Hide 'n Seek

Psalm 27:4-5 (New Living Translation)

The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most —
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

Do you remember playing hide 'n seek (or some variant such as 'kick the can')? One person was "it" - and you NEVER wanted to be "it". That person would stand at "home base", close their eyes, and count while everyone else ran to hide themselves.

Do you remember, there were two ways to win? You could avoid becoming "it", if you could make it to home base before being tagged, and also if you remained hidden until you heard the call of "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free!", which signaled the end of the game.

The scripture from Psalm 27 brings this game to mind. If you think about it, we haven't yet touched "home base". Our game is still going on (I'm still typing and you're still reading). And while that remains the case, we always look forward to our "sprint to home base", when God opens the books of our lives and examines to see if our names are recorded in the book of Life (see Revelation 20:12). But until that time comes, we're here on earth, still playing the game. And every day we're trying to keep from losing (being 'tagged' by the enemy).

Psalm 32:6-7 (Amplified)
For this [forgiveness] let everyone who is godly pray--pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely when the great waters [of trial] overflow, they shall not reach [the spirit in] him. You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance.

Lord, I thank you for safely hiding me, while I'm still in the game of my life. Lord, I want to hear that wonderful call "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free!" when I'm summoned home to be with you eternally. But in the meantime, Lord, please keep me safe. Hide me, hide my family, hide all of your saints. I'll continue to pray, and thank you for the "songs of deliverance" you send. Thank you, Lord. Thank you!

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© 2010 Scotty Ward

A VERY Dangerous Phrase

Have you ever said the following about your own life?

"I'm Not Doing Too Badly"

"I'm All Right"

These phrases sound totally positive, don't they? Some would even go so far as to say these phrases are "self-nurturing". After all, if I don't believe in what I'm doing and where I'm going, who will?

But please understand that according to the Bible, there's a danger in this approach, IF we don't consider God. Here are a BUNCH of scriptures that describe the danger:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.
~ from Proverbs 12

Proverbs 14:12 (Contemporary English Version) - You may think you are on the right road, and still end up dead.

Proverbs 16:2 (Contemporary English Version) - We may think we know what is right, but the LORD is the judge of our motives.

Proverbs 21:2-3 (Contemporary English Version) - We may think we are doing the right thing, but the LORD always knows what is in our hearts. Doing what is right and fair pleases the LORD more than an offering.

Judges 17:6 - In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (New Living Translation)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

The Bible tells us that there is a great danger in just doing what we think is right, if we don't seek God's will in our lives. Without God, we're in dangerous territory and don't even realize it.

Pray this with me: "Lord, thank you for showing me the value in seeking your will in my life today. Lead me, so that my ways please you. Protect me, so I don't get drawn into activities that move contrary to your plan for my life. Direct me, direct my path. And as I continue to walk, Lord, I'm asking you to guide me every step of the way."
Amen.

God Bless you.

© 2008 Scotty Ward

Too Many Bosses

Proverbs 22:7 (KJV) - The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

My wife and I love to give. It's true; we enjoy giving of our time, our talents, and our treasures, in support of God's kingdom and the missions we're part of.

But in recent times, we've had difficulty in our giving efforts, because of all the financial issues everyone has been reading about. Money is becoming more difficult to obtain (so we can give). What's the reason why this is so? Proverbs 22:7 is true in our case. We owe money for our house, our vehicles, credit cards, student loans, etc. All of these loans seemed pretty helpful when we obtained them, because they allowed us to move into the house, drive the vehicles, buy the furniture, and obtain our educations, and then "pay over time". But now that we're minding our spending very closely, those constant payments to our lenders must be included as we're considering how to slice up the paychecks. So in essence, we're able to GIVE less, because we're already PAYING more.

Some sell their liberty to gratify their luxury. ~ Matthew Henry commentary on Proverbs 22:7.

You're so right, Minister Henry. I'm living proof.

But regardless of the state of our financial affairs, I want to publicly thank God for everything He's already done in our lives. Without him, I'd be lost (or worse) by now. God has been, and continues to be, present as a savior and sanctifier in my life.

So thanks, Lord. Thanks for just being YOU.

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© 2008 Scotty Ward