Delayed Obedience

October 15

(Psalm 119:57-61 NIV) “You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words. {58} I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. {59} I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. {60} I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. {61} Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 NIV) “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. {5} It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”

(James 4:17 NIV) “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”

Every day, people make commitments to the Lord. We promise to obey God and to walk in His ways. We have good intentions, but something gets in the way. Perhaps we realize that our decision will cost us more than we thought. Obedience can often set us back before it ever rewards us… and so we delay our obedience. We put off doing God’s will until tomorrow or the next day. We fail to do what is right because we’re not ready to stop doing what is wrong. When God calls us to do something, or to stop doing something, we should move as quickly as possible to obey. Hasten to obey! In this case, haste does not make waste -- haste makes sense. In putting off obedience, we are putting off God. Seek His face with all your heart. Turn your steps toward His will and move quickly. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Delayed obedience is sin. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Grey Wickedness

October 14

(Psalm 119:53-56 NIV) “Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law. {54} Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge. {55} In the night I remember your name, O Lord, and I will keep your law. {56} This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.”

(Proverbs 28:4 NIV)  "Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them."

(Matthew 13:47-50 NIV) “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. {48} When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. {49} This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous {50} and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In days gone by, being gripped with indignation at the actions of the wicked was a positive trait. Today, it would more likely be viewed as a self-righteous display of hypocrisy. We have lost our sense of good and evil. All the lines have become fuzzy and blurred. We now have this vast no man’s land between goodness and wickedness, where no one seems able to distinguish between darkness and light. There is no black and white -- everything has become grey. The wicked are praised; the righteous are mocked. Our world has turned upside down. But God is not confused. His lines are never blurry. He still rewards those who obey His word and who resist evil. Don’t give up! A day is coming when the Lord will separate the wicked from the righteous… forever. There will be no confusion. There are no grey areas in the holy light of God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day  

Mocked for Faith

October 13

(Psalm 119:49-52 NIV) “Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. {50} My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. {51} The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law. {52} I remember your ancient laws, O Lord, and I find comfort in them.”

(Luke 18:29-33 NIV) ““I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God {30} will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." {31} Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. {32} He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. {33} On the third day he will rise again.””

Those with deep faith in God have always been in the minority here on Earth. From the days of Abel to the days of David, from the days of Jesus to this present day, those who trust, worship, and honor God have been criticized, ostracized, and killed. If your hope lies in God rather than the current power structure, you will be suspect and labeled somewhere between strange and seditious. If you take God’s word seriously and openly follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, you will likely have more enemies than friends. If you stand up for the faith that has saved millions down through the ages, you will be mocked without restraint -- you may even be spit on, beaten, and killed. Our comfort lies in knowing that in the age to come, an eternity of joy awaits those who persevere. The world will continue to descend into disorder, despotism, and decadence. The faithful will rise again. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day   

Freedom in the Word of Truth

October 12

(Psalm 119:43-48 NIV) “Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. {44} I will always obey your law, forever and ever. {45} I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. {46} I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, {47} for I delight in your commands because I love them. {48} I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.”

(James 1:17-25 NIV)  "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. {19} My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, {20} for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. {21} Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. {22} Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. {23} Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror {24} and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. {25} But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does."

When many Christians think of the law, they often think of bondage. They see the law as something to be avoided or shunned. After all, we live under grace, not the law. It is true that we are saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by obeying the law. But the writer of Psalm 119 sees the law as a blessing, not a burden. He sees the “word of truth” as the road to freedom, not bondage. He loves the commands and delights in them. They have helped to free him. In the New Testament, James tells us that we should “look intently” into the “perfect law”, and do more than just listen to it -- we must do what it says. Perhaps we should reevaluate how we look at God’s law (i.e. the word of truth). It is the only perfect law ever given. It cannot save us, but it can redirect our lives. It’s about liberty, not bondage, and it can free us if we will walk in its wisdom. God is good. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Unfailing Love

October 11

(Psalm 119:40-42 NIV) “How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness. {41} May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; {42} then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.”

(Psalm 13:3-6 NIV) “Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; {4} my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. {5} But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. {6} I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

Do you long for the precepts of the Lord? Do you fully trust in the word of God? Do you truly love the Lord? God’s love for us is unfailing, but in our humanity, we often fail to love God back with the same intensity. We are overcome by the little gods of our life; our addictions, our fears, our desires, our emotional baggage. They taunt us and we feel like we have no place to hide. We wrestle with shame and guilt, and we are beaten down. The flame of love flickers and goes out. But God’s love never fails. He reaches out to us over and over again. His unfailing love comes to us in the gift of His Son. His promised salvation comes to us through Christ’s death on the cross. The Lord has proven His unfailing love for us. Perhaps it is time for us to rekindle our love for Him and light the fire again. Give up your little gods. Give Him your guilt and shame. Give Him your life. Trust in His unfailing love. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Prayer with a Purpose

October 10

(Psalm 119:33-39 NIV) “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. {34} Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. {35} Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. {36} Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. {37} Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. {38} Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. {39} Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.”

Many of us pray and ask for things, but how often do we tell God why we want those things? Is it because we don’t know why, or is it because we would be embarrassed to reveal our motivation? The writer of Psalm 119 has no such problem. He lays out the reasons for his requests. With all his heart, he wants to obey God’s law. He wants to keep those laws until the end of his life for he knows he will find delight there. He knows that prayer and obedience can save his life. He knows that God can take his sin away, and so he asks God to teach him and direct him. He asks that he be given understanding. He asks that God keep His promises. He asks the Lord to turn his eyes and heart away from the bad stuff and toward that which is good. And he asks God to remove from his life all those things that would disgrace him. Not a bad prayer for today, people. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Running Free

October 9

(Psalm 119:32 NIV) “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

(John 8:31-36 NIV) “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. {32} Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." {33} They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" {34} Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. {35} Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. {36} So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

(Romans 6:18-23 NIV) “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. {19} I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. {20} When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. {21} What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! {22} But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. {23} For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There is a tendency today to see the commands of God as burdensome… a yoke from which we struggle to escape. We want a religion with no boundaries. We want a faith with no obligations. But in any relationship worth having, we give up a bit of our autonomy and freedom in order to enjoy the benefits of love. Freedom in Christ is such a relationship. We were once free of God’s righteous commands, running in sin. We lived with the illusion of freedom, but in reality, we were in bondage -- slaves to our sin. Then the Spirit opened our eyes. We surrendered and became slaves to righteousness -- slaves to the Lord. This new and holy commitment makes us an eternal child of God. We no longer obey God out of fear, but out of love. The Son has set us free indeed, and for the first time in our lives, we are truly running free in His commands. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Chosen to Choose

October 8

(Psalm 119:29-31 NIV) “Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. {30} I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. {31} I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.”

(Joshua 24:13-15 NIV) “So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.' {14} "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. {15} But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.””

(2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 NIV) “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. {14} He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Everyone reading this page has a choice to make. The Lord has been gracious to us. He has not treated us as our sins deserve, but has sacrificed His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sin. God has given us a way to freedom. God has chosen the way of grace, and now we must decide whether or not to choose His way of grace and serve Him. This is a “yes or no” decision. There is no “undecided” box to check. We either choose God’s way of truth, or we choose another way. We choose to serve God, or we choose to serve someone else. If you are a follower of Jesus, you were chosen by God and you have chosen the way of truth. You heard the gospel and said yes to Jesus. You were called by the Way and the Truth and you chose the way of truth. We were chosen to choose. This day, choose whom you will serve. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day  

Laid Low in the Dust

October 7

(Psalm 119:25-28 NIV) “I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. {26} I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. {27} Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. {28} My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.”

(Job 42:1-6 NIV) “Then Job replied to the Lord: {2} "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. {3} You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. {4} "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' {5} My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. {6} Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.””

(Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 NIV) “Remember him--before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, {7} and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Sometimes we must be “laid low in the dust” before we will ever turn over and look up to God. Sometimes we must eat dust before we will ever value the living water that Jesus offers. Sometimes we must remember where we came from before we can know where we are headed. We came from dust; to dust we will return. Sometimes we must grow to despise ourselves before we can grow to love God. Sometimes we must writhe around in the dust of repentance before God will lift us to victory on His wings. Sometimes our souls must become weak and weary with sorrow before we can know the strength and joy of the Lord. Remember the Lord today, before you end up in the dust and are consumed by it. May your weary soul find rest in Christ. May your heart full of sorrow be comforted by God’s peace. May your spirit rise up from the dust. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Counselor Extraordinaire

October 6

(Psalm 119:23-24 NIV) “Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. {24} Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.”

(Isaiah 9:6 NIV) “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

(John 14:15-17 NIV) “If you love me, you will obey what I command. {16} And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- {17} the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

(1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV) “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

One of the big mistakes we make today in our modern world is surrounding ourselves with counselors who give terrible advice. As we arrange our life, we tend to listen to anyone and everyone except God. We consider the Bible an archaic book -- surely modern thinkers know better. But the Lord says that the wise will meditate on the counsel of Scripture, because it is there that we can hear the Wonderful Counselor; it is there that we find the mind of God. God’s Holy Spirit lives in we who have believed and the living Christ reveals His wisdom to us. The Spirit of truth becomes our counselor. The commands of Jesus become a light for our path. The world without the Spirit cannot accept the counsel of God’s word, but when the Spirit lives in us, the Lord and His word become our Counselor Extraordinaire. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day          

A Soul Consumed with Longing

October 5

(Psalm 119:17-11 NIV) “Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. {18} Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. {19} I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. {20} My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. {21} You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. {22} Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.”

(James 1:17-25 NIV)  "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. {19} My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, {20} for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. {21} Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. {22} Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. {23} Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror {24} and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. {25} But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does."

We live in an age when our souls are besieged by predators. Power, prestige, money, success, status, anger, bitterness, anxiety, and addiction are deadly enemies that threaten to consume us. But it will be impossible for these predators to consume a soul that has already been consumed with longing for God and His word. The Enemy cannot steal what is not there for the taking. God used the word of truth to give us new birth. It has been planted in you. The word is a superb cloaking device. Hiding in it can cover our souls, and spare us from those enemies that seek to destroy us. In it you will find wisdom and blessing. Its healing balm can cleanse our souls. But we cannot merely read it and know it -- we must do what it says. Our cover is blown when we stray from obedience. Let your soul be consumed with longing for God’s word. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day  

Pay Attention

October 4

(Psalm 119:12-16 NIV) “Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. {13} With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. {14} I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. {15} I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. {16} I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

(Matthew 22:29 NIV) ““Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.””

(2 Peter 1:19 NIV) “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

The word “neglect” implies a careless oversight or gross lack of attention to important detail. When we neglect something, we fail to give it the level of care and attention it deserves or requires. In many situations, the negligence is intentional or willful and we are held accountable for the negative results. So it is with God and His word. When we neglect God’s word as an individual or a culture, we do so at our own risk. We become prone to error when we habitually ignore the word of God. Our world grows darker when its light is covered up or snuffed out. This is why we must continually teach its decrees, recount its laws, follow its statutes, and meditate on its precepts. Scripture is a gift from God. We will do well to pay attention to it. Delight in it. Immerse yourself in it, for neglecting it is nothing less than “high risk behavior”. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day   

Hiding God’s Word

October 3

(Psalm 119:11 NIV) “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

(Deuteronomy 11:18-19 NIV) “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. {19} Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

(Proverbs 2:1-5 NIV) “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, {2} turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, {3} and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, {4} and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, {5} then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

(Colossians 3:16 NIV) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

What if you no longer had access to the printed word of God? We would be wise to memorize as much Scripture as possible. Hiding God’s word in our hearts will help us to walk straight in this dark world. It can keep us out of places where we might compromise with sin. Fixing God’s words in our heart will help us maintain a fix on God when the fog of life gets heavy and seeing God’s way becomes difficult. Storing up God’s word within us will be invaluable in those times of spiritual famine. If we will allow God’s word to dwell in us, we will have a constant companion in times of loneliness and despair. What we take into our life greatly affects the output of our life. Why not memorize at least one meaningful Bible passage every week? In a year’s time, you could have fifty-two powerful allies living inside of you that can never be taken away. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day          

Keeping Our Way Pure

October 2

(Psalm 119:7-10 NIV) “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. {8} I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. {9} How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. {10} I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”

(Philippians 1:9-11 NIV) “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, {10} so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, {11} filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.”

Never mistake the inability to obey God perfectly as carte blanche to live licentiously. God’s call to purity does not diminish with the acceptance of God’s grace. Instead, it increases the incentive to live above sin to the best of our ability. We who believe are called to keep our way pure. We can go a long way toward reaching this goal if we live according to the word of God and seek Him with all our heart. The word is a lamp for our feet. In this dark world it lights our way and keeps us from stumbling. As our knowledge of God grows, we will develop depth and breadth in our Christian walk. We gain discernment as our relationship with Christ deepens. Our hearts become more upright as our love for God grows and we seek to do His will more than our own. This is the process of becoming a disciple of Jesus. This is the road to giving glory and praise to God. This is our calling. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day   

Shamed by the Commands

October 1

(Psalm 119:1-6 NIV) “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. {2} Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. {3} They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. {4} You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. {5} Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! {6} Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.”

(Romans 3:22-24 NIV)  "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, {23} for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, {24} and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

(Romans 10:11-13 NIV) “As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." {12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, {13} for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

There are two ways to be blessed by God: obey all the commandments or trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obeying the commandments is not a bad thing. It’s just that there are so many of them and there will always be some command area where we fall short. Scripture says that falling short is sin and sin separates us from God. So in our striving to be blessed by keeping the law of God, we can actually end up being separated from God. This is why trusting in the name of the Lord is a better choice when it comes to being blessed. When we trust in Him, we will never be put to shame. We still work at living a blameless life. We still seek Him with all our heart. We still walk in His ways. We still work at fully obeying the commandments. But when we fall short (and we all do) we have a Savior who loves us. Genuine faith in Christ will remove all shame. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day