Dr. George Anderson

Ask For Great Things!

2010-05-05T04:27:00.000-07:00

2 Kings 13:18–19 (HCSB)

Then Elisha said, "Take the arrows!" So he took them, and he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground!" So he struck the ground three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will only strike down Aram three times."

Elisha the prophet was on his deathbed. Jehoash was king of Israel. Like most of the kings before him he was not a good man. The nation had been in deterioration for years. They were down to 50 horsemen and 10 chariots. A strong defense was a sign of a strong nation. Israel could no longer defend itself against it’s enemies—and this was not a good thing.

I don’t care what anyone says; the nature of mankind has not changed. It will always be the craving of governments and leaders for more. There will always be aggressors in the world who do not understand this concept of peace. The only peace they understand is the peace of domination—and they will not stop until they have it. Without a strong defense Israel was helpless against their neighbors—and their enemies took advantage.

Jehoash came to Elisha and said, “My father, my father, the chariots and horseman of Israel!” He was lamenting the fact they were so few. In response the prophet told him to take arrows from his quiver and strike them on the ground. He did so three times. He was timid and afraid. “He did not know what he was asking for.” He knew the prophet and he knew how prophets spoke—in such riddles. He should have worn the floor out!

Are we guilty of the same timidity when we pray? Are we afraid to ask God for big things? Do we think we are humble when we ask for a little? Are we not aware that God is great and it honors Him when we ask for big thing? Wear the floor out with your asking!

Prep for Death

2010-05-02T03:37:00.001-07:00

2 Kings 8:10 (HCSB)

Elisha told him, "Go say to him, ‘You are sure torecover.’ But the LORD has shown me that he is sure to die."

Do not be so shortsighted when you are sick. Yes, you may recover from your sickness, but with certainty you are still going to die. Sooner or later, be it by sickness, accident, foul play, or natural causes, you are going to die.

What then? Have you made preparation for death? Not in terms of the funeral, but in terms of eternity?

Most everyone who reads this blog I’m sure has made that decision to trust Christ as their Savior from sin and eternal separation from God. But what if you haven’t? Then hear these words: “You are sure to die.” You have time to make preparation. That time is now. Make that decision while there is time.

I tell people “there are two things you must know and one thing you must do.” The first thing you must know is that you are a sinner and your sin separates you from God. You know the Scripture: the Bible says “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

The second thing you must know is that God did something for you that you could never do for yourself: He gave His Son to pay the price for your sins. The Bible says, “but God demonstrated His own love for us in this, that even though we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Bible says “He was delivered over for our sins and raised for our justification” (Romans 4: 25).

But there is one thing we just do: we must turn from our sin and place our trust in Christ to save us. The Bible says, “repent of your sins and turn to God that your sins might be wiped away” (Acts 3:19) and “Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

You are going to die. You don’t know when. The only way to be ready then is to get ready now!

2010-04-29T04:57:00.001-07:00

2 Kings 3:14–15 (HCSB)

Elisha responded, "As the LORD of Hosts lives,I stand before Him. If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah,I would not look at you; I wouldn’t take notice of you.

Elisha said this to King Joram of Israel. Joram was a wicked man. He said these words about King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Jehoshaphat was a good man and a good king. The word “respect” here is actually a phrase in Hebrew. It could mean a couple of things. It could mean, “I hold in high esteem” (or “high regard”); or it could mean, “I stand up when I see his face.” Both would mean the same thing: “I honor this man.”

When I read this I thought of some people I respect—I would stand up if they entered the room—because I regard them highly. They have set the pattern in my estimation. I would like to be like them. They have lived a godly, pure, holy life.

Then I thought, “Why don’t I tell them how I feel?” After all, they probably could use the encouragement. So I wrote down some names and I intend to make some phone calls and send some emails today.

If I don’t get around to you today, don’t get offended. I’m going to have a long list!

Who do you respect? Why not tell them—soon.

The Power of A Wife

2010-04-16T05:51:00.001-07:00

1 Kings 11:1–3 (HCSB)

King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women from the nations that the LORD had told the Israelites about, "Do not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn you away ‹from Me› to their gods." Solomon was deeply attached to these women and loved ‹them›. He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and they turned his heart away ‹from the LORD›.

A lot of good men, strong and capable men, have become useless because they had a weakness for the opposite sex. Many a man, even a strong man, has had his heart turned away from God because of a woman. I don’t mean this to be a slam on women… and I hope my lady readers won’t take it that way. Women have great power over men. A woman can use this power to get what she wants. This is no secret. I’m not saying anything that every woman does not already know. Blessed is that man who has a woman who encourages him in his walk with God. She will be a blessing to him all the days of his life. She will make him stronger and better.

I just returned from a mission trip to Peru. While I was there my wife wrote a card for me every day. I carried those cards with me each day. Each card was a gem of wisdom for me. She gave me Scripture and she gave me encouragement. She made me a better leader. I do not know how much of a man of God I am, but what I am I owe in large degree to the support, encouragement, and admonishment of my wife. She uses her power to help me, and I recognize that I am a blessed man.

Ladies, I guess what I want to say is, use your power to build up your man and make him a man after God’s own heart. Men, if you are single, search for such a woman. Married men, bless your wife if she is such a woman. If she is not, have a talk with her. She will respond to your words if they are presented lovingly. You cannot succeed as a godly man without the support and encouragement of a godly wife.

The LORD Is Our Lamp!

2010-04-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

LORD, You are my lamp; the LORD illuminates my darkness.

2 Samuel 22:29 (HCSB)

2 Samuel is one of those great chapters. If you cannot find something here to bless you and help you then something is wrong!

A lot in this chapter speaks to me personally, but this verse is the one I want to share. So often in my life I’m looking for direction. It seems a lot of my prayer time is spent asking God to “show me the way” He wants me to go. I feel I’m not alone in this. Our lives are filled with decisions we have to make. Some of these decisions are thrust upon us suddenly. Some are decisions we have postponed because we either don’t know what to do or we don’t like doing it. Choices! Sometimes they come at us like waves at the ocean, engulfing us without mercy. We barely pull ourselves to our feet before another slams into us. Making decisions sometimes can be exhausting!

But we are not without guidance. The LORD is our lamp: lighting the way at our feet and dispelling the darkness. Lean on Him. Trust in Him. Wait on Him. Listen to Him. He will show you the way.

Ending Courageously for God

2010-04-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

The Philistines again waged war against Israel. David went down with his soldiers, and they fought the Philistines, but David became exhausted.

Then Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giant,whose bronze spear weighed about eight pounds and who wore new armor, intended to kill David.

But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him: "You must never again go out with us to battle. You must not extinguish the lamp of Israel."

After this,there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giant.

Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killedGoliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.

At Gath there was still another battle. A huge man was there with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—24 in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.

When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him.

These four were descended from the giant in Gath and were killed by David and his soldiers.

2 Samuel 21:15–22 (HCSB)

David had learned his lesson. This time he did not send his troops into battle. This time he led his troops into battle.

David had become old. Happens to all of us. His men loved him. They referred to him as “the lamp of Israel.” What a tribute to a man! They recognized that David had been a guiding light to his people. Would to God this could be said of all of us!—and it could be, if we lived our lives for God.

Isn’t it interesting that David’s career ended like it began, killing giants? He burst on the scene killing one giant; he departed killing four. Now it was not David personally who killed these four giants. He had become old. His followers and family killed them. But in a sense David did kill them… by his reputation.

They had heard the stories of David’s courage. Those stories inspired them. They admired David greatly and wanted to be just like him.

Isn’t this how all our lives should end, slaying giants—and slaying more giants—than we did at the beginning?

Should we not leave behind us in this world a reputation of courage for God? May the inheritance we leave to those who follow us be an example that inspires them to live boldly for God and do exploits for His name!

The Burning Barley Field

2010-03-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one. For we will certainly dieand be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished.

2 Samuel 14:13–14 (HCSB)

There is an example of this very thing in this same chapter. Amnon, one of David’s sons, raped Tamar, one of David’s daughters. Absalom, David’s son, took revenge and killed Amnon. Absalom fled and remained in one of the cities of refuge for three years. He was allowed to return to Jerusalem, but not allowed into David’s presence. After two years of this “house arrest” Absalom wanted to see his father. He sent for Joab, David’s friend, in order to send him as an emissary to plead Absalom’s case before the king—but Joab wouldn’t come to him. Absalom sent for Joab a second time, but still he would not come. Then he resorted to a desperate act, he set Joab’s barley field on fire. Joab came now, but furious: “Why have you done this?”

Absalom explained his actions: “I called for you once, and you wouldn’t respond. I sent for you a second time, but still you ignored me. I had to do something to get your attention. That is why I did this thing.”

What Absalom did was wrong. He was a wicked, conniving, self-centered young man. But what Absalom did is an example of the way God sometimes deals with us, but with a gracious intent. We wander from God. He calls to us, but we ignore His overtures. He patiently calls to us again, but once more we turn a deaf ear to His wooing. So God says, “I love you to much to let you continue ignoring Me,” and He does something to get our attention—He sets our barely field on fire. This He does, not to take away our lives, but order to get our attention and restore our lives to Him. He devises plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished. This thing He does may hurt us, but it does not destroy us. In fact, it actually blesses us because it returns us to fellowship with Him.

Has God set your barley field on fire? If so, may you say: “I’ve wandered far away from God, but now I’m coming home.”

David's Repentance

2010-03-29T05:52:00.001-07:00

Nathan replied to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel,and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing what I considerevil? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. Now therefore, the sword will never leave your housebecause you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.’

2 Samuel 12:7–10 (HCSB)

We can be so blinded by our selfishness and self-importance. David had been headed down this road for a long time. He had disobeyed God’s specific instructions that kings not accumulate a number of wives. He was feeding his lust, and his ego. He thought that because he was the king he deserved special treatment. He was above the rules. No one is above God’s rules—especially leaders! People follow the example of their leaders. They do what their leaders do. Therefore leaders should strive to live more pure, more holy, more godly.

David was not only an adulterer and a murderer. He was also a thief! He had stolen something from Uriah other than his life. He had stolen his wife.

Wasn’t Bathsheba somehow culpable? Yes. I think we all are. But remember, before she was a wife to her husband she was a subject to the king. This is always the way it is with monarchies. Watch out America!

There are a lot of things about this story we don’t know. God does give us all the details because they’re not important. This story is not about Bathsheba’s sin. It is about David’s. It takes two to tango, but David shouldn’t have been looking for a partner to dance.

David learned a hard lesson—and we should learn from his example: there are consequences for our sin—even kings. Sin will always take you further than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and make you pay a price higher than you ever wanted to pay. Sin always leads to a lifetime of regret. Don’t go down this road.

“It’s too late! I’ve already messed up.”

God’s good news is that there is forgiveness. God forgives and cleanses. Confess your sin to God and receive His cleansing. Turn from your sin now! But remember, there are still consequences even for forgiven sin. The baby died and hell came to David’s house.

If you are headed in that direction, stop now!

David's Fatal Flaw

2010-03-28T03:18:00.001-07:00

In the spring when kings march out ‹to war›, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he reported, "This is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriahthe Hittite."

David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterwards, she returned home.

The woman conceived and sent word to inform David: "I am pregnant."

2 Samuel 11:1–5 (HCSB)

David had been setting himself up for this for a long time. He had been accumulating wives for himself, something God had forbidden kings to do. He had gotten too big for his britches. Like many men at the top of the ladder, he thought he was above the rules. After all, he was king—he made the rules! He could do whatever his little heart desired. David’s arrogance and selfishness got him into the worst trouble of this life. He just thought having Saul chasing him was bad. Having an earthly king on your heels may have been tough at times, but having God on your heels is the unbearable—He is relentless! Who is going to protect you from God?

If David had been where he was supposed to be, leading his army, this would not have happened. This is usually what happens to us before a fall, we’re out of position. Idleness is the devil’s workshop. We do not necessarily have to keep ourselves busy all the time, but we do need to keep ourselves in the position of responsibility assigned to us. Keeping our hands and hearts occupied is the best strategy against temptation. A good offense is the best defense. Keep your heart in pursuit of God.

One of My Favorite Stories!

2010-03-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul’s family I can show the kindness of God to?"

Ziba said to the king, "There is still Jonathan’s son who is lame in both feet."

Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet.

2 Samuel 9:3, 13 (HCSB)

The word “kindness” translates the Hebrew chesed, which, to me, is the equivalent of the Greek word charis, translated in New Testament as “grace.” David wanted to show God’s grace to someone of Saul’s household.

Typically one of the first orders of business for a new monarch was to “clean up loose ends.” This meant eliminating all contestants to his power… killing off any challengers to his throne. This, I’m sure, is what Mephibosheth expected. He was hiding out in a place called “Lo-debar,” which meant “without pasture.” It was a distant, deserted, dismal place. No one would choose to live there—unless they were hiding from something. That is exactly what Mephibosheth was doing when soldiers came knocking on his door. The day he dreaded had now arrived.

But instead of finding his head on a chopping block he found himself eating at the king’s table like one of this own sons!

Oh yes, and I have not mentioned he was handicapped. In a hasty get-away his nurse dropped him. Both his feet were broken and not properly set. The bones had healed, but not cleanly. Hence he was crippled in both his feet.

This is a picture of the Christian. We are Mephbosheth in this story. We are the ones crippled by our parent’s hasty attempt to run away from God. We are the ones living in Lo-debar, a deserted place, hiding from God. We will not come to God on our own. We expect the worst from Him—Divine judgment. Faithful servants must come looking for us with tidings of good news! They must carry us by prayer and faith into the King’s presence, the only place where we can experience God’s favor. We are afraid, but how quickly does perfect love cast away all fear! We bow—poor, undeserving sinners, spiritual cripples incapable of doing anything for God at all—but we rise as sons of the King! We experience the amazing grace of God! From that day forward we sit at the King’s table like the King’s own Son, enjoying the bounty of His glory.

I am Mephibosheth—and happy to be him! Are you?

One Way To Do God's Work

2010-03-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled. Then the LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. David was angry because of the LORD’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place an Outburst Against Uzzah,as it is today. David feared the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" So he was not willing to move the ark of the LORD to the city of David;instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

2 Samuel 6:6–10 (HCSB)

The ark represented the presence of God. David wanted to the ark in Jerusalem, near him and in the midst of his people.

David made a big show of moving the ark. He obviously thought that if you move God it should be done with great fanfare and much hoopla.

I imagine the road they used had deep ruts. When the cartwheels dropped into one of these ruts it jolted the cart. Uzzah instinctively reached to steady the ark. Instantly God struck him dead.

The ark itself was not to be touched by human hands. There were two poles in the feet of the ark to carry it. Because the ark symbolized God’s presence it also represented God’s extreme holiness. God’s holiness cannot be defiled by human hands.

This tragedy was completely avoidable. Had David read the Scripture and followed God’s instructions this would not have happened. The ark was to be carried only one way—on the shoulders of the priests.

Here is the lesson for us: when we try to do God’s work the way we think is best we make a mess; but when we do God’s work His way there is blessing.

There is only one way to do God's work that succeeds: His way.

Our Help In A Tight Spot

2010-03-23T05:14:00.001-07:00

David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over ‹the loss of› their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

1 Samuel 30:6 (HCSB)

Ever found yourself in a difficult situation? Sure you have! We all have. What do you do? Run in circles, scream and shout? Suck you thumb? Go into depression? Withdraw? Come out fighting? Blame someone else? Make excuses?

What do you do? David found himself in a tight spot. He had led these men in many battles, to many victories, but now they were turning against him. They were sick because of their loss. David had lost too! But David turned to the Lord for help, and the Lord strengthened him.

He sought the Lord’s guidance, and the Lord told him what to do. David and his men pursued the Amalekites, caught them, destroyed them, and got their families and herds back. David was very grateful, as indeed he should have been.

We all find ourselves between a rock and a hard place occasionally. If we will look to the Lord for help He will strengthen us and guide us. we will find, like David, that our God is more than sufficient.

Our Lives Tucked Away

2010-03-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

“When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord’s life will be tucked safely in the placewhere the LORD your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies’ lives like ‹stones› from a sling.”

1 Samuel 25:29 (HCSB)

These are the words of Abigail to David. I think we can also take them as the word of God to us. The Bible says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected” (Proverbs 18:10). In our daily activities we are not defenseless. The Lord is a shield. He protects us from things we don’t even know about. Maybe one day, after we have been in heaven for a long time, God will show us all the times He protected us from harm. Jesus said to Peter:

“Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift youlike wheat. But I have prayed for youthat your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).

Maybe one day the Lord will show us all the times Satan came to Him asking to sift us like wheat, but God forbade him—or He strengthened us.

It is enough to know that our lives are in His hand everyday. He protects us. nothing can come against us without His approval—and that which receives His approval is for our good.

Jesus said, “And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He is with you and protects you today.

David's Sword and Saul's Robe

2010-03-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. David and his men were staying in the back of the cave, so they said to him, "Look, this is the day the LORD told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’" Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. Afterwards, David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

He said to his men, "I swear before the LORD: I would never do such a thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed.‹I will never› lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed."

With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul.

Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.

1 Samuel 24:3–7 (HCSB)

On this day David showed his integrity. He revealed the fact that there was something different about him. He was cut from different cloth than Saul.

He could have put an end to Saul, but it would not have been an end to his troubles. David waited on the Lord to exact vengeance on his enemies, and eventually the Lord did.

We probably all have enemies. Remember this: if you live by the sword you will die by the sword. If you shed man’s blood then by man your blood will be shed. Keep your cool and keep your integrity. Be patient and wait on the Lord to handle your enemies. In His time He will. In the mean time, you pursue God’s kingdom.

A Mountain Between

2010-03-20T07:05:00.001-07:00

Saul went along one side of the mountain and David and his men went along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. Then a messenger came to Saul saying, "Come quickly, because the Philistines have raided the land!" So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to engage the Philistines. Therefore, that place was named the Rock of Separation. From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

1 Samuel 23:26–29 (HCSB)

There was more than a mountain of rock that separated Saul and David. There was a mountain of jealousy, suspicion, resentment and ill will.

Sin separates man from God. Sin is not only a mountain between man and God, it is a mountain between man and his fellow man and between man and himself. Sin separates man God, man from his fellow man, and man from himself.

Sin always brings disintegration. If not for sin man would be a fully integrated personality. He would be synchronized with God, himself and his fellow man. But sin is a monkey wrench in the plan.

David was only delivered from Saul by a divine miracle. Had those Philistines not shown up David and his men would have been destroyed. Saul was gaining on David. He had David out-manned and out-gunned. Then God showed up. He sent those Philistines to distract Saul.

Like David, the only thing that can deliver us from being overtaken and destroyed by our sin is a miracle. That miracle was the cross. The cross of Jesus separates us from judgment.

Men and Friendship

2010-03-19T04:31:00.000-07:00

Jonathan once again swore to David in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

1 Samuel 20:17 (HCSB)

When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times.Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.

1 Samuel 20:41 (HCSB)

Is this wrong? Is there something wrong with a man loving another man?

The answer is “No!” But we need to qualify that answer. This was not homosexual love. This was not something perverted. These were two men who were manly in every way. They were warriors. They were champions. They were godly. They were fully heterosexual.

These two men were friends. The King James says that the “soul” of Jonathan was “knit” to the soul of David. Their souls were literally “tied” together. This is a close bond of friendship—nothing funny or perverted about it. It was holy and wholesome.

This is a kind of friendship that is missing from our culture today. Much of the friendship between men to day is shallow. We fail to experience this deeper kind of friendship because of ignorance and fear. We do not know that it can exist. We have been taught that for two men to love each other is wrong and twisted. We build walls up against it. The consequence is that most men do not experience this kind of friendship with another man, and we are the poorer for it!

I pray that God will give us men the wisdom to know that we need friends. We need real men friends. There is a bond of friendship that can exist between two men that will strengthen them and make them better men without harming their manhood. There is this holy friendship that is not perverted and sinful. The truth is that every man needs a true friend just as David needed Jonathan. I pray that God gives each of us men a friend just like this and that each of us will be a friend like this.

A note to guys: I'd like to hear from you on this one. What are your thoughts?

David Hated by Saul

2010-03-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.

1 Samuel 18:28–29 (HCSB)

Where did I get the idea that if I lived for God I’d have no enemies? David’s enemy was the king of Israel!

Living for God is no guarantee that things are always going to go our way and everyone is going to love us and admire us. Jesus said, “You will be hated for My name’s sake.” There will be hated by some people for no other reason than the fact that people call us “Christians.”

The reality is that some people are going to hate you no matter what. In fact, it seems that people are more divided and vindictive today… or maybe I’m just imagining that. So, if people are going to despise you anyway, it seems best that they hate you for doing the right thing.

Don’t be a jerk. Saul hated David, but David did not return the sentiment. He simply went on about his business the best he could. Saul hated him because God blessed him. Let us live for God, do the best we can, and ask God to give us the fortitude not only to know and do the right, but to endure—and even love—those who despise us for doing it.

God Looks At the Heart

2010-03-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

1 Samuel 16:7 (HCSB)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the LORD sees,for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart."

God had told Samuel that He had rejected Saul as king. Now He was going to select a new king. He sent Samuel the prophet to anoint this king.

Samuel went to the town of Bethlehem. There he met the family of Jesse. Jesse’s sons came before Samuel. The firstborn son was an impressive young man. Samuel thought in his heart: “This must be the one!”

The Lord’s response to Samuel was this verse. Man is impressed with appearances. We are impressed with credentials, achievements, beauty and success. But the Lord does not look at these things. He measures a man on the basis of what is the inside. David was young and inexperienced, but God knew what was in his heart. God knew what David was capable of achieving. Most importantly, God knew that David was a man after His own heart. Out there in the lonely fields guarding his father’s flock David spent his time seeking the Lord.

I think God looks in our hearts and sees the same thing. I think we are all capable of things beyond our wildest imagination, if we are obedient to the Lord. We could all “charge hell with a water pistol” if we allow the Lord to control our lives.

God looks at your heart. What does He see?

Partial Obedience Equals Complete Defiance

2010-03-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

1 Samuel 15:19 –22 (HCSB)

So why didn’t you obey the LORD? Why did you rush on the plunderand do what was evil in the LORD’s sight?"

"But I did obey the LORD!" Saul answered."I went on the mission the LORD gave me: I brought back Agag, king of Amalek, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites.

The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder—the best of what was set apart for destruction—to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

Then Samuel said:

Does the LORDtake pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the LORD?

Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,

to pay attention ‹is better› than the fat of rams.

Many years ago I heard a sermon on this passage. I have never forgotten the title or the theme of that message. The title was: “The Peril of Partial Obedience.” The title itself was enough to convict me! The theme was: “Partial obedience is complete disobedience.”

You may have qualms that God commanded Israel to attack the Amalekites and completely wipe them out. I confess it bothers me—until I remember that this was part of God’s original order. Before entering Canaan He had commanded the Israelites to destroy all the people in the land. You remember they failed to complete the assignment. The Amalekites were some of those who should have been destroyed but still remained. They were a reprobate people, even sacrificing their children to their pagan gods. They were a cancer in the land that, if allowed to remain, would infect the whole nation of Israel. They needed to be thoroughly expunged.

Many of us are infected with Saul’s plague. We think that if we do most of what God says that sufficient. But partial obedience indicates a deeper and more dangerous problem. God sees it for what it really is and calls it by its true names: rebellion and defiance (vs. 23). We obey the part that is convenient, or the part that we can manage on our own. We leave off the part that requires faith and submission. But that little leaven will spread to the whole lump of dough. Disobedience always grows when left unchecked. The only safeguard against rebellion spreading is to obey all of God’s command.

Eli's Blunder

2010-03-11T05:37:00.001-08:00

1 Samuel 3:18 (HCSB)

So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, "He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks is good."

Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas were evil men. They defiled God’s sanctuary. They exploited their office. They took advantage of the people they were called to serve. Eli knew about these things but did not stop them. Apparently he was one of those passive dads who do not like confrontation. He gave his sons a little lecture, but it was too little too late. By this time they were out way of control.

God held Eli accountable for his lack of action. Judgment was pronounced on his entire family. God revealed to the boy Samuel what He was going to do. Eli made Samuel tell him everything. His response to this catastrophic news was: “He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks best.”

Raising boys is a little different than raising girls. Both need lots of love and affirmation. But boys will push the limits. Boys will take risks. It’s one thing to take a risk with your own life and limb, but it’s another thing altogether when we take risks with our purity, our integrity, our reputation, and with other people. Eli should have confronted those boys. If the stories he heard were confirmed he should have disciplined them severely. Problem is that he had already taught them through his actions that they could get away with anything. The punishment should fit the crime. But children must be taught that there are consequences for their actions.

Better to whip them with a belt now than bail them out of jail later. You can’t bail them out of hell!

The Requirement for Usefulness

2010-03-10T04:25:00.000-08:00

1 Samuel 2:26 (HCSB)

By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

This is a great way to pray for our children. Pray that they will grow in favor with both God and man. Pray they will have integrity before God and man.

1 Samuel 2:30 (HCSB)

"Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says:

‘Although I said

your family and your ancestral house

would walk before Me forever,

the LORD now says, "No longer!"

I will honor those who honor Me,

but those who despise Me will be disgraced.

Eli was the priest in Shiloh. His two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked men. Eli failed to discipline them. God took the priesthood away from Eli and his family and gave the job to Samuel.

This is a warning to any of us who serve the Lord. Our calling is not a guarantee that God will “use us no matter what.” No, He will not. He will remove us from our place of service and replace us with someone who will honor Him.

The requirement of continued usefulness is that we remain obedient to the One who called us.

Hair and the Holy Spirit

2010-03-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

Judges 16:20 (HCSB)

Then she cried, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" When he awoke from his sleep, he said, "I will escape as I did before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Samson’s strength was related to his hair. When his hair was cut he was helpless.

Our strength is related, not to hair, but to the Holy Spirit. He indwells every born-again Believer. But sin grieves Him. Our disobedience stifles Him. Our rebellion dethrones Him. We live in sin and think there is no consequence. “My sins are under the blood!” Indeed they are, and they will not be held against us on the Day of Judgment. But our sin grieves the Holy Spirit and pushes Him to the margin of our lives. We sashay forth, thinking we can live as before—teach with power, witness with power, preach with power, pray with power, live with power—but the anointing is gone until the sin is confessed and forsaken.

You cannot make up with human strength what you lack in divine power. Human charisma can only take you so far. Human charm can only take you so far. Human ingenuity can only take you so far. Human intelligence can only take you so far. Human training can only take you so far. Human experience can only take you so far. Human persuasiveness can only take you so far. Human organization can only take you so far.

What we lack in Holy Spirit power we can never make up for in human strength. We are like Samson straining at the grinding wheel, pushing with all our might, and maybe moving things a bit, but going in circles!

We need the power that comes from the Holy Spirit! We must have His anointing at all costs! Sometimes we need to shut down the business until we retrieve the power that makes the business run. We need to open our lives to the examination of the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to search us and expose every sin. We must do a thorough job of confessing and repenting—and making right where necessary. We must accept by faith the cleansing of Christ’s blood (1 John 1:9) and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us again. Then we go out by faith to operate in His power.

Spoiled Samson

2010-03-08T05:04:00.000-08:00

Judges 14:1–3 (HCSB)

Samson went down to Timnahand saw a young Philistine woman there. He went back and told his father and his mother: "I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Can’t you finda young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?" But Samson told his father, "Get her for me, because I want her."

Samson was a strong man, but he was a spoiled brat. His father should have said, “Son, you don’t need her; but I’ll give you something you do need”—and then took a belt to him! Samson was probably like this because his parents spoiled him. He was an only child, the son of a barren woman. They probably gave him everything he ever wanted. So he got this also.

There are two lessons here:

First, be careful what you ask for… you just might get it! Samson got the girl he wanted, but she was a pain in the backside. “She cried the whole seven days” of their honeymoon (vs. 17). Whoopee! The Bible says he finally explained the meaning of a riddle to her because “she had nagged him so much” (vs. 17). When Samson left his in-laws he left his new bride behind.

Second, what goes around comes around. Truth is, Samson got what he deserved. The Bible says it like this:

Psalm 7:16 (NKJV)

“His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.”

Samson was a spoiled child who grew into a foolish man. Be careful how you raise your kids. Learn the lessons of Samson.

Getting Your Own Way

2010-03-05T06:17:00.001-08:00

In Judges 14 Samson sees a Philistine girl and wants to marry her. This was against the wishes of his father and mother, who wanted him to marry a good Jewish girl. But Samson insisted: “Get her for me, because I want her” (3). The arrangements were made, and Samson got his girl.

She cried all seven days of their honeymoon! What a blessing! She also nagged him to death. The conclusion of the story was that Samson gave her to one of his attendants. I’m sure he was not one of Samson’s friends—or, at least, did not remain one.

The lesson is: Don’t be in a hot haste to get your own way—you just might get it. Getting what you want may not be what you really want. Wait on God. Trust Him. Listen to those who love you.

Mind Your Own Mission

2010-03-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

Judges 13:12

Then Manoah asked, "When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and mission be?"

Manoah was the father of Samson. The Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife and told them they would have a son (she was previously barren). Manoah responded by asking the question: "When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and mission be?" The angel did not answer the question. Instead He told Manoah and his wife what they as they should do.

We cannot know God’s plan for our children. Under the Spirit’s direction we can discern their gifts and passions, and we should direct them in this direction. But we cannot know what God has called them to do. That is for them to discover, and for us to support.

But the point here is this: I cannot know what another person’s responsibilities or mission is. This is between them and God. I can only know what my responsibilities and mission are. It is my responsibility to seek God’s will for my life, not anyone else’s. Knowing my own path—and staying on it—is enough to keep me busy!

Mind your own mission. Give your all to what God has called you to do. If that does not take all your time and energy then your own the wrong path!

The Theme of the Bible is Redemption

2010-03-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Jephthah was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Consequently his brothers drove him away. But when the Ammonites fought against Israel, they needed a strong leader. Jephthah was their man.

Before going out to fight against the Ammonites Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. Strong leaders will sometimes act impulsively. Strong men sometimes do foolish things. If the Lord gave Jephthah victory over the Ammonites he promised to offer the first thing that came out of his house when he got home. He may have been hoping it would be his wife, but instead it was his only daughter. It broke his heart! She went out into the wilderness and mourned for two months. Then she came home to be sacrificed. This is one of the most tragic stories in the Bible (Judges 11).

But it did not have to end this way. In Leviticus 5 there is a sacrifice for just such a sin (Lev. 5:4-10). I believe that if Jephthah had come to the tabernacle, confessed his sin, and offered the required sacrifice—a substitute for his daughter—he would have been released. Obviously he had regard for the Lord but he was ignorant of His Word. Zeal without knowledge is dangerous.

The theme of the Bible is always redemption. Had Jephthah known the Law of God he would have known this, and this story could have had a very different ending.

Ready For Your Time

2010-03-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

God began a process of trimming down the size of Gideon’s army. They started with 32,000 men. After the first test 22,000 went home. But 10,000 were still too many in God’s estimation.

Judges 7:2

The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag: ‘I did it myself.’

God will not share His glory with man. He tested them again to get them down to number He wanted.

Judges 7:6–7

The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was 300 men, and all the rest of the people knelt to drink water. The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home."

To kneel a soldier must put his face to the water. He is in a vulnerable position. But to lap a man does not have to face the water. He bends and brings the water to his mouth. This is a disciplined position. The soldier maintains diligence and keeps his eyes “peeled” for the enemy.

God was not trimming the numbers down to the worst, but to the best soldiers He had. If we are to be used by God we must be ready at all times, keeping ourselves prepared, and maintaining discipline. Only that soldier who has remained diligent will be ready when the signal sounds.

Praise for Leaders and Followers

2010-03-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Judges 5:2, 9

“When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, praise the

LORD.

“My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the

people. Praise the LORD!”

These words were spoken by Deborah, one of Israel’s early leaders. God used her to lead the young nation in victory over their enemies.

If anything is going to be accomplished there must be leadership—and follow-ship. There must be a leader with a goal and the ability to inspire people to pursue that goal. There must be people who follow. I think it is John Maxwell who says: “A leader with no one following is just taking a walk.”

Deborah’s goal was freedom from the oppression of the Canaanites. When no one else would step into the role of being the deliverer she did. The result was a great victory.

We need leaders who lead today—desperately. We also need people who step up and volunteer. If progress is going to be made, if change is going to happen, this is how it must be done.

I believe we can fulfill the Great Commission in the next twenty years. But for this to happen there must be leadership. God send us such a leader!

We Need Missionaries

2010-02-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

Romans 10:13–15

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How welcome are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!

I am reading a sermon by Oswald Chambers. He points out the four “how’s” in these verses. First there is a promise: “call on the name of the Lord and be saved.” But to call you must first believe. To believe you must first hear. To hear someone must preach. To preach someone must be sent. The final responsibility God puts on us to send. If the missionary is sent he can preach. If he preaches people will hear the Gospel. If they hear some will believe. Those who believe will call, and those who call will be saved. But where does it start? With sending.

I am a Southern Baptist. The statistics show that my denomination has been in decline for the last few years. I believe we have been in decline for longer. I believe we have been living off our reputation for the past twenty years!

The latest edition of On Mission Magazine prints some statistics that reveal the main culprit. In 1999 about one in five of our forty thousand SBC churches baptized no one. That’s zero baptisms for a year! In 2006 that was up to one in four churches that baptized no one! That same year half of our churches baptized no one—that is zero baptisms—between the ages of 12-17!

We need to send missionaries to our own churches!

I’ve heard the complaint so many times: “You win all these people to Christ but you don’t disciple them. If we did a better job of discipling the ones we have we’d see the number of conversions go up.” So we have tried to do a better job of discipleship, but what kind of disciples are we producing if we are seeing less people saved—especially teenagers?

We have more literature on how to reach the lost than we’ve ever had—but what good is it doing us?

We simply must do a better job of sending out missionaries. Ah, but, we must do a better of job of being missionaries! We need a renewed emphasis on evangelism and missions or we are going to see our churches whither up and blow away—and our country along with them.

What Is Your "Bochim"?

2010-02-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

Judges 2:1–5

The Angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, "I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said: I will never break My covenant with you. You are not to make a covenant with the people who are living in this land, and you are to tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done?

Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides,and their gods will be a trap to you." When the Angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. So they named that place Bochimand offered sacrifices there to the LORD.

Judges chapter one is a sad record of failure. The children of Israel are in the Promised Land, but they fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land. Not the angel of the Lord speaks to them in chapter two and tells them these remaining people will be “thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap to you.”

All of these things are illustrations of us of the life of a New Testament Believer. When we become Christians we bring baggage from the old life. There are still sins and habits of the flesh that hang on to our lives like ticks on a dog. For a while they may go unnoticed, but eventually, as they continue to suck, we become of their presence and the pain they cause.

But what we do with these sins when the Holy Spirit makes us aware of them is critical. If we confess and forsake them the Holy Spirit will enable us to drive them from our lives—maybe not entirely, because the flesh is always with us. But these sins are pushed beyond the borders of our daily practice. They can occasionally launch a raid here and there. But they’re not habitual sins that continually stifle and defeat us.

However, there can be some practices of the flesh that we are slow to let go of. We want to hang on to these. It maybe pornography, or an evening beer, or a profane tongue, or a questionable business practice. We don’t want to let go of these because they make us feel good, or make us feel powerful, or make us feel we are in control, or make us feel we are being successful. But eventually they become our Bochim, our place of weeping. Why? If we do not judge our sin our sin will judge us! That sin will eventually come out and become your disgrace. Your testimony is damaged. An opportunity to witness is lost. To say nothing of arrested Christian development—we stop growing. And if we are truly Believers there is nothing more precious to us than the presence of our Lord Jesus. We want to be nearer to Him. Anything that blocks His presence becomes for us a source of sorrow and weeping.

But Bochim can become a place of deliverance and renewal. If we will confess and forsake our sin the Holy Spirit will operate powerfully to set us free. Try it.

The Resolve of Joshua

2010-02-24T04:56:00.000-08:00

Joshua 24:14–15

"Therefore, fear the LORD and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the LORD. But if it doesn’t please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD."

You can hear the resolve in Joshua’s voice. Sadly, this kind of resolve seems to be missing in our society today. If this were being written today it might sound like this: “As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD if He blesses us with a great job and a comfortable income and a fine home and two vacations a year and He leaves me alone so I can enjoy these.” We lack the resolve today to endure hardship and stand faithful when things are not going our way. We no longer have that kind of commitment and strength. We have been taught a more comfortable doctrine. We feast on convenient truth. We live with our shades pulled down so we don’t have to look on the outside world. We ride on our heated leather seats listening to our Bose speakers playing “I’d make any sacrifice for You.” We are a clueless generation of Christians. We have lived selfishly. We have spent our lives on our own lusts. Now we shake our heads as we watch the news and wonder how we got in this shape. We are the clueless generation.

Where is the commitment of Joshua? You can hear the resolve in his voice: “As for me and my family—no matter what comes—we will serve the LORD!”

Do you have that kind of “no matter what” commitment? Do I?

Taking Possession of the Land

2010-02-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

Joshua 21:43–45

So the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side according to all He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the LORD handed over all their enemies to them. None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.

God’s Word was fulfilled. They took possession of the land.

Now, they had not taken possession of all of it. There were yet enemies to be driven from the land. The fact is: they never took full possession of all God promised to them… just as we have not taken full possession of all that God has promised us. Alan Redpath wrote:

“We have not taken possession of our full charter in Christ. Our deed promises so much more than we have experienced.”

Consider an example. The Bible says: “For Hisdivine powerhas given us everything required for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3, HCSB). Wow! Really? Everything necessary for godly living! Are we living up to that promise? Are we experiencing in our day-to-day living what the Bible says is ours by right of redemption? Are we living each day a holy and fulfilled life?

I have a confession to make: Not me! There is still so much deeded to me in Christ that I have not taken possession of yet.

Are you as convicted as I am? Today may we take another step into what God has promised. May I venture to go today by faith where I have never been and claim what is mine by right of redemption. Leonard Ravenhill said: “One of these days someone is going to come along, pick up this Bible, read it, believe it, and put it into practice—and the rest of us will be ashamed!”

A Good Habit

2010-02-15T05:43:00.001-08:00

Joshua 9:14 (HCSB)

Then the men ‹of Israel› took some of their provisions, but did not seek the LORD’s counsel.

The Gibeonites devised a plan to deceive the Israelites. They tricked Joshua and the leaders of Israel into believing they were citizens of a distant country, far outside the borders of the Promised Land. A treaty was struck before the deception was discovered. Now they were in a pickle! God had commanded the Hebrews to destroy all the inhabitants of the land. But God also expected the Hebrews to abide by the treaties and covenants they made. They would keep the treaty, but they would also suffer the consequences of this hasty decision further down the line.

God tells us as Believers to “owe no man anything” (Romans 13:8). Yet we sign on the dotted line and run up the credit card debt. Does God expect us to pay our bills? Absolutely! But will those debts get us into trouble down the road? Quite likely.

Someone said:

“Half of our problems are the result of saying ‘yes’ too quickly. The other half are a result of not saying ‘no’ quickly enough.”

A good habit we should develop is: Always seek the Lord’s counsel first!

He may not tell us what we want to hear, but He will always tell us the truth. In the long run, if we abide by His counsel, we will be much happier—and keep our backsides out of a jam!

Reminded by Snow

2010-02-13T05:06:00.000-08:00

Looking out my window reminds me of two passages of Scripture from Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:18

"Come, let us discuss this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool."

Can you imagine anything whiter than snow? Look out your window and see how your blood-washed soul looks to God! What an object lesson! Give praise!

Isaiah 55:10–11

"For just as rain and snow fall from heaven, and do not return there without saturating the earth, and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I send it ‹to do›."

God’s Word is like a snow that falls from heaven and provides moisture to the soil so it can make the seed germinate and grow. This is especially true in the areas where the Spring snows thaw, leaving a blanket of new grass and vegetation beneath. We may be poor work hands, but God’s Word always accomplishes it’s mission.

Ruined Lives Restored

2010-02-13T04:48:00.000-08:00

Joshua 6:22–25

Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, "Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you promised her."

So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

They burned up the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.

But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she lives in Israel to this day.

Matthew 1:5–6

Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David.

Look at that! A prostitute became the great, great grandmother of Israel’s greatest king—and she was in the linage of the Messiah!

We should never doubt that God can reclaim any life, and that any life reclaimed by God can have a highly significant place in God’s plan.

I don’t doubt it. I long for these. I long to see more of these damaged lives being redeemed, restored, and used to advance the Lord’s reputation.

2010-02-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

Someone just passed this along to me: it has been said for many, many years that when the Saints win the Super Bowl that hell would freeze over.

The Saints won... and a blizzard hit Washington DC.

Hmmmmmmm!!

Whose Side is God On Anyway?

2010-02-11T05:12:00.001-08:00

Joshua 5:13–15

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?"

"Neither," He replied. "I have now come as commander of the LORD’s army."

Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, "What does my Lord want to say to His servant?"

The commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Whose side is God on? Isn’t He on our side?

The question is not: “Whose side is God on?” The question is: “Whose side am I on?”

God does not take sides. We do not form a team and then invite God to come and join us. God is no team’s mascot!

God is God. There is only one team that matters: God’s team. There is only one side that matters: God’s side. Whose side are we one? In essence that is what Joshua did: he said, “LORD, I want to be on Your side.” God said, “Then take your sandals off your feet, because My side is the holy side and you have to be holy to be in My army.” And notice what Joshua did: he took his sandals off. He did not have to debate with himself about this decision. At this point he chose not to be a leader, but a follower—because to be an effective leader one must be a good follower—and follow the right Leader.

Do not make the mistake that God is neutral. He certainly is not. He is against those who stand on the side of sin. He destroyed Jericho because of their sinfulness. God is not neutral. He does have a side. But it is always the side of holiness.

Whose side are you on?

Monuments and Memorials

2010-02-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

Joshua 4:20-24

Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, "When your children ask their fathers in the future, "What is the meaning of these stones?’ you should tell your children, "Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God."

Isaiah 55:13

“Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; it will make a name for the LORD as an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.”

The common element here is that of a testimonial, a monument, a memorial. The stones placed at Gilgal were to be a memorial proclaiming to future generations what the Lord had done at the Jordan.

We need memorials—testimonials to the intervention, the provision of God in our lives. These monuments serve some specific and necessary purposes:

They serve to remind us of God's provision.
Consequently, they can be an impetus to our faith.
Since they point to God’s blessing they remind us to give glory to the One to whom all glory is due.
They are great object lessons for teaching our children and future generations of the sufficiency of our God.

Do you have any faith monuments in your life? Where are they now?

Where To Begin

2010-02-08T06:34:00.001-08:00

Joshua 1:6–9

"Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

These are the words that God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses. Joshua had a daunting task ahead of him. Leading the children of Israel was a challenge to Moses—and he had done it for years. Joshua was a greenhorn leader, and his task was to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He was going to lead them in the campaign to take possession of the land. Joshua had to have felt overwhelmed—yeah, maybe a little bit.

The LORD emphasized Joshua’s obedience to His Word. This was the key to Joshua’s success. Had he sat down and tried to draw up a plan to accomplish his mission he probably would not have known where to start. God said, “Here is where you start: get well acquainted with My Word, and obey it.” Obedience to God’s Word is the key to success in anything we do… everything we do.

So where do we start today? Start with God’s Word. Start by getting well acquainted with it. Read it. Study it. Review it. Exercise some mental energy absorbing it. Then begin today to obey it. Do what it says. Look for a command to obey. Look for a principle to apply. Look for a sin to avoid. Put it into practice today. That’s it: a day at a time. Don’t think about tomorrow. Simply focus on obeying God today. Then you will begin to notice a series of victories. Just stick with it. But start now.

Help is Here!

2010-02-07T03:29:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 33:26

“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides the heavens to your aid

on the clouds in His majesty.”

“Jeshurun” is another name for Israel. It derives from a root word that means “straight” or “level.” It means, “that which is acceptable, pleasing.” Israel is “the pleasing one, the one the Lord accepts.”

Of course this title refers to every child of God today. Every born again person is pleasing to God and accepted “in the Beloved.”

The message here however is the swiftness with which God comes to the aid of His people. He “rides the heavens… on the clouds of His majesty” to get to us when we are in need.

Do you think that God has forgotten you? That He is unaware of your predicament? That He is overlooking you, or is ignoring you? It is not true! You may not see Him in action yet, but He is with you. He has ridden on the clouds to get to you. You are the object of His full attention right now. The angel of the Lord is protecting you. The Spirit of the Lord is sustaining you. The Lord Himself will meet your needs according to His glorious resources.

Help is not “coming;” Help is here!

A Higher Standard

2010-02-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 32:51 (HCSB)

For ‹both of› you broke faith with Me among the Israelites at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence.

Moses did not enter the land of promise because of one mistake. One stinking mistake! How many mistakes did the children of Israel make? And they got to enter the land? Moses put up with so much; he remained faithful, but he did not enter the land because of one mistake. Do you think that God holds His leaders to a higher standard?

The incident is recorded in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20. The children of Israel had no water to drink. They began to complain to the LORD—that must have been a policy procedure. God told Moses to take the rod of Aaron, strike the rock, and water would come out.

It appears to me that Moses made a theatrical display. He should have simply hit the rock, but instead he made it look like a magic trick. The record in Numbers 20 says he told the people: “Listen, you rebels! Should we bring water out of this rock for you?” Then he struck the rock twice. Maybe he was angry. Honestly, I don’t know. What he did was certainly close to what God commanded, because water did come out of the rock. But God says Moses failed to “treat Me as holy in their presence.”

This makes me stand back. Am I guilty of doing anything that diminishes the holiness of God before His people? I live before God’s people. He obviously holds me to a higher standard. Will I uphold His holiness? Will I do anything that causes people to doubt the holiness of God? Have I done anything to take people’s eyes off of God’s holiness and put their eyes on me? Makes me wonder…. I know I’ll make it to heaven, but will I be living under a bush? God is serious about His holiness!! Do you agree? Then this should cause us to evaluate our lives.

The Hidden Things

2010-02-05T05:37:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 29:29 (HCSB)

The hidden things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

There are hidden things, secret things, known only to God. We cannot know everything there is to know about God. Maybe there are some arrogant people out there who believe they can know. Common sense tells us that, if there is a God at all, He must be smarter than us; otherwise, how can He be God? God declared, “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, HCSB).

We cannot know all there is to know, but we know enough. God has revealed to us everything He wants us to know. “But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it” (Deuteronomy 30:14). It is not hard to find God’s will—it is right here in His book, the Bible. He said, "This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach” (Deuteronomy 30:11). Not only can we know His will but we can do His will.

I am not one of those fatalists who believe that we have no choice in this matter—that every outcome is decided in advance by a sovereign God. I believe in the sovereignty of God! But I also believe that this sovereign God has given us the capacity of free will. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). God would not have said, “Choose” if we did not have that ability.

God said, “Here are your options… and here are the outcomes of those options… now choose.” There is a way in which everything is determined in advance. If we choose to obey God we will be blessed. If we choose not to obey God we will be cursed. But the choice is still ours.

God, of course, knows how what we will choose, and He has constructed His plan accordingly—but He has given us the dignity of choice. And God has not only allowed us to choose, but He also enables us to live by our choices.

The Ladder to Success

2010-02-04T04:03:00.001-08:00

Deuteronomy 28:13–14 (HCSB)

“The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow ‹them›.

Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today, and do not go after other gods to worship them.”

There is a curse for disobedience, but there is abundant blessing promised for obedience. I hear people say, “We should not serve God for rewards.” Where do they get that? I don’t find that in the Bible. That’s like saying, “You shouldn’t get saved just because you don’t what to go to hell.” Do you need a better reason to be saved than not to suffer in misery for the rest of eternity? I don’t understand the reasoning of some people. I know they think we should have higher, more altruistic motives for trusting Christ and obeying God—but the desire to avoid a curse and receive a blessing works just fine for me.

God says we will succeed if we obey Him. We will move up the ladder and be in the lead. That sounds mighty good to me! We may look around and say, “Others did it without God.” Yes, Satan has some examples. He puts them on display so others can see them and think, “I don’t have to follow God to succeed.” Bad choice. There are wicked people who prosper, but prosperity is more than money. Some people live in very fine houses, but they cannot live with themselves. God will give you what you need… plus joy, peace, satisfaction and meaning with it. He wants to put your life on display as a trophy of His grace and testimony to His power.

Let the Ox Graze!

2010-02-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 25:4 (HCSB)

"Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain."

This is another way of saying, "Do not deprive the laborer of his wages." Paul uses this in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18.

Oxen were used to thresh out the grain, but they were allowed to graze as they worked.

We live in a society today where our leaders believe that one man should labor for the community, not himself. This "Robin Hood" fantasy is a facade. They talk about "leveling the playing field" or "sharing the wealth." This is the philosophy of communism.

They think a banker should not earn more than a basket-weaver, even though the banker has (probably, but not necessarily) considerably more education and a position of greater trust. This sounds like a sweetheart of a deal to the person who does not have a high-paying position. Shouldn't it? But it kills incentive in the marketplace.

We say, "What about that person who does not have the opportunity?"

Everyone has opportunity. Some have greater opportunity than others, but all have opportunity. The crux of the matter is choice. What choices do we make?

In our country we are doing everything we can to take away the consequences of bad choices.

So you were not born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Some of those who were are wrecks because of bad choices they made. Some who were not are now success stories because they made good choices.

"It's hard!"

Why is hard bad? Hard builds character. Hard helps us to appreciate what we have earned. Hard helps us to stand up when life throws us great difficulties. Hard makes us better people. Hard is good! There are some people who used to believe that. Jesus said, "Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God."

This country did not become great through communism. This country became great because we had the audacity to believe that God was right and His principles were the way to a prosperous economy.

Beware those who are trying to reengineer the very foundation of our society. The way to a more prosperous and thriving society is to follow the old rules, the rules of the Bible. Anything else will fail!!

2010-02-02T04:37:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 20:8 (HCSB)

The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or fainthearted? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers’ hearts won’t melt like his own.’

Moses was giving the Israelites rules for waging war. This may sound like he was giving any man who did not want to fight an "out" not to go into battle. But this is not true. I see two things here:

No man wants to be labeled a "coward." No man wants it to be said about him, "He did not fight because he was afraid." He may be afraid--in fact I think it would be pretty safe to say that any man in his right mind was afraid! But he doesn't want it to be said about him that he turned his back on his friends, neighbors or countrymen because he was afraid. He is afraid, but in spite of his fears he marches forward.
But those who are genuinely fearful, and are cowards, must not go into battle because of the negative effect they will have on their comrades. Cowardice is one of those things that runs through the camp like the flu-- it is highly contagious, and demoralizing. We do not want any man who is a risk to run away to influence other men to run away.
We want for courageous men. We need men who will not take counsel of their fears, but will subdue their feelings and do the right thing. They will not run away when the going gets tough at work or at home. They will not retreat before the enemy of their souls, or some sweet young thing.

Some of the most inspiring words in the Bible are those in the first part of Deuteronomy 20:

Deuteronomy 20:1–4 (HCSB)

"When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army. He is to say to them: ‘Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them. For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’

The enemy is too big for us, but the battle is the Lord's and He will go before us and fight and win the victory!

God's Program of Social Justice

2010-02-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 16:19–20 (HCSB)

Do not deny justice or show partiality ‹to anyone›. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.

I am not a "social justice preacher," but I do believe in social justice. Some make it the "be all, end all" of their religion. Our purpose, I believe, is to preach the Gospel until all the nations hear and develop Believers. I believe we are to preach justice when we come to that, but that is not the main subject of our preaching or primary focus of our ministry programs. Please do not misunderstand me-- and am NOT saying that we should not be concerned about justice. We must! We are commanded to do so. We should speak out against injustice when we see it. We should praise justice when we see it. We should help those who are weak, marginalized, taken advantage of, etc. But there are other institutions whose primary task it is to provide justice. And for those institutions there are no better foundational rules than these two verses. We read in the paper or watch on the news or hear from people we know how justice is skewed in favor of the wealthy and the influential. This is a great evil in God's eyes-- and it should be in our eyes as well. But we still believe that Jesus Christ is the one true hope of this world and through the act of conversion the Holy Spirit changes selfish people into selfless people and sinners into servants and wicked people into right-living people. And only the preaching of the Gospel can make this possible.

God's Welfare Program

2010-01-31T03:11:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 15:4–6 (HCSB)

"There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD is certain to bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance—if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow every one of these commands I am giving you today. When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised you, you will lend to many nations but not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

This is God's welfare program. It is our duty to take care of our neighbors--not the government's! If we as a nation will obey God He will bless us. There will be abundance--plenty to go around.

There is no bureaucracy in God's welfare program. We do not give to the state and the state gives to our neighbor. We give it directly to our neighbor. This direct method is the most efficient. Being personally connected we are more familiar with the need. And by giving directly we are promised a special blessing. Another benefit of God's method is that it keeps our eyes and hearts open.

The fact that we are now the greatest debtor nation on earth is evidence that we have turned away from following God. He is blessing people within our borders, but He is not blessing us as a nation.

We need to repent! It is not too late to return to God and return to obedience.

May God have mercy on America!

Rejoice in God!

2010-01-30T05:06:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 12:18 (HCSB)

“Rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you do….”

I read this and I thought: “I am so glad that God does not want us to be bored!” Our Christianity is not to be dull and lifeless and boring. It is to be filled with rejoicing and fun and smiling and laughter and good times! The joy in our religion is a witness to the nations. Most other religions of the world are joyless. There is no reason for rejoicing. They don’t know if there is a heaven or if there is if they are going to make it. But we know that heaven is real and we are assured a place there! We also know—and this is something else the other religions of the world do not have—our God is with us right now… right here! He loves us and accepts us. He is our Father. He carries us as a father carries his children in his arms. We belong to Him. He cannot abandon us. He is always with us. We have the best religion in the world! How can we be sad? How can we not but rejoice and be glad in our God? So, praise your God today—and have a good time doing it too! He commands it!

The Key to Success Today

2010-01-29T06:18:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 11:26–28

“Look, today I set before you a blessing and a curse: ‹there will be› a blessing, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you today, and a curse, if you do not obey the commands of the LORD your God, and you turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods you have not known” (HCSB).

There is nothing deep or fancy about this devotion today. The key to the Christian life as I see it is this: obedience. We are to obey God.

What are we to obey? His Word. It is right here in black and white… and red.

I heard about this older Christian gentleman who was known to have a remarkable knowledge of God’s Word. A seminarian with his nose up in the air asked him a question: “Sir, I understand you know a lot about the Bible. Please, tell me, what are the ‘Urim and the Thummin’?”

The older gentlemen responded: “You probably know a lot more about that than I do. I do know that the Hebrew words mean ‘lights’ and ‘completeness.’ The priests used them to discern God’s will. But I’ve found that the ‘Usin’ and Thumin’ method works best for me.”

The seminarian exclaimed: “Usin’ and Thumin’? I’ve never heard of those! What are you talking about?”

“Young fella, it’s simple: I use my Bible and thumb my why through it until I find God’s answer.”

If it is not clearly written in His Word (“Should I take this job?” or “Should I go to this college?”) then it is a simple matter of praying and listening. God speaks to us through His Spirit. This is the relationship part. If everything were spelled out for us there would be no need for relationship.

The results are plain: if we obey we are blessed or if we disobey we are cursed. There are two paths before us today: there is the path of obedience and the path of disobedience. It is up to us to chose which path we take and which outcome we experience.

The Lord Goes Before You Today

2010-01-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 9:2–3

“The people are strong and tall, the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them and you have heard it said about them, ‘Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?’ But understand that today the LORD your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the LORD has told you” (HCSB).

What are you fears? Who are the giants you face? Don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord is with you. His Holy Spirit lives in you.

“You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in youis greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4, HCSB).

He who dwells within you is more than a match for anything you encounter today. The devil will tell you that you cannot stand against temptation today. He will tell you that you cannot stand against that habit. He will tell you that you cannot stand against that antagonist you comes against you. But remember what Jesus said about the devil: “There is not truth in him… he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

You can stand! You can win! Paul said we are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). You see, everything points to victory in your life.

What are the giants you face today? The Lord will go before you. His Holy Spirit lives inside of you. His glory will follow you. You are no match for them by yourself, but you are not by yourself. The Lord will give you victory!

God's Wilderness Testing

2010-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 8:15–19 (HCSB)

“He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flintlike rock for you. He fed you in the wilderness with mannathat your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the LORD your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will perish.”

Has the Lord brought you through a time of testing? Has He humbled you? God humbles us and tests us in order that He might use us and bless us.

This is part of God’s refining process. Remember this?

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes,and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”

“If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples” (John 15:1–8, HCSB).

So hang in there. God is not through with you. He is only preparing for greater usefulness.

Praise His Holy Name!

The Jealousy of God

2010-01-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

“He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them by oath, because the LORD your God is a compassionate God” (Deuteronomy 4:24, 31, HCSB).

Seems contradictory to be a “compassionate God” and “a consuming fire.” Our God is jealous for us. Jealousy is an emotion—a reminder that this God of ours has feelings. Jealousy is the feeling one gets when a love object is threatened. If we think that someone we love may be stolen away a feeling grips us. It is a mixture of fear and anger. We fear for ourselves, that we may lose something of great value to us. We feel anger for the rival who trespasses unto our property. We feel violated. We may express our anger toward the one we love in words or by trying to exercise control. Jealousy is one of those emotions that can be suffocating to a relationship. Better to talk about it… get it out on the table—but only if that person knows of our love for them and we have felt assured of their love for us. If they love us they should attempt to reassure us.

How does God feel jealousy over us? He knows the inclination of our hearts is always to pursue the thing we can see with our eyes and feel with our hands. Our natural tendency is always to pursue the thing that we think will give us immediate pleasure. The Lord God wants to be the sole object of our love and devotion. He tells us He is jealous of us. We should be flattered!

But He is also a compassionate God. He knows our weakness. He knows our frailty. Even when we blow it He is still there. He never abandons us. His hand is constantly stretched out to us. He wants us to come back to Him. And if we will return to Him we shall find Him waiting, ready and happy to receive us without any condemnation.

Are Children Safe?

2010-01-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

What about children and salvation? What about children who die? Where do they go? Do they go to heaven even though they have not made a profession of faith in Christ? Is there an “age of accountability”—a magical age that a person reaches when they are accountable for their soul? I think this verse speaks to that:

“Your little children whom you said would be plunder, your sons who don’t know good from evil, will enter there. I will give them the land, and they will take possession of it” (Deuteronomy 1:39, HCSB).

This gives us a glimpse into the mind of God in this matter. Those children who were too young to “know good from evil” were not just allowed to enter the land, they were promised the land. God said these children “will enter there.” He said, “I will give them the land, and they will take possession of it.” This is strong language! The more you read it, the more impressive it is.

These children were not responsible for the rebellion of their parents. Their parents refused to enter the Promised Land. I think that had it been up to those children they would have marched right in!

When is this “age of accountability”? We do not know. This is different for every child. Every child matures at a different pace. Surely those children who grow up in a Christian home come to this understanding more quickly. I believe that these children also put their trust in Christ more readily.

The time when a child becomes aware of their guilt and need for forgiveness is different for each one. But before that time I believe they were promised heaven and guaranteed the privilege of entering into it. This is what Jesus meant when He said to the disciples, “I assure you…unless you are converted and become like children,you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3, HCSB). Faith is a quality we naturally grow out of, not into. Humility is also a quality children seem to possess quite naturally, but as adults we struggle to let go of our pride.

Do children go to heaven? We cannot know for sure when they cross that line from innocence to accountability, but we can know for certain that until that line is crossed they are completely safe.

I don’t worry about them. I’m more concerned for us.

Drive Out All the Old Occupants

2010-01-24T03:47:00.000-08:00

Numbers 33:55–56 (HCSB)

“But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become thorns in your eyes and in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live. And what I had planned to do to them, I will do to you.”

The Israelites did not do what God instructed them to do. They did not completely drive out the inhabitants of the land. They grew tired of fighting. They wanted peace. They wanted to settle down—and they did before they finished the job.

What God promised is exactly what happened. The people they allowed to remain in the land became “thorns” in their eyes all the years they were in the land—even to this very day! The Arabs who dwell in Gaza are completely dependent on the Jews for their sustenance. The Gaza Strip is a welfare state. They are also the means by which Hamas comes in and attacks Israel. “Thorns” in their eyes and sides.

There are things that, if we allow them to remain in our lives, will become thorns in our lives as well. Those habits we carried over from the old life still tempt us. Those friendships we held on to continued to drag us down. There must be a clean break. All the inhabitants (sins) of the old life must be driven out of our lives. The Holy Spirit will go with us and fight for us. He is on our side to help us. With His help all the previous occupants can be driven from our land and we can be free and clean to live for Christ.

Balaam Got His!

2010-01-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

Numbers 31:7–8 (HCSB)

“They waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and killed every male. Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beorwith the sword.”

Numbers 31:14–16 (HCSB)

“But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign. ‘Haveyou let every female live?’ he asked them. ‘Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam’s advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the LORD in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the LORD’s community.’”

The best commentary on Scripture is the Scripture itself. Yesterday we talked about Balaam. God told Balaam to go and meet with Balak, king of Median. But then God was angry with him because he went! On the surface it appears that God was being inconsistent. But you have to look at the whole story. Balaam may have appeared outwardly to obey God, but inwardly his heart was not right.

Balak offered to pay Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam answered that it was not possible to curse them because God had blessed them. But it was possible to get them to bring a curse on themselves. Balak conceived a plan to get Israel to sin. His scheme worked. I imagine that the prophet was rewarded handsomely for his service, but God would not allow him to enjoy his bonus.

We need to be very careful when we instigate plans against any of God’s people. I have known jealous or spiteful (or whatever) Christians to use slander or gossip or manipulation (or whatever) as a means to discredit another Christian or church. Ultimately, none of these plans can succeed—and I would not want to be in the shoes of those who instigate such plans!

Balaam had it coming to him. Eventually he got his. We must guard our hearts and our ways so that we never have it coming to us.

You Never Know What is In A Man's Heart

2010-01-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

Numbers 22:20–22 (HCSB)

“God came to Balaam at night and said to him, ‘Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.’ When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab. But God was incensed that Balaam was going….”

Balak king of Moab hired Balaam the prophet to curse the Israelites.

This really confused me. God told Balaam to go, and then was angry with him for going. That is confusing. Is God fickle?

First—in the category of things that make you go “Hmmm”—what was a prophet doing living outside the camp of God’s people? Answer: he was a different kind of prophet. He was a hired gun. His business card should have read: “Balaam: Prophet for Profit.”

Second, you cannot know what is in a man’s heart when he appears to obey God. Here again Scripture is the best commentary on Scripture.

Peter, talking about false prophets, wrote:

"By abandoning the straight path, they have gone astray and have followed the path of Balaam,the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but received a rebuke for his transgression: a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness” (2 Peter 2:15–16, HCSB).

Jude writing also of false prophets says: “Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain,have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion” (1:11, HCSB).

Jesus, dictating to the church in Pergamum, said:

“But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling blockin front of the sons of Israel: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality” (Revelation 2:14, HCSB).

Now go back to the book of Numbers chapter 25:

“While Israel was staying in Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods.

So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor,and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel” (1–3, HCSB).

We can put the picture together. Balaam was not able to curse Isreal, but he gave Balak some advice. “I cannot curse them, but if you can get them to sin against the LORD, they will bring a curse on themselves..”

The Acacia Grove was nearby. Part of their pagan worship involved having sex with the priestesses under the trees. Israelite men, curious about what was doing on, checked it out. They accepted an invitation to participate and defiled themselves. Balaam could not curse them, but his plan worked to perfection!

You never know what is in a man’s heart when he appears to be following the Lord. Balaam is an example. He was headed for trouble, and his donkey had better sense than him!

Look and Live!

2010-01-21T05:34:00.000-08:00

Numbers 21:4–9 (HCSB)

“Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses: ‘Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!’ Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died. The people then came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so that He will take the snakes away from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake ‹image› and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover. So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.’”

What is your quarrel with God? Has He been unfair to you? Has He somehow deceived you? Has He not kept His promises to you? Has He abandoned you in your time of need?

I don’t know about you, but I get convicted when I complain to God.

The people said, “We have sinned in speaking against the LORD and you.” We have sinned, but do we realize it? Do we confess it as sin? Or do we excuse it?

Moses interceded and God said, “Make a snake out of bronze….” Why a snake? Why not a cross? The snake was the offending creature.

Think with me about the inclination of man’s heart. Had God instructed Moses to make a cross they would have worshipped that cross. Had he made a giraffe they would have worshipped the giraffe. But the snake was the very thing killing them! This is the brilliance of God. Even humans are not so stupid as to make an idol out of something they know is causing them misery.

God said, “Look and live!” That is the cross! That is the Gospel! It is not “Do this and live” but “Look and live.” We have nothing to do with looking. We cannot take credit for looking. God did all the work. All He requires of us is the faith to lift our eyes to His Son.

Is Jesus the snake? The snake was singled out for God’s curse. Sin is under a curse. The Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Listen: All sin has within it the nature of the serpent—destruction. And Jesus became sin (the serpent) for us.

Do you think that looking at a hanging Jesus on a cross would inspire our hearts to love and wonder? We are filled with wonder that He would really do that for us, but…. Do you think that a convict slumping lifeless in an electric chair would inspire love and wonder? I think we might throw up! I think we might turn away in disgust and revulsion.

“But He did it for us!” I know—but think with me—He became sin—our sin. The Christ of the cross, mangled and bloody, is what God thinks of our sin! The effect of the cross on us should be to make us hate our sin!

I love the cross, but I hate the cross! Jesus is my Savior because He became the serpent of my sin. Thank God for the cross! And thank God for the empty tomb!

Defiled Management

2010-01-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

Numbers 18:30–32 (HCSB)

“Tell them further: Once you have presented the best part of the tenth, and it is credited to you Levites as the produce of the threshing floor or the winepress, then you and your household may eat it anywhere. It is your wage in return for your work at the tent of meeting. You will not incur guilt because of it once you have presented the best part of it, but you must not defile the Israelites’ holy offerings, so that you will not die.”

God decreed that the priests were to live off the people’s offerings. The people were to give a tenth, a tithe, to the Lord. They were to bring it to the tabernacle. This was for the priests, for their income. But the priests were also required to tithe. There were to give a tenth of their income to God. The priests were not excluded from giving.

Every preacher should tithe. It is inexcusable for a preacher not to tithe. Any man who makes his living from the ministry must be faithful to give ten percent of his income to God. He should give more, but he must certainly give no less.

I am sick and tired of hearing people give the sorry excuse: “I don’t have to obey the Old Testament—I’m under grace, not the Law!” We are not under the Law to get to heaven, but we are under the Law as a rule for righteous living. I am still under the command not to commit adultery. I am still under the command not to steal. I am still under the command to worship the LORD God only.

But as ministers we are also stewards of the people’s offerings. What the people give is holy. If we misuse it we defile it. We speak of “defiled worship.” What about “defiled management”? The offerings people give to God are holy, and they are to be managed with holy discretion. God give us wisdom to do exactly that! And I think we will be better managers if we are faithful stewards ourselves.

Not Entering the Promised Land

2010-01-19T04:57:00.001-08:00

Numbers 13:31–32, 14:1–4 (HCSB)

“But the men who had gone up with him responded, ‘We can’t go up against the people because they are stronger than we are!’ So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted…. Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder.Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ So they said to one another, ‘Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.’”

The majority is not always correct. There is a common tendency to believe the negative report. Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world before truth has even got her boots on.” Rumors and negative reports sure travel quickly.

The Israelites paid a heavy price for their faithlessness. They said, “If only we had died in this wilderness!” God gave them exactly what they requested—they died in the wilderness.

We can spend the whole of our Christian lives wandering in the wilderness of spiritual immaturity. It takes bold, believing steps of obedience to enter the Promised Land. Hebrews 4:9 tells us that there is a Sabbath rest for God’s people. There is a rest in His grace—we are no longer working our way into heaven but we are trusting in His grace to take us there. But there is also a rest of faith for the child of God, a promised land of spiritual accomplishment through His Spirit we may enter into. We walk by faith, and not by sight—trusting in His Spirit, not struggling in the energy of our flesh to get through.

The Burden of Leadership

2010-01-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

Numbers 11:18–20 (HCSB)

“Tell the people: Purify yourselves ‹in readiness› for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you cried before the LORD: ‘Who will feed us meat? We really had it good in Egypt.’ The LORD will give you meat and you will eat. You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or 10 days, or 20 days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you—because you have rejected the LORD who is among you, and cried to Him: ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”

“Who will give us meat? Why did we ever leave Egypt? We really had it good back there.”

What?? How quickly we forget! They were miserable slaves in Egypt.

Moses learned "You don't have to be a cannibal to get fed up with people!"

It seemed all these people ever did was whine. No wonder Moses cried, “I can’t bear these people any more. Lord, go ahead and kill me.” Those who have ever been in a position of leadership know how Moses felt.

There are some people you can please some of the time;

There some people cannot please any of the time,

But no leader can please all of the people all of the time.

Nope, just can’t do it. Not possible. Never was… never will be. Just realize it and get over it.

Are you a leader? There are those times when the people will cry for your head on a stick. Just be sure you can live with yourself. Be sure, as much as you can be, that what you are doing is the right thing. Pray… pray… and pray some more. Then make your decision and be prepared for the consequences.

A white pastor decided his church needed to be multiracial. He hired a black staff member. 800 people left his church! He stuck by his guns, but he paid a heavy price.

We applaud his courage, but we're not in his shoes. As a pastor and I know how it rips your heart to see those people leave—many of them good people. It casts a cloud over the entire church. It hurts. But that pastor did the right thing.

Leadership is never easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. God bless those who do it right.

The Holy Nudging

2010-01-17T03:34:00.000-08:00

Numbers 9:15–18 (HCSB)

“On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of thetestimony,and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning. It remained that way continuously: the cloud would cover it, appearing like fire at night.Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped.At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at the LORD’s command they camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they camped.”

He led them by the cloud. It was hard to mistake His guidance. A moving cloud of fire is obvious.

Does the Lord guide us today? Absolutely. The difference now is that the guidance is not external but internal. Now He leads us by His Holy Spirit.

We can read passages like this and wish we were in their place. It would wonderful to be guided by a pillar of fire. It would be awesome to see the presence of God resting on His tabernacle.

A burning cloud is an advantage in the guidance department. But we have a greater advantage, something they could not in their wildest dreams even imagine. We have a relationship! We have His Holy Spirit living in our hearts!

We have to train ourselves to recognize His moving. This training comes by responding to His nudging. The more we respond, the more acute His nudging becomes.

May the promptings of the Holy Spirit become as obvious in us as the moving cloud was to them.

Let Us Invoke His Blessing

2010-01-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

Numbers 6:22–27 (HCSB)

“The LORD spoke to Moses: ‘Tell Aaron and his sons how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and protect you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD look with favor on you and give you peace.’ In this way they will putMy name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

This has been on my heart lately. I have actually wondered about this blessing and thought about looking it up in Scripture. We are in a time when people need a blessing! Low and behold, it shows up in my devotion time this morning. Is this a coincidence? I think not. I’m committing this to memory so I can use it tomorrow.

It is a great privilege those of us in ministry have to represent the Lord and pronounce His blessing on His people. This is not just a privilege, but also a responsibility we have and seldom practice. It may sound cheesy to us, or high church and traditional, to stand up and say a blessing over our people. But if God gives us that right we should take full advantage of it. There is great power in the blessing—maybe much greater power than we imagine. I plan on finding out for myself. People need this blessing, and must give it.

But there is something else here that I noticed this morning: the last verse says, “In this way they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” What does God mean by “put My name on” them? We say there is power in the name of Jesus. The only reason there is power in His name is because He is God. The Bible is very clear in stating that there is a curse on those who abuse His name. Conversely is there an equal blessing for those who invoke His name as such? I do not think that we use God’s name for good enough. Let us put His name on His people beginning now—and then see what happens.

The Jealousy Ritual

2010-01-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

Numbers 5:11–15 (HCSB)

“The LORD spoke to Moses: ‘Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray, is unfaithful to him, and sleeps with another, but it is concealed from her husband, and she is undetected, even though she has defiled herself, since there is no witness against her, and she wasn’t caught ‹in the act›; and if a feeling of jealousy comes over the husband and he becomes jealous because of his wife who has defiled herself—or if a feeling of jealousy comes over him and he becomes jealous of her though she has not defiled herself— then the man is to bring his wife to the priest. He is also to bring an offering for her of two quarts of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering for remembrance that brings sin to mind.’”

Here is the thing about a man: he cannot function with jealousy. Suspicion paralyzes him. So God provided a “jealousy ritual.” He did not need a private investigator to follow his wife. He could bring her to the priest and this ritual would reveal whether she was faithful or not.

Now you’re thinking: “What about the man?” Good question. There were severe penalties for a man committing adultery. But this is the thing: a woman was under a man’s authority. He had no way of knowing if she had been untrue. God gave him a way to settle the issue. The man, on the other hand, is under the God’s authority. God knows if the man has been “cheatin’ around.” Make no mistake, his sin will find him out. God will make sure of it. The winds of time eventually blow away the sands that cover our buried Egyptians. Until that time there are consequences—and after the sin is revealed there will be other consequences that could spell the end of life!

Sin is sin whether it is in a man or a woman, and God does not allow sin to go unpunished.

The Divine Disappearance

2010-01-14T04:57:00.000-08:00

Leviticus 26:3–4; 14–16 (HCSB)

“If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.

“But if you do not obey Me and observe all these commands—if you reject My statutes and despise My ordinances, and do not observe all My commands—and break My covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring terror on you—wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it.”

There are consequences of obedience—blessing, provision, protection, liberty, the Divine Presence.

There are consequences of disobedience—scarcity, want, defeat, oppression, the Silence of God.

We have to take stock of our lives. Sometimes God will withdraw His presence for a while—or so it seems—to teach us or test us. But when there is sin in our lives there is always the withdrawing of God’s hand and presence. We cry out, “Where are You, God?” He must answer, “Right where I said I would be—waiting for you to repent.”

Someone once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Are we living our lives open to the examination of the Holy Spirit? When we have sin in our hearts we will not want Him to search us. But do you desire His presence more than anything? Open your heart to Him. Allow Him to reveal your sin. Don’t argue, but confess that sin to God as sin. Don’s seek to justify. What do you want, justification for your sin or the presence of God? You cannot have both. You must be ruthless with yourself. Allow the Holy Spirit to purge your heart of all that is offensive to His holiness. Root it all out. Then the light of His presence will break through and shine in your heart again.

Ask Him to examine your heart now.

2010-01-13T04:44:00.001-08:00

Leviticus 25:18–22 (HCSB)

“You are to observe My statutes and ordinances and carefully observe them, so that you may live securely in the land. Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat, be satisfied, and live securely in the land. If you wonder: ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we don’t sow or gather our produce?’ I will appoint My blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest. You will be eating this until the ninth year when its harvest comes in.”

Every seventh year was to be a year of jubilee. The land was to remain untilled, unplanted, and unharvested. No work was to be done. The land was to rest.

So how would people eat? God said, “I will provide a harvest in the sixth year that will be sufficient for three years. It will provide food for the seventh and the eighth years and grain to plant your crops.”

That is an amazing supply. However, we have no example of this happening. The reason? The Hebrews never observed the Year of Jubilee. They disobeyed and worked the land every year—for 490 years. Then God sent Nebuchadnezzar. They spent seventy years in Babylon. Do the math. The land received it’s rest.

What if they had obeyed God? The land would have yielded as God said it would.

Whether we obey God or not, God can be relied upon to keep His Word! We will receive from the Lord. We have the choice to determine which we receive—the blessing or the judgment.

The Law is Holy!

2010-01-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

Leviticus 22:31–33 (HCSB)

"You are to keep My commands and do them; I am the LORD. You must not profane My holy name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sets you apart, the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD."

God is holy and everything God does is holy. We must not treat anything the Lord does as common. We must not defile any of His commands.

Occasionally I hear someone piously say, “That is Old Testament; I don’t have to obey that.”

Are not all God’s commands holy? Even though we are under grace and not under the Law are we to treat any part of God’s holy Word as common? We defile it if we do! Where do we get off thinking we can do that? Just how spiritual do we think we are that we can hold God’s law in contempt?

I’m not saying we have to live under the law. The law does not save us. The law treats us like a whipping boy—thumping us on the head every time we do wrong. It reminds us constantly or our failures—that we do not measure up—that we cannot do anything to save ourselves. The purpose of the law is to drive us to Christ. Until we have come to the law and said, “I cannot save myself” we will never come to Christ and say, “Lord, please, save this sinner!”

But we have no right to treat the law as anything other than holy. It is, after all, God’s law, and an expression of God’s own holy character. We may not live up to it, but we sure as heaven should honor it! The law therefore deserves our truest respect, just as God’s holiness deserves our truest respect.

Defiling the Land

2010-01-11T06:06:00.001-08:00

Leviticus 20:6–8 (HCSB)
“Whoever turns to mediums or spiritistsand prostitutes himself with them, I will turnagainst that person and cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep My statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sets you apart.”

Have you noticed a new fascination with the paranormal? There are shows on TV about people who talk to the dead and (so-called) scientists who investigate haunted houses. Horror movies are not just about psychos with chainsaws. The “new scary” is realism about ghosts and witches.

There was a time, I think, in this land when godly men would have cried out against this. They would have quoted Old Testament passages like this one. They felt that God had brought us to the new Promised Land in America and we had a responsibility to Him to keep it holy.

We’ve come a long way baby!

Now we daily desecrate this beautiful land with sacrilege. We do what God said not to do—and gloat over our freedom to do it! God have mercy!!

He promised judgment on the people who defiled the land with unholy practices.

People ask me if America is in prophecy. In prophecy? I don’t know that we will even be in existence! Don’t look for America in prophecy. Look for America in the promises.

Be Holy and Respect Your Elders!

2010-01-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Leviticus 19:1–2 (HCSB)

“The LORD spoke to Moses: ‘Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holybecause I, the LORD your God, am holy.’”

Leviticus 19 is a call to experimental holiness. God gives a catalogue of holy practices. He calls us to be holy and then He tells us what that looks like in day-to-day living. Here is an example from verse 32:

“You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old.Fear your God; I am the LORD.”

Did you know it is holy to show respect to your elders? I confess, I had never thought of it this way. But here it is. It is unholy to disrespect the elderly. One practice of holiness is to rise when in the presence of our elders. To continue sitting is not just to disrespect them, it is to dishonor God.

This does not mean we submit to everything they say. But we must show them the utmost of our respect. A small example of that is to rise when they enter the room. This is what holiness does.

Do you want to be holy? Respect your elders today.

Life in the Blood

2010-01-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Leviticus 17:11 (HCSB)

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to makeatonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.

Notice the progression of logic in this verse. First, the life is in the blood. True, you cannot live without your blood. Second, God accepts the blood of the creature—a substitute— in the place of my blood. Third, blood makes the atonement. The consequence for sin is the death of the sinner. Praise God He accepts the blood of a substitute for my blood.

Of course this teaches us that God sees sin much more seriously than we do. We see it of little consequence. But God sees it as a heinous thing, the payment for which is the life of the sinner. This also teaches us that God has made a way for us to come to him without sacrificing our blood on the altar. This was a “set up.” God was setting the stage for something else. This was all representative, preparatory. What it anticipates is the sacrifice of Christ, God’s lamb, on the altar of Calvary. A life for a life.

This gives us our greatest reason for praise!

Details Matter to God

2010-01-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

Leviticus 14:54–57 (HCSB)

"This is the law for any skin disease or mildew, for a scaly outbreak, for mildew in clothing or on a house, and for a swelling, scab, or spot, to determine when something is unclean or clean. This is the law regarding skin disease and mildew."

You’ve heard it said: “The devil is in the details.” Well, this we can know from Leviticus: details matter to God!

There are two whole chapters of the Bible devoted to skin diseases and mildew infestations. These are chapters that only a doctor of scientist could really love. But they’re here—and God obviously cares a lot about these things. Maybe we should ask ourselves “Why?”

The obvious answer that God cares about infectious diseases and things that can potentially harm us is because He cares about us. These things can spread through the company of His people do harm. God cares about us and every tiny detail that affects us. He wants us to be holy in our spirit, healthy in our body, and happy in our soul. He cares about the quality of our lives. If you think about this it is truly amazing. Other “gods” cared very little about their followers. They placed very little value on their subjects. But the true God places such profound value on us that even gives minute attention to the smallest details of our lives. Remember, it is the little details that can make us or break us.

Attention to detail—that is God’s way.