A Story that Will Change your Life

    We live in a culture that is lost and seeking to fill a void. We feel an emptiness inside and will go to whatever lengths we can to fill that emptiness. Be it money, drugs or sex we must have it…and we must have more! Perhaps you have found yourself at a crossroads. There was a man named Saul who found himself worn out after days of searching (1 Samuel 9:4-5). Searching for what you might ask? Saul was sent on a mission to retrieve his fathers donkeys that had gone missing (1 Samuel 9:3).

    Now it is important to note that this word donkey, in the original language came from a word meaning; perpetual, constant or ever-flowing. Isn’t it true that the world tasks us with a constant search of that which is lost. Earthly tasks are never ending, as soon as we have completed one the need for another arises. Same be it with the success of this world. When we have sacrificed to achieve some great task, upon completion we receive a new found desire for something bigger or better. The world has tasked us with the constant pursuit for more. Where does one find rest from all of this?

    We too like Saul must have found ourselves tired of searching and thinking to give up. But to where shall we go, for if Saul were to return home he would still be without donkey. It is in these times of desperation we are apt to give up no longer able to search out the way on our own. But it was also in this time Saul sought the One who never grows tired, who always knows the way, who is faithful to provide and sure to give rest. It was in this time Saul turned to the Lord and found what he had been looking for (1 Samuel 9:20). Not only was he given assurance that the donkeys were found, he received a meal (1 Samuel 9:24), a place to rest (1 Samuel 9:25), and sure instruction on the way he should continue (1 Samuel 9:26-27).

    The same is true of any man who would turn now to the Lord. The desire for money, drugs and sex will be satisfied and fulfilled upon turning to the Lord. For what you thought you were looking for will be found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is there you will find a meal ready to feast upon, that is His Word. It is there you will find rest, that is an overwhelming peace surpassing all understanding. It is there you will find a guide to lead you on your way. That is the Spirit of Truth, who will lead you into all truth (John 16:13). What is the way, what is the truth you ask? “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.’” (John 14:6).

If you don't have a bible, here is 1 Samuel 9 including the story of Saul

 

9 There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. ² Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

³ Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.
⁵ When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
⁶ But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”
⁷ Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
⁸ The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)
¹⁰ “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.
¹¹ As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
¹² “He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. ¹³ As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”
¹⁴ They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.
¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”
¹⁷ When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
¹⁸ Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
¹⁹ “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. ²⁰ As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”
²¹ Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”
²⁴ So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.
²⁵ After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. ²⁶ They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷ As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

Which City Will it Be?

1 Samuel 8:4-5 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” (ESV)

    Israel looked at what they did not have and longed for what their neighboring brethren had. Maybe lately you have found yourself longing for that which is not yours. It always seems to be that amidst the many blessings that the Lord pours out in our life Satan finds that one thing we don’t have and cant resist to live without. Do not be deceived for from the beginning of time Satan has been using the same tricks. Wasn’t it in the midst of Eden and all its glory that Satan tempted Eve of the one thing prohibited.
   
    Adam and Eve were lavished with blessings unknown to any man even to this day and still they fell for the flashy things of this world. It was the desires of the flesh, Eve saw that the tree was good for food, the desires of the eyes, the tree was a delight to her eyes, and pride in possessions, it would make her wise (1 John 2:16; Genesis 3:6). It was the Israelites who also fell to the flash of this world. They wanted to be like the other nations and have a king to go out before them and fight their battles (1 Samuel 8:20). The Israelites had once lived in Egypt and although they were slaves surely there were days where the grass looked greener on the other side. No doubt they saw the power of pharaoh, they saw his mighty army and his palace in all its splendor and majesty. I’m sure to a hand full of blisters and a sweat covered brow the glory of pharaoh was a “delight to the eyes.”

    I note one common theme in both the creation story and this latter story of topic. God never forced their decision upon them, He left the door wide open and gave them the will to do as they pleased. With that thought He never left them without instructive insight on the decision they were making. He warned the Israelites the bondage that would come of giving themselves over to the rule of a king (1 Samuel 8:11-18), just as he warned Adam of the death to come if he ate from the tree (Genesis 3:17). Even in light of the consequences at hand, both caved in. Israel refused to obey and demanded for their to be a king over them (8:19), Adam willingly transgressed and ate from the tree (1 Timothy 2:14).

    Of this I would say I am amazed, but I know if faced with the same situation I would have fallen captive. Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city” (1 Samuel 8:22). Today the same offer is laid out before you and I, the choice is ours, which city will you choose? Will it be the world and all of its fleeting pleasures or will it be the land flowing with milk and honey. That is the city of King Jesus who says to all who come they shall never thirst nor hunger (John 6:35).

A Walk to Remember

Amos 3:3 Do two walk together, unless they agreed to meet? (ESV)

    Daily we walk and at times in the company of others. What a beautiful thing it is to walk alongside the one you love. You don’t find yourself wishing to speed ahead for then fellowship would be broke. Rather you yield your speed to that of your partner, that unity might be kept. Walking is an intimate process. The longer we walk with a person the more we get to know about them. As intimate as it may be this is a conditional process, one such that we must find ourselves in action. If I wish to advance my position I must get up and begin walking. It is only when I fail to walk that I don’t get where I need to go. At the same time I find myself walking ahead of others because their pace is not working for me.

    We must view our relationship with the Lord as a walk. We have heard the Christian faith paralleled to a race that we must run, and so it is. But there is another, more intimate process we are familiar with and even shown by example. Enoch holds the testimony of having pleased the Lord (Hebrews 11:5) and for such a noble commendation we ask why? We are only told of Enoch that he “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). So you mean all he did was walked with the Lord and of that he was found to be pleasing in His sight?

    Yeah that’s exactly what is being said. For it is not all he did, it is everything he did. Daily he walked. It was a process that required great action, initiation and ultimately was the response of the agreement set before him. He came to the Lord in agreement to pace himself accordingly. I know at times that it was a hard pace to endure and at other times it was engaging and full of intimacy. So it is of the saint who says of himself, “I will ‘walk by faith and not by sight’”. It takes a man who has wholeheartedly agreed to walk with the Lord before the day he says “there is nothing on earth I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25).
  
    I long for that day. I like to think of Enoch and the day the Lord snatched him up. 365 years of walking and surely the walks only grew longer and more intimate. As the Lord took Enoch so will he take his church, that is those that are walking with him. The beauty of this is everyone of us knows how to walk. Maybe you realize you have not been walking with the Lord but you want to. Or maybe you have walked away and deliberately settled at your own pace. Jesus has made known Himself, that He is the way to salvation; and has required of us not only that we would come but that we would continue walking in relationship with him. If this is a turning point for you, the Lord has already agreed to meet you and is faithfully awaiting your approach. Wait no more and turn for “the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

To Cold to Stand

Psalm 147:17-18 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out His word, and melts them; He makes His wind blow and the waters flow. (ESV)

    Top of chair one, it’s the first run of the morning; temp reads zero, 50 mph wind gusts with a chill of -16...now that’s flat out cold! Its on these days I have to remind myself of my passion for snowboarding or I would not be able to stand before that kind of weather. A simple remembrance of my passion and the cold is suddenly overtaken by a nice warming sensation. Believer have you found yourself trapped in the storm? Have conditions become so raw and bone chilling it seems as though no man could endure?

    Fear not, for this cold is but as a crumb to our Creator. As the crumb is easily done away with in one motion so shall the cold melt away in a simple sending forth of His word. It is He that makes the wind blow, so it is He who breathes out His Spirit. The soul shall warm and feel a nice breeze of Holy Ghost unction fall down upon the furtherance of His word. This is He who makes the waters flow; and so it shall be of His word through your soul.

    What you have deemed impossible; the Lord, “abundant in power” can make it possible. Know someone that seems so far from the Lord? Like they are lost and in the cold? Perhaps you feel they have fallen so far to go after them would mean to freeze in their wake. This may be true, and they may very well be in a dark and cold place. It is in these cold places heat flexes most its ability. It is in the windy moments we see a power not to be compared with. It is in the depths of the waters we conclude “immeasurable”. So it is true of the addict set free, the weak made strong, and the finite crying “His understanding is beyond measure”.

    My prayer is you would engage the one who executes and find rest from a battle no man can stand against. “Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act” (Psalm 37:5).

A Remedy for the Afflicted Soul

1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy (ESV)

    Paul found purpose and meaning in life through the ministry of the gospel. He was constantly in prayer (1:2, 3:10); daily making intercession and supplication on behalf of those he had shared the gospel with. Paul did not view this task as a burdensome duty; rather he would say “we were not only ready to share the gospel of God but also our own selves” (2:8). Paul was so affectionate of those he shared the good news with he did not just stop at the giving of the word but went so far as the giving of his own rights; physical, spiritual and emotional.
    I spent six months in Kenya sharing the gospel with a group of teens I got to know and cherish as my own children. As my time with them went on my affections for them grew deeper, longing as Paul longed that they might be found “standing fast in the Lord” (3:8). At times exhorting, encouraging, and charging them as a Father would his children (2:11-12). Other times I found myself taking on a more gentle approach, “like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” (2:7). Even to this day I have found purpose and meaning through the ministry of the gospel to these children. Remembering them in my prayers and eagerly awaiting an encouraging report (3:6). I am a blessed man, and have time and time again received those reports of their longing to see us once again.
    It is upon the receiving of these reports I can share in the quotations of Paul, “for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith” (3:7). My desire is that you would see the purpose and comfort to be found within the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors and have been entrusted with the task of allowing Christ to make his appeal of reconciliation through us. To this day few have known affliction and suffering like Paul has known, and yet it was in the laying down of his rights in these times that he found the most joy. In times of suffering our nature tells us to seek out all the help we can find for ourselves. But Paul would say in these times seek out the needs of others and see how you can help them, for there is found the best remedy, therapy and counseling for the afflicted soul.

Summit Bound

Psalm 119:75 I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me (ESV)

    Felt stranded and alone lately? Have you lost heart and become cast down? Wonder why the Lord allows affliction to befall upon his beloved? Have you been heading for the summit only to realize none but you have made it? I have spent most of my growing years on the mountain being that I am an avid snowboarder. In those years I have witnessed some of the most epic storms and yet been graced with some of the most beautiful calms. Days when I could not see my own hand in front of me and days when I could see as far as my eye would let me. There are no rules when it comes to predicting mountain weather, anything goes. One minute the sun can be shining and the next minute you can be caught up in a storm closing in.

    The higher up the mountain you go, the more keen your senses become to the reality of your position. Conditions worsen and the weather is often harsher at higher elevations. The summit is the place that takes on the most grueling weather. Some times for days it does not let up, whereas lower down on the mountain you can find calm from the storm. A true minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing short of summit bound. He has been called to ascend to heights few others will know. The higher he goes the harder it will be to continue on. He can be assured of finding himself lonely as others turn back for calmer conditions. No doubt this same overwhelming sense of loneliness flooded our Savior in the garden of Gethsemane when He came back from prayer to find His most beloved disciples sleeping on the job (Mark 14:32-42). In that moment He realized His comfort came from the Father alone. Like David, He had learned how to “strengthen himself in the Lord” (1 Samuel 30:6). We should not look to vain things for our strength in the time of need, rather we must learn as Jesus did to cry out “Abba, Father.”

    The view from the summit is also the best. Although many days the visibility is next to none, when the storm does let up there’s no better place to see more clearly then at the summit. This is also true of the Minister. He will encounter storms unknown to most. It is in these storms his senses will also grow stronger then the average man. He will have to stand on the rock even when he has lost all sight of it. If he is going to make it, he must learn to navigate upon the rock by faith and not by the sight of it.

    Now if you have ever spent a season on the mountain you also know there are times of inversion. This means at some point you ascend above the cloud level and gain back all visibility. When lower down the mountain the people are stranded in a white out you can see for miles at the summit. Now the Shepherd can lead his blinded sheep for he has survived the most grueling of whiteouts known to the mountain. When the people have become cast down and have lost all hope of making it out alive; the Minister has vision to get them through. All the while sympathizing and having compassion on their condition.

    I also grew up on a river and have spent many years observing the flow of the water. When summer comes and the snow begins to melt the rivers are rushing with water. Although the water is much to cold to get in, there is an abundance of it. This season is quick to shift; as the snow begins to melt away the water calms down and warms up a little bit. It is now suitable for swimming and freely flowing for the people to enjoy. As a minister it is easy to start off strong and seem untouchable. But the ones who stop half way up the mountain will soon melt off and be no more. This man is not fit for the ministry. You cant sow in preservation and expect to reap in the benefits of sacrifice. To the sorrow of his people his journey will be short-lived.

    The people need a well seasoned Minister, one who has spent time on the summit of the mountain. Who in the late of summer still has enough snow to supply the riverbeds with fresh water. It is these Ministers, who have endured the storm that buried them, and now their storehouses are overflowing for business. They are not stingy in there dividing of the word, but with great diligence they pour out their souls on behalf of the needy. Rather then preserving their flesh they offer themselves as a living sacrifice for their people. It is their duty and privilege to exhaust their lives for Jesus. It is the man who can say with confidence,"I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me," that is fit for the building up of the saints.

Man Up

    I was reading Psalm 119 this morning and came across verse 18, my prayer then became; “Lord, open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Little did I know what I was asking for, but sure enough He was faithful to quickly answer that prayer. I then continued my morning reading in the book of Habakkuk and what I began to read was nothing short of wondrous. Its important to remember that the Prophets of old were not popular by any means. Often they were threatened, mocked and persecuted for the message they delivered. It was a message contrary to culture and generally did not go over well with the people. Now I say this because when you ask the Lord to see as He sees, your going to receive a similar message.

    What I saw this morning in Habakkuk was a conversation between a genuine man and the Lord that quickly resulted in change. I love any type of progression in the Scriptures, but today I couldn’t resist writing this one down. The first four verses of Habakkuk look a lot like most face book posts I see today. “So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth.” Word it how you will, but the complaint remains the same, “why isn’t God doing something?” The Lord answers Habakkuk and gives him a glimpse of what is to come, the raising up of a “bitter and hasty nation.” 

    I love Habakkuk for many reasons, but the most pertinent reason is that he is honest and real with God about where he stands. For that I have to give him credit, but what he says next is almost hard to read (I think what’s hard about this next text is it reminded me so much of myself). Habakkuk responds by giving an analysis of Gods answer. He starts off by challenging the Lord, asking if He has forgotten of His own character? And then proceeds to tell the Lord (as if it had slipped His mind) His created and intended purpose for the Chaldeans and the injustice of their present actions. In other words he is saying, Lord what you have just told me about the Chaldeans is not what you meant to say, I think this is what you meant to say.

    Now as if that wasn’t enough, we get a glimpse at how spiritually prideful Habakkuk was. Being that he just gave a logical response to the Lord, one that in his eyes was more accurate and just, he prepares for the next “battle-round.” “I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.” I cant help but laugh at the fallen nature of mankind in this verse. Go ahead throw the first stone, but at the end of the day you and I are no better then Habakkuk. I am actually willing to go to bat for Habakkuk because I can respect his genuine character, at least he is real with the Lord. His gaze was fixed upon himself. As we often find ourselves doing, he was already contemplating his next response before he received a reply. Not only that, but he talked of exalting himself to higher ground, as if by doing so he possessed the ability in his own strength to level himself with the Lord and see as He see’s. He placed himself on the same ball field as the Lord and that will never be true of mankind, even though the world screams equality.

    The Lord answered Habakkuk and gave him a little behind the scenes look at what was really going on. What I love about progression in the scriptures is that the change we see is nothing short of wondrous. Habakkuk’s response this time is what brought me to the point of this writing in the first place. If you want to see the justice of the Lord in the midst of this twisted generation, man up like Habakkuk and ask Him to show you. For he is both Righteous and Just. “God will not be mocked.” When He shows you, He will also instill in you a reverential fear of Him, that you might also say, “in wrath remember mercy.” Don’t forget the might of the Lord, how in a moment, in the blink of an eye, He can do as He wills; “The sun and the moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.”

    If you are bold enough as Habakkuk, to take your complaints of the lack of justice before the Lord, be prepared to be shaken. “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me.” Habakkuk was anything short of shaken up by this interaction with the Lord, but he also came out seeing as the Lord sees. He knew where his strength came from. He now knew the only one who could take him to the high places. He now knew that “the righteous shall live by his faith.” Fruit or no fruit, his trust was in the Lord, who knows all and sees all and is in control of all. One thing he knew, he was saved from eternal damnation and in that would he rejoice.

    The name Habakkuk means “embrace”; to seize eagerly; to lay hold on; to receive or take that which is offered. This book is a beautiful illustration of what it looks like to embrace a relationship with the Living God. Habakkuk knew he had a right to relationship with the Lord and he fully embraced that right. The Spirit and the Bride say come to all who thirst and receive the water of life without price (Revelation 22:17). Come freely! Habakkuk came freely, his only requirement was to come and of that command he fulfilled. Not only did he come, he embraced this invitation with passion and affection. When is the last time you got intimate with the Lord. Go and embrace him, for their he will answer you.