Deep Love Produces the Right Things

1 Samuel 20:4 -  Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

It’s a story of a deep friendship…how love bound together two people of  different upbringing. It’s a story of how one person gave up everything he thought he would inherit when he met the one God anointed to take his place.  We read it and think of the best friend we ever had…but as I read it again last night…I couldn’t help but think God included this story to show us how to let God take control of our heart when it comes to making decisions. It shows us too just how important maturity in our faith is to doing God’s will.

Jonathan could have sided with his dad. He could have been selfish and kept the throne for himself. But Jonathan had a deep love for God and his ways.  He knew down deep that something was wrong with the way his dad treated David. He sensed the truth of David’s anointing and accepted it without questioning. He did whatever he could to preserve the truth…even if it meant giving up the throne and severing the relationship he had with his dad.

It’s a reminder to me that my love for God needs to be deep for me to always sense his truth and stay in his will. If I am honest…I am still a work in progress … and need to strive more consistently to deepen my faith. I need to keep maturing…and never accept that I have grown all that I can. I need to stop and pray before any decision…. And let God control my heart as it makes daily choices.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you need to be in control for me to be my best model of you. Forgive me for the many times that I have let complacency keep me from deepening my relationship with you. Help me to always seek new ways to grow in faith so you can use me to do your will. Amen.

Our Confidence is in God…Not Ourselves

Our Confidence is in God…Not Ourselves

It’s been a long time since I blogged. Since that’s a post for a different time….I’ll just begin by telling you that my deep reflection in this moment is the result of tonight’s Celebrate Recovery meeting at my church. We are working through the 24 lessons…and tonight’s lesson on being ready to turn all my character defects over to God...for good…completely…has me focused on the root of one of my character defects. I have suffered from lack of self-esteem since I was little…but tonight I realize the real problem is that I have always placed my confidence in myself instead of God. I am ready to change that.

Jeremiah 17:7 confirms I am right.  It says…  “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” Isaiah 32:17 speaks to the solution to my specific problem. It says...“ the fruit of that righteousness will be peace…its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” This is great for me …since it will really conquer two defects I have. I like Peter ….one of my other defects of character is a tendency to speak before I think…and offer more opinions than are sometimes asked for.

The real problem is that I have hung on to my flesh to tightly…and haven’t completely given this defect to God.  I keep trying to battle it myself. So no wonder I have failed so many times to id myself of it.

Starting now…I will work toward letting God’s confidence guide and direct me when I feel weak and inadequate. I will stop trying to excuse it and joke about how ‘not ready’ I am …and let God strengthen me and give me courage from his infinite supply. I am ready to just be obedient…and do it…even when I don’t think I am qualified. I am ready to believe the sweet encouraging words from my fellow Celebrate Recovery members…and let God use me each week to share John Baker’s great lessons.

Father…thank you for the reminder that true confidence can only come from you. Forgive me for the times that I have disappointed you…myself…and anyone else with my negativity. Help me to build each person you cross my path with positive energy and your confidence…so that you can use me to share the message you need me to share. Amen.

Keep Your Opinion To Yourself...Especially If Its Gonna Cause Drama

Ruth 1:14-16 -  At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

As I reread the beginning of one of my favorite stories in the Bible…my heart stopped on these verses. The world around me is falling apart…because people have forgotten that God allows free choice.  The new …45^th president has some real opposition.  Some women feel like it’s time to protest and march for what they believe. Some people even believe they have the right to smash up buildings while they shout what they believe.  It is a reminder of the truth ...that no matter what I think…someone else has an opposing view. Do people really believe that if they scream their opinion loud enough that everyone will magically switch to the other side?

I like the example that these three women set for us. All three have different thoughts.  Orpah wants to go home.  Ruth wants to stay with Naomi.  Naomi wants Ruth to go home with Orpah. And in the end…they all keep their opinions…except maybe Naomi. I think she really cherishes Ruth’s decision to stay with her. There is no shouting in each other’s faces….no drama…just a calm speech deep from Ruth’s heart that asks Naomi to stop asking her to leave.

I needed the reminder NOT to jump on the drama wagon and add my two cents worth….unless God gives me a calm heartfelt statement of fact that someone I love may need to hear. I needed these three women to remind me that it’s okay to feel differently as long as we don’t force ourselves on each other. I would love to see perfect peace and unity in the next few seconds…but my heart knows that the only way that will happen is for Jesus to arrive on the scene for his second coming.

Father…thank you for the example of these lovely ladies…who model for me the way to peacefully state our choices about life here on earth.  Forgive me for the times that I have let my opinions pour forth with no filter…..creating more drama than was there in the first place. Help me to always pour my feelings out to you  first…so you can give me peace and wisdom to know if they are thoughts that others might need. Amen.

Listen As Long As It Takes For God To Speak

Judges 21:23 - The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”

The chapter of judges ends with a story of bittersweet solutions. The 11 tribes who had had been so harsh on the tribe of Benjamin…fretted because the vow they made to not give their daughters in marriage….set up the distinction of one of the 12 tribes. Instead of just asking God to forgive them for their unthought out vow…they created even more drama…. that led to the killing of more of their people and the kidnapping of some of their daughters.

The biggest reason for their problem was their own failure to let God be in control of their life. Sure…they gathered at the temple to seek his guidance….but they still did whatever they thought was best. Nowhere in this story does it say ... “and God told them to.” I was convicted of my own guilt as soon as I wrote the words. Just because I ask God what to do…doesn’t mean I always waited to follow his advice before going out to solve the problem.

Psalm 27:14 says… “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”   Psalm 46:10 says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” These two verses together remind me not to be in a hurry to solve the problems in my life.  Whether they be made by my own bad choices…or just happen because God allows a little hardship into my daily struggle…I need to wait on him to tell me how to handle it…and not step out ahead of him in human impatience and pride.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you know and have a plan for every struggle that you allow in my life. Forgive me for the many times that I have stepped ahead of you…or forgotten that your plan is not always what I would think of for myself. Help me to remember that when I come to you for advice…I need to listen as long as it takes for you to speak your wisdom into my heart and mind.  Amen.

Fasting Focuses Our Prayers With Great Intensity

Judges 20:26 – 27 -Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there.)

Things had gotten so serious…the evil in the midst of their brothers was so bad …. that the tribes gathered to ask God what to do about their brother Benjamites. They were told by God to go to battle…and in two separate days many of Benjamites who settled in Gibeah died. This verse was the response of the Israelites before they went to battle the third day.  They stepped up their petition to God with offerings and fasting.

My heart and mind stopped on the word ‘fasted’ when I read it.  It is a practice that allows our heart to become so humble that we give up something that we hold dear and good to let God know how serious we are.  Fasting can be as complete as going without food and water for a period of time…or as simple as giving up a favorite dessert… TV time…. technology time or any number of other things we enjoy on a regular basis. The time we would have spent in that activity is redirected in prayer to God for something we are deeply concerned about.

I needed the reminder that fasting is one of the greatest options to let God know our hearts are heavy with concern over a burden.  God knows what burden came to mind when he reminded me this morning…and he knows what thing I will pick to fast while I step up my prayer time to petition him about how to wait on his timing and move in the situation as I pray about it.

Father...Thank you for the reminder that fasting is a way to focus my prayers more intensely on a burden you have laid on my heart.  Forgive me for not thinking of it myself...and letting the burden consume me in negative ways instead. Help me to pick just the right thing to fast…so that every time I want that thing I choose to give up…my heart remembers to pray for my concern and burden. Amen.

Stay Connected To God Every Second

Judges 19:30 -  Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”

You really need to read the whole chapter of Judges 19. It’s a sad … gruesome story of a man who tried to forgive and renew his commitment to his concubine.  But in the end she was less important to him than his own life and he gave her up to be abused so badly in one night that she died.  He took her body and cut it into 12 pieces…so he could send them to each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Even though it was a gruesome way to send a message…it finally got everyone’s attention.  They knew it was time to do something about the evil they had let infiltrate their lives.

It speaks to a harsh piece of our nature as man.  We let the bad things in our lives grow and fester till they get so bad that a catastrophic tragedy jars our mind and heart to asking God for help again. We try to handle things on our own until they become unmanageable and we have to admit we need help.  Our nature…the very nature of earthly life itself ...justifies that a relationship with God does not have to be a daily…even moment by moment thing.

The truth is that the only way to combat the growing evil in our world today is to cling to God every second of the time he allows us life on earth. I needed the reminder that even though God promised to never leave us…and when we mess up he will always take us back…that his heart’s desire is for a constant relationship that never gets severed…. Not even for a second.  David hit it on the head when he wrote Psalm 145:2.  It says… “Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.”

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to stay connected to you in every second of my life.  Forgive me for the times that I have allowed life to put you on hold … and justify doing other things instead of listening to your will for my life.  Help me to find new ways to stay connected with you every second of the time you allow me breath on this earth. Amen.

Renew A Right Spirit Within Me

Judges 18:30-31 -   There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

Somewhere along the way…. this tribe of Dan that God blessed with a huge victory and possession of a sweet piece of land …forgot the first commandment they had vowed to keep. That one that says ...thou shall have no other gods before me… you shall worship only me… was totally forgot when they placed some of their trust and hope in the ephod and household gods they took from Micah’s house.

God let them make this bad choice for several years. He wants our love and worship…but he won’t force himself on anyone. He lets the natural consequences of our choices slowly teach us how wrong we were to make the choice that pulled our loyalties away from him….or allowed our hearts to think that it was ever okay to slit our love for him with anything else. It must break his heart so bad to watch us be so stubborn sometimes.

I don’t have any household gods or an ephod…but not many people do these days. If I am honest… several different material things slowly tricked me into sharing my complete time and love for God with other things.  The time I set aside to study the Bible and write was crowded out by other things. Something even slowly squelched the passion I once had to rise early each day and write.  The gods of this world come in many forms and sizes….and they slowly crept in to my heart and mind and rearranged my priorities.

I was reminded last night in my Celebrate recovery meeting that I don’t have to stay stuck.  I can realize that I am powerless against these things…and give total control over to the one true God. If I admit that he is my complete power…I can begin to remove all the blinders the world has placed over my mind and heart…and get back to giving God my complete attention.

Father…thank you for the reminder that the world has nothing to offer me. I only live here because you have a purpose for me and you put me here to do a certain work for you.  Forgive me for allowing the world to gain so much control over my heart and mind that I put your purpose for me in the background.  Renew my passion to serve you and spend time with you so you can direct my paths in the way you want them to go. Amen.

Love God More Than Anything

Judges 17: 11-13 - So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.  Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.  And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

Micah lived in a self-created …delusional world… built around his desire to have the Lord bless him…but…for all the wrong reasons. Sure …he repented of his earlier life of thievery from his mother…but he never repented of his love of money.  His own mother even supported his habit. He lived under the false assumption that being good could somehow bring you blessings from God…or save your soul.

Micah still lived under the New Testament Laws. Never one do we read that he prepared the correct sacrifices and atoned for the sin in his life. He doesn’t talk of reading the law...or trying to keep them.  He simply assumes God will bless him if he is good…never once understanding that the idols he had in his house broke the first and most important commandment according to Matthew 27:22…where the words of Jesus are recorded later in the Bible. 

Jesus came to fulfill the law God gave to Moses. God knew that goodness…that genetics….that money could not buy his love.  Salvation is available to all that call on his name to be saved…that believe on the son Jesus Christ who died to pay the full atonement for every sin. Apart from that blood…I am doomed to die for my sins.

I needed the reminder that I must never let the material driven world I live in control my heart.  It can take over quickly...even in one who claims to love God.  One of satan’s favorite things to do is entice us with things…and draw our hearts far enough from God that he can brainwash us into thinking that doing good things can lead us to salvation. Satan knows that if we follow the command to Love God more than anything else…our love of his son…our gratitude for the gift of salvation will drive us to allow the second most important commandment to rule our lives…prompting our love for others to turn us into a servant of God’s kingdom.

Father…thank you for the reminder that it was your blood that gives me the promise of life and salvation.  Forgive me for the times that I allow a love for things to draw me away from your purpose and will for my life.  Help me to keep my heart focused on you …so I can stay in your perfect will…and do the most possible to further your kingdom and show you love to others.  Amen.

Allow A Deep Repentance In Our Hearts

Judges 16:27-28 - Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.  Then Samson prayed to the Lord,  “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 

Sampson’s failure to keep the secret of his strength to himself had cost him much. They had taken his eyesight in a horrific way…gauging out both eyes when he was first captured.  He was no longer free… forced to do heavy labor in heavy bronze shackles. The Philistine’s would have succeeded in keeping him captive much longer if they had not let themselves get so caught up in their success.  The party they had …praising the god they worshiped… rejoicing over his capture… gathered thousands of the people into the temple they used for worshiping dagan.

There was another element to their downfall that no one but Sampson knew. He knew his God was stronger than dagan.  His repentant attitude…allowed him to see the need to call out to him for one last surge of strength. The strength he had lost in shaving his head… began a new search in prayer. His self-seeking goals of pleasure and happiness became goals of holy zeal to give glory to the one God that controlled all things. I love the way Matthew Henry put it.  He said… “His afflictions brought him to deep repentance.  His physical weakness allowed God to renew his spirit.  Such is the heart of every true Christian… becoming more humble…watchful… circumspect… more simple in their dependence on God.

I am watching this basic principle of God work in my community as we begin to assess the deep losses of the wildfires that God allowed to ravage our Smokey Mountains last week.  The loss of material things…the loss of life…the visual devastation that one sees as they trek into the worst hit areas bring a empathy…a sense of deep humility to the true Christians heart. It put the most important things back in the proper order … causing us to cry out to God for comfort…for provision…for strength just as Sampson did.

It is my prayer that many who never knew the one true God…Emanuel….the Prince Of Peace…the Jesus who came to Earth as a baby to die on a cross for our sins…would learn of his power to save us from the certain death we deserve. It is also my prayer that God would use every tiny bit of sadness and destruction to his glory…especially in transforming the lukewarm Christians of my town into ones more dependent on him.

Father…thank you for the reminder that my power…my hope…my strength is in you.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the world detract me from your pure will for my life.  Allow the empathy I feel for the people of my town to cause a deep repentance in my heart.  Allow a humility in my heart that fuels anew the flame of service and generates a deep passion to draw closer to you than ever… so you can use me to do your perfect will. Amen.

God Has The Power To Regrow Our Faith

Judges 16:21-22 - Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.  But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Samson had let a woman entice him into a deep relationship.  It was so deep that he fell prey to her persistent questions about where his strength lay.  He was so overcome by his infatuation with her…he had no clue she was working for the enemy. He gave her the secret… she shaved his hair…and in no time the Philistines captured him. He became their servant…constantly grinding grain in heavy bronze shackles in the prison they held him in.

The phrase …began to grow again…caught in in my spirit as I read it….so I let myself stop mid chapter. It spoke strength to me in a time when my hometown is grieving heavily for the loss of so many things...most of all the 13 people God has allowed to pass to the other side of this earthly existence.

Leaders of our town our using phrases like “mountain strong’… to describe the same thing God did for Sampson.  Even though he lost his power…he still had the possibility of growing back the hair that gave him his strength. Sampson may have lost his resolve and fell to earthly temptations…but he did not lose the God that gave him his strength.

One other thought was planted as I read Matthew Henry’s commentary.  He said…”Oh that all who indulge in sin would see themselves surrounded and marked for ruin. The sounder they sleep the more secure they feel…and the greater the danger.”  The Bible clearly says in Romans 3:23 that all of us are sinners. Perhaps one reason God allowed Sampson to fall…and our town to go through such a devastating tragedy…is to keep him and us from being too complacent.

Father…thank you for the reminder that sin can lead to destruction…and only you have the power to regrow our faith after a fall or deep trial.  Forgive me for the times that I have allowed sin to remain in my life because I have let something here on Earth draw me away from you.  Help me to use this reminder to deepen my faith…to humble myself and pray…to listen closely to the servant tasks you need me to do for you to show your love to all who are hurting in this troubled world.  Amen. 

God Has The Power We Need To Renew Our Heaviest Spirits

Judges 15:19 - Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

God had used the grief and frustration of Sampson to fuel his desire to destroy the Philistines. He had used foxes…torches tied into their tails…to destroy some of their land…and the jawbone of a donkey to fight and kill 1000 more of the Philistine army. The experience was so exhausting that he cried out to God in exhaustion and thirst. God heard his cry and opened up a hollow and delivered the water he needed so that his spirit could revive and renew to continue God’s will for his life…hard as it must have been for him.

I needed the great reminder this morning as my mind tries to process a myriad of emotions from the devastating wildfires that destroyed much of my county…that God is the one who can sustain us and revive us when life beats us down. I was spared damage…but as the sun rises each day and rescue teams are able to get into the worst areas….new reports of damage…injuries… and death are brought to light. I am sure that many of us have cried out to God in the last few days…I know my personal prayer Monday night was simply for rain.

As the rain fell all day Wednesday…my spirit would fill with a new sense of comfort from the loss around me.  I was able to pray with many at our church food ministry…one who had lost her job because the business she worked at burned completely. I even used some of my time to heat up chili to serve to the National Guardsmen who have come to aid the many firefighters…police…and other emergency crews working around the clock. But it was the music from practicing our church’s living Christmas tree production scheduled for Sunday night and Monday night that lifted my spirts the most.

As I read this scripture last night ...it was clear that God was slowly answering the cries of all of us that are hurting from this tragedy. He is opening a hollow within each heart of this town that loves him….and pouring out his pure love to the ones that are hurting the most. He will revive every spirit that is downtrodden.  He will lift us up like eagles to rebuild…to care of others….to use the resources he has already planted in this area…deepening our relationships with each other and with him.

Thank you father for the reminder that you are our source of help and strength. Forgive me for the times that I have taken for granted you great care and kept your love all to myself.  Help me to listen closely to you so I will know exactly how to share your love with others as our town rebuilds.  Reveal to me all theways I can help others that are hurting so much.  Amen.

God Works All To The Good Of Those That Love Him

Judges 14:3-4 - His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

Samson had his eye on a wife…but his parents did not approve of the Philistine woman. They wanted him to embrace the holy calling on his life and marry a woman of Israelite descent. But Samson was set on this woman that pleased his eye…and insisted they do what he wanted. It’s the next bit of the verse that catches my attention the most though…the part where God was planning to use his seemingly bad choice to begin a move against these people that held the Israelites captive.

It is a very clear example of how God uses all our choices…good or bad to his good and glory.  It is a reminder that sometimes God allows our flesh to make choices that he knows he can use for good at some point in our life. Romans 8:28 is the New Testament promise that confirms it.  It says… ^“ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Truth is…we are all born with a purpose. Some of us invite God into our hearts and embrace it…others live their whole life without ever knowing what wonderful thing he had planned for us. I admit that even though I know God…and try my best some days to get it right… I am still weak like Sampson…messing up more than I get it right.

I needed the reminder this morning… that even when I mess up…God can use my mistake to work some good in the world. I may not always understand it…but the promise of this great fact encourages me to repent quicker… forgive myself when I realize what I have done…so his grace and mercy can take over and give my mess up purpose in his bigger plan.

Father...thank you for the reminder that you love me even when I mess up.  Forgive me for the times that I forget that you are able to use even the choices I make with my weak flesh to your good.  Help me to realize this promise with each sin you convict me of…so that you can begin to work it to the good of all that love you sooner.  Amen.

Let Thanksgiving Occur Every Day...Every Moment

Judges 13:18-20 - He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.” Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched:  As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.

This story in Judges is just one example of God’s ability to do supernatural things.  This couple…who were barren for whatever reason…was first blessed with a visit from an angel.  God was blessing them with their hearts desire…but they needed to prepare him from conception to be one of God’s special servants. This child would grow up a Nazarite….a person consecrated to God for special service.  They abstained from drinking alcohol in any form…ever cutting their hair…and avoiding situations that might defile their holiness…like being around dead things.

This supernatural visit ended with a rare sight.  This man...who appeared to give them the news…wasn’t any ordinary man.  They got to watch him rise to heaven within the flame of the burnt offering they offered… to thank God for his great gift. They were so full of gratitude…praise and so overcome with humility that they fell to their knees at the sight.

I can’t say that I have ever experienced such a sight…or felt the deep gratitude that they did. I needed the reminder that God’s good gifts should bring us to our knees occasionally in humble adoration and thankfulness. I am so guilty of taking all that God has done for me for granted…allowing a simple whispering of praise suffice …justifying my weak praise with earthly excuses that must disappoint God very much.

We took the time yesterday to celebrate a day  called Thanksgiving….but as the sun rises on what is traditionally black Friday…people have already let the world trap them in the commercial season of Christmas. Decorations have donned the isles of stores since early October…but today will set new records of spending all over the world. I for one have never liked fighting the crowd to shop on this day….I choose to change out my fall decorations and put up my Christmas tree instead.

This story reminds me to take more moments out of my day to thank God for all I already have…to extend my Thanksgiving of turkey…family fellowship…and extra thoughts of praise for the God who allows it …into a full year of praise for what he has done.  Perhaps I will get to witness one of his rare supernatural events…and feel the fullness of heart that these two parents felt with their precious gift of life.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you deserve our praise and thanksgiving every day….every moment.  Forgive me for the times that I have allowed the world to trap me in its mad cycle of wants and spending on things that do not last. Help me to fill my heart with thoughts of you….with your word…with service in your kingdom…so more people can join me when we all rise to meet you in heaven someday.  Bring me to my knees more often…and teach me how to show the deepest gratitude and praise these two parents showed for the promise of a child in their life.  Amen.

Guard Your heart Against Pride And Envy

Judges 12:1-3 - The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.” Jephthah answered, “I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands.

The men of Ephraim told Jephthah that they were upset with him for not calling them to help him fight the Ammonites.  Although what they really were upset about was the fact that Jephthah had been handed a glorious victory…which they would receive no credit for. They were so eaten up by envy and pride that they threatened to burn his house down.

Jephthah was protected by God as they crossed the Jordan to hurt him... being given the support of the Gealeadites …who knew the dialect limitations of the Ephraimites. They killed each one that tried to cross and cause Jephthah harm… so he could continue as judge for the Israelites for 6 years.

It is a great reminder to me of how important it is to guard your heart and mind from self-driven pride and envy. They creep into your heart and puff up your mind to believe that it is better than others…that it deserves more than it is given…that life is more about satisfying selfish needs instead of walking in God’s pure and perfect will.

God teaches the opposite…that humility leads to a deeper understanding of what God created us as creatures in his likeness. Humility teaches our heat and mind that the less we think of our own worth… the more God can use us to further his kingdom. Paul says it better than I in 2 Corinthians 12:9.. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” Paul using the very worlds of Christ… who defeated satan and claimed victory over death.

I admit that pride is one of the hardest things to conquer in an earthly life. I have struggled with it for my entire 58 years.  The world…the time God even allows us to live in…the sinful nature of man naturally gravitates to puff themselves up…to collect things…..to think that the more we have the more blessed we are. I needed a new reminder to rely on God for everything…and give him credit for everything…so he can begin to instill in me his love that is totally driven by giving to others.

Father…thank you for the reminder that pride and envy are not part of your plan for me.  Forgive me for the times that I have allowed the world….the situation I am in…or the people around me to trick me into thinking better of myself than I deserve.  Help me to constantly fight against any form of pride and envy from setting up even a temporary residence in my heart.  Help me to stay so focused and centered on you that I hear your will before the world has a chance to whisper any other options in my ear.  Amen.

God Uses Anyone...Despite Their Circumstances

Judges 11:30-31- And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

Even though Jephthah was born of a harlot….and persecuted by his brothers…even sent away to receive no inheritance….God had his hand on this man.  He managed to rise above the circumstances of his birth and become something mighty…that God used to win many battles over the lands that tried to keep Israel captive.

It is a great reminder to me that we are not limited by any worldly circumstance. God can and does use anyone he chooses…and he chooses all of us to do his work. There was also Rahab…a prostitute by choice…who saved the spies… God saving her and her family to do more of his work later. There are countless other examples of good people who let sin consume them so much they fell badly into their sin like King David.  Once God convicted him of that sin…and David repented…God used him in mighty ways to speak his message of truth and love.

It proves the words of Luke 1:37… “ For nothing is impossible with God”…to be absolutely true.  God can take the heart of anyone who want to get to know him…and make them into a great servant….the built in humility of their past driving them to be less prideful than others... who tend to boast to much about the things we have never done.  We are all born in sin. As Romans 3:23 says…”for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  It is God’s grace that saves us…not anything we do of ourselves.

I needed the reminder not to let satan convince me that anything I have done in the past can limit the power that God can place within me to be something great for him today. I am as strong as God can make me…not as weak as satan tries to convince me I am.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you use all people…because your love covers the multitude of sins that break the perfect creature you intended for us to be into a prideful… self-driven transgressors. Forgive me for all the times that I have let satan trick me into staying too long in his worldly trap.  Help me to spend so much time in your presence that I recognize your perfect will for me as soon as you reveal it.  Amen.

With God There Is Always Hope

Judges 10:15-16 -  But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.”  Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.

The Israelites had cycled back into their rebellious mode once again….so God allowed them to reap the natural consequences of their choices.  The Philistines and the Ammonites were allowed to oppress them without restraint…until the Israelites misery caused them to realize their mistake….and realize that God was their only salvation.

God had been watching them the whole time…and he knew they would eventually cry out…but his anger was pretty intense this time.  God even told them the first time they cried out not to bother calling on him…to try and see if the gods they had been worshiping could help them.

It was their persistent pleading… the admission of sin…and the hearts that changed their behaviors back to what God had asked them from the start that melted God’s heart. He could no longer watch this people he loved in misery…especially since he could feel how very much they were sorry. He granted them mercy once again…and restored them back to a right relationship with him.

What a great reminder of the hope we have with God. Matthew Henry put my feelings into perfect sense as I read this excerpt from his commentary.  He said… “There is always hope when you cry out to God, especially when you lament your ungodliness and transgressions. True repentance begins to turn away from these actions and submit one’s self to God’s justice.

I admit that telling God to do whatever he seems best is more than hard. Those words will certainly be followed with a hard life lesson to teach us how to deepen our relationship with him. I know in my own life that using those words in a prayer began a process of refining my hurt … my hang up if you will...into something that he could use to help others heal and recovery from the same hurt. I am learning that it was never about me… but about furthering his kingdom so others could be healed as well.

Father….thank you for the reminder that I always have hope in you….and if I stay out of the way…you can teach me how to live my life closer to you than I ever dreamed possible. Forgive me for the times that I ran from you…letting the world dictate my feelings and actions.   Help me today to recommit my heart and actions to you…so that you can refine me into a vessel of hope and love to others.  Amen.

A Time For Comfort ..AND..A Time To Speak Out

Judges 9:7 -  When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.

Jotham had escaped from being the 71^st victim of the evil mind of Abimelech. All of his other brothers were unfairly murdered so that Abimelech could be king. Jotham came out of hiding to stand on a tall mountain …to shout to the people who had been tricked by the new king how crazy they were to allow it.

It must have been hard for Jotham to even come out of hiding…let alone position himself so that the whole town was drawn to come listen to him.  He chose to make his first points with a story… then explained the meaning to each one that would listen.

I am reminded by his wisdom to hide that there is a time to be quite and retreat to God for guidance and direction. I am also reminded that sometimes God ends our retreat of time with him with a call to speak out against the acts around us we know are not done with the love of God.

I admit that it is hard to know the difference sometimes.  I am very guilty of retreating way too long sometimes… even though I know that God is in control…I let fear hold me back from standing on that mountain and speaking to those that would listen. I needed the reminder to stay so connected with God that the world is not able to influence me too easily…so that when it is time to move and speak out for God’s way of pure love…I will be ready...excited…as soon as he gives the order.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are always there for me to run to for comfort and protection. Forgive me for the times that I let my heart take advantage of the feeling of warmth and love your presence provides by keeping it all to myself.  Help me to listen better to the calling of your spirit to speak out and share your love.  amen.

Stop...Pause..And Listen To God's Solution To Confrontation

Judges 8:1-3 - Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.  But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?  God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

The tribe of Ephraim was upset with Gideon for his failure to ask them to help him fight.  Their argument was on based on jealously…..they didn’t really care about the victory…just that they would not receive any of the glory from it.  Gideon carefully worded his reply to them in a compliment of what they accomplished on a daily basis.  He turned what could have been a huge argument into a peaceful discussion of their many talents,

It is a great reminder to me that our response to confrontation could bring peace…if we use Gideon’s approach. Gideon had not been instructed by God to rebuke their attitudes… so he simply didn’t engage in the posed argument.  Someone in his upbringing had taught him to strive for a simple peaceful solution when confronted with opposition… helping him think of the positives to fuel his answer.

It reminds me also of the way Jesus treated the lady caught in adultery the leaders of Israel brought to him.  They were not interested in the soul of that woman...they were using her to trap Jesus. He knew the perfect way to diffuse the angry crowd they managed to create around her….he quietly wrote in the sand ….perhaps just to pause the crowd and get their attention. Then he told them that the one among them that was sinless could throw the first stone. I would have been one of the ones walking away from that scene…..in deep reflection of all my own sin.

It seems like it would be easier to stop and pause…listening for God’s answer to the confrontation.... instead of letting the situation dictate my response. I don’t have to have paper …or pen.  I just need a heart that is ready to listen and let God tell me what to do.

Father…thank you for the reminder to work toward peace in this sinful world. Forgive me for the times that I have escalated an argument with my own prideful thoughts.  Help me to always stop and pause….and let you form a peaceful answer in my heart.  Amen.

My Weakness... Plus God's Grace..Equals God's Greatest Power

Judges 7:2 -   The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 

God had called Gideon to lead Israel out of captivity…but before he went into battle God had a very important lesson to teach him about his power to use him in great weakness.  He took 30,000 men with him to fight…but God weeded out 27,000 of them.  He wanted Israel to know that their God was the winning factor in the battle…so none of them could boast in their own strength.

There are many scriptures that explain God’s reasoning for this….one of my favorites in 2 Corinthians 12:9.  Paul understood the power of God so well that he boasted about how God overcame in weaknesses with these great words…. “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

In able for God to truly use us…we have to empty ourselves out of our own power.  That was one of the things Christ had to do on that cross.  He had the power within himself to save himself…but he gave that power over to God…so that a greater power could win victory over the power of sin in our lives. If we learn to do the same…to give over any strength we think we have over our lives to God…and allow him to use the weakest things about us to show his power…there will never be any question that what was accomplished was from him. 

It sure gives this old woman….weak in more than one way…a big boost in confidence this morning. It fuels a passion deep inside me…to keep searching for God’s will… so he can use me … even in ways that I was never trained.  When I allow him control over my weaknesses…he can use them in supernatural ways that the world can only assume was truly God at work within me.

Thank you father for the reminder that you use my weaknesses for your glory even better than the strengths you have created me with. Forgive me for the times that I let my feelings of weakness stop me from being obedient.  Help me to overcome any feelings of inadequacy with the thought that you can use these weaknesses to do great and mighty things to spread your gospel. Help me to embrace my weaknesses…so you can fill that weakness with a dose of your grace… and help me be my best versio of who you created me to be.  Amen.

God Uses All Our Questions And Weaknesses For His Good If We Are Obedient

Judges 6:15 – 18 -   “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”  The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”  Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

Israel had cycled once again into a time of rebellion against God…forgetting his power …trying to find their needs met by the other gods around them. So God allowed their choices to result in another time of captivity. It took only 7 years this time for them to realize their need to have God in their life again.

God began to speak to man named Gideon… a man by his own omissions… that was from the weakest tribe of Israel….and the least of his own clan. He was bold with the angel that came to deliver the news that God was going to put him in charge of the army…and send him to fight against their latest captors.  He asked why….and lifted up a few excuses…even boldly asked God twice for signs that it really was God …asking him to do something so out of the realm he ever thought his life would take him.

It is a reminder to me that God can use anyone to do his work. Many times are recorded in our Bible where God used prostitutes like Rahab…murderers like Moses…. and runaways like Jonah to do mighty things. The signs that God was really in charge were all different….but the results after each one believed and became obedient were the same. 

It’s also a reminder that it is okay to ask God questions…to ask him to manifest his love in such a tangible way to our hearts that we become passionate to share his love and truth with the world.  God knew the questions…the excuses…the doubts we had before we even realized we had them. He was working a plan to solidify our faith even before we knew that we needed it.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you choose to use the weakest of people to do your work. Thank you for the love that is so patient with us that you listen to our questions…even sending us signs of your existence to help us understand. Forgive me for the times that I let my excuses and lack of confidence keep me from being obedient.  Help me to recognize the signs you send to solidify my faith...and the still quiet voices you send to tell me what to do.   Amen.