PSALM 15
A psalm of David.
Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?

Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

Those who refuse to gossip

or harm their neighbors

or speak evil of their friends.

Those who despise flagrant sinners,

and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,

and keep their promises even when it hurts.

Those who lend money without charging interest,

and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.

Such people will stand firm forever.

I’m with Him
You might have seen it on commercials or a TV show, or possible even experienced it yourself. There is a long line outside of a club with a huge bouncer at the door checking people’s names against his list. A certain individual walks up, passing the entire line, gives his name and is allowed to enter the club. Someone else in line quickly jumps behind the man who just entered and tells the bouncer, “I’m with him.” The bouncer laughs and sends the man to the back of the line.

The Psalmist wonders in his writing today who can enter the “club” of God. Who can live in the presence of the Lord? Only those whose walk is blameless and who do what is right, who speak no evil, harm no one and keep their word.

Based on David’s description I’m out. The bouncer will reject my feeble attempt with a laugh that sends me to the back of the line. David would have been outside in line too based on his own merits. But David writes like one who has gained entrance into the sanctuary of God.

On my own, I would never be able to enter God’s holy place, yet I am not alone. I am with Jesus. When Jesus steps up to the bouncer at God’s sanctuary he is admitted, but he turns to the bouncer and tells him, “Dan is with me.” I gain access by the blood of Jesus Christ. Do I live a blameless life and always do right? NO! Do I stand covered by the blood of Christ? YES! 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins he [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Thank you Lord for claiming me as a person who is with you so I can gain access to the sanctuary of God. Through you alone do I stand blameless and righteous. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness today. - Dan Jones

It’s all about relationships
Roadside bombs have made life hell for US troops in Iraq. In fact, until recently, they have accounted for the greatest number of deaths and injuries in that war. I think David has hit on the issue that gets God the angriest and, except for Jesus’ sacrificial death in our place, causes God to turn away from us. God feels most deeply about people who become roadside bombs that wound, maim, and destroy people.

God feels so strongly about people who harm others in the pursuit of self interests that he would just as soon they not even bother pretending to worship him. Too many have sung words of worship then turned their mouths into IEDs (improvised explosive devices). Too many have invested money and personal energy in creating places of worship but turned those same skills and resources into IEDs that maim the dignity of others.

Mouths and money are powerful devices for good and ill. With them we manipulate or free people, guilt trip or affirm, destroy integrity or build reputation. Sadly, even the most sincere Christian is incapable of using them for good all the time! It only takes one explosion to bring lasting harm.

Holy God, I too get angriest with those who bring harm to others. But I must confess, I am one of them. As hard as I try to always use my mouth and money for good, I know I can be an IED! Forgive me. Send your Spirit to heal those I harm and to continue the process of purifying my life. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 14
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!

The Lord looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not a single one!

Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.
The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the Lord will protect his people.

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When the Lord restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

It is good to be back in the office and online again after a few refreshing days away. Thanks to Mike for carrying on without me.
Fearless fools
I can remember when I was a child trying to outsmart my parents so I could get away with doing something they did not want me to do. We have all done it. We made arrangements with a friend to have them say we were at their house and then went somewhere else, or something like that. Our hope was that by covering our tracks we would avoid punishment.

We tried to cover our tracks because we knew there was a real person in the seat of authority that would bring down the strong arm of the law when they discovered our disobedience.

David looks out over humanity and even from his vantage point sees hordes of people blatantly doing evil with no fear of retribution. These people do not believe there is a God who looks down from heaven with power to judge. So they disregard His Word, and do what they want with no attempt to cover their tracks. In fact they are proud of their disobedience.

The fool is easily found in American culture. Driven by secular humanists who have embraced relativism and pluralism while disregarding absolute truth and the reality of God, Americans flaunt their sins with arrogance. The fools say in their hearts there is no God.

While it is easy to point the finger at secular society, I wonder how many times we who call ourselves Christians act as if God is not real. Do I proclaim God is real but live at times as if God is impotent? Do I accept his actuality while denying his capacity for action?

God who exists and acts in reality help me to not only confess your attributes but live in light of your reality each day. I do not want to be a fool that denies your existence by either my actions or words. I desire that all I do today would glorify your name. - Dan Jones

Confession
What I know and what I feel are often at odds. For example, I know Psalms are poetry and cannot be read the same way one reads instructions like those found in Leviticus or Galatians. I cannot take poetry literally without abusing God’s choice to use poetic language to reveal his truth. In this case David’s words, “All have become corrupt” and “No one does good” are certainly poetic hyperbole.

And I know that David speaks about foreign leaders who, are not atheists but who worship a variety of false gods and attack Israel intending to oppress God’s people for their own gain.

Still I resonate with David’s charge against his enemies, “…all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” I am fully devoted to David’s God as he revealed himself in Jesus. But I am also one who is increasingly in tune with my own heart. I want absolutely no hint of turning away from God to haunt my heart. This is my commitment. But when I examine my thoughts and attitudes, I am (to borrow from Robert Robinson) “prone to wander from the God I love.”

And I have to confess the corruption of all my words and deeds. As much good as I am committed to accomplishing with both, there are always unintended consequences and unhealthy responses and reactions that infect the good I would do or speak. Pure goodness is my prayer and goal, but for now, I am very much a mixed bag.

Thank you for being a God of grace who provided a way out of just condemnation through Jesus! Still, forgive me when my words and deeds bring hurt and harm. And take me further into purity. By your grace, cleanse my heart and set aside my life for increasing good. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 13
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, f

or he has been good to me.

Perception is reality
It shouldn’t be. And it isn’t. Still, judging by my words and deeds, I believe what I see and understand to be the way life really is. David did. When the battle went against him and defeat loomed; when circumstances turned dire and his emotions turned dour, then God had obviously forgotten him.

I know how David felt. Searching for a new job has been a bumpy ride. I knew it was time to leave where I’d served God for nine years. But, judging by what I see and feel, God has left me on my own to find that next place. The deadline looms ever larger! And the cost of living grows with it. Family obligations resist shrinking. Some days it feels – it appears – as if God has forgotten me.

But I also know how God must have felt when David blurted out his accusation against God based on his own perceptions. Others have drawn conclusions about me based, not on authentic understanding of my actions or motives, but based on their perceptions of my actions and motives. Inevitably they react and talk to others based on the “obvious reality” of their perceptions rather than the truth.

How dare I accuse the ever-present, perfectly good, and all-wise God of abandoning me! Or acting in a way that cannot be justified!

So what am I, or anyone, to do? Pray with honesty and a faith that takes us beyond our perceptions.

Faithful Father, you are always involved in every aspect of my life. While I cannot always see this and certainly don’t feel it, with David, I will move beyond my perceptions and trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice in the future I will experience in your care. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 12
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.
Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!

The faithful have vanished from the earth!

Neighbors lie to each other,

speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.

May the Lord cut off their flattering lips

and silence their boastful tongues.

They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.

Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”

The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,

and I have heard the groans of the poor.

Now I will rise up to rescue them,

as they have longed for me to do.”

The Lord’s promises are pure,

like silver refined in a furnace,

purified seven times over.

Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,

preserving them forever from this lying generation,

even though the wicked strut about,

and evil is praised throughout the land.

Have no fear! Underdog is here.
I grew up celebrating the heroic and humorous feats of Underdog; that unassuming, clumsy, and silly sounding little canine who shined shoes for a living. For reasons I don’t fully understand, I’ve always been attracted to unlikely heroes. Perhaps that’s why I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan! Last year I celebrated when the Giants won the Super Bowl. Why? They were the underdogs!

Maybe exhilaration at underdog victory is more common than I am aware. And maybe this exhilaration has something to do with God’s likeness imbedded deep inside us all, despite its sin-twisted nature. God himself holds a special place in his heart, not for top dogs, but for underdogs – the helpless, the poor, the oppressed.

These underdogs are unpleasantly different from sports underdogs. They never win. In fact, many wouldn’t consider them underdogs at all, just losers. And nobody likes losers, those underdogs who never ever win against the odds. These people remain shoe shine boys. For them, neither phone booth nor a “super energy vitamin pill” exists.

I have a heart for these loser underdogs. I get frustrated with those who lay the complete (or majority of the) blame at the feet of the poor for their own poverty, the oppressed for their own weakness, and the helpless for their lack of chutzpah. The underdog life is far more complicated than such clichéd responses admit.

Still, I know that my heart for the underdog is not fully conformed to God’s heart. Neither am I satisfied with how I translate his love for them into personal or corporate action. It seems that my missions giving and occasional donations to charities that serve the poor fall far short of God’s repeated reminders of the central place this group of people hold in his heart.

God of the shoe shiners, again I place my heart in your potter hands for another session of shaping and reshaping. And I put my mind there too, so I can think more in line with you and possess your wisdom. I want to be as pure as your promises. - Mike Leamon

(Dan will return in a day or so. We both enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday yesterday!)

PSALM 11
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
I trust in the Lord for protection.

So why do you say to me, “

Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!

The wicked are stringing their bows

and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.

They shoot from the shadows

at those whose hearts are right.

The foundations of law and order have collapsed.

What can the righteous do?”

But the Lord is in his holy Temple;

the Lord still rules from heaven.

He watches everyone closely,

examining every person on earth.

The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.

He hates those who love violence.

He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked,

punishing them with scorching winds.

For the righteous Lord loves justice.

The virtuous will see his face.

Camped among us
I’ve known it for a long time, at some level, but its reality became significant to me only in recent years. When David speaks about the temple he refers to a tent, not the magnificent structure he planned his son, Solomon, built in Jerusalem.

So when David speaks about confidence in the mighty God who dwells among the ancient Israelites, he points to a rather flimsy structure rather than a massive stone edifice. The surrounding nations boasted mighty structures reflecting the greatness of their gods and goddesses. But the Almighty happily camped on earth in a tent. Some source of inspiration!

Much later the Apostle John spoke about God tenting among us (John 1:14), not in the massive Temple edifice an embarrissed king had wanted God to allow them to build (2 Samuel 7:1-17), but in the rather feeble body of a man who would hang on a cross. Then Saints Peter and Paul would insist that God’s earthly dwelling place consisted of all those who gave allegiance to that ridiculed man.

As if to highlight the frightening vulnerability of this living temple, reading through the New Testament, the first place this idea shows up is in 1 Corinthians! Surely there never existed a more difficult and less inspiring group of Jesus followers than these.

I don’t think David fully understood the radical notion he stumbled over every time he looked to the Temple/tent as a symbol of God’s almighty presence. I know I don’t.

Not only does God present himself in ways that humans do not expect, or respect, but he exercises his sovereign might in ways that completely puzzle. David anticipates God raining down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked. And God does. Only the recipient of that judgment is his righteous Son. Strange justice. Even stranger exhibition of power.

So I must ask myself when I feel threatened by the obvious might of wicked forces, “will I trust what seems mighty to me, mountains and massive temples? Or will I trust a God whose majesty and strength come to me in ways I perceive as weak, unimpressive, even unstable?”

God of heaven’s majesty and a tent’s vulnerability, with the same resolve as David, I will run to you when evil threatens me and mine. Even when you seem flimsy in the face of evil’s power, I will run to the tent that is Jesus and his spiritual body, the Church, and expect to find you there – fully capable to offer ultimate protection. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 10
O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.
Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
For they brag about their evil desires;
they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

The wicked are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.
Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They sneer at all their enemies.
They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!”

Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.
Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
They lurk in ambush in the villages,
waiting to murder innocent people.
They are always searching for helpless victims.
Like lions crouched in hiding,
they wait to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture the helpless
and drag them away in nets.
Their helpless victims are crushed;
they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!
He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

Arise, O Lord!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Do not ignore the helpless!
Why do the wicked get away with despising God?
They think, “God will never call us to account.”
But you see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
You defend the orphans.

Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
Go after them until the last one is destroyed.
The Lord is king forever and ever!
The godless nations will vanish from the land.
Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.
You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Rescue them
We often get upset when trouble comes our way and God does not quickly alleviate it. We wonder why God would allow us to go through something so terrible. Doesn’t God care about our struggles? When other people go through troubles we may offer a prayer for strength but we seldom voice the type of prayer David prays in Psalm 10.

You have to really be upset about something to shout out to God, “Arise O God.” It is almost as if you are trying to wake God up. Our theology tells us God sees and knows everything. It is easy to say when someone else is being crushed, harder to say when we are in the crushing grip of evil.

David knows and confesses something akin to this at the end of the Psalm. He knows God will bring justice and proclaims that, but he is not sure when that will happen. In the meantime, he pleads the case of the oppressed. I am challenged today by the fact David prays this prayer for other people. When we in America pray Psalm 10 for ourselves, much of the time we are just whining to God. David cares for and identifies with the oppressed in their situation. He realizes he is not immune from their suffering just because he is not presently suffering. True Christianity joins in the prayer for the oppressed especially when we are in a position of being blessed.

God who holds the world in your hand, I am anxious for your righteous justice to be displayed against those who persecute your people and crush the helpless. As I wait to see your deliverance for my brothers and sisters in bondage I ask you to give me strength to fight against oppression in my community, nation and even in the world. I am willing for you to use me as part of your solution to injustice. - Dan Jones

Clawing my way up
The upwardly mobile have always used the weak and powerless. The modern world practices the same ancient value. The stronger nation consumes the weaker, the corporate giant their vulnerable competitor, the majority the minority. These are not faceless entities. Groupings of the powerful and weak consist of persons leading, managing, and following.

It would be nice if the forces of power could be placed on the shoulders of key people in leadership – a ruthless politician or army general, a greedy corporate executive, a terrorist leader hiding in Pakistani caves. Indeed these are lions crouched and waiting to attack their prey. They are those whose arms I’d pray God would break so they could no longer reach out and hurt the ordinary citizen trying to move along, the company worker trying to make a living, or the minority person trying to muster a sense of worth.

But alas I am part of the forces of power more than I’d like to admit. And I am probably more culpable than I can fully understand. I may not be the leader of power (and that person surely is the focus of the psalmists prayer) but I am participator in power. I am a citizen of the most powerful nation on earth. I am a member of several majorities in my country and community. I enjoy the fruit of the world’s most powerful corporations.

I’d like to believe that all this power is always exercised for good and with justice for the orphaned and oppressed. But I know the corrupting influence of power! And I suspect that if I pray for God to break the arm of injustice in the power centers of the world, it will end up affecting me and demanding changes, perhaps radical, in my own life.

God of justice and mercy, I ask you to set in motion those processes that will fulfill the hope of the world’s oppressed, even if that means uncomfortable changes in my life. May those in key places of unjust power be fully converted to you and change their ways. Make that true of me also. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 9:11-20
Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.

Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.

For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.

He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

Lord, have mercy on me.

See how my enemies torment me.

Snatch me back from the jaws of death.

Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,

so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.

Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.

The Lord is known for his justice.

The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

Quiet Interlude

The wicked will go down to the grave.

This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.

But the needy will not be ignored forever;

the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

Arise, O Lord!

Do not let mere mortals defy you!

Judge the nations!

Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.

Let the nations know they are merely human.

What goes around, comes around
One of the heights of illogic our culture has successfully reached is the belief in absolute mathematics while rejecting absolute morality. From international relations and the world economy to medicine and construction, the world literally runs on mathematical formulae. Everyone assumes their reliability.

Whether we accept it or not, moral realities are as dependable. David reflects one of them in this Psalm. Our way of expressing this reality determined my title. David’s way of expressing it was “The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.” Jesus expressed it, “You will reap what you sow.”

Interestingly, there is likely a mathematical formula that reflects this moral reality! The hero of the movie “A Beautiful Mind” devised just such a formula to predict the most successful way to ask persons out for a date. How can this be, the intimate link between mathematics and social morality; a common and absolute base for action?

One could take the faith position that it randomly happened this way. Or one could also embrace the faith that declares such precise and accurate reality points to a Creator. David took faith further and declared that this Creator Lord reigns from Jerusalem. The Mind behind everything is the God that revealed himself through the Hebrew people.

Truth be told, the concept of a rational God who operates intentionally and by design, was a radical departure from every ancient religious idea! And more truth to tell, the entire foundation of mathematics rests on this religious concept!

God of mathematics and morality, I’m joining David to worship you! While I do not often understand you, I thank you for creating a world where both mathematics and morality operate with dependable consistency. I recommit myself to sow the good I would reap. - Mike Leamon

Know who you are
Psychology reminds us good mental health begins with accepting who you are as a person. I recently finished reading a book entitled; The Emotionally Healthy Church where the author describes what emotional health looks like in church leadership as well as the church. Emotionally healthy churches emerge out of healthy leadership in churches. I cannot find emotional health without first coming to grips and accepting who I am with all my flawed characteristics as well as the good ones.

David was not a psychologist, they did not exist in his day, but he understood how emotional health came about. It begins by understanding who we are and who God is. “Let the nations know they are merely human.” Easy to say, tough to do for us as individuals as well as our nation.

So what does it mean to know we are merely human? First it means we submit to God’s truth about life and death. Understanding who we are in light of who God is defines who really contains truth. Secondly, it means living out a life in submission to this truth each day. Daily recognizing my life is not my own, I belong to another who knows what is best for me better than I do.

God of infinite wisdom and power, you are God and I am not. Help me to live this day in that understanding, submitting to your plan and will for my life over my own desires knowing your plan for my life is better than mine. - Dan Jones

PSALM 9:1-10
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.”
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
My enemies retreated;
they staggered and died when you appeared.
For you have judged in my favor;
from your throne you have judged with fairness.
You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have erased their names forever.
The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.
But the LORD reigns forever,
executing judgment from his throne.
He will judge the world with justice
and rule the nations with fairness.
The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.

Notes and words
We normally do not pay any attention the notes at the beginning of the Psalms. The words often give short statements about the tune the Psalm was sung with or a brief note about the setting and authorship. While some of these notes give us a context in which to view the Psalm most of them offer extraneous information we cannot fully appreciate.

Today’s Psalm appears that way at first glance. “For the director of music to the tune of The death of a Son.” A Psalm of David. We do not have the sheet music for the Psalms, but I can’t imagine the music for The death of a Son was lively and fast. I would imagine more clarinet wailing and somber oboes than cymbals and big brass.

David was certainly aware of how a song composed to honor and remember a son who died should go. He had lost more than one son; the child born from his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, Absalom, Amnon, all sons of David who died. But if we look at Psalm 9 it is full of praise to God for His justice and righteousness. The music may have been melancholy but the words are uplifting.

God is just like that, turning our mourning into dancing joy, exchanging our grief for his blessing. What an amazing God we serve. The God who takes a sin wrecked life and transforms it into something beautiful and life-giving. We serve the God who in our worst nightmare can bring us to a place of celebrating His faithfulness. I’m glad we have the musical notes for this Psalm; they bring a whole new understanding to the richness of God’s love.

Heavenly Father, I exalt you for you are faithful even in the toughest situations. I long to be so intimate in my relationship with you that even the darkest of days is flooded by your goodness and grace bringing a song of praise to my lips. I love you. - Dan Jones

Justice
Judging fairly is difficult. I’m a parent. And we parents know the challenge of making fair decisions for our kids. Inevitably the accusation, “Unfair!” gets leveled at even the best parent. I manage employees and volunteers. Leaders who combine integrity with a keen self awareness wrestle with making just judgment calls.

If only we had God’s abilities! Perfect knowledge. All wise. Knower of past and future. Perfect love. Then we could always, without fail, make fair decisions.
Even then, others would accuse us of injustice unless they too had the same abilities and could fully understand the decisions.

David struggled to understand God. Some days he cried out in dismay at God’s seeming injustice. Today he praises God’s perfect justice. Yet, in both praise and lament, this poet affirms God’s rule, God’s justice, and God’s goodness.

Eternal God, I will praise you with all my heart whether or not I understand you. Even when injustice seems to reign in the world, I will still declare the truth of your just rule. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 8
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.
O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Starting with Praise
How we begin our day often sets the tone for the rest of the day. This is especially true on the days we know we have some tough situations to deal with. Monday is typically a tough day for me. I often still feel drained from Sunday services and any issues or grievances I was made aware of on Sunday need to be dealt with on Monday.

When I read Psalm 8 this morning I was not thinking of praising God. I was slightly depressed, tired, and feeling like there is more I need to do today than I will ever have time to fit in. Why couldn’t it be Psalm 5 or 6 this morning? Praising God is easy when I am energized on Sunday morning with the congregation standing in praise beside me. On Monday morning alone in my office it becomes a sacrifice of praise.

God in His wisdom knows I need to praise Him today! He knows Psalm 8 is exactly what I need. Psalm 8 reminds me of God’s majesty, power, control over all the earth, and His blessings to me on this day. It pushes me beyond my schedule for the day to considering the works of God’s hands. At this point my spirit begins to rise above the stress and experiences the invigorating power of praising God. God is great even on Monday morning.

Thank you Lord for Psalm 8 on this Monday morning. O Lord, my Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You are great and awesome and I want to worship you today. - Dan Jones

A high risk God
Giving away power always involves risk. Creating humans just a smidge beneath himself and then giving them the freedom to use that power against him, that’s high risk. You might say God rolled the dice and us and it came up all sixes!

He placed the planet under our authority and we have filled it with disease and death. We have abused the planet itself and the creatures that roam it. We continue to meet out gross injustice; our morality has remained trapped in dark ages while our technology has catapulted us light years ahead of our ability to manage it.

How could David look out on his world, as full of disease as death as ours, thanks to the humanity his era produced, and declare that the majestic name of God fills the earth?

He could, and so can we, because dotting the corrupt landscape, if you look through eyes of faith, you will find children dancing. They most often dance in their own skin. But every once and a while you’ll find a child dancing with adult skin on.

Least powerful, most vulnerable, and nearly always dismissed, small children bring into the world an openness to those qualities that infuse the world with the majesty of God; faith, hope, and love. And some grown ups break through to experience these child-like qualities. When they do, the kingdom of God comes a little closer to the everyday world. And the majesty of God evidences itself a little more in this human ruled place.

Too often the majesty of God gets tarnished by grown ups acting, not child-like, but childish. They throw tantrums, act selfishly, and fight with the only difference being the scale of the devastation they wreck.

Trusting that we would embrace child-likeness and reject childishness, this is the risk God took in making us just a smidgen lower than himself.

Amazing God, I am reminded today of the power and potential you have given me to either bring your kingdom closer, and make your majesty clearer or to drive it further away and dull any remnants of your majestic creation. Help me to put away childish things and embrace child-like faith, hope, and love. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 7:10-17
God is my shield,

saving those whose hearts are true and right.

God is an honest judge.

He is angry with the wicked every day.
If a person does not repent,

God will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows.

The wicked conceive evil;

they are pregnant with trouble

and give birth to lies.

They dig a deep pit to trap others,

then fall into it themselves.

The trouble they make for others backfires on them.

The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

I will thank the Lord because he is just;

I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

An ugly pregnancy
The sight of a pregnant woman is wonderful - the mystery of life developing right before our eyes. But, then, I’m a guy and don’t have to carry the little bugger for 9 months!

Sadly, some mothers (and fathers) bestow children on the world who grow to become men and women who add the adversity of the world; who cause the planet to exist in a constant state turmoil. “Pregnant with trouble,” some place in the world gives birth to new rounds of death and destruction every day.

God did answer David’s prayer and arise with fury against such troublemakers. He did it in a strange fashion, though. He sharpened his sword against evil men and women and thrust it into his innocent Son. He answered evil decisively by refusing to be a shield of protection for himself. Allowing the evil ones to hang him on a Roman cross, he broke their power and stranglehold on the world.

A strange answer to an ugly pregnancy. Anger taken out on his Son. Deadly weapons forged for evil people, unleashed against an innocent man. Such is God’s ultimate plan to destroy evil. He aborts it by absorbing the brunt of it into himself.

Strange God, whose ways are weird, forbid that I would add to the evil waiting to burst out in my part of the world. I want to be made righteous by you. Prevent me from making any decision that would feed the flames of hell. May my life, lived in you, be a song that pierces evil with the death blow of love. - Mike Leamon

Let Justice flow
Justice is a strong word. We look for justice against our enemies when we are wronged. Recently in Rochester NY a social worker was killed by two teens. One teen pled out and received 20 years for armed robbery in exchange for his testimony against the other teen in the murder case. The second teen was found not guilty of the murder but guilty of the robbery. The judge gave him 25 years but the community was outraged. Where was the justice for the social worker and his family?

In many of our churches we speak strongly about the grace of God and thankfully so. At times it might be good for us to speak of God’s justice. Not so much in an attempt to vindicate ourselves and scare others straight but as a reminder of how God deals with sin. Sin cannot be tolerated in the presence of God. Where there is sin, punishment will be meted out.

We cannot understand the fullness of grace apart from the justice of God. Were God crooked, or willing to overlook even the slightest of sins, grace would be cheapened. Yet how often do we sin so that grace may abound? Paul abhorred such whimsical attitudes towards the grace of God. Look at the stories of God’s justice being delivered in the OT and you will discover a newfound appreciation for the grace we live in through Jesus Christ. Praise God He is just which makes His grace so rich and free.

Jesus, I want to give you thanks for taking my penalty on yourself in the cross. Thank you for taking the wrath of God in my place ensuring God’s justice was met but sparing me the sentence of death I deserve. You are a wonderful Savior and I cannot thank you enough. - Dan Jones

PSALM 7:1-9
A psalm of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.
I come to you for protection, O LORD my God.
Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,
tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

O LORD my God, if I have done wrong
or am guilty of injustice,
if I have betrayed a friend
or plundered my enemy without cause,
then let my enemies capture me.
Let them trample me into the ground
and drag my honor in the dust.
Interlude

Arise, O LORD, in anger!
Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
Gather the nations before you.
Rule over them from on high.
The LORD judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O LORD,
for I am innocent, O Most High!
End the evil of those who are wicked,
and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart,
O righteous God.

Courageous Conscious
David was certainly no Wizard of Oz lion; no, David had the courage of the real King of the Jungle. He stands before God asking for God to search his heart and see if there is anything wicked and then act accordingly. What courage, what faith, what intimacy with God David displays.

To ask God to act accordingly to what is in our heart is to ask for death apart from the saving and sanctifying grace of God. Jeremiah notes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?” Romans declares the wages of sin is death. There is no getting around it; David is taking a big risk in openly challenging God to search his life.

David is no fool though. He knows God searches the heart automatically, but his heart is committed to God. Has David messed up in life? Yes, and royally! But he has also found forgiveness and restoration through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. David can courageously stand before God because God is David’s closest relationship.

How magnificent to know we can have such an intimate relationship with God we can say, search me and know my inmost thoughts, my very heart, and have no fear. David had this confidence, because he walked with God. We can have a relationship like this as well.

God, I want you to search my heart and life like you did David’s, but I am not as sure as David that what you find will be all good. As you search my life, I ask for forgiveness where I have sinned and grace to live a life pleasing to you in every detail. Thank you for your cleansing touch in my life. - Dan Jones

PSALM 6
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.

O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage.

Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

I am sick at heart.

How long, O Lord, until you restore me?

Return, O Lord, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

For the dead do not remember you.

Who can praise you from the grave?

I am worn out from sobbing.

All night I flood my bed with weeping,

drenching it with my tears.

My vision is blurred by grief;

my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

Go away, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord will answer my prayer.

May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.

May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Risky Transparency
Thank God for an emotional king who dared put his depression to pen! On this occasion his depression is so dark that his body aches while his heart breaks. He knows his life is about over. Doom and gloom envelop David with so thick a shroud that it seems endless.

I’ve been to this place. And because God’s Spirit inspired this great, though flawed, leader to record his visits to this pit, I have never been there alone. In fact, I imagine David to have whispered several truths to me as we sat down there together.

He’s told me to count on visiting this place from time to time, but that life is much more than the pits. From David I’m learning (for many of us it’s a life-long process!) not to define life by the dark days, but the brilliant ones.

This king has also insisted that, just because people like us get dragged into this pit, does not mean that God has not called us to lead his people. Effective leaders come in all shapes and sizes, including emotional varieties.

This man after God’s heart reminded me that God looks at our hearts not the chemistry and DNA that predisposes some of us to such lows. (No, David didn’t know the science that influences human emotions, but he knew the reality beneath the specific scientific facts.) God isn’t looking for happy people. He’s looking for those who love him with their heart, soul, mind, and strength, whether they are up or down on any given day.

God of Love, thank you for seeking authenticity in me rather than some show of emotional strength. Again today, I give you my whole heart. I offer my body (and its chemistry). I consecrate my life to you. Up or down, I am yours – always. - Mike Leamon

Saved by His love
Often when I am feeling down and depressed I begin to fall into the “woe is me” mentality. At times this becomes so overwhelming I can even start to cry at the desperate situation I find myself in. Sometimes life is actually as hard as I think it is, often it is not. Regardless of how real my depression is, I soon begin to think I should be rescued from my situation because I am worth rescuing.

I have something better to contribute to society, to others, to the church than what my current situation will allow me to contribute. Save me God because it is not fair, and I want to serve you better. How can I serve God to my fullest potential when I am sick, afflicted, depressed, despised, abused, or anything else less than the ideal for my life?

Save me God because I deserve to be saved. I have served you faithfully and I don’t deserve this affliction. This type of thinking is absolutely wrong. None of us deserve saving. God in his unfailing love saves us because of his mercy, because of his love, not because we deserve anything. The Psalmist was afflicted and depressed but he recognizes deliverance is solely prompted by God’s unfailing love.

When we find ourselves in the middle of tough times remember we deserve nothing less. But thanks be to God for his unfailing love reaching down and picking us up.

God of unfailing love, I rest in the realization of your love for me regardless of how bitter life becomes. I long for your embrace and depend upon your mercy to see me through the tough times in life. - Dan Jones

PSALM 5
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.

O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.

Because of your unfailing love,
I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.

My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.
O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.

Morning Prayers
Today I start my day like I do every Tuesday, praying with an accountability partner for an hour. Getting up to pray at 6 in the morning is not what I want to do until we start to pray. Getting to the point of prayer is hard. I would much rather stay in bed, especially when the weather is cold and it is still dark outside. (It is easier to get up now that it is light out at 6:00.) When we start to pray, my struggle to be there evaporates like dew on a hot day. In its place is a cloud of love and blessing from the Lord.

David must have had days where it was hard to go and pray at the tabernacle. Once there, however, his prayer to God is filled with joy and expectancy. Even his worries and enemies pale in comparison to the presence of God. His cares float away on the wings of prayer and are replaced with peace, joy, and love.

It sounds too simple for us logical and methodological people. We need 10 easy steps, a 15 chapter book, three point sermons and email devotionals. None of these are bad, but if they ever replace our morning time of prayer with God we have slipped onto the path of religion and off the path of relationship. Jesus tells us to come to God like little children or we will miss the Kingdom of Heaven. We don’t need to start our day with theological proofs; we need to start our day with God. Spending time in his presence, listening with expectancy to hear God’s voice is the best way to begin every day.

Jesus, early in the morning my prayer shall rise to you. In the morning I will seek you and listen to your voice as I wait in expectation for your answer to my prayers. Thank you for meeting me this morning, I look forward to the rest of our conversation today. - Dan Jones

A beautiful grace
If politics in a democracy is a “full contact sport,” as one of this year’s presidential candidates indicated, then politics in an autocracy is a blood sport. David penned Psalm 3 while his son Absalom staged a bloody coup. But many other enemies conspired against David before and after this bloodletting.

I imagine that living among people who insert themselves into my networks of relationships with agendas to take advantage of me would leave me feeling a lot like David. Even if they were not out to do me in, but instead tried to suck everything they could out of the relationship, climb over me to get ahead, and use me to advance their self promoting agenda, this would prompt my prayer, “Get me out of here!” and “Give them a taste of their own medicine!”

In those times when I’m on the receiving end of abuse, I feel completely innocent. Like David, I go to God to plead my case, a godly man before a holy God. Because I love him without boundaries and am passionate about serving him with all my heart, I run to him to defend me. And God receives me!

God receives me not because I am as innocent as I think I am. I’m not. The Son of David, Jesus Christ, has come and pulled back the curtain of my own sinfulness even further than during David’s lifetime. I lie, not when I invite a friend to meeting when really it’s a surprise birthday party, but when I use deceptive words in everyday communication that seem to say one thing but really mean another. I lie when I habitually refuse to let my “yes be yes, and my no, no!”

And I murder when I allow anger to fester and then spill into an angry torrent of words. Jesus insisted on these truths in the Sermon on the Mount. Alas, I am nowhere near as innocent as I feel when others lay their traps for me, use, or abuse me.

But thanks be to God, he still hears me and welcomes me into his presence. I tell him how much he detests liars and murders, all the while such things lurk in the deep recesses of my own heart. But he doesn’t dismiss me. Instead, he saves the conviction of sin I need for another day, and offers me the protection and strength I need for today.

God of Grace and Truth, thank you for not answering the prayers I pray in ignorance, but, instead, offering the good things I need. Though I am never as innocent as I feel when others attack me, you never turn away the heart that has turned toward you. - Mike Leamon

PSALM 4
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
Answer me when I call to you,

O God who declares me innocent.

Free me from my troubles.

Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people ruin my reputation?

How long will you make groundless accusations?

How long will you continue your lies?

Interlude

You can be sure of this:

The Lord set apart the godly for himself.

The Lord will answer when I call to him.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.

Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Interlude

Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,

and trust the Lord.

Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”

Let your face smile on us, Lord.

You have given me greater joy

than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Guarding Peace
As I read Psalm 4 I cannot help but think of the words Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When I think of guards, peace is not the first thing that comes to mind. I think of big burley guys with tattoos and guns standing guard outside of a building. Security cameras, laser tripped alarms, locked doors, vaults, and impenetrable buildings describe things that are guarded in our society.

How wonderfully opposite is the Biblical definition of safety. In place of paranoia and suspicion of everyone, there is peace and safety, freedom and openness. God protects so we can sleep in peace, not with all the doors locked, but in the open field, out under the stars. How awesome to experience the blessing the peace from God. Only God can give this kind of protection to us.

Jesus gives peace to his disciples, not the world’s peace but his peace. Why would we go after anything else in life? There is nothing that will center us, relax us, calm us or protect us better than the peace of God. The peace of Christ be with you today.

God of peace and protection, I depend on you for my safety and security. Hold my hand when I am afraid and hem me in when I start to wander after the world’s mirage of peace. Your peace alone is where I find contentment. Thank you Lord for such an indescribable blessing. - Dan Jones

Self talk that becomes God talk
Was David talking to himself in the heart of this Psalm? Was he reminding himself, in the middle of slander and rejection, to make sure he didn’t let bitterness take root in his spirit?

Anger is like a powerful weather system that blows in over night, and stalls, leaving me stuck in suffocating heat. I am justified in my feelings! I feel betrayed and hurt, especially because I see myself as innocent and undeserving of such treatment. But clinging to my justified emotions, I am the one who stalls the suffocating heat in my own soul.

I feed this destructive soul weather by letting my tongue lash out with unwise and angry words. I feed it when, in the weariness of the moment, I react and set into motion a course of events born in anger.

Like David, my words need to be directed to God not others. My ultimate battle resides in the spirit world; my spirit wrestling with the sovereign Spirit. To him I must vent my anger. From him I must seek redress. In him I must trust. Now that's self talk that become God talk!

A spiritual anchor in God, physical rest, humble and open spirited worship, these must be my responses when others hurt me and stir anger in my spirit. These are the only reactions that prevent the oppressive heat of anger to stall indefinitely over my soul.

God of all weather patterns, and of all people – those who treat me well and those who treat me poorly – I will trust in you when anger blows into my spirit. I will speak my peace to you. I will rest my body. I will worship you with in humility and openness. – Mike Leamon

PSALM 3
A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.

O Lord, I have so many enemies;

so many are against me.

So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!”

Interlude

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;

you are my glory,

the one who holds my head high.

I cried out to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy mountain.

Interlude

I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the Lord was watching over me.

I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God!

Slap all my enemies in the face!

Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

Victory comes from you, O Lord.

May you bless your people.

My worst enemy comes from within
“It’s me O Lord, standin’ in the need of prayer!” It's me I unknowingly ask you to slap around! I am my own worst enemy. And many of the other enemies in my life result from my own poor choices.

Samuel tells Absalom’s story in chapters 13 to 20 of his first book. This handsome and cunning prince murdered his half brother, Amnon, because King David had not brought him to justice after raping Absalom’s sister, Tamar. Unlike his response to the rape, David leaps into action over the murder, and Absalom flees. Later, because of his affection for this favored son, David allows him to return to the palace, but refuses to see him for two years.

Get the picture? This is one dysfunctional family! David’s paternal incompetence paved the way for Absalom’s rebellion. Just because people love God profoundly, like David did, doesn’t guarantee their effectiveness in other areas of life. And just because God welcomed and praised David, as a “man after my own heart,” does not mean God approved of David’s incompetent parenting.

As critical, just because David masterfully, if unwittingly, set the stage himself for this rebellion, God still cared about him and welcomed David’s psalm.

I can be just as clueless as David. I love God passionately. But learning competent parenting, marriage skills, qualities of lasting friendship, and relational keys in God’s family – these things take a lifetime of learning. These demand humbling confession, submission to God’s discipline, and trust in God’s continuing care for and patience with a man who is his own worst enemy.

Thank God he ignores my request to knock out my enemy's teeth without ignoring me!

God, I’m grateful that you are you. Only you have the wisdom and patience for we enemies of ourselves. And only you possess the ability to transform us by your unconditional and perfect love. I worship you today! - Mike Leamon

Lifted heads
Despair, depression, despondency all creep into our lives stealing our joy and robbing us of energy. Our enemy the devil knows simple discouragement is enough to keep us from Kingdom work. When we are walking in the strength of the Lord, Satan’s direct attacks do not deter us, so he plants silent thoughts to try and lure us away from God’s strength to thinking we can do life on our own.

When these thoughts begin to take root in our mind we begin to doubt the sufficiency of God to provide for us and protect us. We even begin to question why God would use us. Instead of looking through the eyes of faith and the grace of God, we see ourselves only as broken. Our head begins to droop and soon we are retreating from service, spending time with God in his word, and even prayer. We are listening to the wrong voice.

Instead, the Psalmist boldly declares God is the lifter of our heads. On our own, we are nothing, but in Christ we are the workmanship of God. God never makes junk. As Christ’s workmanship we are valued, loved, and ready for service in the Kingdom of God. God wants to lift our heads, to focus our attention, not on the ground beneath us, but on His face. Like Peter walking on the water, when we look at the waves, we sink; when our head is held up and we look at Jesus we walk on water.

Jesus, I ask for forgiveness for listening to the voice of discouragement and looking at the waves instead of focusing on your face. Lift my head today so my eyes are centered on you and your glory. - Dan Jones

PSALM 2
Why are the nations so angry?

Why do they waste their time with futile plans?

The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the Lord and against his anointed one.

“Let us break their chains,” they cry,

“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.

For the Lord declares,

“I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem,

on my holy mountain.”
The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.

Today I have become your Father.

Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the whole earth as your possession.

You will break them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.’”
Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

Serve the Lord with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed

in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant.

But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

When God laughs
Frustration creeps up on you quickly and consumes your mind. Once I get frustrated I am irritable, I find it hard to work, and I quickly start lashing out at people who have done nothing but show up in my life that day. I get most frustrated when I have worked hard at planning things and events disintegrate my plans into rubble.

When people work so hard to try and run life on their own, thinking they are something great it must make God laugh. How futile are our attempts to control life. Even those who have the power of armies and money behind them are swept away at the slightest illness, or accident. We do not have control.

I am reminded again of how little control I have in life. God is in control and we are not and that is a good thing. The final words of Psalm 2 are wonderful. Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Praise God we are not in control for our vision is so limited. I am glad God laughs at those who think they have ultimate authority and blesses those who walk in humbleness.

Living out humbleness, submission, and letting go of control does not come easy for me. Through the power of God I know it is possible and have experienced the joy of taking refuge in God.

Sovereign Lord over all the earth, I submit to your kingship in my life and I humble myself before you now. I desire to be broken by your Word instead of your iron rod. - Dan Jones

Reverse Rage
Of course the kingdoms rage! Human political institutions reflect those who create them; a people intent on defining good and evil for themselves and governing others based of these definitions. Independence is our human cry, self rule our determination. We want no other ruler, especially from theocratic centers such as Jerusalem.

But alas, our rebellion against the ultimate authority of God over every aspect of life will finally end when the new, heavenly Jerusalem, not the old middle-eastern one, rules the planet. The Old Testament kings in David’s line prepared the way for the ultimate ruler, King Jesus, to rule the world. And there is nothing anyone can do about that ultimate reality.

So why do so many Christians rage, especially in my country, the USA? We have read the last book of the Bible and, if we are convinced of its truthfulness, know that Jesus will ultimately rule. We read prophetic psalms like this one whose promises to the kings of Jerusalem get taken over and redefined by Jesus. We pray “Your kingdom come.”

But then we rage every time we perceive setbacks to Christians in our culture. We become threatened when others attack Christianity in sundry media outlets. We react with counter attacks rather than with the confidence of a people who are rooted in the realities of this Psalm.

We do not need to counter-rage! I do not need to feel threatened! I and my fellow citizens of God’s world-wide kingdom can pro-actively live, love, and proclaim the Good News of Jesus.

Confident in the ultimate outcome, I need not feel obligate to cajole, coerce, or manipulate the dominance of Christian ideals. The King is already ruling. His Kingdom is expanding. He will be the only One left standing in the end.

So my task is neither defending nor expanding the rule of Christ but simply to invite more and more people to give their allegiance to the one whose reign is only challenged with futile plans.

King Jesus, I’ll refuse becoming defensive about my Christianity and resist the temptation to use any other force to spread this Truth than the power of invitation. - Mike Leamon