Continual Rather Than Spontaneous Strength

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” (1Ch 16:11 AV)

That word ‘continually’ is striking!  Imagine.  We are to seek the LORD and His strength every waking moment of the day.  Most of us seek the strength of the LORD when we are all tapped out.  When we face overwhelming situations in life and we cannot face them in our own strength, then we seem to seek the strength that was always there.  We tend to wait until we are all depleted, then it occurs to us the LORD’s strength is what we need.  This limits what we can do for God and how much we can grow.  If we are seeking the strength of the LORD continually, rather than depending on our own, then God can accomplish so much more.

Whenever I seek a documentary on a massive building project, I am taken aback.  Especially if the project is a massive piece of equipment or section of infrastructure that will assume tremendous loads.  I think of bridges or massive construction equipment like the largest front-end loader.  This loader can lift 8 tons of material or 16,000 pounds.  This loader can lift material 272 feet in the air.  That is taller than Niagara Falls and almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty.  The diameter of the tires is 13 feet.  When I look at these machines, I cannot help but think how difficult it would be to service them.  If this machine got a flat tire, how hard would it be to change it out?  Not a small feat, I am sure.  When assembling one at the factory, what type of equipment is used?  How does the manufacturer lift the chassis onto the frame?  Having worked in a factory, I can imagine what it must be like.  There are overhead cranes.  There are massive pneumatic wrenches.  There are robotic booms and massive conveyor systems that all make it possible to assemble this massive loader.  There is probably specialized equipment used to change a flat.  The operator could use the bucket as a jack.  Yet, there has to be a crane system that loosens the lugs removes the damaged tire, and replaces it.  The point is, when dealing with something massive, the owner and operator must depend on something equally massive.

We have the strength of the LORD available at all times.  There is not a time when the strength of the LORD wanes.  Going through life trying to do some, if not most, of what is required in our own strength is simply foolish.  I know this, if a single man with hand tools tried to change out a tire on one of those loaders, he would hurt himself and never get the tire off.  This is what we do to ourselves.  We try to handle life on our own and end up causing far more damage in the process.  We are to continually seek His strength.  Not just when we think we need it.  It is a continual seeking.  It is a continual dependence.  It is a continual request.  How much different would our lives be if we lived in the strength of the LORD every waking moment of the day?

P.S.  Don't forget our contest.  The individual that signs up the most followers to my blog for the month of April wins a $20 gift card.  Have your signee send me a note in the comment section, mentioning your name!  

Not Just Names

“So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.” (1Ch 9:1 AV)

 

The first eight chapters of First Chronicles can be a bit difficult to read.  Reading the names and lineages of some of the people of Israel makes it a bit difficult to see an obvious application.  However, there is a purpose for the listing of the names.  We find that purpose in the verse above.  Israel and Judah were carried away captive.  Israel to Assyria and then Babylon.  Judah to Babylon.  They were removed from their land.  Their temple was burned to the ground, and with it, the sacrificial system of worship was given to them by Moses.  They were settled in all portions of the kingdoms that conquered them and used for the pleasure of the reigning king.  No longer were they surrounded by all things Jewish.  Rather, they were emerged in a multicultural kingdom that viewed assimilation as the highest reality.  Although allowed to maintain some of their cultures,  most of it was lost.  We see this when Ezra returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.  The people were losing the Hebrew language in favor of Aramaic.  While emerged in a contrary culture, it was important for them to maintain their roots.  Hence, the genealogies.  By establishing a tie to the past, they would not forget their present.  By giving them a line that went back to their beginnings, they would not forget their future.  Remembering from where one comes helps to keep in mind where one should be going.

Let’s face it.  The world has a way of changing us.  We, unfortunately, conform to this world rather than this world adjusting to us.  History is important.  It teaches us from where we came so that we know where we must go.  There was a time when history meant very little to me.  However, the older I get, the more fascinated I am with history.  In school, we took three history classes.  The first was general church history.  The second was Baptist history.  The third was Baptist history in America.  I enjoyed those classes thirty years ago, or so.  But recently, I have been reading several historical books like the Life of Adoniram Judson as well as William Bradford’s diaries.  I have also watched several Biblical documentaries defending biblical/historical accuracy.  Foxe’s Book of Martyrs should be required reading for all who call themselves born-again Christians.  One of my favorite books was actually written by a Jewish author on the history of Christianity.  It was a secular view of Christendom and not a defense of biblically based Christianity.  It was fascinating to read how a secular historian perceives the political and social impact of Christendom throughout the history of the world.  In time, what we are and should be can be lost.  The way to preserve it is to keep a tie to the past.

This is exactly what the writer of First Chronicles was attempting to do.  There is a more practical reason as well.  In keeping the genealogies, the writer was keeping in the mind of those in captivity that their situation was temporary.  The genealogies are important.  They are the legal reference to inheritance.  Without them, individual families would not be able to return and reclaim what was theirs.  By keeping a record, it ensured justice in the future.  But it was also a reminder that God does not renege on His promises.  In keeping history from the past, the promises of the future were in view.  These legal listings served no purpose in captivity.  Practically speaking.  But if and when they returned to Canaan, these genealogies meant everything.  So, when we read these chapters of names, let us not lose interest.  Let us remember these names were more than mere names.  They were definition.  They were culture. They were hope.  They were the future.  And let us remember most importantly the key to the future is to remember our past.  We are to keep the world from assimilating us to the point we cease to exist as unique and needed people.  The people of God who have the light of Christ and the hope of all mankind!

P.S. Don't forget our contest.  The individual to get recruit the most new followers to my bog will win a $20 gift card!  This runs for the month of April.  Just have your friend drop me a note in the comment section and mention your name!  

Contest To Come

 Alright followers!  For the month of April, whoever is responsible for the most new followers of my blog, I will win a $20 gift card.  Just have your new follower leave a message of who signed them up by sending a comment.  I will announce the winner at the end of the month!

Up From The Lowest Point

“For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.” (Ps 86:13 AV)

 

The doctrinal application is obvious.  Because of the offering of Jesus Christ, we have no fear of the lowest hell.  However, our psalmist has a different meaning in mind.  Hell here is meant metaphorically.  The hell to which he is referring is unforgiveness.  In particular, the psalmist is grateful God has forgiven him and that His mercy fails not.  This got me thinking.  I wonder how low of a hell I would have been in had not Jesus saved my wretched soul.  As discouraging as this world can get, the verse above suggests it would be a whole lot worse if Jesus hadn’t died.  Then another thought occurred to me.  Those without Christ do not realize how deep of a hell in which they abide.  The lowest hell is the lowest existence one can be in.  Those without the mercy of God are in the lowest existence that can be without God.  In this life, this is not a joy-filled and fulfilling existence.  In the next, it is torment forever and forever.  Our lives may be a struggle.  They may be filled with trials of faith and persecution.  But they are by no means a living hell.

Paul records the answer to the prayer he received from the LORD when he petitioned to have a deep trial removed.  He asked three times that it be removed.   “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2Co 12:9 AV)  These words were not words born of experience by Paul.  These words were not words others used to encourage him.  These words were directly from the LORD Jesus Christ.  No matter what Paul was going through at the moment, it didn’t matter.  Whatever it was, the grace of God was greater.  Some speculate what it might have been.  Paul never tells us.  And I am glad he did not.  If he had, we would limit God to those set of circumstances.  Some speculate Paul was going blind.  If so, then these words would only apply to those who are losing their eyesight.  Others speculate Paul might be referring to some dark time of persecution.  But if so, only those who may be suffering for their faith would find comfort in these words.  The thing is, without knowing what it was exactly, we can take comfort they apply to any and all troubles of life.

Jesus saved us from misery.  The first misery is the misery as a result of being an enemy of God.  The lack of internal peace is a misery all on its own.  But Jesus saved us out of all troubles.  He saved us from the lowest hell both figuratively and real.  We will not have to suffer in a devil’s hell.  Jesus’ deliverance doesn’t end there.  This does not mean the absence of suffering.  Peter tells us we will suffer persecution and trials of faith.  That is part of the Christian experience.  They are the only ways in which we can glorify God and grow, respectively.  What this means, however, is we do not have to see these times as a living hell.  This is not what God meant for us.  If these times are something so overwhelming that we cannot handle it, it means we are trying to do so in our own strength.  Look at what Jesus tells Paul above.  The grace of God is sufficient.  We are not.  In our weakness is His strength made perfect, or complete.  We are overwhelmed and think our situation to be the lowest hell because we are trying to endure alone.  Not good.  Our writer praises God for delivering him from the lowest possible hell he was in at the moment.  Let Him do the same for you!

Impulsive Behavior May Limit Future Blessings

“And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.” (1Ch 4:27 AV)

 

An interesting statement.  Simeon, the second son of Jacob and Leah, apparently did not reproduce as his brother Judah had done.  It is speculated this was the case because of a curse Jacob put on Simeon and the lack of blessing Moses bestowed upon the tribes of Israel.  Simeon, with his brother Levi, slaughtered the Hivites because the king’s son, Shechem,  slept with their sister, Dinah.  Simeon, according to our passage, was given cities within Judah in which to reside but was not given territory as other tribes were given.  Simeon was also that brother who was held in prison by his younger brother Joseph while they retrieved Benjamin.  In short, because of Simeon’s unchecked wrath, he was cursed and never did multiple as other tribes.  Simeon may have felt justified.  Shechem did not offer to marry Dinah.  Not as first.  He slept with her while they were both unmarried.  However, Dinah was in a place where she was not supposed to be.  She went out to consort with the Gentile women of the area.  She bares some of the blame.  It is also said that Shechem did not force her.  He defiled her.  The former is a crime punishable by death.  The latter is not.  Therefore, Simeon reacted in unjustified anger and his descendants paid the price.

Actions have consequences.  Rash actions have consequences.  Even if we feel justified, acting impulsively can have dire consequences.  Here, in a major city, there are all sorts of bad news stories.  One of the most alarming is a fatal shooting where road rage was the motive.  Now and again, something like this happens.  Recently, I was reading our local news and read of a young 22-year-old lady who was shot and killed by a younger male driver for just such a thing.  The details were not forthcoming, so we can only surmise what triggered the gunman.  What we do know is for whatever reason, he felt justified to take the life of another over a traffic incident.  His life was not immediately in danger.  He was not protecting the life of another.  This young man was not executing state-sanctioned punitive law.  There was absolutely no justifiable reason why he took the life of another.  Now, he faces first-degree manslaughter.  When he is tried and found guilty, he will spend the rest of his natural life in prison.  He will have no liberty.  No doubt, he will have no family.  If he did father any children before this, he will not be fathering any more children.  His actions affected more than just himself.  His actions also affected all that could have been if he didn’t break the law.  In other words, his rash action dissolved any possible blessings that might have come his way sometime in the future.

This is the problem with impulsive acts.  They do not consider what is lost.  These acts may consider punitive consequences.  A person preparing to act rashly may see the results of his choice before he chooses, but what he is unaware of is that which is lost.  There was nothing that would have prohibited Dinah from marrying Shechem.  The law, at that point, did not forbid it.  The seed of the Messiah would not have been compromised.  Other than a relationship between the Hivites and Israel, there would not have been any alarming concern.  Simeon and Levi did not act wisely.  They acted passionately.  As a result, Simeon and his descendants never grew into any significant numbers.  They were limited in the territory they inhabited.  Simeon, because of their impulsive nature, was also prone to idol worship.  Where they could not control their passion for justice, they also could not control it in areas of disobedience.  The point is simple.  Acting on impulse, even if it may seem like the right thing to do, may limit future blessings. 

No Respect For the Enemy

“And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.” (2Ki 23:10 AV)

 

Way to go Josiah!  It’s not enough to simply remove sin or the temptation to sin.  One should disrespect it and defile it.  Josiah was the child king of Judah and the grandchild of Hezekiah.  Manasseh, Josiah’s father, did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD to the degree God pronounced irrevocable judgment on Judah by the hand of Babylon.  In response to God’s pronouncement of judgment, Josiah brings revival to Judah.  It does not change the mind of God.  God would still bring Babylon.  Josiah did the right thing even though there was no upside for Judah.  One of those things he did was to clean out all the idol worship and wickedness that had accumulated during his father’s reign.  Topheth was a place in the valley of the children of Hinnom where Josiah’s father conducted human sacrifices to pagan gods.  Note in particular what Josaih did to Topheth.  He didn’t treat it as if it was a minor fault.  He didn’t merely cut down the grove and remove the idols.  He defiled it.  He made Topheth a place of disgust and disdain.  It wasn’t enough to remove the source of sin.  Josiah made sure it was treated in such a way that it would never be a stumbling block again.

Prior to salvation, I like most teenagers, was heavy into rock music.  Most of the music back then was depressing.  My generation was the post-Vietnam war generation.  We were the byproduct of the drug and free-love movement.  Our music reflected the idea of hopelessness.  Before I accepted Christ, I was a depressed teenager.  There was no hope in my world and suicide was a common event.  I even thought about it from time to time.  Now that we are all grown up, that tendency remains.  We were raised to believe only the negative.  Our sunshine was stolen from us.  So, when the LORD saved me, one of my strongholds was the depressing music to which I was addicted.  When God dealt with me concerning this music, I had a collection of well over several hundred albums.  These albums took up a bookshelf.  It was only two weeks after Jesus saved me that I found myself at the garbage cans, breaking these albums in half.  My father, who collected music, could not understand why I would do such a thing.  If I didn’t want them anymore, I could always sell them and get a bit of my money back.  He could not understand why I would snap all those records into bits and throw away money.  I had to.  To me, they were not money.  They were a source of depression and suicidal thoughts.  If they corrupted my mind and heart, they would do the same to others.  They needed to be destroyed.

If we are to gain victory over besetting sin, a violent overthrow is the only solution.  Paul states,  “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2Co 10:6 AV)  Note he uses the word ‘revenge’.  Sin has exacted a great cost from us.  It has left us in ruins.  We have lost ground.  We have suffered much.  It is about time we treated wickedness in the same manner it treats us.  It is about time we make a target of our own temptations are react swiftly, zealously, and dramatically so that sin would no longer reign in our mortal bodies.  It is about time we smash, crushed, set aflame, or demolish all those things that draw us away from intimacy with God.  It is not even good enough for the dump.  It all must go!

Time For God to Work

“Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.” (2Ki 19:19 AV)

 

Hezekiah, king of Judah, prays the following words upon the siege of Jerusalem by Assyria.  The king of Assyria addressed the elders of Judah claiming the gods of all their opponents could not save them.  Therefore, Jehovah could not save Jerusalem.  The Assyrians were correct in that the gods of the pagan nations were powerless.  The gods which they worshipped were not gods at all.  They were the work of the hands of those who worshipped them.  They were wood or stone plated with gold or silver.  They were a work of art, but no god.  Jehovah, on the other hand, is the one, true God.  The only God.  The God of all those who seek Him.  The God of all who have come to trust in Him.  This is the God of Israel.  This is the God of Jerusalem.  This is the God of Hezekiah.  The prayer above is for God to show His enemies who and what He is.  I could not help but think of our godless world.  The world is not interested in cohabiting with the saints.  They want God eradicated from the whole world.  It is not enough to disagree.  They want no dissent.  They are not looking for compromise.  They are looking for complete defeat.

I remember the closing moments of Shindler’s List.  The Jews were held captive in a factory tasked to manufacture ammunition for Nazi Germany.  Most had lost hope.  But some knew the Allies were coming.  They listened for and expected the Allied forces to liberate them.  They were in deplorable conditions.  They didn’t know from day to day whether they would make it or not.  They were in the right and Germany was in the wrong.  The Allied forces meant more than simple liberation from prison camps.  The Allied forces represented their right to exist.  The Allied forces were not merely tanks, planes, and soldiers.  They were saviors of their identity and culture.  They are and were God’s people.  If Germany was allowed to succeed, Israel would cease to exist.  The closing scenes of the film showed the occupation forces abandoning the factory and the Jews standing around, not knowing what to do.  They slowly went out of the buildings and saw Allied planes in the air.  They knew their saviors had come.  In one scene, the truth that right wins over wrong was dramatically obvious. 

God’s people should never be so comfortable in this life that we do not want to see the return of Christ.  The understanding of jealousy is used a few times in the word of God.  It is said God is jealous for His people.  But it is also encouraged to be jealous for our God.  It should bother the believer the world thinks so little of God.  It should disturb the saint if the world thinks God is powerless to stop it.  It should insult the child of God their Father is the brunt of jokes, the object of ridicule, and the One whom all defy.  The saint should not sit comfortably while the world seeks to destroy the people of God.  We should not lay down and powerless and hopeless fish out of water.  We have a weapon.  It is called prayer.  Just like Hezekiah, our prayer should be for the return of Jesus Chris and that His honor be demanded from all those who hate Him!  The god of humanism is growing stronger and stronger.  It will not stand against the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is the almighty God.  We need to pray that He returns and asserts that truth!

Not Right For You

“Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.” (2Ki 14:19 AV)

 

The above verse is said of Amaziah, king of Judah.  Amaziah was one of the good kings of Judah.  However, He made one big mistake.  God was blessing Amaziah.  He took that to mean God would bless him in anything he attempted.  Amaziah decided to go to war with the north.  Jehoash, king in the north, warned Amaziah not to try it.  For good reason.  Jehoash was a descendant of Jehu.  Jehu was promised a king on the throne of the north for four generations.  There was no way Amaziah was going to be successful against Jehoash.  Amaziah did much worse than lose the battle.  Jehoash marched all the way to Jerusalem.  He broke down four hundred cubits worth.  He then sacked the temple of Solomon and took gold, silver, and the implements used in worship.  Can you imagine?  A Jewish king pillaging the temple?  Be that as it may, the problem lay with Amaziah.  To top it all off, Jehoash also took captives from that raid and made them bondmen; something strictly forbidden by old testament law.  This did not sit well with Judah.  Fifteen years later, they would conspire and kill Amaziah.  What may have seemed like a noble idea at first, became his undoing.

There are times when we think we might be doing a good thing, but it turns out to be a bad thing.  Not that it wasn’t a good thing. Rather, it wasn’t a good thing for us to do.  For instance, many years ago, I financially aided someone in a bad situation.  The person’s child was sick and they needed a doctor.  They didn’t have any money.  It was toward the end of the month and my car need to be registered.  I chose to help this mother out and take the chance the LORD would supply my need by the end of the month.  Not good.  I gave her the money on Wednesday and Friday was the first of the month.  It was also payday.  I was on my way to the DMV and got pulled over for an expired registration.  The few dollars given to help a sick child cost me thousands in fines and increased insurance premiums.  It didn’t dawn on me that this mother could trust the LORD as much as I could.  Why did I take on the responsibility of faith when she could have?  Or, how about just a few weeks ago?  I fella was stuck in the snow and ice.  He needed a helping hand.  I was the only one around.  At least that I could see, anyway.  I pushed his truck out, but in the process, damaged my rotator cuff and elbow.  I have a friend a block away with a tow truck.  He could have done it safer, faster, and with no damage to me physically.

The point is, what we think might be a good idea, just might be.  But not for us.  Jehoash was being chastened by the king of Syria, Benhadad.  If God wanted Israel corrected, Amaziah did not need to add his two cents.  God had it in hand.  There was no reason for Amaziah to dare Israel to fight.  Sure, Amaziah was doing right in the sight of the LORD.  But it wasn’t his place to correct his brother.  God had it handled.  So, next time we have an impulse to do something we think is the right thing to do, we need to pray about it.  It could be the right thing for us is the wrong thing for us.  It could be all we have done right is undone by that which was not right for us.

You Can and You Will

“And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.  And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?” (2Ki 10:8-9 AV)

 

So, what is going on here?  A man named Jehu was anointed king over the ten tribes of Israel.  He was sanctioned by the LORD to bring judgment on the house of Ahab, his predecessor.  Ahab had died in battle, but his son reigned in Samaria.  Jehu was instructed to kill all the sons of Ahab so that not one of them would reign in Israel.  Jehu took his unction rather seriously.  He killed the king of Israel, Ahab’s son; killed Ahaziah, king of Judah who had married Ahab’s daughter; killed Jezebel, Ahab’s wife; and had all the sons of Ahab beheaded.  This is where we pick up the story.  There were seventy sons of Ahab.  Every one of them was beheaded.  Jehu had the heads of these men piled in two piles outside the gate of the city.  He then called the people together and made the statement above.  This was a profound and wise move by a determined leader to free his people from the oppressive influence of a corrupt king.  Jehu may have killed the king, his wife, his eldest son, and the king of Judah.  But the people executed the rest of the family.  This is an important distinction.  The people had to know it was within them to do right.  They had been under the leadership of evil kings for generations.  They could not believe in themselves.  They had to know no matter how powerful the enemy, they have the power to do right.

Great revivals happen when people cease to see themselves as helpless victims.  They have to see themselves as free, yet not quite free.  They have to believe they can be rid of that which oppresses before they can cast off that which oppresses.  I am fascinated by those who are experts in wilderness survival.  The skills and techniques they reveal are common sense.  However, for those who panic and do not think about their situation all the way through, a predicament in the wilderness can become life-threatening.  One of those predicaments which I like to watch is how to escape from quicksand.  The method of escape is always the same.  The first thing the instructor tells you is not to try to struggle against the sand.  The more the victim struggles, the deeper he goes.  The survivalist explains the victim needs to use surface area to his advantage.  He or she needs to lay on their stomach or belly as much as they can.  This goes contrary to our instinct.  We think we will sink faster.  But it is all about displacement.  Once on the back, work one leg at a time.  Move it in a small circular motion and lift it slowly.  When freed, rest it flat on the sand.  Work the second leg free.  Once freed, move as you would swimming the backstroke.  Slowly move while remaining on your back until you can reach something to help pull you out.  The most important thing the victim must do is believe he or she can be free.  If not, there is no getting out of it.  Panic is the only response.

Victims of oppression need to believe they can be free.  Those overcome by sin need to believe they can be free.  If there is no belief they can be free, then there is no hope.  This is why Jehu had the people execute the sons of Ahab.  He could have gone in there and taken care of business with the small army he had.  He didn’t need the people to do what they did.  They needed to do it.  They needed to see no matter how oppressive Ahab and Jezebel were, by the power of God, they could overcome.  What an astounding exercise from a leader who wanted his people free.  So, if you are battling sin, discouragement, or failure, you are not hopelessly entangled with something that will ruin your life.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can do this.  You can have victory.  You can overcome.  You can and will slay the dragon.  There is nothing you will ever face that is greater than the God upon whom you trust!  Nothing!  So, gird on the shield of truth and wield the sword of God’s word.  Pray for enabliement.  Pray for resolve.  Listen to that voice of the Holy Spirit inside of you.  Let His conviction and courage rule in your heart.  By God’s grace, you can do this!

Is God Big Enough?

“And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2Ki 7:19 AV)

 

Jerusalem was in a bad way.  Syria had besieged it.  There was a famine that was so bad, two women petitioned the king for judgment concerning cannibalism.  They had agreed they would boil their babies for food.  The first gave up her child but the second did not.  The king was so distraught he went to the city walls and in view of the entire city, rent his clothes.  Jerusalem, which had a formidable calvary was down to five horses.  A single meal cost the equivalent of a year’s pay.  The prophet heard the king had rent his clothes so he came to encourage the king.  He said about the same time tomorrow, a single meal would practically cost nothing.  This is where we pick up the story.  One of the leaders of the nation states that even if God were to open the windows of heaven, what the prophet declared would still be impossible.  In essence, what the lord is saying is there are things too big for God to do.

I get it.  If been there, done that.  Several years ago, things came crashing down.  Several things were going on all at once that magnified one particular thing as too big for God.  I had lost my mother, my organ player, and my son and his family moved to Brazil.  The boys all moved away and my ministry was coming to an end.  I made a decision in the midst of all of this that I probably should not have made.  It was rather traumatic.  Nothing illegal, but there were threats and no-so-nice phone calls back and forth.  Because I was already weakened by great loss, the consequences of this decision looked insurmountable.  I thought I was going to suffer greatly for what I decided.  This was too big for God.  He could not possibly straighten it all out.  I caused the problem with an unwise decision and now God was judging me.  I had to plead with the LORD for grace.  It was through this event I learned that even the likes of me might experience the grace of God too.  If it wasn’t for my wife and good friend, I would not have made it through that trial.  In the middle of it, I echoed the words of the lord above.  Even if God were to do all that He could do, I had messed up so badly that there was no way out.  How wrong I was!

It is one thing to think it.  Quite another to verbalize it.  We all have those thoughts from time to time.  We may lose someone close to us and the pain we feel is so large, we don’t think even God can make up the difference.  Our babies need food and there is nothing in the cupboard.  We are out of work and there is no money in the bank.  How will God feed my babies?  We have a diagnosis that seems like it marks the end of our days, or the pain from a procedure is so overwhelming, there is nothing else we think about.  In these times, we may think that even if God were to pour blessings untold upon us, it would never make up the difference in our deficit.  But God has not changed.  He is still almighty.  He is still omnipotent.  He is still benevolent.  He still cares and He can still do the impossible.  In times like these, it is best to keep one’s thoughts to oneself and allow God to be God.  You might enquire of this lord.  The prophet’s words came true.  The Syrian army fled and left behind everything.  Animals, food, and material wealth all lay dormant on the battlefield.  When the people stormed out the gates of Jerusalem, they trod this lord under foot that he died.  He wouldn’t trust in the grace of God.  Therefore, he never experienced it.

Partial Repentance is Not Repentance at All

“Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.  And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.” (2Ki 3:1-3 AV)

 

Ahab was the worst king Israel ever had.  He took the sins of the first king of Israel and magnified them tenfold.  Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, set up two altars for Israel to worship.  One was in Dan.  The other in Bethel.  They were in the form of calves.  He also made of the lowest of the people, priests, to serve the calves he has set up.  However, Ahab did much worse.  He married the daughter of a pagan king who promoted Baal worship over the worship of Jehovah.  Ahab had a man executed so that he might take his inheritance.  Ahab was so bad God sent Elijah to condemn him to death.  Both he and his wife Jezebel were killed and fed to dogs.  That was how bad Ahab was.  His son Jehoram, seeing what had become of his parents, cleaned out the prophets of Baal and put away all Baal worship from Israel.  The problem was, he did not go far enough.  He never took away the calves of Jeroboam.  It was those calves which first tempted Israel to leave God in favor of foreign and fake gods.  Jehoram got rid of the obviously wicked while leaving intact the less obvious.  He got rid of the clearly wrong but held on to those things which seemed to be not as bad as what he cleansed.  Partial repentance is no repentance at all.

I just read how Parkinson's is on the rise among the elderly.  Research indicates this might be tied to a chemical used with the acronym TCR.  This chemical is used for industrial applications.  But it is also used to decaffeinate coffee.  This is not good for me! Because of a heart issue I have, I have diluted my regular coffee with decaffeinated to treat a fluttering heartbeat.  It works pretty well.   Now I come to find out I may have increased the chances of falling to Parkinson’s by as much as 500%.  When my heart flutters, I get really tired.  An occasional fluttering isn’t bad at all.  However, the last time lasted for three weeks.  There was a day or two when I was fatigued to the point I could not move fast and I had to hold myself up lest I fall.  This scared a few people.  I also have to be careful about how much chocolate I consume.  It seems caffeine and chocolate in access are not good for the old ticker.  So, now I find out that the chemical to decaffeinate coffee could cause a disease.  And here I thought I was doing good by reducing my caffeine intake.  Apparently not.  Getting rid of most of it is not good enough.  Altar, here I come.

This is often how we deal with sin.  We do a partial withdrawal.  We get rid of the most obvious.  We remove that which causes the greatest harm.  Yet, we leave behind the root cause of the sin.  We remove what everyone can see but still hold on to a little taste of it.  Sort of like when I quit smoking.  Trying to wean off of nicotine doesn’t work.  One must go cold turkey and deal with it.  Otherwise, that one you hold on to will lead right back to the problem.  This is what happened with Israel.  Jehoram may have removed the obvious sins of Ahab, but he did not remove the idols of Dan and Bethel.  They were still there.  There they sat as an enticement back to where they were.  There they say.  A golden idol on the hilltop, calling a nation back to that which was causing their demise.  If we are to repent it must be all the way.  It cannot be halfway.  One must quit cold turkey.  One has to get rid of all possible ways in which this sin can grow again.   Partial repentance is no repentance at all.

Bitter Is Sweet

“And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.” (1Ki 22:27 AV)

 

Maciah was the prophet of God sent to preach to the wicked king Ahab. Ahab was the king of the northern ten tribes of Israel who married Jezebel, a daughter of a Phaniciaen nation.  Jezebel pushed Baal worship and Ahab her husband was a spineless wimp of a man who wouldn’t stand up to her.  His most hideous act was to murder a close relative that he might possess a field.  Upon this act, which was three years before the event above, Elijah declares to the king that he and his wife would die violent deaths.  In the process, wild dogs and birds would consume their carcasses.  This brings us to the above event.  Syria has come out against Israel.  Ahab summons his prophets to declare what God will do.  All declare God will bless the battle and Ahab would be victorious.  The only thing is, they did not prophesy in the name of the LORD.  None of what they said was valid.  The king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (who came up to help in the battle) called for a man of God who would prophesy in the name of the LORD.  Here enters Maciah.  After initially telling Ahab to go ahead and fight because he would return victorious, Ahab tells him to prophesy in the name of the LORD.  When he then revealed the truth of the future; that Ahab would die in battle and the dogs would eat them; he is sent to prison and fed with the bread and water of affliction.  When I read this, I wondered how Maciah actually felt about it.

There is a difference between being punished for doing wrong and being punished for doing right.  One can suffer the same conditions of punishment, but experience it differently depending on the circumstances.  When I worked at the pizzeria, there were two of us considered for the manager position.  Jerry and I competed for the same position.  The owner’s brother was the current manager but was leaving to manage a new store.  Not to brag, but I was the better employee.  I was faster, better organized, and could deal with employees better than Jerry could.  I was a Christian and my character was far and away higher than Jerry’s.  However, I would not drink with my boss.  I would not go to bars with my boss.  I would not go next door to a Seven-Eleven to buy booze for my boss.  I would not tell dirty jokes or listen to them either.  I wouldn’t stay until the early morning hours just to shoot the breeze.  I went to church whenever I could.  I worked just as hard as Jerry but I also went to Bible school.  I was passed over time and again.  Not just for the management position at the restaurant I worked, but for every new shop the company opened also choose someone different.  One might think I might have become bitter.  Not so.  The oppression I felt was a badge of honor.  The bread and water of affliction they meant as a discouragement was a reminder that I had done the right thing.  To me, it wasn’t stale bread and bitter water.  It was the reward for doing the right thing.

The bread of affliction may be moldy.  The water of affliction may be bitter.  What makes all the difference in the world is why we are consuming it.  If we are in obedience to the will of God, then that which is meant to be a discouragement and punishment is rather a constant reminder we did the right thing.  What is meant to be a hindrance is actually and motive to continue.  What is meant to be detrimental is actually a source of growth.  Ahab may have meant to do additional harm to Macaih, but perhaps Macaih looked at that old and dried-out loaf of bread and said, “praise the LORD!  At least I declared the truth in the name of the LORD and he will be dead within a day or two.”  There is no persecution the world can send that would discourage the faithful saint from service to God.  All it does is add fuel to the fire of a heart that is already on fire for God.  So, appreciate the cost of faithfulness. It is a reminder of what God can do through a surrendered heart.

A Time To Decompress

“And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1Ki 19:13 AV)

 

This is the second time God asks Elijah this question.  Elijah had concluded a dramatic confrontation with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal.  He had called them to the top of mount Carmel and dared them to call upon Baal to rain down fire from heaven.  He would do the same with the one true God.  They built their altars.  They dressed their sacrifices.  Then the prophets of Baal called upon him for the majority of the day.  Nothing.  Elijah dug a trench around his altar and soaked his sacrifice with water.  One quick prayer and the fire came down.  To show God as the One and only Tyre God, Elisha then commanded all the prophets of Ball to be killed.  This angered Jezebel so much that she swore to take the life of Elijah before the conclusion of the next day.  This causes Elijah to flee into the wilderness and hide in a cave.  This is where we pick up the story.  God asks Elijah what he was doing in the cave.  He asks twice.  Both times, Elijah’s answer is the same.  He is burned out and he feels he is the only one who is fighting for God.  The question is asked twice.  What the question is meant to imply, we cannot tell.  What we do know is God’s response was to send help by way of a new king in Syria, and new king for Israel, and a replacement for his office.  Perhaps the question was more therapeutic than it was accusatory.   Maybe Elijah had to admit to himself just how used up he really was.

When going through very stressful events, we do not see, to take the time to decompress.  Recently, my wife and I sat with her oncologist and she told us there was nothing to worry about.  Her cancer was stable.  There were no new tumors.  There was no reason to believe in the short term, there would be anything of concern.  Her treatments were doing what they were designed to do and there was no indication this cancer would return.  At least in the foreseeable future.  At the same time, I was dealing with a church problem that had the potential of boiling over into a full-blown catastrophe.  I did not deal with the second because I needed to decompress from the first.  For ten months, we had been battling the heavy-handed monster called Cancer.  We went through the typical experience of all couples faced with this diagnosis.  We put our battle array on and faced the giant.  When the giant seemed to be dead, we went after our ten thousand.  Like David, Goliath, and the Philistines, I felt like I had committed to the bitter end.  With the sword of God in my hand, we faced down the oppositions of discouragement, fear, and hopelessness.  When the doctor said there is nothing to worry about and that do not foresee cancer returning anytime soon, I felt like David with a sword in hand, looking for another head to lop off.  There was no head.  There was no battle.  There was no enemy.  I had to decompress.

Many look at the question as a rebuke.  I don’t think that it was.  Otherwise, the LORD would not have sent help to Elijah.  Rather, I think the question was meant to help Elijah process the situation.  Elijah had to decompress.  He has to process the dramatic and extreme ways in which God used him and the consequences of being used.  I remember one time when the LORD asked me to switch from the message I had prepared and trust Him to extemporaneously preach Romans 6.  There were serious sin issues in the camp of which I was unaware.  God really came down.  The entire church came to the altar and serious sin was halted.  All glory to Him.  But I had to go straight to my office and I collapsed on the floor.  I had to decompress.  It is not good for anyone to go through hard times without stepping back into a cave and decompressing from what just happened.  In doing so, Elijah expressed a need he might not have any other way.  He was not whining.  What he was doing was coming to the end of himself and admitting he needed help and encouragement.  Next time the LORD gives you a deep trial of faith, don’t forget to take some time and process what you just went through.  Otherwise, it will eat you up inside and you will burn out.

Loving Self

“He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.” (Pr 19:8 AV)

 

There is a term we throw around that is misused and, quite frankly, anti-Biblical.  The secular world uses the term self-love to designate a feeling one has for oneself.  A feeling of self-affirmation, self-appreciation, and even pride for oneself.  This self-love is pushed into our culture as a way to tolerate our own faults.  Self-love is an excuse to live contrary to the word of God and feel proud as one is living that way.  But the passage above reveals the true manifestation of self-love.  If we loved our own souls, we would seek the wisdom that comes from above.  We would study the word of God and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to it.  If we really loved ourselves, we would conform to the commandments of the word of God and confess our faults when we fail.  One thing is clear.  Remaining naïve is not a food thing.  Remaining in the dark is a form of self-hatred.  Refusing to read and study the word of God that we might apply it, is a form of self-loathing.  If we really loved ourselves, we would know and live the word of God.

There are so many weight loss programs out there, it is hard to keep them separate.  Our TV is hammered with one ad after another of diets for a person to try.  There is GOLO.  There is Adkins.  There are KETO products.  Supplements are promising to shed pounds.  But the one that seems to broadcast more than others is WeightWatchers.  I don’t know if their commercials are the ones that I am thinking of, but some push self-love as the motivation to try their product and lose weight.  I don’t think that idea is proprietary.  I wouldn’t be surprised if several of these products use that same motivation.  Regardless of who it is, they do have a point.  Not that we should love ourselves over God.  Rather, if we do truly care for ourselves, then we will do what we can to live healthily.  If we do not care for ourselves, then no matter what method we try, it will not work.  I remember one commercial years ago.  It might have been for weight loss.  Or, it might have been for a nicotine patch.  The subject mentioned they had struggled with addiction and tried everything on the market.  They were motivated by a child telling them to quit, or this child would grow up without a parent.  This worked for a while.  The addiction came back.  It wasn’t until the subject decided to “do it for myself” that he or she gained the victory.  There is something to this.

Our first motive for living wisely should be our love for the LORD and to bring Him glory through our choices.  However, the second best motivation is that we love ourselves.  Again, you might be chaffing at that term.  Love ourselves.  Our king, Solomon used those words.  He is not advocating an ego-centric love.  He is not pushing an arrogant love.  Solomon is not teaching a love for self above love for God or love for others.  Solomon is merely saying if we seek and live by wisdom, then we show appreciation for the life God has given and are willing to care for it as He would.  This is not an infatuation with self.  This is a sacrifice to ensure self grows and remains healthy.  Like taking our medications, exercising, and eating right shows an appreciation for life, wisdom is the same.  Wisdom is to the soul what healthy living is to the body.  Turning our back on wisdom is a form of destructive self-loathing.  Not good.

Safety First

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Pr 18:10 AV)

 

How can you run into a name?  A name is an abstract noun.  It is not a solid structure.  A name is a series of letters put together that when spoken, the addressed responds to or is acknowledged.  A name is a title. A name is an identification.  How can something that is abstract be a thing to which the righteous flee?  A name can be more than identification.  In this case, the name of the LORD is not a mere identifier.  It is His reputation.  It is not a title by which we address Him.  It is His character.  Those who feel threatened or afraid can run to the reputation of God and place all their faith in what He is.  Not only in who He is.  Note also the individual application here.  The righteous are not a group of saints in general.  This is often how that word is used.  If it were, the verb would be plural.  “And are safe.” The tower, although available to all those who are righteous, is applied to any single individual who needs the reputation of the LORD to feel safe.

I know I have used this illustration before, but it is what comes to mind when I think of this truth.  I attended and worked many Boy Scout camps.  There were competitions between the troops all week long.  One of them was on Friday nights.  It was a glorified game of Capture the Flag.  Being a Boy Scout camp, there were plenty of structures we could use as a base.  There were two in particular.  We had constructed thirty-foot TeePee-type structures.  Actually, they were frames upon which TeePees could be built.  They were lashed together as expert Scouts would do.  Atop these structures were the flags.  The objective of the game was to capture the flag from your opponent's structure and hoist it on your own.  The structure was used as both a holding place for the enemy combatants and also for those rescued from the enemy to recover.  Those in recovery would have to stay there for a predetermined amount of time before they were released back into the field of play.  When I think of the name of God as a tower, this is what comes to mind.  A soul who has been rescued from the enemy yet needs a place of refuge to which to flee.

So many of us are like the inexperienced boys running around that field with no direction or strategy.  We are taken by the enemy.  We fall because we did not think things all the way through.  We do not go to the tower when we are overwhelmed by the threat that is all around us.  We do not flee to the tower when we know we will lose if we do not.  The reputation of God does not mean as much as our own efforts or courage.  The righteous flee to the tower because they know they are right with God.  The righteous flee to the tower because life experience has taught them the LORD can be trusted.  The righteous know when to flee.  They know to whom they should flee.  And they know if their heart rests on what God is as much as who God is, they will be safe.