Psalm 51:13

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

Think for a moment about a possession that you wish you could have. You just would love to own one, but right now it is not financially possible to buy it. For me it would be a gaming system. Now imagine that I ran across that gaming system that normally cost hundreds of dollars, but I found it on sale for fifteen dollars. The first thing we would do if we found such a bargain on something we earnestly desired was to buy it for ourselves.

The second thing that we would do would be to tell our friends. I have a lot of friends that I know enjoy gaming systems as well. Having such an incredible deal, I would feel obligated to tell them. Not just to be nice, but also because I want them to experience the same joy that I have felt. Now imagine that there were millions of your favorite product being sold at the exact same price. You would tell everyone you met, and you would tell them to hurry before the deal ends!

Something that seems so natural in shopping feels the exact opposite when it comes to the spiritual realm. As Christians we have come across an incredible deal: the forgiveness of sins. We took advantage of it ourselves and continue to do so to this day. Seeing how great of an offer God has made us, and seeing that it is open for everyone means that we should be telling everyone we know about it. They need to take advantage before the sale ends on the day of judgment.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

Psalm 23:2

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

The Bible talks often times about sheep and sheperds. What we see is that whenever sheep stray away from their owners, it does not turn out well for them. They wind up lost and alone with no protection. David had to protect sheep from a lion and a bear, so you can see how important the a guardian would be. The sheep really do not know where they are going. They seem to wander aimlessly, and if they do that, they can find themselves in trouble.

However, if they are with the sheperd, we see that they get a sense of guidance. The sheperd will take them on paths that are meant to avoid predators. They will take them to a place where they can eat food and drink water. Under the leadership of their sheperd, the sheep will not only survive, but if the sheperd is a good one they will thrive and prosper. The sheperd takes personal responsibility for the sheep and leads them to safety and nourishment.

God, as our shepherd does the same thing. He has commanded us about what we should do and where we should go. Without His guidance from the holy scriptures, we wander around aimlessly. We do not have the protection of our savior. We do not know where to go for spiritual food and water. If we will just follow His word, it will lead us to the spiritual growth we will desire. If we follow where He leads, we will not only survive our spiritual journey, but grow stronger every day.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

Luke 8:24

They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.

Jesus and His disciples decided to go sailing across a lake in this chapter. Jesus is tired, understandably so considering all the responsibilities that He has, so he decides to take a nap. As He is sleeping this huge storm comes overhead. The waves are crashing into the boat. The wind is howling. The disciples, some of whom have spent their life in boats on the ater, realize that this is a situation that could easily capsize their ship.

Face with that reality, they start crying out. When you read through the text it almost sounds as if they are whining. They hurriedly wake Jesus up and exclaim their current misfortune. Jesus is upset that they felt the need to disturb Him. Did they not trust in God? Did they not believe that God would protect His chosen one? If they did believe the promises of God, why would they worry about a thunderstorm. Granted this one was bad, but it is nothing compared to the power of God.

There are many times when we make the mistake of the disciples. We look at the storm clouds in our lives and we panic. We think that the world is over and everything is so terrible. We cry out to the Lord saying that we will surely perish. Yet we need to remember the calm of Jesus. He was not scared because He knew that God was in control. If we will have faith like Jesus, we will be able to sleep through even the loudest storm.

They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

The people of Israel faced a trial of faith as they were led out of Egyptian captivity. God had sent the ten plagues upon the Egyptians so that Pharoah would let the Israelites go. After the tenth plague Pharoah relented and let God’s people on their way. The Egyptians gave them many possessions so that they would get out of their quicked. They plundered the Egyptians without raising a sword.

Yet Pharoah had a change of heart. He decided he would chase them. He finally meets up with them at the Red Sea. The people of Israel are trapped against the Sea with no escape from the the great and powerful Egyptian army. It looks as if there is no escape. However, God then opens up the Red Sea and allows the Israelites a safe retreat. What had once been an impossible situation actually ends as the destruction of the enemies of God’s servants.

We can take courage from the Israelites story. Many times today we may feel that Satan has trapped us in. We think that we have encountered a temptation from which there is no escape. Yet we must remember that with God no situation is impossible. He has promised us a way of escape. Instead of panicing (as the people of Israel did) we need to remain calm and maintain our faith in God deliver. There is no situation that can overpower our God.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Matthew 5:15

nor does {anyone} light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

We can learn a lot from children. One important lesson comes from the interaction of a parent and a child. The first thing we see is that the parent is supposed to be the one in charge, the teacher. They are to raise up a child to know what is right and what is wrong. They teach them through both positive and negative reinforcement how to avoid danger and harm as well as how to do positive life skills like discipline and attitude.

Yet a parent has to be careful. Sometimes instead of a parent training a child, the child trains the parent. The parent also gets positive and negative reinforcements for their behavior. Children who dislike an action cry and throw a fit to the point of discomfort to all who are around. When a parent behaves as the child wants, they child showers them with cuteness and happiness. If one is not cautious, they wind up moving at the whims of the child instead of the other way around. The order which God intended has been reversed.

We need to remember this concept as we go out into the world. When we go out we plan on influencing the world for Christ. We want to shine our light, which we should always be eager to do. However, if we are not careful we can wind up being the ones influenced. They can start teaching us to do things that we know we should not be doing. We need to stand strong for God and His glory. We need to make sure that we are the ones doing the influencing. Otherwise our candles are being hidden.

nor does {anyone} light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

     Getting older can be a very humbling experience. We find out that as we gain on in the years that we are constantly changing. We never just stay the same. Instead we find out that after a certain point we start deteriorating. Our metabolism slows down. We are no longer able to do the same things with our bodies that we used to. Our minds might not be as sharp as they onced were. Vision and hearing grow worse. Our bodies are continually breaking down.

     This break down can be very frustrating. It can also be very humbling. Many people  who start to see their bodies deterioriating go through what is today called a “mid-life crisis”. They look back on their life and realize all the dreams and goals that they wanted to accomplish but never did. They see that this deterioration is a one way street and that they will die one day. They start trying to make up for lost time, and use each and every day to accomplish the goals they want.

     Christians can have a different perspective for dealing with the problem that all of mankind faces. They realize that their hope and their accomplishments are not about this life. While they notice that their bodies are growing weaker, it does not discourage them. They take courage in the fact that their inner man, their spiritual man, is growing stronger and stronger each day. When they die, that man will live on and go and be with God. They have a hope that the world just can not offer.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

     Man is preoccupied with surviving. We have a desire to live as long as possible. Look how sick people strive for treatment. They go through months and even years of therapy to have only an incremental increase in their chances to live longer. Yet that sacrifice is worth it because they are not ready to let go of this life. People in the past would search far and wide for the “fountain of youth”. People today do not expect to find it in a spring somewhere, but they do hope to find in the medical advancements of the day.

     This devoutness points to what God has done to the hearts of man. The Ecclesiastical writer proclaims that God has set eternity within them. They have a sense of everlasting. Man desires to live forever. In fact we see that in the garden, God created for them the Tree of Life. It’s express purpose was to allow man to live forever.That was the expectation in the beginning. Yet Paul tells us that when sin entered the world, so did death (Romans 5).

     The good news is that we have a chance for eternal life. It is not found in a medical journal. It is not a herb found in the Amazon rain forest. It is found in God’s word. He has given us the way to salvation. The fact of the matter is that no matter what we do here on this earth today, we will die. But we can look forward to what awaits us after death. The choice is ours: follow God and have eternal life, or disobey Him and have eternal torment.

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

Proverbs 8:13

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.

Movies often imitate life. One particular area is the pride of man. Many times in movies we see a Mr. Know-it-all try to take complete control of a situation. A lot of times the character is depicted as part of the government, but the role varies. However, one thing stays the same; they always think they are smarter than everyone else. The can not imagine that any enemy could out smart them, and they always seem to reject help from those around them.

In the end, a disaster is narrowly averted because someone else was given the responsibility and could actually handle it. We often feel that the one running the show received his just reward. If they cannot recognize when they need someone else’s help, they do not need to be in charge. However, this is not limited to just the big screen. Some people may see it in their boss or an annoying co-worker or class mate. Pride interferes with a lot of people’s judgment.

We need to make sure that we do not embody the problem of pride. We need to recognize when we need help. To be completely honest, we always need help. We need God to give us direction and standards to follow. Yet it can be hard for us to think that we need help. We might even suggest that we know what is best despite seeing that God says differently. Both attitudes are one of pride. We must remove them and submit to God. In humility there is much wisdom.

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.