Overreacting

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I was reading through 1 Samuel last night. In doing so, I read an account when David blew his stack, literally! Now, you don’t have to answer this, I think I already know the answer to what I’m about to ask:

Have you ever overreacted? Blown up? Had an emotional tsunami? Perhaps you were hanging tough through a difficult time when something happened — the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back — and you cut loose; you let it rip. 

Well, that’s what happened with David. He and his small army had been running from Saul in the Desert of Moan. There was a wealthy man in the area named Nabal. While he was tending to his property and possessions near Carmel, it appears David watched over his flocks so that nothing was stolen before he returned. David sent a few men to ask him for some supplies. Nabal refused, giving them a rather off-the-cuff remark. The men reported back to David and that’s when he had a melt down. 

He sent 400 soldiers to kill Nabal and all his employees. Talk about overkill; that’s like killing a gnat with a 5 lb. sledgehammer! Thankfully, Nabal’s wife intervened, stopping the inevitable massacre.

While running and hiding from Saul, David spent a lot of time on the emotional edge, just as we do sometimes. Add to that fatigue, disappointments, stress and you have a recipe for a volcanic-like eruption. 

Be careful, though. Reactions, especially overreactions, often create collateral damage. During stressful times, keep your trust in God. You can depend on Him in pressure cooker situations. He’s always there in an emotional furnace. 

David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow [Nabal]. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!”  1 Samuel 25.21-22

God’s Name is Holy

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name” [Matthew 6.9]. Hallowed isn't a word frequently used in our vocabulary. It is usually associated with the ivy-covered walls of Yale, Cornell, Harvard, or Colgate Universities. I’m thinking that Halloween came to some of your minds, right?

Well, those are a far cry from the biblical meaning. Hallowed comes from a Greek word, which means holy/separate. In the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed by Thy name” could mean to regard His name as holy, or a request for God to make His name holy. Either way, it means to set it apart from all things common. To be set in the place it deserves.

A question that comes to mind is, how do we do that? How can we hallow His name, giving it the proper place it deserves?

First, we must believe He exists. The author of Hebrews wrote, “…Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists…” [11.6]. That’s where we start. 

Apart from belief, we must also have the right concept of God. Many people hallow their God/god, but is it the God of the Bible? When the Israelites bowed before the golden calf at Sinai, Aaron told them, “This is your god!” [Exodus 32.4]. The religious leaders in the days of Jesus claimed to worship the true God, but Jesus called them “children of the devil” since they disavowed God’s Word [John 8.44, 47]. A sound doctrine of God is imperative if you want to hallow His name.

Another way to hallow His name is to be aware of His presence. If we constantly think of His presence with us, we will prioritize our lives by focusing on what He wants us to do. Perhaps that’s what David had in mind when he said, “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” [Psalm 16.8].

Another way to hallow God’s name is by obedience. You may have an impeccable theology and be aware of His presence, but if/when you disobey Him, you have brought dishonor to His name.   

Hallowing the name of God sets you apart from all unbelievers, so let’s do it. God is holy and deserves your highest respect and your humble obedience.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of His holiness. Psalm 29.2

You’re Only a Boy, David

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

When the young lad David wanted to fight the giant, Saul told him, “You’re only a boy.” Back to that in a moment. Do you remember the song about David? Perhaps you sang it as a child. If you remember it, sing along…

Only a little boy David

Only a babbling brook

Only a little boy David

And five little stones he took

One little stone went in the sling

And the sling went round and round (repeat this line at least 10 times!)

One little stone went up in the air

And the giant came tumbling down (sung in your lowest voice)

OK, one more time, with the motions!

“You’re only a boy,” Saul said. That’s true, it certainly was factual. Unfortunately, that was also Saul’s assessment of David’s ability. You’re too young. You’re too small. You’re not strong enough. You don’t have the experience you need to fight Goliath. He has been fighting since he was a boy, and “you are only a boy, David.”

This is a man’s work. Let the men handle it. But that was also a problem. The men weren’t handling the situation. That was the reason for the situation in the first place. Every time Goliath took a step forward, the men took two giant steps back!

I hope you know the rest of the story. David met the giant armed with a few stones, a slingshot, and faith in His God. It was sufficient for the task as he slew the giant that day. The moral of the story is obvious, isn’t it? God chose to work through the “boy” to demonstrate His awesome power. 

Don’t sell yourself short either. God still works through anyone who will put their confidence in Him. Always has…always will!

Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." 1 Samuel 17.33

Oh, I Want to See Him

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

When I was a kid, we sang an old hymn, Oh, I Want to See Him. The refrain went like this:

Oh, I want to see Him

Look upon His face

There to sing forever

Of His saving grace

On the streets of glory

Let me lift my voice

Cares all past

Home at last 

Ever to rejoice

It will be a great day when we see God “face to face.” There are times I wish it could happen now, while I’m living, but it is not to be. For one thing, His dazzling glory is too bright for our present fallen state and we could not bear the sight of Him. Even if the veil covering our view of Him were to be lifted for a nanosecond, we would perish instantly. 

But one day — not in a dream or vision — we will see Him. That’s a promise. And when we do, there will be no fear of being consumed. Our “Oh, I want to see Him” will be fulfilled!

Scholars call that the “Beatific Vision.” Remember the Beatitudes of Jesus? One of them was, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” [Matthew 5.8]. Undoubtedly, in heaven we will be pure in heart. Undoubtedly, we will see God. 

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 1-3

Check Your Mail

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Part of the duties of my great Admin Assistant is to go to the Post Office every day and pick up the church’s mail. Exciting? No it isn’t. Important? Indeed! Sure, there’s a lot of “junk mail” to be thrown away, but we also get communication from our missionaries and other important stuff. 

Hold on to that for just a moment.

I read the book of Lamentations last week and couldn't avoid the truth that Jeremiah was in the pits, literally. His “lament” in chapter 3.19 is heart-wrenching, “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me." I think in Hebrew that means, "In the pits,” right? 

From that pit of despair, Jeremiah revealed how his hope is restored. “This I call to mind and therefore I have hope” [v. 21]. Whatever it is that he calls to mind must be a valued truth. Here it is [vvs 22-24]: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion, says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”

Are you limping along these days? Are you in a pit of despair? The hope of Jeremiah is YOUR hope too! A pastor friend of mine told me that, as daily discipline, he read this passage, then prayed concerning it every day. He would lift his hands palms down to the Lord, symbolizing the release of yesterday. Then, he would would turn his palms upward to receive what God would give him that day. That’s really not a bad idea. Drop yesterday’s accumulation; received today’s strength. And he would always say, “EVERY MORNING!”

May I encourage you this morning by saying, “A once-a-week fill up at a worship service just won’t do.” And some don’t always make it to those services making it weeks or even months before their “fill up.” What happens between those times? A growing mountain of stress, frustration, paralysis, frayed nerves. 

OK, remember my Admin Assistant going to the Post Office? That’s her first responsibility every day. She gets the important communications the church needs, and it comes daily. That’s what we need to do with God. We come to Him daily for that important message He has for us. It renews our hope. God has a new mercy for you each day. Be sure you stop and pick it up before rushing into your day!

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; Lamentations 3.22-23a

While We Wait

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

The tag line of eDevotion is, Encouragement for your daily walk with God. I have that in mind as I write each and every eDevotion. Sometimes it comes in the form of edification, sometimes exhortation. But encouragement is always at the heart of it. 

Today, I want to encourage those of you who are waiting. It goes to the issue of patience. Let’s face it, it’s just really hard to be patient. So, what’s happening during the waiting periods? If we are waiting in/on the Lord, most likely He is preparing us for ministry. Let me suggest four things about this.

Waiting cultivates patience. Patience is a problem for everyone, young or old. We live in what has been described as an “instant” society. Therefore, waiting in extended periods of time (developing patience) is an essential quality.

Waiting cultivates humility. It seems to me that while we are waiting, the Lord reminds us that we are not the star of the show. We are not indispensable. When we understand that, it makes for genuine humility. It took a while for Paul to become the great leader that he was. At first, though, he waited while others - Peter and Barnabas, for example - were in charge. In due time, he would rise in leadership. The timing was up to God, not him. 

Waiting cultivates depth. While we wait, we gain new insights about God and ministry. Those insights take us deeper in Christ. Let’s be truthful here, we don’t need smarter people today for ministry. We need deeper people! That happens as we wait on the Lord. 

Waiting cultivates effectiveness. I think of this as the “surprise” factor in ministry. “Me? Are you sure you want me, God?” There are always people that have greater qualities than you have. It’s refreshing to know that God will use us anyway. As a result, we walk in thankfulness and humility, amazed at the way God uses us. 

Maybe that’s the key. The best person for a ministry may be the one who’s amazed that God could use them. He can use you, too. Wait patiently on Him.

…but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40.31

You Can Trust God

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

One of the most important questions you will ever ask yourself is, “Who are you going to trust?” The answer to that question is the determining factor for many issues in life. Like, your happiness, your success, your friends, and a host of other things. 

I’m sorry to say that there is a lot of misplaced trust these days. Some put their trust in government. Not a good idea as its credibility is at an all-time low. Some put their trust in the media. Again, bad idea because it’s hard to separate “fake news” from “real” news. Some put their trust in the court of public opinion. If you do that, you’ll be changing your opinion well, every five to ten seconds. 

How about yourself? Is that a place to put your trust? I don’t think so. If you do, you put yourself at the behest of your changing moods. 

I contend the best place to put your trust is in God. The Psalmist had it right, “For the word of the Lord is right and true, and we can trust everything He does” [Psalm 33.4 - emphasis mine].

When God says something, you can rely on its truthfulness. His words are never shaded, filtered, or diluted. He doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, but rather what you need to hear. It’s always trustworthy. And the best part about it is that His truth “will set you free!” [John 8.32].

Everything God says is true. Everything God does is right and good. You can trust God.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20.7