Author: pjimgallagher

Where Do You Turn? 

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Psalm 88:3
“For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave.”

This Psalm is entitled, “A Contemplation of Heman.” Heman was one of Israel’s worship leaders. As such, he was a man who was committed to the Lord, and to His service. Yet, he describes a time in his life when trials have mounted up against him. It seems as though there is no way out. While he does not explain the cause, he does describe the effects.

There seems to be at least three ingredients to this time of suffering. First, his trial includes some level of physical suffering; perhaps an illness. He speaks of being afflicted, having no strength, and being like those who lie in the grave. Second, his suffering is in some way connected to personal sin. He speaks of being distraught, and experiencing God’s wrath. Finally, in this condition, it seems his friends have deserted him, for he declares, “You have put away my acquaintances far from me.” Heman is not the only servant of God to go through great difficulties.

Paul wrote about facing trials on every side; he went on to say, “outside were troubles inside fears”  (2Corinthians 7:5). Life is like that. Even when we are walking closely with the Lord, we will face things that will cause our souls to be filled with trouble. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Where do we turn when we are overwhelmed?” Heman chose to turn to the Lord. This Psalm is a prayer. In it, his eyes are fixed upon God as the only source of comfort, strength, and deliverance. He speaks of crying out to the Lord day and night, and of God inclining His ear to listen. When we are in the midst of a trial, it may seem that God is distant and uninvolved. The more we seek Him, the more we realize He is ever-present, and desires to bring us through our trial with a renewed understanding of His presence and power. If your soul is overwhelmed, run to the Lord, and like the Psalmist, cry out day and night, morning and evening, until he comes and sets you free.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Psalm 88

Some of your Bibles may have this Psalm titled “A Prayer for Help in a Time of Despondency”. Despondency-A sinking or dejection of spirits at the loss of hope; loss of courage at the failure of hope, or in deep affliction, or at the prospect of insurmountable difficulties

This is real life; we sometimes feel that we are in this exact place. God is real, the same yesterday, today and forever. We cannot explain why the Lord allows us to experience these kinds of feelings and circumstances. We do know they are temporary.

Remember what we are to dwell on:

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.

 Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Are you called? Trust in Him! Read the next Psalm.

 

Giving 

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2 Kings 12:9
“Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the Lord.”

Young king Jehoash began his reign by repairing the Temple of the Lord. In order to fund the work, he had a large box built with a hole in the top, where people could place their offerings. He instructed the people to give as they “purpose in their hearts.” This freedom allowed each person to go home, sit with his spouse and pray, regarding what portion of their income should be given to the work of the Lord. Once decided, they would simply drop the funds into the box, without any fan fair or recognition. When the money was received, it was set apart for the work of the Lord. This is a very clear illustration of New Testament giving. Paul instructs us that we should give “as we purpose in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 9:7), and Jesus said, “we should not let our left hand know what our right doing” (Matthew 6:3). The New Testament model for giving is one that allows for “freedom.” Each one of us is free to give as we see fit. However, we must guard against misusing this freedom, by failing to take the time to sit before the Lord and determine what part of our income should be given to the work of God. There are at least two common mistakes we make that negatively influence our decision to give.

First, we think, what we have to give, is so inconsequential that it will not make a difference. This is the same thinking that keeps some from serving the Lord. Keep in mind, it was the widow’s mites that received Christ’s praise, not the golden coins of the rich (Luke 21:1-4).Giving is more about you expressing love for Christ, and trusting in His provision, than it is about the dollar amount of the gift.
Second, we often fail to give because we don’t think we can make ends meet with less than we have. We look at the bills, the kids, the desire for a family vacation, and we wonder how we could ever give any portion to the Lord on a regular basis. I think it is important to keep two things in mind. First, we are exhorted to store up treasures in heaven. When we put aside an earthly gift for the work of the Lord, we are storing up a heavenly treasure. Second, God is in the business of doing more with less. I have been amazed at the ways God has blessed me and my family, as we have served Him over the years.

He is Faithful to meet all your needs.

Pastor Jim

 

Armed And Dangerous 

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2 Kings 11:12
“And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, ‘Long live the king'”

There are times in life when we are required to do things that seem almost impossible. The odds are stacked against us and it looks as though we will never be able to do what is required. That is certainly the case when Joash was crowned as king of Judah. His grandmother killed all other heirs to the throne, and his life was spared only because a priest hid him away in the temple for six years. Now, at the ripe old age of seven, the crown was placed on his head and his reign began. The nation of Judah was in complete disarray: the throne had been stolen by an evil woman who surrounded herself with ungodly men, the people were given over to the worship of Baal, the enemies of Judah were threatening to attack, and the Temple was in need of repair. How in the world could a seven year old king and a handful of priests make a difference with so much stacked against them?

“And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony…”

On the day of his coronation, Joash was not armed with sword, spear or javelin, but with the testimonies of God. Long before this, Moses had written that the kings of Israel were to be given a copy of the Word of God, and read it every day. A grasp on the Scriptures is more valuable to a leader than natural resources or highly trained armed forces. The Word of God was designed to give guidance to rulers, so they can effectively lead the nation in righteousness. Solomon wrote,

Proverbs 14:34
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Joash’s success as a leader did not result from his own wisdom, strength, or ingenuity. He did not succeed because he had brilliant plans to bring about change in the nation. Joash was a good leader because he looked to the Word of God for guidance. His successes came from his obedience to God, and his failures were directly related to the times when he ignored the Scriptures.

We are living in challenging times in our nation. Isaiah’s statement that people would call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20)  is an apt description of our world today. It seems as though our moral compass is broken and people are going insane. We are in need of leaders armed with the Scriptures, and willing to stand for what is right in the eyes of God. While we should be praying for those in authority over us, we also want to keep in mind that God might want to use someone who has not yet come on the scene. Time will only tell how the Lord might use us if we give ourselves totally to Him, and devote ourselves to His Word.

Pastor Jim

 

Mercy And Truth 

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Psalm 85:10
“Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.”

One of my favorite movie lines of all times is at the end of “The Princess Bride.” As the narrator comments upon the kiss of Wesley and Buttercup, he states, “Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” That statement, while nothing more than a poetic expression in the film, would certainly be true of the statement the Psalmist makes here.

When the righteousness and mercy of God met together, it was an expression of both the passion and the purity of the love of God. Righteousness speaks of the nature of God that is without sin, and perfectly holy, as well as His demand for justice. Scripture makes clear, because of the majesty of His holiness, sin cannot survive in His presence. Like tissue being consumed in a raging flame, so the sinner can have no place in the audience of a holy God. The purity of His eyes cannot behold evil, and the angelic host ever live to circle His throne, and herald his righteousness.

Coupled with his righteousness, is His desire to pardon. The love of God for humanity produces within Him a burning desire to pardon sin, giving us access into His heavenly domain. How can these two seemingly contradictory characteristics ever be satisfied? The Psalmist declares that it happened when righteousness and mercy kissed. This beautiful statement found its complete fulfillment in the cross. The holiness of God was satisfied when the blood of Christ was shed. Isaiah wrote, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,  for He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11).

The righteousness of Christ satisfies the holiness and justice of God. Because He bore our iniquities, God is able to pardon our sins, satisfying His passion for mercy. Paul declared, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Corinthians 5:21). The passionate love of God for you stirred Him to send His own Son, to make a way for you to live forever. Without trying to sound too strange, allow me to ask, “Have you experienced the kiss of heaven?” Have you allowed mercy and righteousness to meet together, by receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. Today is that day!

Pastor Jim

 

Part Way 

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2 Kings 10:31
“But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.”

When Jehu became king of Israel, he went on a rampage against those who had been loyal to Ahab, and his ungodly ways. At first glance, he seemed to be purging the nation to get the people ready to follow and serve the Lord. However, as time went on, it became clear that Jehu was only willing to go part way with the Lord. He removed some things, but failed to replace them with good. Today, it is not difficult to find people who approach their relationship with God just like Jehu did. They are those who are willing to go part way with the Lord, making a few changes, but are not willing to surrender all.

Jesus spoke of those whose life is like seed planted in a field filled with weeds. The seed germinates, the plant grows, and fruit even begins to appear, but because of the weeds, the plant is ultimately choked out, and the fruit dies (Matthew 13:22). The simple application is, when we allow things to remain in our life that should be removed, those things will choke out our ability to grow in Christ and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

The Psalmist wrote, the Bible is like a light and a lamp. When we open it and begin to read, it will shine a light on our life and reveal things that need to be removed, and changes that need to be made. The question we want to ask ourselves is, “What is the light revealing in my life?” If we are willing to let it shine, and make the proper applications, we will find ourselves growing in Christ, and bearing the kind of fruit that leads to pleasing God, and living a blessed life.

Pastor Jim

 

Introspective 

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2 Kings 9:6
“Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.'”

Many men have been called and anointed by God for service. Unfortunately, too many follow the example of Jehu. He spent the beginning of his calling ridding Israel of those who had turned the nation against the Lord. One by one, his sword was a vehicle of judgment against the wicked leaders who went before him. Joram the king of Israel, Jezebel the queen mother, and Ahaziah king of Judah, were all slain for their wickedness, and crimes against the nation. After showing great zeal for righteousness in others, Jehu failed to show the same zeal for his own commitment to the Lord. After successfully using the sword against others, he allowed sin to run rampant in his own life. We read of him,

2 Kings 10:29 “However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.”

One of the great dangers of Christian ministry is to become tolerant of your own sin, while focusing on helping to remove the sins of others. The devil is good at what he does, and what he does is deceive. He will spend great energies to get us to take the spotlight off ourselves, and only use it on others. The value of being in the Word of God daily, is that God will use it to probe into our lives and keep us on track.

Be careful to let God remove planks from your life, as He equips you to remove splinters from others (Matthew 7:3-4).

Pastor Jim

 

Heart’s Cry 

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Psalm 84:1-2
“How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

Since we have been created by God, and in the image of God, it is natural for the heart to cry out for God. Every heart makes this cry. All over the world, and throughout time, people have been observing and realizing, there is more to life than what the eye can see. This has caused man to look up to the heavens and cry out for God.

Sometimes, the cry for God is magnified by the experiences of life. Even those who claim not to be religious, or to believe in God, will face tragedies that cause them to look up and cry out. We have all heard our hearts cry out in pain, confusion, anger, and frustration. However, the Psalmist is speaking of a different type of crying out to the Lord. It is not the cry of pain or confusion, but the cry of a longing heart. The Psalmist is hungry for more of the Lord. It is as though He has tasted of the goodness of the Lord and is longing for more.

Do you know the sound of a hungry heart, crying out for another drink of living water, or another touch from the Savior’s loving hand? Is it possible to develop a hungry heart? I believe it is. The Psalmist declares the fellowship he desires is not exclusive to him alone, “Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” Psalms 84:3

All of us are welcome before the altars of the Lord. As we spend time there, we will see a hunger for Him birthed within our hearts. This hunger, when fed with the Word and watered with worship, will increase to become a longing of the heart. As we daily spend time feeding upon the Lord, an interesting paradox develops within us. We find we long for other things less, and for the Lord a whole lot more. The appetite of our sinful nature decreases, as our appetite for the Lord increases. That is why we are encouraged to, “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Spending time at the altars of God will not only develop a hunger within us for more of the Lord, it will also lead to the blessed life. The Psalmist continues, “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You. Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” Psalms 84:4-5

The more we frequent the altars of God, the more we will find a hunger for Him develop within us. As we feed this hunger with the Word of God, we will find our life being transformed into what God has always intended it to become. It won’t be long before we are joining the Psalmist, declaring how our hearts cry out for more of the Living God.

Pastor Jim

 

Quick Fix

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2 Kings 8:18
“And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

Sometimes, the reason a person fails to walk with the Lord is quite simple. In the case of Jehoram, king of Judah, it was anything but complicated; he got involved with an ungodly woman, who turned his heart from the Lord.

What would we find if we took a few minutes to examine you? Would we be able to discover anything that is keeping you from walking with Jesus? Would we find that past hurt has created a bitterness of which you refuse to let go? Or perhaps a compromise has led to a sin thats grip is so tight, you feel incapable of ever breaking away? Maybe it is as simple as it was for Jehoram, and you are involved in a wrong relationship, or at least in doing relationships wrong? What ever the case, the way to get things right,is to do an honest self evaluation, and make the proper adjustments.

The other day I was driving, and suddenly the car began to shake so ferociously, I was barely able to steer, and unable to continue driving. When I pulled over, I found the cause of what was keeping me from moving forward, was a simple flat tire. It was hot, it took some work, and I got dirty. However, after a relatively short period of time, the problem was addressed, fixed, and I was moving forward to my desired destination. Whatever is keeping you from moving forward has to be addressed and repaired if you are going to find yourself pressing toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

4 Leprous Men

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2 Kings 7:3
“…four leprous men…”

The city of Samaria was under siege. The Syrian army with all it’s forces, had surrounded the city, and was starving out the people. The difficult times had caused the people to behave in deplorable ways. Sins so repulsive they are difficult to mention, ran rampant throughout the city. Within this scene, we read of four men living on the outskirts of the city. These men were lepers who were no longer living, as much as they were waiting to die. In this condition, they looked at one another and determined, starving to death was a worse way to die than being a Syrian POW. As a result, they decide to leave Samaria and surrender to the Syrian army.

When they arrived at the Syrian camp, they were shocked by what they found. Instead of being greeted by angry soldiers, they found the entire camp was deserted. The soldiers had fled, but all their supplies were left behind. As they moved from tent to tent, the lepers soon found food, already prepared, set on the table for the officers. After filling their pockets with gold and silver, and eating and drinking their fill, these four lepers began to feel a sense of responsibility to their friends and families in Samaria. They realized, they owed it to Israel to share the good news of their find.

Upon arriving in Samaria with a message of hope and deliverance, they were immediately met with skepticism. No one believed that just outside the walls of the city where people were starving to death, could be a camp full of food and riches. Skepticism, unbelief, and the fact that the message was being delivered by four lepers, caused the people to almost miss out on the only hope they had of survival. Fortunately, a few men were willing to take a chance. On the word of the lepers, they made their way to the camp to find everything about the lepers’ testimony was, in fact, true. Returning to the camp they declared the message that saved a nation.

It is not difficult to see the parallels between their story and our calling. We were once men and women afflicted by sin, and under a curse of death. By coming to Christ, we have been blessed with abundant life. After tasting of the goodness of the Lord, we realize we have a responsibility to declare the hope of heaven to the world around us. As we begin to share, we find many respond with skepticism and unbelief. As time continues, we will find some are willing to check it out for themselves. Some of these who come to Christ, may be gifted to lead multitudes into the hope of heaven.

Paul realized, he was in debt to all men because Christ had saved him. Take time today to invite someone to come with you to church and hear the glorious message of salvation through Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

Perspective 

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Psalm 81:4
“For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob.”

After choosing His people, God established laws to govern their behavior. There were moral laws and social laws, as well as ceremonial laws. All of which, when followed, would serve to benefit the individual, as well as the nation.

The Psalmist draws our attention to a particular set of laws that had to do with worship. “Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day.” Psalm 81:1-3

Instead of laws that forbid religious assembly in public places, their laws required it. They were commanded to worship, and to worship loudly. Why? Why does God require His people to worship? We know it has something to do with God. He is, after all, worthy of praise. Just being God, and being exalted above the heavens, demands our highest praise. But I believe, it has at least as much to do with us. There are great benefits derived from taking time for private and corporate worship. Perhaps the greatest benefit is what it does to our perspective.

Too often, we see God in light of our problems. When we come face to face with a trial, perhaps an illness or a financial burden, we often become overwhelmed by the sheer fact that it is bigger than we can handle. We focus our attention on the problem, and it seems to grow larger and larger. Before we know it, we are consumed with worry, doubt, and anxiety. We can’t sleep, become irritable, and lose our appetite. It is even possible to begin to pray about the problem, only to find that after praying, we are more anxious than when we began. The solution is worship. When we take our eyes off of the problem and place them fully upon the Lord, our perspective changes. We no longer see our trials as something so much bigger than ourselves, but we see God as so much bigger than our trials. A healthy dose of the power, majesty, love, mercy, and provision of God, is the antidote to worry.

In Acts 4, the Church was threatened. If they continued to speak publicly about Christ, they would be beaten, imprisoned or killed. These were not idle threats. They had seen the rage of the religious leaders meted out on Christ only months before. Instead of allowing this trial to sink their faith, they turned their eyes upward and prayed, “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, . . ” Acts 4:24

Having been reminded of the power of God that casts a shadow over the weakness of human powers, they were able to rise from prayer with a new-found confidence. We read, “. . .they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

No matter what you are facing, God commands you to worship. As you take your eyes off of your weakness, and the problem you are facing, and place them upon the God of Glory, your perspective will change. Faith will grow and His peace will flood your heart and mind. Let’s be faithful today to raise our voices in praise.

Pastor Jim