Just remember… The scoop you use to dish it out is the same scoop (and stuff) that will be used to fill your bowl… (good or bad)!
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)
When people have been ill we look for indicators that reveal they are improving and headed back to health. Those indicators can include renewed appetite, the desire to get up and move around, a countenance that is improved, and an attitude that is hopeful and positive. There are other key indicators as well, and my son in law who is a physician, uses those key indicators to determine a return to health…
Leading indicators… I came across a key indicator of a transformed life this morning during my Bible reading. I would have to say that in my years of pastoral ministry it is truly a key indicator that someone has experienced “salvation,” “new birth,” and “regeneration” (life-transformation) through the power of “the gospel!”
You ask what it is? Their desires change! Instead of a life focused on self and sinful pleasure, they have a deep desire to please God! King David had experienced that through faith! Here it is in his own words…
“I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD! I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless… I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless… A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil… I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.” (From Psalm 101 ESV)
I would have to say that what David wrote in Psalm 101 was one of the key indicator of a changed life when I committed my life to Christ and was “born again” or “born of the Spirit” or “born from above” (see John 3:1-8). God changed my “want to!” I desired to please the Lord – not seek my own will! I wanted to live a life of integrity and purity!
He can do that in your life when you are “born again” – when you experience “conversion!” Here’s how Apostle Paul described it: “If anyone is ‘in Christ,’ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Hey, it happened to me – and I’m so grateful! When I read the words of Psalm 101 this morning I found myself saying… “Me too! That’s just the way I feel about life!” A key indicator of “salvation” – “new birth” – a changed life!
I love great music! Few things thrill me as much as an awesome concert – one that features a great orchestral score, a concert choir made up of gifted voices, and blended together and led by a skilled conductor/arranger! I mean the kind of musical presentation that makes your mouth drop open and your skin crawl with what your ears are experiencing! Wow!!! (I’ve had the privilege of attending a few like that – absolutely unforgettable!!!)
But what if you added to all of those sounds the sounds of nature? What if they were all blended skillfully into the overall musical experience… I’d love to hear it! I’d pay big bucks to experience it!!!
Skilled arrangers – gifted artists – imagine this kind of stuff and create it! Psalm 98 describes such a worship experience in song… One that involves voices lifted in worship along with orchestra… and even the blended sounds of nature! It’s described in Psalm 98, and believe me, I would have loved to hear what the writer of Psalm 98 imagined!!!
Here’s what he envisioned…
“Oh sing to the Lord A NEW SONG, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him! … He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness! All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God!
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre…with trumpets and the sound of the horn! … Let the sea roar and all that fills it… Let the rivers clap their hands, let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord!” (From Psalm 98)
Wow!!! Wouldn’t you like to hear what the writer of that great Psalm had in mind. Hey listen, every time we get together for worship we can do our part to help create it! Voices lifted in praise! Instruments played worshipfully! Even the sounds of nature itself envisioned as joining in as exalted worship harmony!
Coffee With The Lord 