At the close of Psalm 23, David stuns us with a novel thought. He writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Notice all the ways David sites in which the Lord graciously served him. This particular value recognizes, “It’s not about my service for God, but about His service for me!”

This is a difficult value for many of us to swallow. We may feel like we “owe” God big-time. Obviously, we do owe Him our lives and everything He gives us to enjoy. But we do not “owe” Him in the sense that we can pay Him back or even attempt to do so. Why? Because salvation (complete forgiveness and restored relationship with Him) is God’s gracious gift to us. To even suggest that we should try to pay Him back is foolish and would diminish the magnitude of His free gift. God is not the beneficiary of our beneficence; we are the beneficiaries of His.

Jesus underscored this principle when He said that He came, “not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Elsewhere in the Scripture it says, “God is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:25)

You see, it’s only when we recognize and accept what God has done for us that we can begin to honor and please Him. “It’s not about my service for God, but about His service for me!”

In Titus 3:3-7 we read, “Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”

King David patterned his life after these four values: “I find my satisfaction in the Lord;” “He leads, I follow;” “I want to represent You well, Lord, by pursuing righteousness;” and, “It’s not about my service for God, but about His service for me.” How about you?

© 2012 Rob Fischer

David reminds us that as God’s children, we bear our heavenly Father’s name. He “guides us” or “leads us” in “paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” This value states that we glorify and represent the Lord well as we follow Him in paths of righteousness, or in right-living.

The apostle Paul reminds us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10) We are to live in a manner consistent with our heritage—we are the Lord’s children. We bear His name.

Peter also chimes in on this, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

If we claim to know Christ and to be a child of God, then our lives will represent Him well. His Holy Spirit gives us the desire to obey Him, please Him and honor His name in all we do. “I want to represent You well, Lord, by following Your paths of righteousness.”

© 2012 Rob Fischer

The second value that David gives us for living he expresses like this, “He leads me…” That is, “The Lord is the one who is leading me, which means that I follow Him!” Many of us go through life making and following our own feeble plans. We may long for God’s approval and presence with us in our plans, but we’re asking Him to join us—or follow us— as it were. “Lord, bless my plans!”

I know of no better way to ensure God’s presence with us than by following Him! It’s no coincidence that the Lord Jesus said in John 10, “I am the good Shepherd. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” And by the way, following Jesus is precisely what it means to be His disciple. So the value here is, “He leads I follow.”

© 2012 Rob Fischer

First, David shares with us, “I find my ultimate satisfaction in the Lord” (period!) Now, David worded this a bit differently. He said, “Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need!” The “quiet waters” and “green grass” that God gives me—those are just a bonus! But the real reward and riches are in knowing Him! “I find my satisfaction in the Lord.”

The apostle Paul expressed the same thing when he declared, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” (Philippians 3:8)

Jesus referred to this first value in the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. The Lord is that “treasure” hidden in a field for which we with joy “sell” everything else in order to “obtain.” The Lord is that “pearl” of inestimable value for which we had searched and now forfeit all else to “own.”

The first value for living: “I find my satisfaction in the Lord.” He is my desire and my delight!

© 2012 Rob Fischer

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23 NIV)

David, the author of this Psalm, was a man with very diverse and broad experiences in life. He was well acquainted with suffering, trials and grief; but also with great joys and victories. He found his purpose and strength in God. In this Psalm, David gives us a model for living.

In these few short verses, David portrays an overview of life’s experiences: from “green pastures” and “quiet waters;” to the “valley of the shadow of death,” where our fears play havoc with our minds; to the very “presence of our enemies” and all that would ruin us and destroy us.

The whole gamut of life is neatly packaged in this short Psalm. Butthere is one constant that David calls our attention to in every phase of life: the providing, quieting, restoring, guiding, comforting, and loving presence of the Lord!

To underscore the significance of God’s presence and work in our lives, David tells us the values by which he modeled his life. Over the next few posts, I’ll reveal those four values.

© 2012 Rob Fischer

We must remember that death (both physical and eternal) entered the world as a result of sin (Romans 5:12). Satan, the deceiver, confused and misled Adam and Eve. Jesus describes the character of the evil one in John 8:44, “The devil…was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” And the apostle Paul explains that apart from Christ, people are in the clutches of the evil one, that Satan is doing his work in them and that they have been “trapped” by him, “who has taken them captive to do his will.” (Ephesians 2:1-2 and 2 Timothy 2:26)

With the above in mind, it should come as no surprise to us that, “Since the dawning of time, men have contrived ingenious diversions to satisfy their fallen passions. And child-killing has always been chief among them.”  Historian George Grant goes on to explain, “Virtually every culture in antiquity was stained with the blood of innocent children.”  And he cites the dark practices of the ancient Romans, Greeks, Persians, Chinese, Hindus, Arabs, Canaanites, Polynesians, Japanese and Egyptians. (George Grant, Third Time Around (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1991), pp. 11-12.)

Child-killing was Satan’s strategy for destroying God’s people in Egypt and prevent God’s servant Moses from growing up and leading Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (Exodus 1:15-22). Throughout Israel’s tainted history from Moses to Jesus, Israel resorted to child-killing in following the perverted and detestable practices of pagan worship (Jeremiah 32:35). In Ezekiel 16:20-21, the Lord laments over Israel, “‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?  You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.’”

Of course, the evil one also attempted to destroy the Messiah, Jesus Christ, by moving King Herod to jealousy and murdering all the baby boys two years and younger in Bethlehem after Jesus was born (Matthew 2:16). Jesus Christ came, willfully endured the cross, was buried and rose victoriously from the dead, so that by grace through faith in Him we come to life in Him. Immediately, Christ’s followers cherished life—not merely in the sense of “souls to be saved,” but also in the sense of human life right now. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan serves as a prime example of this sanctity of human life.

The Didache is one of the earliest documents we possess from the first generation of Christ-followers. It was written and published about the same time as Revelation—before the close of the first century. Regarding the Didache John Ensor explains, “Among its many instructions is a call to cherish and defend innocent human life: ‘There are two different ways: the way of life and the way of death, and the difference between these two ways is great. Therefore, do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant.’” (John Ensor, Answering the Call (Colorado Springs: Focus on the Family, 2003), pp. 93-94.)

In teaching His disciples about love Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NIV) If forfeiting one’s life to save the life of another is the greatest expression of love, then surely the taking of innocent life must represent the greatest evil. With the above backdrop, George Grant argues, “The pro-life movement and the Christian faith are synonymous. Where there is one, there will be the other—for one cannot be had without the other.” (Grant, p. 15.)

©2012 Rob Fischer

For those of us who fall into the above category and who believe we understand the heart of God on the issue of abortion, what impact has our position made on our culture? Have our personal or collective beliefs, convictions and rhetoric made any dent in curbing the number of abortions conducted every year? Since the Rowe vs. Wade decision in 1973, we—as a nation—have the blood of over 54,000,000 babies on our hands. When is enough, enough? When will we realize that our personal and even collective position on abortion, in and of itself, makes no strategic difference? We must speak up.

Recently, I was reading the book, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Erick Metaxas and Timothy Keller. Much more than a biography, the book also recounts the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany and the human rights atrocities they were committing. Then, I landed on the following quote. Count Helmut von Moltke, a committed follower of Christ, after documenting many human rights abuses that were being committed by the Nazi regime, wrote: “Certainly more than a thousand people are murdered…every day, and another thousand German men are habituated to murder…what shall I say when I am asked: ‘And what did you do during this time?’” (Page 393)

Upon reading that quote, I too was immediately stricken in conscience about our situation. “In the US, more than 3700 babies are murdered every day, and an equal or greater number of men and women are habituated to murder. What shall I say when I am asked: ‘And what did you do doing this time?’” Am I over-reacting or being too sensitive about this matter? What does the Scripture say?

Leviticus provides instructions on God’s moral and ceremonial laws for His people, Israel. As followers of Christ, we’re aware that we’re no longer under obligation to the Law of Moses. However, we also know that all Scripture is God-breathed and that Leviticus contains truths that are as relevant for us today as they were for ancient Israel.

One of the most common phrases we encounter in Leviticus (49 times) is: “I am the Lord.” Why does God continually remind Israel (and us) that He is the Lord? Leviticus 11:44 reveals the reason: “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” I believe we could rightly summarize the book of Leviticus by saying that in this book, God reveals His holiness, His holy character. And furthermore, He urges us as His people to be like Him. “Be holy, because I am holy.” God’s desire for our holiness, or to be like Him in character, is repeated in the New Testament (1 Peter 1:14-16).

Having established that Leviticus reflects and teaches us God’s character and His will for us to become holy in our character and conduct, consider the following: “If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.” (Leviticus 5:1) Notice what’s going on this statement. We have either seen or learned about something evil—a crime committed. If we sin because we do not speak up about it…we will be held responsible! This is a character of God issue for us today. “Be holy as I am holy!”

I urge us to confess our sin of not speaking out against abortion. I’m not talking about being militant or evil ourselves by attacking those who perform abortions, are pro-abortion, or submit themselves to abortion. All these individuals are victims. They have been deceived to rationalize that it’s okay to kill an unborn child. We need to love them and pray for them and we need to seek every righteous means possible to rescue the innocent.

Here’s what we can do:
• Pray!

• Love and pray for those who have been wounded by an abortion experience
• Pray vicarious prayers of repentance on behalf of our nation
• Pray that God would convict our nation of the lie of abortion as a viable option
• Pray for Life Services and other front-lines organizations who are making a difference

• Watch the 180 Movie and send the link to other people you know:  www.heartchanger.com
• Read Randy Alcorn’s book, Why Pro-Life? (Amazon.com) and pass it on to others.
• Read Rob Fischer’s book, 13 Jars (Amazon.com) and pass the copy along to others.
• Volunteer with and give to a pregnancy center in your community. They are making a real difference by saving babies and mothers!

© 2012 Rob Fischer

22. Small groups cultivate an environment in which the Lord is present with us! Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” When the Twin Towers came down in the awful terrorist attack on the US in 2001, my wife and I met a couple of days later with our small group of young single adults. With the emotions of this horrible tragedy still raw in our minds and hearts, we gathered together that evening to worship and pray to the One who could make sense of it all. We spent the evening simply worshiping God, praying for the victims and their families and for our nation. The sense of God’s presence among us was overwhelming.

23. Small groups often give us the opportunity to watch God draw the unsaved to Himself.  Many years ago, when my wife and I were missionaries in Austria, a young lady began attending a small group in our home as a guest of one of our small group members. For the first few weeks Sabrina simply sat on the couch with her head down and her hands in her lap. She didn’t say a word and wouldn’t establish eye-contact with anyone. Frankly, I was surprised she continued to come, but we extended her love and included her in any way we could. Then, slowly, over a period of many weeks, Sabrina began to open up. She had a Bible with her, would read with us and began to enter into conversations. She often asked tough, probing questions. Finally, one week she came with a big smile on her face and announced that she had surrendered her life to Christ! Over the next months and years, it was our privilege to watch Sabrina grow in her relationship with Christ and with others.

24. Small groups offer deep, meaningful fellowship and good, clean fun! When my wife and I lived in Alaska, we led a small group of young single adults. One of our traditions was to take a midnight hike thru Conner’s Bog every New Year’s Eve. Such a trek through the frozen trails of this bog were fun and a bit crazy! The moonlight reflecting off the snow usually sufficed so that we didn’t need flashlights or headlamps. Sometimes we’d encounter a moose! But we had a blast together simply spending time with each other and enjoying God’s beautiful creation.

25. Small groups provide an opportunity for its members to serve one other! Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” Each week our small group members take turns serving one another by bringing hors d’oeuvres and sharing with each other in other creative and hospitable ways. These small, hospitable acts of kindness allow us to demonstrate Christ’s love by serving one another. There’s also something about eating together that brings a group together in sweet fellowship!

26. Finally, small groups help us identify and equip new and more leaders in the church. Nothing stretches a follower of Jesus like being asked to lead others into deeper relationship with Christ! Leading small groups can be a tremendous joy, but also can provide significant challenges. As we identify and train new leaders, they experience their relationship with Christ and others in new, exciting and sometimes stretching ways. And as a result, everybody wins–the small group leader, his/her small group members, and the church as a whole!

©2012 Rob Fischer

17. Small groups provide us with the accountability that we desperately need! A few years ago, I was leading a men’s small group over the lunch hour. One of our guys (I’ll call him Kent) came in late and was noticeably troubled. We greeted Kent and I asked him what was wrong. He blurted out that he had just had a fight with his wife. I asked him if he had reconciled with her, to which he answered no. He explained what their argument was over and it was crystal clear to all of us that Kent was being extremely unreasonable and unloving toward his wife. Playfully, we told him to get back home and make things right with his wife and to let us know how things went. To Kent’s credit, he did! Kent was grateful for our tough love for him (and so was his wife!).

18. Small groups enable us to gather with other followers of Christ around God’s Word regularly! Acts 2:42, “they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching.” That’s the Word of God. Recently, the small group that I lead launched into a three week overview of Joseph’s life from Genesis. We read several chapters aloud each session and then discussed how God was working in Joseph’s life and how his story applies to us. All of us found Joseph’s story to be profoundly relevant and significant in our lives. This is just one example of how we spend time together in God’s Word and how powerfully His Word impacts us!

19. Small groups launch us into God-focused prayer with other followers of Christ! A number of years ago, Linda and I were leading a small group in Texas. A couple, Randy and Debbie, were members of our small group. They had been trying to have children for seven years, but to no avail. We had prayed for them often. However, on one evening in our small group, we read the passage in Luke 1 about how God gave Zacharias and Elizabeth a child (John the baptist) in their old age. As I was reading this passage, the Holy Spirit impressed on all of us, “I want to do this for Randy and Debbie too.” God’s leading and communication were so clear, that I confirmed with the rest of the group to see if that’s what they were hearing as well. And indeed, all had sensed the same message from God. So we stopped and prayed right then and there. A few weeks later, Debbie announced that she was pregnant and today they have two beautiful children!

20. Small groups provide us with first-hand experience at watching God work among us! The story I’m about to share is bazaar! I almost hesitate to share it, but I’ll tell it just like it happened. On another occasion, we were leading a small group in Post Falls, Idaho. The couple in whose home we met had a small “designer” dog that they loved. However, when we showed up for small group that night, Larry was holding their dog in his lap and the dog did not look well. Larry had been staining a fence earlier that day and the dog had unwittingly lapped up a considerable amount of stain and had gotten very sick. They rushed the dog to the vet and he did what he could for the dog, but sent the dog home indicating that he doubted that she would live.

There we were that night, looking at this pathetic little dog draped over Larry’s lap. The dog was listless and breathing short, rapid breaths. About ten minutes into our Bible study, Larry suddenly looked up and said to his wife, “Shirley, the dog is gone!” The dog was now completely limp. We stopped what we were doing and prayed. We prayed for the dog, but mostly for God’s comfort in Larry and Shirley’s life. The moment we said, “Amen,” the dog snapped its little head up, jumped off Larry’s lap and ran over to her water bowl and started drinking! We were all dumbfounded wondering what we had just witnessed!

Now, I’m not saying what you’re thinking! All we know is what we saw and experienced. But the real meaning in that incident for all of us that night was that God was present with us and He loves us and cares for us intimately–down to the smallest matters in our lives!

©2012 Rob Fischer