What Was Wrong With Jonah?

You've probably read the story of Jonah. If you went to Sunday School as a kid you probably read about him and the whale. The classic moral of the story is that Jonah disobeyed God and so God threw him into the sea, a fish swallowed him and he repented of his disobedience. I think that's not the real heart of the story.

Did Jonah reject God? No. When the men on the ship asked Jonah who he was he replied, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven." (1:9). Was Jonah running away from God? No. In the fish he cried out to God, knowing that He was there too. Then was God's ultimate purpose in Jonah to simply bully him into submission? I don't think so.

I think that what is really being called into question here is not Jonah's obedience but his attitude towards God's mercy.

When Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed God's judgment against sin, the people repented - and that made Jonah mad. He said, "O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew you that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster." (4:2)

Jonah simply didn't want God's mercy to be shown to these people. Perhaps it was because of the trouble Assyria had caused Israel. What ever the reason, Jonah did not want God's love extended to them.

How about you? Do you know people who have hurt you - are hurting you? Do you know people who have done things that deserve a slow painful death (or at least a slow painful embarrassment)?

My encouragement to you is to not withhold God's mercy from them either. Shower them with love, cover them in prayers. As Jesus said, bless instead of curse. God may be more merciful than we are, but that's because He can change the cold heart into one that is warm towards Him and His gift of life.

Pastor Tom

Sowing and Reaping

OK - I know its been a while since I've posted. Things have been really busy lately (and will continue to be for the next month). But I couldn't resist making a small comment about something I read today in Hosea.

Hosea 8:6 "...The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces. 7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind."

The king of Israel, Jeroboam, didn't want his people going to worship Yahweh in Jerusalem or they might heal the civil war between the southern and northern tribes. So he created calves for them to worship instead.

It might have seemed like a small thing at the time, a political expedience, perhaps. But it turned into a giant thing that sucked all those tribes away from a relationship with God and into captivity.

For us, giving into a sin for expedience might seem small - a little lie here, a little dalliance there - but sowing to the wind reaps a whirlwind that you cannot control.

My word of encouragement today is when you are faced with a choice, obey God with your whole heart, or give into temptation (even a little one) that you pray in this verse:

1 Corinthians 10:13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Pastor Tom

What's God Telling You?

At times when we read God's Word, something sticks out to us as if God is really wanting us to pay attention and follow what He's saying. But when that happens, do we look around to see if God is telling anyone else to do that?

Maybe its to stop doing something we've been doing that we realize does not reflect the glory of God. Or perhaps it is to start doing something, like worship, that we haven't really put our heart into.

But do we base whether we do it on whether those around us are or are not?

Today here is a reminder from the life of the prophet Ezekiel, who was sent to Babylon with a difficult task, talk to Israelis whom God was disciplining for not listening to him for many years.

Ezekiel 2:7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. 8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you."

Don't use other's obedience or lack of it as an excuse not to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as you read his Word. It's just between you and Him!

Pastor Tom

Does God Like To Hurt People?

We read sometimes in the Bible about the wrath of God. We hear in the prophets how God is going to punish this nation and that. We see in the book of the Revelation the lake of fire and all the judgment of God being poured out.

We get the impression that God is angry and that in anger he strikes out against us - like he's just waiting to throw lightning bolts down on us puny humans as soon as we make one tiny little mistake.

If you have had that opinion, I want to share with you a small verse in a small book called Lamentations. You don't often hear verses from this book, penned by Jeremiah as he saw the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army. This happened because Israel decided they didn't want to remain faithful to their husband, Yahweh. I admit, its not a very "happy" book - thus the name Lamentations.

So check out this verse: 3:31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men."

God is angry at evil, and he'll do anything to get the evil out of us, even afflict us and bring us into times of difficulty, in order to shower us with his love and his life. God would go so far as to take his own anger against evil upon himself so that you never have to experience it.

He did it on a cross.

Pastor Tom

3:31 For the Lord will

Temporary Satisfaction

Jeremiah 44 has one of the clearest declarations of why Israel had gone after other Gods.

17But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine." 19And the women said, "When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"

Serving other gods is a very practical thing. They thought they needed something and they went after the source that gave it to them.

We do that today as well. We go after the god of money in order to put food on the table. We serve the god of lust in order to find intimacy that we need.

But it's a little like drinking salt water when you are thirsty. It slacks the thirst temporarily while killing the body permanently.

Our problem is one of perspective. We think that all there is is what is around us in our daily struggle. In reality there is a much bigger reality out there. It would be like making sure we avoid a small bush on fire and ignore the entire forest ablaze around us.

A faithful relationship with Yahweh might have brought discipline and trial with it, but that temporary difficulty would result in an eternal wealth beyond imagination. We want to satisfy our immediate desires without taking into consideration a bigger need, to be clean from evil. Only God offers that through Jesus Christ, and as he makes us into his image, sometimes he allows difficulty.

But know this, God will always take care of his own. Belonging to him might mean temporary need, but eternal satisfaction. Something to think about.

Pastor Tom

Your Life Shines

There's an interesting story in Jeremiah 35 about a small group of people that God tells Jeremiah to invite to a wine tasting.

2 "Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink."

Okay, so no big deal you say. Well, it turns out the Rechabites had taken a vow of sobriety for all of their generations. So now God tells Jeremiah to bring them into the temple and offer them something they have never had before.

Now, if you are a Rechabite, what are you thinking? Jeremiah never says "God tells you to drink." And they don't. They honor the conviction their forefather had.

God knew they wouldn't touch a drop and in verse 14 "The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to your persistently, but you have not listened to me."

So all those years that the Rechabites listened to their father and kept away from alcohol, was for an object lesson against a rebellious Israel who would not listen to their Father and keep away from idols.

Perhaps you have been going along in your life as a follower of Jesus. He has been working on your life, working his life into yours. You have found yourself changing as you enjoy a wonderful relationship with him. You don't do the things you used to. You think differently and act differently. But that seems to be about it. Maybe sometimes you wonder if there is any use to your life - any way God can actually use you.

Take a lesson from the Rechabites. They didn't know why they kept dry for generations. But God had a great use for their sobriety and he will have a great use for your life as well. Keep close to him and watch - you never know when that "wine tasting" invitation might come your way.

Pastor Tom

Hope in Despair

There's a great verse in Jeremiah 29 that a lot of people have memorized.

11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

We recite this verse in times of difficulty, when things are just going south for us. And that's a good thing, for it is a wonderful promise from God.

But I thought it would be instructive to put a little context around when God said this through the prophet Jeremiah. It's in a letter Jeremiah sent to the exiles that God had sent from Israel to Babylon. He was trying to tell them to set down roots in Babylon, have kids, open businesses, and even pray for the welfare of the cities they were in.

The people were having a hard time doing that in part because other "prophets" told them that God would break the back of Babylon and return them to the land. In fact wasn't true at all. God was disciplining the people for their abandoning their relationship with him. At one point he calls their wound "incurable."

30:11 "I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished."

God is telling his people to let the discipline happen and learn that only by relying on God can their "wound" be healed.

17 "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord."

So when you find yourself in a tough jam, don't fight it, but ask God to reveal what he is doing in the situation, or at least just trust that he is working, that in him, and through a relationship with him, you can find hope and a future and healing.

Pastor Tom

My Heart is Good(?)

I don't know about you but I've heard this statement a lot lately: "inside, man is basically good." It's a nice sentiment. I'd like to believe it, actually. I don't like thinking badly about other people. I want to trust that others will have my best interest at heart and if given a choice between harm and good, we will choose good.

I wish it were so, but sadly, it's not. The trouble is, our own hearts fool us into believing it is so. Recent studies of the human mind show that it is a more powerful thing than we ever imagined. The mind actually is self justifying. When you do something, your own thoughts will convince you that it was the right thing to do. That's how people like Adolf Hitler could do the things he did and stay functioning.

Jeremiah the prophet knew this a long time ago. He wrote:

17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

Thanks to a decision made by Adam, we have all been infected with a sickness called disobedience. It separated us from God and began to spread as a cancer throughout our race.

The biggest problem is we don't know we are sick because our minds are "deceitful above all things."

How do we learn about the truth of our hearts? We go to an outside objective source. That's God, who created us. That's God's word, which he shared then verified through the prophets. That word tells us we are sick, and it gives the antidote: Jesus Christ - God Himself.

God becomes the cure for our sickness by taking on our sickness and killing it. Isn't that cool!?

Pastor Tom

What Are Your Proud Of?

When I was a kid I was really proud of my Matchbox(r) car collection. I would bring out my latest little metal car to show off to my friends. We think that when we grow up we are beyond this type of thing, but I don't think so anymore.

When we are all grown up we show off different things. Perhaps we have lost a lot of weight and are now sporting big muscles, or the ability to run 26 miles. We know we can out perform almost anyone we know and it makes us feel superior.

Perhaps we have several letters after our name from advanced degrees. We know that in most cases we are the smartest person in the room and we have to purposefully lower our vocabulary for most people to understand. When we need to we can win almost any argument by the shear force of our intellect.

Or maybe we've done really well in the stock market (okay, maybe not a good example right now). We have this great ability to make money and we know that we're probably the richest person we hang out with (in fact, we're kind of careful to hang out with people who are just slightly less well off than we are). We have the toys to prove it - no longer Matchbox cars, but real ones that are loud and red and fast. We show them off whenever we get the chance.

I just wanted to bring to our attention a well known verse out of Jeremiah 9.

9:23 Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

Ouch! What's something to be proud of? That we know God - and understand the character of God - a character that leads to steadfast love (when we don't deserve it), justice (to a people who don't deserve it), and righteousness (given to people who can't earn it).

So instead of showing off your Matchbox car, show off your God and His great love. Who's the greatest person in the room then?

Pastor Tom

I Can't Forget

Have you ever done something that you just can't wipe from your memory? Maybe you got mad and said some things that devastated someone else's life. Perhaps you did something terrible to yourself or someone else and no matter how much you come before God and ask forgiveness again and again, you just can't forget it - and it plagues you.

You feel as if you are not worthy to be a Christian and worry about seeing those people you hurt in heaven and it weighs on you so much that it ruins your relationship with God.

If that, or something like it, has happened to you, I have good news. Here in this fallen world we deal with the consequences of our actions. But one day, God will "wipe away every tear" as it says in the book of the Revelation. God has dealt with our sins and separated them "as far as the east is from the west."

But even more than that, read Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create."

Take a deep breath and realize that God not only made things right through Jesus, he will wipe them from existence in the new creation. Move ahead in your relationship based on that assumption. Live in that freedom. It's not freedom to continue to do bad, it's freedom to live an extravagant love relationship with God now and let his life flow through your life to others, showing them the same forgiveness and love God shows you.

I wonder too if we might not start to employ this same grace in our relationships with others. What would life be like if we extended not only forgiveness to those that hurt us, but also forgetfulness of the whole affair?

Pastor Tom

Sliding Back

Do you ever find yourself not walking with God like you once did? You find excuses for not going to church because you don't want to confront the things you've been thinking and doing - and when you are worshiping or studying God's Word it seems like very song and every verse pricks your conscience.

Then you find yourself not praying and avoiding talking to God altogether. You don't feel the pricking of the conscience so much so you find it easier to do things you would never even think of doing.

Somewhere in the recesses of your mind you are aware of what you doing. It's called "backsliding." Eventually you are powerless to stop and even though your heart cries out to you and God finds ways to get through you feel caught in a trap and consider that God cannot or will not love you anymore.

Now read what God says to the backslider in Isaiah 57:18 "I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near," says the Lord, "and I will heal him."

Once you have trusted and relied on Jesus as your Savior, God is always near. It is as if you turned your back on him and he seems an infinity away and you feel as if it is God who has turned his back on you.

In fact, God "sees" what you have done - and loves you anyway. God knows the awful things you do - and forgives you anyway. That's how powerful grace is. That's how awesome the free gift of salvation is.

And not only that, God promises to heal you and give you peace.

So today - no matter how far away you feel, turn around and see the loving arms of God ready to enfold you and love you. He's been waiting, you know.

Pastor Tom

Time Limit

I'm usually a real "grace" guy. I emphasize God's grace - not giving us what we deserve but giving us what God deserves. God's grace is wonderful. You can't earn, nor maintain, nor obtain forgiveness and renewed fellowship with God.

Among the wonderful collection of verses in Isaiah chapters 51-55, a more sobering verse popped out at me.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

It's the desire of God to save everyone, but that salvation is a limited time offer. There will come a day when the offer expires. Why? Because God is going to redo this earth, renovate it and make it wonderful. He's got plans for us, things for us to do, missions for us to go on - all with redeemed bodies and minds. It'll be grand. At that point, all those who don't want anything to do with God will be shuffled off to a place by themselves.

So just a gentle reminder. If you have been considering the claims of Jesus Christ, wondering if perhaps what he said and did is true, don't put off that decision. Seek the Lord today. Read about what Jesus said and did - then trust and rely on him. I promise you will never be sorry. Never!

Pastor Tom

After the Discipline

Just a little trivia if you've read this blog before - this is my 301st post - and boy are my fingers tired!

For today we are back in Isaiah - chapter 49 this time.

13 "Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! for the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted."

Sounds really cool, huh? But read the next verse:

14 "But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me."

This section of Isaiah is about the restoration of Israel. The nation had blown it and God disciplined them. 48 10 "I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake I do it."

Does it ever happen to you that when you blow it and you know God is not pleased and disciplines you - that even when He declares forgiveness you can't accept it?

Like a little child who disobeys, after they receive the discipline the best thing to do is get a great big hug from mom or dad. Running away does not bring about the final important step of the discipline - the restoration of relationship.

We fall into this state of mind where because we have erred and gotten caught that God cannot love us and proves it by his discipline. In fact, we should rejoice over the discipline because God is refining us to become more like Him.

So next time you receive the discipline of the Lord, come out the other end and run into your Father's arms. Here's how he feels about you:

49: 15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will never forget you. Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

Think about that engraving today - who has it and where did He get it?

Pastor Tom

Through the Flood and Fire

We all go through difficulties at times. Right now we all face a lot of uncertainty with the economy - will I have a job, will I have enough money to pay the rent or put food on the table? Every day brings with it some new crisis.

I just wanted to share some words of encouragement from the prophet Isaiah, speaking for God.

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel your God."

Today if you feel like your life is out of control and you are swept away by circumstances beyond your ability to change, just know that if you cling to Jesus, he is clinging to you and will not allow you to go under.

Or if you are under the fires of trial and feel like life all around you is nothing but hurt and pain. If you look to Jesus, he will heal you and, like the three Hebrew men in Daniel, you may have to go through the fiery furnace, but when you come out you will not even have the smell of smoke on you.

There are a lot of other cool verses in chapters 43 and 44 - take a look, and be blessed!

Pastor Tom

Just Waiting

Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
ESV

Isn't that an awesome series of verses? I just couldn't help put these out there for us to read and meditate on.

For today's post I want to focus on just a small portion of what Isaiah said. We love verse 31 because we "mount up with wings" "run and not be weary" "walk and not faint." But how does that happen? Is it that we have some great faith that carries us along? Is it that we are filled somehow with supernatural strength? We want the "mount up" part but what does that mean?

Look at the verb at the beginning of the verse: "wait." Hold on. When things are happening we need to be people of action. This verb seems to suggest inaction. Waiting is something you do until something happens. How can that bring us "wings of eagles"?

It's an interesting word. In Hebrew the word qavah means "to bind together" as a rope is twisted together. So almost more than "wait" like we think of, it's the idea of "they who are bound to the Lord". What does that mean? It means that only as God moves, you move. And you do so in concert with his character, his desires, his will - not your own.

We like to think that the wings and strength are for us to do what we think we need to in order to survive. In reality, as we are bound up in the Lord we are passengers, actively pulling on our seat belts and holding on to Him for dear life as he takes us where he wants to.

Go back to the beginning of the section - it is God's strength that he gives us. Stay close to him, look for his way, not your own. It might be a scary ride, but if you feel weak, seek him to "renew" your strength. Sometimes not doing anything but holding on is all we need to do.

Pastor Tom

Fools for Christ

I came across this wonderful passage in Isaiah 35. It may be familiar to you because part of it is a worship song.

It's Isaiah 35:10 - but what struck me was a couple of verses prior to that, in verse 8. Isaiah is talking about a road to Zion, to God. Today we know that that way is Jesus Christ. Isaiah calls it "the Way of Holiness" in the beginning of the verse. Now listen to the rest:

"...the unclean hall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk the way; even if they are fools they shall not go astray..."

You walk on this way when you listen to and then rely and trust in the goodness of Jesus Christ, not your own. In our father Adam we walked away from God. In our new father Jesus, all the bad we deserve He got, and all the good He deserves we got.

But I really like that last phrase. Sometimes I really feel like a fool. I want to live this new life Jesus has given to me but I blow it. Sometimes it seems I walk more like Adam than Jesus. But slowly God is changing me from the inside out. Deep down I really am a good person, thanks to Jesus in me. But when I am a fool, this verse (and many others) give me the security to know that God has me on His road and I will not fall off of it.

God is more powerful than me. He holds me in His hands. He is guiding me to Him. I'm so glad God doesn't need a GPS to keep me on the road of holiness.

Pastor Tom

Perfect Peace

I've been super busy lately (I know I keep saying that) so I haven't been able to blog much - but as I was reading Isaiah 26 this morning I just had to comment on this one verse. In fact, read Isaiah 26-30 - there are so many incredible gems there it isn't funny.

So here is one of my favorite verses:

Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Isn't that a wonderful verse? How many times in our daily lives do we find ourselves uptight, anxious, and at anything but perfect peace? So the first lesson is, "stay" your mind on the Lord. What does that mean? I think it means for us what Paul said in Colossians 3:2-4:

"2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Instead of focusing on all the things that are causing you stress, concentrate on all the ways God is bringing about life in you through the presence of Jesus Christ in your heart. You are dead to the anxiety because you are alive to the Lord.

"Perfect peace" in the Hebrew is literally "shalom shalom". Not just peace, but real peace. Peace, as Paul says "surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4:7), peace that "guards" your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

When it says to "stay" your mind on the Lord it means to "lean" on him. Don't lean on your own ability to comprehend or control that which causes a lack of peace, lean on the Lord through Jesus Christ who will not only bring you through the storm but is with you to calm your hearts in the storm by showing you his glory (his character) being worked in you.

Pastor Tom

Cherubim & Seraphim

Pardons for not posting for a while. I've been really busy with two book projects and my daughter's wedding. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things and get back to regularly posting on this blog.

Today I just wanted to mention the cherubim. When we think about cherubs what comes to mind? It's those cute, pudgy little baby-like creatures with wings that shoot cute arrows at Valentines Day, right?

We couldn't be more wrong. The cherubim as described in 1 Kings 7 are huge, standing over the ark of the covenant like giant lions, ready to scarf up anyone or anything that attempts to enter the presence of God.

Cherubs stood at the gate to the Garden of Eden to keep Adam and Eve from re-entering the garden and eating from the tree of life while in a sinful state.

Another angelic creature, the seraphim appear in Isaiah 6 when Isaiah has a vision of the throne room of God. It says 2 "Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."

These powerful angelic beings are fiercely loyal to the King of Kings, and spend their time in incredible worship and praise. They do this because they know what God is really like. It just makes me pause to think, how fiercely loyal are we to our God, Jesus Christ? When people revile him, do we remain silent? It's not that God needs defending, but if the cherubim can do it, why not us?

And then worship - do we "call to another" our praise of God? Do we gather together as the body of Christ and really fiercely worship God? The seraphim do it because they know God. Hebrews 10 tells us to boldly come into the presence of God through the curtain, the flesh of Jesus Christ. When we do, do we fall down and worship?

Pastor Tom

Jesus Pictures from Esther

I love it how God paints little pictures of what He's doing throughout the Old Testament. There are two I saw in Esther 1-5 that I think are worth noting.

If you remember the story, Esther is an orphan who lives with her uncle in Babylon during the captivity. She's chosen to be the king's new queen. One of the king's main advisers, Haman, wanted everyone to bow down to him. Esther's uncle Mordecai wouldn't do it and so Haman hated him.

In chapter 3 it says "he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews..." (vs 6).

The picture I see here is that of Lucifer. Jesus would not bow down and worship him. Lucifer hated Jesus so much, and the fact that God was sending a Rescuer through Jesus to wrest people from Lucifer's grasp, that He sought to kill not only Jesus, but all the people of Israel. You can see this also play out in Revelation 12.

The second picture I saw was that of Esther. She must tell the king of the plot to kill the Jews. To go into the king's presence uninvited was a death sentence. To save her people she offers her life. "...And if I perish, I perish," she says in 4:16.

To come into God's presence without being pure is also a death sentence. Jesus offered up his life to save us from the enemy of sin and death. He was pure and so when He died He could go into the Father's presence and pay our way in debt free.

Pastor Tom

Plots of the Enemy, Part 2

Last time we talked about three main ways the enemy tries to draw us off task. He does this by lies, distractions, and fears. But at the end of Nehemiah we see some other devices of Satan.

In chapter 13 Nehemiah is bringing about reforms in a nation just returned from exile in Babylon. While rebuilding the wall, two non-Jews, Tobiah and Sanballat, had tried to thwart Nehemiah by intimidation and deception.

Nehemiah thinks he has overcome their attacks until he returns from Babylon to find that one of the priests has set up a special room in the temple for Tobiah. He rushes in and throws Tobiah's furniture out on the street. Later he finds out that Eliaship, one of the priests, had married Sanballat's daughter. "Therefore I chased him from me." (13:28).

Two of Satan's other devices against us believers are to attack through bad leadership and unwise connections. I'm not saying that you should look suspect at all the leaders in your church, but I am saying that there are in the church today those who do not know Jesus Christ and yet have positions of leadership. If you aren't careful, they can be an influence that does not encourage you to be true to the Lord. Read his Word and if a leader teaches something that is contrary, go with God's Word and watch out for that leader.

Secondly, Satan likes to draw us into bad relationships. Paul said "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers." (2 Corinthians 6:14). Marrying into families outside of the covenant community was the problem that got Israel sent to Babylon in the first place because the marriages pulled the Jews towards idolatry.

We just need to be careful who we are connected with in marriage, in business, in close friendship. Now I'm not saying to cloister yourself away and talk to no one except Christians. But I am saying that if you have a business partner that does not know the Lord and they want to lie and cheat and steal--what are you going to do? You are a partner and can't force them to do or not do anything.

Yes, some of us are in marriages or situations where there is an unbeliever. In those situations be light and salt and an example. But if you have a choice, just be careful that you become so tied up with the world that you are dragged down with it.

Pastor Tom

Fears, Lies & Distractions

While Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, a couple of men were trying anything to stop him. Chapter 6 tells the story. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab were the cast of characters.

First they sent him what sounded like a friendly invitation: "Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono." It was like, "let's go down to Starbucks and grab a latte and chat."

But Nehemiah saw through the ruse: "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" Four times they resent the invitation. The fifth time they brought an accusing letter, making up all kinds of lies about what Nehemiah was doing.

When that didn't work, Tobiah and Sanballat sent a person to play prophet and make Nehemiah think he was in danger and should hide in the temple. But Nehemiah said: "And I understood God had not sent him."

In our lives, the enemy, Lucifer, will attempt to use three methods to deter us from doing God's work.

Distractions - Those things that seem okay, but their end is to keep us from serving God. Friends can do this, hobbies, jobs, or other tasks. It's not that we don't have friends and jobs and hobbies, but we need to determine if any of those things is actually stopping us from doing what God has called us to do.

Lies - The enemy will spread lies about you to others. If you spend all of your time defending yourself you will also stop the work. Nehemiah answered the lies but kept on working. The enemy wanted Nehemiah to worry more about his reputation than his calling.

Fears - If nothing else works then the enemy resorts to attack. Make us feel that we will be physically or emotionally in danger if we follow Jesus and do his bidding. Nehemiah called out to God, his protector, but did not stop working.

He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.

Pastor Tom

Showing Emotion

Most of the time when we look at the book of Nehemiah we concentrate on the great task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and the incredible opposition that Nehemiah endured to that project. But today I want to focus on what may seem a very insignificant, but I think important, part of the story.

Nehemiah 2:1 "In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart." Then I was very afraid."

There is a subtle pressure as a Christian to always be happy. After all, Jesus has won the victory over sin and death so what reason do you have to be sad? While this is true, it sets up believers to be like the medal-givers at the Beijing Olympics - always smiling with 6-8 teeth showing and never reveal any emotion. It's not real and it can actually hamper the work of God.

Nehemiah had just prayed about the state of his homeland (he was in Babylon at the time). The walls of Jerusalem were in rubble and he lamented the sin of the people that had led God to force them out of Israel. He didn't mean to, but he carried that godly sorrow into his interactions with the king.

If he had forced a smile and was not himself, the king would not have asked him anything and Jerusalem's walls would not have been rebuilt. He showed emotion, he was real.

We need to be real as Christians as well. When God moves in your heart, even if it is in sorrow, don't hide it away thinking that others will consider you weak and not a "good Christian." Instead, let the love of God and the emotion of God flow through you. Jesus wept convulsively at times. Jesus got angry at sin and those trying to keep people away from a relationship with God.

Sometimes it is your real emotions that actually work to break down barriers and allow the real work of God to begin in someone's life.

Pastor Tom

The Most Evil/Redeemed King

Manasseh was a really bad guy. You read his story as king of Judah in 2 Chronicles 33 and you think "why didn't God just strike him with lightning or something?" Manesseh undid so much of what his father Hezekiah did in serving the Lord. Without going into the gory details (including the fact that he burned his own sons to death) read verse 9 "Manesseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel."

What an indictment!

So I'm reading along and thinking this story is really going to end badly, like so many others. God begins to punish Israel for Manasseh's evil and suddenly it all changes. Manesseh "entreated" the Lord, "humbled himself greatly, and "prayed."

Then in verse 13 comes the kicker, "Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God."

I wonder how many people are running around doing whatever comes to their minds, no matter how evil, because they don't realize the Lord is God. They don't know or refuse to acknowledge that there is something bigger than ourselves and we are responsible for our behavior to that Being.

Manasseh changed that day, forever. My challenge is to consider, is there really a God out there? If there is, how has He revealed Himself and what should I do about it? I would suggest that the only way God has truly revealed Himself is through the Bible and God's Son Jesus Christ.

We are responsible for what we do before God. Entreat God yourself, humble yourself, pray, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. I'm betting He'll do just that.

Pastor Tom

Marked by Sin

For the most part we should be impressed by Uzziah, who reigned over Judah starting when he was just 16 years old. He was king for 52 years - a lot of time to serve the Lord and a lot of time to make mistakes.

In 2 Chronicles 26:5 it says "He st himself to seek God ... and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper."

And prosper he did. Uzziah made war and won, Uzziah built up Jerusalem and succeeded. He even hired inventors to create new technology in warfare to defend the city, and it was successful.

But later in life something happened. In verse 16 we read "But when he was strong he grew proud to his destruction." Uzziah entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. This was the job of the priests, not the king. I think perhaps Uzziah started thinking he could do no wrong and that anything he accomplished was done from his own power.

But what happened next is very instructive. The priests came in and told the king he shouldn't do this. At that point nothing had happened to Uzziah. But then the king got angry - and it was then that leprosy broke out on his forehead. He was rushed out of the temple and had to live apart, marked by his sin, for the rest of his life.

There are a bunch of lessons here, but the one I want to focus on may not be the most obvious. We are all like Uzziah in the temple with leprosy broken out on our heads. Leprosy was a symbol for sin. Here we are in the pride of our own accomplishments (or what we think are ours) showing off before God. And there it is, sin - right there. We too are set apart from God and excluded from fellowship.

But thanks be to God that there is another mark we can have. Instead of the mark of leprosy, we have the mark of the blood of Jesus that not only covers but washes away the mark of sin and separation. We can come to God freely, knowing that we didn't deserve it and didn't do it and can't do it at all!

So the next time you feel the mark of sin forcing you away from the Lord, or even when pride rears its ugly head and you start taking credit for what God has done - remember Uzziah. And picture that mark of leprosy (what you deserve) being replaced with the mark of the blood of Christ.

Be humble, and be free.

Pastor Tom

Mentors - Teach for your Absence

I'm always bummed by what happened to Joash. He had this incredible mentor, the High Priest, named Jehoiada, who had cared for him since he was a young lad. But after Jehoiada died, Joash "abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols." (2 Chronicles 24:18).

This happened after such an incredible number of good things that Joash did including repairing the temple and destroyed the idols.

So what happened? It's hard to know for sure, but it seems that perhaps as a mentor, Jehoiada held on too tightly to Joash. His wife had hidden Joash from a murder plot when he was a baby. At seven he had placed him on the throne. Later he found two wives for Joash and many of the reforms that came about were really his.

What Jehoiada didn't do was pass on the faith and trust in Yahweh in such a way that Joash would trust God even when Jehoiada wasn't around.

I think that's a good lesson for us as we mentor and disciple (and parent). Our goal should not be to have those that we mentor do what we say and mirror what we do. Our goal should be to pass on the truth of the gospel and train them in such a way that they begin to serve God without our prompting.

It is human nature for us to want those that look up to us to depend on us. As mentors our job is to put ourselves out of a job.

Pastor Tom

Makes for a great Sound Bite

Ahab, king of Israel, wanted to do battle against a certain city. He called his new buddy Jehoshaphat to join him. To put it mildly, Ahab was a bad guy and Jehoshaphat a pretty good guy (in that he sought the Lord). Jehoshaphat asked a simple question of Abab, "how about we ask what the Lord wants."

Abab got his band of prophets together and they knew the king wanted to hear "go up, for the battle is yours." So that's just what they said. Jehoshaphat was skeptical and wanted to know if there was a "prophet of the Lord" they could ask.

If you know the story, the prophet at first went along as he was told, but later told the truth. This got Abab pretty steamed and he said "Didn't I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me but evil?" (2 Chronicles 18:17). They ended up putting him in jail, and the battle was lost, just as the prophet said.

So what's my point? I think sometimes we only listen to the Lord when he is telling us what we want to hear. When he convicts us in his word and let's us know that there is evil inside us that only repentance and his blood can cleanse we stop up our ears. We end up listening to speakers or reading books that make us feel good or agree with us.

Now I'm not saying we need to beat ourselves up all the time and go around moping. But I am saying that we need to be careful to let all of God's word into our hearts and not just what sounds good. Those Precious Promises books are fine, but is the promise of Jesus in there that if you want to live a godly life you will suffer persecution? "Oh Lord, give me persecution today!" We don't pray that promise in; we don't stand on that promise.

Only good words make for great sound bites, but not for good lives.

Pastor Tom

With God as long as He is with you

Rehoboam gets a little bit of a bad rap. Son of Solomon, he's the one who listened to counselors his own age instead of the more mature ones and said he would put a heavy load on Israel. This caused a split where the northern tribes served another king.

For the most part after that, though, Rehoboam was a good guy. When Jeroboam began his own home-made religion the priests of God came to Jerusalem. When Rehoboam wanted to go to war against the rest of Israel God told him "no" and he listened. The people strengthened Rehoboam as for three years he walked in the way of David and Solomon. And Rehoboam built up cities in Judah to defend his kingdom from invaders.

Sounds all well and good. So then here's this verse in 2 Chronicles 12:1 "When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him."

Oh bummer. What is it about us that really trusts in God only because we need something from Him? Once we get our health back or get that job or new car or get out of that financial jam we forget about Him?

And what happens if God disciplines us and allows bad things to happen in order to mature us or more perfectly communicate the gospel through our lives? Do we stick closely to God then? Or do we simply get mad at him?

Are we a fair-weather friend to the Lord at times? Let us determine in our own hearts to trust in God for the good and the bad (not that he ever wants to harm us). Let's remember what Job said "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Pastor Tom

Leave a Legacy and Let Go

I'm really impressed by David. He really wanted to build a house for God but the Lord told him he could not because he was a man of war, but that his son, Solomon, could build it.

So David drew up the plans, saved up money and building materials, and donated a huge fortune of own for the project. Then he charged Solomon with building it.

He said to Solomon "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you." (1 Chronicles 28:20)

Later he prayed for Solomon, "Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision." (29:19)

I think its a wonderful thing when we as parents give our kids all the tools they need to serve the Lord. We teach them God's Word, we pray for them, we create an environment that is conducive to worshiping the Lord, and we even encourage their own involvement in the things of the Lord.

That alone is a good lesson for us. How much are we investing in our children's relationship with the Lord? But there is another lesson. Despite what David prayed, Solomon did not serve God with a whole heart and ended up worshiping other gods.

We as parents can only do so much until we must turn our children over to the Lord. It was not David's fault that Solomon made the decisions he did. All he could do was plant and water. That is all we can do as well.

Pastor Tom

Repentance Isn't Enough

King David was in a jam. He'd decided, against the Lord's will, to number the fighting men of Israel. It was a huge number, but finding it out came at a huge cost. When God called David on it he said in 1 Chronicles 21:8 "I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant..."

God didn't do that. Instead he gave David three choices of consequences: three years of famine, three months running from his enemies, or three days of the "sword of the Lord." David chose the latter and over 70,000 died.

When the angel of the Lord was about to strike Jerusalem, God stopped him saying "it is enough."

Now here is where it gets interesting. David buys the land (which later becomes the temple) in order to perform sacrifices. Here in Chronicles it tells us that he did not go to the Tent of Meeting which was in Gibeon but performed this sacrifice right there because "he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord." (vs 30)

When David repented of his sin the sword of the angel was still unsheathed and ready to continue at God's command. It wasn't until David presented the burnt offering on the altar he made that the Lord told the angel to put away the sword.

Why is this significant? We sometimes have two mistaken notions about sin. One, we think that if we just stop doing something bad, like a kid that has stopped hitting their brother, that God will turn away to read his newspaper again and be satisfied. Or secondly, we think that not just stopping but actually being sorry and turning away from the sin is enough. "I won't do it again, I promise, I feel really bad about what I did."

It's not enough. An offering must take place or the sword of God's judgment still hangs over us because we cannot survive in his presence if there is any evil in us.

I thank God that he provided for me a sacrifice by providing himself as that payment for my sin. Now when I repent (which means to change your mind about the sin) there is a way to sheath the sword of the Lord and a way to help me not do it anymore (the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life).

Pastor Tom

Surrounded!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You Are a Dead Dog!

In 1 Samuel 9 David suddenly wants to know if there is anyone of Saul's line that he can "show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" This is odd in one way, in that Saul tried to kill David on many occasions and now that David is sure in his kingship why would he want to show kindness to the grandson of his enemy? Wouldn't he want to make sure that no one could come along and claim the throne?

But that wasn't David's character. And good for us, it isn't God's either. David called Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, to him. David first let Mephibosheth know that he meant him no harm and in fact invited him to eat at his table - just like adopting him as a son.

Mephibosheth replied, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?" (8) In many ways, we are just like Mephibosheth, lame because of sin, related to a dethroned king (Lucifer) who deserve to be put to death for the evil in us. But when we come before the King of Kings, He doesn't destroy us but desires to show kindness to us for the sake of a beloved Son. He adopts us as His own and invites us to sit at his table forever.

We too should react like Mephibosheth, "Lord why are you treating me kindly when I am but a dead dog?" Then we should receive that love and that invitation to fellowship and rejoice in the love of the king!

Pastor Tom

Have It Your Way

Science has shown us that the mind is an amazing thing. It is self-justifying. In other words, what your mind wants to do it will find a way to justify. That's how Hitler could kill millions of Jews - his mind was able to justify the action.

Saul, king of Israel, employed some justification too for sinning. In 1 Samuel 13 he was supposed to wait seven days for Samuel to arrive and perform the sacrifice. When Samuel didn't come Saul performed it anyway.

When Samuel came on the scene he said "what have you done?" Saul then launched into this big defense, saying that the people were scattering, you didn't come, the Philistines are upon us and I need to give a nod to God.

In Saul's mind these were four reasons or justifications for not doing what God had commanded.

Samuel simply answered "You have done foolishly."

Do you ever find yourself finding reasons that you should not obey God? They might sound pretty reasonable to you. Just remember that the mind is a self justifying thing. Don't use your own thoughts as viable reasons. Use instead the objective command of God.

Pastor Tom

Are People Surprised at You?

In 1 Samuel 10 the prophet Samuel anoints Saul to be "prince" over Israel. They no longer wanted God as their king but wanted to be like all the nations around them. That's a whole story in and of itself, of course.

I just wanted to point out a little thing that happens to Saul after Samuel anoints him. Verse 10 says "and the Spirit of God rushed upon him and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, "What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

When it says Saul "prophesied" it basically means he broke out in praise to the Lord. Apparently this was something strange for Saul and it doesn't surprise me based on how he lived the rest of his life. For Israel's next king, David, no one would be surprised at him breaking out in song and praise. In fact they'd be surprised if he didn't!

So what about you? Would those that know you be surprised to hear you talk about the Lord or identify your life with Jesus? Or would they be surprised if you didn't act differently than the world around you because you have the Spirit of God living inside you?

Just a thought.

Pastor Tom

What Did Hannah Get?

Do you remember the story of Hannah in 1st Samuel? She was one of two wives of a guy named Elkanah. She couldn't have kids and that really grieved her. She so much wanted to have kids that even Elkanah got a little upset with her prayers to God saying "Am I not more to you than ten sons?" (1 Samuel 1:8)

She prayed so hard about it than Eli, the priest, thought she was a drunk mumbling. But God answered her prayer and she had a son: Samuel. Oddly, though, the thing she wanted so much she didn't get to keep. She had told the Lord that if He would give her a son that she would "give him to the Lord all the days of his life." (11).

God gave her what she wanted more than anything but she didn't get to keep it. So what did she get out of the deal?

At first blush it seems like she didn't get anything. But if you read her prayer as she leaves Samuel off at the Tabernacle you get a little clue. Her prayer here is not silent or mistaken for drunkenness. Instead it clearly states that God is holy, God is sovereign, and God is in charge of protecting the "faithful" and cutting off and breaking the wicked. He will do this through "his king" and "his anointed."

Hannah was prompted to pray for something she got no direct benefit from. The benefit was her part in God's overall grand plan for good.

Perhaps you feel burdened to pray. Perhaps your heart yearns for something and yet you hesitate knowing that God might do something but you won't see any benefit from it.

Is it enough to see God move for something He wants? Ask Hannah. She birthed the man who chose the king who led to a Savior. What's your prayer? What's your part?

Pastor Tom

What Gets You Upset?

I was amazed reading the accounts in Judges 16-20. It was a very low time in the nation's history typified by this phrase: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

Some pretty awful things happened but was surprised me was what the people got upset about. In chapter 19 there is the story of how a Levite's concubine is raped and murdered by the men of Gibeah. The Levite cuts up her body and sends the parts throughout the land to incite Israel to fight against Benjamin. In the the end the tribe is nearly wiped out.

Now I'm not defending or belittling what happened to that woman. It was horrible and those responsible should have been brought to justice. But what amazes me is that just one chapter earlier the tribe of Dan steals a city and murders its inhabitants just because they wanted to and they could. Where was the indignation there?

And perhaps worst of all, in chapter 17 we find the people so mixed up that they think creating their own gods and a home-grown priesthood is a way to find God's blessing.

Sometimes we have our priorities mixed up when it comes to what gets to us. We wink at some sin and get outraged about others. Worst of all, when our country walks away from faith in the Lord to embrace all kinds of falsehood we think that is okay in the name of tolerance.

Tolerance of cancer will kill you. We need to be concerned with people's eternal destiny and fight to keep the truth of the love of God through Jesus Christ flowing and not be diluted by half-truths masquerading as the real thing.

Pastor Tom

You Want Me to Do What?

In Judges 6 we find the people of Israel in pretty dire straights. Imagine you go to work and on payday you are met at the door by a thug who steals your check and cashes it himself! That's kind of the situation Israel was in. They would raise crops and then the Midianites and Amalekites would come in and "harvest" the crops for themselves.

Then God (in the form of the Angel of the Lord) showed up to a man named Gideon (who was threshing wheat in a wine press to hide from the Midianites). God said to him: "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." (Judges 6:12)

Gideon answered "If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us?"

In other words, "if God is with us why hasn't He done something!"

God answers him, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel."

Gideon wanted God do it all and God wanted Gideon to understand that he had the strength to do what God wanted because "I will be with you."

When we see things that need to be done, prayers to be answered, problems to be solved, trials to undergo and temptations to overcome - do we sometimes just want God to do it for us? "If you are so great why don't you just solve all my problems?"

In reality God wants to work in and through us. We, like Gideon, are to be participants in God's mighty work. We are not simply bystanders. It is by God's Spirit making his home in us that we too can accomplish His will.

So pray for answers but don't be surprised if He says "Go in this might of yours."

Pastor Tom

Where'd It All Go?

I've often asked myself what happened to Israel after they got into the Promised Land. I mean, they had it all - a powerful God fighting on their behalf who was giving them a land of their own.

But not too many years after they arrived, Israel was in sad shape and, other than during David's and some of Solomon's reign, they never seemed to really have it together.

Judges gives us some clues.

After the death of Joshua the people of Judah were successful in battle after inquiring of the Lord. But in chapter 1, verse 19 it says "And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron."

Next, Benjamin "did not drive out the Jebusites." Manasseh did not drive out the Canaanites and they "persisted in dwelling in the land." Zebulun put the Canaanites to forced labor instead of destroying them as God commanded. The Asherites "lived among the Canaanites." The people of Dan were forced live in the hills because the Canaanites were too strong.

As believers in Jesus Christ we are in the process of being transformed into the image of God. In that process we have an enemy too: the flesh. The flesh are those habit patterns we learned that are contrary to the character of God.

In our quest to destroy the flesh by the power of the Spirit we can make errors just like the children of Israel. Don't let the tough "iron chariots" stop you - those habits that are hard fought to stay around. Don't make deals with the flesh, don't let yourself be swept up again by living among the flesh (don't let those temptations overcome you by being surrounded by them) and don't let the flesh change your ability to serve God by being driven away from fellowship or worship.

With Israel, one defeat cascaded upon another. Never in that first chapter do we see a tribe seek the Lord like Judah did at the beginning. Seek the Lord constantly and don't let the flesh have a foothold!

Pastor Tom

Make a Decision!

Today the prevailing wisdom is that everyone holds a bit of the truth. If we all get together and put our pieces together a complete picture of the truth will emerge. If a different group comes together then the truth will morph depending on what pieces they bring.

What that really means isn't that each one of us holds a bit of the truth but that each one of us holds different beliefs. When we put our beliefs together a complete picture of what we think emerges.

Truth is not really relative that way. Truth does not change that way. We may have different opinions about the truth about gravity, but that doesn't change gravity, only our perception of it.

But holding on to the idea that real truth cannot be known absolutely is a convenient way of putting off making a decision about it. Pilate said "What is truth?" He'd have fit in well today.

Here's the problem. If there was a fire in your house and you put off making a decision about whether to run until you had every one's idea about the fire you'd be dead. Putting off making a decision is making a decision.

That's why I think Joshua's words at the end of his life and his book are so key for all of us to hear.

"Choose this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15)

In the words of Bob Dylan "You gotta serve somebody." Don't just wait to decide whether you are going to trust that Jesus is Lord.

Listen to the eyewitness testimony of those who saw the whole thing. Not making a decision is making a decision and the house is burning.

Pastor Tom

The Easy Route or the Best Route

Joshua 17:14 "Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying, "Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?"

Sounds like a reasonable request, doesn't it? During the occupation of the Promised Land, Joseph felt like they needed to get more land. But that would have required Joshua to give it to them from one of the other tribe's allotments. How fair would that be?

Furthermore, when Joshua probed deeper, it seems that they had plenty of land but were afraid of the "chariots of iron" employed by the people in the plain, and didn't want to go to the work of cutting down the forests in the hill country.

At times for us, God puts in front of us work to do. No, we aren't earning His favor by doing it, we are participating in the good works He created for us. But just because God wants us to do something doesn't mean it will be easy.

Sometimes we have to face the iron chariots and see the power of God fight on our behalf. Maybe there is a broken relationship that He wants you to mend, but it will take prayer and humbleness and patience.

In the end, Joshua didn't give Joseph the easy answer, he gave them the right answer by saying "You are a numerous people and have great power ... the hill country shall be yours ... you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron."

God asks us to difficult things, but He is the one who performs it, if we will just be willing to work hard with Him!

Pastor Tom

Tired of Walking Around Jericho

Joshua 6:15 "On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times."

If you were one of the men who got up on that day, and Joshua your leader told you to walk around the city of Jericho seven times - round about turn number three wouldn't you start to get a little impatient?

"Why can't we just go in and conquer the city now?" you might think. Then after the next time around you really might to start to tire and think "I won't have any strength left to fight and do God's work because I've spent all this time walking in circles!"

As you probably know, after the seventh time they blew the trumpets and God blew down the walls of the city and they destroyed it.

What "city" are you waiting to be conquered - what problem looms up against you that seems impossible? Has God told you to pray and to seek Him and to wait for His answer? You pray once and that seems like the right thing. You pray and wait again and that's okay. Right about prayer number three you begin to get a little impatient and you wonder why God couldn't have just answered the first time.

Yet another prayer and another day of waiting for God's wisdom and God moving and you think all of your strength has been used up praying and seeking when you could have just solved the problem yourself.

So what's the answer? When you find yourself getting impatient, remember that Israel had to walk around seven times - the number of completeness. God knows the right time to wait. He knows how long it will take to get His wisdom in you. He knows just the right time to answer. Trust Him. Wait for Him. Walk for Him.

Besides, a little exercise never hurt anyone!

Pastor Tom

Come Back!

Deuteronomy 27, 28, & 29 are some very scary chapters. Its just before Israel enters the Promised Land. Moses has the people stand on two mountains. The people on one mountain speak all the blessings that await those that obey the Lord. The people on the other mountain speak all the curses that await Israel if they disobey and stop following Yahweh.

We know, of course, that they did exactly that. They got into the land and thought the ways of the people there were pretty cool so they left Yahweh and followed after the Baals, and the other non-gods. And God did just what He said He would do and scattered the people to other nations.

We live in a different period but as a spiritual principal this still stands. If you love and serve God then decide you'd rather love and serve your own flesh and the ways of the world system around you seem cooler than God and will make you more prosperous, then you too will end up feeling like you've been cursed too. Paul says as much in Galatians 6 (check it out).

What is really cool, though, is this little section in chapter 30. From verse 1 though 6.

1 And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to min among all the nations where the Lord your God has drive you, and you return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes..."

He goes on to say He will gather and take you from where you are, bring you into a blessed land, make you more prosperous than before, circumcise your heart - and the result is you will love the Lord.

If you are in a place where you have walked (or run) away from the Lord and feel the effects of sowing to the flesh and reaping from the flesh corruption and you just don't think God wants to or even can restore you - remember this verse.

Call out to the Lord God. Three times Moses said the Lord your God. If you trusted in Jesus then you have a relationship with Him and He never really lets you go. He wants to gather you into His arms and cause your heart to soften and your ears to open. God wants to restore you to fellowship and make you even more blessed (in knowing Him) than ever!

It is never too late. Come back. He's been waiting.

Pastor Tom

Listen up!

Deuteronomy 18:15^(A) "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb^(B) on the day of the assembly, when you said,^(C) 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' 17And the LORD said to me,^(D) 'They are right in what they have spoken. 18^(E) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers.^(F) And I will put my words in his mouth, and^(G) he shall speak to them all that I command him. (from Biblegateway.com)

Did you know that these verses are about Jesus Christ? From time to time it is important to remind ourselves that God did not bring Jesus on the scene as a last minute plan to fix a broken humanity. Before the creation of the world God knew man would fail and so he planned to bring Jesus on the scene at just the right time.

There are a couple of wonderful things to point out about this person, whom the Jews referred to as The Prophet.

1. He is "from your brothers". Jesus was a human being, with all of the things we human have to deal with. He can identify with you.

2. We should listen to him. When God revealed himself and his character to the people of Israel they said "no more!" We really have no clue just how incredible God is, and how holy, and how much we don't measure up. They just wanted to stop up their ears. With Jesus we need to open those ears and listen to how God will make a way for us to share in his glory by giving us his very life.

Consider how long God waited to bring Jesus on the scene in order to speak the words of love God longed to speak. He is speaking those words into your life today. Listen up!

Pastor Tom

Loyal or Impressed?

As humans we seem to be hard wired to drive our lives by our five senses. We trust that which we can hear, smell, taste, see, and feel. When it comes to things that really matter, though, our senses can actually deceive us, or be deceived.

This is driven home in Deuteronomy 13:1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign of wonder that he tells comes to pass, and if he says, "Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer or dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

Think about it. Someone comes along and makes a prophecy that is so specific that there is no way they could know unless they had supernatural knowledge, and their prophecy comes true. Or even better, they claim to be able to heal or do something incredible - and they do it!

If that person then said they had a different idea about the way of salvation, wouldn't we just flock to listen to them?

But God clearly warns us here not to do that. We need to trust with the eyes of faith, not our physical eyes. God gave us ample proof of who he was through the miracles he did for Israel and for us in Jesus Christ. If we keep demanding proof our senses can appreciate then we aren't trusting God and God isn't God of our lives anymore, we are, our senses are.

Believe what God did and said. Be loyal to Him. Trust in Him-no matter what!

Pastor Tom

Two Problems With Living in the World

As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, God had some warnings for them. First He told them to destroy the peoples and their idols.

Deuteronomy 7:2 "And when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction." This included destroying their idols and not intermarrying with them.

God warned them that if they didn't do this two things could happen. One, they could become fearful of the task and two, they could become impressed with the people and their gods.

As Christians we are told to destroy the flesh (see previous blog entry) which is anything that is of the old nature enslaved to things that are outside the character of God. As we set about to do that by the power of God's Holy Spirit the same two things can happen.

One, we can become fearful over the power of sin in our lives and the hold it has on us. Sin is a corpse that pretends to be alive. Paul said: "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14

Secondly we can become enamored with the things of the world, the values it has, the goals it shoots for, because these were things we were trained to want.

Moses gives Israel this key to overcoming both of these obstacles.

26 You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction."

We should treat those things that are not like the Lord as detestable, not delectable. We, as regenerated people, have the option to consider the things of the world in this way. When we fail to do so is when the snares and fears of the world overcome us.

Pastor Tom

Seeking God, Sort of

If you have stopped nurturing your relationship with God, stopped being in fellowship with other believers, stopped learning about the Lord through His Word and stopped praying it is like not watering a plant. It looks okay for a while but then begins to wither.

Further, if you decide instead of loving God to love the things in the world around you - the lure of wealth, beauty, worldly wisdom, and power - you begin to develop a new strength, a strength against serving God all the more.

That kind of thinking is pretty common and very short term. Thinking on an eternal level, what will all those things do for you in a place where they don't matter any more?

So perhaps you find yourself convicted and think "you know, I need to get back to my relationship with God." So you go to church a little more, you pray a little bit, maybe you even crack open your Bible now and again. But you still serve those other things which have become gods to you.

Moses actually has some sage advice out of Deuteronomy 4:29

"But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Half hearted efforts at returning to God will only bear half hearted results. Search for the Lord and let it be with everything within you. I promise if you look, you'll find Him because He was right there all along, just waiting for you to give up on worthless things and seek something eternal: a relationship with Him.

Pastor Tom

Making War on the Flesh

Numbers 31 has the story of Israel's first real battle as they near the Promised Land. God tells them to fight and destroy Midian. "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian." (3)

Remember that Midian was the nation that wanted Balaam to curse Israel. He couldn't, of course, but what they couldn't accomplish by cursing they accomplished by temptation. In chapter 25 the people invited them to worship with their gods and Israel fell into idolatry and sexual immorality.

The thought I had about this, and the war God declared on them, involves the flesh. God is about to do great things through Israel, but first the agent of their downfall into sin must be done away with.

Paul the Apostle later said: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13)

Ask the Holy Spirit today to make war on that which tempts you to sin.

Pastor Tom