Jimmy Gunn

Waiting Game

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 37:1-40 (day three)

³⁴Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

I love baseball. I love everything about it: The smells of grass and dirt, the sounds of a ball hitting a bat or mitt, the minutiae of stats, the stratagem of plays. I could go on and on and bore you with the history and stats that I know by heart. I also know that the game of baseball has a lot of waiting. I often hear that baseball is a boring sport, and I understand these feelings. But over my many years of playing and coaching, I have learned how to navigate the “waiting” during a baseball game. As a player, I learned to fill my time waiting by quizzing myself on what I would do if the ball came my way. I learned to watch the other players to see what they did well that I could learn from. As a coach, I have learned to engage with the kids to help them engage in the game. All this is to say that in the game of baseball, there is a lot of waiting. But there is much to do while you wait for your next opportunity. I often tell the kids I coach, that baseball is only boring if we don’t know what to do while we wait. Then, I try to coach them on what to do while they wait.

Waiting for God can feel like that sometimes. It can be hard to wait for His timing and to wait for what He has in store for us. Our timing is not His. In Psalm 37, David reminds us that there is much to do while we wait for the Lord’s timing. We are to keep God’s way. We are to follow Him and to stay steady on His path. We are to adhere to Him and His Word in all that we do.

If you find yourself having trouble waiting on the Lord today, ask Him to teach you to wait well. I know that He will.

Life

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day three)

¹¹You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (ESV)

This verse reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 10:10 where He says,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus wasn’t talking about a good life here on earth. He wasn’t talking about living “your best life now.” It was quite the opposite. Jesus came to give life for us in the future. He gave His life so we could live our best life in the days ahead when we cross from life on this earth to our eternal home with the Lord, surrounded by the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in His presence. Because of Jesus, we have the path to abundant and joyful life!

Now, because we have the path to life, we must follow it. David reminds us of the choice we have to make in verse 4 of Psalm 16. It is a free gift, but it must be received to be enjoyed. We must choose the Lord and to follow Him only in order to receive the abundant life given through Jesus. This Sunday, we will celebrate the gift of salvation that our God has given to us while looking forward to eternal joy in His presence. May we live for Him well in the days ahead, choosing life in Him and to not lift our eyes to any other.

Willing

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 51:1–19 (day three)

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. (NLT)

David knew that at the heart of his sin, he ignored who God was. His confession after adultery, lying, deceit, murder, and more does not include any mention of those sins. His confession talks heavily, however, about sinning against the Lord and forgetting the joy of knowing and following Him.

I would say it is the same with us for any of our sin. No matter what sin we find ourselves in, it all comes back to us thinking we know better than what God has said and choosing our way instead of His way. That is, essentially, what sin is…choosing our way instead of God’s way. No matter what it is, when we sin, we are essentially telling God to take a back seat so we can do what we want. David recognized that and wrote this honest, heartfelt confession to the Lord, asking God to help him be more willing to obey in the future.

The weight of sin is heavy, but confession and repentance lift us up. Where in your life right now are you telling God that you want to do things your own way? Search your heart today and ask the Lord to reveal to you sins you need to confess so that you may be filled with His joy again. May we all be a people that are more willing to obey Him in all that we do today!

A Real Page Turner

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 19:1-14 (day three)

¹⁰They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.

The Gunn kiddos are currently on spring break this week, and our week began with a favorite activity … a trip to the library. It is now Wednesday, and many books have already been read from cover to cover (even the long ones!). As I talked to one of my kids about the third 300+ page book they have read this week, the subject of how they could read that many long books so quickly came up. Put simply, these books were being read at every available moment of the day from waking to sleeping. The desire to read from a new book was so great a thing that it was the driving activity for the beginning of our break.

When was the last time you read the Bible like that? When was the last time you read the Word of God as if reading it for the first time, pouring over the words as if you could not get enough? Can you point to the last time you have desired His words more than the finest things, or thought them sweeter than anything you can imagine? I hope that your answer is that it was recently. For me, I was a little convicted today in reading these words again, understanding them anew. May we all desire the laws and words of the Lord as if tasting them for the first time!

Foolish

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 14:1-7 (day three)

¹¹ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.

The overall theme of this Psalm is that the world is full of people that do not believe there will be any accountability for their actions (no God). These foolish people live in a way that serves themselves, rather than in a way that serves the Lord. They have turned their backs on following the Lord, choosing again to serve their own desires. In reading this, it is easy to write these people off and to think that I (we) have done a pretty good job of following the Lord in all that He has commanded.

But aren’t we all guilty of choosing ourselves over God every day? Aren’t we guilty of falling into the traps of sin, forgetting briefly who we are and who we are supposed to follow instead of our own selfish desires? The Apostle Paul reiterates this fact in his letter to the Christians in Rome when he reminds them that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are all fools, at times, choosing our own way instead of following God.

As we read this community lament for the world around us this week, be sure to check your own heart, as well. May we not be foolish, but instead, follow the Lord in all that we do!

So That…

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 30:1-12 (day three)

¹¹ You turned my lament into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, ¹²so that I can sing to You and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

Throughout the Bible, God uses the metaphor of new clothing to signify change in us. The Psalms and prophets are full of this imagery; Paul writes of it often in his letters; and John talks of it in Revelation. It helps us understand just how different we are when we follow God and give our lives fully to Him.

Here, David uses it to describe how God turned what was once broken into the exact opposite. David uses this imagery to describe just how far he had come with the Lord and invites others (us) to reflect on how God has changed their (our) lives. But, he doesn’t end there. In this Psalm, we are reminded that God changes us so that we can sing for joy and not be silent. We are changed so that others may know and see the goodness of the Lord and come to know Him as a result. We are rescued so that we can praise the Lord and glorify His name.

Reflect on the new set of clothes God has given you. You were given those so that you could praise His name and share His story of redemption and goodness.

Come and See What God Has Done

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 66:1-20 (day three)

⁵Come and see what God has done; he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

The story of God is meant to be shared. Here, the Psalmist sets the example of inviting others in closer to know and experience the goodness of God. These words are a reminder to us that God’s people, both then and now, are the bringers of His light into this dark world so that others may come and see that the Lord is good. His message is not for us to keep it to ourselves, but to eagerly share what we know to be the wonderful thing it is to know Jesus as our savior.

Our story (no matter how grand or insignificant in our own eyes) is meant to be shared because it points to the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. You were important enough to God for Him to send Jesus to take your sin punishment. Your family members, friends, the stranger you meet on the street, the checker at the grocery store, the parent you talk to at school functions were all important enough to God for Jesus to die for them. How can we not share the awesome thing God has done for us?

Share your testimony. Share how God has saved you and transformed you. Share how He makes an impact in your life. Share the awesome deeds of your Father in Heaven so that others might know Him, too.

Who in your life this week are you going to invite closer to see what God has done?

Worth the Cost

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 25:14–30 (day three)

²⁵And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.

Following God is going to cost us something. We see that here in Jesus’ parable as he describes the efforts the first two servants did to double the master’s talents. We are not sure what they did to double the talents, but I am sure that it cost them in some way, shape, and form (time, energy, personal resources, etc). On the other hand, as we see with the third servant, the money does not double if just left alone.

I am most aware of this “cost” in my parenting. God has given my kids to me and Ashley to steward well. Each day that we have with them is filled with “teachable” moments where I can show them God’s Way. Now, I can choose to be vigilant and be a good steward of that time with my kids and family, which often costs me something (time, energy, etc.), or I can choose the easy, lazy way out (and sometimes do). The lazy way is a selfish way to live. It puts “me” at the forefront instead of God. It puts “me” over whatever God has entrusted to me.

Sin leads us to choose “my way” instead of God’s way. However, following God and choosing the “cost” is worth doing over the lazy (sinful) way. As you read through this scripture during the week, ask God to search your heart for where you have chosen the lazy way out of following Him instead of the way that might cost you something. How is God calling you to steward what He has entrusted to you?

…As If It Meant More

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 1:26–31, Romans 8:18–22 (day three)

²¹that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)

The Chronicles of Narnia has always been one of my favorite book series. On an almost daily basis, I am reminded of how C. S. Lewis describes heaven, or the new Narnia, in his book, The Last Battle. Lewis attempts to describe the new Narnia as if someone was looking at a beautiful scene of nature in a mirrored reflection of what was truly behind them. They could see a reflection or a copy of what was true, but not the true scene itself. He goes on to write:

The difference between the old Narnia and the new Narnia was like that. The new one was a deeper country: every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more. (The Last Battle, pg. 162)

Romans 8:21 reminds me that the nature here on this earth that I love so much to be in is not the way that God intended. God’s creation, too, was subjected to the ripple effects of sin after the Fall. As a result, we see God’s creation as a faded reflection of what He truly meant it to be.

I long for the day when we get to see God’s Creation in the way He intended. Not merely a corrupted version, but the vibrant, beautiful, and very good Creation that God made when it, too, is saved from the effects of sin. May we be found as good stewards of His Creation until we see it meaning more!

A Starting Point

Re:Verse passage – 2 Corinthians 8:1–9, 2 Corinthians 9:6–11 (day three)

⁵and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

In verse five, Paul reminds his readers that before the people of the Macedonian churches gave anything, they first submitted to God and to His will. If they did not start there, I am sure that their giving might not have been so noteworthy or commendable. They first submitted to the Lord and to the work of the Church, allowing God to use them fully for His glory.

The Lord points out here through Paul’s letter that He does not care about the size of what we give. He cares about the attitude of our heart when we give. The churches in Macedonia were commended as an example of how God’s grace abounds and makes up for human limitations that arise (2 Corinthians 12:9). The churches gave faithfully despite their circumstances, and God blessed them with abundant joy.

In trusting and relying on God, the Macedonian churches also allowed for God to provide for them in such a way that they could give beyond their ability. I am by no means a math genius, but I do know that, typically, finances/resources in usually must be greater than finances/resources out. God’s math does not work that way! When we fully trust and rely on God with our finances and resources, it makes room for God to be glorified even more through His provision and work in us.

Now, here’s the tough question for us: where is your heart on giving to the Lord? Have you submitted fully to Him or does a part of you hold back?