A Perfect Heart

“Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” (1Ki 8:61 AV)

 

How apropos.  Our church concluded a Bible Conference wherein we hosted Bible College upperclassmen and recent graduates.  We call it our Timothy Conference.  From last Sunday to Wednesday, we enjoyed the preaching of seven different young men.  They did a really good job.  For men who are as young and inexperienced as they were, I was impressed with how seasoned they comported themselves behind a pulpit.  Usually, when a preacher opens his pulpit to younger men, there is a bit of damage control he does following the event.  Praise the LORD but this wasn’t the case last year or this.  What was equally, if not more impressive, was the continuity of the preaching even though these men did not converse with one another regarding what they were preaching.  The Holy Spirit directed these seven men to preach on different aspects of the heart.  Sunday morning started perfectly.  Our own Jon T preached on breaking up the fallow ground.  He encouraged us to yield our hearts to a force greater than ourselves and the earth yields to the blade of the plowman.  Then we heard about the sincere heart.  The childlike heart followed.  Monday night we were challenged to keep our hearts full with the living waters of Jesus Chris lest it becomes a broken cistern.  Tuesday was followed up with the heart of access.  A heart that thinks it needs more.  When in reality, less is more.  The Spirit concluded Wednesday with continuing heart.  He used Paul’s admonition to Timothy to continue steadfastly in the things we have learned.  Then our own Ryan H perfectly concluded our conference with a message on a heart that loves Jesus by walking in obedience to all that we heard that week.  It was truly incredible.

Such was the case with the dedication of the temple.  It was a great meeting.  It lasted fourteen days.  There was special music, sacrifice, and a dedication; concluding with a prayer from Solomon.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting.  No doubt the people felt invincible.  They experienced a spiritual high they would never again feel.  Their enemies were subdued.  The city of David was complete.  The royal palace was erected.  There was wealth untold coming into port.  Solomon’s reputation of wisdom was becoming world-renown.  And to cap it all off, the magnificent temple for the one true God was second to none.  All the heathen around them could not compete with the temple at the holy city.  The glory of the LORD filled the temple to such a degree no one could enter.  The priests exited quickly as they could when God, in all His glory, took up residence.  This had to be a sight.  One that no one would ever forget.

The thing is, this experience was temporary.  Once the event was over, life got back to normal.  The mundane took precedence over the miraculous.  The drudge of everyday life became the pattern.  There were flocks to tend to, fences to mend, children to feed, and properties to manage.  There were vineyards to work, seed to plant, and crops to harvest.  Except for the priests, no one could live in the high of that experience for very long.  Regular life encroaches and the feeling of the event soon fades.  Solomon’s encouragement was to remember that day and continue as though that day could be every day.  Or, at least remember the sense of love, dedication, anticipation, and determination that felt that day and continue with God in the same.  This is difficult to do.  For most, almost impossible.  But all it takes is a little bit of time.  For the N.T. saint, we can meet with God anytime and anywhere.  We do not need a building.  We do not need a temple.  In short, we need a perfect heart.  A heart that remains is it did the moment God dealt with us.  That perfect heart is the heart we are after.

Pleasing Prayer

“And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (1Ki 3:10 AV)

 

The pleasure of the LORD here is not juxtaposed with being disappointed or displeased.  Rather, the LORD was impressed with that for which Solomon asked when Solomon could have asked for other things.  So, what was it that Solomon asked for?  Was it lands?  Nope.  Was it wealth?  Nope.  Was it a long life?  Nope.  Was it a good marriage or lots of children?  Nope.  Did Solomon ask for the life of his enemies or cooperative relationships with his neighbors? Nope.  Did Solomon as for fame or recognition?  Nope.  All these things would be appropriate for a man in his position.  They would be right for a king to desire.  Rather, what Solomon asked for more than anything else was wisdom.  He did not ask for wisdom that he be the smartest man alive.  He did not ask for wisdom that he might personally profit from it.  He asked the LORD for wisdom that he might serve Him and the people well.  His biggest concern was what God had called him to do and the ability to do it.  In short, Solomon asked the LORD for the one thing that would please God the most and would bring glory to Him rather than the throne.  This got me thinking.  How much of what I ask for is God pleased with?

We all get asked what we want for our birthdays.  As children, we tend to think of a consumable.  We want a new toy.  We want some clothes.  We want a device others have.  Or, we want a party with lots of presents.  We want our favorite meal.  We want our favorite cake.  For me, it was a chocolate bunt cake because no sibling likes the coconut filling on the inside.  I got my cake and could eat it, too.  All of these things my parents were happy to give.  It was my special day.  They were happy to give a card with money as much as a new jumping jack.  Whatever was on my list, as long as they could afford it, they got it for me.  And there was no disappointment with it.  However, there comes a time in your life when you do not want a thing.  You have all that you need.  Your wish list for birthdays changes.  It is no longer what you want.  Rather, it is what you need.  A new Bible because the old one is worn and torn.  A new suit to preach in.  A pair of reading glasses to study with.  Some pens and a ruler to take notes in your Bible.  These things are not consumables.  They are tools.  Tools to be used for the glory of God and the benefit of others.  So, what changes our wish list?  Maturity.

Solomon’s prayer began with an honest evaluation of his age and abilities.  He say his weaknesses and knew they would be a great hindrance to doing what God asked.  When he asked for wisdom, that was the most grown-up thing he for which could ever ask.  He did not ask for things he would naturally want.  He did not seek things that might come about naturally.  He did not ask for anything that would serve him alone.  He asked for and received, that which God wanted him to have the most.  Wisdom.  So the question remains.  How much of what we ask for is in the perfect will of God?  How much of what we ask for is the first and most important thing to seek?  Not that God would refuse us other things.  But if we had only one thing for which we could ask, what would it be?  Answer that question and you will answer the former one.  Will what you seek be the highest priority in the heart of God?

Our Large Place

“They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” (2Sa 22:19-20 AV)

 

David uses the reference to a large place a few times.  He uses the phrase three times.  Two of those three times, the passages are related to the same event.  The large place is not necessarily a physical place.  Rather, it is a state of deliverance.  The large place is the absence of a state of being that is oppressive and restrictive.  In the above passage, David is referring to all his enemies.  All those who would do him harm have been dealt with.  These are his last published words.  The end of his psalm writing.  David is looking towards glory and knows his fight is concluding and his battles have been won.  Whenever I read that phrase, the Spirit has me pause.  He wants me to consider my present large place.  He also wants to remind me of my future large place.  These large places are free from constraint.  Free from stress.  Free from expectations.  Free from conflict.  These large places are times when life is easier and breathing is not so laborious.  The large places are many.  They are places where God and you commune in sweet fellowship and all is right with the world even though it is not.  It is a place or time of contentment, faith, and patience.  A time when you experience the all-sufficient presence of God.

I have had many large places in life.  There are the swamps of Neceedah, WI.  There are the shores of lake Michigan, Geneva Lake, Lake Ontario, and Lake Remmick.  There are the corn fields of Kentucky, the Southern Tier Parkway of N.Y., and the Western Kentucky Parkway.  There are plane rides, train rides, and hiking trails.  These large places are places of deliverance.  They are places where the world does not take the effort to encroach and the LORD refreshes my soul.  There are the empty beaches, the deer stand, and the pond I fished.  But there are also the hours I enjoy, in my recliner, with soft piano music and a good book.  There are large places of truth such as knowing my sins are forgiven, the never-ending presence of the Spirit, and my devotion time with God.  There are rainy days with a warm cup of coffee, and a veranda or concourse where the birds sing and the breeze blows softly.  There are the parks in the middle of a weekday when everyone else is at work or school.  There is the top of the Falls Café during the off-season.  There is the dream of heaven with the water of the river of life lazily floating by.  There is the tree of life for the healing of the nations.  There is the still quiet voice that comes in the middle of the night to assist my soul as my God and I commune. 

There are many large places.  God has provided each as a way of escaping, even if it is but for a moment, to a place where the world, the devil, and the flesh are not welcome.  A hymn that comes to mind is Near To The Heart of God.  The lyrics are as follows: “There is a place of quiet rest,//near to the heart of God,//a place where sin cannot molest,//near to the heart of God.//Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,//sent from the heart of God,//hold us, who wait before thee,//near to the heart of God.//2 There is a place of comfort sweet,//near to the heart of God,//a place where we our Savior meet,//near to the heart of God. [Refrain]//3 There is a place of full release,//near to the heart of God,//a place where all is joy and peace,//near to the heart of God. [Refrain]”  Seek that large place.  It comes often.  It comes when most needed.  It comes by way of the Spirit.  It comes that we might have respite from our journey in life.  It comes because it is needed.  Pray for it.  Watch for it.  It might be closer than you think.

Hitting the Motherload

“Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.” (2Sa 19:37 AV)

 

What an amazing exercise of kindness and grace.  Chimham was servant to a man named Barzillai.  Barzillai was a wealthy man who conducted David over and across again the Jordan river.  He used his resources to take care of the legitimate king of Israel.  Barzillai was a very aged man.  A man of eighty years old.  When Absalom was defeated and David was headed back to Jerusalem, Barzillai came to the river Jordan and conducted David across.  He arranged all the expenses David would need to return to the capital city.  As an act of appreciation, David offered to Barzillai a permanent place at his table.  David wanted to care for him for the rest of his life.  Barzillai, on the other hand, wanted to return to his home and live out the remainder of his days in his own home, around his own family, and be buried with his father and mother.  In turn, Barzillai asked that his servant return with David and that David would do for him as he wished to do for Barzillai.  When I read this, I was taken aback by how this servant must have felt.  This came right out of left field.  There was no way he could have expected this to happen.  It was a spur-of-the-moment offer from David and an even more spontaneous request from Barzillai.  I am sure at first, Chimham was stunned.  Then came a humble gratitude that overwhelmed him.  Lastly, a sense of security and joy must have followed.  The master bestows on the servant grace and blessings that rightly belong to him, yet showers them on an unexpecting servant.

This reminds me of Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Willy Wonka gave away a few among millions of candy bars wrapped in golden paper.  Inside was a ticket to tour the chocolate factory.  The factory was a deeply held secret and no human being had ever been inside.  Charlie was one of those who held a golden ticket.  Charlie was from a very poor home.  He shared his one-bedroom home with his parents, siblings, and grandfather.  As the tour progressed, one after another the other kids were eliminated from the tour.  One for greediness.  Another for overindulgence.  Still another for being a spoiled brat.  Finally, Charlie was the only one left.  The prize offered was never mentioned.  No one knew what it was.  Into what looked like an elevator Willy Wonka and Charlie went.  It ascended rather rapidly and shot out of the top of the building.  Charlie and Willy were floating above this vast empire of candy and Willy tells Charlie he is to be the sole heir of the factory.  Willy never married and had no children.  He was trying to find the one righteous soul to whom he could leave everything.  Charlie was speechless.  He was stunned.  He didn’t deserve any of it and even tried to refuse such generosity.  Charlie hit the motherload purely by the grace of someone he barely knew.

Jesus is God.  He owns everything, and that, without limit.  The Father bestows blessings on the Son, and He, in turn, shares them with us. When we accepted Christ and became His servant, we hit the motherload.  Heaven awaits with glories that cannot be comprehended.  In this life, we abound in blessings.  We did nothing to earn it.  We did nothing to deserve it.  The blessings we receive are because the Father appreciates the sacrifice the Son was willing to pay that the kingdom be restored unto God.  The Father desires to bless the Son yet the Son owns it all.  So, the Son rains blessings upon His brothers and sisters.  One wonders how much we appreciated what God does for us and how richly we are blessed.  One wonders if we still stand in awe contemplating the unmatchless grace and love of our Creator God!  How wonderful He is to the children of men.  We have a place at the Father’s table because the Son sacrificed for the glory of the Father.  We have a place in heaven because the Son paid the bill to the Father.  We have eternal life because the Son sacrificed all He had that the Father’s wrath would be satisfied toward our account.  We are so richly blessed we should react as Chimham did.  Stunned to silence.  Humbly grateful.  And faithfully following.

Breathe in, Breathe Out

“And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.” (2Sa 16:14 AV)

 

David was on the run from his son Absalom.  Absalom resented his father because David did not immediately render judgment on Amnon, his half-brother, for raping his sister.  Absalom sat at the gate of Jerusalem and judged the people in the stead of his father, and in the process, stole away the hearts of the people.  Rather than enter into a costly war that would have destroyed Jerusalem, David thought the better plan was to remove to the wilderness.  If there were to be a battle, it would be better in the wilderness where less destruction and less death would be the result.  As they fled, a man named Shimei threw rocks and dirt at David and his men.  Being from the tribe of Benjamin and of the house of Saul, Shimei cursed David as he traveled through the land.  David’s men offered to ascend the hill and take off his head.  But David wisely let him be.  This harassment continued all the way to the wilderness.  It went on and on.  There seemed to be no stop to it.  They had left their families, and their homes, and now they are being badgered by a shallow and bitter person.  Our verse tells us they came weary.  They did not arrive at their destination in a state of strength.  Just the opposite.  So, they did what they had to do.  They refreshed themselves.  Even when the harassment continued, they refreshed themselves.  Even when they missed their families and homes, they refreshed themselves.  Even when the future looked uncertain, they refreshed themselves.

I have seen enough patients in the hospital to know a nurse’s job is not easy.  The pattern is a pretty consistent one.  After surgery, the patient is so overwhelmed with pain that the simplest of tasks becomes unwanted.  Even if their life depended upon it.  The nurse has to check on the patient to make sure they are eating their ice chips.  The nurse has to get the patient up and moving.  The nurse has to ensure the patient takes their meds.   But there is one task that seems to be the one every patient and nurse struggles with.  This device actually looks like an apparatus one might use to inhale illegal substances.  It is usually a shade of blue.  On the bottom is attached a serrated tube about an inch in diameter.  This tube is six to eight inches long with a mouthpiece at the end.  The tube is attached to a hard plastic cylindrical piece that stands about eight to twelve inches tall.  Inside is a ping-pong ball.  There are numbers and a scale on the outside.  The patient has to blow into the tube to make the ball rise to a certain height.  They have to do this on a regular basis.  Of all the tasks a patient must do for recovery, this has to be one of the easiest.  But it is always the one most neglected.  This task is necessary for life.  It keeps the patient from developing pneumonia.  Forcing air out and forcing deep breaths in removes built-up humidity in the lungs caused by shallow breathing and laying on one’s back.  The patient must refresh themselves.  Otherwise, they could die.

There are times when we are so discouraged, we don’t feel like taking care of ourselves.  There are trials so deep that surviving isn’t even on the list.  It is at those times when we need to make a willful choice to refresh the spirit, body, and soul.  We may not feel like going to church.  We may not feel like reading our bibles.  We may not feel like praying.  We might not feel like taking time off.  We may not feel like watching something humorous.  We may not feel like visiting.  We may not feel like making a phone call.  We may not feel like caring for ourselves.  But we must!  There are times when the trouble is so heavy and it does not seem like it will abate that we neglect to care for ourselves.  It is in those times when we have to take the time to nurse the soul.  We have to set a time to come apart lest we come apart.  It requires we tune out the trouble at hand and refocus on that which will make it stronger.  God can bring us to the well of refreshing, but He cannot make us drink.  We must choose to minister to our souls no matter what is going on around us.  Otherwise, the soul will perish in a state of despair.

Fruit From the Name David Gat

“And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.” (2Sa 9:3 AV)

 

To give this a little context, Ziba is servant to the last surviving male descendant of Saul, his father-in-law, and nemesis.  David has rest from all his enemies and wished to bless any descendant of Saul and Miphiboseth was the only one left.  When asked the question regarding the existence of, and whereabouts of, any remaining descendant of Saul, Ziba could have lied.  In fact, seeing as how the house of David warred with the house of Saul, Ziba may have been inclined to lie.  David was a warrior first.  David had no more battles to fight and perhaps he is looking for one.  Any reigning monarch would feel threatened by an existing potential enemy.  We don’t know exactly what motivated Ziba to tell the truth.  It could have been he was envious of his master (which we will find out later) and wanted him dead.  It could be the fear that if he lied, David would kill him.  Or, it could be that Ziba trusted David to do the right thing and that he indeed did want to show kindness to Miphibosheth.  I think it is the latter.  This principle harkens back to yesterday’s devotion.  The getting of a name.  Reputation is something that determines how others interact with us.  Ziba knew David well enough to trust him with the truth even though there might be the slightest chance he was not honest.  Ziba chose to trust the name David got and make himself and his master vulnerable.  He took David at his word because his reputation preceded him.

Having many brothers and sisters, there was no surprise at the reputation of future teachers.  They would come home from school and share with their siblings what a particular teacher was like.  He or she was too strict or really cool.  The teacher gave out too much homework.  Or the teacher had a sense of humor.  The teacher talked over the heads of the students, or he or she was able to bring it down to their level.  This reputation preceded them.  If my older sibling would warn us about this teacher, we would be biased on the first day of class.  The entire atmosphere of the class would have been set before the teacher ever opened his or her mouth.  Most of the time, the evaluation of our siblings was correct.  However, sometimes it was skewed to favor the student.  If a reputation gave an excuse for the student to be less than he or she should be, it was justified in the mind of the sibling.  However, a teacher’s reputation will dictate the personality and atmosphere of the classroom long before the desks are filled.

The same is true with our reputation.  It necessarily affects interaction with others.  This is something we can change.  If others cannot approach as they wish to, the fault may lie with us.  Perhaps we have not been what we should have been in the past so that in the present, those who have business with us come with an idea of who and what we are long before they make their appearance.  Reputations can change.  They can change in an instant.  Ziba was comfortable with David because David carried himself wisely and compassionately with others.  Ziba was able to trust David because David gat him a name.  How others are around us will tell you quickly how they perceive you.  Our wish is that we can be approachable so that we can minister the love of Christ to them.

What Is Your Nickname?

“And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.” (2Sa 8:13 AV)

 

This is something we do whether we try to or not.  We get a name.  Or, we get a reputation.  This name is gotten over time.  Sometimes the name can change.  We can be known one way for a while, and then circumstances cause us to be a different person, so our name changes.  Our name can change depending on the context in which we find ourselves.  We could be with one group of people with a common goal or interest and we would have a name with them.  Given another completely different set of circumstances and people, our name will change.  This name is not one that we get ourselves.  It is bestowed upon us for better or worse.  It took a while but David gat him a name.  It took many battles from Goliath, Saul, and Syria before everyone agreed that David was a force to be reckoned with.  David got a name because he served God faithfully, was not intimidated in the face of the enemy, and showed great diplomacy as the king of a nation.  This name took blood, sweat, and tears.  It took time in the word of God and on his knees in prayer.  This name took humility.  This name took discipline. 

Something unique to my home state is our propensity for nicknames.  In grade school, I had a few.  Almost all of them were not good.  As anyone who has seen a movie with an airforce theme would know, everyone on the flight crew was given a call sign.  These call signs were nicknames.  Nicknames tend to stick.  In grade school, nicknames were derogatory.  They were meant to belittle.  It was usually some form of your last name.  It was warped into something of an insult.  But by the time we were in high school and outgrew the need to intimidate, nicknames got more civil.  Sometimes, they tuned out to be somewhat flattering.  In the factory I worked, we did the same thing.  Many of us had nicknames.  One of my good friends and a fellow Christian had a common first name.  Bob was an encouragement to me and I to him.  So, I called him Bobert.  His nickname distinguished him from other Bobs on our shift.  My brother-in-law goes by the first letter of his first name.  Sometimes, people use the name of his favorite movie character or the actor who portrayed him.  The point of nicknames is they are intended to eventually be names of endearment.  Or, at the very least, describe the individual as unique and different from any others who may share a common surname.  The point is, the name that they get is earned.  It is given by others as a way to complement the individual and find traits worth emulating.

David gat him a name.  He didn’t lobby for it.  He didn’t choose it.  His friends and enemies chose this name for him.  Which begs a question.  If you were to ask what your nickname might be, what would it be?  Would the nickname be flattering?  Or, would it be judgmental?  Perhaps it might be both depending on who you ask.  Whether we like it or not, we are getting a name.  We cannot buy it.  We cannot legally change it.  We cannot complain about it.  Nor, can we boast about it.  This name is based on the perceptions of others.  Our behavior, character, and priorities all shape the name others will bestow.  David did not obsess about the name he was getting and eventually got.  He knew if he walked with God, the name he got would be one which would please him well.  So, if you want a reputation, you must build habits.  Habits that affirm the reputation which you so desire.  Have you gotten a name?  Is it one that you like?  What must change so that the name changes?