5. “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.”
Why will the king destroy the one who secretly slanders his neighbor? We call this gossip. And the Bible strictly forbids it. Gossip is cowardice in its fullness. It is the enemy of everything good. A little gossip can destroy the inner workings of anything it touches. Especially, when it is done in secret, gossip can devastate the one being gossiped about without even the decency to have the offended present to defend their selves. To believe a lie is the first step to the path of destruction. Satan is called the, “father of lies” by the Lord Jesus himself. To secretly slander someone is to traffic with Satan. To secretly slander your neighbor is to be partners with the evil one.
A haughty or proud person is one who is headed for a fall according to the Bible. “God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud.” God actually sets up a line of opposition against anyone who is prideful. And we all know you can’t win when you stand toe to toe with God. A proud person is especially dreadful because they are deceived. They think that they are someone or something that they are not. Pride is exactly what got Lucifer kicked out of heaven to the earth. Now that is quite a fall. The truth be told, it actually has gotten him kicked out of heaven to the “Lake of Fire”, where he will be locked away forever and ever. He is just not there yet. But he will be.
The proud person refuses to be humble and teachable and that is sad, because the truth is that if we don’t remain humble and teachable, God will humble us and teach us anyway and it won’t be near as pleasant as it could’ve of been.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Psalm 101 Study Notes/Verse 4
4. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.
This word perverse simply means deviating from what is considered right or good; other definitions are wrong, improper, corrupt, or wicked. I would also like to suggest “mixture” or “contaminated.” After all a half truth is a lie. That is why the mass media controlled by the world system who hates God is so effective. Everything is geared toward pleasing man, not God. In my opinion, television today is the biggest enemy to a good sound spiritual life. It is all about gossip, sex, lies, and the promotion of everything evil. Let’s take that TV show called “Friends” and really think about what it is promoting. Friends are a great thing, if they are godly friends. The Bible encourages us to love deeply and have good friends. But when you watch this show you will see everybody is friendly. They are always smiling and hanging out together. They are always there for each other when a friend is needed. But the truth of it is that they are sleeping around with each other, they are out drinking and carousing, going to parties, the guys are womanizers who can’t control themselves, the women are dating multiple partners, and all on prime time TV. That is PERVERSE according to the word of God. They have mixed the ideas of friendship with sexual activity outside of marriage and all other forms of ungodliness, to the tune of about 30 million or more loyal fans. Would Jesus watch this show? No. And what is really sad is that most Christians today would say that I am being legalistic and a prude. Well, guess what, I like David, say, “a perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.” I welcome the comments against me and others like me, of people who think they know God and actually have no clue who He is and what he demands. Can you believe it, the Bible actually says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and call good evil.” That word “woe” is simply defined as trouble. So we would say it like this, “Trouble to those who call evil good, and call good evil." Now that is serious. By the way, it was the Lord God Almighty who said that.
The verse goes on to say that David will not know wickedness. He will be ignorant to the ways of wicked people because he has vowed to put them away from him. The best way to not know something is to cut it out of your life. We should only know good, and intimately at that. "The wise man sees trouble ahead and changes his course, but the fool keeps on going and is punished." (Proverbs)
This word perverse simply means deviating from what is considered right or good; other definitions are wrong, improper, corrupt, or wicked. I would also like to suggest “mixture” or “contaminated.” After all a half truth is a lie. That is why the mass media controlled by the world system who hates God is so effective. Everything is geared toward pleasing man, not God. In my opinion, television today is the biggest enemy to a good sound spiritual life. It is all about gossip, sex, lies, and the promotion of everything evil. Let’s take that TV show called “Friends” and really think about what it is promoting. Friends are a great thing, if they are godly friends. The Bible encourages us to love deeply and have good friends. But when you watch this show you will see everybody is friendly. They are always smiling and hanging out together. They are always there for each other when a friend is needed. But the truth of it is that they are sleeping around with each other, they are out drinking and carousing, going to parties, the guys are womanizers who can’t control themselves, the women are dating multiple partners, and all on prime time TV. That is PERVERSE according to the word of God. They have mixed the ideas of friendship with sexual activity outside of marriage and all other forms of ungodliness, to the tune of about 30 million or more loyal fans. Would Jesus watch this show? No. And what is really sad is that most Christians today would say that I am being legalistic and a prude. Well, guess what, I like David, say, “a perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.” I welcome the comments against me and others like me, of people who think they know God and actually have no clue who He is and what he demands. Can you believe it, the Bible actually says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and call good evil.” That word “woe” is simply defined as trouble. So we would say it like this, “Trouble to those who call evil good, and call good evil." Now that is serious. By the way, it was the Lord God Almighty who said that.
The verse goes on to say that David will not know wickedness. He will be ignorant to the ways of wicked people because he has vowed to put them away from him. The best way to not know something is to cut it out of your life. We should only know good, and intimately at that. "The wise man sees trouble ahead and changes his course, but the fool keeps on going and is punished." (Proverbs)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Psalm 101 Study Notes/Verse 3
3. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
The king here states, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” Why is it that he would make a statement like this? I believe that David knows that what we focus on we will become. We know it too. That’s why we have schools, colleges, training seminars, and post graduate education. If I focus on something long enough I will become that thing. So David is wise in his decision to keep ungodly things from being around him. What are some things that he would consider wicked in his days? Maybe, statues and idols of false gods, magicians, witches or people who use black arts.
To tell you the truth I am having difficulty imagining much else right now, but I’m sure there are other things that were prevalent in his culture and days that would be a hindrance to a godly home and court. But I have no trouble at all imagining what that would mean for us in these days and culture. You see, in David’s time you would have to go out of your way to witness ungodly things if you put them out of your own home, but not in our times. All we have to do is turn on the T.V. and the world will spew its ungodliness right into our homes and minds. Let’s face it; our culture is drunk with sex, violence, alcohol, drugs, food, lies, and greed. Decadence has become the new normal for the masses that do not fear God. And it is so rampant that even we Christians, if we are not careful, will begin to be influenced greatly by it.
God says, “Be holy for I am holy.” Holy, meaning set apart for God’s pleasure, plans, and purposes. The whole world system that I just mentioned is going to be judged by God for its absolute hatred of anything good and godly, so we should not be mixing with their evil deeds. The Lord Jesus Christ died on a cruel cross to bring us God’s forgiveness and mercy, so that we could be free from the shackles of sin, and love and serve Him, eternally blessed forever. Why then would I choose to be involved in the very things that He hates? It just isn’t right to have this attitude about evil. If I were to tell you that I was going to make a batch of brownies, and you saw me go out into the backyard and pickup some dog poop to put into the brownie mix, would you stop me? Well, you would be wise to keep me from mixing the poop with the good ingredients. And if you possess enough wisdom for that scenario then why wouldn’t you apply that same wisdom to spiritual matters? We as Christians are to feed on God’s word. Anything else that exalts itself against the knowledge of God should be cast down immediately and given no room to take root in our lives, grow, and become an influence to our way of living.
Why? Because it is the little foxes that spoil the vine. David goes on to say, “I hate the work of those who fall away.” Why do they fall away? Could it be that they were allowing wicked things to be set before their eyes as David just mentioned? Could it be that they were secretly desiring things that were not godly because they didn’t remove them from their sight? Are we sure that we can control our own passions and lusts, while at the same time letting the objects of those passions and lusts remain in our area. Jesus said, “that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” So I think the answer to that question is no, we cannot control ourselves at all times. That is why Paul tells us in the N.T., “to flee sexual immorality.” To flee is to run for your lives. Why didn’t he say, “It is okay to be around sexy images, just don’t be involved with them?” Could it be because the flesh is not capable to see and avoid the dangers of the powerful allurement of sexual immorality? I believe it is.
The king here states, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” Why is it that he would make a statement like this? I believe that David knows that what we focus on we will become. We know it too. That’s why we have schools, colleges, training seminars, and post graduate education. If I focus on something long enough I will become that thing. So David is wise in his decision to keep ungodly things from being around him. What are some things that he would consider wicked in his days? Maybe, statues and idols of false gods, magicians, witches or people who use black arts.
To tell you the truth I am having difficulty imagining much else right now, but I’m sure there are other things that were prevalent in his culture and days that would be a hindrance to a godly home and court. But I have no trouble at all imagining what that would mean for us in these days and culture. You see, in David’s time you would have to go out of your way to witness ungodly things if you put them out of your own home, but not in our times. All we have to do is turn on the T.V. and the world will spew its ungodliness right into our homes and minds. Let’s face it; our culture is drunk with sex, violence, alcohol, drugs, food, lies, and greed. Decadence has become the new normal for the masses that do not fear God. And it is so rampant that even we Christians, if we are not careful, will begin to be influenced greatly by it.
God says, “Be holy for I am holy.” Holy, meaning set apart for God’s pleasure, plans, and purposes. The whole world system that I just mentioned is going to be judged by God for its absolute hatred of anything good and godly, so we should not be mixing with their evil deeds. The Lord Jesus Christ died on a cruel cross to bring us God’s forgiveness and mercy, so that we could be free from the shackles of sin, and love and serve Him, eternally blessed forever. Why then would I choose to be involved in the very things that He hates? It just isn’t right to have this attitude about evil. If I were to tell you that I was going to make a batch of brownies, and you saw me go out into the backyard and pickup some dog poop to put into the brownie mix, would you stop me? Well, you would be wise to keep me from mixing the poop with the good ingredients. And if you possess enough wisdom for that scenario then why wouldn’t you apply that same wisdom to spiritual matters? We as Christians are to feed on God’s word. Anything else that exalts itself against the knowledge of God should be cast down immediately and given no room to take root in our lives, grow, and become an influence to our way of living.
Why? Because it is the little foxes that spoil the vine. David goes on to say, “I hate the work of those who fall away.” Why do they fall away? Could it be that they were allowing wicked things to be set before their eyes as David just mentioned? Could it be that they were secretly desiring things that were not godly because they didn’t remove them from their sight? Are we sure that we can control our own passions and lusts, while at the same time letting the objects of those passions and lusts remain in our area. Jesus said, “that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” So I think the answer to that question is no, we cannot control ourselves at all times. That is why Paul tells us in the N.T., “to flee sexual immorality.” To flee is to run for your lives. Why didn’t he say, “It is okay to be around sexy images, just don’t be involved with them?” Could it be because the flesh is not capable to see and avoid the dangers of the powerful allurement of sexual immorality? I believe it is.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Psalm 101 Study Notes/Verse 2
Hello everyone, just as promised, here are my notes on tomorrows CSI-Christ Scene Investigators class on Psalm 101. I hope that you will follow along with us if you can't join us at the church. Wed. nights at 7:00 p.m. in Room 212 if you can. Be blessed.
2. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
Here we have the king setting up a guide post. David knows what is right and true as far as man is concerned. He has spent much time with his God and the laws of the Almighty. He knows that the most needed thing is not just wise talk, wise counsel, but wise action. The upright man does well because he understands his God and His word. Wise action brings wise rewards. A house divided against itself cannot stand. So it must be necessary to walk straight and consistently at it. A wise man also knows that he will need divine help in matters of wisdom both at home and occupation. We also need to remember that up until now David’s homes have most often been caves, clearings in the wilderness, and base camps hidden in the mountains. He is in a transitional phase of his life and seems to want to safeguard against mistakes by inviting the One who got him through all of that to now come and join him here also.
Therefore, we hear David’s plea for God to come and be with him. Not just be in the temple, not just be in the court, but with David personally whether home or throne. We would all do well to implore God to be our friend in all manner of life. I need God to be God, I need God to be Father, but I also need God to be my friend and guide. David here claims that he will walk within his house with a perfect heart. I noticed that the perfect heart doesn’t mean perfectly, but the attitude of honoring God in his home for God’s faithfulness. Where there is a will to please God, there is a God to be pleased. Meaning if I honor God He will never be far from me, but if I choose to disdain His presence, He will certainly give me the room to fail if I wish. God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud.
2. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
Here we have the king setting up a guide post. David knows what is right and true as far as man is concerned. He has spent much time with his God and the laws of the Almighty. He knows that the most needed thing is not just wise talk, wise counsel, but wise action. The upright man does well because he understands his God and His word. Wise action brings wise rewards. A house divided against itself cannot stand. So it must be necessary to walk straight and consistently at it. A wise man also knows that he will need divine help in matters of wisdom both at home and occupation. We also need to remember that up until now David’s homes have most often been caves, clearings in the wilderness, and base camps hidden in the mountains. He is in a transitional phase of his life and seems to want to safeguard against mistakes by inviting the One who got him through all of that to now come and join him here also.
Therefore, we hear David’s plea for God to come and be with him. Not just be in the temple, not just be in the court, but with David personally whether home or throne. We would all do well to implore God to be our friend in all manner of life. I need God to be God, I need God to be Father, but I also need God to be my friend and guide. David here claims that he will walk within his house with a perfect heart. I noticed that the perfect heart doesn’t mean perfectly, but the attitude of honoring God in his home for God’s faithfulness. Where there is a will to please God, there is a God to be pleased. Meaning if I honor God He will never be far from me, but if I choose to disdain His presence, He will certainly give me the room to fail if I wish. God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud.
Monday, June 15, 2009
You Never Know
Galatians 6:9,10 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are the household of faith.
I am so blessed to be able to be used by Jesus to be an influence in the lives of others in the prisons. I'm on vacation this week and let me tell you I needed it. I love sharing God's love with those guys and gals at the prison, but sometimes I think I unknowingly take on to much of their pain without remebering the good things also going in their lives. It can become overwhelming at times, but I have to believe that there is nothing that Jesus can't make good and beneficial if we will join with Him in the process of making all things new. So this is why I am writing this blog today. I just got this letter in the mail the other day from one of the guys that has been transferred to another unit from our men's faith-based dorm, and I would like to share with you what Jesus has done in his life.
"I talked about you in class about a month ago, and told them how I wanted to give up on all that God stuff because I didn't understand it. But you wouldn't let me give up. I even told the class how you helped me to forgive my mother even though she is dead, by writing her a letter and giving it to you. For I still believe Devon that you are a living Angel sent to us by the Lord and noone can tell me different. Websters dictionary says an Angel is an attendant spirit/messenger. You came to us after the death of Greg Lucas, when the whole class was breaking down and pulled us back together and made us stronger than before. Now that is an attendant spirit in the flesh. And to this day I believe that God sent His messenger named Devon Wallace to us. An ex-con who would know what we were going through, not some flyboy who hadn't been where we are..."
I can tell you that it is only by the grace of God that we can make memories like that which turn into letters like this. I was just being me, nothing special. But oh what God can do with a willing vessal. Please remember this week that God only made one of "you" and under the influence of the Holy Spirit you never know how deeply you are being used to effect the lives of others. God bless and don't grow weary your letter is coming.
I am so blessed to be able to be used by Jesus to be an influence in the lives of others in the prisons. I'm on vacation this week and let me tell you I needed it. I love sharing God's love with those guys and gals at the prison, but sometimes I think I unknowingly take on to much of their pain without remebering the good things also going in their lives. It can become overwhelming at times, but I have to believe that there is nothing that Jesus can't make good and beneficial if we will join with Him in the process of making all things new. So this is why I am writing this blog today. I just got this letter in the mail the other day from one of the guys that has been transferred to another unit from our men's faith-based dorm, and I would like to share with you what Jesus has done in his life.
"I talked about you in class about a month ago, and told them how I wanted to give up on all that God stuff because I didn't understand it. But you wouldn't let me give up. I even told the class how you helped me to forgive my mother even though she is dead, by writing her a letter and giving it to you. For I still believe Devon that you are a living Angel sent to us by the Lord and noone can tell me different. Websters dictionary says an Angel is an attendant spirit/messenger. You came to us after the death of Greg Lucas, when the whole class was breaking down and pulled us back together and made us stronger than before. Now that is an attendant spirit in the flesh. And to this day I believe that God sent His messenger named Devon Wallace to us. An ex-con who would know what we were going through, not some flyboy who hadn't been where we are..."
I can tell you that it is only by the grace of God that we can make memories like that which turn into letters like this. I was just being me, nothing special. But oh what God can do with a willing vessal. Please remember this week that God only made one of "you" and under the influence of the Holy Spirit you never know how deeply you are being used to effect the lives of others. God bless and don't grow weary your letter is coming.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Psalm 101 Study Notes
Hello everyone, I am starting something new this week. As many of you already know I teach Bible studies at the Dawson St. Jail, but I also teach a Wed. night Bible class called, "CSI-Christ Scene Investigators" at our church. So, what I thought I would do is post my personal notes of preparation as I go. This week we are beginning Psalm 101. I type up alot of my notes, but some of it I leave for discussion. Please allow me some grace for grammar and form since these are just my notes, but please feel free to take in what the Lord shows me. Again this will be an ongoing study and here is what I have for us to start with for tomorrow night.
1. I will sing of mercy and justice to You; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
As we saw in Psalm 100 it is good and profitable to sing to the Lord. This is a psalm of King David, and if the king can sing to the Lord how much more can the royal subjects. We can see here that it is the glory of this king to lift up the Lord Most High, who is the King of kings. This Psalm has been entitled, “The godly purposes and resolves of a king,” and “Speculum Regis,” a mirror for kings. Matthew Henry calls it “The Householders Psalm.” “In it David gives us the rules which he laid down for the regulation of his household and court. In this aspect the Psalm has a universal application; for the principles which are good in a palace are good also in a cottage, and the virtues which adorn a peasant’s humble household will increase the luster of a king’s brilliant court.”-commentary
How beautiful it is to fill both home and office with songs to the Lord. How wonderful it is to invite the Lord into the places that we spend the most of our years. The Bible teaches us that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. We literally attract the Lord with singing. How cool is that?
This Psalm is believed to have been written sometime not to long after Saul’s death and David’s coronation as King of Israel. It makes sense that David would be giving thanks to the Lord because If you will remember David was anointed king as a teenager and had been pretty much running from Saul for the better part of ten or so years while God formed David into a mighty warrior and king. Finally, David is on the throne and ready to start his official duties of uniting and protecting the country, instead of being chased around the wilderness by a madman of a king, Saul. David can now sing of the justice and mercy of God because God, true to His word, has now made good on His promise that David would be king. Many times David was spared in the wilderness from death with godly counsel and maneuvering. And now justice has been served that God has removed Saul from being king by his death in battle. Thus we have this opening line of the poet, “I will sing…”
Look for more next week if you would like to follow along. I pray it will be a blessing to you.
1. I will sing of mercy and justice to You; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
As we saw in Psalm 100 it is good and profitable to sing to the Lord. This is a psalm of King David, and if the king can sing to the Lord how much more can the royal subjects. We can see here that it is the glory of this king to lift up the Lord Most High, who is the King of kings. This Psalm has been entitled, “The godly purposes and resolves of a king,” and “Speculum Regis,” a mirror for kings. Matthew Henry calls it “The Householders Psalm.” “In it David gives us the rules which he laid down for the regulation of his household and court. In this aspect the Psalm has a universal application; for the principles which are good in a palace are good also in a cottage, and the virtues which adorn a peasant’s humble household will increase the luster of a king’s brilliant court.”-commentary
How beautiful it is to fill both home and office with songs to the Lord. How wonderful it is to invite the Lord into the places that we spend the most of our years. The Bible teaches us that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. We literally attract the Lord with singing. How cool is that?
This Psalm is believed to have been written sometime not to long after Saul’s death and David’s coronation as King of Israel. It makes sense that David would be giving thanks to the Lord because If you will remember David was anointed king as a teenager and had been pretty much running from Saul for the better part of ten or so years while God formed David into a mighty warrior and king. Finally, David is on the throne and ready to start his official duties of uniting and protecting the country, instead of being chased around the wilderness by a madman of a king, Saul. David can now sing of the justice and mercy of God because God, true to His word, has now made good on His promise that David would be king. Many times David was spared in the wilderness from death with godly counsel and maneuvering. And now justice has been served that God has removed Saul from being king by his death in battle. Thus we have this opening line of the poet, “I will sing…”
Look for more next week if you would like to follow along. I pray it will be a blessing to you.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Just Do It
What is happening in your world, or better yet what are you happening too in the world? Is God moving and shaking in the world around you? I believe He is. The real question is are we aware of it and are we involved in it, whatever it is. As Christians, we have been called out of our lives of sin to be agents of change in the army of God. A real force of power to happen too the days and culture we live in. The bible is full of scriptures that tell us to lay down this low-life and pickup Christ’s high-life, a life that is centered on God and others. I am not to think less of myself, but I am to think of myself less.
Let’s face it, most people are out to help only themselves, and I don’t blame them if they don’t know Christ. But sadly enough, this life is not meant to be spent on ourselves. Trust me I tried it for 30 years and I was miserable by the time I even started to get a lick of sense. When I finally did get a taste of living this life for Christ and others I couldn’t be satisfied with anything else. It is true that what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. I believe that the bible refers to this as "sowing and reaping." It is a spiritual law in the earth that even the unbelievers are aware of. They call it “Karma” or “what goes around, comes around”, but God calls it “seed, time, and harvest.”
Our pastor gave a wonderful word of encouragement this morning to the congregation, and I would like to share the verses he used as the guidelines for the life of service to God and others.
Romans 12:9-13 (message translation) “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Now that is sound advice and the secret to living the high-life. Believe me when I tell you that God is happening to our world and wants us to join Him in the cause. There will be no greater reward, no higher honor, than to hear our Lord say, “well done, good and faithful servant, come and enter the joy of the Lord.” So this week be alert, have your radar up and scouring the horizon of your sphere of influence, and if you see a chance to be a blessing, just do it.
Let’s face it, most people are out to help only themselves, and I don’t blame them if they don’t know Christ. But sadly enough, this life is not meant to be spent on ourselves. Trust me I tried it for 30 years and I was miserable by the time I even started to get a lick of sense. When I finally did get a taste of living this life for Christ and others I couldn’t be satisfied with anything else. It is true that what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. I believe that the bible refers to this as "sowing and reaping." It is a spiritual law in the earth that even the unbelievers are aware of. They call it “Karma” or “what goes around, comes around”, but God calls it “seed, time, and harvest.”
Our pastor gave a wonderful word of encouragement this morning to the congregation, and I would like to share the verses he used as the guidelines for the life of service to God and others.
Romans 12:9-13 (message translation) “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Now that is sound advice and the secret to living the high-life. Believe me when I tell you that God is happening to our world and wants us to join Him in the cause. There will be no greater reward, no higher honor, than to hear our Lord say, “well done, good and faithful servant, come and enter the joy of the Lord.” So this week be alert, have your radar up and scouring the horizon of your sphere of influence, and if you see a chance to be a blessing, just do it.
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