Early Celebrations

O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47:1
Most of us are familiar with this verse--have been since childhood. But there's something interesting about this verse that we don't notice when we pull it out of the chapter: the importance of the word "triumph." I know, I know...so what? There are bunches of verses that talk about triumph and victory. But keep reading. Verse 3 says, "He shall subdue...." Verse 4: "He shall choose...." The psalmist is not telling us to triumph in what has been done for us...but in what will be done for us. How much better would our life be if we started every day anticipating God's blessings!

Mind Your Neighbor's Business

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Philippians 2:4
Don't get excited: this isn't talking about being nosy or gossiping or coveting thy neighbor's Z3. Paul was exhorting the church at Philippi to care for one another. The more time goes on, and the less personal the world gets (as in, the less tightly-knit) the more humanity tends to shut out others. If you listen to older folks reminisce, they talk about days when people used to care about their friends and neighbors--when people would go out of their way to help one another. As society progresses, though, you see less and less of that; and that lack of unity has spread to the church. That's not the way God wants His children to be. We are to love one another and help one another. We are to build our brothers and sisters up, to lend a hand when they're down to do everything we can for our fellow believers. Don't try to become an island unto yourself--look also on the things of others.

Not in My Bow

For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. Psalm 44:6
How often do we trust in ourselves and our own strength and ingenuity! We fail and fail and fail again, yet we can't seem to realize that, in and of ourselves, we are nothing and capable of nothing. More times than I like to remember I've wasted time and resources trying to make it on my own, when the Almighty was only a prayer away. Only when we let go and stop trusting our own strength can God step in and solve our problems.

Searching On

Someone said something interesting to me the other day: they said I seemed to be searching. Well, yes, I suppose I am. See, as Christians we ought always to be searching, because Christianity is not a destination, but a journey. I've got news for you, believer: you don't have all the answers, and you have not arrived! I don't care who you are or how long you've been saved, there is still much for you to learn and discover. So don't you dare stop searching! David, whom God dubbed a man after His own heart said, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." David, as close to God as he was, never stopped searching and hungering for God. Paul, uncontestedly one of the greatest Christians to ever live, prayed "That I may know Him." He'd spoken directly to God; he'd seen His glory; he'd been used to write the very thoughts of God...yet Paul's desire was still just to know God. If David and Paul still searched, who are we to think we need not? God is not a child hiding behind a curtain to be discovered in an instant and all at once. He is more than we can comprehend--higher, holier, mightier, more gracious, more loving, more forgiving. I don't understand God. May I search until I do...which will not be until eternity is complete!