APRIL 30, 2021

 

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

~ Abraham Lincoln

2 SAMUEL 24

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 22:46-53

 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

David again accepts responsibility and submits to God's consequences for his sin. David is not perfect, far from it, but in the end his heart belongs to God. Yes he makes mistakes, but he always comes back, owns it and surrenders to God's authority. 

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.

The same power, resolve and love are within me. It is in accepting God's love and grace that this power in spirit is made alive within. Because of that...I have no excuse...ever. If I do not give my best, surrender to discipline, and seek God, then I am disobedient. God doesn't ask me to be something I'm not, he doesn't ask me to do superhuman feats. He simply asks me to trust his love for me and then to give my best accordingly. When I shrink from that, lose focus and fail to obey then I am rejecting God and all the gifts he has given. Just as with David and the disciples, his grace covers me in all my blunders, in all my disobedience, and because of that, my devotion should reach ever deeper.

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

APRIL 29, 2021

 God, give us grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

- Reinhold Niebuhr

2 SAMUEL 21-22

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.

34He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

he causes me to stand on the heights.

35He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36You make your saving help my shield;

your help has madeⁱ me great.

37You provide a broad path for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.(22:31-37)

LUKE 22:39-46

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 is nearing his last days...Jesus is also in his last evening. 

Greatness is not about titles or awards or position. Greatness is found in serving and living a life of action dedicated in obedience to God. It is trusting in him fully and never being content to rest in the spoils of success or the despair of failure. It goes back to living in the moment and fully trusting God in that moment. 

Here Jesus is...moments before being taken captive and he is crying out to God...asking if there is another way. He knows the outcome but he sees so much left to do and the lack of power and competency from his disciples.  The crucifixion has not happened yet...the resurrection, the conversion of Saul, the missionary journeys, the worldwide spread of Christianity. None of that has happened...so it all comes down to an anguished prayer in the middle of the night. Jesus obeys and paves the way for our redemption. Ultimately he loves us...in that moment, minutes from arrest he sees our rebellion, our sin, our selfishness, our anger, hurt and rage and instead of destroying us he chooses to save us. 

13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^a ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^b

GALATIANS 5:13-14

APRIL 28, 2021

 

“The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard

2 SAMUEL 19-22

“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 

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.” 

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 beauty of David, no matter his failures he always comes back to his childlike love and wonder of God. 

To the contrary, here the disciples are on the eve of their entire world being turned upside down. They will all fail and scatter...their worst nightmare is on the verge of occurring and here they are arguing over who is greater. Peter who tends to be over-confident in himself is called out.  Peter will learn a hard lesson...Sad but so often it is how we humans operate. We don't see the blessings of the present life. We get too caught up in what's gonna happen tomorrow or trying to justify ourselves, arrange for ourselves, instead of living and giving our best today. 

I just can't get over how the greatest moment in history is occurring...one that will be talked about, written about and will change the plight of the whole human race and they are there arguing like children. I so often miss these moments in scripture because I know the outcome, I think that's the same with me in my daily life...I miss the miracle of today because of the worry of tomorrow or  the despair of yesterday rather than the reality of today. 

18Pride goes before destruction,

a haughty spirit before a fall.

 Proverbs 16:18

APRIL 27, 2021

 “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” 

― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

2 SAMUEL 17-18

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(18:31-33)

LUKE 21:1-19

10Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12“But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13And so you will bear testimony to me. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17Everyone will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19Stand firm, and you will win life.

JOURNAL 

David loves his son, in spite of all of the horrible things Absalom did, despite the fact that his intent was to kill David. David loved him and mourned for him after his death and even confesses he would have given his life for him. This is a taste of Jesus' love for us. Jesus did give his life so that we would have life.

Jesus predicts the terrible suffering of the disciples yet affirms that they will gain life regardless of what happens to them. I love that statement..."Stand firm, and you will win life." So much of life is just that...showing up, standing up and being firm about who you are and what you believe. 

These two pictures are the reason and hope of the gospel. That no matter what we do or what life throws at us...we are all loved by God. We have his love and that love is not dependent on circumstances, performances, success, failure, suffering or triumph. He loves us right here today, just as we are. Acceptance of that love leads me to take on each day with the confidence and courage that comes with knowing that I ultimately can't lose. No matter my circumstance...I win in the end and therefore I win today!

 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

JOHN 10:10

APRIL 26, 2021

 “Do not let arrogance go to your head and despair to your heart; do not let compliments go to your head and criticisms to your heart; do not let success go to your head and failure to your heart.” 

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

2 SAMUEL 15-16

11David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”

13So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. 14The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.(16:11-14)

LUKE 20:27-47

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 

David is run out of the Kingdom by his son Absalom and is then discraced by Shimei...what a terrible awful scene. Jesus likewise warns the disciples that those who think too highly of themselves will be humbled

David the great King in total humility and defeat by his own son. And he takes it, not out of weakness but in surrender to God. God will bring David back to power but this scene is a reminder that in the course of life that we live, none of us are immune to embarrassment, failure, betrayal and extremely humbling circumstances. 

This is the point Jesus is making it is a reminder to cling close to God and his direction and his love. Never mistake power and position as a right to step on others or as affirmation of a right to arrogance and pride. Of course Jesus did this perfectly...the most powerful and perfect man who ever lived is ridiculed, mocked, humiliated and then crucified. He took all the pain because he obeyed his Father and paved a path for our redemption. It truly puts so many trivial things that I "suffer" into perspective. It helps me to see that this blip of a life that I get to live is just that...a blip in history, yet Jesus still died for me, so that I could have true life and have it abundantly. 

1Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4

APRIL 25, 2021

 “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” 

― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

2 SAMUEL 13-14

13The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? 14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.(14:13-14)

LUKE 20:1-26

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 

David is dealing with the banishment of Absalom after he kills his brother Amnon. There is such heartache and backstabbing within the kingdom. To see it all fall apart is discouraging however it can be traced back to David and his affair with Bathsheba. David errs in his leadership...and as a result he brings a spirit of selfishness into his family and kingdom. God does forgive him yet now this cancerous spirit is going to bring consequences. 

Jesus addresses this same spirit with the pharisees in the parable. Because of their own pride and arrogance they fail to see that Jesus actually is the answer they have been waiting and searching for. He is the messiah...he is their path to redemption and joy and peace yet they fail to see it. 

I think it all goes back to motive...what is the underlying motive and is it for good or evil. As a believer our motive must be for good...it must drive us to serve and be our best for the collective good, for the kingdom of God. It must drive us to be assertive...not for the sake of gaining glory or honor for ourselves but rather for our team. Everyone belongs to a team, whether that is a sports team, a family, a community, a country, a world. We all are a part of something and as a result we are part of everything. 

We are important and we have a role to play. In playing that role, we are called to give our very best every day, every moment. That is our greatest challenge...to give our best and to fight the temptation to procrastinate, avoid, lie, hate, deceive etc. The present moment is our battle ground, it is where the war is fought for our souls and the allegiance of our hearts. If we successfully fight our daily battles and give our best selves for our team then God promises that we will experience true joy, which ultimately is peace and hope and contentment.

However our enemy of shame and fear will tempt us, and when we surrender to them...we will begin to question the present, wishing it were different, longing for more or less or different. We risk losing our joy, our hope, our gratitude and all will turn dark as we seek to consume something, anything to quench our despair. We will long to change the past, fear the future and completely lose the one thing that we can control...the present. This was the temptation that drove Adam and Eve to disobey God. This was the enemy that drove David to seek Bathsheeba and kill Uriah. This was the evil that captured Judas in his betrayal of Jesus and the same spirit that caused Peter to deny.  

Jesus plowed this path...he lived a life that perfectly paved a path to the kingdom. In doing so he bought us for his team, he gave us a purpose and a role and he sent his spirit to comfort and guide us along the way. 

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 TIMOTHY 1:7

APRIL 24, 2021

 “God desires to reveal His heart to us and to build His heart into us as we seek His face.” 

― Bill Mills, Adequate: How God Empowers Ordinary People to Serve

2 SAMUEL 10-12

11The 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. (12:1-9)

LUKE 19:29-48

41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus at the Temple

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 

As humans we are so blinded by our fears and our pride. I still struggle to wrap my head around how David could have fallen so far, so fast.  I guess the answer is that when reliance on God ceases, anyone can fall prey to sin in ways that we could never fathom. What's crazy though is that David didn't seem to turn from God as much as he just stopped seeking and needing him in the way he had before.  As a result he misused his power and did something awful. He broke up a marriage and murdered one of his own men. 

It is interesting though that this happened as a result of boredom...David had stayed home from the battle and was on his rooftop...no doubt admiring his kingdom when he saw Bathsheba. Even though he had pretty much any wife or concubine he wanted...he got greedy and lustful and wanted Bathsheba. He wanted what was forbidden..hmmm sounds familiar. 

I think this is the meaning behind Jesus words that "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-". Success, riches, leisure...those are obviously, not the source of peace. It is true in my own life that when I am working through problems and actively dealing with struggle is when I truly find the most joy. I've definitely had moments on vacation that were peaceful, restful and wonderful but they didn't grow my soul. Those moments weren't markers on my journey of great revelation or profound growth and change. Peace with God is found in seeking him...which happens most often when I am struggling to solve a problem...when I am outside of my own wisdom etc.      

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