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But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. Psalm 3:3 (NIV)
King David has gone down in history as being a mighty warrior, battling giants, defeating perennial enemies of God’s people and bringing peace to the Promised Land. He was a courageous leader. Patiently waiting until God placed him on the throne, building around him a loyal and respected army, unifying the twelve tribes ofIsraeland making her a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the Old Testament, in the years following David, the Kings of Israel are compared to David in their military valor, leadership and perhaps most importantly, their allegiance to the God of Israel.
With all of his victories, there was one battle that King David never consistently overcame: the battle for his heart. While he is referred to as the ‘man after God’s own heart’, David’s heart wandered from the path he so desperately wanted to follow.
David’s struggle with the heart is shown in its ugliest form in the story of Absalom, the son of David who so longed for his father’s attention that he was driven to start a rebellion among David’s own people. A rebellion that tore the palace apart, dividedJerusalem, and threatened to destroy the nation ofIsrael.
We can weather the storms from the outside with courage, but the battle for our hearts, the battle from within can destroy us. During this time of humility and disgrace, David is driven from the throne, and pens the words of Psalm 3. Tucked away in the words of this song from his heart, verse 3 offers us encouragement during our time of weeping and anguish; during those times when love has been ripped from our hearts.
Three truths from this little verse should energize us to follow him:
“You are my shield around me…” The word shied is better translated as a buckler, as a coat of armor that encircles a man entirely as he goes into battle. We are protected from the attacks the great enemy uses against us. Those attacks may come from people, even from religion. Those attacks may come from above us, below us or behind us. What a wonderful picture for us to hold on too. Se can’t possibly see all the attacks that are coming our way, but our shield and protector, the Creator-God of the universe, our Heavenly Father who loves us with a never ending love, has set his power on protecting us from attack.
“You…are my glory”. Does Gods’ protection mean we won’t suffer? No. Does it mean there won’t be hardship? No. But along with the things God allows into our lives is the promise that he will strengthen us to endure and grow stronger. In the midst of his humiliation, when many of his most loyal subjects deserted him and he was forced to leave in shame, David remembers that some day he would return in triumph. He may not have been sure how that would come about, but he trusted his Lord. Present suffering didn’t keep David from seeing future deliverance. Whether sitting on the throne, or running in disgrace, David was confident his God would deliver him. How true for us as well. As we endure this present struggle on the journey of life; during those times when the wounds of our heart seem unbearable, our hope is eternally set on the Lord.
“You, Lord…lift my head high.” It’s easy to spot someone on the street who is enduring hardship and pain. They walk with their heads towards the pavement. It could be a momentary struggle or a life-long battle they are facing. Their pain could be recent or the festering puss of a wound scabbed over, but full of infection below the surface.
The person who lives in confidence walks with his head held high. His eyes are to the future, not the present. His focus is on others, not himself. Their eyes are full of life, not of emptiness and sorrow. During those times when the pain is too great; the pressure too severe; the future too dark and worrisome, we in our human frailty can not so much as lift our heads to see the future that lay ahead of us.
No worries. Our lord and savior Jesus Christ lifts our head for us. When the journey is too harsh and the enemy too great for us to see our way through, we need only see Jesus. Are you struggling in the journey? Let him be the one to lift your head. Trust him to show you the hope you have for the future. He is your shield of protection. He believes in you when everyone else abandons you. He shows you hope for your future.
PRAYER: Lord God, I’m tired. The attacks from outside aren’t nearly as painful as the battle that rages within. Thank you for your promise of protection. Help me to feel your arms around me. Thank you for your salve of healing for my wounds. Empower me to live strong in adversity. Thank you for lifting my head so I can see the future glory you have for me. Amen.
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)
How do you get up in the morning? The attitude we have when we get out of bed with has a large part to do with the rest of the day. If we get up anticipating a good day, no matter what happens we’ll be more positive than if we start out on the ‘wrong side of bed’. Colossians says we have been raised to new life to share in God’s glory. That means each day should be looked at as a new day! A new beginning. All the old stuff from yesterday is gone. We start new. When you have positive anticipation it’s simply easier to get out of bed. Why do kids that normally sleep in get up early Christmas morning? PRESENTS! The anticipation of the new outweighs the comfort of the familiar.
Once you get up in the morning you prepare yourself for the day. Physically, you shower (or the world hopes you do) and do all the things necessary to make you presentable for the day. In a Spiritual sense we need to put off all the old and put on the new. Approach each new day with the attitude that ‘Christ is all that matters’. You do that by spending some time with your Savior. A word of prayer, some time in his Word. Think of it this way. Would you get up in the morning and say, “I just don’t have time to get dressed this morning. I’ll go naked this once. No one will notice.” Of course not. But we often put off the spiritual preparation for the day because we don’t think it important. Consider your spiritual preparation as important as your physical preparation for the day.
Now you are ready to get dressed. Clothes tell others a lot us. The first thing others see is our clothing before anything else. A person full of cancer, but well dressed looks better than a healthy bum. The following article appeared in a magazine:
Clothes tell a lot about us, our era, our jobs, etc. But the Swiss bank UBS raised eyebrows last month when it’s very conservative dress code was leaked on the Internet. The comprehensive, 44-page document defined how men should knot their ties, and how women should care for their skin. Underwear in a neutral color is, apparently, a must.
The reason we have dress codes is essentially this. Companies or organizations expect a certain look for their employees. The dress code assures that everyone that aligns themselves with that group look the same.
The Bible says we clothe ourselves so others see us as being merciful, kind, humble, gentle and patient. Paul goes on further to say that our ‘clothing’ ought to be such that we ‘make allowance’ for the weaknesses and failures of other people. Why? Because Jesus takes your weakness and failures into account and forgives you time and time again. He wants you to clothe yourself in the same way so that others will know you are associated with him.
The last thing you put on in the morning may be a belt. That’s what it was in the NT times. The belt pulled all the garments together. It was security and it was aesthetic. Going out without your belt would be like going out naked.
So what’s the ‘belt’ we wear to pull all this together? Love. The most important thing you do in the morning, before leaving for the day’s activities, is to put on an attitude of love. Love like Christ gives. Love that says ‘no matter what, I’ll never give up on you.’ The last thing you put on is the first thing others will see!
Now you are dressed for the day. Your earthly situation doesn’t change your heavenly calling. A calling to represent the cause of Jesus Christ. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be dressed appropriately for any weather changes that come your way.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may I dress each and every day for the activities you lay before me. Empower me to love, endure and embrace those I meet with grace and forgiveness as you have me. Amen.
Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. Mark 8:34 (NCV)
It’s one of the ultimate dichotomies of the Christian life. Jesus taught on several occasions that if we want to be greatest we must be least; if we want to be strong in our faith we must be as a child; if we want to see God work in mighty ways we need to give up trying in our own power.
I like how the New Century Version translates Jesus’ words in Mark 8. “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want.” His words seem contradictory at first glance. Doesn’t God tell us in the Old Testament that if we obey his law he will provide for us? Doesn’t Jesus himself tell us in other places that if we obey him he will be with us always and give us the desires of our heart? Don’t the other New Testament authors challenge us to live Godly lives so we can see him working in our lives?
So what gives? What is Jesus trying to tell us about getting the things we want and/or need?
What Jesus is telling us here is to take a close look at the difference between what the world provides for us and what he can provide for us.
We all want to be accepted and respected. But the world’s standards for acceptance are based on our abilities, our looks, our status, our performance. None of these matter to Jesus. His acceptance of you has nothing to do with your looks, your body shape, your report cards, or the number of awards hanging on your wall. He accepts you because he loves you. You can do nothing to gain more of his acceptance.
We seek security. Security in most people’s minds is measured by the amount of money we have in our bank account, the size of our retirement fund, the size of our house and the amount of our toys. In our struggling economy we’re learning the hard way that money offers no security. Retirement accounts have been wiped out. Once secure careers have ended abruptly. Security doesn’t come from money. Jesus says, you want security? Look at my track record. I’m the same today as I was yesterday. I’ll be the same tomorrow. You can trust me.
We want love. Love, for many people is defined by relationships with other people. We fall into love because love makes us feel accepted. Love gives us security. Love encourages us to be all we think we want to be. But all too often we realize that love relationships aren’t secure. All too often relationships lead to feelings of rejection rather than acceptance. Once again the things we ‘want’ slip from our grasp. Once again Jesus says, “I’ll love you. Your mistakes won’t make me reject you. Even if you are unfaithful to me and cheat on me, I’ll still be here when you come back. There is nothing you can do to make me love you more than I already do. There is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.
Acceptance. Security. Love. Give up seeking these things that you work so hard to find. You may find them for a season here on earth, but they will fail you. When you are willing to give up seeking for the things you want and turn to Jesus he will bring them into our life.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus giving up to receive is hard. I seek comfort in so many things that don’t last. Help me to let go of my desires so that you can give me the things I strive to have in my life. Amen.
Tiger Woods. Bill Clinton. King David. Ted Kaczynski.
All these people have something in common. They were hiding something. Oh it’s a short list. There are many, many others. Some famous, some unknown. Some hid things in their lives that were major, heinous actions. Some were not. Some have been found out either by admitting their secret themselves, or getting caught red-handed. Some are still hiding.
King David gives us a glimpse into how it feels when we hide. He talks of even his very joints hurting, about loss of sleep, about the fear. Fear is a great motivator to sin. We fear being alone. We fear being caught. We fear being made ashamed. We fear so we do things we know are wrong.
When I was in second grade I took an extra package of crackers from the lunchroom at school. At that school, in that time, that was a no-no. But I slipped them into my pocket without being seen and snuck onto the playground. A strange thing happened on the playground though. That small little package of saltines began to burn. It seemed like everyone was watching me. My leg began to hurt. Finally, the pain was unbearable. As quickly as I left the lunchroom, I returned with the crackers. I announced (confessed) to the cooks my sin, put the crackers on the counter and left before the police arrived.
Now I look back and wonder how many years the cooks laughed over that one, but the lesson still remains planted in my mind. Sin hurts. It weighs us down. It haunts us to no end. We can ignore it. We can pretend it doesn’t exist. We can hide it. But deep inside it sits like a lump in our stomach.
I may be an idealist, but I don’t believe most people sin because they enjoy the sin. They sin either because of ignorance or because they do what they do to cover other pain.
I don’t think the person who goes out and gets drunk does it for the joy of a hangover the next morning, or waking up in jail or a hospital bed or with someone they don’t know. They turn to alcohol or drugs to hide the pain.
I don’t think the person who turns to pornography does so because they enjoy exploiting women. Deep down inside they are looking for love and acceptance. Even false love and acceptance (in their mind) is better than none.
I don’t think the person who involves themselves in an affair does so in order to destroy their families and kids. They are only seeking to relieve the loneliness.
Here’s the good news. You don’t need to hide anymore. You can come to Christ for complete forgiveness. You can get rid of the feeling of guilt and shame and remorse and fear once and for all.
He came to die so you can live. He gave his blood so you can be free.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that I don’t need to hide anymore. Thank you for seeing through my sin and rebellion to know my pain. Forgive me for the hidden things in my life. In your name I pray, Amen.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16 (NLT)
I like how Max Lucado describes God’s love in his book “The Eye of the Storm”.
“Water must be wet. A fire must be hot. You can’t take the wet out of water and still have water. You can’t take the heat out of fires and still have fire. In the same way, you can’t take the love out of [‘God’]…and still have him exist. For he was…and is…Love.”
God is our ultimate example of what love is. How we view love is how we view God. How we define God is ultimately how we define love.
If God is truly love, how does he respond to those who struggle with addiction? If God is love how does he respond to someone in an adulterous relationship? If God is love how does he respond to you during those times you are feeling lonely, depressed, overwhelmed or frustrated?
We need only look at Jesus to know that answers to that question. Jesus said, if you what to see what the father looks like, look at me. See how I treat people who reject me. See how I treat people caught in the trap of sin, of abandonment, of disease. See me. See God. See love.
There are some who prefer to see God’s love in the light of his wrath. They live their lives in fear of what God will do. They pattern their lives according to the world’s standard of love, a standard that says, “My love for you is based on your performance. If you do as I say, I’ll love you. If you don’t meet my expectations, my love for you will die”.
That’s not Gods love. God’s love for you says that even though you aren’t the richest, or the most beautiful, or the strongest. I love you. Even though you struggle with life, can’t be trusted, put things off far too long and too often. I love you. Even though you may be going through the consequences of poor decisions, even that doesn’t take away the fact that God loves you more than ever.
Don’t allow the worlds view of God’s love to take away from the facts about God’s love. God’s love doesn’t spew hatred for anyone. God’s love doesn’t dwell on fear. God’s love doesn’t seek revenge. God’s love seeks what is best for you. Our human form of love can die, but God’s love will never die. You can trust him to always be there for you regardless of how bad life gets.
PRAYER: Father God, I’m so undeserving of so great a love. It’s so hard to fathom what your love is like because we humans have diluted it so much with performance, fear and demands. Empower me to live in the light of your love without distraction from the world. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 