The END of us?

 

\ 

Last week some bright guys warned the world with alarming language about the potential demise of the
human race, killed off by Artificial Intelligence. Were they just being sensational, trying to create a sense of urgency or is there a real threat? What I know about AI would not even fill a page so I will not comment on the accuracy of their claims.

I am watching this news with interest and some concern, wondering what it will mean for my children’s future, for employment millions of people, and the effect on weapons of war, the lethality of which we humans seem to love to ‘improve’ with all means, including AI.

But this I know for certain. It is critically important to be reminded of the source of our TRUE hope and our REAL security. Followers of Jesus Christ need not allow be overtaken with panicky emotions.

·       We need not be sleepless through the night!

·       We need not fear the future.

·       We can settle ourselves on the Rock of our Salvation, remaining focused on the fact that our God is eternal, as Scripture says, “the Alpha and Omega,” encompassing all things from beginning to end. This surety keeps us steady when the world around shakes.

I love the security that David sings about Psalm 57. He wrote this song at a time of many troubles. The king of Israel was mentally unstable and came to believe that young David was a threat, so he mobilized his special forces to try to kill him. David had no refuge, living the life of fugitive in caves in the desert, constantly on the move. His circumstances were fertile soil in which hopelessness might grow, but did he let that happen?
Look at this song.

"They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. (Selah)

While his enemies plotted his destruction, he made his heart quiet. “Steady as she goes,” he whispered and then, looking to God who reigns, he broke into song!

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth." (Psalm 57:6-11, NIV)

When he writes about a ‘steadfast’ heart, he is speaking of an active choice to settle himself. He has chosen to look beyond the circumstances of the moment to the Lord’s promises. IF we would know peace, we must make the same choice. “My heart is steadfast, O God!”

We cannot allow our emotions to drag us into despair. We must not let the doubts take control. Instead, we choose to be steady. One of my favorite authors, Eugene Peterson, penned a meditation on the Psalms which he titled – A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. He makes the point that our Christian faith is a series of choices, made each day. We will not sustain hope based on an experience of the Spirit that is a decade old!

·       We open the Scripture for a Word for this day.

·       We quiet ourselves in contemplative prayer today refusing to let the hurriedness of life to rob us of that renewal found in the Spirit.

·       We deal with the challenges of the day, not letting them pile up into apparently insurmountable mountains.

Yes, we go “Steady on!” 

Isaiah, God’s preacher to Judah in a time of spiritual apathy and pending judgment, could have thrown up his hands in disgust, and retreated from his calling. He did not. He points to the secret of being faithful.
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." (Isaiah 26:3-4, NIV) 

Is the sky falling? Are tough times ahead? I do not know but I will choose God's peace. I will choose to live in faith, and I will store my treasure in Heaven. And I will pray for my faith in Jesus to grow stronger, replacing my natural desire to find security in some safe place of my making. How about you?

Here is a familiar word from the Word. May the Lord make our ‘truth for the day.’
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace,
who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:8-11, NIV)

_______________________________

Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

---

 

Dreamin’ with my eyes wide open

Sometimes I find myself daydreaming! Yes, with my eyes wide open and complete awareness of what is going on around me, I begin to think “What could change? How can I make it better? What would create happiness in this situation?" I am told by those who study such things that our brain does better at solving problems when we give ourselves permission to dream about possibilities, not simply what we are told is the ‘reality’ with which we must cope.

Too many people surrender to their critics, giving in to the struggles and just choosing to exist!  IF we give up on life disappointment and disillusionment will replace hope. We will begin to let the days slip by- on Monday aiming for Friday, in the morning already thinking about losing ourselves in meaningless TV for the entire evening. IF we lose sight of ‘why’ we are alive, if we refuse to dream because we are told we should not, we will live a defeated existence and drift through day after day.

I am NOT suggesting that we avoid reality and choose to live in fantasies. That, too, is a waste of our days and does not fulfill the high and holy calling that God desires for each one of us.

God does not desire that we become successful people by the common measures of fame, wealth, or celebrity, BUT He does want you and me to be  people of significance.

The best life is not a destiny, but a path shaped by a God-sized dream. We can pray – “Lord God, form in me a dream worthy of You. Show me how to best use the opportunities in my life, to overcome the broken places in myself, and to understand who I am in Your purposes.”   As strange as it sounds, the best life emerges from surrender to His will; not giving up, not becoming numb to the world, but pursuing His purpose over self- promotion. Believe me, there is real joy in that choice.

John Ortberg (pastor and author) writes that "surrender is not passivity nor abdication. It is saying yes to God and life each day. It is accepting the gifts He has given to me - my body, my mind, my biorhythms, my energy. It is letting go of my envy or desire for what He has given to someone else. It is letting go of outcomes... Surrender is accepting reality ... the ultimate reality: I am a ceaseless being with an eternal destiny in God's great universe."  {When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back Into the Box, 2007, Zondervan} The deepest surrender, Ortberg says, grows out of the profound realization that I am not master of the game, the God of life IS!

Real vision forms when we surrender to the Spirit. Jesus says "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it." (Mark 8:34-35, NLT) To paraphrase His words- “If you live selfishly, you will lose everything in the end. If you live as God desires, you will gain an unshakeable hope and the gift of an eternal reward.”

I am convinced that when we are surrendered to Him in our attitudes, God is able to shape our dreams and create opportunities for us to become His partners in changing the world.

Sound too lofty? Is that grandiose? Not at all. It is our privileged place as children of the Heavenly Father. Can you imagine a life more significant than that?  

·       What would life look like if instead of working to impress others or building a network of power to defend our rights, we chose humble service without needing thanks or applause?

·       What if we measured “success” as being content to be useful to God with no expectation other than to find the joy of obedience?  

I want, by the grace of God and the help of the Spirit, to dream big - so that I will not remain where I was yesterday, nor will I lose myself in fantasies about tomorrow. Instead, I will follow Christ’s plan that I become like Him today, with but one desire – that He shines through me in a way that is unique to my gifts and circumstances.

Make this declaration-
“For the glory of God, I want to be the best __________________________
(fill the blank) that is possible!

Here’s a word from the Word. I love the truth declared here.  
"Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21, NLT)

Let’s dare to dream a godly dream and live the life prepared in His wisdom for us.

Amen.

_______________________________

Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

Oh, God …

Each morning, even before I throw back the covers of my bed, I pray … not long prayers, not well-thought prayers, but still I pray. In those words, murmured in the first moments of consciousness, I thank God for a new day. I present myself to Him and ask that I will live in a way that He can use me for His purposes.

Then, there are those times of prayer when I bow my head and all that I can say is “Oh, God …” Either I do not know what to say, or perhaps I do not even know what I desire of Him, or I am too angry or sad to speak. What then?

IF I just walk away from prayer in those moments
it is likely that a distance will creep into my relationship with Him.

In years of Pastoral ministry, I have talked with hundreds (no exaggeration) of Christians who struggle with meaningful prayer.
Sometimes it is a misunderstanding of prayer as a one-sided conversation. It IS important to learn to ‘wait on the Lord’ focused and silent before Him.
Often it is a struggle of faith; an inner hidden conflict with one’s self that recognizes a gap between what is being prayed for and real faith to believe God will respond.
And sometimes there is just a sense that we want to express ourselves to Him more fully but lack the words.

That is when I learned to pray the Psalms.’  
Borrowing that ancient, inspired text, I speak aloud to the Lord and find my heart lifted, my mind changed. Who could improve on this prayer in times of disappointment? "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalm 42:1-3, NIV) I have prayed those words dozens of times.

The worship of these lines can move me into my own time of praise. "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (Psalm 9:1-2, NIV)

In times of failure, these words of confession have been my prayer. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. … Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:1-3, 10-12, NIV) What joy I have found in confessing both my sin and His grace to forgive!

In the 150 Psalms we find all kinds of prayers – worship and adoration, cries for help and rescue, and angry expressions of doubt and fear. So, use them as your prayer book! Let them teach you how to commune with God in a deeper, richer way. Let them lead you beyond fumbling and muttering into amazing worship.

It is my experience that praying the Psalms launches me into my own prayers, inspiring me to know God better. Christian, for us prayer is not an option. When we pray, we open up our lives to the power of God and, in ways that defy our understanding. In prayer we word WITH to build His Kingdom here on earth. How amazing is that?  

Pray first, not last.
Pray often, not seldom.
Pray boldly, not tentatively.
Pray faithfully, knowing that He is faithful, even when you cannot discern His ways or hear His voice.

Here’s the word from the Word, some prayers from the Psalms.
"But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were." (Psalm 39:12, NIV) "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

"I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." (Psalm 56:12-13, NLT)
________________

The Prayers Of The Saints

Let these prayers of the saints
Be sweet smelling incense
Let these prayers of the saints
Be sweet smelling incense to Your heart

Matt Redman © 1998 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Amen.

_______________________________

Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55