The Phil Files

When your daily life impacts others, there is always a bit of fear that your mistakes, stumbles, sins, shortcomings, misjudgments, and failures will lead others down the wrong path or cause them to be discouraged or give them an excuse to give up. Jesus warned us about this — so did Paul, John, and James. We have seen this happen.

Right now I am keenly aware of several people I am trying to influence toward Jesus. I don’t want anything I do or say to be used by the evil one to keep them from Jesus. Am I worried about anything in particular? No! Is there some secret sin? No! But I am aware of Satan’s devious and conniving ways and I don’t want any of these precious ones to stumble because of me.

I will seek to be more vigilant in my efforts to honor the Lord and live a life of character and compassion, but I seek more than my intentions and strength in this battle for the souls of those precious to me! I want the Holy Spirit’s help and protection.

From my daily Bible reading yesterday comes this prayer that speaks to this concern, my concern, as I try to lead my family, my church, several new Christians, and several I want to come to Jesus:

O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don’t let those who trust in you stumble because of me, O Sovereign LORD Almighty. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel (Psalm 69:6-7 NLT).

None of us is perfect, but everyone we lead and seek to influence is precious. We trust God to bridge the gap with grace and mercy and power.

Okay, so my last several blogs have been focused on community and some of them have been a bit tough. So I promise to give you some funny and sweet things this week on the video front.

My only regret on the following video is that I didn’t send it out a week ago to all my buds to warn them of the dangers of blowing up Valentine’s week. Thanks to Jonathan Ross for this classic music video of warning for the guys among us. It’s called “The Don’t Song.”

So what’s your reaction to the song?

If you do not see the video on this page, then take a peak at the WorshipHouseMedia.com website!

Do not fret because of those who are evil
      or be envious of those who do wrong;
   for like the grass they will soon wither,
      like green plants they will soon die away.

   Trust in the LORD and do good;
      dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
   Take delight in the LORD
      and he will give you the desires of your heart.

   Commit your way to the LORD;
      trust in him and he will do this:
   He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
      your vindication like the noonday sun.
   Be still before the LORD
      and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
      when they carry out their wicked schemes.

   Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
      do not fret — it leads only to evil.
   For those who are evil will be destroyed,
      but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

   A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
      though you look for them, they will not be found.
   But the meek will inherit the land
      and enjoy peace and prosperity.

   The wicked plot against the righteous
      and gnash their teeth at them;
   but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he knows their day is coming.

   The wicked draw the sword
      and bend the bow
   to bring down the poor and needy,
      to slay those whose ways are upright.
   But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
      and their bows will be broken.

   Better the little that the righteous have
      than the wealth of many wicked;
   for the power of the wicked will be broken,
   but the LORD upholds the righteous.

   The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
      and their inheritance will endure forever.
   In times of disaster they will not wither;
      in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

   But the wicked will perish:
      Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
      they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
   The wicked borrow and do not repay,
      but the righteous give generously;
   those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
   but those he curses will be destroyed.

   The LORD makes firm the steps
      of those who delight in him;
   though they stumble, they will not fall,
   for the LORD upholds them with his hand.

   I was young and now I am old,
      yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
      or their children begging bread.
   They are always generous and lend freely;
      their children will be a blessing.

   Turn from evil and do good;
      then you will dwell in the land forever.
   For the LORD loves the just
      and will not forsake his faithful ones.
   Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
      the offspring of the wicked will perish.
   The righteous will inherit the land
      and dwell in it forever.

   The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
      and their tongues speak what is just.
   The law of their God is in their hearts;
      their feet do not slip.

   The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
      seeking their very lives;
   but the LORD will not leave them in their power
   or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

   Hope in the LORD
      and keep his way.
   He will exalt you to inherit the land;
      when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

   I have seen the wicked and ruthless
      flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
   but they soon passed away and were no more;
   though I looked for them, they could not be found.

   Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
      a future awaits those who seek peace.
   But all sinners will be destroyed;
      there will be no future for the wicked.

   The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
      he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
   The LORD helps them and delivers them;
      he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
      because they take refuge in him.

\o/ — Comments Psalm 37: Wait patiently for him! — \o/

Repeatedly this psalm reminds us that if our hearts are set on the way of the Lord, He will give us the desire of our hart. For the psalmist and the people of his day, this clearly had to do with regaining control of their la nd — notice how often he talks about inheriiting the land, a phrase Jesus puts in His beattitudes: The meek will inherit the earth.

The tough and vital ingredient for us in these amazing promises, however, ar found in the troubling words, “Wait patiently for him.” Like Isaiah’s incedible promises in 40:28-31. But again, the key is waiting on the Lord. Even though I am getting older, like the psalmist describes himself, I find waitng is not easier, but harder and getting things done for the Kingdom seem even more urgent. Waiting is hard! How about you?

Why not pray for each other’s patient endurance, our ability to be meek, to trust, to desire the things of God, and to … wait!

I have a message from God in my heart
      concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
   There is no fear of God
      before their eyes.

   In their own eyes they flatter themselves
      too much to detect or hate their sin.
   The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
      they have ceased to be wise and to do good.
   Even on their beds they plot evil;
      they commit themselves to a sinful course
      and do not reject what is wrong.

   Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
      your faithfulness to the skies.
   Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
      your justice like the great deep.
      You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
   How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
   They feast on the abundance of your house;
      you give them drink from your river of delights.
   For with you is the fountain of life;
      in your light we see light.

   Continue your love to those who know you,
      your righteousness to the upright in heart.
   May the foot of the proud not come against me,
      nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
   See how the evildoers lie fallen —
      thrown down, not able to rise!

\o/ — Comments Psalm 35: Continue your love to those who know you! — \o/

We could call this psalm the collision of two ways.

One way, the first way emphasized, is the way of the wicked. They continually do evil and plot to do more. Their way is wicked, vile, and arrogant. It is everything that God is not and love everything that God detests. The psalmist recognizes the truth about those who are wicked!

The other way, the way emphasized second, is the way of the LORD. Notice how God’s way is described: love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. Those who are the LORD’s people are blessed by these qualities of God and find delight in His presence — the light of God.

So what am I to make of this? How does this psalm intersect my life? I join the psalmist plea for God to be God. I also pledge to align my heart and my life with His character. Rather than being deceived by the temporary “success” of those who are evil, I remember the long faithfulness of God. Rather than being “co-opted” by the evil and deceptive shortcut ways of those who are false, I choose to trust that God will act in behalf of His people. I trust to see the defeat of the wicked even before the first steps of their defeat are visible, for I know that the LORD, and those who honor Him, will ultimately triumph.

Several days ago, I sat with a friend who was sick from a powerful chemo cocktail. This was the second round of this person’s battle with cancer. Though a person of strong faith, that faith was a battle every day because of the the physical illness, weakness, and emotional roller coaster caused by the combo of powerful drugs.

Several days after our visit and frank, but tender conversation, I found the image below. I was drawn to it for many reasons. One reasons was because we battled for years to find images of faith that pictured people of color — I have often used this as an example of “institutional racism” that us white folks often don’t notice. This image, however, is a powerful statement of faith, and it caught my eye immediately. A second reason I love the image, is the lighting — if you have ever been in a battle of life and death and experienced the grace of God’s light invading your darkness, you know what I mean. Finally, my meanderings around in the Psalms led me to this powerful verse (Psalm 49:15), which seemed to articulate for me, the prayer and faith hidden in the image:

But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

Here is a small version of the image. It doesn’t really do it justice, so I’ve included links to the full sized images that are prepared for Heartlight.org and the free Scripture graphics there.

You can find three versions of this image, Text (pictured above), Title (my personal favorite of the three), and Plain (only the image on a black background, but still very powerful).

You might, at first, think of this as a verse of resignation — giving up and saying, “OK, God, I know I’m going to die, but I trust you will bring me to yourself.” And granted, it can mean this and should offer us comfort. God will not abandon us to the grave. He will bring us to himself. Faith in the face of such things is a powerful and comforting blessing.

But I also think of Hezekiah, who found out he was going to die and then prayed with Isaiah, and God redeemed his life and granted him fifteen more years of life (2 Kings 20:1-6). I am also reminded of my friend, Saundra, whose liver tumors vanished “without explanation” between the time other malignant material was removed from her and her trip to MD Anderson in Houston to one of the few surgeons who could do the surgery she needed at the time. She is still alive today nearly two decades later.

Yes, we are all going to eventually die. But my whole being believes that God does redeem our lives from the power of the grave. He does this sometimes by rescuing us from immediate death and brings us to himself, bringing healing and granting us more years on this earth. He also does this sometimes by rescuing us through death and bringing us to himself to await the glorious day of Jesus’ return. Paul says it well, and I will end today on this note:

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christi and to die is gain (Philippians 1:18b-21 tniv).

Today, we’re also joining Randy Elrod with Watercooler Wednesday — How to Recycle a Church?

I will exalt you, LORD,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
  LORD my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
  You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

  Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
  For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
  weeping may remain for a night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

  When I felt secure, I said,
  “I will never be shaken.”
  LORD, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
  but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.

  To you, LORD, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
  “What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
  Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
  Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
  LORD, be my help.”

  You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
  that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
  LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

\o/ — Comments Psalm 30: You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy! — \o/

What is the basis of my happiness?
What is the basis of my esteem?
What is the basis of my health?
What is the basis of my security?

I am reminded as I read Psalm 30 that all of life is dependent upon my walk with the LORD and His presence and grace in my daily routines. His attentive care can turn the most desperate situation into a time of joy and dancing. His intervention in my life can turn sickness into health, defeat into victory, despair into confidence.

This realization challenges me to “hang in there” during times that are difficult knowing that they will pass and that the LORD will lead me to a better place. This realization reminds me to go to the Father in prayer with my every care and trust Him with my deepest concerns and most most obvious failures. Most of all, this realization drives me to praise God and celebrate His goodness, His involvement, His grace, His listening ear, His mercy, and His love for mere mortals like me. With the psalmist, I cry out with confidence:

You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
    that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

I don’t know what it’s like for you where you are today, but as I look at this psalm again, with spring bursting forth and the promise of all of God’s goodness for a new day, I am reminded of a Chris Tomlin song we sang recently when gathered with God’s people. It goes somethings like this:

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives
And I will walk with You
Knowing You see me through
And sing the songs You give

How can I keep from singing Your praise?
How can I ever say enough?
How amazing is Your love?

How can I keep from shouting Your name?
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

No wonder we can talk about a God who has turned our mourning into dancing!