Run and Hide

I said, “If only I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest.
7 How far away I would flee; I would stay in the wilderness.
8 I would hurry to my shelterfrom the raging wind and the storm.”

Psalms 55:6-8 (HCSB)

Have you ever felt like the psalmist here in Psalm 55? I have. Difficulties and dangers at every turn. It seems the whole world is against me. During these times we are disappointed, disgusted, depressed and overwhelmed. I just want to run away and hide.

The psalmist says he would hurry to his shelter. What is his shelter? It can be the same as ours. God Himself! He is our refuge and place of peace and quiet. He is the shelter from the raging storms of life. So if you need a reminder today, here it is. Run into the arms, into the shelter of God our savior and rest, relax and trust His protection.

Is Your Mind Made Up?

Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

1 Kings 18:21 (HCSB)

Is your mind made up? What an interesting question. Sometimes in the Christ followers life things might subtly creep in that take precedence over God. We may not have intended it to happen or we may have made a conscience choice. Either way, something has taken God's place as priority number one. When that happens what we need is a challenge.

Elijah was God's instrument for just such a challenge To God's people. They had allowed things, Baal to take God's place. He challenges them to stop hesitating and make up their minds. The Hebrew for the word hesitate is a word picture that describes unequal branches or limbs. In other words he asks them how long they will continue to limp around on unequal legs.

I believe God wants to challenge us. He wants to challenge our status quo. He wants to challenge us on the way things have always been, our tradition, our activity our theology. He challenges our paradigms or ways of thinking. He wants to draw us back to Him!

Is your mind made up?

A Rebellious Heart

Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him. 31 Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were a trivial matter, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

1 Kings 16:29-33 (HCSB)

Ahab had a reputation. His reputation was for a rebellious heart. We sometimes start well but in time, the Christ follower may begin to rebel from walking where the Lord wants him to walk. We should be careful of our rebellious heart. We must be careful not to fall into the traps Ahab did.

It is almost a progression that we see with Ahab. It started with no restraint. Ahab did nothing to restrain his heart and his longings that would lead him away from the Lord. He lacked any kind of self-discipline.

We also see that Ahab trivialized sin. He considered it, "no big deal." If not careful we too can trivialize sin. We know that God is faithful to forgive and we do not consider the consequences that may accompany sin.

Ahab took the final step and completely turns away from God. He turns to following false God's. Ahab shows an attitude of inconvenience or burden to follow God.

We need to be careful. A rebellious heart will lead us down a path that the Christ follower does not want to travel. Ask yourself and ask the Lord to show you if you have a rebellious heart.

Take a Stand

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matt 5:10-16 (HCSB)

Congratulations Miss California! You have won a crown more glorious than "Miss USA!"

Celebrate Triumph

Of all days today is an opportunity to celebrate His triumph and our gift of grace. Enjoy this day of celebration of His resurrection.

May God bless you Christ Follower!

Depressed?

Why am I so depressed?

Why this turmoil within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalms 43:5 (HCSB)

This is an important word for the Christ Follower. I have met many who beat themselves up because sometime we get depressed. Understand that even King David, a man after God's own heart sometimes was depressed. We live in a fallen and depraved World and frankly that can be a little discouraging at times.
David asks himself why am I depressed? Why is this turmoil within me? He really never finds an answer. At least he doesn't share it in Psalm 43. But he does find a solution. Put your hope in God and praise Him.
I think there is an important principle here for the Christ follower. Hope and praise. Hope is not a might happen or wishful thinking. It is a certainty that we serve a great and powerful God who loves us very much. He never leaves us and He never forsakes us. So praise Him. Nothing will draw us out of depression faster than praising God. If we spend a little time reflecting on how great God is and all He has given us rather than our self pity and complaints, we might find the clouds of depression and discouragement dissipating.
So if you are depressed today don't beat yourself up and make yourself more discouraged. Hope and praise our awesome God!

A Little Sin

For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Him over.
Mark 15:10 (HCSB)
Well lets set the record straight to begin. There is no such thing as a little sin. Sin is sin! However, there are some things that we think are not as big a deal as others. A little white lie isn't as bad as adultery is it? A little rumor that possibly, maybe could be true isn't like stealing from someone is it? A little envy couldn't be as bad as murder could it? Well yes it is! Those "little" sins just show our heart.
The chief priests and other leaders were obviously envious of Jesus. There envy showed their heart and it was a small step to set up the scene for Jesus' murder on the cross.
Would they have been wrong even if the crowds were not incited to cry crucify? Would they have been in sin if Jesus had not been murdered on the cross? Yes, most certainly. Jesus points out to us in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) that sin is not just what we do but our thoughts, attitudes and what is in our heart.
Beware of the "little" sin like envy.

Easter Reminder

Today's blog is just a reminder. In case in the hurry of life we forget what Easter is all about. Rejoice in what we have been given!

Wilderness

He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels began to serve Him.

Mark 1:13 (HCSB)

I love the wilderness. There is nothing I would rather do than be outside, hike and explore places that are wild, beautiful and uninhabited. I have always had a dream to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. But while I yearn for the rugged beauty of the wild I also appreciate and appropriately fear the "wildness" of the wilderness.

Maybe I've never noticed. Maybe Mark emphasizes it and the other gospels don't but when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness it was more than Satan to contend with. Jesus was bombarded with it all. I had never noticed. Of course we know the importance and the challenge of Satan's temptation. But Jesus also faced the physical rigors of the wilderness and all while fasting for 40 days.

Let me share an insight. When we face our "wilderness" challenges there is often more than one challenge to face. In Jesus situation He faced a Satanic, spiritual challenge but there was also a physical challenge and also a challenge of living in the wilderness of a fallen world. (can I say lions and tigers and bears . . .)

Here's the point! No one ever said that being a Christ follower was easy. We will face challenges and wilderness testings. Our testing will have a spiritual side but also a worldly and physical side. But in all of this don't loose heart. God will be faithful. After all Jesus knows what the wilderness is like!

A Covenant of Believers

The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone who is able to understand and who has separated themselves from the surrounding peoples to [obey] the law of God— 29 join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God’s servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.

Neh 10:28-29 (HCSB)

God has an expectation for His people to be in a covenant relationship not just with Him but also with other believers. We find this both in the church in the New Testament and the nation Israel in the Old Testament.

In today's culture here in the US we have made church membership easy if required or necessary at all. Perhaps we need to rethink this paradigm. Here in Nehemiah it says the rest of the people joined with their noble brothers and committed to an oath, a covenant. The promised one another obedience to the Word and separation from the World.

It is important for us today as Christ followers to covenant with other Christ followers to serve together in a community of faith. I think the Scripture encourages us to covenant with others to obey the Word and be distinct from the World. Not all churches will expect that from its "members" or attenders but God expects it from His Christ followers.