Do you ever feel like everything is against you? Your job is in jeopardy and you don't have enough money to fill the gas tank or put food on the table. Perhaps you are ill and just can't get better or you have a relationship that is on the rocks and nothing seems to be able to fix it. Maybe you just don't feel right about yourself or are under attack from some other circumstance.
You feel surrounded by an enemy you can't hope to fight and you are ready just to give up.
Gehazi felt the same way as you. In 2 Kings 6 is the story of one day when Gehazi got up to get the morning paper and a latte at Starbucks (they had them back then, didn't they?). He went out the door and saw surrounding the city was the Syrian army. Uh oh.
At that point I'm sure Gehazi felt not a little bit of panic. You may know the story. Elisha the prophet comes out and Gehazi says "What shall we do?" And Elisha simply says to him "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
I can just imagine Gehazi thinking, "Uh, right. Let's see there's you and me and, hmmm, that's it!"
But then Elisha prays for Gehazi's eyes to be opened and then he sees surrounding the chariots of Syria chariots of fire from God.
What I find even more interesting is that they aren't needed, at least not then. Elisha prays and the Syrians are struck with blindness and Elisha leads them off to Samaria (and shows them mercy - but that's another story).
So what's the lesson for us? We need to realize that no matter how big our problem seems, there is a greater power for us than is against us. For one thing, God has sent his angels as ministering spirits to aid those who belong to Jesus. (Hebrews 1:14). But God doesn't necessarily send in those angels to rescue the day. He wants you to pray and trust in the Lord to provide in the situation what you need.
Elisha had to get involved. He prayed, he led the men, he acted in a godly way when he brought them to Samaria. God wants you involved in seeing his power work through you and transform you in the problem, not just rescue you from it.
Afraid of life? Surrounded by enemies? Realize God has surrounded the enemy with his forces and will swoop in if needed (it happens in chapter 7). But know this, greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). So pray and follow the leading of the Lord to see your rescue and be a part of it!
Pastor Tom
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Better Deal With Baal
Ahaziah had an accident in 2 Kings 1. He fell through the lattice in his upper chamber. Injured, Ahaziah wondered if he was going to survive. But this man and his nation had moved so far away from Yahweh that he didn't even think to ask God or seek God for healing.
Instead he said "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness" (2).
Elijah the prophet met the king's messengers and said "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?"
Ahaziah's men never made to Ekron. Elijah sent them back with this message, "you shall surely die."
Now I know that's not wonderful news but it illustrates an important point. There is a God in Israel and there is only one God in the universe. His name is Yahweh and His Son is Jesus. We are all injured by the evil of sin and should be wondering if we are going to recover.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that some other philosophy or life style or religion can get you a better deal, a second opinion. God's opinion is the only one that counts and that is you and I are all terminal.
What Ahaziah didn't know was that God would also pay the ultimate price to heal our sickness of sin by personally dieing in our place.
There is no better deal with Baal, and there is no Baal. But there is a loving God who deals honestly and completely with evil - by killing it and saving you!
Pastor Tom
Instead he said "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness" (2).
Elijah the prophet met the king's messengers and said "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?"
Ahaziah's men never made to Ekron. Elijah sent them back with this message, "you shall surely die."
Now I know that's not wonderful news but it illustrates an important point. There is a God in Israel and there is only one God in the universe. His name is Yahweh and His Son is Jesus. We are all injured by the evil of sin and should be wondering if we are going to recover.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that some other philosophy or life style or religion can get you a better deal, a second opinion. God's opinion is the only one that counts and that is you and I are all terminal.
What Ahaziah didn't know was that God would also pay the ultimate price to heal our sickness of sin by personally dieing in our place.
There is no better deal with Baal, and there is no Baal. But there is a loving God who deals honestly and completely with evil - by killing it and saving you!
Pastor Tom
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Are You Limping?
There is this great line that I had not seen before in the story about Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
It takes place in 1 Kings 18. Israel has split off from Judah and followed Jeroboam who decided he better make up a religion to keep his people from following Yahweh. It all went downhill from there and the people ended up worshiping and serving Baal.
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to see whose God would answer and burn up the sacrifice. You probably know the story, but then here is this great line of Elijah in verse 21:
"How long will you go limping between two opinions?"
If you are having a hard time with faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it may be because you want the best the world has to offer but the guarantee of eternal life that God offers through Jesus. Baal offered immediate gratification, just like the world which says "grab for all the gusto you can because you only go around once in life."
The problem with holding on to what the world is telling you while also trying to hold on to Jesus is you can do neither well. Have you ever tried to walk on top of a fence? You need to jump in either direction, either with the world and abandon the Lord, or with the Lord and abandon getting the immediate gratification (but long term problems) that come with sin.
Stop limping and walk strongly towards the Lord Jesus! Elijah finished that sentence off this way:
"If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." What's your choice?
Pastor Tom
It takes place in 1 Kings 18. Israel has split off from Judah and followed Jeroboam who decided he better make up a religion to keep his people from following Yahweh. It all went downhill from there and the people ended up worshiping and serving Baal.
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to see whose God would answer and burn up the sacrifice. You probably know the story, but then here is this great line of Elijah in verse 21:
"How long will you go limping between two opinions?"
If you are having a hard time with faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it may be because you want the best the world has to offer but the guarantee of eternal life that God offers through Jesus. Baal offered immediate gratification, just like the world which says "grab for all the gusto you can because you only go around once in life."
The problem with holding on to what the world is telling you while also trying to hold on to Jesus is you can do neither well. Have you ever tried to walk on top of a fence? You need to jump in either direction, either with the world and abandon the Lord, or with the Lord and abandon getting the immediate gratification (but long term problems) that come with sin.
Stop limping and walk strongly towards the Lord Jesus! Elijah finished that sentence off this way:
"If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." What's your choice?
Pastor Tom
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Who Do You Love More?
1 Kings chapters 8 and 9 are filled with wonderful promises from the Lord to Solomon. We also see Solomon make good choices and show what we think is his heart towards the Lord in asking for wisdom rather than riches, beauty, or power.
So it is rather disheartening to read the opening verse of chapter 11: "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women"
The Lord had warned Israel not to intermarry with the nations around them "for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." (2)
If you are Solomon, perhaps you are thinking that you are the king and that you asked for wisdom from God and so everything you do is going to be good. He should have paid more attention because verse 3 says "For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God."
This led Solomon to introduce idol worship into Israel. Though the people had fooled around with it prior to this, here it is coming from the king himself. It led the nation down a path that eventually led to civil war and exile.
It started because Solomon loved his foreign women more than he loved his God. It got a foothold because Solomon was not paying attention to what he was thinking and doing in relation to the Lord.
Is there something in your life that you love more than God? Are you so sure of your walk that you think you can do no wrong? Take a lesson from Solomon.
Pastor Tom
So it is rather disheartening to read the opening verse of chapter 11: "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women"
The Lord had warned Israel not to intermarry with the nations around them "for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." (2)
If you are Solomon, perhaps you are thinking that you are the king and that you asked for wisdom from God and so everything you do is going to be good. He should have paid more attention because verse 3 says "For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God."
This led Solomon to introduce idol worship into Israel. Though the people had fooled around with it prior to this, here it is coming from the king himself. It led the nation down a path that eventually led to civil war and exile.
It started because Solomon loved his foreign women more than he loved his God. It got a foothold because Solomon was not paying attention to what he was thinking and doing in relation to the Lord.
Is there something in your life that you love more than God? Are you so sure of your walk that you think you can do no wrong? Take a lesson from Solomon.
Pastor Tom
Monday, July 07, 2008
Forcing Your Own Deal
When King David was near death, his second son Adonijah decided he wanted to be king. This happened in 1 Kings 1. The Lord wanted Solomon to be king after David but that didn't stop Adonijah from trying to become king anyway. He got a couple of high officials to go along as well as the king's sons.
He was wrong and when David found out he immediately anointed Solomon king. Adonijah got the word and feared he would be killed but Solomon said "if he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth." (1:52)
However, Adonijah was not worthy and just as soon as he could he asked a favor of Solomon's mother to have David's servant Abishag given as his wife. This was tantamount to claiming the kingship and Solomon had Adonijah put to death.
Sometimes we want something so badly that we will do anything - anything to get it. God may have appointed Solomon to be king but didn't stop Adonijah. God may have said "no" to something but we as humans are fully capable of sometimes making our own thing work even if God isn't in it.
We can get some people around us who believe in what we want to do but in the end it won't succeed. Maybe Adonijah thought that if he worked hard enough that God would just shrug his shoulders and say "well, Adonijah is already doing it, so we'll just go with that." It doesn't work that way.
No matter how hard you want something, make sure (to the best of your ability) that God is in it before you push it forward.
Pastor Tom
He was wrong and when David found out he immediately anointed Solomon king. Adonijah got the word and feared he would be killed but Solomon said "if he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth." (1:52)
However, Adonijah was not worthy and just as soon as he could he asked a favor of Solomon's mother to have David's servant Abishag given as his wife. This was tantamount to claiming the kingship and Solomon had Adonijah put to death.
Sometimes we want something so badly that we will do anything - anything to get it. God may have appointed Solomon to be king but didn't stop Adonijah. God may have said "no" to something but we as humans are fully capable of sometimes making our own thing work even if God isn't in it.
We can get some people around us who believe in what we want to do but in the end it won't succeed. Maybe Adonijah thought that if he worked hard enough that God would just shrug his shoulders and say "well, Adonijah is already doing it, so we'll just go with that." It doesn't work that way.
No matter how hard you want something, make sure (to the best of your ability) that God is in it before you push it forward.
Pastor Tom
Thursday, July 03, 2008
What Does Worship Cost You?
David had blundered. He wanted to gauge the strength of Israel and so had Joab count the warriors. I won't go into why this was wrong at the time, but I want to focus on what happened because of it.
In 2 Samuel 24 God gives David three choices for the consequences of his disobedience. David chooses three days of plagues saying, "Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great."
The plague is severe and takes 70,000 lives. As the angel wielding the sword of God's plague comes to Jerusalem the Lord's mercy stays his hand as David looks on. God then instructs David to build an altar to worship. The place, by the way, becomes the Temple.
At the time it is a threshing floor - a place where wheat and grain was separated from the chaff. A guy by the name of Araunah owns the place and offers to give it to David, along with the ox and wood for the sacrifice. It was a ready made deal.
But David says something very insightful. He tells Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing."
So here's my challenge. What does worshiping the Lord cost you? Today we have large churches with big worship bands and flashy presentations. We have CD's and mp3's and iPods that blast out worship music. We have ready made prayers and pastors who do the work of digging into the Word of God for us.
Though all those things can be good, they can also make us lazy. What personal cost is it to you to worship the Lord? What do you give up? What effort do you put into it? How much of your heart do you invest in bringing praise and adoration to the throne of God?
David refused to have worship handed to him. What about you?
Pastor Tom
In 2 Samuel 24 God gives David three choices for the consequences of his disobedience. David chooses three days of plagues saying, "Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great."
The plague is severe and takes 70,000 lives. As the angel wielding the sword of God's plague comes to Jerusalem the Lord's mercy stays his hand as David looks on. God then instructs David to build an altar to worship. The place, by the way, becomes the Temple.
At the time it is a threshing floor - a place where wheat and grain was separated from the chaff. A guy by the name of Araunah owns the place and offers to give it to David, along with the ox and wood for the sacrifice. It was a ready made deal.
But David says something very insightful. He tells Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing."
So here's my challenge. What does worshiping the Lord cost you? Today we have large churches with big worship bands and flashy presentations. We have CD's and mp3's and iPods that blast out worship music. We have ready made prayers and pastors who do the work of digging into the Word of God for us.
Though all those things can be good, they can also make us lazy. What personal cost is it to you to worship the Lord? What do you give up? What effort do you put into it? How much of your heart do you invest in bringing praise and adoration to the throne of God?
David refused to have worship handed to him. What about you?
Pastor Tom
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Standing Still is Moving Backwards
Everything seemed to be going great for David. He'd survived Saul's attacks, living in a foreign land, fought wars, had a civil war-and through it all he had sought God and really exhibited the character of God in all he did.
Then something happened. In 2 Samuel 11 David was in the middle of fighting battles against the enemies of Yahweh. When it came time to go to work it says "David remained in Jerusalem." I'll bet for many years later David really wished he had gone into battle because what happened stained his life and his family for the rest of his time on earth.
Chapter 11 is the David and Bathsheba story, where David spies this really hot woman bathing, takes her and sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, then has her husband killed. Because of this sin, David has sorrow in his family and in his nation for the rest of his life.
What I want to focus on is that initial decision not to do God's work. God didn't tell him to stay home. And when we as soldiers in God's army decide that we want to go on extended furlough we place ourselves in a difficult situation. Now I'm not saying we have to fill our days from end to end with activity, but when we decide not to be available for God to work with anymore we become open for the war to come to us.
1 Peter 5:8 says: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
When you stop doing what God wants with your life its not like you can just check out because at that point the enemy checks in. When you stop doing God's thing you leave an opening for the Devil to start doing his thing - to tempt you into disobeying God.
So the word is, remain on alert and at your post - available for the Lord. Be ready for him to call you to war, fighting against the enemy's strongholds in people's lives against the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Tom
Then something happened. In 2 Samuel 11 David was in the middle of fighting battles against the enemies of Yahweh. When it came time to go to work it says "David remained in Jerusalem." I'll bet for many years later David really wished he had gone into battle because what happened stained his life and his family for the rest of his time on earth.
Chapter 11 is the David and Bathsheba story, where David spies this really hot woman bathing, takes her and sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, then has her husband killed. Because of this sin, David has sorrow in his family and in his nation for the rest of his life.
What I want to focus on is that initial decision not to do God's work. God didn't tell him to stay home. And when we as soldiers in God's army decide that we want to go on extended furlough we place ourselves in a difficult situation. Now I'm not saying we have to fill our days from end to end with activity, but when we decide not to be available for God to work with anymore we become open for the war to come to us.
1 Peter 5:8 says: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
When you stop doing what God wants with your life its not like you can just check out because at that point the enemy checks in. When you stop doing God's thing you leave an opening for the Devil to start doing his thing - to tempt you into disobeying God.
So the word is, remain on alert and at your post - available for the Lord. Be ready for him to call you to war, fighting against the enemy's strongholds in people's lives against the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Tom
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