Tag Archives: blessed by God

Game Called On Account of Darkness

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Ezekiel 17-20

Throughout history people have been trying to get God to accept our idea of what religion looks like. We want Him to accept our rules, play our game. He never does.

He lets us go for awhile running the bases in reverse, but eventually He calls the game and plows up the field. When will we learn that either we play His game or we don’t play at all?

I used to play softball in a church league that played on fields without lights. Very often we would get only five or six innings in before it became too dangerous to continue to play, and the umpire would end the game because of the darkness. I bet you know where I”m going with this.

Playing by our own rules is sin. And sin is darkness. God will only let His creation continue in darkness until He makes the call to stop the madness. Judgment comes. And for some, they wind up in eternal darkness.

The thing is, God’s game is fun. It’s fair. It’s well organized and everyone playing by His rules always wins. No one loses!

We might try to tell Abner Doubleday how to play baseball. What a joke! He invented the game. And God invented the game of life.

This life is much more serious than a nine inning romp around the bases; the outcome more important than a World Series ring. Hear God say obey Him, follow His rules, play His game, then live blessed in this life and in eternity. If you play it any other way, be prepared for Him to call the game on account of darkness. Then He will add up the score, hold you accountable…

in this life and in eternity.

June 15; It Keeps Coming

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I King’s 17-19

The more I read the Bible the more I realize people haven’t changed all that much since the beginning. Take the widow woman, for example. During the famine God miraculously provided her with flour and oil so she and her son, and the prophet Elijah, could eat. She didn’t do anything to earn God’s provision – except obey. She obeyed, and God kept it coming.

But then her son got sick. What did she do? She blamed Elijah and, in turn, God. “Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “Did you just come so you could kill my son?”

Elijah’s not any different than the widow, really. He asked the same of God (who had just spared his life, too, with the never-ending flour and oil). The son did not die. And the miracle came through Elijah.

Later Elijah, who had demonstrated great faith in God, who watched God do amazing things, unexplainable things, who was protected by God, fed by ravens and angels, had doubts. King Ahab was out to get him, and Elijah felt all alone. It was too much. He wanted to die.

Can you relate? We are so blessed by God. We see evidence of that every day. Some of us have witnessed extraordinary ways God moves. But when tragedy, or hardship comes, the first response of many of us is to blame God. Or question Him. Or at least give Him the cold shoulder for a time. It’s so much easier to recognize God’s blessings in the good times. It’s a bit of a challenge to see those same blessings when we are hurting

But I am reminded today about God’s great love for His children. The flour and oil kept coming for the widow and her son until the famine was over. God encouraged Elijah by assuring him he wasn’t at all alone. In the midst of trouble, God was still keeping His blessings coming.

And that’s His MO still today. I don’t know what life is like for you right now. You may be going through a really hard time. Maybe you, like the widow find yourself striking out at God. Or like Elijah, you might be feeling abandoned by everyone including God. But hear God whisper in your ear, “I’m right here.” Open your eyes to the ways He demonstrates His love for you right now while you are struggling.

Because I know, as evidenced in Scripture and in my own life, even in the darkest nights, God keeps His blessings coming.

 

 

 

 

April 14; All That

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I Chronicles 9:35-44, 5:7-10, 18-22; I Samuel 15-16

Do you remember where Saul was the day Samuel came to anoint him King of Israel? They found him hiding behind some crates. Doesn’t exactly exude confidence, does it? But that reluctant king was blessed by God, and became a mighty warrior, a leader who inspired loyalty. Under his leadership, Israel enjoyed many victories in battle, and Saul’s army was feared among the nations.

Saul didn’t remain a reluctant hero. The change that came over him is noteworthy. He was no longer a trembling young man hiding from responsibility. He was king! In fact, he was so pleased with himself as king, “he built a monument in his own honor.” You can’t make this stuff up.

But Saul’s monument was just a symptom of what was really wrong. Saul had begun to believe he was “all that.” He thought he could skirt around God’s demands, and God would be ok with it. After all, he was King Saul. And everybody loved him.

Did Saul believe Satan’s original lie in the garden when the serpent said, “You will be like God?” Could Saul really have put himself on equal footing with God? It would appear so. And we will read how that turns out for Saul.

Let this be a warning to all of us. Sometimes our times of great blessing also brings the times of greatest temptation. Sometimes when we are “blessed” by God we might expect blessings, think we deserve blessings, flaunt our blessings. The temptation is there to think we don’t need God when things are going well. And maybe we begin to believe that we are “all that,” too, when people remind us how awesome our lives are, and how great we are.

Dear one, we need God in every and all situations. We need to obey God, humble ourselves before God, empty ourselves of our selves. The truth of the matter is, no matter how rosy your life is right now, you aren’t – none of us are – “all that.”

But God is.

January 17; Putting Yourself in a Position to be Blessed

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Job 40-42

The Lord continues to speak to Job in the storm. He continues to remind Job that there is one God, and it’s not Job. Job’s reaction is:

I am unworthy. I spoke out of turn. I thought I understood You, but now I really see who You are. I’m sorry.

This past Sunday the pastor spoke about putting ourselves in a position to be blessed by God. I think Job does that here. Job emptied himself, confessed his sin, and repented. Then God blessed him.

Yes, Job received material blessings after this. But please don’t make this about material things. The pastor reminded us that putting ourselves in a position to be blessed means humbling ourselves before our holy God, recognizing sin and repenting, allowing Jesus to do what He died to do.

Then God will lavish us with the greatest blessing of all. Himself.

He’ll forgive you. He’ll break the hold sin has over you. He will walk with you every minute of every day. And one day, He’ll welcome you home.

I believe Job knew how blessed he was when he said:

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. (42:5)

Have you seen God? I don’t mean have you face-timed Him. Have you recognized God for who He IS? Have you had the experience of total surrender to the One who died to save you? If you haven’t, I pray you will do that today. Put yourself in a position to be blessed. Get on your knees and ask Him to forgive you.

Then brace yourself. God in your life is a blessing like you’ve never experience before.

July 28 – The Bible Tells Me So

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Isaiah 40-43

My heart is blessed this morning after reading these chapters in Isaiah. There is so much promise, so much hope and love pouring out to me through those words. Yes, I know they were written to the physical nation of Israel long ago. But I miss out on what God would say to me today if I don’t realize that what He said to them applies to me, too, as His child through the blood of Jesus.

He is my strength, my Living Water in the dessert, the One who levels those mountains I have to climb. He is my protector, the One who gives me the Bread of Life to sustain me. He is my Savior, My God.

And I am His.

There is no one on earth whom He loves more, is more invested in, or longs for anyone more than me. I am truly blessed.

The same can be true for you, if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior.

It’s true.

The Bible tells me so.

July 17 – Lessons Still Unlearned

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2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 16-17

I’ve never counted how many times the nation of Israel, blessed by God, sinned and endured punishment, only to repent and be blessed once again, then sin and face judgement. That cycle seems to be a major theme in the Old Testament.

I find myself frustrated with the Jews because of their weakness. Why couldn’t they just learn to obey? Why couldn’t they hold on to the One True God who dramatically proved His superiority over and over?

Then, just when I find myself getting angry with the ancient Jews for “walking in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out” (2 Kings 17:8), the pages of God’s Word become a mirror, and I am face to face with my own weaknesses.

It’s easy to read these chapters as a history lesson and miss the living Truth right in front of me. I find I can’t condemn Israel with condemning myself.

God, I want to be steadfast and sure. I want to hold strong to the Truth of Scripture, to the God of Creation, to my Savior, my Lord. Forgive me if I look at the world and want what they have. What they have leads to judgment. I want to be faithful to You only. Be my strength. In Jesus’ name.