Rick Henderson

Do Not Fret

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

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. vs 8b

Three times in the first eight verses we see the psalmist uses the phrase, “Do not fret.” Anytime repetition is found in scripture, it is an indicator of importance, so what was David trying to highlight? We often attribute fretting to anxiety and worry. However, the word used here for fret is more often translated as anger or burning (Strong’s H2734).

David is telling us not to become angry by the success of evildoers. It is frustrating when it appears like God allows immoral people to avoid punishment. It is frustrating when it seems like bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. It is frustrating when we do everything right, but others who don’t live for God get the reward. This is the feeling David is trying to invoke. Have you felt this before? If we are honest, we all have, and maybe even pretty recently.

David encourages us not to fret or get worked up by this because God is in control. When we take matters into our own hands, it leads to us becoming the evil we are trying to expose. We cause more harm than good when we get flustered by other’s success. Trust God’s plan and God’s timing. It will be better than anything this world can offer!

Bonus thought: Why does God allow the wicked to prosper? I would say he doesn’t. I’d argue the success of the wicked keeps them in a place where they believe they don’t need God. That’s what the enemy wants. Victory in Jesus is better than any victory the world can offer.

Glad Heart

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

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Psalm 16:9-10

This Easter Sunday, I too echo the psalmist: my heart is glad! We have not been abandoned, though we deserved to have been. Our eternity is secure, though we did nothing to earn it. Our ransom has been paid, though we could never repay it. Yet, it was Jesus who was abandoned. It was Jesus who took on Hell. It was Jesus was crucified for my sin.

O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Hosea 13:14

My heart is glad because Jesus claimed the victory. My heart is glad because He won my soul for eternity. My heart is glad because the grave is empty. He is Risen! Say it with me: He is Risen Indeed!

Relational Repentance

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

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You. Psalm 51:13

Pastor Danny said yesterday, “Forgiveness is not transactional; it is relational. It flows from the heart of God.” Let’s expound on this relational aspect of forgiveness. Many of our brothers and sisters have a very individualized view of forgiveness and repentance. Under the guise of grace, they fall into a trap of repetition where they continue in sin because they “confessed” it. They return to the same sin and expect God to continue to forgive them. Very transactional. There may be guilt and conviction but not enough to turn away from the temptation the next time it appears.

Repentance is to literally “turn the other way.” When we repent, we are not supposed to return to that sin. Rather, we are to overcome it by putting it away and turning to God. Here is where it gets even more relational. As we overcome sin, God equips us to take that testimony to others. God will use your brokenness to heal the brokenness of others. How cool is that? True repentance leads us to restoration with God. Then God will lead us to others who need restoration too. Repentance is relational: Deepening Relationships with God and others.

Moments of Heinousness

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

Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;

Have you ever wondered what made David a “man after God’s own heart?” This man who committed heinous crimes and found himself in questionable circumstances again and again. Yet, this is the man that was chosen by God over everyone in Israel. This is the king that would point us to the King of Kings. Why? Why David? I believe it was moments like this.

Moments of confession show that he faithfully returned to the Lord after moments of heinousness. Here we see him asking for forgiveness from sins he may not have known he had committed as well as the ones that were presumptuous, where he simply knew better and continued in sin.

Repentance is essential to a right relationship with God. If we are honest with ourselves, we have moments of heinousness too. We have those presumptuous moments where we choose the world’s way over God’s way. If we too want to be men and women after God’s own heart, it will begin in confession and repentance. Spend some time today using the Re:Verse as a model to pray for the forgiveness of your sins that have been both hidden and presumptuous.

Fools

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

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1

Atheism masks itself as intellect when in reality it is ignorance. Only a fool can look at the world and believe that this is all a coincidence. On the contrary, the existence of the universe means there must be a Creator. The existence of design in the universe means there must be a Designer. The unique nature and character of humanity means there must be a God who is relational. The existence of morality means there must be a God who provides moral law. Yet, a “Big Bang” is the reason to explain all of these things, right?

What might be even more foolish than atheism is the person who will sit in a pew today and live tomorrow in the same way they did yesterday. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism plagues our congregations. Is church simply a place for us to attend to make us feel better and help us to be good? No one is good, not even one. Church attendance cannot cover up the actions of the heart if those actions continue to say, “There is no God.”

Mourning to Dancing

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

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; Psalm 30:11a

As we have read this week, every time I get to verse 11 I find myself clapping and singing, “You are the Only One who can!”

Elevation Worship is not a musical group that we pull music from very often at FBCSA. However, they partnered with Brandon Lake to produce a song called “Graves into Gardens” that has a bridge that reads like this:

You turn mourning to dancingYou give beauty for ashesYou turn shame into gloryYou’re the only one who can

You turn graves into gardenYou turn bones into armiesYou turn seas into highways

You’re the only one who can

We serve a God that is a miracle worker. No one can compare to who God is. Nothing can compare to what God can do. His comfort can turn our darkest days into days of rejoicing. His power can put life back into dry bones. His might can part the waters of an ocean so we can walk on dry ground. This is the God that we serve. Do you believe this, or is this just words that we read? If this is the God you serve, you will SING. Not just on Sundays, but everyday of the week, every moment of the day. When you encounter Jesus, you wont be silent!

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. Psalm 30:12

But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:40

Here is a link to listen to Graves into Gardens.

Significant Insignificance

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

Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me. Psalm 66:20

God hears. He doesn’t turn us away. Even when our prayers are selfish and our theology is imperfect, He listens. As the God of the universe, He has so much more to deal with than our insignificant first world struggles. Look up into the sky at night and you will come to the realization that we are just a tiny blip in a universe that is bigger than we can ever imagine. Yet, God cares for you. He hears every prayer. He comforts every soul that cries out “ABBA, Father.” In the midst of our insignificance, God shows us His lovingkindness and says, “You are significant to Me!”

Laziness

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

You wicked, lazy slave.

The sin was laziness. The Master was not upset because the slave came back with no interest. The Master was not upset because the slave was dishonest. The Master was upset because the slave did not even try. He was not even that afraid of his Master. If he was, he would have put it in the bank instead of burying it in a field. The slave was afraid of failure.

As we gathered around the cross on Wednesday night in a time of confession and repentance, we were given a repentance sheet (one Pastor Chris encourages us to use often). At the top of the deadly sin list stands a word we do not talk about often in Baptist life. Acedia: spiritual or mental sloth; apathy.

The sin is laziness. Especially when it comes to stewardship, we can easily become lazy in our giving, we can become lazy in our serving, and we can become lazy in our learning. We can do it all with excuses and rationalizations, but the truth is, our laziness shows we were never really afraid of the Master, we are afraid of failure. Take a risk. Give it a try. See what happens when you take your talents and put them in a position to be used and multiplied.

Freedom

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

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

This weekend our students participated in our annual Disciple Now event called Freedom Weekend. They spent the last two days in Bible study, worship, and service. There might have been a little bit of fun to be had too! We challenged them this year to be Bold in their faith.

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 2 Cor 3:12

The hope that we find in Jesus is the reason that we can be and should be emboldened. How could we know the hope, love, and freedom found in God and not want to share that to the world? For each of our students (and you too) this boldness is going to look different. For some it will be to place their faith in Jesus as Lord for the first time. For others it will be to share with their friends and family what the Lord is doing in their life. Pray for our students as they go home today. Pray that they will know the same Spirit that they felt at Freedom Weekend will be with them as they go back into their schools and activities. That same Spirit will continue to bring Freedom, Hope, and Boldness.

Cheerful Giver

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

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor 9:7

Giving is not a unique belief to Christianity. Most major religions have an aspect of charity that is similar to our tithing. Truth be told, our recommended giving of 10% would be on the upper end of what most religions would ask for. What makes the Christian tithe different from other charity? What makes Christianity unique from other religions as a whole?

God is Love.

Most religions command giving. They make their charity obligatory and compulsive to the point that you might not go to heaven if you don’t give as commanded. Read through the Bible, including the passage today, your tithe is not salvific or redemptive. Tithing is an overflow of a relationship with the One who gave us everything. As we learn that He is Love, we will be eager to give back a portion of what He has given to us. As we experience He is Love, we will be joyful as we trust Him to provide for us in all ways. As we embody that He is love, we will be excited to contribute to the Kingdom’s work so that others might learn that He is Love.