May 26: Bathsheba Moments

2 Samuel 9:1-11:27

John 15:1-27

Psalm 119:49-64

Proverbs 16:1-3

There may be others, but I cannot recall them offhand - occasions in the Bible where someone compounded his or her sin with further sin.  Cain, maybe?  Because after he killed Abel, God asked him about his brother, and he dodged the question.  Adam, perhaps?  Because when God asked him about eating of the forbidden fruit, he tried to deflect blame to Eve.  Maybe Peter, when he denied Jesus thrice...perhaps that is the closest.  But while those were sin, they seem to pale in comparison with David and his likely panic-stricken response to his adultery with Bathsheba, and the resulting pregnancy.  He tried to hide the sin by giving Uriah the opportunity to sleep with his wife, and so disguise the infant's paternity.  When Uriah did not take the bait, David upped the ante by getting Uriah drunk.  And when that didn't work, David then decided not to leave things to chance - he sent Uriah to the battle and gave explicit orders to put him where his death was all but guaranteed.  

Let's think about the magnitude of this for a second: David had been blessed abundantly, royally even.  God had protected him from Saul, a king who wanted to kill him; He gave David the throne, and gave him such abundant prosperity David was moved to want to build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant.  And He gave him victory after victory against the superior forces of countless foes.  And yet, David not only committed sin, he compounded it - his Bathsheba moment - not once, not twice, but thrice, eventually killing Uriah just as certainly as if it had been his own hand that had wielded the weapon.  

We all have our Bathsheba moments.  My parents know I have had more than my fair share - honesty, truthfulness and a willingness to face the consequences of my actions were very difficult for me growing up.  And while God has been a gracious, forgiving healer, I still find myself compounding oversights with excuses - to family, to friends, to Him.  And while they are nowhere near as grievous as the murder of Uriah, they are still sinful Bathsheba moments to be avoided.  

How to avoid them?  That is the life we hope to live, isn't it?  The fruit we hope to bear?  And in the NT reading, we find out how.  We are "already clean because of the word I have spoken to you."  So to bear fruit, we have to "remain in [Him} as [He] also remain[s] in you."  If so, "you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  It isn't our job to bear the fruit - that follows by remaining in relationship with Christ.  And how to do that?  The psalm today is helpful as well - by making His decrees the theme of our song wherever we lodge, by remembering His name in the night that we may keep His law.  

Oh, and no excuses: just an apology.  Sorry this was a day late. 

Saturday BlogPost (5/24/14)

Saturday, May 24, 2014 [There's An App For That]

Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding. 

(Psalm 119:29-32 NIV)

I have a very high regard for my iPhone. I'm not a big fan of talking on the phone or texting, but I love the idea of apps. I use my iPhone more for its apps than anything else! Apps make life easier. They provide you with the ability and facility of gathering and/or manipulating information at the touch of a button. I don't know, nor am I really interested in knowing, how the apps work. I guess it would be cool to know, but all I really need is for the thing to work and assist me on my daily journey of life.

On the flip-side, I have always wanted to know how the Bible worked. I wanted to know the original languages, the jargon of the ancients, the culture, etc. The knowledge, at one point in my life, was more important to me than the faithful application of the Scriptures to my life.  I could have long discussions about God and His Word without having ever entertained the thought of how I needed to apply it to my life.

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding" (Ps. 119:32). 

The psalmist was different.  He had found out how critical it was to live the Word such that in his life he "ran" according to its path.  The language and words of Scripture are the "software code."  It's easy to get lost in this.  But, the Truth of Scripture, the Word designed to operate in our lives, was meant to be applied (the app). It was meant to be lived, not just admired. It was meant to be acted out, not just analyzed. Why? Because, if we aren't living the Word we are living "the world."  The Word in action is God's "app" for our lives.  I don't always know how it works.  All I know is that when I press into the truth of the Word and apply it to my life, with God's help, things change - good things happen.

Jesus, You said that Your words were full of the Spirit and of life (Jn 6:63).  Thank You for breathing fresh life into our circumstances and empowering us by Your Spirit as we put Your words into action.  Living Your Word is impossible to do on our own, but with You ALL things are possible.  We love You, Jesus…Amen! 

--

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26)

Kenny Sullivan

(201) 218-0751

שלום

May 23rd

May 23

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have tried hard to find you— don't let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. I praise you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. (Psalms 119:9-16 NLT)

There are few things that matter more in the Christian life than what David talks about in the beginning stanza of Psalm 119. This verse in particular: "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11) Why is memorizing scripture so important? Preparedness. The time will come when you are in a situation where you are down-trodden, or up against a hard situation, and you need the words of Nehemiah 8:10 to be pulled up from you memory banks: "Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" Or you might be in a theological discussion with someone who is clearly wrong, and the Holy Spirit prompts you with the words of 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth." Scripture is our most powerful tool to get us through this life. We have been given a huge gift to be able to read the words, and study it. Many generations of people before us wish that they had the access that we have. We need to keep the Word of God where we can called it up when needed, and let His word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path!

Sent from my iPad

Thursday, May 22

THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014

2 Samuel 1:1–2:11

John 12:20–50

Psalm 118:19–29

Proverbs 15:27,28

 

 

“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a  single seed.  But, if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me, and, where I am, my servant will also be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.’” (John 12:23–26)

 

“[Jesus] ‘Father, glorify your name!’

 

“Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it and will glorify it again.’  The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

 

“Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine.  Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.  But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’  He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

 

“… Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” (John 12:28–33,37)

 

 

In this Passion Week incident, Jesus addresses the crowds to explain about His impending crucifixion.  Their unbelieving responses suggest that they still held firmly to their image of the coming Messiah:  a triumphant human redeemer that would wrest control of occupied Palestine from the Romans.  The benefits of the Messiah’s coming would accrue to them without significant effort on their part.

 

Clearly, the crowds – and the disciples, too – do not grasp the necessity of His coming death and Resurrection and the hope of His Second Coming.  While the Scriptures foretold these events, particularly Isaiah 53 (quoted in John 12:38!), the crowds had chosen to form their own image or agenda of what would transpire.  By doing so, they missed the greater eternal truth and the blessing of trusting in, loving, and serving the genuine Messiah in their very presence.

 

Also, please note again that God the Father legitimizes Jesus’s ministry and indicates that His sovereign will – to “glorify” His Name through the Son’s death – included what Jesus had foretold.  The crowds experienced this event, just as the Crucifixion’s darkness, the Temple curtain’s rending in two, the Empty Tomb, and the post-Resurrection appearances would not appear in isolation.  The openness of these events allows all people to verify their authenticity, and historical writers make no headway in denying what so many had observed with their own eyes.  Furthermore, the New Testament Scriptures, which are themselves eyewitness accounts, emerged only one generation after the events that unfolded, leaving no time for legend to blossom.

 

What about this concept of a seed becoming fruitful only in death?  In a previous parable (Matthew 13:1–23), Jesus described the Word of God (the Gospel) planted in various life-soils would produce different types of harvests, depending on the recipients’ heart condition.

 

Here, however, the seed refers to life itself.  Jesus explains that giving His one life for the many would secure the salvation of all who believe.  In Matthew 20:28, Jesus explains His servant-hearted attitude:  “… [for] the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Hebrews 9:28 reiterates and recasts this key truth:  “…  Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”  Jesus’s sacrifice reverses the curse of Adam’s sin, as per Romans 5:19:  “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”

 

Jesus then calls His disciples to follow His example:  to “hate” this worldly life and to follow Him.  This concept of “hate” reflects on the greatness and beauty of loving God vs. the imperfect, unworthy world.  We are not called to reject everything in the world and become like a hermit; instead, we are to so love God and His Kingdom that other emotions become like hate.  Please recall that God’s anger poured out upon the Israelites for their frequent detours into idolatry:  loving the things of the world, including other people’s gods, more than God Himself.  Similarly, we are to abandon a “love” for the things of this world and to cling chiefly to Jesus.

 

And, given His earthly example, we should follow Him to people in need of redemption, regardless of their tough exteriors.  Jesus heals broken hearts and repairs broken lives.  Every person, starting with me, has been deeply broken by sin, faulty decisions, and poor attitudes.  The power of the shed blood on the Cross extends not just to a one-time salvation, but rather to an outpouring of healing and release for now and into eternal, so that we may become a co-vessel of redemption and reconciliation through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your amazing sacrifice so that we may know You and experience eternal life.  Give us a deeper understanding of what it means to do likewise, to serve along with You.  Create in us a deeper passion and love for You, Your Word, and Your people, and diminish our dependence or relishing of those worldly things that distract us from knowing You fully.  Open doors for us to speak Your truth into the lives of broken people, so that they may experience Your full release and the joy You intended for them at their creation.  May You be glorified in all things and in our lives.  In Your precious Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS

Tuesday May 20

1 Samuel 26-28

John 11:11-54

Psalm 117:1, 2

Proverbs 15:22, 23

In 1 Samuel 28, Saul still has the same problem: God was not responding to his desperate pleas. But instead of trying to figure out why God was not pleased with him, he decided to go a different route.

By this time, Samuel was dead. Saul thought his only solution was if he could somehow speak to Samuel again. Saul consulted a medium was able to conjure a spirit. Most likely this wasn't really Samuel though. I'm not sure if this spirit was from God or from the evil one, but I know that a person's spirit does not return to the earth after they have died. This spirit (whoever it was) warned Saul that the Lord was angry and that he would be defeated by the Philistines.

From the passage in John 11, we learn that Lazarus has died. His sisters were grieving and asked Jesus why He didn't arrive sooner. They both believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but it was outside their realm of understanding to even consider that He could bring Lazarus back to life. And yet He did.

In both these passages, we see that someone has died and there was an attempt to bring them back. In Saul's case, he went to someone besides the Lord for help and ended up with an impostor. This medium did not really have the ability to reach beyond the grave. However, Jesus was different. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Not even death can contain His power. When He raised Lazarus from the dead, it was really Lazarus. There is no limit to Jesus' power and love.

This stood out to me because so often when we need help we are quick to turn to the impostor who doesn't really have any power at all. Turn to Jesus, the resurrection and the life. He has demonstrated time and time again that He is the only One in who we should be putting our hope and faith.

May 19 - The Value of Restraint

1 Samuel 24:1-25:44

John 10:22-42

Psalm 116:1-19

Proverbs 15:20-21

I have never been a man of great restraint.  Those who know me know I tend towards impatience, I chafe at the bit, I like to act, to fix things.  I feel that if I am not doing something to fix the problem, then I am part of the cause of the problem, and I lose my right to complain about the problem.  So it is no surprise I struggle to wait patiently, to listen for God's instructions, and I act precipitously, often without his command.

In that sense (among many, in all honesty) I am so very different from David.  Consider: the man he had loved and served loyally, whom he had never given cause for offense, and yet who had irrationally, unreasonably attempted to kill him - that man was standing before David, vulnerable...and David was armed with a sword.  He could have struck him down, killed him, removed the threat to his life, and the impediment to his ascension to the throne...the throne God had said would be his.  He could have done all this, but he didn't.  

Why?  Because in Saul, he saw God's anointed one, however much he may have been corrupted by sin.  And because God had not given him leave to do so.  There was no impulse in David, only a keen awareness of God and His will.  And, in doing so, God used David to help Saul recognize, at least one last time, what the righteousness Saul might aspire to looked like.  And it is interesting that, immediately after the story of David's obedience, we read that he was hungry, and God, through the sinfulness of Nabal, provided David not only with food to eat, but a wife as well. 

I pray God grant me and my family such a relationship with Him as David had, as to seek, to find and to obey His will in all situations, even when circumstances seem to cry out  for immediate action.

May 18

1 Samuel 23

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. Then 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. These situations are either totally random coincidences or they are divine appointments; those are the only two choices we have.

This week I kept track of the God Sightings in my life. Here are a few:

1. I pray for safety every time I get on my road bike and Monday my tire blew out. The coincidence is that it blew out going up a hill at 13 mph not coming down the hill at 38 mph.

2. I spent time with my mentor this week and the topic he covered was just the issue I was wrestling with for the future of Grace Church.

3. In preparation for Sunday God gave me insights that I have never seen before in the text. All of this occurred after I prayed and asked for God's help.

4. I sensed God telling me to prepare for the Chinese Bible study with a new strategy. It was wildly successful. 

In the end, either my life has a remarkable number of coincidences occurring or God is active in orchestrating all of the events of my day.

I want to encourage you to live a life of faith in the daily activity of God. We call these activities "God Sightings."  Our challenge is to open our spiritual eyes and ears to his activity, to begin the holy habit of seeing and hearing God in our world, and to live a life of faith that gives credit to Jesus for what others might see as mere coincidence.  This awareness of our Lord's presence is what we all need to rediscover in a culture that denies God's activity. A characteristic of all spiritual awakenings or times of genuine revival is when God's people become aware of his daily presence. May this awakening begin in our lives today.

Lord, I pray that today we would hear your voice and see your hand in all of the events of our day. 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"