Spur Them On

“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” (Ezr 6:14 AV)

This statement is made after the matter over Cyrus’ decree was settled.  The work came to a halt because the enemies of Israel spread misinformation to Darius, king of the Medes and Persians.  They neglected to state the decree of Cyrus and implied Israel was in rebellion against their authority.  Darius did a thorough search of the records and found the decree to rebuild the temple and reordered the construction to continue.  Furthermore,  Darius also made provision that provision be made on behalf of the government of the Medes and Persians that sacrifice be made for the king and kingdom.  This statement then appears.  We know Haggai prophesied through this whole ordeal and beyond.  Zechariah is a bit fuzzier.  We don’t know exactly when he preached. But what we want to notice is through the good times and the bad, the preaching of the man of God encouraged the people of God to finish the task.

An encouraging word is important.  One does not have to be a preacher to offer one.  Anyone, who believes something can be done, is a worthy cheerleader.  It is astounding what can be accomplished with a kind and uplifting word from the mouth of someone who has all the faith one could have in God.  It is amazing the things people can do for God if someone will simply show some faith on their behalf.  One of the challenges of taking a group of teens on a foreign missions trip is keeping them focused and energized for the entire length of the trip.  When we went to Ireland, we took two weeks.  The first week was all nervous energy.  The LORD allowed us to conduct a VBS.  The guys slept on the floor of the church house.  It was actually a two-room side building of a Catholic Church.  When Saturday rolled around, it was evident we were pooped out.  Our shower facility was the bathroom sink.  We slept on a tile floor.  Our laundry was non-existent.  We ate well.  And Irish tea with Irish milk was out of this world! But we were tired.  Then came the second week.  We had planned a teen outreach.  We walked and walked the city of Cork.  We street-preached and handed out fliers.  We worked hard that week.  Even more so than the VBS of the previous week.  Just about Tuesday or Wednesday of that second week, we were getting worn out.  It was hard to keep this team focuses and energized the entire week.  But our host did a wonderful job!  He is so energetic.  He keeps dozens of balls in the air at one time.  There is no way an army can keep up with him.  It was his energy that got our team over the finish line.  Without him, I fear our team would have conked out mid-week.

We don’t know the outcome of this building project if God did not provide at least two preachers to encourage the people.  Perhaps it might have gotten done.  More than likely, it would have failed.  The people had a lot of reasons to be discouraged.  But the words of these two men, and others, motivated the people to finish the project.  It was the words of these two men with the gifts of a presumed enemy that turned the tide of discouragement.  Next time we see someone attempting something a bit too much for him, her, or them, rather than give our opinion of how it may not work, offer words of encouragement.  Let them see the faith you have.  Rather than allow them to become a self-fulling prophecy and fail because they think they will; give them hope that with God nothing is impossible.  These two encouragers were just as responsible for the success of the whole and any other single person.  Maybe you cannot do much.  But what you can do is encourage.

P.S.  The month is almost half gone and there is plenty of opportunity to win a $20 gift card.  Just have your friends and family follow this blog and send a comment along as to the person who encouraged them to.  If you recruit the most new followers, the gift card is yours.  Winner will be announced at the end of the month.

You Don't Have To Duck

“Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.” (2Ch 33:14 AV)

I’ll bet he did!  Manasseh, son of Hezekiah and King of Judah, did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any Judean king in the history of Israel.  In fact, the Bible tells us he did more wickedness than all the pagan nations around him.  It sort of reminds me of the USA.  We condone and encourage insanity manifested and perverse immorality that even secular and pagan nations do not allow.  We have lost our moral authority.  Yet we dare to call ourselves a Christian nation.  We have lost the ability to share the gospel with the world because back home, we entertain all sorts of perverseness.  The world wants nothing to do with us.  They are protecting their society, people, and children from the likes of a warped, wicked, and totally depraved nation.  This is where Manasseh had taken his nation.  Not even unbelievers would dare go where they went.  As a consequence, the LORD brought an adversary and dragged Manasseh by the way of thorns, back to his nation.  While there, Manasseh was tortured.  When he greatly humbled himself, the LORD delivered him and brought him back to Jerusalem.  This is where we pick up the story.  The first thing Manasseh did was to fortify the city as it had never been done before.  This is totally understandable.  However, one wonders if he truly understood the significance of his chastening and deliverance.

My father was a strict disciplinarian.  I think that is why, for the most part, his kids didn’t go all that astray.  We were terrified of him.  When he lit into us, there was no chance we would ever fail in that area again.  With him, it was a one-and-done chastening.  However, what this also accomplished was building barriers so that Dad could never do that again.  When Dad was on the warpath, we avoided him like the plague.  We didn’t want to be in the crosshairs of his ire.  We also did other things.  We had these secret places we could go.  When we felt the wrath of Dad rising, we could grab our bikes and ride all over the city.  Or we would go to a park we knew he wouldn’t think of.  Friend’s houses were out because my Dad knew every one of our friend’s parents.  We had this one place that worked really well.  It was up in the attic.  We modified our toy locker so that if you peered inside, you could not see us.  We would be in there but hidden from any adult eyes.  We didn’t stop and think that the reason we got spanked the first time was that we deserved it.  As long as we were not guilty of some infraction, the wrath of Dad did not apply to us.  It never occurred to us that once the chastening was over, we were ok with Dad.  Unfortunately, we saw Dad in the light of his anger no matter the situation.

As I wrote earlier.  I wouldn’t blame Manasseh for doubling the defenses against the enemy who God used to torture him to repentance.  I think I would have done the same thing.  I would have hardened myself against repeating that same event.  This misses the point.  The chastening was of God.  As long as Manasseh walked in obedience and faith toward God, there was no need of doubling the defenses around the city.  He was so shocked by Divine correction, he overreacted and built defenses against this ever happening again.  What he did right was to continue revival.  He did not build these defenses to fall back into sin.  That’s the good side of it.  Where he failed was to see God as one who had permanently forgiven him, trusting in His mercy to continue through his obedience.  This whole thing shock Manasseh to the core.  Some might say he suffered a form of PTSD.  What he needed to do is celebrate his deliverance, fortify the city, and cease to live in fear.  Once God is done with correction, he is done.  There is no need to be terrified of correction that is not coming.

Just another reminder.  Invite your friends and family to follow this blog.  If they do, have them mention you in a comment and the one with the most mentions will earn a $20 gift card.  Contest ends at the end of the month.  Winner will be announced.

Kept Safe

“Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;” (Ezr 1:7 AV)

Perhaps most people would not find this to be a miracle, but for all the implements and furniture of the temple to last three kingdoms and many rulers, to me is astounding.  I know.  It was the custom of the pagan nations to place in their houses of worship items from defeated nations.  Their pagan temples were a museum of conquered kingdoms.  Placing items in their temple paid homage to their god being stronger than any other god.  It would be natural to keep these items in their temple.  However, when the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon, it was the Babylonian god whom they conquered and not the Jewish God.  The significance would have been lost.  Furthermore, we know by Daniel’s account, the Babylonians used the Jewish temple implements in everyday use.  They did not stay in the Babylonian temples.  For Cyrus to have them intact and well cared for is a miracle.  Especially over 70 years, three kings, three kingdoms, and countless pagan temples.  If God wants to preserve something, He can use man to do it.

I drive my wife crazy.  I am a hoarder of rare things or things that I value.  At least where food and treats are concerned.  If she buys me something special, I rarely eat the last one.  I make the entire experience last as long as I can.  This is especially true if it was something I considered a treat in my youth.  Growing up, we were not exactly wealthy.  In fact, we were close to being really poor.  So, there were food items we would have that to most, were a regular staple.  Things like milk out of a gallon container.  We drank powdered milk.  Potato chips that didn’t come from a gallon tin.  Chef-Boyardee anything.  We thought candy bars were rare and unless we bought them ourselves, they were never part of our diet.  Oreo cookies were a rare delicacy.  Combos were another.  This brings me to my hoarding issue.  If Lisa buys me something special; like the Resees Easter Eggs she just bought; it will take me a month to eat those six eggs.  It drives her up a wall.  She tells me she can always buy more.  But I cannot help myself.  I have five single bills in a money clip upstairs.  It has been there for almost six months.  I haven’t touched it nor do I take it anywhere.  I cannot keep myself from hoarding that last bit of something I value.  That which we value, we will preserve.

When I think of the doctrine of preservation, I can go to this event above.  If God can keep all the implements intact, over decades and wars, then God can preserve His word no matter what man does.  If God can keep the implements and furniture of the temple from being destroyed or lost, then He can keep the saint secure in His hand.  What I see above is the miracle of God’s preservation.  I see God placing value on something so priceless, that He keeps it safe from harm.  I see God, who loves His children more than we could ever comprehend as able to keep them in His presence from the moment they repent and trust Christ forever.  We are as secure as those implements were in the pagan temple.  Nothing will happen to us.  We will enjoy all of eternity in the presence of our loving God and nothing can change that.  We are eternally secure.

Just a reminder.  Influence your friends and family to become a follower of this blog and you could win a $20 gift card.  Have your friend mention you in a comment and the individual who does so the most will be announced at the end of the month.

Revival Starts with Heart-felt Commitment

“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.” (2Ch 29:10 AV)

Hezekiah was a great king.  He made a super wrong choice toward the end of his life, but the LORD used him to bring a great revival to Judah.  Hezekiah did more to bring revival to Judah than any of his predecessors.  The entire nation got right with God and because of this, God blessed both the king and the nation.  When Syria came out against them, God sent an angel of the LORD that defeated the entire Syrian army without one Judean ever going to the battlefield.  God blessed Hezekiah with a son when he had given up hope of ever having one.  The temple was restored to its former glory and the first Passover in a generation was observed.  There was such a great revival, that there weren’t enough priests to slay the sacrifices and the gifts and tithes exceeded the ability to store it all.  All this came to pass because of the verse above.  The reader can sense the complete resoluteness in the king’s statement.  He may not have known the details of what he wished for, but he was willing to commit anyway.  It was in his heart to commit to the LORD that things might change for the better.  Revival cannot come without a resolute commitment to that which God desires.

My wife has cancer.  This type of cancer has modified her diet quite a bit.  What that means is she is allowed to have more carbs than if she was trying to shed a few pounds.  She is losing weight despite an increase in carbs.  This may be good for her, but bad for me.  We have candy, bread, and snacks all over the place.  My dear wife can eat high-calorie foods because they do not stay in long enough to add pounds.  I, on the other hand, have increased two suit sizes.  I do not look forward to my doctor’s appointment next month.  I can already hear him tell me my weight gain is not a good thing.  So, to try to get a handle on it, we were thinking of signing up for Noom.  Noom is a weight loss program that relies more on the psychology of weight gain rather than a program that centers on mere numbers.  The thing is, you have to pay three months upfront before they give you access.  For me, I would like to try it for a month to see if it is something that would work for me.  But they require three months.  And for good reason.  They know unless there is a commitment to their program, it will be ineffective.  They require the subject to be determined in their heart to weight loss.  The best way is to require a longer commitment than is usually offered.  It has to be a matter of the heart before it can be a matter of the will.

This was where Hezekiah found himself.  He looked at his nation and knew God was not pleased.  He read in the law all they had failed to do and it was only a matter of time before the LORD acted in judgment.  He knew that if he did not do something, his nation was going down.  Therefore, in the desperation of the times, he found it in his heart to commit to whatever the LORD would have him do.  If revival comes, it must come at the point of a resolute decision.  That decision results in a commitment.  That commitment is open-ended.  Whatever it is that God wants from us, He must have.  Everything must be on the table.  Until we come to the end of ourselves and our hearts are attracted more to the things of this world than a serious relationship with our Creator, then revival cannot come.  The heart must decide what it wants to love the most.  Like getting married.  We loved our spouses when we wed.  But the love we have three and a half decades later is far more significant.  Why?  Because we determined many years ago to love our spouse with all our hearts.  We committed to a relationship even though we may not have known all that this would require at the moment we took the vow.  The same is true with our relationship with God.  God is waiting for us to make an open-ended commitment based on our heart’s desire to love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and body.

P.S.  For the month of April, the individual who can influence the most to become a follower of this blog will earn a $20 gift card.  When they become a follower, simply have them leave a comment letting me know it was you who encouraged them and you could be the winner.  Results will be published at the end of the month.

Hope

“The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.” (Pr 10:28 AV)

A few definitions here might help.  Many writers exchange expectations for hope.  Not that hope is wrong.  God knew what He was doing when He gave us His word.  Hope is the right word.  Hope, however, has several meanings.  The expectation is simply the definition of the word hope.  And the expectation is something that we see as certain in the future.  Gladness is glee, mirth, gaiety, and pleasure.  In the sense above, gladness would be the outward manifestation of hope.  That is, if we have hope, it will, by nature, appear as glee, mirth, gaiety, and pleasure.  Lastly, the phrase ‘shall be’ is a continuing state into the future.  The tense is not only future tense, but it continues to be future tense as long as the object which results in gladness exists.  In our case, it is the LORD Jesus Christ.  Here is our takeaway.  If we do not lose hope, then gladness is the continuing state of our minds and hearts.  If we lose hope, then gladness disappears.  Since our hope is always in Christ and our eternal abode with Him, our gladness should never cease.  This is true in theory.  But the reality is, life can bring bumps along the way that seem to rob us of that hope.  This should not be for the child of God.

We have a lot to look forward to.  We really do.  This world is temporary.  According to Peter, there is coming a day when the LORD will consume all of creation in fervent heat.  The LORD will recreate our material world in holiness and righteousness.  Eternity will be a place wherein righteousness dwells.  There will be no more pain, sorrow, or death.  There will be no more sin, rebellion, or devil.  Eternity is our expectation and it will be here much sooner than we think.  As someone who has served in ministry for almost forty years and has seen a great deal, I can tell you time goes by infinitely faster than we imagine.  Before you know it, you are looking at retirement.  You have raised your children and now they are on their own, raising your grandchildren.  You wonder where all that time went.  It seemed like just yesterday when my kids were playing high school basketball together.  It seems but a few short years ago when they were practicing their Awana verses.  Where did all the time go?  With each passing year, we get all that much closer to perfection.  With each passing year, the finish line is that much more in focus.

I guess it is much easier for older people to live with hope and joy.  The end of their pilgrimage is far closer than the beginning of it.  I used to host a luncheon for the widows and widowers.  They are great!  They lived long and hard.  But one thing they have is a view toward eternity that few can understand.  Sure, they may talk often about their current ailments.  But only in the context of them being over sooner than later.  They talk of their aches and pains, not in the voice of misery, but rather, humor as the method of coping.  If you ever get to a place where you think you can endure no longer, just have lunch with a bunch of octogenarians who love the LORD.  That will give you optimism that comes from no other.  They are great!  Why?  Because their eyes are somewhere else.  Their hope is closer than it has ever been before.  This is why they can laugh at a bum knee, missing teeth, and more parts missing than they have retained.  They can talk of the great depression or a world war in terms that make it all seem romantic.  They have learned the closer to eternity we get, the more these things in life are not catastrophic.  They can and will have gladness because there is always hope!  Hope is something the devil cannot take.  It is something we always have available.  It all matters upon what our eyes settle.

P.S. traffic is ticking upward!  Praise the LORD.  Remember, if you become a new follower of this blog during the month April, leave me a comment and let me know who pointed you in our direction.  You might be able to earn your friend a $20 gift card.

What Will They Remember?

“And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.” (2Ch 24:16 AV)

Joash had much to overcome and accomplished much for God.  His mother killed all his brothers and the only reason he survived was that his sister hid him in the temple for six years until he was old enough to ascend to the throne.  When Judah made him king, he cleaned out the kingdom of all sodomites, repaired the temple, and had his wicked mother executed.  Toward the end of his life, he did make some mistakes.  He assumed his success would transform into being as great a king as David and found himself in a war too large for him.  He also allowed the high places to remain which continued to be a stumbling block to God’s people.  However, the cast majority of his life was lived for the glory of God.  He did some very hard things.  He did more right than he did wrong.  The thought that came to mind for me was how I am going to die.  Can people say the same thing about my life?  Despite the many failures sprinkled throughout my years, are there enough successes for the LORD that people will remember me for those things?

I know I have mentioned this already, but one of the most profound moments in my life was visiting a small military cemetery.  This cemetery is on the grounds of Great Lakes NTC located in North Chicago, IL.  One would think this to be a rather large grace yard.  But it is not.  Only a few hundred are laid to rest there.  Some of the grave markings are rather old.  One would also think that only those with extreme honors are buried there.  But you would be mistaken.  There is Medal of Honor recipients there.  There are silver and bronze star recipients there.  There are Admirals laid to rest there.  But there are also seamen laid to rest there.  Nurses, doctors, and corpsmen were all laid to rest at the cemetery at Great Lakes.  Many of the headstones do not mention anything other than the name and dates of their earthly pilgrimage.  But many have short epithets reflecting the quality of life the deceased lived.  Etched in stone is the remembrance of a life that mattered.  What war they might have fought in, their rank or MOS may have been inscribed, and sometimes their duty assignment appeared.  But one thing was clear.  The fact they were laid to rest at the cemetery of Great Lakes Naval Base told you all you needed to know.  Their lives were defined by that sacrifice regardless of the accolades they received.  Their presence at the military cemetery spoke of their purpose and definition of life.

As I get older, this is becoming more and more important to me.  It is astounding how much this doesn’t matter when we are young a full of zeal.  We may desire to climb mountains, build kingdoms, or solve perplexing problems.  But those things are often found in pride and not in humility.  Our character, so much as what others can see, matters.  But the inner man is often the least of our concerns.  How we are perceived by others matters.  But it will not be what we think it will be.  Our character, and not the size of our accomplishments will be far more impressive to those who are left behind.  What we leave with them is the greatest treasure we could ever leave behind.  It isn’t the expanse of our work.  It is not the castles that we build.  It is not the great feats we can accomplish or what contribution to society that is important.  What really matters above all else is how much like Christ we have become in the years He had given us.  When I look at the years God has granted, I cannot help but wonder, “Have I done my best for Jesus”.  The obvious answer is no.  No one can say that.  But there is a follow-up question that can be asked.  Will I do my best for Jesus from now on?  What my sons write on my headstone matters.  I hope they can place something there that will glorify the LORD Jesus Christ and help others along their pilgrimage with God.

God Helps Us

“And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.” (2Ch 18:31 AV)

Jehoshaphat is a king with a well-intentioned heart.  Jehoshaphat came to Ahab to help him against an enemy.  Jehoshaphat did not pray before he went.  Otherwise, the LORD would have told him no.  Jehoshaphat saw the potential of reunification with the northern kingdom to the extent they would not be enemies.  So, he felt he could go and help the king of the north.  The prophet told Ahab he would fall in battle.  Jehoshaphat still went to the field.  Ahab told Jehoshaphat to wear his royal wardrobe and Ahab wore regular garments.  That should have told Jehoshaphat something.  In the heat of the battle, Jehoshaphat was surrounded because he wore his royal garments.  While being surrounded, he cried out to the LORD and the LORD helped him.  It is amazing how gracious God is to us when we do something unwise or ill-advised.  It is a great thing to consider the grace of God.  Especially when we have put ourselves into a mess and He is not obligated to get us out of it.

We do this all the time.  Sometimes, in really small things.  We might squeeze into a confined space only to realize we cannot get out without help.  Or we sit down on a broken couch and need a hand up to rise.  Perhaps we get lost and a phone call later, we can find our way.  These times are common.  Sometimes, these situations are a result of being naïve.  We believe our actions to be sincere.  We believe them to be right.  The motive might not be.  We might have been motivated by ego.  Perhaps it was expediency.  Maybe our situation was caused by bad luck.  Then sometimes we plan, not having enough information at the time, and when we are into it, the scope of our situation becomes evident.  Perhaps it’s a flat tire.  Or maybe we caught a bad cold.  Perhaps it was poor planning and we stand at the checkout counter, realizing we left our wallet at home.  Or, perhaps like Jehoshaphat, we meant well, but it was not of the LORD and we got ourselves in quite a pickle.  We have all been there.  As a parent, we rescue our kids from these types of things all the time.  They get the car stuck in snow or mud.  They make a financial commitment they cannot meet.  They find themselves in relationships they cannot navigate.  These naïve or well-intentioned fixes require compassion from someone else.  We cannot get out on our own.

This is where Jehoshaphat finds himself.  He was naïve and didn’t realize God was judging his friend Ahab.  He didn’t realize just how wicked he and his wife really were.  In his mind, he was trying to do the right thing.  He felt if he could help Ahab with a mutual enemy, then maybe their kingdoms could get along.  However, Ahab’s biggest problem was not his enemy.  The northern ten tribes had bigger issues than Syria, Moab, or Edom.  Their biggest issue was idol worship and helping them in battle wasn’t going to change that.  Therefore, Jehoshaphat found himself in a near-fatal situation and cried out to God.  God’s grace intervened and saved this well-intentioned king.  What a wonderful God we serve who has our backs when we do stupid things.  He may not always intervene.  But like a good Father would do, He does so often enough.  Praise the LORD for His wonderful works to the children of men.

P.S.  We are in the midst of a followers drive.  Encourage your friends and family to follow this blog.  Have them leave a comment and mention your name.  He or she who can get the most people to become a follower will win a $20 gift card.  Winner will be announced at the end of this month.