Learning to Depend Upon God

            David was not ready to be king when Samuel anointed him.  He knew nothing about leading people and the issues involved in running a government.  He only knew how to take care of livestock and defend them against predators.

            David needed training to prepare him for being Israel’s king.  He showed courage and faith when facing a giant.  He watched the proceedings of government while playing music for the king.  He observed military strategy as Saul’s armor bearer.  Eventually he became a soldier and was soon promoted to an officer.  And David also learned loyalty (with Jonathan) and diplomacy (becoming the king’s son-in-law).

            But there was still another element he would need to succeed at being God’s man on the throne.  Though he had already built a great deal of faith and courage upon God, he needed to learn how to be totally dependent upon Him.  You see, he was only going to be successful by learning how to rely completely upon God.  This is where Saul (his predecessor) had failed.

            His lessons took place out in the wilderness away from the distractions that come with living the “high life” in the palace.  It was through the painful and lonely experiences of living off of the land and sleeping in caves and being unjustly treated that David learned where to turn for help and comfort.  It was here that he had the opportunity to whip a group of malcontents into an elite fighting force.  It was during this time that he learned how to control his temper and use his talents to serve others.  When he finally became king, he was ready to depend upon God’s strength.

            We have to be willing to face the same preparation for our spiritual lives today if we expect to be successful in life.  All of the wonderful blessings promised by God are for those who are willing to learn His ways and depend totally upon Him for everything.  He will not just “plop” nice things down into our laps.  Instead, He challenges us to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12) so that we build courage and faith and strive to take good care of our spiritual treasures.

            Therefore instead of complaining and worrying about the ways God leads us, strive to see them as opportunities and stepping stones to becoming totally dependent on Him.  He has proven to be trustworthy and dependable.  Mature your faith to the point where you can easily see that He is the only One who provides the power to love, to save, and to help us be victorious.

Doug

Power Over Evil

            What a wonderful sense of relief comes with our salvation in Jesus Christ.  And there are many and various reasons for this peace of mind.  In Christ we have redemption through His blood.  In Christ we have been reconciled to God.  In Christ we have been justified (declared “not guilty”) from our penalty of sin.  In Christ we have access to God’s throne where we can pour out our praise and requests to Him in prayer.  In Christ we have the motivation and power to overcome our sinful desires – which gives us the ability to stand against Satan and enjoy watching him flee from us (James 4:7).

            All throughout Jesus’ ministry, the gospel writers were proving His power over all of the things that stand against us in life (or those we allow to distract us from our goal of righteous living).  The miracles recorded in these accounts were designed to demonstrate God’s loving care by easily removing the things we think are impossible.

            One such instance involves Jesus casting out a legion of demons from a man who had obviously allowed them to take up residence in his body.  Notice in the account how the demons did their best to destroy the man’s body and life.  That is a natural result of when Satan and his forces are given room to work from within a person.  Jesus, just by His words, cast the demons out and brought a wonderful peace to the man who was once possessed.  And he was so grateful that he began to travel the countryside telling everyone his story and giving glory to God.

            It’s easy to forget the power we possess when things are going badly and the challenges of life become exhausting.  We allow ourselves to lose sight of God’s ever-abiding presence and begin fixating on the problems facing us.  That’s the time we need to take a time-out and remember God’s perfect track record written down for us in Scripture.  Turn to God and allow Him to empower you to cast out the “demons” that are tormenting you unnecessarily and regain the peace He desires for you to enjoy (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  His grace is all you need.

            Can you trust Him to strengthen and empower you beyond the reach of Satan? 

            Do you have what it takes to persevere and live the life He has called you to? 

            Take a moment out of each day and let God bring you the kind of peace that passes all understanding.

Doug

Keeping Score

       One of the most frustrating things that I do in life is to compare myself, my talents and even everything I own to that of others.  What I usually find is that me and mine rarely measure up to what others have.  You know that, “The grass is always greener on the other side.”           

     Can you see what I get caught up in here?  I have a problem with “keeping score” on life.  I’m constantly comparing what I have and do with others of my choosing.  With some, I end up the winner.  With others, I come out the looser.  This scorekeeping on life usually ends up with the dual failures of arrogance (for the winners) and discouragement (for the losers).  Both are contrary to what God desires for our lives.   

     The biggest problem with keeping score on life is that there are forces and blessings out there that we can’t see.  God has things in place in our favor that we can’t comprehend.  And when we are caught up in keeping score on life, these countless blessings and talents and abilities usually end up not being counted or considered.  The score we get, then, is totally distorted (check out 2 Kings 6:16-17).

     One of the “scorekeepers” mentioned in the Bible is the prophet Elijah.  He told the prophets of Baal and Asherah that they numbered in the hundreds and he was "the only one" (1 Kings 18:22).  But Elijah’s score was wrong!  He had just heard from Obadiah that there were 100 prophets being hidden in caves (that makes 101 more than just himself).  He wasn‘t the only one!  And when Jezebel took out a contract on his life, the score seemed so stacked against him that he ran away and asked God to end it all.  Only after his encounter with the true nature of God did he find out that there were 7000 more faithful people that were right under his nose (1 Kings 19:18)! 

     Why didn’t Elijah notice these 7,101 others?  Why did he think that he was the “only one”?  Did he consider them unworthy because they weren't as openly standing for the truth as he was?  Or had he become so busy keeping score (with faulty data) that he fell victim to two of Satan’s weapons.  Scorekeepers are always in danger of (1) distorting the truth leading to arrogance and (2) cowering in fear due to being discouraged. 

     Do you know some “scorekeepers” in your life?  Are you one?  Has Satan had a field day causing you to be distracted and tempting you to distort the real score.  Just keep in mind two things when you are tempted to keep score in life.  (1) God is a scorekeeper too.  The good thing about that is that He knows the correct score and He always comes out on top, so stay on His team and don’t quit.  And (2) remember a quotation attributed to Andrew Jackson:  “One man with God is the majority.”  Consider that truth whenever you’re tempted to “keep score.”

Doug

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

Job was truly a remarkable man.  God even says so (Job 1:1, 8 & 2:3).  After losing every kind of blessing (including his health), he refused to whine, complain or blame God.  Even when his wife and friends turned against him.

The book of Job stands out among all of the biblical writings as much for what it says as for what it doesn’t say.  Job’s reply to the tragedies he endured is still relevant for us today – if we take his attitude to heart and imitate his example of faith (see 1:21).

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,”

We are dependent upon God for every need in life.

“And naked I shall depart.”

When we leave this life, we only take our integrity and character with us.

“The LORD gave”

Everything we have in this life is a gift and blessing; not a right – God owes us nothing!

“And the LORD has taken away;”

      Since everything belongs to Him, He has the right to do with it all as He pleases.

“Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

      Our relationship with God is to be our first priority in all things.

            The questions posed in this book still cause problems for us today.  Fortunately in the New Testament age we benefit from God’s answer to this issue.  Why do the righteous suffer?  Just look at Christ on the cross and see the suffering of the only really innocent person.  Can our troubles, trials and sufferings compare with what He endured at Calvary?  In His sufferings we see a God who cares so much for us that He willingly bore the whole stinking mass of human sin and suffering.  For it is in Jesus Christ that the greatest sufferings this world can experience (betrayal, torture and death) provide us with the ultimate blessings (forgiveness of sin and the gift of God’s continual presence - Acts 2:38).

            So the next time you’re tempted to blame God and ask, “Why”, remember His promise to be with you through it all.  And keep in mind the mansion He has prepared for you in the next life that will be free from all of the evils in this life.

Doug

No Broken Promises

            Don’t you hate it when people break their promises?  You get your hopes up and then they dash them to pieces by neglecting to do what they said they would.  It’s difficult to trust them afterwards. 

            God, of course, has never gone back on any of His promises.  This is what Joshua reminded the people of during his farewell address (Joshua 23:14).  Yet there was a time when one of our biblical heroes experienced what appeared to be a broken promise from God.

            The account is found in Genesis 22:1-18.  Abraham is told by God to offer his son Isaac as a burnt sacrifice to the LORD.  Now just wait a minute!  Since when did God allow human sacrifices?  And not only that, but His promise to Abraham was that he would become a great nation through Isaac.  How can this happen if Abraham kills him?

            What’s amazing to me is that Abraham obeyed God without raising any objections.  My first reaction would be to accuse God of breaking His promise.  But not Abraham.  Notice what Scripture says about this man’s faith:  “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Hebrews 11:19).  Wow!  That thought would have never occurred to me.  What faith he had in God that he would have considered a drastic idea like resurrection.

            And now the lesson comes home to me.  How do I react whenever God requests that I give up something in order to rely more fully on Him?  Am I willing to give my children to Him?  Am I willing to give my marriage to Him?  Am I able to trust Him to carry me through life?   God has promised take care of my needs (Matthew 6:33-34) and that he will bring good results out of all the chaos I create (Romans 8:28).  But do I believe these promises?  Is my faith strong enough that I can truly trust them?          

            The answer to all of these questions is “Yes” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).  And this will become clearer to me the more time I spend with Him.  It will become as apparent to me as it did to Abraham the closer I grow toward the One who has never failed on a promise.

Doug