(SERMON) Luke 22:66-23:25 Spoken Word Good Friday Devotion

A short five minute spoken word Good Friday meditation around the trials of Jesus before the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate.

Revd Adam Young · Spoken Word Good Friday Meditation: Luke 22:66 -23:25

boldness before ridicule - Psalm 119.51

The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from Your instruction. 119.51

Often what hurts most when people oppose our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, God and Risen Saviour is not that they reject the truth but the arrogant veneer of contempt that laces the words of many opponents of the truth.  It is the way they look down on those who believe in the virtues of simple child-like faith.  It is the arrogant assumption that their learning and alleged academic prowess is insurmountable, is unchallengeable.  They cry ‘fundamentalist’ as a way of shaming us and ending debate.  

We see it not just in conversation but in the media.  How often are Christians ridiculed on the TV? From the frankly insulting insinuations to the boringly predictable stereotyping of ministers in sitcoms.  Then you have the ‘look at these crazy people not living in the modern world and accepting the infallible truths of contemporary science’ kind of new reports.  

Such ridicule of good faithful Christians and the truth we hold so dear can be painful and hurtful.  On one level it should help to promote good interaction with others on our behalf.  As Christians we are called to be humble not arrogant.  How sad and tragic, indeed heartbreaking, that Christians are the ones people so often think are arrogant!  More importantly, we must be very aware of the power of ridicule to subtly undermine our own views and beliefs.  No one likes to be ridiculed which leads to the real temptation for us to ‘tone down’ our message or to bury it under a mountain of qualifications.

The call of Scripture is to be on guard against this and to not turn away from the instructions God has given us for all time.  Following instructions is not something which comes naturally to humanity.  Living a life fully submitted to the instructions of Scripture is a real battle.  Being broken like a horse must be broken if it is to be usable by the rider is an unpleasant but vital experience in the Christian life—and an experience which must be a continual reality in our hearts.  

Let us pray that nothing outside of us, no words or sneers, no allegations or stupid comic sketches would ever turn us against the plain instructions we have been given.  Pray that the voices all around us would be drowned out by the crystal clear voice of the true King.

Shameless Boldness - Psalm 119.46

I will speak of Your decrees before kings and not be ashamed. 119.46

Shame is a powerful emotion.  For many of us it can at times be utterly controlling.  Whilst Christians in Britain today do not face real persecution like those in many parts of the world, it is none the less true that we can be dominated by a shame over our faith and beliefs.  It is a shame which makes us constantly question if we should or even could share our faith with others or discuss how our faith impacts the many social and political controversies of the day.  Even though I am a minister I could not claim to be free from these shame-chains.  There have been countless times when I have second guessed myself “should I tell them what I really think?” “What would happen if I just came out and told this person that sin is sin and that it really is black and white before the Throne of God?”.  Even doing prayer on the streets can turn into a real battle of shame against courage.  

The Psalmist cuts through this and proclaims that even before kings he will speak of the decrees and ways of the Lord.  He will not be ashamed.  How challenging!  If we find it hard enough to testify about truth before our friends and family or to the harmless old lady down the street how much more would we struggle to have such boldness before our governments and parliaments?  Perhaps this should challenge us not just before worldly kings and governors but church leaders too.  At a time when liberalism and revisionism are rampantly perverting the decrees of God and the church hierarchy for the most part either fails to act or, even worse, promotes this, should we not boldly proclaim the decrees of Christ to them?

I am reminded of the balokole of the East African Revival.  These were ‘the saved ones’ whose lives had been turned upside down and inside out by the radical and transforming message of the Gospel.  These men and women stood up before their seminary presidents and denounced their teaching whilst imploring them to love the decrees of God.  These men and women stood up before their bishops and church elders and called on them to repent and embrace the truths of the Scriptures anew.  These men and women fearlessly stood up before the local governors and even the violent president Idi Amin and called the whole nation to repentance and a mighty humbling.  These balokole were fearless.  I don’t think the word ‘ashamed’ even entered their vocabulary!  Sadly many of them were killed by Idi Amin and others.  Many of them were thrown out of their colleges and Diocese by the hard hearted and stiff necked leaders they stood up to.

Not a one of them would hold regrets over their actions though.  Given the chance again they would have done the same thing over and over and over.  What gave them such courage?  What broke the chains of shame we are so often shackled with?

Jesus.  

When you see Jesus as all you need, when His fame is all that matters, when His truth is sweeter than honey and richer than human wealth could conceive—when this is your faith you find no room for fear and shame.  Let us pray to be like the balokole and speak of God’s decrees before the kings of this world without feeling ashamed!

Finding life in His righteousness - Psalm 119.40

How I long for precepts! Give me life through Your righteousness. 119.40

Righteous—something we all seek to be but cannot make ourselves become.  Sin is always there, infecting everything.  Many people think that if they just don’t do this or that then they are holy—or at least holier than the person sat next to them.  If they give to charity and offer time to the church then surely that makes them OK with God.  Spending time in a soup kitchen and driving a friend to the hospital must equate to being righteous!  

That is the way it works right?

Right!?

WRONG!

God has nothing but contempt for such ideas.  In Isaiah 64.6 the prophet explains the issue at the heart of our so-called ‘righteousness’:

“All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.”

That phrase ‘polluted garment’ refers to a used menstrual rag—just about the most disgusting thing imaginable.  Because of our sin we have become unclean; even our seemingly righteous acts are filthy and polluted by sinful motives and desires.  

There is nothing but death and misery in seeking to make your own righteousness.  There is nothing but hopelessness and darkness in trying to find life to the full through your own effort and rule keeping.  I know this all too well.  I tried for so many, many, years to make myself righteous: all it led to was pain, self-harm, and spiritual desolation.

Going to Uganda in 2011 and coming across the teaching—glorious biblical teaching—of the East African Revival changed everything for me.  Now I know what life to the full tastes like. Now I am free from self-harm and that dark polluted road of pride which leads only to decay and rot.  

Life comes from being given Jesus’ righteousness.  He lived  the perfect and spotless life so we don’t have to.  As Paul would say in 2 Corinthians “He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.”  WOW!   We can have perfect and pure righteousness here and now because Jesus freely offers it to us.

When we know this righteousness for ourselves, when we put on the white robe of righteousness He offers us then we not only know life but we are filled with a love and holy desire to reflect what we have been given to the world.  We long to know and follow God’s precepts and commands—but out of a place of love and security not one of fear and failing.  

When you are given life through Christ’s righteousness nothing in your life will ever, ever, be the same again.

Strength in the the middle of Grief - Psalm 119.28

I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word. 119.28

Grief is one of the universal emotions that none of us can escape from.  Sooner or later someone we know will pass away.  They may die quietly in their sleep, or they may die in agony fighting for their last breath.  No matter how our loved ones leave us, whether we are there or absent, whether we feel ‘ready’ or not, we all experience grief.  Some people express grief in different ways to others.

My Grandmother wanted the house largely redecorating, made the spare room her bedroom, and removed most of my Grandfather’s belongings.  For her it is currently too painful to see the remnants of their long marriage; those physical shards of memory which cut like a broken mirror.  Many others try to keep everything of their loved one—the house never changes, the chair stays but is never sat in, the bed keeps the same mattress, and the pictures stay up as windows through which memories can hurtle back towards happier times.  I know personally just how long lasting the pain from the loss of a loved one can be. The death of my Great Aunt when I was about 14 so devastated me it left emotional and spiritual scars which not only made me who I am but still sometimes flare up painfully.

This grief we feel at the loss of a loved one is hard.  The shortest verse in the BIble is simply ‘Jesus wept’ (John 11.35) and it depicts the very real grief Jesus felt at knowing His friend Lazarus was dead.   Of course, Jesus then raised Lazarus back to life and thereby showed the world that He is Lord of Life and the ever-reigning King of the Resurrection.  It is because of this, because of Jesus, that Christians can find strength in the Bible when we experience grief.  

When our loved ones believed in Jesus as Lord, God, and Saviour, we can rest in the confidence that they are now with Him and know of no pain or suffering or brokenness.  We can rest in the confidence that they know what true joy is and true fulfilment.  This is why the funerals of departed saints are not times to be marked by sorrow but rather rejoicing that they have gone to be with their Lord. There is real strength to be found in the promises of God for those who grieve.

Yet this strength we find in the promises of new and eternal life in the age to come is also the very thing which must strengthen our resolve to tell everyone we know about Jesus.  The Bible could not be clearer that only those who believe in Jesus will be found with Him at the resurrection—everyone else will be told by Jesus “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels! … and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25.41, 46).  

Knowing the Good News of Salvation for those who believe should give us the strength and passion and resolve we need to tell the world about Jesus. Thinking on this dual theme, why not make a commitment to tell a friend or family member about what Jesus has done for you at a time when you were weary in your grief?

Dust and Life - Psalm 119.25

My life is down in the dust; give me life through Your word. 119.25

When it comes to hard truths about life you won’t find any rose-tinting from the Bible.  There is no ‘spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down.’  Right from the start God tells us that due to sin “you will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust” (Genesis 3.19).

God does not forget what we are: “For the Lord knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.  As for man, his days are like grass - he blooms like a flower in the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known” (Psalm 103.14-16).  When our lives come to the appointed time for death we learn from Scripture that God Himself “turns people back to dust, saying, ‘return to dust, you mortals!” (Psalm 90.3 NLT)

Dust and ash in the Bible is the place of repentance, sorrow, grief, misery, and pain.  People who had lost everything would cover themselves in dust and ashes - in the stuff which represented death and the end of all things.  Maybe there have been times in your life where you have not only been ‘down in the dumps’ but ‘down in the dust.’  Times when everything seems to have been taken from you - even your integrity and pride.  Of late I have certainly been experiencing days like this so I can truly empathise with you (which I suspect is why the Lord has led me to this desert in the first place).

The Book of Psalms is full of songs from David and others who were despairing of their life and their very existence.  Some psalms are so dark and brooding they deserve an R rating for ‘likely to cause depression or severe mood swings.’  These psalms have been given to us by God because such darkness and gut-wrenching  despair is a valid human emotion, it is part of human experience - so much a part of it that Jesus had to go through it too if He were to ever truly redeem us.  Jesus became so distraught that he knelt down and cried out to God to take His pain away; Jesus’ cry was so all-consuming that He sweated drops of blood (a genuine medical condition called hematidrosis which is caused by extreme stress).  

When we reach the place of dust and it seems that our life is worthless we must look to God’s word for the map to the life we need.  When we open Scripture at such times the Lord points us to how Jesus suffered for us that we might be set free.  When we open the Scriptures at such times we see how through the ages great saints have entered just such times of darkness and yet God never abandoned them but rather lifted them up from the dust.  When we open the Scriptures we come face to face with a life which is not our own, a life given to us freely and which cannot be destroyed by the cares and worries of the world - a life which gives us such great worth and value in the eyes of God that He would literally die for us.   Let us always pray when we open our Bibles “Lord show me the life Jesus offers me and the truths that set me free.”  The Christian faith brings all of us to the dust of death - death to sin, death to our selfishness, death to our pride, death to our flesh - but by the same token only the Christian faith then promises resurrection and life in all its fullness!

A delightful counsellor - Psalm 119.24

Your decrees are my delight and my counsellors. 119.24

There has never been a better time to be a counsellor.  In some parts of the UK one adult in every six is on anti-depressants.  Is this because life is more stressful and there is more anxiety due to societal issues?  Is this because we are simply more willing to give out tablets to fix our problems?  Whatever the cause, the number of people in need of seeing a counsellor or psychiatrist is sky high.

It is foolish to treat depression, anxiety, or other mental distress as not being a real health problem.  You cannot just exercise your way out of depression or decide not to be anxious.  We would never tell someone with a broken arm that they just needed ‘to change their perspective.’  We would never tell someone with cancer they ‘need to make more of an effort.’  Depression and anxiety have real biological causes and there are no simple answers.  

Depression and the like are not just problems ‘out there’ in the world, they are Christian problems.  Many great saints have suffered and wrestled with great bouts of depression - for example Charles Spurgeon the ‘Prince of Preachers’ was plagued throughout his life by horrendous depression.  It is tragic that many Christians feel they have to hide their depression or mental disorders.  The church is a hospital for sick, imperfect, struggling sinners and not a museum for perfected saints.  

One big difference for Christians who wrestle with troubles in life - whether grief over a death, anxiety over work, fear over safety, or a more general depression - is that we have a perfect counsellor.  When we need hope, when we need to be reminded of the truth, when we need to recognise what is reality and what is not, we can come to the perfect word of God.  The Bible lays before us the promises of God, the real truth of our identity in Christ Jesus, the reality of our sins truly forgiven and of our past washed clean.  When we face suffering of any kind it reminds us that we have an eternal Kingdom coming soon where there is no pain or death or sorrow.  When we cannot understand why things keep happening the Bible reminds us that God is 100% sovereign and all things work together for the good of those who believe.  

I don’t believe Christians should never see psychiatrists or counsellors, and I certainly don’t think they should not take medication if it is needed; but I do believe, as the Psalmist does, that the Bible should be our first and last resource in all things.  When we make the Bible and its truths our life coach, our counsellor, we will truly delight in it.

How to act in the face of hate, fear, and opposition - Psalm 119.23, 161

Though princes sit against me, Your servant will think about Your statutes… Princes have persecuted me without cause, but my heart fears only Your word.   119.23, 161

Taking a stand on Biblical truth has always been unpopular with the powers of the world around us.  At times things have been worse than others.  In England we have a rich heritage of persecuting the righteous who believed in the words and statues of God.  From the killing of St. Alban to the persecution of John Wycliffe (and his later exhumation, trial, and burning of bones to ash).  The foundation of what we know today as the Church of England is written in the blood of hundreds martyrs including Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer and John Hooper.  Across the world today Christians are the single most persecuted and martyred group of people.  Here in England we may not face being shot or crucified for saying that Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible tells us God’s eternal truths - but we certainly face opposition.

The gospel, as Paul tells us, is by its very nature offensive.  People don’t like it when you try to tell them that they are sinners facing the wrath of a Holy God and they need to believe in Jesus and repent.  People go crazy when you tell them that what the Bible says happened actually did happen in history.  People take you to court and you lose your job when you stand up and act with integrity on issues of morality.  Whether it is abortion, divorce, euthanasia, or issues of sexuality, the clear teaching of the church is unpopular.  Whether it is teaching about  wealth and greed or the error of Eastern Spirituality you can expect opposition.

This should not surprise or phase us!  

Jesus told His disciples “you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered” (Matthew 10.22).   

Read that sentence again.  

"You will be hated by everyone"

Let that really sink in.

"You will 

be hated 

by everyone"

Jesus didn’t tell his followers they ‘might’ get sent to court or be judged by others but rather told them what to do ‘when’ it inevitably happens: “whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don't worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. ” (Luke 12.11).   

If you are not facing opposition or questioning or some form of persecution for being a Christian then the chances are you are doing Christianity wrong!

Whenever we face opposition, and it is often powerful and emotional opposition, we must do two things:  

1) First of all we must think about what God has told us because only His words are truth for all time and His promises form the rock on which we stand.  

2) Secondly, we should remember to fear only God and not what other humans may say or do.  Sticks and stones may break your bones and words may hurt you but what does that matter when eternal life and a resurrection body are yours!?  Jesus told His followers “Don’t fear those who are able to kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is about to destroy both soul and body in Hell” (Matthew 10.28).  

The Bible repeatedly tells us that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" - let us be wise by accepting what God tells us and not fearing what others may think or say or do.

Living with eyes wide open - Psalm 119.18

Open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things in Your law.  119.18

As much as we should read the Bible, study the Bible, and meditate upon it we must understand that mere ‘head knowledge’ or ‘academic knowledge’ of the Bible will not bring eternal life, joy, peace, and happiness.  After all didn’t Satan know what God said?  Has not Richard Dawkins read the Bible?  At Oxford I met many people, both students and lecturers, who knew far more of the Bible than I do but who knew nothing of the one true God or of a personal relationship with Jesus.  

This is not something new.  The Pharisees were the academics of their day - they would often memorise the entire Old Testament.  They would spend their lives carefully picking apart every single sentence, phrase, and word of the Bible to better understand it.  Yet when God actually came down to earth and fulfilled literally hundreds of prophecies right before their eyes they failed to recognise that Jesus was the Messiah, that Jesus was God, and ultimately in the greatest of ironies they had crucified the one they were searching for.

In John chapter 5 Jesus says to them “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me” (John 5.39).  If we don’t see Jesus as the heart of the Scriptures we don’t see anything of eternal consequence.  The problem is that to see Jesus in every chapter, to see the truth of God in a life changing way, we need outside intervention.  We are born blind to these truths, it's like there is a deep and thick mist before our eyes which we cannot see through no matter how much we try.  Saint Paul would talk in 2 Corinthians 3 about how unless we turn to the Lord there is a veil over our faces which prevents us from seeing how wonderful the Bible is.

When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was Peter eventually said “you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” (Matthew 16.16).  What is most remarkable is the reaction of Jesus to this profession of faith:  “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in Heaven” (Matthew 16.17).  It was not human wisdom or human intellect which made Peter understand who Jesus truly was. It was God Himself who by the Holy Spirit opened His eyes to the see the wonderful things of Jesus, who parted the mist, who lifted the veil.  Let each of us pray that God would open our eyes to the wonderful things of His Law - that when we read the Bible we see Jesus on every page and find hope, comfort, and joy in doing so.

Christian Meditation - Psalm 119.15

I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways. 119.15

Meditation is big business these days.  Brought in on a wave of Eastern mysticism in the 60’s the likes of yoga and ‘mindfulness’ are relentlessly pushed upon us. York Minster is even offering zen meditation led by a 'Christian' minister (the thought of which is enough to boil my blood).  Biblical Christians rightly recoil at such practices - they are inherently tainted by the pagan religions which formed them and have as their goal something in opposition to Christian faith.  Christianity teaches boldly that all things are not ‘one’ with each other - rather humans are unique in reflecting the glory of God by being made in His image and likeness.  Again, God is not part of His creation and is certainly not found in uniting with it - no, God is the creator whose essence is utterly apart from creation yet who in love for us became a creature in the person Jesus (but not in a tree or a mountain!).  The idea of emptying your mind and your ‘self’ into the void is a rejection of the gift of the mind and the uniqueness of your ‘self’ which God both made and loves.  Indeed, emptying yourself in such a way is toying with the devil and asking for something more sinister to come in.

Yet, meditation is Biblical.

Not meditation where you empty your thoughts and say mantras whilst you realign your ‘chakras’ or other such pagan pseudo-science.  Instead we are called to “meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways.”  Christians are called to meditate on the Bible, spend time reflecting on the words and mighty acts of God, consider His commands and how to live by them.  We are called to seek out Jesus in each story and see how He is at the centre.  We must daily eat, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures as our spiritual food and drink.  If we long to become “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1.4) we will only do so through knowing Jesus.  Jesus is no longer on earth among us but all we ever need to know for salvation and growth in faith is found in the completely sufficient revelation He has given us and to which nothing more needs to be added - the Bible.  So by all means take up that meditation class, just make sure it is a Bible study and not some Eastern scam.

The Word of The Word - Psalm 119.11

I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You. 119.11

Christians often speak of the ‘word of God’ but what does it actually mean?  Is the ‘word of God’ the Bible or is it Jesus?  After all, when we read the start of John’s Gospel we don’t read “in the beginning was the Bible, and the Bible was with God, and the Bible was God”!  Rather we read that the “Word was God…” and that this Word is the “Light of the world” and that the Light has come into the world and we know Him by the name of Jesus.  So the “Word of God” is Jesus not the Bible, simple, right?

Wrong.

You see in the Greek of John chapter one “Word” translates “logos” which is a deep and rich word.  It means not only ‘a word’ but also ‘reasoning’ or the expression of thinking.  There is another Greek word, namely “rhema”, which is also translated into English as ‘word.’  Rhema means the spoken word.  The Bible is the spoken word of God and in this sense it is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6.17).  Sometimes logos is also used to refer to the Bible such as Revelation 1.2.  So in Scripture the ‘word of God’ is both the Bible and the person the Bible points us towards - Jesus.

The author of Hebrews plays on this ambiguity when he writes “For the word (logos) of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4.12

Undoubtedly, reading the Bible, knowing the Scriptures, hearing the voice of God spoken to us in its words, is a powerful thing - something sharp, effective, and penetrating.  Knowing the Bible enables us to judge ideas and thoughts and passions, it cuts us deeply with judgement when we sin and it heals us with promises of mercy when we repent.  The psalmist could rightly say that treasuring up the words of Scripture helps us in our fight against sin.   This is why we must devote ourselves to reading, exploring, understanding, and memorising Scripture - just never lose sight that the Bible is always about Jesus and not about you (John 5.39)

Commitment and Condemnation - Psalm 119.5-6

If only my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes!  Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all Your commands.  119.5-6

Shame is a powerful emotion.  Whether it is something we place upon ourselves, or something others force upon us, shame is a horrible feeling.  Worst of all it is something which seems to stick like glue and spread from one part of our life to the next like a wildfire.  The Psalmist feels shame when he looks at his life and then looks at the Bible and the life it calls on him to lead.  I am sure we all know this feeling.  

If only I was more committed!

If only I had more self-control!

If only I hadn’t done those things in the past and enjoyed them!

The list could go on.  The problem is that when we look at the commands of God in the Bible, when we look at how He wants us to live and what He wants us to be, we meet a standard which is simply impossible.  That is the truth of the matter.  We cannot and never in this life will keep the commands of God or live up to His statutes.  Sin is always going to hamstring us.  The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26.41).  Even saint Paul would cry out “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7.15)  

The Good News is that God became human and lived the life we cannot live.  Jesus came and lived among us as one of us.  Jesus was tempted but never gave in.  Jesus lived a life which was pure, spotless, perfect.  Jesus kept all the demands of the law and all the commandment of God.  Then, at the end, Jesus took all of our sin and became sin.  He took our place, He died the death we deserve, He sacrificed Himself to set us free from our failures.  When we put our faith in Jesus and lay down our failed attempts at being righteous He gives us His perfection, His good standing, His purity, His holiness.  When we have all this, when we have Jesus, we can say goodbye to shame.  When we stumble and fall we can look to Jesus and not our failures.  When we look at the Law and see it's impossible demands we can cast our eyes on the cross where He said “it is finished” and know the victory is won.  When we begin to feel shame or guilt we can proclaim as that sinner saint Paul did “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8.1)

Living with Diligence - Psalm 119.4

"You have commanded Your precepts be diligently kept." 119.4

Diligence.  It is the kind of word we expect wise leaders and noble kings to call their subjects to.  It is the kind of thing which teachers long for their students to demonstrate.  When I write  “diligence” my mind conjures up Winston Churchill calling on the British people to be diligent against their enemies and those who would take our freedom and cause us to live in fear - heartily speaking the rousing syllables “di-li-gen-ce” with a cigar firmly between his teeth and a fist raised high in the air.

Sadly, diligence is a neglected virtue in the 21st century.  Very few people seem to be diligent about anything.  We live in a world where everything and anything is at our fingertips through the internet, where televisions and films take us instantly across the globe or even to other worlds, and where more books filled with stories and distractions are published each year than ever before - not to mention my favourite time consuming, diligence eating, past time: computer games.  

With so many distractions it is little wonder we find it ever more difficult to stick at something.  Long gone are the days when a person would pick a single trade or hobby and become a master of it to the exclusion of others.  These days if you want to pick up a musical instrument the world offers you a confusing selection of options and capitalism ensures that if you have the money you can try them all till you find the one you like the most.  Getting bored of attempting to master painting watercolours? No problem! Just swap to another kind of art, heck you can even leave the traditional materials and do everything on your computer.  Getting tired of actually having a job? No problem! Just move into your parents basement and create a man-cave of action figures (in their boxes obviously!) and gaming consoles.

When it comes to the precepts of God, however,  His commands and decrees, we are called on to keep them all with diligence.  We are to be careful in observing them and persistent in bringing each and every area of our life under His command.  This takes effort, it is a process which we will have to go through till we die and we are finally glorified at the resurrection.  When we take knocks, when we fall and fail, when we face opposition or oppression, we cannot turn to some other way of life - we must be diligent and focused.  As a stonemason carefully chips away at the boulder to make a beautiful statue, so we too must chip away at our lives to make ourselves into an image of Jesus Christ.  The stonemason requires concentration, vision, training, time, patience, and of course great diligence.  The same is true for our sanctification.   When people look at our lives, would they see in us people who diligently fulfil the commands of God.  Let us call on Jesus to grant us this diligence through the Holy Spirit at work within us.

Happiness in Him - Psalm 119.2

Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart. 119.2

So much of life seems to be taken up with the search for happiness.  Popular wisdom is full of little sayings about happiness:

“Anyone who says money doesn’t make you happy doesn’t know where to shop”

“Happiness is not a destination but a way of life”

“Happiness is a home full of friends”

But the Bible takes a different route.  True happiness is found in living as God told us to and seeking Him with all that we are and all which we have.  It really should not surprise us that a loving God would tell us what is best for us - including what brings true joy and happiness.  After all, what father doesn’t long for their child to be happy?  Sometimes keeping the decrees of God can seem like something which will bring sorrow and misery - just think of how many people believe that Christians are kill-joys and prudes.  If we measure happiness in the same way the world does this is not surprising.  But is true happiness really found in sex, binge drinking, spending money on things which you either don’t need or death will take from you?  People who think happiness is in such things need their minds washing clean.  In Jesus we are offered a source of happiness which nothing can touch, nothing can destroy, nothing can take away.  In Jesus we are offered a happiness based on knowing we are loved by the God of the universe simply because He loves us and not because we have to earn that love or match up to anything.  

Jesus would talk about seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven - seeking first God and His rule in our lives.  We should seek this because it is something which cannot be taken from us or destroyed (Matthew 6.19-20).  We should seek it with all we are because nothing in this universe could ever be as amazing and awesome as it is.  Everything we could ever own or have in this world is second rate to what God offers and we should sell and give up everything we have and know in order to embrace the Kingdom (Matthew 13.45-46).

True happiness is something people are always searching for but never find unless they turn to Christ.  Only in Jesus is there the “fullness of joy” and only at the right hand of God are there “pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16.11). Let us lay down our life as we seek after Jesus and His decrees with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength - in this is true happiness.

Four commitments to transform your day.

I will thank Yahweh with all my heart;

I will declare all Your wonderful works.

 I will rejoice and boast about You;

I will sing about Your name, Most High. (Psalm 9.1-2)

What will you commit to doing this week?  How about this month?  What are your absolutely vital commitments and what could you allow to slide?  Are they things like going to work, picking up the kids, taking medication at the right times, a dentist appointment... finding a job!?

This morning in my devotions I read Psalm 9 and the first two verses really struck a chord with me.  When looking at our diaries, our work schedules, our calendars it is easy to be swamped by an endless list of things we must do.  But our number one priority must be to commit our lives to the Lord our God.  Our greatest concern must be to have the peace of God which passes all understanding.  Above all else we must daily and weekly drink of the living water which cures all our ills and washes away all our spiritual cancer. 

The Psalmist makes four crystal clear commitments at the very start of his psalm - these are the foundations upon which the rest of his commitments can be built.  What would our day look like if we made the same commitment right now?  How would this change our week, our month, our year?  

Firstly, we commit to thanking God each day, consciously and purposely.  Not reeling off a list of half-baked thanks but thinking of something specific each day and truly taking the time to thank Him with all of our heart.

Secondly,  we commit to declaring His mighty and wonderful work.  What would it mean for you to tell one person each and every day something about what God has done for you and those you know? Each day tell a testimony to a loved one or even a stranger and then trust God to use it to His own glory.

Thirdly, we commit to adoration: to rejoicing and boasting in the love of the Lord.  In some ways this flows from the first two.  Our thankfulness leads to rejoicing and our testimony leads to (righteous) boasting.  That said, how often do we make time to specifically rejoice and praise the Lord?  How often do we make a place in our lives for boasting at the amazing salvation we are given or the wonders of answered prayer?  Thanksgiving and adoration are subtly different - commit to making time for both.

Finally, we commit to singing.  As many of your know I love Disney films, I love how people just burst out into song.  One reason I love it is because we see this in the Bible too - people burst out into song all the time: from Miriam to Mary, from Hannah to Habakkuk. Whether it is a psalm, a hymn, or a spiritual song - in the shower, in the car, or in the street what would it mean to sing to the Saviour each day?  Just remember that Jesus has the best auto-tune so don't worry about your voice!

I think the reason all of this struck a chord with me is because my life was changed forever by the people I met in Uganda.  In Uganda I saw true revival, I saw true joy, true hope, true peace.  Looking back I see that their lives were marked by a number of amazing distinctives which set them apart from everyone else I've ever met.  They thanked the Lord each day for every single thing.  Testimony was everywhere - they would ask each other when they met "what has Jesus done for you today" (even if it was five in the morning and you had only just woken up!).  They would share testimony together at every Christian meeting, and they would tell all the people they met in their daily travels something about Jesus.  They were filled with a passionate adoration, a remarkable joy, and a bold boastfulness in the Lord.  Finally, they loved to sing.  They sang in the morning. They sang at the table.  They sang in the car.  They sang in the evening.  They sang in the night.  They sang to the Lord constantly. 

I don't know if this was a conscious teaching of the East African Revival (I have not heard mention of Psalm 9.1-2 in my research) or just the natural and wonderful result of true faith.  I do know it is something I desperately long for and you should too.  So what are we waiting for - let's get our priorities straight, prepare our hearts, and practice our singing!