River of Life

There are two sides to living: your own way, or God's way. You can live the way you want, with no allegiance to anyone but yourself. You are the commander of yourself. You are solely responsible for the type of existence you create, and the consequences that come with your choices are only made visible when you decide to make a big deal of them.

This sounds pretty good. No responsibilities. Eminem, songwriter and rap artist, once said, "I say what I want to say and do what I want to do. There's no in between. People will either love you for it or hate you for it." We can say whatever we want, do whatever we want, and whoever does not like it can lick a frozen flagpole. "Out of my way, I have a life to live," the independent fighter can say. Again, no allegiance to anyone. You rule yourself, and if anyone wants to follow, they can come along as long as it does not intrude on your decisions, choices, and minor responsibilities.

Unfortunately, those who live for themselves are prone to wickedness and deception. They only think about what suits them, and this selfish corruption they file away begins to define them. Galatians 5:19-21 says,

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Paul, author of Galatians, wrote with the churches of Galatia in mind. He wrote to Christians who knew of sin and were aware of who it affected. If you are aware of the sin you commit, yet continue to commit it, who is your allegiance to? Just two verses prior, Paul states, "For the flesh (sinful) desires what is contrary to the Spirit (filled with the presence of God), and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want" (Galatians 5:17).

Slowly, a simple sin turns into a habit, and that habit turns into addiction. As we begin turning over to depravity, selfishness, and some of (if not all of) the sins listed above, we begin to lose the identity God intends to give us. We become unglued and run loose like beheaded chickens.

What do we do in a society like this? God's heart breaks at the rebellious children. We look in mirrors and shatter them with our corrupted identity (James 1:23). Who we are supposed to be gets locked away by the hands of demons, and our selfishness rules like an emperor of a country.

We are choking among thorns, thistles, weeds, and death. Where we sit is a graveyard. Dehydration kicks in, and those who surround us mock in ridicule and evil laughter. Lifeless, our only motivation is the hope of dying sooner than later. 

Yet, from the perspective of David, there lies another source of hope.

Not too far from corruption flows a never-ending river. It is an oasis of rich blue and delicious spring water. On the other side of that stream sits a tree. Its leaves never whither, it yields its fruit every season, and its limbs never grow tired. Here, it rests by the stream because it never thirsts (John 4:14) and never grows weary. Whatever it does, it prospers. This tree never steals, never boasts in itself, and never covets; it never grows impatient, unkind, or wicked. There is no need for this tree to sin because it "delights in the law of the Lord" (Psalm 1:2). Everyday, the tree receives life. It is always joyful, accepting, and at peace. Because it relies heavily on the water and plot of land it is given, it never wanders, but receives life everlasting.

David paints this picture in Psalm 1. In this chapter, David begins to understand how critical it is to stay committed to God and never stray. The wicked, while sitting on the opposite side as the prosperous tree, will always perish in their own foolishness (their decision). But, this tree will always be in nourished. It sits by Living Water, which will never run dry. 

Sometimes, we fall into those storms in life. We begin thinking about our problems, our issues, and our future. We leave God out of the equation, whether done intentionally or unintentionally, and we suffer for it in the end.

Plain and simple: A life without God will eventually perish, and a life with God will prosper like a tree by the riverside. 

Which side of the river do you find yourself on?

Credit Where it is Due

          If David, the author of most of the Psalms, has recognized anything at this point in his life, it is that there is greater promise in the Lord and His sovereign protection. Even if emotional turmoil had to come David’s way to help him understand who is ultimately in charge, David eventually stands confidently by his conclusion about God. As Psalm 3 vividly points out, David is at a point of desperation, and in that desperation, he finds that God is the key to the perfect resting place. Still, one Psalm later, David cries out to God, demanding, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress…” (Psalm 4:1).

            For several verses after crying out to God, it is almost as if David is speaking for God: “…how long shall my honor be turned into shame?” (Psalm 4:2) Translation: How long shall God be put to shame by vain words and lies? Then, David reminds those who suffer for the sake of Christ Jesus: “…know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself” (v. 2).  God is everything we need (Psalm 1), and yet He still chooses to set us apart for himself!

            How can we allow our lips to speak lies? How can we utter such obscene insults and lies? The Lord is our righteousness, our source of joy, our lover, and our sunshine that lights our way. He is our shelter, our refuge from war, and our healer – yet he chooses us!

            No wonder David commands us to “ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent (Read Psalm 46: 10)” (Psalm 4:4) We are “set apart” (Psalm 4:3) for Him; sinners, offenders, and scoffers, undeserving of His presence. David understood this more than anyone, after what he had done to sleep with another man’s wife. David realizes God is offering him another chance, and because of this, he wants to make known God’s gift of second chances.

            Despite all David has gone through (committing adultery with his best soldier’s wife, being responsible for killing his best soldier, the death of Amnon (son #2) – Absalom (son #1) murdering him, Absalom’s desire to take over with selfish pride and power, and fleeing from his own son’s worldly desires), he has come to genuinely believe that God is more than words will ever express. He begins this deep, intimate, love relationship with God and therefore cannot stop expressing his devotion to God.

            Most importantly, through fleeing, David submits to his true Authority. He sees the second chance he is given and cannot stop rejoicing. Downcast and covered in his own sin, David sees that there is hope, and he takes every opportunity to glorify God through it.

            And boy, does it change his life.

            Do we allow God’s second chances in our lives effect the way we live again? Do we allow ourselves to “ponder in [our] own hearts on [our] beds, and be silent”? When we commit our lives to Christ, do we sing the way David does? Have we praised the way David has? After all, he is our safety, our refuge, our everything.

           David made certain God received credit for all that was going on in His life. He had developed a habit: praising God continually. Nothing could stop him from singing and reflecting on the goodness of God. In fact, nothing can match the joy he has felt when basking in the presence of the Lord: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psalm 4:7).

            God was everything to David. And, if we are to “ponder…and be silent,” we will find ourselves climbing back into the Father’s arms, taking in with awe the indescribable and inspiring power that the Highest of Highs holds in so many forms; reliever of stress, gracious King, personable and loving, listener, giver of joy, peace bringer, and refuge - a list of only a couple of his many attributes. 

Do we give Him the credit He deserves, like David did?

"Spit" Decisions

Littered through our lives is one thing that will never go away. It can be the toughest challenge to face, and it is always fought best when confronted personally. No one can make it for you, yet so many times we do not know what to do about them. These are infamously known as "decisions". Lebron James made one in 2010, President Barack Obama makes them all the time, and as Christians, we constantly have to be mindful of them. Unfortunately, many times in our lives, we are indecisive; with our jobs, our lifestyles, our friendships, etc. Worst yet, we are indecisive as Christians. We are not sure whether we should stay in the boat or whether to trust God and get out. We are not even sure whether or not we should "really" live for God. Oh, decisions, decisions, decisions.
In Revelation, there are seven churches that are mentioned. Each church has made some decisions and has to deal with them, and at each church - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, a letter is written to the angel that resides there. To the church in Smyrna, the letter encourages the angel saying, "I know about your suffering and your poverty - but you are rich!" (Rev. 2:9). As opposed to the church in Smyrna, the church in Laodicea claims it is rich materialistically, but it is really poor in spirit. Furthermore, what the church struggled with greatly was what is was doing in the sight of the Lord, and it was all...worthless.
As a matter of fact, if we are to fully understand the meaning behind the letter written to Laodicea, we would have to understand the context in which it was written. Around this church was a source of water in the form of a fountain and water tower. Along with the tower, an aqueduct was constructed from hot springs four miles south of the town. All around the Laodicea, cold and hot water was used to take care of the people and the land. Hence, giving some context to the letter to Laodicea, which boldly states:

"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16)

The Laodicean church was doing things (and/or not doing things) that were unacceptable in the eyes of God. The letter is explaining that, like lukewarm water, there was no use for it and it might as well be tossed out (or more repulsively, "spit out"). There are many who are hot and seek the Lord faithfully, while cold water people have a heart that rejects God. Laodicea?  It couldn't make up its mind. In this context, it is far better to be cold and stone-hearted than be halfway between yes and no. A relationship is  unhealthy when one desires to go to his/her lover and then rejects the relationship moments later. Being indecisive is one of the worst strategies to use to get into or out of relationship because it is dishonest. This is how Laodicea was treating its relationship with God.

As Christians, we can easily become a Laodicea. We proclaim, as the Laodicean angel did: "I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!" (v. 17) We get swept away by our comfortable decisions and our comfortable lifestyle. Our lives become about us. We may not like to admit it, but we become so full of ourselves that we become stagnant, stale, and unworthy of carrying the most prized possession: Jesus Christ. In the next season, we praise and love God for what he gives  us ("everything I want"). We can't make a decision on whether to be 100% in or 100% out, so we lower our expectations to maybes. God makes it clear we need to knock it off.

Coffee, in our generation, comes in all different forms. We need to stay awake, so a good shot of espresso almost becomes a necessity. In order to provide it year round, coffee joints sell iced coffees in the summer and hot coffee in the winter. 

Never do they sell lukewarm coffee. It is gross, and it can be compared to the coffee you leave sitting out all day. Just like the town of Laodicea, the hot water and cold water was used for something, but the warm water could not be put to use in any way. It was worthless.

Many times, we are that coffee that sits out too long. The ice melts and becomes watery; the hot coffee reaches room temperature. We sit out and do nothing with the spiritual blessings God has given us. And, God does give us them:

Paul says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

Unfortunately, after we make the decision to follow Christ, we tend to pull Laodiceas all the time. We sink into a comfortable lifestyle and become useless couch potatoes, and because of our indecisiveness, we look less like volunteers for our most High God and more like lazy servants who do nothing with their gift (Matthew 25:14-30). 

If we dare sit still, yet claim we have made God our Lord, we are merely trees tossed out and thrown into a fire (Matthew 7:19). In fact, just because we cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' this does not ensure eternity with him:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven," Jesus said (Matthew 7:21)

We need to constantly be aware of His will for us. We need to "...use whatever gift [we have] received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:10-11). In doing that, we can then "...make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19), all for God's glory.

Despite all of the decisions we are constantly making each day, one decision that should never be difficult to make is to live out our commitment to Christ Jesus our Lord. Make yourself of use for the glory of God, and see how He can personally make you a vessel for His Kingdom.

So, what will your decision be? Will you be a stagnant servant, lukewarm in all your ways? Or, will you live out 1 Peter 4:10-11?

See also: James 1:22-25, Matthew 7:19, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 1 Timothy 1:6-7, 1 Timothy 4:11-14