November 6, 2024

                             Rejecting God

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

– 1 Samuel 8:6-7

Evil prevailed yesterday. Dishonesty and greed and arrogance won. It is a struggle to try and understand how God would allow such a thing to happen.

After much prayer, the Holy Spirit led me to 1 Samuel 8. Then I understood. My heart remains broken. I will never look at many “Christian” friends the same. I’m sure they would say the same about me. Satan’s victory has left a lasting scar.

Samuel was growing older. His two sons were to judge God’s people but they weren’t like Samuel. They turned aside for dishonest gain, accepted bribes and perverted justice. That’s what the Bible says.

God’s people demanded a king instead. This upset Samuel and he took it to the LORD. God told the people what would happen but still gave them the king they demanded. Feel free to read further about King Saul. Oftentimes what we think we want, is not at all what’s best for us.

God told Samuel that the people were rejecting Him and not Samuel. Yesterday people who claimed to follow Jesus rejected Him, choosing instead an idol and their own selfish ambitions over honor, mercy, kindness and love.

Does it still break my heart? Absolutely. I clearly see the destruction that awaits. But, unfortunately for us all, some people must learn lessons the hard way.

I think back to Hitler, a man Trump has said he admires. The German population at that time was about 99 percent Christian and only 1 percent Jewish. The Christians overwhelmingly supported Hitler. It allowed Hitler to gain great power and murder many, many innocent people. Do you believe the concentration camps were horrific? Do you believe such a thing can never happen again? It can. Really. It can.

Trump has vowed retaliation against those who spoke against him. He has said that Liz Cheney should be shot. That the “fake” media could be shot and he would be okay with that. The Bible clearly says that vengeance belongs to God. I doubt Trump knows or cares about what God says.

The American people made their choice yesterday. May God have mercy on us all.

December 19, 2018

Excuses

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.

– 1 Samuel 17:38

He was only a shepherd boy. Sure. He’d been anointed by Samuel but he was still the same boy. He’d come to bring bread and cheese to his brothers, who were on the front lines of the fight against the Philistines.

Except no one wanted to take on Goliath. No one was willing to challenge the giant and almost certainly die. Except for the boy whose trust in God was so great that he believed God would show His glory by allowing him to defeat Goliath.

David’s brothers were angry and believed their little brother was showing out. I suppose it was easier to be offended than to face the reality that their youngest sibling was braver than they were.

King Saul agreed to let David try. This was long before he turned on David and tried to have him killed. Saul offered David his personal armor. His intentions were good but David didn’t need Saul’s armor. He wasn’t accustomed to it and the very items meant to protect David would have hindered him.

How often do we try to add resources to what God has already provided? He’s equipped us for what He has called us to do but we’re still making excuses. We’re certain that we need something more, something better, something that will insure victory. It’s easier to trust in a coat of armor than a God we know but don’t see.

Faith calls us to something greater.

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give all of you into our hands.” – 1 Samuel 17:45-47

David wasn’t arrogant because of his own abilities. He simply knew with deep certainty that God would show up. What would you do if you knew with that deep certainty that God would show up? Why do you doubt?

We’re all good at making excuses for not doing what we know God has called us to do. We want the perfect time. We want all the perfect resources. We want to be in the perfect frame of mind. We want a reason not to try because when we try we reveal the depth of our faith.

Do you believe? Really? Truly? Then what are you waiting for? God has already given you everything you need to do what He has called you to.

April 12, 2016

A Time To Move On

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” -- 1 Samuel 16:1

How long does it take you to get over something? It’s not a trick question. Everyone is different. But sometimes we can get so caught up in the past, that we can’t let it go and move on.

I’ve always admired people who are able to shake the past off and move on. I’m a clinger until I’m done and then, well, I’m done. For good. What about you?

The prophet Samuel was mourning Saul. The king had gone against God’s instructions so God decided that Saul no longer would rule the Israelites. God is God. When He decides something, that’s it.

Samuel had a harder time moving on. God gave him some time and then pushed him forward. God had things for Samuel to do, like go anoint David as the new king.

There is a time to mourn. There is a time to move on. A sweet friend went through a devastating divorce last year. She struggled mightily. Then she met someone and now she’s remarried. Happy. She has moved on. Will it work out? I don’t know. No one does. But she wanted to move forward and she did. I admire that.

Some people want to dwell on a past they can’t change. They want to rehash it again and again, as though somehow they’ll come up with explanations or a way to change it all. Life doesn’t work that way. We can’t go back. We can’t rewrite the past.

Saul betrayed God. Saul decided he knew better than God and it didn’t work out so well for him. There was no going back. There was no undoing what he’d already done. God moved on and that was that.

Why did God choose David, a ruddy faced boy, to be the next king? Think about it. David was a man after God’s own heart. David’s heart was right. Was he perfect? Obviously not. But David loved God and that, along with confession and repentance, make up for a lot of things.

What are you holding on to? Let it go. Give it to God and then let it go. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to move on. And sometimes that’s the best thing you can do.

February 4, 2016

Lies Are The Devil‘s Seeds

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. -- Exodus 20:16

Why do people lie? There are so many reasons. Fear. To make themselves look good. To cover up a mistake. To do Satan’s will. To cause dissension.

It’s all wrong. There really isn’t an excuse. A lie never brings anything but heartache -- especially to the liar. But at the time it seems easier than admitting you’ve messed up.

There is an unseen battle that wages here on this earth. It is a battle of demons trying to disrupt God’s people. It is a battle of good versus evil. The plan is to make God’s people turn away from Him, to plant seeds of doubt and derision. Lies are seeds the devil plants.

13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” -- 1 Samuel 15:13-15

Another lie Satan tells us is that it’s all for our good or for God’s glory. Lies are never for your good or God’s glory. Ever. In this passage of Scripture, God told the Israelites to destroy everything, all the people and all the cattle. Everything. But the Israelites, with Saul as king, kept the best. When the prophet Samuel pointed this out, they tried to excuse their behavior by saying they kept the best to offer as a sacrifice for God.

Did they get away with it? Did God excuse them? Of course not. God knew what was best and that’s what He told them to do. It was there own greed they were feeding.

Isn’t that usually the case? We tell ourselves we’re lying to do good to others but we’re really lying to save ourselves. We tell ourselves we did it for God but in reality we just don’t want to admit to Him or to anyone else what we did.

Here’s the thing: No one is innocent. We’re all guilty. But God’s people admit their mistakes, ask forgiveness and take a different path. Satan’s minions keep pushing their lies again and again and again.

Lies come from evil. They are planted to destroy. Those who believe those lies are being deceived by Satan. Watch out! Satan’s lies will destroy you.

February 23, 2015

What's Your Excuse?

 

"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you." -- 1 Samuel 13:13a

Saul was a foolish man. God had given him a kingdom and much success. He threw it all away. His pride and arrogance caused him to sin greatly against God. So God sought a man after His own heart. David.

That's what God does. And that's what we do. We get so caught up in our own goodness, our own mission and purpose, that we forget it all comes from God.

We get lazy. We started skirting the basics. We're good, we tell ourselves. It's okay to skip today's Bible reading. God understands. I'm so busy because of all the things I'm doing for Him.

Or we don't make it to church. We don't feel well. We're tired. We've had a rough week. We don't like the pastor or the music or the coffee. Seriously?!

I know a woman who fought and won a battle against lung cancer a few years ago. She will always have stamina issues and many at the church still treat her as a shut-in. The woman goes to Wal-Mart shopping. She runs errands. She is able to come to church. She chooses not to. Don't put her in the same group  as people who are literally not physically able to attend. You're enabling her, encouraging her excuses.

Or let's look at the man who got shingles, something that is really and truly painful. We prayed for him and worried about him. He is better now, though not completely healed. He's back at work, running errands and doing pretty much what he wants. But he hasn't quite made it back to church. Shingles is a convenient excuse but if he can live the rest of his week normally, then he can come to church on Sunday.

So what's your excuse? Do you attend church regularly? Why not? Do you give God credit for everything good that happens to you? Do you set aside time every day to spend with God? Or is He last on your list?

How often do we make excuses, telling ourselves that God will understand? In a way, He does. God knows us far better than we know ourselves. But it means that He also isn't fooled by our excuses. We're only fooling ourselves.

Jesus died for us. For you and for me. God loves us that much. How dare we make excuses, especially when it comes to the basics. So show up! Read your Bible. Pray every day. Attend church when you are able. There's enough sin in each of our lives without compounding it with foolishness.

Friday, October 7, 2011

God Is In Control

David didn’t leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish. -- 1 Samuel 27:9

We don’t think too much of King David as murderer. Oh, sometimes we remember that he sent Bathsheba’s husband to the front lines of war to make sure he died. Maybe we excuse that because he married Bathsheba, their baby died as punishment, and they later had a son, Solomon, who became a wise king. But murderer? We don’t use that term to describe David.

During this passage of Scripture, David went to live with the Philistines to get away from Saul. God didn’t sent him there. David was just tired and afraid. He was running away. Most of us can relate to that. At some point, we all run away from something. Sure you do. It doesn’t have to be physically moving in the opposite direction. Avoidance counts as another way of running away.

Beth Moore brings up an interesting point in her study on David. She suggests that he killed all the people in the towns he raided not just to keep them from talking but because he needed to feel like he had some control over his life. He couldn’t kill Saul because the king was God’s anointed. And he couldn’t kill his enemies the Philistines because he needed to live in their country for safety. So he killed the people in the towns he raided.

Lack of control causes us to do quite a few things that can seem out of character. Someone who isn’t in control in her marriage, might exert extreme control over her children. A man who is a lowly employee may need to rule his family with a iron hand. We humans need to have control over something. Don’t we?

But what happens when we don’t have something to control? We lash out at someone or something. Really. Even you. Ever yelled at the dog because someone else did something you didn’t like? Ever lashed out at your child because your boss made you mad? Most of us have gotten upset with the wrong person because we just needed to get all that anger and frustration out of us. Because feeling out of control is scary and unnerving and we don’t want to be in that place.

Except we’re never in control of anything. Thing about it. God is the only one with complete control. Really. Everything else is just illusion and fantasy. It’s why some days I start with a plan and, at the end of the day, nothing I planned came to be. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about.

David’s real issue, though, wasn’t about control. It was about trust. David didn’t trust God to keep him safe from Saul. I understand that too. God waited 15 years to end Saul’s life. But God didn’t abandon David during that time. Instead, God allowed David to mature and learn how to be a king.

So next time you’re tempted to lash out or take extreme control in a situation, don’t. God knows what He’s doing. Look around. Seek His wisdom and His lesson. He’s with you and don’t ever doubt that God is in control.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Nothing Good Comes From Jealousy

This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. -- 1 Samuel 18:8-9

Have you ever been on the receiving end of someone’s jealous eye? It’s uncomfortable at best. Sometimes it can be downright terrifying.

Saul, the king the people had asked for, had lost God’s blessing. Instead, God had chosen David to be His king. Saul knew this. The prophet Samuel had told him. But it didn’t really seem to hit home until the women started singing and dancing and telling everyone that David had killed more enemies than their king. That’s enough to prick anyone’s ego, especially someone with a great deal of pride to go with that ego.

The root of jealousy is bound deeply into fear. Saul was afraid of losing his power, his kingdom, his pride. But he already had. And that drove him insane. Literally. Saul lost his mind as he focused his jealous eye on the man God had chosen to replace him.

Of course, jealousy can go the other way too. Have you ever been consumed with jealousy? Have you ever really been afraid that someone else was after your spouse or your job? Remember that jealousy stems from fear. What were you afraid you would lose?

Some jealous goings on are just plain ridiculous. I once had a woman close to me eye me with a hateful glare. I knew something was up but I couldn’t figure out what I’d done to upset her so much. It went on for a while. She finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and spilled the reason for her jealous hatefulness. She wanted to know why my lipstick stayed on and hers didn’t. I shared my “secret” and shook my head. Jealousy over lipstick! Go figure.

The dictionary says that jealousy happens when someone thinks of another person as a rival. Certainly, that was the case with Saul and David. Saul knew that David would one day claim his throne and there was nothing he could do about it.

Do you have a rival? Does someone want something you have? Or do you want something someone else has. Nothing good can ever come from jealousy. Nothing. It will drive you to insanity, destroy relationships, make you obsess over things that aren’t worth the effort. Stand firm against Satan’s pull. Whether you’re the one who is jealous or whether you’re on the receiving end, give it to God. That’s it. Just give it to God.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Follow God’s Call

The Lord said, “God over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him so that he can see again.”

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And we hear that he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest every believer in Damascus.” -- Acts 9:11-14

Have you ever really not wanted to do something God has called you to do? Ananias could commiserate with you. God wanted Ananias to go to a man known for persecuting Jesus’ followers. Saul of Tarsus -- who became the Apostle Paul -- could easily order that Ananias be killed. Talk about quaking in your sandals!

But, as usual, God knew what He was doing. We don’t always understand His ways. Okay. Frequently we don’t understand His ways. But God calls us to trust Him and do what He says.

Most of us have heard the story of Jesus appearing to Saul as he walked along a road. Saul was blinded by a brilliant light from heaven. He was led to the house of Judas, where the Bible tells us he went without food and water for three days. I’m sure he prayed too. And God answered Saul’s prayers -- thought probably not in the way Saul would have expected.

We don’t think too much about Ananias. He is overshadowed by Paul’s ministry. A ministry that began when Ananias obeyed God. We tend to forget that part. Saul regained his sight because Ananias obeyed God. Saul was baptized because Ananias obeyed God. And Saul began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues because Ananias obeyed God.

Sometimes we don’t think too much of what we’re called to do for God. We want a big job. We want to do something profound, something everyone will know and see. But sometimes it’s those scary things that have the most lingering impact. Like telling someone about Jesus. Sometimes it’s the small things. Like keeping a couple of small children one afternoon so that their single mother can get a break. Or maybe it’s buying the lunch of the person behind you in line at the fast food restaurant.

Always, it’s following the call of God. Because He does know what He’s doing. And while we may not understand His motives in that moment, one day we will. Trust Him. And obey.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Don't Respond To Enemies

"Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy."

-- Psalm 64:1

Do you have any enemies? Probably. Most people do. Oh, you might not think of them as enemies. Maybe they're just people who don't like you (you probably don't like them either) or people who are jealous of you (co-workers or siblings come to mind). But, nevertheless, they are people who usually don't wish you well.

So what happens when those people are close to you? We want to let our guard down. We want to enjoy being around family members. But sometimes that isn't safe. I'm not talking physical here. That's a whole different thing. What I'm talking about are emotions. You know. That constant criticism that comes day after day. The little jabs. The put-downs. The snickers and insults. Taken alone, it would be easy to shrug them off. We're supposed to do that. It's not an easy task -- especially when it seems to never end.

I'm usually able to handle things that come from people I work with or interact with in business. I don't see those people that often. Really. Even when you're working a regular day, you've only got to tolerate stuff for eight to 10 hours, five days a week. Sounds like alot but it is doable.

Where I have trouble is in the close relationships. I hate having to hold myself back, to guard my comments, to temper my emotions because someone is just waiting for the opportunity to pounce. It hurts. Outsiders don't understand. They see the smiles and hear the lies. My skin has become fairly thick over the years but words still wound.

I want to run and hide. I want to throw in the towel and leave the mess to someone else. Haven't I suffered enough for one lifetime? Then I remember David. Saul wouldn't let up and David wouldn't answer the insults. David could have killed Saul but then David would have sinned. God took care of Saul in His own perfect time. I struggle to remember that. God's timing is not my own. He looks at the big picture while I am focused on the hurts of today.

I find rest in David's words and the knowledge that God sees and hears. He knows my heart just as he knows the hearts of those who would destroy me if they could. He'll take care of it in His own time and in His own way. I must find strength in Him to continue the journey He has called me to take and trust that the end will bring peace to me and glory to Him.