What does the lost man's life look like?

Psalm 119:25-32 Second Read...

Meditating on these verses and being in Las Vegas is ironic.

119:26 "I have told of my ways"...
> We need to get honest with ourselves and place all our desires, thoughts, intentions, goals, etc. before God. For the sole purpose that He reveal who we actually are to us.
> At the same time we must ask Him to "Teach us His ways"(119:26b) with the desire to respond to what we He teaches us...(119:27)

119:28 "My soul weeps because of grief".
>This is what is supposed to happen when our ways are placed before our eyes. This is the proper response! Ironically I'm in a place (Las Vegas) that if these people had there hearts placed before there eyes it should scare them to death... what's truly frightening is they aren't even looking and they'll fight you if you try to tell them; look at you like you're stupid make fun of you and walk away getting set deeper in there sin.

119:29 "Remove the false way from me"
> This should be our desire each morning as we start our day. Psalm 19:12-14 really develops this..."acquit me of hidden faults, keep me from presumptuous (deliberate) sin, let sin not rule over me... my desire is to be blameless before You, let my words and my meditations be acceptable in Thy sight...O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

119:29b "Graciously grant me Thy law"
> This is a request for a standard. A "Plum Line"; accountability from God. "You lay down your ways, and God lays down His ways. Clear black and white...no gray's... nothing but absolute truth!

119:30 "I have chosen the faithful way, I have placed Thine ordinances before me"
> This is nothing but an act of Grace on a man's heart. We wouldn't even be looking had He not first drawn us. Praise Him!

119:31 "I cleave to Thy testimonies"... do not put me to shame, O Lord"
> When you see your ways in sin... it should scare you to death. This is a white knuckle grip on Him, desperate for Him because He is truly your only hope.

119:32 " I shall run the way of Thy commandments"
> This isn't something to just make a part time hobby out of. Run with all your might... for He will enlarge your heart = The more you chase after Him and run from self the more He fills you.

What a God we serve...
-scott

Psalm 119:25-32 First Read...

What a week to begin Psalm 119:25-32! I'm traveling this week to Las Vegas for a business convention. God is so good to me, so gracious... I've been able to spend 4 hours straight in the word! I'm sitting on the plane right now writing this "offline" to later place the text into the blog and my heart is just aching for Him. I long to see Him more today than I ever have. I have a renewed desire to protect my eyes, my mind, my thoughts, my desires for Him. To love my wife more than I ever have and to stand in awe of what he is doing in the lives of my kids. I can't help but wonder if this renewed strength is just to get me through the trip safely and without the stain of sin. I sense this often when I travel... more aware of Him... more fear of hurting Him and losing the fellowship of His presence. I really desire to see sin the way He does... to hate it more and to know how to expose it and minister to those trapped in it. Sin is in the hearts of the people sitting on this plane... not in the location that they "indulge their desires in". They only call Vegas "Sin City" because what is in a wicked heart is truly brought out in the open, but truthfully that can be said about any town in America today.

On to Psalm 119:25-32... After reading it several times I can tell there is a lot here!! I'll start at the end and work backwards:

- That God will enlarge my heart (vs 32)
- That He will Remove the false way from me (vs. 29)

These verses jumped out the most to me in my first read. In 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 the main thing that hinders someone from truly hearing and learning and growing are there "affection's". The "False Way's" within them. (119:29) The appetites and desires for anything other than God... simply "idols" (2 Timothy 3:2-5). We have so much sin in our nature and so many idols before our eyes that we blindly chase after the wrong things and think we are OK. What we need is a huge appetite for God and a heart that has the capacity to hear and see Him.

To obtain this we need to be brought to dust (spiritually - 119:25,28) and revived according to His word - spending the rest of our life removing the "False way's from us" and choosing His way's over our own (119:30-31); Holding on to His testimonies and truth...meditating on Him and allowing Him to enlarge our heart for more of Him. (119:27,31-32) Does this sound like a road you are on?

119:5 Oh that my ways may be established to keep Thy statutes!

Remember... it's all about the heart and the direction it casts its desires.
-scott

My Concern for Youth...

Two types of people may be reading this blog. One is the 9th grade Sunday School class I've designed it for.  The other is parents, adults, & just general christians that are into the blog world.

These posts may sound pretty heavy for 9th graders.  Some youth may be thinking it's 'a little much'. Others may be thinking 'I'll never have the time to actually do this stuff'... and to some it sounds out and out boring.  Wherever your opinion may fall - here's my concern which comes from being a "Youth group kid" myself a 'few' years ago.

The only expectation on kids today is "Let them be kids".  They focus on grades, homework, football practice, and dating.  The main concern seems to be fitting in, blending in, and getting on to the freedoms and experiences of College. Most parents today are caught up in work, busy schedules with "football practices", and simply keeping things going. Usually God falls between the cracks... "Where are the parents!!!"

The teen throws God in on Sunday and maybe Wednesday, but often forgets He even exists during the week. The teen mind is quite full Monday through Saturday. School has become a breeding ground for what is said in 2 Timothy 3 - "Lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.." Sadly this is a description of most American youth. And the main question is 'where are the parents'? Go to the local mall on a Friday/Saturday night and you'll ask what ever happened to dad? How could these girls be allowed out of a house dressed the way they are?  How could these boys be allowed to act the way they do? The most important things in a teens life are style, the latest technology, and relationships. The teens life could be summed up like this: School, practice, homework, dinner, Cell phone, bed. In between these things are added T.V. , Internet, texting, more cell phone, and ipod.  Life is centered around self and then comes college which is exciting because it's more of the same with no parental control at all. A time when you can just indulge the flesh and somewhat get away with it.  Of course there are a few teens that break the mold, but sadly it's only a few.  Often this verse can be applied to the "Youth group teen": Titus 1:16 - They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." 

My desire is to first seek the Lord diligently myself.  How can I open my mouth if I'm not first doing it myself?  We don't need to try to convince these kids to believe what we believe; we need to take them by the hand and introduce them to the God we know!  They need to see Christ in us first before they hear us talk about Him.  They need to see us organize our day around His word and set our priorities around His will.  They need to see us choose Him above anything else.  They need to see us loving our wives the way Christ loved the church.  They need to be challenged to make the right decisions and not fall into the worlds mold. They need to present there bodies to Christ, a living and holy sacrifice... they don't need to be conformed to the world, but they need to be transformed by renewing there minds.  

Psalm 119 is all about this!  Both for dad and the local Teen. We need to really look at what is considered difficult here... 

Oh that my son would "keep his way pure" and "treasure God with all his heart"... that "God would open his eyes that he may see wonderful things from God's word". " May his soul be crushed with longing after God"... and may I lead the way.  Doesn't this make dad the ultimate youth pastor?

-scott

Psalm 119:17-24 Fourth Read...

In the New American Standard version of the Bible (my favorite) verse 119:17 says: "Deal bountifully with Thy servant, That I may live and keep Thy word".

The main words to focus on are:  Deal bountifully, servant, live, keep, and lets not forget "Thy".

Many sermons could be preached from these words or any one of them actually, but look at 'deal bountifully'.  It means (greek lexicon) to become ripe, to make ripe, to accomplish. "Bring fruit to be fully ripe and ready.  

Davids cry was for God to mature him; to fully develop him... Why?

So that he would be a completed servant... Why?

So that he may live... What is considered mature living?

Living to keep God's word... This is real life... This is why He created us; 'to keep His words'. 

Ask yourself these questions: "Am I truly seeking Him?"  -  "Do I really care what He has to say?"  -  "Is the goal of my life to keep His word each day?"  -  "Do I want Him to mature me to be a better servant of His?"  - Search your heart and seek Him!

-scott