BCA Devotional
Notes
Transcript
Introduction to myself:
Lead Pastor at Calvary Chapel Fellowship Wenatchee
Located about 3 hours NE of Seattle, WA in the Wenatchee Valley on the East side of the Cascades right on the Columbia river
I came over from the greater Seattle area over 7 years ago to transition into the lead role here at our church. I have been the Lead pastor for 2 years now.
My beautiful wife, Sarah-Jane, and I have 6 children together, ranging from the ages of nearly 12 years old to 22 months old.
We have been married 13 years this last October
At the time, we met unconventionally on ehramony.com, and not only that, but she was in England at the time, originally from South Africa.
One of my greatest joys is simply teaching the Word of God. I know it is not exclusive to Calvary Chapels, but we certainly have a rich heritage in it.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
106 I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
107 I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108 O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me Your ordinances.
109 My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.
111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end.
Outline:
Outline:
Walking in His Word (V.105-106)
His Word In Affliction (V. 107-110)
Following His ways (V. 111-112)
Summary:
Summary:
We see here that no matter how much you follow His word, troubles will still come. Yet, we see these troubles strengthen the authors resolve to follow the Lord
Psalm 119:105–112
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
His Word shines light in our lives. It can help us to know if we are taking the right path, or if there is danger.
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
The Word of God keeps us from making this mistake, of walking into something that will ultimately destroy us or cause us to lose our way.
On the contrary, His Word is the guide, or the instructions, to where we need to go. How to treat our spouses, how to worship Him, how to operate within the church, how to operate within this world. His word gives us all that we need to safely get to where we are going.
106 I have sworn and I will confirm it,
He recognizes that he has made a good decision
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
That he will hold to what the Lord says.
27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.
This is a resolve I believe is important as christians and counselors, that we will hold to what the Lord says. We won’t be swayed by political opinions, we wouldn’t be influenced by social media or youtube videos, but that we would make the choice today, to follow the Lord, and in turn, turn from evil.
107 I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
Here we see the author who is not just afflicted, but exceedingly.
Other translations say “suffered much”
Here, we see he is going through very hard difficulties, much like what we see as counselors or pastors. Maybe even some of us in our own lives.
What we see is that he doesn’t turn to his own understanding, but he says “according to Your Word.” What does he mean by that?
He is speaking of the promises of God, what He promises to us. Scriptures are filled with the promises of God. One of my pastors always taught, “Hold onto the promises”
He is speaking of HIs instruction. How do we find our way out of the deep despairs that we face? How do we find peace in shattered relationships? How do we find hope as we struggle with addiction? Through His word.
108 O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me Your ordinances.
I love this, because here, he is speaking of worship, the “Freewill offerings of my mouth”
Our time worship can be very powerful in the face of adversity.
Some of the sweetest moments I personally have had is when I am worshipping the Lord among extreme difficulty.
I remember before my wife and I were married, she had gone to a physical that they found a lump in her chest. Not only was this devastating news because of the implications of cancer, but she was immigrating to America to marry me, this could have stopped the visa process dead in its tracks. That night when I heard, I went to church, and I remember all I could do was cry through the songs of worship, not knowing what the Lord was doing through all this, to bring us so far to potentially take her away from me before we could even get married. All I know is that after that time of worship, the Lord had given me a peace about the situation. Thankfully, the following day, the lump was just a bone spur and nothing to worry about. But still, that time of worship was instrumental in my trust in Him for the situation.
109 My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law.
Here, he speaks of the danger his life is in, being in his hand.
Even when in danger, even when his life is being threatened, he says he will not forget what the Lord says in His word.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.
Even though this guy is being mistreated by people, he hasn’t resorted to the flesh nor evil. Instead, he has resorted to God’s Word
It is easy for any of us to fall into a victimhood mentality, or even feed into people who do. There is nothing more unjust than people acting wickedly toward you, making your life miserable for no reason. But we need to remember to respond according to His word, not my flesh or even the evil that comes against us.
Paul makes an appeal to us in Romans 12:14-18
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.
He recognizes the faithfulness of God!!
He sees he has inherited God’s word
God has dealt with us in faithfulness, why? Because His word is what we have inherited. It didn’t start with us just a couple years ago, it has been from generation to generation since the beginning.
Even as he recognizes that he has inherited these things, the faithfulness of God has made him happy and joyful.
Nehemiah declares in Nehemiah 8:10
Nehemiah 8:10 (NASB95)
10 …Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end.”
His desire is to be obedient to God’s word
This is where we should be, ready to be obedient to God’s word