Whatcha Eatin'

I'm sorry for being late this week, but the timing for this Psalm couldn't have been more appropriate. You see, on Monday night when I went to write this Psalm I had to turn into bed because I was feeling absolutely terrible. That night, I woke up, took a shower, passed out, hit my head, threw up all over my bathroom floor, and was left thinking, "what in the world did I eat." In life, the things you choose to eat drastically effect your well-being. I was told yesterday that 80% of the times that a person throws up is due wholly to food poisoning ... hmmm interesting. Similarly, in your walk with Christ, what you "eat" will determine your spiritual health. Matthew 4:4 tells us clearly - "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." For anything else, ask yourself - what will this do to my spiritual health? Psalm 38



Verses 1-14 Read this part of the Psalm. It should be obvious that something is wrong and that David has been a naughty boy. What has he done? I have no clue. The only indicator of his sin comes from verse 3 where he says - "there is no health in my bones because of my sin." Basically, David ate something that he wasn't supposed to eat (spiritually of course). We've talked a lot about sin recently on Wednesday nights, and we've come to the conclusion that sin is taboo because God knows it's dangerous. God knows that sin has consequences (even apart from his judgement), and that it shouldn't be a part of our diet. If you read these verses, it almost sounds like David has the flu - he stinks (v5), he cries (v6), he has some sort of fever (v7), he is weak (v8), his strength is completely gone (v10), and his family and friends don't want to be anywhere near him (v11). Obviously David isn't physically sick, but he feels just as terrible as if he were. The sin he has dabbled in has brought about nothing good in his life. He says the reason he feels so terrible is because his soul is weighed down by sin. Just like in the real world, when you eat something you aren't supposed to spiritually, your soul cannot be healthy. Just think in your life - how do you feel. Do you feel tired, worn out, broken, sick? What have you been taking in. The spiritual diet consists of the word of God - have you been digging in or eating garbage instead?

Verses 14-22 This Psalm is much different from most - it's a cry of repentance and a plea for forgiveness. In this section, David comes to the realization that the reason his soul is weary is because he's apart from "the bread of life" and the source of "living water" (John 4:14 & 6:35). You can taste of all the things of the world, and I can promise you that they will not satisfy - sin will eat at you and make you vulnerable and self-conscious. On the other hand, we can jump back to Psalm 34:8 and taste of what the Lord has to offer to find that it is truly fulfilling and truly refreshing. David had strayed from God. He had temporarily chosen a path of rebellion during which his soul was thirsting for the living God. He was sorry for his sin and open to confess it at God's feet. Why? He knew that God would forgive. He knew that God would fill him anew. Rather than being self-conscious, he became God-conscious. Rather than focusing on his problems and pains, he was focusing on God's love and salvation.


The Psalm this week is short, and the question in simple. What are you eating? Are you digging into the word of God, or are you trying to find satisfaction elsewhere? Do you feel whole and satisfied, or are you like David - in pain, suffering, and spiritual sickness? I'd encourage you this week to examine your spiritual diet - take a look at what you're eatin' in order to see whether you are taking full advantage of God's provisions for you. If you think maybe that you have strayed from a proper "spiritual diet", follow David's example of repentance and taste and see that the Lord is good.



dig into some word this week!
-Chris

trust and do ...

When people try to demonstrate faith, they often resort to the "chair example." The idea is that even right now, you are sitting in a chair that you didn't inspect or check in anyway ... you just sat down and had faith in the fact that the chair would do it's job and hold you up. On the more unconventional side, I would like to present you with the "stage dive" example. Often times when it comes to a stage dive, the "diver" doesn't ask the audience if they are going to catch him ... the result looks just like this:



Sometimes when it comes to the Christian life, it's difficult to understand what God is doing on a personal level - even more so, it's often forgotten that God IS good when day-to-day things are going so terribly (Nahum 1:7). Today, we get into a Psalm that has a simple solution - "trust and do." The idea is that if you described your life in terms of a stage dive (where God was your audience), He'd never make you look like the guy in the video. This Psalm gives a few simple instructions that aren't necessarily the easiest things to do; however, these are the solutions to getting out of an anxious and unsettling lifestyle - "trust and do." Psalm 37

Verses 1-7 There are some books of the Bible that are completely dedicated to man's need to trust in the Lord. The two that immediately pop in my mind are Habakkuk and Psalms. It's very easy to read the Bible and blow off any suggestions that make us seem vulnerable or helpless - we're prideful people. When I was a young boy, I insisted to my parents that I was a "big boy." On the other hand, the minute I was sick or I wet the bed, mom and dad had to come to the rescue. In the same way, as unrealistic/prideful Christians, we sometimes are too confident in our ability to "resist evil." On the other hand, when we strip away pride, often times it can be frightening the amount of evil we face on a day to day basis. As young Americans, the typical standards we are presented with are often completely contradictory to what the Bible commands. No matter the temptation, there are two things that we are definitely not supposed to do - 1. Think we can handle it on our own 2. Worry about the evil that surrounds your every day life. Why? Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us. When David wrote Psalm 23:4, he admits that the reason he will not fear the valley of the shadow of death is because he has trust in the Lord. We come back to the same idea in this Psalm. Basically, the suggestion is this - "don't worry about evil, focus on the goodness of God.". Rather than pouting because of the evil that rampages through the world, celebrate in the victory that you have in the cross. Verses 4-5 tell us that we are to delight in the Lord so that he will give us the desires of our hearts - very interesting that David put trust and delight in the same section of the Psalm. When we trust in God our anxiety about evil turns into a delight in God's promise to fight our battles.

Verses 8-26 In the first section, the Psalm focuses on the effect the world may have on you - the fact of prevalent evils in the world are cause for concern. On the other hand, these verses focus on sin against you. I'm sure that you can think of a time that somebody wronged you - and the first thought you had was about how you were going to get them back even better. Boys are weird. When we get in fights - one guys throws a punch, the other throws a punch back, and then the two are friends again. Obviously, this isn't normally the case when somebody wrongs you. David says to stray from anger and rage. Romans 12:19 tells us that God will avenge us - Galatians 6:7-9 continues on and explains that God is not mocked because man will be judged for the evil he does. This is an even further reason to have a calmness about spiritual oppression - God is on your side. If we jump back up to verse 7, we see that David talks about being patient - you may not live to the day where all evil is wiped away, but it will happen. In this section, we can say - "God has victory, we don't need to 'get revenge'." The section continues far beyond the topic we chose to cover here, but basically, if you read it, you will find that God is not turning a blind eye to sin. God is watching, God is involved, and God cares. He will punish those who wrong you, while you [see verses 18-26] will find peace, joy, love, and safety in the arms of the almighty God. Maybe it sounds harsh, but the reality of life is that everyone gets to choose sides - are they going to be for or against God? Romans 8:31 is crystal clear. If you are on God's side, no one can stand against you.

Verses 27-40 This last section is so cool. As we read the first 26 verses, it is easy to be confident in your spiritual walk, but David chooses to wake us up with this - "depart from evil and do good." Back to the beginning - there are two things that we should definitely be conscious about - 1. Our ability to be prideful 2. Our tendency to underestimate God's power in light of the world's sin. Obviously, we already talked about the second one, but it's important for us to remember to be reliant on our mighty God. As the Psalm says, God will not be reluctant to reward those who seek him. In short, trust in the Lord wholeheartedly. Have hope in the fact that he will avenge the saints, wait patiently to allow Him to work in your life, and finally, stray from wrong-doing. trust and do ...

Hope you are all having a blessed week!
-Chris

The Fountain of Youth

In 1513 a man by the name of Juan Ponce de Leon began a search for a treasure that promised riches beyond the wildest imagination of man. With unmatched pride, he set out with the expectation of finding the fountain of youth - drinking from which would ensure eternal life to its finder. With a following of over 200 of Spain's finest conquistadors, Leon toured the Carribean coast in order to find this mythical treasure, and for years he searched lands that had previously never been explored by any European people. In his frantic search for the fountain, Leon eventually stumbled upon the land we know today as Florida. Although many regarded this as a major success, it just wasn't enough for Leon. Stepping away from the history lesson (as this isn't in any history books), I like to think about how many times Leon bent down to drink from a stream or river thinking that he had finally found the fountain. Even into his last days I can assure you that Leon had thoughts lingering in the back of his mind about the fountain of youth. Juan Ponce de Leon died in 1521 at the age of 46. He did not find what he was looking for.

Often times when I read a Psalm like the one we're going to read this week, I find myself point my fingers at "sinners" - people that make me feel like my life is in check. People that I choose to instrumentally make me feel a little more like Jesus Christ. Sadly, I'm not the only one. After reading this Psalm, I came to realize that these same sinners are no different than Leon - they are looking for something that they cannot find. They are bending down and drinking of the fountains that are offered in this world only to find that they promise nothing. Rather than life, they bring death. It was Jesus who said, "whoever drinks of the water I give will never thirst - the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). We have found the fountain of life - one that rests in Jesus Christ. For me, reading this Psalm helped me realize that these "convicting" Psalms are not about pointing fingers as much as they are about helping people find the fountain of life. Psalm 36




Verses 1-4 It doesn't take much to realize that this section is talking about people living apart from the will of God - outside of the family of grace and love in Jesus Christ. This section talks of sinners. People who live their lives for themselves pursuing the lusts for every type of sin imaginable. This is the part in the Psalm when it becomes easy to detach ourselves and begin to pick on the sinner. Problem is - this section is as much about us as it is about the "worst" sinner in the entire world. We are the wicked. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of perfection. Psalm 58:3 is even a little more up front, telling us that we are wicked from the womb - we are born sinners. The only difference between us and most of the world is that we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Does that make us better? Not necessarily, but it does tell us that we have found something that the entire world is looking for (whether they know it or not). Just think about a time you struggled with sin - where you felt distant from God's presence. That's where most people spend the entirety of their lives. Rather than pointing fingers, we can show are friends, relatives, and class mates that we have found happiness, joy, and contentment in the love of God the Father.

Verses 5-10 This is the dividing point - where we as Christians have become separate from the entire world - to live in it but not of it. What act did you do that made you worthy to be called a son or daughter of Christ? What aspect of your life makes you worthy of the kingdom of God? Nothing ... nothing but the blood of Jesus. Ephesians 2:1-10 is an excellent passage that talks about God's grace in the context of the fact that he would have none perish. Once again, we were born sinners - we were born unworthy, but our God is rich in mercy and love. Our God is jealous for us, so he sent his only son to die on a cross as a payment for our sins. That we may freely enter into his presence. You didn't do anything to do it. You did nothing to earn it. As much as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses would teach it otherwise, your works are but filthy rags before the Father (Isaiah 64:6). King David wrote knowing that the heart of our God was one filled with grace and compassion. How can you impress an infinite God? You can't. How can you know that an infinite God love you? By looking at the work he has done in Jesus Christ. Verse 9 talks of the fountain of life as well as "the light." Jesus once said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Also, think about the previous verse in which Jesus promises living water. It is in Christ and Christ alone that we have found eternal life.

When the world searches and searches
for the fountain of youth, know that
you have found it in Jesus Christ.

- Chris

Psalm 35 - The Anatomy of Justice

When I was young I never thought that God wanted to hear my problems. I never believed that my pains and my aches were any of his concern, that He had much better things to do. I thought that maybe God was too busy for me and that's why he gave me parents. Fortunately, I was wrong as we'll see. 1 Peter 5:7 says that we are free to "cast our cares" upon God, frankly becasue he cares. In second grade, I remember having a bully who was four grades ahead of me and a lifetime of growing beyond me in size - he was huge. Anyway, I remember when my five foot mama heard about this during our car ride home - she was furious and drove me straight back to school to take care of business. She confronted the boy that was actually probably bigger than she was, but the young man quaked in fear. I don't even know what she said, but the boy never bothered me ever again - simple, swift justice. Now, you might be thinking - Chris, you just told me that God wants to deal with my frustrtations and my worries so why doesn't God take care of my "bullies" in life like your mom took care of yours? Great question. Although God is a just God, His timing is specific - allowing people like you and me to have a chance to understand his love in Christ Jesus. God is just, but God is also love. Because its frustrating anc confusing at times, today we get to study the anatomy of God's justice - Psalms 35



Verses 1-9 King David seems to spend a lot of time in the Pslams talking about his enemies and his afflictions - which seems weird as the Psalms is generally looked at as a book of praise songs. Anyway, this section of the chapter is devoted to David voicing his concerns and his desire for revenge, but he wrote it in a poetic pslam - weird. David is probably one of the few men to ever walk the Earth that understood our first postulate in the anatomy of God's justice - "God is no slack concerning his promises" (2 Peter 3:9). I could recite that verse over and over, but I think my heart is set on a scope of instant justice. In a world with microwaves, airplanes, text messaging, and all the other modern ammenities, it's easy to become impatient with God. When something crummy happens, we wonder why God doesn't just get to business. When a jerk shoves us into a locker at school, we wonder why God doesn't consume Him with righteous flames. When someone cuts me off on the freeway, I always with that I had the ability to pop their tires with a simple prayer, but such is not the case. One of the biggest problems with our understanding of God is that he is not on the same time scale that we are in. When we consider God's work to be too late or too early, He acts precisely when He means to. When God makes a promise to avenge us and to judge the wicked, he will follow through (Rev.). In verse 9, after pleading his case, David is joyful as he truly understands God's timing in regards to justice. The first important aspect of God's form of justice (backed by an infinite amount of wisdom) is that it is timed precisely perfectly.

Verses 9-21 Even though nothing has happened in regards to finding justice, David says that he will rejoice in God. One of the major concepts I struggle with personally is the idea that bad people get away with what they do. Sure, they pay the consequences of their actions, but most of the time, in my humble opinion, they reap a far less "punishment" than they deserve. Even more so, there are people in the world who prosper off of their evil - how is that fair? How can God let this happen? In the Old Testament, there is a book named after a prophet named Habakkuk. In this book are the complaints are a very disgruntled man. As Habakkuk looks at the world, he cries out for God's justice to sweep throughout the world so that all the evil men would die. In Habakkuk's opinion, God was being trampled on. He was being disrespected. King David shows us an interesting aspect about God's seemingly "delayed" punishment for evil. Galatians 6:7 tells us that God is not mocked. That means in God knows what is happening and he has a plan. The verse continues to say that a man will reap what he sows - both physically and eternally. Hebrews 10:29-30 tells us that those who trample on the name of Jesus Christ will be trampled on in return. King David is able to rejoice in the understanding that God has already won. There is no one like our God - no one that can match his power. So why should he wait? Why shouldn't he just show us his victory now by taking out evil once and for all? Well ... that is because God's love is unmatched as well.

Verses 22-28 At the end of all things, we know that evil will not stand. There will come a day where all in the world that is wrong and spiritually numbing will be washed away; that there will come a day when Jesus Christ returns to claim his bride (the church) and destroy all those who tried to corrupt her. Deuteronomy 32:35 (as well as Hebrews 10:30 & Revelation 12:19) tells us that vengeance is God's and not ours. King David was a man filled with joy - known for music, his outbursts in dance, and his life of praise. David understood that it was not his job to take care of his troubles - that he was not in charge of keeping evil in check. What a relief - to know that God is in control. Know that God is in control with good reason. If I were in charge of destroying evil ... a lot of people would be dead ... including people who need to hear the love story of Jesus Christ. Reading the second part of 2 Peter 3:9, it becomes clear that God's primary objective is not too kill all that is evil, but to weed out even the smallest portion of good that exists in mankind. God's wish is that all would come to know the redemption He has provided in His son as a sacrifice. Why does it seem like God is taking a lifetime to do business? Why does it seems sometimes like He's turning a blind eye to the evil that plagues this world? It's because he's giving our lost brothers and sisters a chance to come back home. The anatomy of God's justice is preceded by the potency of His love.


- Chris

Psalm 34 - Surviving Finals Week

Well, it's been quite a while, but I'm glad we got back into this when we did. This week [or next week], as some of you might know, is finals week. We all know how stressful finals can be, how boring studying is, and how frightening it is awaiting the outcome of our grades. On the other hand, the title of this weeks Psalm, at least in my Bible, is "Happiness of Those Who Trust in God." No matter what aspect of life you look at, the stress that amounts to it can never be compared to the peace that we have found in Jesus Christ. This week, we look at a few things that king David did to make sure that he stayed focused on God rather than the worries of this world. Psalm 34




Verses 1-3 One of my least favorite parts of finals week is hearing the complaints that come out of peoples mouths. I know that I am just a guilty, but every year, without fail, there are always people wandering the campus ranting about how they are going to "fail" their classes. I love king David ... he is way too awesome sometimes. The first step, in my humble opinion, to finding peace in Christ is to recognize that His praise always deserves to be on your lips. Think of what God has done for you - the list is, not surprisingly, endless. Now think on the other hand, what God asks from you. I'm so glad that our God is not a God that demands perfection. On the contrary, God is more concerned with the effort you put forth. Knowing that none would ever attain perfection, Paul constantly talked about "the race" in the New Testament. God knows that all of his sheep are failures ... sounds kinda sad right? WRONG! God adores His sheep. He is jealous for His sheep. God knows what you are capable of and fully understands your capability. It really is marvelous. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all of your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Your complaints are not to be shouted from the rooftops - rather your worries are to go to God. Now that he has taken the words right out of our mouths, all that is left is praise. First lesson of the week - get rid of all your worthless mumbo-jumbo and lift up the Lord in praise and adoration. How much better would this world be if Christians as a whole stopped talking of their personal sorrows and began speaking the wonders of our maker. Let the praise of the Lord always be on your lips.

Verse 8 I think often, when it comes to the youth, there is this feeling that God is for old people. That you can only be a real Christian later in life when your married, have kids that have kids (grandkids), and you're roughly 3-4 years away from dying. This is not so. I think this thought process comes from this problem that youth are not "tasting" the fruits of the Lord. Growing up, there were foods that I did not want to eat, but my friends or parents insisted - "It's good." Today, cheesecake is my favorite desert thanks to my dad ... just saying. I urge you to do the same thing - taste and see that the Lord is good. Maybe the previous paragraph was a little difficult to swallow. Maybe there have been times in your life that your thinking about that seem to be much more than God can deal with. I promise you - taste and see that the Lord is good. Let his praise be on your lips - see what that does. Get up early and read your Bible - see how your day changes. Lesson number two - taste and see that God truly is who he says he is. Find the peace in Him that he promises.


Verses 13-16 Lastly, and I'll be quick on this one, is to stray from evil. At the beginning, we talked about the "negative nancy" people that always like to complain and grumble. Let me be the first to tell you that God's children are not grumblers. Keep your tongue from evil - whether its inappropriate words, or more so, grumbling and complaining. Why? Why does it matter? God's eyes are fixed on the righteous - those who are praising him. Lesson 3 - "Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it!"


The end.
- Christopher

God's Power > Any Other

I was part of my school's baseball program for six years. Every year, the boys and I would get a new jersey (at least "new" to us) or some article of clothing that had a particular verse written on it - Zechariah 4:6. Even though I was a part of the program for quite a long time, I never took the time to look up the verse. Around my junior year in High School, I picked up a Bible and read this verse:

"Not by power, nor by might,
but by my spirit, says the Lord."

What an encouraging verse right? I mean, it doesn't matter what you encounter in this world - at school, at home, with friends ... God is bigger. God is stronger. Around the same time in High School, I adopted Romans 8:31-39 as my favorite passage in the Bible, it starts:

"What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?"

If you take these two scripture references and put them together, you in essence get the message presented in Psalm 33. As young Christians, we need to have the mentality that God is unmatched in every aspect of our lives. Whatever it is that has you weighed down, bring it to God and lay it as His feet. God is on your side - He refuses to surrender to the pains and struggles you face in life. Don't believe me? Let's check out Psalm 33




Verses 4-5 I think it's easy to come to the realization that God is unlike any other. Aside from his power, the words to desribe his nature are beyond comparison. These two verses give us a little insight into who God is - faithful, unfailing, true, and righteous. God is faithful - he always pulls through. The word tells us that God makes all things work together for our good. I have enough problems trying to find matching socks in the morning, but God seems to have my life in his mighty hands - he will not let me down, and he will not let me go [speaking of course from personal experience]. God's love never fails. As Jesus hung on a cross, bearing the sin of the entire world - there was only one thing on his mind - forgiveness. God's thoughts towards you are more abundant than the sand on the sea shore - the cross is no exception to that, for He died on an individual basis - for you, for me - knowingly. God is true. Try to find a book like the Bible - flawless, perfect, God-breathed (2 Tim). The perfection and intricacy of the word is just a mild reflection of who God is. These are simply a few of the words that we use in the English dictionary to describe our God, who truly is unlike any other.

Verses 6-9 Obviously, this next section talks about creation. By God's very word, the entirety of the universe was poured out in the orderly fashion He saw fit (see Genesis). I like this so very much. No matter where you look, creation is of the most complex pictures we see of our God. David says that even the stars are a result of his mighty breath. Our God is power. I wish that I could make things happen just by saying a command. I cannot, unfortunately, but my mighty God can. Our God is big. David uses the analogy that our God is able to store the oceans in a jar - just like you're able to fill your cup with water from a faucet. God spoke, and it happened. Period. Now think - if our God is big enough to create all that we see, is he not powerful enough to take care of you? Yeah ... He is.

Verses 10-11 This part is so cool. From the beginning of time, man has had the audacity to stand against a might God. These verses tell us that nothing can stand up against God - it's a hands-down victory for our might God. Daniel painted a wonderful picture of a statue made out of all sorts of metals and clay - this statue was smashed by none other that the rock, Jesus Christ. What does this mean for us? Well first and foremost, it means that there is nothing on this Earth that is comparable to our God. Secondly, it means that we should continually check our hearts to see where we stand. Are we grouping our selves with God - letting him govern our lives and dictate our daily paths OR our we settling for less. Are we choosing the easy way out? Are we serving another master? If we are, we're going to get smashed too - we're going to fail. On the other hand, God is infinite - His reign and power are without limit (awesome)!

Verse 12 David says that the man who places his trust in God is a blessed man indeed. Think about your life. What are you holding onto? What is your protection? What or who are you serving? If you're not finding safety in the arms of our almighty God, than you truly are missing out on the profound mystery described in this chapter.

Our God is Big
Our God is Strong
Our God is Power
Our God is Unmatched

-Chris

Movie Night!!!!

Details:
- Friday Night 6:00pm - 10:30pm
- Pizza and Drinks Provided
- If you have the chance, please bring a snack to share :)