Psalm 18 Clear Thinking in a Conflict
The story is told of a young man on the first day of his new job. He was a new clerk in the fresh produce section of a supermarket. A lady came up to him and said she wanted to buy half of a head of lettuce. He tried to dissuade her from that goal, but she persisted. Finally he said, "I'll have to go back and talk to the manager." He went to the rear of the store to talk to the manager, not noticing that the woman was walking right behind him. When he got into the back of the store, he said to the manager, "There's some stupid old bag out there who wants to buy half a head of lettuce, what should I tell her?”
Seeing the horrified look on the face of the manager, he turned about and seeing the woman added, "And this nice lady wants to buy the other half of the head of lettuce. Will it be all right?"
Considerably relieved, the manager said, "That would be fine." Later in the day, he congratulated the boy on his quick thinking. He then asked, “Where are you from son?” The young man said, "I'm from Toronto, Canada, the home of beautiful hockey players and ugly women." The manager looked at him and said, "My wife is from Toronto." The young man said, "Oh, what team did she play for?"
We need to be careful with our words because words can do a lot of damage in life. They are the number one source of conflict in our world. There is nothing more inevitable in life than conflict. Because of the fallenness of our world we daily find ourselves in situations where we feel attacked, criticized, harassed, misunderstood, and maligned by others. What do you do when you find yourself in that situation?
Psalm 18 shows us what David did when he was attacked.
Psalm 18:1-2 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
David ran to the Lord and asked Jesus to be his defense attorney. Many years ago I was going through a difficult time of conflict and I the Lord spoke to me through a little devotional book called, “The Pursuit of God.” Here is the section that spoke to me.
“First of all he should put away all defense and make no attempt to excuse himself either in his own eyes or before the Lord. Whoever defends himself will have himself for his defense, and he will have not other; but let him come defenseless before the Lord and he will have for his defender no less than God Himself.”
The next time you find yourself in a conflict give up your self defense and take refuge in the Lord our fortress. Here are a few practical steps to take in your next conflict:
1. Run to the Lord for his defense services. Don't run from strife.
2. Open the door with a non-accusative statement. “Can we talk; I sense distance, are you alright?”
3. Define the issue clearly. Ask, “What do you see happening in this disconnection?”
4. Speak these three words, “Help me understand.”
5. Once you have a clear understanding of their position state your position.
6. Don’t raise your voice or use put downs.
7. Keep the language positive.
8. Forgiveness is always necessary for complete healing. Be sure to grant the level of forgiveness you have experienced from the Lord yourself.
I would like to invite the team over for pizza on Thursday, May 13th 7:00 at my house. More details to follow.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
April 4: David and Saul
In today's passage, David continues his wanderings and avoidance of the increasingly insane King Saul. We find the current king, Saul, coming to grips with the passage of power from himself to David. Only when David shows mercy and grace unto Saul does the current king recognize (tacitly) the anointing afforded to David. So often, we only recognize God's blessings when we are faced with a "close call" that awakens us to how much we need His presence: for example, a near-crash in the car.
We read about a great woman of faith today, Abigail, who employed wisdom to become a peacemaker. Thrust into what could turn into a serious conflict, she bypassed the thickness of her husband Nabal to broker peace with the ongoing army of David and his followers. Her influence saved the lives of an entire family and preserved the reputation and the future for a king.
In Samuel 25:18,19, we read: "Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, 'Go on ahead; I'll follow you.' But she did not tell her husband Nabal." She recognized that David's men had made a reasonable request and had protected the sheep of her husband Nabal, and she ministered to the oncoming troops in a language that every man can understand: freshly prepared food. Her humility and preparation created a strong first impression. She looked out for the other party's best interests; as Proverbs teaches, a humble person who brings gifts will have the audience of kings.
How does Nabal react to the news of Abigail's intervention? With great shock -- that leads to his untimely death! In an ironic way, Abigail's husband receives the "burning coals" referenced in Proverbs 25:21,22:
"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you."
Jesus taught in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the peacemakers,/ for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9) How do you react to conflict? Do you intend for the other party's best interests, or do you act out of vengeance? Do you seek to learn the root cause of a person's discontent, or do you try to brush aside their "symptoms"? Do you seek to think clearly and strategize how you might best work out a solution for everyone?
QUESTIONS
1. How have you seen God working in your life this week?
2. With whom do you have a conflict right now? What could you do in order to bring peace? How could you bless this person?
We read about a great woman of faith today, Abigail, who employed wisdom to become a peacemaker. Thrust into what could turn into a serious conflict, she bypassed the thickness of her husband Nabal to broker peace with the ongoing army of David and his followers. Her influence saved the lives of an entire family and preserved the reputation and the future for a king.
In Samuel 25:18,19, we read: "Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, 'Go on ahead; I'll follow you.' But she did not tell her husband Nabal." She recognized that David's men had made a reasonable request and had protected the sheep of her husband Nabal, and she ministered to the oncoming troops in a language that every man can understand: freshly prepared food. Her humility and preparation created a strong first impression. She looked out for the other party's best interests; as Proverbs teaches, a humble person who brings gifts will have the audience of kings.
How does Nabal react to the news of Abigail's intervention? With great shock -- that leads to his untimely death! In an ironic way, Abigail's husband receives the "burning coals" referenced in Proverbs 25:21,22:
"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you."
Jesus taught in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the peacemakers,/ for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9) How do you react to conflict? Do you intend for the other party's best interests, or do you act out of vengeance? Do you seek to learn the root cause of a person's discontent, or do you try to brush aside their "symptoms"? Do you seek to think clearly and strategize how you might best work out a solution for everyone?
QUESTIONS
1. How have you seen God working in your life this week?
2. With whom do you have a conflict right now? What could you do in order to bring peace? How could you bless this person?
Saturday, April 3, 2010
April 3
David and God Sightings
In our reading today David is protected in a variety of situations. God tells him to leave the city of Keilah just in the nick of time. David is just about to be caught in the mountains when the Philistines launch an attack at another city and Saul has to abandon his pursuit. The third situation is when Saul goes into the cave and David has the opportunity to show his loyalty by not killing him. All of these situations are either totally random coincidences or they are divine appointments, those are the only two choices we have.
Some questions for us who live in a day with Blackberries and Ipods.
1. Why don’t we see God working like this in our lives?
2. Has God taken a vacation in recent days?
I believe this lack of God Sightings is because of the influence of secularism in our lives. Secularism means that the supernatural can be removed from life as irrelevant. When secularism has characterized a people for a long period of time, it creates a great blindness to the acts of God. What we want to do as a Bible reading group is to develop the ability to see God acting in our world today, just like he did in David’s life. Begin to look for His answers to prayer. Learn to recognize the help He provides to accomplish His work in your world. Delight in the unexpected evidences of His care and thank Him when there is unusual linkage or timing that works to your benefit.
When practicing the discipline of God Sightings, these "sightings" will be recognized for what they truly are ‑ the actions of Christ on your behalf. As believers we choose to give Jesus the credit for what others might see as mere coincidence. This awareness of our Lord's presence is what we want to rediscover in our lives. A characteristic of all spiritual awakenings or times of genuine revival is an overwhelming sense of the presence of the Lord. Such a movement is sorely needed in our lives today.
Like the prophet Habakkuk we say,
"Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy."
Habakkuk 3:2
When was the last time you saw God working in your life? Ask God to open your eyes to see a God Sighting today.
In our reading today David is protected in a variety of situations. God tells him to leave the city of Keilah just in the nick of time. David is just about to be caught in the mountains when the Philistines launch an attack at another city and Saul has to abandon his pursuit. The third situation is when Saul goes into the cave and David has the opportunity to show his loyalty by not killing him. All of these situations are either totally random coincidences or they are divine appointments, those are the only two choices we have.
Some questions for us who live in a day with Blackberries and Ipods.
1. Why don’t we see God working like this in our lives?
2. Has God taken a vacation in recent days?
I believe this lack of God Sightings is because of the influence of secularism in our lives. Secularism means that the supernatural can be removed from life as irrelevant. When secularism has characterized a people for a long period of time, it creates a great blindness to the acts of God. What we want to do as a Bible reading group is to develop the ability to see God acting in our world today, just like he did in David’s life. Begin to look for His answers to prayer. Learn to recognize the help He provides to accomplish His work in your world. Delight in the unexpected evidences of His care and thank Him when there is unusual linkage or timing that works to your benefit.
When practicing the discipline of God Sightings, these "sightings" will be recognized for what they truly are ‑ the actions of Christ on your behalf. As believers we choose to give Jesus the credit for what others might see as mere coincidence. This awareness of our Lord's presence is what we want to rediscover in our lives. A characteristic of all spiritual awakenings or times of genuine revival is an overwhelming sense of the presence of the Lord. Such a movement is sorely needed in our lives today.
Like the prophet Habakkuk we say,
"Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy."
Habakkuk 3:2
When was the last time you saw God working in your life? Ask God to open your eyes to see a God Sighting today.
Friday, April 2, 2010
April 2
Accountability day: Let me know where you are in the journey. It is Good Friday and a great day to spend time with Jesus.
“Losers Wanted”
David was a loser. After the great victory over Goliath, his incredible friendship with Jonathan, we now see running from Saul and faking his insanity in Gath. There is also a collecting of a motley crew to be his army. It certainly was a dubious beginning for the next king. What was going on in David’s mind? That is why the Psalms are so important. They give us the inward workings of a man. We see his fear, his anger and his anxieties. We also discover the pathway to wholeness. That pathway is revealed in Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
The principle that David discovers in his down and out time is that when we are broken that gives us the best chance to become whole. For in our brokenness we learn to depend on the Lord. God uses brokenness to get our attention. His desired result is the surrender of our will. For David this was his time in exile. For me it was a disconnection from my wife in the 1985, the raising of three teenagers, the heartbreak of fractured relationships, a bout with depression about 10 years ago and most recently my wife’s Lyme disease.
Times of brokenness come in many flavors. The source of the situation is not nearly as important as how we respond to it. Although the circumstances may be diverse, the divine goal is very simple—spiritual growth through brokenness. I can say that while these periods of time were the most difficult in my life they were the times I grew the fastest spiritually.
Jesus used this description of brokenness in his analogy of pruning. John 15:2 says the Gardener cuts off dead branches that do not bear fruit. But the passage also says that He prunes fruit bearing branches so they can be even more fruitful. When we think we are doing our best and yet experience setbacks, failures, and broken dreams appear in our lives, God may be pruning a fruitful branch to make it more effective. As I continued my journey into this process called brokenness, it amazes me how much I learn when I go through the pruning times.
Here is a prayer of brokenness that I have used many times: My Dear Lord Jesus, show me my bankrupt self and the desperate condition of my broken heart today. Help me to move from brokenness to the spiritual life that is found in You. Lord, teach me to depend totally on your promises and not on my own energy. Help me see your provision to protect, enable, empower, and direct my life. Today help me confide in your power and love alone. I commit my soul to you Lord without reservation. I desire to bear your image, to observe your law, and pursue your service. Open my eyes to see your grace at each step of my journey today. Help me not only to receive you Lord but to walk with you, depend on you, continue with you, be conformed to you, to follow you, love you with all my heart. And when trials come into my life help me to give thanks for the growth they produce. In Jesus’ Name Amen.
“Losers Wanted”
David was a loser. After the great victory over Goliath, his incredible friendship with Jonathan, we now see running from Saul and faking his insanity in Gath. There is also a collecting of a motley crew to be his army. It certainly was a dubious beginning for the next king. What was going on in David’s mind? That is why the Psalms are so important. They give us the inward workings of a man. We see his fear, his anger and his anxieties. We also discover the pathway to wholeness. That pathway is revealed in Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
The principle that David discovers in his down and out time is that when we are broken that gives us the best chance to become whole. For in our brokenness we learn to depend on the Lord. God uses brokenness to get our attention. His desired result is the surrender of our will. For David this was his time in exile. For me it was a disconnection from my wife in the 1985, the raising of three teenagers, the heartbreak of fractured relationships, a bout with depression about 10 years ago and most recently my wife’s Lyme disease.
Times of brokenness come in many flavors. The source of the situation is not nearly as important as how we respond to it. Although the circumstances may be diverse, the divine goal is very simple—spiritual growth through brokenness. I can say that while these periods of time were the most difficult in my life they were the times I grew the fastest spiritually.
Jesus used this description of brokenness in his analogy of pruning. John 15:2 says the Gardener cuts off dead branches that do not bear fruit. But the passage also says that He prunes fruit bearing branches so they can be even more fruitful. When we think we are doing our best and yet experience setbacks, failures, and broken dreams appear in our lives, God may be pruning a fruitful branch to make it more effective. As I continued my journey into this process called brokenness, it amazes me how much I learn when I go through the pruning times.
Here is a prayer of brokenness that I have used many times: My Dear Lord Jesus, show me my bankrupt self and the desperate condition of my broken heart today. Help me to move from brokenness to the spiritual life that is found in You. Lord, teach me to depend totally on your promises and not on my own energy. Help me see your provision to protect, enable, empower, and direct my life. Today help me confide in your power and love alone. I commit my soul to you Lord without reservation. I desire to bear your image, to observe your law, and pursue your service. Open my eyes to see your grace at each step of my journey today. Help me not only to receive you Lord but to walk with you, depend on you, continue with you, be conformed to you, to follow you, love you with all my heart. And when trials come into my life help me to give thanks for the growth they produce. In Jesus’ Name Amen.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April 1
The Friendless American Male
A question for you: Who would you call if you were stranded on 95, 10 miles from home at 1:30 in the morning? That person would be a true friend. In our reading today we see two distinct types of relationships. Saul looked at David with fear, insecurity and jealousy. Jonathan looked at David with love, sacrifice and support. The constant in both of these relationships is David. Same guy yet two completely different relationships. In America today most men do not have one Jonathan – David relationship. Most men in America are alone. There seems to be a serious shortage of friendships today.
I would suggest we change that. Perhaps the greatest biblical example of a meaningful relationship is found in our reading today. Jonathan had many great military victories over various enemies of Israel, but he was not remembered for his military wisdom but rather because he was a friend of David. One verse contains several of these principles.
1 Samuel 18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.
1. Friendships require work. The key word here is “became.” It was a process, an effort, they “became” buddies. We don't spontaneously end up with a friend, we become friends. This is one huge reason why men don’t have friendships, we are too busy and too competitive. Add to that our lack of relationship building skills, and you have a recipe for loneliness.
2. They were one in spirit. David and Jonathan were knit together. These words “one in spirit” are used to describe the intense love that Jacob had for his youngest son Benjamin in Gen 44:30. We are told that if any harm had come to Benjamin, it would have sent Jacob to the grave in sorrow because his soul was "closely bound" with the soul of Benjamin. In order to be “one spirit” we do not have to share the same blood; we need to share the same heart. At the deepest level of their hearts, they were committed to the same goal of living to please an audience of one. They didn’t allow anything to come between them, even career or family problems; they drew closer together when their friendship was tested, and they remained friends to the end.
3. Self love is the foundation of good friendship. They were both secure men and came to the relationship to give and not take. When you have two givers in a relationship you have strength.
4. Sacrifice is the last principle. Guess who was supposed to be the next king of Israel? That’s right, it was Jonathan. If anyone was supposed to be jealous of David, it should have been Jonathan. But Jonathan loved David so much he would rather lose the throne of Israel, than lose his closest friend.
It takes time and work to develop a friendship. We must spend time together, we must give, and we must unite our hearts to create these friendships. I encourage you to take one friendship step today. Initiate one act of friendship building before you go to sleep tonight. Make a phone call, send an email of encouragement, buy someone a coffee, but the bottom line is take time and take a risk. Reach out to someone today.
John Donne, a 17th century English poet, wisely warns us that "no man is an island." We all need a friend. To find a friend today, you need to be a friend.
A question for you: Who would you call if you were stranded on 95, 10 miles from home at 1:30 in the morning? That person would be a true friend. In our reading today we see two distinct types of relationships. Saul looked at David with fear, insecurity and jealousy. Jonathan looked at David with love, sacrifice and support. The constant in both of these relationships is David. Same guy yet two completely different relationships. In America today most men do not have one Jonathan – David relationship. Most men in America are alone. There seems to be a serious shortage of friendships today.
I would suggest we change that. Perhaps the greatest biblical example of a meaningful relationship is found in our reading today. Jonathan had many great military victories over various enemies of Israel, but he was not remembered for his military wisdom but rather because he was a friend of David. One verse contains several of these principles.
1 Samuel 18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.
1. Friendships require work. The key word here is “became.” It was a process, an effort, they “became” buddies. We don't spontaneously end up with a friend, we become friends. This is one huge reason why men don’t have friendships, we are too busy and too competitive. Add to that our lack of relationship building skills, and you have a recipe for loneliness.
2. They were one in spirit. David and Jonathan were knit together. These words “one in spirit” are used to describe the intense love that Jacob had for his youngest son Benjamin in Gen 44:30. We are told that if any harm had come to Benjamin, it would have sent Jacob to the grave in sorrow because his soul was "closely bound" with the soul of Benjamin. In order to be “one spirit” we do not have to share the same blood; we need to share the same heart. At the deepest level of their hearts, they were committed to the same goal of living to please an audience of one. They didn’t allow anything to come between them, even career or family problems; they drew closer together when their friendship was tested, and they remained friends to the end.
3. Self love is the foundation of good friendship. They were both secure men and came to the relationship to give and not take. When you have two givers in a relationship you have strength.
4. Sacrifice is the last principle. Guess who was supposed to be the next king of Israel? That’s right, it was Jonathan. If anyone was supposed to be jealous of David, it should have been Jonathan. But Jonathan loved David so much he would rather lose the throne of Israel, than lose his closest friend.
It takes time and work to develop a friendship. We must spend time together, we must give, and we must unite our hearts to create these friendships. I encourage you to take one friendship step today. Initiate one act of friendship building before you go to sleep tonight. Make a phone call, send an email of encouragement, buy someone a coffee, but the bottom line is take time and take a risk. Reach out to someone today.
John Donne, a 17th century English poet, wisely warns us that "no man is an island." We all need a friend. To find a friend today, you need to be a friend.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
March 31
The Development of Faith
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, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, 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 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 the faith perspective 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 name, then we have the proper resting place for our faith.
Go out and grow your faith today.
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, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, 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 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 the faith perspective 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 name, then we have the proper resting place for our faith.
Go out and grow your faith today.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
March 30
Judges 14:46-15:35
Saul is rejected as king.
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
Saul had some qualities that made him a good king. In the first part of today's reading, we learn that Saul had successfully defeated many of Israel's enemies. He recruited many brave, strong fighters and battled Moab, the Ammonites, the Amalekites, and the Philistines.
Although Saul was successful in defending his people against those that once terrorized them, he made major mistakes that ended up costing him the throne. Saul's number one error was not taking God's commands seriously. In chapter 15, the Lord gave Saul specific instructions on dealing with the Amalekites. They were to be punished for their cruel treatment of Israel. God ordered Saul to leave no one alive, not even the animals. Unfortunately, Saul thought his ways were better than God's. He left the Amalekite king alive and he spared the best of the cattle and sheep. When Samuel confronted him with his disobedience, Saul claimed that he followed God's orders exactly. He tried to justify his actions by saying he left the animals alive in order to sacrifice them to God. But God was not pleased at all with Saul's gesture. God prefers obedience over sacrifice because it shows that the person's heart belongs to Him. (In the same way, God was displeased with Cain's sacrifices in Genesis because his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord.)
God doesn't want us to simply go through the motions and He certainly doesn't want us making up our own rules and guidelines. In John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Show God you love Him by following Him with your whole heart!
Saul is rejected as king.
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
Saul had some qualities that made him a good king. In the first part of today's reading, we learn that Saul had successfully defeated many of Israel's enemies. He recruited many brave, strong fighters and battled Moab, the Ammonites, the Amalekites, and the Philistines.
Although Saul was successful in defending his people against those that once terrorized them, he made major mistakes that ended up costing him the throne. Saul's number one error was not taking God's commands seriously. In chapter 15, the Lord gave Saul specific instructions on dealing with the Amalekites. They were to be punished for their cruel treatment of Israel. God ordered Saul to leave no one alive, not even the animals. Unfortunately, Saul thought his ways were better than God's. He left the Amalekite king alive and he spared the best of the cattle and sheep. When Samuel confronted him with his disobedience, Saul claimed that he followed God's orders exactly. He tried to justify his actions by saying he left the animals alive in order to sacrifice them to God. But God was not pleased at all with Saul's gesture. God prefers obedience over sacrifice because it shows that the person's heart belongs to Him. (In the same way, God was displeased with Cain's sacrifices in Genesis because his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord.)
God doesn't want us to simply go through the motions and He certainly doesn't want us making up our own rules and guidelines. In John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Show God you love Him by following Him with your whole heart!
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