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Monday, March 11th, 2024
You made the promise. Keep it!!
One cannot underestimate the importance of keeping a promise. Keeping your word-being a person of integrity- is so vital to relationships that one cannot fathom its impact.
In the life of David, there is a phenomenal story that shows his character. He had a best friend-Jonathan-who had David promise he would take care of his family after his death. In all the shuffle involving David becoming king (he waited 7 years after King Saul’s death), there came a time when David remembered his promise to Jonathan. As he asked and they investigated, David was made aware of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth (M). M had been dropped as a child in his nurse’s haste to get him to safety, resulting in him being a cripple. He was called into King David’s presence and bowed before him. I’m sure he was petrified. “What does the king want with me?” David told him, “Don’t be afraid! I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan.” David ended up restoring all the land of King Saul to M; enlisted his servant, Ziba (and his sons), who had been with M for quite a long time, to take care of the land; AND M was to eat at King David’s table as long as he lived. (You can read the whole story in 2 Samuel 9).
WOW! Talk about a promise made and a promise kept! Proverbs 11:20 says, “The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but He delights in those with integrity.” For all of David’s faults (and ours as well), David’s heart was one of integrity. He made a promise and kept it. M’s life was richer because of it.
Follow the Father’s example. Keep your promises. He showed us the way in that department. He has made promises and has kept His every word. I can think of one huge one. One word: Jesus.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, God, Honesty, Integrity, Jesus, Kindness, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Promises, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Wednesday, March 6th, 2024
The last two posts I have written about Saul and his failure to be a leader, specifically the leader God needed him to be to lead His people. In yesterday’s post, I introduced his successor, not overtly, but by Samuel’s realization that looks don’t tell the whole story.
When we next see David it is in I Samuel 17 in the familiar story of David and Goliath. David is introduced to us not as the the next king but as the youngest (v.14), a shepherd (v.15), and a messenger to the battlefield-not a soldier (vv.17-22). He is a delivery boy taking food to his brothers who are supposed to be fighting. But, like all the others-King Saul included-they are cowering in fear. When David finds out he is indignant! He couldn’t believe this uncircumcised Philistine was defying God….and allowed to do it!
Long story short, he accepts the king’s challenge to fight Goliath. His concern was for God’s honor not his own safety. His confidence was not in the king’s armor (a rather humorous scenario when you really think about it. A little boy wearing the king’s armor in verses 38-40). Nor was it really in the fact that he had killed a lion and a bear with a slingshot to protect his sheep. His confidence was in the ONE who had kept him safe from them! (v.37). His confidence wasn’t even in his ability as a marksman.
He states it very plainly to Goliath: “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies-the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your heard…And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (verses45-47). Laugh away Goliath. You have no clue what is about to enter your mind. Four events happen in succession: Sling a stone. Hit target. Target falls. Target loses head.
This is not about goliaths we face. This story is really about the honor and power of God. His honor is not to be trifled with; His power is on display. We are weak; He is strong.
Note: Scripture used is from the New Living Translation
Posted in InTheShadow | 4 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, God, God's Honor, God's Power, Leadership, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Tuesday, March 5th, 2024
“Looks can be deceiving.”
Who of us has not heard or even used that phrase (or some form of it)? I think we all understand the implications of that statement. When I was young, a group called the Temptations came out with a song called “Beauty’s Only Skin Deep” in which they applauded the beauty of his girl that was within.
When Saul was chosen to become king twice we are told about his physical stature. In I Samuel 9:2 and 10:23 we are told that “He was head and shoulders taller than anyone else.” That’s all well and good EXCEPT it didn’t translate to be being a better leader, or a better anything for that matter.
Take the opposite approach. In I Samuel 16 Samuel is told to anoint a new king after the double failure of Saul and his lack of fitness to be king. (See I Samuel 13 and 15 or look here). Samuel goes into the house of Jesse and his first son, Eliab, comes out. One look convinced Samuel he was the one, but God said, “Nope.” Seven sons later; seven “nopes”. There was one left-David-considered the runt of the litter. He was the youngest (the word could also mean “smallest”) and he was a shepherd (the lowest of the low). Jesse brought David before Samuel and the rest, as they say, is history.
Samuel learned early on when he thought Eliab was “the one” that God operated on a different playing field than man. A somewhat famous and well-used verse of Scripture says, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7) NLT
And there it is: looks can be deceiving. Instead of judging someone by looks, look into their heart. See who they are inside, who they really are. Don’t shut someone out just because they may appear different from you or what you expect-finer clothes, worse clothes, wild hair, every hair in place, etc. Get to see and know the person on the inside. They may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing for all you know. It is important to see that person as one who matters to God. As the Temptations reminded us “Beauty’s only skin deep, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Posted in InTheShadow | 4 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Condemnation, God, Judging, Leadership, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Wednesday, February 28th, 2024
We are back! After a 7-day excursion to Gilbert, Phoenix, Sedona, Scottsdale, and the Grand Canyon, we arrived safely home last night…a 1/2 hour early and ahead of the storm (that didn’t come until around 2:00 a.m.). I suspect you may be expecting a “book” from me about all the stops and shopping and sights…but words fail me. Surprise! Surprise!
Thanks to the graciousness of a friend and his very longsuffering wife, 🙂 Jo and I had the vacation many people dream of. Having the freedom of a car at our disposal allowed us the ability to just come and go. I had a chance on Thursday to meet a long time blogging friend, Floyd, in Scottsdale where Jo and I were treated to lunch (against my protests). We had some of the best pulled pork I have ever tasted, as well as some of the best BBQ sauce, along with the added enjoyment of meeting Dave and Susan’s family and extended family. We spent two nights in Sedona where the stories of the vortex and the center of the hippie/New Age Movement was/is focused. I stayed away from the psychics, etc. 🙂 We took a 5 hour round trip to the Grand Canyon where I felt like I was going to be blown away by a very chilly 20 mph wind and with the grandeur of God’s creation on display. The only words I could think of were “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.” (Ps.19:1) “When I look at the night and see the work of Your fingers-the moon and stars you set in place-what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” (Ps. 8:3-4) But it wasn’t just the Grand Canyon! Camelback Mountain. “Snoopy Rock.” Tea Pot Rock. Red Rock City. So much more.
You know what I’m praying? That the wonder doesn’t go away. May I be ever mindful of the wonder of God’s creation, the joy of new things, and the value of friendships that will last well into eternity, even when separated by thousands of miles in distance.
Thank you Dave and Susan for the gift of your friendship and the once in a lifetime trip. And “Thank You, Father, for the incredible display of your creative genius.”
{Note: All Scripture from the New Living Translation}
Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: Awe, Friendship, Generosity, God, God's Creation, Grand Canyon, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Reflection, Story, Wonder, Worship
Tuesday, February 20th, 2024
In our day and age never has the pull to be overly committed been stronger. I think we would all agree that those things/devices which were supposed to make our lives simpler, easier and less complicated have done the exact opposite. That phone, for example, which went from a landline to a huge car phone in the middle console to an “attached-at-the-hip” thing, has made life difficult. We can’t seem to get away, to find quiet, or to relax.
Tragically, one of the fallouts to that lifestyle is a tendency to forget God is always present. I was recently reading a devotion focused on Joshua’s final words to the people of Israel in Joshua 23. In his speech, Joshua’s words in 24:15 become the focal point: “Choose today whom you will serve…but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (NLT)
To only focus on that verse does a great disservice to chapter 23, the early part of his final words?sermon. The devotion focused on 23:6-11 and made four observations on how to maintain our devotion to the Lord. I’ll give them to you with my short commentary:
- Give attention to God’s Word (v.6). Fill your mind and heart with Scripture. Don’t allow your time with Him to read and grow to become lax.
- Avoid pagan influence (v.7). Maybe we need to strongly consider what we watch, what we read, what we listen to, or even hang around and see if it a wrong influence.
- Attach yourself to God (v.8). I wonder what would happen if we attached ourselves to God like we have attached ourselves to our phone?
- Cultivate a deep affection for God in every way (verses 9-11). Develop an intimacy with God that grows deeper over time.
I leave you with those thoughts. Jo and I-thanks to the graciousness of a friend-will be leaving today for a week’s vacation to Arizona. We will be back, Lord willing, next Tuesday, the 27th. I hope to post on the 28th (providing jet lag don’t kill me!) 🙂 Prayers for our safety to and from (we are flying) and while there (we will be doing some driving) would be much appreciated. I need some rest and relaxation and this will have to do the trick for now. I do not have Feedly on my phone so I probably will be absent from any blog I normally read and comment on.
Posted in InTheShadow | 12 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, God, God's Word, Imtimacy with God, Listening, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Time with God
Thursday, February 15th, 2024
“Lest we forget…”
I woke up this morning with that phrase running through my mind. “Lest we forget…” It’s not uncommon to hear that spoken at a commemoration service honoring men and women who have served our country. And we never should forget.
In I Corinthians 10 a phrase very similar to that is used not once, but twice. In 10:6 it says, “These things happened as a warning to us…” In verse 11 it says, “These things happened as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”
The gist? Lest we forget.
As a follower of Jesus, I must not forget the lessons learned or to be learned. I need to recall the lessons others learned and shared lest I fall into the same pit they fell into or possibly avoided. Nor should I forget the lessons I have learned from past experiences.
I say all this because of an incident people just won’t let go of. All the “rage” this week has been the Travis Kelce dust-up with his coach, Andy Reid. I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. I could care less if Travis was telling his coach about his latest escapade with his overly-hyped girlfriend. I don’t care if he was telling Coach Reid that he had heartburn from his pregame meal. I. SIMPLY. DON’T. CARE. But since I wasn’t born yesterday nor is my head buried under a rock, I cannot escape hearing or reading about the pundits, especially other overly paid football players. I read an article where several of them said, “If that had been me I would have been…” Then one of them pulled out the race card (Isn’t that getting kind of old?). It is my understanding these players quickly forgot the grace shown to them by the NFL just a few years ago. One was convicted of choking his girlfriend in college and yet…wait for it…he is given a second chance and drafted because he can catch an odd-shaped ball. Did he forget? Obviously.
My point is this: “Lest we forget.” As a Christ-follower we must never forget what we deserved versus what we received. The Israelites were given the examples in I Corinthians 10 (I encourage you to read the first 12 verses for reference and context) so they would not forget. They must not forget the damage and tragedy of sin and disobedience. But they also must not forget the goodness of God.
Good words for me to remember lest I forget.
Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Examples, Forgiveness, God, Grace, Humility, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Second Chance
Wednesday, February 7th, 2024
I’m convinced that one of the hardest things to do is for a person to forgive himself of past sins or discretions. I’m guessing we have all been there-either personally or with a friend or someone we know.
It might go something like this:
- Person: Does God forgive all my sin?
- You: Yes. I firmly believe He does.
- P: I’m not too sure about that.
- Y: Why?
- P: I’ve done some really bad things. If I told you everything, you would turn away from me or it would at least curl your insides.
- Y: Try me.
- P: I just couldn’t. You would no longer like me or want to be my friend.
- Y: First, that is not true. Second, what does my reaction have to do with God?
- P: Because He would turn away and say, “That’s too much. I just can’t.”
You can carry that conversation on if you like. I want to stop it and add my thoughts. This conversation or one like it, and the thought of that person, came to mind when I read Psalm 130:3-4 this morning. “Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.” Can it be any clearer? Consider I John 1:9 which says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
I relish the truth that God forgives and when He does He forgives totally and completely. No hanging on. No crossing His fingers. It is not only forgiven but also forgotten.
Now…if we can just forgive and remind ourselves of that.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Forgiveness, Forgiving Self, God, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin
Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
I did a review of Country Music star, Granger Smith’s book Like a River on my other site, Cycleguy’s Spin. It will post today. I’d like to ask you to visit that site and see what is so special about this book (especially since I am not a Country Music fan). 🙂
One of the recurring theme in Psalms is “God’s faithful love endures forever.” I just started reading Psalm 119 this morning as I journey through Psalms (it is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible) and the number of times it speaks of “God’s faithful love endures forever” in the previous 118 chapters would take a lot more meticulous work than I am able to give to it. But Psalm 136 take the prize. 26 verses = 26 times it says, “His faithful love endures forever.”
That may not seem significant to you at the moment, but I ask that you read the story of Abram and Sarai (later to become Abraham and Sarah) in Genesis 12-23. Pay particular attention to Sarah. She lived in a time when it was a disgrace not to have a child. Year after year she longed for and waited to have a child, especially when one had been promised. Shen she and Abraham are told they would have a son and that Abraham’s seed would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Oh the joy! Until days turn into months; months turn into years; years turn into decades; and decades turned into Sarah being 89 and Abraham 100. Still without a child. She had tried earlier to take matters into her own hands by giving her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham. Ishmael was born but he was not the promised child and it didn’t bring Sarah the satisfaction she thought it would. In fact, it led to conflict so strong that Hagar and Ishmael had to leave. Much of the Middle East issues are a result of this child. Finally, at the age of 89 and Abraham at 100, the promised child was born. They named him Isaac.
My purpose in this devotion is not to get into a discussion of the Middle East conflict and how Sarah’s efforts have a direct bearing on them. No…my point is to talk about “God’s faithful love endures forever.” Even through Sarah’s conniving and wondering, God’s faithful love endured. He promised. He delivered.
The same God of Abraham and Sarah is the same God today. His faithful love endures forever, even when we don’t see. Sarah didn’t but even in spite of her missteps, she clung to the promise of a son. She clung to the truth that God would keep His word. Those same words are for us today: God’s faithful love endures forever. So don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t throw your hands up in despair. He is a God of His word.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, God, God's Plan, God's Word, Opinion, Perseverance, Reflection, Scripture look
Monday, January 29th, 2024
In this age of deconstruction of one’s faith, having questions is seen almost tantamount to betrayal. Unfounded deconstruction with belligerent questions is dangerous. But when someone is asking questions, sincerely asking questions, I think that is a good thing. Dangerous yes. Scary yes. But necessary? Yes.
In my early morning study, I’m reading a book called 52 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know by Dave Adamson. Dave is not Jewish, just interested in Hebrew words. I know zero, zilch, nada about Hebrew. If I was 40 years younger maybe, but at 71 that ship has already sailed. But I’d like to know a little, even though the alphabet looks like Chinese hieroglyphics.
Anyway, today’s word was “wrestles with God.” (No, I’m not even to try to put the Hebrew letters here). There is no greater story on this topic in the Bible than Jacob wrestling with God. When done, he is a given a new name, Israel.
It is not unusual for people to have self-induced guilt or heaped on guilt by another for questioning what they believe. Or if they question a confusing passage. Or if we see God acting contrary to the way we think He should. And those tough passages that have us raising questions? Aaaaaah!!!
Jacob wrestled with God and came out blessed with a new name and a new purpose. If you have questions don’t bury them. Find someone you trust whom you can talk to. Search the Scriptures. Ask God to reveal His truth to you; He will not turn away. Struggling with your faith should not bring guilt; it should bring deeper digging and celebration as you learn more.
Posted in InTheShadow | 11 Responses »
Tags: Choices, Deconstruction, God, God's Word, Opinion, Reflection
Thursday, January 25th, 2024
Have you ever cried out for help and received it? Or maybe not?
I was struck today by a chapter in the Bible I have read countless time before but never saw what hit me until this morning. It is Psalm 107. It begins with a familiar refrain that was repeated in some previous psalms: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (107:1)
Okay. Sounds like something I or maybe you have read before. But then the writer veers from script and begins to recount different events in the life of the wandering Israelites, as well as other events unrelated to them. What I noticed though (and missed this before) is that four times they cry out the same thing: “Lord help! they cried in their trouble and he rescued them from their distress.” Those same words are used in verses 4, 13, 19, and 28. So four times we see their cry, “Lord help!” and four times we see His response: “He saved them from their distress.” Now watch what God did:
- He led them straight to safety-v.7
- He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom-v.14
- He sent out His word and healed them-v.20
- He calmed the storm to a whisper- v.29
Simple point: they cried out for help. God acted. Please read the chapter for yourself and do your own investigation. Let me close this simple devotion with two more verses:
“Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” (107:43)
“Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes.” (108:12-13)
Cry for help. He will answer. He will fight for you. And remember (as I told someone yesterday): God is seldom early, but He’s never late.
{All Scripture is from the New Living Translation}
Posted in InTheShadow | 4 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, God, God's faithfulness, God's help, God's Plan, Mercy, Ministry, Opinion, Perseverance, Reflection, Scripture look
