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Encouragement for the Daily Grind · Fifteen Minutes With Fritz - Where Scripture Meets the Sidewalk

• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Good morning everyone and welcome to 15 minutes with Fritz, where scripture meets the sidewalk.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Last week we completed our discussion of the 100 most asked questions about heaven, hell, and the afterlife.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: Now the time has come to move on to a new topic of study.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: These transitions have always been a challenge for me, not because I'm running out of things to teach, but because there are so many things I think I should teach.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: To give you a little background, I usually begin this process several months before completing our current study in order to give the Holy Spirit time to work in my heart to align it with God's leading.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: This time I wrote down about a dozen ideas ranging from a book in the Bible to a person in the Bible.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: And after visiting the creation museum a few weeks ago, I also considered diving deep into God's amazing creation, plants, animals, humans, and the universe itself.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: I also thought about looking into how archaeology continues to prove the truth of God's word.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: But as I pondered these things it became clear that God was pushing me in a different direction, and over the course of the last few weeks he led me to a particular topic that I think will be interesting.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: There were three primary reasons that brought me to this conclusion.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: First, it has been my desire to use these podcasts to bring scripture into our daily walk, and this topic does just that.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Second, the book I will be using as our guide was written by a man I have listened to, read, and trusted since the very early days of my Christian walk.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: And third, it focuses on one of my favorite books in the Bible.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: With these things in mind, let me share what we will be studying next.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: The book is titled Living the Psalms, and it was written by Chuck Swindal.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: For those of you who aren't familiar with him, he is the pastor at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: He and his wife founded Insight for Living Ministries in nineteen seventy nine, and his broadcast can be heard on more than two thousand radio stations around the world.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: Andy has written over seventy books, this being written in twenty twelve.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: What I really liked, however, was the tagline of the book Living the Psalms Encouragement for the Daily Grind.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: Encouragement for the Daily Grind.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Let that sink in for a moment.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think these words carry a lot of meaning.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: When our alarm rings and our eyes open at the dawn of a new day, the first wave of consciousness for some of us can occasionally be along these lines Why is my life so hard?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: Why has God put me in this particular situation?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so tired and I have so many things to do, where do I even start?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we begin the day feeling defeated and overwhelmed, and our thoughts might slide toward what is wrong with me?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Is God angry with me?
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Why is my faith so weak?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: This can't be the way God wants us to start our day or finish our day or live our days.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, I'm not denying that these are very real thoughts, but I know this isn't the way God wants us to live.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: The question is how do we get out of this seemingly endless cycle?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: The answer, I believe, is finding comfort and peace in the Word of God.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: I know it can provide help to overcome these feelings of despair.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: We all have those days, Chuck Swindall writes, when small problems become crises, when doubt begins to overwhelm faith, when exhaustion hits and depression colors the world black.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Fact is the daily grind of life is not going away.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Since we cannot escape it we must find a way to live beyond it, and the book of Psalms holds the answers, offering words of surpassing strength and comfort for those difficult and demanding times.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Now this isn't some magical formula.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: We can't just pick up the Bible, read a few passages, and all our troubles will go away.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's just not how it works.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: But I do know that the Word of God is perfect, reviving the soul.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: The Word of God is trustworthy, making wise the simple.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: The Word of God is right, giving joy to the heart, and the Word of God is radiant, giving light to the eyes.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: These are encouraging words from just one of these psalms, Psalm nineteen.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Now I don't know what problems you might be facing, I don't know what concerns and anxieties fill your heart in the morning when you wake up or in the evening when you lay your head on your pillow.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: But I do know that God promised that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so with these thoughts in mind, I'm confident this journey through the Psalms can help us.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: It won't eliminate our problems, we still may be asked to walk through the valley, but it will give us encouragement in the midst of them.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I ask you to join me over the next few months as we live the Psalms, finding encouragement for the daily grind.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Now one last thing before we begin.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: The way I envision this is we're going to tackle a different psalm every week or so.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: And while I believe that listening to these podcasts can be helpful, it's going to take a bit more on your part if you truly want God to help you.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you're a morning person or a night person or a person who can stop in the middle of the day and open up scripture.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: But in order for this to work, you need to be in God's Word, not just on Sunday morning, but each and every day.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'd like you to place your Bible in a prominent place, on your nightstand, next to your favorite easy chair, or in the bathroom, which might be the only place you can find five minutes apiece.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I want you to read one psalm each day, preferably the one we are studying.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: There are one hundred and fifty Psalms and two thousand four hundred sixty one verses.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: That works out to an average of about sixteen verses per psalm.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: Sixteen verses per day, which is a small investment of time that will yield a huge reward.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's get started.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to begin at the beginning.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: If you are able, open your Bible to Psalm one.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Now although King David wrote the majority of the Psalms, we don't know who the author is for this first one.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: Nevertheless, listen to these profound words.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever he does prospers, not so the wicked, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: Now we can divide this psalm into two parts.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: The first part can be titled The Godly Life.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: It begins in verse one and ends at verse three.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: The second part can be titled The Ungodly Life.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: It begins in verse four and ends at verse six.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: The first part speaks about a man or a woman blessed by God and ends with the phrase whatever he does prospers.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's pretty encouraging, isn't it?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: We need to come back to that.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: The second part speaks about a wicked man or woman and ends with the phrase the way of the wicked will perish.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: Not so encouraging.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll come back to that one as well.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: Now this psalm begins with compromise, not the kind of compromise we hear out of Washington where our lawmakers attempt to find common ground in order to move their political agendas forward.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: The type of compromise revealed in the opening verses of this psalm focuses on accepting standards that are lower than what we should accept.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's about not making concessions that dishonor what we know to be right.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: It often starts slowly and over time begins to undermine the very foundation upon which we've built our life.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: Notice how the Psalmist expresses this thought.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: He uses three negative analogies to bring home his concerns about subtle backsliding.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: Blessed is the man or woman who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: As Chuck Swindal states, the concern here is over spiritual erosion, and that erosion begins with the people we hang out with.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, the company we keep can affect our walk with God.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: Think about your circle of friends, the ones you spend time with each day.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: As one author put it, are your closest relationships drawing you nearer to Christ, strengthening truth and holiness?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Or are they normalizing sin and pulling you away from him?
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: Are you listening to their advice, taking in what they recommend?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: Are you hanging out with them as they pursue questionable activities?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Or are you joining them as they poke fun at others behind their backs?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: This is what the Psalmist calls walking in the counsel of the wicked and standing in the way of sinners and sitting in the seat of mockers.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think the Psalmist used these words purposefully walk, stand, sit.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: Walking suggests we spend time with someone.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: It reminds me of the time when Jesus was walking with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus after his resurrection.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: They were discussing a variety of topics, sharing intimate thoughts and concerns with each other while they walked.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's what happens during a walk.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: In the Hebrew language, standing presents the idea of taking a stand or publicly affirming a belief or position.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: In this case, standing with sinners would imply that we accept their position on things.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: And finally, sitting involves permanence, setting down, settling down, allowing ourselves to get comfortable with those things we should not.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: So walking, standing, and sitting represent different ways of embracing lifestyles we should avoid as followers of Jesus Christ.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: This doesn't mean we should isolate ourselves from those who are walking these paths.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: After all, Jesus hung out with sinners.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, he pursued them.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Not because he was dabbling in sin, but because he wanted to bring them into his family.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so these verses are asking us to be discerning about close, influential friendships and partnerships.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Choosing the wrong people, drawing them into our inner circle of friends, can cause spiritual erosions in our own lives, and we need to be wary.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to stop here, but I want you to think about those you spend the most time with.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Are they pulling you away from Christ or are they drawing you toward him?
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: Only you can answer that question.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to set your Bible in a prominent place this week where you can read this psalm each day, asking God to show you the things He wants you to know about it.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: Father, as we embark on this study of the Psalms, the songs, if you will, of your Word, may your Holy Spirit be our guide.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: May you open our eyes that we can see wonderful things in your word.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: May we enhance our understanding that your word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: And may your Spirit move us to pick up our Bibles each day and drink in the depth and breadth and beauty of your word.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: For Glee Jesus' glory.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord bless you and keep you.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: This is the end of our podcast, but it's not the end of our story.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening.