Psalm 97:7

All who worship images are put to shame,
Those who boast in idols-
Worship Him, all you gods!

Let us not think that idolatry is dead. Our society is entrenched in idol worship! Idol worship is elevating anything in creation above the Creator. Perhaps the most widely worshipped idol in America is sex and pornography. We worship images of creation instead of the Creator. More money is spent on the porn industry in the US than on the NFL, NBA, and MLB put together. Pornographic movies gross ten times the amount of all mainstream Hollywood movies! It is an epidemic that is reaching radical proportions. We are called to worship God! Instead we worship the desires of our bodies and fulfill them in perverted ways. Soon God will put our country to shame. He will put us as individuals to shame. We will be judged for our sins and our idol worship. Let us rise above what is the social norm, to what God calls us to be: set apart for His glory, lifting up His name above all other names.

Becoming Lord of the Rings

About six months ago, Angela and I watched all three of the 'Lord of the Rings' movies. While watching I was deeply moved. It became so apparent to me that the ring was a symbol of an addiction to sin in my life.


The reason we sin is because we want to.

The reason Gollum let the ring destroy him is because he wouldn't let it go.


We may feel guilty after acting against the character of God and realize our falleness - but the ring soon calls out to us again. It haunts us until we think that whatever is on the other side is worth a peek. This is especially true with addictions and behavioral vices: alchohol, sex, food, abuse, pornography, drugs, hate, etc.


We all have our own battles - you have yours and I have mine. But God has called us all to be Frodo's. He has given us the role of ring-bearers, traveling through treacherous and desolate lands until we reach the heart of Mordor. It is a land deep within the enemy's territory where we must break the chains of sin. We all must throw the ring into Mount Doom.


I decided that I needed to be reminded everyday to do the right thing; to not turn to false idols and addictions. So I bought myself a ring and a simple beaded necklace. Ever since we watched those movies, I have worn it around my neck as a symbol that I will not compromise my beliefs and my purity. Jesus said, "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27) I must carry my cross until the day of final redemption, when Jesus will throw the ring into Mount Doom, and I will sin no more.

Until then I am on this journey. But I can't go it alone - I need a Sam. You remember him? Throughout the story Frodo has a co-adventurer who is his closest friend and a rock when he needs one. Frodo couldn't do it without Sam; many times he almost fell into the rings temptation but Sam was there to grab him and focus him on his mission: destroy the ring.

We are all on this journey. And we all need a Sam.

Psalm 89:15

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
Who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.

We all have those days when we just don’t want to get out of bed. We don’t want to face the challenges the day faces. Or perhaps we feel guilty over our sin and we struggle to see hope. We are downcast. Many times when we feel this, the last thing we think of doing is worshipping the Lord. Our default is rarely letting out shouts of joy to Jesus. We are lucky if we turn to God at all.
Our society is constantly pushing the idea of independence. It is up to us to be strong and solve our own problems. I feel this especially as a man. Men are not the one to be pictured in the counselor’s office, letting it all out. One way that some are inclined to react is self-disgust – this results in cutting and other self-inflicting and self-medicating actions.

What the Bible says is completely opposite. Not only are we to come to God; we are to come to Him with praises. We are to acclaim His name. Even in the darkness of our life, we are instructed to walk in the light of Jesus’ presence. As I said, this is not our default; however, the Psalmist recognized this and noted that this is a learned process. Have you learned to praise God in the storm? In the monotony of everyday life? Have you turned your face to Him in the midst of shame? Blessed are those who do.

Psalm 62:11-12a

One thing God has spoken,
Two things have I heard:
That You, O God, are strong,
And that You, O God, are loving.

I am constantly faced with the question: is God a righteous judge of wrath or is He a loving, merciful king. As finite beings we cannot fully comprehend how Jesus can be both. It is the question itself that is flawed, however. David here addresses the issue using the idea of both/and rather than either/or. God is entirely holy, or set apart. He is entirely one with Himself – there is no contention within Him. I am soon to be a father to my first child, my first son. I imagine that punishing him will sometimes be hard because I love him so much, but I know that I have to teach him that actions have consequences. Jesus does the same thing except that there is no question in His heart if He is being a good parent. There is oneness in God. The way we describe His attributes is exactly that – the way we describe His attributes. Truly, God is not merely loving, God is love. God is not merely strong, God is strength. All of His attributes flow out of each other and are in fact one attribute that is probably best described as holy. Holy is the most used adjective of God in the Bible – it is His favorite way to describe Himself. Holiness is God’s set apartedness, it is what makes Him unique beyond our comprehension. When we try to explain Him we are conflicted – but Jesus’ character is not. One thing God has spoken, two things have we heard.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
According to Your unfailing love;
According to Your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions.
Cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Do you ever feel like your sin is always before you? Blocking the road to righteousness in Christ? Blocking the road to joy and freedom? I certainly have. In fact, if I’m honest, this is what I struggle with most as a follower of Jesus. I am a sinner, continually. Just when I think my sin is dealt with and I could never look back, I am reminded that my sin is always before me. And what’s hard is picking myself back up and following Jesus, knowing that I am ill-deserving of His grace. But it is not over. God is unfailing love. God is great compassion. He will wash me whiter than snow. I am humbled by this grace.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence
Or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

David writes this Psalm after he has just committed adultery with Bathsheba. He is broken. He is confused. He is full of guilt. But he has hope. He asks God for a steadfast spirit. The key after sin is not to wallow in it or turn our face from God- but rather, to look Him full in the face, recognizing our absolute depravity and His absolute grace. This bring joy. This brings a willing spirit. This sustains us: when we pick up the scriptures right after we sin; when we pray for a pure heart right after we sin. Don’t wait – time brings ignorance, action brings renewal.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.

No matter what we have done, if we come to God with a contrite heart, He will not despise. He will give grace. Notice how David didn’t wait until he could gather his finest lamb to sacrifice to God. He didn’t wait until he could go to the temple. All he did was come to God with a broken spirit. Will we come to God in our brokenness?

Psalm 44

In God we make our boast all day long,
And we will praise Your name forever;
But now you have rejected us and humbled us;
You no longer go out with our armies.
You made us retreat before the enemy,
And our adversaries have plundered us.
You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
And have scattered us among the nations.

Sometimes the Lord takes away. Sometimes we just don’t have enough money to pay the bills. Sometimes the ones we love scorn us. Sometimes we are given up to be devoured like sheep. Why would a loving God do this? Had David some secret sin when he wrote this Psalm, causing God’s wrath to come upon him?

All this happened to us,
Though we had not forgotten You, or been false to Your covenant.
Our hearts had not turned back;
Our feet had not strayed from Your path.
But You crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals
And covered us over with deep darkness.

Do you feel that you have been wronged by God at some point in your life, or even right now? Are you being covered by deep darkness, wondering why God hasn’t protected you? These are the things David is going through, and we read that he had been faithful to God and had not strayed. So why did God do this? Was he being unfair? The truth is that if God were solely fair and just, He never would have cast us out of the Garden of Eden. He would have let us rot and die forever in our sin, departing from us forever. He would have never pursued us. But He is also Love; and just as a father doesn’t always give his son what he wants, he gives him understanding through the darkness – not out of spite but out of love. David is brought low, that he might not forget his place under God’s feet. He finishes up the Psalm:

We are brought down to the dust;
Our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up and help us;
Redeem us because of your unfailing love.

Psalm 5:3

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.”

How did you start your day this morning? It is nothing new to say that we are of a busy-bodied society. You and I are prone to complain that there are not enough hours in a day to get all of our “vitally important” tasks done. We need to step away from this and be people who are Spirit-led throughout the day, stopping at times when it seems least beneficial and talking to the Creator.

This needs to be a regular task – and I use the word task purposefully. Let us not make of Jesus just another check on our to-do list, but we certainly need to show Him that He is Lord of all, and sometimes that means scheduling in time for prayer. And guess what – He hears our voice. He is not like the arrogant boss at work who only hears what he wants to hear. He is not like the kids who must have everything repeated three times for them to hear it. No, He is the loving Father, waiting patiently for His sons and daughters to speak to Him – and He listens.

He doesn’t always answer right away – most the time He doesn’t. But did you ever consider this is because he wants us to be focused on him throughout our day? He wants us to be of good faith, waiting for that reply. This “expectation” as David writes in this Psalm, causes us to look to God. Isn’t that what God wants above all? And maybe, just maybe when we do that, He will grant us our requests for He is pleased in our response to our own requests. Yes, I believe God looks for our response to our own requests before He responds. How does that change the way you pray?

This time of quietude and seeking out Jesus, presenting Him with our concerns does not have to be in the morning – but doesn’t that give us the best opportunity to seek Him in expectation the rest of the day? Ask Jesus for a calming work environment. Ask Jesus for wisdom in teaching your kids. Ask Jesus to help you manage your time. Ask and wait in eager expectation. What are you asking Jesus for? What does your response to your request look like?