Inquiring Minds Want To Know – 1 Kings 10:1

1 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and his connection with the Name of God. She came to put his reputation to the test by asking tough questions.

– 1 Kings 10:1

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

Your reputation precedes you.  We've all heard the saying but as a Christian, have you given much thought to how the people in your circle of influence keep vigilant watch over your actions and your reactions?  Oh yes . . . they are watching; observing your "Christianity" and they're formulating hard questions that will put your reputation to the test.  They might never approach you to satisfy their curiosities, nor may they ever demand an explanation from you, but as they watch you go about your day-to-days, you are giving clear answers to their tough questions – not just about your life, but about Christians and Christianity as a whole. 

"So what!" you might say?  "I don't have anything to hide!" you could argue?  You might even shout at the top of your voice, "My life is an open book and I'm not ashamed of the Gospel!"

All very good and appropriate responses . . . but at the same time, therein lies the problem.  Your reputation as an upstanding, God-fearing, Gospel preaching Christian is the very reason people are watching.  And for a lot of folks, right or wrong, their motive for watching isn't to find out more about this great Christian life that you claim to have, it's to catch you in those moments when maybe your witness is more Chaos than Christian; those times when the stresses and hard things of this life have you acting less like Jesus and behaving more like Judas.

We all have those moments. No one is immune from "life" happening at the most inopportune time, catching us at our weakest and our worst, behaving badly in one moment and then proclaiming Christ in the next.  It's how we handle those moments of weakness that will provide the right answer to those tough questions.  It's about helping others to understand that while we are not "of" this world, we still live in it and are subject to the same stresses and hardships as everyone else.  It's about having the wisdom to convey hope, despite our failures – the Hope of a Savior who helps us to rise above the challenges and to go on. To just keep swimming (as our Youth Pastor so eloquently put it this past Sunday), while we are struggling—never giving up—never losing sight of the Promise we have in Christ!

Inquiring minds want to know, and it is through our living and how we push through our failures that the answers will come.  It is because of our Victories that our reputations will be put to the test, but it is our connection with the Name of God—the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and the Father who lives in and through each and every one of us—that will more than satisfy any tough question that may arise.  So be mindful that there are those who are watching . . . observing . . . taking notes, and formulating tough questions.  The answers that come from the way you handle your successes, but mostly how you handle your failures, may just convince someone that they need Christ – and all of heaven will rejoice as another soul is saved by the Love and the Grace of God.

Prayer

Father thank You for those who watch; for their curiosity and their tough questions.  May my life reflect Your Grace as I overcome my failures.  May the answers that come from my actions show the abundance of Your Love and Your willingness to walk side-by-side with a sinner like me.  I give my day to You and I pray for the wisdom of Your Holy Spirit to act and react in a way that causes others to inquire about my connection with the Name of God.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

What Do You Want? – 1 Kings 3:9

9"Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?" 

– 1 Kings 3:9

What Do You Want?

When you pray, what kind of things do you ask for? Do you ask for healing?  Maybe a new job?  Perhaps your prayers are for the safety and well-being of friends or family members.  All of these are good and worthy prayers and I'm sure God hears and responds to all of them. But have you ever considered praying for a God-listening heart?  It might sound something like this:

Lord, may my motives, and my desires—every thought, and every intention—all my hopes and my dreams be what You want and have planned for my life.  May I be so in tune with Your heart, that my heart beats in the same time, and strength, and frequency. I want what You want for me so that my life will be an example of Your Love, and Your Grace, and Your Victory. I want others to see and to know the good and loving God that I know, so Lord, I pray for more of You in my life. 

I think if that was truly our desire and our prayer, above any other prayer, we would see the healings, and the blessings, and the rest of our prayers be answered as a result.  We would see a transformation take place that would truly impact the world around us.  We would walk in Victory over anything the world can throw at us and God would be glorified and on-display in a real and practical way.

Do you want to be a powerful witness for our Lord?  Do you want to live each day in Victory?  Do you want to hear from God and know and understand His voice?  Me too!  So let's take and implement in our prayer lives, a note from the pages of young King Solomon's life.  Let's pray the wise prayer for a God-listening heart.  Let's pray for what God wants!  Let's see what He can do when our heart beats in tune with His.  

I want that . . . how about you?

Prayer

Father, Give us a God-listening heart so we can live well and lead your children into a deeper and closer relationship with You.  Show us what You desire and have planned for our lives . . . Victorious, Grace-filled, and Blessed lives indeed!

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Fantastic Journey – 1 Kings 2:3

3 Do what God tells you. Walk in the paths He shows you: Follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts, His course for life set out in the revelation to Moses; then you'll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go.

– 1 Kings 2:3

The Fantastic Journey

Sounds simple right?  Do what God tells you.  Walk in the paths He shows you.  The truth is, however, that it really IS simple.  The problem is, that for a lot of folks, their relationship with God is so superficial that they wouldn't know if they've heard from Him or not; they wouldn't have a clue which path to take, and because of their lack of intimacy with God, they end up going down some very dark and dangerous alleys.

God's Word, the Bible, is the source and the roadmap to our lives.  Unfortunately, for many self-proclaimed "Christians," it sits on a shelf, collecting dust while they wander aimlessly and seemingly without purpose through life.  These are the same people who struggle every day and have difficulty finding true victory in their lives.  The amazing things is that the answers to all and any of their problems is at arms reach, sitting on that shelf, collecting dust.

Oh my friends what a terrible thing to neglect the very source of our daily living.  And it doesn't make sense either!  More thought and research goes into what restaurant to eat at, or what shoes to buy, or what sports equipment will make us better sportsters, than what God is trying to teach us through His written Word.  And I'm sorry, (I know I'm going to upset some folks on this one), watching the Bible series on the HIstory channel does NOT count for anything but an evenings entertainment.

There is a special and unique relationship between how God designed the reading of His Word and the paths and plans He has for each one of us as individuals.  It is in the reading that we absorb His Truth.  It is in the turning of each page that we discover His hidden treasures for each day of our lives.  It is the way He speaks to us as we read, and re-read, and read again, the history of God's love relationship with man . . . HIS-story . . . alive and waiting to be uncovered.  It is the Map-Absolute and the well-marked Signpost which helps us navigate the paths (and there are many) that God has planned for each one of us.

So . . . where is your Bible?  Is it close at hand and are the pages well-worn from digging in?  Or, is it sitting on a shelf collecting dust?  If it's the latter, why not take it down, crack it open, and begin to discover the fantastic journey that God, YOUR God, who Loves you so very much, mapped out for you before you were even born.  Why not get some Victory in your life today by seeing what God has to say, specifically . . . about you?!

Prayer

Father Thank You for Your Word!  Thank You for giving us the roadmap to Victorious living!  Thank You for the love relationship that lives and breaths in each Word, in each page of Your Holy Book.  Forgive us for setting it aside and neglecting it for so long.  Help us as we crack open the pages and discover who You really are, in the reading of Your life-plan . . . just for us.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Mystery Writer – 2 Samuel 22:25

25 God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. 

– 2 Samuel 22:25

The Mystery Writer

What an amazing line of scripture.  I am blown away and somewhat speechless by David's crafting of this prayer.  This one line speaks of my life in 18 carefully chosen words written thousands of years before I was even born.  I imagine, to those reading this, that it pretty much sums up your life too.

How Great is Our God?!

He took the cheap, tawdry, foul-smelling, yellowing and torn pages of my sin-filled heart and He Masterfully crafted a whole new future for me!

Drug addiction . . . DELETE

Hate . . . DELETE

Lying . . . DELETE

Stealing . . . DELETE

Cheating . . . DELETE

Pornography . . . DELETE

Eternity in Hell . . . DELETE . . . DELETE . . . DELETE

THEN!  God took out His pearl-handled, gold-tipped, angel-quilled pen, and in the most beautiful calligraphy every seen, crafted the poetry of my new life in Him.  A life filled with purpose! A life of Power and Victory!  A life of Joy and Promise and Expectation!  

I am God's Masterpiece!

YOU are God's Masterpiece!

Every day, with every breath we take, the God of the universe unveils the mysteries that were written the very second we opened the pages of our hearts to Him.  Do you get that?  Do you understand how beautiful your life really is?  Hey! . . . I know you're just living your dull, everyday, nine-to-five existence; I know you're sick in body and it's all you can do to drag yourself out of bed each day;  I know you're having trouble making the mortgage payments; I know people are talking about you behind your back; I know, I know, I know . . . but Hey! . . . I also know that the very blood that courses through your veins, was poured out straight from Calvary, through the hand of God, into each new chapter of your life!  That's exciting stuff!

So take a moment today to thank God for rewriting the text of your life.  Praise Him for taking the mystery out of your future.  Press in to Him and develop the love relationship He desires more than anything else from you.  No matter what you are going through; no matter who is persecuting you; no matter what the doctors are saying; no matter what . . . let God know that you are grateful and that you love Him today.  He loves it when His children recognize and understand the Love He pours into each sentence, of each paragraph, of each page, of each chapter of the text of our lives.

Prayer

Father, thank You for rewriting my future.  Thank You for pursuing me!  Thank You for loving me and for revealing Yourself to me.  May my life, today, honor the Joy of Your Salvation.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Battle Equation + The Victory Solution – 2 Samuel 10:12

12 Courage! We'll fight with might and main for our people and for the cities of our God. And God will do whatever he sees needs doing!"

– 2 Samuel 10:12

The Battle Equation + The Victory Solution

Are you a math-whiz?  The kind of person who looks at numbers and gets excited about solving problems?  Me? . . . not so much.  I'm more of a pictures kind of guy.  I like to look at the end result . . . the beauty of the completed piece.  I do however, get simple geometry.  I get it because to me, it's tangible.  I can wrap my mind around  how big, or how round, or how wide.  It's those "what-if x = y and z decides to come play" kinds of problems that drive me nuts.  That's why I like today's scripture because there is only one possible answer, no matter what the problem is:  God is going to do whatever He sees needs doing.

No matter what battle we are facing, be it finances, health, relationships, or any number of warring spirits, our God; my God; your God, is the answer to all of them.  There is a catch though . . . Like all things mathematic, each part must be represented in order for the expected outcome to be achieved.  In other words, God will do His part to take care of the things we can't, as long as we do our part to take care of the things we can.

• Is your battle financial?  Well sitting at home hoping for a miracle while watching game-show reruns isn't going to change the bottom line on your bank statement.
• Are you facing cancer, or arthritis, or depression, or anxiety, or any other attack to your body or your mind?  Complaining about your circumstances isn't going to bring about healing.
• Are your kids straying down a slippery slope and you fear for their future?  Is your marriage in trouble?  Are your parents showing signs of dementia or Alzheimer's?  There is only one way to bring peace to your relationships.

Here's the equation you need for all of those battles:

Go before the Father  +  

Seek His will, and His purpose, and His plan for your life  +  

Dive into His Word every day  +  

Do your part by taking a proactive role in your life  +  

Praise God in the midst of your struggles.                          

God will do whatever He sees needs doing

In other words, it takes devising and executing a battle plan with Courage, and Might, and Main for your relationship with God FIRST, and THEN God will take care of the things that need taking care of in the spiritual realm to bring about the solution that HE wants for you at this time in your life.

God will ALWAYS come through.  It might not be exactly how you or I think the outcome should be, but it will always be exactly what God has planned for us.  God will see the true need, and in every instance, His goal will be to bring us into a closer love relationship with Him.  THAT is His main goal for our lives.  THAT is God's Victory solution.  

Prayer

Father, Thank You for loving us so much.  Thank You for always being the solution for every battle we face.  Help us to grow our love relationship with You, which is our true Victory in this life.  We love You Lord!

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Chew On This! – 2 Samuel 9:8

8 Shuffling and stammering, not looking him in the eye, Mephibosheth said, "Who am I that you pay attention to a stray dog like me?"

– 2 Samuel 9:8

Chew On This!

I saw a commercial for the SPCA this morning – you know, the one where the camera looks into the trembling eyes of neglected and abused dogs and then appeals to your sense of humanity, asking you to send a monthly pledge to help care for these defenseless animals.  The producers did a good job of showing the human-like characteristics of the animals in an attempt to appeal to the viewers sensitivity and compassion towards the helpless strays.

As a dog owner, and a lover of animals in general, I can appreciate the appeal . . . BUT . . . what I want you to get this morning is this . . . each one of us, at some point in our life, whether past, present, or in the future, has, or will have been, down-and-out, feeling neglected, abused in some way, stepped over, ignored, going through a crisis, facing a dilemma, and needing a warm hug from someone who cares.  That is the human condition and no one is immune or exempt.  Everyone will experience the loneliness of neglect somewhere along our path and the problem is that there will be no TV cameras, no skilled writers poised to tell our stories, no crafty producer willing to shell out the bucks to make everyone aware of our plight.

No . . . we only have each other.  Just you and me.  It's up to us to be the extended arms of Christ and to show compassion and love to our brothers and sisters, whether they are Christians or not.  It's not up to us to pass judgement or need explanation of circumstances, we are just to consider the life that God breathed into every individual and to be love where it does not exist.  As willing as we are to care for stray animals, we need to be even more prepared to tend to the needs of the down-and-out, the neglected, and forgotten of society.  We need to pay attention.

And while yes, I understand that there are those who would take advantage of our kindness, the blessing is in the doing, not in the receiving.  Our motive should not be a grateful response, or a visible change.  In fact, we will probably be met with questioning and a bit of mistrust (just like Mephibosheth), but that's OK.  God sees our hearts when we act towards another of His sons and daughters.  He hears the kind words spoken.  He knows the things that are done in secret, with no expectation of accolades.  He sees, and He knows, and He smiles.

So how about it?  Would you like to make God smile today?  See where you can show some humanity to humanity today . . . and then again tomorrow.  See where the Holy Spirit will lead you and then let Him guide you in how you need to show compassion and love to another Brother or Sister in desperate need of someone to just pay attention.

Prayer

Father, forgive our neglect as we walk past those in need.  Help us to be mindful of the love and the caring that You have shown to us in our most desperate times.  Thank You for reminding us today that it is only by Your Grace that we are able to share our relationship with You to a frightened and neglected world.  Praise be to You our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Risen Christ, from whom all of our blessings flow and in whom we move, and live, and have life.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Victory in the Marching – 2 Samuel 8: 6b

God gave victory to David wherever he marched. 

– 2 Samuel 8: 6b

Victory in the Marching

Have you ever heard a story about anyone, anywhere, in any time EVER achieving victory by sitting around?  If you have, please send me the story because I'd love to hear how they did it.

No . . . in order to get victory, true victory . . . over anything, it takes hard work.  It takes perseverance!  It takes moving to, and in, and through, and past an obstacle.  It takes a march.  You see a march is not a stroll; it isn't a casual walk through life or a lazy stroll down memory lane.  A march—a Victory March—is purposeful and calculated.  It is a well-planned, well-provisioned event with a singular goal . . . Victory.  God gave Victory to David wherever he marched because David marched with the confidence and faith that God was on his side.  He Believed in God and he didn't waver when things got tough. 

Do you need victory in your life today?  Well you're never going to get it sitting on your hands.  It's going to take some planning.  It's going to take preparation for a march.  You're going to have to provision yourself by first discovering what God's Victory isn't.  It isn't easy street that's for sure.  God's victory is Peace . . . in the midst of storms, in the deep dark trenches of stresses and turmoils of your life.  God's Victory is being able to absorb the biggest nastiest "Goliaths" that life can dish out and still be able to stand tall and firm in the faith of God's love for you.

Your Victory will come as you march through the Word with confidence and trust.  So are you ready for the battle?  Do you have your marching orders in hand?  Your victory is near, you just need to start marching towards it.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the Victory we have through Your Word.  Thank You for sending Your Son to give us that Victory and for giving us the Way to Peace.  Help us as we discover how to march into the Victorious life that came through the resurrection of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard