by David Scott Robertson
I lament that I didn't invent the personal computer.
Traffic lights weren't my idea. I didn't create sticky notes, cell phones, or toilet paper.
I lament that I have never won an Olympic gold medal, never ran a marathon, and that I don't have six-pack abs.
I lament that I have never had a book published, never acted in a motion picture, and have never been on Larry King Live.
I lament that I can't play a single musical instrument, can't paint worth a lick, nor carry a tune in a bucket.
I lament that I will probably never hold a public office, never sing the national anthem at a major sporting event, and may never do anything most 21st century Americans associate with greatness.
I lament that I haven't come up with a cure for cancer and don't have the education to even try. I won't re-invent the wheel, won't balance America's budget, and won't eliminate racism.
So what's a faceless nobody like me to do? Am I destined to live and die in obscurity? Has my life been of no effect and have I lived in vain thus far? Will I leave a legacy that will outlive me?
Just because I am not directly or indirectly responsible for life-saving, time-saving, space-saving or money-making inventions doesn't mean that I am insignificant.
To the contrary, along with the Apostle Paul I can say, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect" (1 Corinthians 15:10).
" I have value to God because I am His child.
" I have value to my wife because I am her husband.
" I have value to my daughter because I am her father.
" I have value to my parents because I am their son.
" I have value to my brother because I am his brother.
" I have value to my friends because I am their friend.
You and I can choose to spend our time lamenting over what we never did and what we never owned and where we never went and who we never met or…
…we can rejoice in the fact that we are what we are by the grace of God and His grace given to us is not without effect having promise in the present life and in the life to come.
DSR
5/29/05
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Idol Talk
by David Scott Robertson
Psalm 115:4-8 (NLT)
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
[5] They cannot talk, though they have mouths,
or see, though they have eyes!
[6] They cannot hear with their ears,
or smell with their noses,
[7] or feel with their hands,
or walk with their feet,
or utter sounds with their throats!
[8] And those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
* * *
The idols described in Psalm 115 are images shaped by human hands that have body parts but no power to use them. They are like a flashlight without batteries; a car without gasoline; or an electric appliance not plugged in to an outlet. It's like comparing a piece of plastic fruit with the real thing. They are completely lifeless.
The idols the psalmist pictures here are senseless, useless, powerless, and fruitless. They are stone dead - blind, deaf, and dumb.
The interesting thing in this passage is that God says that "those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them" (verse 8).
In essence, God is saying that those who participate in any form of idol worship are senseless, useless, powerless, and fruitless. They have hard hearts and are spiritually blind, deaf, and dumb. They are, in fact, spiritually dead, completely lifeless.
In our culture today, most of us are far removed from literal idols made of wood, stone, gold, or silver shaped in the images of men or monsters or mythological creatures. But in reality, an idol is anything that stands in between you and God.
With that expanded definition, we can readily see that the American culture is steeped in idolatry, for there are many things that stand in between God and Americans.
Sports, career, relationships, hobbies, religion, entertainment--you name it--these and a thousand other distractions form the figurative "American idol." At these pagan altars, worshippers present their generous offerings of allegiance, time, and money. An easy method of measuring the idolater's level of passion is to look over their calendar and check register (or credit card statement).
The problem with substituting the One True and Living God, Jesus Christ, with an idol is that no real life, fulfillment, or lasting satisfaction fills the hearts of idol worshippers. Solomon described the futility of pursuing pleasure apart from God as "a vanity of vanities" (Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV).
The tragic flaw with choosing to serve idols over God is that not only is this a bad decision long-term (resulting in disqualification from receiving eternal life), but it also short circuits God's plan for sharing His abundance in this present life (John 10:10).
For truth be told, unless one is "born again" (John 3:3) or "born of the Spirit" (John 3:6), he or she are ineligible to receive (and manifest) the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, those who live life independently without God cannot experience true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Such is the predicament of all people who are not saved.
This problem of idolatry compounds when a person who claims to be a Christian nevertheless has many objects, issues, or persons that obscure their view of God. Believers though they may be, Christians who tolerate idols in their life will always live a quality of spiritual life far below God's privileges and experience God's chastening and loving discipline required to expunge the competing false gods.
The conclusion of the matter? I can't improve upon Solomon's final comments about putting anything in between you and the Lord:
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
DSR
5/23/05
Psalm 115:4-8 (NLT)
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
[5] They cannot talk, though they have mouths,
or see, though they have eyes!
[6] They cannot hear with their ears,
or smell with their noses,
[7] or feel with their hands,
or walk with their feet,
or utter sounds with their throats!
[8] And those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
* * *
The idols described in Psalm 115 are images shaped by human hands that have body parts but no power to use them. They are like a flashlight without batteries; a car without gasoline; or an electric appliance not plugged in to an outlet. It's like comparing a piece of plastic fruit with the real thing. They are completely lifeless.
The idols the psalmist pictures here are senseless, useless, powerless, and fruitless. They are stone dead - blind, deaf, and dumb.
The interesting thing in this passage is that God says that "those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them" (verse 8).
In essence, God is saying that those who participate in any form of idol worship are senseless, useless, powerless, and fruitless. They have hard hearts and are spiritually blind, deaf, and dumb. They are, in fact, spiritually dead, completely lifeless.
In our culture today, most of us are far removed from literal idols made of wood, stone, gold, or silver shaped in the images of men or monsters or mythological creatures. But in reality, an idol is anything that stands in between you and God.
With that expanded definition, we can readily see that the American culture is steeped in idolatry, for there are many things that stand in between God and Americans.
Sports, career, relationships, hobbies, religion, entertainment--you name it--these and a thousand other distractions form the figurative "American idol." At these pagan altars, worshippers present their generous offerings of allegiance, time, and money. An easy method of measuring the idolater's level of passion is to look over their calendar and check register (or credit card statement).
The problem with substituting the One True and Living God, Jesus Christ, with an idol is that no real life, fulfillment, or lasting satisfaction fills the hearts of idol worshippers. Solomon described the futility of pursuing pleasure apart from God as "a vanity of vanities" (Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV).
The tragic flaw with choosing to serve idols over God is that not only is this a bad decision long-term (resulting in disqualification from receiving eternal life), but it also short circuits God's plan for sharing His abundance in this present life (John 10:10).
For truth be told, unless one is "born again" (John 3:3) or "born of the Spirit" (John 3:6), he or she are ineligible to receive (and manifest) the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, those who live life independently without God cannot experience true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Such is the predicament of all people who are not saved.
This problem of idolatry compounds when a person who claims to be a Christian nevertheless has many objects, issues, or persons that obscure their view of God. Believers though they may be, Christians who tolerate idols in their life will always live a quality of spiritual life far below God's privileges and experience God's chastening and loving discipline required to expunge the competing false gods.
The conclusion of the matter? I can't improve upon Solomon's final comments about putting anything in between you and the Lord:
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
DSR
5/23/05
Saturday, May 14, 2005
A Boy and His Bike
by David Scott Robertson
My mom gave me some old photos the other day. She had held on to them for over forty years!
The first one pictured a 2 ½ year-old me on my tricycle.
The next photo was taken in Springfield, Illinois when I was 5 ½, on a bike where the pedals always pedaled and it had no brake (great invention for a kid’s bike, right?)
The last snapshot (this one in color) showed me at age 6 – a handsome young lad with a very cool red bike that coasted!
Early this morning I rode my 21-speed mountain bike to the park so I could jog and later this afternoon I will probably ride my 800cc shaft-driven, liquid cooled, 1997 Honda Pacific Coast joyfully down the back roads of Tennessee.
When I was a kid I loved to ride just for the thrill of it. At some point I left training wheels behind and raced through the neighborhood at blinding speeds. As I grew, to the delight of my friends and dismay of my mom/nurse, I learned to pop wheelies, jump ramps, and skid sideways on loose gravel. Way cool.
As I entered the teen years, my bike graduated from “just for fun" to basic transportation getting me from point A to point B without adult intervention. Less cool but utilitarian.
Nowadays, I ride for altogether different reasons. I ride my mountain bike for the cardio-health benefit, but it’s my passion to ride my motorcycle that I want to briefly tell you about.
Interestingly, I find that I have no need for speed. My motto has become “arrive alive.” I even wear a fluorescent orange vest when I ride. I can just imagine what other motorists are thinking when they see me coming: “Hey, have a look at the geek with the orange vest on!” But that’s the point exactly, they actually SEE the geek with the flourescent orange vest on and I live to ride another day!
But here’s the point in telling you of my love affair with bikes since I was a kid...
Each time I put on my helmet to begin my ride - without fail - I say this Bible verse out loud:
“Now unto Him that is able to keep [me] from falling, and to present [me] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…(Jude 1:24)
(The operative phrase in this scripture prayer is “keep me from falling”!)
From that opening scripture on I enter into my “secret place.” I ride and I pray. I ride and I sing to the Lord. I ride and I meditate on His Word. I ride and I listen. I ride and admire God’s pleasant creation and the simple pleasure of cruising through it.
I teach a class at church at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. When I take my motorcycle to make the 1 mile commute to the church from my home I usually take the scenic prayer route. It usually ends up taking me 20-40 miles to get from my house to the church to teach my class. But when I arrive, I’m prayed up!
It just goes to show you that God can
help a Christian man or woman convert a commute into communion.
That being said, the next time you pass a tattooed Harley rider on the road, you never know...they may be like me having a time of revival with Jesus Christ inside that helmet.
DSR
5/14/05
My mom gave me some old photos the other day. She had held on to them for over forty years!
The first one pictured a 2 ½ year-old me on my tricycle.
The next photo was taken in Springfield, Illinois when I was 5 ½, on a bike where the pedals always pedaled and it had no brake (great invention for a kid’s bike, right?)
The last snapshot (this one in color) showed me at age 6 – a handsome young lad with a very cool red bike that coasted!
Early this morning I rode my 21-speed mountain bike to the park so I could jog and later this afternoon I will probably ride my 800cc shaft-driven, liquid cooled, 1997 Honda Pacific Coast joyfully down the back roads of Tennessee.
When I was a kid I loved to ride just for the thrill of it. At some point I left training wheels behind and raced through the neighborhood at blinding speeds. As I grew, to the delight of my friends and dismay of my mom/nurse, I learned to pop wheelies, jump ramps, and skid sideways on loose gravel. Way cool.
As I entered the teen years, my bike graduated from “just for fun" to basic transportation getting me from point A to point B without adult intervention. Less cool but utilitarian.
Nowadays, I ride for altogether different reasons. I ride my mountain bike for the cardio-health benefit, but it’s my passion to ride my motorcycle that I want to briefly tell you about.
Interestingly, I find that I have no need for speed. My motto has become “arrive alive.” I even wear a fluorescent orange vest when I ride. I can just imagine what other motorists are thinking when they see me coming: “Hey, have a look at the geek with the orange vest on!” But that’s the point exactly, they actually SEE the geek with the flourescent orange vest on and I live to ride another day!
But here’s the point in telling you of my love affair with bikes since I was a kid...
Each time I put on my helmet to begin my ride - without fail - I say this Bible verse out loud:
“Now unto Him that is able to keep [me] from falling, and to present [me] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…(Jude 1:24)
(The operative phrase in this scripture prayer is “keep me from falling”!)
From that opening scripture on I enter into my “secret place.” I ride and I pray. I ride and I sing to the Lord. I ride and I meditate on His Word. I ride and I listen. I ride and admire God’s pleasant creation and the simple pleasure of cruising through it.
I teach a class at church at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. When I take my motorcycle to make the 1 mile commute to the church from my home I usually take the scenic prayer route. It usually ends up taking me 20-40 miles to get from my house to the church to teach my class. But when I arrive, I’m prayed up!
It just goes to show you that God can
help a Christian man or woman convert a commute into communion.
That being said, the next time you pass a tattooed Harley rider on the road, you never know...they may be like me having a time of revival with Jesus Christ inside that helmet.
DSR
5/14/05
Monday, May 9, 2005
I Heard His Voice
by David Scott Robertson
I was prayer-walking this morning and God spoke to me.
Now when I say that "God spoke to me" some reading this will know what I'm talking about and some won't. I'm not going to elaborate on HOW I heard His voice in this thought; I want to ponder for a moment WHY I heard His voice.
- Maybe it was because as I walked down the street I confessed to the Lord that I wasn't really good at hearing His voice lately.
- Maybe it was because instead of taking the short prayer route (the one I take when I'm in a hurry) I made a decision to take the longer prayer route today.
- Maybe it was because I quit talking for a change and was determined to listen.
- Maybe it was because I made the connection for the first time in a long time that it was more important to hear God than to finish my "prayer list."
- Maybe it was because I had spent time listening to several worship songs before I left the house and my spirit had been primed to receptivity by praise and worship.
- Maybe it was because I approached the throne of grace with humility and an attitude of gratitude instead of viewing God as a genie or Santa Claus whom I had to somehow persuade in prayer to give me what I wanted.
- Maybe it was because I was relaxing in my Heavenly Father's presence and enjoying the delight of just being His son - no strings attached.
- Maybe it was one or a combination of these things…whatever it was, I heard His voice.
The result? Revelation. Breakthrough. Fresh perspective. New insight. Encouragement. Excitement. I felt warmth in my soul in spite of the cool temperatures touching my body.
As amazing as it was THAT I heard His voice WHAT He spoke to my heart, my spirit-man, was really the most important thing.
God pointed out something to me that He had been doing in my life in recent months. It had to do with a new direction in my life - a positive shift - an adjusted paradigm - God-inspired tweaks that had been slowly but surely adding value to my life. It seems that God had been "setting me up" for some time to bless me and only this morning, as He spoke affirming and reassuring words by His Holy Spirit did I discern it.
It is typical and almost a trademark of God to work behind-the-scenes in such a way that you could be tempted to explain things away as coincidence or good fortune if you believe in such nonsense.
I subscribe to the belief that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way" (Psalms 37:23).
Have you noticed that God works out His plan in our lives like that? We sort of wake up one day and ask ourselves, "Wait a minute, how'd I get here?"
It's like when I was a kid my Dad would scoop me up from the bed, still asleep, and pour me into the car at 4:00 a.m. and drive four hours to Grandma's house. I went to bed in the suburbs of Chicago and woke up in rural Southern Illinois. I loved it when Dad would say, "Son, wake up, we're there!" That's how our Heavenly Father does it sometimes.
My Heavenly Father "woke me up" this morning during my prayer walk and basically said, "Wake up, son, we're there!"
DSR
5/9/05
I was prayer-walking this morning and God spoke to me.
Now when I say that "God spoke to me" some reading this will know what I'm talking about and some won't. I'm not going to elaborate on HOW I heard His voice in this thought; I want to ponder for a moment WHY I heard His voice.
- Maybe it was because as I walked down the street I confessed to the Lord that I wasn't really good at hearing His voice lately.
- Maybe it was because instead of taking the short prayer route (the one I take when I'm in a hurry) I made a decision to take the longer prayer route today.
- Maybe it was because I quit talking for a change and was determined to listen.
- Maybe it was because I made the connection for the first time in a long time that it was more important to hear God than to finish my "prayer list."
- Maybe it was because I had spent time listening to several worship songs before I left the house and my spirit had been primed to receptivity by praise and worship.
- Maybe it was because I approached the throne of grace with humility and an attitude of gratitude instead of viewing God as a genie or Santa Claus whom I had to somehow persuade in prayer to give me what I wanted.
- Maybe it was because I was relaxing in my Heavenly Father's presence and enjoying the delight of just being His son - no strings attached.
- Maybe it was one or a combination of these things…whatever it was, I heard His voice.
The result? Revelation. Breakthrough. Fresh perspective. New insight. Encouragement. Excitement. I felt warmth in my soul in spite of the cool temperatures touching my body.
As amazing as it was THAT I heard His voice WHAT He spoke to my heart, my spirit-man, was really the most important thing.
God pointed out something to me that He had been doing in my life in recent months. It had to do with a new direction in my life - a positive shift - an adjusted paradigm - God-inspired tweaks that had been slowly but surely adding value to my life. It seems that God had been "setting me up" for some time to bless me and only this morning, as He spoke affirming and reassuring words by His Holy Spirit did I discern it.
It is typical and almost a trademark of God to work behind-the-scenes in such a way that you could be tempted to explain things away as coincidence or good fortune if you believe in such nonsense.
I subscribe to the belief that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way" (Psalms 37:23).
Have you noticed that God works out His plan in our lives like that? We sort of wake up one day and ask ourselves, "Wait a minute, how'd I get here?"
It's like when I was a kid my Dad would scoop me up from the bed, still asleep, and pour me into the car at 4:00 a.m. and drive four hours to Grandma's house. I went to bed in the suburbs of Chicago and woke up in rural Southern Illinois. I loved it when Dad would say, "Son, wake up, we're there!" That's how our Heavenly Father does it sometimes.
My Heavenly Father "woke me up" this morning during my prayer walk and basically said, "Wake up, son, we're there!"
DSR
5/9/05
Sunday, May 1, 2005
Never Halfwauy
by David Scott Robertson
"He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?' He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:23-25).
* * *
The Gospel of Mark relates a wonderful story and a tremendous truth from the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we find the account of an anonymous (to us but not to God) blind man who received a supernatural touch from the Master's hand.
In a moment of time, the man went from being totally blind to being able to see shapes and shadows of people that looked to him like trees walking around. Not bad visual improvement, wouldn't you say?
If that were to happen in our day and age, we would call that a modern miracle! We would be watching documentaries about it on cable TV.
Think about it! A man, presumably sightless from birth, suddenly being able to see form and color and light! Why, perhaps with a pair of corrective lenses or contacts, the man might even be able to see well enough to read and work and drive a car!
But at the period of history when Jesus walked the earth, astigmatism and glasses and contacts were unknown. Good thing that Jesus didn't quit before the job was done, huh?
Aren't you glad that God never does things halfway? The Lord didn't touch this poor blind fellow only to have him walk around "half-whole." No, Jesus didn't stop healing until the blind man's eyes were opened, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly.
That's the nature of God - He never does anything halfway. He doesn't abandon the job in the middle because He gets tired or bored. He never takes a break and when He returns He forgot what He was doing. He never gives up on a task because He just can't seem to figure it out. Wrong! Nope! Never! Uh-uh!
Aren't you glad that God never does anything halfway? Aren't you glad that God completed six full days of creation and didn't stop at three? Aren't you glad that when God made you
He didn't quit at one eye, one ear, one lung, one arm, and one leg? Aren't you glad that God made the day but He also made the night? Aren't you glad that He made summer but He also made winter? Aren't you glad that God didn't stop creating when He made man but persevered and made woman (and the men said "amen"!)?
God is not like most of us who are world-class starters but poor finishers! God is not like those of us who make New Year's resolutions and abandon them before the month is out. God never had a good intention that just didn't pan out. Never halfway, that's our God!
If God has started something in your life trust Him to finish it. Bear in mind, though, that He always keeps His end of the bargain but may be waiting on you to fulfill your end of the deal.
"…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
DSR
5/1/05
"He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?' He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:23-25).
* * *
The Gospel of Mark relates a wonderful story and a tremendous truth from the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we find the account of an anonymous (to us but not to God) blind man who received a supernatural touch from the Master's hand.
In a moment of time, the man went from being totally blind to being able to see shapes and shadows of people that looked to him like trees walking around. Not bad visual improvement, wouldn't you say?
If that were to happen in our day and age, we would call that a modern miracle! We would be watching documentaries about it on cable TV.
Think about it! A man, presumably sightless from birth, suddenly being able to see form and color and light! Why, perhaps with a pair of corrective lenses or contacts, the man might even be able to see well enough to read and work and drive a car!
But at the period of history when Jesus walked the earth, astigmatism and glasses and contacts were unknown. Good thing that Jesus didn't quit before the job was done, huh?
Aren't you glad that God never does things halfway? The Lord didn't touch this poor blind fellow only to have him walk around "half-whole." No, Jesus didn't stop healing until the blind man's eyes were opened, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly.
That's the nature of God - He never does anything halfway. He doesn't abandon the job in the middle because He gets tired or bored. He never takes a break and when He returns He forgot what He was doing. He never gives up on a task because He just can't seem to figure it out. Wrong! Nope! Never! Uh-uh!
Aren't you glad that God never does anything halfway? Aren't you glad that God completed six full days of creation and didn't stop at three? Aren't you glad that when God made you
He didn't quit at one eye, one ear, one lung, one arm, and one leg? Aren't you glad that God made the day but He also made the night? Aren't you glad that He made summer but He also made winter? Aren't you glad that God didn't stop creating when He made man but persevered and made woman (and the men said "amen"!)?
God is not like most of us who are world-class starters but poor finishers! God is not like those of us who make New Year's resolutions and abandon them before the month is out. God never had a good intention that just didn't pan out. Never halfway, that's our God!
If God has started something in your life trust Him to finish it. Bear in mind, though, that He always keeps His end of the bargain but may be waiting on you to fulfill your end of the deal.
"…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
DSR
5/1/05
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