Buried Treasure.

In THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO a man falsely accused escapes prison and finds a buried treasure.  The pile of gold and jewels changes his life and captivates readers. We are fascinated by treasure.

But you possess a greater treasure: one that too often collects dust.

Even the OLD TESTAMENT is an infinite treasure.  Some think negatively about God’s law because we have been delivered from law. But without the law, we would not recognize our sin, and if we don’t recognize sin, how can we repent and receive grace?  Paul writes “What then, is the law sinful? May it never be! I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law” Romans 7:7.  Paul continues: “So then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy, and righteous, and good” v.12.

If you struggle with rules or guilt, it can be hard to think positively about God’s rules.  But Paul calls them “holy, righteous, and good.”  The Old Testament writers agreed. 

God’s law gives DIRECTION. How can you “stay in your lane” if you can’t see the lane? How do you make good decisions if you can’t tell good from bad? God’s law shows us how to live. It helps us make good choices. God’s WORD is the ‘owner’s manual’ for life, the MAP for your journey.

“Your decrees are the JOY of my heart (Psalm 119:111); I LOVE them greatly (167). I LOVE Your commands more than gold (127). Your commands are my DELIGHT (143). Your word is SWEETER THAN HONEY in my mouth (103), Your servant LOVES it (140). I LOVE Your precepts (159). I REJOICE OVER YOUR PROMISE LIKE ONE WHO FINDS VAST TREASURE (162).”

Have you ever thought about what a VAST TREASURE God’s word is? Believers in China smuggle torn Bible pages back and forth between jail cells, desperate for scraps of God’s word, while some of us have the whole book but never read it.

God, help us love Your word and recognize it for the TREASURE that it is!

ΑΩ

Scripture Memory and the Beauty of the Law.

My friend James went to seminary and loves people with a pastor’s heart.  His passion for the homeless is amazing and merits discussion.  But he has one idea with which I cannot agree.  He does not believe in the practice of memorizing scripture.  His senior thesis in seminary was “Jesus Never Asked Anyone to Memorize Scripture.” Such an argument is based on the logical fallacy called “the Argument from Silence.” It is fallacious because a non-mention by one side cannot be used as evidence for the other side.

Nevertheless, a ‘wooden’ reading of the gospels may seem to support James’s position.  But no. If Jesus never mentioned scripture memory, it is because Jesus assumed that it “goes without saying.”

Here is the truth of scripture memory: if Jesus did not mention it, it’s because the importance of memorizing God’s word was obvious.  Don’t believe me? Consider how much scripture Jesus (not to mention Paul and others) had memorized. 

Keep that in mind as I change the subject briefly.…

With 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.  It is an acrostic, each section based on one letter of the Hebrew alphabet. But what is more interesting may be the content—this beautiful, long poem is a love letter about God’s law. 

Whereas many writers today seem to condemn the law or to dismiss both the law and the entire Old Testament as ‘old news for the old days,’ the writer of Psalm 119 adores God’s law.  He is CONVINCED God’s law is the path to life, joy, peace, and abundance.  I agree: The Law and ALL the rest of the Old Testament are filled with wisdom.  Many of the verses of Ps. 119 also apply to the New Testament:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your Word…  THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU”  Psalm 119:9,11.

God, teach us to HIDE YOUR WORD IN OUR HEARTS—to memorize it—so we might not sin against you.

ΑΩ

Don’t Write This Down: a Story From the Jury Room.

Recently I found myself a juror in a murder trial. My fellow jurors realized I was a lawyer and eventually voted me jury foreman–which was a rare and extraordinary opportunity for a lawyer. But things got off to a rocky start on day one. The bailiff–who admitted she had never met the judge–loudly ordered me to leave my notepad behind. I tried to tell her the judge had instructed us to take notes. She refused to listen to anythng I had to say. In fact, she became extremely threatening when she saw that I was about to speak. I told her anyway, and she refused to hear it. Thus, I spent a day and a half trying to remember everything. It was awful. (I can’t tell you how confusing it was! Information does not reach the jury in a usable form. It’s all out of order and out of context.)

Then I took a single sheet of paper folded in fourths (which I could hide in my pocket)—and began discreetly making notes. She was not watching and I knew the judge would not mind. Boy, how that helped! I could finally keep the names straight, and once I had names, I could hang the key testimony from each person on that name. It was invaluable!  But the rules say no notes in jury deliberations. So before the trial ended, I knew I would have to memorize everything. 

Many of us approach the Bible like a jury hearing a trial—things are out of order and out of context, and no one points out which things are critical and which are trivial. And if you found yourself on a deserted island without a Bible, how much could you recall?

It was not always this way. Old Testament rabbis memorized long passages. Some committed the Torah—the first five BOOKS!—to memory. 

“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee” Psalm 119:11.

We can learn from the rabbis’ example. We need the word in our heads, not our hands! 

When did you last memorize something powerful? 

ΑΩ

Treasure Chest.

How would you feel if you discovered buried treasure?

At the end of NATIONAL TREASURE, after all the adventure, the good guys stumble into a room filled with priceless treasures. Their jaws drop and they walk around in awe. Riley sees a jade statue and says, “It’s a big, blueish-green man,” and he hugs the statue. Ben touches his torch to an oil-filled aqueduct and the flame spreads to reveal a vast hall of treasures, treasures that will fill museums and make our heroes rich for life. An amazing moment.

But do we really care about dusty papers covered in cobwebs, or someone’s broken pottery, or jewelry that is a thousand years out of fashion? No. What is amazing about treasure is that it has the power to change your life. You can trade a handful of gold coins for a new pickup, or a diamond tiara for a new house. A chest filled with treasure might mean you never have to work again. Treasure can change everything.

King David owned treasure; he measured gold by the ton. But he got excited about a different kind of treasure.

“I rejoice over Your word, like one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162.

David, who knew more about treasure than most people, understood that God’s word was the real treasure. He was excited about the Bible. Can you believe that?

I believe David; I believe God’s word is treasure. But do I think that way all the time? No. Do I get as excited about learning the word as I would about cashing in gold coins? No, not often. But I try to love the word more every day. Thinking of it as TREASURE is the first step.

Pray. Dear God, help us understand how amazing it is to have Your written word. Help us love Your word and read it, study it, memorize it, and be excited about it. Fill us with a conviction that there is NO TREASURE as great as Your word. Thank You for this amazing treasure that is greater than any treasure in the movies.

ΑΩ

Don’t Give the Devil a Foothold.

Have you heard the old calypso-style chorus that goes, “Shut the Door, Keep Out the Devil, Shut the Door, Keep the Devil in the Night”? If only it were that easy—just lock up before you go to bed and all will be well.

But there is some truth to it.

If we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh, Galatians 5:16.

You can shut the door. But the world and the Devil keep opening it. For some of us, it’s an addicting sin, a cherished sin that you regularly ignore and even coddle: food, lust, materialism, greed, etc. And when you tolerate a sin you leave the door open just enough. It’s as if the Devil stuck his boot between the door and the door jamb. So no matter what you do, the moment you let your guard down and step away from the door, he pushes it back open and comes into your life to wreck things and wreak havoc.

For others, there is a secret attitude, an anger or bitterness that they cherish and cultivate. Maybe their father was mean or circumstances seemed unfair, or God failed to answer some big prayer request—whatever it might be, there is an angry fire smoldering inside those hearts, an evil root of bitterness that is slowly poisoning them and everyone close to them. The Bible warns us not to tolerate a root of bitterness:

“See to it that no one fails to walk in the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up and by it many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:15.

This verse describes a person who hears the Word of God, but shrugs her shoulders, as if it does not apply to her. (Can’t you just picture that?)

Bitterness makes you question the authority of scripture, like the serpent in the Garden: “Did God really say that?—Yeah, but how do you know if that is really what He meant?” Bitterness makes you focus on shortcomings and failures in the church. You criticize preachers and Bible teachers, you raise doubts about the way churches and ministries handle money. You ignore the kind and godly people around you and spend your time focusing on a scandal involving someone who does not have any connection to your life. Bitterness robs you of joy in every area, and makes you perceive the Christian life as a burden rather than a blessing.

And just like an addiction, bitterness is a foothold for the Devil, an open door allowing him easy access every day.

Trust me, you don’t want to give the Devil access. You need to shut the door. We are warned:

“Guard your heart with all diligence.” Proverbs 4:23.

Here are some practical tips to help you shut the door and keep out the devil:

  • Identify your weakness. Is it an addiction-type sin, is it a root of bitterness, or both? (I will address bitterness another time. The strategies that follow are tailored to the battle with sinful addictions.)
  • The best defense is a good offense. Spend time in the Word, and in prayer. Memorize this: “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11. The stronger you are, and the deeper your connection to your Savior, the more prepared you will be to go to battle. And it is a battle.
  • Flee youthful lust. 2 Timothy 2:22. Don’t negotiate. Don’t fight. Many things in life offer “fight or flight” choices. But fighting does not work with lust. You MUST FLEE.
  • Protect yourself from habitual sin by BUILDING FENCES. Following God’s gift of the law through Moses, the Jewish Rabbis created “fences” to protect the people from violating the law.[1] For example, if the law said “stop eating the Passover at the fourth hour,” the Rabbis might move the time up two hours and say “stop eating at the second hour,” so that if it was a cloudy day and people were in danger of losing track of time, these extra two hours would stop them from breaking the law by accident. Similarly, God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Later, Eve re-stated the law as “God told us not to TOUCH the tree of knowledge.” Some Jewish commentators have suggested that Adam and Eve “built a fence,” by adding to the law. Their logic was “if I don’t touch the tree, then I will be even less likely to eat its fruit.” Although the Bible cautions against adding to God’s law, I think you can see the advantage of creating fences in an area where you habitually sin. How can you build fences in your life to keep you away from sins that give the Devil a foothold?

Here are some examples: Can you limit access to the things that tempt you? Can you change the way you handle your screen time? Put a lock on your phone? Put hours on the phone? Put a password on your phone and computer to keep you from the worst websites—and make it a gibberish password that you will never remember? Can you change your driving habits to avoid passing the vanilla cones at McDonald’s, if that’s your weakness? Can you enlist a good friend as an accountability partner, and have them ask you hard questions at hard times? (Choose such a partner wisely. Often a same-sex friend is best in this role.) Can you cut up credit cards to prevent the shopping? Can you have a mechanic put a governor on your car engine so you can’t speed? Whatever the temptation, there are dozens of ways to handle it and begin to control it, if you use a bit of imagination. You will still be tempted, and you will crash your spiritual car. But it is possible to reduce the severity of the injury with seat belts, air bags, and rubber tires and bales of hay on the side of the race track. Be creative and be ruthless. Look at your sin while your heart is right and you are not in a weak state. Ask yourself where you failed and why. Then devise strategies to prevent that. For example, I have lived without cable television for decades just to put a limit on the temptations I have to face every day.

  • Finally, challenge yourself. If constant sin is destroying you, set small goals. You need to walk before you try to run. Try to go two days without falling into sin. The strategies above will help. Then try to go three days and four days and five days. When you fall, get back on the horse, and try again. See if you can make it a week or two weeks or a month. You will be surprised how clean and undistracted your mind will be when you have spent longer and longer periods of time keeping the door shut and the devil out of your life!

Pray. Dear God, help me to hate evil and to flee lust. Make me aware of sins that are destroying me. Make me aware of bitter attitudes that are poisoning my mind. I repent of my sin and my unforgiveness. Change me. Help me love the Word and spend more time reading it and praying. Help me to have strategies in place to protect me from sin. Help me to have success battling sins and to experience the clear mind and the joy that comes from walking with you. Thank you for saving me! Help me love you more every day.

ΑΩ

[1] https://www.cbaj.org/build-your-fence/

The Word is Sweeter Than Honey.

Which do you love more? A vast treasure or a promise from God—the God who made the treasure?

I love your commands more than gold, even the purest gold… I rejoice over your promise like one who finds a vast treasure. Psalm 119:127,162.

Join me in praying that all four of us would love God’s Word more than anything—even a vast treasure. Because it IS so much more valuable than any treasure.

One more–

“How sweet Your Word is to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119:103.

Love y’all!

ΑΩ

What Do People Want?

People want to be happy.  We want to feel hopeful about the future, to feel some joy, to do fun things and have a few laughs. 

People want to be happy.

How do you become happy? 

To children, happiness looks like thrills—a trip to the circus, a ride on a roller coaster, a day to play in the snow. 

Without wisdom, this childish view can grow into a belief that “adult” happiness is also found in thrills, no matter how destructive: drinking, drugs, sex, partying.  (They call it “Happy Hour,” but is it really?)

Robert, Sr., was a Prodigal Son.  His family owned an oil company, but his career of choice was poker player.  I’m sure his life of “riotous living” was fun in the beginning.  But as he aged, his only joy came from spending time with Robert, Jr., (whom Senior did not raise) and Junior’s children.  When, at Robert, Sr.’s urging, Junior confirmed for the first time that Senior was not his father, Junior refused to tell Senior.  The news would take from the old man the only joy he had in life.  The heir to an oil fortune had partied away his entire life.  The only pleasure he had was knowing he had fathered a single child that he saw once or twice a year.  Senior was proud of Junior, though he had long suspected (accurately, as it turns out) Junior might be another man’s son.

The point is, thrills and riotous living do not make people happy. 

“How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the Lord’s instruction!  Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart” Psalm 119:1-2.

Don’t be fooled by the illusions of childhood.  A day at the circus is exciting for any child, but true happiness comes from the loving parents who made the day happen (it’s not the tigers but the togetherness). 

As children grow, they must be taught that long-lasting happiness is found not in physical thrills but in wise decisions. 

ΑΩ

God is Watching.

Do you ever forget? Some do. You will do better and make better decisions when you remember that God has His eyes on you. Think about recent decisions. Have you made bad choices when you forgot that He was watching, that He was there with you?

“Can the One who shaped the ear not hear? Can the One who formed the eye not see? The One who instructs nations, does He not discipline?” Psalm 94:9-10.

Isn’t that a great verse? God watches, and He holds us accountable.

So that raises the question—

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word.” Psalm 119:9.

But that raises ANOTHER question: How do you keep God’s word? You have to memorize it.

“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Ps. 119:11.

To sum it up: the God who invented the eye is watching. So obey His word. How? By memorizing it.

Copy down a verse from this devotional. Write it, then put it where you can see it and memorize it—maybe the homepage on your phone. Read it over and over and over until it sinks in deep. Let God’s word transform your life.

I’m praying for you.

ΑΩ

Delight.

New parents stare at baby and smile, anticipating—and then it happens: He laughs for the first time. She holds her head up for the first time. Sits up. Crawls. And baby’s first steps—what a moment! Parents call their friends and say things like, “He finally ate a vegetable!” or “She finally remembered to flush.”   

Parents must seem silly sometimes.  But they are INVESTED, so they DELIGHT in their children. Your child’s success is YOUR success. Your child’s victory is YOUR victory.  Coaches and teachers enjoy a lifetime of these experiences.  The thrilling emotion that keeps them going is delight in another person’s achievements.

(Work and pray for this emotion. It will supply a lifetime of joy, long after other pleasures have faded.)

Did you know God delights in you? Did you know He watches you every day and He is happy about your achievements? It’s true! 

Little things—things that are easy for everyone else but not for you—God is delighted when you finally master those things. 

God knew how tough ADHD was for me, and I know He was thrilled when I finally learned how to concentrate and block out distractions. (I have to re-learn that all the time!) And when I finally figured out how to say no to other things and do my homework, I know God was thrilled, DELIGHTED with me.  Isn’t that amazing?

He delights in you the same way.

You are His child. He is PROUD of you. He’s ROOTING for you. GOD IS EXCITED ABOUT YOU!

“A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and HE TAKES PLEASURE IN HIS WAY” Psalm 37:23.

God establishes your steps, helps you with decisions, and He ENJOYS watching your story unfold. He looks at you… and He SMILES. 

He DELIGHTS in you!

“I pray that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and width and height and depth of God’s love which surpasses knowledge” Ephesians 3:18-19.

God, help us to know how deeply you love us—and like us!

ΑΩ

Your Dreams Can Come True.

How? Consider Psalm 37:4-5:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will make it happen. Don’t be anxious or upset when someone else’s dreams come true. Instead, be silent before the Lord; wait expectantly for Him.”

Trust God. He will make your dreams come true if you follow Him, obey Him, and commit to doing things His way. Be patient, expect Him to bless you, and He will.

The secret is that as you obey God, your heart will change. The more time you spend with God, the more your heart begins to desire what His heart desires. So if you are truly finding your delight in Him—if you will “delight yourself in the Lord,” then you will desire what He desires, and He will fulfill those desires. In some areas, you already desire what He desires—so you will receive what you currently want. In other areas, He may change your desires—but by the time you receive those things, they will have become the desires of your heart.

The point is, we need to find delight in the Lord and in His plans, His hopes, His dreams. Don’t be dismayed when your friends receive things that you want. It happens to me often enough—sometimes it seems like my peers are publishing books left and right, and it is frustrating to think perhaps I write as well as several of them, but it has not happened for me. But God’s counsel for me is to be patient, to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and to be silent and “wait expectantly for the Lord.” He will bless me too.

He will make my dreams come true—even if that means first giving me new dreams.

Honor and obey the Lord. Spend time with Him. Enjoy Him. Be delighted by Him—and He will make your dreams come true. Expect it.

Talk to God about Psalm 37:4 ask Him to fulfill His promise.

ΑΩ