November 20, 2022

II Samuel 12: 7 (NIV)

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”

You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth.*

Nathan had the God-given mission to confront King David with the grievous sin he had committed, and to pronounce God’s judgment against him. If David had been a different kind of king, Nathan could have been executed for his audacity. How would you like to have Nathan’s job? You may know how to speak the truth in love but have you ever had to do it at the risk of losing your head?

Speaking the truth in love is a risky business. Knowing whether or not it is your place to confront someone; avoiding the passive-aggressive trap; being certain that your motives are pure – there is more to it than just being right. But what if you are the one who is being confronted? How will you respond then? It could happen that you are being falsely accused - but what if you’re not?

David’s conduct in the face of Nathan’s rebuke is a vivid illustration of why he was called a man after God’s heart. He was a sinner – adultery and murder, the two “big” ones – but he loved God and so his heart was well-prepared for repentance. We are all sinners but when we love God, our hearts are tender towards him. Being confronted with our sin should result in a gracious response, not denial and defensiveness. Do you have a contrite heart that is ready to confess and repent and to be reconciled to God? God’s heart is ready for you!

Those who have been overtaken in any fault ought to reckon a faithful reproof the greatest kindness that can be done them and a wise reprover their best friend.*

November 19, 2022

Deuteronomy 1: 42 (NIV)

But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”

We need to release our own agendas rather than try to confirm them.*

In Moses’ recap of the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert, he recalls: 

• God said to them, “Here is the land I’ve given you.” They said, “Let’s send spies to check it out.” (FEAR) 
• They grumbled about danger and hardship and refused to take the land. (DID NOT TRUST GOD) 
• They repented then decided – without consulting God – to go take the land. God clearly told them not to go but they went anyway – and they were defeated. (DISOBEYED GOD) 

Their story of shame continues, but you get the picture. Is it not just like us to be fearful, untrusting, and disobedient? We allow fear to prevent us from moving forward in God’s promises; we don’t trust God to keep his word; and we neglect to consult him before taking action. As someone has observed: “Often, we take our own initiatives and seek the Spirit’s empowering of them instead of waiting on him to move.”* Ever heard the saying about asking for forgiveness instead of permission? 

Perhaps we feel that we are at a disadvantage because we don’t hear God speaking directly to us – or through a spokesman like Moses. I’ll grant that it would be easier to discern God’s will if I clearly heard his voice addressing me. But how about our advantages: God’s word, and his Holy Spirit. Are you fearful, not trusting God, and hoping to avoid a case of disobedience? Here are some steps to help you overcome our dilemma: 

1. Seek God’s guidance. (PRAY) 

2. Consult his word. (READ) 

3. Allow his Spirit to work. (WAIT) 

If you aren’t getting a clear response, perhaps God is waiting for you to decide what you want to do. For the Israelites, there was one right choice, but most of us are not called by God to one path and one path only. We have many choices – not between right and wrong but between right and right – and maybe even multiple right choices. Where we work, where we live, who we marry, when to make a change – these are important decisions but your happily-ever-after comes from walking according to God’s will to conform to his likeness. 

If you want God to bless your march into battle, make sure it’s a godly battle. Be open to the Spirit’s leading. Make sure you are not guilty of asking God to bless a decision you have already made.

If the decisions we make are in accordance with God’s moral standards, we are free to do whatever we want to do.*

November 18, 2022

Obadiah 12 (NIV)

“You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble.”

Grace dies when it becomes us versus them.*

God assigned Obadiah the task of prophesying to the nation of Edom. The Edomites were descendants of Esau and thus they were the kinfolk of the people of Judah. They were not, however, one big happy family. Edomites rejoiced in the misfortunes of the Jews while they also aided their enemies and took advantage of their weaknesses. Obadiah warned Edom of their eventual comeuppance for their conduct toward Judah.

Today’s world is divided into “us and them” camps as well. We have all chosen sides in religion, politics, race, nationality, and social issues. It is human nature to prefer to associate with like-minded people and perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. But it is not right – not righteous – to gloat every time the other side suffers. It is not Christlike to wish for our enemies to get what they deserve. Jesus loved all those wrong-thinking Pharisees who wanted him dead. He spoke truth to them, not angry, bitter rhetoric. Yes, Jesus’ message is divisive - but not hateful. Everyone has to give up their worldly baggage of dogma to follow him.

In verse 15, Obadiah pronounces that God’s judgment upon Edom is imminent. What they had done to their Jewish relatives was going to be done to them. As Obadiah rebuked Edom for their treachery toward Judah, we stand accused as well. Some day we will answer to the Judge for our uncharitable wishes, our bigotry, and hatred. Let’s turn our name-calling and side-choosing into a game of “Red Rover” and invite “them” to come on over!

Be careful, lest in fighting the dragon you become the dragon.*

November 17, 2022

Hebrews 13: 20, 21 (NIV)

May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will.

With His call . . . comes His enabling.*

When you start a new job, you probably come equipped with some of the qualities you need for the position or you wouldn’t be hired in the first place. Your education and previous experience play a large role in how well you can expect to do. Your employer will probably offer you some training to better prepare you for the job and present you with opportunities to grow as an employee. But you will arrive at your new workplace with baggage – some good, some bad – that isn’t so easily quantified. Your employer will become aware of your weaknesses but he will also begin to notice the attributes that make you special – skills, abilities, attitudes, and aptitudes. Education, experience, training, your natural aptitude - these are all important assets for a valuable employee, but you might be surprised at one final piece of equipment you need to round out your résumé: liking the job.

When it comes to our spiritual calling, God equips us with what we need even better than our employer does. On paper, you may appear to be totally unqualified for the job, but if God wants you in that position, he will make sure you have everything you need. I don’t know about you but I have always suffered from the fear that God will call me to do something that I hate. That’s why this passage in Hebrews is like a breath of fresh air.  If God is going to equip me with everything good for doing his will, I am going to love the job.

How to determine God’s calling is a subject for another day. For today, let me leave you with this thought: If you are struggling with whether you are being called to a ministry or not, at least relieve yourself of concerns about how you feel about the job. When you step into God’s will, your job may not be easy but you will delight in it. 

If you have earnestly sought to please him and have asked for wisdom, you can rest secure in the knowledge that he will work all things in the direction he knows will ultimately be best for you.*

November 16, 2022

Luke 15: 1 (NIV)

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Go, it isn’t sin anymore”; he says, “Go, and sin no more.”*

To the Jews of Jesus’ day, a “sinner” was anyone who wasn’t one of them. And apparently there was no lower form of life than a tax collector – they were their own stand-alone category of bad, perhaps because many of them were Jews who worked for their Roman oppressors. Aren’t we also guilty of prioritizing sins from bad to worst? Perhaps there’s even a level that includes “acceptable.” 

Philip Yancey, in his book, What’s so Amazing about Grace?, posed the question: How do we treat sinners? His focus was on how badly Christians treat certain categories of sinners. Allow me to illustrate: When you hear the word “sinner,” what’s the first thing that comes into your mind? Be honest. Was it a murderer – or was it a homosexual? Maybe we demonize the gay person because homosexuality is an ongoing lifestyle while murder (in many cases) is a one-time act. At any rate, we are guilty of treating some sinners with a greater degree of disdain. 

Jesus didn’t turn his back on even the “worst” sinners but he was never tolerant of any sin – including the ones on our list of acceptable iniquities - which brings us to another aspect of the question of how we treat sinners. Does your circle of influence include the greedy, the covetous, liars, and gluttons? Have you ever indicated to them that you don’t approve of their sinful behavior? Did Jesus tell anyone that they had picked an “okay” sin? No. He treated the adulterous woman kindly but he told her to stop sinning. We may not be comfortable with lumping our friend the tax cheat into the same category as a child molester, but Jesus’ behavior might lead us to conclude that he found hypocrisy to be the most heinous of sins (read Matthew chapter 23). 

Truth? 1) All sin is heinous and separates us from God. 2) We are all sinners. 3) Jesus loves all of us – the homosexual, the pedophile, the liar, and the hypocrite – and he died to prove it. It may be a cliché, but we must put it into action: hate the sin, love the sinner. It’s what Jesus would do. Let him show you how.

Do we really want our churches full of homosexuals, prostitutes, thieves, murderers? Or do we only want our kind – the self-righteous, the unforgiving, the unloving?*

November 15, 2022

Ephesians 5: 8, 10 (NIV)

Live as children of light . . . and find out what pleases the Lord.

You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it.*

I find security in rules. Procedure manuals can cure my anxiety. I like to know, step-by-step, what is expected of me. For people like me, a sincere desire to find out what pleases the Lord can lead us into the bondage of legalism. But we are saved by God’s grace, not by anything that we do - which does not give us license for an “anything goes” lifestyle. There are rules for living the Christian life - but we don’t live according to rules. We live according to what pleases God. 

Am I talking in circles? 

Imagine being married to someone who claims he doesn’t know what you want. Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. Now picture yourself telling him, step-by-step, what will make you happy. Do you think that his adherence to your list of rules will solve your problems? I am reminded of the trailer for a movie that shows a couple sitting on a couch, as far apart from each other as possible, body language screaming, “I’m right! You’re wrong!” The woman says, “I want you to want to do the dishes.” The man replies - disdainfully, “Why would I want to do the dishes?” Does anyone read her subtext? “I want you to want to make me happy.” 

How can we make God happy without being slaves to rules and regulations? By knowing his heart and by having a heart that wants to please him. A heart that is tuned in to God does not obey him out of fear of displeasing him but out of a desire to show him that we love and honor him. No one wants to do the dishes – but perhaps we should want to want to do them!

I began trusting God instead of trying so hard to please him.*

November 14, 2022

John 10: 10 (NIV)

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

You have two choices. You can live for the moment and reap a shallow, temporary joy or you can live for God and reap a deeper, eternal joy.*

In this passage, Jesus contrasts his purpose with that of a thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus says that he came so that we could have life to the full – or more abundantly, as the King James Version puts it.  We are not surprised that Jesus came to usher us into eternal life but we might have overlooked his desire for us to live it up while we are earthbound.

It might be possible to live a Christian life and make it to heaven when you die without having lived an abundant life. Those of us who spend our lives in the free world can’t imagine anyone in the persecuted church having life to the full – but they might tell you something different. “Life to the full” by Jesus’ standards may not meet earthly qualifications for a rich, full life, but if you are living the life that Jesus wants for you, you have abundant life.

If your life lacks joy, perhaps you need to examine the choices you have made. Jesus doesn’t promise an easy life, but with or without him, life is hard.  If life is going to be hard anyway, why not get the most out of it by accepting the abundant life he offers? If he wants a better life for you, why don’t you?

The hardest life with him would be better and more meaningful than the best life without him.*