“The Lord is my Shepherd I. SHALL. LACK. NOTHING.” So begins Psalm 23. And so sums up today’s devotion. The questions which face me are 1) Is God enough? A: Yes. 2) Do I live that way? A: No. Not nearly as I should. I want to be a recipient of his grace, mercy and love…and I am…but I don’t always live as though I am. Way too often I find myself listening to the clamoring of the world, and even the clamoring of the church I serve, to hear the voice of God saying, “I am enough.” I need to remember Tripp’s words:

Ultimately, human rest is not found in measuring the size of my righteousness, strength, and wisdom against the size of what I’m facing. No, rest is found when I compare the size of what I’m facing to the person, presence, character, power, and grace of the One who is with me wherever I go.

God’s gift-His greatest gift– to me is Himself. It is not Jo (although I am extremely grateful for her). It is not the family. It is not OVCF. It is not my friends. I am extremely grateful for all of those. No. God’s greatest gift is Himself. Do I need anything more when I have Him? No. And I need to keep telling myself (talking to myself) that.

“Father, You are all I need. ALL. If I have you, I have need of nothing else. There is a song that says, ‘You’re all I want/You’re all I’ve ever needed/ You’re all I want/ Help me to know You are near.’ Amen”

Today is the 17th anniversary of the event which changed our world. There will be 9/11 remembrances all over our country today. I mean no disrespect but I’d like to use that event to “color” my thoughts today.

We all have dreams. Dream of ease. Dreams of joy and happiness. Dreams of wealth. Dreams of contentment. Dreams of travel. Dreams of peace and tranquility. There may be as many dreams as there are people because each one has their own dream. There is nothing wrong with a dream. Nothing at all. Except this one question becomes a qualifier: “What is on the other side of my ‘if only I had”?

The Twin Towers were symbolic of what many saw as their dream. There were the symbol of affluence; ease; success; the culmination of our earthly efforts and goals. The dreams of myriads of people were symbolized by those towers and when they came down, it was also a picture of life coming apart; of life being shattered; of dreams falling down, of being destroyed.

When a dream becomes a ruling thing, it wreaks havoc on my spiritual life. (Tripp)

Dreams have to be-must be-more than what I have here. I need a sovereign Savior King not a “god” who delivers the goods (Nieman Marcus Jesus).

“Father, I’m not alone in this battle. There are many others who fight the ‘Nieman Marcus Jesus’ syndrome. Control my heart with your desire/dream/goal for me, rather than I control it for me. As I remember 9/11 today, help me also to remember You and Your desire for my dreams to be what You want for me.”

The main thrust of this devotion comes down to one question (really two), at least in my mind:

Who am I living for?

Second question:

Who am I expecting to satisfy me?

The first question has two answers. I can either be living for myself or I can be living for God.

The second question also has two answers. I can either be expecting others to satisfy me in doing what only a Match.com Jesus can do or I can expect God to do what only God Himself can do. The former will leave me empty, lost, seeking in the wrong direction, chained to low satisfaction. The latter is the only way true satisfaction happens. Finding my completion, my satisfaction, my fulfillment in Jesus as the center of my thoughts and desires is the lesson from Mark 12. “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. That is the first and greatest commandment.”

“Father, I have but shouldn’t expect people here to make me happy or to satisfy me. Help me to love you as I should, to ‘lose myself’ in your love. Jesus point blank said I was to love you first in all ways.  Let today be the day that happens. Help me to find in You my ultimate satisfaction.”

Okay…confession time. But first, a question. Who of you have never wanted revenge? Who of you have never wished someone “would get what’s coming to them?” Who of you have never wished for payback to a person who has hurt you or someone you know? Answer those questions first. Then hear me out.

Here’s my confession: I have. No surprise there because I believe all of us could say a “I have.” Unfortunately, many are driven by revenge here and now. We don’t want to wait for God to do His thing. We want Him to do His thing in our time. And in our way. My way of dealing withe people is often very different than God’s. The severity of revenge is often very different.

But as Tripp says, “God is not my District Attorney.” He doesn’t promise it will be done according to my plan. Truth is: I ma never see it!! God’s vengeance may not unfold until years down the road. Whatever the case, now or down the road: harsh or somewhat benign; direct or indirectly; leave it to God.

His advice (Apostle Paul’s) is simple and plain:

1. Never repay evil for evil.
2. Work to live in peace with everyone.
3. Overcome evil with good.

“Father, N-O-T-H-I-N-G good can come from a desire for revenge. If it doesn’t come immediately or as hard as I want, it can lead to hatred, mistrust of you, irrational behavior, or crazy thoughts. If I can’t wait, impatience rises. Help me to leave it with You and let you take care of it.

I remember Ted Koppel once saying, “They are the 10 Commandments, not the 10 Suggestions.” T0o many want to live as though they are just suggestions or advice (Think Dear Abby). But God’s law is a command. That sounds ominous. People tend to think of commands as a noose; a curse; a burden; a chain. Seeing his law as a gift of love and grace changes everything.

Consider:

• “You shall not steal”- the consequences could be disastrous. Yep.
  
• “You shall not murder”- the consequences could be disastrous. Yep.
  
• “You shall not lie”- the consequences could be disastrous. Yep.
• “You shall not commit adultery”- the consequences could be disastrous. Yep.

So…let me ask this. Are those laws meant to be a noose, a chain, a burden, or a curse? Obviously not. His law is not and His laws are not suggestions.

“Father, thank you for your grace, a grace that points me beyond my sin and to your gentle, patient way. Thank you for the law(s) which are to be a safeguard, as well as, a way of life. Help me to see your great love and grace in all of this.”

Where do I start? This devotion speaks to a depth of me not even I can reach. Maybe it’s because I have questions? Maybe it’s because I had someone in my office just this past week whom I had no answers for? Who is going through a dark time and I had no answers. Well…I did but 1) I’m not sure she wanted to hear it, and 2) this is articulated much better than I could. Several statements stuck out to me:

“I will suffer because my suffering is an essential part of God’s grand plan for me.”

“These difficult moments of life are not the failure of God’s plan or in the way of God’s plan; these moments are His plan.”

“He is not working to give me that temporary situational emotional high; He is working to produce something much better-eternal joy.”

“Walking with Jesus is not the grand vacation, a life free of responsibility and trial. Walking with Jesus is not like that because my right here, right now life with him is not a destination.”

“Father, life is hard. I get that. Life will never be easy, nor is it meant to be. I get that too. As I know that in my head, transfer it to my heart so that belief is rock solid in me. Work your plan in me.”

I had a conversation recently with a person who couldn’t understand the onslaught of stuff coming at them. I have to admit they were being bombarded all at once. Couple that with uncertainty of action and it was a “perfect storm.” These folks weren’t looking for a Prozac Jesus because hard times come. They know that. But there are those who are. Followers of Jesus  should have no-read it, NO-difficulty. “I deserve better than this,” they say. “After all I’ve done for and am now doing for God, I should be treated better.” They want a Prozac Jesus, one who will make them feel better and make their life easier.

Tripp’s description of a Prozac Jesus fits the description of what many desire today:

• Control
• Success
• Acceptance
• Comfort and pleasure
• Material things

Hmmm, come to think of it, I’m sort of included in that. How many time have I wanted to say, “Eat, drink and be merry” as the man in Jesus’ parable? (Luke 12:13-21). If I could say that, then I could say I have arrived. I am comfortable. Is that the desire I want to have ruling my heart? Is that how I want to see my life?

“Father, you have never promised me ease. You have never promised me what Prozac Jesus offers. You have promised me, though, to be my Sovereign King. You have promised me Your faithfulness and goodness through all the good and bad times. I will trust in that Jesus.”

Funny the things which come to your mind, especially when you read something. For example:

God’s care is sure, but will I run to him in my time of need or look elsewhere for hope and comfort?

What came to my mind? The old Negro spiritual (and a song I remember Elvis sang) “Where could I go but to the Lord?” 🙂  Strange what flies through the mind.

But this devotion probes a question and gives some answers with Scripture. My favorite is Psalm 27:1-“The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

My favorite part of this devotion though is Tripp’s “proof” of the above question (why look elsewhere?).

• He will not stand idly by and say, “I told you so.”
• He finds no joy in my suffering.
• He is full of compassion. Abounds in mercy.
• He will never walk away disgusted.  Never use my weakness against me.
• He has no favorites. No partiality. No weariness. No impatience. No quit in Him.

But my most favorite is this: “He is just as faithful to all His promises on my very worst day as He is on my very best day.”

“Father, how can it be any clearer; get any better; be more reassuring than that? Add in Isaiah 12:2, 4-5 and I have a recipe for a life worth living and the realization I need to not look anywhere else.”

Sin is a condition of the heart. Hard to dispute that. Try as I may; use all the self-help I could get my hands on; use firm resolution; I would still be unable to not sin nor break the hold sin has. Sin’s answer is only found at the cross. It is only found in the mercy and grace of God.

In another devotional book by Tripp, A Shelter in the Time of Storm, (on Psalm 27) which I am working my way through, he wrote the following (and it is part of this week’s devotional):

“I have no resume to hold before You, no track record of accomplishments, no letter of commendation, no rights of birth or ethnicity. I hold nothing that would place You in my debt, nothing could curry your favor, nothing that would obligate you…I stand before you with shoulders bent and hands that are empty. I approach You with no argument in my mind or words to offer in my defense. I stand before you naked and undeserving, broken and weak…So I come before You with this plea: Your mercy. Your mercy is my rest.  Your mercy is my hope. Your mercy makes me bold. Your mercy is all I need. Your mercy tells me You will hear. Your mercy tells me You will act. Your mercy tells me You will forgive…”‘

“Father, I stand before you with nothing. Sin hides in my heart. I have nothing to bring. Nothing to give. Except a surrendered heart and a plea for mercy.”

Today is a big day for me. It is test day. I plan (hope) to ride to Linton, IN today. I was doing this over a month ago but the weather (rain) changed that. Then schedule. Jo will be around as I ride. I am, admittedly, a little nervous. My thoughts on hope today spring from my test. I see two sections here: hope as seen through my eyes and hope as seen through God’s eyes.

#1 Section:

• A wish with no control over. “I sure hope the weather is good. No rain. Calm or tail wind.” 🙂
• What I think should happen. “I hope I have the strength to finish.”
• Motivational. “I’m doing this to tell myself I can and, if I’m honest, for Jo (and Tami if she goes) to be proud of me.” (It’s the Wild at Heart thing: “Every man has a battle to fight; an adventure to live; and a beauty to rescue.”)

How different from biblical hope. “A confident expectation of a guaranteed result that changes the way I live.”

#2 Section:

• Hope is confident. It is confident because I know who is in control and He is faithful.
• An expectation of a guaranteed result. God’s promises are good. They stand.
• The way I live is changed. Confidence and courage are my go-to’s. They affect my choices.

“Father, such a stark contrast between human hope and biblical/godly hope. Not that mine are bad, but they are shallow. May I live with biblical hope. May Psalm 20:7 be my go-to verse: ‘Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but (I) trust in the name of the Lord my God.’ Help me to live today in the hope that you give.”