THE LORD SPOKE (August 20)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalms 80-85

Psalm 84:5

The Catholics and the Moslems do it. Others also practice some form of pilgrimage. The idea of regularly visiting some sacred space is certainly not unique to any one sector of mankind. The psalmist says, “Blessed are those...who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” Is there some form of pilgrimage that is appropriate for us today?

Blessed. The Hebrew original carries the meaning of happiness. “How happy are those who....” That thought rings throughout the psalm. The doorkeeper at the Temple courtyard has the most exalted position imaginable. Even the little sparrow who finds a niche near the altar is considered fortunate. The contentment and pure joy that comes from such proximity to the living God is something to desire.

Set their hearts. It’s not just like falling off a log. It takes commitment. It costs something to make a pilgrimage. It won’t happen if there is not determination and follow-through. Many talk about it - few make it happen. In Hebrew the expression is more literally, “those who have highways in their hearts”. The meaning is, “the paths to God are embedded in their hearts”. Does your desire to draw near to God include the way to get there and are you on the right path?

Pilgrimage. The psalmist is speaking quite literally of visiting the Temple on Mt. Zion but he is also speaking metaphorically of the pursuit of God and the inner joy that comes from being in His presence. His application becomes ours! We no longer make pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem but we can, we should, we must make daily pilgrimage to His presence. We must regularly seek our sustenance from Almighty God. Does your soul yearn for that? Do you feel faint if you start the day without Him?

I met God in the morning,
When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise -
Like a glory to my breast.

All day long this Presence lingered,
All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O’er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were torn and battered,
Other ships were sore distressed,
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to me a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I, too, had loosed the moorings
With this Presence left behind.

So I think I’ve found the secret,
Learned through many a troubled way,
You must meet God in the morning,
If you want Him through the day. (author unknown)


New Testament: I John 2

Do not love the world or anything in the world. (I Jn. 2:15)

There’s nothing subtle about that command! It’s straight and to the point. It’s categorical and comprehensive. “Do not love the world or anything in the world.”

It’s also very intrusive and we don’t like things that get in our face like that. “Legalism”, we cry. “Christian liberty”, we mutter. “Must apply to someone else”, we think. And we do our best to not think too hard about its implications in our own life.

It might mean we have to change our leisure time practices, rethink our shopping plans, curb our television habits, reorder our Internet activity, switch the channels on our radio or the playlist on our iPod, buy a different wardrobe, fix our very thoughts and dreams and passions.

Worldliness comes naturally for worldlings. But a redeemed worldling is a changed person. He no longer follows the desires of his heart because Jesus died to give him a clean heart. He no longer lives to gratify himself. His goals are no longer horizontal. Jesus has made a difference in his life. If you can’t define that difference (and if others can’t see it for themselves) you really need to stop and ask yourself some hard questions.

Here’s a test for you: What dominates your mind and really moves you? What makes your heart beat faster? What gets you out of bed in the morning?

The world does offer some attractive things - otherwise they wouldn’t be tempting, would they? And the individual things are not necessarily the problem. This is not a formula for a specific set of rules or conservative standards. It’s first of all a matter of the heart. Look at what John says next:

For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world. (I Jn. 2:16)

Worldliness exists first of all in our hearts. It begins with cravings, lust, and boasting. The outward evidences can take many forms. If John had produced a list, we might even get good at avoiding them but we’d be sure to invent some new ones. Worldliness is the preoccupation and over-powering obsession with anything that takes the place of an all-consuming love for God in our lives. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.