April 24th, 2020

Bible Reading: Isaiah 28-30, Psalm 115 (Read Scripture)

Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower.

Chapter 28 is one of several passages in the Bible that speak directly about alcoholism. Ephraim was another name for Israel and we know that drunkenness was so significant a problem that God spoke through Isaiah to address those who were addicted.

Alcoholism is one of the greatest destructive habits that any man or woman could face. The power of alcohol keeps many away from coming to Christ, and it tears away the spiritual growth of a Christian. Proverbs 20:1 says that alcohol makes you a fool and a fighter, and those who are controlled by it are unwise.

According research from the National Institute of Health, the yearly total of alcohol-related deaths for people ages 16 and over more than doubled from 1999 to 2017. Over the course of those ten years, more than a million people have died because of alcohol. No one is immune; from Amy Winehouse to Micky Mantle to F. Scott Fitzgerald, alcohol is able to destroy one’s life.

Isaiah says that drunkenness is connected to pride and that alcoholism is rooted in too much focus on oneself. He says that drunkards have a ‘crown of pride’ that they put on because when difficulties arise around them, their focus is completely on themselves. Their first impulse when things go wrong is to drink because it can get rid of all of their problems, at least for a moment.

But we know that wine will only give us temporary relief. Isaiah says that it is a “fading flower of beauty” because it helps in the moment, but makes your life worse in the future. Be careful! When alcohol has control over your life then you are slowly killing your soul.

“But Pastor Danny, in the Bible didn’t Jesus turn water into wine?”

Now that’s a good question. And yes, the first miracle of our Lord was to help a party get more crunk. And that’s why in verse one it says that these things are bad to “those who are overcome with wine.”

When alcohol overcomes us, then we are in sin. When alcohol overcomes us, that’s when your soul begins to be torn apart. God is speaking directly to the drunkard, not to those who drink occasionally. But being a drunkard is not someone who always blacks out - being a drunkard is anyone that allows alcohol to impair their thinking, judgment, or senses. Being a drunkard is anyone that feels compelled to drink, has difficulty not drinking, or hides the amount they drink.

When this happens, alcohol overcomes our lives. In the Hebrew, the word ‘overcome’ is the word halam, which literally means “to hammer down.” In Judges 5:26, there’s a story of a woman named Jael who grabs a tent peg and hammers through the head of Sisera. It’s not coincidence that the word halam is used because we are hammering our bodies and our souls when we allow alcoholism to overcome us.

Right after this statement of judgement, Isaiah says, “Behold, the Lord is mighty and strong.” Alcohol addiction is powerful, but our God is stronger. He is stronger than the drunkard, He is stronger than addiction, and He is stronger than anything else. The drunkard may be powerless to overcome their drinking and they may have been addicted for decades, but God has the power to help them stop.

Verse 5 says that God will be the crown of glory - this is in juxtaposition to the crown of pride. There are times when we do not see the fruit of stopping our addictions, and it’s when we do not see the results that we become discouraged or depressed. But our God knows our worth and He will crown us with His glory. We have freedom in Christ and no matter how terrible or difficult this life may be, there is a greater glory waiting for you in Heaven.

April 23rd, 2020

Bible Reading: Isaiah 23-27, Psalm 114 (Read Scripture)

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed in You.

I was reading an article on the Wall Street Journal that anxiety has grown because the virus has upturned something very important - our daily routine. Schools are closed, businesses have become virtual, and the way that most people do life have radically changed. And because their routine is gone, their anxiety has increased.

Are states going lift their quarantine ban? Will immigration be allowed after the 60 days? Will small businesses be able to recover after the summer? These are all questions that have disrupted the flow of everyday life and, in consequence, has shattered our peace.

So people have adapted; I know I have to a certain extent. Youtube exercise videos have become more popular, contactless grocery drop offs have become the norm, and Amazon has become more important than ever (Jeff Bezos has increased his net worth by 24 billion dollars over the past few months!). But we know that this peace is only temporary and it’s only superficial. Many of us have come to the sobering realization that our peace is wholly dependent on our circumstances, and when our circumstances break, our peace breaks.

In this passage, God promises us perfect peace. And He not only promises that we can have it, He promises that we can be kept in it. The term “perfect peace” used here in Hebrew is shalom shalom. And we know that when a word is repeated, it’s an exclamation point on a bolded sentence because God doesn’t just promise shalom…He promises shalom shalom. God is giving us assurance that when times are difficult, He will give us a double portion of peace. If one isn’t enough, then He can and will provide again.

Some have peace, but it is only fleeting. Others seem to have peace, but it is the peace of the world and it leads to apathy and spiritual death. But there is a perfect peace that God promises we can have and be kept secure in all situations.

Now, if that’s the case, how do we receive this perfect peace?

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You.” To have this peace, the Bible says it’s a matter of your mind. Don’t think of peace as simply coming from your spirit or your heart, it is from the way we think. Peace is a choice we make in our minds and this theme is shown throughout the New Testament. Romans 12:2 says we are renewed by the transforming of our mind, Colossians 3:2 says to not set our mind on things below but on things above. The Christian life is not to be a robot that just does or experiences things, but thinks and moves forward in faith.

God has given us our minds to be a sword and shield against this world. He has given us the ability to process, think deeply, and steel our will so that we can fight against our circumstances. God has not made His people victims to be thrown about, but warriors that stand firm in the faith. Many times we experience hardships and wonder why we don’t have peace, but God has given you the weapon of your mind to develop and keep perfect peace.

Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors and he’s done many iconic roles. He’s played Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight, and Dick Cheney in Vice. One reason I respect him is because he is known to lose and gain massive amounts of weight for his roles, and he is able to do it within a short amount of time. I saw an interview where he was asked how he lost so much weight for one his movies, and he simply responded, “It’s nothing special, I just went to bed hungry every night.”

As I watched that interview, it dawned on me that he has a mind that has complete control over his body. There aren’t any excuses or compromises, if he wants to go in one direction, then he moves forward without any wavering. And it made me realize that if Christian Bale is able to do that for a movie role, why is it so difficult for us to do that with God?

God has given us Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and our experiences so that when we set our minds, we can move forward without wavering. This word “stayed” that’s used in this passage comes from the Hebrew word meaning to prop up or take hold of. Other translations say, “whose mind is sustained in you.” This is the same imagery in Exodus 17 of Moses holding up his arms in battle. And we read that he would get so tired that Aaron and Hur had to help prop up his arms because as long as they were in the air, the Israelites would win the battle.

Church, this is the same for us. We are in a battle and God has promised us perfect peace. But in order to win against this world, we have to steel our minds and take hold of the peace that God has made ready for us. When we begin to waver, we will begin to lose but when we lean upon the Lord, we will win.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed in you.” Have shalom shalom as you prepare your mind for the battle ahead.

April 22nd, 2020

Bible Reading: Isaiah 18-22, Psalm 113 (Read Scripture)

“Blessed is Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

At the end of chapter 20, God makes a remarkable promise over three nations - He says that Israel, Egypt, and Assyria will be blessed.

This promise was powerful in Egypt, it was almost unbelievable in Assyria. Egypt was the nation that enslaved the Israelites for centuries, and they were the nation that experienced the wrath of God through the 10 plagues. Other nations worshipped other idols, but Egypt would take it a step further by venerating all things to the status of God.

However, Egypt’s affront to God was small in comparison to Assyria, the nation that Jonah despised. Scholars said the calculated brutality of the Assyrians made them more of an object of hatred than any other nation during that time. Many kingdoms were known for their cruelty, but the Assyrians are recorded in history for being unparalleled in how they mistreated others.

So within the midst of all of this, God gives a declaration and puts His chosen nation of Israel along the same path of promise as Egypt and Assyria. How is this possible? Simply through God’s divine and unbelievable grace. It’s powerful to think that the same nation that experienced the terrors of the plagues would be addressed as “my people.” It’s astounding to think that the same nation that killed His people would called “the work of my hands.” But this is grace.

Charles Spurgeon spoke a sermon on this passage called The Fruits of Grace. He says what is promised here shows the very heart of God revealed and it is a display of what God will do, not only for Egypt and Assyria, but for all those who call Him Lord and Savior.

The Fruits of Grace is available online and I would encourage anyone to read it, but I want to bring out three points that Spurgeon made:

1. The Grace of God often comes to the very worst of men.

In verse 18, one of the cities in the land of Egypt that was saved was called the City of Destruction. It was known by that name and it’s name was formed through the city’s reputation, but God looked upon it with mercy. There are men and women today that have become so notorious for something that their very name is connected with that reputation. But those are the cases that God loves making into new creations in Jesus Christ.

Spurgeon says, “The gospel has found some of its brightest jewels in the lowest haunts of vice…One shall be called the City of Destruction, but thus saith the Lord, ‘I have delivered it, I will save it, for my name’s sake.’”

This is our encouragement because there is mercy proclaimed to even the worst of sinners and there is grace for every form of person who comes humbly to the Lord. Many of us have a reputation that hurts us - but God has healed, delivered, and saved the City of Destruction, and He has saved you too.

2. The grace of god changes men’s language.

In verse 18 it says the five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan. This has a spiritual meaning in that “the grace of God shall make men speak that holy and pure language which is the mark of a child of God.”

The words that we speak reflect the character of hearts. And if the grace of God has truly met someone, then those around them will know it by their conversation. When they spoke before, they spoke in a proud and boastful way. When they spoke before, they spoke negatively and with a sharp tongue. But people will hardly recognize that same man; for his words are different and humble and gentle. Spurgeon says “the grace of God soon rinses out a man’s mouth.” His wife knows it, his children know, and though some people will be confused or call it temporary, we know that this change is from the grace of God.

3. the grace of god makes men to be blessed, and to be a blessing.

“Blessed is Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” It is a blessing that God has placed you within this church and it is a blessing to know that there so many ministries, teams, and people that are in need of the help we are able to provide. But here’s the thing - if no one knows of your heart of service other than yourself and God, then move out in faith and show that your beliefs are able to be turned into action.

“It is God’s work to save souls, and you are workers together with Him. Oh! this city wants you - wants ten thousand earnest spirits. The lodging-houses want you; the alleys and the courts want you; the poor want you; the rich want you. If you have anything to say of the remedy which wisdom has prepared for the remedy of sins disease, the millions want it. They won't come to hear the gospel presaged, take it to their houses, carry it to their doors. If they reject a Saviour, let it not he for want of your hunting after them. Push it in their way. Sow beside all waters. In season and out of season teach ye the Word. Ye know not where God may bless you. But never be discouraged because of the badness of the neighbourhood, or the lowness of the character of the people. If Egypt shall be saved, have faith for this Egypt. If Assyria shall be saved, have confidence in God for those who are often worse than heathens, and you shall have your reward in that day when he of the pierced hand shall distribute crowns to those who faithfully serve him.”

God has rewarded you with grace - and now we are blessed in order to be a blessing to others. Our work and our toil is not in vain but God knows what we are doing and He honors our service towards Him. Have courage! God promises redemption to even Egypt and Assyria, and He will follow through on His promises to you.

April 21st, 2020

Bible Reading: Isaiah 13-17, Psalm 112 (Read Scripture)

For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel.

On Netflix there’s a show called Outer Banks and in one of the episodes, a father realizes that his son had been stealing from him to pay for drugs. So the father goes to the drug dealer with his son and pays off the debt. Afterwards, the son apologizes to his father but the father replies with tears in his eyes, “You’re done now, don’t come home anymore.”

Before you ask, teen adventure sitcoms are a guilty pleasure of mine and Outer Banks is a solid 6/10, nothing to write home about. But the reason I bring this scene up is because a child is able to bring absolute pride or absolute shame to their parent. When the Manning brothers played against each other in the Superbowl a few years back, broadcasters were talking about how their father must be the proudest father in the world. And yet for this dad who caught his son stealing money, he must have had regret and shame in having that type of son.

If you are a Christian, you have been chosen by God to be His child. But many of us struggle in our relationship with Him because instead of being a witness for Him, our Christian walk has been littered with mistakes. And I wonder if, during those times, you have ever thought, “Does God regret choosing me?”

Comparison is the most dangerous game and if we have been attending church, it becomes almost inevitable. There are people who seem like super-Christians and people who seem like they were made to be godly. And then we look at ourselves and think that God would be proud of them but would be disappointed in us.

In Isaiah 13, God had been speaking through Isaiah proclaiming the desolation and gloom that would come upon Babylon. He says terrible things - that every man’s heart will melt in fear, that their faces will be like flames, and they will be hunted down like the gazelle in the plains.

And after this prophecy, God turns his eyes to the people He had chosen and yet sinned again and again; the Israelites. And instead of proclaiming the same words said to the Babylonians, He says, “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel.

Sometimes we feel that God chose us, but if He was to choose again that He would change His choice. But God is reminding His children then and He is reminding you now that He still chooses you and would choose you again and again.

No matter our mistakes, He is our Heavenly Father and will not disown us. We are adopted into sonship and that will never change. Back then, fathers were allowed to disown their biological children for any reason, but under the law, adopted sons could not be disowned. In other words, adopted sons had more security in their relationship and inheritance than even biological sons.

God is not disappointed in you nor does He ever regret choosing you. Do you believe that God delights in you just as you delight in Him? In Jeremiah 32:41 God says, “I have joy in doing good to them. And I will be faithful to plant them in this land with all my heart and with all my soul.” God loves His children and He’s happy with us.

So to you who is stressed and weary, Isaiah 14:3 says, “It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow and from your fear.” This rest is your birthright as His child. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Give your fear, anxiety, and worry to the Lord for He will give you rest. It is part of your inheritance as His child and it gives God joy doing you good.

What a wonderful Word in the middle of His prophecy against Babylon. No matter how terrible things may be in your life, you are able to have peace within the middle because you have been chosen by Him.

April 20th, 2020

Bible Reading: Isaiah 9-12, Psalm 111 (Read Scripture)

And under His glory He will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

The Assyrians believed that they were gods. Their view of themselves were so lofty that the Bible says the Assyrian kingdom regarded their princes on the same level as other nation’s kings. But they had reason to think this way, Assyria had great military and financial might, and it seems strange that God would allow such great blessings to come upon such an evil nation.

Understand that when the Bible speaks about the storms of life, God is not only speaking about negative things. Of course financial difficulties, relational problems, and career confusion are most often storms but the storms of your life can be delicately hidden in what are seemingly blessings. Proverbs 10:16 is striking, “The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.”

Wages. Earnings. God is talking about financial prosperity for both the righteous and the wicked, and yet it still says that one is life and the other is death. What does this mean? If you are wise and righteous, then prosperity will only make you more wise and more unselfish but if you are foolish, then prosperity will only destroy you. For a foolish and unfaithful person the worst thing that can happen is to have their dreams come true. The worst thing that can happen is success because it only reconfirms their wicked path.

This is vitally important - the storms of your life will encompass the good and the bad. Everything that God places in your life will lead you to either be more righteous or more wicked. For the Assyrians, they received prosperity and growth in whatever they did, and yet we read here that Isaiah says, “Under His glory He will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.” God’s fire-like wrath was already working to destroy the kingdom of Assyria, not in spite of their success but through their success! In their prosperity, their pride grew and it became their ultimate downfall.

The defining characteristic of the greatest men of God is humility and the defining characteristic of the wicked nations is pride. Satan worked into the minds and hearts of Adam and Eve by playing into their pride, and he does the same to us. Be careful! Prosperity can be the storm and your weakness can be the blessing.

It’s our goal to always know that we are tools used by God and never the ones wielding them. God uses the pictures of an ax, a saw, a rod, and a staff in this passage to make the point that the instrument should never take credit for what He ultimately accomplishes. Jesus speaks about this in Luke 17:10 where He says we should do what is commanded because it is our duty, not because we are begged or asked to.

And lastly Church, have peace knowing that God is absolutely in control of the storms of your life. Satan never has free reign or a hidden place away from God, all storms that Satan gives is only expressly allowed and planned for by our Heavenly Father.

There’s a part in Lion King where Mufasa tells Simba that their kingdom is everything that the light touches. So Simba looks around and says, “Everything the light touches…but what about that shadowy place?” And Mufasa answers, “That’s beyond our borders. You must never go there Simba.”

For our God, there is no shadowy place. There is no part in this world or in our lives that God does not know about or cannot see - He is the Light in all this world and there is no place that we cannot go. So have peace and set your heart right knowing that we are tools used by God and it is our duty to love, serve, and give. Do not be like Julius Caesar who famously said, Veni, vidi, vici or I came, I saw, I conquered; but instead be like King Charles V who said Veni, vidi, sed Christus vicit or I came, I saw, but Christ conquered.

April 17th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 23-25, Psalm 108 (Read Scripture)

The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord.

The Daily Bible Thoughts have been going for one month. Thank you to everyone who has been here since the beginning and I want to welcome everyone who has joined us recently. I am praying for all those reading these words and I hope that God continues to speak to you.

It says here that Josiah renewed the covenant of the Lord. In other words, he remembered and declared his commitment to obey the word of God in front the people. This shows the confidence and commitment King Josiah had - he promised God that he would do his best (with all his heart and all his soul) to follow after Him.

When it says that he made a covenant, the Hebrew literally translates to “he cut a covenant.” This goes back to the practice of cutting the carcass of an animal in giving a promise. And after this promise, it says that all the people took a stand for the covenant. The king did not give an order or a command, the people followed the Lord on their own accord.

What this means is that a revival swept through the nation of Judah. I believe Josiah’s commitment to the Lord and his passion to obey Him played a part in the attitude of the nation, but we also know that people will not change if the Holy Spirit does not move. Spiritual revival within a group of people does not happen through any program, speaker, or praise team; it can only happen through a special work of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, we see the Early Church move powerfully as a group because the Holy Spirit empowered them.

As we pray for ourselves, our church, and our city, we should pray that the Holy Spirit move powerfully in our lives. It needs to be a constant reminder that we cannot achieve anything on our own - if people seem to change spiritually due to the eloquence of our speech or the persuasiveness of our actions, it will only ever be temporary. True and lasting spiritual transformation will only come through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It’s why our salvation is called being “born again” and not just being changed. It’s why we are called “new creations” and not just called to grow up. As you pray for yourself and others, remember that God is only one that can transform lives. One of the beautiful effects of having this type of mindset is spiritual peace…knowing that God is the one who is ultimately in control. God worked powerfully through an impatient Abraham, a stuttering Moses, and a lustful David. He was able to work things for their good and for His glory, not in spite of their inadequacies, but through them.

If you know that you are weak and inadequate, good. If you believe that you are sinful and prone to error, good. God doesn’t want perfect people. He wants to work powerfully through imperfect people so that we know He is God. If you are struggling with how weak you are in your flesh, pray to God and ask that He would send His Holy Spirit down into your life.

Look at the story of redemption - God didn’t save the world through a king on a horse, He saved the world through a man on a donkey. He didn’t show the world His might through a legion of angels, He showed the world His grace through the washing of feet. Look to Jesus and know that our weaknesses are there so that the Holy Spirit can be greater.

Josiah was not an extraordinary man, he was simply a man who committed his life to the Lord. And because of that, the Holy Spirit worked powerfully. I hope that we can all be described as he was, “neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did.”

April 16th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 20-22, Psalm 107 (Read Scripture)

Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end.

After King Hezekiah, his son Manasseh comes to reign. King Manasseh reigned for 55 years - much longer than the average reign during that time. This shows that having a long career is not necessarily evidence of the blessing or approval of God.

He destroyed the legacy of his father by worshipping Baal, and he not only brought back idolatry but he brought new gods as well. He sacrificed his own son, and invited satanic influence by using witchcraft.

One thing that was particularly sad to see was the attitude and direction of the people of Judah during King Manasseh’s reign. The Lord had spoken to both the king and the people, and yet they still rejected His Word. This shows the superficiality of the nation’s compliance with Hezekiah’s reforms and that the people did not care about God, in fact we see here that they were simply passive in their obedience during the reign of Hezekiah.

When it says that Manasseh “shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end,” this is a metaphor to show how terribly oppressed and persecuted the innocent and godly were during his reign. Scholars say that it was during this time that the prophet Isaiah was killed and the faithful were martyred in gruesome ways.

Now, why am I talking about the evilness of Manasseh?

In 2 Chronicles 33:11-19, it finishes the story of Manasseh at the end of his life - and not many people know of this. And the reason why this is important is because in that passage, it describes the remarkable repentance of a man that may have been considered the worst king in a line of terrible kings.

Because of his disobedience, God allowed the Babylonians to capture Judah and take King Manasseh as slave to Babylon. He had everything taken away from him, and it was “when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before Him.” (2 Chronicles 33:12).

God answers Manasseh’s cries and restores the throne. He then proves the genuineness of his repentance by destroying the idols he had built and commanded Judah to turn to God.

When we think of Manasseh, we think of how terrible his reign was, but the reason I wanted to speak about him here was because even the most wicked are able to turn back. His life was marred with idol worship and child sacrifice, but at the end of his days he truly repented and served God. In this way, no matter how terrible he was before, the words were true that Manasseh rested with his fathers.

No matter how terrible your past may be, God is able to forgive you when you turn to Him in repentance. Even for Manasseh, he was an evil man and did wicked things in the sight of the Lord and yet God still restored Him. God’s power in your life is more powerful than the sin that has controlled it. He can and will restore your life when you go before Him in true repentance. Turn to Him for He is able.

April 15th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 18-19, Psalm 106 (Read Scripture)

And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it.

Now we come to King Hezekiah. He was a good and faithful man of God, and we see immediately that something is different.

Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz. Yesterday we talked about the lineage of faith from father to son, but correlation does not mean causation. Ahaz was a terrible king, and he was a man who did evil the sight of the Lord. And yet, at age 25, King Hezekiah showed wisdom far beyond his age and “removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah.”

He also, “Broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).” What does this mean?

In the book of Numbers, chapter 21 tells this fascinating story of how the Israelites complain and grumble against God, and because of their disobedience, God sends snakes among the people. The snakes begin to go through the Israelite camp and bite men, women, and children; and all those bitten died. The people realize their sin, pray for forgiveness, and God hears their cry and tells Moses to build a bronze snake. If anyone was bitten, all they would have to do is look at the statue, and they would be saved. In this story, God was killing two birds with one stone - He was correcting the theology of the Israelites as well as giving the people a symbol of the coming Messiah (John 3:14).

So why would Hezekiah destroy this symbol of the coming Messiah? And why would God be pleased by this?

It goes back to what we know about idols - rarely are they ever bad things turned good, but are good things turned best. Man is able to take something so good and so used by God and turn it into a destructive and all encompassing idol. It says in this passage that this snake was preserved for more than 800 years and the people were offering sacrifices to it. Be on guard and know that even the good things that God has given you can become idols and therefore must be destroyed.

Once again, Charles Spurgeon: “Although it was an interesting memorial, it must be utterly destroyed, because it presented a temptation to idolatry. Here if ever in this world was a relic of high antiquity, of undoubted authenticity, a relic which had seen its hundreds of years, about which there was no question as to its being indisputably the very serpent which Moses made; and it was moreover a relic which had formerly possessed miraculous power – for in the wilderness the looking at it had saved the dying. Yet it must be broken in pieces, because Israel burned incense to it.”

We are prone to making idols out of things God has given us for good. Our leaders can become idols - and this is particularly true in the church. If we don’t actively and habitually pray and read the Bible, it can become easy to base our relationship to God purely through the lens of the character and words our church leader. This will only lead to idolatry of that person, and when that man or woman fails you in some way (and it will happen!), then your disappointment will extend to God. That’s ridiculous - don’t put that pressure on any one person because it will be impossible to uphold.

We can make idols out of the customs and habits of how we do church and how we minister to others. If we’ve learned anything through the book of Galatians, it’s that the only thing that cannot be shaken is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In all things we have to keep our eyes focused on that singular goal, and be flexible in how we minister and care for others.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”

I remember reading a story of how a missionary was living with an indigenous South-American tribe. However, his relationship with the people deteriorated to the point where no one would come to his church and he was not welcome in any social gathering. He calls his mentor for advice, wondering what he should do. The mentor asks some questions and finds out that this tribe had a particular custom where the oldest people of the tribe would always speak first before anyone younger would speak.

The missionary believed so strongly that no one without a biblical background should be able to stand on the pulpit, and therefore from the very beginning had banned any of the elderly from speaking. The people were outraged and had slowly drifted away from him. Because this missionary had been so inflexible, he had lost the opportunity to spread the Gospel.

Hold on to what you need to hold on to and hold loosely what you need to hold loosely. It’s not about the details, it’s about the ultimate goal and sharing the good news that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Everything else should be catered toward that one thing. And when you do that, you will be like Hezekiah, “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah.”

April 14th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15-17, Psalm 105 (Read Scripture)

He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord.

In these chapters, we see a long list of kings. Most of their lives were characterized by a single line, “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” These kings did not obey the Lord, and it shows that a life of disobedience to God only leads to destruction.

However, in the midst of evil generations, we have a king name Jotham. His father was Uzziah, a man who reigned for 52 years and, even with his faults, was a good king whom God blessed for 52 years on the throne. Jotham’s mother was the daughter of the Priest Zadok, who we know was the high priest that anointed King Solomon to the throne. Jotham had a lineage of faith from his father and mother, and the Bible illustrates the influence of faith that is passed down from generation to generation.

Your life is the greatest witness of Jesus Christ to your children than anything or anyone else in this world. However, understand that being faithful parents does not mean your children will always turn out to be faithful. But we see that this generational faith is a principle in the Bible, and especially in the book of Proverbs, that the influence of the father and his faith have an extremely important role in shaping his child’s walk with God.

The heart of the parents are most often actualized in the actions of their children. We know that Jotham turned his attention to urban planning, constructing cities, and fortifying wooden areas. This focused growth toward the economy of Judah did not come from nothing, they were taught and witnessed at an early age from his parents.

And in this passage we see one sentence that looks out of place. Jotham is talked about normally, but all of a sudden, it says that “He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord.”

In the Bible, when the kings and leaders were concerned about the house of the Lord, this was always connected to something positive. It showed that the nation was heading towards spiritual revival. For King Jotham, scholars say that he wanted to rebuild the link that was severed between the palace he lived in and the temple that he worshipped in.

Author Christopher Knapp, in his book The Kings of Judah and Israel, writes, “He wished free access from his own house to that of the Lord. He would strengthen the link between the two houses…keeping his line of communication open with the source of his supplies of strength and wisdom. This is one of the secrets of his prosperity and power.” 

What does this mean for us? Our connection to the church is important. As we fix our eyes upon that which God created and ordained, we are strengthening our relationship with Him and allowing for spiritual revival in our cities. Just as King Jotham rebuilt the link between his palace and the temple, our desire should be to connect our daily lives with the church.

The past kings severed this link, but Jotham believed they were intimately connected. Our daily lives are never separate from the work of the church, and it’s important to know that God wants our lives to be intertwined with the work and witness God is doing in Shining Star. Have you put church as a Sunday activity and your lives as Monday to Saturday? Be careful, because we see that many kings wanted no link between their royal house and the house of God.

2 Chronicles 27:6 says, “So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” We can also prepare the way for the Lord in our lives and in the lives of others. We can prepare for breakthrough, for revival, and for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully - we can prepare by connecting our lives to the church that God has given us.

Christopher Knapp finishes the story of this king, “Jotham is the only one of all the Hebrew kings, from Saul down, against whom God has nothing to record. In this his character is in beautiful accord with his name, Jehovah-perfect.”

April 13th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 12-14, Psalm 104 (Read Scripture)

“You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you made an end of it.”

One of the most commonly used adjectives to describe prayer is power and persistence.

This passage at the end of the prophet Elisha’s life is a strange one, but I believe it directly correlates to the power and persistence of prayer. King Joash was not a faithful man, but he had enough faith to trust in Elisha’s calling from God. So as he saw the prophet deteriorating in health, he becomes afraid due to the impending battle with Syria. So Elisha tells the king to follow an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear towards the country in which the army intended to invade - it was a sign to show the start of the war.

So King Joash obeys Elijah, but halfway through becomes timid and therefore stops. Elisha sees this and grows angry and says, “you should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria.” This passage shows how we ought to pray.

Why do I believe this?

1. Shooting the arrows, even if it is not at a specific target, shows that a certain amount of focus and effort is required. He needed to place the arrow, draw the bow, and even though the target may not have been clear, his part needed to be done well.

   • Saying prayers without any thought simply to check a box in the morning is meaningless. Talking to a friend when they are distracted or have something else on their minds does not lead to good conversation, it leads to frustration and annoyance. If that’s how we feel with each other, why would that be a way to go before God?

2. The king shot the arrows without knowing the exact target. He simply shot through the open window and trusted that the arrow would hit the ground.

   • Our prayers are formed through habit and persistence, but they are met and finished through faith. We do not know what the end result will be, but we trust in faith. God’s answer may be yes, it may be no, or it may be to wait, but all of those come through faith in not knowing. Our goal in prayer is shoot through the open window, and have faith.

3. Elisha was upset that the king stopped after three when he should have continued to shoot. Because he was afraid and because he was not sure if it was effective, Elisha says that Syria would only be defeated three times when it could have been finished.

   • Persistence is key in prayer - and it’s why prayer is one of the most frustrating and difficult things to do in life. That may sound like hyperbole, but I am completely serious. In what other field or job tells you to ask repeatedly, and yet at the same time wait in faith for an answer you are not sure will come today or tomorrow or in 10 years?

Your prayers, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem, are connected to God’s ultimate plan for your life and those around you. King Joash had an opportunity to shoot the arrows that God had planned, and yet because of his uncertainty and fear, the nation suffered. Be bold and courageous, and be persistent in your prayers. God hears our words, no matter how insignificant they may seem to others and He keeps them in account with the plan He has for you.

Charles Spurgeon says this, “It is a fact that God has purposed all things both great and little; neither will anything happen but according to his eternal purpose and decree. It is also a sure and certain fact that, oftentimes, events hang upon the choice of men. Their will has a singular potency.”

It is one of the greatest mysterious that God is Lord over everything and has purposed all things and yet our prayers, no matter how small, have the power to change nations. Your prayers have power.

April 10th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-3, Psalm 101 (Read Scripture)

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

As they were walking from Gilgal, Elijah tells Elisha to stay back. But twice Elisha refuses and continues to walk with him. What we understand is that Elijah was testing the devotion of Elisha, and because Elisha was willing to stay, Elijah gives an enormous invitation. He says that Elisha can ask anything from him, and Elisha responds, “Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

The idea of a double portion was not to ask for twice as much as Elijah had, but to ask for the portion that would normally go to the firstborn son. This was the ‘double portion’ that Jacob received instead of Esau, and we can see this in Deuteronomy 21:17 where it says, “He shall acknowledge the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has. The right of the firstborn is his.”

Elisha was asking for more than just a doubling of power and giftings, he was asking to be the successor of all that God had accomplished in Elijah. He was asking to be the spiritual firstborn of the prophet. But what’s interesting is that, according to 1 Kings 19:19, Elisha had already been designated as the successor of Elijah. So why did Elisha ask something that seemed to be redundant?

Elisha had received a calling from God to be a prophet. And yet God calling him was only half of the story - Elisha was now asking for the spiritual power and ability to fulfill the calling he had received. For many of us, we have been called into a certain place or position by God. And once we are in that calling, many of us take a step back and expect God to do everything else. However, we see here that the calling of God is intimately linked with our desire to fulfill it. If Elisha had not asked for a double portion, would he have had done as much as he did?

I believe this goes back to the Year of Breakthrough - God has so much in store for us and He has called us into something great. And yet, He will not take us into a place where we are not ready to enter. And even if the calling of our lives is big and wondrous, we will not fulfill half of what God had prepared if our hearts are not ready for it.

There are things in our lives that God will fulfill regardless of our demeanor and attitude. There is much evidence of how God will work His divine plan for our lives even when we resist or stay silent. But we also have to keep in account passages like this - where God gives us more when we ask and withholds from us when we don’t. It’s passages like this where we can see that we are not just puppets flowing within the inevitable flow of God’s river, but we are creatures of free-will that God has given authority.

The main point is this: as God leads you in the calling He has purposed for your life, are you seeking spiritual power from Him to fulfill it? God honors our prayers and He hears our cries, He is our Father and He loves us. Therefore the calling in your life is meant to grow you and shape you, but I also believe it’s meant to be shaped by you. Just as a loving parent wants their child to grow to be passionate, God wants us to be passionate about the one thing that matters in this world and in our lives; Him.

Pray to the Lord and have your heart ready.

April 9th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 20-22, Psalm 100 (Read Scripture)

“The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.”

In this passage, we move away from the intimate view of the prophet Elijah to an expansive one of the kingdom of Israel. Israel is under siege against Syria and their king, Ben-Hadad. As Syria gets ready to attack, the Lord is merciful and says He will give victory to Israel so that “you shall know that I am the Lord.”

After their defeat, the Syrians say something interesting: “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.” What does that mean?

In the ancient world, the gods of the people were all localized deities. This meant that people believed gods were gods of particular areas. There were gods of the sea, of the sun, and of everything else one could imagine. And therefore the Syrians saw our God as the same. They believed the God of Israel was a localized deity with power over the hills, but not of the plains.

The Syrians made a mistake in believing that Yahweh was a god. Their other gods only had power and jurisdiction over certain parts of their lives, but other parts were meant for other gods. Too many of us do the same today - we rarely ever come before God in humility, waiting for Him to reveal Himself, but instead we sit down and consider what sort of God He should be and how best He can fit in our lives.

I remember watching a talk with R.C. Sproul, a famous pastor and theologian, when he was given the question, “Why was God so wrathful when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden?” R.C. Sproul looks at the audience with his eyebrows furrowed, and he says, “This creature from the dirt defied the everlasting and Holy God after God said that they would die if they ate of it. But instead of dying, God provided for them by pure grace. And you think that God was too severe? What’s wrong with you people?”

That was one of the most eye-opening talks I have ever heard, and it was something many of us need to hear. The perspective we have can be so skewed towards ourselves when the Bible states again and again that God has shown us miraculous grace. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t make sense for those that He made to dictate the terms of His rule and reign. He is God, we are not. Is this your perspective? When we think this way, we increase our own power and lessen the power of God.

But be careful! When we increase our power, that only leads to disappointment. We cannot save ourselves and there is nothing in this world that can satisfy us. When we rely on ourselves, the past will always haunt us, the present will always sway us, and the future will always worry us. God needs to be God over all of your life in order for you to say the words of Paul, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in.”

In times of prosperity or in times of persecution, Christians have a misconception that God is a God of the hills but not of the plains. They think that God had control of their past and was able to lead them through those trials, but He is not their God of the present. They have a weakened view of God, that He can only be God of one kind of trial, but not of another kind.

Charles Spurgeon speaks profoundly on this topic when he says, “Depend upon it, since Satan could not kill the church by roaring at her like a lion, he is now trying to crush her by hugging her like a bear. There is truth in this, but it is not all the truth. Do you really think, my brethren, that God cannot preserve his Church in the particular trial through which she is now passing? Is he the God of the hills of persecution, but not the God of the valleys of prosperity?” 

Be at peace, Church, because our God is one of the hills and of the plains and He is God over all of your life. Do not put Him in a box or try to pawn Him in only one part of your life, it will never work that way. Our God is a roaring lion and He is Lord over all.

April 8th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 17-19, Psalm 99 (Read Scripture)

“You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to feed you there.”

King after king had turned away from God and worshipped other idols. The kingdom of Israel had been torn in two, and it seemed hopeless and dark…but then Elijah appears. At this crucial time in history, he becomes the one beacon of light in a dark place. Even the name Elijah means Yahweh is my God, signifying the truth that he would bring.

So Elijah speaks these words, “There shall not be dew nor rain in the next years unless by my word” and it was true. The god of Baal was the god of the weather, and it was through prayer that the Lord showed His might over it.

God used Elijah to cause an entire nation to grind to a halt. He said one sentence, and everything changed. One verse I love is James 5:17, where it says that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly. When we read about the men and women in the Bible, it may seem like the standard is impossible but many times the difference between us and them is prayer. Our nature is the same, our temperament is the same, and the sins we go through may be the same as well. But Abraham, Moses, David, and now Elijah were men of prayer and that is why their names are in the Bible.

After this proclamation of a drought, it would make sense for God to continue pushing forward, and yet He tells Elijah to turn away and to hide by the brook. Elijah was used mightily to stop the rain, and yet in the next moment, God wanted Elijah to hide and be alone with Him. It seems so strange…and yet God had a reason. The brook that Elijah is led to is called “Cherith.” Cherith, in Hebrew, literally means to cut away or to cut off. When Elijah was in the midst of God’s power and glory in front of King Ahab, there were things that God desired to do in him but could only do in the hiding place. Elijah probably wanted to be somewhere else, but God wanted him there and wanted him to hide.

Do not be surprised when our Heavenly Father says, “You have had enough of the overflow, you have had enough of the things that bring much publicity, I now want to do something in you that requires you to hide with me. Hide in the sickness that will come, hide in the hopes that do not happen, hide in the loneliness when others fall away.”

There are times when God brings us into the hiding place of despair in order to cut away things in our lives. Are you in that place? Do not grow anxious, God has not abandoned you…He has led you there. You are in the hiding place of Cherith because God desires to do something in you that would not be possible anywhere else.

And it was in that place that God told the ravens to bring food to Elijah. Ravens were considered unclean animals, and it must have been a spiritual struggle for Elijah to throw away his understanding of clean and unclean law in order to live. This is God’s foreshadowing of what we’ve been learning in Galatians - the laws are not going to save you; following after God is what will give you life.

I love what Charles Spurgeon says about this section on ravens, he says, “First, recognize that God may bring a good word to us through an unclean vessel, spiritually unclean, like a raven. Second, that one can bring spiritual food to others and still be unclean spiritually themselves. But see, too, how possible it is for us to carry bread and meat to God’s servants, and do, some good things for his church, and yet be ravens still!”

This is something God has been pressing upon my heart this year. There are people who speak words of criticism folly, and it is right to throw that away. However, I ask myself this question, “Am I wise enough to throw away words that need to be thrown away but also keep the words that are true?” This is the first point of Spurgeon.

Second is to know that we are all ravens. No one is spiritually clean and all have fallen short of God’s glory. And yet we are able to carry bread and meat to others and we are able to teach and guide the people around us, not because we are clean but because we trust that God will use even ravens to feed His prophets.

For you, know that if you are in the hiding place in Cherith, God has led you there for a purpose. You are not alone and it is not by accident - He is doing something in your life that would only be possible there. And because of that, trust in Him. Trust that He will use imperfect people to speak His words of perfection, and trust that He will use imperfect people like us to do His work. Even the ravens feed His prophets.

April 7th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 14-16, Psalm 98 (Read Scripture)

He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

Throughout King David and Solomon’s reign, God had made Israel into the richest and most powerful kingdom in the world. No other nation was on equal footing in terms of wealth, prestige, or power.

After King Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam takes over the throne and within five years, everything is gone. The Bible says that during the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, the king of Egypt comes in and takes away everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. In five years time the greatest nation in the history of the world was no more.

What happened?

There are hints here, but 2 Chronicles 12 gives a more detailed explanation of King Rehoboam’s rule. It says that Rehoboam was, in large part, a very smart leader. He had established the kingdom under his rule and strengthened the army and made sure to take away any opposition. The kingdom was stable. However, it also says that he “forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel along with him.” He had turned from the Lord, and as a result, the nation was conquered. The one light in this dark time was that as the enemies approached Jerusalem, the Prophet Shemaiah led the leaders of Judah in true repentance and therefore God allowed the capital city to remain intact.

This world is a fickle place, and we know that wealth, power, and prestige can be taken away in a moment. Solomon had made 500 gold shields as decoration and they were an ornate display of greatness because gold was of no use in battle. This was the beginning of the emphasis on style over substance that began with Solomon and worsened with Rehoboam.

In the Bible, Solomon gave grand gestures to show the power of his reign and the accumulation of his wealth was in direct contrast to his diminishing heart towards God. Too many of us focus on the outward appearance of health and wealth when our inside spiritual state is in decay. Just as the Lord gives freely, He will also take away when things need to be taken away. Our blessings come without warning and like a flood, but that also means that God can and will alter our lives to show us our lack of faith.

Author David Payne, in his book Kingdoms of the Lord, writes, “They wished to emphasize how far Rehoboam fell in a mere few years. He had inherited an empire; five years later, master of a small state, he could protect his capital itself only by denuding his palace of its treasures. Solomon’s court had despised silver; his son’s court had to be content with bronze!”

At the end of his life, 2 Chronicles summarizes King Rehoboam like this, “He did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.” This is not a word to say that if you follow the Lord, He will bless you financially. This is a word to show us that if you follow the Lord, your life will be blessed even if everything disappears. Financial blessings without a relationship with God is a gilded cage; it may look nice on the outside but is empty on the inside. We’ve seen this before - those without much who are content and those with much who are discontent. The difference is not wealth, it is God.

During this time of quarantine, everyone around us is affected. Businesses have either slowed down or shut down, and so many of our loved ones are struggling. Everything in this world comes and goes but if your relationship with God is your first and foremost, then no matter what happens you will be content.

Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

April 6th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11-13, Psalm 97 (Read Scripture)

For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods.

Solomon had a lot of wives. Like, way too many. It says here that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, for a whopping 1,000 women that he was in a relationship. Now, there are a couple obvious problems with this.

First is that he disobeyed God by marrying foreign women. God gave a warning to Israel to not intermarry because “they will surely turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon was the wisest man in the world, and yet we see that wisdom is irrelevant compared to desire. Solomon believed something that many of us also believe - that he was the exception to the rule. Because of his great wisdom and lineage, he must have believed he would escape the consequences of this sin, despite seeing how it affected everyone around him. But he soon learned that he was not the exception.

Second is that Solomon loved many women. This is a rejection of God’s plan from the very beginning where one man and one woman were meant to be together in marriage. I have seen many critics lambaste the Bible because prominent Old Testament figures had multiple wives and concubines; examples like Abraham, Jacob, and David come to mind. However, it’s important to note that even though this may have been culturally acceptable, God had never and would never bless it. In fact, we see these types of relationships only lead to destruction for everyone involved. This is especially true in yesterday’s sermon on Isaac and Ishmael - If Abraham and Sarah had just waited on the Lord’s promise, they would have been immeasurably blessed.

Now, there is an important principle that we can take away from the foolishness of Solomon. If one wife is not enough to satisfy a man, then 1,000 wives will not be enough. When a man is unsatisfied with the woman that God has given him, the problem is him. It’s evident Solomon had problems with lust and if 100, 200, or 300 women could not satisfy him, why would 1,000 women? Proverbs 27:20 says, “Just as Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.”

And we read next that those many wives turned away his heart in his old age. It’s a sad story…a young man of so much promise who asked for wisdom to lead God’s kingdom over riches and glory, and yet ruined Israel by turning away from God at his old age.

For Solomon, age did not make him wiser. The Bible points out his wisdom many times when he was young, but as old age came, his sinful tendencies became more set in their ways. Many of us think that age and experience are connected with wisdom, but don’t be fooled. They should make us more godly and wise, but they do not automatically do so.

I hope that this somber ending of Solomon is a warning to us. We have wandering hearts that stray from the Lord, but there are sins in our lives that can be of differing degrees. What I mean by that is King David also had many wives and yet this sin did not turn his heart away from God. But for Solomon, he was in the same situation with the same type of power, and yet his life was drastically different in the worst way. David’s sin of sexual lust hindered him; it destroyed Solomon.

There are sins that hinder others but would destroy you. And there are also sins that hinder your relationship with God but you know would ruin someone else. Be vigilant in knowing yourself and your heart; which of these sins hinder and which of these sins destroy?

As we start Passion Week, reflect over your life and know that Jesus Christ died for all of your sins, and that includes the ones that seem like they have a chain on your heart. Go before the Lord in prayer, and ask that He would heal you and give you understanding that you are completely forgiven through His sacrifice. Amen.

April 3rd, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 1-3, Psalm 94 (Read Scripture)

“There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel.”

King David is at the end of his life and during this time, one his sons named Adonijah decides to go behind his father’s back and declare himself as ruler.

But we know that David had already promised the throne to Solomon, and therefore Nathan and Bathsheba go to the king. It says that David took an oath that he would abdicate the throne and place Solomon as king on that very day, and in order to do that, he calls over Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to anoint King Solomon.

The Priest, the Prophet, and the King. This is a rare glimpse of all three offices in the kingdom of Israel working in cooperation. These were three of the most powerful positions, and they all had specific and extremely important roles. They needed to work in harmony, and when one of these three men were unfaithful, then calamity would strike the nation. In the Bible, there are multiple references to these three positions, and even though people would fail as priest, prophet, and king, we know that Jesus Christ was the ultimate fulfillment of all three.

The Israelites anointed their priests and their kings with oil. And they would speak of their prophets as being anointed by the spirit. Jesus had a mission to fulfill on this Earth but before He began His ministry, he was baptized and in Luke 4:18, He says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” He was anointed from the onset to fulfill these three positions.

As Prophet, Jesus pronounced an end to our sin. The prophets of old were considered the mouthpiece of God to His people. One common saying of the prophets would be, “Thus says the Lord.” The prophet would condemn people for their sin, call them to repentance, and proclaim that it is only through God that forgiveness and wholeness would be found. Jesus is the Prophet in that He has proclaimed and fulfilled all was prophesied and spoken.

As Priest, Jesus offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. The high priest was considered the mediator between a holy God and a sinful people. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would cleanse himself and enter the Holy Place to offer a sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. He would sprinkle animal blood on top of the Ark of the Covenant, a specific area called the mercy seat, because it would atone for the sins of the people for that year. As Priest, Jesus did not only offer the sacrifice, but He was the sacrifice. He went before God and offered Himself, pure and holy, to have His blood poured out on the mercy seat so that we could be forgiven of our sins. Jesus is the Priest in that He has sacrificed Himself for us.

As King, Jesus rules so that sin no longer has reign over us. In Israel, the monarchy was established so that peace, prosperity, and growth would occur for the nation. Before the unification of the kingdom, there were tribes that would war against each other and death was the only product. But the king was established in order to bring unity and vision for a greater nation. We know that David was considered the greatest king in the Old Testament, and when he was on the throne, the people were at peace. There are few things that comfort a nation more than having a righteous ruler who rules in power and justice. As King, Jesus rules with perfect justice and truth, He does not waver in His thoughts and He is not swayed by people’s opinions. He is a good and just King that loves His people. We are able to have comfort in all situations because we have a King on the throne that brings true unity and vision - a King that says we are neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female but one in Him. We belong to Him and He belongs to us, for He is the King.

Like a funnel, the offices of prophet, priest, and king are brought together perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ. They were played out in the Old Testament and all three offices were important in every aspect of Israel. They ruled and if they were righteous and just, then Israel would prosper but if even one was corrupt, the nation would collapse.

Jesus Christ holds all three positions and praise God that He is just and perfect in all three. Moses was a great prophet but Christ the Prophet is the Word of God. Aaron was a great priest, but Christ the Priest offers Himself as the sacrifice. King David was a great King but Christ the King has dominion over all things and neither sin nor death has power over Him.

Jesus Christ is our Prophet, Priest, and King.

April 2nd, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 22-24, Psalm 93 (Read Scripture)

And David spoke to the Lord this song on the day when the Lord delivered him.

This psalm in chapter 22 is placed at the end of David’s life, and appears almost as his last words. But what’s interesting is that, with minor variations, it is the exact same as Psalm 18 - which we believe is a psalm written by David when he was much younger. Why would the same psalm be placed here?

I believe this is a summary of David’s life and character - of his belief in the sovereignty of God, of his conviction in the power of Jehovah, and of his longing to worship His true King. The defining characteristic of David wasn’t just his passion towards God, it was his consistency in his passion.

On his commentary on the Psalms, Charles Spurgeon writes, ““We have another form of this Psalm with significant variations. . . and this suggests the idea that it was sung by David at different times when he reviewed his own remarkable history, and observed the gracious hand of God in it all.” 

Passion is the engine behind much of our life and how we live for God. However, what shows true faithfulness is our steadfastness - the steadfastness of our character, of our attitude, and of our faith. In the Bible, of the 219 times the word ‘steadfast’ appears it is followed by the word ‘love’ in nearly 200 of those times. We are created to love God and to love others, but realize that we are called to be in steadfast love. In the book of Hebrews, God is called our “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,” and it’s why we can have confidence in Him even when things are difficult. He will not change and His character is consistent.

In this psalm, David encompasses his entire life with God. He was the son of Jesse; a man who started out as a shepherd boy. He was anointed and raised on high; a man that did not achieve anything on his own but only through God. And he was a psalmist; a man that others saw as king, soldier, and hero but to himself was a simple psalmist who sang to the Lord.

David’s life was far from perfect and his reign could be seen as a failure. He started and ended his kingship by running from those trying to kill him, he suffered family crises, and the entire nation suffered pestilence and famine because of his sins. In contrast, his son Solomon seemed to have the perfect reign. There was great peace, prosperity, and prominence in all that he did, however, we know that the Bible has nothing but praise for David and yet Solomon is barely mentioned again. Why is this?

The difference between David and Solomon was found in their different relationships with God. David’s steadfast passion was to be with God, while Solomon’s passion was to grow in wealth and prosperity. David may have made life-defining mistakes, but he endured and ran the race to the end - loving and serving God until his last breath. But for Solomon, we read that he forsook God in his last years and replaced Him with the world.

Look back on your life and see your consistency. I hope that at the end of our lives we can be defined as not only passionate, but people of steadfastness, holding firm to what we know about God in our lives. David spoke these words when he was a young shepherd, and he again spoke these words to God when he was an old king. I hope we can have the same type of steadfast love that characterized David and showed why God would say about him, “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”

April 1st, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 19-21, Psalm 92 (Read Scripture)

“We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! Every man to his tent, Israel!”

Although King David was now unopposed to the throne, there was still discontent within the nation. It says here that a rebel named Sheba began to stir dissension and because of his words, every man in Israel deserted David. In essence, the words of one man split the nation.

One of the greatest blows to the witness of Jesus Christ is when a church experiences a split. I have talked with people who have become disillusioned with God and the church not because of a theological or philosophical issue, but because of a personal experience and the memory of how poisonous broken church leadership can be.

In a church, unity is vitally important. And it’s why gossip is spoken so strongly in the Bible - because it is the very act of division. In the book of James it says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

There are three things that lead to division within the church that we can see in this passage. Keep these three things in mind and pray against them.

“We have no share in David”

Sheba had told the Israelites that King David had no authority over them. He was denying the sovereignty of David’s reign and power. People would wonder if they could trust King David because it planted doubt in his character. Sheba was essentially saying that they should rule themselves and trust in their own discernment rather than following God’s anointed.

God has placed the leaders within the church for a reason and a purpose. They have been given spiritual authority over the members of the church, and it is one of the first steps to division when people begin to question and doubt the authority the leadership has over their members. In Shining Star, on the road to membership the attendee is taught the values, mission, and direction of the church. And at the end, by being a member, we are agreeing to be in a partnership - one where the church takes responsibility for the member and the member trusts the church. And the question that needs to answered by everyone taking a membership class is this: “Do you believe that the leadership of the church are here because God has appointed them to guide you spiritually?”

“The son of Jesse”

Sheba had told Israel of David’s humble beginnings. In today’s culture, coming from nothing is considered a great success, but back then it would have been shameful. It would show that the King was of a lower class and not fit to lead those who were rich. Sheba was devaluing the identity of the King by talking about his past.

One thing I always tell those I counsel is in order to speak one word of criticism, you need to speak ten words of encouragement. And the surest way to know that you should not speak to someone who you feel like you should confront is if you will not pray for their well-being. Many people are very critical of churches and their leaders - and that’s not necessarily wrong. Those in leadership positions will be held to a higher standard and, in the words of Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” But in order to foster unity, there needs to wisdom and discretion in knowing what to say and when to say it. It doesn’t matter if someone has the right plan to help grow something, if it’s not said at the right time and in the right place then it is meaningless. Protect your leaders and be wise in how you speak to them and about them.

“Every man to his tents, Israel!”

Sheba tells the people to go in their own direction and follow their own wisdom. A unified kingdom is more powerful than any individual, but in order to have unity, there needs to be sacrifice. This is a sacrifice of what the individual wants in order to foster the overall direction of the nation. The people may want what is best for themselves and for their families, but the king knows what’s best for the nation. And Sheba is telling Israel to trust their limited perspective rather than the vision that God had given King David.

Having one vision for the church means that there will be sacrifices in individual wants. Many of us have a passion for a specific area in ministry, but there are times when sacrifice is needed in order to foster the vision. Look at the overall vision and trust that the church is able to see more than the individual.

These are three things that we can see in this passage that foster division. Be careful! We want to be intentional as the church to do our best in creating more unity. And Church, be proud and know that even if others try to divide and desert, that only gives us a greater opportunity to show our loyalty and unity. It says the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. It is beautiful thing to see how loyal the men of Judah were to King David, and even when others decided to leave, they stayed.

This isn’t just for the church, this is for your faith. Even when the multitude mocked Jesus, you can stay. Even when God seems distant, you can stay. And even when things get difficult, you can stay. “So all the men of Israel deserted David…but the men of Judah stayed by their king.”

Be faithful and stay unified.

March 31st, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 16-18, Psalm 91 (Read Scripture)

“Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.”

As King David runs from his son, Absalom, he meets a man named Shimei. Shimei was a relative of King Saul’s, and he resented David for taking Saul’s place.

So Shimei throws accusations at the king, saying that David was caught in his evil because he was bloodthirsty. But we know this is wrong because David treated Saul with graciousness in every circumstance, because Saul was the one who disobeyed and brought his own family to ruin, and because David had only sought peace and not war.

So what was David’s response to this man? Shimei was throwing false accusation after false accusation at the king, and in every other circumstance Shimei should have died. But David shows his wisdom by holding back his men and saying, “Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.”

When someone speaks badly about us, our immediate response is retaliation. We want to defend ourselves and make sure we are vindicated. However, just because we can exact revenge does not mean that we should. Charles Spurgeon, in one of his sermons, said, “David could take this fellow’s head off and that in a moment, and yet he said, ‘Let him alone. Let him curse.’ And this makes a splendid example. If you can revenge yourself, DON’T. If you could do it as easily as opening your hand, keep it shut. If one bitter word could end the argument, ask for grace to spare that bitter word.”

David believed that God’s hand was as much on the future as it was on the present. King David says that God may look at what happened today and bless him tomorrow. You see, David’s faith was so strong that it wasn’t belief that God would bless him for his patience - it was faith that God would do what is best for tomorrow as He saw fit, and that David would simply do his best for today.

The more I read about David, the more it becomes evident that God heaped status and reputation upon him because David never once desired it. David was at peace in these circumstances because, even as king, he knew that God was in control. It’s a parallel to Jesus in Philippians 2:6-7, where it says that Jesus did not consider equality with God something be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant and born in the likeness of man.

David had complete faith in God and that was what led to his victories. For many of us, trying to control our fate is going to be the greatest struggle of our lives. When things get difficult, do we really trust God in our future? David barely had anything left but it says that Absalom was defeated by following the wrong advice because, “The Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel.”

Ahithophel was known as one of the smartest and most clever strategists in Israel…but God was in control. The throne of Israel did not belong to David nor Absalom nor Ahithophel - it belonged to God.

A British preacher named G. Campbell Morgan once said, “This is one of the great principles of life which every page of the Bible emphasizes and illustrates. Men cannot escape God. They go their own way, but that way never sets them free from the authority and the invincible power of God.”

There will be people who slander and falsely accuse you in the present, but do not worry. If God has cared for you in the past, will He not also take care of your future? The people in front of you may be clever and smart, but no one and nothing can escape the authority and power of God.

Trust in the Lord because He is in control of your life.

March 30th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 13-15, Psalm 90 (Read Scripture)

In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her.

What is the difference between love and lust?

In this passage, it said that Amnon loved his half-sister Tamar. Because Amnon knew it was forbidden to sleep with her, he tricks Tamar and rapes her. And then, all of a sudden, it says, “he hated her exceedingly, in fact, he hated her more than he had loved her.” What does this mean? How can Amnon go from loving Tamar to hating her in a moment?

In the Bible, lust is always portrayed negatively. Matthew 5:28 says that if anyone who looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery. However, love is the very definition of God. So if that’s the case, what is the difference between love and lust?

Amnon was attracted to Tamar for what he could get from her, not because he truly cared for her. This is lust at its core. It is the objectification of someone rather than the love of them. The Bible says that she was extremely beautiful, and Amnon only wanted to sleep with her. It’s sad because this story is not dissimilar to the story of his father, King David. David’s adultery with Bathsheba displayed his rash behavior in sleeping with her because he saw her bathing. He knew nothing else about her, and in his shame, he tried to cover his guilt with the murder of her husband.

This past Sunday we talked about what it meant to obeying God for who He is versus obeying God for what He gives. When we obey simply because of what He gives, then it becomes a violation of trust, similar to how a fiance would break off the engagement if their significant other became poor.

For Amnon, he lusted over Tamar and after he was finished with her, he left her. In a lustful relationship, the person is not the subject, they are the object. And in a lustful relationship, the person is pursued, used, and then discarded. This can happen to both men and women, but the vast majority who are on the receiving end of this type of behavior are women.

It’s not uncommon to see relationships where men act kind and gentle, where they open doors, and where they buy presents for their significant other. But all the while they continue to push the physical boundary of the relationship one step at a time. Now, is physical attraction a part of a relationship? Of course. But it will be one of the challenges you will have to face in differentiating whether the relationship you are in is based in love or in lust. There will be other red flags (and I can’t go into all of them now) but one of the greatest and most sure ways to differentiate whether you are in a love relationship or a lust relationship is waiting. If you really love him then wait until marriage. Because if he really loves you, then he will wait. Waiting until marriage can be your greatest guide to determine whether you are in a relationship of lust versus love.

Look, everyone sins and everyone messes up, that’s not the point here. The point is to know that being in a love relationship can be the greatest joy of your life, and the point is to know that even when we fail or mess up, God continues to love us. We come before Jesus asking Him for things rather than Him, and yet He still loves us unconditionally. People in your life will use you, but our hope isn’t in people and our center isn’t based upon their actions. We have freedom in Jesus Christ and because of that, we can keep loving others even when they don’t love back.

Be at peace and be free Church.

March 27th, 2020

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 1-3, Psalm 87 (Read Scripture)

“How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!”

In this passage, we see two paths open when difficult times come in our lives.

When David learns that Saul finally died, it would have made sense to celebrate. Saul had tried to kill David multiple times and we know that Saul was jealous and afraid of him, and yet in the Bible, it says David mourned.

When hardships befall the Christian, there are two roads that can be taken. The first road is the one that is broad and easy - the road that leads to deeper bitterness and a narrow vision of only oneself. The second road is much narrower - it is the road that makes one better and holier and more like Christ.

In the Bible it says that pain is inevitable.When Paul talks about trials and hardships, there are no if statements, he simply states them as a matter of fact. Then if pain will happen, how do we know there are two responses to it? In Proverbs 10:25 it says, “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone but the righteous stand firm forever.”

The Bible is saying that those who are firm in their faith will only grow in their faithfulness and character when trials come. The testing that God gives to the faithful will only refine and shape them to be more like Him. Simply put, to the righteous the crisis is only an opportunity.

However, those that are not standing in faith will be swept away with the storms of life. They will go on the broad road of bitterness and unforgiveness, and the difficulties of life will only exacerbate their unfaithfulness even more. Our true character cannot stay hidden, and it is through the tests of life that we show who we really are.

For David, he was a faithful man of good character. Therefore even when Saul died, David mourned and grew in love for the man who caused him so much affliction…he truly loved his enemy. How does this lead David to be more like Christ? Jesus Christ died on the cross for those He loved, and yet we know they did not love Him back. He was tortured, whipped, and mocked until He died, and yet it was those people for whom He died. Jesus was the lover of His enemies, and David’s trial was only a test to bring Him closer to the character of God.

I hope that the trials in your life become a testimony for others. It says that David’s men followed suit in mourning for Saul, and it was through the example of how David responded to hardship that shaped the lives of those around him. Are you going through difficult times? Then there are two paths in front of you - choose the narrow one.

March 26th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 28-31, Psalm 86 (Read Scripture)

And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him.

Saul was alone, afraid, and cornered by the Philistines. In this passage it says the Philistines had encamped near Shunem - this was a city in Israel mentioned to describe how far into Israel’s land the Philistine army had gone and the dominance they had over the kingdom Saul ruled.

Saul’s heart begins to shake and he cries out to the Lord, asking for help. Now, here’s the interesting part…it says that Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him. He looked for God in his dreams, but God was silent. He looked for God through urim, and he could not find Him. And lastly, he looked for God through the prophets, but there was no reply.

Many times we wonder why God would stay silent during our times of need, and many times we will not know the answer. But the silence that God gave to Saul wasn’t a test, it was judgement. King Saul was living in disobedience to God’s previously revealed will to stop pursuing David. Saul tells David that he knows what he is doing is a sin in 1 Samuel 26:21, and yet he continues to pursue him. And because Saul did not care to obey God in what he already knew, God would not give him more to know.

For many of us, we cannot fathom the reasons why God would stay silent during our most difficult times. But let the story of Saul be a warning and a challenge - if we want God to guide us in our future trials, we must follow the guidance we have from Him in our present day. What is the guidance that God has given us today? Many times it will not be audible words from the Lord and our expectations should not be as much. God speaks to us through His Word, and within the personal relationship we are able to have through prayer. Start with the basics - pray to the Lord and ask for Him to speak to you. Begin reading the Bible consistently…and not just reading it but reading it. Look up texts you don’t understand, take notes, and apply it to your life. This is how God reveals His will for us in our lives.

And take heart because there is comfort - when we reject God’s word, He will forgive us when we come before Him in repentance. We are sons of God in faith through Christ, and that inheritance cannot be taken away. This is the beauty and the intellect of God on display: the more we study the Bible, pray to the Lord, and converse with other believers, the more we grow in our relationship with God and the more we enjoy being with Him. This cycle repeats itself and becomes stronger the more we invest.

So start with the basics and move from there. Before future failures force us to cry out to God (and they will come), allow your present obedience to strengthen your relationship with the Lord.

March 25th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 25-27, Psalm 85 (Read Scripture)

The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved.

Abigail was a rare type of woman.

In this passage, the Hebrew phrase “beautiful” applied to Abigail is only used for two other women - Esther and Rachel. But Abigail wasn’t just beautiful in appearance, she was wise and discerning. However, this woman of extraordinary understanding and beautiful countenance was married to a man named Nabal. In Hebrew, Nabal’s name means “fool” and we know that Nabal may have been rich in possessions, but he was a fool in spirit.

Abigail was a wise woman, and most likely she was put in an arranged marriage with Nabal. We see here that David protects Nabal and his land, and in exchange, asks that his men be fed with any leftovers. Nabal insults David and refuses to help. Therefore David, furious because of the insult, begins to prepare for battle against Nabal.

But here is where Abigail comes in - the moment she hears what her husband did, she quickly prepares food and comes before David in humility and honesty. She is humble by thanking David for protecting their land and for being kind to her husband’s family. She is humble by bowing to the man whom her husband disrespected and thought lesser of. And she was honest when she said her husband was foolish and that he was unwise in how he dealt with David.

And because of her wisdom, her entire household was saved. The more I read the Bible, the more it points out that the wife can truly make or break her husband. Even in our modern day, we have phrases like “Behind every great man is a great woman.”

In an interview with Vogue, former President Barack Obama said, “Michelle’s like Beyonce in that song, ‘Let me upgrade ya!’ She upgraded me.” He also says, “Obviously I couldn’t have done anything that I’ve done without Michelle. Not only has she been a great first lady, she is just my rock. I count on her in so many ways every single day.”

Now, what about Michelle does Barack love the most? "“Having said all those things, the quality I love most about her is, she’s honest and genuine. I think that comes across to people. They get a sense that they can trust her. You know, the word ‘authenticity’ is overused these days. But I do think it captures what folks are looking for - not just in leaders, but also in friends and in coworkers - and that is, folks who are on the level. People like that tell you what they think and don’t have a bunch of hidden motives. That’s who Michelle is.”

Honesty and humility - the characteristics of Abigail. Abigail was a rare type of woman, and even though she married a fool like Nabal, it was her wisdom that kept her household safe.

March 24th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 21-24, Psalm 84 (Read Scripture)

“The sword of Goliath, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here.”

When we are afraid, God will remind us of His faithfulness.

In this passage, David was in fear. He was afraid because the army of Israel was after him and as he goes from one hiding spot to another, David meets a priest named Ahimelech. This priest asks David why he is alone and in his fear, David lies to the priest and says he is on “the king’s business.” David lied because he was afraid, and although many of us would sympathize, we read in chapter 22 that David would deeply regret this decision.

David then asks the priest if there is any weapon available and, lo and behold, Ahimelech happens to have the sword of a soldier named Goliath. The sword of the very enemy that was the champion of the Philistines…the sword of the very enemy that laughed in the face of the Israelites…the sword of the very enemy that a young boy named David killed through faith in God.

Let me remind you, when young David was looking at the giant Goliath, he says to him, “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.” When David saw this sword, this memory would have undoubtedly entered his mind.

David was afraid for his life and therefore lied. But in his state of fear, God reminded David of His faithfulness. That sword was not there by coincidence - it was placed there because God wanted to remind David of what He did the last time the nation was afraid. God reminds David that when things were bad before, the Lord made a way. And if that was the same God that David still worshipped, then doesn’t it make sense that the same God would do the same thing now?

Yesterday Governor Northam announced that all non-essential businesses and schools would close for at least one month. He announced a ban of any gathering of more than 10 people and with the rate of how this virus continues to escalate in the US, it seems like this things are getting worse. Many of us are afraid of this virus and afraid of the future - but when we are afraid, God will remind us of His faithfulness.

The God we worship is the same God that killed the mightiest warrior in the Philistine army, He is the same God that planned for David to have the sword of that enemy, and He is the same God that is with you today. We do not need to be afraid…but even if you are afraid, God will remind you of His faithfulness.

March 23rd, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 18-20, Psalm 83 (Read Scripture)

And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law?”

One of the most defining characteristics of David was his humility. The fame and glory that came with his victories in the battlefield never seemed to define who he was or inflate his pride. We know that Saul’s character flaw was his pride, and I believe it’s not coincidence that God would provide a successor that was the complete opposite.

In this passage, after David finds out that Saul wants him to marry his daughter, David says, “How can a man like me marry someone from the king’s family?” Remember, this was after David had led the army into successive victories and the people had begun chanting his name from the streets. David was a man of humility, and this was why God was able to work through him.

In Proverbs it says that humility comes before honor. Being humble will lead to greater honor in the future - and those who are humble will be respected by all. But be careful that you are not hiding your inferiority behind a cloak of humility. Low self-esteem is a sin whereas humility is a virtue. The reason low self-esteem is a sin is because your focus is on yourself rather than God. It’s an imbalanced view of the Gospel - the centerpoint is your identity as a sinner rather than your status as a son. Humility is characterized by a firm understanding and conviction that God created you exactly the way He intended and the weaknesses He has given you are meant to be supplemented by the strengths He has given to others.

I hope Isaiah 30:15 can be your hope as you walk in a life of humility, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…”

March 20th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 9-12, Psalm 80 (Read Scripture)

And the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

Saul is a difficult character in the Bible. And what I mean by that is he wasn’t necessarily malicious or ill-intentioned, he was just a man who was thrust into the spotlight. And this spotlight showed his impressive height and good looks, but it also showed his deep character flaw. I believe this is the burden of any type of leadership - it becomes more and more difficult to hide your flaws as the spotlight becomes brighter.

For Saul, it says that after he was anointed by the prophet Samuel, he was to be presented before all the tribes. But in his fear, Saul hid from everyone and it is only when God points him out that he is found. This sin of “the fear of man” will haunt Saul for the rest of his life and will cause his eventual downfall from king to coward.

In the Bible, Paul says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” The fear of God is not necessarily a fear that we’re used to thinking of, but it’s more in line with a sense of awe and wonder. And when the Bible says not to fear man, it’s saying not to put others in that same position of respect that only God deserves from you.

When I began serving in ministry, God brought a spotlight into this area of my life. I wanted the approval of others, and my emotions would sway according to the comments of those around me. But I came to the realization that I cannot please everyone, and if pleasing others is my ultimate goal, then pleasing God is only secondary.

One of the major symptoms of having the fear of man is constantly comparing yourself to others. The moment you begin doing well, you look down on those around you and the moment you start doing badly, you look down on yourself. There’s no stability and there’s no peace within your heart because everything is based on the ever-changing state of your willpower.

This symptom of Saul will be shown later in this book as he constantly compares himself to David. If Saul had simply looked up instead of to the side, how much of his life would be different? Very rarely are we ever going to change those beside us by scolding or praising them. Instead, change happens when we focus on God and allow our lives to be an example for others.

I don’t remember David ever really comparing himself to others, all I remember is David crying out to the Lord. I hope that is your desire as well - that we would not seek the approval of others but we would simply seek the approval of God.

March 19th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 4-8, Psalm 79 (Read Scripture)

“The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

This passage shows that God is not someone to be used, but someone to be praised. The Israelites thought if they just carried the Ark of the Covenant into the battlefield, victory would be assured. But God desires the motive over the sacrifice, and He desires the right heart over the right action. So God allows the Israelites to be humiliated, and allows His ark to be stolen by the Philistines.

But here’s the crazy part - once the ark is stolen, God begins to work. The inhabitants of every city the ark passes through begin to form diseases and tumors, and the Philistines realize that even though the Israelites were weak, their God was strong. The Philistines came to understand that it wasn’t the Israelites who broke the chains in Egypt, it was God.

So they return the ark to the nation they defeated, and God restores Israel. But at the end of chapter 8, we see that the Israelites haven’t learned their lesson (again!) and desire a king besides God to rule over them.

There’s a story Charles Spurgeon told of a farmer who brought an enormous carrot to the king. The farmer said, “My king, this is the largest and most wonderful carrot I’ve ever grown, and I want to give it to you as a sign of my love and respect for you.” The king was touched so he gave the farmer the kingdom’s land, and asked him to farm it with the same care.

A nobleman hears this and thinks, “If the king is willing to give his land to a farmer because of a carrot, how much more would he give for a horse?” So the next day the nobleman comes to the king and presents a perfect black stallion. The nobleman says, “My king, this is the finest horse I have ever bred, and I want to give him to you as my token of love.” The king, discerning the nobleman’s heart, thanks the nobleman, takes the horse and dismisses him.

The nobleman perplexed, begins to leave but the king says, “Let me explain. That gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were giving yourself the horse.”

This passage is a reminder for us - that when we worship and when we come before the Lord, are we giving to Him, or are we giving to ourselves? God is not someone to be used, He is someone to be praised.

Even with all the panic and craziness happening in the world, are we giving to the Lord so that He would give back to us or are we simply giving to Him out of a thankful heart? God is in control, and no matter how bad things get, He is the one who is able to turn the tide in a moment. Remember, remember, remember - the Israelites were weak but God was strong. In that battle, the Israelites forgot this and they thought it was their own strength that brought them out Egypt, it was their own intellect that allowed them to cross the wilderness, and it was their own abilities that brought victory in Canaan.

But church, we are weak…the Bible says we are sinful and prone to error. But we serve a God who is strong. In the Bible it says that if He is for us, then who can be against us? If He is fighting on our side, then it’s always an unfair advantage. There is no competition and there is no uneasiness because our God is victorious.

Have faith church, and know that He is with you.

March 18th, 2020

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 1-3, Psalm 78 (Read Scripture)

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

The Bible says that when Samuel was a child he heard a voice call out to him. Samuel didn’t realize it was God, and so he runs to Eli thinking it was his teacher.

There are a couple points: first is that God knew Samuel by name. Whenever I meet someone for the first time and they remember who I am, I’m surprised. But when that person also remembers my name, I fall in love. Just kidding. But I am very touched because it shows they care and most likely, they’ve thought about me before. God knew Samuel’s name - he wasn’t just the temple boy or the prophet-to-be, to God he was Samuel.

When God looks at me, He doesn’t see me as pastor or son, He sees my name. When God looks at you, He doesn’t look at you through the lens of your career, your achievements, or your mistakes, He sees your name. Isaiah 43:1 says, “Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

Secondly, Samuel didn’t know it was God calling him. God knew Samuel before Samuel knew God. Even when we knew nothing of God, He knew us and loved us. Luke 12:7 says that even the hairs of your head are numbered by God…that there is nothing to fear because you are more worth more than many sparrows. And if God knows you and loves you, won’t He also take care of you?

I believe this is relevant, especially now, because the government has asked all of us to stay quarantined during this time. Studies show that isolation can result in anxiety, depression, and other negative side effects.That’s why it’s during these times when we need to hold on to the truth of the Gospel evermore. And we know that God is able to use this time to build our faith.

Thomas Chalmers was one of the greatest preachers in Scotland in the 19th century. He had a great ministry for over 10 years but suddenly was stricken by an illness that left him bedridden for over a year. It was during that time he realized he had never preached the gospel of Christ truly, and that he had never truly believed it himself. He talked about God in his sermons, but in his helpless condition he saw that he had never known Christ as his personal Savior. Chalmers said that his illness was a blessing because it brought him to understanding that nothing will give him hope outside of Jesus Christ.

Nothing is more dangerous than putting secondary matters in the first position. We can begin focusing on different aspects of the faith or trying to fix our own lives in other ways. Those things are good, but they are all of lesser importance. And when you do this, you will begin to fall apart when times are truly difficult. Then what is of first importance? Remembering what Jesus Christ did for you - that He loves you and that He knows you by name.

March 17th, 2020

Bible Reading: Ruth 1-4, Psalm 77 (Read Scripture)

“I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

In the book of Ruth, we see a family experience tragedy. But even in the midst of heartache, we see God’s hand at work. The contrast between the beginning and the end of Ruth is stark and wonderful, it begins with famine and death yet it ends with hope and birth. Naomi had lost her husband and two sons, and she was an immigrant with no future… yet God was watching over her. The narrator never mentions God, but it is so evident that He is working for their good and for His glory. He weaved their story together so that through the pain, His ultimate plan would be done - it would be through Ruth that the Savior of the world would be born.

This has been a difficult time for many of us, and I know heartache and hardship has been at every turn. But our God is in control, and just as He had cared for Naomi and Ruth, He will take care of us. This coronavirus started with confusion and tragedy, but it will not end that way. I want to encourage us to keep going, and keep reaching out to one another.

Ruth was a widow and an immigrant, the lowest of the low in society. And yet Boaz, a man of noble character, notices her and begins showing remarkable generosity in her time of need. He was the redeemer of that family - and Jesus is called our Redeemer as well. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ came for us.

Why can we care for others even to the point of foolishness? Why can we be courageous even in the face of this virus? It’s because if Christ performed the ultimate miracle to give us everything, there’s nothing for us to lose. Be joyful, be loving, and remember all that Christ has done for you.