Enemies of Love

On December 2, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 139: 20

For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.

This verse strikes me as outlandish. David is talking with God and says that people speak wickedly against God and that His enemies profane His name. Well, let’s start with speaking against God. We know it is true that people speak against God but honestly, doesn’t that just sound insane? I mean, think about it for a moment, why would anyone do that and what would they say. Then it struck me. Even Christians say horrific things about God. They talk about God making them sick and beating them up. They develop all kinds of theories that sound pretty spiritual but in the end is a bunch of bunk. They speak wickedly against God. And you know what; it makes me kinda crabby to hear it, probably because I used to do the same thing. I thought God was the one that caused my knee injuries and the good Christians I was around at the time said that it would make me stronger. Well, it made me strong alright; so strong and so stone like that there was very little tenderness left. In fact, I was so strong and so fortified that I couldn’t even hear or feel God. Perhaps, it wasn’t God afterall. Why would He do something that would ultimately separate me from Him? Is He stupid? I don’t think so.

And then there is the part where David talks about God’s enemies. Really, God has enemies? Who in their right mind wants to be an enemy of God? You see, the problem here is that we just don’t understand God in the least. God is love. He doesn’t just love people; He is love. You are made up of flesh and bone and He is made of love. So how in the world can anyone be an enemy of love? Okay, that is ridiculous. People get all philosophical about God and reason out all of these wonderful ideas but in the end they end up sounding like idiots because at the base of it all they are speaking against love and it takes an idiot to speak against love. The truth is that they are afraid. They are afraid that some kind of responsibility will fall on them if they acknowledge their father. They may have to start being nice to folks or extending some generosity. Oh heaven, He might ask them to become givers and bless some other people. It is just a fear based philosophy and anything that has its root in fear is corrupt and corrosive. 

I want to be a friend of God and I want people to know that He is nice. Maybe if we talk nice about God people will get a revelation. Perhaps if we demystify God and help people understand that He is here with us and available for a one on one relationship they will see Him as more than a vain philosophy and connect with love. We can pray that love will fill them and minister life and joy to them. I think that would make the world a much nicer place for all people.

Back to Top

Making a Good Target

On December 1, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Samuel 17: 1 – 2

Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. And I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and will terrify him so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone.”

Ahithophel suggests a good strategy; wait until your enemy is exhausted and fall on him. When one is tired or stressed out he is a much easier target. Satan knows this. He wants to see you stay stressed and exhausted because you make an easy victim. Imagine what he can do with an entire culture of over-worked and over-stressed people.  

Jesus is the author of peace. When we are fixed on him we are at peace. Soon the world comes in to crash our peace party. Then we find ourselves disrupted and keyed up. In fact, when you take account of yourself you may find that you are stirred up on the inside. That settled, calm feeling has flown. This is exactly what the devil is after. He can do more to damage your health, emotions and life if he can keep you in an agitated state. Some of us retain that agitation even at rest. We never fully relax. I know for many years as a practicing attorney that was the story of my existence. I could rarely ever let myself relax into a completely restful and peaceful state. The most pronounced effect was in my health. I was a mess. You see, peace will guard and keep you and I had none.

The key to living in peace and actually letting peace have a place in your heart is fixing your eyes on Jesus. I was very active in church during that phase of my life so church wasn’t the answer. Even though I attended church and all of the church functions, I really never had quiet time with Jesus. On the surface it seemed like I was doing all of the right things but now, in retrospect, I can see that I never allowed the calm of Jesus to ever sink down into my heart. I kept myself on high alert all of the time. Every nerve tingled with anticipation. Sure, I prayed and praised God but I just didn’t have quiet time for Him and me to commune within my heart. Even when I tried to meditate my mind ran at 1000 miles an hour. This is no way to live and in fact, I was killing myself. And God could barely talk to me. My world was too loud for His voice so He couldn’t even lead me out of my mess.

King David was able to be led by God and it saved him more than once. But he spent quiet time alone with God where he would even still his own spirit so that the Spirit of God could speak to him. He learned to be still and rest his mind, spirit and body so that he did not make a bigger target for Satan’s attacks. If he had not done so, God would not have been able to lead him out of trouble because David would not have been able to hear Him.

So here is my advice … don’t follow my former example. It is a stupid ruse that Satan has planted in our culture that will destroy you. Believe me in this. Instead, follow peace. Learn to give your body, mind and spirit rest and invest time spent with Jesus, the author of peace. Your health, relationships and even your success will be positively impacted if you do.

Back to Top

Cheers

On November 28, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 20: 1     NIV

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Now is a fine time to tell you this after you have had a big Thanksgiving feast complete with holiday toasts. The point is, though, that this is not a law. Notice this verse comes out of one of the wisdom books. It is not out of the law. That should affect the way we perceive what is being taught us. 

Solomon was blessed with wisdom. He shares his God given insights in the book of Proverbs. The purpose of providing these proverbs is to help all who follow to go in the way that will benefit them. In other words, this is not a book of rules. This is a book of advice from the guy who got it directly from God. Everything in this book is intended to make your life better. I will tell you, though, that Solomon does not explain himself. He doesn’t tell us why we should do one thing or another. He simply points in the right direction. Therefore, you do not have to fight with the book of Proverbs. Its passages are only there for your edification. Of course, wisdom might drive us to give attention to these sage passages.

Some researchers tell us that a little red wine is good for us. Hey, even a little dark chocolate can be good for you. The problem is that Americans (by which I refer to residents of the USA) do not seem able to enjoy things in moderation. Where one glass of wine tasted good we choose another. One beer leads to two, three, etc. Now this isn’t a lecture. The point is that in our excesses we are killing ourselves. And even worse than that, we are causing ourselves sickness. At least when you die you are free of the pain. Having to live with illness can be terrible. Alcohol kills brain cells. Now you may have brain cells to spare but I do not so I do not want to do those things which will cause a rapid degeneration of my thought process. Our diets are also contributing to brain dysfunction. You see, most of the problems we blame on old age really are not that at all. They are problems that we have brought on ourselves by our abuse of our bodies.

Secondly, how many people do you know who are improved by alcoholic drink? I cannot think of one. Most of the people I know are less fun to be around when they have been drinking. I assume I am not improved either. We really do damage our lives by our gross consumption of alcohol. How many families have been torn apart because of alcohol? How many people are killed on America’s highways because of drunk driving? Well, you have heard all of this before but every once in a while it pays to take stock of our lives and make sure we have not lost the balance. I am not telling you that you have to be a tea totaller. That is not my business. It is a call that only you can make but I do want you to evaluate the balances in your life. I want you to look at your family and ask if alcohol consumption is adding value to their lives. Especially look at your children, even your adult children. You don’t want to cause them pain for the sake of a beer.

We are entering the season where we attend more parties than any other time of year. I simply want to get your attention before the parties start so as to alert you to the pitfalls that sometimes await us amidst the holiday reverie. Don’t let wine make a fool out of you. And certainly don’t let beer make you a brawler. Please have a care this season that you are not led astray by alcohol. Let the Spirit of the Lord fill you. I promise you that it is much more gratifying. I want the best for you. I want you healthy, wealthy and wise. That is why I started writing this devotional eight years ago. That is why Solomon wrote the Proverbs, to minister life to all he could. Enjoy your glass of wine with dinner if you want. Just don’t be a prisoner to over-indulgence or abstinence. Let the Lord speak to you and lead you. Ask the Lord for more of the Holy Spirit this season. You can never have too much of him.

Back to Top

Thanksgiving

On November 27, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 95: 2

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I pray your day will be full of joy. Do you know the easiest way to insure that it will be full of joy? The answer is to inject it with thanksgiving and praise. When we enter God’s presence with thanksgiving, our hearts immediately fill with joy. Sometimes we are so busy that we don’t acknowledge all of the blessing that is ours every day. That is what makes Thanksgiving Day so special. It is a day when we stop and regard our lives and in so doing take notice of all of the faithfulness that God, our Father, fills our days with.

My encouragement to you today, then, is to not only come before God with your offering of thanksgiving but also to be loud about the multitude of blessing that He provides for you daily. Sing psalms and shout because He is worthy of our praise and because when you fill your heart and mouth with praise you minister to your own soul. Make a joyful noise to the Lord for He is good and so worthy to be praised. 

Have a great day!

Back to Top

Eyes of Expectation

On November 26, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 15: 7       NIV

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

Sometimes you work and work, you give and give and yet you see no fruit from your effort. It can be very frustrating. Well, God has a word of encouragement for you today. “Don’t give up.” He sees your effort and He is guarding every one of those little seeds you are planting. You will have your reward.

The farmer plants the field and goes to bed. Each day he checks the field to see if any sprouts are sticking their heads out through the soil. One morning he gets up and finds that the seed has sprouted and there a young plant is growing. For days and days when the farmer checked his field there was no evidence of the work he had done. We sow the seed but then it is God’s job to cause the seed to germinate and send forth fruit. It often looks like nothing is happening but God is working on something. Sometimes when you least expect it fruit will appear. You may have planted a seed twenty years ago. Perhaps you have even forgotten about it or given up on it but God is watching that little seed. He is guarding it and watering it. Then one day, out of the blue, here comes your harvest.

Your job is just to plant seeds. God provides the harvest. There is nothing a farmer can do to make a seed transform into a plant. That is the miracle that God brings forth. Just keep faith in the seed and the one who keeps the seed. Approach every day with a great sense of expectation. I planted grass seed this fall. I put a lot of work into preparing the soil, putting out the seed, watering, and fertilizing. Almost every day I would walk around my yard and look for any signs that my effort was going to take root. Day after day I searched for any evidence of grass. Sometimes I could see the little seeds laying there. They looked dead and parched. Day after day there was no sign of success until I had begun to wonder if my seed was bad. Then one day a few blades became visible. The next thing I knew, there was grass sprouting all over the place. The lawn took on a general green cast like the green of spring and I was ecstatic. The work did pay off. God didn’t let me down. There was a sense of expectation that those little seeds would produce grass and I checked almost daily in anticipation but I almost gave up when I didn’t see the fruit of my effort when I expected to. Don’t do that. Just keep your eyes on Jesus and expect him to bring in the harvest. Every morning let your anticipation be renewed in the light of Jesus. He has not fallen asleep and he has not forsaken your little seed. Just hang in there. God is working under the soil where you can’t see it. All of a sudden you will reap a harvest and it will be an occasion of great joy and celebration.

Back to Top

I Have The Power

On November 25, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 15: 2

“Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

You are in charge of your relationship with God. Did you realize that? You can be as close as you want or as distant. It is your call. In fact, did you know that God cannot breakup with you? What power that is. If you decide you do not wish to have a relationship with God then that is your call but He cannot make the same election. He has given all power over your union with Him to you.

In the verse for today we see Asa, King of Judah, being given this same message. The Lord is with you when you choose to be with Him and have Him with you. He is found when you Seek Him and His face will only be hidden from you when your turn away. God has given us power and a free will. He will even let you go to hell if you choose to. In fact, He cannot prevent it if you so choose. He has given us ultimate power in choosing how to live our lives because He wanted children, not robots. He wants to have a meaningful relationship with beings He could actually even call “friend.”

But as Spiderman says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” That is the part which some of us struggle with because if we do not have the relationship with God that we want the responsibility lies with us. Now, that is not what I wanted to hear; still don’t sometimes, but there is something very empowering in that statement because it also means that I can affect the relationship. I can choose whether God will be found by me or not. All I have to do is seek. He has no choice but to be found. I like that. If I choose to be with God, or if you choose to be with Him, then He has no choice but to be with us. You see, God is omnipotent but that does not actually mean He can do all things. He has hemmed Himself in by His own rules. He actually hasn’t the power in some things because He has given that power away. It was His choice. We certainly didn’t make Him do anything He didn’t want to do but once He makes a rule it binds Him as much as it does anyone else. He will not violate His laws. So, if you want to kick Him out of your life, then you are fully able. On the other hand, if you seek Him He cannot help but be found by you.

From my personal experience I can also testify that this is true. I did blame God for our relationship not being all that I wanted and I put Him on notice that I was going to hunt Him down. And hunt Him I did. After years and years of living in the desert I found that there was an oasis right over the near dune and that it was He. He was calling to me, “Come; come to the cool water and drink. I am here. I am awaiting you. He was there all along, right in front of my face but the noise in my head was too loud for me to hear. My heart was anesthetized and unable to hear. But brother when I opened my eyes and ears and went searching for Him He exploded on the scene. He was waiting for me and met me with such vibrancy that my body, soul and spirit have been pulsating ever since. And I know that I will never live in the desert again. I think about all those wasted years roaming around in the desert lost when He was right there all along trying to be seen by me.

Don’t be a fool like I was. Open your ears and eyes right now. Let God know that you intend to find Him and when you open your eyes you will find Him standing right in front of you. The power is yours. Determine what kind of relationship you want with God and make it so.

Back to Top

The Wise Follower

On November 24, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 13: 7

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

On two occasions the Apostle Paul encouraged people to imitate him. The first occurrence is in 1 Corinthians 4: 16 where he wrote, “I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me.” I find that remarkable. What kind of confidence does it take to tell people to examine your life and imitate it? Isn’t that exactly what today’s verse teaches though? The second time Paul instructs people to follow him by imitating his life is in 1 Corinthians 11: 1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” The key is in the last phrase. He was confident in his following of Christ. “Follow me as I follow Christ,” he might say.

No one walks this journey alone. There is no such thing as a self-made person. We all stand upon someone else’s shoulders. The wise among us are better at this than the rest of us. They don’t let their ego inhibit their growth. For some people, advancing on the journey is more important than trying to be their own leader. There is an expression in legal circles that an attorney who represents himself in litigation has a fool for a client. The same sort of wisdom can be applied to our spiritual journey. Only a fool would nominate himself as his own leader. How can I lead myself where I have not yet gone?

I am increasingly aware of and impressed by the number of times the Bible addresses humility. It is one of the overarching principles in the Bible. Humility goes with honor. Pride is associated with one’s destruction (Proverb 16: 18). Pride is often joined with foolishness while humility is the hallmark of the wise.   The reason this is important is that the number one reason we do not submit to another’s leadership is ego. If we can embrace humility, then we can benefit from the wisdom of those who have gone before us.

There are people in the body of Christ who have been appointed as leaders and they bear a tremendous burden because they have been given the responsibility for leading the flock. Having been appointed to positions of leadership has not made them perfect but still they lead the way for us. As today’s verse teaches, we are able to consider the result of their conduct, which is the same as beholding their fruit. If the fruit is good then humble yourself and receive the benefit of their instruction. 

I want you to be a follower even if you have been chosen as a leader because only good followers make good leaders. I do want you to be wise in who you follow though. Let us look again at today’s verse. Beyond being a person who bears good fruit they also must be one who speaks the Word of God to you. I don’t care how wise or how awesome they seem, if their advice is worldly then they are deceived and will soon lead you in to deception. And by now we all know who the author of deception is. Paul intones, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” In like manner we might say, “Follow this advice which I have received from the Lord Jesus.” We also should follow those who are following Christ. There is no one of this earth who can give us wisdom that eclipses that of God. So, why would we listen to those fools? And yet we do. In plain language let us be clear. Do not take financial advice from someone who does not tithe. Do not take relationship advice from someone who does not have a deep and abiding relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. Do not take business advice from someone who has not made Christ the Lord over their business. We have learned what happens when we follow worldly fiscal and business advice. We end up in an upside down economy such as we experienced in 2008 and the years following.

Lastly, I wish to strongly encourage you to honor those who are leading you. Read today’s verse again. Who does it bring to your mind? Who has spoken the Word of God to you? Of course our pastors spring to our minds and I wish for you to show them honor and gratitude because theirs is a difficult job to say the least. Perhaps there are some other people who have given you the benefit of their walk with the Lord. Hearken to their voice and bless them however you may.

Back to Top