reject evil

 Psalm 36:1–12 (ESV):  

1  Transgression speaks to the wicked 

deep in his heart; 

there is no fear of God 

before his eyes. 

2  For he flatters himself in his own eyes 

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 

3  The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; 

he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 

4  He plots trouble while on his bed; 

he sets himself in a way that is not good; 

he does not reject evil. 

5  Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, 

your faithfulness to the clouds. 

6  Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; 

your judgments are like the great deep; 

man and beast you save, O Lord. 

7  How precious is your steadfast love, O God! 

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 

8  They feast on the abundance of your house, 

and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 

9  For with you is the fountain of life; 

in your light do we see light. 

10  Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, 

and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 

11  Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, 

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 

12  There the evildoers lie fallen; 

they are thrust down, unable to rise. 

When you do something wrong, do you ever try to cover it up? Or explain it away as if it’s not such a bad thing? This is what David tells us happens in the heart of the wicked. People that have done wrong and do not admit it, that try to make it sound ok to have wickedness in them and remain unrepentant of sin, are wicked. Trying to appease guilt and shame by diminishing the extent of your wrongdoing is not ok. It is not humility, kindness or understanding, it is wickedness. This is because when you try to explain away sin, it leads to pride as you, ‘flatter yourself’ that you can manage to convince others of your not-so-bad behaviour and feel good about these powers of persuasion rather than confessing the sin and hating it (v2). Pride in the cover up may cause you to feel less bad, but it separates you from truth, justice and righteousness which are the qualities God wants you to have and enjoy. You should not attempt to hide sin or make it seem less terrible. Sin is sin. It is wilful disobedience to God, purposefully doing the things you know you shouldn’t, turning your back on good and pursuing evil. Yet we all do it, sin i mean, so there is grace for forgiveness and restoration, but you need to ensure that in your life sin is hated and called out, not hidden, accepted or excused. It is the work of the devil trying to take you off track by getting you to accept and excuse wrongdoing so that you can continue living sinfully instead of pursuing righteousness and God’s presence. 

If you wish to honour God with your life yet find yourself trying to appease your own soul and mind through covering up sin, know that you are in danger of becoming one whose, ‘words … are trouble and deceit’. It is a slippery slope and if this behaviour becomes embedded in your life then you will cease, ‘to act wisely and do good’. It is a terrifying truth. If you know that you absolve yourself from sin by making excuses and downplaying it, then this is your warning to stop. If you are one who professes to believe in and follow God; sin is to be hated not tolerated in your life. If you know you have been doing this, then you can repent today. You do not have to become untrustworthy, troublesome, deceitful or foolish. In order to be made right with God, you must, ‘reject sin’ for evil and holiness cannot co-exist. You are fooling yourself if you think this is possible. You can admit your wrongdoing and confess your sin to God, and be forgiven. Then God can then restore you to righteousness. 

After these verses on excusing sin, David speaks of the greatness of God. This is in order to remind you why living with Him is a much better way than living with sin. Those who seek righteousness have the marvellous privilege of being able to enter into relationship with God. Those who pursue evil do not. They miss out on getting to know God, who is; steadfast in His love, faithful, righteous and just. Yet if you live God’s way and get to know Him you will get to know that; you’re always loved, you have everlasting companionship, you’ll get trustworthy guidance, and you will be shown truth and justice. God's love is secure and encompasses everything He is; faithful and righteous, fair and just, wants to save you and all that you love, protects and restores you, provides for you, sustains and refreshes you. 

Are you living knowing the good of these things? Or are you missing out because of unresolved sin? 

David has written this psalm showing the danger of sinful acts contrasting with the beauty of God for you cannot have both in your life. God is good, loving, pure, holy and right, therefore He cannot be in the presence of evil and wickedness. So the enticement from David is to show you how wonderful God is, as surely you want these attributes in your life as they are so much better than any enjoyment, peace or comfort that transgression can impart. David invites you to put an end to sin and seek God as there is a way for every sinner to become righteous and good. It does require effort and humility but the steadfastness of God’s love, His loyalty, righteousness, truth and justice are freely available for all. You can know and receive boundless love, kindness, favour and direction from the Lord. God made a way for you to do that when you confess sin and ask for forgiveness. So any barrier to you getting to know God is gone. God poured out the punishment for your transgressions and sin upon His son, Jesus as he died. Jesus was punished and put to death for all wickedness. In his last moments Jesus said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This applied to those around him then as much as it does for you and the rest of mankind! Sometimes you don’t know what you’re doing or why, but you are stuck in unhealthy attitudes and actions. When you look to Jesus, you can know that he spoke those words over you too. You can be forgiven. Your sin has been crucified with Christ so that you can know the presence of God and His goodness in your life. 

If you know that you are forgiven and free, and you have been living knowing His presence, then, you can still get things wrong. So ask God to not let, ‘the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away’. I love that this is at the end, for we can all get to know how great it is to have God in our lives, but let us not get proud about it, or cocky as we need the constant reminder to keep away from evil in order to remain righteous. As great and awesome as God is, we can forget it and get lost in our walk through life, losing touch with Him and who we are meant to be, so let not arrogance or evil come into your life but, ‘watch your life and your doctrine closely’ (1 Timothy 4:16).

Persist in Prayer

 Psalm 28:1–9 (ESV):  

1  To you, O Lord, I call; 

my rock, be not deaf to me, 

lest, if you be silent to me, 

I become like those who go down to the pit. 

2  Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, 

when I cry to you for help, 

when I lift up my hands 

toward your most holy sanctuary. 

3  Do not drag me off with the wicked, 

with the workers of evil, 

who speak peace with their neighbours 

while evil is in their hearts. 

4  Give to them according to their work 

and according to the evil of their deeds; 

give to them according to the work of their hands; 

render them their due reward. 

5  Because they do not regard the works of the Lord 

or the work of his hands, 

he will tear them down and build them up no more. 

6  Blessed be the Lord! 

For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. 

7  The Lord is my strength and my shield; 

in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; 

my heart exults, 

and with my song I give thanks to him. 

8  The Lord is the strength of his people; 

he is the saving refuge of his anointed. 

9  Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! 

Be their shepherd and carry them forever. 

In this psalm David starts off quite frustrated as he is praying and has been praying repeatedly for some time, but it seems like God is deaf and silent. Have you ever felt like that? Unheard, or even ignored by God|? It is not uncommon to feel this way, and it is such a relief to read these words in David’s psalm - to know that others have a similar experience and have got through it. This psalm reminds me of the story of the persistent widow in the New Testament (Luke 18). She kept asking for the same thing until she got a different response. Jesus commended us through that parable to be incessant in prayer. David was, even when he was bored of asking the same thing, frustrated and felt unheard. Are you persistent in prayer? Continually praying and seeking God is hard work especially when God seems silent. David had to learn the hard lesson that God does certainly hear and is active, just not in his way or time frame. The same is true for you. Do you have the steadfastness to keep going?

It can feel frustrating and you can become desperate, despairing and despondent when prayers seem to go unanswered. Don’t forget to let God know that too - David does - he implores God not to be deaf or silent! That sounds a brazen way to speak to the Lord Almighty! Yet God doesn't tell him off for it, in fact David is known by God as, "a man after my own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14)! Clearly, God loves the honesty. It is a symbol of a great relationship when you can be truly open and honest with each other, keeping nothing hidden. That is how David is with God, and you can be too. 

Even when David is confused and annoyed, David still seeks relationship with God. Even when God is the one David is confused by and frustrated by! This is faith! David knew that God was worth talking to and pouring out his problems to even when God was not appearing to do anything or speak. David still knew God was the One who could change things and help. He did not give up, he persevered in prayer as he was more concerned about living a life without God which would enter into evil than God's apparent silence. I find it interesting that David is appealing to God to listen to and answer him as he is concerned that God’s continued silence will cause him to lose focus and go the way of the wicked. That is his concern, that God's lack of interaction with him will cause him to lose focus and sin. Have you ever thought of that for yourself? That when you pull away from God, put less time and effort into the relationship that you are more at risk of doing evil? David knows his weaknesses and is concerned that if God remains silent, it will become increasingly difficult to resist temptation. The further away God seems, the easier it is to do what you know is wrong. This is what David is concerned about. He knows himself pretty well and is aware of the triggers that could lead him into wickedness and the ‘pit’. Do you know your pitfalls? Are you aware of the things that tempt you to go wayward? Do you seek relationship with God even in the hard times because your desire is to maintain righteous and not stumble into sin?

Maybe the distance David feels is because of sin. He refers in verse 2 to lifting up his hands to God's sanctuary pleading for mercy and help. Maybe David had gone wrong and he realised that this distance between him and God was because of his own wrongdoing. How can a pure, holy God get near those who are sinful and guilty? David knew this was the case and so pleads for mercy, forgiveness and help. David wanted to be made right before God and knew he could not do it by himself, the same is true for you. Thankfully God knew this was a problem and so has sent Jesus as a sacrifice for all sin, so you can be made right before God, you still need to ask for forgiveness though. When you go wrong, do you? Or do you just assume you're forgiven? It is right to repent and to mourn your wayward tendencies. It is right for you to plead for forgiveness and mercy as David did. You will receive it because Jesus has already paid the price for it, all you need to do is admit it and ask. 

Next David reminds himself that the wicked don’t actually prosper, not long-term anyway. He knows that God will, ‘tear them down and build them up no more’. It is obvious that God’s way is the better way. Yet it is hard to live knowing that sometimes as other options seem inviting. The attraction of not going God's way can blind you sometimes to the truth that the way of the wicked always ends in a pit. This is true whether you're feeling close to God or not. You need to remind yourself, as David did, of the reality that living life like the wicked will lead you away from God, His blessings, salvation, sanctuary, safety and reward. However you choose to live, God will, ‘render them their due reward’. What reward are you living to receive? Are you looking forward to receiving your reward as someone who lives for God or will you be receiving the 'reward'  of the wicked? Evil ways, deception, wayward living, physical gratification all may seem pleasant and desirable in the immediate, but the long-term effects are the pit and a tearing down. What can you expect to receive? 

David concludes at the end of this psalm that the way of the Lord is the way to go. Although it is tough, lonely, sacrificial and painful at times, at least your reward is with God. He can give you salvation, strength and rescue, blessing, hope and refuge. Whereas the promise for those going in a different direction is that God, ‘will tear them down and build them up no more’. This means that perseverance is required. Relationship with God needs to be sought and worked at, prayer needs to be persistent and the direction of your life needs to be set. God will not always seem close and you may not always hear or see Him acting, what are you going to do then? Are you going to still be seeking, praying and walking in the way He has set for you? 

Keep choosing the way of the Lord, and the long-term benefits will follow. Praise God for the promises he has over your life, for your eternity and your salvation, and keep honouring and living for Him, persist in prayer and you will know His blessings!

What is special about Christmas?

 As it approaches Christmas, we all have the opportunity to consider what this time of year is all about. Many of us, whether we have ever been to church or not, or consider ourselves a christian or not, have probably heard something of the nativity, or the Christmas story. The odd and complex story of a baby, some wise men, shepherds, animals, angels and something about a star.  Yet, what was all of that really about?

It was a pretty grand experience if you think about it. How many babies are greeted on Earth in the same way? 

This baby must have been special, all babies are, but this baby, born over 2,000 years ago and still talked about today - surely that is significant, but why? 

Babies are weak, helpless, vulnerable, dependent and messy. So why celebrate above the norm about this child, born in unusual, chaotic circumstances, under a bright star, welcomed by shepherds, angels and wise men? Well, those things for a start show that this child is different! How many baby’s do you know that were born with such a lot going on? Not only this, but this baby was expected. He was awaited for centuries. Before this baby was born, Isaiah, a well-renowned prophet wrote over 700 years before this baby was born, ‘Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel’. 

This was the baby that we celebrate being born that night in a hidden corner of Bethlehem amongst the mess and chaos. Over hundreds of years other prophets have foretold the birth of this baby, and they all match up to point to this baby, this child. 

We can read the account of this birth in Luke 2:1-14;

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. *2*This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. *3*And all went to be registered, each to his own town. *4*And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, *5*to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. *6*And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. *7*And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 

*8*And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. *9*And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. *10*And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. *11*For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. *12*And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” *13*And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

*14* “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

This is the brith of the expected child, the Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us, and what is is significant and important about the birth of this baby is that he is the son of God. God was incarnated - put on flesh - became human to become Immanuel - God with us, God dwelling with us. As John in his gospel puts it - 'the Word became flesh and lived among us’. 

This baby born in an unknown place in the midst of busy town was not an ordinary baby. He was also God. That is what makes this child so special. God; almighty, powerful, creator, dependable, majestic, gigantic God became a weak, vulnerable, messy, adorable, small, helpless baby. He swapped his divinity and strength as the limitless son of God to become dependent and vulnerable in limited human form. 

This is why christians celebrate Christmas! It is about the incarnation - God putting on flesh, becoming human in all it’s limitations. To be Immanuel - God being with us and dwelling with us. It is not just that God became human - He did not come to us as a fully formed and functioning human being, but he came as an incapable, vulnerable, dependent baby. The sin of God gave up all the luxury, riches, power and responsibility to become a helpless, lowly, dependent baby not even in control of his own bodily functions. The almighty creator God put himself in the hands of his created ones - he truly gave up all his majesty to be birthed in those conditions.  

Why would God do that? 

Why would the God of the universe, creator of all things, all-knowing, all-powerful, choose to give up all his deity, power and influence to become a dependent, messy baby? 

He did it so that;

- He could identify with you and I. He became human so that he knew the limiting factors of being so. He had to; learn, develop, grow, navigate relationships and puberty as well as experience emotions, triumph, temptations and trauma just like the rest of us. 

- As Jesus identified with us, he he also demonstrated how we too could live a God-honouring life. As he was fully God and fully man, Jesus could show how to live really giving God the glory. He is a great role model through the way he lived, spoke, taught, acted as well as how he suffered and died. 

- Jesus died, after being cruelly tortured and killed to be our salvation. This is why when he was born he was referred to as a ‘saviour’. Jesus life was intended from the beginning to save us. He died for every wrong you and I have ever committed, he paid the cost of the guilt and shame and separation this brings between us and God - Jesus could be the only one to bridge the gap because he is God and man, and so he obediently did it.

- Ultimately, Jesus did all of this to express God’s love for us. He could only do it properly by becoming a man - how would we relate or understand otherwise? Jesus gave up all of his divine power, knowledge and capabilities to become a limited, frail, vulnerable baby in order to show you and I how much he loves us. 

That is the reality of the incarnation, or what Jesus being Immanuel is and what Christmas is all about. The God of the universe limited himself to the life of a baby to rescue you, restore you and remain with you all your days. Is it any wonder that christians get excited at this time of year?! It is a chance to celebrate and be grateful for the reality of who God is and ti celebrate his love for us all.