SITTING BEFORE THE LORD

2 Samuel 7:18 “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”

There’s something about our culture — we find it very hard to sit still for any length of time. We’ve lost the art of solitude. No time for contemplation. I’m sure King David was a busy man — he had a whole kingdom to run — and yet it’s quite obvious that he still made time to regularly sit in God’s presence. I know that must be true because of the scores of Psalms which he wrote. Psalms of worship and prayer. Psalms which are rich and weighty and which have the touch of eternal reality upon them. They’re quite obviously the product of wonder and musing.

In our scripture, we read how David receives the most amazing revelation of God’s Word of promise to him by Nathan the prophet — how God is going to build David a house. David had wanted to build a temple — a house for God. God said, “No, David, I’m going to build you a house”. God would establish David’s throne forever.

David was not a perfect man — he made his share of mistakes. He knew what it was to really blow it. But one thing about David — he always knew his place. Whereas Saul became proud because of his position as king — David never suffered from the same false illusions of grandeur. He never forgot that it was the Lord who had raised him up in his purposes. And he kept a humble heart. Many men, hearing of God’s promises of greatness for them, may become proud and loud. But not David. “Who am I?” he says.

You see, for David it was God and his glory that mattered. God was not a means to an end for David. God is the glorious end of everything. How many times do we unwittingly reduce God to be merely our means to an end? This has been man’s tendency right through history. God is the one we turn to in trouble. His sovereignty becomes the convenient excuse for every shortcoming

Look at David — he’s just received God’s gracious word of promise. God is going to lavish his blessing on David. He’s going to make David’s name glorious. Where is David? He’s sitting humbly in God’s presence giving all the glory back. Giving the glory to one who is the only rightful recipient of it.

It is true that David wanted to build a magnificent temple to God. But God’s plans were different. It wasn’t God’s purpose — it wasn’t God’s time.

The desire is good. But that in itself is not enough. God desires obedience — not just great ideas. And so he visits the prophet in the night hours. Perhaps the prophet could hardly sleep for excitement over David’s plan, but God speaks to Nathan: “Tell David to stop. He won’t build me a house — I’ll build him one instead. A lineage on the throne forever”.

When David hears the Word of the Lord — as soon as he hears it — there is not argument — no attempt to somehow reason with or persuade God (like we so often do). He goes in and sits before the Lord and says in essence, “not my will by thy will be done.”

Sitting before the Lord requires ultimate submission from you and me. It could be that the one thing stopping you from being completely submissive to God is the laying down of your own agenda — your plan — your vision — your dream — to find God’s purpose.

Maybe the great plans you have seem so right — so noble — they must be good. But being good plans is not the point. They must be God’s plans.

Only spending true time in his presence will reveal those things to you. Come to him. Be humble. Be thankful. Be submissive.

WAIT AND SEE

Ezekiel 17:22 “'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.”

Fireworks were invented in China. Very early in history, during the first thousand years after Christ, Chinese scientists discovered gunpowder. And from this discovery came the concept of fireworks. The ancient Chinese people were very superstitious, and believed that fire could disperse evil spirits. Sparks were a good omen, they thought, a good indication of the future. Loud sounds, they believed, would frighten away ghosts. And smoke was good for your health. And so in ancient China, fireworks were the perfect thing. All the fire and noise would chase away the spirits and ghosts, and the sparks and smoke would make you healthy.


Chinese kings were given fireworks as a form of tribute. Today, Chinese people set off fireworks to express their happiness and to invite good luck into their lives. Today, we use fireworks as a form of entertainment, and often as a way celebrating of some sort event or holiday, like the Fourth of July.


In our scripture, the prophet Ezekiel talks about something similar to fireworks, and here is the comparison. With fireworks, it’s always amazing to me that one of those little rockets could give off so much light and so much noise. One little rocket – it doesn’t seem like much as it sits in the box – there doesn’t seem to be much to it. But wait and see - when it’s lit off, it lights up the night sky and gives off a boom that you can hear for miles.


Ezekiel talks about something that seems small and insignificant. But wait and see - it becomes something much greater than you would ever expect. What Ezekiel is talking about is the Kingdom of God. He compares the Kingdom of God to a tiny little stalk. God plants that stalk, and it doesn’t look like much as it sits on top of a high mountain. But you must wait and see – eventually it becomes the greatest, most amazing tree in all the world. God teaches us about his kingdom, and how he works. God does things that seem small in our eyes, to begin with. But the things that God does turn out to be the greatest, most amazing things we could ever imagine.

The secret to seeing God’s greatness is focusing on things you cannot see, and focusing on the future. The prophet Ezekiel told Israel to focus on the future – something they could not see – and there they found God’s greatness. Verse 23: “On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.” God is talking about Christ, and his kingdom here. Someday, it will grow, God says. “Birds of every kind will nest in it.” God is talking about people here. People of every kind will become a part of God’s kingdom. People from all over the world, every nation, every background, every kind of personality and every social status. Look to the future, Ezekiel told the people of Israel, and you will see the greatness of God’s kingdom.

God says that people will come and find spiritual shelter in Christ. Shelter from fear. Shelter from uncertainty. Shelter from despair. Regardless of the trial and difficulty that we may be facing, our hope lies in the things we cannot see. Looking to him, in faith, provides us with the hope and protection we need.

When fireworks are lit off at night, it doesn’t look like much to begin with – a small white dot quietly sailing up into the night sky. But then it reaches its peak, and it explodes with a loud boom, and the dark sky is filled with a beautiful color and design, all from one small firework. So it is true, that at certain moments of life, your hopes may seem dim and as nothing. But wait and see. Keep your heart fixed upon God and he will do a tremendous work in you.

A CURE FOR BOREDOM

Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”

Boredom is a combination of weariness, listlessness, apathy and unconcern that causes a person to feel like doing nothing. Related words include dreariness, flatness, lethargic, and dull. To the bored person, the world is all shades of gray. When you are bored, there is nothing to do because there is nothing to do that matters. To the younger generation, one word encapsulates boredom, the all-purpose answer, “Whatever.” “Did you hear what I said?” “Whatever.” “I thought that was a great movie.” “Whatever.” The word “whatever” in that sense means, “I don’t even care enough to give you an answer.”

There are two primary causes of boredom. The first is over-stimulation. We live in a society that encourages us to believe that more is better. If a little of anything is good, then more will always be better. If one drink is good, two is better, and five will send you to heaven. If one pill helps, two is a kicker, three is a party, and five will knock you out. We see this in relationships as people jump from one person to another. We see it in the pressure to constantly move “up the ladder,” so people hop from one job to another, hoping to find the perfect fit. And we move from city to city, and from church to church. We make friends, keep them for a while, get to know them, and then we move on to someone else. Advertisers prey on this tendency when they urge us to buy more, buy new, and buy now. We are so bombarded with images, with lights and sound and noise that we’ve grown accustomed to it. According to the Center for Media Education, most children watch three to four hours of TV a day, approximately 28 hours per week. “Watching TV is the #1 after-school activity for 6 to 17 year olds. Each year most children spend about 1,500 hours in front of the TV and 900 hours in the classroom. By age 70, most people will have spent about ten years watching TV.” By age 21 the average viewer will have seen one million TV commercials. “Children who watch four or more hours of TV per day spend less time on school work, have poorer reading skills, play less well with friends, and have fewer hobbies than children who watch less TV.” We are so over-stimulated by TV, radio, music, movies, the Internet, and by video games, that we are hyped up, tense, wound up tight, and as a result, easily bored and quickly distracted.

The second cause of boredom is under-commitment. This is partly a result of the massive over-stimulation. Too many people live at the 20% level of commitment. We’re like the man who, when asked what he believed, replied, “A little bit of everything.” We are like customers in a cafeteria line. We have a “little of this” and a “little of that” and not much of anything. We are 20% committed to our marriage, 20% committed to our work, 20% committed to our relationships, 20% committed to our families, 20% committed to our careers, 20% committed to our church, and we end up being 20% committed to Jesus Christ. No wonder we are frustrated. No wonder we are antsy. No wonder we are bored.

Underneath all this is a deeper problem. Boredom comes from an excessive self-focus. Bored people are essentially selfish people who view the universe through their own stunted perspective. The reason you are bored is because you have become a boring person. To be truthful, you are bored with yourself. The problem is not “out there” somewhere. Look inside if you want the answer. Lest I be misunderstood, I do not think busyness is the answer to boredom. Busy people are often very bored. They use their busyness to mask their inner emptiness.

Folk singer Joan Baez once remarked, “You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live now.” If you are bored, it is because you have chosen to live a boring life. Boredom is not an issue of bad circumstances. It’s a disease of the soul caused by excessive self-focus. And it comes from being over-stimulated and under-committed. Life is never boring when you commit yourself 100% to Jesus Christ.

Are you bored with life? Crawl out of yourself and make a new commitment to the Lord. Reach outside yourself to help someone less fortunate and your perspective on life will radically change. Boredom is a warning sign that we are living for self when we ought to be living for God.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

What prompted Solomon to write this? See, Solomon had everything any man would want: money, power, women, fine houses, you name it he had it, including divine wisdom. But with all that understanding that God had imparted to Solomon, he did some very unwise things. God wanted Solomon to use the wisdom he had given him to better Israel, but because Solomon gave in to his flesh, he divided a nation. Those decisions that Solomon made while he was under the allurement of his flesh seemed right to him at the time. But I believe that in Solomon’s later years he looked back and realized that a part from God, all of humankind’s natural tendencies, even though they appear right, will eventually and ultimately lead to destruction.

Just as Solomon refers to the path in our scripture passage, the Bible often likens our life here on earth as walking along a pathway. Jesus also taught in this manner when describing entering the Kingdom of God.

"You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it" – Matthew 7:13-14 NLT

It is our human nature to want to follow the easy path. This is true with running water, it will flow downhill where there is the little resistance. The same holds true for electricity. Electrons flow in the path of least resistance. People by nature are the same way. But the easy way isn’t always the right way. Often times choosing the right “pathway” means following a course that is narrow.

We should make any “life altering” decision based upon God’s word and his will for our lives. So, here are some practical steps to making Biblically sound decisions.

*Learn what the Bible says about it.

Since the Bible parallels our life here on earth as walking along a pathway, we need to make sure that we can see where we are going. Driving at night at 65 MPH with the lights off on a rural road could be deadly. The same could be said by living life without the illumination of the Word of God.

*Pray about it – wisdom is available for all who ask.

"If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking." – James 1:5

Praying and searching the Bible should go hand in hand. God recognizes that we don’t know everything. But God is omniscient, which means he knows everything. The reason some of us don’t know what to do is because we never took the time to ask God.

*Check your conscience

Our conscience is an internal mechanism that God implanted in us to provide some kind of moral restraint upon his creation. Our conscience functions upon a value system that we have adopted for ourselves. That’s why seeking God in prayer and in his word is so important, because it is his value system that we will learn as a result. But our conscience again isn’t the Holy Spirit. It can be faulty.

*Determine the impact of your decision.

This is a major issue. The decisions and choices we make not only affect us, but those around us. The Bible clearly teaches that we should always be mindful of other people.

We face decisions every day. Many will determine our future. Don’t take them lightly. Involve God in your decision making process. He will be sure to guide your way.

PREEMINENCE

Colossians 3:11 “Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.”

One – Stop – Shopping. It is an amazing concept. It is also a relatively new idea. Can you remember a time when the only thing that you could buy at a gas station was fuel? Now, you can purchase nearly anything at your local gas station/mini mart. And how about Super Wal-Mart? Where else can you go and purchase gym socks, motor oil, and eggs all in the same place? People love the convenience and are often willing to pay more to avoid running from place to place.

Isn’t it interesting that most of us fail to take the same approach when it concerns our spiritual needs? We are often too quick to run from place to place in search of hope, peace, and fulfillment. When Paul wrote to the Colossian church he was addressing that very problem. These believers found themselves adding other types of philosophy and religions to their belief in Christ. Things such as ritualism, mysticism, and asceticism were a very prevalent part of their lives. You see, it wasn’t that they didn’t accept Christ and his grace. It was just that they were looking for more. And they were looking in all the wrong places.

The prevailing theme of the Book of Colossians is the preeminence of Christ. To be preeminent means to be greatest in importance or degree or significance. Paul writes that Christ is preeminent over everything. His letter is a call for believers to remember that Christ lives within them and that he is all that matters. In him, we will find all our hopes and everything our heart may desire.

Still, we are often tempted to “look around” when it comes to the voids in our lives. Have you ever felt or maybe even said, “If I only had a better job” or “If I could only find the perfect mate”? Don’t misunderstand; those are things well worth desiring. They will not, however, fill the spiritual voids in our lives. Only Christ can do that. He is preeminent.

The great promise for the believer is that he who is preeminent lives within us. In other words, there is no need to look towards outer things to find our hope, joy, and fulfillment. It already lives within us. The great temptation of the enemy is to cause us to neglect our inner spirit man and set out on a vain search for greater things. You can easily fall into the trap of looking in possessions, relationships, and achievements. Sadly, this will always lead to disappointment and unfulfilled expectations.

Scripture teaches us that God was pleased to have all of his fullness to dwell in Christ. We too should be satisfied in knowing that Christ dwells in us. Therefore, the answer to all our sufficiency is found in him and it can forever be strengthened by cultivating the spirit that is alive within us.

He doesn’t just matter, he is all that matters. Everything else pales in comparison to what a relationship with him will produce in our life. Don’t be discontented with an outward search. Find peace and hope in Christ. You won’t have to look far.

GETTING EVEN ISN'T EVEN

I Samuel 24:12 “May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.”

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Revenge: It may be one of life’s most subtle temptations. All of us probably at one time or another have wanted to get even for being mistreated. Maybe it was because an employer promised you something and never came through. Maybe a mate walked out on you when you needed him or her the most. Maybe it was a parent who failed you or someone in the church who hurt you or has not appreciated your efforts. And now you are waiting for the chance to get even or you’re seething inside because you are holding a grudge.

Most of our culture today doesn’t recognize it as revenge. It is called "my rights." Or in our more educated moments we call it "justified retaliation." We’ve got a moral obligation to rectify this situation and it is the American way- "I don’t get mad - I just get even." But whatever we call it, God calls it revenge. And his feelings toward personal vengeance are anything but ambivalent. God very clearly commands us through the Bible that if there is to be any "getting even", we are to leave it for him to do. Why is God so adamant about resisting this temptation? Because he knows what it does to us and others. He knows the resentment that poisons us and the pain we inflict upon others by getting even is never in anyone’s best interest.

But how do we resist? Especially when the feelings are so strong within us? Our scripture shows that this subtle temptation even reaches into a life as exemplary as David’s. And from his excellent example of submitting to God’s will, instead of taking revenge, we can find principles for our own lives.

Let’s realize that it is a natural temptation to want to get back at someone who mistreats us. David was wronged by his superior, King Saul. Even though David had been a devoted servant, Saul became so intensely jealous of him, that he plotted to kill him. Surely, it would have been easy for David to want to get back at the king. Yet when given an opportunity to get Saul once and for all, David refuses to fight in the same manner as Saul. He doesn’t run his sword through the king. Instead he sneaks up and cuts off a portion of Saul’s robe. Now some may say, “wow, what restraint by David.” But quickly David realizes that even that childish act is an attempt at revenge. And all of a sudden he whispers, "Wait a minute! I was wrong to show such disrespect to the Lord’s appointed leader."

The most important principle here is not to give in to revenge. We are not to have the attitude of "Do it unto others before they do it unto you." We are not to fight in like manner. You know, God doesn’t give us this command to resist revenge because he wants us to be cowards or because the person doesn’t deserve punishment. Jesus’ teaching of "turning the other cheek" and forgiveness is because God knows what is best for us. You see, we need to admit that when we get even we really don’t win. Getting even isn’t ever even. We really only hurt ourselves. It festers within and poisons our spirits when we hold grudges or take revenge. We become no better than those who hurt us. Rick Warren said, “If you don’t release those who hurt you, you will begin to resemble them." We only hurt ourselves when we take matters into our own hands. We lose God’s peace and sink to the depths of the hurter instead of becoming a healer. Sir Francis Bacon said, "In taking revenge a man isn’t even with his enemy he is only as low as they. But in passing over it he becomes superior, for it is a prince’s part to pardon."

So, how should we view revenge? Realize that vengeance is a natural temptation but refuse to fight in a like manner. Keep our mind on the goal and trust in God’s ultimate justice and say, “May the Lord judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is our advocate. He will rescue us”

JOY BUSTERS

John 16:24 “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

We tend to equate “happiness” with joy but they are two totally different ideas because they each spring from a different source. One comes from the world around me. The other originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God. Happiness is conditioned by and often dependent upon what is “happening” to me. If people treat me well, if things are going well in my life, then I’m happy. If my circumstances aren’t favorable, then I’m unhappy.

Joy, on the other hand, throbs throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the events and disasters which may dog God’s people. Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances. The Hebrew word means, “to leap or spin around with pleasure.” In the New Testament the word refers to “gladness, bliss and celebration.”

To have the fruit of joy ripen in our lives is to recognize the journey involved in getting there. It takes time, diligence, patience, and hard work to make a grapevine produce grapes. Fruit is not instantaneous because it has to overcome weather, bugs, weeds, poor soil and neglect. Likewise, in our journey to joy we’re faced with the waves of apathy, the currents of pessimism, the deluge of doubt and the waterfalls of despair. There is no way we can manufacture this fruit on our own. If we want to see this fruit ripen in our lives, we desperately need the Holy Spirit to prune away whatever it is that hinders our joy and then empower us to make some choices that move us closer to a lifestyle of rejoicing.

There are truly things in our lives that can hamper our joy. Here are three of them:

1. Unsatisfied expectations. Do you ever feel like you’re just going through some joyless routines in life? If the truth were known some of us are discontent with the way our lives are progressing. It could be that your expectations for your marriage have not been met. Or, maybe your kids aren’t living like they should. Perhaps you don’t have everything you want – a bigger house, a nicer car, and a better job.

I’m convinced that a spirit of discontentment can rob many of us of joy. Listen to how Paul discovered the secret of being content with what God had given him in Philippians 4:12: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

I find it interesting to note that Paul calls contentment a “secret.” There’s a mystery about it. He also had to “learn” how to live with unsatisfied expectations. Likewise, we must learn to live with plenty or with little. Contentment doesn’t come when we have everything we want but when we want everything we have.

2. Unresolved conflict. Our joy evaporates when we allow conflict between ourselves and another person to go on. When someone’s offense against us occupies our mental and emotional attention, we have little left over for the Lord. Anger clouds the eyes of our heart and obscures our view of God, draining away our joy.

If you’re still itemizing people’s mess-ups, the fruit of joy will be squashed in your life. Paul recognizes the link between joy and unity in Philippians 2:2: “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love.”

3. Unconfessed sin. Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away. David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Spirit. In Psalms 32 he wrote “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. I love how this Psalm ends. After David owns his sin, his joy returns. “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart.” Did you catch that? He was not able to rejoice and experience the joy of the Lord until he confessed his sins.

The only way to experience the fruit of the spirit is to be obedient to Christ and submit to the Spirit on a daily basis. To discover joy we must abandon the search for it and go looking instead for the one who is himself joy. If we want the kind of joy that is complete, lacking nothing, then we must remain close to Jesus. Apart from him we can bear no fruit.