Tag: christianity

My Times are in Your Hand, O Lord

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“My times are in your hand; ” (Ps. 31:15a)

In this verse, David acknowledges God’s sovereign plan and purpose for his life. He is confident in God’s plan.

From where does David’s confidence arise?

David’s confidence stems from his knowledge that God is in control. As a result, he rests in the Lord and places his trust in Him, recognizing that God is for him, “You are my God”, he says (Ps 31:14). He further trusts in Him because he knows God is a God of “steadfast love” (Ps 31:16), who will not allow him to “be put to shame” (Ps. 31:17). The Lord is good and gracious, extending His goodness to those who fear and take refuge in Him (Ps. 31:19).

The remarkable thing about David’s pronouncement is that it is made during a time of great need. He was despised, defamed, and persecuted when he penned these words.

Can we say the same?

I wonder if we can say the say, even during time of abundance and peace? Do we recognize that our times are in God’s hands? Do we trust Him to deliver and rescue us from our enemies? Do we recognize His steadfast love, goodness, and abundant mercies? Is God our refuge, whom we love and praise, even when our enemies are surrounding us?

Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! (Ps. 31:23-24)

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you trust in the all-sovereign Lord?

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Is your prosperity getting in the way of praising God for His provision?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Ps 30:4–12)

Context

These verses indicate that David was well off. After all, he was the king of Israel. His kingdom was rich and blessed in many different ways. The things his hands touched prospered. In his life of ease, he forgot about the Lord. He thought his possessions, money, kingdom, and military was all he needed for success. But this was not so. The reason he had what he had was because of the hand of the Lord.

Pride = The Lord’s Discipline

As a result of his pride, David faced the discipline of the Lord (Ps. 30:7). God hid His face from him. In other words, He removed His blessing and protection. Eventually, through the Lord’s discipline, David realized his sin, repented, cried to the Lord for mercy, and was restored (Ps. 30:8-10).

For Us

David teaches us a valuable lesson, especially those of us that live in Western Christendom. We are a prosperous nation and people by all account. Many of us don’t want for anything. We are successful. Live in nice houses, drive nice cars, and have a good paying job that provides well for our family. We are able to take vacations every year, entertain our families every weekend, and enroll our children in extracurricular activities throughout the year. We are a prosperous people.

While it is okay to enjoy the Lord’s blessings, we go wrong, just like David, when we begin to trust in our prosperity instead of the Lord. When things are going well, it’s easy to forget God is the One who provides everything we have. Sometimes it takes God removing His hand of blessing from our life in order for us to realize that He is the One who prosperous us instead of ourselves.

May we always remember the reason we have what we have is because of the Lord’s blessings on our lives. When we forget that all important trust and begin to trust in ourselves, may we be quick to repent of our pride and turn to worship the Lord for His abundant grace, mercy, and provision.

Question for Reflection

  1. Is your prosperity getting in the way of praising God for His provision?

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What are the Benefits of Those Who Fear the Lord?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals2 Comments

We are told in Proverbs 1:7 that:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; 
fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

What does it mean to fear the Lord?

Fearing the Lord means that we have a certain awe and respect for God, which arises from recognizing our place in the universe. No matter what psychology says, we are not the center that everything and everyone should revolve around. God is at the center because He is the Creator and subsequent owner of all creation. We are His.

When we recognize God’s power, glory, and creative genius, we should be driven to wonder, amazement, and a deep respect for God. Instead of worshipping self or creation, we should worship the Lord. Instead of trying to do things on our own, thinking we know best, we should seek the Lord and His Word because we know He knows best, and when we live according to His design things go well.

The Benefits of those who Fear the Lord

The Psalmist, building on the idea from Proverbs, enumerates the benefits of those who fear the Lord in Psalm 25.

(1) His guilt is pardoned, and he no longer has to fear the Lord’s wrath (11).

(2) He receives the Lord’s instruction, telling him how he should live (12).

(3) His soul is at ease. Worry, stress, and, at times, even the hardship of life are not present (13a).

(4) His children will inherit the land promised by the Lord because the father’s actions don’t result in discipline. By the hand of the Lord, He dwells securely in the land and his children are able to inherit that same land (13b).

(5) He will receive the counsel of a friend from the Lord (14a).

(6) God’s covenant faithfulness is made known to him (14b).

(7) He will be rescued from his enemies by the strong hand of the Lord (15).

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you fear the Lord?
  2. Do you recognize the benefits of fearing Him?

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Praise the Lord’s Deliverance

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” (Ps 22:25–28)

When the Lord delivers us in some way, whether it be from an enemy, financial or health crisis, or a difficult time, we should praise the Lord. One way we can praise this Lord is by proclaiming His name to those in our own church, neighborhood, work place, and to the nations, calling all peoples to worship and seek Him.

The Lord is a loving and powerful God. He cares for His children and He desires to answer their prayers. Not only does the Lord desire to answer your prayer, but He is powerful enough to actually answer them. He is the King over all the nations.

Turn to the Lord in your time of need. Call out to Him. When He answers your prayer, praise His name to those around you so that their faith in the Lord will grow as well.

Question for Reflection

  1. When is the last time you praised the Lord for prayer He has answered?

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This World is Heaven to the Non-believer

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.” (Ps 17:13–14)

Those who don’t follow the Lord only have this life. There is nothing better for them. The world in which we live now is their heaven because the world to come will literally be their hell.

Our World

When we consider the world in which we live, we know that this is not heaven. Murder, rape, war, genocide, disease, and death occur every day somewhere in this world, if not in our own backyard. As we witness these atrocious acts, everything inside of us screams for something better. The secularist tries to bring that better world into existence by exercising political power, social pressure, and legislative change. But the world for which we long can’t be brought about in these ways. In fact, the world for which we long will never exist this side of Jesus’ return because the world in which we live is corrupted by sin.

Our Hope

At Jesus’ return, however, He will deal a final blow to sin, and He will eventually usher in the new heavens and new earth. Then, and only then, will this world be free from sin, and, subsequently, free from the corruption of sin (Rev 21). Because Jesus is reconciling all things to Himself through the blood of His cross we can experience the world for which we long (Col 1:20).

Only for the Christian

But the world for which we long is only for the Christian. It is only for those like David who submit themselves to God and live according to God’s will (Ps 17:3-5). It is only for those who have turned to Jesus as Lord and Savior. If that is not you, then this world is your portion, it is your heaven, it is all you have to look forward to.

Question for Reflection

  1. Have you repented of your sins and turned to Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

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How can we increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, PracticalLeave a comment

Every month I attend a networking luncheon of like-minded pastors in my area. Over the years, it has proven to be a great time of fellowship and group learning. Each month, as we gather, we not only have a meal with one another but we discuss a particular topic in an effort to sharpen one another’s ministry. The last time we gathered our topic was evangelism. The question that guided our discussion was: How can we increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith? Our group consists not only of seasoned pastors but church planters as well. As we discussed the question, helpful ideas came from both groups. Some of these are ideas I had thought about before, but others were new.

(1) Coach a team

Almost every city has an opportunity and need for little league coaches. Not only is coaching a great way to give back to your community, but it is an excellent way to get to know kids and parents in the area, who you might not otherwise run across.

(2) Be intentional about getting to know your neighbors and using your home

If we are honest, it’s easy to stay in our family bubble once we get home from a long, hard days work. For the most part, that is not a bad thing. We need to spend time with our family relaxing, but we can’t forget about the Great Commission. Instead of holding up in the house or playing in the backyard out of sight from our neighbors, we should try to move some of our activities to the front yard where we can more easily engage those who live next to us. Once we meet our neighbors, we should invite them over to hang out, watch the game, have dinner, or have their kids over to play with ours. Getting to know their name is only the beginning. If we want to impact their life for Christ, we have to spend time with them.

(3) Be a part of events in your community

One of the church planters in our group rents a space at the YMCA. His church intentionally attends, works, or hosts a booth at almost every event the Y holds. Being involved in these events has allowed them the opportunity to meet a much larger cross section of the community and impact people’s lives for Christ than they would have been able to do by hosting their own events. Besides the increased connection with non-believers, piggy-backing on an already planned event takes the load off organizing and hosting your own event, which gives you more time to focus on the connections you have forged, the people in your church, and your Sunday Service.

(4) Work at a club in your area

Another pastor in our group volunteers his time at the Boys and Girls Club near his house. Not only has he been able to get to know a number of the kids there, but he has also been able to connect with the Director, which has opened up other opportunities. His church has been able to host a VBS at the club and invite those who normally attend to participate.

(5) Be aware of the people God continually puts in your life

Every day we encounter others in our community. Sometimes we come across the same people regularly. When that happens, don’t think it is a coincide. Rather, recognize it for what it is – someone God has placed in your life that He wants you to get to know. So don’t let what seems like a coincidental encounter be wasted, get to know the person.

(6) Video testimonies

Having someone who recently came to Christ through your ministries evangelistic efforts share their testimony is a great way to encourage and spur those in your church to persevere at the task. I suggest videos because they can be edited for time and shown easily in a service and on social media.

(7) Record the number of last week’s gospel conversations in your bulletin

Another pastor in our group has begun to lead his church to talk to as many people about Christ as they can each week (as we all should!). In order to encourage his congregation to take every opportunity to spread the gospel, he quit recording last week’s tithe numbers in the bulletin and replaced them with the number of gospel presentations his members made that last week. Each Sunday he uses that number to either encourage his congregation to do more or keep up the good work.

Question for Reflection

  1. What are other ways to increase our evangelistic opportunities and encourage others to share their faith?

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