Personal Theology

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10, ESV) He’s better than we know Better than we ever dreamed He’s better than this world’s brochures Better than the glitzy magazines He’s better than what believers hope Better than what detractors say He’s better than a world of “nope” Better than the feasting day He is better than “hope” and “change” Better than GDP He’s better than our founding fathers Better than democracy He’s better than the rat race, Better than the car He’s better than a bank account Better than “under par” He’s better than your broken nights Better than your lonely hours He’s better than the tears and fights Better than the sobbing showers He’s better than what you used to have Better than what you lost He’s better than what you gave up He’s better than your cross He’s better than how we treated him Better tha

Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? ... (2 Chronicles 24:20, ESV) We were created for God and God’s blessings. Our prosperity and blessing can only be found in Him. Is it any wonder that our souls dry up when we leave the oasis? We’re so needy that we wouldn’t even seek God’s blessings before Christ chose us. No intuition or skill could ever have brought us here. Forty years in the desert would only be the beginning if He left us on our own. Today, may we obey Him, for He alone blesses. Today, may we bless Him, for He alone obeyed.

“There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” (1 Chronicles 17:20, ESV) When something is genuinely, unmistakably better than something else, we should say so. To do otherwise is disingenuous. If some ESPN analyst compared my game to Lebron James and said, “Well, this is a close one, but I’m going to have to go with Lebron…” They are being silly. If Warren Buffett says to me, “Hey, thanks for that investment advice…” He’s doing no one any favors. If I go forward to the world presenting the almighty God of creation like He’s the generic brand soda of religion, I am mistaken to the point of being unloving. The Gospel is not a Lifetime TV miniseries. The Lord Jesus Christ is not a WalMart special. Reconciliation to God is not on par with Oprah’s latest wisdom. Let the one who knows Christ boast in this: There is no God like our God. There is no hope like our hope. There is no Savior like our Savior.

“And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.” (1 Chronicles 14:2, ESV) David understood his blessing to serve a higher purpose, namely, the blessing of God’s people. God desired that his people would have the blessing that can only come with a righteous king. We are in the same situation, though maybe not how you think. On the one hand, our blessing cannot be merely for us. We belong to the family of God and the body of Christ. The individual Christian life must be be interwoven with the community of the church, both giving and receiving blessing. On the other hand, and more importantly, our God did not leave us with a mere David, He left us with the David. We have a righteous King like Israel and David could only long for. Our King brings with him forever’s blessings. He brings life and forgiveness, joy and grace. Walk in the blessings of your King, the Son of David, th

“... These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’” (Deuteronomy 2:7, ESV) Israel spent 40 years essentially backpacking through the desert. They set up camp at night, they marched in the daytime. Sometimes they stayed in one place longer than others, but they were always on the move. These desert nomads lived a life that was uncomfortable and trying, so much so that they (sinfully) longed to return to slavery in Egypt. They undoubtedly longed for a home and for the comforts of a stable life. Yet for 40 years, God led them through the desert. And at the end, God insisted that his people lacked nothing. That must have been a difficult one to accept. By human standards, the people of God had lacked a great deal. But God in his wisdom and love could say, “Nope. You didn’t lack a thing.” For 40 years, they knew God’s ever-present guidance. For 40 years, they walked as the special and chosen people of God. For 40 years they knew a God w