Author: admin

Life can be viewed as a series of tests. When we are young, the tests are not complex. They review the most basic rules and expectations. Will we only take one cookie from the cookie jar as our mother instructed us, or will we take two? Will we clean our room and do our chores?

But as we grow older, the tests become more frequent, and complex. There is also far more at stake should we fail an exam.

God is a master at giving tests. His are always thorough and they are always fair. He knows what He is measuring. He recognizes what it is He wants to bring to the forefront of our lives.

Often when we are in the midst of a divine test, we focus more on the circumstances God is utilizing than we do on the character He is examining. There are times when the issue is not the particular test we are in at the moment but the character and spiritual maturity that is being exposed in the process.

Are you currently undergoing a divine test? What is it revealing? Are you passing, or failing?

Once lies and deception enter in to a leader or an organization, trouble is sure to follow. Lies always bring harm. They weaken and destroy relationships. They erode trust. As a result, wise leaders will not tolerate dishonesty in their midst.

There are many ways for falsehood to creep in to leaders’ lives. It can begin by simply stretching the truth, or telling a half-truth, or withholding a portion of the truth. Such behavior can appear easy to justify. But once dishonesty has a foothold, it can be difficult to expunge it from you.

The psalmist declared that when he drew near to God, his heart desired, even craved truth. He understood that God’s truth was his life. Not only would he embrace truth, but he would surround himself with others who loved God’s truth as well.

If you can tolerate liars and deceivers in your company, perhaps you have not drawn close enough to the God of light and truth.

Even though you are the king, your confidence must be in God. When you are the boss, holding the top position, it is easy to be distracted by the trappings that come with your office. Wealth, influence, friends, and power can become intoxicating. Yet wise leaders know where their strength ultimately lies. They find their joy not in the accolades of sycophants or in the press clippings tracking their success, but in their God.

When the office is gone, when the job is over, when the followers have departed, God will remain. It is in God that these leaders place their confidence because He is the bedrock to their existence. He is the one, unalterable, consistent, reliable relationship that they have.

When we place our confidence and our future in Him, we share in God’s reflected glory. God’s success becomes our success. His glory, our glory. Even the king understood that despite all he might look to for his own success and security, nothing compared to the confidence he found in identifying his reign, and his life, with God.

You may be the leader of a large organization or a small one. The crucial reality is not who you lead, but Who you serve.

Just because we were walking closely with God yesterday does not necessarily mean we are enjoying that same relationship today. God is at work in the world around us. He is on the move. We cannot stay where we are and go with God at the same time.

That is why we must follow hard after God. Where God goes; we go. Our soul longs for Him. Our soul thirsts for God. Our soul knows that it must remain in God’s presence if it is to thrive. So it follows hard after God.

Our reward is that when we follow after God, He upholds us with His mighty right hand. God’s right hand symbolizes His strength. It is in His powerful hands that He holds us. We may be the ones pursuing Him, but He is the One who is holding us.

If you feel under pressure or assaulted by your enemies, the key is to follow hard after God. Now is not the time for a casual pursuit! God will not be found with a lackadaisical search. It must be a fervent search. It must be a pursuit that realizes all will be lost if we do not find our way into God’s strong hand.

How desperately are you seeking God today?

There is a place where we can find infinite joy. It is not necessarily as we preach to thousands in large coliseums. Nor is it found in leading large churches or Christian ministries. It certainly is not automatic when we achieve places of prominence or business success. Rather, the place where we find inexpressible joy is when we abide in the shadow of the divine. When we are dwelling as closely to God as we can, that is when we experience irrepressible joy.

While the joy itself originates from God; the decision to abide in Him is a choice we make ourselves. At any moment we can choose to depart from Him or to follow at a distance. We can decide that we do not have the time or ability to walk closely with God. But the joy-filled Christian life comes from living within the shadow of God.

One of the signs that we are no longer walking as closely with Christ as we ought is that our rejoicing in Him subsides. Instead, we find ourselves complaining or worrying or being critical, rather than rejoicing in God’s goodness. Listen to what you have been saying, recently. Have you been rejoicing in God’s favor? If not, you might need to return to the shadows.

The psalmist had never lost his wonder at his salvation. He had thought much about his God, yet he still could hardly fathom Him. So he regularly pondered the divine character and work throughout the day.

Even after seeking God early in the morning to appease his parched soul, by the evening he was still thinking about God as he lay upon his bed. From dawn to dusk, David meditated upon God.

The night is often associated with mystery and terrors. Evil often dominates the darkness. It can often be when our enemies lurk and we are filled with dread and worry for the coming day. But it was not so for the psalmist. As he lay upon his bed at night, his thoughts naturally turned to God. In the stillness of the night, David considered what he knew to be true about his Creator and Lord. He took comfort that God protected him. He knew his future was held safely in God’s powerful hands.

The night can be a time of fear and worry for those who choose to let their minds dwell upon their troubles. But for those who meditate upon the Lord, it is a time of comfort and peace. What is occupying your thoughts?

Jesus said that what came out of our mouth reflected what was in our heart. That ought to cause us to regularly audit our words.

The psalmist declared that his words would usher forth joyful praise unto his God. His words would not be about himself, but about his God. And, as he spoke of his God, his words would reverberate with joy. For that is what filled his heart.

At times our words are far more about us than they are about God. We say things that build us up and make people think more highly if us. Our words may also be critical of others and lower peoples’ esteem for those we discuss. Or we may utter numerous words about our problems and difficulties and the harshness of our life. For someone to listen to what we speak about, they can soon detect what is most important to us.

What is it that is streaming out of your mouth? Is it praise for God? Is it joyful declarations concerning God’s goodness and faithfulness? Take time to listen to what you are saying. It might alarm you.

Satisfaction is something we take for granted, until we lose it. In small ways it comes and goes. We eat lunch and we are satisfied. But later that day, our hunger returns and we are dissatisfied. So we eat dinner that satisfies us again, until we develop indigestion. And so the surface level of our satisfaction can be as temporary as the morning dew.

But there us a deeper satisfaction, that is far less transitory. It is the contentment that originates from our walk with God. He has the means to address the deepest longings of our soul. God grants us a peace and contentment that cannot be easily shaken or dislodged. Such a satisfaction takes comfort in knowing that its deepest needs have been thoroughly addressed.

Marrow and fatness appear to us in the modern age as something to avoid. Yet in the psalmist’s day, animal fat was a luxury few could afford. What he was declaring was that God grants the most treasured gifts to the deepest recesses of our life. God holds nothing back! He gives us His best.

Could you say at this time in your life, that you are thoroughly satisfied?

This verse catches us by surprise. We are used to talking about God blessing us. We are much less familiar with the thought that our actions have the potential to bless God. Yet that is what the psalmist desired.

David wanted to live his life in such a manner that it brought a blessing to his Creator. What a blessed thought!

The Bible regularly portrays God as Someone with feelings. God is portrayed as being angry, or showing tender mercies. God describes Himself as jealous as well as a protective parent. God demonstrates a wide range of feelings throughout the Bible. It is clear that our actions can impact how God feels.

So we discover an amazing opportunity. We have the potential to do something with our life that “blesses” God! After all He has done to bless, us, how eager we must be to take whatever action we could in order to reciprocate!

Too often our actions have disappointed God or even caused Him disappointment. Yet we can be like David, and commit ourselves to act I such a way that it brings pleasure to our God.

Is God smiling today, because of how you are living?

Few words better describe God’s heart toward us than the term, “lovingkindness.” Kindness describes God’s actions directed at us. He behaves kindly toward us. He blesses us. His interaction with us always brings about our good. But His actions toward us are inspired out of a particular motivation. While some people are motivated to do good things out of pride, or a desire to be recognized or thanked, or needed, God acts kindly toward us because of His love. He ministers to us out of His lovingkindness. The psalmist knew this well.

David declared that experiencing God’s lovingkindness was better than life itself. There is no greater human experience than to be the recipient of God’s love! That will be the essence of heaven.

Sadly, many professing Christians have received God’s salvation, but they have not been helped to experience a love relationship with their God. To do so is to learn to bask in God’s lovingkindness. When you do, you will discover, as did the psalmist, that it is the most incredible experience of your life. To know God that way is to indulge in the supreme human experience.

What has been the greatest experience of your life? Has it been to know God this way?