Coming Face to Face with Jesus Christ

The apostle Paul did a 180° turn in the course of his life. He met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.The meeting utterly changed him. The strong, bold confrontational Saul was transformed. He had been the Hebrew of the Hebrews, learned in the scriptures of the Old Testament and a rising religious star. In a moment of time, he realized he had been so wrong. Out of his imperfection, God brought him true righteousness. He became a follower of God's son.

The birth of Christ happens over and over again in individual people's lives. It is not confined to a day.  Amidst all the hoopla and whirl of the world, there is a message to be reminded of as to what Jesus Christ means to anyones life. Jesus Christ life brings us to the true peace that can only come from God. God perfect love is manifested in his son to also draw others to Him.

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14

Believing

Ephesians 3:20 is a super-charged verse!

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Ephesians 3:20

Our minds are limited.  God's thinking is not! Believing is really not something we push our minds harder and harder to gain.  Believing is trust; it is loving God and knowing that he is with you. The grace of believing is that it is ours, to be confident that God can go way farther than our limited expectations. He is bigger than our minds; he is bigger than our works.

Believing is based on love. You just have to know how much God loves you.  'Power working in us' is energized by His love. In reality, the more I soak my head in the word especially on the topic of love, the more I can believe. I want that energy from God.  It changes the way I perceive what's going on around me. I can love so much better when I am tapped into God's love. True peace is the natural  result for all involved.

There was a time in my life that I worked so hard to please God.  It took growth and understanding to see how futile that was. When we love God, we let him work. We listen and allow him to inspire us and then carry out what he puts on our heart to do.  Keeping the trustful peace and guarding it like a great treasure is our goal.  Stress, pressure and achievement are not part of the formula.  God's ability is involved and that's a no brainer. However, we live in a world where there are forces that deny God and his love. Just as in the beginning, in the garden of Eden, the opposition to God constantly calls to question the existence of God and his promises.  God's willingness is just as real as the evidence that exists for God's ability.  God's willingness is seen throughout the Old and New Testaments!

I can do all things

There are millions of memes found throughout the pages of FaceBook. A meme to FaceBook users is like a 'quotable quote',  a seemingly wise saying that brings a quick point of inspiration to our minds. It is a good idea to think about the thought each one is transmitting. Is is really based on God's Word which will bring the effective results or is it like candy filled with sugar that seems sweet but actually promotes thinking that is empty.

As I continued to study the Word, I'm pretty sure I made memes out of key verses of the Bible. The context surrounding key verses should never be taken lightly when anyone quotes a singular verse. The context can change the whole meaning of a verse.   Philippians 4:13 is a good example.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

It's a magnificent verse, but it can be taken the wrong way that a believer can do anything he wants and God will empower him. When we lift verses out of context, we have to be careful.  This verse can sound like we can accomplish anything because we have Christ in us.  If we read verse 13, we need to look at the verses leading up to it.

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Philippians 4: 10-12

Paul made the point that that it is 'whatsoever state' a believer finds himself that he can be content. It is interesting that both sides are shown, abasing AND abounding, being full AND being hungry, abound AND suffer need. Both sides show learning, knowing how and instruction.

The greatest thing  a person can learn is to trust God in any situation. Contentment is a pretty low commodity in today's world.  We are always in a fight to root out seeds of discontentment in response to negative things that present themselves. Not only do negative things impact us but prosperity can  also affect us in the wrong way. We are challenged  in both directions. It is through the risen Christ we find true contentment in dealing with life and keeping our minds balanced.

Discerning of Spirits is Not a Spooky Manifestation

When some people hear the phrase 'discerning of spirits', it congers up a dark sinister image in their minds.  They might think of horns and pitchforks.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The fruit that is produced by the proper use of this unique function of the gift of holy spirit in our lives brings peace to our minds.  A person who loves God has power, love and a sound mind because of the enablements God has given through holy spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering (long fuse), gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

God wants to help us separate good from evil. Of course he does! He does this by impressing information about any situation on our spirits. He does it to protect us.  At some point God may show us clearly to take a stand against evil. Sometimes we can't do anything about it so then God can show us how to navigate the problem which may include staying away from it. Either way it produces nice juicy fruit in our lives because it settles our hearts.

The whole purpose of 'discerning of spirits' is to help ourselves and others. It is not thinking evil.  It is important to separate good and evil. Often evil disguises itself as good.  We can be deceived very easily when presented with something that seems like such a good thing. In the world and culture we live in today, it sometimes can be hard to distinguish between those things that that richly bless our lives and those things that subtract from our peace.

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20

Isaiah call this deception a"woe". The Bible says we are not to be ignorant of how evil works. God wants us to be free of evil, frustration and woe. The woe is not punishment, it is a result. God wants the best for us.

How a person reacts to information of the presence of evil involves staying quiet, peaceful and waiting on God as to the wisdom in what to do about the situation. In the records involving David, there are very clear examples how God helped him walk through evil and chaos. At times he had to watch his own life and thinking:

3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips 4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Psalm 141:3-4

We have the same responsibility. We don't want to be lured into and fall prey to the vain and false reasonings that might pop up in our day to day living:

9 Let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:8

Replacing Fear

Recently I got very wrapped up with studying the 'superscriptions' and 'subscriptions' of Psalms in an effort to tie the records of David in Psalms to the books of Samuel and Chronicles. The books of Samuel record events from a human standpoint and Chronicles may cover the the same event with a different perspective, God's point of view. I got a little sidetracked by theological arguments about miss-placements of  these subscripts. Research is very theological at times and can be very distracting by keeping things too cerebral. It is the heart of God that stirs our spirit not our cerebral cortex.

As I continue to read about the great David in the Old Testament, the more I see him as a person.  His life was very real and his heart, thinking, emotions, missteps and huge victories are fully made plain. The Bible really lets us into his heart not in a religious, pious way, but with an authentic window to clearly get to know him. Yes, he was the slingshot man, a warrior, a leader, and a king, but there is so much more in the word about him as a man and his heart for God. His life can inspire our own heart.

As I was looking at Psalms, I stumbled on a gold nugget in Psalm 34:4

 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

David dealt with fear! It says he  got relief from "all" his fears. That is a big statement!

"All" means all and indicates a plurality of fearful thoughts. We all have to deal with the bombardment of fearful thoughts on our brain cells. No one is exempt from this.  It is life. If the great David had to deal with it, so do we. The great apostle Paul had to deal with fear and certainly Jesus Christ, God's own son had to deal with it! How did they all deal with it? They sought God.

The same can be true for us. God is not a God of fear. He makes it quite plain throughout the word of God that he can and will deliver us from "all" fear. 

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7

Instead, he gives us three doors to choose from: the right kind of power, the right kind of love, and a sound (rock solid) mind! Not only does he give us these three doors, but he gives us the choice of choosing all three! There is no mountain too high, or Goliath too tall, or darkness too thick, or chaos too confusing, that these great verses can't send packing in a instant.

Fear (Old English for respect and awe of God) replaces fear! 😊

We have so much to be thankful for!

Put on Your 'Nike'

If David had been a Facebook user, I wonder how many friends he would have had. Reading through the books of Samuel, Chronicles, and Psalms, there are records of many difficult times in his life. There were  times he didn't have a lot of friends. He was oftentimes counted as the enemy for many. Even some of his family were critical of his zeal.

24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Popularity depends on many factors, many of which have to to with with fitting into the culture and holding popular views. In order to have many friends, a person has to be friendly in a non-offensive way. The 'friend' talked about in the second part of Proverbs 18:24 is a rare find. This friend is a person who stays with someone through thick or thin. David had such a relationship with Jonathan, Saul's son.

A good friend is a friend by their own choice. Jonathan chose to be a friend of David.  He was loyal, truthful and risked his life to help David against his enemies.  Jonathan's father, Saul was after David and Jonathan helped him several times to evade his father's attacks.

True friendship like that of Jonathan and David is a rare blessing.  It is one that should be treasured, respected and fully appreciated.  It is more than just having something in common or being useful to someone. We often develop connections in jobs, neighborhoods, school, religious groups, coffee shops, business, bars and any place where people gather together. They may be lasting relationships or short-term.

Friendship with things of the world are very short-term. The current fad fades away. Connections based on worldly philosophies, ideologies and usefulness fritter out. We make many mistakes in this life, the world is not an easy place. True friends encourage us to be overcomers; not resigners and bellyachers. We will be known by our victories.

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh (from the Greek word 'nike') the world: and this is the victory (nike) that overcometh (nike) the world, even our faith .5 Who is he that overcometh (nike) the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? I John 5:3-5

Jonathan helped David put on his 'nike'. In one sense Jonathan's life foreshadows the life of Christ. David was defined by his victories because God was his friend despite David's faults and imperfections. Jonathan was a true friend to help him. Jonathan warned David about his father. There is a man who is a friend, Jesus, that encourages us about his father.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. John 15:15

Jesus Christ has torn down the enmity between God and man through his own life when he walked the earth and now as he exists at the right hand service of God. He is collecting the friends of God together as God's church.

We too can be defined by our victories not our mistakes as we look to the author and finisher of our wholeness, completeness and peace, Jesus Christ, the son of God (Hebrews 2:2).  He is our 'nike' or victory in living this life!

God's Heart's Desire and His Deliberate Determination

God's word contains his deliberate reasoned counsel or resolve (boulema) and his heart's willingness (passionate desire) (thelema) toward people which is his good pleasure (eudokia). God is pretty smart and he is also passionately willing.

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh (energizes) all things after the counsel (boulema) of his own will (thelema):Ephesians 1:10-11

The Greek word "thelema is used 7 times in Ephesians (1:1,5,9,11 ;2:3; 5:17; 6:6). Ephesians is a great book to read to see the love of God at it's apex in the wonderful grace administration period that we live in. E.W Bullinger, in describing the difference or relationship between 'thelema' and 'boulema', said "the natural impulse is stronger than the reasoned resolve'. Ephesians is addressed to God's  engaged church, his people.

I have two kids and four grandchildren.  I love them to the moon and back (and more)!  It is not good if I don't exercise reasoned resolve in relating to them, while at the same time have a passionate heart's desire for their well-being. I don't want to spoil them and yet at the same time I enthusiastically desire for them to have the absolute undeniable best.

The 'best' from God put forth in Ephesians is like no other book!  Things like 'all spiritual blessings', 'understanding being enlightened', 'the exceeding riches of his grace', 'unsearchable riches of Christ', 'strengthened by his spirit', 'to know the love of Christ', 'Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly' are just a few of God's passionate nuggets contained in its pages. The whole book is an unveiling of God's willingness and passionate desire.

God wants us make every effort to commit to our own wholeness by committing to him. We are to respect ourselves and strive for that which is beneficial  and godly for our lives. As we love ourselves we can love others and that is pleasing to God:

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will (thelema) and to do of his good pleasure (eudokia). Philippians 2:13

When God works in and through each of us to do his good pleasure, he inspires us from within to accomplish the task. His 'thelema' becomes our 'thelema' and that benefits all.

The Goodness of God

There are so many verses that tell us about how much God loves and has provided for us. He is the Father of lights and there is no darkness in him:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. I John 1:5 

 There are no shadows, darkness, and no variableness with God. He is faithful and stands by his word. God is good always.

In the sixth chapter in II Samuel, there is a record that might seem to contradict the above verses. David wanted to get the Ark of God to the city of David. The Ark in the Old Testament was where God met with his people. Later it was the temple and in the New Testament it is in people's hearts through the gift of holy spirit that people have a relationship with God.

And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. II Samuel 6:3

There is no indication that David went to God to ask about this endeavor. God had given clear instructions in Exodus 25 and Number 4:15 that the Ark was to be carried in a certain way by Levites:

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers 4:15

The use of the cart was a new man-made plan to get the ark back to where they wanted it . For all intents and purposes, this all seemed like a good idea. When God gives certain specific instructions(as in the verse above), it is for a reason. God knew how the Ark was best taken care of and he knew of the problems that could occur when plans were altered.

Men like to make wonderful plans to accomplish things for God, but that doesn't mean they are the right things to do.The Old Testament doesn't mention the devil very much but he was active and influencing everything he could to block God's people. The believers in the Old Testament were not fully aware of how the devil worked. The adversary wanted to mess with the Ark as it connected man to God.

One of the men tending the cart that was carrying the Ark, reached out and touched it to steady it when the oxen pulling it shook the Ark.   Uzza was killed as he touched the Ark. God has reasons why he didn't want those bearing the Ark to 'touch any holy thing'. In verse seven of this chapter, the word says the anger of the Lord was kindled and that God smote Uzza for his error. This is a Hebrew figure of speech called Idiom of Permission. God didn't like what happened but he had to permit this action because he doesn't control anyone.

Believer's are given free will choice to follow God or not.  Since God is all good, he doesn't cause evil. This is how the devil's actions become exposed.  If we are not cognizant of the operations of the evil around us, God can help us deal with things wisely to protect us if we ask him or look to the word to learn more about keeping evil at bay. Jesus Christ came to reveal the adversary to God's people. It is the gift of holy spirit that turns on the light  spiritually and physically to help avoid darkness.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.I John 3:8

When you really understand the Idiom of Permission in Hebrew, it clarifies so many records and contradictions disappear. God loves us and doesn't harm us.  When you read through the Old Testament, there are so many examples of this idiom.  It becomes very clear in the New Testament, that God does not want us ignorant about evil:

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. II Corinthians 2:11

This is how we stay free. " The same sun melts wax and hardens clay."(Origen On First Principles 3.1.11) Our hearts can  be hardened by evil that disguises itself as good when we don't understand or care to understand what is going on  or even acknowledge that the devil exists.  When we know God, our hearts can be softened by the love of God. We have  a choice:

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. I John 4:16

(I John is a great read in light of the topic of the goodness of God! )

Trusting God and Prayer

In II Samuel 5 we read about two different battles David had with the Philistines after he became king of Israel. David was in the habit of consulting God before he went into battle and in these two instances he received two different sets of instructions. In the first battle, God told David simply to go ahead and that he would win. In preparation for the second battle, God had some different instructions:

23 And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. 24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer. II Samuel 5:23-24

David was told not to go. Instead he told them to circle behind the Philistines near some mulberry trees and when David heard a sound in the tops of the trees, it was a signal to decide to move. God would go out in front of them and the Philistines would be defeated. (I Chronicles 14:14)

God could have handled this all himself or he could have said "ditto" from his previous instructions. He could have made the Philistines disappear in a split second. But that is not the way God handles things. Throughout the Old Testament, there are so many records of God giving different instructions to his people on how to handle problems and enemies. This specific chapter shows two specific seemingly identical incidents that happened within a relatively short time period.

Often, as we tackle things in life and see great victories, it is very easy to fall into the trap of complacency. Sometimes when we have a great victory, we think God has deposited more power in our spiritual savings bank so that when the next thing comes along we declare to God "I got this God!"  The other thing that can creep in is to transfer the praise of God onto ourselves. Both scenarios can be big trouble.

Problems involving our thinking other people and various circumstances never stop. The older I get, the more I realize what the power of 'praying without ceasing' is very real. Praying without ceasing doesn't mean living constantly on your knees and reciting prayers over and over. Communication with God is on-going and it is with great joy and peace that we can go to him in every and any situation. We cannot afford to become complacent. Why not trust the creator of the universe with everything that comes across our path. It is not an exercise of weakness, it is an exercise of power!

Recently I had a text come to my phone to which my mind reacted very quickly on how to handle it. I shut down the reaction and put it on hold and gave it to God. The next day I read it again and I knew exactly how I should respond. This is a very small simple thing but very practical. In this day and time when we live in media chaos, twitter and Facebook-type apps, instant messaging, and instant reactions, praying without ceasing has reached a top priority:

16 Rejoice evermore.17 Pray without ceasing.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. II Thessalonians 5:16-18

The great words of Proverbs 3 stand out in this regard:

3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:1-6

Politics and God

The earliest form of the word 'politics'  comes from the Greek word pertaining to the activities of the the city. The Greek word for city is the word 'polis'. In the Bible, a city is mentioned for the first time. It was organized by Cain (Genesis 4:16-17). Cain was one of Adam's sons who murdered Abel, his brother. It was to be a city of protection and self-governance. It is also was a city credited with the origins of polygamy.

When a group of people ban together and set up a governance system, it is subject to the vision of the people that form it.  A great example is recorded in Hebrews 11:

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:8-10

God was meant to be the governing force in our lives. A nation that bases its governing principles on God's word would be a very blessed nation indeed! The power, love and sound thinking that any nation that looks to God to govern it, is beyond what the human mind can fathom.

America was founded on principles that allow for freedom of beliefs, so it is not really a pure theocracy.  People have the freedom to worship or not worship whatever they wish as long as natural laws are not violated. Our Constitution is specifically designed to protect our freedoms.

As exhibited by Cain, human nature can dictate relationships to other people. Self-governance can be quickly taken over by self-interest. In the post-garden of Eden era, evil entered the world giving humans an opportunity to look to self-interest rather than to God. With the introduction of evil and fleshy self-centered thinking, evil pushed to exert its influence everywhere it could get a foothold. Its tools were and are gossip (even seemingly harmless gossip), lies and innuendos. God's power is based on love. Evil is based on the opposite of love. Groups became breeding grounds for self-interest as mob thinking gained a foot-hold. It is in the group that lies and gossip flourish. Gossip and lying need at least two people in order to succeed. They are the  negative culprits in communities, friendships, families, religion and, needless to say, politics.

In today's political dynamic, it is easy to detect partisan thinking, but the line between good and evil is often blurry.  It is because people don't know God and they know even less about evil (the devil). The result of this mixture is crystal clear:

6 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16

God's power is readily available to every person who knows, believes and loves him. Envy is not a product and neither is strife. God's power generates spiritual and mental order which generates genuine strength. Mental and spiritual order and peace comprise a good measuring stick of the motives and intent of power-users. People who misuse power may appear genuine, but eventually the basis of their power plays its hand just as it did long ago. God's wisdom and knowledge can cut through naiveté and ignorance to keep people who love him in peace.

Turn On The Light

It seems that the country is spinning out of control and with that, many people are feeling futility in attempting to make sense of it all. It is a bunch of noise and chaotic spin. Deception, lies, emotional bribery and just plain evil is at the roots of the miasma.  It is not easy to drown it all out.

Due to the internet and 24/7 cable news, the mob mentality is alive and kicking, running around perverting the culture. Things are said over and over to capture and twist the thinking of those hearing their message. Yes evil exists in this world. We can rise above the muck and the mire that is being spewed out everywhere by holding forth the love of God. God's word needs to be spoken:

2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Deuteronomy 32:2

How refreshing and cleansing is the gentle rain that falls in a dusty dry season!

4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Psalm 40:1-6

David saw many extended difficult times.  Psalm 40 records how he dealt with a tough world around him.. His trust was in God, not the false madness and arrogant belligerence of the world.  He did not succumb to it. Instead the he sung about the wonderful works of God. They are everywhere. If we made a list it would go on and on and on.

People need to hear the truth about God. Light dispels darkness.  A dark room is not easy to navigate. Even if you light one little match, it helps. If you use a floodlight darkness runs.  There is no greater joy than speaking about God's love and seeing futility flee.  Lets have at it this week!!!

God Is No Respecter of Persons

  For all of us that have at one time  sought validation from God, the New Testament is really good news! God loves every human being that has ever walked the earth. There are no exceptions.  God doesn't care whether you are old, young, black or white, male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. We don't need to seek validation from him. We only need to be humbly available to him and allow him work in our lives.

There can be unity among those who love God when we understand what true unity is. In Ephesians 4:4-7, unity among God's people has some specific aspects that we are encouraged to know and believe:

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:4-7

'One body' means one body. The body of Christ is one in God's eyes. I Corinthians 1:1-13 is a great record. Is Christ divided?

'One Spirit' means one spirit:

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

God is a Spirit.  He has provided the gift of holy spirit to all people who recognize Jesus as Lord (title imparted to him by God) and believe in their OWN heart that God raised him from the dead. (Romans 10:9) It is through this wonderful gift that we can have fellowship with God AND his son.(I John 1:3-4) The spirit doesn't take the place of the resurrected Christ, it connects us to him. This is the 'one baptism':

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost (holy spirit) not many days hence.

The written word integrates with this connection too. Sometimes a verse just pops up in my head out of seemingly nowhere and usually I know it is there for a reason and I know where it came from. As we read more and more of God's word, the efficacy of this results in reinforcing our believing and our peace.

Christ is present, not absent, and he is active, not just sitting around on God' right hand.  'God's right hand' is a figure of speech to give emphasis to what Jesus Christ is doing now. He is active and doing a whole lot of stuff! Why wouldn't he be building the church God gave him to have authority over. God's church is made up of human hearts not bricks, communication is vital! There is 'one Lord' over this group, not 2, 100, 5000, or 25,000. God has placed Jesus Christ in charge; that's what the title, 'One Lord', indicates.

 It is with the heart that people connect to God and his word and really get to know what he means to their life. 'One faith', one hope naturally are wrapped up with this.

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: Romans 3:22. 

Jesus Christ is a Superstar

For the past nine years I have been  on a trek through the Old Testament. I am taking my time rather than doing the yearly schedule I used to do. Reading the Bible through in a year doesn't work at this point in my life. It is important to get a overview of the Bible and that is where a year-long schedule can help, but taking it slow teaches more about life and living. It has been great  savoring all that God thought important enough for all of us to read and understand.  It has been eye-opening to get to know the various people in biblical history and how God worked with them.


In looking at David in the books of Samuel and Psalms, it is amazing how much we can learn about his life and motivations. We can get to know people like David though God's point of view and because of that we might get to know them better than people who actually are around us.

The Old Testament is amazing. There is so much  grace and love shown to some very human people. Things, for example, like polygamy and idolatry have been puzzling.  Even more puzzling is how commentaries and theologians explain these various issues of the Old Testament.  Many times I would read about a specific event that was difficult to follow or explain so I would try looking them up in my reference books. Many times I would find 2, 3 or 4 different explanations about what was going on. It got a little discouraging trying to figure who was right until God stepped in and reminded me to keep it simple. Then it just rolled out beautifully.

A good thing to remember is that the Bible is descriptive as well as prescriptive.  Sometimes, God describes things that went on without commenting on whether they were right or wrong. I use polygamy as an example because some of the great patriarchs had multiple wives and concubines. The multiple wives of Jacob and Elkanah, David and many more examples are all described.  I know that God designed marriage in the beginning to be monogamous. That is pretty simple. Marriage should be a blessing.

Jacob's family was dysfunctional because of all the wives and their offspring. In the books of Samuel, this issue is front and center as David moved into becoming the king. It was a source of pressure and difficulty in causing factions, political maneuverings and war. God certainly doesn't advocate polygamy, but humans do human things and those human things cause messes. Those messes teach us a lot. It is as simple as that.

I was thinking about this on my walk today and all of a sudden I was humming "Jesus Christ, Superstar!" under my breath. We are so blessed to live in the New Testament era.  Jesus Christ is God's prescription for all our humanness. It is worth singing about! The Old Testament believers looked to his coming, but we have him today. When you stop and think about this and its ramifications, it puts a spring in your step. It is a big change when one thinks about the significance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The fact that he was raised  from the dead is enormous!  He is alive! The church that he is gathering is different from the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. In addition, Holy spirit was upon certain men and women in the Old Testament. Today holy spirit is available to all who believe.  We need to tear down the bricks and old structure, along with tossing out the passive pews and podiums in our minds in relating to God as well as how we relate to each other. It is interesting to think about what this can look like.

As I walked today, I was thankful that my trek through the Old Testament is even more meaningful through the lens of the  New Testament context. As so often happens when reading, the New Testament enriches and takes God's love and grace to a whole other level.

Anointings of David

In the books of Samuel, three anointings of David are recorded in:

I Samuel 16:12-13 (Samuel anointed David)
II Samuel 2:4 (men of Judah did the anointing)
II Samuel 5:3 (elders of Israel anointed David

When Samuel anointed David, he was a young sheep herder and Saul was the king of the Hebrews. Saul had shown that  he cared more about what the people thought rather than God. The Lord rejected Saul as king. When David was anointed with the horn of oil, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David and he certainly would need the power to do all  that God wanted him to do.

David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. Three of his older brothers served in Saul's army. In the famous confrontation of Goliath, none of Saul's men had the courage to take on Goliath.  David did and got the job done, but not without some chiding from his oldest brother. Despite David's age, Saul asked to see him and David convinced him that he would take care of Goliath. Saul tried to give David his armor and sword but David did not  feel he could use them and he handled Goliath with a sling and stone:

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17:44-47

The Spirit of God was with David and he knew the outcome of the fight. He was bold and full of courage to defend God's people despite the negative in front of him. He killed Goliath.

After Saul died, David became King of Judah as recorded in II Samuel 2:4 when the men of the tribe of Judah anointed him as an acceptance of his kingship. The rest of the Israel made Saul's son king over Israel. There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David but eventually through a series of events, the elders of Israel came to David.

5 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel. II Samuel 5:1-3

Many things happened before all all of this could come together. A significant amount of time passed. God's overview of men's hearts and conditions surpasses  men's impatience in trying to arrange things for themselves. Saul failed as a king because he didn't wait on God and put his own fears into his kingship.  Confusion resulted. David became king over all of Israel as he carried out God's directions for the best benefit to Israel. Order resulted.

12 And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. II Samuel 5:12

David's Attitude Toward Saul

Imagine waking up every morning knowing that someone was after you and this same person had once been anointed to serve God and watch out for God's people. David experienced  hard persecution under Saul who was ruler over Israel. David also was aware of God's plan for his own future to lead Israel.  He spoke up and tried proving to Saul that he was loyal a couple of times and Saul would back off temporarily. When his hard-hearted feelings came to the surface again, he forgot about David's loyalty.  David indeed was loyal and had Saul's best interests at heart and held to the conviction he would not harm 'the Lord's anointed' (I Samuel 24:4-10, 26:7-11). Saul was so deceived that he even consulted a fortune teller instead of God. Saul was eventually killed in a battle by the Philistines.

How does one live in peace under the conditions that David was living in?  David escaped Saul's attacks several times.  How could he live peaceably knowing he had to stay on the run? It definitely bothered him. He may have even questioned himself. Many of the psalms reflect his prayers to God for this situation. He knew God would take care of him and he would be free. It was God's peace that kept him.

In Romans 12:18 Paul states:

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

We are exhorted to live peaceably with all men.  Sometimes that is not possible. Notice, Paul says "If it be possible".  If you look around at our culture today, this seems like a huge task given the contentious spirit in our culture.  We need to listen to God and behave wisely in dealing with contentious people. We have to realize that people sometimes will never change and just walk away.  Contention is nothing to mess around with, the more one feeds it, the more it grows.

Contention is different from conflict. People have their own conflicting opinions and we often disagree, but contention involves knocking people down mentally or even physically as it was with Saul.

David knew that dealing with Saul's problems was above his pay grade.  David could not talk to Saul and resolve what was between them. He left that to God. David was a very successful warrior and behaved wisely, but David kept his hands clean when it came to Saul and when Saul was killed David mourned over him. Many people in David's situation probably would have jumped for joy.

God knows all that is going on, we most often don't.  The wisest thing we can do is put it in prayer mode and trust God to work it all out. We are not responsible for another's peace. If God wants us to get involved, then there will be some profitable outcome. He will will be very clear about the open door to the situation. Otherwise, we need to focus on our own pastures.

Living under the New Testament Covenant  with Jesus Christ as Lord means we are all God's sons and daughters. We have direct access to the Father whom we can turn to when we need help. Then how we deal with attacks will speak to the quality of His Word of our lives.

Abigail: 'Help melt' to 'Help meet'

David and his unique band of men were on the run from Saul for a while. It was a precarious lifestyle and required help from others from time to time. David escaped to the wilderness of Paran and learned about a wealthy man named Nabal from Maon who was having his sheep sheared in Carmel. David sent ten men to approach Nabal's sheep herders and insure them that they were friendly and not enemies and actually could help them in return for supplies. Nabal was described as churlish and mean spirited. He lived up to this description in his response. He was very surly to the ten men. When this was reported to David, he told his men to arm themselves for a fight. Some of Nabal's sheep shearers went to Nabal's wife, Abigail, and told her what was going on and enlisted her aid. This says a lot about the quality of her life and the respect they had for her.

Abigail is described as beautiful and full of understanding. Without her husband knowing it, she took the initiative to gather a large amount of supplies and food and made her way to David to ease the tension.  David listened to her wise admonitions and left. In this patriarchal culture, she must have been a bold, courageous woman. David obviously was impressed with her. When she returned home, her husband was drunk, so she wisely waited to talk to him when he was sober. When he heard what she had done, he 'became as stone' and died 10 days later. David upon hearing of Nabal's death sent for her to become his wife.

This woman recognized the future of David as king and saw it as a point of reasoning with him. There were some interesting things she said to him:

28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. 29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; 31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. I Samuel 25:28-31

When people traveled in this culture, they wrapped their valuables in a bundle to be kept in a safe place where they could diligently watch over them. Abigail was implying that God would keep him near and diligently watch over him. As for David's enemies, they would be like a stone which is put in a sling at its center and hurled out and away.

A person becomes as a stone out of hardness of heart. It involves  a way of thinking in reaction to life. There's an old saying I think of when I see hardness of heart:'The same sun that melts butter, hardens clay'. We are all susceptible to varying amounts of this type of attitude, but being reminded of 'being bound in the bundle of life with God' changes our perspective.

Samuel, the prophet of Israel, had recently died just prior to this whole incident. Saul was still king but was not walking with God.  David must have been so comforted to be reminded of what God saw in his future. Throughout this time in his life, he had faced pressures, constant threats and tough situations. Life is not always easy. It melted his heart when Abigail spoke. The Word can work that way for all of us; only sometimes it just takes a few gentle warm words, other times it may take a blow torch.

Abigail acting quickly (made haste in verses 18, 23 and 34) and confidently with grace, averted something that could have been deleterious for David.  What she said to David is the second longest (Deborah has the longest) record of any woman in the Old Testament.  As a woman, she is an  example with great strength, wisdom and an encouraging heart. Her words made a great impact on David and history for that matter. Like Sarah, Deborah, Ruth and Hannah, Esther and other great women, she is an example of how a woman of God can walk with great power to influence and help melt (reminds of the words 'helpmeet" in Genesis 2) critical situations that might have had different outcomes.

Amelioration and Pejoration of Words

Linguistics was one of the most fascinating classes I took in graduate school. A part of linguistics that is particularly interesting to me is the origins of words and their changes through time. For example, the word 'villain' originally described a rural farmer, today it indicates a wicked person. There are many words like it that have "evolved" through time.

The word 'minister' originally meant servant or subordinate. Inherent in the word 'minister' is the word 'minus' or 'minor'.  In both religious and political worlds, it was transformed through the ages into a rank or position of superiority (Father So-and-so and Prime minister). That is a big change.

Some words changed in elevation (amelioration), just as others were changed to be degraded (pejoration). An example of pejoration is the word 'judge'. It is a good thing to be able to decide between good and evil. Adding 'ment' to 'judge' still connotes something good. 'Ment' involves action on when used in combination with another word, thus the act of 'judging'. The related word 'judicious', is a good word also, meaning astute, careful, accurate, involving thoughtfulness. If we add an 'al' onto 'judgement' we get a word that has negative connotations in our culture today. Adding 'al' to a word such as 'judgement' links the action with the original word. So now we have the word 'judgemental' which through the years has been subject to pejoration and is taking 'judge' and 'judgment' down with it. Similarly 'discrimination' has evolved in such manner.

Both these words involve thought, but what must be remembered is the thinking behind the thought. Words can be used for both good and evil. Deborah was both a judge and judgmental and was highly respected. Her judgment was pure love as it came from God. Samuel was a judge and he listened to God. Samuel took a lot of heat for that. Saul exercised hurtful judgmental tendencies in his assessment of David. Good judgment involves love and bad judgment harms. Good judgment does not always garner respect and can be quite difficult, ask any parent, teacher or counselor.

Words are important vehicles to understanding. Words evolve because of culture, society, social mores and human influences. God's words never change. We have to keep this in mind as we assess situations so that we don't pin labels indiscriminately on others.

Love Consciousness and Sin Consciousness

We do not talk about 'sin' in polite conversation. It is a topic most people have avoided. It is a dark word and somewhat sinister (no pun intended). Who has taught us what sin is? Hellfire and damnation are the tracks along which sin seems to travel in religious circles. Lack of understanding of what meant by sin leads to apathy towards God which is what sin really is. Staying on the sin track of fear will drive people deeper into sin.

There is a lot in the Old Testament about what is sin and what is not. We can read about the ten commandments and the law, which pretty well spells out the no-nos of God. Jesus Christ in the New Testament narrows this down and sums it up by two simple laws: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

God is love and there is no darkness or ill-will in him. Sin should be defined with that in mind. God doesn't want to instill fear to get us to love him. There is nothing created by God on this earth that indicates that. The Bible does not teach us that.

There are a multiple number of things in this world that are evil, but they don't originate with God. If  the fear definition of sin prevails, apathy sometimes results and people make no effort to know God at all which is the goal of evil. God teaches us otherwise through his creation with sunrise and sunset.  Light gives us the ability to see what is going on, darkness involves groping. Just as we can grope in darkness in the physical world, the same can be said of the spiritual world.

In I John it says 'we love God because he first loved us'. Well, if you don't know God, how are you going love him and realize what he wants for you? To know him is to love him. That is the first pre-requisite for prayer. People tell me that they have trouble with getting their prayers answered and that God is very quiet. It may seem like that but there are reasons why it seems like that at times. The world is very noisy and busy. People just don't take the time to get to know the creator of the universe or how much he loves us. It is too easy to take someone else's word for it. We need to tap into God's word for understanding. Understanding comes with knowledge and application of that knowledge. That's how we find out how much God loves us.

'Sin' in the word of God is translated from the Greek word that means 'missing the mark'. If you can miss something, you can also decide to find it. I often think of this as an archery target where the target is the word of God. The field behind it is the world and all of its flaws, enticements, dangers and imperfections. When we miss the target, the arrows fall into the field and are subject to all that lies there. When focused, we can hit the target and get all the benefits of being above all of that.

We have been given free-will to do what we want. We aren't robots!  If a person wants to just mess around, that's his right.  It is not his right then  to say God landed him in the dirt or that God doesn't listen. God is love, he wants the best for us.

The Enemy of My Enemy is my Friend

David fought for God's people. In first Samuel, there are many accounts where the people didn't appreciate what he had done for them.  There was a lot of jealousy and pride.  His reputation was widely known as a warrior. Three times in I Samuel we read the phrase 'Saul hath slain thousands and David his 10,000'. That comparison not only irritated Saul ( Samuel 18:7), but it put fear in some of the Philistines (I Samuel 21:11, I Samuel 29:5) from whom David sought refuge when he had no other place to go. Saul and the Philistines were enemies. The Philistines were considered an enemy of Israel.

In first Samuel 21, the Philistine princes warned King Achish about him.  David, feigning madness, went from them. Certainly in the time period between I Samuel 21 and I Samuel 27, more was known about Saul chasing after David and that there was no place for him to seek refuge. King Achish of the Philistines offered him refuge and gave him Ziklag to settle in. It was located near area of Judah, where his own people lived. King Achish saw David for who he was and knew he could be trusted.

Philistia was a pagan land and did not worship the God of David. It must have been difficult for him just as it is for us in today's environment. David was wise and made the best of what was allotted to him.  God provided for him in just the right way. The book of Philippians (no connection to Philistia) comes immediately to my mind in this regard. The major theme in Philippians is confidence (Philippians 4:13), completeness (Philippians 4:19) and contentment (Philippians 4:11). Knowing what God offers us first makes us extremely powerful to walk wisely among people who don't believe the same things we do.

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

The words: 'fear and trembling' convey the message of respect and trust in God, realizing that we need God to the extent we do our best to fulfill what God asks of us. We are completely equipped to do what God sets before us. Read up on confidence, completeness and contentment in Philippians. The Book of Colossians continues along the same vein emphasizing how complete we really are despite what is going on around us.

Refined Gold

 Psalm 18 contains some golden nuggets that  give us a view of how God blessed and helped David in times of trouble.  Life wasn't always easy for him but God was his shield-like protection through it all because he continued to trust in God.

30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psalm 18:30

God's way is perfect (complete, sound). The word 'tried' as it was written in the Hebrew means 'refined' as in metallurgy. In refining gold, several steps have to be taken to sort out the other less desirable elements that get caught up with gold making it less pure.

We mine the Bible for the truth of the word of God. When we find truth it can be put to the test and it stands. It is pure gold. David did that over and over  and Psalm 18 is his witness.

Godly Collusion

After recent hearings in Washington, I am amazed by so many politicians that openly exhibit political motives going against someone or thing compared to those who are trying to do what is right and good. I am not naive to the fact that many people do things out of self interest at whatever cost to those with whom they don't agree, but it never ceases to amaze me how far people will go to disparage someone else they see as a competitor. In a competition, someone needs to win and someone needs to lose and therein lies the the problem.

David and Saul were supposed to be on the same side. They started out on the same side, but as time went on Saul continued to move to attack David. He followed after him doggedly obsessed with him. Saul was Israel's king. He was supposed to be looking out for the welfare of Israel. David always seemed to be looking out for Israel, so when Saul continued to chase after him, he made all his decisions based on the fact that Saul was King of Israel. Dave had opportunity to kill Saul, but didn't. Saul actively tried to kill David, but God protected David.

A clear example of David's heart is found in I Samuel 23. The Philistines attacked Keilah, a city of Judah. Saul was busy chasing David.  David was concerned about Keilah and asked God if he should go there and fight the Philistines.  God told David to go and that he would rescue them from the Philistines.The 600 men with David were afraid but in David's mind it was 600 men to 1 God. God won in David's mind.

For Saul, Keilah was the place he might catch David. I don't think Saul was thinking about the Philistines. David somehow knew what Saul was up to and asked God about staying in Keilah and whether the people of Keilah would turn him over to Saul to save themselves even though David had rescued them from the Philistines. God told David they would give him over to Saul. So David left Keilah and then Saul was no longer interested in going there.

Leadership is defined in many ways by men according to their own motives, desires and needs. I have heard people talk about 'natural leadership ability' as requirement for position. I'm really not sure what natural leadership ability is, but as I think back through the Old Testament, we can look at Moses as a leader, or Joseph and David and many others.  The families and people around these men did not quite think of them as leaders in the worldly sense. Their lives, however, were connected to God.  Moses was the meekest of all men (Numbers 12:3). Joseph was a 'man in whom the spirit of God is' (Genesis 41:38). David was a man after God's own heart' I Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). Their leadership ability lay in their dependence and love for God and many wonderful things happened because of it.

The greatest example today is Jesus Christ. The world was not kind to him, even his family at times doubted him, religious leaders criticized him, and political leaders didn't know what to do with him. He listened to God and led back then and continues to still lead today to bring people to God.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:20-21

Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding

The Colossians of the New Testament were faithful believers and, although Paul may not have traveled to Colosse, he had heard about their love in the spirit from Epaphras a 'fellow-servant 'of God. In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he expressed his hearts desire for them. What a great vision he had for them! God had put that desire in him.

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Colossians 1:9

The greatest thing you can believe and pray for in people is that they are filled to the brim with the knowledge of God's will. Many people have a knowledge of God and what he can do, but a smaller number of people really see God's will. The word 'will' is translated from the Greek word 'thelema' and has to do with God's love and his desire for the best in the lives of people.

Practically applying God's word in our lives rests and continues with wisdom and spiritual understanding.  Wisdom is skill in using knowledge and it involves spiritual understanding. Wisdom is mentioned many times in the book of Proverbs.  Solomon, who wrote Proverbs asked God for wisdom and wisdom he got!

7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

The book of Proverbs is loaded with tremendous practical application of God's love in the daily challenges of life as we relate to others and how we function as human beings. So often when I am having difficulty in understanding situations, the book of Proverbs comes to the rescue in getting to the bottom of what is going on.

I have met many people who know and recite the words of the Bible verbatim, but have little understanding as to how it really benefits them. They can recite and teach the great ideas in the Word but without wisdom and spiritual understanding the words of the Bible are just words. Too often, people quit their pursuit of God and fall back on emotion, feelings or other diversions to add juice and meaning to their lives. They miss out on the greatest resource that has ever been available for mankind.

The word of God is living and was never meant to be dull theology.  It is exciting! God has given us the gift of holy spirit to ensure that the 'eyes of our understanding can be enlightened' (Ephesians 1:18) when we look to God's word. The gift of holy spirit was made available to all who believe after the ascension of Jesus Christ to his highly exalted position as the head of the Church of God.

10 That ye might walk worthy (translated from the Greek word 'axios' conveying balance in regards to weights) of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: 11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Colossians 1:10-19

Behaving Oneself Wisely

In I Samuel 18, the words "behaving oneself wisely" appear several times as describing David's actions working during Saul's reign as king. David's wise behavior benefited Saul for a while until Saul started eying David as a competitor and fear started to take a hold on his thinking. The more Saul was afraid, David's actions was described as 'behaving wisely','behaving very wisely' and 'behaved more wisely' in chapter 18.

28 And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him. 29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by. I Samuel 18:29-30

God worked in David.  At times Saul tried to kill David and at other times he tried to trap him:

20 And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain. 22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law. I Samuel 18:20-22

Wise thinking is different than overthinking. Saul was a perfect example of overthinking. Fear was involved and it grew and motivated him.  David's actions were a result of trusting God (yes, there is active thinking in trusting God) and having a lack of fear.

So many times in life we have to deal with negative things and puzzling human behavior. We all, at times, allow emotional feeling to take control of our thinking. The puzzling behavior may indeed be real, and sometimes emotions may alert us to that fact, but it is our response that divides the rubber from the road. David was dealing with some dark situations but he believed and trusted God. Read through the Psalms written by David. You will find some great prayers recorded by David there which are great examples of David pouring his heart out to God.

                                           

Finding God

Recently, a question came up as to how a person can really get to know God. With more than 24,000 denominations around, where do you go to find truth? How do you know it is true? Usually, in the groups that I have been involved with through the years, I have found differences in doctrine and beliefs. The lack of unity among Christians can be quite discouraging. God, however, is far from discouraging.

It is not hard to see God's imprint on one's life. By imprint, I mean things like peace, joy and love that have completely bypassed understanding.  God is definitely a God of miracles and signs, things we can see, but He really inserts Himself much deeper in our hearts than we can see by our five senses.

I used to think finding truth was an insurmountable task. It is not really, but I think the culture around us might make it seem that way. The minute we start on a truth quest, God is quick to open his heart and we begin to start developing trust in who He is. When there is even a little bit of trust we can have patience as we are spurred on to learn more.

But where and how do we learn about Him?  For myself, I have look backed to the different teachers and groups that I have been involved in. In hind sight, I can see thankfully what some organizations contributed and also why at a certain point I got to a place in each where it was time, for a lot of different reasons, to  move on. 

For me there have been two constant companions in loving God: the Word and the gift of holy spirit. In these two entities lie the open door to truth. The Word is the story of God's heart and though we can't see God because He is spirit, the main topic of the Bible is the the revealing of His human son and what that means for a person who believes. Jesus Christ is the way to God. There is an Old Testament (before the birth of Jesus Christ) and a New Testament (after his birth and resurrection). God remains the same throughout the Bible. The birth of Jesus Christ brought a new dynamic to man's relationship to God. The gift of holy spirit (God is The Holy Spirit, holy spirit is His gift) unites all those who believe. Jesus Christ is the head of this group. He is Lord.  The words 'lord' and  'god' are titles indicating authority. He is the authority to the church. This means he has authority over his sphere of influence, the people who have responded to God and are connected through the spirit.

So where do you start? In order to understand anything about God, you have to take a look at His Words. You go directly to the source.  I think there are great people who teach the Bible, but our faith should not be based on an organization, or people. God will bring people across your path to help for the purpose of building up and equipping you with the skills to function in the church of Christ. We have a leader in Jesus Christ and we personally have God's word and communication through holy spirit. That's the New Testament! 

The Bible is not just printed pages. With a humble approach to its contents, it is a source of life! People I have talked with claim that there are too many versions and translations for it to be right. Actually, I read the King James Version and that probably the hardest one to read. I'm no genius but through trusting in God and staying at it, the spirit of God enlivens that book like no other. Having the King James Version incredibly inspire me is a testimony in and of itself!

It is obvious that God created the heavens and the earth.  We can see that everywhere we look! So why not start in Genesis chapter 1 and start reading. Ask God questions and be patient. If you don't understand it, don't worry about it, let Him work in your heart.  The Old Testament is chock full of men and women who stood for God and yet had many flaws and indiscretions. They did great things. So don't let guilt, shame and condemnation stop your search either.

There is a God of this universe that created the beautiful blue sky, sunsets, sunrises, trees, flowers, stars and the human body.  When you look at a tree you don't see all the magnificent things going on inside it until you start examining it closely and asking questions like: "why are the leaves flat like they are?" If you start looking at the Word in the same way, you will be amazed! It is the most important thing you'll ever do.

Drawn Because of Our Love For God

The fact that David is called 'a man after God's own heart' indicates that David's nature had a God-centered personality. This would draw people to him for different reasons. After the defeat of Goliath, David got a lot of attention, including the King of Israel, Saul:

58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. 18 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. I Samuel 17:58 - I Samuel 18:1

Jonathan, the son of Saul, was also drawn to David. A further read into the depth of these relationships shows different reasons. Jonathan and David's relationship is later describe as having a 'covenant of the Lord' (I Samuel 20:8).  Jonathan was drawn spiritually to David as a man who loved God. Saul's relationship moved in another direction toward viewing David as a competitor after seeing how people reacted to David:

9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God (it wasn't from God, but because Saul had waded into the spiritual mud so to speak and he was getting dirty)  came upon Saul, and he prophesied  in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. 11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.

Jonathan's recognition of who David was protected David from Saul.  The love of God was involved.
Saul had become senses orientated and was looking at what David was doing to his reputation. He allowed evil to dominate his thinking.

As people who love God, the same thing happens in our lives. Some people will like us and some people won't. We have been equipped with holy spirit to  recognize the difference so that we can still operate in love toward all and not let evil control our relationship with God.  Evil will always try to do this so sometimes we have to draw the line and be wise in the way we handle our relationships with the love of God.


Note:
This section  in John came to mind in regards to Jesus Christ's life in light of how some are drawn to Jesus Christ and not others:

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can (dunamis -stored power) come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father (with the revelation of the word and the gift of holy spirit). 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. John 6:61-66

Thankfulness IS Believing

A good yardstick for believing is one's degree of thankfulness. Being thankful to God means there is a good amount of believing going on. There is so much around us to remind us of God's goodness.  Just as no amount of darkness can ever cover light, God's love always outshines the evil that exists in this world.

As I read through chapter by chapter and book by book (I and II Samuel, Chronicles, Psalms and several more) of David's life and his heart for God, thankfulness pops up everywhere. David got it done for God. He was able to get through all the hard things and do big things, because he really acknowledged the goodness of God in his life. His worship was not a religious exercise, it was heart-felt devotion and true.

The world is in dire need of a good dose of thankful living. It is the greatest thing we can teach to our kids. The way we teach it not necessarily by telling them to be thankful, but by reminding them of the great things God has done, and teaching them to remember all the ways in which God has poured his heart out, and how God loves them and shows his love everyday. There are plenty of things to point out. God's handiwork is everywhere.  Sometimes I think we do too much for our kids and don't leave room for God to bless them himself.

I think we can do that to ourselves too. We go out roaring to take on the world's pressures sometimes, and all we really need to do is stand still and wait on God. The Israelites in the Old Testament faced off against many enemies. In one such battle God told them he was going to handle it:

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.2 Chronicles 20:17

When we see God step in like this it is mind blowing! It says in Romans that it is the goodness of God that leads a heart to God. We learn to love God not by being told we should love God, we love God in response to his love. I John puts it very simply:

We love God, because he first loved us! (I John 4:19)

I am so thankful to God for this very reason.  Even on bad days, he is even more lavish with his love if I let him. That is, of course, unless on that particular day I like being miserable. Usually when that happens I start wondering who turned out the lights because miserableness is just plain miserable. Many times when I'm having a rough day, he leads me into a giving situation and that fires me up and out of the mud.

God has got a lot of love up his sleeve to help out. We just have to get rid of the condemnation, guilt and shame and access righteousness, which he gave us long ago in Christ. That is what believing is all about! When we see the results of this powerful love over and over we build more and more thankfulness into our heart which insulates us against the next negative that comes along. Hey, if he raised Christ from the dead; how simple it must be to rescue us from the negative mind doldrums with the word!

After God's Own Heart - Offer Righteous Sacrifices-Psalm 4:5

In I Samuel 9-15 is the record of the rise and fall of Israel's first king, Saul.  Israel had demanded a king to rule them. God was not all too excited about the idea, but knowing where their heads and hearts were at, he had Samuel anoint Saul. Samuel reminded the people about what it was like when God was recognized as the king in chapter 12. He reminded them of all God had done to take care of them in the face of enemies and he pointed out the fallacy of appointed a king instead of having God as their ruler:

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. 14 If ye will fear (reverence) the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:. I Samuel 12:12-14

In chapter 13, the heart of Saul was exposed when he did not wait for Samuel to come to make offerings to God as Samuel had instructed him(I Samuel 10:8). Instead he made the offerings himself. His foolishness in doing this was not about him making the offerings instead of Samuel. Instead of trusting God in the escalation of pressure that was surrounding him, he decided to handle his anxiety through his own urgency instead of trusting God.

12 therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. 13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. I Samuel 13:12-14

The word 'forced' is indicative of his mindset that Saul had. God was looking for a man after his own heart. David has been called a man after God's own heart. Throughout the 70 Psalms that David wrote, there are wonderful examples of that kind of heart such as in Psalm 4:4-5.

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

Sometimes it is hard for us to stand still in the righteousness that God has given us, but that is where trust takes abode.  It is in righteousness we can effectually serve our God, not in dead, ineffectual  religious zealous works which we feel forced to do to be right.  Rightness is given by grace, it is ours for the trusting.

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons in life that we can learn is not to push too hard and learn to enter into the rest that God has provided us.

Do We Really Believe This?

Ephesians 2:18 is a remarkable verse when we really think about what it means!  I have heard many quote this 'access stuff' often. I've heard it quoted in churches, conversations, small group gatherings, families and read it in books.

The living of this thinking is actually less often seen.  It is an amazing concept and privilege. We should repeat it over and over and plaster it everywhere. This verse represents security, confidence, boldness, peace, freedom, power, satisfaction, soundness and ultimately the real kind of love! It eradicates blame, false judgment, shame, angst, conflict, dissonance, the stinky kind of pride, arrogance and any other type of controlling behavior that jumps up with the pressures of this world.

Spiritual authority comes from God and God chose to make access to his authority available to everyone who chooses to believe. Even though we get older and older and grow in wisdom, we may have sagacity but it has to be accurately applied with meekness to the source. The greatest sages I have ever known are the quietest, most patient and also are continually learning and listening themselves. I have seen bible believing, pure-hearted children say wise, timely, and breathtaking comments that encourage and amaze arising from inherent spontaneous meekness. The implications of Ephesians 2:18 and its context go far beyond our own limited thinking.

The more we recognize and see God working in others, the more we can learn ourselves. This builds respect and promotes relationships that thrive and flourish with spiritual impact. It keeps us out of the oh so! damaging and ignorant, busybody category that promulgates gossip and ill-feelings.

The greatest thing we can do for others is to help them see the 'access stuff'. It is the apex of the grace administration in which we live. The great David lived in a time that only certain individuals had access.  Out of his lineage came another man, a mediator who eventually through his function as The Messiah, ushered in the new age of access for anyone who believes.  One man believing God had a larger widespread responsibility (which may be too much) than everyman believing God in his own easily defined sphere of influence. Yes, we ought to plaster this verse everywhere and maybe even re-nail it to the Wittenberg door as a reminder of the  re-form-u-lation of the New Testament grace administration. Failure to see this keeps the grace administration in a box. Grace is free.

Context:
Ephesians 2:13-22