Persistent hearts

I have always loved the story of Elijah and Elisha.
God had performed miraculous works through Elijah. One would think he would be on a “spiritual high”. However, Elijah succumbs to a time of human weakness and “woe is me” that are all brought about by the threats from an evil woman named Jezebel. In the midst of voicing his self-pity to God, God gives him instructions of what he is to do next. Then almost as an afterthought God reminds Elijah he is not the only one left in Israel that has not bowed his knee to Baal, “7000 in Israel who have never bowed down or kissed Baal!” This chapter ends with Elijah calling Elisha to be his assistant (1 Kings 19).

(2 Kings 2) When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind (that in itself would have been an amazing sight to behold!!), three times Elijah told Elisha to wait while he went into three different towns. Each time Elisha replied that he would never leave Elijah’s side. At each of those towns a group of prophets met Elisha to ask him if he knew God was going to take Elijah from him that day. Elisha’s response was the same each time, “of course I know.” Elisha’s persistence is being tested.

Finally, Elijah asks Elisha what he can do for him before he is taken away.  Elisha’s response is very similar to Solomon’s response when God asked him, “What do you want. Ask, and I will give it to you.”
Elisha: “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”
Solomon: “Give me an understanding heart so I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.”

The similarities show hearts that are not self seeking but rather servant shaped and pliable. Both Solomon and Elisha were displays of God infused wisdom, power, and might because of their responses to a very powerful question.

I pray that if I’m faced with the choice Solomon and Elisha had that my heart would be bent for the blessings and good of others and not self motivation or proclamation. 
I pray I would be as persistent as Elisha in following Elijah, no matter how many places God tests my faith, to not give up and “stay put” but press forward knowing God’s promises are true and faithful.

Valuable and safe

The following is what an inmate recently shared in our Addiction Recovery Ministry Bible study at Cumberland County prison:

“This is how I view my incarceration. When someone has something that is valuable and precious to them they lock it in a jewelry box or safe to keep it safe.  I believe God has locked me in prison because I am valuable and precious to Him. He knew this was the only way to keep me safe.”

Wow! Pretty insightful! Amazing how we can view our circumstances when our minds and hearts are clear and open to correction and change.

What about you? Where do you find yourself today that perhaps God has placed you, maybe not where you desire, but to keep you safe?

“And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” James 1:18b

Facing Envy and Bitterness

“Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.

But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.

For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.

And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.

“What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?” Look at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people.

So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.

But what a difficult task it is!

Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

Yet:

I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

leading me to a glorious destiny.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

I desire you more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:1-28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The problem with envy is we don’t really see into the heart of those we envy. Into the dark of the night when no one else is around them, when the parties are over and they are alone. We don’t hear their thoughts or see their fears or anxieties. We don’t experience the energy it takes to keep the story going or the fear of losing control. The fear of “losing the good life” that motivates to always be searching for the next dollar or the next “better-than-anyone-else.”

As with the author of this Psalm, we too can almost lose our footing. We too can question the presence, care, love, and the protection of God. “They don’t love or serve God! Why are they prospering...in perfect health and I’m not?” “Why have I given up everything and have nothing in return?”

Easy to do when our focus is on the “here and now”,  when we try to reason what is beyond our reasoning and comprehension. It’s exhausting and can lead us into the entangled path of bitterness.

Psalm 69 tells us:

• Those who trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches cannot pay a ransom to God for his life.
• The wise, foolish and senseless all perish alike and leave their wealth to others.
• Their forms will decay in the grave, but God will redeem my life from the grave.  (Psalm 49:8-9) Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and not see the grave.
• Don’t be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases, for he will take nothing with him when he dies. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. Death has no use for money or possessions!
• He will never see the “light of life”.

When we finally surrender and turn our thoughts, attention, and hearts back to the safety and peace of God’s sanctuary the lenses we are looking through change.

When we take our eyes off man and back to God...when we allow Him to search our hearts He will reveal the root of our struggles. Bitterness is it’s ugly name.

We remember we are only passing through this world. God has given us pleasures in this world to enjoy but not to define us. This is only our temporary residence and as beautiful or alluring it’s temptations are, it is nothing compared to what He has prepared for us in eternity!

May we say as David, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is. And so, Lord where do I put my hope? My only hope is you.” Psalm 39:4,7

At the end of the day I stand on the promises that are back by his name (Psalm 138:2):

“I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

leading me to a glorious destiny.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

I desire you more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

Standing Faith Cannot Be Forced

Isaiah 7:1-9 gives an account of King Ahaz of Judah at a time when his kingdom was about to be invaded and conquered by two other kings. The story opens with the names of all the kings involved but adds "However, they were unable to carry out their plan." The plot is then revealed as to why the plan never succeeded:

"The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashuband go out to meet King Ahaz. 

You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed."

We can all relate to bad news. No one is immune from it. It is news we were not expecting or anticipating.  It catches us off guard. And like King Ahaz “...the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear”.  

Fear can either motivate us to action or paralyze us. 

It can blind us to truth so that we only focus on the circumstance. 

Our fear can infect others around. The people were looking to their King for direction and he was literally trembling in his boots!!

I LOVE that God knew exactly where Ahaz was!

• Aqueducts were not only a source of water for a city but also could be the place of compromise thereby allowing the enemy access to a walled and gated city.
• Perhaps Ahaz recognized this was the very place that needed fortified due to disrepair, or decay, or possibly neglect...which would only increase his level of fear. They just didn’t have time.
• Can you not see him pacing like a caged animal trying to bark out orders all the while failing in the composure department in front of his people?

I LOVE that God met him at his place of fear!

When we get a bad report are we so trembling with fear that we don’t see, or can’t see God meeting us in the place of our fear?

Our fear and trembling do NOT scare God away! He will meet us in the midst of our fear if we silence the voices around us and surrender our control to Him.

"Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’ But this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“This invasion will never happen;

it will never take place....

As for Israel, within sixty-five years

it will be crushed and completely destroyed...

Unless your faith is firm,

I cannot make you stand firm.”

“Tell him to stop worrying.” When fear encompasses our thoughts and actions, we can’t think straight and see clearly. God’s encouragement is always on time but we can miss it due to trying to plan our attack.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-9 to not worry...instead pray about everything; be thankful; then we will experience God's peace in our hearts and minds.

• Peace is the opposite of fear.
• Hope is the opposite of despair
• Prayer is the opposite of worry

"Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers." Yes they are plotting against him, saying….BUT THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS: 

• Burned out embers = NO POWER! Stop holding onto that which no longer has power!

"The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations

and thwarts all their schemes. But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;

his intentions can never be shaken." Psalm 33:10-11 

• No matter what the voices around us are saying, what is God saying?

“Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”(NLT). Stand firm in some translations is "established". In the Hebrew this means "to support, uphold, be carried."

Standing faith will never be something that is taught or handed down but must be experienced. And this will only happen as we go through trials, hardships, and even times of seemingly silence from God. Standing firm in our faith gives us the confidence that God is supporting, upholding and carrying us through the difficult times in our life.

Faith...standing faith...is a choice.

Firm faith is a process.

Faith is foundational to our minds quiet, resting, and standing firm even in the midst of uncertainty.  In the midst of bad reports.

Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

So where are you with fear, worry, or anxiety? To whom and in whom or what are you placing your confidence? Unless your faith is firm in Jesus Christ, God can not make your faith firm. Cannot make you believe, cannot support and carry you if you do not allow him to.

STORY OF A FOOL, A HOT HEAD AND WISDOM 1 Samuel 25:1-38

1 Samuel 25:1-38

Every trial, every circumstance that comes into our lives gives us the unique experience of growth in our maturity or regression.  Our actions and reactions reveal the true character of our hearts.

David was called by God, "a man after my own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), yet David was not perfect.  David wrote the majority of the book of Psalms revealing his heart that was at times elated with praise and joy in God, at times revealed sorrow/depression, and at times revealed anger. David was a real Biblical character willing to be transparent before God and people and reveal qualities that we struggle with today.

In this account of David’s encounter with Nabal we can learn several lessons all the while relating our reactions at times with those of David’s.

I. Anger begets anger… never resolves anything

Every day we hear of crimes that center around anger.  Road rage, domestic abuse, child abuse, violence runs rampant because at the core of the action is anger resulting in a loss of control.

The book of James is a great practical book helping us to live in a world that is full of anger and revenge.  James 4:1-3 “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”

In our story about David, he had a need and went to the person whom he thought would reciprocate the kindness because he protected his workers and flocks. But instead he was scorned and not appreciated by that person. Instead of walking away, asking and trusting God would provide, he let anger and pride  control his actions.

We all have the choice to give way to anger and the slippery slope it can lead us to or we can do what James says:

James 1:19-22 “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:  you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don't just listen to God's word you must do what it says. Otherwise, you're only fooling yourselves.”

In the midst of a trial or temptation, how we respond will determine whether we grow and mature or if we remain stuck in destructive behaviors.  That's why James also says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

God is more interested in developing our character than keeping us comfortable in our old ways.

II. Wisdom soothes the ANGER beast

Proverbs 14:29 “people with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness”.  It is interesting that Nabal’s name meant “fool” and he apparently lived up to it.

Are you a Nabal when it comes to your responses?  David almost turned a trial into a temptation of murder! He allowed his emotions to lead rather that self-control and trust in the God who proved himself over and over again in David’s life.

The world we live in demands respect (respect is earned by the way we treat others never demanded).  The world we live in seeks revenge and retaliation (1 Peter 2:22-23 says Jesus “did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.  He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly”). Jesus could have called upon the creative, explosive power of God to destroy his torturers, but he didn’t (Hebrews 5:7-8).  Instead he PRAYED for his torturers while hanging on the cross.  This very example is self control!!

1 Peter 1:13-16 “So think clearly and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Thankfully for David, Nabal’s wife Abigail was the only one of the three of them who was thinking clearly and exercised self-control!

Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

If anyone would have benefited from David delivering his angry murder spree on Nabal, it would have been Abigail! From this short account we can only assume the neglect and abuse she encountered at the hands of an angry/selfish/wicked husband.

 But she wasn't just thinking about herself that day.  She saved all the men that worked for and were probably mistreated by a tyrant like Nabal.  Had she not intervened they all would have been dead by the end of the day.

I have a feeling Abigail had to intervene a lot for Nabal during the course of their marriage.  Nabal’s servant must have felt safe going to her knowing that she would listen and respond with wisdom rather than turn him into her husband for snitching.

III. Do all things with integrity

Abigail was a woman of integrity, how do I know this?  She took the blame that belonged to someone else in order to defuse a volatile situation.  She didn't lower herself to Nabal’s standards but rose above them.  She didn't sugar coat the truth about Nabal but implored David to also not lower himself to the standards of a wicked and ill-tempered man.

David responded to her wisdom and his anger was turned to gratitude and thanksgiving.

Wisdom and self control are the foundation for growth, maturity and moving beyond where we are now to a place of freedom and peace EVEN IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS.

"Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."

Colossians 3:13

We all become frustrated and hurt with our family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances and even complete strangers.

It is in those very moments we have the opportunity to live this verse before them.

This doesn’t mean we compromise our values or ignore and pretend problems don’t exist.

It DOES mean checking our hearts and doing what James said (and this wasn't a suggestion!)
"BE quick to listen...slow to speak...slow to get angry"

We can CHOOSE to walk in unforgiveness or choose to walk in forgiveness.

So whom do you want to be want to be today….Nabal, the fool; David, the hot head; or Abigail, the wise and self-controlled?  It is a choice each one of us makes multiple times throughout the day.