Category Archives: Devotional

Psalm 111: God’s Provision

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Ps 111:6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

Psalm 111 is a beautiful praise to God, the holy one for all that he has done and given us and for all that he is ending with To him belongs eternal praise.  Among this short list of his wonders to us is verse 6.  Clearly a reference to the way in which God gave the promised land to the Israelites.   But it was not supposed to be about land rather it was supposed to be about the Israelites being a audio-visual to the world.

 

It is not hard for me to see how God has done this in my life.  For instance, I was hired to be a Imaging Product Manager at Dell in 2002 – a position that required an MBA (when I had no college at all) and had several qualified people already in the organization that had applied.  How does that happen?  I like to think it was my enthusiasm and understanding of certain job hiring practices, etc. but the reality is that it had God all over it – even in the way that I noticed the job was available and the timing of that.  It is clearly an example of God giving me the position of others.

 

But it wasn’t simply to have that position – it was to become God’s audio-visual to the Dell S&P group.  Some of that happened to be sure.  God blessed me to see many people impacted by His use of me in that group but like the Israelites, I did commingle with my neighbors in some ways that minimized my witness and I didn’t give God all the glory and I didn’t fear him and take as seriously as I should have the work he had given me there.

 

Heavenly Father, I do praise your awesome work in my life and in the world – I praise you for all your wonders and mostly for your great love.  Help me to be an instrument that effectively broadcasts the story of your glory.   Give me the lands of others – but not their positions – rather the lands of their hearts – give them to me for you, Father.  Help me to boldly enter enemy-occupied territory and route out the enemy and establish your son, Jesus as the Lord of many hearts.  And Father, keep me pure and clean so that I will be an attractive vessel for you to use.

 

To You, Lord, belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 111: God's Provision

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Ps 111:6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

Psalm 111 is a beautiful praise to God, the holy one for all that he has done and given us and for all that he is ending with To him belongs eternal praise.  Among this short list of his wonders to us is verse 6.  Clearly a reference to the way in which God gave the promised land to the Israelites.   But it was not supposed to be about land rather it was supposed to be about the Israelites being a audio-visual to the world.

 

It is not hard for me to see how God has done this in my life.  For instance, I was hired to be a Imaging Product Manager at Dell in 2002 – a position that required an MBA (when I had no college at all) and had several qualified people already in the organization that had applied.  How does that happen?  I like to think it was my enthusiasm and understanding of certain job hiring practices, etc. but the reality is that it had God all over it – even in the way that I noticed the job was available and the timing of that.  It is clearly an example of God giving me the position of others.

 

But it wasn’t simply to have that position – it was to become God’s audio-visual to the Dell S&P group.  Some of that happened to be sure.  God blessed me to see many people impacted by His use of me in that group but like the Israelites, I did commingle with my neighbors in some ways that minimized my witness and I didn’t give God all the glory and I didn’t fear him and take as seriously as I should have the work he had given me there.

 

Heavenly Father, I do praise your awesome work in my life and in the world – I praise you for all your wonders and mostly for your great love.  Help me to be an instrument that effectively broadcasts the story of your glory.   Give me the lands of others – but not their positions – rather the lands of their hearts – give them to me for you, Father.  Help me to boldly enter enemy-occupied territory and route out the enemy and establish your son, Jesus as the Lord of many hearts.  And Father, keep me pure and clean so that I will be an attractive vessel for you to use.

 

To You, Lord, belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 110: Now Rule! – 1/19/2008

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Ps 110:2 – You were forged a strong scepter by God of Zion; now rule, though surrounded by enemies!

Clearly, this passage talks about Jesus prophetically though David was applying it to himself as well.   In the sense of God establishing Jesus in Israel – he then says Now Rule even though you are surrounded by enemies.   It doesn’t matter that Satan is not yet thrashed and destroyed.  It doesn’t matter that Israel and the world did not receive him.  God says NOW rule. He is to NOW rule that through many sufferings he will LATER obtain glory.

 

In fact, the ruling is for the purpose of continually taking out the enemies – to stand against them with his very life.  David was given this reality too.  Some say David was given this psalm after he had brought home the ark of the covenant but before he had his wars with neighboring idolatrous nations.

 

But clearly, as Christians – those whose very life is now Christ – those who are no longer themselves but are Christ in us and as us: is this not a strong statement to us.

 

You, Todd (Christ in and as Todd) were forged a strong scepter by God of Zion (of Christ) – NOW RULE, though surrounded by enemies!

 

I think we mostly live in limited faith – waiting for Christ to do something miraculous around us. But He has and he expects us to NOW RULE.  Sometimes we do try but we do it in our own strength. 

 

God, thank you for revealing Christ in me and giving me a fresh revelation of that reality today.  You have forged the strong scepter of Christ in me – use me to now rule – even though surrounded by enemies.  I confess that I have often not ruled because I calculated odds that I could not win – but you do not say go and you will win (at least not every battle) – you say NOW RULE – regardless of the fact that you are surrounded by enemies and the outcome is uncertain.  You are asking me to have faith in you who formed Christ in me more that that which is in front of me – the impossible enemies – you are saying trust that nothing is impossible because Christ is formed in me.   Forgive me for waiting for comfort and ease when you have told me that you have already forged me and I should NOW RULE.

 

Praise be the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 109: Transparent to the Lord

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…but I am a man of prayer.  Psalm 109:4b

This prayer of David is amazingly perplexing.  In it, he pleads with God against an enemy and his pleading is disturbingly merciless juxtaposed against the mercy and favor he asks of God.   He directly asks God to judge his enemy including his family, past, present and future with extreme prejudice.  It is hard to believe this is coming from David.  If he were a Christian in our prayer group praying this way, I daresay most would take him aside and counsel him that this was most unbecoming.

 

A few days ago, I made a professional mistake.  I made a casual off-hand remark to my manager about some actions that some senior management at my work were making and she rebuked me for it later.

 

She did this in love because she knows that this type of remark would be career limiting.  As we dialoged about it, I proposed several ideas to justify this event – such as me knowing her less formally so I wasn’t putting on the face I would with others and that we were talking privately – not publicly.  Also, that I was not being precise in my language – I was frustrated by a situation and just expressing that.

 

But in thinking about it later, it wasn’t that simple.  The reality is that this is a habit with me.   It is unreasonable to think that others could translate my inner most fears and ramblings.  It is a lack of faith to blurt my fears out in such a way.  A man of prayer could trust these to God instead and that is what David is doing here.  He knows God is just enough and wise enough so David can take his raw complaint there instead of raging in public like a fool.  Lord, teach me to bring these thoughts before you.