March 31

March 31, 2012

 

During the terrible days of the World War II Blitz, a father in London was holding his small son by the hand as they ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole from a previous bomb. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!"  The father, looked up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings and called to the silhouette of his son, "But I can see you, jump!"  The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we know who does have the answers.

 

We live in Connecticut during a period of time when faith is seen as weakness. Faith is scorned and even ridiculed these days. Yet I say everyone lives by some sort of faith. The scientist has faith in the lightning striking primordial goop and forming the 4 billion bits of information in the simple cell. The agnostic looks at the 5000 different processes in the human body and says, "coincidence." But we are the people of faith. And in our reading today, we see four truths about faith.  

 

1. Faith doesn't make us immune from the difficulties of life. The Philistine warrior Goliath was nearly 10 feet tall. That makes our elder, Jim Rumsey, look like a dwarf. The difficulties of life make us strong. If you were to go back and examine the times your faith grew the most, it would be during the times of greatest difficulty. The truth is that in the darkness of our classroom we learn the most. Life is like a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff of which he is made.  Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great preacher, said, "The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction."  We are all faced with brilliant opportunities that are hidden as unsolvable problems. We need to develop our faith muscles whenever we face these difficulties.  

 

2. Faith endures even when ridiculed.  How many times did people try to talk David out of his plan or try to alter it? By my count, there were three attempts. To follow the path of faith means that, at times, we will have to walk alone. The faith pathway is rarely walked by the crowd. You, plus God, is a majority.

 

3. Faith is developed, not inherited. David wasn't instantly zapped with faith; his faith was grown. There were small steps of faith before he was asked to take a big one. Faith doesn't exempt us from preparation. David's skill with a sling was developed over many hours practicing out on the hillside. David had two pre‑season games; one was against the Lions, the other against the Bears. We won't jump into the big arena if we are fearful of trusting God in small ones.

 

4. Finally, faith must rest in the proper place. The object of David's faith was the Lord. The philosophy of "fideism" is having faith in faith. David had faith in his own skills and abilities, but he ultimately had overwhelming faith in the God who would win the victory. From King Saul's perspective, Goliath was too big to hit. From David's perspective, Goliath was too big to miss. So how do we balance confidence in ourselves and faith in God? There are two extremes. One sits around and waits for God to fight their battles. The other goes out and wins the battle in human strength. How do we balance this? The answer is in the reason David fought. David was ultimately concerned about the reputation of God. When we fight for God's name and not our own, then we have the proper resting place for our faith.

 

Go out and grow your faith today.

 

 

Friday, March 30, 2012 - Saul’s downfall

Friday, March 30, 2012
Saul's downfall

1 Samuel 15:17-19
17 Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did
you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you
king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and
completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war
against them until you have wiped them out.' 19 Why did you not obey
the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of
the LORD?"

In today's reading, just like yesterday's reading, we see Saul act
on self-will, not God's-will, and it cost him his kingship. Saul
disobeyed God's command to please himself. Saul didn't follow through
on God's command to completely wipe out the Amalekites (a wicked
nation) because he wanted to sacrifice the Amalekite sheep and cattle
over the Israelite sheep and cattle. Saul spared Amalekite sheep and
cattle for his own convenience. Saul's disobedience in itself was
disconcerting, but his attempt to pass off his disobedience as
obedience was shattering. It's shattering because an unrepentant heart
completely separates one from God. Saul lacked the ability to
sincerely confess his faults; a result of his pride and the reason for
his downfall. Can you identify? Have you ever hurt someone and then
tried to reconcile the situation by justifying your wrongdoing? Have
you ever been wounded by someone that couldn't admit their mistakes?

I'm sure we've all experienced the repercussions of unapologetic
people at some point. Maybe we've been the shameless people. I know
I've walked that path. I have stepped on toes and then tried to
convince the people that I've hurt that they just didn't understand
where I was coming from; or that it was their fault for getting in the
way. I've learned that the three simple words (said sincerely), "I was
wrong," without excuse goes a long way. In the same way, we need to
humble ourselves before God with sincere repentant hearts. We need to
get rid of the excuses and come clean. If not, we'll block ourselves
off from experiencing God's forgiveness and love.

Let's not follow in Saul's footsteps and allow pride to hinder our
ability to admit when we're wrong. Pride is a cheater. It cheats you
out of a genuine relationship with God because you'll demand your own
way. Let's humble ourselves and approach God with sincere repentant
hearts. I promise that you'll find it easy to be faithful to the one
that is always faithful and always forgives.

God Bless,
Anthony

March 29: The Reign of Saul

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012

The Reign of Saul

“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.  But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1 Samuel 13:13,14)

 

 

No sooner does Saul become king over Israel before we start to see the shortcomings in his personality.  Just as Israel has rejected the Lord as King, the nation will suffer under times where its kings abandon the Lord.

 

Through the many cycles of the kings, we will see that God values humble obedience and a contrite heart much more than gold and silver, military triumphs, or grand display of power.  In short, God views the kings much in the same manner that He looks at you or me:  He looks at the heart.  Indeed, God will anoint and empower some rather unlikely leaders in Israel’s history, starting with Saul.  Saul comes from the Benjamites, who had risen up in rebellion at the end of Judges, perhaps a generation ago.  His selection to lead Israel stands in the face of earthly wisdom and bring to mind two treasured verses:

 

1. 1 Samuel 16:7, speaking of Saul’s successor, David:  “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 

2. Romans 4:16–18:  “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring -- not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.  He is the father of us all.  As it is written:  ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’  He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”

 

 

With obedience as our guide of true greatness, we can see how Samuel retains his standing even above the new king Saul.  In Chapter 13, we read about an upcoming battle, in which Saul has chosen an army of 3,000 men, but the Philistines approach with a far larger army:  “three thousand chariots, six thousand chariots, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” 

 

Saul’s impetuousness ensures that his reign over Israel will not span to another generation.  First of all, we notice that Saul does not seek the Lord’s guidance with regard to this battle, but rather he acts out of his own wisdom.  He does not acknowledge God’s sovereignty in His planning:  “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

 

As a result of Saul’s strident decisionmaking and poor planning, the Israelites begin hiding in fear, and Saul grows nervous himself as the men begin to scatter.  In order to curry the Lord’s favor in this desperate situation, Saul makes an offering to the Lord, in place of Samuel, who appears to have been delayed.  Samuel rebukes Saul for his jumping the gun, and we can see in Saul’s words that his motives may not have been completely pure.  (This exchange sets a strong precedent:  You don’t want to have to explain yourself to a prophet!  Through the Holy Spirit’s filling, they have already read your heart.  David will discover that Nathan’s eyes of prophecy will not allow his sin to remain unnoticed.)  As a consequence, Saul learns that his family will not rule over Israel in perpetuity because of his willful disobedience.  Even for the king, sin has far-reaching ramifications.

 

This incident highlights the truth that no one sits above God’s law or below the reach of His love.  Even king Saul could find himself astray based on willful disobedience or passive indifference.  God established the church’s mandate for truthfulness and holiness in the tragic death of Ananias and Sapphira, who had lied to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds from a land sale. (Acts 5:1–11)

 

Saul’s son Jonathan then shows great valor and leadership in starting a rout of the larger Philistine army, ostensibly through the empowerment and leading of God.  Jonathan’s faithfulness and trust in God stand in contrast to Saul, and he will later become one of David’s strongest companions, even as Jonathan’s father Saul pursues David. 

 

Saul appears rattled by Jonathan’s leadership, particularly as he feeds the hungry army, and military exploits, and we may see further evidence of Saul’s jealousy and concern for his own power.  Indeed, Saul’s oath seems to have little strategic (or spiritual) value other than binding others to following his limited vision.

 

Saul’s selfish motivations will ultimately lead to mental illness (paranoia), but he brings the conditions on himself through his sin.  Jealousy brings nothing but a sick heart and a defeated spirit because we are rejecting the unique creation that God has made in us.  Likewise, holding grudges enables the Evil One to sow seeds that grow into roots of bitterness, sapping us of true freedom to love and serve other people.

 

 

QUESTIONS

 

1. Who is your king today?  Why have you chosen to serve Him?
2. If you were in Saul’s position with the larger Philistine army gathering around you, how might you have approached the situation differently?

________________________________________
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I Samuel 8-12: Saul becomes king

March 28,

I Samuel 8-12: Saul becomes king

 

Happy Wednesday!  I have said this before but Oh Israel!  You are never satisfied!  God has been with them time and time again.  Egypt, The Promised Land, the cycles of the Judges.  They always have turned form God, cried out, and He has always listened.  Now they cry out for a king.  They want to be like all the other nations.  Let's go back a month ago to February 27 (Deut. 17:14-20) and it was foreseen that they would demand a king – God knew this was coming, so He set laws and guidelines.  Samuel (being the last Judge) knew the Law and was a holy man (a seer.)  It almost looks like God is comforting Samuel in 8: 7, "for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me,"  Ugh.  I cannot imagine the heartache that God must feel…being rejected by His people (again).  They wanted to fit in.  They wanted to keep up with the Jones.  They wanted a king lead them, represent them, just like everyone else.  But we know that they weren't like everyone else.  Israel has always been God's chosen people…set apart from everyone else.  Kinda like us J

 

Let's look at Saul: from one of the smallest tribes: Benjamin. NKJV says , "There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel" (9:2)  So we know he was tall and handsome…a Brad Pitt perhaps? J  Ha.  I'm sure Israel was all over this.  Not only do they have a king, but he's a looker!!!!  God lead Saul to Samuel and he was anointed, or set apart.  God had allowed him to be "commander over His inheritance," (10:1) meaning Israel still belongs to Him.  Samuel gives him specific instructions (pay attention to 10:8 because it will be significant in tomorrow's reading.)  It is also important to see that God was with Saul at the beginning.  10:6 mentions how the Spirit of the Lord will come upon him. 

 

I love how chapter 12 ends.  I hope you have underlined it too.  We see the love that Samuel had for his people, because he warns them, nurtures them, and will continue to pray for them and teach them.  As Samuel is addressing Israel he also reminds them that God has given them this king that he have cried out for.  They must continue to fear God, obey Him, and serve the Lord with all their hearts.  If they fail to this, forget God, and "still do wickedly, [they] shall be swept away," with their king.  God is still in control here.  We see Him as a Listener, Patient, Provider, Wise, and Sovereign.  

March 27: 1 Samuel 3-7

1 Samuel 3-7

 

God calls Samuel.

 

Samuel is now a young boy and is under Eli's leadership in the temple. At this time, the word of the Lord was rare and there were not many visions (3:1) One night, God called out to Samuel. Thinking it was the priest who called him, he ran to Eli, but Eli told him to go lie down. This happened three times before Eli realized that is was God who was calling the boy. Samuel heard the voice of God call him and he answered. God choose him as His prophet to deliver His word to the Israelites and to carry out His commands.

 

God uses many different ways to speak to His people. He doesn't always use His audible voice to get His point across. He speaks to us when we read His word. He speaks to us through the beauty of nature. He speaks to us when we listen to music and sing praise to His name. He speaks to us by using other people as His voice. Recently, God spoke to me through my friend Chuck. Chuck told me about some advice he had given to a friend of his who was struggling. Once the conversation was over, Chuck didn't give a second thought to the words he had said to me. But I could not get them out of my mind. For days, it stuck with me because his words directly applied to a struggle of mine. Chuck had no idea at the time, but God was using him to tell me something I needed to hear and understand. Later, when I told how him much his words had impacted me, he had forgotten about the conversation. Isn't amazing how God can use another person to speak directly to us and they may not even be aware of it at the time?!

 

No matter how God communicates to us, our response should always be the same as Samuel's: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

Monday March 26th

What have you been praying?

A great friend asked me this question on Friday.  I have to tell you that I was not all too proud of my answer.  In today's reading we see one woman who engaged in prayer more then just once and in more then just one way. 

We find Hannah's first prayer at the temple of God. 

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. " Hebrews 4:16

Hannah took the right first step.  She was drawing near to the throne.  She needed mercy and grace because she was in need.  Her explanation to Eli as to what she was doing is absolutely beautiful,

 "I was pouring out my soul to the LORD" & "I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

This is a woman who has endured much mocking and ridicule.  She feels helpless and desperate.  She feels out of control in her life situation.  Her desire is for a son.  But what I love about this prayer is that it is not selfish.  She wants the joy of a son, of being able to have that which has taunted her for years but she is willing to take only a part of that child, the ability to say she has one.  The actually raising of the child, the physical keeping of him is something she was promising to give to the LORD.  She wanted something for herself but she wanted that something to be useful to the LORD.  What an attitude, what a great way to pray.  Asking the Lord for blessings that will not be used solely on ourselves but for His kingdom growth.  And, to pray that from a place of anguish and despair. 

Is this how you've been praying?

Don't miss the end of Samuel 1:18 though: "Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast."

When you draw near to the throne of grace in your time of need do you pour out your soul to the Lord like a cup of water or are you like a sponge, you squeeze some out only to wipe it back up again when your done and carry it around with you.  Hebrews 4:16 says to approach the throne with confidence and Hannah did that. She had to have confidence if she left no longer in anguish, no longer downcast.  Her situation was no different but something was.  She poured out the anguish of her soul to the LORD and left it with him at the throne to tend to it in his way and in his time.  She didn't know how or when God would answer she just knew he would.  

When you pray are you a glass that pours out or a sponge that holds on? Do you have confidence in your God?  Do you trust Him?
When you pray to you tell how and when to do things?

 

The second prayer has Hannah back at the same place, the temple.  God has given her the son she asked for.  She is keeping her promise of giving the Son God gave her back to him.  Then she offers a different kind of prayer to the LORD.  She pours out a different kind of cup on the throne of grace.  The cup of praise.  This is a prayer that I think we Christian's tend to forget.  This prayer of praise came from a heart full of gratitude to a God whom Hannah knew loved her very much.  This prayer speaks to how big her God is.  How capable her God is.  How merciful and gracious her God is. How strong her God is and that it is through his strength, not mans, that victories are won, that prayers of anguish are answered, and that kingdom building occurs.

How big is the God you pray to?

If you notice, Hannah's first prayer, her prayer of request was short, a mere extended sentence.  But her prayer of praise is at least 7 times longer.  The cup of anguish is not a deep cup compared to the cup of praise.  Why?  Because there is no problem, no issue, no anguish that is greater then the God who sits on the throne of grace.  When you pour out our soul he is faithful to fill it with all the goodness that he possess.  He pours into you his grace and mercy to overflowing.  That overflow should be given as constant prayers of praise that stem from a gratitude through experiencing your very big and loving God.

What are you filled with more often, anguish or praise?  The answer to this question speaks volumes as to how much you trust your God.  If you are pouring out or holding on.  It speaks to how big you see your God.

There was a great line I heard on Christian radio that I have not forgotten:

"Don't tell God how big your problems are tell your problems how big your God is."

Do you know how to do this?  By remembering, focusing, praying the praises of how big, how great, how loving, how gracious and merciful your God is.

So let's ask you again:

"What have you been praying?"

Judges 19-21

This link is an interesting way to see this story played out.

 

http://www.thebricktestament.com/judges/gang_rape_and_dismemberment/jg19_01.html

 

The book of Judges is a book about wars. Mainly it's about wars with some of the enemies of God who are trying to entice Israel away from Him namely the Philistines, Jebusites, and more., but ultimately it ends up telling about the worst type war of all: civil war. The casualties are always worst in a civil war because they all originate from the same side originally. We know that from a spiritual point of view as believers we will engage in battle with cults, false religions, or even atheists, but the worst war we will ever have to face is the one with other believers, with other elements of the church.

 

The book of Judges is saturated with Woman like no other book, and their sheer number should be enough to send up a flag that their presence is intentional and overflowing with meaning.  Caleb's daughter, Acsah, appears in the very first chapter; Deborah and Jael are huge in chapters four and five; a nameless woman slays Abimelech in chapter nine; Jephthah's daughter is the focal point of chapter eleven; Samson's mother figures in chapter thirteen; chapters fourteen through sixteen revolve around Samson's Philistine women; chapter nineteen lays out the story of the unfortunate death of the concubine and chapter twenty-one closes the book with the abduction of the Gilead girls and their Shiloh sisters to replenish a tribe.

 

We also see the battle plans laid out. The 700 Special Forces left handed snipers of the day, the ambush along the road. The two campaign attempts defeated. This Story reminds me of a Story I heard from LT, Gen William G. Boykin who I met while I was stationed in VA Beach. I was able to see him again after his appearance at an Iron Sharpens Iron conference. Gen Boykin told me and the members of  the Naval Special Warfare Group stories of the corruption of war, corruption of men, and corruption of our sin. What an amazing man of God he is, to have the strength to stand up for his faith. Wow I could go on from just a Military perspective of this story.

 

But since we are in the old testament and we are always looking for practical application and meaning of the Bible this is my attempt to give some practical summary of each section.  

  

 

 

Judges 19: 1-4 Here, we see a picture of a Christian being tempted by the things of this world first: in the actions of the concubine, and then that of her father in order to teach about spiritual faithfulness.

 

Judges 19:11-21 When Christians no longer behave like believers it is more than likely that they have become conformed to exactly like the world they live in. The bigger spiritual picture portrayed here is not of someone who is merely backslidden, but completely turning away from God and returning to their former old life in the world.

 

 

 

 

Judges 19:22-30 When Christ followers turn against Christ followers, the result is the body of believers is actually torn apart by the level of degree of unfaithfulness present. The only remedy is going to be for the body to be completely destroyed and be rid of the cancerous influence.

 

Judges 20: 1-17 Christ followers have an huge obligation to present the truth but we cannot make other people's choices for them. Sometimes our brothers and sisters in Christ choose not to listen and pursue their own way instead. This is very much the case when a group, organization, company, or the Military is not 100% corrupt but refuses to address that issues within it which is outwardly sinful and influencing the reputation and general effectiveness.

 

Judges 20:18-35 Revivals don't begin with the unsaved, but the saved. Judgment always begins within the church of God first. In order to drive out sin within the church overall, it has to begin at the personal level in ward focus and of addressing one's own sin first.

 

Judges 20: 36-45 We have all seen this before. When a person, group, or entire organization has been investigated and confronted with the issue of sin, and digs in and remains unrepentant and refusing to give up that sin, there is no other action that it can experience other than God's final judgment, its total and complete destruction. Do not forget: No believer is allowed to undertake such action on their own, but only after thorough investigation of the matter and prolonged and sincere submission of it to the Lord in accordance to the scriptures.

 

Judges 21: 1-25 There would never be an issue if they had only kept God's Word, His commands and His ways to begin with and sought to return to them wholeheartedly without adding their own restrictions on top with a repentant heart.

203-943-0961
Chuck Goulart

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people attain uncommon results"  

March 24

March 24, 2012

 

Judges 17:13  And Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest."

 

There are three types of people in our world:

1. Non-religious people... those who do not know, love or seek after God.

2. Religious people...  those who follow a set of rules so they feel good. They obey to get love. 

3. Lovers of God... those who have a personal love relationship with God. They love God, then obey him.

 

Micah was a religious person. He was living by a set of moral rules and superstitions he invented himself. We have two choices, the God we "feel" or the God who is "revealed." Micah chose to believe in the "feeling" God.  His feeling was, if I can just do the right things then I will make God happy and he will love me. This is entirely delusional thinking. Micah builds himself a shrine, puts forbidden idols in it and then hires a homeless priest to preside over it, all to earn God's love and his favor. His entire plan is flawed from the start. All of these actions were clearly prohibited by God. In the end Micah is worshiping himself and his view of God. Religious people are the most difficult people to reach with the truth, because they experience a false comfort from their religious activity. 

 

The greatest danger to the Western church today is that we are "religious." We obey God to earn his love. We believe if we just jump through these certain religious activities God will be good to us.

 

Here are 9 questions to test if you have fallen into the Micah syndrome:

 

1. Did you read today's passage because you love God or because of duty?

2. If you don't read one day, do you expect that God is going to put you into a traffic jam or give you a runny nose? 

3. Do you live by faith in the promises of God, or do you live by a code of religious conduct?  

5. Why do you obey God? To earn God's love or because of God's love?

6. Do you obey to get things from God, or to get God?

7. Do you think of yourself as a good person, or do you get your identity from what God thinks of you?

8. Do your prayers have a lot of "give me's" and yet few "thank you's?"

9. When circumstances go wrong, do you think you are being punished for your sin?

 

What is the number one goal of our lives? To love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind is our top priority. Because of the nature of the human heart it is possible for us to love our religious activity more than God himself. We must all be very careful not to repeat the folly of Micah.