April 17 – Forgiven and Blessed

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I Samuel 25-27

Abigail asked David for forgiveness. Yes, it was her husband Nabal who had refused to help David. But 25:28 tells us Abigail, after falling on her face at David’s feet said, “Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant.”

In verse 35 we see David granted her request. And later, after Nabal’s death, David brought Abigail into his home and made her his wife. She became the king’s bride.

As I read this today I saw a picture of my relationship with God. When I fell on my face before Him and asked Him to forgive me – he did! Then He lifted me up and took me for Himself. I am His. He is mine.

The Bible calls believers the Bride of Christ. That’s me. And all because I humbled myself and asked Jesus to forgive me. How blessed I am.

I pray you can say the same.

April 16 – Tears In A Bottle

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Psalms 56, 120, 140-141

Have you ever felt the need to shut the door to your room and just cry? (And men, I’m talking to you, too.) You can put up a brave face for only so long, and you realize you have arrived at your breaking point. You are alone. Not even your loved ones understand. You need to be by yourself and let it all out.

But you are never alone. There is Someone right there with you who loves you beyond what you know. And it’s at our lowest points that God wants to hold us, comfort and strengthen us.

I love what David said in Psalm 56:8:

You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in your book?

There isn’t a tear that falls from your eyes that God does not see or consider important. And he doesn’t forget a one of them.

David’s circumstances did not change. Saul still wanted him dead. The Philistines held him captive. But listen to David’s words in the midst of his pain:

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You, in God whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

If you are sad, or alone, or fearful, or all of the above, get alone with your Savior. Read the psalms. Let God gather your tears and replace them with Himself.

He loves you so much.

Hebrews 12:3-11, Consider…

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I hope you’ll take some time to read this thought-provoking post. It’s a re-post from a man whose ministry has spoken to me often. Parents, Grandparents, voters, teachers, there is something in there for all of us. And may God speak to your heart as He did to mine.

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[3]For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  [4]You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  [5]And you  have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons:  ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; [6]for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’
[7]If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  [8]But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.  [9]Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect.  Shall we not much more readily be in subjection…

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April 15 – When Life Gets Tough

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Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

There is so much gold contained in the psalms. In the five we read today, you get a feeling for David’s pain, his confusion. He is being pursued by Saul, and betrayed by Doeg. David is hiding in a cave while he writes these words.

In these psalms David also gives us a glimpse of Jesus. Look for verses that refer to our Savior as you read. It’s pretty awesome.

But what stood out to me today as I read these psalms was David’s unwavering faith and trust in God. Yes he was running for his life. Yes, he was being treated unfairly. But no matter what, David rested in God alone.

52: 8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving kindness of God forever and ever.

34:1  I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth.

34:4  I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

34:8  O taste and see that the Lord is good.

31:14&15  But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands…

27:1  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?

7:1  O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge…

I hope you’ll read these psalms as the prayer of your own heart. Substitute David’s enemy with whatever it is you are facing. I pray you’ll be able to face whatever would destroy you, with the same confidence David expresses in these beautiful psalms.

When life gets tough, the only place I want to be is clinging to God who loves me and shelters me and holds me close. There, and only there, I have no fear.

April 14 – God Uses Sinners

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I Samuel 21-24

David was described as “a man after God’s own heart.” But David sinned. And some of his sins were doozies. Here in these chapters of I Samuel we see David lie to a priest of the Lord. Ahimelech the priest gave David food and Goliath’s sword because David told him the king had sent him. In fact, King Saul had not sent David.

David got what he had come for. But it cost Ahimelech his life, and the lives of his family. David would have to live with the fact that his lie brought about those deaths.

Yet this liar is described as a man after God’s own heart.

My pastor talked to us last night at prayer meeting about Zaccheus (Luke 19). Zaccheus was a hated tax collector, getting rich by extorting money from the people. His neighbors described him as a sinner. But Zaccheus was radically changed when he met Jesus.

Think of the cruel and murderous Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. And think about how he was used by God after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus.

What I notice about these three men is that they didn’t let their past sins stop them from serving God. Read David’s psalms and hear him repent of his sins, and put his trust in the Lord. The Bible is full of examples of how God used David to bless the nation of Israel, and yes, even examples of what a man after God’s own heart looks like. See how, when God called Zaccheus and Saul by name, their encounter with the Savior effected the rest of their lives.

God didn’t say, “Clean up your act, then come back to me.” Instead God says, “Come as you are.”

Hear God call you by name, then respond to Him with a repentant heart. No sin is too great for Him to forgive. No life too shattered for Him to transform. And no sinner is too far gone to be used by God, once that sinner has met the Savior.

I prayed for you today.

April 13 – BooYa!

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I Samuel 18-20; Psalm 11&59

I don’t know what it is like in other parts of the world, but here in the States we have always prided ourselves in working hard and building this country by the sweat of our brows. (present history excluded) We’re the home of the brave, after all!

I’m pretty sure that attitude is not exclusive to the USA. It’s more of a mankind thing. People like to see the fruit of their efforts, and take great satisfaction in their accomplishments.

When King Saul offered his daughter to David to be his wife, David politely refused. Twice.

I Samuel 18:18 says, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

Then in verse 23: “Is it trivial in your eyes to become the king’s son-in-law since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?”

David was a simple shepherd. He had no means of paying a dowery to the king! He was the youngest son from a simple tribe of Israel. All kinds of legitimate reasons why he didn’t deserve to marry the king’s daughter.

Now hear what happened when Saul told David how he could “earn” the right to marry his daughter by bringing him 100 Philistine foreskins:

“…it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law.”

David would have to kill a bunch of men, cut off their foreskins, and present them to Saul. Do this, this, and this, then you earn the right to be a member of the king’s family. That made David happy.

THEN David when out, struck down 200 Philistines and presented 200 foreskins to Saul. BooYa!

This story helps me understand why grace is such a hard thing for some people to accept. They think their sin’s are too many, or too severe. They think they don’t deserve God’s love because of the awful things they’ve done. And they are right to think that.

But here’s God with outstretched arms saying, “‘Come unto Me’ anyway. Just come to Me and accept this free gift I am offering you. Ask me to forgive you and see what happens next!”

Somehow I think if God told us to bring him one hundred foreskins, or climb a mountain, or build a tower, or tap our heels three times, our churches would fill their pews.

BooYa!

But salvation has nothing to do with what we do. It has everything to do with what Jesus has already done.

Being a child of God doesn’t cost you a thing, other than a little humility, other than asking for forgiveness, other than trusting the One who loves you more than you can imagine. It’s really not that hard.

But the result is a blessed walk with the Lord! Victory over sin and death! Strength. Love. Protection. Eternal life.

BooYa, Lord!

 

April 12 -It’s A Giant!

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I Samuel 15-17

So often Scripture gives us examples of God’s power demonstrated through individuals. Like Moses through whom many miracles were performed. Like Gideon who took only 300 men into battle and won the war. Like what we read yesterday about Jonathan, and again today as we read about David’s victory over Goliath.

When David heard Goliath’s threats and saw the reaction of the Jewish soldiers, he didn’t get it. “Who is this Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”

I think that, in a sense, we 21st century Christians are a bit like that army David was talking to:

The media is against us. The government is against us. The laws are against us. People say mean things about us.

Scripture says that when faced with the giant, the Israelite army “fled from him and were greatly afraid.” (17:24)

It took one person – David – to recognize that God is greater than anyone. David could face Goliath with confidence, because David’s confidence wasn’t in himself.

David’s confidence was in the living God!

We are facing a giant here in 2016. Do we believe God is more powerful than our enemy? Just where have we put our confidence?

April 11 – One + God = Victory

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I Samuel 13&14

Most of us have probably felt a time or two: What can one person do?

What difference does it make if I speak the Truth at work when I’m the only believer there? What can my measly little offering do when I drop my few dollars in the plate each week? Does my one vote really matter? Does my opinion count for anything? I’m just one person. How effective can I be?

Jonathon and his armor bearer were getting ready to take on the Philistine army. Just the two of them. Hear what Jonathon said: “… perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.” (14:6)

We can all probably agree that we need a revival in our churches. And it could start with

YOU!

God can use one yielded heart, one voice to do amazing things in His children. He is not restrained by numbers.

One + God = Victory

You + God = Anything He’s calling you to!

April 9 – I Am Afraid

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I Samuel 9-12

There are some things I am afraid of. I’m afraid of guns. I’m afraid of policemen. I am afraid of dogs. I’m afraid of water. I’m afraid of falling off a cliff.

But I love to shoot. My nephew, whom I love, is a cop. We’ve got several dogs in our family. I swim, and I go boating. And I love exploring nature in all terrains.

My fears effect how I live. But it doesn’t stop me from living. My fear of guns has me treat them carefully, and aim them purposefully at the target, because I know a bullet shot in the wrong direction can kill. My fear of cops has me driving the speed limit, because I know that they have the authority to ticket me. I don’t approach a snarling dog because I know a bite from a dog will hurt, but I pet dogs with wagging tails. I wear a life jacket, and don’t swim in the ocean alone or in a storm, because I don’t want to drown. And I never run up to the brink of a cliff, because a fall could kill me.

My fears make me aware of the danger and cause me to respect those things I fear.

I Samuel 12:24 tells us to fear the Lord “for consider the great things he has done for you.”

Do I fear God? Absolutely! He is Holy. He is a fierce Judge. He is Almighty Creator. I’ve read in Scripture what He thinks about sin. And I believe Him when He says sinners go to hell.

But does my fear of God keep me from loving Him, from spending time with Him every day, from trusting Him. Absolutely NOT!

There are many places in the Bible that tell us not to fear. But I can’t find anywhere where it says not to fear God. Don’t fear the future. Don’t fear Satan. Don’t fear what man can do to us. But I think the Bible clearly warns us that God is someone to be feared.

And loved. And trusted. And respected. God wants us to live life, to enjoy His creation, to walk boldly and share the Gospel. But I think it’s pretty clear that we need to have that healthy fear of Him who is our Judge, who demands holiness of us.

My fear of God effects how I live. It makes me aware of the penalty of disobeying Him, and causes me to respect Him and His Word. But it also gives me the awareness of just how amazing is my walk with Him. This God who is to be feared loves me. He gave Himself for me. He is my constant companion, my strength, my very life.

April 9 – Take a Peek and Die

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I Samuel 4-8

Curiosity killed the cat.

The Philistines had sent the Ark of the Lord back to the children of Israel. What a surprise it must have been for the people of Beth-shemesh who were working in their fields to look up and see the Ark coming toward them on a cart, pulled by two young cows.

They rejoiced! The Ark was back after having been captured by the enemy.

For whatever reason, the men of Beth-shemesh took a peek inside the Ark. It was famous, and here it was right there in their own backyard.

Did they stand in line, like a crowd waiting for their turn on that death-defying roller coaster at an amusement park? Was there excitement as they stepped nearer and nearer to  the place where God was? Was it an adrenaline rush as they were about to do something they knew they probably shouldn’t, but just had to see inside?

Was there a bit of fear as they approached God in such a manner?

I don’t know what they were thinking. But I know what God thought about the matter. 50,070 men died because they had disrespected the Ark of the Lord, they had disobeyed God.

I can’t help but think of the contemporary approach to worship we see today. It’s casual. Bring a cup of coffee and enjoy the show. Let’s sing songs about how loving God is, and repeat the words over and over until we feel that worship experience everyone is talking about. Let’s watch the preacher perform his comedy act, complete with special effects, and go away feeling good about ourselves.

Sadly, too many churches provide an opportunity for people to get a glimpse of God. They get just close enough to God, hear just enough Bible, that they consider themselves children of God. But they don’t deal with their sin problem, they pride themselves in their tolerance, and they don’t humble themselves before a Holy God.

Is it possible to get just close enough to God to be fatal? Ask the people of Beth-shemesh.