Do Not Harden Your Hearts

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts (Heb 3:7-8)

This verse in Hebrews is quoted from Psalm 95 which I have read in my pilgrimage through the Psalms .  I have thought a lot in recent weeks about what it means to have a hard heart. 

1. I have no desire to read God's word or pray (starts here).
2. I lack a love for people.
3. I lack contentment.
4. I have no inner peace and joy.
5. I commit willful sins.
6. My mind wanders during worship.
7. I lose my temper frequently (and not righteously).
8. My tongue is sharpened.
9. etc, etc.

You can harden your own heart.  Over 600,000 of the Israelites fell in the desert because they had hard hearts.  Psalm 95:10 says their hearts went astray.  Funny, but I almost always certainly know when my heart goes astray.  What draws me back is the fact that I hate staying very long in the hard heart penalty box.  God greatly desires a relationship with me and will do anything to bring me back into that right relationship.  That includes struggles and disciplines.  The ticket out of the hard heart penalty box is time with him in prayer, bible study, and worship.  

Bubble Wrap

One of the things you never outgrow is bubble wrap.  You could receive the greatest gift in the world and if you see bubble wrap in there, it trumps the gift every time.  Is it the noise?  Is it the stress reliever?  Is it the arm twisting to get your exercise?  All of the above?  Too bad the stuff is probably the worst as far as being bio-degradable.  Someone should invent green bubble wrap.

Good to Thank and Praise

It is good to give thanks to the Lord

and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning

And your faithulness by night

Psalm 92:1-2

I have heard this psalm before, but I never really noticed the order.  Thanks comes before praise.  Sometimes I am so blown away by God's goodness that I have to break out in praise.  How could it possibly be reversed?  I can't start in praise and then turn to thanks because praise always comes from thanksgiving.  I am not sure what I could praise God for if it didn't start in praise.  

The second is the declaration of lovingkindness starts in the morning and then ends at night.  I know some people say they don't do devotions until evening but I don't know how you don't start in the morning.  Our models such as Jesus always started first thing in the morning.  That sets the tone for the day.  I know when I blow past devotions in the morning, it usually is difficult to end the day right at night.  

Third is it starts in lovingkindness and ends with faithfulness.  God's love is the starting point.  Like thanks, we have nothing to offer so it is always God's love manifest in his gift of grace.  By the end of the day, faithfulness is evident because I have so hosed everything up that it becomes real clear how faithful God is.  Paul writes that "even when we are faithless, He remains faithful". 

Finally, notice the action verbs - we give thanks, we sing praise, we declare lovingkindness.  Our part is to make God known.  I know that when I am close to the Lord, these verbs have to spring out of overflow of gratitude.  I can't help but give thanks, sing praise, declare lovingkindness.  When my focus is not thanks, love, and faithfulness, it usually means the focus is me and I can't possible give, sing, and declare.  

Max and Sports

I have mentioned to a few people that I could write a whole blog just on my dog.  So here is another one.

Max is scared of sports.  It started years ago when as a frustrated, vocal Cleveland fan, I would be yelling at the TV.  It may have actually been a rare moment of success.  But if you were a dog, you wouldn't know the difference.  So Max was very scared and I found him in his house (his cage) literally trembling.  But now Max actually knows when sports is on the TV.  I could be watching sometime I really could be caring less about like curling (why Debsue loves this I don't know) and if he sees people moving around engaged in sports, he will sit up and literally stare at you.  Does your dog know what is on the channel?  If we express any emotion at all, he will plant his head on your lap.  Finally, if the yelling starts, he very slowly slinks back to the sanctity of his house safe from the rabid Cleveland sports fan.  Haven't seen a lot of trembling recently but just wait.  The playoffs are starting.

The Biggest Misquote in History

I know there have been a number of times where I have been misquoted.  Sometimes it is a matter where my words are taken out of context.  Context is everything - without the surrounding words, what we are trying to say can be misinterpreted.  Sometimes it is a matter of omission where missing words leave the remaining words to mean something completely different from what we meant.  Finally, it can be complete misuse of the words I said.  They take the same words and apply it to a completely different application.  Many times the party hearing my words means no misquote.  They simply heard me wrong or misunderstood.  It would be a completely different story if the party on the other end intentionally misused my words.  That happens occasionally.

The devil does this in Psalm 91:11-13.  Many know these words but may not see the whole context.  These words from the psalmist are quoted by the devil when Jesus was tempted in the desert in Matthew 4:5-6.  These are the only words in the bible that we see as a direct quote from the devil.  Jesus is tempted to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple.  The devil says "He will command his angels concerning you" and "On their hands, they will bear you up so that you will not strike your foot against a stone".  The devil leaves out a glaring omission that changes the whole context.  It is the simple words "in all your ways".  Seams like a minor omission.  But it changes the whole context of the quote.  If Jesus threw himself down to tempt God, it would be for the purpose of self-exaltation because Jesus already knew of why He was here.  Sometimes we use God's word in the same way.  We leave words out to accomplish our purposes, not God's.  The devil also omitted words of judgment.  The psalmist says the serpent will be trampled.  Guess who that is referring to?  Wonder why he left that one out.  The devil's judgment is pronounced.  The sentence has not been carried out.  The devil is still free to abuse an misquote but there comes a time when his abuse is over.

I am told that there are thousands of counterfeit currencies out there.  Bank tellers are not trained in all of the counterfeits.  They are trained in knowing the original so well the counterfeit stands out.  That is Jesus' response here as He identifies the omissions and context.  How well do you know the original?

My Shriveled Cleveland Sports Heart

Basketball playoffs have started.  I am not a big fan of the NBA, but I love to watch the Cavaliers play.  There is no doubt in my mind that Lebron James is the best player ever.  I saw a lot of Michael Jordan in his heyday, but Lebron does so many things well.  He is a better passer than Jordan by far and I think a better defender and rebounder.  This kid is truly amazing and he is from our backyard in Akron.  I very much hope he stays in Cleveland.  The Cavs as a team are also fun to watch as they play hard every night.  They are ready to take the prize, something we have not had in Cleveland since 1964. 

But I am from Cleveland and it seems like we are never over-optimistic.  I lived through "the drive", "the shot", Jose Mesa implosion, blowing a 3-1 series lead to Boston, etc.  Last year, we blew through everyone only to get snuffed by Orlando.  We hold back - we are from Cleveland.  Our pastor Joe Coffey calls it "our little shriveled Cleveland sports heart".  Some cities claim droughts - Cubs for example.  But no city has experienced a complete sports drought like Cleveland.  And it is not just the drought - it is the way we lose.  Heartbreak after heartbreak. 

But maybe this year is the year. 

Numbering Our Days

This past year, I turned 50.  That means likely half of my life is over.  Nearly two years ago, I had serious blood clots in my lungs that were potentially life threatening.  My stepfathers son died in a freak accident a few weeks ago while camping. He was in his thirties.  We don't know when our life on this earth will end.

Moses, the author of Psalm 90 compares the eternality of God to the brevity of man.  Likely Moses wrote this during the period covered in Numbers 20.  An entire generation had died and only Moses Miriam, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua were living.,  Moses had learned that he would not go into the promised land after sinning by striking the rock.  Then Aaron and Miriam die.  It is natural that Moses would reflect on life - how short it is even though he was an old man at the time.  Life is uncertain at best.  Moses understands that this world is spoiled by sin.  In verse 9, he says "all of our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan".

My reaction can be one of self pity. I see how my reaction should be in second half of the psalm.

1. Remember how precious each day is - v.12
2. Renew myself in God each morning and remember His goodness each day - v. 14
3. Be glad for spiritual discipline for it makes me stronger - v.15
4. Pass along your faith to the next generation - v. 16
5. Make each day count for God - v.17

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom (90:12)