Renewing and Refreshing

Does there seem to be a wall between you and God, between me and God?  David went through times like this when He feared for his life and felt God was far away and had removed His hand from his life.  He also went through times like this when he succumbed to temptation and did what God would not have him to do.  Many of these times are written about in the lamenting Psalms.  Saul also went through times like this.  Saul was considered a man above other men and not just for his stature.  He also had natural leadership ability and God saw him as being the king who could lead Israel in His ways after they urgently plead for a king just like their neighboring countries’.  Yet, with the first battle Saul proved his humanity and chose to be god for his army and called a fast.  With another battle, one against the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15, Saul chose to fight them because God commanded it.  God also commanded other things of Saul and his army while they were defeating their enemies, the Amalekites.  He required that all their animals, sheep, cattle, camels, donkeys, everything, be killed as well as all the people, men, women and children.  Saul felt like he succeeded in doing God’s will.  He killed all the Amalekites, except  King Agag, and he killed all the animals except the choice ones.  God was not pleased.  He saw this as disobedience.  A wall was now created between Saul and God.  Saul thought he had done well.  God saw partial obedience as disobedience.  God spoke with Samuel and he was angry over Saul’s disobedience, as well (1 Samuel 15:11).  God actually regretted making Saul king of Israel.  He was not leading His children, Israel, in the ways of the Lord.  When Samuel confronted Saul about his disobedience, Samuel hedged and said he thought the animals would be a sacrifice to God for the victory and he blamed that on “the people.”  Samuel, as God’s prophet, spoke truth to Saul in verse 22, it is better to obey than offer sacrifice.  Saul wanted Samuel to speak for him to God but God had already said he rejected Saul.  Saul plead for Samuel to let him go and worship God with him and in the process tore Samuel’s cloak.  Samuel then stated that the kingdom which Saul ruled will also be torn apart.  Saul and Samuel went to worship the Lord, after Saul expressed remorse, but the future of the kingdom was set because of the sin of its first king. 

That is a strong occurrence to have happened because of the sin of a king and his soldiers but he was supposed to be the example and the ruler of the people.  He could have told the soldiers to kill everyone and everything but instead he made a visible example of disobedience to God by taking King Agag captive instead of killing him.  Since it was the king who sinned, a king’s punishment was meted out upon the king and his kingdom.  Yet, you see that God was willing for Saul to repent and worship Him again.  Even in New Testament times we see that God is willing to let people repent and to forgive them.  He says in 1 John 1:9 that If we admit our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Saul repented, was forgiven, was cleansed by God and worshipped God.  That does not mean that Saul never sinned again; we can see that Saul sins after this episode.  It is not a forever cleansing God gives us, but rather, a chance to make a new start and to choose obedience or disobedience. 

God did not make us robots who are programmed to always do right.  We are fallen humanity.  We have a choice to do God’s will or not.  When we choose not to obey, a wall is built between us and God, the freshness of our relationship with God is gone.  We become more dry each day we are separated by sin from God.  If you find that you are depending on something else to give you your strength each day, then you are not in a close relationship with God.  Your relationship is not fresh with Him.  Pray and search yourself to find where the wall began to be built and take the promise He gives to you, confess your sin and He is faithful to forgive you.  We will then be able to say what David said, “Return, O Lord, and rescue me.  Save me because of your unfailing love.”  (Psalm 6:4)  He does love us and wants to renew us to Himself.

Listening When Hearing

As I prepared to teach a lesson on Sunday, the story caught my interest. It was not so much the story in itself that attracted my interest but the lesson, listening. Further, on in the week, other readings in my Bible and in my devotion guides continued to capture my attention. My reflections revolved around this topic, listening leading to obedience. Is God trying to get me to obey Him in something? I continued to read and pray about it. 

            When you look at Saul and his first campaign as king, you also see his son, Jonathan. God appointed Saul as king because the children of Israel wanted to be similar to their neighbors and have a king. God told Samuel He would provide a king for them but they would be subject to the human whims and shortcomings of any king they had. Saul proved to be just that sort of king, human. In the first story of Saul as king, we find a story within a story (a pericope), one of Jonathan and his armor-bearer, which teaches the reader and his listeners how to listen and follow. The story is in 1 Samuel 14. Jonathan tells his armor-bearer what to do in verses 6-10. We see in verse 13 the armor-bearer follows Jonathan. He could not have followed if he had not listened. This following led to panic on the part of Israel's enemies, the Philistines, which led to the ultimate victory over the Philistines.

            Now, consider Jesus telling His disciples about the parables He spoke to His followers in Mark 4. Jesus spoke to the people about the sower and the seeds in the first eight verses after which Jesus proclaimed for them to hear if they had ears, leading them to consider and comprehend. Hearing comes when you actively listen. The disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable. He explains it to them and subsequently, almost verbatim, repeats vs. 9 except instead of saying "let him be hearing" Jesus says in vs. 23 "let him be listening and perceiving and comprehending" (AMP). You will notice active hearing, intense listening, must be followed with study, perception, and comprehension or else the Word spoken by God's Spirit to us falls on infertile ground.

            Let us now go to 2 Peter 3:16-18. Peter speaks of Paul and the his difficulty in understanding many of the things of which Paul spoke. Peter warns his hearers to be on their guard so they fall not as prey to those who misconstrue and twist the Word. He wants the readers to understand beforehand this will happen and they will need to be on their guard. How then are we to be on our guard against Satan's deceivers? Peter states this answer in verse 18, "Grow in grace and spiritual strength and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (AMP). To recognize Christ and His Word, we must have knowledge, which comes through study, understanding. To have understanding, we must obey. To obey, we must actively listen. Do we listen like Jonathan's armor-bearer and follow Christ? Do we listen as Christ speaks to us, His disciples, to be able to obey Him? How do we obey? Is it not by seeking Him and acknowledging Him and understanding Him? In which soil do we live our daily lives, fertile or shallow and thorny? Do we have a daily life with Christ where we keenly seek, listen, study and obey Him or is it haphazard? 

            Here is the challenge for us, seek him and actively listen to Him each day. To do this, we must read His word, not because we should by human godly standards, but because we want to hear Him, know Him, love Him, and obey Him. 

            This is not a new year's resolution but a commitment to love Christ fully and to know and follow Him.

Testimonies of Praise

        Thanksgiving day is past, the day Americans all over the world stop to celebrate God's blessing in the new world to be called the United States of America.  However, it is not a one-day celebration.  If we haven't done it yet, we need to learn to cultivate this thankfulness.  We need to become so thankful to our Father God that it overflows from us to others.  I know, some people have heard that you are supposed to overflow God's love to others as you pass through the days and weeks but am I suggesting anything new?  Overflowing thanksgiving to others shows as praise to our Father.  So, we will be worshipping Him in our everyday life.  Isn't this what we want to show the world around us?  Won't this make them stop and wonder about our faith?  Hmm, a thought.  If you do this, you will be given new opportunities to share of God's love through the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
        Do you have a story of God's greatness which you have seen or personally experienced?  Have you considered that this sharing of the story and thankfulness is one testimony you can use to share God's love, a door to share Jesus' ultimate love gift?  Wow, it is perfect and right before Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birthday.  So, if we cultivate thankfulness so that it flows everyday, we cultivate opportunities to share the Gospel. 
        In this day of severe recession that has been a part of our daily lives for 3 years, isn't this the most right time to share/overflow your thankfulness?  Often times of most difficulty is the time when people are most receptive to hearing about Jesus and His love gift to all humanity throughout generations.  People are most receptive to hear of hope during hard times.  People want to know that there is more to life, that this life can't be all, that there is hope for a better life.  Go about your day being thankful.  Be overflowing.  Open the doors for others to see God's love in you.  Be prepared to give account of your joy in God.  Be ready to give a testimony of God's love gift in the birth, life, death and resurrection in Jesus.  People want hope.  People need to hear about the love of Jesus and his life giving gift of salvation and an eternal better/best life.  Are you thankful today?

Remembering, Reliving and Revering

        It is almost Thanksgiving.  People are making plans for the holiday; Americans are making plans.  Wherever they live, Americans will be searching for a turkey or a substitute and pumpkin pie, or something reasonably like it, and will be inviting friends and family to join in the festivities...but, are they really.  Christmas decorations have been up in the stores all month.  Children are making Christmas lists.  Churches are thinking about pageants and music.  Some people are thinking about snow and the fun and others are thinking about how to get away from it.  In the midst of all this, it seems that we have forgotten what November 24, 2011 is about.  It is the one day we, as American, set aside to thank God, upon Whom our country was founded, for His provision to us this year.  If we have not given Him a thought til now, this is the one day, not the 52 other Sundays of the year, that we think about our Creator and Provider and say thank you.
        The first year, the year in which Thanksgiving began, the Pilgrims, who were spiritually-minded, suffered immensely.  One hundred and four people set out for a new world where there would be religious freedom.  They had experienced persecution in Europe for their religious beliefs and were seeking a new home.  They landed on a new continent and built a fort and houses and sought to plant and grow crops.  Many times the crops failed and after their initial fear of the natives, some tentative steps toward friendship were made and counsel was given by these native residents of their new home as to how to plant and grow crops.  By the end of that first year, fifty-two people, men, women and children, had survived and chose to give thanks to God their Provider.
        What does this have to do with us 400 years later?  Well maybe we don't have to grow our own crops.  Maybe we don't have to build our own houses, or make our own clothes, or chop our own wood.  Maybe the natives are no longer timid or scary or heathen.  However, we still have received these things and have survived another year to tell others about it.  Did we provide our own homes or food or clothes?  Did we create our own jobs or teach our own children or doctor our own sick?  I must say, and all would if they were humble enough to admit it, that each of these came as gifts to us from our Creator and Provider and Sustainer.  If you cannot admit that, then you do not need to celebrate Thanksgiving.  However, if you are humble enough to admit that you are not the provider of your own welfare, then Thanksgiving is the day which you set aside time to allow your mind to peruse the last year and all the benefices that came to you and all the endurance that you were given in hard times and then to cast thanks to the One who has provided for all your needs and often has given you more than you could have ever considered asking for.
        Thanksgiving is a time to cast back and remember and then to pronounce thanks to our God.  So, as you prepare the feast or sit back and smell the aromas or taste the succulence of the food, give a thought to Who has, in His onmiscient wisdom and knowledge, provided enough for you to make it through another year.  Give thanks and praise to our Father God.  Then, after ample time is spent on remembrance and thanks, we can look forward to celebrating the birth of a King.
       HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU THIS NEW YEAR

Creaking and Shaking

        On the eve of my hubby's 48th birthday, he turns to me nonchalantly and asks, "Is there anything I should know about 48 dear?"  I can't even remark.  For nine months of the year I am older than him and he lets me know it weekly.  I quietly respond that he wasn't even a twinkle in his mother's eye when I was born.  That has never stopped him from coming up with the statement later in the same week stating that I am older than him.  So, how do I respond to today's question?  Do I take it as a last chance to "poke" me before he catches up?  Do I wonder where he has been the last 9 months as I navigated year 48?  Or am I so dumbfounded by the question that I say nothing.  I chose the last option but not because I thought it was the best answer but because I had nothing wise or witty to jab him back with.  My thought is to keep my mouth shut so I don't jump right into the middle of the statement that I am still older than him.
        For these next three months I get to step back and watch as he navigates his 48th year.  I get to watch as he makes decisions and either learn from his experiences or chuckle at his new baby steps into this foray of 48. 
        I must say, we are going gracefully toward that 50 mark but time is starting to show upon us.  Yesterday I remarked to him that my grey hairs were matching his grey hairs...in his beard.  You see, his head hair is letting go of his scalp before it has a chance to turn grey.  I can say with glee that mine is turning grey and not letting loose.  But, my bones are showing/creaking out my age now.  I tell you what, if they ever wanted to tape a squeeking rocking chair, they only need follow me with the recorder; my ankles and knees are a cacophany of creaks and grinds.  If I am making more noise in this middle age, I must say that he has won that contest hands down.  The sounds that emanate from him during sleeping times must register in the 30s on the decibel meter.  I sent him to the ENT doctor to see if there was anything we could do.  Nope, everything looks fine.  I went to my doctor with exhaustion and she prescribed pills that would get me to a deep sleep and keep me there.  I must say, she is right most of the time but when the tiles of our roof and the timbers holding them up begin "falling" around me, wake me up in time to get out of the house.  His nocturnal vocal emanations could bring the roof down.  God has, however, saved us from this demise, too.
        It is fun and therapeutic to wrestle with middle age and it's idiosyncrasies.  It does have it down moments, but if you can't turn them into times of laughter at some point, they will get you down.  Make light of those moments when the knees creak and the rafters shake and then it will be easier being 48+.