New Start for 2016

 

Every once in a while we need to regroup, reorganize and restart our priorities especially when it comes to the personal things in life.  Everyone faces these restarts differently; some do so with question, others with quite reserve and still others with uncertainty and speculation.  One thing is certain and that is, each new day will provide all of us a certain amount of unseen variables.  Every year is different bringing with it a calendar full of challenges and obstacles that will need to be faced and often calls for us to take a look at the priorities that we have put in place in our lives.  Some days you will find that you are up to the challenge and other days you will feel overwhelmed.  The times that we feel that overwhelming feeling is most likely when life interrupts and throws us a curveball our way.  Last year was one of the curveball years.  I started the year having every intention to write and blog more but partway through the year life threw us a curveball.  We were faced with a short and unexpected hospital stay which in turn slowed me down immensely.  We do hope and pray that this year we will be able to pick up where we left off in all areas of ministry especially blogging, and I want to thank those who have asked us to continue with our blog.

We plan to face this restart of blogging with eyes wide open and with the expectation that the Lord will continue prove Himself and to do many great things as He has in the past.  It has at times surprised me in the way that God moves in and out of the pages of our life’s story.  Then, if we will be honest with ourselves, as we reflect on the past we will all find that we were the ones who were weaving in and out of God’s story.  He has continued to step in to help us face each of life’s situations.  I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul which says, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  (20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3:19-20)  I know that He is going to be there for me because He is faithful to His Word.  He cannot change nor can He deny Himself but moreso, He is faithful even when we are not.

I would like to post this new blog with a personal twist in that I would like to share our thanks to God for His faithfulness and for His presence in our heart and life.  I thank Him for my wife and family who continue to stand by my side and put up with my many idiosyncrasies.  I thank and praise God for our very close friends who have walked with us these past few years and continue to not only support us but also give us guidance and accountability when needed.  I wish to thank the Lord, and pray for my dad who will be celebrating his 88th birthday this year, for our oldest son who will be getting married in June and for our dog Gabriel, who we rejoiced in his 14th birthday this past February.

I would like it to be known of me that when I speak that I try to use words that are most often fitting, direct and not spoken maliciously.  In the book of Proverbs we are reminded in that, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 and James 1:19 which says, “...my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”  I have tried hard to develop and to practice listening skills to uplift and help others.  This has been especially helpful as I sit across the counseling table from those who come to us for Biblical Counseling.  Far too often we find that we desire to invoke repair thoughts before hearing the whole thought process of those we are talking too.  We find that this characteristic is also covered in the Scriptures, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Proverbs 18:13.  I do pray that these words will ring true in the counseling room and in all of life’s situations.

As I start blogging this Year, my desire is that the following words will be a pattern for life, “Lord I hear you and thank you for your ever presence in my life.  I need you to help me to take the first steps when needed and above all please help me to walk the paths that you will be leading me.  Lord Jesus, help me to rid myself of my own sinful and selfish desires and cleanse my heart of my selfish ways so that others can see you and not me.”

As a Biblical counselor I want to show the same compassion that Jesus does in the Gospels, and Paul in his Epistles so carefully and heart fully demonstrated.  I want to express a loving-kindness toward those who are hurting and offer gentle persuasion to help bring them to a full knowledge of the Lord Jesus.  I do believe that compassion has to be more than just a feeling of sympathy and heart-felt sorrow.  It has to be more than simple empathy, it has to be an action that helps others to want to take the appropriate steps that will meet their needs more than just satiny their feelings.  I do believe that this is the direction that the Father wants us to go.  We find that He has given us this example to follow in Psalm 103:13, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”  Here we find two expressions of the compassion offered us by God the Father first, we see that He “has” compassion on his children but we also see that He “showed” compassion on everyone not just His own but on others as well.

My hope, my desire, my passion this year is to show more of Jesus and less of me.  No matter if it is in my home life, at work in private meetings and especially to all those who we will encounter in the counseling room.  I want to be a reflection of John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, …” Gen. 3:1

We often hear stories of how Satan works in this world and how he tries to undermine the work of God.  There is not a greater collection of these stories than the Word of God.  One of the most interesting stories that can be found in Genesis.  It is here where we are introduced to God, man and Satan.  The above passage from Genesis 3 opens the pages of history past to give us a ringside seat at the first face to face encounter between mankind (Eve) and Satan.  In this encounter we find Eve both out gunned and out classed by the enemy.  There is no doubt that He is as determined as he is subtle.  His directive is to take God down and he is determined to do so, one believer at a time if and as he deems necessary.  One true sign of his subtlety is seen in the way that he presents his case to the believer.  With craftiness of a court room lawyer he gets his opponents themselves to trip themselves up.  He asks his questions deliberately and yet slightly twisting the truth in such a way that he mixes in a little error.  He doesn’t question God, he gets his opponents to do so. Eve balked and faltered because she was unsure of the truth.  She did not hear God tell Adam what to do, she was going on what Adam had said and what of the truth she thought that she heard.

Now this historically specific encounter happened and is recorded for us as an example of the craftiness of our enemy.  I believe that he is as aggressive today as he ever was.   Yet at the same time I do not believe that the plan of the enemy has changed that much over the years.  The main difference is found in his ability to quickly and specifically cater each approach to the individual that he is facing.  If anything has changed it is his tenacity toward those who have called upon the name of Christ. 

 

I saw this picture on the internet the other day and it reminded me of the way that Satan tries to grasp a hold on our minds as he questions the believer in his attempt to get them to question God themselves.  The enemy confronts every believer at one time or another.  Many of whom, like Eve, will face the enemy and be out gunned and out classed because they failed to prepare for the battle.  Eve had no idea that she would one day be in a spiritual battle, once that day took place it found that she was unprepared.

All believers must realize that Jesus is the anchor that holds us fast to the family of God. It is because of this truth, the believer today must come to the understanding that the most important issues in this life will pale in comparison to our relationship with Christ Jesus.

So let me ask you a question: “How much time does it take to have or develop a good relationship?” Before you answer, ask yourself to verify your answer in the light of the statements below.

“How much time does it take to have or develop a good relationship?”

•           Ask a grieving widow as she sits at a bed side of her spouse of 50+ years struggles for each breath

•           Ask the couple who are celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary

•           Ask the parent how much time as they watch their child march off to war

•           Ask a young boy how much time as he holds onto his ailing dog

Time is not just of the essence it is of the most preeminence especially when it comes to our relationship with Jesus.  How much time is needed you ask, and the answer is all that they can get and a little more if possible.  We often find that time spent developing any relationship is never enough.  Erwin Lutzer once said, “The more intimate we are with God, the more we can discern His mind and His heart.”  Intimacy is what is developed over long periods of time as we act and interact within a relationship.  The better the relationship the more intimate it is and the more intimate it is the more liberating it becomes.  Intimacy in any relationship is always in direct correlation of how much time is invested developing the relationship.

Getting back to the opening statement, Eve was unprepared for a Spiritual battle and that largely rested upon the fact that she did not have an intimate relationship with the Lord.  She was relying upon Adam’s relationship and that was not enough, it will never be enough.  If we do not develop our own relationship with Christ we, like Eve will go into Spiritual battle unprepared and destined for failure. 

During World War II Japan had built a Battleship that was called the “Yamato” she and her sister ship the “Musashi” were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed.  These ships were designed and built to counter the numerically superior battleship fleet of the United States Navy.  They often proved their superiority when matched one on one or against small task fleets but when they were finally matched against the well-armed and battle ready Pacific Fleet they both met their match and were sunk near the end of the war.  Satan is much like the Yamato in that he is well armed, keenly suited for battle and well fitted for the task that as at hand.   When matched against this opponent the believer soon finds that they are no match for him.  This is why we must be aware that even when we are at our strongest we are no match for him and that we must remain in constant contact with our Heavenly Father.  We must get a grip on our relationship with Christ before the enemy gets his grips on us.

Even Jesus Himself when He was confronted one on one by this enemy referred to God the Father and to the Word for His defense.  I say that if this is the battle strategy of the Lord Jesus should it not be ours as well?  I am reminded of the following passages of Scripture, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11).  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105).  We must also note that God said, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3.

The truth is that no one born of the flesh is able to overcome this wicked one.

Have you forgotten the importance of the eternal? 

Have you allowed the enemy to steal your joy?

For some, he has replaced our joy with an unsatisfying hunger and drive to that which only Christ Himself can fulfill.  It is no wonder that so many believers live unhappy and bitter lives.  They try to fill a void that only Christ can fill with everything but Christ.  Jesus is all that we need.  We trust Him for salvation then look everywhere else for satisfaction after that.  One of the best tricks of the enemy is to get our eyes off of Jesus and on to a counterfeit Jesus.

How did we reach this level of Mediocrity? (Part Two)

I read a quote once that said, “The Bible is a listening post where we go to hear the voice of God.”  I do not remember who said it nor where I read it but I do see a lot of truth in that statement.  Without time spent in the Word of God we become desensitized to the things of God because we distance ourselves from the sweetness of His voice.  There is also a lessening of the sting of sin because our spiritual sense has lost its sensitivity to the truths of His Word.  How soon is the heart drawn away from God and back to the things in this world once we quit going to the listening post.  It does not take very long before we slip into sin because we have failed to spend time with Jesus.  It does not take long before self begins to redirect our drive back to the old sinful and selfish ways we practiced prior to salvation.

Without precious daily time in the Word we will soon be drawn away from Jesus and wane in our fellowship with him.  I am not saying that everybody needs to be a Bible scholar.  What I am saying and what I am referring to is that I believe that all believers need to spend quality time with the Lord and that includes time in His Word.  We all know that if we want to get to know somebody you have to spend time with them.  If you want to get to know someone intimately you will need to study that person.  To be like somebody you will have to spend quality time with them.  If we are to be what God wants us to be, (which is to be Christ-like), then we need to spend much time with Christ and his Word.  One of the main keys to any relationship is found in the time spent with one another.  The more time we devote to the relationship the faster it solidifies and matures but again, the key phrase is that it will take time but it will be time well spent.  Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments.  One of his commandments is to search the Scriptures John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

When you wish to become a part of another's household, it becomes of great importance that you familiarize yourself with the do's and the don'ts that are expected for peace within the household.  As believers we are a part of the family of God, we need to read God’s Word to find out what the true do's and don'ts are for His family.  One problem that I have found common within the family of God today is that too much time is spent reading books and about what others say about the Word of God and not enough time in the Word itself.  Leaders and laypeople alike spend more time in the writings of others than they do in the Word.  The problem here is that the Word of God is exclusive but when God’s people spend more time in the writings of others over the Word of God they attempt to turn that which is exclusive to that which is inclusive.  The Word must stand alone.  Those who rely more on man’s writings regarding what the Word says than on the Word itself says have the tendency to do just that.  They tend to regard what one writer says over another even to the disregard of the Word of God; elevating the writer’s personal interpretations of Scriptures over the Scriptures themselves.

I am not saying that we are not to read books, devotionals or listen to podcasts because they are important and have their place in the believer’s life.  They are tools that all of us need to use and take advantage of as we grow in Christ in today’s age of technology.  The problem becomes when you rely upon them more than you do the Word of God.  You cannot solely rely on devotionals because they only give you pointed and specific scriptures, those that apply to what the author is leading you to believe or change.  You cannot rely solely on all “Christian” authors because most authors will write with a certain bias (including this one).  Though study guides and devotionals are necessary to help us study the Word of God they must remain exactly that, “helps.”  If we find that more time is spent quoting authors than we do Scripture we need to take a timeout to check our areas of importance.   There is a possibility that you may be building a relationship with the authors of the guides and devotionals you are reading and not the author of the Bible.

Once again I'm not saying every believer has to be a Bible scholar but every believer will talk about Jesus at one point in time or another.  When they do so they should do so with some respect of Bible knowledge but that is not always the case.  I am reminded of a quote by J.I Packer which says, “Every time we mention God we become theologians, and the only question is whether we are going to be good ones or bad ones.”  This thought comes to mind when I am confronted by bad theology from believers who have been saved 20 or even 30 years.  Most of these people should have a solid grasp of the Word and yet still know very little of the Word of God.

The Bible says in Psalm119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”  I often think of this passage when confronted by those who claim to have been in the family of God for years but know little about Him.  If the apostle Paul and the other New Testament writers are right (and I personally believe that they are) then we have a must need to know the Word and the Christ of the Word.  We find in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: (3) Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”  We also find in Hebrews 10:15-16, “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, (16) This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them”

The real question then becomes, “Do we follow the Bible and what Christ said or do we sit back and celebrate our new level of Mediocrity?”

More to come…

How did we reach this level of Mediocrity?

I accepted Christ as my Saviour 42 years ago and some 35 plus of those years I have been in some capacity of ministry full and part time.  I have seen the church go through many changes during this time, some good and some not so good.  There have been many service opportunities that have been addressed and some have gone by the wayside.  I have watched church leader’s rise and have witnessed the fall of some as well.  All of this happens because the church is a living entity.  The Bible which contains our directives is a living and breathing book.  The God that we serve is alive and quite active in the lives of every one of His followers.  The Holy Spirit of God which dwells with in the hearts and lives of believers continues to show Himself active within the lives of individuals as well as the church as a whole.

Throughout these years I have not lost the hunger and desire to study and meditate on His word.  Though there were times when the fervency of my study time waned and there were days when the immediacy was not so immediate but even in the lowest of times I do not remember long periods of drought in the Word.  My normal morning routine consists of time in prayer and study before I spend time with others.  I give the Lord my attention in the morning as I am waking up and I do my best to spend time with Him in prayer before I close my eyes to sleep at night. 

My thought and direction for this post is wrapped around the thought, “What has happened to the church and her people?” I have noticed a drastic change in the hearts and minds of believers especially over the past ten to fifteen years.  The desire for spending time in His word and meditating on His Word does not seem to be much of a priority with many who are called Christian today.  The concern for the lost is still there because that is a number that is a publishable number in the weekly bulletin.  They want to know who and how many decisions for salvation there have been made and how many visitors darken the church door.  Sadly they do not seemed to be concerned about how many are darkening the back door as they leave the church looking for somewhere else to go.  There is a sure direction that is noticeable in the church today one that is directed solely toward new believer’s.  This theme is not denominational specific and can be found in a variety of churches.  This theme is the message that studying the Word of God is not important nor is it really important that we spend time reading the Word either.  This my friend is not the message of the God of Heaven, it is not the message of Jesus the Son of God, nor is it a message of the Word itself.

God’s desire for all men is to have a relationship with His Son Jesus.  If we in turn surrender to His call and accept Christ as Saviour then the second desire of God for man is put into place which is that we become like Jesus.  He want us to emulate Christ, He want us to be like the early believers.  Acts 11:26, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch.  And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.  And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”  Here in this passage we find the calling and direction of the church, they found others, bought them to the church, they taught them the Word which resulted in an amazing transformation.  We find that instead of being called “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians” (Acts 2:9-11), or where ever they came from.  We find that they were all “Called Christians,” because they had spent time with Christ, because they spent time with other believers and most importantly because they were “taught”. They did not adopt the name because it was cool; they were given the name because the people of Antioch could tell that they had spent time with Jesus.

 

So, how much of the Scriptures are we as believers supposed to involve ourselves with?  We do find in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  All Scripture is given and profitable for all good works.  So without too much presupposition I think I can say that as a believer I should try to grasp all of the Scriptures.  The Bible does go on to say in 2 Timothy 2:15 that we are to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  Study the Word, we are not to just read the Word.  Why is it important for the believer (every believer) to study the Word of God?  I believe that Jesus gives the best answer to this question when He said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

It takes more than just fellowship and community to grow a believer it takes the Word of God.  It is the responsibility of all believers and not just the pastor to study the Word.  We see here in Acts 17:10-11, “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. (11) These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”  This passage does not just single out the pastor and elders, it is referring to “the Bereans” all the believers in Berea as a whole, these people were praised because they studied the Scriptures. 

The real question then becomes, “Do we follow the Bible and what Christ said or do we sit back and celebrate our new level of Mediocrity?”

More to come…

Maybe Yes or No or Perhaps …

As a biblical counselor, I am asked often asked one question more than any other and that is, “Do our prayers really make a difference with God?”  “Can our prayers prevent bad things from happening?”  My first response to this would be to give them an answer in a nutshell and say yes, no, maybe or better yet sometimes.  I do know that for the most part this answer is not the answer that they want to hear or expect.  The truth is that there are just some questions that cannot be answered with a simple cut and dry answer.  The answer that needs to be given is that God is Sovereign and because He is, that sometimes we confront God regarding a situation that has, in the heart and mind of God been decided and determined.  Others I do believe are situations that are still resting in the balance and are depending upon the outcome in the lives of others and are still open for change.  What we must take into consideration in all situations is that there are going to be certain things that are far above that which we can understand. So in regards to the questions that are asked we can find some examples in the scripture.

Example No. 1

“Do our prayers really make a difference with God?”  “Can our prayers prevent bad things from happening?”  In this first illustration one would say No, but it is clearly because the plan of God in this particular situation been laid, David sinned and the consequence of his sin had already been predetermined and prophesied by God that the loss of the child’s life was the consequence of David’s sin with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.  The loss of this child’s life was something that he would have to face for the rest of his life. 2 Samuel 12:13-15, “So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (14) However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’”

When the child became sick we find that David immediately began to plead before God with fasting and prayer for his dying son to live but to no avail (2 Samuel 12:13-31).  We know that God heard his prayers but the answer that David labored for was not the one that he wanted (but had to accept).  I often wonder if David knew that these prayers were not going to be answered favorably.  I do believe that because of his relationship with God that his prayers at this time would result in a strengthening his relationship `with God.  This is most always the case when a believer labors in prayer, their answer may not be that which they seek but their relationship with the Father increases. 

David demonstrates this in that once he receives an answer to his prayer we find that he not only accepted the answer but that he was able to move on with hope.

-          Vs 13-15 He hears the news form the man of God

-          Vs 15-18 His child gets sick and he pleads for the child with prayers and fasting

-          Vs 19 He hears and accepts the news regarding the child’s death

-          Vs 20 He ends his fast, washes and anoints himself

-          Vs 21-23 He shares his hope and that which he had learned from God with others

-          Vs 24 He comforts and consoles his wife

So for David the answer was no, his prayers did not prevent something bad from happening.  What we all did find out here is that sometimes our prayers do not keep bad things from happening but they do help us to deal with the bad things so that they do not get any worse, so that they do not become too overbearing.  They help us to deal with the questions that follow helping us to praise God through all that we have gone through. They provide us with the hope that only God can provide, and finally the hope and strength that we get from God help us to comfort those around us who, like we, are struggling with finding answers from God.

Example No. 2

“Do our prayers really make a difference with God?”  “Can our prayers prevent bad things from happening?”  In this second illustration one would say Yes. It is in this passage we find that King Hezekiah, who was one of the most prominent kings of Judah found in Scripture and is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:9-10) is sick and he had been told that he would not recover from this illness.  So we find that the king turned his face away from men and prayed to God to be healed.  He like David hears bad news from the man of God and like David he too turns his face from men and plants himself firmly before the Lord.  Hezekiah was more fortunate than most because he received an answer from God and one quickly as God sent Isaiah back to him to let him know his prayer had been answered.

King Hezekiah’s Life is Spared – 2 Kings 20:1-11 (also see Isaiah 38 & 39)

-          Vs 1 He hears the news of his impending death

-          Vs 2 & 3 He turns his face to the wall an prays & weeps for healing

-          Vs 5 & 7 He learns from the Prophet that God had heard and is answering his prayers granting him 15 more years of life and will deliver his kingdom out of the battle they were in

-          Vs 8 - 11 His proof was the sun dial moving backwards 10 degrees

For King Hezekiah, the answer was yes, his prayers were answered and he received a sign from God that his healing came directly from God.  What we find out with Hezekiah is that he, like David went to the Temple after he received the answer.  We find that not only was King Hezekiah’s life spared but others around him were as well.  Though King Hezekiah received a direct confirmation from God that God had healed him we cannot expect that today but we can, if we look close enough, see His direct hand of involvement in our answer.

Example No. 3

“Do our prayers really make a difference with God?”  “Can our prayers prevent bad things from happening?”  In the following illustrations from 2 Samuel 24:11-25 (and 1 Chronicles 21:8-18), you can probably give an answer of Yes, No, Maybe?  For King David, the answer was yes, no, maybe.

First of all I believe that we can say Yes because the plague had stopped notice 2 Samuel 14:17, “And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people…”  We can think yes because David did repent and confront both God and the man of God with his plea and repented of the sin that had caused this action to take place.

Second, I believe that the answer to our question can be No, because it was not stopped before people lost their lives and God somewhat mentions that there was an appointed time to end the plague, 2 Samuel 14:15, “So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.”  I can also see No as an answer because God himself was finished with the plague 2 Samuel 24:16, “…the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand…”

Third I believe that we can also say that the answer could be Maybe. I mention this as a possible answer to our question, “Were David’s prayers answered?”  I say maybe because David did repent and confront both God and the man of God with his plea.  “And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house” (2 Samuel 24:17)  We can say maybe because David did recognized that he was to blame for the judgment.  We can say maybe because David did pray and repent that could be what caused the Lord to repent and stay the angel’s hand.  We must remember that in this passage that we find the plan of God had been laid, David’s sin and the consequence of his sin rested in the loss of life of seventy thousand souls in Israel and we see that God Himself stopped the Angle from proceeding.  So we can say maybe.

A plague was initiated and stayed because of the Sin of David – 2 Samuel 24:11-25 (and 1 Chronicles 21:8-18)

-          Vs 11-13 He is confronted by the Man of God as to his sin before God and the consequences thereof

-          Vs 14  David rationalizes the consequences and wisely chooses to place his judgment in the hands of the LORD and not men

-          Vs 15 & 16a The judgment of the LORD is inflicted upon the people of Israel as the hand of the angel of God

-          Vs 16b The LORD repents of the outcome of the plague that He has inflicted upon Israel and calls for the angel to stop

-          Vs 17 David calls out to the LORD and repents of his sin, asking God to stop the angel from inflicting further pain on others because of his sin

-          Vs 18 The LORD send the man of God back to David with instructions on what God has for him to do

-          Vs 19-25  We see David’s obedience and worship of the LORD at a personal cost to him

Wrapping it up

From what I see in all of this is that all really boils down to one thing and that is in the Sovereignty of God.  We must believe that He is sovereign and we must believe and trust in Him for all things that matter in both faith and practice.  Yes there are times when our prayers reach the ear of God and changes are made.  Sometimes they reach His ear and the He has already put the plan into motion and the change that we request is not one that is granted.  And finally because of the Sovereignty of God He has already granted the change that we request before or as we request it.  He already knows the thoughts and intents of our heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Final Note 

I do believe that Abraham said it best a long time ago, “Shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25 ASB).  A hard truth for all to grasp is that God is just and always has dealt justly with man.  It is man who screams out for justice from God and they do so seeking a self-justice.  When you cry out to God for justice what they will receive instead is purely moral–justice.  Justice is a term used for “what is right” but man also wants to set the standard for “what is right,” but God cannot let that be.  Justice is one of God’s attributes and it flows out of His holiness.  In the bible we find that justice and righteousness are often found to be synonyms of each other.  We find that righteousness is the quality or character of being right or just and it is noted as an attribute of God, this one attribute incorporates both His justice and holiness.  It is a hard truth for all to grasp but due to his Holy nature, God is just and always has to be just. 

We must praise Him because there is an added favor to the justice He sends out.  This favor is that along with His justice we also receive His Mercy and Grace.  Though our finite minds constantly grapple with this and most can never grasp the truth of it.  It is far better for us to live under the umbrella of God’s Mercy and Grace then to live solely under His umbrella of justice.

Life Sentence

No one has ever been born, or will there ever be one, that will not been given a “life sentence.”  It is life in this world that I am speaking of.  We are all given an unknown number of years to learn, to love and to experience; that is our life sentence.  Some people will finish with joy others with sorrow.  Some finish in peaceful honestly and some in a sad state of regret.  Some will have their sentence reduced others will serve the entire sentence.  It matters not who you are or where you fit into the scheme of things, one thing holds true for all people and that is, we are all in it for life.  We all are handed a life sentence at birth.

With this in mind I would like to bring the focus in a little tighter and zoom in on that which currently surrounds us.  There is nothing any more precious than when we cannot only realize the truth of Scripture but we can experience them as well.  This is such a wonderful example of the providence of God.  We know that the Bible is a living a breathing book.  It is simply amazing when God steps in to personally get us to realize that He is working in our lives.  There is no better place to realize this than when in a small group and part of a small group ministry.  I am currently in a small group at our church of which they have been labeled as “Life Groups” and rightfully so.  The members of our “Life Group” are doing just that exactly, we are doing life together.  As believers we are members of the Body of Christ, we are all members of the same church and we have even more personalized this by being members of a small group.  Like all believers, we have all come from various backgrounds and have experienced a plethora of life experiences.  Yet we have all come to the conclusion that life in itself is not really life if it is outside of Christ.  Our life sentence truly begins the moment that we accept Christ as our Savior, born again to new life, to life everlasting.

To truly grasp this life sentence we must understand that God has created us to be communal beings.  We begin life in a community called family.  His first commandment to that family was in regards to family community, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (28) Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it….” (Genesis 1:28)  From that small family unit we branch out into other communities to help others experience life.  Many of us will soon form a new “family community” of our own and start the process anew.  When you place three or four couples together who have done life on their own to do life together you will have a vast wealth of experiences including victories, failures and expectations.

God in His infinite wisdom knew that we need community.  We start from birth until death striving for it.  Community begins with family at home; it is strengthened through school systems and the educational communities, fortified through the workforce community, and solidified in churches and in worship communities.  I might also sadly mention that many end up in nursing home communities prior to going home to be with the Lord.

We all long to share thoughts visions dreams expectations with one another.  Proof that we are communal is seen in that the majority of our time around others is spent in conversation.  God placed that need in man from the beginning, and it is evident when man first called out to God and God responded to man.  Conversation / communication are vital to community, and if community works as God would have it too part of that conversation / communication will be in the form of group prayer as they seek to talk to God, to have community with Him.  How often can members of various small groups be found, gathered together on their knees seeking His face, His help, His strength, His wisdom and His peace.  We do so for ourselves, for friends, family and the church as a whole.  God honors this as many can testify to the abundance of answered prayer that has come from these groups gathering, unifying and calling on His name.  “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity together.” (Psalm 133:1)

Nothing shows us the truth of the word of God more then when we not only encourage others to live this kind of life but that it is our practice.  Sadly there are many who fail to do so.  We are not meant to live a life outside of God but a life surrounded and being surrounded by Him.  We learn to walk after we crawl; we learn to speak after we squall.  All of us have been taught by our parents, and our Heavenly Father does the same for us spiritually.  His desire for us is not to fail but to soar.

Facing the reflection in the Mirror

It is morning and as I get ready to face the day I must stand in front of the mirror one last time before leaving the house.  I ask myself, am I ready to face the day?  As I stand there evaluating my reflection I often think what do others see when they see me?  Do they see me and every aspect of my character or do they see Jesus in me?  I must admit that one of the greatest fears that I face every day is that my boys will pick up my angers, my attitude, my bitterness and my prejudices and overlook the values and character traits that I have been trying to teach them.  These are the things that I struggle to keep under control daily; they are part of my daily battle.  These traits if you will have been a part of my past and some of them exist as my struggle in life, a daily battle if you will to keep them in check and under control.  As I do so I also fear that in my struggle to suppress the negative traits they will only see a suppressed version of the positive.  The one trait that I want them to pick up from me is my love for Christ and my desire to serve Him.  I don't want them to grow up angry, I don't want them to grow bitter what I do want is for them to grow up in Christ.  I have tried to teach them and give them the truths that will strengthen them in Christ and will provide them with the assurance that resides in a solid and sound relationship with Christ.  A relationship with Jesus is precious, it is too precious to pass on, He is too precious to not make sure but those that God places in our lives are not aware of that relationship.  Many people today are quick to say that they know of Christ, some of them will step up to say that they personally know Him but sadly very few can truly say that they are in love with Him.

In this life we have no guarantee of riches, no guarantee of a reward, no guarantee of prosperity but there is one promise, one guarantee we can have and that is we can have a relationship with Jesus.  This is one promise that He offers all but few fail to accept.  Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:14, “…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  The knowledge of this truth saddens me because in the world in which we live there are so many things that are vying for our attention all struggling to present themselves as the only one that is needed.  In the midst of all of these attractions is the enemy who is aggressively battling for my boy’s attention.  The enemy is seeking to grasp a hold on their hearts and mind to keep theme from knowing Jesus.  This is hard enough for each parent to battle, I do not want to add my faults to that list, and I do not want them to go astray because of my idiosyncrasies.  I often struggle with verses such as Numbers 14:18 which says, “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” Other passages such as Exodus 20:5 and Deuteronomy 5:9 warn us of this very same thing.  Sometimes I wonder if the sins that are visited on our children are the character traits that they glean from our past.  As parents we are all well aware of the fact that our children pick up our habits and mannerisms without out directly teaching them.  They do so just by being around us just by our being with them. 

Another passage of scripture that comes to my mind is Ephesians 6:4, “fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”  I know that this verse is one that few fathers are familiar and fewer yet attempt to live up to.  Yet the commitment the verse calls us all to keep from provoking our children to anger and we do so by teaching them how to know and love the Lord.  If we do not do so instead of teaching them Jesus I am teaching them how to be me.  With that thought I am reminded of the warning “Beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.” (I Corinthians 8:9)  Both of these passages make me cringe when I read them because they are stout warnings to all of us who are responsible for others in our care.

In the Ephesians 6:4 passage we find a direct message to fathers that we should be cautious in raising our children, we must take care not to provoke them to wrath.  It can be that our idiosyncrasies that will alienate their minds from us and from Jesus.  If we are not careful in the raising of our children we will soon find that our lifestyle can and will lead them down the same paths that we have taken and to follow the same sinful practices.  All too often they will follow our actions more than they will follow the instructions that we give them.  The old adage goes, “actions speak louder than our words.”  With this in mind we must never forget that sin, such as anger, provides a path for Satan to lead them down and to keep them in an angry lifestyle.  This life style is at odds against God and it is difficult for the best of men to be angry and not sin.  We also see this passage again in the Word of God, “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:21)  I do worry about our boys; I do try to engulf myself heavily in prayer and the Word for them and because of them.  The responsibility for the boys, as long as they live at home, rests with me in the eyes of God.  As head of the household I am responsible and being human, I must sadly admit, I fail.  It is not easy as a matter of fact it can be quite hard at times, and it is often a very humbling experience.  My desire is to educate them in the things of Christ, the things of the world and how they relate and interact with each other.  My aspirations for them is that they will remember that our longing, our desire was to be an instructor and not an enabler.  I want them learn with me in spite of my failures not teach them to be angry because of them.

What troubles me more is that it appears that many of the parents of each new generation become more of an enabler to their children than the one before.  We do want them to have more than we had at their age, to have things better than we did, we want them to be safe but at what cost do we give them these things?  I believe that too often that which we are giving them is at the sacrifice of their experiential learning.  Each new generation is at risk because we provide more and more for our children and in turn they expect more and more.  Their expectations are met from the hands of the parents and not from their own personal gain.  So they are brought up with an expectation and an entitlement attitude.  Hand out and mouth open and are quick to get angry when they are not given that what they ask for.  As adults we have what we have because we earned it, they have what they have because we gave it to them.  It does not have value to them because it was not personally achieved, it was simply received. 

One final question that comes to mind is, “Where do we draw the line?” Some will say that when they act out we need to practice what is called tough love and there are time that this is true.  Sadly many who do practice tough love it is often too late.  They have raised the child to receive, to hold out their hand and to expect.  Then when the times get hard, when discipline is needed they get angry, they don’t understand why it is needed nor why we withhold things from them or fail to be there for them and they become even angrier.  They are new to this because they have only been taught to receive that which lies within their expectations.  Neither the child nor the parents really know how to respond because they have not been taught to expect nor react to the negative. The truth is, they are not a product of an Ephesians 6:4 home.  We must step up and face the fact that some of the responsibility for their position in life stems from the home we raised them in.  There are times that love hurts because it has to.  There also comes a time when it is better (if possible) to by-pass the pain and correct the error before the hurt has been inflicted.  As parents we are always called to instruct and in many cases this can be done  before it has gone so far it cannot be undone.  

The paths that our boys will take once they are grown up and on their own are going to be ones that splinter off of the paths that I lead them down now.  We must do our best to help their future to not be restricted because of their, our, past.  We do so by helping them to not allow their past regrets to hinder their future joys and we do so by helping them to make right choices early in life.  For it is all too often future joys are overshadowed and hindered by past regrets.  If we do our best to raise them in a non-wrathful lifestyle there is a greater chance that they will not face a life of regret but one of hopeful opportunity. 

With that out of the way I am ready to start another day.  As I face this new day I am off but I know that at the end of the day I will have to face the reflection in the mirror and must ask myself how did I do today?  Did I do all that I could to help or did I place more stumbling blocks to hinder?  Will I be ready to do it all over again in the morning?