Wholehearted devotion to the Lord

If I summarized the book of 1 Corinthians I might say, 'Do your absolute best to serve the Lord with your whole life. Paul deals with a diversity of issues throughout the book. He addresses the Christ centeredness of life, divisions in the church, the wisdom of God as opposed to the wisdom of the world, lawsuits among believers, marriage, ministry salaries, eating different types of foods and doing everything to glorify God. Paul writes in an all encompassing way.

This is how our lives  should be lived. Our relationship with Jesus Christ saturates all of life. There is nothing in our life the Lord is not a part of. In fact, if Jesus is Lord of our life then he is Lord over every part of life.

When I think through my life and how I live it I see some areas that are fully submitted to the Lord and some that aren't. I don't do this legalistically, judging my eternal state based on performance. I do it because I desire to please the Lord and experience the joy of intimate relationship with him. 

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Taken from reading 1 Corinthians 6-10

My hope is in the Lord

What do you take hope in? In what is your strength? Is it in your wisdom? Your creativity? Your power? No. Your hope is in the Lord your God, sovereign over all creation. 

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles. 

You could gather all soldiers and weapons on earth but the Lord determines the victor. 

What does this change? How do we respond? Do we become nihilists? Do we cast off restraint? No.

We grow in our relationship with the Lord. We trust in God and him alone for our salvation and provision. Know the Lord. Trust the Lord. Love the Lord. Worship the Lord.

We shall not fear. We shall not dismay. We shall trust the Lord and him alone for our lives. He is king. He holds the nations in the palm of his hands. He owns it all.

He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We are his children. He loves us. He promises us eternal reward. He promises blessings in his presence. He has told us there is joy in his presence. 

This is where I chose to put my hope and future, in the presence of the Lord. He is God. He is King. He is almighty. To know the Lord is better than riches. To be in his presence is far more joyful than any worldly pleasure. He is the answer. He is the solution.

Why failure can teach me an eternal lesson

It goes back to my heartache. I failed planting a church. Let's just get that out of the way. I am hurting. I am in pain. I feel abandoned by my best friends of the past six and a half years. I feel like a complete and total failure. Now that this is established we can discuss how this relates to everything else.

The heartache I am experiencing prompts me to yearn for something. I need to find my identity in something. I need to pour my life into something. Now I always have a heart to know the Lord more and to spend time with him. That is nonnegotiable. But when the church crumbled I needed to spend my time doing something more to provide for the family, therefore I decided to pour more time into our real estate business. I took on that cause for our family. I mean, if I can't pastor the church I started then maybe I can work hard to be a great provider for Karis and Hank, right?

Wrong. It seems like the harder I work the worse our business produces. The more consistent I am marketing and working the business the less busy we are with people who need to buy and sell houses. When I came to this realization I was simply crushed. Why? Why do I fail at everything I try to do with all my heart?

I spent about a day and a half just whipped by life. I hurt and felt like an absolute loser. But last night while we were on our way home from Oklahoma I came to a realization. I was driving, just watching the road come at me at 70 mph. My mind was racing through why God would allow me to endure failure after failure when I realized something. When I fail I lose hope in what I was attempting. I find one more thing that will not satisfy. Yes, it is painful. Yes, it crushes me. But it also teaches me.

My hope is not being a pastor. My hope is not being a realtor. My hope was never in being a baseball player. My hope is built in nothing less that Jesus's blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame than wholely lean on Jesus' name.

My failures should drive me closer and closer to the Lord as my only hope in this life. He is it. There is no other. I know this because I failed at everything else. Nothing else satisfies my soul. Nothing else brings joy and meaning to life. 

Strangely, failure can be a blessing. Failure teaches you what success may not. While experiencing success it is tempting to keep success as paramount in your life. Success can prop you up temporarily. Success can exist as a barrier between you and complete dependance on the Lord your God.

It's over for me. I have nothing else that tempts me. I have tried it all. I pray nothing else ever does. I will simply do the best I can and leave it up to the Lord how he provides. I can do nothing to cause success. The more I try the more I fail.

I will worship the Lord. I will enjoy his presence. I will love him. I will enjoy him. And I will do this forever. Joy in the Lord is better than any worldly success anyway.

Blameless toward him...

The Lord is true. The Lord does not mistreat people. He gives what they deserve. He does what is right. He is the almighty creator and judge of all. 

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

But what is judgement? Is judgement distributed in this life? Is it postponed until the great judgement? I look at my life and see good, bad, and ugly. Which parts of my life are the result of faithfulness? Which parts are the result of disobedience? Is that question even relevant? 

I know one thing. You reap what you sow. You sow good things and you will reap good things. You sow evil and you will reap evil. Reaping and sowing is a wonderful principle of life,. This principle, however does not answer all questions of failure and victory. Sometimes you go out to pursue the will of the Lord and you fail. Sometimes you succeed. 

I did my best but failed. I tried and tried and tried but I did not experience the fruit necessary to continue on. We stand in the dust. We nurse our wounds. We know the Lord is God. We know he loves us. We know he has something for us. We just don't know what it is.

Our journey is stalled. We are refueling...healing...seeking guidance for our next step. What is it? What am I made for? How will I contribute?  I am torn between exhaustion and excitement. 

I carry a wound with me that will always be here. The scar will be here. The memory. The lost friendships. The wisdom will guide wherever I end up. 

I heard it said recently that success means standing on a pile of failure. Well I am climbing the pile. I will not give up the climb no matter how many times I lose my grip and fall down. I will find a way up. 

In the end faithfulness is the key. The Lord has given me a way to live wherever I am. This is my wheelhouse. Following the Lord intimately is the key. May I always follow him step in step.

Taken from reading 2 Chronicles 16-20

What is risk?

It is better to risk your life serving the Lord than to attempt security without him.

2 Chronicles 13:10, 16 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him...The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.

Abijah served the Lord and stood before an army twice the size of his. He declared his loyalty to the Lord before both armies. Abijah might have lost his life and the lives of his warriors. He stepped out and risked everything in the name of the Lord.

What if he had lost? What if Abijah had died? Would it have been in vain? Would it have been wasted? I don't think so. You see, life on earth is temporary. Winning or losing in battle, career, love, or competition does not determine the value of our existence. 

We will press on after this life. We will live on in the presence of the Lord or we will experience the second death. 

What we do in this life matters not for our own glory and reputation. What we do in this life matters because it sets the course for our eternity. You can walk faithfully with the Lord your entire life and lose your job or get cancer, yet your life would not be wasted. You would die one day and go be with the Lord forever. 

The question this leaves us with is this: Are you eternally secure? 

This is the most important question in life. 

You see God loves you. He created you in his image. And though you have sinned against him he desires to show you mercy. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for your sins by dying on the cross. He rose from the grave on the third day to secure your eternal life. Through faith in Jesus Christ you can be saved from your sins. God will forgive you, restore you, and give you his Holy Spirit to guide you in this life. 

Will you put your faith in Jesus Christ?

Taken from reading 2 Chronicles 11-15

Being right with God...

Being right with God. The blessing of God. This is what Israel sought at one time. And they received it. They experienced the Lord's hand on their lives. They were a people set apart for a special purpose. The Lord established their presence in the world with authority, wisdom, and wealth. He was with them. 

2 Chronicles 7:1-2 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house.

The writer of 2 Chronicles presents the kingdom under Solomon as powerful and blessed. Solomon was wise and wealthy beyond belief. The land had peace all around. What was it like to live in Israel during the days of Solomon? Peace? Prosperity? Joy?

How amazing it is to live in the blessing of God. How good it is to experience his peace and prosperity. This is what we all want, isn't it? We desire peace, love, joy, provision? 

But what happens when we experience this blessing? Do we remain faithful to the Lord? Do we give him praise for working in our lives? Or do we fall away from wholehearted devotion to him? It is easy to fall away during times of prosperity. Israel did it. Many people alive today do it.

My prayer and heart is for focused devotion during times of pain as well as prosperity. Worship and commitment in good times and bad. May we learn from the mistakes of the past. May we walk in humility and gratitude for all the Lord has blessed us with. And may he be glorified through our lives. Amen.

Taken from reading 2 Chronicles 6-10

Unholy familiarity

When we see something as old hat we tend to devalue it. Is this why Solomon, in his later days fell away from following the Lord? Did he become too familiar with the Lord?

Solomon made the Most Holy Place. He built the temple of God. This was a privilege to him. It was his calling. In his wisdom Solomon asked for wisdom. This was a wonderful choice. God blessed it. 

I can't help but wonder, though, if being the one who built the temple lead to an unhealthy familiarity with the Lord. Did Solomon devalue the Lord because he had seen the entire temple from inside out as it was being built?

2 Chronicles 3:8 And he made the Most Holy Place. It's length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and it s breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold.

The normal Israelite would never have entered the Most Holy Place. They revered the presence of God as all powerful and most high. Solomon, being the richest, wisest, and most powerful man on the earth could have easily been tempted to see the Most Holy Place and the presence of God as familiar and unimpressive. 

There is no way to be sure exactly why Solomon fell away. What I can say is that when I look around at our world I do see a devaluing of the Lord. For many reasons we have lost our awe of the Holy, Mighty God of the universe. We have lost our wonder and fear of God.

May we regain it. May we stand before the Lord and be awestruck. May we be amazed at the greatness of the Lord. May we follow him wholeheartedly. And may he lead and guide us to significance. Amen.

Taken from reading 2 Chronicles 1-5

Simple callings in complicated circumstances

I think about the daunting task Solomon had in front of him. His father David was revered as the greatest king in the history of Israel. Obviously, he was only the second king in the history of Israel. Nonetheless, Solomon had huge shoes to fill. How was he supposed to accomplish the task of leading this great people and building the house of God? His father David gave him a simple, yet profound command.

1 Chronicles 28:9-10 'And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.'

First, David commanded Solomon to know the Lord. Intimacy with God was the key to David's success and would be the key to Solomon's if he followed through with it.

Second, David commanded Solomon to serve the Lord with a whole heart and a willing mind. Solomon needed one focus in life, wholehearted devotion to the Lord. 

Thirdly, David commanded Solomon to be careful, strong, and do it. This sounds like a simple command, however with all the demands on a king's time and energy it would be difficult for Solomon to focus on one thing. Despite this fact David called Solomon to fix his attention carefully on the task the Lord called him to do.

I look at my life, what I see as daunting sometimes, and I smile. My responsibilities are so small compared to Solomon's. I am called to faithfulness to the Lord, to take care of my family, and to make disciples. And although this is very simple compared to a world leader, it does require focus and commitment.

What about you? What does your life require? I know one thing about you. You are called to know the Lord, to serve the Lord, and be careful to do his will. May you do just that.

Taken from reading 1 Chronicles 25-29

To give to the Lord...

Ornan gave it all. He offered all that was needed for the sacrifice. Ornan did not offer to sell it. He offered to give it. 

1 Chronicles 21:23 Then Ornan said to David, 'Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.'

What does this say about Ornan? Was he a wholehearted follower of the Lord? Was he simply obedient to King David? We do not know enough about Ornan to answer that question. What we can see, however, is a heart to give what is needed to worship the Lord.

Where is my heart? Where are my loyalties? Am I willing to lay everything down to serve the Lord? 

This is something I need to ponder daily. I need to keep this question in my head consistently. 

Our hearts drift. They wander. They stray. We find ourselves falling into temptations which do not honor the Lord. 

We need focus. We need daily reminders and activities that bring us back to why life matters. We need repentant hearts. We need submitted minds. We need to think biblically. We need to love wholeheartedly.

May we do this. And may the Lord be honored with our lives.

Honoring God for being God

Worship. Joy. Praise. We were made for this. Our God is the God of all things. He created the universe by the word of his mouth and holds it in the palm of his hand. He inspires awe and wonder.

Go to the mountains and stare. Go to the ocean and breathe. Go to the Lord and fall on your face. May God's people worship him for all he is worth. May we see him as the magnificent father he truly is. May we love him because he first loved us. May we represent him well.

David received the promise of God, the covenant. David was humbled in God's presence, knowing not why the Lord chose him. The Lord knows the heart. We know what we see. The Lord sees from the inside out. He knows all things. He makes right decisions when we do not understand. He is the Lord. 

May many days be filled with laughter. May my heart be filled with joy. May my family smile and enjoy life. And may the Lord be glorified through me. Amen.

1 Chronicles 16:23-27 Sing to the Lord all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the people! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.

Supporting cast...

The Supporting characters. The second and third tier men and women played vital roles in the Lord's plan. we should remember them for what the Lord did through them. Many of these people walked in humble faithfulness with the Lord their whole lives. Some of them were vicious warriors. 

1 Chronicles 11:11, 12 This is an account of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three...And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite.

David's mighty men played vital roles in his story. Without them David never would have accomplished what he did. He may have never taken the throne. I know the Lord orchestrated David's rise to kingship, however I do not want to deemphasize the role these mighty men played in the working out of God's plan. They fought for David. They risked their lives for David. They died for David. 

The writers of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles wrote about these men and the mighty acts of valor they accomplished. They were honored as brave and powerful men who stood by King David's side, even while he was being hunted down by Saul.  But the story is not about the mighty men. The story is about the Lord using David, and his descendant, to establish an eternal throne over God's people. 

You and I are living in the midst of the same story, only further along in its development. Like the mighty men, we play supporting roles in the plan and purpose of God. We do get to share the gospel and see people come to faith in Jesus Christ. We do get to stand our ground. We do get to live the life in honor of the Lord. On the other hand we are recipients of the blessings brought about by the main character, Jesus Christ. We are the ones the hero saved. We are the ones who celebrate the great victory he has won!

May we represent the King well. May we display the same type of loyalty to our King the Mighty Men showed to David. And may the Lord use us in great ways!

Praise be to God for his wonderful grace and power! Amen.

To be remembered...

What do you want to be remembered for? What do you want those who look back to say about you? That you were a great leader? That you were a great orator? A great family man? Husband? Business man?

Those are wonderful attributes, but they are not ultimate. There is one simple and clear goal. To follow the Lord.

What a tragedy it is for those who look back to say, 'So Saul died for his breach of faith...He did not seek guidance from the Lord.'

I desire, more than anything, to walk step by step with the Lord my God. I desire to follow him closely and love him wholeheartedly. I want those who follow to look back and say, 'He followed the Lord.' That would be enough.

Taken from reading 1 Chronicles 6-10

The lessons in pain...

Thinking on what pain does inside each of us.

Pain comes in many forms. Cancer, a broken leg, divorce, a car wreck, a hurricane. 

‘If the first and lowes operation of pain shatters the illusion that all is well, the second shatters the illusion that what we have, whether good or bad in itself, is our own and enough for us. - C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain, pg. 94in talking about what pain does to us

In other words, pain shows us that we are not in control!

What the Lord wants from us

What does God esteem? What does the Lord call us toward? 

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying 'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border and that your hand mighty be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!' And God granted what he asked.

1 Chronicles 5:;25-26 But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the god's of the peoples of the land, whom God Chad destroyed before them. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Paul king of Assyria, the spirit of Tilglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh...

I look at these two passages and see the stark differences between Jabez and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Jabez was honorable. Jabez looked to the Lord for his provision. He cried out to God for blessing. He knew from where all good things come. The tribes turned to false gods for their provision. They abandoned the God who saved them from slavery in Egypt, who cared for their descendants in the wilderness for forty years.

The Lord is looking for faithful relationship. He wants us to understand how realty works. He wants us to trust him. He calls us into intimacy and honesty in our walk with him. What do we have if not truth in our interactions with the God of the universe?

May we live this way. May we love the Lord. May we walk closely with him. And may he truly bless us in ways that grow us to be more like him.

Taken from reading 1 Chronicles 1-5

3 Ways to Increase your Harmony with Fellow Christians

How can two people live together in harmony? Everyone has opinions about matters that cannot be proven. What do we do with our disagreements? Our different habits and convictions? 

This is the difficulty of church life. Try gathering two hundred people in a room and asking them what they believe about God, salvation, morality, heaven and hell. More than a few people may come out with broken noses and bloody lips!

In regards to matters of opinions, we are called to overcome these differences and live in harmony with one another. Paul mentions those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith. The weak in faith are those who believe they should keep strict rules about not eating food and drinking drink sacrificed to idols. The strong in faith are those who are ok with eating or drinking such food and drink.

How can we live in harmony with people who do things so differently than us? Paul mentions a couple of points we should heed.

First, welcome each other, rather than despising and passing judgment on each other (Rom. 14:1-4).

Second, never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother Rom. 14:13).

Thirdly, like Jesus Christ, live to please your neighbor rather than yourself (Rom. 15:1-2).

These principles seem simple enough, but living them out is one of the most difficult things a Christian will ever do. We hold our convictions passionately because truth matters and the things of God are vital to life. 

With this in mind my hope for us is unity around essentials and selflessness around opinions. May we love each other with such selfless devotion that those who don't know Jesus will turn to him and be embraced by the church!

Taken from reading Romans 13-16

Molded

What am I becoming? What am I molding myself into? I am creating habits and rituals every day. What is the end of these? Honor and glory to God? Honor and glory for myself? The difference may look small from the outside.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Pressure comes from every side. Forces push and pull for my attention and time. What dominates me? What pulls?

I must be able to look at my life from the outside in, to recognize from where each and every desire comes. Sin? The Holy Spirit? The World? My life matters enough to design it intentionally. Led by the Spirit of God I must shape my years, months, weeks, days, and moments to bring the most glory to the Lord possible. I have one life, one opportunity to impact the world for Christ. One at a time I should choose my actions. To love the Lord and cherish him highly should be my aim. 

Yes, the Lord is sovereign. Yes he is in control. This does not relinquish my responsibility to act, to choose. I must act. I must step forward.

The Lord is good and holy and righteous. He is Lord. He is King. May my life bring honor to him.

Taken from reading Romans 11-13

Enjoyment of Life and Peace

A fight ensues. A war wages inside each of us. Sin destroys us from the inside out. The Spirit heals and restores.

As a child of God I am free from sin. I can walk in the Spirit. I can experience peace and joy in the presence of God almighty. He is my Father and King and Lord. 

Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

I will not drown in the swam. I will not sink in the quicksand. No demon will chain me. No devil will hold me. 

I will walk in the Spirit. I will rest in his presence. I will live with joy. I will embrace life. I will have peace. 

I will behold beauty. I will basque in laughter. I will soak in the waters of divine poetry and wonderful story.

The world is drenched in the glory of God. Fallen, yes. Corrupted, yes. But full of life and wonder.

I will cherish my son. I will teach him the ways of Almighty God. I will nudge him toward life and eternal significance.

Thanks be to my God and King for this wonderful gift of life. There is nothing else I could ask for in eternity. He has already given me the one thing I need. Amen.

Taken from reading Romans 6-10

What defines a person...

What is a person? What defines them? We are born. We grow. We experience. We sin. We repent. We learn. But what are we, ultimately?

An even bigger question is, 'Who defines us?' Who gives us  our identity? 

Romans 5:1 Therefore , since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So much is packed into this statement. So much sorrow, love, and hope. What were we before we were justified by faith? Enemies of God apparently. Paul spent the first few chapters of this letter explaining how everyone sins and rebels against the God of the universe, therefore is guilty before him.

He inserts the good news into the conversation and all of a sudden a calm appears like warm spring morning. Chaos becomes order. Destruction is mended. War becomes peace. Shame becomes acceptance.

Through faith in Jesus Christ we become beloved children of God. This defines us. We, who once fought against him, now are on his side. He brought us into his family to heal our wounds and raise us up. We were orphans, now we are family.

I take no credit. I make no claim. 

His grace heals. His love comforts. My heart rests. 

May I live out his ways everywhere I go. May I lay down my pride and my entitlement. May I experience what he has brought to me. And may he be glorified. Amen.

Taken from reading Romans 1-5

Death, Life, Judgement, Redemption...

Some things never change. The Lord is Holy and Righteous. The Lord hates what is evil. People rebel against God. God calls people to repentance. Some respond. Some do not. The Lord judges the wicked. 

2 Kings 21:12-15 Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumbs line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done what is evil in y sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.

The destruction is horrifying. The pain is unimaginable. Their entire country wiped out. Their city burned. Their temple burned. Their homes crushed. Gone. All gone. 

The Israelites were left without a home in a foreign land. They became servants. Slaves. Those who once ruled the world now slept in the dust. 

Sin degrades. Wickedness undermines. Rebellion fuels the fire of transgression. Sin always leads to destruction. Sin always rots from the inside out. 

If the story ends there then all is lost. Life would not be worth living. Would God leave his people destitute? Would God abandon his people forever?

No. The Lord is faithful to his promise, both to judge and to restore. The beauty of the story is in redemption and restoration. The Lord rebuilt. The Lord warned. The Lord promised. The Lord followed through. 

Then, the Lord came!

We celebrate Good Friday and Easter every year. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He rose from the grave, defeating sin and death on our behalf. Jesus bought our eternal redemption. He exchanged life for death so we could exchange death for life. In Easter we celebrate God's ultimate gift of new life. May we cherish this gift, showing thankful hearts by the way we live. Amen.

Taken from reading 2 Kings 20-25

A Plea for Closeness...

Stay close to the Lord. Follow him intimately. 

2 Kings17:7-8 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.

2 Kings 17:16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; they mad an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings...

I look at all the wickedness of Israel and wonder, 'How did it get so far?' They were God's people. The Lord saved them out of the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt. The Lord gave them the law and prophets to lead them. How did this happen?

Over and over again I return to the same answer. People are sinful. People pursue their own pleasures rather than the glory of God. God's people often forget him. They abandon his commands. They pursue sensual pleasures and selfish desires only to find destruction later. 

May this not be us. May we always pursue the Lord closely and intimately. May we never walk away from him to our own pursuits. And may he use us as he sees fit. 

Am I available to the Lord? Am I ready to hear his voice? Am I poised to act? 

He is the God of the universe. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He can bring victory or defeat. There is joy in his presence. There is peace by his side. May we find the Lord more wonderful than the world. Amen.

Taken from reading 2 Kings 16-20

Why I have nothing to worry about...

What is my heartbeat. What is the air that I breath. Is it not the presence of God? Is my life not completely in his hands? It certainly is.

2 Kings 11:17

And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord's people, and also between the king and the people. 

The God of all things. The creator of the universe. He is my loving father. He holds me in his hands. No one can take me from him. Security. Comfort. Strength. I have these in his presence. 

3 Reasons You can Experience Peace when Life Appears Hopeless

There was no hope in sight. Armies surrounded Elisha on all sides. He had not way of defending himself. Fear gripped the city. 

2 Kings 6:16 He said, 'Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' Then Elisha prayed and said, 'O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots all around Elisha.

Elisha knew a few things that gave him courage beyond any earthly strength. 

First, Elisha knew the Lord's armies are greater than any earthly power. He saw with vision few people possess. The God who created and sustains all things holds the world in his hands. He allows nations to survive and thrive based on his plan and purposes. The Lord can stop atrocities from happening in a moment in time. The Lord can turn any tragedy into a victory for his kingdom. He is the Lord.

Second, Elisha knew his only source of defense was to enter the presence of God. Elisha was not deceived into thinking he was in control. He was aware that the Lord's armies were available to the servant of the Lord for the purpose of the Lord. He responded to this distressing situation with prayer.

Thirdly, Elisha knew God was on his side. Elisha trusted the Lord and followed the Lord wholeheartedly. He put his life in the Lord's hand many times before and the Lord came through. Elisha's peace and foundation was in his relationship with God Almighty. 

What about you? What about me? 

To be sure, we are in a different time and context in God's Kingdom. We are in the age of the church. Our purpose is to spread the gospel message, not overthrow kings. None of us are prophets in the same way Elisha was a prophet.

But the God of Elisha is the same God we serve today. Our understanding of the Lord's power should be the same as Elisha's. We should find our foundation in the Lord just the same. We should turn to him in prayer just the same. We should trust he is on our side just the same. We should follow the Lord intimately just the same. 

The Lord is our King. He is good. He is almighty. He will not abandon us even after we die. Amen.

Taken from reading 2 Kings 6-10

Our God the Miracle Worker

Our God is holy. We read a terrible story in 2 Kings 1:23-25 of some boys mocking the prophet Elisha. After Elisha cursed them two bears came out of the woods and tore the boys. The Lord does not tolerate sin. He will, in his time, destroy evil finally. 

Our God is a miracle worker. A woman was left destitute, her sons to be sold into slavery, and the Lord provided for her through a jar of oil she owned. The child the Lord provided for the Shunammite woman died. The Lord, through his prophet, raised the boy back to life. Our God gives life. Our God restores the victim and the broken-hearted. Our God is good. There will be a day when all those who suffer and trust the Lord will be restored.

We see a glimpse of God's holiness and miracle working power in this life. A glimpse. We will see its fullness one day. Oh, for that wonderful day. Oh for that beautiful time.

2 Kings 4:5-6

So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured  they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, 'Bring me another vessel.' And he said to her. 'There is not another.' Then the oil stopped flowing.

2 Kings 4:32-35

When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. She he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

Taken from Reading 2 Kings 1-5

How to not lie under pressure

How do you answer honestly to a king?

1 Kings 22:8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil,.

1 Kings 22:13-14, 23 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, 'Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable. To the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.' But Micaiah said, 'As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.'..Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets the Lord has declared disaster for you.

Micaiah stood between a rock and a hard place. King Ahab was evil, pursuing wicked desires. Jezebel, the king's wife, was worse. Micaiah, Prophet of God, walked with the Lord and listened to the Lord's voice. His duty was to report what the Lord said to the king or whoever inquired of him. Micaiah could have easily been executed for reporting the word of the Lord.

In this nation, honesty made you hated. When Micaiah was faced with a question from the king, whether or not the king should go to war, he only had one thing to say. He informed Ahab the other prophets were deceived by a lying spirit in order to lead the king to defeat. This would make the Ahab hate him even worse.

Honesty under pressure is difficult. When you face an authority figure pushing you to lie it is tempting to tell them what they want to hear. In these types of situations honesty can lead to demotion, cruelty, firing, and sometimes worse. How do we stay firm in our convictions in the Lord when faced with this pressure? 

Treasure God's opinion of you. Find joy in loving the Lord. Pursue joy in the presence of the Lord.  Love what the Lord loves. Hate what the Lord hates. When you rest in God's presence, secure in his affirmation, you will not as easily fall into temptation to lie when faced with pressure from powerful people.

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Taken from reading 1 Kings 21-22

How to avoid the damage youth and arrogance can cause.

Who do you listen to? Who has your ear? What message influences you? Do you chose whose voice to listen to? Or do you allow the world, by default, to pull you by the nostrils?

1 Kings 12:7-8

Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, 'How do you advise me to answer this people?' And they said to him, 'If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.' But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. And he said to them, 'What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us?' And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, 'Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us, 'thus shall you say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'

I wonder what was going on in Rehoboam's heart and mind in this scenario. The older, wiser men warned him to listen to the people. These men had experience with leadership and how to guide the kingdom. The younger men pushed Rehoboam to squeeze the people harder. They did not understand the implications and dangers of such a response! 

Rehoboam chose the counsel he desired and suffered the consequences. 

It was this very decision, to listen to the wrong voices, that lost Rehoboam his kingship. The people walked away from him because they saw Rehoboam as a stiff and unyielding tyrant of a king. 

I wonder, 'What voices are you listening to? Whose counsel are you heeding?' Are you listening to advice from old, wise people who know how life works, although they may seem out of touch? Or are you simply following the arrogant advice of young people who have not experienced life and leadership before?

I pray that we would listen to wisdom and heed godly advice as long as we live. May we walk closely with the Lord and his people. May we seek older men and women to learn from. May we heed their wisdom and life experience. Amen.

The Question of Solomon

All appeared great with Solomon. He built the temple. He made sacrifices. Queens pursued his wisdom. Kings admired him. Power, Wealth, Wisdom. 

1 Kings 9:4-5 4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 

But is this enough to fulfill God's promise? Solomon was the most Powerful, Wealthiest, Wisest King to have ever lived. Is that what the Lord was promising to Abraham when he said, 

'2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' - Genesis 12:1-3

Is it? 

Why a mere man could never fill God's shoes.

Put yourself in Solomon's shoes. You were a wealthy son of the king. Now you are the king. The Lord grants you wisdom beyond measure. You inherited wealth and power. Aren't you set up for absolute success? You would think so. 

Solomon is a perplexing figure. He appears to be fulfilling all the promises of God as the son of David. He is appointed King, he asks for the right thing from God as a young person, he keeps peace and even follows most of the commandments of the Lord. 

But one thing the author mentions throws up a red flag.

1 Kings 3:3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings in the high places.

The author paints a positive picture of Solomon in almost every respect except for this one issue. And he does not even seem to make a big deal about it.

Later, in chapter 5,  the author mentions Solomon drafting forced labor for the construction of the temple. Then, in chapter 11, the author records that Solomon completely turned away from the Lord! From almost complete obedience to absolute rebellion.

What caused this grand apostasy of Israel's King and son of David?

We cannot be certain, but we can imagine the types of pressures Solomon must have faced as King of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world. 

In the end, Solomon was human. He was merely a man. He could not withstand the pressure of ruling God's people as their king while remaining holy and upright. Apparently, Solomon was not the promised Son of David whose throne would last forever and ever. But who would be?

This is the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So many questions were asked throughout history about God's rule and reign on the earth. Many promises and visions were given of perfect harmony and peace. How would they come?

Jesus. Jesus came. He lived perfectly. He died humbly. He rose victoriously. He transforms lives totally. He will rule and reign forever and ever. His kingdom will have no end. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Lord!

Take from reading 1 Kings 1-5

From Darkness to Light

Acts 26:16-18 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles-to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

To turn from darkness to light. Is not this what we are called to? Is not this what we are sent to share? Is not this the foundational and right response to the gospel? Turn from sin to God. Turn from evil to good. 

Confusion sets in when you start to define 'evil' and 'good'. Who writes the dictionary on those things? Who sets the boundaries? Who has authority to define terms? What is 'truth'? What is 'falsehood'?

Does society have the right to define morality? Does the individual have the right? Does the church? This is the intersection of culture and Christianity. 

In Christianity, we proclaim that God defines morality. He created morals. He created everything to function as he sees fit. He is good and holy and righteous. Those things that reflect his nature display some level of these attributes. Sin is displayed when someone turns to their own way, denying or rebelling against the Holy God of the universe.

We also proclaim that God revealed himself through history and through his word. We look at the scriptures as authoritative and definitive. When we read the scriptures God is speaking to us.

Due to these convictions our view of morality does not change with the sway of culture, unless we are correcting a misunderstanding of the Word of God. We watch heartbroken at the efforts of many to redefine history, to demonize good and glorify evil. 

We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Lord loved us when we were his enemies. Likewise we love everyone. We share his goodness and mercy freely. It is with gladness we proclaim the truth of the gospel. We invite people into the family of God accepting them with open arms and open hearts. We call each other to holy lifestyles, gently encouraging each other to follow the Lord's ways in this world.

May we live like this. Amen.

Why embracing distinction helps you avoid disappointment...

Am I willing to die for the Lord Jesus? Am I willing to live for the Lord Jesus? Two different questions. Each needs to be thought through.

Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but event to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.'

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

Most of us have never been in a situation where death was a likely outcome of living for Jesus. We  are tested by the daily grind of life. The only threat most of us face is being looked at as strange for our faith in Jesus Christ.

If we are willing to die for him we should be able to live for him. We should consider ourselves weird compared to the world. People of the world consider us weird when they know what we believe because they see the world from a different perspective. 

We need to get comfortable in our distinction from the world. Get used to being a little weird. Get used to being seen as strange. Embrace it. Enjoy it if possible. 

Let's love people no matter what they think about us. Let's invite people into our lives knowing there is a distinction. Let's engage in activities. Let's be in the world but not of the world.

Paul engaged in the Jewish life, although the Jews did not know Jesus. Paul witnessed to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul even engaged in Roman life. Paul was a citizen and even appealed to his Roman citizenship during his trial.

Paul was in the world but distinct from it. May we do the same. 

Taken from reading Acts 21-25

Why risking is the pathway to rejoicing...

That moment someone falls down and turns to Jesus. What an amazing thing to experience. We share, we love, we hope, we pray. We strive to help other people come to know Jesus. Sometimes feels impossible. 

Acts 16:2-31 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas's. Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'

We read a story like this and think to ourselves, 'What gives?' God performed a miracle, Paul says one thing, and the guy asks, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' Why does this not happen in our lives? Why is it not that easy to help someone experience eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ?

To be clear, it is a miracle every time someone repents and believes in Jesus. Repentance goes against the grain of our nature. Submission requires a change of heart and attitude. Every Christian you see is a miracle of God. Every believer is another reason to rejoice. 

We need not worry when our witness is rejected. Paul's words were often rejected. Paul was even ridiculed and beaten. Paul risked life and limb to share the gospel with those who did not know Jesus. In fact, it was in the midst of Paul's rejection and jail time that the Philippian Jailer was saved! With that risk came great pain and reward.

When discouraged I should ask myself, 'Am I risking rejection often enough?' If I risk often, I will inevitably rejoice. 

Taken from reading Acts 16-20

How the roller coaster of life can always end in peace

Boldness, joy, suffering, perseverance, rest. God's people experience all of these. Victories have eternal fruitfulness and bring a joy like nothing else. Failure brings hurt and disappointment that can haunt a man's life until the day he dies. 

Acts 13:48-49, 52 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region...And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14:21-22 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

We fight the fight of the faith. We move forward knowing the Lord has not abandoned us. We take hold of every victory and basque in the joy of knowing one more person will spend eternity with the Lord. What an amazing movement to participate in!

Our hope is in him and nothing else. Business will not satisfy. Jobs do not fulfill. Money does not feed our souls. Only the Lord and our walk with him continues on after this life. In him, we find our purpose and reason for living. In him we rest secure.

Taken from reading Acts 11-15

Why real life-transformation means more than financial support...

The change is shocking. Saul was ravaging the church, carrying off men and women to prison, and approving of the stoning of Stephen. Later, Saul increased in strength and confounded the Jews with his witness of Jesus as the Christ.

Acts 8:3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Acts 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

I am amazed when I read stories like Paul's, partly because my story is one similar to his. I despised Christianity. I scoffed at smiling Christians. I thought they were fake. I thought they were out to get something from me. I learned later that some of them truly loved me and truly cared because they were once where I was. Knowing the saving grace of Jesus Christ inspired them to love me and share the gospel with me.

Jesus changes people. He transforms them from the inside out. It is about the whole person including joy, forgiveness of sin, peace, purpose, relationship with God, restoration, intentions, eternal security, and much more. Saul went from a violent attacker of Christians to a passionate defender of the faith. Saul was a new and different man.

This is the type of transformation I experienced so many years ago. I am not the same person. I am a new man. I love the Lord and people. I desire to see others experience this same type of change. I still sin. I still mess up. I still struggle. But I am a different person. 

I don't think much in society will change unless the hearts of the people change. What I see now is divisive antagonism and partisan shaming. The ones who appear to care the most often divide us, fueling the flame of discontent. This saddens me. 

I think the greatest impact I can have on society is to be the different and new man in the lives of people. Loving the Lord, loving others, and sharing the great gospel story will impact people. I don't think it is effective or godly to demand everyone join me under threat of shaming. 

I am in a confusing time. I am working through some personal struggles. But I am still the new man. I still love the Lord and love others. I still have what I have always had and can offer what I always could offer. I have the Lord.

I pray that each of us would experience this life-change Jesus offers and live the new life fully and unashamedly.

Taken from reading Acts 6-10

Why you should look behind and look forward...

When I read about the early church in the book of Acts I am amazed by the attributes of God's people. Luke describes early Christians as lovingly devoted to the Lord and each other. It appears these early Christians were displaying the Kingdom of God through their lives. 

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 4:32-33 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his son, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 5:12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.

This brings a question to the table. Did the Kingdom of God come through the early church? The people of God gave to each other as each had need, they lived lives devoted to prayer and the word of God, and the apostles healed sicknesses and performed miracles regularly. This looks like the Kingdom of God displayed in the life of the early church!

On the one hand it is the Kingdom of God displayed through the life of the early church! The Kingdom of God is among them! On the other hand, the Kingdom of God has not come in its fullness. Wickedness still prevails, Satan still deceives, persecution still exists, and Jesus is not physically reigning over the entire earth. 

This is the age of the church. This is the time for the Kingdom of God to spread through the witness of the church. During this time persecution continues, Satan still deceives, and wickedness remains, but the church grows.

There will be a day, however, when the Lord will return and rule over the entire earth. Jesus will be King, his people will rule with him, Satan will be imprisoned, and deception will cease. What a wonderful day that will be.

May we enjoy the beauty of God's Kingdom work through the church, but may we not forget what is to come. May it motivate us to live out Kingdom principles moment by moment.

How to avoid falling into despair.

I know who God is. I know his mercy. I know his love. I know his justice. I find security and comfort in the Lord and his presence although I don't always experience each of his attributes consciously. 

2 Samuel 22:1-4 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, 'The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

What I mean is this: I trust in who the Lord is. I focus on his wonderful attributes. I don't, however, always feel the effects of the Lord's goodness. My feelings often betray me. Sometimes I even get stuck in despair. 

What does this mean? It simply means I am human, therefore I am susceptible to temptation. My vision and experience does not always line up with reality. 

In truth, I am eternally secure. I am forgiven totally. I am redeemed. I am restored and made new. I am free from sin. I am a beloved child of God.

Sometimes I feel trapped. Sometimes I feel like a failure. Sometimes I anxiety overtakes my mood. Sometimes I feel worthless. 

This requires an active, consistent, and persistent focus on the presence of God almighty. I need to meditate on who he is and what he says about me. I have to remind myself day by day and moment by moment that I belong to him and he is the sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lord. When I stay focused on his word I find myself resting in the beauty of his presence. 

Taken from reading 2 Samuel 21-24

Why idolizing a man leads to destruction

Sin leads to destruction and suffering.

2 Samuel 19:6-7

For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.

Look at all the destruction sin caused in the last years of King David's life. Betrayal, death, upheaval. It started with 'the man after God's own heart' following his lustful desires leading him to be a murderer. It ballooned into a full scale rebellion and civil war

The casual observer would not have put the two together but when you follow the flow of events you see the Lords judgment of David in Absalom's rebellion. 

David's heart and passion for the Lord gave us a glimpse beauty of a worshipful king. Sadly, David fell to sin like every other king. 

God's people needed more than David. God's people needed God as their king. They needed a perfect, loving, and compassionate king. They needed Jesus. 

Jesus would not fall to sin leading to judgment. Jesus took the judgment God's people deserved on himself. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. David was the glimpse. Jesus is the fulfillment.

Taken from reading 2 Samuel 16-20:

To not back down...

Who are we trying to impress? Who are we living to please?

2 Samuel 6:21-22

And David said to Michal, 'It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord-and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes.

David celebrated as he brought the ark of God into Jerusalem. He danced before the Lord with all his might. In worshipping, David apparently undressed himself as he danced. This angered his wife, Michal. She accused David of honoring himself by being vulgar.

David could have bowed to Michal's accusation, but he did not. He stood up for his intentions and freedom to worship the Lord wholeheartedly. In his argument, David pointed toward his audience, the Lord, and his dignity, which he does not seek.

David's sole desire was to express his praise and worship to God. He did not care even what his own wife thought. He stood up for his passion and joy in the Lord and did not shrink back from criticism. What boldness and strength!

I look around at our world and see consistent criticism of Christianity for its morality and values. Christianity does not fit into what is called the 'progressive' movement. We are viewed as intolerant and ignorant by many because we do not agree with some of their leaders.

So Be It. We will worship the Lord. We will honor him with our worship and lives the best we can. We will be abased and contemptible in their eyes.

Many will see and despise us. But some will see and know the Lord is God. Some will turn from sin and follow the Lord. We must be ok with the polarizing nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we must not shrink back from honoring the Lord.

Taken from reading 2 Samuel 6-10

How to honor God by honoring his leaders

2 Samuel 1:19-21 Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, or fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Why does David ascribe such wonder and value to Saul? Jonathan I can understand. He was David's best friend. David cherished Jonathan with all of his heart. Jonathan saved his life more than once although Jonathan could have easily led David to his death and taken the throne for himself. 

David mourned the loss of a man who sought to kill him many times. Saul treated David with contempt and jealousy. But why? Why did David's heart ache so much?

The answer may be seen in the way David referred to Saul throughout 1 Samuel. When faced with the opportunity to retaliate against Saul, each time David chose to not harm Saul because Saul was, 'the Lord's annointed' (Ex. 1 Samuel 24:6). 

It may be that David's honoring of Saul was more a reflection of David's heart to honor the Lord. David revered the Lord highly, as we see in his dependence on the Lord for victory. A perfect example of this include David's statement to Goliath, 'I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts...' before David killed the giant.

In this situation, David reveals he is a man after God's own heart. His focus was to honor the Lord and those the Lord has put in leadership. As many of us know, King David is a forerunner to the eternal King, the Son of David, Jesus Christ. 

Taken from reading 2 Samuel 1-5

How to not panic in the midst of conflict.

We see the final result of rebellion against God in Saul. He died. It would be easy to chalk up his death as a natural result of a hard fought battle, but it was much more than that. The Lord warned God's people including King Saul, that if they didn't follow the Lord  closely and obey his voice they would suffer defeat from the people of the land. An so they did.

1 Samuel 31:4-6 Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.

I look around the world and see conflict, hate, fighting and war. In many ways the fighting has never stopped. It continues on in different forms and fashions with different leaders and nations. Some of them are the same nations.

Some nations enjoy times of peace followed by war. Uprisings occur all over the globe to destroy the peace. I understand some of them but others are needlessly brought about by greed and idolatry. What will end to conflict? What will stop the killing?

Only the manifested presence of God himself will bring an end to this mess. When the Lord returns he will take the reigns and rule with an iron scepter. I long for this day. I long for peace. I long for joy. I long for clarity and loving authority. I long for rest.

I take comfort in knowing that day will come. In my lifetime? I do not know. In my children's lifetime? Still, I am not sure. I do find a level of peace in the knowledge of what is to come, what will be.

May we all embrace this wonderful vision the Lord has given us, even in the midst of conflict around the world.

Taken from Reading 1 Samuel 26-31

Plan

Whose plan do you have in mind? God's or yours?

1 Samuel 20:30 Your on of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established.

I am amazed when I read about Jonathan's love for David. Jonathan was the son of the King. The natural order of things in the surrounding kingdoms would have been to pass the kingship from father to son. Jonathan would have expected to become king and would have likely been told for much of his life that he would be the next king. 

Jonathan embraced David as his best friend. Jonathan loved David and their souls were knit together. What a great blessing to have a friend so close and caring, someone who will protect you from all harm. Even when Jonathan's father sought to kill David Jonathan did whatever it took to protect David from him.

Jonathan had God's plan in mind, not his own. You see, David's safety meant David would eventually take Saul's place as King of Israel. Knowing this, it would have been easy for Jonathan to prioritize his own advancement and allow David to be killed. But he didn't. Jonathan trusted the Lord and loved the Lord's man, David.

I gaze the horizon of life and see so many temptations I could fall into. I could idolize parenthood, marriage, wealth, sports, or politics. So many areas of life pull at you to pursue them wholeheartedly. But to what end? I have to constantly ask myself, 'What has my heart? Who has my heart?'

I find the answer in what I most earnestly pursue. Am I passionate about sports? Am I solely focused on family? Am I constantly preoccupied with politics? Am I, moment by moment, focused on the presence of the Lord?

In moments of crisis my heart is tested. When my vision and desires are not aligned with the direction of my life I must watch closely to see if I fall into the trap of pursuing my own vision instead of the Lord's. Discernment is difficult. Pain is a reality.

What about you? Where do you look? Who do you trust? What do you pursue first? My prayer is for you to seek the Lord, to walk in his ways even during times of testing and temptation.

May your heart be passionate and submitted to the Lord.

Taken from reading 1 Samuel 16-20

What you want

Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they rejected me from being king over them.

1 Samuel 8:11, 18 He said, 'These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you...And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen from yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.

When the people of Israel turned their hearts toward the Lord he brought them peace. He restored their land and cities. He brought them success. This is what the Lord promised them all along. They were to follow the ways of the Lord in the land and he would provide for them.

This was not enough for them. They wanted a king. They wanted to be like the nations around them. They wanted power and pride of man. In their hearts they rejected the Lord as their King.

It is interesting that the Lord simply told Samuel to grant them the request. The Lord did not redirect them again. He let them have what they asked for. He warned the people what the outcome would be and left them to their vice. The results were pretty devastating. War, conscription, the king hoarding wealth for himself, debauchery, idolatry, and eventually exile.

There were many years where having a human king seemed like a great idea. Israel had many years of power, pride, and wealth. But they did not have what they truly needed; the intimate presence and blessing of God. This was a turning point for them.

God is the King they truly needed. Eventually, he would come as the true King, Jesus Christ. He was a king who lived a perfect life, served his people, healed his people, loved his people, died for his people's sins, and rose from the grave to save his people. This is the description of a good and godly King.

I look around at my life and wonder, 'Have I ever sought what I should not? Have I ever pursued what I should not?' Maybe I have? Maybe I have chased after things I should not have chased? Maybe I have opened doors the Lord told me to leave shut? And maybe I am experiencing the consequences of those pursuits in some areas of my life?

I desire clarity of mind and heart. I desire to know if and where I went astray. I desire to pursue the things the Lord wants for me, to experience the life he called me to. I desire to experience a fresh closeness to the Lord, to live step by step in his presence, and to know him more and more.

May I live like this all my days. Amen.

Taken from reading 1 Samuel 6-10