of satisfying our cravings is tempting – because we are hurting and we want a quick “high” to fix our pain.

These verses contain a strong warning to check our desires.  If our desires, when birthed (or sprouted), show up as weeds that we constantly have to pull or fight so that we’re not overtaken, we need to ask God to forgive us.  We then need to plant and nurture desires that drop like seeds and grow good things like fruit, things that satisfy and nurture.

How does your garden grow?

Blessed

James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Remember a few days ago we read to “count it all joy” when we’re in the middle of trials and hardships?  Now, we read that if we do remain joyful, if we do press on, we are then blessed!

One definition of persevere is to “continue the course.”  Oftentimes, when hardships or trials come, we are tempted to walk away from God and make a decision to doubt his love and goodness, and to think in our hearts that we must not be good enough to be blessed.  Both of these are two of the biggest lies that send us veering off into a ditch of despair.

God is good, all the time.  His love endures forever.  God is love.

Stand firm in your faith, even under fire.  Ask God for wisdom.  Praise him for the awesome Father that he is.

Finally, stand still and receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised you. 

Wisdom Here

James 1:9-11 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

This is quite a paragraph for thought.  It’s written to believers.  And it comes right after the directive to ask God for wisdom.

Could it be that a huge nugget of wisdom is to not seek after riches?  It seems to say here that believers are in a “high position” when they are not burdened down with the weight that having riches carries.  When we are not trapped into tending to all that we own, we are more inclined to look up to the one who owns us.  Or at least that would be a wise move.

Riches, beauty, and successful businesses are what the world seeks after.  However, all of those things fade over time and they rule our time.

Seeking after wisdom and asking God for it, enables us to go up higher, to see the big picture, to see a world in need of Jesus.

Boast in your position you have in Jesus – a place of security, holiness, and peace – things that can never pass away or fade.

Ask Him

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I lack wisdom.  Do you?  Wisdom keeps us out of trouble, wisdom guides our daily decisions, and wisdom focuses our eyes on the eternal.  And God says here that we should ask God for wisdom.

Sometimes, I’d rather God just swoop in and take care of things without my ever lifting a finger.  However, there are times when God wants to speak to me, guide me, and point me in a direction and say “Here, I’ve given you the words of life.  Now walk in them.”

The second half of this passage says that when we ask, we must believe.  In other words, none of these - I don’t deserve it, God won’t speak to me, I’m not good enough - thoughts.  We must believe that God will grant us wisdom.  

A person without wisdom is shaky, tossed about, wishy-washy.  This is why young people often go astray and ruin their lives. 

The first piece of wisdom is to build your house on the Rock, not the Sand.  And Christ is that solid rock.