The King of Glory and of My Heart

Psalm 24 is a magnificent piece of Scripture that exalts the One and Only King of Glory! Like Jon Courson's commentary says: if "Psalm 22 deals with the cross and Psalm 23 with the crook... Psalm 24 will deal with the crown."

Absolutely, in a day when we seem so battered and beaten by a society that wages war against all things Christian...in a day when illnesses and decay seem to be running rampart all around...in a day when natural disasters and violence of all kind seem to be bent on destroying all things beautiful...in a day when politics seem to be corroding the core of our souls...in a day when hope may seem fragile...Psalm 24 reminds us who we belong to...whose we are, and in whose dominium we stand:

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.

We know who He is.  We know who this King of Glory is: Jesus, the One and Only.  That is the privilege we have above those who came before.  We know Jesus is the King of Glory.  We do not have to wonder.  We know.  May we rest on Psalm 24 today, knowing full well that the ancient doors will lift once again so Jesus, Our King of Glory may return.  In the meantime, we wait without losing hope.  In the meantime we remember and we praise Him...the LORD Almighty!  In Jesus' precious name.  Amen!

P. S.:  I hope you enjoy a time of worship with the embedded son above.  

May I Present Him My Willing Heart

 I don't know about you, but, I like my food to be flavorful.  I know, I know...I'm weird that way...but I tell you, bland is not my favorite.  I mean, think about ordering a delicious steak at a most excellent steak house (or whatever your preferred dish might be).  Oh the anticipation!! -We don't go out to eat much, so when we do, I'm all giddy inside!- Anyway, finally, after what seems like an eternity, your meal arrives at your table.  You look at it.  You turn your plate around to admire it from every angle. You take a picture of it.  You pick up your utensils with reverence.  You inhale its fragrance.  You close your eyes to enjoy a maximum experience of the expected explosion of taste in your mouth...and...and...you take that glorious first bite...

Then, those around you wonder what's wrong with you.  They've just witnessed your face going from "Christmas morning at age 7 and 1/2" to "Saturday, 8:00 a.m. advanced trigonometry final exam."  

The reason: the seemingly heavenly steak or whatever you ordered-meal is completely insipid.  You don't know whether to call the waitress to check if they gave you someone else's plate or to go to the nearest pharmacy to get a rapid Covid test.  You do neither, and instead, you reach for the salt and pepper...only to realize...there aren't any shakers at the table...nothing...no condiments at all.  What's even more strange is that you ask for salt, anything that could bring some flavor to this sorry excuse of a main course...but they don't even know what you're talking about.  Nobody has heard of salt...that is your food...and that is the world without Christians...without the "salt of the earth."

We are the salt...and as such, our mission is to provide what salt does...and to provide it to others.  Salt it's not salty for its own sake.  Salt exists to be poured out, pinched and tossed, and sprinkled around so others can have a flavorful experience when they dig into their sustenance.  The salt that remains out of reach, hidden underground...does not fulfill its purpose...just like the light that is under a bushel.  We have to give ourselves fully so our salt can do its thing...but, are we?  Am I?

Matthew 5: 13-16 has always been challenging to me.  We meditated on it on Sunday service and it shook me.  Today, I read in a devotional a series of questions that get to the core of my discomfort:

"The mirror is "the word of truth" from God (James 1:18). When we read the Scriptures, what do we see? Do we recognize ourselves when they describe love and humility? Do we see our own actions when we read what God commands us to do? When we look into our hearts and test our actions, Scripture can help us recognize if our actions are in line with what God desires for us or if we need to seek repentance and make a change." (Our Daily Bread, 10/3/22)

When presented with challenging Bible passages like Matthew 5: 13-16, the mirror of Scripture is placed directly in front of me and all these questions bombard my heart bringing an enormous amount of conviction since I know my answers will not represent a passing grade...

The good news is, in spite of our weakness and our failures, we need not be weighted down by the guilt of our shortcomings.  Guilt is a tool of the enemy to keep us crushed and ineffective.  Jesus is about forgiveness.  Mercy flows through the throne of God. 

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103: 8-12)

He knows we are going to stall often, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3: 23).  But, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3: 17)  And  “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10: 13) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8: 1)

He makes all things new (Revelations 21: 5)...even us...even me...

I am weak.  My salt may be losing its saltiness.  I have been out of the reach of those who need me for too long. But He can still use me.  Even if I've been hiding for a long time, He can put me back on the table so whatever nutrients are still in me can be poured out and sprinkled around to flavor someone else's experience with the blessing of His Presence.  He can reach underneath the bushel, grab my light and put it on His stand so whatever light still remains in me can contribute to shine in the darkness of our days.  May I present to Him my willing heart.  In Christ's precious Name, I pray.  Amen!

Safe in His Presence

 As I look at the views of the devastation that the latest hurricane has brought to countries in the Caribbean, to Florida, and other regions, I can't help but think how I would react if I lived in one of these areas.  

I was born and raised in Panama, and you'd imagine I'm used to hurricanes and disasters like this.  Actually, because of its positioning, Panama rarely gets a direct hit from a hurricane.  I don't think it has ever happened.  We get tropical storms and hurricane tail ends...but nothing like what countries such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and other areas get.  We have been blessed with a privilege that is rarely acknowledged except in the midst of disasters like the current ones.

Therefore, I've never been in the eye of a storm of this magnitude.  And the prospect of experiencing something like that terrifies me.  The loss of property and life...the loss of hope...the loss of everything...the uncertainty about the future...none of those things I long to have to go through.  Nobody does, really...but regardless of all the precautions we take...regardless of all the planning and careful strategizing we may conduct...regardless of how we decide to live in areas that are seemingly/statistically/geographically/historically super safe from harm...the storm can always find us no matter what.

No amount of educated decision making that we think we are performing can ever keep us 100% safe from the winds and the waves.  The Only One Who can is the One to Whom they Listen and Obey.  Therefore, the safest place is under the shadow of His wings.  However, the promise is not that we will get to skip the storm...the promise is that when the storm comes, He will be right there with us...and that the future is held by His Hand, thus it must be released out of our mind and heart.  

So, when the tempest pounds on us with utmost fury, and we feel like we don't have what it takes to endure it, let us remember Isaiah 43: 2, 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

His dominium extends to all of His creation, from the nice and quiet summer evenings, colored by marvelous sunsets and the twinkling of fireflies, to the fury and uproar of the squall, gale, downpour, tornadoes or hurricanes.  Blessed Be His Name, Always.  Amen!

It's That Simple

I have to admit that I spend a large portion of my time obsessing about my job. Why do I do that? Sigh…well, I can give you a variety of seemingly “good” reasons, chief among all: I care about my students. Deep inside, though…what I care most about is other people’s opinions. I want to impress my co-workers and supervisors with my highly polished skills as an educator and a scholar. That’s it. My reasons are purely selfish. I’m killing myself at this job so I can have an impressive record. Recently, however, I was crushed. My ego was destroyed when, after spending years shaping up what I thought was an awe-inspiring portfolio to submit for promotion, I was denied. I was rejected for this promotion I thought was in the bag. And it was a most humiliating refusal…one that is causing me to reconsider everything I’ve done at my current institution for the last 17 years.

My pride was hurt…because it was my pride what was leading my efforts all along.

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36)

A couple of days ago, while speaking to one of my colleagues who is going through some challenging, personal situations, made worse by the natural disasters currently going on around her country of birth, some words came out of my mouth that surprised me. As she was expressing her concern about her family issues and how she might have to fly back home at a moment’s notice, I said to her: “of all the things of this world, this job is the least important, yet…this is where we spend most of our time and energy. That’s not right.”

I don’t know where that came from. I don’t even think those words were truly for her alone. I think they were mostly for me. I needed to verbalize that thought aloud so I could really hear it myself. The choice of giving the best of me to a job risk drawing me away from what matters most: following Him. I’m still as confused as the people who followed Jesus around just because of His miracles. I still don’t get it. I need to be reminded over and over again, by Jesus Himself, what the work of God is…the good news is that He left it written for us to read today:

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6: 28-29

That’s it. It is that simple. No amount of money, respect, possessions, worldly success and recognition will ever mean anything. In the end, the only thing that matters is whether or not we believed Jesus is Our Lord and Savior…Our Redeemer…Our Sustainer. That’s it. It’s that simple.

I am seriously re-thinking the way I want to spend my remaining years at this job. I don’t want to waste my time on things that might mean everything from the material point of view, but that are completely irrelevant from the eternal perspective. I pray the Holy Spirit guides me and guides all of us who are presently at crossroads of this nature. That we may be inspired to make the right choice in the path that leads us to Christ. In His Precious Name, I pray.  Amen!

Good Wins!

I read in a devotional a couple of days ago that humans hunger for hope and justice…basically, most of us want the good guys to win. That is probably why superhero movies that don’t have a clear conclusion in which the villains are defeated by the heroes who make them face their evil crimes and punish them, are not satisfying. We don’t mind our heroes showing vulnerability and getting beat up a bit (or a bunch). BUT, we need them to win. At least I do. I have watched my fair share of superhero movies with my sons and I tell you, I have truly enjoyed most of them…until I watched one, recently, that I found extremely disappointing. The basis for my disappointment was that the hero had to adopt evil ways to defeat evil. Goodness was not enough. He had to invoke darkness to conquer darkness. I mean, really? Does that even make any sense? Haven’t they heard? A house divided cannot stand! We have to look no further than Matthew chapter 12 to understand,

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12: 24-28)

It is Light what overpowers darkness. Darkness is only made deeper if attacked by darkness.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1: 5

The problem is the world’s love of darkness,

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. John 3:19

The good news is that the story is not over yet. Not unlike our feelings after watching a movie in which the good had to turn evil to “defeat” evil, as Christians we may feel discouraged and disappointed at the way the world is going. Evil does seem to be triumphant so much so that even superheroes are turning bad…but the curtain hasn’t closed…the stage is still wide open…the Greatest Hero is yet to make His triumphal appearance. As we wait…our job is to continue to hope and to hold on to the promise of His return. Our job is to remember that He is Sovereign and that He is in control. Our job is to know that His Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven and that His Will is Perfect, not corrupt and corroded like the will of our human heroes.

Let’s wait in assurance that the Goodness of God has already overcome! In the Precious Name of Our Divine Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. Amen!

End of Summer Melancholy

Yes, I am one of those people who LOVES summer.  I know plenty of folks enjoy cooler temps and dream about the days when they can cozy up in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a fluffy  blanket, wearing comfy pjs and socks, drinking hot cocoa.  Not me.  That's OK for others, but to me, the thought of temperatures below 75 sends chills down my spine...literally, and not in a good way. 

I'm a flip-flop kind of girl.  I like the freedom of not having to wear a coat to go outside.  I like the fact that I can walk barefoot on the grass if I wanted to.  I'm all about big water, blue skies, sand in my toes and the sound of waves and seagulls in the air.  That's why the last days of August and plans for Labor Day weekend make me want to cry.

I like picnics and gatherings.  But, I don't want to celebrate the end of what's so dear to me! Sigh...

The thing is, I grew up in a place where it's always summer...and saying goodbye to it here, brings back the hurt of having lost the home of my youth.  The faint reddish tint that is starting to appear on the trees, the later sunrise and the earlier sunsets plus the hint of coolness in the air all forecast another season to remember how different my life is and how far I am from the young woman who once cared not a bit about the possibility of summer ending.

The deep melancholy of loss sometimes sits quietly, set aside, confined to the back corners of our heart...only to resurface when we least expected, triggered by the normalcy of events which reminds us that what used to be normal is no more.

What is there to do, then, when confronted with the inevitability of change and the bottomless pit of pain it often causes?

I don't know.  I don't have any "5 easy steps" to overcoming sadness and melancholy.  All I know is to cling to My Jesus.  I go to The Word and hold on to it, claiming the promises, releasing my sorrow and trusting that what He has said in Scripture is true.  

In the middle of this stormy afternoon, when the golden sun of summer is hidden by dark clouds, I go to my source of strength:

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34: 18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8: 18

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelations 21: 4

If the Lord can hold the stars in place every night...He can take care of my broken heart.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, the Lord of All My Days! Amen!

Lord of Our Moments

 Life is not the straight, continuous line we often imagine. It is more segmented than that. Life, to me, is a collection of moments.  Some of them we choose.  Many are chosen for us. But the way we experience them is up to us.  Either consciously and intentionally or at times more unconsciously and not so strategically planned, the way we live out our moments is our decision.

I'm not the kind of person who can pause and think before acting or saying something.  Rude things and actions come out of my mouth and body at the slightest provocation.  I've gotten better when I'm in public among people who don't really know me much.  BUT, at home, for example, surrounded by the people I love the most...unfortunately, I am at my worst...

Many of my "moments" at home end up in a downward spiral of yelling and tearing that leave me feeling ashamed and mortified when it's all said and done...especially because I know...deeply in my heart, I do know that it was done by choice.  I'm not controlled by an evil spirit that manipulates me into being mean and nasty to my loved ones.  Consciously or unconsciously, it is me making those bad decisions what transforms moments to be cherished into nightmares to be forgotten.  Like yesterday, for example. Dylan got his driver's license...a moment that should be remembered with warm memories of pride and accomplishment.  Instead, it was a moment forever tainted by me due to my own selfishness.  I got mad at something stupid that hurt my pride and I turned a joyful moment into a prolonged and agonizing time of verbal confrontation that ruined everything.  I had a choice: to be selfish or to be selfless.  I chose the first one.  And, for what purpose?  What was the chief end of that choice?

sigh...

Instead of focusing on Dylan and on celebrating this milestone...I chose to focus on me and my ego.  I felt hurt so I chose to make others feel just as hurt or more...so I could feel better about my own hurt...

Did I accomplish my "mission"?

Well, yeah, I made my loved ones feel terrible. But...I felt worse.  Whatever sick joy I thought I'd get out of hurting others did not materialize...it never does...because that's not how it works.  Inflicting pain does not bring joy...it brings darkness.  It's in loving God and others where we find true joy.  Loving others to the point of self-sacrifice is the key to a fulfilled life...a life spent for others...so others can live.  We need not look further than the person of Jesus:

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15: 13

I know I would jump to fire for my loved ones...but it is in the everyday moments where I need to put my effort, because life is not made out of many, literal "jump-into-the-fire" scenarios, but it is full of tiny and seemingly insignificant "put-them-before-you" moments...and it is up to me to choose how I act and react when those itty-bitty bits come around.  

Thankfully, God knew what He was doing when He created our brains, and designed them in a way that it organizes life into moments...in many cases, pushing the bad ones behind, and bringing the good ones to the forefront.  He knew we couldn't handle it any other way.  I hope Dylan's mind selects yesterday's moment for the "forgotten" storage category in his brain and that he remembers getting his license as the fun day that it began to be.  I pray my loved ones choose to extend grace to me when I slip again...so our moments together can be God-honoring and filled with joy.  I pray we can make Jesus the Lord over all our moments.  In His Precious Name.  Amen!