Somewhere between killing a giant and allowing his men to go to war without him, David lost his desire to bow down and worship God.
It was a slow fade.
It didn’t happen overnight.
And it probably happened with a subtlety that couldn’t be noticed by anyone in human flesh.
And so it happened.
2 Samuel 112 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her.
“And David sent someone to find out about her” …
Finding out about a person in the wrong context is a recipe for disaster. What we need to do is find out about God. And David knew this. In his quiet times watching over sheep he was slowly trained by God to take down a Philistine giant. And he did. In front of everyone, he stood with the head of a great warrior and sent evil packing. The Hebrew army absolutely decimated the Philistines in reaction to the actions of one man.
But it slowly decayed to David shifting his worship to something else.
Himself.
And, as all of us find out when we truly look in the mirror, we are short of the ten trillion dollar payment that is necessary to even pay the lawyer’s retainer to defend us before the accuser of the brethren.
2 Samuel 121 The Lord sent Nathan to David……” 5 David burned with anger…”As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
David decayed to a place where EVEN DAVID wanted to bring justice to himself.
But isn’t that just it?
Romans 3 verse 23 reminds us that we are ALL GUILTY, that God could not find even one worthy of righteousness. A colossal failure of all man that requires a Savior.
And so He came.
And He came to destroy all that we had built.
And He did.
So today … remind yourself of this.
Because without Jesus—we have NOTHING.
NOTHING.
And we would do well to remind ourselves of this—every day.
Because without it, we are a victorious king standing on a porch in the wrong place looking at something that we have no business putting our eyes on….
So RELIGHT YOUR FIRE. Remember who you are in your BC days.
It’s an ugly picture.
RELIGHT YOUR FIRE
As I sat in reflection and worship today, I was reminded of this song. To cry out to God, and to truly mean it, is our only connection to Him. To be able to cry out to Jesus and to say “I can’t do this” is not only okay … it is necessary. He is the only one that can help us.
RELIGHT YOUR FIRE
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Matthew 2442 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
It is important to God that we be faithful and wise. And while many things could be said about being faithful and many things could be said about being wise, Jesus kept it very simple.
His gospel was for everyone. And He made that clear when He met the woman at the well, when He spoke the story of the “good Samaritan”, and when He let the town reject cry and anoint his feet with oil.
His gospel was for the sinner. He made that clear with Matthew, and Zacheus, and Peter, and, quite literally, everyone else.
His gospel did not regard rich or poor, man or woman, soldier or fisherman, “He was a salesman who didn’t care if His clients had money.”
His gospel did not align with politics. It didn’t shift with the world. It didn’t value a man’s power, or wealth, or standing, or anything else made in human tradition.
And so, to me, being faithful and wise is about John 3 verse 16, the idea that “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus is our only hope.
He rescues us from the pits of hell and takes away the sting of death.
He stands for those who make mistakes and fights for those who can’t fight for themselves.
He breaks human traditions and weaknesses.
And He decides what is right … and what is wrong.
We would be Wise to remember this … and to stand by Him in Faith.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Nathanael needed just one thing. And he cried out to God for it not even knowing what it was. He just knew that he was deficient for everything that he could possibly need without it.
And so he sat, under a fig tree, emptying out all of his concerns to a God who he thought wasn’t listening.
And so he sat.
It wasn’t long after that that he ran into Philip … and Philip had found the one thing.
John 145Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
It is Independence Day. Let us not forget today about the freedom that all of us have.
As I sit today in a beautiful cabin nestled in the mountains of Buffalo Creek, I am so grateful for that freedom.
For our country.
For our soldiers.
For a pledge that says “One nation UNDER God”
And as my wife played this song for me today and I watched the lyrics, I couldn’t help but think about Nathanael. As he sat under that fig tree and cried to God, he was not completely sure that God was even listening to him.
But he found out.
And he found out in an encounter with none other than Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And he found out that something good could come Nazareth. In fact, to let us know that He has walked that road, He chose to be from Nazareth.
Let us not forget today that true freedom comes from Jesus.
Let us not forget that God is listening to us.
Let us not forget that an encounter with Jesus is all that we ever truly need.
Because He … Is Where It Begins.
John 11In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God …
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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In a move that made no sense, three men stood up for the only God who could save them.
Daniel 3 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
This is the greatest example of bullying that you can cite. A King with all the power is simply giving two choices:
Life or Death
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose the latter. And that’s because life without God is no life at all. Only God has the keys to the Kingdom. John tells us in John 1 “to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children … ” and the greatest story of all time became narrated from an eyewitness with a front row seat.
Back to Daniel. Different era. SAME God.
The three men are Honorable. They will HONOR a King … but they won’t worship him.
The three men stood Together. To stand alone is nearly impossible. But to have those beside you holding your arm and saying “I got you” is something that you will never forget.
The three men Weighed The Cost. All of us would be wise to do this.
Jesus is not the enemy of mankind.
And anyone who thinks He is is deceived.
His rules are not to restrict us or to shame us … they are for our benefit.
The real enemy is the voice that tells us to “not honor your parents” or “go try it and if you like it–try it again” or the voice that tells us to live in “my truth” or all of the other theories that have run rampant through our culture.
We have lost our way … and the King who stands before us and threatens us like Nebuchadnezzar did the three men is no king at all. He is a hateful, vengeance filled, passive aggressive heathen. And his doom is coming. Get away from him. Repent. And bring others with you … the fiery furnace was meant to be for him—not for us.
Jesus Christ said, very simply,
John 316 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What a message.
It’s a message for three men standing in front of a tyrant and a message for you and me.
And it’s the best deal we’re going to get.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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I have played this song before. But in my car a few days ago, I heard it for the first time.
God is so amazing.
And He is amazing for every season of our lives.
As I listened and wrote the lyrics down today, I was convicted to put an appropriate verse with each lyric.
Have a great day!
I searched the world
But it couldn’t fill me
Ecclesiastes 2 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.
Man’s empty praise
And treasures that fade
Are never enough
John 6 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Then You came along
And put me back together
And every desire
Is now satisfied
Here in Your love (hey)
Lamentations 3 22 Because of the Lord ‘s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You
Revelation 4 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
I’m not afraid
To show You my weakness
My failures and flaws
Lord, You’ve seen ’em all
And You still call me friend
Psalm 139 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
‘Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
There’s not a place
Your mercy and grace
Won’t find me again
Psalm 23 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You
Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You’re the only one who can
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You’re the only one who can
You turn graves into garden
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You’re the only one who can
You’re the only one who can
Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You
Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You’re the only one who can
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You’re the only one who can
You’re the only one who can
You’re the only one who can
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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In the Lord’s prayer we ask God to “deliver us from evil”.
And I am sure David was saying something along the same lines in Psalm 3:
Psalm 31 O Lord , how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah
3 But you are a shield around me, O Lord ; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
7 Arise, O Lord ! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah
Hidden in a cave, David was surrounded. Broken. And probably without confidence.
I like this, because it encourages me. And it encourages me because sometimes I stand in courage … and sometimes I am a coward, hidden in a cave, begging for God to knock the teeth out of my enemies.
But here’s the good news:
The War Is Over
The War Is Over is over Jesus said it was. In the state of a Lamb, He declared war on our enemies and defeated them in an unbelievable fashion.
Colossians 2 …14having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Today, my prayer is this:
Lord, help me to remember that The War Is Over … Deliver Me From Evil.
When I am hiding in that cave in fear, I need to remember this: Jesus is eternal. And when Jesus delivers us, we become eternal too. And our outcome, because of that, is certain. Period.
When we bring that certainty into the carnal earth, what should we fear? The War Is Over. He disarmed the powers and authorities, made a public spectacle of them, and defeated them on the cross.
So oftentimes our lives are difficult. The money is not easy. The job is not easy. The relationships are not easy.
But God is simple. And, yes, we must take the time to connect with Him. And, yes, we must make sacrifices to fulfill the greater good. And, yes, the mountains in front of us can appear insurmountable.
But God is going to Deliver Us From Evil. It is certain.
Because He already has.
The War Is Over
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Exodus 211 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Nathanael just wanted to be noticed.
John 148 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
The leper did not want to be broken anymore.
Matthew 82 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
Nicodemus knew at the heart of his ministry that he was misguided.
John 3 3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
And like all of these situations, we are all facing surrender. Our reality is this:
Sooner Or Later We Are All Going
To Have To Surrender To Something
Inadequate.
Unnoticed.
Broken.
Misguided.
What is your story?
If you are like me, it is a long laundry list of obstacles.
But the reality for all of us is this:
We can surrender to Jesus or lose to the rest.
And our surrender is not a detriment.
It is the greatest option that we could ever have.
So cry out to the King of the Universe … And give everything you have to Him. He is worthy.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Because if you are looking for easy … or slow … or without struggle … then you are not looking for a race.
Hebrews 121 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
My words are not meant to discourage. Just the opposite. They are meant to refocus us … to refine us … to help us to recalibrate.
What does God say?
He says to do at least three things in this passage:
Surround. God tells us to surround ourselves. With who? With other believers. But more than that—we want to be surrounded by, and filled up by, the Holy Spirit. It is only in His power that we can run this race.
Fix. God tells us to fix. To fix our eyes on Jesus. To stand with Him. To not back down. And to let our life be not just about what we are doing, but to make it about what He did, and wants to continue to do, through us.
Consider. God wants us to consider, when the race is hard, Jesus. He stood before evil men and still focused on the prize. His prize? The absolute decimation of Satan, sin, and death—so that WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE. And in one breath He defeated them all. How hard it must have been to stay nailed to that cross and carry out that mission. Yet He did. And because of Him the portals of Hell are closed and the portals of Heaven are OPEN for those who might want to follow Him.
Run the race today.
Run it with clarity and vision and strength.
Run it with gratitude for God.
And run it without apology.
For you see, at just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
He died for you.
Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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2 MINUTE WARNING 