Why choose God and not worldy things?

 Psalm 135:1–21 (ESV): 

1 Praise the Lord! 

Praise the name of the Lord, 

give praise, O servants of the Lord, 

 2  who stand in the house of the Lord, 

in the courts of the house of our God! 

 3  Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; 

sing to his name, for it is pleasant! 

 4  For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, 

Israel as his own possession. 

 5  For I know that the Lord is great, 

and that our Lord is above all gods. 

 6  Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, 

in heaven and on earth, 

in the seas and all deeps. 

 7  He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, 

who makes lightnings for the rain 

and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 

 8  He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, 

both of man and of beast; 

 9  who in your midst, O Egypt, 

sent signs and wonders 

against Pharaoh and all his servants; 

 10  who struck down many nations 

and killed mighty kings, 

 11  Sihon, king of the Amorites, 

and Og, king of Bashan, 

and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 

 12  and gave their land as a heritage, 

a heritage to his people Israel. 

 13  Your name, O Lord, endures forever, 

your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages. 

 14  For the Lord will vindicate his people 

and have compassion on his servants. 

 15  The idols of the nations are silver and gold, 

the work of human hands. 

 16  They have mouths, but do not speak; 

they have eyes, but do not see; 

 17  they have ears, but do not hear, 

nor is there any breath in their mouths. 

 18  Those who make them become like them, 

so do all who trust in them. 

 19  O house of Israel, bless the Lord! 

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord! 

 20  O house of Levi, bless the Lord! 

You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord! 

 21  Blessed be the Lord from Zion, 

he who dwells in Jerusalem! 

  Praise the Lord! 

If you are feeling down or powerless, low or uncertain, disappointed or lacking faith, or joyful and desiring to praise God - then this psalm will do you good. It is full of reason and encouragement to remember some of the facts as to why God is brilliant, and gives examples of how you know you can trust Him. So, as a reminder today, here are some reasons you should praise God, because He:

• Is good
• Has chosen you 
• Is great
• Is above all gods
• Does what He pleases
• Reigns in the heavens and earth
• Controls the weather
• Performed miracles in Egypt
• Has power over man and beast
• Performs signs and wonders
• Works for His people and against their enemies
• Has struck down many nations
• Has defeated many kings
• Provides dwelling places for His people
• Is famous throughout all time
• Lives forever
• Will vindicate His people
• Has compassion on His servants
• Lives amongst us

What or who else could you worship or praise that can do and has done all this?! Therefore do not get distracted by other things such as ‘the idols of the nations’ like 'silver and gold, the work of human hands’. Remember, instead the creator of those things! The one who hears and speaks, who works and never sleeps, who lives and breathes and even gives you breath! He is the one who is worthy of your attention, your full focus. Is your mind preoccupied with stuff or things that are material, not eternal? If so, take another look at this psalm and consider what is really worthy of your attention. For cars breakdown, houses crumble, money loses it's worth, and people are fickle. Live your life looking for and admiring the One who created all of these things and will outlive them.

There is an Almighty, Creator God who has; provided, heard, seen, performed wonders, who is in charge and ensures His will is done, who also lives forever and cares about your little life. In this psalm there is a promise that this same God, ‘will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants’. Are you one of His people, are you living as His servant? If so, He will act on your behalf, showing you compassion and releasing you from false accusations and harm. Do you see God for who He really is and what He can do? This psalm holds some incredible reminders of the character of God and the amazing things He does. Are you giving God the opportunity to come through, trusting that He will vindicate and bring compassion, or are you trying to force your own way? This world and the things within it can be enticing and confusing. There are temptations, stuff and experiences that are appealing and offer solutions, but will they really fulfill their claims? Remember the things of the world have no ability to speak, see or hear, yet they seem to promise so much. Yet God, He promises much and delivers it - just take a look at His track record!

Establish your heart

 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

James 5:7–11 (ESV)

Patience. 

Not something that we are very good at as the human race. We want what we want asap; fast food, quick fixes, buy now, pay later. People always seem to be in a rush for one thing or another. Yet patience is something that is appreciated and admired when we see it. Plus the Bible shows us that patience is essential to growing in good character, wisdom, faith and steadfastness.

James here opens with inviting us to be patient, 'until the coming of the Lord'. For most of us, this may seem like some far off date. Yet the disciples and apostles in scripture held it as an imminent reality. I think with the thousands of years that have passed since then we have become complacent. Yet, the day that Jesus returns is coming, and it is closer than ever before. Therefore there is no time like right now to start practicing patience in order to grow in faith, wisdom and steadfastness because one day you will be facing, 'the coming of the Lord.' That day is coming and is closer than ever before, so how are you preparing yourself for that moment?

‘be patient. Establish your hearts’ (v8). Are you patient with yourself? This may seem like an odd thing to consider in the light of Jesus' return, but in order to become ready for facing the Lord, you need to know what you are about and have set a foundation in your life that is rooted in Jesus. This requires you to be patiently developing yourself and establishing your heart on God. This takes time. It requires patience to build, learn and develop your life and your character. Are you patient with yourself? Are you allowing yourself time to develop good practices, to overcome, are you gracious and patient with yourself when  you know you have got things wrong or have doubts? Consider what you are establishing in your life. 

James invites you to establish your heart on the reality that Jesus will return. How are you preparing yourself for that day? James wants you to be ready. The day is definitely coming when you will meet God. There's no question of if that day is coming, it is when, so how are you preparing for that? What values, qualities and routines are you developing that will get you ready for being face-to-face with Jesus? Are you even doing anything about it, or have you got a bit lazy or apathetic in your faith and allowed other distractions to fill your mind, heart and time? If you had an interview with a prospective employer you would be preparing and practicing, so how are you getting yourself ready for the most important interview of your life with the Living God?

Establishing your heart takes time. Developing good character, overcoming sin, becoming wise and steadfast - they all take time. Therefore you need to be patient just like the farmer James talks about, waiting and tending the field even before he sees any sprouting of the seeds. Like a farmer, patiently continue taking care of yourself, put in the hard ground work with God and His people, and growth will come. Not overnight, but with sustained practice the virtues you seek will develop and establish. Keep patiently persevering. A farmer continues even when the ground is hard, the weather is disruptive and the field looks fruitless - the farmer keeps on the hard work because he knows a new season is coming and he wants to be ready for it. Are you getting ready for the new season that is opening up in your life?

James shows us that patience and steadfastness grow through suffering - it is a common theme through his letter. He doesn't shy away from the fact that life is hard and suffering comes. It takes time to get through it and to overcome the emotions and difficulties that suffering brings. If you haven’t learnt to be patient before suffering comes, then it becomes really hard to endure it! That is why it is so important to practice patience and establish your heart before God. Otherwise, when the next trial comes your faith can be rocked or lost because you have not built your faith on anything solid, as your heart is not established on the right thing, Jesus. 

Verses 10-11 are a wonderful reminder that faithful, obedient, patient God-honouring men and women suffer and they get through it. James reminds us of this by calling us to recall the prophets and Job who all had to undergo persecution, judgement, being ostracised as well as physical and emotional suffering. Yet they continued faithfully to live their lives, and now are admired for their faith and steadfastness - grown through patient endurance. The stories of the prophets and Job do not end with their suffering, but they demonstrate something of God's goodness, mercy and compassion as they see restoration and God's purposes and promises fulfilled. 

If today you are in a season of suffering, keep going. Be patient, with yourself and with whatever is going on. Keep persevering and developing the faith you have in order to gain the wisdom and steadfastness that James speaks about, then you too will come to see and experience the compassion and mercy of God.