WHO AM I?

 WHO AM I?

I Chron. 17:16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and prayed, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” NLT

The Lord had just made a covenant with David that his family would have a lasting dynasty in Israel. Even though David would not be the one to build the Temple of the Lord, his lineage would always be blessed by God. David, Scripture declares, was a man after God’s own heart. David lived a righteous life and when he really messed up and sinned, he went to the Lord and got his heart straightened out. David understood the concept of humility before God and lived it. It was through David’s lineage that Christ was born.

I often find myself wondering the same thing that David did. Who are we that God would favor us with His presence and blessings? Who are we to live a life in Christ? Why does the Lord allow us to do what we do in life? We simply do not know. God is gracious, loving, and kind. He chooses us for reasons He knows. He makes no mistake in His selection process. We are chosen by God to live in Him and for Him. The mere thought of this wondrous reality overwhelms me. We are so unworthy of His love and favor.

We are chosen by God. Knowing this ought to cause us to fall on bended knees before Him in gratitude, thanksgiving, and humility. There is no one just like you. No one else in all the world has been given the role you have been in life to fulfill. No one else can impact your family and friends quite like you. No one else can be you.

We are chosen by God to be the example in our world to look up to and follow. How are you doing? Are you living up to God’s expectation of you in your home and the world? You don’t deserve God’s favor, but you are a steward of it. Can it be said of you that you are a person after God’s own heart? You are the only person that can make it happen. You are the only one who can seek the Lord with all your heart and live humbly before Him.

Are you leaving a legacy of faith in your family for your family to look up to and follow?

WORKS, MIRACLES, JUDGMENTS

 WORKS, MIRACLES, JUDGMENTS

I Chron. 16:12 “Think of the wonderful works he has done, the miracles, and the judgments he handed down.” NLT

There are three things that should be on our minds: the wonderful works of God, the miracles of God, and the judgments of God. When we think about these things, our hearts are turned to God and we can then stay in fellowship with Him.

Everything God does is wonderful. Think about it. Can you name anything that God has done that is not wonderful? We observe life in the past and we discover that no matter what God allowed to happen, there was a wonderful purpose and plan for it. Life as we now know it would not be possible if it were not for those who lived the lives they did in the past. Everything of the past has worked together to make the present possible. And life lived now is part of what the future holds for those who follow us. God is working out His plan of redemption. He is preparing the way for all who would be saved to be saved for heaven. O, the wonder of it all! Everything God does is wonderful!

We should never take for granted or fail to remember the many miracles of God. They are everywhere for us to behold. From birth to death, life is a miraculous experience. Within life, we have the opportunity to know God! We have the opportunity to be used by God. We have the opportunity to witness God at work in us: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

We should never forget that God is a God of judgment as well as mercy and grace. God has a deep passionate hatred for sin. He has judged those who have lived in it in the past severely. He judges those today who are living in it. And He shall judge all who follow us severely for lives lived in sin. All sin will be exposed and judged on Judgment Day. No one will get away with anything. We dare not forget that God is holy and will never tolerate sin in His presence.

Think about these things: God’s works, His miracles, and His judgments. Let your thoughts turn to the Lord. Let your heart reach out to Him and embrace Him for He alone is worthy of your heart’s passions. Let your heart swell up in praise and thanksgiving as you consider this great God we serve.

SING THE LORD'S PRAISES

 SING THE LORD’S PRAISES

I Chron. 16:9 “Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his miracles.”

This is a message for all people through all ages. It is good and proper to sing praises unto our God. It is good to recall and proclaim the many miracles He has done.

Consider with me for a few moments things to praise Him for. Praise the Lord for His relentless love for us. He never stopped loving us while we were still living in sin. He does not stop loving us when we mess up and sin against Him. He loves us and stays involved in our lives. He supports us, guides us, encourages us, empowers us, protects us, equips us, uses us, prays for us, disciplines us, teaches us, and works all things out in our lives for our good and His glory. Praise the Lord, our God, now and forevermore!

Consider with me for a few moments the miracles He has done. Read through the history of the nation of Israel and over and over again God miraculously helps them and saves them, even when they turned away from Him and followed the wickedness of their hearts. It is indeed a miracle that God preserves His name on the earth. It is a miracle that God loves us and chooses to be our Savior and Lord. It is a miracle that He gives us the Holy Spirit to ensure that we make it home to heaven. Creation is a wondrous miracle to behold. It is a miracle that God gives us access to Him through the shed blood of Christ on Calvary. It is a miracle that God hears and answers the prayers of His people. It is a miracle that God chooses certain people to do certain tasks in His kingdom, tasks that they are perfectly suited to do.

Let your heart sing forth His praises today! “Praise the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, praise His holy name.”  

JUST PRAISE THE LORD

 JUST PRAISE THE LORD

I Chron. 15:29 But as the Ark of the Lord’s covenant entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David dancing and leaping for joy, she was filled with contempt for him. NLT

What did Michal see? She saw her husband totally immersed in worship. David was not concerned about his position or how others would think of him. David was the king of Israel, but foremost, he was a man who loved the Lord and he was filled with joy. David let his hair down and joined in spontaneous worship of the Lord.

We are not told, but it seems like Michal did not share in David’s faith. She was the daughter of Saul, and Saul was not exactly remembered as a man of great faith. She probably was not antagonistic towards faith, but neither was she enthusiastic about it. It seems like she was more concerned about image than anything else. “What will others think now?”

Sometimes our spouses don’t share in our faith. They don’t understand our enthusiasm for the Lord. They may even resent it. What do we do? Do we let them determine how we will worship the Lord? Do we let them influence us to the point where we don’t even worship Him?

If we are honest, we are probably more like Michal than we are David. We are uncomfortable with anyone who worships the Lord differently than we do. We shy away from those whom we deem to be “on the edge” or who don’t fit into our understanding of the faith. We look down on those who are not afraid to show their enthusiasm as they worship God.

The church is big enough to hold all expressions of worship. Who are we to say that worship cannot happen in any way other than our way? Who are we to look down on how others worship the Lord? Who are we to try to stifle the worship of others? Let us rejoice with those who rejoice, regardless of how they may rejoice. Great is the Lord and worthy is He to be praised.

RESPECT THE HOLINESS OF GOD

 RESPECT THE HOLINESS OF GOD

I Chron. 13:9-10 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark. Then the LORD’s anger blazed out against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God. NLT

Each time I read this passage, I am struck by how God dealt with Uzzah. King David was leading a procession to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. They were doing their best to honor God, but they were not doing things in the way God had instructed the Israelites to do it. The responsibility for carrying the Ark was reserved for the Levites. David’s heart was in the right place, but he failed to do things the right way.

God sent a clear message to David and his people. God was holy and He would be treated as holy or there was a price to pay. The Ark was God’s dwelling place. It was where God had declared He would be amongst His people. The intent of David’s heart was to bring the presence of God back to His people.

However, in order for God to dwell amongst His people, He must be regarded as holy. We must respect and honor Him as holy. Most people do not do that very well today. If we were to regard God as holy, we would have a much greater concern about sin. We would strive harder to not sin. We would address sin wherever we found it amongst His children. We would be far more diligent in our efforts to live godly lives. We would be far more focused on God than we are on the other things in our lives.

The greatest need that we have today is to reclaim our passion for holy living. We cannot manufacture holiness by the things we do. It is only found in a dedicated and determined life lived in Christ. If you find yourself to be less than holy in your conduct, conversations, and thoughts, return to the Lord your God. Bow before Him with humility and brokenness. Ask Him to forgive you for your lack of holiness. Renew your commitment to Christ. Rededicate yourself to loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul. Without holiness, no one shall see God or be with Him.

WHAT ARE YOU NEGLECTING?

 WHAT ARE YOU NEGLECTING?

I Chron. 13:3 “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” NLT

Saul was a man who started out well. He was humble and considered himself unqualified to serve as king over Israel. However, he was weak in character and could not handle the position or the fame it brought him. He became a proud and arrogant man. He failed to listen to godly advice and took it upon himself to do whatever he wanted to do, whether it was right before God or not. He also was plagued by jealousy and was prone to express it in fits of anger. Saul failed to lead his people into a fellowship with God because he was out of fellowship with God. There was a drought in the spiritual life of the nation during his reign because there was an obvious neglect on Saul’s part to keep his heart right with God.

The thing I wonder about is, “What have we neglected?” It is easy to get so involved in life that we begin to neglect the things of God. It can start so subtly and even unknowingly. We fail to maintain the disciplines we need to stay close to God and before you know it, we progress into total neglect of those disciplines. We must realize that we need to keep on doing those things we need to do in order to keep our relationship with God fresh.

It may begin with not taking time for our personal devotions because of the busyness of our lives. We start off small, missing a day here and there, and then gradually finding excuses to miss more days until we begin to get the idea that it’s not necessary at all. We begin to miss a few church services because we are too tired or busy. Gradually we just go occasionally, as our schedules allow it. Before you know it, it is more normal for us to stay away from church than it is to go. Faith becomes more of a head thing than a heart thing for us.

We dare not let up on those things which feed our souls. We are prone to wander from a disciplined life, so we have to work hard to stay on track. “What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself?” (Heb. 2:3 NLT) Indeed, we shall not escape. We shall not escape a life without God nor the consequences of lives filled with sin.

Neglecting our salvation is a grave sin we dare not let creep into our lives.

 UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES

I Chron. 12:32 From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the temper of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. NLT

How in touch with the times we live in are you? Are you aware of what is happening behind the scenes of what you see and hear in the public arena? Now, I know that it is hard to really know what is, and is not, the truth these days, but I suspect that most of us do not have a clue as to what is going on around us or in the world.

We are seeing right before our eyes the world getting ready for Christ's return. We are in a huge spiritual war that threatens to overrun us and forever change life as we know it. There are those in power who are working behind the scenes to move us into a one-world society and church. If they are allowed to pursue their goals, they will at some point achieve them. We live in very perilous times and it behooves us to be aware and be about the Lord's business while we can.

It's so easy to not get involved in anything. It's easy to go into our shells and let the world go by. It's easy, but it's not what God wants us to do. We are mandated to go into the world and make disciples. We are to be the difference-makers in society. We are to have a profound impact on the world we live in, but very few of us are willing to even make a difference in our churches and homes, let alone the world.

Don't be lulled into sleep thinking that nothing bad is going to happen to us or the world. God told us clearly that things are going to deteriorate and the world is going to determine how we live in the future; it's closer than you may want to admit or think about. Now is the day of salvation and we must seize the opportunities we have now to make a difference for Christ in the world. Tomorrow may be too late.