Psalm 39:1-13

Perspective is vital to being able to live in a way that pleases the Lord.  We all view life from our own perspective, but what many of us fail to realize is that our perspective is skewed.  Things are really not as they seem to us.  If we want to please God with our lives we must strive to gain His perspective on our lives, the circumstances we face and the reality of our sin.  We must understand who we are in light of who He is.  We all have a tendency to be self-absorbed and egotistical but we must fight that perspective and set our hearts upon the Lord.  One of our most common prayers should be for the Lord to grant us the ability to live our lives in light of His perspective.  This is not easy nor is it natural so we must depend on Him and cry out to His so that we might be enlightened by Him.

WE MUST PERCEIVE THE FUTILITY OF MAN: We may have the best of intentions and the greatest determination but our reality is that we are very week.  David speaks of his determination to keep silent so that he would not sin with his speech, but when his troubles became great his vow of silence was broken and he began to complain and worry about his circumstances.  This failure to keep silent before the Lord was brought about because he lacked the correct perspective on the brevity of life.  He cries out to the Lord like we must cry out to the Lord in hopes that we can recognize that no matter what circumstances we face; our days are like a vapor or a shadow that passes quickly.  When we start to think that our short stay upon the earth is the culmination of our lives we are vulnerable to the temptations we face.  If we can gain God’s perspective on our lives we will be able to stand up against the trials of live because we know that they are here today and gone tomorrow.   


WE MUST PERCEIVE THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD: Our only hope is in the Lord.  He is faithful and will always do what is right.  He is the only one who is able to deliver us from our sin and forgive us of our sin.  God is also faithful to discipline us when we sin so that we might gain His perspective.  We may work very hard to gain possessions that seem very important to us, but God strips those things away from us like a moth that ruins our clothing because He wants us to know that our material goods are of little or no value.  God’s discipline may seem severe but in truth it is necessary so that we can live in a way that is pleasing to Him and see our lives from His perspective.  He wants us to recognize that we are but gusts on the earth and that our time here will soon be past.  Our greatest desire should be to be at peace with God when we pass from this life to the real life that awaits us in an eternity with Him.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more