How many of us, at one time or another, have struggled with the fact that there are so many people to please that there is no way on earth we could possibly satisfy them all? This is certainly a struggle among all people, as it was for King Saul in the story we look at today.
Saul was a man that had been given an opportunity to be the greatest ruler that ever reigned in Israel, yet he threw it away because he could not resist the pressure that was put upon him by the people that he ruled. A valuable lesson may be learned through his example: when you lead, you must do it in the power and movement of the Holy Spirit in your life, not leaning upon your own understanding. Pressures will come, people will tremble and, through their faint-hearted spirit, attempt to distract you from the task at hand. There is an answer to these pressures, but it is one that Saul did not find.
How can we, as future and present leaders avoid the trappings of peer pressure and independence that Saul faced? It is my desire to answer that very question and to give you the power to lead strongly and effectively, despite the problems you may face.
Ralph Ellison was a leader in his community, and because of the attitudes of his day, he was a leader in is racial group. But he too struggled with the pressure of looking only at what others thought, turning away from independent reasoning. In his writing of Battle Royal he spoke of how he was to give a speech to a group of white men that were influential and who he felt would help his cause. So desperate was he to please these men that he went through beatings and mocking simply that he might please them in some way. But as he looked back at it all he found this: “I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but myself. But I first had to discover that I am an invisible man!”1
Ellison realized that, though he depended upon everyone else for guidance, he was made to be, simply, himself. This struggle that we all face is the exact same one that Saul faced in 1 Samuel 13. He was faced with two choices: do I please the people or do I hold strongly to what I know is right and let the people think of me what they will. We know from the story that Saul took the first option. “When the people had scattered” Saul said, “I felt compelled…” Saul was under a magnificent pressure to act and since the people were seemingly losing heart he acted foolishly.
What should he have done? Saul is one, at times, you feel fairly sorry for. He was doomed from the beginning by the very fact that his presence as a king was against the very command of the Lord in the first place. HE was a result of Israel’s weakening to the peer pressure of the sinful nations around him. So now he was expected to lead a rebellious people who would not listen to commands from God Himself. But there is no excuse for him, even though he did what the majority of us would do.
So what is the answer to our question, how can we lead and be confident in our decisions, despite the thoughts of those around us? The answer is found in 1 Samuel 13:13,14. Samuel tells Saul, “ …the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” What is the answer that Samuel supplies? “If only you had not followed your own heart that is easily swayed by people! If only you would have listened to the very heart of God in your decisions! Than God would have sustained your kingdom forever!” Again an answer is found in Acts 13:22; this states that Saul was put down because he was unlike David in the fact that David was a man that “will do all my [God] will.”
Consequently this is the challenge to us. If, when faced with times of decision, we will rid ourselves of the natural inclination to please others and turn our minds to doing the will of God, then we will be able to lead with effectiveness and decisiveness. Unlike Saul who feared the people because they were trembling with fear, we must lay aside the fears of the people if they are contrary to what God has commanded us to do.
Paul gives this exhortation to the people of Galatians throughout the entire letter he wrote to them. They too had given into the pressures of those around them and in turn had moved away from the true gospel into a gospel that was dependent upon what your fellow men thought of you. Paul said that they had been “bewitched”! And near the closing of his letter he extols them to be “filled with the Spirit” and to “walk by the Spirit”.
In closing, this too must be our attitude. Leadership and all it entails cannot be done in our own strength, since in our own strength we are tossed and driven on like a rudderless ship in a squalling sea. No, the only way that we can avoid the trappings of insecurity and peer pressure is to depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead us in the right path and to give us the wisdom to make the correct decisions, despite the pressures of the people around us.
Do not lose heart! No man is perfect! But pick yourself up from your failures with the encouragement that God, who gives generously, will grant you a spirit of wisdom if you will only ask Him in sincere faith 2.
1. Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal”, 1947.
2. James 1:5-6
Monday, September 10, 2007
Josiah
Josiah
The world in which we now live gives us Christians a unique opportunity to show that our faith is different from anything that this world can offer. But too many times we, as Christians, judge our “high standards” from the view of the world, and not by view of the Word. This seems to be an issue addressed in the story of Josiah. It shows us that when God’s Word convicts the heart, there must be action taken in ridding your life of the things that are not honoring to Him. You may find yourself looking twice at things that were, beforehand, no big deal in your spiritual eyes; but have now come under the shining light of the Word of God.
We find Josiah in 2 Kings 22 realizing that something must be done about the dire situation the house of God was in. He knows that it must be rebuilt, and so he sends some of his best men to take care of the house of God. Upon their inspection they find the book of the Law, and upon reading it they take it to Josiah so that he can hear what it says.
When Josiah heard the words of the law, he was cut to the heart. But there seems to be some preparation before this, for verse 19 states that his heart was “tender”. At the beginning of this chapter it stated that Josiah was following after all that his father David had done, which means that he did have some knowledge of following God, and the importance that it must have in his life. So following the 18 year preparation (for that was how long he had been king when the law was found) he was uniquely ready to hear the law of God, and his heart was prepared to react in a godly, penitent way to what it said.
Following his humble reaction, Josiah took definitive action in following the book of the law. This required him to destroy many things that had been going on during his first 18 years as king. There are times when I find it hard to believe some of the things that had been going on during those years. We see in chapter 23 many of the evils that had been going on: vessels made for Baal that were in the temple; houses of male cult prostitutes; priests who burned incense to Baal on the high hills; and many other places of corruption that Solomon and Manasseh had brought to the land of Judah.
After destroying these things he restored the Passover celebration and caused the people, which God had given him, to turn back to the Lord. Surprisingly, it says that there was no king before or after him who had returned to the Lord with so complete a reform.
Fittingly, I see this story as a wake up to call to the church of God today. We may think that we are living from a higher standard than the world, but we must not judge ourselves from this world’s perspective! The only Litmus test for our lives must be the test of Gods holy word, living and active, as it is read and meditated upon in our personal lives and in our churches.
Josiah reminds us that we must care for the church of God, come to God in humbleness when His Word convicts us, and completely rid ourselves of the things that entangle us and weigh us down. These three things will challenge our heart, soul, and mind in their pursuit of total dedication to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It may be that some of the things will be painful to get rid of; but for the honor and glory of Christ, we know that truly, it is nothing.
The world in which we now live gives us Christians a unique opportunity to show that our faith is different from anything that this world can offer. But too many times we, as Christians, judge our “high standards” from the view of the world, and not by view of the Word. This seems to be an issue addressed in the story of Josiah. It shows us that when God’s Word convicts the heart, there must be action taken in ridding your life of the things that are not honoring to Him. You may find yourself looking twice at things that were, beforehand, no big deal in your spiritual eyes; but have now come under the shining light of the Word of God.
We find Josiah in 2 Kings 22 realizing that something must be done about the dire situation the house of God was in. He knows that it must be rebuilt, and so he sends some of his best men to take care of the house of God. Upon their inspection they find the book of the Law, and upon reading it they take it to Josiah so that he can hear what it says.
When Josiah heard the words of the law, he was cut to the heart. But there seems to be some preparation before this, for verse 19 states that his heart was “tender”. At the beginning of this chapter it stated that Josiah was following after all that his father David had done, which means that he did have some knowledge of following God, and the importance that it must have in his life. So following the 18 year preparation (for that was how long he had been king when the law was found) he was uniquely ready to hear the law of God, and his heart was prepared to react in a godly, penitent way to what it said.
Following his humble reaction, Josiah took definitive action in following the book of the law. This required him to destroy many things that had been going on during his first 18 years as king. There are times when I find it hard to believe some of the things that had been going on during those years. We see in chapter 23 many of the evils that had been going on: vessels made for Baal that were in the temple; houses of male cult prostitutes; priests who burned incense to Baal on the high hills; and many other places of corruption that Solomon and Manasseh had brought to the land of Judah.
After destroying these things he restored the Passover celebration and caused the people, which God had given him, to turn back to the Lord. Surprisingly, it says that there was no king before or after him who had returned to the Lord with so complete a reform.
Fittingly, I see this story as a wake up to call to the church of God today. We may think that we are living from a higher standard than the world, but we must not judge ourselves from this world’s perspective! The only Litmus test for our lives must be the test of Gods holy word, living and active, as it is read and meditated upon in our personal lives and in our churches.
Josiah reminds us that we must care for the church of God, come to God in humbleness when His Word convicts us, and completely rid ourselves of the things that entangle us and weigh us down. These three things will challenge our heart, soul, and mind in their pursuit of total dedication to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It may be that some of the things will be painful to get rid of; but for the honor and glory of Christ, we know that truly, it is nothing.
"It Is As You Say"
“It Is As You Say”
Luke 23:1-5
In an age of relativism, a statement of absolute truth can either be refreshing or repugnant, depending upon your position. You see, from each ones perspective we are all correct in our assumptions, and when we are confronted with an alternate view we immediately react to what is being said based upon what we made our decision from. We are all reacting from where our foundation is laid. So, it is no surprise when it is said: “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)
But as we see it is not only our day that struggles with this absolute truth. Picture a man coming before the courts and claiming to be the Christ! The ruler of a people who have been waiting for their Messiah for many years! Now this man, bound with chains and being ridiculed by the people, is asked “are you the Messiah whom these people have been waiting for?” And He does not deny it!! In fact, He says to you, “it is as you say”.
How else, but from the basis of absolute truth, could Jesus say this. There is no other way that He could. Accordingly, the leaders of the Jews had a choice that they had to make, not only from their heart but from all that they knew from the scriptures that they held. Unfortunately, they chose to move with their pride and stubbornness, not with truth.
How many times it is with us the same way. If you were to ask me, “how do you make your decisions?” I would think for a moment and I would have to admit that most of them do actually come simply from how I feel. I do not think about every scripture verse that I know that has the word that I am having to decide over; I do not pray enough, or sometimes even at all, about what I am about to do; and simply, I go with the easiest answer the majority of the time. But to do the opposite of all this, to think of every scripture, to pray and supplicate before God, to weigh each and every plus or minus of the situation, this would take to much time you say! And you are right. Though these things are not bad, it would be impossible to do this in every situation in life. So once again we are back to where we started, the thing that is most important is where that “gut feeling” comes from. From where does your heart make its decisions? And from where does it get its feelings?
Jesus Christ is our role model, though unobtainable to be perfectly like Him, still we seek to be like Christ (1 Peter 1:16). He made every decision from the movement of the Holy Spirit within His soul, likewise we are encouraged to “walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)
This is the absolute truth that we must live by. That Gods word is so present in our life that the decisions we make are not from ourselves, but from the word and its power to change our hearts through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
So consume yourself with the Word! Make it an integral part of your life, day, and hour. Let it be constantly present in your mind and let it mold and shape your heart through its power that is given by the Holy Spirit working in your life.
Jesus made His statement from absolute truth, that truth being Himself. (John 14:6) Now we must push our selves to reach for this level as well; to make our decisions from Christ’s movement in our heart, and not from our own flesh. And this movement is only obtained through the implantation and meditation of the word in our hearts and minds.
Luke 23:1-5
In an age of relativism, a statement of absolute truth can either be refreshing or repugnant, depending upon your position. You see, from each ones perspective we are all correct in our assumptions, and when we are confronted with an alternate view we immediately react to what is being said based upon what we made our decision from. We are all reacting from where our foundation is laid. So, it is no surprise when it is said: “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)
But as we see it is not only our day that struggles with this absolute truth. Picture a man coming before the courts and claiming to be the Christ! The ruler of a people who have been waiting for their Messiah for many years! Now this man, bound with chains and being ridiculed by the people, is asked “are you the Messiah whom these people have been waiting for?” And He does not deny it!! In fact, He says to you, “it is as you say”.
How else, but from the basis of absolute truth, could Jesus say this. There is no other way that He could. Accordingly, the leaders of the Jews had a choice that they had to make, not only from their heart but from all that they knew from the scriptures that they held. Unfortunately, they chose to move with their pride and stubbornness, not with truth.
How many times it is with us the same way. If you were to ask me, “how do you make your decisions?” I would think for a moment and I would have to admit that most of them do actually come simply from how I feel. I do not think about every scripture verse that I know that has the word that I am having to decide over; I do not pray enough, or sometimes even at all, about what I am about to do; and simply, I go with the easiest answer the majority of the time. But to do the opposite of all this, to think of every scripture, to pray and supplicate before God, to weigh each and every plus or minus of the situation, this would take to much time you say! And you are right. Though these things are not bad, it would be impossible to do this in every situation in life. So once again we are back to where we started, the thing that is most important is where that “gut feeling” comes from. From where does your heart make its decisions? And from where does it get its feelings?
Jesus Christ is our role model, though unobtainable to be perfectly like Him, still we seek to be like Christ (1 Peter 1:16). He made every decision from the movement of the Holy Spirit within His soul, likewise we are encouraged to “walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)
This is the absolute truth that we must live by. That Gods word is so present in our life that the decisions we make are not from ourselves, but from the word and its power to change our hearts through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
So consume yourself with the Word! Make it an integral part of your life, day, and hour. Let it be constantly present in your mind and let it mold and shape your heart through its power that is given by the Holy Spirit working in your life.
Jesus made His statement from absolute truth, that truth being Himself. (John 14:6) Now we must push our selves to reach for this level as well; to make our decisions from Christ’s movement in our heart, and not from our own flesh. And this movement is only obtained through the implantation and meditation of the word in our hearts and minds.
In an attempt to inspire something new to my devotions today, I have chosen to type what God reveals from His holy word today. The past few weeks I guess haven’t been all that crazy in depth, and I know that because of my lack of attention span, and lack of time in general. So we’ll see what new things I can glean today.
Amy and I are memorizing Deut. 30 together, and I’m just looking at the history of the chapter, what was before it, and what were the factors to its content.
It looks like from what I see, that since Ch. 5 Moses has been talking to them about various things that God revealed to Him. I think it is very interesting that it starts out with the Ten Commandments, but that’s only logical since those are the basis of everything, or is it? Ch. 6’s heading is “The Greatest Commandment”. So I think that Ch. 6 followed Ch. 5 because it revealed the power to keep those ten things that God had commanded. So the power from Ch. 6 must be transferred to Ch. 30 in an obvious way. But I’ll get to that later, right now I want to go through all the things that were headlined in the Chapters preceding Ch. 30.
This is just a list of what is covered in chapters 5-29:
The Ten Commandments;
The greatest commandment;
A chosen people-Treasured by God
Remember the Lord your God
Not because of Righteousness do you possess the land
The golden calf
New tablets of stone
Circumcise your heart.
Love and serve the LORD
The Lords chosen place of worship
Warning against idolatry
Clean and unclean food
Tithes
The sabbatical year.
Passover
The feast of Weeks
The Feast of Booths
Justice
Forbidden forms of worship
Laws concerning Israel’s kings
Provision for the priests and Levites
Abominable practices
A new prophet like Moses
Laws concerning cities of refuge
Property boundaries
Laws concerning witnesses
Laws concerning warfare
Atonement for unsolved murders
Marrying female captives
Inheritance rights of the firstborn
A rebellious son
A man hanged on a tree is cursed
Various laws
Laws concerning sexual immorality
Those excluded from the assembly
Uncleanness in the camp
Miscellaneous laws
Laws concerning divorce
Miscellaneous laws (again)
Laws concerning Levirate marriage
Miscellaneous laws
Offerings of first-fruits and tithes
The altar on Mount Ebal
Curses from Mount Ebal
Blessings for obedience
Curses for disobedience
The covenant renewed in Moab
And there you go. That’s it. Yes, I kind of find it funny that in verse 11 of Ch. 30 that He says: “this commandment…is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” That seems pretty crazy to me because there were a whole lot of things there to remember everyday, that I really have no idea about even.
But I think there is such a great power in this chapter for me, since I am under a new covenant through Jesus’ blood. (1 Cor.11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 7:22; 8:13; 9:15; 13:20) Through that I have been saved and am made righteous before Him! The commandments are not to far off, only because He lays His Holy Spirit power on my life.(Rom.8:9,11,26; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 1:22; Gal. 5:16-18; Eph. 3:16; 2 Pt. 1:21; 1 Jn. 4:2.) I don’t always act on it, that is true, but God does make it readily available to me.
He alone makes it possible to love the LORD my God with all my heart and soul. He makes it possible to live!!!
He does set before me the choice each day I think. Not the choice to choose life or death, because I have already chosen salvation. But he sets before me opportunities to live the promises that He has given me.
Now I am wondering what the land God has called me to posses. To me that’s a hard question because I still do feel a little bit out of the loop as to what I’m going to do. Does God want me to posses real land, to become involved in real estate? I’m interested in it of course. But I’m getting off the subject. God has a very specific land for me, and though I don’t know what that may be as a life calling, I do know that now he has given me this: Medix, and Racine, RBC, Awana’s, and many other things-opportunities that He puts in my path.
I am walking down that path and I truly am wondering where the light is going to shine next. It’s a wonderfully exciting experience and I need to see it as that so much more often than I do. Knowing that God is directing and guiding each step in His will, brings peace and security. God is my refuge and strength. No matter how far away the entanglements of my enemies has taken me, He will bring me back to that land that the LORD has given me to posses. (v.4)
And so now I end with hope. I know that God has a special plan for me. I also know that I must take pleasure in seeking Him, His word , and His will. More time getting to know Him will make profound differences in my life goal and action. He has given me opportunity, and now I must take advantage of what He has given me. He has given me a mind to use, a heart to seek Him, and a wonderful friend to be my soul mate with a same purpose in mind. I will serve Him, no matter where I go.
Like that old hymn that I found annoying at first:
“It may be in the valley where countless dangers hide, it may be in the sunshine that I in peace abide, but if to go or stay, or whether here or there, I’ll be with my Savior, content anywhere!
“ If Jesus goes with my I’ll go, anywhere! ‘tis heaven to me where err I may be if He is there. I count it a privilege here, His cross to bear, if Jesus goes with me I’ll go, anywhere!!!”
Amy and I are memorizing Deut. 30 together, and I’m just looking at the history of the chapter, what was before it, and what were the factors to its content.
It looks like from what I see, that since Ch. 5 Moses has been talking to them about various things that God revealed to Him. I think it is very interesting that it starts out with the Ten Commandments, but that’s only logical since those are the basis of everything, or is it? Ch. 6’s heading is “The Greatest Commandment”. So I think that Ch. 6 followed Ch. 5 because it revealed the power to keep those ten things that God had commanded. So the power from Ch. 6 must be transferred to Ch. 30 in an obvious way. But I’ll get to that later, right now I want to go through all the things that were headlined in the Chapters preceding Ch. 30.
This is just a list of what is covered in chapters 5-29:
The Ten Commandments;
The greatest commandment;
A chosen people-Treasured by God
Remember the Lord your God
Not because of Righteousness do you possess the land
The golden calf
New tablets of stone
Circumcise your heart.
Love and serve the LORD
The Lords chosen place of worship
Warning against idolatry
Clean and unclean food
Tithes
The sabbatical year.
Passover
The feast of Weeks
The Feast of Booths
Justice
Forbidden forms of worship
Laws concerning Israel’s kings
Provision for the priests and Levites
Abominable practices
A new prophet like Moses
Laws concerning cities of refuge
Property boundaries
Laws concerning witnesses
Laws concerning warfare
Atonement for unsolved murders
Marrying female captives
Inheritance rights of the firstborn
A rebellious son
A man hanged on a tree is cursed
Various laws
Laws concerning sexual immorality
Those excluded from the assembly
Uncleanness in the camp
Miscellaneous laws
Laws concerning divorce
Miscellaneous laws (again)
Laws concerning Levirate marriage
Miscellaneous laws
Offerings of first-fruits and tithes
The altar on Mount Ebal
Curses from Mount Ebal
Blessings for obedience
Curses for disobedience
The covenant renewed in Moab
And there you go. That’s it. Yes, I kind of find it funny that in verse 11 of Ch. 30 that He says: “this commandment…is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” That seems pretty crazy to me because there were a whole lot of things there to remember everyday, that I really have no idea about even.
But I think there is such a great power in this chapter for me, since I am under a new covenant through Jesus’ blood. (1 Cor.11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 7:22; 8:13; 9:15; 13:20) Through that I have been saved and am made righteous before Him! The commandments are not to far off, only because He lays His Holy Spirit power on my life.(Rom.8:9,11,26; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 1:22; Gal. 5:16-18; Eph. 3:16; 2 Pt. 1:21; 1 Jn. 4:2.) I don’t always act on it, that is true, but God does make it readily available to me.
He alone makes it possible to love the LORD my God with all my heart and soul. He makes it possible to live!!!
He does set before me the choice each day I think. Not the choice to choose life or death, because I have already chosen salvation. But he sets before me opportunities to live the promises that He has given me.
Now I am wondering what the land God has called me to posses. To me that’s a hard question because I still do feel a little bit out of the loop as to what I’m going to do. Does God want me to posses real land, to become involved in real estate? I’m interested in it of course. But I’m getting off the subject. God has a very specific land for me, and though I don’t know what that may be as a life calling, I do know that now he has given me this: Medix, and Racine, RBC, Awana’s, and many other things-opportunities that He puts in my path.
I am walking down that path and I truly am wondering where the light is going to shine next. It’s a wonderfully exciting experience and I need to see it as that so much more often than I do. Knowing that God is directing and guiding each step in His will, brings peace and security. God is my refuge and strength. No matter how far away the entanglements of my enemies has taken me, He will bring me back to that land that the LORD has given me to posses. (v.4)
And so now I end with hope. I know that God has a special plan for me. I also know that I must take pleasure in seeking Him, His word , and His will. More time getting to know Him will make profound differences in my life goal and action. He has given me opportunity, and now I must take advantage of what He has given me. He has given me a mind to use, a heart to seek Him, and a wonderful friend to be my soul mate with a same purpose in mind. I will serve Him, no matter where I go.
Like that old hymn that I found annoying at first:
“It may be in the valley where countless dangers hide, it may be in the sunshine that I in peace abide, but if to go or stay, or whether here or there, I’ll be with my Savior, content anywhere!
“ If Jesus goes with my I’ll go, anywhere! ‘tis heaven to me where err I may be if He is there. I count it a privilege here, His cross to bear, if Jesus goes with me I’ll go, anywhere!!!”
Behold the Eye of the Lord Is Upon Those Who Fear Him
“Behold the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”
Psalm 33:18-22
There’s not much to this man. I am a little worn out today, and I assume it’s because I have trusted a little too much in my own name and not the holy name of the LORD. Ah, but when the Holy Spirit moves me to take heart in the holiness of the Lord, when He takes me by my failing bootstraps and shows me that it is in Him I find help and protection; then there is more to this man. Not because I have become more, but because I have become less. My LORD has infused my life with hope. My LORD has given me a faithfulness that is worthy of complete trust. There is now no condemnation since my hope and my all is in Him.
“Behold the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”
Psalm 33:18-22
There’s not much to this man. I am a little worn out today, and I assume it’s because I have trusted a little too much in my own name and not the holy name of the LORD. Ah, but when the Holy Spirit moves me to take heart in the holiness of the Lord, when He takes me by my failing bootstraps and shows me that it is in Him I find help and protection; then there is more to this man. Not because I have become more, but because I have become less. My LORD has infused my life with hope. My LORD has given me a faithfulness that is worthy of complete trust. There is now no condemnation since my hope and my all is in Him.
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