SHEBNA WAS FIRED!

Who is Shebna and who fired him?

Shebna was the caretaker of the royal palace in Jerusalem around 710 B.C.  God fired him!

"Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. Instead of serving Him with humility and offering love to their neighbors, the nation of Judah offered meaningless sacrifices in God’s temple at Jerusalem and committed injustices throughout the nation. The people of Judah turned their backs on God and alienated themselves from Him, which created the need for Isaiah’s pronouncements of judgment—declarations made in the hope that God’s chosen people would return to Him."  [Insight for Living Ministries - https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-major-prophets/isaiah]

In this chapter, God is trying to save the Judeans from destruction by getting them to trust Him again for deliverance.  

Knowing that God had promised King David that his dynasty would continue, the people thought that they were invincible and forever safe!  

"So when the enemy threat materializes on their border and moves right into bowshot, they do what most people do; they make reasonable, defensive preparations.  But what they forgot to do is key; they forgot to turn to God.  They put their trust in their weapons and their engineering skills.  They ignore the One who established the city and made them a nation in the first place...God is about to make a change."   [The Voice Bible, 2012, editorial comment, p.816]

 God appoints Eliakim the son of Hilkiah - who God refers to as "My faithful servant" [22:20] - to replace Shebna!  God promises to bless the work of this new leader and invest great authority in his leadership.

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This theme is repeated over and over again throughout the Old Testament.  The people turn to other resources for salvation and help, rather than turning to God Almighty!  

It reminds me of a line from a song recorded by the Kingston Trio [and Peter, Paul and Mary]:  "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?"

"...when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?"

 Do we do the same?

Absolutely!

We pride ourselves on our self-dependence!  We store up, shore up, garner resources as though we can manage whatever comes.  

How many times does God bring calamity toward us in hopes that we will turn to Him?  

Even in the perilous days we currently are experiencing with hints at 'WWIII', 'nuclear war' and 'anarchy' being echoed by our various news sources - do we see a consequent turning to God?

Rather, there is a complacent trust that the weapons and arsenal of the United States will be sufficient to resist even the combined forces of our two greatest threats: a coalition of Russia and China.  

Our pompous and blind trust in an increasingly 'woke' military seems limitless.  

The Church has lost its voice.  It's adherents dissipate.  Morality evaporates.  Distrust in governmental leadership escalates!  

So many live in blind trust that nothing really bad can happen to us in the United States!  We feel safe even while millions of illegal immigrants have been allowed to move in among us without being vetted or tracked.  

And the lines of communication to God have fallen into disuse.  

And God sees it all - and is about to fire Shebna again!  

DAVID THE MUSICIAN

 I just read the first few verses of Psalm 33.

Release your heart's joy in sweet music to the Eternal.  When the upright passionately sing glory-filled songs to Him, everything is in its right place.  Worship the Eternal with your instruments, strings offering their praise;  write awe-filled songs to Him on the ten-stringed harp.  Sing to Him a new song; play each the best way you can, and don't be afraid to be bold with your joyful feelings.

[All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.  Remember that this version prints words that are NOT in the original text in italics.]

At one point in my life, a dear friend - Ron Kelly - gifted me with a very fine, twelve-string guitar.  He did so as an investment in my future ministry!  I was forty-three at the time.  Later, Ron also gifted my son, Troy, with a Martin guitar.  Neither of us knew how to play guitar!

I had just assumed the leadership of a congregation in Maryland with an attendance of around 40-50 people.  This was quite a change after leading a growing congregation of over two hundred in East Liverpool, Ohio.  Consequently, I had a bit more leisure than I was accustomed to.  😉

I began learning to play and coaxed Troy to do so too.  Before long, we were leading the Sunday evening service in simple choruses that we had learned.  It was good for both of us!  The people seemed to enjoy our simple leadership and the new songs we presented.  

However, I never pursued playing in the public forum beyond that brief exposure.  Playing my guitar became something that I reserved for my personal relationship with God.  I compiled a book of printed songs that I flipped through day-after-day - singing and praising the Lord in private.  

Over the years, there were only a few times when I was coaxed to play in public.

I suppose you could say that I had David's heart, but certainly not his skill level!  But God never rejected my gifts.  The use of my guitar took my personal worship to another level!  

After a painful departure from the church in Maryland, we passed through some deep waters for many months before landing in Akron, Ohio.  We connected with the Cornerstone Church where I became a staff member working with Pastor Brenda Young.  God had clearly brought a mix of leaders together and - as a result - the church experienced explosive growth!  

My corner office was adjacent to the office suite where several others worked in close proximity.  I arrived early and spent my first hour or so playing my guitar and worshipping the Lord.  I was oblivious to the possibility that others might be hearing me.  I sang and cried out my praises to God in total freedom!

When it came time for our family to move on to our next ministry assignment, the church 'roasted' me.  Of all the humor and fun that we enjoyed that night, what stands out is the comment that our secretarial staff made:

[An approximate]  "When we would come in, we would hear Pastor Hal singing, playing, praying and praising the Lord!  We often quietly joined him in his worship with tears in our eyes."  

I had no idea!  Their comment blessed me!  

For whatever reasons, I didn't play as much while we lived in New Middletown, Ohio, although I was coaxed [by Dave Sargent] to play publicly a few times  [Please note: you would not be impressed with my minimal skill level!]  

Then, in 2012, we moved to Changchun, PRC, for three years!  I couldn't take my guitar.  I missed it! I had periods of leisure that would have allowed me to play more.  I needed the boost it gave to my personal worship!  Eventually, with the help of my teammates, I purchased a guitar.  I loved it.  It had a very pleasant ring to it and my personal worship took off again as I downloaded songs and played them.  I really wanted to bring it home, but the awkwardness of doing so convinced me to gift it to one of my favorite students.

Gradually, due to storage, my prized guitar became unplayable - long story.  I haven't played guitar since 2015.  I miss it.  

I'm currently exploring to find a guitar suitable for my personal enjoyment.  I miss singing for my Lord!  He is my exclusive audience - an audience of One!  I'll keep you posted.  

What can you do that will enrich and enliven your personal worship of our great God?  

GOOD THINGS CAN BE A CHALLENGE

Before February, I was enjoying the 'retired life'.  😊

I was free to do something that I love - spending hours in my study every morning reading devotionals, reading my Bible, and writing.  This had been a dream for me during all of those busy years of leading growing churches!

However, since February I have been called back into duty to serve a church as an interim pastor.  Once again, I find myself waking up with a preoccupation with things that concern the church and its people.  Often I am distracted from my Bible reading and study by the obligations and responsibilities that come with leading a church.  

Just a simple trip to the church involves a three-hour round trip.  Then, of course, there's a message to prepare and meetings to plan for and lead.  Praise the Lord, there are a growing number of people responding to God's 'call' into the ministry that need guidance and coaching through the system of entering 'the ministry'!  

All of this responsibility is a challenge to me.  I find myself having to be diligent to maintain the balance between yardwork, home responsibilities, doing the budget, car maintenance, projects and the requirements of this ministry.

This is not a complaint!  Accepting this role has been a good thing: hopefully for the church and certainly for me!  It has renewed my passion for the local church.  It has restored a sense of focus and stirred dormant gifts and abilities.  It has challenged me as a leader and given me influence among a  remarkable group of young leaders!  Although I might not call it fun, I certainly would refer to it as rewarding!  

A time-or-two, I've reflected on the time when this temporary responsibility will end.  I'm confident that I'll miss the predictable responsibilities that have accompanied this period.  I worry that I may be immersed in boredom and a sense of purposelessness.  However, the years have taught me that new directions will open, new projects will arise and renewed practices will once again give direction to my life.

Somewhere - buried on this currently cluttered desk - is a list of projects that I want to see accomplished before my life comes to an end!  The last time I looked at that list was January and I remember it feeling rather overwhelming then.  I'm sure it will keep me focused for a good while!  

Meanwhile, it's Wednesday and I have a sermon to write, a worksheet to prepare, communion to prepare for, a Finance Team meeting later today and...

DUTY CALLS

I’m currently reading an old devotional book written by William Barclay, a British Bible scholar.  His context leaks out in nearly everything he writes.

Today I read of a situation where a group of elite, British Coldstream Guards who were under siege fought their way out of this dilemma, but with tremendous losses among their ranks!  Out of two battalions, only two hundred men were left. 

These survivors were cared for by the Royal Air Force. 

“A Coldstream Guards major was talking to the R.A.F. unit’s medical officer.  The R.A.F. man said, ‘After all, as Foot Guards, you had no option but to have a go.’  Another R.A.F. man said: ‘It must be pretty tough to be in the Brigade of Guards, because the tradition compels you to carry on irrespective of circumstances.’

It was simply a sense of duty which turned these men into heroes.”

As an American, I’m confident that our special forces fighters have had similar experiences where the tradition compelled them to bravery and the risking of their lives!

Being compelled by duty seems to be a less admirable trait in the current culture.  Duty seems often thought of as mundane, trivial, and obligatory. 

Yet duty gives direction and clarity in many cases.  It leaves no doubt.  It helps to sustain a sense of purpose.  It develops faithfulness and creates camaraderie! 

“There was never anyone in whom the sense of duty was stronger than it was in Jesus Christ.  He went to His work saying: ‘I must.’”

·        “I must be about My Father’s business”  -  Luke 2:49

·        “I must preach the gospel”  -  Luke 4:43

·        He tells His disciples that He “must go to Jerusalem”  -  Matthew 16:21

·        “The Son of Man must suffer” -  Mark 8:31

·        “The Son of Man must be delivered up”  -  Luke 24:7

·        “I must work the works of Him that sent Me”  -  John 9:4

·        “The Son of Man must be lifted up”  -  John 12:34

Duty sometimes gets us up and out-the-door.  But as a result of duty’s motivation, good things happen and good connections are made!  Things get accomplished!

Duty is not a bad word!  It’s just fallen into disuse in a culture that glorifies fun, indulgence and diversion! 

Thankfully, many ARE still motivated by duty!  Our military, our police, our first-responders - as well as others would still answer the question, "Why did you risk your life?" with the response: "It was my duty!"

OK, GOD, I HEARD YOU!

Do you recognize God's voice when He speaks?

This has been a chronic problem for many people throughout the history of humanity.  

God called Moses up onto the mountain where He then spoke to him like a man speaks with another man.  

And GOD spoke with Moses face-to-face, as neighbors speak to one another.

Exodus 33:11 (TM)

 According to Genesis 17:1 (NIV),

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said to Abram, 'I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.'" 

But by David's time, God had begun speaking through the 'Urim and Thummim' which were gemstones embedded on the priest's garments that allowed David to receive answers from God.   

OK, Hal, that's all well-and-good, but how does God speak today in the 21st century?

Well, there are a number of answers, foremost among them would be through His Word (the Bible).  

But the purpose of this blog is not to address the full subject of the question.  Rather, I'd like to address the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.

We typically think of three ages of revelation of the triune God:

1. The Old Testament period was predominated by God the Father.
2. The Gospels represent a period when Jesus [God Incarnate] came to teach and prepare for the future.
3. The rest of the New Testament explains and illustrates the work/age of the Holy Spirit!

We live in the age of the Holy Spirit!  He directs the work of the Church in accord with the Word of God!

Christ-followers have the capacity of hearing directly from the Holy Spirit because at our salvation, He takes up residence within us!  

But believers have to cultivate the ability to hear the voice of the Spirit!  

This can happen while we're listening to our pastor bring a message on Sunday.  It can also happen when we read from God's Word and suddenly find ourselves sensing the Spirit's direction as we read.  It can happen virtually at any time and in any place if we are open to God and repeatedly obedient when we sense His attempts to direct us.

I know this is a vague subject and especially challenging for newer believers.  

I'm sure that at one time or another, you've looked at a picture of a group - perhaps a large group of people.  As your eyes roll across the scene, you rather quickly pick out people you know.

When we got our dog, Gabe, I trained him to come to my sharp, shrill whistle.  [Please don't be angry with me because of this illustration - it isn't something I do very often.]  One day - in a crowded space - I needed to get Debbie's attention.  So, I gave my Gabe-whistle.  She immediately turned and caught my eye!  :-)  We still laugh about this.  She also recognized my whistle!

The point: As we grow our familiarity with the voice of the Holy Spirit, we will more easily recognize those times when He is trying to get our attention!

Let me illustrate.

Just yesterday I wrote a blog article that had to do with integrity.  I worked on it for several hours before publishing it.  As usual, I re-read it repeatedly to make corrections and improvements.  I felt good about the product.

Today, after writing another blog article and publishing it, I worked on my message for The Foundery this coming Sunday.  Having a good five hours in, I loaded up Gabe in the truck and we went for a ride as a bit of a break [Deb works at Bethel Church library all morning on Wednesdays].

We ran some local, country roads with the windows down.  Gabe - as all dogs do - had his head out the window the whole time.  I simply enjoyed the pastoral views and the warm weather.

Although it's difficult to explain, as I drove, I suddenly heard the voice of the Holy Spirit!  It was crystal clear to me!  He was reminding me of the blog article I had written about integrity.  He took me to a specific area of my life and then simply said, "What about this?  Does this come in line with your understanding of modeling integrity?"  

This illustration is private, however, the area He laid His finger on was not a sin.   It was simply an area where I needed to do some thinking and evaluating.  I knew He was making an attempt to cultivate in me a greater measure of holiness, consistency and witness.  

The last ten minutes of our ride was a deliberation.  

• Did I just hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?
• Is He trying to cultivate a deeper obedience in my life?
• Am I willing to adapt my life in the way He seems to be directing?
• Will this increase my integrity?
• Will making adaptations open me to the greater works of God?

The answer to all the above was 'Yes'.  I knew it!  

And now comes the obedience - the conforming to the will of God for my life!  

___________________________

Can you identify with this?

Have you cultivated the ability to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit?

Are you soft in His hands?

Have you heard from the Holy Spirit lately?  If not, is it because He's not speaking to you?  Or is it because you are not listening carefully?

One of my favorite hymns - written by Adelaide A. Pollard in 1906:

Have thine own way, Lord!

Have thine own way!

Thou art the potter,

I am the clay.

Mold me and make me

after thy will,

while I am waiting,

yielded and still.

Have thine own way, Lord!

Have thine own way!

Hold o'er my being

absolute sway.

Fill with thy Spirit

till all shall see

Christ only, always,

living in me!

BURDENS ARE LIFTED!

Since I began reading the Bible many years ago, I've always been drawn to Psalm 32.

We don't hear it so much these days - mostly because we no longer have 'testimony meetings' - but we used to hear people talk openly about the change they experienced when they acknowledged Christ as their Lord.  We would often hear people say things like:

• "I feel like a burden has been lifted!"
• "I feel so light and free!"
• "I feel so relieved and happy!'

I know.  Those comments are so 'touchy/feely'.  But I remember the sincerity with which those words were spoken - frequently with tears of joy!

 We all - from time-to-time - experience relief!  

• an exam is behind us and it's over!
• a big job is completed and we give a sigh of relief!
• a dreaded responsibility is finally fulfilled and we can relax!
• a debt is paid and we are free!

Good feelings!  

But these things can't compare to the relief that comes as a result of being forgiven for our sins!  Gaining the assurance of forgiveness - whether from another person or God - is a great feeling!  The brokenness is now behind us.  The sleepless nights are over.  The burden of guilt and fear is gone!

One could argue that this experience of forgiveness is magnified by the power of ten when it comes to our sinful nature.  To be forgiven by God is completely restorative!  It rejuvenates!  It cleans the slate!  It allows us to start fresh!  IT RELIEVES OUR GUILT!!!!!

David talks frankly about this:

When I refused to admit my wrongs, I was miserable, moaning and complaining all day long so that even my bones felt brittle.  Day and night, Your hand kept pressing on me.  My strength dried up like water in the summer heat; You wore me down.  [Psalm 32:3-4]

 How happy is the one whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sin is hidden from sight.  How happy is the person whose sin the Eternal will not take into account.  How happy are those who no longer lie, to themselves or others.  [Psalm 32:1-2]

 [All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.  Remember that this paraphrase places words that are not in the original text in italics.]

David continues by explaining this process:

When I finally saw my own lies, I owned up to my sins before You, and I did not try to hide my evil deeds from You.  I said to myself "I'll admit all my sins to the Eternal," and You lifted and carried away the guilt of my sin.  [v.5]

RELIEF!  Satisfaction!  Joy!  A clean slate!  A fresh start!  

Then, it seems that God intervened and spoke to David:

[God speaking to David]  I will teach you and tell you the way to go and how to get there; I will give you good counsel, and I will watch over you. But don't be stubborn and stupid like horses and mules who, if not reined by leather and metal, will run wild ignoring their masters.  [vs.8-9]

 ______________________________________

So, there you have it!  Words of counsel from a man who had a reputation for being "after God's heart" [Acts 13:22].  I can testify to the truth of these claims also.  I am a man like David whose sins and rebellions have been significant and pervading.  

I first experienced that relief and joy as a very young child - before I was capable of great sins.  Repeatedly - throughout life - I have had to relearn to return!  And each time that I have returned to Him, He has restored me!  

• restored the relief
• restored the joy
• restored the assurance 

_______________________________________

Are you wallowing in the pain and agony that is the result of sin?  

Have you wandered away from God?

Have you rebelled - again?

Have you gotten lazy and drifted from the anchors of your faith: the Word, prayer, worship?

Have you been stubborn and stupid, ignoring your Master?

Could you use some relief?

Would you like to be free again?

I can't get some of the old hymns out of my memory [and I don't want to 😉].  Anyone remember this one?  

[Click here if you'd rather here Alan Jackson sing it:

]

1 Would you be free from the burden of sin?

There's power in the blood, power in the blood;

Would you o'er evil a victory win?

There's wonderful power in the blood.

Chorus:

There is power, power, wonder-working power

In the blood of the Lamb.

There is power, power, wonder-working power

In the precious blood of the Lamb.

2 Would you be free from your passion and pride?

There's power in the blood, power in the blood;

Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide;

There's wonderful power in the blood. [Chorus]

3 Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?

There's power in the blood, power in the blood;

Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow;

There's wonderful power in the blood.  [Chorus]

4 Would you do service for Jesus your King?

There's power in the blood, power in the blood;

Would you live daily His praises to sing?

There's wonderful power in the blood.  [Chorus]

INTEGRITY: GOING, GOING, - GONE!

Years ago, my good friend - Chip Poole - shared a resource with me that he had worked up.  It was two pages that included his research into the word 'integrity'.  

Some of his observations:

"Integrity is NOT a title we can give ourselves, it is something that others must see in us."  

He started with Webster's definition of the word:  

• the quality or state of being complete;  unbroken condition; wholeness; entirety.
• the quality or state of being unimpaired; perfect condition; soundness.
• the quality or state of being of sound moral principle, uprightness, honesty and sincerity. 

He noted that the Latin root meant: untouched, whole and entire.  "It is where we get the word 'integer', which is a whole number with no fraction or decimal."

The crux of Chip's resolution was that:

"Integrity comes from God. To have integrity, we must be in a proper relationship with God.  Apart from God, wholeness, completeness and integrity are impossible."

"Nehemiah described Hananiah (his brother) as a man of integrity for one reason and one reason alone, because he 'feared God more than most men do.'"  [Nehemiah 7:2]

He also observed that after Job lost everything, he "did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing"  [Job 1:22].  His wife asked him, "How long will you hold on to your integrity, curse God and die."  Later in the book when Bildad verbally attacks him, Job responded: "I will never admit you are right.  Till I die, I will not deny my integrity" [Job 27:5].

Additionally, Chip recognized that Jesus was the perfect example of integrity.  "Teacher...we know You are a man of integrity and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.  You aren't swayed by men because You pay no attention to who they are" [Matthew 22:16 and Mark 12:14].  

To conclude his argument, Chip cited Titus 2:7-8 where we are instructed to live lives of integrity:

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

_________________________________________

I wholeheartedly agree with my friend's observations about integrity!  At the same time, I am greatly concerned that many followers of Christ are thoughtlessly compromising when it comes to integrity.  

I'll make myself subject to ridicule here by stating that the way we drive often calls our integrity into question [notice the collective 'we' in this observation]. Think:

• speed limits
• stop, then turn right at a red light
• actually stopping at stop signs

Then, of course, there are the taxes that we just filed in April...

Lots of us stretch the truth when we're telling stories.  We don't call it lying, we call it embellishing!

Naturally, all of us fill out job or loan applications with integrity!

I know!  Nitpicking!  C'mon, Hal, some of these things are just the normal practice for all people.  

__________________________________________

A few weeks ago, we received a letter regarding a class-action lawsuit being filed regarding the impact of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.  Our landlord has told us that we live within three miles of the incident 'as the crow flies'.  

We each read the letter and considered whether or not we should apply.  Together, we agreed that other than minor inconvenience and a few weeks of concern, we had not been directly impacted and discarded the letter.  

We watched in terror as the plume of smoke rose over East Palestine and blew to the northeast and east.  It did not come anywhere near our direction.  It was remarkable to me that within days someone from North Lima claimed that this smoke had killed some of her goats.  North Lima is 6-7 miles northwest of East Palestine - a direction that the wind rarely blows in our area!  

Recently, we were in a group where this was being discussed and relatively large/generous amounts were being mentioned as potential rewards for participating in this lawsuit.  Some expressed an eagerness to file a claim.

__________________________________________

How does integrity factor into your life?  

Do you choose the high road in the decisions that you make?

Is financial gain something that negates your integrity?

How about the private sins that we indulge in?  

Would you be comfortable with someone else seeing your 'search history'?

Fortunately, I'm not the judge of any of these issues.

I have my own life to look after.  I must do my best to maintain a walk with God that thoroughly impacts my life in all areas!  I am challenged by scripture to bring my decisions and actions into accord with the commands of God's Word and the guidance of His Holy Spirit!  

As one who has tried to maintain this walk for many decades, I can tell you that it is a challenge to do so!  

• we have to live counter-culturally [we turn a lot of TV shows off after fifteen minutes]
• we have to constantly monitor what we take in
• we must also monitor what we give out (even our choice of words)
• we must be vigilant about our behavior - no matter where we are
• with the tens of thousands of decisions we make every day, we must try to be consistently wise
• we must operate in awareness that others are watching and our influence has impact

But Hal, this sounds so all-consuming!  How can any person measure up?  

Believe me, I understand!  

But God never intended this process of living the Christian life [a life of integrity] to be exasperating!  He does not want us to be viewed as neurotic, hyper-focused, super-sensitive, living-statues of perfection.

God wants us to live a monumental life of freedom in Christ that daily remembers - and counts on - the fact that our daily discretions, misjudgments, distractions, rebellions can be forgiven if we just ask!  

In II Corinthians 3:3, the Apostle Paul refers to us as 'living letters' for others to read!  

Our mistakes, failures, rebellions, accomplishments, habits, conversation, example [plus so much more] is out there for others to see!  We are not perfect and will be the first to acknowledge that;  however, we strive to live our lives with an integrity that shines in the darkness of a distracted culture!  

To maintain consistency, we must walk with God and support one another!  The darker our culture gets, the brighter our lights will shine!    

WHY ARE SO MANY AMERICANS 'FORMERLY-CHURCHED'?

At our annual session of the Harvest Conference (Free Methodist Church), our new bishop, Kaye Kolde painfully acknowledged that our American membership has dropped from 99,000 in 2015, to 62,000 in 2022.  Her acknowledgement pointed out that when we look at our world today, we have to recognize that many people are not 'unchurched', but 'formerly churched'.  

This leaves us wondering: Why the exodus from the church?

There are two primary reasons why people bail out and leave the faith.

       I.  God doesn’t conform to our expectations.  We want a God that we can control.  Many of us want faith to be a power that moves God in a direction that we prescribe.  We want faith to be a code that unlocks the door to God’s unlimited resources – so that we can use them at our discretion.  Essentially, we want faith to be a way for us to get what we want from God. 

This attitude is especially prevalent in American culture where we are used to getting our own way.  When God doesn’t cooperate with us the way we think He should we tend to give up on Him!  We use the spoiled logic that if God doesn’t give us what we want, then He must not really be good and He must not really love me. 

How do we arrive at these unbiblical conclusions?  How can we become so distanced from the biblical concept of a sovereign God.   God is God and there is no other.  

We must get our thinking and beliefs right about God.  There is no better way to do that than by getting involved in a good, thorough Bible study with a godly, reliable teacher.  We must also engage our logic and reasoning capacity.  Think about it.  If God can be manipulated and controlled by me – then who is really god?  If we would simply think seriously for a moment, we would all realize that we want a God who operates on a different level than we do.

^{Isaiah 55:8-9}    “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

    “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is the kind of a God that we want in control of the universe and in control 

of my life.  Especially when we know that he is good and loving and cares for us. 

       II.  The second main reason that people leave their beliefs in God is that He allows bad things to happen in their lives.  To be blunt, we become disappointed with God and even angry with Him because He fails to protect us from evil people, things, or circumstances. 

Unexplainable tragedy tends to undermine our faith.  Painful or adverse circumstances don’t fit our understanding of the character of God or the Christian faith.  We ask: “How could a good God allow this to happen?  Why didn’t He stop it?” 

Let’s take a closer look at this:

A father is carrying a four-year-old into a doctor’s office to receive a tetanus shot.  When the doctor pulls out the needle, ask him if his father loves him.  In that moment, he will have doubts.  But ask him after some years pass.  He will have a completely different perspective.  He will know that his father showed his love by caring enough to protect his son’s health. 

Just as a child cannot correctly judge his parent’s character based upon one scary trip to the doctor, so we cannot draw conclusions about God’s goodness based upon the immediate circumstances of life. 

Judging the significance of current events can only be justly done by examining them in the context of a lifetime.  Many of us have a hard time seeing past our immediate surroundings.  If God doesn’t answer our prayer immediately, we wonder if He exists.  We begin to lose confidence in our belief that God loves and cares for us. 

     Here’s the key point:  Authentic faith looks at the whole picture!

     Consider a couple of biblical examples:

•      Joseph spent 15 years as a slave in Egypt after his brothers sold him to a traveling caravan.  Yet his “tragedy” was part of a beautiful tapestry that God was weaving behind the scenes to save an entire region from famine!
•      Then there was Moses, who spent 40 years in the wilderness before God sent him back to Egypt – freeing a nation from slavery and unfolding a wonderful purpose in his seemingly purposeless existence.

We must get our theology right!  God has not promised to keep bad things from happening to us.  God has not promised to heal every illness.  He has not promised to reverse the consequences of sin. 

Yet there are occasions when God intervenes and does all of these things.  Why?  Because He is a good God who loves to give good gifts to His children. 

But these are not promises.  He is under no obligation.  The fact that divorce occurs and people die and plans don’t work out is no reflection on the goodness or the presence of our heavenly Father. 

Just look at the Apostles.  They were certainly men of great faith.  Yet their lives were not free of difficulty;  all of them but one, died as martyrs!!!!  God didn’t always intervene to save them.  But an answer of “no” did not undermine their faith.  They didn’t have to get everything they wanted to keep their faith intact.  Their faith was grounded in Jesus and His resurrection – not on how their lives went or what happened to them.

I can almost hear you thinking.  But what are we to do when tough times come?  How are we to handle the unexplainable tragedies that occur in our lives?  What should our response be when it feels like God has let us down or abandoned us?  Good questions!

The answer to these questions is also found in some key verses of the book of Hebrews. 

^4:15-16  For  we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Here’s the best news you’re going to hear today.  Because you have Jesus as your High Priest, you can draw near to God with confidence!  Some might say, “Confidence in what?  I already know that He may not give me what I want.  He might say no to my prayers.  How can I ask for anything with confidence?” 

But you can have confidence because God will always give you two things that are critical in your times of need. 

The first thing He will give you is mercy.  Our Savior, Jesus, knows far more about what you are experiencing than you may think.  Jesus is able to enter into your pain and understand how you feel because he also knew:

Temptation.  He experienced temptation at the hand of Satan himself.

Rejection.  He was rejected by both friends and family members.

Failure.  He saw everything He had lived for and worked for crumble around Him.

Fear.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, He spent an entire night dreading the events of the next day.

Abandonment.  His friends ran away when He needed them most.

Loneliness.  He even faced death alone. 

Jesus understands your pain and/or sorrow.  You can come boldly to Him with total transparency and openness, confident that He will never mock or ridicule you.  He is a mercy-giving God because He knows from experience what it is like to need mercy.  Mercy is the assurance that God will never allow the pressures or heartbreaks of life to overwhelm you.  He will ALWAYS be there to help or carry you!

The second thing He will give you is grace.  Grace in this context means the strength to endure or the ability to carry on.  Remember, He has not promised to deliver you from your circumstances;  but He has promised to deliver you through them.  You can ask Him to change your circumstances, but we’ve already stated that God rarely intervenes to do so.  However, He has promised to give you the grace to endure in the meantime. 

Even the great Apostle Paul experienced this painful reality.  In II Corinthians 12 he tells about what seems to be a physical problem that had plagued him for many years.  Now this is a man who had the spiritual gift of healing, but he struggled with a personal malady.  He tells us that he asked God three times to deliver him from this problem.  Each time God said no.  Paul accepted his consequences and came to realize that there was a reason for God’s unwillingness to heal him.  It was to keep him humble.  He was a man who had experienced phenomenal spiritual privileges – including a supernatural glimpse into heaven where “He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.”  (12:4).  Anyone experiencing this kind of privilege would certainly be vulnerable to spiritual pride.  Consequently, God left this godly man – who had the gift of healing others – with a physical malady to keep him appropriately humble and to remind him of his dependence on God.  God’s actual answer to Paul on his third request was:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  (12:9). 

So there it is – the evidence that you can trust God with every area of your life!  Let’s review it:

1)   Authentic faith is properly grounded in Christ!

2)  Authentic faith recognizes the sovereignty of God.

3)  Authentic faith looks at the whole picture.

4)  Authentic faith anticipates the mercy and grace of God when the going gets tough!

JOIN GOD IN HIS WORK!

The second attempt also was removed with the title GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK!  This is really getting frustrating!  I've been posting my blog on Facebook since 2011 without a problem.  But in the last several weeks, it is being consistently removed.  If you're reading this, I hope you'll start coming directly to this blog regularly since I seem to be having problems promoting it on my main traffic system - Facebook!

It happened AGAIN!  Facebook removed this when I posted it to my page.  I had lowered the text so that no words were visible.  Apparently the title alone caused it to be rejected.  The title was JOIN GOD IN HIS WORK!  I guess that title suggests that I was seeking 'Likes'.  I'll change the title and try again...😤

When you read through the Old Testament, it is clear that God works in many places and in many people's lives at the same time!  

It is possible to deduce that God may not only have one, single, solitary plan - but many diverse plans that are independent of one another.

Let me illustrate:

In Genesis 14, Abram's nephew, Lot, was taken captive by a coalition of four kings and their armies.  Abram - hearing this news - leapt into action and rescued Lot and all his family and possessions from these opposing forces.  That's when something extraordinary happened.  

The priest-king of Jerusalem [at that time known as Salem], Melchizedek, came out to meet him as well and brought out bread and wine for them.  Melchizedek was a priest of the One whom he called 'the Most High God.'  Priest-king Melchizedek offered a special blessing to Abram:

"May Abram be blessed by the Most High God, Creator of the heavens and earth.  Blessing and honor to the Most High God, who has clearly delivered your enemies into your hands!"

Abram gave the priest-king a tenth of the captured goods he was bringing back with him.

[Genesis 14:18-20  All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.  Remember that in this version the words in italics are not in the original texts.] 

So, our question is:  Who is this Melchizedek and how did he find out and receive a calling from the God of Abram?  

Clearly, God had made Himself known to Melchizedek independently from the work He was doing in Abram's life! 

We should NEVER limit God!  We will never know all that God is doing nor in whom He may be working to advance His purposes!

Let's consider another instance of God's diverse work:

It occurs in the next book of the Bible: Exodus.  We may remember the story of Moses.  Adopted as a child by a princess of Egypt, he was raised in the royal family.  But as an adult, he was repulsed by the treatment of his people [the Israelites].  He killed an Egyptian and was exiled from Egypt.  After wandering in the wilderness he came to the land of Midian and found an encampment of the priest of Midian.  Moses married one of his daughters and spent forty years working for him as a shepherd!  

Who is this priest of Midian [Jethro]?  Who made him a priest?  How did he come to hear about the one true God?  He later played a vital role in giving Moses excellent counsel while Moses was leading this massive crowd of Israelites out of Egypt!  

We can not and must not put boundaries on God!  God does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it.  His ways are above our ways!   [Isaiah 55:9]

The Apostle Paul speaks to this issue as well in Romans 10.  He does so by quoting Deuteronomy 32:21.

[God speaking to the Israelites] 'I will make you jealous with a people who are not a nation.  With a senseless people I will anger you."  [Romans 10:19]

 [God speaking to Isaiah] "I showed My face to those who never asked for Me." [Romans 10:20]  

Even in the New Testament we find the apostles being upset because they came across a man who was casting out demons in Jesus' name!  

[John speaking] "Master, we found this fellow casting out demons.  He said he was doing it in Your name, but he's not one of our group.  So we told him to stop.

[Jesus responding]  "What? No! Don't think like that!  Whoever is not working against you is working with you."  [Luke 9:49-50] 

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I have been tremendously impacted by books that I've read through the years.  For a long time, I kept a 'Top Ten Shelf' of the ten books that had impacted me most!  Although it's difficult to choose, probably the number one book was EXPERIENCING GOD by Henry Blackaby and Claude V. King.  

The following are the premises that they present:

• God is always at work around you.
• God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
• God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
• God speaks through the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
• God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
• You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
• You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

God is not satisfied that Franklin Graham is following Him and doing great things through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association AND Samaritan's Purse.  God is pleased - but not satisfied!  

God is active in the area where you live and work also!  God desires to have you join Him in His work!  He likely has work that you are ideally suited for!  When you and I fail to move out in faith to follow His leadings - it must be SO DISAPPOINTING to Him!  

Of course, God works through His Church!  Despite your bias, God even works through churches that you think have their theology wrong!  

But - believe it or not - God does a lot of His work through vehicles and people outside of the Church!  God is not limited to working through ecclesiastical systems!  Are you kidding?  There are NO RESTRAINTS on God!  

He has always been working independently and aggressively through the lives of those who are genuinely committed to Him and AVAILABLE TO HIM!!

Are you one of those?  How have you responded to God in the last year?  Where have you joined Him in His work?  Is your fruit basket full or empty?  

Are you consciously looking around to see where - in your world - God is working?  Are you eager and wil work?  

Don't just look in your church!  He may be working in your school, or neighborhood, or family, or small group, or work place, or sports team...

Wherever you see Him working - make whatever adaaptations you must to join Him!  You'll NEVER be sorry!

MEMORIES - PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES OF MY MIND!

I read the following in William Barclay's DAILY CELEBRATION, VOL.2, pp.127-128:

I was born in Wick [Scotland].  I had not seen it since 1912, but the extraordinary thing is that when we went back to Wick recently, I immediately and without hesitation recognised the street where we used to stay and could go straight to the house where I was born.

That set me to thinking about memory.

Memory is a frightening thing.  There are so many pictures which remain forever unobliterated in our minds.  In fact the psychologists tell us that we never forget anything. Everything we have ever done and seen is buried in our minds.  It may not be there on a conscious level, but it is buried deep down in the unconscious, and even there it has its effect upon us.

Obviously if we never forget anything, we should be very careful indeed what we give ourselves to remember!  [emphasis mine] 

[Therefore] We should be careful what we look at.

Sir Joshua Reynolds, the great artist, used to refuse even to look at an inferior painting, because, he said, even to look at an inferior picture had an effect on his own art.

Somewhere the picture of everything that we have seen is buried in the unconscious depths of our memories.  Whether we know it or not, that picture is affecting us.

If we allow ourselves to look at soiled and smutted things, there is defilement within our memories, even if we are unaware that it is there.

The same truth obviously applies to the things we listen to or read.

I don't know if I'm an exception or if my experience is normative?  I have memories that actually make me wince when they invade my thoughts!  I have to "take captive every thought" [II Corinthians 10:5] when they come to my mind!  These memories cause me pain!  And they are pervasive.  It takes stringent effort on my part to rid them from my consciousness!  I often go to prayer - out loud!  I quote scriptures!  I rebuke my enemy!  

Oh, how I wish I could just hit 'Delete' on these memories!  

If we could just impact our youth with this knowledge, perhaps we could save them from a similar experience.  

It's a quick trail to move from this initial observation to the problem of pornography among men [and women] today - even in the Christian community.

I was eleven when my best friend showed me my first pictures of nudes.  Even today the statistics report that eleven is typically a child's first exposure to pornographic material.  

I refuse to give statistics here because they are all over the chart and can be cited to say just about anything you want to prove.  But the fact that pornography is a problem is clear.  Christian men [and women] are continually faced with the temptation to seek erotic stimulation from sources that are far too available.   

Talk about memory!  I recall being a teenager at Family Camp.  One year, my future father-in-law - Ken Whippo - was charged with speaking to the boy's class that I was a part of.  He spoke clearly on this very topic.  He impressed on us the power of the mind!  He wanted us to realize that if we allow those images to enter our minds, then our minds can pull up those images at any time!  His warning was clear:  If you don't put those images in there, then you won't have to struggle with them in the future!  Interesting that I can recall this incident from fifty-seven years ago!  It kind of proves the point!

Being a godly man or woman calls for an intention to remain pure!  This takes determination, a plan, and accountability!

Need help with the determination part?

"Whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise,

think on these things."

 Philippians 4:8

    

PRAY FOR THE PEACE [SALVATION] OF ISRAEL!

Romans 9 is a challenging chapter!  Here, the Apostle Paul expresses deep grief over the fact that so many Jews have not responded to the grace of God offered through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus.

It's a hard chapter to read and understand and I am inadequate to try to plumb its depths.  

My first query is that this was written by Paul in the first place!  He was the Apostle to the Gentiles!  Where is this deep concern for the Jewish people coming from.  When I say "deep concern", that's clear in verse 3:

"It may sound extreme; but I wish that I were lost, cursed and totally separated from the Anointed - if that would change the eternal destination of my brothers and sisters, my flesh and countrymen."  [All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.  Remember that the words in italics are not in the original text!]

This is nothing less than shocking!  Paul grieves so deeply for his countrymen who have neglected the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would be willing to suffer eternally if they would just wake up and turn to Christ!   

The gist of this is that even while many non-Jews [Gentiles] were turning to Christ and gaining the full acceptance by God, many Jews were still trusting in obedience to the Law to keep them in a right relationship with God.  Old Covenant Jews were rejecting the New Covenant grace!  And Paul wonders throughout this chapter how these Jews can be awakened to the all-inclusive love and grace of God? 

"Even though God desires to demonstrate His anger and to reveal His power, He has shown tremendous restraint toward those vessels of wrath that are doomed to be cracked and shattered.  And why is that?  To make the wrath of His glory known to vessels of mercy that are prepared for great beauty.  These vessels of mercy include all of us.  God has invited Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders; it makes no difference."  [vs.22-24]

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I am a biblically informed person, but certainly not a scholar!  However, what seems obvious to me as I read this chapter is that Paul - who had committed himself as the Apostle to the Gentiles - was still deeply concerned about the faith of his countrymen: the Jews who had failed to acknowledge faith through Jesus Christ!

As a 21st century believer, I understand the strong opinion of so many Christian leaders, churches and organizations to stand strong behind Israel!  I agree with this position!  

However, shouldn't our plea be that God would - even through the dire circumstances of the present war - awaken the Jews to the reality and necessity of a genuine faith anchored in the substitutionary death of Christ for our sins?  Hear Paul's sense of urgency!  Hear his longing for the Jews to awaken!  

I must confess that I have rarely joined Paul's passion.  I stand behind loyalty to the nation of Israel, while ignoring the fact that without Christ, the Jews will be eternally lost!  Could it be that when Psalm 122:6 exhorts us to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," it is challenging us to pray for inner peace as much as the peace between individuals and nations?

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Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

Use the circumstances that have emerged since October 7th to transform the minds and hearts of the nation of Israel.  They have held stubbornly to their understanding of You through the Torah.  Speak to the hearts of these precious children of God and arouse in them a longing for a deeper certainty that can only come by acknowledging and accepting the grace that is available to all who come to You in the name of Your only Son, Jesus!  

May Israel and Jerusalem know real peace in Him!  Amen!

THE ULTIMATE RELIEF!

"For we know that all creation groans in unison with birthing pains up until now.  And there is more; it's not just creation - all of us are groaning together too.  Though we have already tasted the firstfruits of the Spirit, we are longing for the total redemption of our bodies that comes when our adoption as children of God is complete - for we have been saved in this hope and for this future." 

[Romans 8:22-24 All quotes are from The Voice Bible (unless otherwise noted) - words in italics are not in the original texts.]

These verses hint at something truly valuable for those who are followers of Christ!  It's easy to miss Paul's point as you read through his theology book - Romans.  

In the previous chapter, Paul speaks extremely transparent words that are quite shocking.  He candidly admits that he struggles with his sin nature - as do we all!  

"Listen, I can't explain my actions.  Here's why: I am not able to do the things I want; and at the same time, I do the things I have already decided not to do...I've lost control - sin has taken up residence in me and is wreaking havoc.  I know that in me, that is, in my fallen nature, there is nothing good.  I can will myself to do something good, but that does not help me carry it out.  I can determine that I am going to do good, but I don't do it; instead, I end up living out the evil that I decided not to do."  [Romans 7:15-19]

The great Apostle is here taking on the challenge of describing the human dilemma.  We are sinful!  Even our best efforts to abide by the law of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we fail!  Daily confession is our rally point!  God's deep and persistent forgiveness is our hope!  

Yet in the opening verse of this blog, Paul looks forward to something greater - call it 'the great relief'!  

Someday.  Either through our death and glorification or as a result of the return of our Lord to take the redeemed with Him into the renewed Heaven and Earth - one way or another we will enter the ultimate Heaven.  As part of this transition, this glorification process will produce in us a bent toward holiness!  Our sin nature will be eradicated once and for all time!  We will no longer be "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;  prone to leave the God I love."  

We will finally be free of the consequences of original sin!  The daily, hourly, continual struggle to avoid sin and choose righteousness will be over.  We will be beyond the temptations of our enemy!  His efforts to dissuade us will no longer be experienced.  He will have no power or influence in Heaven!  

This is partly what is referred to when scripture tells us that we will enter our rest [Hebrews 4:1-10].  We will finally - once-and-for-all - be relieved of the conflict between evil and righteousness.  Can you imagine it?  

The negro spiritual will finally be realized:

"Soon I will be done with the troubles of this world, the troubleS of this world, the troubles of this world.  Soon I will be done with the troubles of this world - going home to live with God!"

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It's next to impossible to even try to imagine what it will be like to be free of the temptations of this world!  The struggle to remain faithful will be over - permanently!  

It is impossible for us to understand what happens during that glorification process.  We will somehow maintain our originality and history, but be suddenly and completely free of all temptation.

Many of our loved ones have already likely undergone this experience of purification!  Their struggle is over!  They are reveling in the joy of the Lord!  They are beyond temptation!  They are out of Satan's reach!  Thanks be to God!  

This hope - this reality of our faith is what has enabled so many to endure hostilities and injustices beyond description!  This hope fosters determination!  This promise of God's can see you through the most desperate of circumstances!