People Who Know

04.19.13

Psalm 35.27 27 Let those who delight in my righteousness

shout for joy and be glad

and say evermore,

“Great is the Lord,

who delights in the welfare of his servant!” (ESV)

There are those who delight in our righteousness; there are those who are glad the our lives validate their own. It is human nature but the walk of the Christ follower can be a source of tremendous discomfort to those who just don’t get it. But to those who do it is a relief that SOMEONE understands.

Yesterday, I read a blog I like to read because the writer gets it and then puts into the written word things I sometimes struggle with; and whether or not there is an answer, it just seems to resonate with me – I can empathize. She wrote about having the blahs; being in a funk. I've been there. I've done that. Not every season for the believer is an awesome display of courage, valor, and vanquish – sometimes y’just get the blues. And you have to work through them. Call it a spiritual brown-out or whatever – stick with it and eventually the power comes back on full-force!

But you know what? People who know delight in the fact that you aren't a pervert. People who know delight that you care about goodness and love. People who know care that you care about justice and mercy. People who know delight that you stand with them against the evils of this world, and the schemes of a common enemy. People can look at your life and say honestly: “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

And friends, great is the Lord Who delights in the welfare of all of His children! That’s a big statement. It doesn't matter what we’re facing this day: “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of all of His servants, all of the time!” All of us who name the Name are under His immutable care and endless, infinite love. How good is that! God cares for His people.

I needed a reminder of this truth today. I needed to remember that such true statements are in the Bible about a true God who truly cares for me on this level. Family is great and friends are good but no one cares for me as my Father in Heaven does, and no one gets tickled at my welfare.

So, let’s shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of all His kids!” Amen?

Have a good weekend and whatever your hands find to do remember: Great is the Lord who delights in the welfare of His servants...

God-Afflictions

04.18.13

Psalm 34.19 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (ESV)

Yesterday, someone dear to me went through a difficult time which was exacerbated by words spoken in frustration that should’ve maybe been left unsaid. Y’ever do that? I sure have.

Sometimes our afflictions are self-generated. Sometimes they are because someone else has decided to rough us up a bit. Sometimes they’re the result of sickness (another friend of mine is recovering from triple-bypass surgery.) And sometimes (hear me carefully) they come at the hand of God. The difference between God-affliction and all else is God uses affliction to teach us and reach us; it is okay to use proper corporal discipline to lovingly keep a child from doing harm to himself. Really.

The difference with God-afflictions is they are always, always, always redemptive: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (ESV) If God afflicts me then I know the outcome will be deliverance. Always. This is pure grace. Always good.

Well, how then do I know that it is God who is afflicting me? Probably a little self-examination is necessary: am I doing something I need to stop doing? Am I harboring thoughts I need to get rid of? Am I listening to the voices of enablement? Where am I in my opinion of myself: victim or victor? Am I thinking more highly of myself than I ought (Romans 12.3)? Self-inspection is vital in discerning the seasons of our lives. Will others around me honestly lend credence to my conclusions?

Affliction isn't a bad thing necessarily. It helps immensely if it arrests our attention and helps us to focus on God rather than the affliction. God isn't a Meanie, but He is all-wise and knows exactly what it takes in our lives to help us get some of His wisdom, comfort, and love.

Not so the wicked: Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. (Psalm 34.21) The one who rejects God’s hand is in for a rough ride. But here is the answer to such mentality: The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (V. 22) It is far better to go through the worst with God, than without Him.

My conclusion: I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! Psalm 34.1-3 Am I teachable? Am I reachable? Will I turn to others and exhort them to join me in the Lord’s presence celebrating His goodness?

Father, may I trust You at all times and may the words of my mouth – even in affliction – be those of praise and invitation that others may taste and see that You are good – all the time!

Singing Like There is a Tomorrow

04.17.13

Psalm 59.16 16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. (ESV)

We who follow the Lord are called to confidently sing of God’s strength in the morning: after (or during) the night of distress. Stuff happens. Trials come. People at work are idiots. The kid blows his hand off. A bomb detonates in a crowded public place. Criticism comes. Gossip flows. All of this stuff can hang like a rock around the neck in the evening – at the end of the day when we’re tired and just want to shut it all out.

David was the target of a jealous (insanely so) monarch. When a king go whacko, watch out! Every time David succeeded at something, Saul the king wanted to kill him – so affected was he by David’s success.

So, Saul decided he had to enlist the help of his servants to kill David which he did; there’s usually some sick sycophant willing to do dirty deeds done cheap. And David initially ran to his house to hide but quickly realized: home may be where the heart is, but the street right outside is where the killers are. So he escaped. And he sang.

It takes a strong person to sing in the midst of trouble – the kind of trouble where life is at stake. Some sing when they’re mourning. Some sing when they are rejected by a lover. But to sing when there is no one else to turn to but God; well that’s singing on another level. And David didn't just sing, he sang confidently of the Lord’s deliverance in the morning. You have to be pretty confident to sing of the Lord’s morning deliverance when the killers are right outside the door tonight. So confident was David in the Lord, he sang.

Part of my everyday life is to still the voice of doubt: will God really come through for me? The very fact I even acknowledge God in the first place says something. But I’m to learn to acknowledge God in all things: in all [my] ways acknowledge Him and He will direct [my] paths. Confidence in the Lord when the battle is just beginning is seeing the battle already won. That’s why David could sing: I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning – even when they were right outside to kill him. David knew morning would come and he’d be there to enjoy it.

I’m encouraged today to start singing. There aren't any major fires at the moment, but one never knows what the day will bring, and to sing when it is quiet is to prepare for when it’s chaos. And I am to sing confidently of the Lord and for all the times He’s come through for me; and those around me who've called on His Name. I’m to sing as if there is a tomorrow even though today is all I have.

“I will lift my voice to worship You my King. And I will find my strength in the shadow of Your wings. Your love, oh Lord reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness stretches to the sky. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your justice flows like the ocean's tide*…” (*Third Day)

My Hippie Name

04.16.13

1 Samuel 18.26-27 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. (ESV)

Some time back I was talking with my sister and we were joking around as we are wont to do and she asked me if I knew my “hippie” name. She said our sister-in-law had her name and it was Willow, or Spring Rain, or something like that. I laughed because whatever it was she picked out fit her perfectly. I decided I would come up with a hippie name.

For years I struggled with just exactly what hippie name would personify yours truly and it finally came to me recently: BC. My hippie-name is BC (which stands for Border Collie). Border Collies are smart dogs and they are really good at herding cattle. Also, because they are so smart, they have a tendency to get themselves into trouble because they get bored; nothing worse than a bored Border Collie. The best way to treat a Border Collie is to give it something to do – put him to work. My hippie name is BC: Border Collie.

Saul certainly wasn't the dumbest king in Israel’s history, but he was dumb because he tried continually to outwit God. That’s dumb. More appropriately: that’s stupid. Saul’s biggest enemy was himself. And Saul, because of his own stupidity, lost the kingship in Israel and watched as it was given to his perceived enemy: David. Saul hated David and was scared spitless of him.

But David wasn't your everyday Joe, he was a Border Collie. David was smart, skilled, and more than anything: he had a servant’s heart. So when Saul offered for David to become his son-in-law, rather than leap at the chance to be on the inside, David went against convention and humbly declined. Sorry, my lord, I am not worthy to be your son-in-law; but thanks for the offer.

So Saul does the wrong thing: he gives David a way to earn his way into the family: a hundred Philistine foreskins. And David, ever the eager, over-achieving, Border Collie brings two hundred Philistine foreskins. Just give me something to do.

Many in the Family of God are Border Collies: smart, skilled, and have servant’s hearts. Many, because they don’t have something to do, get themselves in trouble: at home, at work, and at play. They’re bored. They’re bored with Church, bored with God, and bored with the Christian life: it isn't exciting; it doesn't get their motor going. David needed something to do. I need something to do. And you do too.

Saul did the worst thing he could do in combating David: he gave David something to do that was perfect for David: success. That’s why the right use of our gifts is so vital in the Body of Christ. But whatever we find ourselves doing let’s remember that we are smart, skilled, and have been given (by God) servant’s hearts. God needs Border Collies to guide His sheep right where He needs them to be… even with an old (hippie) Border Collies like me.

I Can Do That

04.15.13

1 Samuel 17.25 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” (ESV)

A pastor friend of mine said this recently: If you don't know who you are, you become like everybody else. I thought hmmm, and then this morning I read about David in 1 Samuel 17 where he takes on the Philistine champion, a big dude named Goliath.

David was the kind of man who understood who he was and he understood who God was. A man without God is just a man at the mercy of physics and nature. But a man with God, who knows God is a man equipped with all the resources of Heaven. (Just a point in case you were wondering: all the Resources of Heaven are God.) David knew who he was and who God was. And the Philistine champion had one fatal flaw: he was a man without God.

David was intrigued by the prize offered to the one who defeated Goliath: “…the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” David thought to himself: I can do that! David’s resume’ included killing both a lion and a bear for stealing his dad’s sheep. David seemed to be the kind of man who looked at the prize and decided it was worth winning.

What is worth fighting for in your life? What is worth winning? Goliath’s are a dime-a-dozen. They’re big, they’re intimidating, but they aren't God. And the person who knows God knows they can be defeated. God defeats them.

The prize in my life is consistently following God whole-heartedly – in doing that there is great reward – eternal reward. It isn't riches, it isn't a trophy-wife and becoming an in-law of the king; it’s sonship with God and an inheritance in Heaven. (Just a point in case you were wondering: the inheritance in Heaven is God.)

David said no to convention and took on somebody who scared the crap out of everybody else. And I think David did it because he knew who he was – and he wasn't like everybody else. The true measure of a man is his relationship with God – all else is just periphery. One might be talented, creative, clever, strong, handsome, polished – any one or number of the things this world values. But a man can have all that and still miss the Prize: sonship to the Lord of Glory and inheritance in Heaven.

Today, I look at my life and tell myself, son, remember who you are and for what it is you’re fighting: the Prize worth winning. I don’t think I was ever intended to be a headliner; I’m to walk after God and live according to His grace, bringing honor and glory to His name by staying close to Him. Not performance – if it was that, I've already failed – but sonship, I am called a son of God and that’s who I am. And winning the prize? With His help, I can do that…

In View of the Big Picture

04.14.13

1 Samuel 15.22-23 22 And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

    as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

    and to listen than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

    and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

    he has also rejected you from being king.” (ESV)

From their earliest days as a nation, a people, God expected obedience from the Israelites. Just because the nation had gone through several centuries of apostasy didn’t mean they were exempted from the Law; they were still expected to obey and performance was the name of the game.

The sins of Israel were simply rebellion and presumption. It is one thing to presume: doing my own thing aforethought. It’s another to assume: doing my own thing on the spur of the moment: making an a** ought of you and me. Rebellion is plain old disrespect. And Saul was guilty of both.

Saul’s life was momentary in that he seemed to live with a knee-jerk approach: if it seemed good to him in the moment, he did it. Samuel however, wanted Saul to live more circumspectly: in view of the big picture. Good leaders live circumspectly. Saul wasn't a good leader.

As believers we are called to live circumspectly with a clear view of the big picture. We’re to care for one another and to bear one another’s burdens. We’re to forgive and forget as we've been forgiven, and our own sins forgotten. Today is a day of abundant grace that enables us to live differently in view of God’s love for us. When we view His love we tend to be a little easier on others who struggle with it. That doesn't mean condoning sin, but it does mean living with courage for the safety and security of others in spiritual matters: their lives are a reflection of the power of God’s grace.

Saul’s life was a reflection of God’s choice; God chose him to lead His people and He expected Saul to do so willingly, and obediently. Where Saul failed was in the realm of disobedience (rebellion) and presumption (deciding to do his own thing). The difference with us is God won’t reject those who accept His grace. We’ll stumble and fall, but lovingly, He picks us up and gets us back on the right path.

I’m not excused to sin by grace; I’m to be motivated in the midst of it to live freely. My relationship with God is not based on performance but on love: truly loving God, and truly loving people. Grace enables circumspection.

Father, help me to live with your grace in view and to love as You love – amen.

The Theology of Circumcision

04.13.13

1 Samuel 14.6 6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” (ESV)

It’s interesting to me to read the accounts of the saints in the Old Testament and think about their theology: how they viewed God. How do you view God; what is your mental picture of Him? Is God a strong warrior or a gentle Shepherd? Is He near or is He far away? How we think about God sums up how we relate to God.

Jonathan strikes me as someone whose relationship with God was more than superficial or superstitious. Jonathan seemed to know God personally whereas his father, Saul, seemed to know God corporately: according to the party-line. Saul was superstitious. Jonathan’s words bespeak a depth of understanding that his father didn’t possess: “It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”  Jonathan understood the power and presence of God and he acknowledged it.

How do our words about God bespeak our theology of God? What beliefs do we have about the Almighty that are expressed in our words and, more importantly, in our actions? Jonathan’s life is described as courageous (if not just a little risky); he was a loyal, loving friend of David’s. He was the heir-apparent yet he seemed to be aware if such was to happen, it would only happen because of God’s doing. Jonathan understood the theology of circumcision: being set apart for God. Jonathan understood serving God was evidenced through a life of action. Jonathan may have been a great king in the history of Israel.

What about our lives and our theology? Do we know, experientially: “…nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” You see, it makes a difference in how we live by what we say, and if what we say is backed up by what we do. What is God calling us to do? How is God using the circumstances of our lives to shape the theology of our lives? Would we be bold enough to take on the modern equivalent of a Philistine garrison? Would we trust God on the level of picking a fight, in some arena of modern life, to show the unbelieving (as portrayed by the uncircumcised Philistines in this story) the reality of the power and presence of God? That’s a Jonathan life – that’s a theology we’re being called to and supposed to live out.

I have a friend who has taken on human trafficking. Her passion against the evil of this trade is remarkable. She is relentless. I admire her and want to emulate her. She understands the theology of circumcision being set apart to fight for good. What motivates my friend to do what she does? It’s the same motivation of Jonathan: God said do something about it.

Today, I look at my comfortable life and wonder, Paul, what’s it gonna take before you accept the theology of circumcision? How mad do you have to get before you stand up and say, “ENOUGH!”? That’s how Jonathan lived. That’s how David lived. That’s how those who understood the theology of ‘set apart’ carried themselves.  Do I see? Do I care? Do I pray? Will I act? O Lord, put within me the theology of standing fast, standing apart and standing against – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.