Psalm 32:8-9 - I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

Do you believe that there is a right way to go in this life? Do you believe that there is a right way to understand yourself and the world around you? How you answer these questions is of the utmost importance. If you believe that any way can be the right way, then eventually you will find yourself without a firm foundation to stand upon. Not everything can be true, even though many people believe that what you want to say is true, will be.

What kind of people must we be then, if we want to know that we are headed the right direction? We must be people of understanding. The problem with so many ideologies today is that the people who believe them aren’t actually thinking through the validity of those beliefs, they just simply believe them because it makes them feel good. Many in the church can live this way as well. They like what they gain from Chrstianity, but they haven’t taken the time to really understand it.

If we go a certain direction simply because of how it makes us feel, we will find ourselves to be lost. If we hold a view of ourselves and of the world simply because it suits us, then we really aren’t walking in understanding, but in arrogance. The example the psalmist gives makes this plain.

A horse or a mule will do what a horse or mule wants to do. Without being tamed they won’t listen to command or be useful for anything that we need their help for. We can say all kinds of things to try to get them to do what we want, but they don’t understand, so they will go their own way rather than ours.  But if you can tame them, then they will learn to understand you. Their will must be curbed or they will not stay near you. Without the bit and the bridle guiding them, they will go their own way, leaving you in the dust.

People are very much like this. If we don’t have a guide, leading us in the way we should go, we will simply do what we want to do. If we don’t understand the commands that have been given to us, we won’t listen. The truth is, God has given us the right way to go in this life and he has given us commands on how to live, but as long as we choose to ignore his voice and rebel against him, we will not understand these things.

Thankfully, by grace, God brings us in as wild mustangs and by his power alone, tames us and teaches us to understand his words. The question then is this, if you have now been tamed by God, and you understand his commands, do you heed them, or do you still want to live out your mustang ways? Many times we need others to counsel us and remind us that his ways are the best ways. Pray that God would help you to understand, and in understanding, you would follow after the commands of your good master, knowing that you are no longer lost, but found and loved.

1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

There is an expectation that the older someone gets, the wiser they become. Those who are older have experienced more of this world than those who are young simply by being alive longer. It’s no surprise then that we typically see older men and women in positions of authority rather than young men and women. Again, the expectation is that because of their many years, they will do far better with their role and responsibilities than someone younger than them.

In many cases this is true. Youth carries with it a certain idealism whereas those with some years under the belt tend to be more realistic. Young adults can look at themselves as invincible which can lead to arrogance or unnecessary risk taking. Younger people also have a tendency to think that their ideas are new and fresh, throwing out the ideas of the older generation, all the while not understanding that there is nothing new under the sun.

This isn’t to say that older people have everything figured out. Age doesn’t automatically make a person someone worth imitating, listening to, or admiring. Rather than looking at how old a person is, there is probably more wisdom in assessing a person’s character. Whether young or old, character is of the utmost importance.

When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy it would have been common for older men to be the ones everyone followed and listened to. Timothy, being of a younger age, may have felt that he wouldn’t be looked at as a leader, or maybe he was already experiencing other believers treating him with less respect because of his age. Whatever was happening, Paul’s advice is excellent, and useful for all of us to hear.

If you are a young person in the church, be an example of godliness in the church. Don’t be godly for other people, but be godly because it is good to be godly. If you are pursuing godliness, your life will be affected by that. The way you speak will be different. The way you act will be different. The way you love God and others will be different. Your faith will be different. Your pursuit of holiness will be different. In other words, your life will be worthy of honor, and it will have nothing to do with your age.

For those of you who are older, you should pursue these things as well, seeking to live your life with the same drive and purpose. If you see a young person living out their faith well, encourage them and honor them. At the end of the day, what could be better than for young and old to be pursuing these things together, encouraging one another and growing more in Christ?

Some young people are reckless, but not all. Some older people are wise, but not all. Timothy may have been young, but that youth didn’t automatically disqualify him from serving and leading other believers. What mattered was whether he was a godly man or not. Lord help us all, young and old, to be men and women who see the value of living godly lives through Christ.

Psalm 86:5-7 - For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.

There is no doubt that this world is full of trouble. All you need to do is wake up and within minutes or hours, you will become aware of just how broken this world is. There isn’t a day that goes by that doesn’t bring some sort of hardship that we must face, whether that be small and seemingly insignificant or massive and life changing.

What do we hold on to when we are affected by these things? What do we do when we are burdened with our own sin or the sins of others? Who do we cling to when we feel desperate for help or even for love? What do we do in the day of trouble? Thankfully, we have the answer in these verses. We go to the Lord.

We learn some wonderful things about the Lord in these verses. We see that he is good, meaning that we can trust him, we can believe what he says, we can count on him, and we can know that if he is good himself that he will also do good. We also see that he is forgiving. No sin is too great for God to forgive, and while it may be hard to believe this, it is true. Jesus didn’t only die for the sins in your life that you see as “small”, but he died for even the most heinous sins that you would be reluctant to say out loud. He is a forgiving God, and that forgiveness should drive us to repentance.

He is also a loving God, but that’s not all that is written here. His love is abounding to us, meaning that it never stops and there is a lot of it! His love is also steadfast, which means that it will always be there, never fading away or changing. Have you ever known a love like this? No one can love us like God can, and to know that he does is one of our greatest hopes and joys in the Christian life.

It is because of who God is that we know that he hears us when we pray. We pray for him to extend his ear to us because we know that when he hears, he will love us in response to our prayers. We plea for grace because we know that without his grace we would have no hope for our sin. We call for help in trouble because we know that he is sovereign over whatever trouble we experience God is with us, holding us fast through it all.

Our God is so gracious, loving and generous! If only we would see him as he truly is, then imagine the hope and strength we would have each day. When you pray today, pray with confidence.  When you meet trouble today, know that you don’t meet it alone, but you have the precious saviour and king Jesus with you. When you sin today, remember that God’s grace has been extended to you for that sin, so rest in his forgiveness, and run from your sin to the abundant love of God. Call on him, and see him do in your life what only he can do!

1 Timothy 6:6-7 - But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

There are many things that we can gain in this life, whether that be financial wealth, material possessions, numerous relationships or anything else. Much of our lives are dedicated to gaining these things, to the point where we give our time and energy to make these dreams a reality. However, what do we do when those things are stripped from us? What do we do with the understanding that we can’t take any of these things with us when we die?

This verse calls us to gain something far more beneficial and permanent. In fact, it calls us to gain two things. The first is godliness and the second is contentment. Paul writes that if we have these two things together that we will have great gain. Why would that be? What is it about these two things that are of greater gain than all of the other things that we typically strive for?

Let’s look at godliness first. If you pursue worldliness, you are going to look like the world, act like the world and want what the world wants. Unfortunately, the world is a confused and broken place, so to pursue worldliness would be an ultimately fruitless endeavor. Pursuing godliness on the other hand is about God, looking like him, acting in a way that pleases him, and wanting what he wants. Now, if God were a terrible god, full of as much brokenness and evil as the world, then godliness would be a horrible thing to gain, but because God is perfect in all of his attributes and gloriously good, living for him will produce a tremendous amount of good.

Think of it this way, if God is a bonfire in the midst of a cold, dark night, the closer we get to him, the more light and warmth will come into that dark, cold night. Now, what happens if I take some of that fire and make a torch that I then carry out into the darkness? Well, I then will be a light in the darkness that may bring other people back to the bonfire where they too can be safe and warm.

Pursuing God is good for us personally because it fills us with God, but it is also good for the world around us that is so blinded by the darkness that it doesn’t even know how great it is to rest in the presence of God, our great bonfire in the dark. It is in remembering how great it is to be in God’s presence that we find contentment to accompany godliness.

Contentment is great gain for us because there is peace and rest in it. When we are content we are satisfied, wanting nothing. The only place we can find contentment like this is in God. The world can give us bursts of satisfaction, but nothing that lasts very long, especially when it comes to eternity. The contentment that you gain in God today, will be a contentment that you can have forever, and that truly is great gain.

Christian, pursue godliness and contentment in God. These are two things that will change your life for the better and that will carry through from this world to the next. Your satisfaction in God and your growth in godliness today will be hope and strength for you tomorrow.

James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

When you think of God, what do you think he is like? Is he harsh? Is he distant? Is he loving? Is he good? All of us have ideas in our head about who God is, much of which we base on our experience with God rather than on what the word says about him. Our minds are usually drawn to think on the negative and this diverts our focus away from any good that exists as well.

This verse is a reminder to us of who our God is and what kind of relationship he has with us. First, he is the Father of lights, creator of all things, and Father to us. We are his creation whom he formed with the love of a Father in every molding of us in his hands. We have a relationship with this great God in that we are his children, and he is our loving and perfect Father. He is not like earthly Father’s that disappoint through inconsistency or failure. He is incapable of inconsistency and it is not in his nature to fail.

This leads to the second thing. God never changes. There is no variation in him. He remains constant from the beginning to today and will be the same throughout all eternity. If he were to change, he could not be good, he could not be trustworthy, and he could not be God.  In a world where everything changes constantly, knowing that our Father never does should cause hope and peace to rise in our hearts.

Finally, he gives good and perfect gifts to his children. He isn’t simply a Father who we know is good but he is far off, thinking little of us in our day to day lives. Instead, what we read in this verse is that he is generous to us, providing for us day after day after day. This means that God has an intimate knowledge of you and your life. How else would he know what you truly need in any given amount? It is because he is a loving and gracious Father, and we are his children through Christ.

In all our imaginings of who God is, we must not forget who he really is. Do you see him in this way today? Do you see him as your Father? Do you see him as a constant, firm foundation that you can stand upon, trusting that he will be the same today and tomorrow as he was yesterday? Do you see him as a generous giver who knows you personally and loves to lavish good things on you?

If you don’t, it wouldn’t be surprising if you felt hopeless for today. Without this great God in your corner, what strength could you possibly have for all that could come at you today? On the other hand, if you can see God for who this verse says he is, then you have a hope and strength that comes not from within, but from God himself, and he will love you and sustain you through whatever you may face today. Praise be to our gracious Father who has made us, loves us, and who will bring us home to be with him forever.

Psalm 100:2 -  Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

There are certain things that are more natural for some people than for others. Whether it’s personality, cultural upbringing, or by example, there are people who express joy naturally, and others who seem joyless, even if they really are joyful on the inside.  For the introverted among us, any kind of outward expression can feel forced or uncomfortable. For those of us who are extroverted, holding back can feel the same way.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of personality, this verse calls all of us to respond to God in specific ways. The first has to do with how we serve God, and the second has to do with how we approach God.  Given that we are all meant to serve the Lord our God, it’s a good idea to know how he wants us to do that. What kind of attitude should we have? What kind of countenance should be upon us? In addition to that, we should ask the same questions for how we come to the Lord each day. Do we come into his presence out of obligation? Do we come with reluctance? Do we come in silence?

In this verse we get the answers to those questions. First, when it comes to serving the Lord, the call here is to do that with gladness. Imagine a moment when you felt joy in your heart and it affected your outward expression. That same feeling of gladness is what we are called to feel when we serve God. So how then do we feel that way, rather than feeling burdened by service?

We find the answer when we ask the question, “Why am I serving God right now?” If the answer is, “I’m supposed to serve him” then you will find that your service to him will be all duty with little delight. If your answer is something like, “I’m serving him because he loves me, he has already served me more than I deserve and he’s worthy of my service and so much more”, then you will be serving him with love and gratitude as your foundation, rather than simply obedience. Obedience is necessary and good, but it must have love in it, and in that love, gladness will spring up out of it, and that gladness will be visible to others in the work that you do.

All of this applies to coming into the Lord’s presence as well. We come with singing. Singing isn’t the most comfortable expression for some people, and yet the Lord calls all of us to it. Why is that? Singing is like speaking, but because of the musical quality of it, it changes how the words are expressed and how they are received. Think about this. Why do we sing happy birthday rather than just saying it to people? There is joy in it! There is enthusiasm! There is a tremendous joy in it!

This is how we come to God. We come to him with a heart of gladness, thanksgiving and when we feel that within us, we express it. We sing. We praise. We magnify. It’s as if we are coming to God remembering what he has done and expecting him to do great things. We can sing together as many have throughout history, whether they are going to battle, having a festival or simply reflecting together through song on what the Lord has done. Have joy in the God of hope today, and be strengthened in the gladness that you have in him.

Exodus 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

In day to day life, one of the most common phrases you will hear from others is, “I’m just so busy right now.” While we love to take it easy, we often can’t stop working. We fill our schedules with more and more things to do, oftentimes forgetting to rest at all, only to find that we are worn out, run down, and unhappy.

While it is very important for us to work and keep ourselves active, we have a tendency to overdo it. When we begin to feel overwhelmed with all we need or want to do, that feeling should cause us to take a step back and consider some things that we may have forgotten. Namely, that God created us to need rest.

Our bodies can only do so much before they eventually need to power down. At the end of every day we need to let our bodies and minds sleep, and if we ignore that need then we may find that our bodies become weaker, more easily given to illness, or we may just find that we never feel rested, causing our daily lives to be less fulfilling or enjoyable. We need rest. God designed us to need it.

Now, why would God do this? Wouldn’t he prefer for us to always be busy with being creative, working hard for his kingdom purposes, making money so that we can take care of ourselves and bless others, and so on? Actually, the answer is no. The need for rest reminds us that no matter how much we try to do, we are dependent on God to sustain us. This is what the sabbath teaches us.

God set apart an entire day in the week of creation to rest from his labors. Did he need it? Not at all, and yet we have that example of work countered with rest. When God gave his people manna to sustain them, he also told them that there was a day that they would rest instead of collecting and preparing that manna. Again, we see the need to depend on God to sustain us.

Whether or not you have set apart an entire day to rest from your busy life, do you see the value of taking time each week to do so? If the thought crossing your mind right now is, “I just don’t have time for a day of rest”, then it may be that you are either trying to do too much, you aren’t managing your time well, or ultimately it could just mean that at a foundational level, you don’t trust that God can take care of you if you slow down during the week.

We don’t want to be lazy, and so we become busy beyond what we can handle. We don’t want to waste time, so we fill our daily schedules with a constant stream of tasks. Christian, God created you to work, but don’t neglect that value of setting aside more time than you do right now for much needed rest. Put your hope in our faithful God, trusting that even when you rest, your life will not fall apart and your needs will be met in his loving care and provision.

John 10:27-30 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.

What does it mean to be a sheep? While you may not like to think of yourself in this way, it’s more accurate than we often like to believe about ourselves. Sheep aren’t the most intelligent creatures. They get lost easily, needing guidance from other sheep or from a shepherd. Without a shepherd they can find themselves in all sorts of unfortunate circumstances. If they find themselves alone, outside of the flock, it is even more dangerous.

This is who we are. We are dependent, easily distracted and somewhat confused sheep. While being a sheep may not sound all that great, it takes on a whole new meaning when we bring Jesus into the story. He is not a shepherd who is unsure of who his sheep are. Jesus knows his sheep. He doesn’t just know your name, he knows everything about you. It is because he knows us that we can trust that he will shepherd us perfectly. We trust him, and so we know that we can follow him wherever he leads.

What is the life of a Jesus following sheep like? It is a life of hope and promise. In Jesus we find ourselves to be in the most secure and safe relationship that we could ever know. We need not worry about death because Jesus gives us imperishable, eternal life. We need not fear anyone’s threats against us or fear those who may cause us harm because Jesus’ hold on us is so strong and sure that no one can take us from him.

How can we be so secure in Christ? Because the Father has given you to him. The great God who has authority over all creation has given you to Jesus. The living God is holding you under the shadow of his wings, keeping you until the end. If the God of all creation is holding you, you need not ever worry about him letting you go. The Father will not lose a single child, because he is incapable of doing so. Similarly, Jesus will never lose a single sheep because in being the great, loving shepherd, it would be impossible for him to let you go.

There is one God and he loves you. In his great mercy he sees you as a sinning sheep, but he calls to you to come home. When you hear his voice, run to him. See the love with which Jesus loves his sheep, and find great hope and strength in him as he holds you fast today, tomorrow and through all of eternity.

Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

One of the most challenging things that we face everyday is using our speech for good rather than evil. What comes out of our mouths will either destroy or give life, and oftentimes it feels easier to just not say anything at all simply to avoid the risk of doing harm. However, God has given us the ability to communicate for a reason, and so rather than avoiding it, we should grow and mature in how we do it.

When you start a new workout program or a new diet, you will usually see a list of items that you should eat and a list of items that you should avoid. You will most likely have more success in your workout or diet if you adhere to what they tell you. If you try to get in shape but you don’t avoid things like ice cream and greasy foods, you no doubt will be doing more harm to your body than good no matter how much you exercise.

Similarly, God has instructed us on how we should communicate. Here we see that we should not speak in ways that are going to corrupt others. This could be by avoiding certain words, avoiding words or phrases that cut, defame or tear down a person, or avoiding sharing information that shouldn’t be shared. To corrupt is to take away integrity and strength, much like rust on a boat would cause leaks and structural failure leading to a sinking ship rather than a seaworthy one.

This is what we avoid, but what then should we do that is positive? First, we should try to use words that build others up, making them more firm and strong. This doesn’t mean that we avoid saying things that could offend or bother someone, but rather that even if we do, we aren’t doing these things intentionally. There are hard truths in scripture that we don’t like to be reminded of at times, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid talking about them. We build up by speaking the truth in love, with both gentleness and boldness.

Second, we are to communicate in ways that fit the occasion. There are words that will be helpful to use in certain contexts or situations that may not be as appropriate at other times. It wouldn’t make sense for you to smile while talking about hell, or to frown when talking about heaven. ‘When’ we communicate things can be just as important as ‘what’ we communicate and ‘how’.

Finally, we should hope that what we communicate gives more grace to those who hear us. Is what we are saying to others going to draw them closer to the savior or push them away from him? Are our words going to be representative of the God who has loved us, or will they sound more like the voice of our flesh, the world or the devil?

We have a tremendous opportunity with our words to give strength and hope to others or to corrupt. What will you use your communication for today?

Psalm 96:6-8 - Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!

Our God is a god of splendor and majesty. These two words are not very common in our everyday speech and so even though we are familiar with them, we may not know what they really mean. Splendor is a word we use to describe someone as brilliant or magnificent in their appearance. In other words, there is grandeur and glory about them that is evident. This can certainly be said about God.

Majesty is a word we use when we are describing someone who is exceedingly great with an imposing quality to them. It’s because of this that we often apply this word to kings and queens as well as others who are in authority who seem to carry a regal or lofty air about themselves.  Given the fact that God is the King of kings and Lord of lords, he would be the utmost example of what majesty looks like.

But the psalmist gives us even more reason to be in awe of God. He is also strong as well as beautiful. Both of these qualities are highly admired and pursued in the world, and God has them both. You see, what we are really receiving from these verses is an education in who God is, and why he is so worthy of our worship.

What then does our worship look like? For one, we ascribe to God who he is. In other words, we give credit where credit is due. The Lord is glorious and all glory is found in him. God is strong and the author and provider of our strength. God is glorious and his name brings with it an expectation that we would glorify him in it.

But that is not all. We ascribe, but we also bring an offering to him when we draw near to him. Much of life is spent striving after our own wants, needs and desires. We ascribe to ourselves some of these qualities and make offerings at the altar of our own pride and self-service. It is of the utmost importance that we offer up our whole lives to God, because when we offer all we are and all we have, we show the world how important and glorious God really is.

Have you entered into God’s presence lately, offering up your life for the advancement of his name in the world? Have you been making much of him, showing through your words and deeds just how great he is? Think on these things today and move forward in the strength, glory, splendor and majesty of the Lord. Enjoy him in all his grandeur and as you do, you will show him to be worthy of our offering up whatever we have for his sake.