A Failure at Home

Do you consider yourself to be somewhat successful? God measures our success not only from the way we appear to others, but the way we live at home and follow His commandments in our houses. King Solomon, in all his wisdom, had some serious issues when it came to following God in his home. He was a great king, a leader among men, but failed when it came to leading his family.

Solomon is famous for having so many wives and concubines, according to 1 Kings 11:3 he had 700 wives of royal birth, and 300 concubines. 1 Kings 11:1-2 though shows us that Solomon was not following God's plan for the Israelites by choosing to marry the women that he did. In his later years, 1 Kings 11:4 says that his wives turned his heart after other gods. Solomon failed to keep the One True God the first priority in his home.

We see as we follow through 1 Kings 11:5-8 that he built "high places" for all his wives' gods. According to verse 5, he started following some of those gods himself. You can't force your family to become a Christian, and you can't force your family to get saved. There is no room for you in your home to pay homage to other gods, though. If you don't keep your resolve to follow God with your whole heart, and keep your resolve to lead your family in what's right, you will be led astray by those in your family who do not believe as you do.

1 Kings 11:9-13 reveals to us that since Solomon had turned from God and followed other gods, he would be punished, and would be unable to pass his kingdom to his son as kings normally do. This is why it is so important for us to follow 2 Corinthians 6:14, not getting ourselves tied to someone going the opposite direction. We don't get to choose all of our family, but those we do get to choose, we should carefully consider if they are following God, or if they're going to pull us off the path.

"Floating" Fish

I've been working on setting up a new aquarium. The interesting thing about adding fish to an aquarium is the means by which you normally add them so that they don't die. You usually get your fish in plastic bags from the fish store, and you first dump off about a quarter of the pet store water, and add that much of your tank water back to the bag. Then you reseal the bag, and drop it in the water. Every 10 minutes you add another cup of your water to the bag for 30 minutes. Then you take the fish out of the bags and put them in the aquarium.

This process is call acclimation; the fish become acclimated to your water. It's how fish get accustomed to the different chemicals in your water that wasn't in the pet store water. In this process, I recognize a pattern that the devil often uses in our lives. Often, we're stuck with having to "just deal" with a little bit of ungodliness. Then a little bit later, after we've gotten used to that, we go for some more. Next thing you know, we're swimming free in the water that would have killed us just a short time ago.

Romans 12:2 says that we shouldn't conform to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We don't have to just let someone watch dirty movies while we're around, or gossip to us, or tell us dirty jokes. Those are the patterns of the world, "Oh, that guy just always tells dirty jokes and I just shrug it off and go on."

Our minds are supposed to be being renewed, we shouldn't be thinking like that any more, and we don't have to listen, watch, or participate in those things just because we're not in our own home. We shouldn't participate in anything that we wouldn't participate in at church. Let's not allow ourselves to be made into the pattern of the world, let's seek God in everything we do, so that we will be found as faithful servants.

Dwelling with God

What are the advantages to living close to God? Too often, we "serve" God from habit, or we only serve God when we can clearly see that it's beneficial to us. However, serving God is always beneficial to us. In Psalms 5:4-6 we find that no evil person can be close to God.

David says in Psalms 5:7 how we are to approach God. First, David recognizes God's complete control. It is only by God's mercy that we are allowed to approach Him. Second, David shows humility in bowing down. Bowing down is an outward way to show servitude to another. This is how we should always approach God: recognizing His supreme authority and showing our humility in service to Him.

Then, after showing the manner in which he has approached God, David makes his request in Psalms 5:8. David asks for only one thing: guidance. He asks God to lead him. He doesn't try to tell God where he wants to go. He doesn't ask God to lead him to a particular place. He just asks God to lead him and leaves the destination up to God.

These are two of the greatest advantages of serving God: protection and guidance. By living close to God at all times, we know that we are protected from evil; we're protected by God because in His presence no evil can dwell. By living close to God at all times, we are able to follow Him where He leads us. There is nothing more important in our lives than following God's will.

A Rewarding Response

How often have we responded poorly when we've gotten in trouble, and ended up in more trouble than we started out in? I know as children we've all done it. I've seen lots of adults do it as well, when they've gotten in trouble at work or in some sort of family trouble. Proverbs 1:23 tells us that if we have the proper response to God, even when He rebukes us, He will bless us.

Proverbs 1:24-27 tells us though that if we reject and ignore God, that God will mock us as our calamity that we have brought forth upon ourselves through the rejection of His wisdom overtakes us. The Bible goes on to say in Proverbs 1:28-31 that those who have rejected God will then begin to look for him and won't be able to find Him; that their only satisfaction will be that of the foolishness which has separated them from the love of their Creator.

Finally, Proverbs 1:32 outlines where those who rejected God have gone astray: the waywardness of the simple, and the complacency of fools. Simply sitting around doing nothing, or following those who have no clue where they're going has separated them from God. Proverbs 1:33 though gives us the solution to this problem: listen to God.

Will you listen to God, or will you separate yourself from Him through foolishness and the folly of man? It's as simple as listening to Him, and there's no time like the present. Our listening to God will be rewarded by Him. Is that the response we will have to Him?

Ezekiel's Mission

What makes a mission a success or a failure? Does a successful work for God mean that every person we talk to turns to God, or are we successful just for our obedience? God gave Ezekiel a mission, and He also provided the means by which to measure the success of that mission.

In Ezekiel 2:3-5, God's mission for Ezekiel is to simply go and tell the Israelites that they have rebelled against God. Just as we are now commanded to go and preach the gospel, Ezekiel was commanded to go to his own countrymen and preach the gospel. Ezekiel 2:6 adds that Ezekiel was not to be afraid of them or their words. Both them and their words are specified. God protects those who are following His will.

Ezekiel 2:7-8 then defines what will constitute success on Ezekiel's mission: listen to God's words, don't rebel. That's all Ezekiel had to do. His success wasn't reliant upon the response his message would generate; it wasn't based on the number of people who agreed with the word of God. His success would only be measured by his obedience to God.

So, when we feel like we're failing in our mission because we don't have new converts every day or week or month, or when we feel like we're doing something wrong because we aren't seeing the results we expected, we should remember that our success is not measured by the response of men, but by our own response to the will of God.

Getting Rid of Agag

In 1 Samuel 15:1-3 we find the word of the Lord delivered to Saul by the mouth of Samuel, the prophet. God tells saul to go and destroy all of the Amalekites, take none of their stuff, and leave not a single person alive. However, we find in 1 Samuel 15:8-9 that Saul and his men have left the king and his family alive, as well as some of the best of the herds and belongings.

Then we find Saul lying to Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:13-14, and he seems to truly believe the lie that he tells Samuel. This pattern of believing that he has done the right thing seems to hold true in 1 Samuel 15:20, as Saul continues to defend his actions as having been following the will of God.

Then, in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, we find the oft-quoted "to obey is better than sacrifice." We find here that God would much prefer our total obedience than to have us disobey His will, even if we're disobeying Him for the purpose of sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:28 shows us that Saul will lose the kingdom of Israel because of his disobedience, even though he thought he was obeying.

After this disobedience, Saul was never given another opportunity to speak to Samuel. 1 Samuel 15:35 does tell us that Samuel mourned for Saul, but never spoke to him again. It also shows us that the Lord was grieved that He had made Saul king.

Let us be careful that we always fully obey the Lord's commands, so that we won't lose the station we've been given. Our obedience to His will is the most important thing we can do in life. When God tells us to remove something from our lives, or from our borders, let's get rid of all of it, and not try to leave any piece of it alive, no matter what the purpose we might have in it.

Following Directions

This is one all of us men have such a problem with, we've been permanently stereotyped with being unable to perform this one simple feat: following directions. We want to be independent, self-sufficient, and not responsible to anyone. Unfortunately now, even I must swallow my pride as I read Proverbs 1:7-9. "Fools despise wisdom and discipline" are some pretty strong words.

There are two parts to this passage, specifically Proverbs 1:8. As all of us have parents, all of us should listen to our father's instruction and our mother's teaching. There is no cut-off on this; it is until we or they cease to live. As long as they live, they will always have more experience and life lessons learned, and we owe it to them to listen to their advice. We don't always have to do what they say, but we do have to listen.

We find out what kind of father figure God is in Exodus 34:6-7: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, loving thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. This is the love that He extends to His children. As fathers, this is the same love that we should show our children. However, the rest of Exodus 34:7 goes on to say that He does not leave the guilty unpunished. We are still responsible to ensure that our children understand that their actions will result in consequences: good rewards for good behavior, punishment for bad behavior.

Exodus 20:12 even further confirms this, when God added this as the fifth of the Ten Commandments, being the first of the commandments pertaining to how men should treat each other. The first four commandments are how men should treat God, the last six how men should treat one another. This is another pretty strong testament to the importance of it, and it's the only commandment given with any good promise for obedience. Whether we're eight or eighty, let's remember this important command, and listen to what our parents have to say; let's make sure that we provide wise instruction to the children who are listening to us.

The Later Glory of the Victory

How often do we go about complaining because of the hard time our family is having? How often do we blame God or question His will because some thing has come up that seems like it's just too hard to bear? 1 Samuel 23 gives us an example where the Lord used the enemies of David attacking the Israelites in order to save David's life. The chapter starts with the Philistines attacking a town called Keilah, and David asks God if he should go and fight them, and God instructs him to save Keilah. So, David follows the instruction of the Lord, and he wins a great victory (1 Samuel 23:1-5).

Saul, the current king, has been trying to kill David, and he sees this as an opportunity, since the city apparently was walled and gated (1 Samuel 23:7). However, the Lord had anointed David to be king, and David was in the will of God in saving the city of Keilah. So Saul here is not fighting a battle against David, but really he's fighting against God. David prays again, and God instructs him to leave the city (1 Samuel 23:10-12). Now remember, the king should have been protecting his people, but instead, he was more worried about killing God's anointed; God's anointed was protecting the people.

So we see toward the end of the chapter that Saul finally almost catches up to David, but God steps in and brings the Philistines back into the picture when a messenger comes to Saul in urgency that they are "raiding the land". Apparently, the part of the land that they were raiding was important enough to Saul for him to turn back to go fight them this time, and David was able to escape. So God used the very thing that David had won the victory over to cause Saul to stumble in his pursuit of David. If we are in the will of God, He can deliver us from one enemy using another one we've already beaten. We need to be sure to get the victory over our enemies when God leads us, so that He can use that for His glory on down the road.

The Will of God

God has a particular place in which we are to be. He has a specific task laid out for us. We can do great things in His name, and be as far from serving Him as the man who is openly rebelling against God (Matthew 7:22). Paul is even grateful in 1 Corinthians 1:15-17 that he didn't baptize many people, because that wasn't his calling.

When we try to use our intelligence and our logic to determine what that purpose is that God has called us for, we miss the very purpose that God has laid out for us. In 1 Corinthians 1:21 says "in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him". We can't even begin to comprehend God or His will through our greatest understanding. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says that the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom.

Our faith in Jesus, and our following the will of God even when it doesn't make sense to us is the only thing we can do. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says, "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God" and "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." All of our thoughts, all of our knowledge, and all of our desires are meaningless in light of the wisdom of God. None of the things of the world are as important as following Him.

Fruit

What kind of fruit do we bear? Matthew 7:15-20 tells us a little bit about the type of fruit we bear, and it tells us also that "a good tree cannot bear bad fruit". Do we only bear good fruit? I know that sometimes still my depraved nature of Adam takes over and I bear bad fruit. I have to continuously watch for these bad branches, and ask the Gardner to remove them; ask for Him to prune me so I don't have bad branches, and bear bad fruit.

Matthew 7:21-23 goes on to tell us that there are a lot of people who will even claim to have performed miracles and cast out demons in the name of Jesus, but God will tell them, "I never knew you." Galatians 6:3 tells us that if we lift ourselves up undeservingly, we are lying to ourselves. We may show "some" good works, point to some things that we've done and say, "but look at what I did", but we are not saved by works, we are saved by faith.

Galatians 5:19-26 then gives us a good reference point for what fruit is of God, and what fruit is of the flesh. It sets a basic moral code, it's not all-inclusive; we do need to follow it in spirit, and not just by letter. We should confess our faults, and pray for each other according to James 5:16. We shouldn't be shy about falling into an altar and asking God's forgiveness. And we shouldn't hesitate to go pray with a brother at the altar.

Sacrifices (Part 2 of 2)

Yesterday, we looked at Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son in order to follow God's command. If you didn't read it and you aren't very familiar with the story, you should go back and read it now. We're going to pick up in Genesis 22:11-12, where we see the angel of the Lord stop Abraham from sacrificing his son. Abraham didn't have to kill his son. God knew the intention of Abraham's heart, and that he would have sacrificed his son to serve God.

And now, in Genesis 22:13, we see the faith that Abraham had exhibited in Genesis 22:8 paying off. Abraham finds a ram stuck in a thicket. There's another recurring theme here, though, that we should be aware of: a sacrifice still had to be made. The angel didn't just stop Abraham from sacrificing his son, and they just go on home. There was a replacement sacrifice offered in place of Isaac. This is very much symbolic of the way that God provided His Son to die in place of us, the Lamb of God, that we wouldn't have to die for our sins.

In Genesis 22:14, we see Abraham give a name to the place, and it's a phrase that we hear from time to time. He called it Jehovahjireh (Genesis 22:14 KJV (KJV)), which interpreted means "The Lord Will Provide". The Lord provided a sacrifice in place of Isaac, and because of Abraham's complete obedience, He makes him another promise in Genesis 22:15-18. Our complete obedience to God will never lose us more than we gain. Sometimes it may seem like we're following God, and we're going to lose everything that's important to us, everything we hold dear.

Remember that no matter what we're tasked with, we need to do it in faith believing that God will provide for us. If we do that, we will be blessed. Jehovahjireh, The Lord Will Provide!

Sacrifices (Part 1 of 2)

Today, we enter the life of Abraham, and we see God, much like in the instance of Job, placing a burden on a man as a test to see if that man will follow through with the instruction of the Lord. The story begins in Genesis 22:1-2, where we see God tell Abraham to take the only son he has with his wife Sarah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. The very next thing we see is Genesis 22:3, and Abraham has gotten up early the next morning, packed everything he needed, and set out to where God had told him to go.

As the story goes on, we see that Abraham arrives and takes his son up the mountain. We pick up again in Genesis 22:7, and we see now the son Isaac questioning his father, "Where is the lamb?" The response from Abraham is amazing in Genesis 22:8. Abraham says the one thing that is both true and faithful that he can in this situation. God had already provided him his son, as we see in Genesis 18:1-15, and Abraham had faith that the Lord would provide a sacrifice. Both options were true, and both options were faithful.

God had promised Abraham that he would establish his covenant through Abraham's heirs through Isaac (Genesis 17:19). Isaac at this time was still very young, and, as far as we know, had no children. Abraham had to have faith that God's promise would be fulfilled, and that Isaac would somehow survive this. And if Isaac were not to survive, the Lord had still provided the sacrifice, as He had provided the son, Isaac.

The story continues, and we see in Genesis 22:9-10 Abraham builds an altar, binds his son on the altar, and prepares to sacrifice his son. How far would we go to serve God? Would we go all the way to giving up the ones we love in service to our Master? This is an amazing example of faith and obedience, we see that Abraham never questions, never complains, and never hesitates. He simply does as God commanded. If we do question, hesitate, or complain, we're not much of a servant, are we? How can we call Jesus our Master, but not do as He commands?

A man of God may question his elder, he may question his spiritual leaders, he may even question his pastor, but a man of God can't hesitate in following God's commands. Tomorrow we'll see the result of this blind faith and obedience, and how God provides for those who follow Him. We'll see how one of the names we call God came to be.

Going Half Way

Today we're picking up the story of Lot as he flees from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:15-17. Here we see the angels of the Lord as they've spent the night with Lot, and now they tell Lot it's time to get out. Lot has lingered and lived in his sin for so long that he has grown accustomed to it, and we see that he's hesitant to leave. The angels actually have to take him and his family by the hand and lead them out of the city. In Genesis 19:17, the angels tell Lot to not look back, don't stop, and flee to the mountain.

We've seen God's mercy and grace, and Lot's hesitation to obey now, but he continues his pattern in Genesis 19:18-20. He begs not to have to go to the mountain, using excuses about the city being smaller, or the disaster overtaking him. Already God has shown him favor by taking him out of the city of sin, and he lacks the faith outside the gate to trust God to get him to the mountain of safety. Instead, he dares to know as much as God, in that he finds another place, closer to the sinful condition he had been living in, and begs to go there instead.

Genesis 19:21-25 goes on to show God's mercy in allowing Lot to safely arrive in Zoar (a small city believed to have been as close to Sodom as Sodom was to Gomorrah) before raining down his wrath upon not just Sodom and Gomorrah, but all of the cities in the plain, saving only the city Lot had begged to flee to.

Then, in Genesis 19:26, we find that Lot's wife looks back, back to Sodom and Gomorrah, and is turned to a pillar of salt. Because of Lot's hesitation in following the word of the Lord, and his pride in thinking he could live so close to his sin and not effect his family, his wife was lost. We as men are responsible for ensuring the safety and salvation of our families. We have to follow God's instructions, even if we dare to think we're strong enough to resist temptation, lest someone who depends on our guidance is unable to resist.

Ultimately, we find in Genesis 19:30 that Lot ends up leaving Zoar in fear, and taking his remaining family to the mountains where God had originally told him to go. Lot was responsible for his family, for their very souls, and in his hesitation and pride, he let one of those closest to him slip through the cracks. When God in His grace and mercy sees fit to pull us from the depths of our sin, don't compromise, don't go halfway. We need to follow all the way, and remove ourselves far from our sin, lest one of those we're responsible for falls into the trap of our temptation.

The Yes Man

In my profession, sometimes people ask for some thing that isn't necessarily what they need, or something that might not be beneficial. And sometimes I say "yes" to those things, even though I really should guide those people toward something more useful to them. 2 Corinthians 1:19-22 tells us a little about saying "yes" and what that means.

We see in that short passage that all of the promises we have in God, Jesus our Savior says "Yes" to. Walking in the footsteps of Christ, we know that we also can say "yes" to the promises of God. We also can see through the study of the Bible that Jesus was the ultimate "YES" to the promise of God (Isaiah 53:2-7). And this is a promise of God's that we can't afford not say "yes" to.

1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us that we shouldn't say "yes" to every idea or opinion that the world presents to us. However, we should be ready to shout with a with a resounding "YES!" when God calls us to do His work. We should be "Yes Men" for Jesus.