Thursday, 4/30/2015

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

2 SAMUEL 24

David's last act is in humility and consciousness of his sin...

17When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,^c have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.”

LUKE 22:46

Jesus is arrested...

47While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

51But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”

JOURNAL

Jesus cannot be swayed.  In surrendering to the path, he is resolute and willingly goes without a fight.  Knowing that Jesus is confident in his resolve and has been strengthened by God, he confronts Judas, heals a soldier and rebukes them all in the matter of a moment. The brilliance of Christ and his mixture of strength, wit, humility and power are all on display in this passage.

He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. (2 Corinthians 13:3-4)

Wednesday, 4/29/2015

“Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect.” ~ Wm. Paul Young

2 SAMUEL 23

David's last words...

1These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,

the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,

the man anointed by the God of Jacob,

the hero of Israel’s songs:

2“The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;

his word was on my tongue.

3The God of Israel spoke,

the Rock of Israel said to me:

‘When one rules over people in righteousness,

when he rules in the fear of God,

4he is like the light of morning at sunrise

on a cloudless morning,

like the brightness after rain

that brings grass from the earth.’

LUKE 22:39-45

Jesus advises Peter that he will betray him...

39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.^c

45When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

JOURNAL

David at the end of his life gives all praise and glory to God.  David has learned that nothing good in life comes without God.  He realizes that great leadership comes from a heart surrendered to following God.  

Here we see that Jesus is coming in surrender to God...seeking permission in all honesty.  Jesus has authority to do as he wishes, yet he always surrenders to God in directing his path.  In doing so he knows the disciples are giving in to their sorrow...he knows that although they will fail. They will learn from this lesson and their devotion will change the course of history.

“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19)

Tuesday, 4/28/2015

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  ~ C.S. Lewis

2 SAMUEL 19-22

David sings a song in praise of God...

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

3my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield^a and the horn^b of my salvation...

31“As for God, his way is perfect:

The Lord’s word is flawless;

he shields all who take refuge in him.

32For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?

33It is God who arms me with strength^h

and keeps my way secure...

50Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

I will sing the praises of your name. 

LUKE 22:1-38

Jesus advises Peter that he will betray him...

24A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

34Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

JOURNAL

David again is a picture of humility.  In everything he gives all glory and all credit to God.  It is not a platitude or false humility...David's heart knows that all goodness comes from God.  He knows that God is to be credited not himself.

This is the problem with the disciples as they argue over who is the greatest...Peter who tends to be over-confident in himself is called out in Jesus' prediction of his betrayal.  Peter will learn a hard lesson...

18Pride goes before destruction,

a haughty spirit before a fall.(Proverbs 16:18)

Monday, April 27, 2015

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  ~ William Churchill

2 SAMUEL 17-18

The kingdom is restored to David but Absalom is killed...

31Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

32The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”

33The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”^g

LUKE 21

Jesus confirms that it is the heart and not wealth that God is after...

1As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3“Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

JOURNAL

This is such a sad picture of David...being forced out of the kingdom.  It is again a reminder of David's humility and humanity.  Athough he is a great warrior and the greatest King of Israel...he has his weak and humbling moments.  He is not immune to failure and to heartache.  

This is why Jesus is so hard on the teachers of the law...their arrogance feigns false righteousness.  Jesus knows their hearts and knows that they are just as wicked as the rest of us.  

37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

Sunday, 4/26/2015

“If you're betrayed, release disappointment at once.
By that way, the bitterness has no time to take root.”  ~ Toba Beta

2 SAMUEL 15-16

David is betrayed by Absalom and he is forced out of the Kingdom...

30But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.

LUKE 20:27-47

Jesus again directs his parables to the Pharisees...

45While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

JOURNAL

This is such a sad picture of David...being forced out of the kingdom.  It is again a reminder of David's humility and humanity.  Athough he is a great warrior and the greatest King of Israel...he has his weak and humbling moments.  He is not immune to failure and to heartache.  

This is why Jesus is so hard on the teachers of the law...their arrogance feigns false righteousness.  Jesus knows their hearts and knows that they are just as wicked as the rest of us.  

37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

Saturday, 4/25/2015

“Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” ~ Annie Lamont

2 SAMUEL 13-14

Absalom kills Amnon and then goes into exile....

33So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.

LUKE 20:1-26

Jesus again directs his parables to the Pharisees...

9He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’

14“But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

17Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

“ ‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone’^a ?

18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

19The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

JOURNAL

Even though Absalom killed one of David's sons and was exiled for 2 years...David has the heart to forgive.  This is a reminder of the heart of God, for David was also a murderer and God forgave him.

David understands grace...how much more then should I give grace to those who disappoint or let me down.  Who am I to judge and condemn??

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Friday, 4/24/2015

“Our labour preserves us from three great evils -- weariness, vice, and want.”  ~ Voltaire

2 SAMUEL 10-12

Idleness gets the best of David...his position as King tempts him to do evil...

1In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2One 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, 3and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her...

26When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord...

 1The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

4“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

5David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ 

 

LUKE 19:29-48

Jesus drives out those using the temple for commerce...

45When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46“It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’^c ; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^d ”

47Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

JOURNAL

One of the critical moments in David's life is here when he has succeeded and instead of being out with his men he is at home being idle.  This is a lesson in life.  God does not desire that we have long periods of idleness.  Being a king is never about our own selfish desires, it is about serving the needs of those around us.  

David's desires get the best of him because he allows his mind and his desires to wander.  He ends up committing adultery and murder.  David the man after God's own heart, who has shown such amazing strength, obedience, honor and who has enjoyed amazing success...is overcome by his desires and commits two atrocious acts.  

It is a reminder that all of us are a glance and a heartbeat away from the most horrible sin. No matter how deep our love and relationship with God...we can lose our minds and lose our way.  We can never assume that we are immune to evil...it is always lurking deep in our hearts, our only hope is in always clinging to God in every moment.  

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)

Thursday, 4/23/2015

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”  ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

2 SAMUEL 7-9

God declares his love for David and lays out the future of Israel...David responds...

1After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”...

8“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders^a over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies...

27“Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

LUKE 19:1-28

The people question Jesus on the end times...

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

JOURNAL

It is so amazing how Jesus bucks culture and the opinions of others.  For him to honor someone like Zacchaeus shows the depth of his love and how deeply he knows all of us.  This was something soo unexpected and full of grace to a man who was full of shame.

It is no different for me or for any of us.  Jesus comes to us in our greatest shame...knowing the depths of our sin and wants relationship and wants to be part of every area of our lives.  Christ is not embarrassed by our sin...in fact he enters into the deepest darkest places to reside and bring his love and peace.

16For 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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

Wednesday, 4/22/2015

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” ~ William Shakespeare

2 SAMUEL 4-6

David honors Saul and his family...David becomes King of all of Israel.

9David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

1All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ 

4David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

LUKE 18:18-43

Jesus answers the rich young ruler regarding the price of discipleship...

22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

27Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

28Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

29“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

JOURNAL

The point of this interaction is not to make wealth, family, children the reason for evil and sin.  It is to warn us that there is nothing more important than following and obeying God.  Things of earth can never be our God.  They can never bring us complete joy and they can never be our reason for life.  

Making them such will only destroy them and us in the process...Jesus is clear to point out that obedience to God is all that matters.  However, God is not a God of Evil...but a God of Love.  Everything he asks of us will ultimately be done in love towards all his children.  Therefore we have nothing to fear.  

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.   (1 John 4:7-12)