Tag: love

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God’s favorites.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied. And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are those in our society that are in need and should receive special attention and care. These folks existed in ancient days and they still struggle today. They are widows and orphans. Because God’s heart always leans to the least among us, he expects that we will do the same.

In the U.S. from 2022, there were approximately 11.48 million widowed women and 3.7 million widowed men in the United States, the average age is 59! The word “widow” is sited 80 times from the Old and New Testament. Today’s “orphan” would be our children lingering in foster care. In 2022, approximately 368,530 children were in foster care in the United States. Which is down from 400,000 just 10 years ago.

Here in Kings, with the story of the needy widow, Elisha responds to her desperation by walking her and her sons through a miracle rather than just giving her money. In fact, through this miracle, God allowed this widow to become an entrepreneur, with a sustainable income for her future. That’s a compounded interest miracle!

Kings tells us that this widow’s husband was a part of Elisha’s School of the Prophets, and the widow reminds him that her husband feared the Lord! Since Elisha figured out that this widow was willing to speak up and ask, he knew he could put this skillset, this gift to work! He first asks what she has. She responds with, “I’ve only got one flask of oil.” Olive oil, in ancient days was used for just about everything, far more than it is today. If you had a grove of olive trees, you had a sustainable income for life, because oil was a highly needed commodity.

Next, Elisha puts her to work ASKING. “Go and borrow as many empty jars as you can.” Big jars, little jars, used jars and new ones – who knows what her friends and neighbors let her “borrow” knowing they were helping her out.

Elisha then tells her, “go into your house with your sons.” My wife, Robin, points out the highlight of the miracle about to take place is the fact that her sons were able to experience God’s power and provision right alongside their mother. She begins to pour from her only oil jar. She fills up one jar, then another, and another. The tension rises when the mother discovers they are out of jars, “Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.” (4‬:‭6‬) All the jars were now filled!

She tells Elisha what happened, expecting that he would want to know or maybe even receive part of the miraculous oil himself. Elisha tells her to sell the oil to pay the debt and keep the rest to live on! She receives a miracle and an inheritance check from God!

Caring for widows or children of foster care doesn’t mean we just hand over a bunch of money. God could have made it rain coins from the sky if Elisha asked him to. Working with both widows and children formerly in foster care means helping them understand their own gifts and talents and teach them to become self sufficient is incredibly important. Both still need believers to pray and seek God for miracles on their behalf. But helping them see their worth and value after death, abandonment or abuse is critical for their mental and spiritual well being! It’s money leveraged to teach and get them moving in the right direction. Many of the widows that I have known were properly cared for through planning before their husband’s death. Serving both widows and children of foster care requires building trust – love must be earned before it’s honored! Being involved in their lives becomes a great way to redirect and inspire them to keep going, and discovering what God will do through their lives even after a difficult season of loss. It is a joy, privilege and honor to serve the folks that God considers most valuable because of loss. When we serve widows and children of foster care, we are blessing some of God’s favorites!

Prayer

​Dad,
I enjoy seeing what you love and learning to love it as well. And I know you love widows and orphans. You see their great needs and hear their cries for help. Thank you for enlisting us to share in the joy of praying for, blessing and caring for those you deeply love.

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Dangers of counting sheep.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it. Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.” Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer. This was the message: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David wasn’t counting sheep to try to sleep! David wanted to headcount of his people because of his own disordered desires. Counting constituents meant more glory and taxes for his treasury,

We don’t know who wrote the books of Chronicles, but the author wanted us to know this fact: Satan was behind the count! “Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel” (21‬:‭1‬). That’s enough to know why this was such an egregious act towards God. Even Joab, David’s hitman, knew this was wrong, “why must you cause Israel to sin? (21‬:‭3‬).” I notice that leader’s choices have consequences on the followers!

God punished Israel. We don’t know what this first round of punishments were, but it Got David’s attention. Of course Satan probably laughed because he got a human to do his bidding! David repent, but wasn’t let off the hook by any means. Forgiveness doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences. God gave David a choice of punishment, and each choice was very harsh: famine, enemies, or a severe plague (21‬:‭12‬).

We don’t know if David did some quick math, thinking:
How many people would die from a 3 year famine?
How many people would die in a 3 month war?
And, How many people would die from a plague?

Here David wanted to count how many people called him King and how much taxes that would bring into his treasury. But now he’s forced to calculate how many people would lose their life because of his thirst for power and money!

David decided that God in his mercy and a possible plague would be less than the famine or sword. Immediately God sent a plague and 70,000 people died. But God wasn’t done. God also sent a powerful avenging or death angel to ravaged Jerusalem. The angel stood ready to act on God’s divine will when suddenly God said, “stop! That’s enough,” The angel paused but stood ready with sword drawn reaching out over Jerusalem. David saw this angel, “standing between heaven and earth.” In that moment David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground (21‬:‭15‬-‭16‬). The angel stayed, ready and sword drawn all the way until David paid for the place to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and prayed his guts out! Then, finally, “the Lord spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath‬ ‭(21‬:‭27‬).

Lessons for today:

  1. Stop listening to Satan’s lies designed specifically promising to fulfill our deepest, yet disordered desires.
  2. When one of our team leads says. “what are you doing… this is wrong!” lay down our pride and listen.
  3. Seriously and soberly think about our decisions that affect the people we are called to lead. Our sin may mean severe consequences for others.
  4. Offer sincere repentance. What would be an acceptable and appropriate gift to God, that would cost us, to make things right? And
  5. Stick to counting sheep for sleep, not for making ourselves feel important.

Prayer

Dad,
I see the gifts and grievances in David’s life and realize the highs were certainly high, but the lows were so devastating and destructive. Yet, somehow in all of that you both caught and punished David because you love him, but also he was willing to eventually admit his failures, sin, and he repented. David’s triumphs are celebrated but also his sins are on full display so we can learn. We can see the dangers, not just of sin, but specifically power and wealth as well. Thank you for your mercy and grace to me even in my own failures and sin.

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Freedom flaunters ruined communion.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized! When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul is really hard on the churches in the bougie metropolis of Corinth. There was a lot of money, influence and notoriety in the coastal port of the region. And, there was a tremendous success of the gospel penetrating a progressive, multicultural city, where money and power could get you anything you wanted. All of this, of course, is if one had money! But, as it goes with money, if you’ve got it – it changes how one thinks, lives and behaves towards others.

Paul is so frustrated with the Corinthians believers that he writes a biting, snarky comment about their behavior because it in no way reflects the phrase, “love one another.” He writes, “there must be divisions!” Paul taps into the utter disaster of what happens when believers are willing to raise their “freedoms,” above doing what is right. In this case it would mean a raucous, drunken party which immediately causes schisms, division and bad behaviors. Paul recognized the effects of these alcohol fueled parties along with the sin of gluttony. It was exactly opposite of the purpose of communion! Flaunting freedoms and treating others poorly Paul writes, is so evil that it reaches the level of being heresy. “Hairesis” primarily refers to a group or faction that arises from a division or choice, with a negative connotation of causing division or promoting false teachings.

Paul, with tongue-in-cheek, says, oh – this is a great way to get God’s attention – for those who would grab God’s approval by what Christ said would happen in a “divine economy of permission,” such divisions will arise (Matthew 18:7, 24:10, 12). The recognition is not good! God sees us because of our arrogance of liberties instead of our humility in love. Our freedoms in Christ are for doing good, not indulging to press the edge of our sin (Galatians 5:13, 1 Corinthians 6:12). Certainly the “freedom” to party at an alcohol fueled gathering, would not include stuffing our faces with food, and putting ourselves above others.

These “love feasts” were supposed to be common meals, a communion focused on sharing, serving one another and remembering what Jesus had done for us. These excessive “celebrations” became so problematic, that early church leadership had to shut them down, forbidding these kinds of gatherings. This seriously affected the way the church did communion for years to come. The love feasts being banned meant that the bishop would then need to administrate and personally administer communion, changing the experience into a highly controlled sacrament instead of family gathering of stories, laughter and prayer. It became a religious experience for and of individuals, even though they would participate together in a church building. The early church was able to stamp out the abuses of the freedom flaunters but the results were a much different communal experience within the church, the body of Christ.

As I have written about this before, we have reduced a beautiful gathering of family enjoying a meal, similar to what Jesus did with his disciples, to a thimble-cup and cracker. Of course this made it possible to serve communion to hundreds or thousands of people, but it lacks the intimacy of being with close friends and family. We are still able to “remember,” just as Christ commanded, but we do so far more individually, rather than communally. Being in a room with a hundred, or a thousand people is not the same as having a long, leisurely meal discussing the way Jesus’ love has revolutionized our lives.

Prayer

​Dad,
I certainly understand that we can still make communion memorable and effective by sharing our modern communion elements in a church service together. And, I understand how flaunting our freedoms at any gathering can be problematic. But I still long for the intimacy and deep connections that happen around a meal, in this case a very special sacred meal of conscience and consecration. This is just one of those experiences I just wish we hadn’t streamlined for convenience and control. I am happy to think about the future, amazing communion meal in heaven where I am positive it won’t be served in a thimble with a tiny cracker.

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Integrity, us in the light of the sun.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. 2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul in writing his second letter to the churches in Corinth, gets very real with them. We might use the word authentic, non-hypocritical, where Paul’s words match his life no matter where you find him living it. Paul was the same whether you met him in the open-air marketplace on the streets of Corinth. Or you met him at one of the synagogues. Or you met him in one of the house churches that met on Sundays throughout the city. He was even the same person in prison or house arrest in other cities.

Paul writes how “eilikrineia,” sincere with integrity he has been wherever he goes. Integrity is being the same in character no matter the circumstances. It suggests a state of being free from deceit, hypocrisy, or pretense, embodying genuine and unadulterated motives. In the New Testament, it is often used to describe the purity of one’s intentions and the integrity of one’s actions, especially in relation to faith and conduct. Integrity, “eilikrineia” characterized by honesty and transparency literally means, “judged in the light of the sun.”

Men and women have often struggled with some kind of duality of character, where we are one way at work and completely different at home or at church. Those differences show a lack of integrity and doesn’t allow people to get to know the “real” us. Paul despised these facades, believing that it detracts from the work of Christ showing up consistently in each other. What a powerful testimony Paul maintained, especially in the multi-cultural morality of a city like Corinth! Paul was obsessed with being the same no matter if you dealt with him as a businessman on the street or preaching in one of the churches. This also encouraged the Corinthians to live the same – like they were living in the light of the son!

Prayer

​Dad,
I only have one life to live! And, it is with utmost intention that I live the same way at church as I do at home. That I live the same way when out with friends as I do when I am sermonizing or leading as the pastor. I desire to be consistent in my faith, my walk and my ways no matter where people find me. Help me live as Christ. Help me reflect the integrity and authenticity of my savior. Help me not be pluralistic in the way I conduct my life, but rather singular in being myself. Thank you for your grace to live in the light of Jesus! Amen.

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When it’s time, it’s time.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And all their neighbors assisted by giving them articles of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many valuable gifts in addition to all the voluntary offerings. Ezra‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One of the beautiful, but difficult mysteries about God is His impeccable timing. It is always perfect! We see God make promises, prophetic words of what will happen and we believe Him. We even trust him. But it is rarely about IF something will happen, it’s about WHEN it will happen.

God has been thoroughly, transparently trustworthy throughout all of human history. But even as we see how God fulfills his Word, we also get a peek at how long it takes for His promises to be fulfilled. Whether it’s 400 years, 70 years or 450 years – we forget because our lives are nowhere that long. Every generation waits for these amazing, global promises to be fulfilled, but only specific generations get to actually witness the results! And, even then, our hearts and minds, along with an inability to keep the stories of God’s promises alive, we become dull, even forgetful.

God has Ezra, the high priest and chief scribe announce the end of the 70 years of timeout and the good news that the Jews could return to their homeland and begin rebuilding what previous Babylonian rulers had destroyed. The temple, and as we know from Nehemiah, the walls surrounding Jerusalem were all in shambles. I find it an interesting, a very human clue that Ezra tells us in these verses about returning and rebuilding.

God prompts King Cyrus of Persia that it’s time to send the Jewish people home! This whole first chapter is about God loading up the people with vast amounts of riches, not only replacing what was taken by King Nebuchadnezzar but even given much much more. God had Israel’s enemies discipline His people and then had those enemies finance the entire rebuilding process! Wow.

Here in verse five, Ezra writes something unique. He says, “God stirred the hearts…” of the priests and Levites. The fire, the drive, the patience of the spiritual leaders of Israel had all been sapped! Much of these priests and Levites were appointed while in captivity. Ezra was born while in captivity – it’s all he knew. It’s not surprising, as God’s word comes to Ezra, that God himself would need to jumpstart the hearts of the leaders of Israel, giving them hope that rebuilding was even a possibility. They had all heard the stories of what got them to Babylon, but had no real sense of when it would be over and they would be returning home.

I love this simple verse because it reminds me of how much loss we (The Church) have experienced over the past 25 years. And even through Jesus himself prophesied that these days would come in ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭4‬-‭12‬, saying “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold,” we have never really known WHEN – the timing of the final, final days. Since Jesus spoke those words over 2000 years ago, there have been many cycles and seasons of these signs of the “end times.” And, to each generation that experienced it, it was determined that it MUST BE THE END! I believe that this season has been the worst loss of faith and people walking away from Jesus ever. And so many faithful people just flat out gave up the gathering of the Church. Statistically it is true – there has not been a time like this.

But I also believe that God will once again pour out His Spirit, supernaturally speaking to the hearts of those who have believed the lies and experienced immense loss of hope and deep depression. I believe God will sovereignly stir the hearts of the broken and they will turn their hearts towards home! God’s grace and ability to woo the hearts of those He loves is powerful and effective to accomplish His will. We, as Jesus’ bride, the Church p, should be ready to embrace the broken and with open arms to welcome them into His grace. We should all be REUNION READY!

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so glad you still stir hearts! I am one who was fortunate enough to be a part of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 70’s and I remember how powerful it was to hear your voice, repent, receive forgiveness and a new life in Christ. I virtually knew nothing about the Bible, but you saved me and began disciplining me to be like Jesus! If you can do this for me I know you will do this again for so many. Pour Your Spirit out Oh sovereign Lord, save us from ourselves and our desires to be our own God!

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What impresses God?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭1‬-‭3‬a NLT‬‬

Basically, God tells Isaiah, “let it rip!” Tell all, tell it loud and clear. Don’t hold back anything when announcing the sins of the nation.

Immediately, God sets out to describe the comparison between how Israel sees themselves and how He sees the state of the country. God says, “look at them, don’t they act so pious!” They act like a righteous nation, sacredly adhering to the laws of God. In their confidence they pray and cozy up to God. Then in the most visible acts of spirituality, they fasted and asked, “God, why aren’t you impressed?” They were impressed with themselves and could not understand why God would not take notice of all the spiritual advancements they had made. What happened? Why such the disparity? How does God see the corporate condition of Israel’s heart? Especially when Israel sees themselves as a smashing success or at least an earnest effort to do so.

God tells the country what he is actually looking for, what makes a nation, a people, physically and spiritually superior. God looks for obedience that affects both the upper echelon of leadership to the lowest of those who were often cheated and abused and used to advance the power and wealth of Israel’s leaders.

God tells them exactly what they were actually doing. “I will tell you why! It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?”

God is certainly not against fasting, penance and prayer. Isaiah tells them “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” It’s both and! It’s spiritual acts of humility AND physical acts of caring for the least, the needy and poor – connecting spiritual to social responsibility.

So what impresses God? Micah 6:8 tells us succinctly: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” As leaders in government, business, health, education, protective services, technology and churches, we would be wise to be both spiritually humble and socially active. To be just and merciful.

Prayer

​Dad,
There has been such a tense and active discussion about our spiritual verses social responsibility. These ancient words you spoke to Isaiah, should be just as powerful today as when they were written. Your Word is eternal! I’ll admit, both the spiritual and social behaviors are hard! They are not hard to speak of in words, but oh so difficult to practice in obedience. Help us as citizens of earth and heaven. Help us as leaders who guide others to be just and merciful. Amen.

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Just look up.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David’s magnificus opus, written in his younger poetic stage of life, when creativity is at its highest expression, was inserted into the Psalms towards the end of his life. In this Psalm David captures the unbridled beauty in all of creation. “When I look…”

When was the last time you simply looked up at the night sky to behold the wonder and majesty of the heavens above? I live in an overexposed, light polluted area of California, so it’s almost impossible to see the bazillions of stars that fill our expansive universe. A quick trip to our desert or our mountains opens up a cornucopia of dazzling sparkles suspended in pitch black heavens.

Even more arresting is the comparison of just how big the firmament above us is to how minuscule we really are. It can be frightening to think about. There are 8 billion humans on this spinning globe and 200 billion trillion stars in just our own universe! David asks the only appropriate question when digesting such a dilemma. “Who are we (mere mortals) that you should think about and care for us?”

God created us. God crowned us with glory and honor. God gave us charge and authority over all creation. WHY? For sure we are NOT like the rest of creation, as amazing, inexpressibly beautiful as it is. We are more, by a scale of infinity! Because God put in us His own image, His own essence. We are like God, but we are not God.

The challenge, the resolution this first day of 2025, is to find a dark sky tonight and just look up. Look up and gain David’s poetic perspective. Whatever number of stars you may see, imagine multiplying it by millions. Allow yourself a moment to realize how small we really are and how marvelously ginormous God is! Now, think about this, we may be small but we are not insignificant. We may be weak, broken from the weight of our own sin and selfishness, but we were created by and for our eternal God, one God with no other gods before our after Him. That God knows us, loves us and made us for so much more. I join David’s crescendous refrain, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”

Prayer

​Dad,
I, like David, often feel so small, so unable, incapable of doing enough good to change the overwhelming chaos of these cultural moments. But when I look up and see Your majesty displayed in an array of brilliance in the innumerable stars that shine above me – it reminds me. I maybe small, but I am not insignificant. I am made and loved in Your image. You have charged me and given me authority to do Your good will here on earth. Amen.

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How to come back home.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you. “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word. ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Nehemiah’s story is so multifaceted: With layers of identity of helplessness, the significance of a difference maker, obedience to God, leadership lessons, and returning to God. The book is rich with story of rebuilding a nation, subterfuge, political betrayal and total humility after returning from a 70 year timeout of captivity in Babylon.

Within this climax of rising from ruin, there are these scenes filled with responsibility and repentance of the people who forgot their end of the covenant that their ancestor (Abraham) made with God. They also forgot God, who promised this rag-tag nomadic people a place of prominence among the nations. Israel, the chosen people of God, had risen and fallen so many times, that it felt like they would never make it. History and the world has always kept an eye on Israel!

In Nehemiah, the people, having done the 500 mile walk of shame, returned to their entire city left in shambles. Their most precious building, personifying God’s own house, had to be restored from rubble. Yet, after finding the lost book of Law of God and reading it, something beautiful began to rise out of the ashes and dust of disappointment – a declaration of who God is and remembering His promise. Boom 💥 – there it is; returning to God is a movement of declaration of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised.

This is the path for the prodigal who finally realizes their own way is the destiny of destruction! Those who really want to be god of their own life? Fine, take off – leave to find yourself. Run away as far as you can from God. Chase after everything you believe is due you, everything you think God is withholding from you. But when you’ve wandered away and find yourself in the middle of the desert, or the muddy slop of the pig’s pen, or even living in the penthouse surrounded by every luxury. When you’ve found nothing but empty, fake promises of fulfillment and end up staring at your hollow self in the mirror. It is then I pray you find the lost law of God, His eternal Word that has existed for thousands of years and will endure throughout eternity.

It is there that I pray you allow someone like Ezra to call you back to the place you so desperately tried to run from – the presence of God! On that day, my advice, is to do exactly what the people of Israel did on that October 31st day, an ancient all hallow’s eve. Repent and declare God’s supremacy over all things. Remember the promises He made to you before you walked away. The 70 year timeout in Babylon was good for the people because they had completely forgotten their God and His promises. Let it be so with your own timeout, your own wandering or rebellion. Return with all humility and sorrow you bore, along with the pain and suffering you caused in the countless lives that love you. This is how you make your way back home!

Prayer

​Dad,
I never imagined that the faith of those around me when I was young would ever be so fragile, so fickle. I never knew that those who started in their faith may not finish! I know how powerful your love is. I know how hard you pursue our soul, even as the “hound of heaven,” that you never give up on us. I just did not know that friends and family would walk away after experiencing you and knowing the truth. I pray that each and every prodigal would return and come home! I have not given up hope, because I know you will not give up. Amen.

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Cycles of disrepair.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple. They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Young Josiah becomes King of Israel at 8 years old. What a heavy responsibility to know that you’ve got to grow and mature into a national leader and that your country is counting on you doing things right. Josiah’s first official act doesn’t take place until he is 36 years old!

Josiah’s family origin story was awful! His grandfather and father were terrible, ungodly kings. His grandfather, Manasseh, had instituted idol worship throughout the land and the country had suffered greatly because of it. He gutted the contents of the temple and replace it with a carved image of Asherah. God’s temple and the pride of the country had become an idolatry whorehouse! Manasseh’s son, Josiah’s father was no better. Amon was so dispised that his own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. And, the people of the land even killed all those who had conspired against king Amon. They made his son Josiah the next king.

The kingdom, both physically and spiritually were decimated and in complete disrepair! What can an 8 year old do to turn an entire country back to God? The Bible says that young Josiah had determined to turn to God, ”He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.” Maybe it was his mother, Jedidah, that made the difference.

After growing up and surveying all that had happened under his father and grandfather’s reign, spending 18 years deciding where and when to make change. He decided to reverse the curse of idolatry in his country. Where did he start? Repairing and making the temple a place of honor and glory to God once again. He sent trusted men to find other trusted men to put the Temple tax money to work. He found men to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple! What a genius idea – fix the house of God as a focused priority, to begin turning the people of God towards the one true God. This took faith in God and trust in men to make it all happen. Faith was in short supply and trusting people with money after years of systemic, nonsensical waste on fake gods would also be difficult.

Josiah ordered an odd and risky command, “don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive.” What? Is that legal? Giving money, tax money collected from the people, to construction guys? You know what? It worked. And, wouldn’t you know it. Immediately after Josiah takes this huge risk, entrusting people with money to do what is right, Shaphan just “happens” to come back with extraordinary news, reporting the results of the King’s decision. “Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it. Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.”

The money was disbursed, the work on the Temple had begun and guess what? Hilkiah found the book of the Law! The restoration of the physical temple and the restoration of the spiritual hearts of the people would simultaneously be restored back to God! The cycle of despair and disrepair would end and the Lord would once again be worshiped and obeyed. One, young leader, with a heart to do what was right would temporarily turn a nation back to God.

It can happen again. It can happen today. Nothing is impossible with God. We no longer meet with God in a Temple, because God, through Jesus Christ has made His home in the hearts of His people. Now, individually and cooperatively we are the Temple of God. Can God use young leaders, with a desire to do what is right to turn the Church in America around? Can young leaders be entrusted to rebuild and restore what has been in disrepair in the Church for so many years? Yes! I believe it is possible. Returning to a refurbished temple would not be necessarily the church buildings that have been in decline for decades, it would be the restructuring and restoration of the hearts and lives of those who the Church, the body of Christ today. It would also be finding or rediscovering the laws of God that Jesus himself summarized for us so beautifully – Matthew 22:37-39, “Love God and love others.” And, “love as you’ve been loved” in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This would be the new revolution.

Prayer

​Dad,
I try to keep up with the latest, but not so greatest of stats on Your Church and the myriad of challenges and critiques. But I still believe! I still believe in Your plan, Your Church and actively watch and wait for young leaders to step up and in to the spiritual revolution that is coming. I have faith and trust in future Josiah’s! Amen.

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God’s got His eyes on me.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Psalm 3 was written in response to David running from his own son, Absalom. The threat was real. The enemies, also real. For David, it was running and returning to the caves and previous hiding places that once gave him protection while dodging the mad King Saul. So, it’s back to cave dwelling and raw prayer requests, asking God to be with him, protecting him.

Interesting that David writes about God being both his shield and head-holder. Running on adrenaline, with cortisol coursing through your body in a well known fear response is exhausting. David had found safety, not only in the caves, but in his prayers, his confidence in God. David was well battle-tested in his faith. When he writes that God is his glory, he has determined that his own honor, reputation and future is totally in God’s hands, His control. That is an amazing feat of faith! Nothing at that moment LOOKS safe, or good, or honorable for a king who has run from his own son.

David then gives us another tender picture of a father who sees their child wrestling with fear, rejection, even failure. As the father looks on his son, he reaches out and touches his son’s chin to lift it up, now able to look at the father’s face. As the son raises up his face, his eyes meet his father’s eyes. What does the son see? Does the son see disappointment or shame? No! The son, meets his father’s gaze of love, mercy and empathy for the pain he knows is happening in his son’s life. When David declares that God is the lifter of his head, he lets the reader know that when he looks up, he finds solace, peace and comfort. In a cave, on the “mountain of God,” he finds God’s approval. And now when he sleeps, what happens? His sleep is sweet and he wakes up feeling safe! Because he knows God is well aware of his circumstances, well aware of his surroundings and well aware of his fears.

In that moment David can say, even though there may be ten thousand enemies that hunt me down, I will not fear because God is protecting me, guiding me and watching over me. “His eye is on the sparrow,” as the old song says, “and I know he watches me.”

I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
Psalm 32:8 & Matthew 6:26.

I don’t know who your enemies are. I don’t know what battles surround you. I don’t know what fears and pressures you face. But one thing I know, if you are a follower of Jesus, if you love God with all your heart, God’s got his eyes on you. Let Him be the lifter of your head. Look up and see your salvation, your comfort. Sleep well tonight and wake up in safety!

Prayer

​Dad,
Ever since I was little I’ve know you have been watching over me. Before I really even understood what was happening while visiting churches, I knew you were real and saw me. When I finally heard your voice and said yes to you, it all made sense. In that moment, I recognized your presence was with me the whole time I was going through really scary moments in our home. I am so thankful you watch over me! Amen.