- araratchurch
- Apr 7, 2022
- 3 min read
“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
Psalms 15:1-5 NKJV
Near where I was born, there is a place called “Rock City.” Over the years, many people have enjoyed walking the rocky trails and taking in its natural beauty. On one part of the trails there is a place called “Fat Man Squeeze” (most people reference it as “Fat Man’s Squeeze”). This is where the trail goes through opposing rock shears, between which, you literally have to squeeze yourself through. Additionally, if your girth exceeds the basic chubby guy level, you will not make it through. It is not suggested for those who have claustrophobia in that there are sections where the squeeze is 15 to 20 feet long and there are often people on either side of you. (OK, before you break out in a sweat, I’ll move on.)
In our portion from Psalms today we find David questioning as to who can actually dwell in the presence of the Lord; then he gives a list of qualifications, a description, as to who would be able to do that. We also see David entertaining this line of questioning elsewhere in the psalms:
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
Psalms 24:3-5 NKJV
When I was much younger I took this as being a description of what state of being good Christian people could attain. But, as I became more mature in the Lord—and as He revealed my own need of a Savior—I realized that these verses are a “Fat Man’s Squeeze” through which none of us could ever actually fit. You see, fallen man is too “fat” to walk the trail to God’s presence. But praise be to God, Jesus Christ has made a way—where there was no way—for us to do just that! Through Him we can lose that “girth of flesh” disqualifying us from walking that trail! And, beyond that, one day—soon and very soon—we will be like Him so that we may dwell in the presence of our Lord, FOREVER!
“Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory].”
1 John 3:2 AMP
So, if you can’t seem to find that “miracle diet” to help you shed the “weight” keeping you from God’s presence, just look to Jesus; He has made a Way for you. Just enter in!
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
The pathway to God is too narrow for us; but it is not too narrow for Jesus.
- araratchurch
- Apr 6, 2022
- 3 min read
“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God….For God is with the generation of the righteous.”
Psalms 14:2, 5 NKJV
Did you know that there are wealthy philanthropists who actually seek out causes with which they agree in order to donate funds to groups and individuals? As awesome as that is, there is One Who has access to ALL things Who is looking for someone to help.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
II Chronicles 16:9 NKJV
The above verse was actually one of my father’s favorite scriptures. He indeed lived his life seeking the Lord and I saw the Lord coming to his aid innumerable times. It is important to know the context of this scripture to fully grasp what is being said about the Lord.
Now, there was one king of Judah, Asa, who was basically a good king; but he had one—what proved to be—fatal flaw. You see, he always looked for help outside of the Lord. One of those times was when he sought out the Syrians to help him in a battle with Israel. The Lord was not pleased.
“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.””
II Chronicles 16:7-9 NKJV
This correction sent to Asa through Hanani, was not heeded, and Asa died the way he lived: looking for help from other sources, rather than the Lord.
“And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.”
II Chronicles 16:12-13 NKJV
There is something about the Lord that many people do not realize. If a person is intent on seeking help from everybody else except the Lord, the Lord will not intervene on their behalf. This is not to say that the Lord never uses other sources to help us (physicians, loan officers, attorneys, and so on). But the point is that the Lord should be sought FIRST; then—whatever follows—should be by the leading of His Spirit.
In our portion from Psalms today we see that David understood the importance of seeking after the Lord. Now, in reading about David seeking the Lord (through many scriptures in the Bible), we get a sense that he was seeking the Lord out of his love and devotion for Him. But, the result of that seeking was that God came to his help, came to his rescue, over and over again.
For everything in our lives—from big things (like difficult decisions or troubling diagnoses), all the way to things we might consider being “insignificant” to the Lord—let us make sure that we seek the Lord for our help!.
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
Psalms 9:10 NKJV
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
God looks for those who are seeking Him in order to help them.
- araratchurch
- Apr 5, 2022
- 3 min read
“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous.”
Psalms 14:1, 5 NKJV
Many years ago, I was sitting in my office looking across the desk at a young woman I had known all her life. She was brought up in a Christian home and recently had entered college. I didn’t know the reason she had asked for the meeting, so I sat there waiting to hear what was on her heart and mind. Now, on the one hand, I did not expect what was to come out of her mouth. But on the other hand, what she said was so tragically cliché, I wasn’t really surprised after all.
To explain, as she sat there with a rather “set” look on her face, she informed me that now—having gone to college and was interacting with “intelligent people”—she now “knew too much” to believe in God.
I said that in one way I did not expect what I heard because I knew her upbringing. Additionally, for me, denying God‘s existence would be something akin to saying my parents never existed—or better yet—that I do not exist. With that, I said that I wasn’t surprised after all because I have seen many young people go to college—or even seminary—and come out saying they no longer believe in God.
First of all, this phenomenon has a lot to do with the carnal nature of man, the desire to fit in, and the desire to live a life free of restraint. Additionally, this also says volumes about our educational system. Many teachers and professors are the product of decades of education that is hostile to God. And, how better to express your hostility to God than by ignoring Him?
There are many other “reasons” people may not believe in God. For many, they felt let down by God in some way and are now “punishing” Him by not believing in Him. But, whatever the cause, it is a fool’s errand to try to deny the existence of the Almighty God and Creator.
I like what the Apostle Paul has to say about people who do not believe in God. Additionally, he illuminates the foolishness of those who have chosen their own “god” and have become idolaters.
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”
Romans 1:20-25 NLT
In our portion from Psalms today we see David contemplating on the foolishness of those who go their own corrupt ways, all the while denying God‘s existence. He deftly notes—as he often does—the fact that the error of the wicked will be dramatically pointed out to them by a close encounter of the “destructive” kind, experienced by all those who continue to reject the reality of God.
God proves Himself to us every time we take a breath, with every beat of our heart, and through everything around us, from the subatomic level to the great beyond.
So, Don’t allow the error of foolish people who deny God to get you down. The day is just around the corner when this happens:
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10-11 NLT
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
Fools may try to deny God’s existence, but He will not be ignored.