Category: Uncategorized

Do you have a problem with no apparent resolution? If so, what emotions are you experiencing? Have you considered what God might be trying to teach you or how he is trying to shape you?

There’s a situation where my wife and I have no idea what we are going to do. We are both combinatorial thinkers and planners, however, no matter what we come up with, we don’t like any of the options. We have been discussing the topic for over two months and nothing has changed. As a result, we are experiencing some feelings of sadness and helplessness.

Without sharing the situation, it goes something like this. We can’t go back, we can’t stay where we are, we must go forward. Something has to change.

It is in these seasons where God always does his best work. We are being prepared for something but we are not sure what that “something” is. We have to remember that this isn’t a “me” or “us” story, this is a God story. Our only option, our only hope is to put all of our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

“If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.” (Romans 4-5, The Message)

The Message version of those verses really struck me because what we are facing is just too big, only God can do it. It is a reminder that we (like most people) need to stop trying so hard and give everything over to God. His story, his glory.

2 Samuel 21-23, Psalm 18, Romans 3

I read recently that doubt and fear are Satan’s best tools.  If he can get you to doubt God’s goodness, God’s power, and God’s protection, he wins.  Once doubt is in place, fear takes over.  It’s a big victory.

Once our soul is given over to doubt and fear, life is perilous and hope is thin. Without God’s power, we have no refuge, no rock, no fortress and no shield.  Without God’s goodness, we cannot be drawn from the many waters, or rescued from our strong enemy.

Do you want to know where fear and doubt show up for me?  David, in the face of danger,  is able to claim righteousness (v20).  “According to the cleanliness of my hands,” he says, “God rewarded me. For, I have kept the ways of the Lord.”

But, what about me?  I haven’t done a very good job keeping the ways of the Lord.  I can’t claim righteousness like David did, nor am I one of God’s chosen like David was.  How will I ever survive?  Doubt and fear prevail.  Satan is winning.

It only feels like Satan is winning.  He is easily overpowered by the Truth.  You see, its not the cleanliness of my hands that God measures nor is it my ability to keep the ways of the Lord.  There is only one way to gain and maintain God’s goodness, power and protection; Jesus Christ.  By proclaiming Him, we are made right with God.  That means we are made righteous (Romans 3:22).  What’s more, that promise is not reserved for “God’s chosen people.”  Because of Christ, we are all chosen.

Once freed from the lies of the evil one, there is only one response.  David got it right in Psalm 18, as he exclaimed

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation!

Today’s Readings 2 Samuel 15-17, Psalm 3, 63, Romans 1

In today’s readings, you will read about the rebellion of David’s son Absalom.  God had forgiven David for his sins but did not cancel the consequences of his sin.  Why did Absalom go against his father? Why did Absalom constantly take bad advice from others?

2 Samuel 15:4 Moreover, Absalom would say, ‘Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.’

While parenting a teenage son, I can reflect on the many sins that I have been forgiven for. I pray for my son to see and learn from my example that we can all experience forgiveness when we turn our lives over to God. It’s not saying sins will never happen again, but we can experience His love that will never go away.  As humans, we can be prone to the sins of our adults in our lives. We need to be aware and seek Him always.

Psalm 3 happens to be the Psalm written when David was fleeing from his son. David confidently trusted God for protection and peace. Many of my reflection moments and scripture reading time can happen in the morning. Prayers can come in the middle of the night when I wake and have questions that I can reach out to God for His answers.

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift [2] up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

These sleepless nights are covered by the Lord. This is also read in Psalm 63. Instead of tossing and turning in bed, David turned to the Lord in confidence.

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

Lord we know that in our moments of uncertainity we can trust in Your future for our lives and our childrens’. We can learn from David about His peace and trust we can always have in You!

2 Sam 11-12, 1 Chr 20, Ps 51 & 32, Acts 27

In April 2010, an oil platform called the BP Deepwater Horizon spilled an estimated 4 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.  According to Time.com,

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said BP was mostly to blame for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster, which killed 11 people and spewed oil into the water for 87 days. Barbier attributed 67% of the fault to BP, 30% to Transocean, which owned the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, and 3% to Halliburton, the cement contractor.

 But, instead of fully acknowledging their role, BP deflected blame, pointed fingers and downplayed the severity of the incident.  In the end, the company agreed to pay $7.8 million to settle the claims against them.  The settlement was made without BP admitting to any wrongdoing.

BP, of course, is not the only company to settle claims without admitting fault.  It happens all the time.  Enormous amounts of money are offered up to make the problem go away.  On some level, it works.

King David found himself in a bad spot.  It was discovered that he had an affair with Bathsheba and that he attempted to cover it up by killing her husband, Uriah.  Now, David had gotten on with his life.  With Uriah dead, he married Bathsheba and she had a baby.  But the Lord was ‘displeased’ (2 Samuel 11:26).  Consequently, the Lord took the life of the child.  But that’s not all.  God also promised to punish him by ‘raising up evil from his own house and giving his wives to his neighbor (2 Samuel 12:10-11).  Clearly, God was angry and justice had to prevail.

If you were David, what would you do?

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry,” I would exclaim, my voice trembling. “I’ll do anything. Anything! Here, take this money.”

“I’ll give it to the church. I swear, I’ll help the homeless. I’ll give it to the poor. Just please, believe me.”

“God, you have to see—you’re going to be so happy with all the good I am about to do!”

“Surely we can make some kind of deal.”

What this confession misses, David gets right.  His first response when confronted was  confession. “I have sinned against the Lord,” he says.  In Psalm 51, David takes his confession deeper.  He pours his heart out to the Lord privately.  But this also happens publicly.  David made no attempt to cover up anything that he did.

Did you notice what is conspicuously missing from David’s confession?  Money.  In fact, he outright rejects the temptation to present money as reparation to God.  He says, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalms 51:16-17).

Because of David’s confession and repentance, God is able to continue his aszzwork through him, starting with the blessing of another child, Solomon.  The sins and mistakes of the past have not been erased or eliminated as if they never happened.  They still exist and are well documented.  But, now, through David’s faithfulness, and God’s loving mercy, they are redeemed.

Have you ever watched the television game show “The Price Is Right” (TPIR)? I used to watch it as a kid and I wasn’t even interested in most of the products on the show. It was the excitement to guess the price and to see what sort of prizes would be offered! While writing this post I checked out some YouTube videos of TPIR in the 1980s and the one I stumbled across had the contestants bidding on “picture heaters”. The contestants and even Bob Barker were confused as to what a picture heater was (and I still am).

My whole life I’ve been fascinated with prices and I am certain that if I were a contestant on TPIR I’d win a new car. My obsession with prices drives my wife crazy. She bought egg whites the other day, and then my curiosity kicked in… The container says 15 eggs so my guess would be $7 so to find out if I was correct, I asked her how much they were. She said, “I don’t know, I’ll have to check the receipt”. Knowing I can be annoying about this I held off for a couple of days and asked again. Unfortunately, there’s no receipt so I’m making plans to head to the store and find out myself. I just have to know. Was the price right?

While the price-guessing game is fun, it reminds me of the things in life that cost everything and the things that cost nothing. Price is always important.

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 3-5; 1 Chronicles 12; Psalm 122; Acts 22

In Acts 22:24-25 Paul is about to be whipped so he asks the centurion if this treatment was lawful for a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned.

“I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!” Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!” (Acts 22:28)

Paul’s citizenship ended up saving him from the beating. He paid nothing for it, yet it could have saved his life. This leads to thoughts of the cross where like the commander, the cross cost Jesus plenty (everything), yet salvation for us is a free gift if we choose to put our faith, hope, and trust in Christ alone.

Too often I find myself wanting more of the things I don’t need and not being thankful for the things I already have. Let’s pause together to give thanks, palms up, eyes closed with gratitude for the one who paid it all.

2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.

Have you ever been in a transition in life? A new house, job, marriage, or child? All of these experiences involve a learning curve. Some right choices and often many wrong decisions are involved as well. Today, as I read the questions Paul asked the twelve disciples, their answers were transitional. They still followed the old law and did not understand what Jesus had promised once they truly believed.  In my faith journey, there was a time when I thought I had to earn His love and that there would be things I would need to cut out of my life for our Lord to consider me.  Wow! How wrong.  Our Lord has a love for us that He has always had.  The disciples here thought they would receive the Holy Spirit once they had arrived at a certain spiritual point in their lives.

Paul told them He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  verse 4

We all need that. That’s all that we, as believers, have to tell others about! Believe in Him! God gives us the Holy Spirit to be with us in His fullness permanently, personally, and indwelling from the moment of our salvation.

Here are a few additional verses that we can share about His promise.

• Romans 8:9 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 6:19 19You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
• Ezekial 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
• 2 Corinthians 6:16 For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God,
  and they will be my people.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Yes!