How To Meditate On The Bible All Day Long (Psalm 119:97)

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Wayne Davies

In Psalm 119:97 we read a most amazing statement. “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”

The psalmist has a passion for God’s truth. He is so enthralled by God’s Word that he thinks about it constantly. For this writer, pondering the Word of God has become a habit.

Please consider that the psalmist makes this claim to meditate on Scripture eight times in Psalm 119. He meditates on God’s precepts (v. 15 and 78), decrees (v. 23 and 48), deeds (v. 27), law (v. 97), statutes (v. 99) and promises (v. 148) – each of these nouns is a synonym for God’s Word or “law”, His written instruction which we find today in the holy Bible.

What does it mean to meditate on the law? To meditate means to think about, ponder, reflect on, contemplate. The idea is to focus one’s mind on God’s truth and to remain fixated on it for a period of time. It is an active, purposeful, intentional use of the mind, not an emptying of the mind. It is to think about what God is saying to us on the pages of Scripture.

To meditate about anything is a lost art, is it not? We can get so busy with life, can’t we? Whether you are working a full-time job or spending your days raising children, who has time to just sit and think about anything but the task at hand?

So I’m confounded by this writer’s confession that “I meditate on it all day long.” How did he do that? Who has the time to spend all day thinking about the Bible? Did this man withdraw from society and live in a cave or a monastery?

Well, we don’t know who wrote Psalm 119. The author’s name is not provided in the heading, as is the case for many of the psalms. But we do know that whoever wrote this psalm was suffering much (v. 107) at the hands of his enemies (v. 157), who also happened to be those in authority over him (v. 23, 161). He was being persecuted unjustly (v. 86) by arrogant, wicked men (v. 61, 69, 110) and so repeatedly pleads with God to deliver him from imminent death and preserve his life (v. 153, 154).

That doesn’t sound like a guy who had nothing else to do but read his Bible all day, does it?

Here’s a verse that might unlock the key to this man’s obsession with Scripture. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). The English Standard Version translates this as, “I have stored up your word in my heart;” and The Message also captures the meaning quite well, “I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart.”

This man spent much time literally running for his life. Yet he was able to meditate on God’s Word in the most stressful situations because he had memorized it. He could think about it all day long because it was buried deep in his heart and always just a thought away.

When was the last time you memorized Scripture? It doesn’t take much time to memorize a verse or two, or a treasured passage. And then, once you’ve done that, it is right there whenever you want to think about it.

I like to use old business cards or index cards and write a verse on it. Then I stick that little piece of paper in my pocket and carry it with me. I’ll pull it out while I’m waiting in line at the store or stuck in traffic or walking from the car to the office, or whenever I have a few moments of idle time.  And within a day or two, that verse becomes part of me.  And through that simple exercise of meditating on a verse throughout the day by memorizing it, I have allowed the Creator of the universe to speak to me and fill my mind with His truth – all day long!

What do you say? Will you give this a try? I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed, for God loves to bless His people when they spend quality time with Him in His Word.

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How to Find Hope In Any Situation (Psalm 119:89)

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Wayne Davies

I’d like to give you a simple Bible quiz. I’m going to give you a list of adjectives (descriptive words), and you tell me who I’m describing, OK?

Here’s the list: righteous, wonderful, true, good, trustworthy, precious, eternal, enduring, boundless, omnipresent, and sweet.

Who am I describing? If you said, “God”, or more specifically, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, then you and I are on the same page.

But here’s something amazing. I’ve been reading Psalm 119 lately. It’s the longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses), and most of the verses are about the Bible. And in Psalm 119, every one of the adjectives listed above is used to describe the Word of God.

Go ahead and take out your Bible and see for yourself. Here’s the list again, along with the verses in which you’ll find these adjectives used in reference to God’s Word: righteous (7), wonderful (18), true (30), good (39), trustworthy (42), precious (72), eternal (89), enduring (91), boundless (96), omnipresent (98), and sweet (103). (I’m using the New International Version.)

Now, here’s another simple Bible quiz. Who is the source of the following things: life, strength, grace, freedom, delight, wisdom, insight, understanding, light, joy, hope and peace?

Again, Jesus Christ is the answer to that question. But again, in Psalm 119, the Word of God is described as the source of life (25), strength (28), grace (29), freedom (45), delight (92), wisdom (98), insight (99), understanding (100), light (105), joy (111), hope (147) and peace (165).

I find this relationship between God and His Word quite eye opening. God and His Word are so closely related, they are described with identical terminology.

Consider this example. Moses wrote, “from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). God is eternal. He has no beginning and no end. He has always existed and always will exist. He is eternally self-existent. That is a truth guaranteed to blow your mind and fill your heart with praise, worship and adoration of the One who told Moses at the burning bush, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14).

So the eternality of God is one of the foundational teachings of Scripture. And so is the eternality of the Word of God, as the writer of Psalm 119 states: “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89).

This inseparable relationship between God and His Word is not just an exercise in semantics. This is reason to be greatly encouraged, for when faced with the struggles and challenges of life, it is easy to become discouraged and distraught, and to wonder whether God is still in control and will, in the end, work all things “for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).

When you are faced with the loss of a job or a loved one, or when an terrible accident or a terminal illness strikes your family, what do you do to remind yourself that God remains the Rock and Refuge of your life? We open His Word and let Him speak words of comfort and hope, words of strength and even joy in the midst of our sorrow.

From Genesis to Revelation, our God provides hope through “the encouragement of the Scriptures” (Romans 15:4). May this be how each of us responds to the trials of life — by going to Jesus, the living Word, and to the Bible, the written Word, to find grace in our time of need.

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How to Remain Faithful to God in the Midst of Persecution (Psalm 119:81-88)

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Most psalms include the author’s name. So I find it intriguing that no mention is made of the author of Psalm 119, even though this is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible.

So we can only speculate about the author of this psalm and David’s name is usually at the top of the list. The internal evidence for his authorship reaches a climax in Psalm 119:81-88, for in this stanza the writer shares much about his own circumstances at the time.

Whoever wrote this psalm was experiencing great difficulty at the hands of evil men. He was persecuted unjustly and came close to being killed for no good reason. He was hunted like a criminal yet had done nothing to deserve such treatment. The stress of these turbulent times had worn him out and he was in a state of physical and mental exhaustion – “I am like a wineskin in the smoke” (v. 83).

Through it all, however, he never lost his faith in God or his hope in the Word of God. He clung to his God with an unshakeable perseverance. He cried out for help and longed for God to save him and punish his enemies. “When will you punish my persecutors?” (v. 84) “They have almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts” (v. 87)

Certainly David experienced times like these, especially early in his life when he was the innocent victim of King Saul’s erratic outbursts of violent jealousy.

Regardless of who wrote this psalm, verses 81-88 are unique in that all eight verses of this stanza contain a unique combination of the author’s frustration and faith in the midst of a crisis over which he had no control.

And so we are given a stellar example of grace under fire. We have much to learn from this man’s example of faithfulness, for all believers have been promised a life of persecution. Paul wrote, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus told the disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).

Certainly the nature and degree of anti-Christian hostility varies greatly around the world. Christians in western nations face much less persecution than Christians in Asia and the Middle East, for example.

But opposition will be there, and we can count on it. We would do well to trust in the unfailing love of God in the midst of tribulation, continuing to “put my hope in your word” (v. 81) regardless of our circumstances. This is easier said than done, and I admit that as a U.S. Christian I have little experience with the type of persecution that our brothers and sisters are going through on the other side of the world.

So we pray for the persecuted church, thanking God for organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, who keep us informed and provide opportunities for us to support those in need.

We are compelled to ask the question, “How do they remain faithful?” How do persecuted believers stay the course when the temptation to jump ship grows stronger every day? How did the author of Psalm 119 continue to trust God no matter what?

I think these eight verses hold the key. Note how the psalmist is locked in on the character of God and the Word of God. Every verse in this stanza mentions something about God and/or his truth. While running for his life, he is keenly aware of who God is. He spends much time meditating on the attributes of God and the fact that his God is the source of salvation, hope, comfort and justice because God is trustworthy, helpful, life giving and loving.

This passage teaches us that strong faith is the result of a mind saturated with the Word. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). There is a cause and effect relationship between spending time in the Word and strengthening our faith. This is how any believer in any age can persevere in the midst of any crisis.

For more information about the persecuted church, visit www.persecution.com

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How Do You Describe God? (The Attributes of God in Psalm 119:73-80)

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Wayne Davies

I’ve always wanted to go to the mall and take a one-question survey. Here’s the question I would ask: Describe God.

What kinds of answers would you get at your local mall? What about you? How do you answer that question?

Our answers to this simple question are all over the map, are they not? That is why it is oh so critical that we spend much quality time reading, studying and meditating on the Bible. This is where we find the only authoritative answer to the question, “Who is God and what is He like?”

And this is why a great question to ask when reading any portion of Scripture is this: What does this passage teach me about God (God the Father, God the Son, and/or God the Spirit).

Obviously, some portions of the Bible provide more in-depth answers to this question than others, but this is a question you should be asking every time you read the Bible.

I regularly read through the book of Psalms, usually reading a chapter (one psalm) in the morning to start my day. There are 150 psalms, so it takes me about 5 or 6 months to read them all. And then I start over and do it again. I’ve been doing this for the past 5 years, and if you’ve got a couple hours, I’d be glad to tell you how the cultivation of this habit has changed my life and taught me a boatload of truth about the God of the Bible.

But there is one psalm that I never read in one sitting. That would be Psalm 119. It is the longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses), divided into 22 eight-verse stanzas. There’s just way too much truth here to digest in one session.

So I usually take 22 days to read through Psalm 119. Such a huge feast should be eaten in smaller bites! I read one eight-verse stanza each day for 22 days, and I like to keep a journal to record my thoughts. Nothing fancy here – just a spiral notebook with my chicken scratch all over it. I’ll write down the date and Scripture reference at the top of the page, and then I’ll look for one particular verse that “jumps off” the page and into my heart. I record why I like that verse and what I think that verse means, or what I need to do to live out that verse in my life. And then I’ll write out a prayer based on the verse, pouring out my heart as I ask God to change me to be more like Jesus by doing, thinking, saying or becoming what I just read about.

It’s a journal. It’s whatever happens to come into my pea-sized brain when reading the Bible that day.

When reading the psalms, I tend to focus on the verses that talk about God – his character and attributes, his actions and purposes, his kingdom and reign. And there are many of them!

For example, on June 18, 2013 I read Psalm 119:73-80. Here’s an excerpt from my journal. It’s an answer to the question, “What does this passage teach me about God?”

He is my Creator (v. 73a)
He is righteous because his laws are righteous (v. 75a)
He is faithful even when he afflicts me (v. 75b)
His love never fails (v. 76a)
He is the source of comfort (v. 76a)
He is the God of promises (v. 76b)
He is compassionate (v. 77a)
He is the source of delight because his law is my delight (v. 77b)

I probably spent about 15 or 20 minutes reading these 8 verses and writing down these statements about the character of God. And I loved every second of it!

We serve a great God. And this God has revealed himself in Scripture with great clarity. This creative, righteous, faithful, loving, comfort-giving, promise-keeping, compassionate, delightful God is the only true God. He made us for himself. And he sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth 2000 years ago to demonstrate his breath-taking character in all its glory.

He has done all that for us, even though we have often rejected him and turned our backs on him.

In light of that, isn’t it a privilege to make the prayers of this stanza our own? “Give me understanding to learn your commands . . . May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees” (Psalm 119:73b and 80a). After meditating on the awesome attributes of our God, we can’t help but express our desire to sit at his feet and experience the pure joy of his instruction and presence, and then to stand and willingly, lovingly obey him all the days of our life.

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Have Bible Will Travel – How to Focus On God When You’re On The Road (Psalm 119:54)

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Wayne Davies

In Psalm 119:54 the psalmist declares to God that “Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge”. The purpose of this article is to explore the meaning of this verse and to challenge ourselves with the question “Is this something I can say about my life?”

To help us determine the meaning of this verse, it is good to compare various Bible versions. The above paragraph comes from the New International Version (NIV), which happens to be one of my favorites.

There are several other excellent translations. Here are the ones I like to use, specifically for the purpose of determining the meaning of particular words and/or phrases in a passage.

Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.
English Standard Version (ESV)

Your statutes are my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Your statutes have been my songs, in the house where I live.
World English Bible (WEB)

By comparing these five versions, the main point of the verses becomes quite clear: wherever I go, God’s Word is on my mind. Even when traveling, I always have a song in my heart, and the songs I sing contain the Word of God.

Is this not a wonderful way to live? This man has a love for God and His Word that we would do well to emulate. No matter where he laid his head at night, he was able to commune with his Maker by singing songs to and about God.

When we travel, it can be difficult if not impossible to maintain our daily routine. Perhaps you have a specific time devoted to prayer and Bible reading. For many, this “Quiet Time” is first thing in the morning. For others, it is immediately before going to sleep at night. And many Christians treasure this time, and rightly so.

Then we take a business trip or go on vacation and our normal schedule is turned upside down. How can we spend time with our Lord in such circumstances?

Psalm 119:54 offers a wonderful solution – we sing songs about God! There are so many great hymns, and Bible-based hymns are a wonderful way to fill our minds with the Word when we cannot take out our Bibles and read.

The other great thing about singing is that is also a form of prayer. Worship songs are directed to the One who is the object of our praise. We can give thanks for his many blessings and rejoice in all he has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Does this verse describe you? If so, you have learned one way to live out Psalm 1:2 – “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night”.

One final note – you need not physically own a stack of Bible translations in order to perform the Bible version comparison described above. Just go to www.BibleGateway.com and you can look up any Bible verse in a plethora of translations. Give it a try today!

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Got Joy? How Obeying the Bible Is Like Winning the Lottery (Psalm 119:14)

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Wayne Davies

The psalmist makes an amazing statement in Psalm 119:14 –
“I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches”.

He is talking about the joy of obeying the will of God as revealed in the Word of God. One of the many benefits of Christian living is joy. Obeying God should result in a life of joy.

There is a cause and effect relationship between obedience and joy. Jesus talked about this in John 15:10-11.  “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

God wants us to experience great joy in this life – the joy of Jesus himself! Note that Jesus told the disciples that keeping his commands would result in the abiding presence of God’s love, “so that my joy may be in you”.

Do you think Jesus is a joyful person? Consider this – what kind of joy does Jesus have? Perfect joy! Incredible, powerful, indestructible, divine joy.

And he wants us to have that same joy.  What a promise!

The psalmist describes the joy of following God’s Word in the second half of Psalm 119:14. This joy is compared to the joy of “great riches”.

Perhaps you have experienced the joy of great riches. You may not consider yourself to be “rich”. But perhaps you got a promotion at work and a nice pay increase along with it. Or your company had a good year and you received a nice year-end bonus.

Do you remember the feelings you had? You were excited and joyful, right?

In the U.S., do we not see the joy of great riches when someone wins the lottery and is presented with a check for some obscene amount of money? There’s lots of hoopla and a press conference and everyone wants to know, “What will you do with all that money?”

How do you think you would feel if you won 100 million dollars? Do you think you’d have some joy?

And so the psalmist is saying that this is what the Christian life can be like. We can experience great joy by simply obeying the Word of God.

He’s making a comparison here. So it’s good to note that the joy of obedience is similar to the joy of great riches. And it is also different. Consider this:

The joy of obedience is infinitely better than the joy of great riches. The joy of money is temporary. The joy of money is easily lost. I can take all my money, invest it in the stock market, and see its value decline by 10% or 25% or 50% literally overnight. Or I can invest in some foolish ponzi scheme and loose it all.

In contrast, the joy of Jesus is permanent. It lasts forever. It is eternal joy! And it is not dependent on circumstances. Rather, it is based on the never-changing, always trustworthy character of God. Nothing can take this joy away from us because this joy is a gift from the hand of God. And so those who know the joy of knowing and obeying King Jesus can say, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold” (Psalm 119:72).

The joy of Jesus is based on the promise of God. But like many promises in Scripture, this is a conditional promise. We will only experience the joy of Jesus when we are living a life of obedience to his Word.

Do you know this joy? If so, I urge you to spend time today saying “Thank You” to Almighty God for his merciful outpouring of this joy on undeserving sinners like you and me. And you’ll have even more joy – the joy of praise and thanksgiving.

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Did Jesus Have A Mission Statement?

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Did Jesus Christ have a Mission Statement? Let’s take a look at the book of Mark to see if he communicated the purpose of his coming to earth 2,000 years ago.

Jesus came to preach.
It’s been said that God only had one Son, and he was a preacher. Jesus had a passion for proclaiming God’s truth, and he told the disciples that in no uncertain terms.

Jesus would get up early in the morning to pray by himself. One day the disciples woke up, couldn’t find him, and went looking for him, exclaiming that “Everyone is looking for you!” (Mark 1:37).  He responded by saying, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Mark 1:38)

Jesus came to call sinners to repentance.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus preached about?  Would you like to hear one of his sermons? You can do that by simply reading the four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  They are filled with his preaching and teaching.

Mark gives us an excellent summary of Jesus’ preaching ministry – he proclaimed “the good news of God” (Mark 1:15). What does that mean? Here’s a summary of his sermons: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:16).

So Jesus came to preach, and the content and goal of that preaching was to confront sinners with the need to repent. When the Pharisees criticized Jesus for spending time with the scum of society (tax collectors and “sinners”), he responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).  Luke’s account is more explicit – “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

Jesus came to serve.
Has there ever been a person in the history of the world who did more for others? I think not. When reading the four gospels, we are overwhelmed with the way Jesus met the needs of those around him. He spent countless hours not only teaching and preaching, but healing the sick and feeding the crowds and driving out demons. He did whatever he could to help people.

This was intentional – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve . . . ” (Mark 10:45).

Jesus came to die.
The ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming is clearly stated in the last part of Mark 10:45. Jesus came to serve, “and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

A ransom is the price one person pays to set another person free from slavery. How did Jesus do that? When he died on the cross, he paid the price to liberate guilty sinners from the bondage of sin, death, and hell.

Everything Jesus did and said for three years led to this. It was his primary mission.

As we reflect on the Mission Statement of Jesus, how should we respond? Certainly with much praise, thanksgiving and worship! And also with humble submission and repentant self-examination, asking ourselves the question – To what extent am I devoting my life to the Mission Statement of Jesus?

What is your response?

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Bible Reading Tips – Do You Pray This Prayer When Reading The Bible? (Great Advice from Psalm 119)

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is filled with verses about the Bible. This psalm is also filled with the prayers of a man who has a deep longing to commune with God and live a godly life in accordance with the Word of God.

One particular prayer is repeated seven times: “Teach me your decrees” (see verses 12, 26, 64, 68, 124, 135, 171). Do you pray this prayer when reading the Bible?

Let’s take a look at the meaning of this prayer.

The psalmist is communicating his heartfelt desire for God to teach him the Word. (“Decrees” is one of many synonyms for the Bible in Psalm 119.) And the fact that he repeats this prayer so often is an obvious indication that this desire is both sincere and consuming.

Every verse in this psalm was written in the Hebrew poetic style known as “parallelism”, which means there are usually two statements that go together. These two statements often complement one another, and this literary structure enables us to dive deeper into the meaning of the prayer to “teach me your decrees”.

Here are two truths to learn from the verses that contain this prayer:

Being taught by God is closely associated with worship.
It is significant that verses 64, 68, and 124 all mention something magnificent about the character of God. Specifically, God’s attributes of love and goodness are highlighted immediately before the psalmist asks for God’s teaching. “The earth is filled with your love, Lord; teach me your decrees” (verse 64; see also verse 124). “You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees” (verse 68).

Verses 12 and 171 also mention praise of God. “Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees” (verse 12). “May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees” (verse 171).

So there is a clear connection between praising God for His greatness and being taught by God. The more we recognize the infinite worth of our Creator, the more we want Him to teach us. This is why Christians do things in a particular order during our church services: worship is usually first (singing hymns of praise), followed by teaching (the sermon), followed by more worship (concluding hymns).

Recognizing God for who He is – the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving One – stimulates a longing to sit at the feet of King Jesus and let Him teach us how to live.

Being taught by God is closely associated with self-examination.
Note verse 26 – “I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees”. God knows everything about us, yet the psalmist realizes his need to tell God what he’s been doing and thinking. Undoubtedly this includes confession of sin – being honest with God about our faults and taking responsibility for them in His presence.

And certainly this also includes pouring out our hearts when we are faced with the struggles and frustrations of life, and asking for help. Fortunately, we can count on God to listen as we share the most intimate details of our lives — an amazing thing, when you consider that the Creator of the universe has promised to listen to us when we cry out to Him.

God promises to both listen and answer. He delights to impart His wisdom to us, and the psalmist is confident of just that in verse 26 – “you answered me”. God provides the guidance we need, and He does that primarily through His Word; hence the connection between the believer’s self-examination and the believer’s longing for the teaching of God’s Word.

So when we look up – through worship and praise – God will teach us His Word. And when we look within – through self-examination – God will teach us His Word. Let us follow the example of the psalmist and beseech our Father to teach us His decrees every day, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Attributes of God – God Forgives (Why Every Day Is Thanksgiving Day)

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Wayne Davies

A few years ago I was sitting in a worship service and the pastor asked us to spontaneously shout out something that we are thankful for. (And it wasn’t a Thanksgiving service.)

I immediately responded with one word: Forgiveness.

Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for His forgiveness of my sins.

Ever wonder what the word “forgiveness” means? One meaning is this – to cancel a debt.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). In a parallel passage, Jesus also taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4).

So we see that “sin” and “debt” are synonyms. Because we sin, we owe a debt to God. What is that debt? That debt is the consequences of our sin – our guilt before a holy God and the simple fact that we deserve to be punished by God for our sins – like any criminal who has broken the law and must pay a fine or do the time.

And the just punishment for sin, according to Romans 6:23, is death – physical, spiritual and eternal (in hell).

Now we all have problems in this life, right? It may be unemployment and the unpleasant financial consequences of not having enough income to pay your bills. Perhaps you are behind on your mortgage or rent and creditors are hounding you for payment.

Jesus was drawing an analogy between financial debt and spiritual debt. As sinners we owe a debt to God and there are only two ways that debt can be paid: God’s way or my way.

There are also only two places where that debt can be paid – at the cross of Jesus Christ or in hell.

And there are only two people who can pay that debt – Jesus Christ or me.

So every person is a debtor in the bankruptcy court of heaven. And we are faced with The Million Dollar Question – how are we going to pay that debt?

Fortunately, God is a God of forgiveness. He wants to cancel our debts.  In fact, He delights to do just that, and He wants to forgive us more than we want to be forgiven.

He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in order to pay the debt of our sin. And because of His death, those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus as the only One who can pay that debt receive forgiveness of sins and a debt cancellation notice that reads, “Paid In Full”.

This is why the gospel is “good news”.  And this is why the psalmist wrote, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:3-4).

If you know the joy of forgiveness, don’t let this day pass without expressing your heartfelt thanksgiving to God for this wonderful gift through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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How to Overcome the Fear of Death (The Hope-Filled Promise of Hebrews 2:14-15)

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Wayne Davies

What is your greatest fear? Heights? Public speaking? The IRS?

One survey of middle-class people produced these answers: spiders (29%), flying (21%), small spaces (19%), dentists (14%), needles (10%) and blood (4%).

Another survey – of grade school children in a major U.S. city – produced this response: the #1 fear was getting shot.

How about you? What is your greatest fear? Are you more like the first group of people, or the second?

The fear of death, while not mentioned at all in the first survey, may be the fear that we are most afraid to even think about or talk about. Its absence above is evidence of that, is it not?

To complicate things, fear of death has multiple components. There is the fear of the manner of death (will it take years or a split second?), and then there’s the fear of what happens to us immediately after death. Where do we go? What will the next life be like? These questions have been plaguing humanity for centuries.

The Bible has much to say about death and our fear of death. And it certainly has much to say about life after death.

If you are filled with anxiety about death and its uncertain consequences, I hope you’ll find much comfort in what I’m about to say: the Bible provides an antidote to the fear of death, and that cure is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who said, “I am the resurrection and I am the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:28-29).

Isn’t this an incredible, breathtaking promise? For the person who believes in Jesus, we will experience physical death (“he dies”), but we have the certainty of living with Jesus forever (“will never die”). For the Christian, death is the end of physical life on earth and the beginning of everlasting life in heaven.

For the believer in Jesus, physical death is therefore not to be feared, because it opens the doorway to eternal bliss in the presence of King Jesus.

I love the way the writer of Hebrews explains it: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Jesus) shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Apart from the grace of God, the fear of death is normal. If you fear death, you are experiencing one of the most common of human emotions. But you may be so afraid to die that you are living in slavery to that fear.

Does the above passage describe you?  Are you a slave to your fear of death?

If so, these verses are you for you! They are filled with hope because they point you to the One who can set you free from that fear. Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, has the power to abolish your slavery to the fear of death.

Please note the key phrase in Hebrews 2:14-15 – Jesus can both destroy the devil and free you from slavery by his death. When Jesus died on the cross, he died for a very specific reason – to absorb God’s wrath against your sin and thereby pay the penalty for your sin that you deserve to pay.

We have all broken God’s law. Take a look at Exodus 20:1-17 and read through the 10 Commandments to remind yourself of the many ways you’ve sinned against a holy God.  Keep in mind that Jesus said anger can be just as much a sin as murder and therefore deserving of the same judgment in hell (Matthew 5:21-22). Likewise, mental adultery (lust) is just as much a sin as physical adultery (Matthew 5:27-30) and also worthy of the same punishment in hell.

Perhaps you’ve heard this before – “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Please consider the incredible, life-changing, hope-filled meaning of these five words. It is the key to unlocking the door to peace with God, for once you have repented (turned away from your sin) and trusted Jesus as the only One who can save you from the penalty of sin, your anxiety over death will be removed and the promise of Jesus that you “will never die” becomes yours forever.

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