No One

In Psalm 142:3b, David laments, "Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me, I have no refuge; no one cares for my life."  Interestingly, when David expressed this abandonment, he was taking refuge in a cave with about 600 followers.

But, in David's heart, he was alone and without refuge because the one he wanted to care for him, King Saul, did not.  And the place he desired to take refuge, Jerusalem, was not open to him as long as Saul was pursuing him.  David was cut off from the one person and one place for which he longed.

But he was not alone or without refuge as even David would attest, "I cry to you, Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'" (Ps 142:5).

David's vulnerability and his ostracism was simply part and parcel of his human frailty that often focuses on what is absent rather than what is present.  This focus is precisely what dampens the spirit within even when there is cause to rejoice.  David's cry reflected his loss of Saul's support even while God himself watched over David.

Jesus put it this way, "The eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are healthy, you whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are unhealthy, you whole body will be full of darkness" (Matt 6:22-23).  If you focus on the good, you will be encouraged, if you focus on the bad, you will be instead discouraged.

It was not "no one" who cared for David, it was God.  It was not "no refuge" David had available, God was his refuge.  David was just temporarily looking in the wrong direction, focusing on the temporal circumstance instead of the spiritual reality.

Here is the truth for you and me as followers of Jesus Christ, he "will never leave us as orphans" (Jn 14:18).  There is never a time when he does not care for us or leave us without help.  Jus' Say'n.

Grace not Grit

His ears vibrated by the piercing sound of the rooster's crowing, then his eyes were locked by the Savior's knowing gaze.  Peter had failed - he had indeed denied The Lord (cf Lk 22:60, 61).  

Peter was shocked and sickened by his own weakness, "he ran outside and wept" (vs 62).  However, Jesus was not surprised at all, he knew Peter would fail - yet, he chose the fisherman anyway and would return to affirm him after his resurrection (cf Jn 21:15-19).  

When you fail, again, you may be surprised and saddened by your failure, but The Lord will be neither. Christ will be waiting to lift you up and affirm your place and your worth in his kingdom. You don't earn your place in the kingdom and you don't keep it that way either, it is a gift of God (cf Eph 2:8-10).  

Each time you fail, just thank The Lord for his gift and glorify Him by trying again. It's grace, after all, not grit.  Jus' Say'n.

Obedience

The Lord's instructions for King Saul was to completely destroy the Amalekites, not keeping any spoils of war.  But Saul kept the best of the flocks instead of devoting them to God as he was commanded.  His reasoning offered to the prophet Samuel was that he intended to "sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal" (1 Sam 15:21).

Samuel dismissed Saul's excuse saying, "Does the Lord delight in burn offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (v. 22).

So many follow the pathetic path of Saul rather than the prophetic path of Samuel by ignoring the call of God on their lives to be generous, kind, honest, caring, holy and the like; instead living a life of their own choosing while relying on church attendance, tithing, prayer, Bible reading and such to garner them favor with the Lord.

While I don't want to minimize the importance of religious activity in the life of a Christian as an aid to drawing one to God, those things are designed to point us to a life of obedience to God, but are not the point of that obedient life.

Religious activity is a way of expressing a body of faith but it is relational activity, the active following in the steps of Jesus daily, seeking to be conduits of his love in obedience, which embraces faith.  And it is living out faith not performing acts of religion that equates to obedience born of love: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (Jn 10:27).  Jus' Say'n.

Faith

In Hebrews 11:6 we read, "without faith, it is impossible to please God."  It goes on to say that "we must believe He exists and rewards those who seek after Him."  

It is often interpreted to say that faith requires belief plus action, which is no doubt true.  However, I do not believe that interpretation captures the full force of the passage. 

I am convinced that this chapter of Hebrews, called "The Faith Hall of Fame," is greater than a simple call to believe and live a good life,  I believe it is a challenge to accept the "God-sized" calling He has for your life, a calling to ministry or mission that you could not accomplish without His blessing. 

I believe He is calling you to give more than you think reasonable, going where you think impossible, forgiving when you can't imagine it - doing what you would not, could not, should not even consider without God's "power that is at work within us" (Eph 3:20).

To what might God be calling you that challenges your ability to believe and obey?  Jus' Ask'n.

Consequences

In 2 Sam 12:13-14, King David confesses his sin and the prophet Nathan assures him that God has forgiven it, but he adds that while David would not incur the condemnation of his sin, he would have to face its consequence. 

Because he committed adultery and murdered to have it covered, The son conceived in that relationship would die and the "the sword would never leave his house."  

David remained king and became "a man after God's own heart" (Ax 13:22), but he endured rape and murder within his household. Forgiven Of sin, he still reaped the harvest from the seeds he had sown (cf. Gal 6:7). 

Paul later rhetorically asked, "Shall we sin that grace may abound?" (Rom 6:1).  I'm thinking the answer is a big fat "no way"!  Jus' Sayn.

Fanatic

She wasn't on the guest list, she wasn't sanctioned by the religious elites, she was completely out of her element and comfort zone but, nonetheless, she broke open the jar of perfume and poured it on the Messiah (cf Mark 14:3-9).  

She was not a fan, she was a fanatic!  Jesus said that her audacious behavior would be talked about wherever the Gospel is preached. The talk started that day - Jesus blessing it while others blast it. 

Funny how often church members and Jesus are at odds. We want things tame but He wants passions he unleashed. We want things to be reasonable but he wants us love when reason says run. We want to err on the side of caution while He wants us to risk serving in dangerous places and among dangerous or dirty looking people. 

He wants us, like that woman, to "do what we can" not do what little we can without risking breaching our comfort zone. Our Lord calls us not to be a fan on the sidelines but to be a fanatic in the middle of the fray, taking it to the Enemy and reaching out to the prisoners.  Jus' Say'n.

Seeds

In Mark 4:26,27,  Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like the seed scattered on the ground by a farmer - it sprouts and grows whether he is awake or asleep. The seed grows even though the farmer may not know how. 

When you prayerfully plant seeds of change, whether in relationships, finances, parenting or whatever, God can make things happen even when you can't see how or aren't actively working on it at times. 

You may recall Paul's comment in 1 Cor 3:6, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow."  The point is to do all in His name and trust in Him to complete the work.  Jus' Say'n.

Reconciliation

"He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance" (1 Pet 3:10).  

God has one great desire: Reconciliation.  It ought to be our greatest aim as well. However, we too often settle for conciliation. 

Reconciliation is to restore relationship while conciliation is simply to end the conflict. Divorce is conciliation as it ends the struggle (of course it tends to initiate many others).  Not talking to one another can make it seem peaceful, but there is no intimacy created. 

Reconciliation is more difficult to accomplish and may be more painful in the process but the results are restorative, healing and God-honoring. 

Don't sell yourself, your friends and your loved ones short - make reconciliation your goal.  Jus' Say'n.

Adding and Subtracting

Moses' warning to us is clear, "do not add or subtract from God's commands" (Deut 4:2).  

It is not God's intent that we become become mindless robots, simply following commands without will or purpose.  Quite the opposite, He intends to "show [our] wisdom and understanding to the nations" (vs 6).  

God's ways bring peace, health and life. When we follow His commands, we benefit, even when it seems unlikely at first. Commands to love our enemies, pray for those who mistreat us, forgive those who are unforgivable, give instead of trying to get, etc. - all seem so counter intuitive.

Yet, when we obey, we are blessed. And people in the world around us take note, seeing "[our] light shine [will]..glorify [our] Father in heaven" (Matt 5:16).  

Following God without question, without adding or subtracting, far from a mindless, robotic act, is very purposeful and wise indeed.  Jus' Say'n.

The Journey

When Jesus said, "Come follow me" (Matt 4:19), he didn't add the preposition "to."  He left it out because the destination was not what was not the main objective.

Yes, he and his disciples will arrive in heaven, but it is the journey to which he is calling us as it is the journey that requires a calling and a commitment.  

Everyone wants to go to heaven but not everyone wants to take the path Jesus did. But how can heaven be our destination if we are not willing to make the journey? 

The heavenly path Jesus took was to "empty himself" (Phil 2:6) or give everything over to the Father. The path he took required that he adjust his life to the Father's will - "not my will buts Yours" (Mk 14:36).  

For us to follow Jesus, we too must be willing to adjust our lives to God's purposes. Perhaps we could start by giving up a prayer life centered on trying to get God to adjust his will to us and begin praying that He will guide us and help us adjust our will to Him and His purposes. Jus' Say'n.

Fallen Wheat

Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (Jn 12:24).  

So, we know he is saying that we must metaphorically die in order to truly live and live up to our potential. However, how is it that we die?  What does that look like?  

The notion is explained in the next two verses (Jn 12:25,26), where Jesus invites the "fallen wheat" to follow him. To die is to be freed from the tyranny of our own self-centeredness and give the directing of our lives over to Christ. 

You will die, either to the will of Christ, which would bring abundant life or to your own will, which is limiting and ultimately self-destructive.  What is your choice?  Jus' Ask'n.

Follow Me

Jesus came to where Peter and Andrew were casting their nets and called to them, "Come, follow me" (Matt 4:19).  Simple words with profound implications. 

1) That they needed to be called signified they were not where they needed to be. 

2) That they were asked to come meant making an adjustment in their path was necessary. 

3) That He called them to follow Him suggests they stop following another. 

The same call comes to us today with the same implications: We cannot stay where we are and go with God, we cannot keep doing what we are doing and do His will and we cannot stay in charge of our lives and yield to His Lordship. Jus' Say'n.

Doing Church

I very often hear people say that they don't do church because, "I can worship anywhere."  They may even include the old quip, "Sitting in a church house doesn't make you a Christian anymore than sitting in a hen house will make you a chicken." 

I would agree with both of those statements but neither discount the need of "doing church."  You can  worship anywhere but the reason we are called to gather as Christians is "to encourage one another" (Heb 10:25), something you can't do alone.

Sitting in a hen house doesn't make one a chicken but where would you go to find chickens?  In a hen house.  Why?  Cause that's where chickens gather with other chickens - even though a fox or weasel might show up. 

"Doing church" is about community, not salvation or ritualized worship.  The apostle Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit assigns us as various parts of the body of Christ (church) having a function for each to carry out collectively, not separately and individually (cf 1 Cor 12:1ff). 

Could imagine your feet not going to the hair salon with your head because they didn't need a trim. Or your hands not joining in to open the door?  Do your feet only show up when it's time for a pedicure and your hands hold out until a manicure is in store? 

No, the whole body functions together, regardless of which member receives attention that day.  Each part of the body will receive needed attention in due time.  And, sometimes it's a full-body massage and spa day!  Jus' Say'n.

Encountering God

Phillip wanted an encounter with God but didn't realize it when it happened: "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough.  Don't you know me Phillip?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:8,9).   

You may well have had a Phillip encounter. Ever read the Bible and gotten an "ah ha!" moment?  If so, where did you think it came from?  Considering that the "person without the Spirit cannot understand because they [Bible truths] are discerned by the Spirit" (1 Cor 2:14), then, an "ah ha!" moment is an encounter with God.  

This being true means that encountering God is not something reserved for Bible Heroes of old, a separate class of Holy Ones today or even a rare occurrence.  Encountering God could happen any time He desires but certainly the frequency of those encounters would rise as we immerse ourselves in the Word.

If encountering God is a desire of yours, make Bible study a daily habit and keep your heart open for the Spirit's presence.  Jus' Sayn.

God vs gods

As Paul affirms in Ephesians 4:6, there is only "one GOD."  Just as surely, however, Moses affirms in Exodus 20:3 that there are "other gods."  

There is only one GOD who created us but there are many gods that we create. Anything that commands a greater commitment from us than Jehovah is a god to us. 

Just think of the "sacrifices" we make to "get ahead."  Think of the men who have offered up their families on the altar of "sexual indiscretion."  How many have sacrificed their freedom paying tribute to "greed?"  

These gods are forever in our ears saying, "You know you want that - go ahead, scratch that itch."  The only way to defeat them is to fill your mind, heart and soul with GOD's Word.  Whoever we listen to the most will gain our ear and our life.

Simply put, our lives will either be ordered around the truly divine or we will order them around the things we elevate to divine status.  As revealed in Matthew 6:25-33, we will either "seek first the kingdom of God" or we will seek after "all these [other] things."  Which do you choose?  Jus' Ask'n.

Listening To God

When I was young, all I wanted from school was to get done and get out (I even tried to get my Dad to sign a waiver so I could drop out and enlist in the Army). My parents, however, had a different goal: They wanted me to get something out of school. 

Often times, as children, what we want and what our parents want for us are at odds; but seldom were we right.

With God, as adults, it is not much different except that when we want something different than what He wants for us, we are always wrong. 

The Word of the Lord says, "My ways are not your ways, neither are your thoughts, my thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than Your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts" (Isa 55:8, 9), which indicates clearly that we will be at odds with God's will for us regularly and just as regularly be wrong. 

Therefore, it seems only logical that our prayer life should be more geared to listening to what God wants than listing what we want. Perhaps as bit more of "What would you have of me?" and a little less of "This is what I want of you."  Jus' Sayn.

Ears to Hear

I am convinced that many Christians live in a rather ironic state where they long for God to speak to them so they might have some clear direction in their lives, all the while God is longing for them to listen to His clear direction, which He shares liberally.

God is not far off and he is not silent; the sheep of God's pasture are not without a Shepherd. John 10:27 plainly states, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

The truth is that God continually speaks through his church, the Bible, through circumstances, through prayer and by the Holy Spirit within us. The trouble is never a failure of God to speak but always a failure of us to listen.   As it is repeated some seven times in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."  Jus' Say'n.

Dropping Your Nets

In Luke chapter 5, Jesus tells Peter to take his boat out into the deep water and drop his nets.  

Peter, an experienced fisherman, had been up all night, tirelessly trying to catch fish that were nowhere to be found, had stayed long enough to hear Jesus speak and was undoubtedly ready to go to bed instead of drop nets in the same waters he had already experienced as fruitless. 

Nonetheless, Peter said, "because you say so, I will" (v. 5b).  It is important to note that Peter did not say that he thought it was a good idea - quite the opposite, he said, "we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything" (v. 5a).

Peter was clearly saying that they had thoroughly fished that area out and found it void of fish.  Yet, in spite of what his experience told him, he chose to obey.

He caught so many fish he had to call his partners, James and John, to bring another boat.  

Principle: Obeying God may not always seem attractive or even logical, but God can bless us in ways we would not have otherwise imagined.

Action: Do what the Lord directs even when it directly contradicts what you want or think you should do.  Go ahead and drop your nets.  Leave the fish part up to God.  Jus' Say'n.

Just Do It!

You have to love Moses' final point in his debate with God over choosing him to deliver Israel: "O Lord, please send someone else to do it" (Ex 413).  

Moss' feelings of inadequacy were so strong that he didn't believe even God could help him pull it off. But He did. And, He can equip you to do whatever He calls you to do - despite how inadequate you may feel. In fact, God "can do more than you can ask or imagine according to His power at work within you" (Eph 3:20). 

When you feel God calling you to do something beyond your ability, instead of running away, put on your spiritual Nikes, run toward the Father and "Just Do It!", focusing on your faithfulness not the outcome, trusting God to "make it grow" (1 Cor 3:6).

Knowing The Way

In John 14:1-6, Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to his Father's house and assures them, "You know the way to the place I am going" (v. 4).

Doubting Thomas questions him saying, "How can we know the way? (v. 5).  Jesus then replies, "I am the Way..." (v. 6).  In other words, the Way is not a body of doctrines, rituals or theology.  The way is a relationship with Christ. 

Simply said, "it is not what we know, but Whom we know" that allows us entry into the eternal home in Heaven. Specifically, it is knowing The Word, not knowing about Him or believing in His existence for "even the demons believe that - and shudder" (Js 2:19).

It is quite possible to study, perhaps even memorize, the Word of God (Bible) without ever having met the Word (Jesus the Christ), leaving us informed that there is a Way but not actually knowing the Way.  

Jesus calls for us to get to know him, to meet with Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him and to listen to Him (cf. Matt 11:28-30).  Do you?  Do you have a personal relationship with the Lord?    In the words of a hymn from a few decades back, "Do you know my Jesus?"  Jus' Askn.