“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?” – Genesis 50:19

As you go about your journey on this earth, do you have to be in control of the events in your life? Genesis 50 gives us a picture of how Joseph followed his father’s last wishes on his burial in the land on Canaan. Joseph took control and followed his father’s wishes and made everything happen the way Jacob wanted it to happen. However, after the funeral his brothers sent a message to him referring to Jacob’s request for the brothers to carry out concerning their past sin to Joseph. They were living in his presence however; since, they still had not confessed their sin and asked for his forgiveness, they probably did not have the close brotherly relationship with him as they should. Now with Jacob’s death they feared that Joseph would now carry out his our justice and give them the judgment that their sin desired.  They were now at the mercy of Joseph who had the power to carry out judgment with his own hands.

Joseph’s reply was simple: “Fear not: for am I in the place of God?” Joseph knew the time, the place, and who was going to judge all men. The time is in God’s hand and he and he only knows it. The place is before him. And finally it will be God who judges us. However, as you go about your journey on this earth you can partake of an attribute of God just as Joseph did. This attribute is our ability to forgive others. As Christ preached in Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” and then as Christ expanses on this in verse 14 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”. This was probably the thought that Joseph had then he reply to his brothers “I can not judge you for your evil, however I can forgive you” and this is also the way in which we must walk.

As I was studying the New Testament this week I  realized that the Lord message to the multitudes starting in Matthew chapter five and going through chapter seven started out like Psalm 1:1.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they

shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say

all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

The blessings of God comes when we walk in his way.  It is not a way of do things so that God will reward you, but it a walk we take because of our love for the Lord.  It is a walk before God, not man.  So as the Sermon on the Mount starts out in Matthew chapter five like Psalm 1:1 and Matthew chapter seven ends like verse six of this psalm.

Every one therefore that hears these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock:

and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock.

And every one that hears these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:

and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.

So read the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters five through seven and apply these words in a way that your house will not fall, but stand.

This psalm could be titled His Love Endures Forever.  But the question that comes up very  frequently in conversations is how can a God that loves us so much let so much evil exist in his world.   As I meditate on this question I recall the opening words from the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew chapter six.  These words “Our Father who is in heaven holy be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” helps me realize that God will in the kingdom in heaven is complete; but his will on the kingdom which is on earth must not be complete.  Trying to comprehend the question of how can a God that loves us so much let so much evil exist in his world is difficult to man because the first step in this process is to grasp an understanding of the true nature and attributes of God.  This process of grasping the nature and attributes is something that is really impossible for man who is just another creation of God.

In the first three verses the psalmist describes God as good, the God of gods, and the Lord of lords.  What command are we given in this psalm?  Give thanks.  The reason for our thanks is simply “His love endures forever”.  The next six verses give us the reasons why His love endures forever by describing His creative acts. .  Verse four states that He alone does great wonders and verse five adds the phase, who by his understanding made the heavens set the stage that He is beyond our understanding.  Men prides himself on his great creations.  This pride can be seen in the simple sand castle built by a young child to great cities as well as the social structures that are built through the combined forces of a nation.   However the concept of building something out of nothing is beyond my understanding as well as the understanding of all mankind.  How can I or mankind as a whole grasp the nature of the creator when we can not even grasp an understand of how the heavens, the earth, and everything on the earth was created?

Verse ten through twenty-five gives us illustrations of how God intervenes in the history of man.  These illustrations deal mainly with Israel.  Why Israel?  Because of God’s promises to Adam and then to Abraham, and then to David.  However, in verse twenty five the psalmist also God’s involvement on earth to include the giving food every creature.  Paul summaries God’s dealing with man in his sermon on Mar’s Hill to the Athenians in Acts chapter 17.

The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by  raising Him from the dead.”

In studying Paul’s ministry it is interesting that here at Athens the great city of learning that the impact of the gospel had very little effect on the people that heard this message.   Paul ended his sermon with a warning that God is now dealing to all people to repent because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world.

The psalmist closes this psalm in verse twenty six with the phase “give thanks to the God of Heaven”.  As I consider the question of “how can a God that loves us so much let so much evil exist in his world?” I must consider Paul’s warning to the Athenians that God is now dealing to all people to repent because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world.  After considering this psalm and Paul’s sermon on Mar’s Hill a more pressing question needs to be asked.  Why does man reject such a great salvation (the gospel or good news) that is presented to him in God’s Word?  Those who do give thanks to the God of heaven are those who have not rejected this great salvation and truly realize that His love endures forever.

This is the 4th psalm of the fifteen Song of Ascents Psalms.

I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy. Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant. (NIV)

As I read this psalm today I realized how simple our prayers should be. With all the issues of life that we face daily we must realize in the end that it is only our tunnel vision that can get us pass the clutter that these issues place in our daily life. Jesus during his time on earth faced many of the same distractions that we face in our everyday existence. However, Christ ministry was only focused on one purpose and that purpose was the cross for the glory of God. Paul writes about this in Philippians chapter two verses five through eleven:

Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Also, from these verses in Philippians we observe that we need to be like Christ who took on the role of a servant and not that of the master. Therefore today no matter what happens in the daily events of your life focus your vision to God’s throne. Become a servant that God can use and obedient to Him. In other words learn the simple rule of trust and obey. Live a blameless life and God will open doors of opportunities for you to serve.

Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.  For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.  (NIV)

This short psalm is everything a person really needs to know about God.  This poem was from a chain email, so I will passed it on all who look at this Psalm.

God Lives Under The Bed

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under is bed. At least that’s what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen,” Are you there, God?” he said. “Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed…” I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement.

But that night something else lingered long after the humor I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he’s 6-foot-2); there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and those airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day’s laundry chores. And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That’s the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculates loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. “That one’s going’ to Chi-car-go!” Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.  His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never as happy as when he is working.  When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done,

Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.

His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances,

Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry.

He is always transparent, always sincere.

And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child.

Kevin seems to know God – to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an “educated” person to grasp.

God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap.

I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances – they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God’s care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn?

After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won’t be surprised at all!

Author Unknown

Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.  His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.  Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.  Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.  Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.  Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.  He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.  The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.  (NIV)

When I consider the phrase “blessed is the one who fears the Lord” I reflect back to Psalm one.  The key in understanding this phrase is found in the word blessed.  In Psalm one we are told “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  The fear of the Lord is an understanding of God and his way.  To grasp an understanding of this verse we must understand the definition of fear.  Fear can be define as a feeling of anxiety (restlessness caused by uncertainties) that marks a state of guard apprehension and uneasiness that forces one to make decisions.  This blessing comes from a trust and obey relationship with the Lord.

As I study this Psalm I can’t help to be drawn back to the teaching of Psalm one.  God has given us the way to walk in, however mankind seems to want more.  The simple truth of this Psalm is trusting and obeying God.  The difference in the life of the man who fears the LORD and the life of the man who does not is the caretaker.  As I work in my backyard or on my land I realize how much the design reflects the desire and purpose of me the caretaker.  The same is with the one that looks to the Lord as the one that directs his life.  This is the type of relationship that Christ spoke of in John chapter fifteen:

 ¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

² Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes it away: and every branch that bears fruit, he cleanses it, that it may bear more fruit.

³ Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.

⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.

⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

The wicked, the one that does not have the fear of God in their life does not have the caretaker in their life.  May my life (the work of God’s hand in the life of an old saint) reflect the same joy in God that I have when I set in the designer’s chair and look out and delight in the beauty that my secret garden gives me to enjoy?

I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.  I will be careful to lead a blameless life– when will you come to me?  I will walk in my house with blameless heart.  I will set before my eyes no vile thing.  The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.  Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.  Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.  My eyes will be on the faithful in the land that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.  No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.  Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.  (NIV)

This Psalm written by David reflects the way in which he tried to rule as King of Israel.  The key to the way he ruled and lived his life was to live a blameless life.  The word blameless can be defined as: free of guilt, not subject to blame, of irreproachable character, an unimpeachable reputation.  Blameless does not mean sinless, nor does it imply perfection.  A blameless life style is a characteristic of one’s life that others encounter during the course of our daily activity.  Living a blameless life before others is not easy and usually is very difficult.  Because the perception of living a blameless life to others is viewed by our actions and not our motives a blameless life style is very difficult to show to others.  Unlike our physical appearance which people can see, our motives are not visible and must be weighed over time.  So how do I groom my life to be blameless?  The key is similar to the way I get my physical self-ready every day.  As I must get up each morning and make my physical appearance presentable before I venture out of the house each morning, I must also examine my heart to make sure that is it blameless before God and man.  As you read this psalm considered the following examples that are in the Bible for us to model our walk after:

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.  (Genesis 17:1)

I (David) have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. (II Samuel 22:24)     In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (Job 1:8)

As I study these four men I realized that their blameless life style is the result of a living a life of integrity.   One key to this is to eliminate anything that causes me to keep secrets.  In our process of communicating with others we usually try to filter out the differences between what the other person is saying and that they really mean.  In our process of communication we must stop and examine the true motive behind our words and actions.  Is what I say really what I mean, or is there a hidden agenda behind my words?  So one of the first steps in living a blameless life is the process of eliminating all secret motives from my words and my actions.

Another step would be to remove all the vile things from my life.  The word vile is defined as loathsome, disgusting, unpleasant, or objectionable.  It is also used to describe behavior as contemptibly, miserably poor and degrading, wretched, morally depraved and wicked.  In Psalm one this is one of the two steps in living a blessed life.  The first step is to move toward God and seek him, and the second step is to stay away from those things against God’s way (vile things).

The final step is to read and mediate on God’s Word daily.  Just read Psalm 119 for this truth to set in.  The Word of God will lead you to live a blameless life.

It is amazing how God has embedded simple truths in his Word.  As I study this psalm the words of verses nineteen through twenty-three speaks of our society today.

¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. ²⁰ They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. ²¹ They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, ²² miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. ²³ So he said he would destroy them had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.

The event that took placed at Horeb has been taking place in the course of history since the fall of man.  Even in the very strong holds of religion itself we see God being exchanged for other gods.  When you read Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” you must realize that this is the first of the simple truths that God reveals to men from the scriptures.  This truth is that God started the process of the heavens and the earth by creating something out of nothing.  This truth that God is a creator should shape and mold you understanding of everything that surrounds you.  For without God nothing would or could exist.   Therefore to gain an understand of the world in which we live we must recognize God as creator.  That is not the case with society today.  In an article from the Houston Chronicle (6/21/2009) Opportunities to Fellowship With Other Humanists in Houston the author Hux (Brian Surratt) stated “The HOH seems to be getting stronger. I hope the options for humanists continue to grow overtime to include, say, more activities for families who desire to raise ethical children in a naturalistic tradition”.

What is a humanist?  Just go to their website for the answer.   In the Humanist Manifesto III, the American Humanist Association outlined the following basic principles of Humanism:

• Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. • Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. • Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. • Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. • Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. • Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.

At first glance these principles might sound great.  However, a farther look at the Humanism definition of Humanism it self states “Humanism is a worldview which says that reason and science are the best ways to understand the world around us, and that dignity and compassion should be the basis for how you act toward someone else.  Humanism is nontheistic. By this, we don’t mean to say that there is no God. Instead, we say that there is no proof for the existence of God, any gods, the supernatural or an afterlife.  Therefore, we take very seriously the idea that “No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.” We are living the only life we’ll have, in the only world we know about. The responsibility for the choices we make are ours and ours alone.”  This statement is a reflection of exactly what the Israelites did here at Horeb, and what Paul describes in Romans chapter one as the condition that mankind now suffers.  Then we look at the last two verses of this Psalm we see the psalmist requests to God: save us and gather us from the nations.  If one of the fundamental belief of Humanism is that God does not save us, only we can; then I can not abide in their company.    However, like Moses may I stand in the breach between God and the Humanist and pray that they may see the light offered to them through Christ.

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.  Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.  For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.  Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.  Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.  Say among the nations, “the LORD reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.  (NIV)

For the Lord will come, he will come to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.  In Matthew 25:1-13 the Lord liken the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins, five of them wise and five of them foolish.  As I look at verse 13 of this psalm I reflect on these verses in Matthew 25 and if I fit the description of the wise virgins.

Questions to ask yourself in self-examination:

• As I read this psalm about the Lord does my daily walk reflects the truth of God’s future judgment that I see in this psalm?
• Do I take lightly the salvation that God has provided for me in Christ?
• Does my daily actions proclaim this great salvation to those around me?
• Can those around me see the glorious work of transformation that God is performing in me daily to make me more Christ-like?
• Do I truly worship him with the glory due his name?
• Do I truly view him as creator of heaven and earth and worship him as creator?
• Do I truly fear the Lord?

As I was working on my land yesterday, I looked up and considered the sun.  I ask myself the simply question what is the importance of the sun to life on earth.   Wikianswer.com answers to this question is “The sun is absolutely necessary, thus very-very important, for the life on Earth, because without sun, all the forms of life in Earth will disappear in only a few days. The sun delivers more than 99% of the energy that is necessary for nearly all the phenomena on Earth, like wind, rain, ocean streams, photosynthesis, and even fossil fuels can be said that are a part of accumulated solar energy.   This truth makes me realized the truth found in Psalm eight on the greatness of God, and yet how much greater is His love for man.

As I read this Psalm on how important the Lord is in our life I also realized how little the world in which we live gives God the glory He desires.   In Job chapter thirty-eight records God’s answer to Job “Who is this that darkened counsel by words without knowledge?  Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.  Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.”  There will be a day that the Lord will demand of us for the actions and deeds in our life.  With this realization I ask “who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge in this world today?”