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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends, today is THURSDAY, January 2, the second day of 2020!
Yesterday we began this New Year by lingering after the fireworks had died down, and just gazing into the night sky, where-ever you where, and allowing ourselves to be awed by the Celestial Display of God’s majesty, as we considered Psalm 19:1-4.
Of course the daytime display is also magnificent. Here’s a picture I took outside our home last week! It’s not often I’ve seen a complete rainbow… do you remember the promise of God that explains a rainbow? (Genesis 9:12-16) And do you see the DOUBLE rainbow we had?! Dawn and I just stood amazed and then began to pray and praise, thanking our Great God for His majesty and His love for us! This is one reason I felt led to begin our new year in Psalm 19.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they display His knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the world…” (Psalm 19:1-4)
Now today, the second day of 2020, let’s turn our gaze from the sky, to God’s everlasting, unchanging, powerful TRUTH. Look with me at Psalm 19:7-14.
Imagine today, God spoke with one voice, to the entire world, each person hearing God in his or her own language. What if God spoke these words as ‘guard-rails’ for the roads we all will travel in 2020? ‘Guard rails’ serve as protection from disaster, right. Do you remember King Solomon wrote “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov. 4:23) These statements in Psalm 19 will help us do just that. So let’s dig in…
“The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The Statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The Precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The Commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The Fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The Ordinances of the LORD are sure, and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold,
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is Your servant warned,
in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19:7-11)
Now, if the voice of God was heard by every living human being, each in their own language, …what do you suppose might be the global response to this proclamation by God? What difference would it be making in our world, tomorrow, next month, by year end?
Of course several millennia of human history shows us, no matter the form by which God communicates to humanity, no matter the message, no matter the time of day or night, the vast majority of the human race either ignores God, or rejects what God says, or twists God’s words to be what their ears want to hear.
We’ve just celebrated Christmas and “Immanuel”, God coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, so God could be seen, heard, touched, questioned, loved and even then… rejected.
As we begin 2020 my friends, I’m calling us to step into this New Year standing in awe of God, (Psalm 19:1-4) and honoring His Word (Psalm 19:7-11) as both foundational Truth and ‘guard-rails’ for living our lives in God honoring ways.
Over and over in 2020 you and I will be deluged with information, and we will need to decide… it is true or partially true or a distortion of truth or completely false?
What will be the standard by which you will measure the truthfulness of all the information you receive in 2020? Considering how fast information comes at you, will you be able to effectively and efficiently process that information and make wise choices as a result?
This will be an election year in America and our political process will spew claims and counter-claims around the world. By the time we arrive at Tuesday, November 3, election day 2020, I think it’s fair to say we will all feel we’ve been drowning in noise that leaves us skeptical at best, perhaps greatly discouraged and almost numb to news.
That’s why I’m inviting us to begin 2020 in Psalm 19.
God, the author of all ultimate truth says there is a solid foundation upon which to build our lives. There is a God given truth standard by which we can filter all the information. Remember Isaiah 45:18,19?
There is a Holy Spirit of God who promises to teach us, guide us and help us discern the difference between truth and everything else. Remember John 14:26?
As followers of Jesus, we can have a great advantage in 2020. If we develop well our ability to discern what the Holy Spirit of God is telling us, and if we fill our minds and hearts with God’s truth.
If we are careful about how we listen to all the information noise... we can not only survive but we can flourish, as we ‘walk with Jesus’ in 2020, even in the tsunami of conflicting information noise! That’s the practical application of Psalm 19:7,8 “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”
“The Law of the LORD” means all Scripture, as God’s foundational truth for life. When it permeates your life, it will revive your soul through the miraculous work of the Spirit of God in your life, right? Do you hear the cleansing and restoring work of God in this phrase ‘revive your soul’?
“The Statutes of the LORD” are the Laws that God has put in place which are unchanging, like the 10 Commandments or the sanctity of life or even the law of gravity. Respect for God’s laws will give wisdom to a person of any age, any educational level. This is why human laws which run contrary to God’s laws, are so destructive to orderly society.
Here’s a Scripture that echoes these truths: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16,17) Can you see the vital importance of living immersed in God’s truth in 2020?
David continues: “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.” Precepts are life principles. We’ve all experienced the joy of heart that we have, when we live according to principles that we know honor God. How about these for example… speaking in ways that encourage others rather than demean or are critical of others (Eph. 4:29), or carrying each other’s burdens in life or forgiving each other (Col. 3:13)? Of course God’s Word is filled with the life-giving Precepts. Let’s watch for them and live them in 2020.
“The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” We’ve all been to the eye doctor when they test the clarity of our sight, right? They keep switching lenses and asking us which one is clearer, “one or two”. Commands are those instructions God gives us for living in God honoring ways, which if we disregard them or violate them, life will certainly become painful! They should guide us with clarity as we look into any situation. There is no gray in God’s commands. They are clear, forthright and unchanging.
“The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.” Does your family history validate this truth? Listen to Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…” Just look around… what do you see in people all around you? Those who hold God in high esteem, who respect Him with fear, are people who demonstrate wisdom in life, and those who disregard God, who push God aside, often behave in foolish ways, making decisions which backfire on them and harm others? Do you see that?
“The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold… they are sweeter than honey.” (Ps. 19:9,10) In some translations that word “ordinances” is “judgments”. If we use “ordinances”, this means those things we do, which God has instructed His people to do, which define us as God’s people in view of others. For instance Jesus said “Love one another, as I have loved you, for by this they will know you are My disciples…” (John 13:34,35)
Peter writes “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light…” (1 Peter 2:9) Paul writes “Forgive one another just in Christ God forgave you…” (Eph. 4:32) And here’s one from the prophet Ezekiel “This is what the LORD says, ‘then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show Myself holy through you before their eyes.” (Ez. 36:23)
Two other examples of ordinances are Communion and Baptism, both of which Jesus commands us to do as public demonstrations of the certainty we have of our salvation accomplished by Jesus and our living relationship with Him. Those two acts have no significance apart from Jesus. And I’m sure you experienced, when you do those things which God invites you to do which define you as a follower of Jesus, as the verse says, it really is sweet and precious, incredibly valuable.
Lastly, look closely at verse 11 “By them is Your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” May I suggest this verse reflects back on all that we’ve seen today, everything from vs. 7-11. The Laws of the LORD, His statutes, His precepts, His commands, His ordinances and the fear of the LORD will each and all be an important part of living a God honoring life in 2020.
Finally, the closing verse of Psalm 19 brings the focus where it needs to remain all year… our mouths and our hearts! “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Now, what would that be like for each of us?
What if every word spoken, and every thought given time to germinate in our minds, and every attitude in our hearts... all of it was Pleasing in God’s sight? What kind of 2020 would that produce for you and me… our relationships, our reputations, our legacies? I urge us to put a bookmark here and come back often to Psalm 19 asking ourselves how we are doing, living life according to this standard of God.
Have a great day, ‘walking with Jesus’ my friends.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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