All quiet on the western front

In times of stress, we yearn for things to settle down--to become "normal" again.

But what do we do when things are normal? Is it a state of life a kin to tumbleweed blowing through a dusty western town? Do we just wait for the next big stressor? Do we live it up while we have the chance? Do we worry about what's around the corner? Do we get ancy when we can't even see the corner yet?

As I read I Kings 4 today, these thoughts came to mind because everything seemed "normal" for King Solomon. He had everything he wanted from a material standpoint, he was the world's wisest man, he had 1,000 special someones (seems like a dumb idea for the world's wisest man, but I won't judge...), he was king of a united kingdom, and there was peace in all the land around him. Given the usual OT stories of bloodshed and dissension, things seemed unnormally "normal."

In some ways, my life feels pretty "normal" now. Sure, I have 1,000 less special someones in my life than Solomon, but on the whole, things are calm and all seems to be well. Now what do I do? God laid it on my heart this morning to take advantage of this downtime to get things in order. I felt convicted not to just rest easy and "check-out" since life seems to be on auto-pilot.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating a burning-the-candle-at-both-ends kind of lifestyle...that's exactly what I'm trying to discipline myself against! However, I do not want to be lulled to sleep during this period of my life. I don't know what's around the corner, but I want to be prepared for what God has for me. I want to be actively involved in seeking Him, edifying others, and preparing myself for whatever lies ahead. That way, when it's go-time, I'm all systems go!

Silence and Incense

My quiet time today was from Rev 8. This is when the Lamb breaks the 7th seal and the 7 angels w/ trumpets are about to blow their horns and all the tribulations are about to go down! It's interesting what happens first: vs 1 says "When he opened the seventh seal,there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Kinda like the silence before the storm, preparation for the trials and tribulations to come. Then in vs.3-4 a great picture of how our prayers reach God: Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. This is a beautiful picture of how our prayers are literally an offering to God! Our prayers reach God, they don't fall on deaf ears. They much like incense are a fragrant offering to him!

Who knew boating could change your life?

I got a little reading in today for Luke 5&6 for small group. In reading the beginning of Chap.5, I was impressed with Simon's reverence and faith.

-In vs. 5, see how Simon fought through his tiredness to obey: Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

-In vs. 8, Simon Peter shows immediate reverence to who Jesus is: When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

-Finally in vs 11, Simon and his brother show complete faith and "pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Great encouragement here, if Simon had let his will get in the way he would have missed out on this life changing experience! Lord, help us to die to our selfish nature, and live selflessly, please continue to grow us in reverence and faithful obedience. Help us to pull our boats up and leave everything and follow you everyday! In Jesus name, AMEN!

There W [Spoiler warning!]

2 Corinthians 10:5b "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"

As I walked away from one of the oddest, darkest, most complex movies I've ever seen, the scene that chilled me the most was a man renouncing his "faith". All of the other physical and emotional violence that was part of the movie paled in comparison. Moments after the minister repeatedly shouted "God is a superstition" for the sake of financial gain, he expresses a bitterness that reminded me of Peter after his three-fold denial of Christ.

I can't begin to decipher the layers of meanings in that film--perhaps the minister was a sham the whole time and the bitter outburst was a last-ditch effort to scrape up a few bucks from his nemesis. Nonetheless, the thought that I took captive tonight was the sheer horror of denying my God. To me, this is the most tragic thing I could ever do in my life. By God's grace, I trust that my relationship with Him is strong enough that I would never verbally turn my back on my Lord--no matter what is at stake. But what about my actions? What volumes do they speak about my relationship to God?

Presentation is Everything!

Jude 24-25:
'To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.'

So no secret here, I often mentally beat myself up. I constantly (ie daily, ie moment by moment) need to be reminded that I'm not ever going to be 'fixed' and that I need to rest in Jesus MERCY. His mercy is beautifully described here in Jude. NOT ONLY is Jesus able to 'keep me from falling' into sin, BUT he also 'presents' me before God as a perfect piece of himself, AND not only does he present me, but he does so with 'great joy'! Imagine yourself w/ all your shortcomings and issues, being presented to God as a trophy of Jesus, and Jesus doing so proudly with great joy! THAT MY FRIENDS is the amazing mercy and grace we have tapped into when we accepted Jesus, and may we continually be reminded of the 'joyful trophy' we are as believers in Christ.

For You Know I Have PLANS for You

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I'm reading through Jeremiah this month and happened to be meditating on this verse this morning. We've heard this verse many times before and we all know it. But how fervently do we really believe it? God doesn't have "dreams" for us to experience joy. He has PLANS. God doesn't have "goals" for us to live fulfilled lives. He has PLANS. God doesn't have "hopes" that our lives will turn out well. He has PLANS. God is not some cosmic well-wisher, His word promises a plan for each of us, individually, with only our best interests in mind. So let us not lose heart when difficulty comes. He knows what's best for us. And faithful submission to Him and His call for our lives will only bring us more joy along the journey.

Victims

I really didn't want to read the story of David and Bathsheba this morning. Of all the stories in the Bible, I think that's the one that's most troubling to me. It's partly the heinous nature of the sin path that David goes down: lust, adultery, deceiving, murder. How could a man after God's own heart do this? It's partly the closeness with which I can associate with David's actions: I know all to well about being up when I shouldn't, looking where I shouldn't, acting in ways I shouldn't act, and doing everything in my power to keep it a secret. Who knows what else I would've been capable of doing had not God kept opportunity for other sins outside my reach. The story sends chills down my spine...or maybe up my spine, whichever is worse...

So as I approached the dreaded story this morning on my path through the life of David, I prayed for God to show me something unique--a different take on the all-too-familiar storyline. As I read, it began to strike me how awful all of this must have been for Bathsheeba. First she gets ogled by a "peeping Dave", then she is summoned to be "had" by the king. I can't help but think that in this culture, she basically had no choice but to do the king's bidding--if so, this is not just adultery, but rape. To make the bad memory last a lifetime, she ends up pregnant as a result of David's "conquest." After this, her husband comes back to the area, but she doesn't get to spend any time with him because his focus is doing his job as a commander in the army. Right or wrong on Uriah's part, it had to be tough on her to have her husband so close yet so far at a time when she really needed him. Soon after this, she learns of her husband's death. To add the final insult to injury, David--the man who caused all of this pain for her--takes her as another one of his many wives. What do I know...maybe this was actually a good thing for her to be taken in by the king. However, I can't help but think it would only cause her more pain to not be able to escape from the man who mistreated her and had her husband killed to cover it up--to now be his legal property.

For once, when I read this passage in II Samuel 11, my mind was not on David and his sin...but on Bathsheba and her suffering. Every sin has it's victims. They may not be as obvious as the victims in this Bible story, but sin always has it's victims. This is definitely something for me to keep in mind when desire comes knocking at the door of my flesh. Am I willing to victimize someone for the sake of my pleasures? For God's glory and for the sake of all the Bathsheba's out there, I hope not.

Who do you worship for?

Sometimes a passage of scripture intersects life in such a way as to create a blog. This morning's reading out of 2 Samuel 6 contained an interesting little spat between David and his wife. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on: was David's wife mad at him, embarrassed by him, jealous of him? Either way, in verse 20, she accuses him of doing something for "the maidens" (OT for hotties), but David's response in verse 21 was "it was [for] the Lord."

I'm not about to jump in and take sides in this domestic dispute, but the words of David really stood out to me as profound. They came back in my mind as I worshipped tonight at Frontline. In spite of being an introvert with a slim to quite slim dating resume, I still like the maidens. I have a constantly updated "list" of girls in my mind that I am interested in--even if it's a complete stranger or someone who is totally out of my league. This can often be a distraction as my "girldar" is tracking who is where or picking up a target in close proximity at Frontline. So it's in this setting that David's words came back to me... "it was [for] the Lord."

Is my worship for the Lord? Or is it for the girl two rows over? My focus when I'm at church--whether it's worshiping or listening or fellowshiping--needs to be for the Lord. If I can make David's words my internal motto, the distracting maidens won't keep me from worshipping Him fully, listening intently, or fellowshiping genuinely. Thanks for the good word, David!

P.S. I'm pretty sure "fellowshiping" is not a word, but it fits so nice!

Can I praise Him in the storm?

Providentially, I stumbled upon Psalm 57 yesterday. I was just looking for a quick Psalm to read before bed, but it turns out that it's a Psalm David wrote while hiding from Saul in a cave. Having just read through this passage in my trek through I Samuel (chapters 23 and 24), it meant so much more to me. I had a better sense of what a desperate time this was for David. He was deep in the midst of running for his life from his own king and father-in-law, Saul.

The first 6 verses of this Psalm illustrate the danger that David was in as he hid Osama-like in a cave with Saul and his men in hot pursuit. Yet, in the midst of this danger and uncertainty here was this amazing Psalm of praise in v. 7-11:
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.
For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

I was really struck by the fact that David was able to praise God in the midst of such a distressing time. It reminded me of the Casting Crowns song, Praise You in This Storm (http://www.myspace.com/castingcrowns), and it made me wonder how well I do that.

My storms are minor compared to David's, yet praise is often the farthest thing from my mind in the midst of a bad day. Maybe if that were different--maybe if my instinctive reaction to problems was praise--my experience in the midst of life's storms would be different. Maybe then I wouldn't wallow in self-pity and unhappiness, but focus on His will and be content no matter how fierce the weather.

JC the HP=FOREVA'!

Hebrews 7:23 -end of chapter:
There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.

For me this was a refreshing look at Jesus, atleast the High Priest part of him! It's comforting to visualize him in heaven literally interceding for me. What a High Priest! Psalms 110 speaks of God's oath about Jesus eternal High Priesthood. Praise him for his great love!

New Year's Day meets Groundhog Day

I love New Year's Day: sleeping in late, college football all day long...wait, that sounds like pretty much every Saturday in the fall... I guess the real reason that I love New Year's Day is the fresh start: new calendar, new tax year, new resolutions, etc. Now that I'm out of school, my year no longer revolves around a semester calendar. January 1st is the starting point of my internal calendar--a clean slate. It's a fresh feeling that I wish I could take enjoy every day of the year.

When it comes to the spiritual part of my life--the most important part--it is possible to experience the fresh feeling of a clean slate every day. My sins and failures don't begin to pile up on January 1st and finally get erased the following December 31st. No, every day--every moment--I can experience the fresh start of a new spiritual year thanks to God's forgiveness. Because every day is January 1st in Christ, there's no need for clever spiritual resolutions at the start of a new calendar year. The only resolution I need is to live every day in the light of newness that God so graciously provides.

Lamentations 3:22-24
Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Recovery without 'roids (or HGH)

One of the nice things about being in a closer walk with God is quicker recovery. I didn't enter church tonight in the right frame of mind. As the drumsticks cracked to open the time of worship, I realized how sinful my thoughts and attitudes were and was quickly able to throw that up to God in prayer. Before the words of the first song were sung, I had done enough business with God to truly worship Him in spite of my recent faults.

Not only did He help me worship by quickly taking my junk from me, but He used that junk to teach me a lesson. Whenever I'm unhappy, it's almost without fail because I'm being selfish and self-focused. In times of being down, the antidote is to take my eyes off of myself and focus on the Lord and the needs of those around me.

"The art of losing myself in bringing You praise..." The words of that worship song rang true in my life tonight.

"Lord, enable me to lose myself so that I may be unhindered in bringing You praise and bringing light to the lives of others. Thanks for showing me that there is more to life than my personal happiness. Open up my eyes to things unseen--soften my heart to know that bringing You glory is all that matters in life. Thank You for Your patient teaching, Amen."

The Lord Keeps His Promises

I Samuel 30: 8, 18 - 19: (emphasis added)

So David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."

So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.

Whenever David turned to God for direction, the answer was sure and the blessing was great. Don't let that lesson be lost in your own life: go to God for all decisions and be willing to follow Him as He leads. The road may be uncanny, but He will not lead you astray.

Worth the Wait

And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him...then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." I Sam 28:6-7

When God doesn't answer, wait. Wait, and if necessary, get right with him. But by all means, do not go off looking for answers on your own. In Chapter 28, Saul seeks the counsel of a medium when he doesn't get an answer from God on how to fight the Philistines. The chapter mentions that he had earlier cast "the mediums and spiritists out of the land" (v. 3). Yet in desperation, he turns to a medium, and even promises her safety in spite of the Levitical laws that required stoning such a person (Lev. 20:27). He gets an answer in v.19, but it's not the one he wanted: he would die in battle the next day.

I don't struggle with consulting mediums for battle plans, but there are plenty of applications for waiting on the Lord in my life. It can be painful to sit and wait for the Lord to lead. However, it sure beats the misery of running away on my own and running head-first into His wrath.

Peace Out

So I'm rocking the morning quiet time on Christmas Day, and I come across an awesome connection between the familiar Christmas verse about "peace on earth, goodwill toward men" (Luke 2:14) and the OT (Isaiah 53:5): "...the chastisement for our peace was upon Him..."

In front of the family manger, it struck me that the only reason we can have "peace on earth" is that our punishment was on Christ. This connection definitely brought new life to the old Christmas cliche and gave me a deeper appreciation for the moments of "peace" I experience in my daily life.

Really?

I Sam 23:2-5
Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the Lord said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah."

But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"

Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand."

And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.


In v.4, David gives God a "really?". God had told him in v.2 what to do. However, when David's buddies question God's plan out of fear, David double checks with God again...you know, just in case. Silly. God's answer was no different the second time around, yet this time He was more direct in His answer: "I will deliver the Philistines into your hand."

So often, I want the full scoop before I'm willing to move forward in anything. However, when it comes to following God's leading, may I not be so presumptuous as to question Him. I may not get it, I may fear it, but I better do it. How can I glorify God when I question Him? "Lord, help me not to question You or hold out for more information when You prompt me to go. May my focus be on You--not on myself or others. May I obey You fully and without question, for Your glory. Amen."

God didn't mislead David, and He won't mislead us. Trust Him without question.

Band of Brothers

"David...escapted to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them." I Sam 22:1-2

The amazing power of fellowship. It doesn't matter if every guy is a first round draft pick or a McDonald's All-American. Even the motliest of motley crews can bring tremendous power and encouragement to an individual. Reading the verses above, David's "brothers" seem more like a band of losers. However, their presence seems instrumental in David's turnaround: he went from fearfully hiding in a cave at the beginning of the chapter to bravely assuring a shaken priest that "with me you shall be safe" at the end of the chapter. More importantly, in the beginning of chapter 23 we see David returning to his Lord--seeking His will for his next course of action ("David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I go and attack these Philistines?'" I Sam 23:2).

I'm thankful for my small group brothers who give me the encouragement and boldness to take chances, make a doctor's appointment, leave work at a reasonable hour, own my junk, make morning time with God a consistent part of life, stay out the ditch of self-pity, manage my time better, persevere in running, and push on to greater service of others for the Lord's glory.

Thanks brothers!

Avoiding the need for an escape hatch

In the end of I Sam 21, David goes mad. He literally feigns insanity to avoid a risky situation in front of the Philistine king in enemy territory. Was it a wise move? Should he be commended for taking the only escape hatch available to preserve his life--and the lineage to our Saviour?

Not so fast my friend!

What was David doing in enemy territory by himself, holding the sword of the Philistine champion he had previously killed? Why did he even need an escape hatch? If he had focused on God instead of continuing to run from Saul, I would venture to say that he would not have ended up here. Was he wrong for running for his life? Not necessarily. Was he wrong for not looking to God and trusting Him for deliverance? YES. David already experienced God's divine protection and deliverance when he took Goliath one-on-one--why couldn't God do the same again?

As I apply this to my own life, I had the thought that I need to follow God at every turn. If I keep my focus on Him that consistently, I can trust that I'm in His will and protected as He sees fit. Following the protection He provides, I will not need resort to my feeble efforts--I will not need to create my own escape hatch.

I wanna be, I wanna be like Paul. Like Paul, if I could be like Paul!

5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

Wow, I want to be able to say what Paul does in vs. 7 at the end of my days! While it's a work in progress until then, I can focus on sharing my light with others through relationship building, and being a "light" Lord, am I fully poured out for you? Show me where I need to keep tipping over! Help me to fully carry out the ministry you have called me too. Lord, thank you for the disciplines you are growing me in, and how what I do everyday is the basis for fully carrying out ministry.

Focusing on our Focus

Scene 1: "And the Philistine said to David, 'Come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!' ... So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine." I Sam 17:45 and 48.

Scene 2: "And David said to Jonathan, 'Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.'" I Sam 20:5

What a difference a few chapters makes! In I Sam 17, David was the young buck boldly running to defeat a large enemy in the name of the Lord. In I Sam 20, the same David is running wildly away from his own king and father-in-law. What is behind this difference? What stands out to me is the lack of focus on God. In chapter 17, David was all about defending God's glory with no thought to his own life. In chapter 20, David's primary concern seems to be that his life is imminent danger.

We all wax and wane in our boldness and strengths. It's good to see that David is human just like we are. However, is the waxing and waning simply a natural part of life or naturally the result of a wrong focus in life? When we focus on God, we are strong enough in Him to face every obstacle that comes our way--every time.

"God give me the grace to keep my focus continually on You. Smooth out the ups and downs in my boldness by enabling me to consistently move forward in the the boldness that comes from following You. Amen."