Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24)

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-1)

My sweetie got home yesterday after a trip to Findlay (Alan thought his daddy was in Finland.) He had a good trip, made two presentations, one of which was very well-received, and that gave him an understandable boost. Who doesn’t like to be recognized for hard work, and a job well done? The trick is not allowing that to degenerate into prideful egotism. So how do we let go of that desire for encouragement, affirmation and attention (and I admit, mine is pretty strong) in favor of humble submission to God?

1. Revere God. The verses in Jeremiah outline what we should get excited about- our great God who demonstrates His lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. I know the Lord, and He reveals Himself to me, wants to be known.
2. Examine my motives. Why am I doing this? Is it to show off my wisdom, or talent? (I don’t have much might.) Is it to get rich? (I’m laughing. I may be naïve, but I do know enough about the publishing industry, to know this is not the ticket to vast wealth.) My heart’s desire is to show how practical, how vast in scope God’s word is.
3. Cleanse myself. Technically, I can’t cleanse myself, but I can be diligent about asking for forgiveness and cleansing from God. His Word is key to becoming conformed to the image of Christ.

Another time we’ll look at sanctified, useful and prepared…

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In yesterday’s post, I mentioned I got sidetracked in the dictionary while I was studying Psalm 23. Here are the reasons I study with a dictionary:1. The definitions for familiar words are often broader and deeper than I’m aware of.
Example: Psalm 119:2 says ‘Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!’
I read ‘keep’ and my first thought was ‘obey’, but there is more to it. Webster’s gives additional meanings and synonyms. Keep- hold, treasure, safeguard, obey, observe.
Then there’s seek. Seek – look for, search out, uncover, study, consider, take counsel.

2. It adds a fresh dimension when studying well-known passages.
Example: Psalm 23. Yesterday I looked at ‘want’ and ‘anointing’. Looking at those seemingly familiar words keeps me focused on the passage and removes the temptation to glaze over.

3. I am a Word-nerd. Jon’s Sunday school class is studying spiritual gifts and one of the traits of a teacher is a fascination with what God’s word says- the breadth, the depth, the detail, and the TRUTH. It pegged me. I get excited about little [boring] things like the description of the tabernacle. It’s not just knowledge for the sake of knowledge. I want you to see how well God’s Word works in our lives. I want you to help you see how to apply it. That’s why I like squeezing as much out of each passage as I can.

My characters often go through a process of discovery with God’s Word and a few of them study ‘my’ way. Bobbi does for sure. She was my first main character, so she is more like me than any of the others. She’s not afraid to question God, argue with Him, and admit when she doesn’t want to follow His guidelines. God honors the heart that seeks Him, though, even in fiction. He gives the answers we need, and the strength to let go of the questions He chooses not to answer.

My Bible study group is working through Kay Arthur’s study of Psalms, Praising God through Prayer and Worship, and this week we hit Psalm 23.

Psalm 23 has been commented on maybe more than any other passage, and there is much comfort to be found in the promises of provision and protection. A shepherd is a person, but I looked at “shepherd” more as a verb, to guide.

First, a detour- I got side-tracked in the dictionary… I shall not want. The shades of meaning for want are significant. I shall not be needy or destitute. I shall not feel “need” or even have “need”. I shall not have an independent desire to come and go or be. I shall not have a strong desire for anything else. I shall not put my energy into hunting something with the intention of apprehending it. If the Lord IS my Shepherd, then I don’t want anyone or anything else. He is the source and supplier for everything. In Him there is contentment, rest and peace. To walk away from Him is to trade away those things for cheap, illusory copies.)

 So where does He shepherd me?

Green pastures – abundant, easy-to-obtain nourishment. He will lead Me through His Word to feast on the riches of His Truth.

Still waters- Sheep won’t drink running water. He understands my frailties, and graciously works through those.

Restores my soul- He so desires a relationship with me that He will shepherd me through the tough process of repentance and restoration, so that nothing stands between us.

The valley of the shadow of death- First off, it’s a shadow. While it’s the size and shape of death, it’s only a shadow. He’s with me. He’s still leading.

The presence of mine enemies- To prepare the table, He had to get there first, before me. No matter what the enemies have in mind, the Shepherd is one step ahead.

Anointing- Healing, favor, selection, identification, consecration, commissioning… Anointing was used to show all these things.

None of these places is a one time stop-over. We revisit them as often as needed according to the Shepherd’s assessment, timing and purposes. The ultimate destination is the house of the Lord – He will finish the job, and will safely bring us into His eternal presence and glory.

 The sheep is not responsible for figuring all this out, for trying to solve all these problems. The Shepherd, who led the sheep there, is the One responsible. He is Shepherding. Am I “sheeping”? I was not made to be a free-agent, but to glorify God through obedience.

Happy Friday! It is warm finally. My son starts Little League practice Saturday. It must be Spring! I hope to pack up the winter clothes this weekend at last.

Reading The Giver (I gave a quick synopsis in yesterday’s post), soon after the boy begins training, he is frustrated by the lack of choice in his community. He wants to be able to decide. He quickly concedes that there is a danger in that. If people can choose, they might make the wrong choice.

Beginning with Adam, God trusted man with the ability to choose, knowing the risk it presented. [I am NOT going to get into Calvinism and irresistible grace.] God gets glory when we choose to love and serve Him. That means we understand that He is worthy. It’s a step toward revering Him the way He deserves. It also reflects His character- He loves us because He chooses to.