Not Knowing Who We’re Looking For

05.29.13

Romans 10:20 20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” ESV

I didn’t ask to be born; it just happened. I’m sure someone thought about it; I’m sure the ‘die’ were cast; but I had no say in the matter (and up until conception I had no matter.) I didn’t get to consult with management as to what my name would be; I didn’t get any input as to my looks, my stature, the color of my hair or the color of my eyes: it is what it is and it is what I’ve been given.

Well, given by who!? Isaiah was so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” It was all given to me by “I”; the Great I AM; by God.

The other side of the coin is this: I found Him but I wasn’t looking for Him. I felt like my life was miserable and if there was a God, He was fuming at me from some far off place. But I wasn’t looking for Him; He searched me out. A bit of a misstatement I know: He’s always known right where I was… I just didn’t know where He was.

The human race for the most part, couldn’t care less about God. Ironically there is a lot of ‘caring’ about ‘gods’; but there isn’t a whole lot of caring about God. The man is distracted; the woman is deceived; and who knows what, between the two of them, is believed. Man isn’t looking for God: He isn’t a part of the equation.

But God is looking for us. God is relentless in His pursuit and strangely, if God Almighty can’t get the job done, He looks for those who’ll go out and tell others about Him. The math is weird but it works. And strangely as well there are those among us who stumble upon the question: Is this all there is, or is there Something or Someone out there?

Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10.17 ESV); he just didn’t say how that word would come. It may be in deepest pain; it may be in a glorious sunrise or sunset; it may through the words of others; it may be through the joy of acceptance; or a random act of kindness and love – whatever it is and however it sounds, it communicates the love of God expressed in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ who ever points our way to God regardless of how our roads lead us to Him. We find God, and we didn’t even know we were looking; or who we were looking for.

Faith is a mystery. Finding faith is more mysterious still. Finding a God one didn’t know exists and coming to love Him is most mysterious of all given our condition. But it’s true and it happens, and God said: “I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown Myself to those who did not ask for Me.” Wow!

Father, thanks!

Patient to Prove a Point

05.28.13

Romans 9.22-23 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory...

Careful Turk , you’re getting into some deep waters… Vessels of wrath? Vessels of mercy – what’s this all about?

God doesn’t stop evil from happening. That’s probably one of the biggest human indictments against Him: He’s passive. The accusation is He allows the wicked to get away with their wickedness and the rest of us (the not-so-wicked) have to put up with it. But God is not passive, He’s patient. And thank God for His patience. Otherwise, all of us, the wicked and the not-so-wicked, are in deep weeds.

Part of what I see in this is God is very patient and when I think He should act He demonstrates His mercy by not acting. I’m glad He is merciful and kind to me, and Idi Amin, and everyone else who deserves justice and just gets mercy instead.

And mercy makes me think about God differently. I hear words like wrath and vengeance being thrown around by some who think God needs to do something. The problem with His wrath is once it gets going there isn’t any stopping it until it’s finished. John 3.16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." And well it should, because it shows God’s heart for the underserving believing. But John 3.36 says:  “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” The wrath of God is irrevocable and implacable and doesn’t accept the pleas of: Please stop!

So, the day of reckoning will one day come and God, who desires to make His wrath and power known, will release what He has in store for those who’ve rejected His offer. The wrath that remains will come to fruition on those who’ve said, “No thanks.”

But for those who’ve accepted – His vessels of mercy – they’ll inherit the riches of His glory (His presence) up close and personal. And they will know the full extent of His mercy by knowing His wrath was poured out on those who willfully went their own way.

God doesn’t stop evil from happening but He does extend mercy to those who will look past the evil of this world to a Being who has offered us a different and better way. It’s because He is patient; and I am speechlessly glad for that! Thank You Lord! His patience proves a point.

Father, may I walk well in Your peace and mercy this day realizing that You will bring all things to their good and perfect end when You save the vessels of Your mercy from the finality of Your wrath. I’m grateful for Your mercy and patience today. Amen.

Deadly Warnings

05.26.13

Proverbs 1.32-33 32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (ESV)

Strong words hurt, but they also help. Strong words are like lancing a boil: they hurt like [bleep] but get the job done. And as complex and intelligent as we are, it is sometimes helpful to have someone say, “HEY STUPID! KNOCK IT OFF!!” We usually listen even if our little wings get clipped. Strong words in the right context help us to stop doing disastrous things…like getting killed.

I think the word ‘killed’ is a strong word. Another Bible version uses the word destroyed but killed is much better for describing the consequences of turning away and complacency. To see the warnings and ignore them is just plain stupid; and many lose their lives to stupidity.

A young man in our town was using a substance called Tannerite in an inappropriate way and blew most of one his hands off when the substance exploded. Not to be harsh, but to help I sometimes tell my son when he decides to do something unwise (like hyperventilating at school until he passes out): remember ___ __________. No offense; just a reminder of the sometimes deadly reality of ignoring the warnings.

The Bible is full of deadly warnings. We’re warned of the consequences of stupidity, and of ignoring God, and the folly of selfishness, and seeing people as objects, and withholding forgiveness, and all sorts of things…not to mention the reality of wrath; God’s wrath: irrevocable and implacable. Wise people heed the warnings and live; fools don’t. Fools die.

The narrative here in Proverbs 1 is that of Wisdom calling out to people: Hear me and heed me. Those who choose to hear and heed will reap the rewards; those who don’t will suffer the consequences.

Today, I am older and wiser (experience will do that) but I am still prone to fits of stupidity and failing to heed; heeding calls for humility, and dang, if that doesn’t just rub me the wrong way at times. But rubbed wrong or not, the rewards of humility are far greater than the consequences of arrogance….

Father, help this old fool to get it by hearing and heeding the deadly warnings. May I not be like the one who looks into Your perfect word like looking into a mirror and then walks away and forgets what he saw. Fill me with Your Spirit to be wise and humble – I need You, Amen.

More Slavery

05.25.13

Romans 6.22 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (ESV)

Paul said: We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6.6 ESV) Our old self was dealt the death blow in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ because the only way to break its grip in our lives was: kill it. But just being set free from sin isn’t enough – to be freed from one slavery usually leads to more slavery. So now we are set free from slavery to sin so that we may be slaves of God. And that’s a good deal.

What captivates us? What are our little addictions? Solomon was blessed beyond description and beyond compare – but his little addiction got him into trouble: Solomon was addicted to lust and only felt like he was a man when he was with a woman. And so to prove it, he had 1000 women in his life. That’s 2.7397 women a night throughout the year…just sayin’…

Sometimes, our little addictions are harmless or have that appearance. Sometimes our little addictions are at first, somewhat manageable. But as long as addictions remain addictions they, in reality, remain in control. That’s why Paul’s usage of the word slave (or slavery) is so important: he calls it for what it really is: abhorrent to our preferences. But little addictions are more subtle and insidious than abhorrent: they creep in and give us little pleasures and keep us looking for a little more and a little more.

To be sure, we humans are incredibly complex creatures, but we aren’t that hard to control. It’s the little things in life usually that lead us around by the nose. And it’s the repeated exposure to the little things that after a while, mounts up to big things – with big chains and big locks – that keep us under control and away from what is good, better, or the best for us.

So, what is the best solution from slavery to little addictions? According to Paul the Apostle: more slavery; but slavery of a different kind and under a different King: we’re to become the slaves of God. (Slave or servant is just semantics.)

Slavery isn’t such a bad gig… if we’re enslaved to the right person (or purpose). To be so heavenly-minded that we’re of little earthly good isn’t the worst thing, because it keeps us away from nasty little subtle and insidious addictions.

Now then, the worst prayer we can pray is: God, make me more Your slave. If we believe, we’re already His slaves. A better prayer to pray would be: God, help me remember who I am according to Your word and according to Your grace: I am Your slave. And slaves are not free to live as they please – they are only free to serve their master. And You are my master.

Father, help me remember who I am according to Your word and according to Your grace: I am Your slave, and I am not free to live as I please – I am only free to serve my master and You are my Master. May Your grace, purpose, and presence have their way in me today – Amen.

Stick with Me

05.24.13

Psalm 136.26 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.
(ESV)

Today in my reading: 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8, Psalm 136, and Romans 5 the word endures or endurance shows up a couple times. Additionally the theme of endurance shows up as well. Endurance is underrated. My brother always asks me, when I’ve come across some song or recording of old rock and roll, is it enduring? Meaning: is it just as entertaining today as it was back when we thought it was so cool and we felt we couldn’t live without it?

Usually the novelty wears off pretty quick.

But God appeared to Solomon and said: And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. (1 Kings 9.4-7 ESV) In other words: Solly, stick with Me.

And Psalm 36 is crescendo after crescendo of “…for his steadfast love endures forever.” A reminder of just how vast is the love of God and how enduring. Stick with Me.

And Paul said, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5.3-5 ESV) Stick with me.

I vacillate; I get tired; I get bored, I get afraid; I get distracted – endurance is fleeting for me at times, and more often than I want to admit. But today I remember it isn’t so much about my endurance as it is the Love of God that endures. I may be weak (I am) but He is always so strong and He hasn’t called me to do this life all on my own, but to depend on Him every step of every moment that comes my way. Stick with God Paul.

Today, I am to stick with Him and the sunshine of His love even when the clouds of my weakness roll past.

Father, I cannot do this on my own but I am grateful for this: [Your] steadfast love endures forever. Today I meet whatever comes my way asking not for power or might but Your Spirit to help me to remember that endurance is not about me but about You. Thank You that your steadfast love endures forever… Amen.

Counted to Me

05.23.13

Romans 4.23-25 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)

It’s hard for me to figure out just how I came about the gift of faith. I suppose the years I sat in church completely disinterested rubbed off on me despite myself. I sure lived like hell. But one day I recognized (somehow) I needed Jesus Christ. I don’t think I got the gift that day, I think I got it sometime before. I think the day I realized my need for Jesus, I realized I had the gift of faith and decided to use it.

Faith is a mystery. Abraham had it, but there is no telling how he got it. He may have had encounters with God that aren’t recorded in Scripture. He may have studied the stars and come to the conclusion, “There has to be Someone beyond all this!”. Hard to tell. But how he came to faith isn’t as important as the fact that Abraham came to faith and that very thing was counted to him as righteousness. No law to keep, no rules to mind – just belief in God.

In a few days we’re going to read: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." The fact that Abraham knew of God is a miracle in and of itself to me; and because he knew and believed, Abraham was made righteous in his belief. The same applies to me.

And because he believed the door was opened for others to believe and from his belief the Scriptures were written and the Gospel was shared. Faith came after Abraham by what he shared with his descendants and what they then shared with theirs; and with those around them.

With God, we must believe – there is no other way in spite of what is said about belief all around us every day. In order to be righteous, one must believe God and believe in God.

Abraham’s righteousness has been passed down through the ages to me. Not just to me, but to all who will believe that there is a God and we need Him. Knowing there is a God is the first step – realizing I need Him is the next, and the gift of faith is what God gives to those who need to know their need, and the Solution to their need. It’s as simple as that…

Father, thank You for the gift of grace, that unmerited favor of Yours that gives me the gift of faith. I don’t ask for more grace, I already have it all – but I do ask for more faith and for the expression of that faith to take more risks for You and Your love. Faith came after Abraham by hearing and may I speak of that faith more boldly, empowered by You – amen.

The Human Question

05.22.13

Romans 3.31 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. (ESV)

God! What do You want me to do!? I think this is the Human Question. I think this question has been asked ever since man disobeyed in the Garden and spoiled the whole party. I think man (the man Adam) had perfect relationship with God before the fall (his fall, not from grace, but from relationship). I think Adam and God got along swimmingly until man (Adam) decided for some reason, that God was trying to pull the wool over his eyes; there was something for him to have that God wasn’t willing to give. And ever since, man (all men) has asked: God, what do You want me to do? What do You want from me?

To His special chosen people: Israel, God gave a Law and established that through that Law by faith (belief and trust that this was the only way) their relationship with Him would be restored. And so, to the Jew, the Law is a big, big deal. Law for them however, became the focus, not God; they decided keeping the rules was what really mattered to God and so they perfected the Law in order to answer the question: God, what do You want me to do? They put their faith in their ability to obey, not in God who asked them to obey.

To the rest of mankind no law was given; only the gift of grace: God loves me because He is, not because of what I’ve done. So to the rest of mankind comes the question: God, what do You want me to do? And the answer is: Believe in My Solution to your problem by loving Me, trusting Me and accepting My Son, Whom I’ve sent to buy your way out of your problem. The rest of mankind’s answer: Impossible!

To the Jew, there is a need to uphold the Law believing that was the stipulation for the relationship. But because of the human heart, upholding the Law is impossible – however, having faith in the arrangement is what placates a holy God: there is a difference in trying to obey a law because you want to – or because you have to. The “want to”, has his heart in the right place; the “has to”, looks for corners to cut and ‘obeys’ when someone’s eye are on him. Righteousness is borne in the attitude toward the Law and the Giver of the Law.

I can look for God’s approval by trying to impress Him on how good I’ve been. I try to do that all the time. Or I can place my faith, my trust, in His unchanging and unfailing grace and live according to His free gift of love that I neither merit, nor deserve.

What do You want me to do, God? Just love Me Paul trust Me, and let Me take care of things! That’s what I want you to do and when that happens, your need to ask me what to do takes on a whole new meaning: you become interested in what I am interested in, and I will equip you to do the things I ask you to do.

Father, help me today to get this; and to live as You call me to live: loving You and trusting You to guide and direct, and if there is anything You need done, You can call on me… amen.

Real Life Real Dragon

05.19.13

2 Thessalonians 3.3 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (ESV)

This morning I get the privilege of speaking at one of our sister churches here in Baker City, what a treat! For the subject matter I’m going to use a couple clips from the movie: The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey to underscore a couple themes from Scripture. It ought to be fun.

In the book The Hobbit, Or There and Back Again the main character is a lowly creature named Bilbo Baggins who appears to be somewhat well-to-do and loves to live in his polished little Hobbit home built into the side of a hill with a round door and round windows. The hallways are round tubular affairs but are lined with expensive stained and polished wood and the floors are covered with tile, woods and very nice quality rugs. The place is rather posh we might say.

Bilbo is enticed by a good wizard to join a company of dwarves who are journeying back to their home: the Lonely Mountain, where their past and vast fortunes have been captured and spoiled by a vicious, hideous dragon. There is no mention of God in the story – only a wise wizard, a band of dwarves, some elves, and an unlikely Hobbit, and evil beyond imagination.

In real life, not fantasy stories, there is an evil one – the Bible tells us so. The Bible calls him a serpent and a dragon. Our lives are not filled with dwarves, and wizards and elves; our lives are filled with the comings and goings of men who live in selfishness, greed, and all manner of evil. And the finger of blame points to a dragon of unspeakable evil that chooses to make the lives of men as miserable as he can.

The Good News is in real life there is also God. The mystery is: God is good and never does anything wrong, and is filled with love, and goodness, and hates evil. But God allows evil to grow right alongside good. Interestingly, in real life, God promises to protect and help real people avoid the real evil that is around them if they will but keep their eyes focused upon and their lives aligned with Him: the Lord is faithful; He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. So, in real life as in fantasy stories, there is a way to navigate through life and avoid the evil that is so prevalent around us and in our hearts. It’s based upon a truth, a promise, the Lord is faithful.

The Lord is faithful and for those who choose to believe in Him they are called the faithful: faith begets faith. The child of faith is born to the father of faith. Our only hope in real life is to have faith in Him who is faithful and will establish and guard us against the real dragon.

I need help against the real evils in real life and I must stay stuck to the real God who faithfully promises to establish me in truth and guard me against the real evil one who just happens to really be called a dragon.

Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness and for the gift of faith against real evils and a real evil one… amen.

To Do As You Ask

05.18.13

Psalm 78.68  68 …but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves. (ESV)

Judah was the fourth-born son of the patriarch Jacob. The fourth-born was not usually the one to whom the keys of authority were passed in families or kingdoms of old. That always went to the first-born son. But God doesn’t do as man does. God is not a God of conventional thinking or doing. God chooses whom He chooses for reasons that are His own.

God chose the nation of Israel to be His special people with whom He had a special relationship based upon a special law that He gave them to follow. Antiquity reveals that the Jews weren’t the only people-group which had laws to guide them in their interactions with each other and with their God. But God’s law for them was special and He expected them to abide by it in faith believing it was the only way for them to live.

Then God chose another people-group known to the Jews as the Gentiles. The Gentiles were: “of or pertaining to any people not Jewish.” And what God gave to them was grace, not law. God gave them love, not regulation. And God desires for the Gentiles of all ages to abide in faith in His grace that He loves them and His love will transform them.

What I saw in this Psalm today was God’s choice. I was born a Gentile: one to whom the only law I am to live by is love: love for God, and love for my fellow man. God seems to bless the man who loves Him and loves his fellow man. God chose Jews to live in faith by the Law and Gentiles to live in faith by love.

I know there’s a bunch of theology out there which would call me naïve and unlearned and I accept that. But there is also a principle by which I am supposed to live and it simplifies theology down to this: the love of God begets the love for God and the love for God is shown by the love for man. Consider this old poem:

Abou Ben Adhem

BY LEIGH HUNT

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold:—

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

         The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

And my prayer: Father, may my love for You be like that of Abou: I cannot love my fellow man without Your loving me first and to that I am chosen – not of merit, I have none. Not of intellect, mine is small. Not of skill, I lack. Only that You have chosen the unlikely to succeed, to do as You ask, and Lord that is my prayer: to do as You ask and where I struggle the most: loving You by loving men. Amen.

My Dwelling Place

05.16.13

Psalm 91.9 9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— (ESV)

“You are my hiding place

You always fill my heart

With songs of deliverance

Whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You”     - Selah

Everyone lives somewhere, locale included. Home is where the heart is – where is your heart? I know it’s in you, but where does it reside? Not just space but thought, musings, dreams, desires, beliefs; everyone lives somewhere.

This morning I woke up thinking the uglies and as I am wont to do, I quickly switched over to thinking about God. Thoughts of God and His love and perfection help chase away my uglies. My heart lives here in this home, in this town, in this state, in this country, in this hemisphere, on this globe, in this galaxy in this universe… but God has become my dwelling place.

The promise of Scripture is: good will come to those who make God their dwelling place. That doesn’t mean uglies will cease, but when ugly comes the God-dweller has a place to go to escape. And not just escape the uglies but be filled with the pretties. God cares about where our hearts reside and what’s in our hearts. That’s why it is so important to answer the question: where is your heart?

A source of the uglies for me is thinking wrongly about the imperfections of others. That’s why I combat the uglies with thoughts about God’s love and presence and acceptance and power and majesty. But all of what God has for me is incomplete without His love for those who are annoyingly imperfect. God seems to be saying, “Deal with it!”

In other words, Paul, love yourself, accept yourself and all your imperfections, and it will make dealing with other’s imperfections easier. Our side of heaven will be located in the incomplete, the confusing, and the imperfect. That’s why it is important to know where my heart dwells in all of this incomplete, confusion, and imperfection. (Seriously, I’m not sure I’d know what to do with perfection – I’m so used to imperfect…)

The dwelling place of my heart is the place where I make it: where you make your bed is where you’ll lie down. To make the Lord my dwelling place is to actively and intentionally turn to God with all that is incomplete, confusing, and imperfect and know that it is all going to be alright. And to live in God is to make dealing with all that is wrong around me not right, but bearable. God promises we can live perfectly well in our present surroundings if our heart’s home is in the right place: in Him.

He who dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadows of the Almighty. And I will say of the Lord: He is my refuge and my fortress – my God in Whom I will trust… Father, You are my dwelling place…

Love Songs

05.15.13

1 Thessalonians 4.9-10 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more… (ESV)

One of the truest tests of true love for a man is to sing the love songs of youth to his aged wife. The love songs of youth are all about attraction, and romance, need, and mystique. Some seem to think love songs are only for the young and then we get older and quit being so silly about love.

Proverbs 30 says: Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin. (Vv. 18,19 ESV) My question is: when does the way of a man with his woman ever change? Is it supposed to? Can he continue to sing the songs of love?

Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to continue to love each other more and more and with the same excellence they had already demonstrated – in the church, who we’re with is all we got, so love the ones you’re with. Make room for more but love the ones you’re with. The Thessalonians got this – and did it.

One of the truest tests of love for the disciple of Christ is to love God and to love people. Sometimes God appears to be distant, but our love for Him isn’t to be reserved for just the cool of the day (see Genesis 3) or Sunday mornings, it’s to be constant, continual, and permanent. So too, our love for one another and for others. Can we sing the love songs of the faith to each other as the Church?

I used to attend a church where the Pastor made every other row of us (beginning with the first row) turn and face the next row behind and sing, out loud, “I Love You with the Love of the Lord”. He meant well but we all felt pretty danged awkward. We shouldn’t have, and weren't supposed to but we did. I think most of us hated it when he made us do that.

Our problem was we didn’t understand 1 Thessalonians (or probably the rest of the Bible for that matter.) Love, is what the Bible is all about. Recognizing our need for love is why we turn to God in the first place. Realizing that God could love someone as unlovable as me is huge – and God says, as I have loved you (Paul) turn now and love others that way too.

I think many are afraid of love because they don’t love and think they are unlovable. I have trouble with love because I think I have too much to protect. But that is where the freeing love of God comes in and reminds me it isn’t about performance but His presence in my heart channeling His love through me to others. I need to find myself in places where that can happen – as often as I can. God’s love is what will save a loveless world. And it starts with me.

Father, oh that I may love as You love and live as You live: focused on others in their need, and free to be a channel of Your blessing – Amen.

The Smackdown

05.14.13

1 Thessalonians 3.11-13 11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (ESV)

I looked it up this morning: the word sinner occurs eight times in Paul’s writings and was never used in context toward those chosen by God except by implication (or downright libel) from those who had something to lose: the religious. We, the people of God, are never called sinners in the Bible. We might sin, we might fail, we might turn and high-tail, but we are never called sinners once in Scripture. We’ve hung the name sinners upon ourselves.

The most heinous sin in the entire universe is simply the sin of unbelief. Many would like to put murder at the top of the list, but it isn’t. Nor is adultery, nor is theft or idolatry or a whole host of other “sins”. The only sin that will keep a person out of heaven is unbelief. Jesus blasted the Pharisees for accusing the Spirit of God for being a spirit of Satan. The crime there was the Pharisees, in unbelief, accused God of being unholy. But the real deal there was unbelief because someone had to really not believe to arrive at such thinking. And to arrive there is to close the door on everything else.

Paul prayed this benediction over the Thessalonian church: Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Was Paul offering this benediction to unbelievers? Were these people a bunch of sinners? Of course not. Saints are not sinners. Paul’s words were a smackdown in gentle love.

The hardest part of our Christianity as I see it – and I see it everywhere – is the belief that God sees us way differently than we see ourselves. God sees us as His children and His saints. We don’t. We can’t believe God can/will love us when we do some of the most unlovable things. But if behavior is such a big issue, then proper behavior is founded upon proper belief: I am not what I do, I am what I believe. The issue is not performance but belief.

That’s why the smackdown: it focused upon what God would do, not what they had done. God is in charge of our spiritual formation and maturity, not us. That’s why He keeps at us. Trying to earn our way to heaven and into God’s love by being good is just the Christianized version of Pharisaism – the spirit of unbelief. The smackdown helps us quit believing the wrong things about us, and believe the right things.

Father, keep at me until I get it. May this benediction be mine today to truly believe and to believe truly “…that You will make me increase and abound in love for all… so that my heart will be established blameless in holiness before You, looking toward the coming Jesus Christ with all his saints – the ones You love. Amen.

Hope In a Brighter Day

05.12.13

1 Thessalonians 1.2-3 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is nothing like a winning team…unless you’re rooting for the other guys. Paul seemed to have a genuine heart for this special group of people in the Church in Thessalonica. He knew them because of their work in faith: knowing what God wanted them to do and doing it; for their labor in love: they did what they did because they were filled with love for God and people; and their steadfastness in hope: believing and doing because they saw past the darkness of now to that brighter day when darkness would be banished forever. Wow! What a group!

I think some lessons for me are simply knowing: what to do for God. As Twain once remarked: it isn’t the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that I have trouble with – it’s the parts of the Bible I do understand… What does God want from me? Love Him and love people. Not rocket science, not brain surgery – just openness, honesty, and genuine-ness with my fellow man that we are all in this thing together and need God to make it through.

And laboring in love – loving God with all I have to love His creatures and creation with generosity, respect, and always, their best at heart in all I do.

And steadfastness in hope: looking forward in eager expectation of that brighter day when darkness is no more. I don’t do what I do so much for the here and now, but for that day when the eternal light shall shine upon all of God’s realms and no darkness or shadow of change will interrupt. Hope leads me to what comes next but faith and love keep me grounded in the now.

The adventure is now. Prayers are for now. Faith and the Love are for now in hope: the grand expectation of then when God’s purposes will be fulfilled and new vistas of eternity will beckon us to what lays beyond.

For now it is Faith, Love, and Hope; and the Thessalonian Church was a group of people known for those things. I want to be known for those things and hang around others who are known for those things. This world needs people known for those things who withstand the ridicule and the persecution because their eyes are forever fixed on that brighter day. I want to be in that number…

God’s Half

05.11.13

Psalm 55.22 22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. (ESV)

Sometimes, the Bible makes outrageous statements – well, no, often. The verse above is an outrageous statement. It isn’t outrageous because it isn’t true, it’s outrageous because it flies in the face of experience of man and the generally accepted convention of the world which replies: Oh yes He will!

I have heard it said we should never say, never. Maybe that’s true but when God says never we should listen. The charge against God by most is: He doesn’t do what He says He’ll do – He makes bold and outrageous statements He either can’t or won’t back up with action. That’s why when most pray there is no expectation that their prayer is heard or responded to. Praying, for most, is like trying to get the government to do something – they may or may not get around to it. Probably not.

The invitation in this verse is to take our burdens to the Lord and He will sustain us; He’ll carry the weight. Our problem with verses like this is we sometimes don’t get the response we want or circumstances don’t go the way we think they should. But we can only approach the truth with our half of the story – our perspective and understanding; and half is only half.

What does it mean we won’t be moved? Does this mean our locale will never change? Does it mean our circumstances won’t change? Does it mean life will always be peachy with soft and gentle breezes, and few (if any) ripples on the pond? Heavens no! Life is life with all that comes with it. But the righteous will never be moved from the pleasure of God’s love for them.

That’s it Paul; that’s all ya got!? What about cancer and divorce and war and famine and all the rest? What happens then!? Where is your God in all of these things!!!?

He’s right where He’s supposed to be: caring for His own who believe in the best when life serves them up the worst; who believe that the story doesn't end here as many so desperately want to believe. We, who call upon the Lord, are never alone and are never in strange circumstance to Him – as He is supposed to be, we are as well: right where we’re supposed to be. And when life serves up its stuff we get to bring it to God; the unbeliever just gets to hang onto it. The believer’s problem is God’s problem. The unbeliever’s problem is only his own.

The half is not the whole but if I only get half then I’ll take this half: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. I’ll take God’s half and all that comes with it. I’ll take knowing I am cared for in what appears to be the worst of things so that in living this life faithfully, I’ll someday get the best of things. That’s called hope, and the hope I hold onto today is this: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Bring it on world, I got God!

Confident Offerings

05.10.13

Psalm 56.12-13 12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (ESV)

A complete reading of Psalm 56 is in order here, so if you haven’t, you should. David, as he is wont to do, pours out his feelings toward God. It’s okay to tell God what’s on our heart: He already knows and if there is Anyone who cares, it is Him. And so David tells the Lord of his troubles and reaffirms his trust in the Lord: in all of this trouble, what can man do to me since I trust in the Lord.

With God, all-knowing and ever-present, honesty is always the best policy – He knows it all anyway. The question is do we trust Him in the midst of our troubles? Some want to work it out on their own. Some want someone else to take up their cause and work it out for them. But the honorable thing for everyone is to honestly give our complaints to the Lord and allow Him to work them out. It honors God and it relieves us of distraction of doubt and the feelings of being alone.

The psalm speaks of David’s troubles and ends on this note: I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. In the midst of it all, David knew he had things he had to do: complete his end of the bargain, and offer thank offerings to the Lord because of the Lord’s presence in the midst of his trial. David wasn’t going to whine about his plight and disobey the Lord’s commands to offer thank offerings for the His help.

I think David offered the thank offerings in confidence of what the Lord would do by looking back at what the Lord had already done. There’s a lesson here for us: remember and thank God for what He’s already done in anticipation of what He’s going to do; what we need Him to do. It’s all about perspective: if we can thank God for the tangible things He’s already done, we can thank Him in advance of the intangible things we’ve not yet received. That’s faith.

What is expected of us in faith, is not to fear, fear, but also to remember God. Verse 3 of this psalm says: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. There is an admission of fear but there is an accompanying affirmation of where to go and what to do when times are fearsome: place my trust in God. Fear cannot stand against faith. David performed his vows and offered his thanks because he confidently knew where to turn in difficulty.

Father, You know full well what went through my head all last weekend and You know my heart was quieted when I finally cast my cares upon You knowing confidently knowing You care about me. Help me to not get caught up in distractions but to confidently fulfill my vows to You; to offer my thanks to You for Who You are, Where You are, and How You are: my God and Savior forever. Faith in You builds my confidence and my confidence allows me to avoid the deadly distraction of trying to solve it on my own. Thank You Lord, for Your presence and power – amen.

To Another Generation

05.09.13

Psalm 71.18 18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come. (ESV)

Three days ago my first grandchild was born – yes, I’m a grand-pa now! (There’s a catchy little tune that goes with those words…) But as grand-dad, things look different now than they did before my grandson Maxx was born. I don’t look a lot different, but life looks a lot different. One replaying chorus in my head each time I think about all the evils in the world and all the adventures and disappointments my grandson will face is: but God…

As I read this psalm today I heard variations on that theme: but God. God doesn't forget about the aging and the aged – as long as we've breath we have purpose on earth for God and with God. As long as we live there is work to be done and a witness to be lived for the Almighty.

The psalmist wrote: So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me… The aged are very important to God. Their experiences – their trials and errors are worth looking at and trying to learn from. Even mistakes tell a story and the problems of the world won’t just go away with the next generation, they’ll, sadly, only get worse. So learning from experience is valuable even if it is only this lesson: don’t do that, it didn’t work for us and it probably won’t work for you.

I don’t worry about God’s forsaking me. If I am honest, I worry about how I’ll live; but even in those worries I get around to this: I don’t get taken out of God’s earthly employ until my last breath goes out of my lungs and until then, I have something to do: proclaim [His] might to another generation, [His] power to all those to come. That includes a newborn grandson.

Worry is an obnoxious petty thief. He comes in little by little and causes us to begin to question what will happen to us without a late-in-life game plan. The psalmist says proclaiming God’s might is our work especially when we’re cast up on the heap of the world’s used stuff – what good is he, he’s old! As long as there’s breath there is a voice, and the world of the new need to hear of God’s might to help the plight of man. New babies, new teens, new newly-weds. New believers, everyone!

Until the end of all things there will always be a new generation to be patiently, gently guided into the thought process of: but for God, we will all perish. But with God, we will all succeed in the greatest calling of every individual on this earth throughout time: There is a God and we are not Him.

Father, You are gracious, loving, and always have something for me to do. Help me not to worry about aging, health, retirement – yada, yada, yada. May I focus on the truth that there is another generation which needs to hear about Your might; may I succeed in proclaiming to them that truth … Amen.

A Love to Share

05-08-13

Matthew 25.45-46 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (ESV)

Who is Jesus talking to - Christians? The difficulty of some passages in the Gospels is they seem to have a punitive tone to them which, in my mind, don't square with the grace of God. How can I be a recipient of grace and yet be awaiting a 'judgment' about my works? These are some of the difficulties of sayings of Jesus in the Gospels that I think lead to confusion and cause folks to think grace is really somehow tied into the Law and to performance.

Are we who believe, unconditionally loved by God or not? We need to carefully consider that question. If we are, then what does that love do to us? Is God's grace only with stipulation? If so is it not conditional? How can it be unconditional and have conditions?

Who was Jesus talking to? That is another thing we must consider. If He is talking to the Church, then we are all back in the conditional boat. And if that is the case, all of Paul's arguments in his epistles contradict what Jesus is saying here: Paul says grace is not by works or it cannot be grace.

So, how do I approach this? If I understand and embrace the unconditional love of God my life will be different. I won't have a charge to dismiss, but I will have a love to share. I have often feared these verses as if I somehow won't measure up to the demands of God. Tell me, where in grace is there a demand? Friends, where there is fear there is ineffectiveness. Where there are demands, there is Law. And where there is Law there is no grace.

O the freeing love of Jesus, liberating my confused soul
O the grace of God the Father motivating me and making me whole
O the indwelling of God the Spirit guiding me to heights unseen
O to share Their power and presence with every other human being - amen.

Never Ever

05-07-13

2 Samuel 14.33 33 Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom. (ESV)

2 Samuel 13 and 14 are a follow-up, or rather the next phase in David's familial collapse brought on by his sin with Bathsheba. David's children become pawns in a game of sin, lust, and deceit, unfortunately started by David himself. The whole problem was David loved God but seemed to forget about God's Law. And it was to God's Law that he was held accountable.

Nowadays, we are held accountable to God's love. Love is the most freeing thing in the universe because it's given by the most freeing Person in the universe. But David wasn't off the hook from the Levitical Law - and Leviticus was pretty specific about sexual conduct among God's people. David was God's person; David's kids were God's people too. They were all accountable to God's Laws about sex. Amnon should have been stoned for his rape of David's daughter Tamar. David should have been ousted as king for his fling with Bathsheba, and Absalom was guilty of death for murdering Amnon. (Absalom wouldn't have murdered Amnon had they carried out the punishment for the rape of a sibling...Amnon would've already been dead.)

David was extraordinarily gifted and successful. David was chosen by God to lead Israel and he did it very well...until he fell. The first step off the top of the world is down...always. David lost his sight of God for a while; God helped him to get it back.

I'd like to say the fairytale ended happily ever after, but it didn't. Actually, as we'll read in the next few days, the story gets worse. But difficulties or not' David never lost his love for God. And more importantly: God never lost His love for David. And God never loses His love for us.

Like David, we might have to suffer some consequences, but God never takes back His love for us, from us.

I think God hates it when we fall but He never, ever hates us no matter how bad it gets...even when we think He does - or He should. We know we would, but He never ever does. Ever.

Father, You know I would have liked to have taken these words in another direction but I can't; I can't omit Your love...ever. Thank You that despite all the wrong that assails, Your love never fails - for me, for David, and for anyone who trusts You enough to believe that truth. Amen.

Weaknights

05-06-13

2 Samuel 11.2-3 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (ESV)

This is the story of boredom - a skilled and gifted man was bored and did a stupid thing. Can you relate? I could tell you that my life is perfect and I have found the answer to boredom - that I just stay busy all the time and keep boredom at bay through activity. I could tell you that I am focused and faithful and have it all figured out.  I could tell you I am through with stupid things.. I could tell you, but I'd be lying if I did.

David's issue wasn't as much a pattern as it was a momentary lapse. For some reason the great king had lost his focus, and it cost him dearly. What could I tell you: don't get bored? Maybe, but I think more appropriate would be: be careful, weakness can attack anyone at any time and we can aid and abet its approach.

Maybe the power went to David's head; it all seemed so random. But one thing is for sure' David quit looking where he was supposed to be looking and the rest is sadness and further tragedy; besides the murder of a trusted soldier and the death of an innocent.

The lesson for me is to be careful and beware the sinister approach of boredom. I can't say I've won the battle' but I can say this story always reminds me of the insidiousness of idleness - and idleness while alone.

Father in Heaven, what can a man do but act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You? Help me to remember and to help others remember as well - they don't call them weaknights for nothing...

For Your Glory

05.04.13

1 Chronicles 18.14 14 So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people. (ESV)

Not everybody liked David – very few leaders ever garner the respect and devotion of the entire crowd. There were those we will find later on who pined for David’s demise and collapse of his rule. David powerfully subdued his enemies but they certainly didn’t fall on their backs in the face of opposition and again, later on we’ll find they too rose up against the sovereignty of Israel.

David is almost a fairy-tale character: raised in obscurity from the sheep pastures of his father, and then anointed future king while the then current king was still in power – awkward! David had remarkable skills and a perspective that helped him immensely: he loved and obeyed and sought the Lord his God. And as the writer of Chronicles records, David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.

It is one thing to be a judicious ruler – it is another to be an equitable King. It is the best of both worlds to be both. David was both. Not only did David love, obey and seek his God, he also ruled in His power and presence. David seemed to get God and ruled as he thought God ruled: with justice and equity according to Divine Standards, and with heart and mercy. Who knew there was such a God as this hanging around? David did.

At my Thursday meeting this past week, we discussed the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Cf. Galatians 5.22-23). The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The fruit isn’t different kinds of fruit but fruit that produces different kinds of things – like: love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We’ll notice justice isn’t on the list – nor is equity. Nor is wisdom or righteousness. But a person who rules in submission to the Holy Spirit will be known for these things because from his life comes these kinds of fruits. David was that kind of leader. David ruled in submission to God. He wielded power but his life produced fruit.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (V. 31) I think this sums up David’s attitude toward kingship: all for God’s glory.

These days as I grow older it’s more about fruit than it is power. I want to do what I do to help people and maybe in some way enrich their lives. That only comes by hanging around with God and walking in submission to His Spirit’s presence in my life. The difference is His presence. That’s what made David who he was…

Father, fill me with Your Spirit that I may live today, and whatever I find myself doing, I do for Your glory. Your presence changes me and may I simply walk humbly with You this day – forever changed that You have chosen me to live where I do, with the people I do, and among people You care for. It really isn’t about justice and equity – it’s about You. Fill me to represent You well this day – Amen.

Instruction for Mankind

05.03.13

2 Samuel7.19 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! (ESV)

What a vast statement: “…and this is instruction for mankind…!” Who knew? Well, apparently David did. David understood the bigger picture. David saw God in a way most men, then and now, never do.

God’s covenant with David was a repeated promise: through David’s descendants would be the Savior for all mankind, a King who would reign over the earth. David seemed to understand this. And David seemed blown away by it all: “How could You, O God, do such great things through such a small family!?”

The moves of God seem singular and individual and yet, are important for all of mankind – no matter how seemingly small or insignificant. In such an evil age, mankind needs God’s leadership and rule to fill the emptiness in our hearts and to make all that is wrong give way to all that is right. David understood this. To David was gifted some very important knowledge.

Do you see the problems of our world; the selfishness of mankind, the pathetic attempts of humans to rule themselves and do what they think is right? Do you see the abuses and corruptions of weak-willed men who give way to bribery, immorality, and theft in order to gain power over people? Of course you do – it’s as common as dandelions in the spring.

What if God was calling you and me to do something about it? What would we do? And would our puny lives amount to anything big enough to stop the catastrophic flood of wrong in our world? Could God use little tiny people like us to change the godless culture of our globe? The answer to these questions is: Yes! And more!

We don’t live our puny little lives in a vacuum. It may feel like it and may look like it but the game-changer is God. With God the playing field of our lives and existence becomes a vastly different place; with a vastly different purpose: this is instruction for mankind. All of mankind. The result of our tiny little lives, in our union with God, is global impact. Not arrogance; not delusions of grandeur, but the plain reality of God within us. We are called to be game-changers. David seemed to understand this.

Today we are the children of God put upon this earth to make a godly difference and this is instruction for mankind. Whether they realize it or not, our lives represent to them the reality of God and the massive importance of faith. What we do is not for us but for them. Who we are is not for us but for them. Nations and governments will change because of our union with God.

Father, it is not about utopia; it’s about Your Kingdom, Your presence, and Your power. You love Your creation and have provided for us an infinite future in which to display Your goodness and glory. Help me to live in that reality in union with You today – Amen.

Serenity Courage and Wisdom with Money

05.02.13

Matthew 19.21 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (ESV)

The man in this account – a young man he is described – had his god: it was his money. Now, he didn’t admit that, and Jesus didn’t accuse him of that, but the implication derived from what Jesus told him and his subsequent response indicated he was pretty happy with what he had and didn’t want to give any of it up. He had a lot of wealth.

Wealth causes people to do things, that without it, they might not do. Riches have an effect on folks. Most of the folk I know worry about their lack of wealth. Some of the rich I know worry about how to hold on to it. Jesus tells us, don’t worry at all: trust God instead.

We really can’t control our inflow and out-go of money, but God can, and does. Lord, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot control; courage to use wisely the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Jesus wasn’t asking the rich man to quit being rich, He was inviting him to have the right perspective toward wealth. The man, in his thinking, had it all but he wanted God to bless him as well. Jesus said the price of admission was to understand what money is and what true riches are.

The trade-off (or transaction if you will) was giving up riches as a god and accepting God as God. Jesus said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” It wasn’t giving up money; it was giving up the wrong attitude toward money: money isn’t the answer for everything. Our problem is how we think about money: if I only had some money, I’d…

God, what do You want me to do? God, where do You fit into this picture? God what is my attitude toward money and wealth? What am I clinging to that shows where my heart and values really are? The only answer Jesus could give to the young man’s query was: get rid of what is holding you back and give yourself fully to God. It was more than he wanted to pay.

My attitude toward money needs to boil down to something like this:

Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30.7-9 ESV)

Lord, I know I can’t handle it when I am flush, and I know I whine about it when I am broke. I don’t need more or less money; I need YOU, and a right attitude toward money. Help me to trust You, to be content with what I have, and to be wise when it comes to using what You have given me to further the work of Your Kingdom. Grant me the serenity, courage and wisdom I need , amen.

The Presence of God Within

05.01.13

Psalm 132.3-5 3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, 5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” (ESV)

I do know what this is about so I don’t want to be accused of taking it out of context; but sometimes you’ll read a passage one way all of your life, and then you read it and it seems to be saying something completely different – y’ever experience that?

I look at King David differently now than I did a few years back when I first became acquainted with him. I understand he was God’s man, anointed to be king over Israel. I know he was a fierce and skilled warrior. I know he was an able administrator of people and projects. I know he consulted God when no one else seemed to think it was all that necessary. But I recognize today that like the rest of us, David had a hole in his heart he was trying desperately to fill. Listen to this:

And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him. And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. (1 Chronicles 14.1-3 ESV) A palace? Wives? Children? What more could a guy want?

And then it was recorded: David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. (1 Chronicles 15.1 ESV) David built houses for himself and pitched a tent for God. He wanted God close. But he was restless in his passion for the closeness of God.

What if you and I were to say: “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, 5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”? Where would we put Him? A modern religious group has a number of temples spread across our land – is God in each one of those or does He travel to various ones when the mood strikes?

David wanted God close to him so he pitched a tent but even then, that wouldn’t do. David longed for the presence of God – something that an Ark or a Tabernacle could never supply. And what David wanted, he never got. But the Apostle Paul said this: Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Cor. 3.16-17 emphasis added) The one thing David wanted he never got – but what he wanted is for every believer today: the presence of God within.

It is high time I celebrated the presence of God within me and my church family across the globe like David did: singing, dancing, and making an utter fool of myself. What David never got, I have. But he sure longed for it and I often take it for granted. The only place God has ever desired to be is on the throne of our hearts and that is worth expending every bit of life-energy to achieve.

Lord Jesus, take the throne of my heart and rule and reign from there. Let me surrender and live in Your peace – obeying Your will without a care. Amen.