Suspicions and Misunderstandings

Coming to chapter 10 of 2 Samuel, we see some more incidences of battles recorded. These battles happened because of suspicions and misunderstandings. When the king of the Ammonites dies, his son, Hanun, becomes ruler. David sincerely sent a diplomatic detachment to Amon to pay respect and give condolences to Hanun. But Hanun’s advisors said it was all a trick. Let’s read 2 Samuel 10:2b-3 in the CJB:

So David sent his servants to pass him a message of comfort concerning his father. David’s servants entered the territory of the people of ‘Amon; ³ but the leaders of the people of ‘Amon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending people to comfort you? Hasn’t David actually sent his servants to you in order to look the city over, reconnoiter it and overthrow it?”

I was impressed by the fact that governments around the world still get into wars and skirmishes because of perceived threats and suspicions. The hard part is telling when it’s a real threat to the safety of one nation’s people, and when it is not. As I look at the Middle East, I do not begin to understand which perceived threats are real and which are not. What I do understand is that Israel is God-ordained to rule over the Promised Land. How that comes about in its entirety we have yet to see, but in the meantime, we need to remember that God still loves Israel and desires for them to return to all the teachings in the Old Testament. A time will come where everything will happen in Israel. God is not finished with Israel yet.

This challenges my attitudes about Israel’s current political and military condition. They are still trying to deal with the threats from their neighbors. We have seen incidences where those threats were real and carried out (suicide bombers, missile launches into Israeli lands, other things we don’t see readily reported in the news). All we get is accounts of Israel’s responses to those attacks, and Israel is seen as an aggressor. My views have been warped by the current trends in some of the media. I’m adjusting to this new way of thinking. I wish there was a way for Israel to regain the entire Promised Land without wars, skirmishes, violence of any kind, and without being perceived as violating human rights. I can keep praying for that, but these conditions originated long ago when Israel failed to carry out God’s orders to rid the land of other nations. The battle continues today.

Friendship

2 Samuel 9 is all about David keeping his promise to Jonathan from way back in 1 Samuel 20:11-17. David made an oath in God’s name to preserve Jonathan’s bloodline. The custom in the Middle East (and we can see it throughout history in Europe also) was to eliminate competition for the throne by new, incoming kings. That usually meant killing all the offspring from the deposed king assuring that there would be no claims on the throne from those descendants. Jonathan asked David to spare his linage (which was Saul’s linage as Jonathan was Saul’s son). David said he would, but it’s been several years into David’s reign and he has not even tried to do so.

We are not told what sparked David’s sudden interest in keeping his promise to Jonathan. We are just told that, “David inquired, ‘Is there anyone still alive from the family of Saul, to whom, for Jonathan’s sake, I can show kindness” (2 Samuel 9:1 CJB). One such person was located and he happened to be the lame son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth. He was accidently made lame by his nurse dropping him as they fled what they thought would be David’s revenge on the family of Saul after Saul’s death. (David had no intention of doing that, but the nurse did not know that.)

Later in the passage (verse3), David asks the question in a slightly different way (according to the various English translations), but the meanings were the same. “The king said, ‘Is there anyone still alive from the family of Saul, to whom I can show God’s grace?’” (CJB). David’s desire was to keep his promise to his closest friend, Jonathan, and show God’s special brand of grace.

While Mephibosheth was afraid David had ill intentions lined up for him, David tells him to not be afraid (verse 7). Then David goes on to tell Mephibosheth how his grace and kindness are going to be played out. “for I am determined to be kind to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will restore to you all the land of Saul your [grand]father, and you will always eat at my table.” David suddenly made Mephibosheth a very rich man. David went above and beyond what Jonathan asked him to do. Due to his friendship with Jonathan – for Jonathan’s sake – David was extremely generous. (David had the right to claim all of Saul’s possessions as his as Saul didn’t appear to have any legitimate heirs.)

I thought to myself, “How good of a friend am I?” Am I generous? Would I go out of the way to help a friend’s child? At the very least, do I pray for my friends and their families? Sometimes I can say, “Yes!” to all those questions (or at least some of them). But this idea of good friendship challenges me to be more intent in praying for my friends and their families. Intentional friendship is what God calls us to.

More Than a Resident Alien

We start looking at 2 Samuel today. At the end of 1 Samuel, Saul and Jonathan die. Saul had been the king of Israel (although God had revoked His blessings from him some time ago). In the first chapter of 2 Samuel, we have the account of David being told of Saul’s death. The man who told David was rather unscrupulous in a number of ways, but I’m just going to focus on one aspect of this man.

The man, when asked who he was, told David he was a “ger.” This Hebrew word is usually translated as “resident alien.” In the Complete Jewish Bible, he answers David’s question by saying, “I’m the son of a [resident] foreigner, an Amaleki” (verse 13). This is significant, even to New Testament believers. The concept of a resident alien explains a key New Testament passage to me in a whole new way.

A “resident alien” in David’s time was a person who lived and served a nation (Israel in this case) but was not a native born or a naturalized citizen. He retained his ethnic and national identity. This man was an Amalekite. He served as part of Saul’s army and had been living among the Israelites, but he did not identify himself as being an Israelite. You might think, “Well, of course, he wasn’t an Israelite! He was of another nationality.” Yet, there were many people born elsewhere, from different nationalities that were totally assimilated into the people of Israel. They took on the belief in the God of the Israelites. They followed all the laws of an Israelite. And they became an Israelite in every sense of the word. God had provided for such people and gave specific instructions in the law for how such people were to be treated (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

The man who reported Saul’s death to David still identified himself as a Amalekite, a resident alien, a ger. The significance for us can be found in Ephesians 2:10-19:

                   For we are of God’s making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua [Jesus] for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do. Therefore, remember your former state: you Gentiles by birth — called the Uncircumcised by those who, merely because of an operation on their flesh, are called the Circumcised — at that time had no Messiah. You were estranged from the national life of Isra’el. You were foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise. You were in this world without hope and without God.

                  But now, you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood. For he himself is our shalom [peace] — he has made us both one and has broken down the m’chitzah [barrier] which divided us by destroying in his own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah, with its commands set forth in the form of ordinances. He did this in order to create in union with himself from the two groups a single new humanity and thus make shalom, and in order to reconcile to God both in a single body by being executed on a stake as a criminal and thus in himself killing that enmity.

                  Also, when he came, he announced as Good News shalom to you far off and shalom to those nearby (Isaiah 57:19), news that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

                  So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers. On the contrary, you are fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s family.

All that to say we are not like that Amalekite. We, as believers in Jesus, are fully assimilated into God’s family. We are not ger. And we should believe in the God of Israel in every way.

Answered Prayer

On Tuesday, I will have/had hand surgery. Nothing major, however, it will prevent me from making posts for a week or so. I usually write my blog articles on Tuesdays and scheduled them to be posted on Thursday mornings at 2:00 am. This week, I’m writing this on Monday and scheduling it to be posted on Thursday. I don’t know when I will be able to post again but I’m aiming for a couple of weeks.

I’ve been reviewing some key passages of Scripture with a friend the last few weeks. With that review comes Scripture memory review of some foundational verses. The first one is entitled “Assurance of Salvation.” I shared that verse last week in my article about how to do Scripture memory. This week the verse is “Assurance of Answered Prayer.” John 16:24 says, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” The key is in asking according to His name and abiding by His standards and will. When we ask for the things He’s promised us in the Scriptures, He will answer. When we ask for things that are actually good for us, He will probably answer (however, sometimes the things we think are good for us may, in fact, be harmful for our walk and worship with God). When we ask for God’s will to be done, and trust He will work things out according to His plan, He most definitely will answer.

I’ve found the promise in this verse to be true. When we ask in His name, my joy is made full. I find peace and contentment in my life. I find things for which I am thankful. I am abundantly filled with rejoicing and praise. My life is grand and there is so much to look forward to. I wait expectantly to see just exactly how God answers my prayers.

There’s another reason I wait expectantly for the “answers.” Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit is praying for us when we don’t even know what to ask: “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Since I don’t even know what to be praying for, and the Spirit is praying for me, I may get answers I never expected.

So, I will do what John 16:24 says and pray in Jesus’ name. Then I will wait expectantly to see the grand answers God gives me.

Haiti Part 1

I don’t know if you expected this or not, but I’m planning to write a series of sorts about my experiences and God’s work in my life based on my recent mission trip to Haiti. I learned so many things, and God laid so much on my heart, that deciding what to write about will depend heavily on the journal I kept while there (and continuing now as God still gives me insights based on events from the trip). I am also grateful to Loving Shepherd Ministries (LSM) for the opportunity to serve along side them. (https://loving-shepherd.org/about-lsm/)

On Day #1 we traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida via Dallas/Fort Worth. Going through security checkpoints was a little scary. I was afraid that one or the other of my carry-on luggage wouldn’t pass muster for what is allowed. I was mostly afraid they would be too big or that some of the contents would not be allowed. I, of course, had an abundant supply of my various meds and supplies for my insulin pump and glucose meter (some of which have sharp things associated with them). I had done thorough research on the TSA website as to what is allowed and what is not, but there was a nagging feeling that I would be without something I needed in Haiti.

However, God is faithful. I had figured out from the way my support for this trip came in that God wanted me in Haiti. I should have taken some of that confidence with me to the airports. I had no more problems that anyone else did. (They did “inspect” our various snacks we took along. I’m not sure what they were looking for but something sent alarms off as they passed through the scanning equipment. Also, in Fort Lauderdale, before boarding the plane to Port Au Prince, Haiti, they hand inspected my diabetes supplies, but let them go through without a word.) God still wanted me in Haiti. God is faithful.

Not having flown much in airplanes, I was afraid I would not do well and get motion sickness or something else. My ear pressure was uncomfortable on take off and descent, but not unbearable. I did not get sick in any way, and actually enjoyed most of the flights. I wish I had taken some ear buds or some earphones since to watch the movies I needed them. Just a suggestion for others who might take long flights: Take some.

That pretty much covers the first day. It was a day of travel and a day in which I had much time to pray and praise. I asked God to prepare my heart for the adventure ahead. He partially did that through my time in the Word that day, 2 Peter 1:1-9. This passage talked about how God is keeping “His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature” (vs. 4). As God keeps His promises to us, we are to reflect His nature by also keeping our promises. I knew not to promise to the people of Haiti what I could not deliver upon. We should be demonstrating God’s character by keeping our promises. This concept was important to me as the Haitians had so little and I wanted to provide for them the world, but I just can’t. My service would have to suffice (and it would be much appreciated by those we served).

More next week. We will see what God lays on my heart to share with you then.

Daniel 11: Thoughts for a New Year

It’s confusing and a bit overwhelming. Daniel gets an interpretation right from the angel’s mouth as to what would happen in the future. Daniel still didn’t understand it all, probably most of it. We should not expect to understand some of the prophecies either. God has told us what He wants us to know. It’s right there in the Bible. To speculate further will lead us to disappointments and misinterpretations.

Some of Daniel’s prophecies have come to pass. Many years after Daniel, events happened that exactly fit the details of some of the prophecies. Those events are now recorded in the history books and scholarly analysis is done comparing the prophecies to what actually happened. They prove Daniel’s prophecies were from God and that God was orchestrating events to unfold according to what He said would happen. In other words, God kept His promises. I am encouraged by those kept promises.

Kept promises prove to me that what God has said, and recorded in the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, will come to pass in our future as well. Even right now He is at work managing world events to bring about the promised end results. Exactly how that will happen He didn’t explain to us. There are some things we can take as warnings but we cannot tell if the time is near or still a ways off. All I know is that God is dealing with the spiritual forces and the human forces to bring His promises about. How exciting to be part of that plan.

I’m also comforted by the fulfilled promises, because God, through Jesus Christ, made some promises for this present age as well as for the future. Those can also be relied upon. Those promises can be found throughout Scripture, Old and New Testaments. Peace, hope, futures, love, acceptance, care, provision, and so much more are ours as we serve God in our lifetimes.

I’m going to start this New Year off, by focusing on who God is and what He’s promised us and living this life in the joy and hope of fulfilled promises.

Shipwreck!! Acts 27

Luke, the writer of Acts, who accompanied Paul on many of his missionary journeys, writes an accurate account of sea travel of ancient times. He used many details and navigation terminology. The details could’ve been used as the ship’s log. And, it is proof that Luke was there on the voyage with Paul as was stated early in the chapter (verse 2). All the information given by Luke lends credibility to the story and the truth of the occurrences described in the text.

All that being said, the key for me in this chapter is Paul’s trust and reliance on God’s promises. Paul had the promise from God that he would preach before kings and that he would be preaching in Rome. That had not yet happened, so Paul was confident that in spite of the devastating storm they were caught up in, it would not kill them. Verses 21-26 is a record of Paul reporting a visit from an angel of God, while being tossed about on the ship in the raging storm. He is again promised to survive to go to Rome and preach to Caesar. Paul reports the angel’s words: “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.” (vs. 24)

The storm did not abate; in fact, they were in greater danger of being shipwrecked. In fact, Paul says in verses 25-26, “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God, that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island.” This verse contains the key verse for me: “keep up your courage . . . for I believe God.” O to have the same unshakable confidence in God!

This so obviously relates to my life right now. No matter what the future holds for me, I can have courage and confidence in God’s promises in my life being kept by God. There are many other places and people in Scripture that tell us to have courage and be of good cheer, however, Paul’s example here, in the face of a deadly storm where even the seasoned sailors were preparing to die, shows me an example of someone doing that. I can do it, too. There’s no reason to be downcast or depressed. There’s God and I believe Him. No matter what the future holds, even if it should be death, I believe God will do what He has said. My eternal salvation is secure forever.

Thoughts on Psalm 36

In my personal devotion time the promise a couple of days ago was, “My love stretches to the heavens and My faithfulness extends above the clouds.” The verse that went along with the promise was Psalm 36:5. I read the verse and recognized it as part of a Third Day song. However the song uses several verses in Psalm 36 so I read the entire passage.

The part that stood out to me (and that most of the song is taken from) is verses 5-9:

Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

Thy faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God;

Thy judgments are like a great deep.

O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.

How precious is Thy lovingkindness, God!

And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings.

Thy drink their fill of the abundance of Thy house;

And Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights.

For with Thee is the fountain of life;

In Thy light we see light.

[NASB[

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit down. However when I read passages like this in Scripture, I am encouraged for a time. Meditating on God’s love and faithfulness brings hope to my thoughts and feelings. It tells us right in this passage that He preserves man and beast. There have been many occasions in my life where God has preserved me. When I’ve felt like I was at the end of my rope and had no place to go (and was contemplating suicide as a viable option) He has prevented me from following through. He has preserved me when my diabetes has gotten out of control and I was in physical danger. Again, I survived. There have been times when I didn’t know what the next right thing to do was, and somehow, I did the right things.

It’s all because of His faithfulness and lovingkindness that He shows to His people. Some people might say that I did those things and that it had nothing to do with God’s intervention. I know that’s not the case. If it was based on my own strength and wisdom, I’d still be drunk, for one thing. My best thinking and willpower only got me into trouble. That’s true in all areas of my life.

So today, I meditate on His love and faithfulness to preserve me, in spite of myself. It’s only because of Him that I have life and am able to get to a point where I see light (and not the darkness in my own thoughts). How has God been loving and faithful to you?

Just Some Thoughts

I’ve been sitting at my computer for an hour hoping an idea will just pop into my head. No such luck. Sometimes the well is just dry. Usually I can go to the Word and find some inspiration, something I have enough to say about so that I can write 400-700 words about for my blog article. Today that didn’t happen, even after some time praying about it and writing an email to a friend.

I did read from my list of promises (one for every day of the year) and the corresponding Scripture passage. The promise said, “I will be the voice behind you, guiding you in the way you should go.” This promise is based on Isaiah 30:21 which says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” This was a promise to the Israelites, but I think Jesus made us similar promises. For instance, He promised that the Holy Spirit will dwell within us prompting us to make good choices. So possibly this promise is a good principle which does apply to us New Testament believers.

I wish my ears heard an audible word from God or the Holy Spirit, telling me exactly what I should do in each situation that comes up in my life. I have to accept the reality of that not happening (although God could communicate with me that way if He wanted to). So that’s why I try to keep myself reading portions of Scripture, having daily devotions, and working on Bible study on a regular basis. Usually God speaks to me through the messages in His written Word.

However, lately I’ve had trouble hearing God communicate with me. The primary reason is that I’m not devoting myself to the study of the Scriptures. I know I should make a concerted effort to get back into the routine, but emotionally and mentally I’m just not motivated to do so. Maybe by telling on myself, I will be motivated to be a little more consistent in doing those things. Maybe not. As I write this article, I pray for all my readers that they will be motivated and diligent in “meeting with God” on a daily basis. I know that when I’m not hearing God’s message, it’s because I haven’t been reading His Word. If you are not hearing God, maybe it’s because you are not reading His Word, either.

Okay, so there were some thoughts from me today. I hope they encourage you. Maybe by next week I will have a more developed topic in mind to write about. That will probably happen if I keep faithful to the various ways I read and study the Scriptures.

Forgive and Forget

In AA we have a saying: “We have built in forgetters.” I find that’s true in my own journey. For instance, I forget about all the chaos my drinking caused, and I forget the emotions (mostly guilt) that came when I would start to sober up a little. I forget how alcohol had power over me and I forget how powerless I was to choose the productive over the unproductive in my life. Every once in a while it’s good to remember what I have forgotten, so I remember why taking a drink is never the answer to life’s problems.

There are other things I tend to forget. Those things are usually wrongs done to me by someone I love. Forgiveness plays an important role in helping me to forget my own transgressions or the transgressions of others. When I forgive I am able to forget and have compassion. This kind of forgetfulness is a positive attribute (as long as I don’t continue to make the same mistakes over and over again).

In the Word of God this afternoon, I read a passage that talks about God forgiving and forgetting. It was amazing to me. Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” It sounds to me like God has a built in forgetter, too. However, He forgets our sins (the things that are not done according to Christ’s laws). Like a loving, caring parent, God forgets our sins after forgiving us for any wickedness that is part of our personalities or behaviors. So forgiving sets God up to forget all our wrongdoings. This is only possible because of His great love and mercy for us.

It’s amazing to me what God chooses to forget. He knows all: past, present and future. In all that knowing, He chooses to forget our sins. He just doesn’t remember them anymore. I would say that His is an example we should follow, but no matter what transgressions we choose to remember no more, it will never be as much as God has chosen to forget. Again, all I can say is that His forgiving and forgetting is amazing to me. It’s too big for me to truly grasp. And it’s a goal for us to follow: forgive and forget.

Struggling Right Now

I try to make my blog articles encouraging but sometimes I’m in a space where that is difficult to do. However, it forces me to look in God’s Word for some encouragement. That’s where I went today when everything seemed to be caving in around me. Some days, like today, I struggle to believe the kind words of others, the encouraging books I read each day, and even the truths of Scripture. But every time I look to the Scriptures I find a thread to hang onto.

Today’s thread was found in a promise based on Proverbs 19:21. The promise (God speaking to us) says, “Though you have many plans, My purpose will be fulfilled.” The verse says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” What I thought about regarding this verse is that God’s purposes will be the ultimate outcomes of the events of our lives. That brought to mind Jeremiah 29:11 (‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.’) God has plans for us.

It is, however, important to keep in mind, as we make our own plans, that the plans we make may not be the same as the plans God has for us. He already knows where we’re headed, the path we will take to get there, and is directing events to work out according to His plan. I’ve heard around the AA tables that God’s in control and we have to “Let go and let God” handle the big picture and the day to day details.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan at all. It just means we need to keep flexible and ready to roll when God’s plan intersects our plans and changes need to be made. And, to me it means that as each situation comes up, I need to pray about it, ask for guidance, make the best decision I can at the moment, and leave it up to God for the outcomes. Of course, the hardest part of that sequence is leaving it to God in such a way that I can still function in my responsibilities.

So, after writing to you, I’m struggling a little less. And I’ve laid some things at the feet of Christ before God. With that action there comes a sense of hope. It’s not very big and it may not last very long, but there’s a little.

Affirmations

Last week in my commitment statement I said “I will write one truthful statement from the Word of God in my journal . . . “ to combat the suicidal thinking. I found that doesn’t just happen. I couldn’t think of a single affirmation at the point of distress. So I decided to start making a list I could keep in my journal, which I almost always have with me, to reference when a crisis moment presents itself. I’m still working on that list gaining insights from the promises of God I’m looking at each day in my devotional time.

So far I’ve come up with four. The first one is from the verse I have at the top of my commitment statement: “He has by his own action given us everything that is necessaryt for living the truly good life . . .” [2 Peter 1:3 Phillips] Basically the affirmation is: God has provided me with everything I need to have a good life.

The second one comes from Galatians 6:9: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for, unless we throw in our hand, the ultimate harvest is assured.” My affirmation based on this verse says, “In time I will reap a harvest, if continue to do good.” I can look forward to seeing some results from the good I’m trying to do.

The third affirmation comes from 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. Again in the Phillips it says, “Do you remember how, on a racing-track, every competitor runs, but only one wins the prize? Well, you ought to run with your minds fixed on winning the prize! Every competitor in athletic events goes into serious training. Athletes will take tremendous pains—for a fading crown of leaves. But our contest is for an eternal crown that will never fade.” My affirmation statement puts it this way: “There’s a crown if I don’t give up the race.”

And my last one, so far, is from Jeremiah 29:11. In the NASB it says, “ For I know the plans that I ^[a]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” This is an affirmation I used a lot this week. In it’s most basic form I just say, “God has a plan for my life.”

I will continue to look for and notice possible affirmations from Scripture and add them to my list. Eventually I hope to have 5 – 10 solid affirmations I can look at whenever I’m feeling like life is not worth living. I’m open to suggestions from anyone who wants to offer one. It may get added to my list.

The Way to Wealth

I want to be rich. Doesn’t everybody? The questions for me are what’s the best way to get wealth and what would that wealth look like once I got it?

Today I read in Proverbs 8 about this very topic. Basically it said to get wealthy one must pursue Wisdom. In Proverbs 8, Wisdom is speaking to us. Wisdom says, “Wealth and Glory accompany me – also substantial Honor and a Good Name.” [verse 18, The Message] Of course, I asked the question, what kind of wealth is this talking about? In the New American Standard Bible it says verse 18 this way: “Riches and honor are with me; Enduring wealth and righteousness.” That tells me it’s talking about monetary wealth or a wealth of possessions, riches.

In Joshua 1:8 it tells us where Wisdom is found and what the results are of following after such Wisdom. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” [NIV] Wisdom is found in God’s Word, and acting and living in a way that is aligned with Scripture leads to a prosperous and successful life.

But there’s more to life than financial wealth. I think some of the other forms of wealth are mentioned in Proverbs 8:18. Having substantial Honor and a Good Name are other forms of wealth. These are things you can’t lose in the stock market or in a business deal. We get these things, honor and a good reputation, from doing things wisely. We know how to do the wise things by pursuing God’s Wisdom. That leads us back to doing things according to God’s Word.

The only way we can learn to do things according to God’s Word is by reading it and trying to follow what it says to do. So the way to true wealth, monetary or otherwise, is to be reading and applying God’s Word.

Psalm 11

Where do we find refuge from the wicked? I only know one place. In God’s arms. I strive to keep focused on God’s ways and on God’s help in times of trouble. That’s what David says we should do. In Psalm 11:1 in The Message, David says,

“I’ve already run for dear life

            straight to the arms of God.”

This was David’s response when people were telling him to run from the evil people who were after him. David says, he’s already run to God and will trust God to take care of him. He went on to say why would he run away now just because there is evil aimed at him. God is fully capable of protecting David (and me) from all the evil that might come his (or my) way.

I take comfort in knowing that God has already protected me from all possible harm. Sometimes I get afraid of what’s coming at me and I want to run. However, I usually realize there’s no place to run to. And, God is able to take care of every detail of my life. He’s in control of everything and I can be confident that no matter what comes my way, whether it be evilness, wickedness, or just the normal temptations of living in a sinful world, God is setting things straight and making things turn out the way He has planned.

Verse 7 of Psalm 11 is more assurance of God’s care in times of trouble:

“God’s business is putting things right;

            he loves getting the lines straight.

Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall,

            We can look him straight in the eye.”

Putting things right and setting things straight is His business. I don’t have to make everything right. That is a good thing because I don’t always know what right is or what right looks like in every situation. He’s in the business of setting us straight. Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t have to do my part. My part is to be asking Him for insight and discernment that I may know what is right. And I need to be open to whatever it is He is trying to tell me. And I need to respond in obedience so I may end up standing tall and will be able to look Him straight in the eye. He provides the guidance and instruction necessary for me to be right with Him, but I have to respond by turning to Him.

Lately, in my life, I’ve been questioning what to do in certain situations. I don’t hear God’s voice telling me what to do. I wish that I did. What I have instead is God’s Word to give me guidance and instruction. So by reading His Word and studying it, I gain insight into what He wants me to do. This passage of Scripture gives me the assurance that God will show me what to do even in the midst of turmoil in my life. I can and should run to Him for my dear life and know that He will give me the direction I need to end up standing tall.

Hope in the Context of Scripture

I think hope is an emotion I’m not very good at recognizing or feeling in my life. So I decided to do a study of Scripture on what hope is. There were 146 places where the word “hope” is used in the Bible. Many of them were in the Psalms. A few are listed below.

A common theme is from where the Psalmist got his hope. It seems like hope is found in the Lord. So when I think I need hope, I need to focus on Him. I like what Psalm 42:5 says. “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.” It’s the help I get from God that gives me the hope I need to get through any circumstance. So when I am in need of hope, I need to look to God and remember the help He’s given me in the past.

I still struggle with being hopeful, but God assures me that I can be hopeful when I focus on Him. So, this week I’m going to try to focus on the hope I have in Him for a few moments every day. To do that I’m going to look for hope in the Scriptures I read each morning. When I see how God has helped other people, like the people who wrote the Psalms, I’m able to believe that He will also help me.

Psalm 9:18 “For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever”

Psalm 31:24 “Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.”

Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,”

Psalm 33:22 “Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You.”

Psalm 38:15 “For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.”

Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.”

Psalm 42:5 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.”

Psalm 62:5 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.”

Recalling What God Has Done, Part 2

As a teenager, I would find myself in dangerous situations. I usually put myself in these dangerous situations. But, God was there. Something prevented me from being severely hurt. I think that something was God. The situations could’ve left me physically hurt, even dead, emotionally hurt, mentally scarred, or spiritually broken. But they didn’t. God was there to protect me from situations I could not even guess. I made decisions to run from God, ignore Him, and deny Him. Yet God did not let me get too far away from Him. He kept bringing people into my life that knew Him and directed me back to Him. He brought people into my life that didn’t know Him, but they accepted me and cared about me. They tried to help me. I was helped in spite of myself by the people God put in my life.

As a young adult, God drew me to Him. He used the Christmas season as a time to bring me into a relationship with Him like I never knew was possible. He used the people on my college dorm floor. He placed each one there to make sure I knew them and would through them, come to know Him. God timed everything out so that I would be in the right places, the right college, the right dorm floor, and the right dorm room next to the people He wanted me to know. In two weeks, this will have happened 34 years ago.

God didn’t stop there. He put the right people in my life to help me learn more about Him and learn how to develop a relationship with Him. Some of those people are still friends today, still challenging me to walk with God. God brought me into contact with Christian groups on campus that helped me grow stronger in my relationship to God. After college, God allowed me to find churches and people in those churches to help me grow. As my relationship with God grew, so did my ability to make decisions based on the Bible and that led to various jobs and people at those jobs.

God was at work to bring me into a relationship with my husband. I did not always make the best decisions when it came to this area of my life, but ultimately God was there, picking up the pieces. I believe God led my husband to love me, in spite of my many flaws. My husband was diligent in his courtship and diligent now in his love for me. And, I’m not always easy to love. But, God knew what I needed and brought my husband to me and keeps him loving me.

I’ve seen the miraculous births of two precious children. My pregnancies were anything but normal as I had to deal with my insulin-dependent diabetes throughout both of those time periods. My children were born and live healthy lives today. My high-risk pregnancies have not left any lasting effects on my children. God was there throughout, providing for as normal pregnancies as possible. It is not unusual for diabetics to have multiple miscarriages. God spared me that experience.

Over the last 15 years, I’ve struggled in many ways that I never would have predicted. Yet in spite of my screwed up thinking at times and the multiple desires to end it all, I’m still here. God did that, too. I know He’s been protecting me from myself and from the attacks of evil in my life. There have been so many times when a thought would come to me that was not from within me, thoughts about the legacy I’d leave for my children or the legacy I’d leave for my friends and family. I did not want to leave this world a quitter.

This is only a sampling of the things God has done in my life. The recalling of God’s work in my life has renewed in me a desire to know Him better. As I get to know Him better, I will see His unconditional love for me and be better able to trust Him to fulfill His promises in my life. As this happens, I will learn to trust Him even in the midst of my struggles. I can choose to serve Him until the end of my days as a result. That’s what I want for my life.

My Inheritance on Earth

Today I was working on my Bible study in the book of Joshua, Chapter 23. Verses 12 – 13 says,

But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.

The good land was the promised inheritance for the Israelites, the culmination of all that the book of Joshua was about. It was their inheritance on earth. The study guide asked the questions, “Will you lose your inheritance on earth if you ally with the “nations” or serve their gods?” and “Will you lose your eternal inheritance if you do this?”

I had to ask myself the question, what is my inheritance on this earth? I know what my eternal inheritance is. It is salvation, eternal life, redemption, heaven, being with Jesus in heaven forever. And, no, I cannot lose this eternal inheritance under any circumstances. If I sin, I sin. Jesus paid the price for that sin the moment I believed in Him. He actually paid for my sin while I was still a sinner. It’s not dependent upon my condition. If I’ve been saved by Jesus, I’m saved.

But what is my earthly inheritance and can I lose that? I struggled with trying to figure out what my earthly inheritance was until a friend drew me back to the context of Joshua 23. The Israelites would lose the good land, the best God had for them, if they allied themselves with the ungodly nations around them. I think I also would lose the best God has for me here on this earth if I ally myself to ungodly people.

There are various views on what it means to be allied with the ungodly in our world today. I take my cue from the New Testament, from 2 Corinthians 6:14 and following:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and the Devil? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? 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.”

To me, to be “yoked” means to have any relationship that could end in a commitment whether it’s marriage or business. So if I ally myself with unbelievers, now that I’m a believer, I’m in danger of losing my earthly inheritance. I would lose out on the best God has for me. This may mean I lose out on the peace, joy, serenity, and love that come from being in right relationship with God. My willful alliance with unbelievers would most likely prevent me from getting the best God wants for me while on earth.

But this would also happen if I chose to be out of right relationship with God whatever the issue. I will lose out on the best God has for me. I don’t want to be missing out on God’s best for me. So, I need to be evaluating where my relationships with God and others need to be changed, so I can enjoy my inheritance on earth.

The Promises of God

I’m continuing in my study of the Bible in the book of Joshua. God’s promises to the family of Israel are coming true. They have fought battles and God has given them the victory over many different people groups. Joshua is allotting land to each tribe and to each clan within each tribe, just as God instructed Moses who then instructed Joshua. They are coming into the inheritance, into the goodness God promised them.

One story in this section of Joshua has Caleb asking for his portion, the land God specifically said He’d give Caleb for being a faithful spy over 45 years earlier. The portion of the land Caleb wanted and had been promised was not yet conquered, so Caleb asked for permission to take his soldiers and drive out the Anakites who were there. Caleb would settle for nothing less than the land on which his feet had walked (Joshua 14:9). Caleb wanted everything God had promised him and would do what was necessary for him to get it.

Some of the other tribes either took what they were given and were happy with it, or they grumbled that what they had wasn’t enough or good enough. The “people of Joseph” actually went to Joshua to ask why they got what they got, complaining that they were too many people for the land, but they were only looking at the land already cultivated and ready to live in. Their portion also included large areas of wilderness. Joshua told them to expand the livable area:

“Yes, there are a lot of you, and you are very strong. One lot is not enough for you. You also get the hill country. It’s nothing but trees now, but you will clear the land and make it your own from one end to the other. The powerful Canaanites, even with their iron chariots, won’t stand a chance against you.” (Joshua 17:17 – 18 in The Message)

The people of Joseph had to be told what to do, and we know from Joshua 17:12 – 13 that Manasseh never did get rid of the Canaanites. It is the flip side to what Caleb did. So, what was the difference between the people of Joseph and Caleb? I think it comes down to taking God’s promises seriously. Caleb believed God when He’d said Caleb would have a certain portion of land and acted on that belief. The people of Joseph thought they were entitled to more (even though the two tribes that make up the people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, have very large portions of the land. See map above). But they did not lay hold of all they could have and eventually settled for what was available, settled for less than what God had promised. Caleb had faith and acted according to the promise God had made with him and received all that God had promised. He didn’t settle for good enough. He wanted the best.

So am I like Caleb or the people of Joseph? Am I settling for good enough or am I laying hold to the promises of God to receive the best? I think I settle way too often. So my application for this week is to come up with a list of God’s promises for me and pray about how to work towards those coming to pass in my life – to be more like Caleb.