UNCLE BOB’S SELF STORAGE
The sign read “Uncle Bob’s Self Storage.” It caught my eye because of its unique design, but the words grabbed at my conscience. Self storage. How I wish I could store myself away sometimes and not have to deal with my blemishes. If I could put myself on a shelf and lock me up for a season, perhaps my pride and self-absorption would take care of itself!
But life is not that simple. Selfishness is not that easy to cure. Dealing with our idiosyncrasies and imperfections is not pain-free! I chuckled, wondering if “Uncle Bob” realized the duel meaning of his sign, or how God could use it to get my attention.
I would like to think that I am not that selfish nor prideful nor self-absorbed. Yet, I know the day I just spent thinking of my needs but not wanting to deal with my mistakes. THAT is what I would like to put in storage! All the past mistakes I made. Lock them away and throw away the key! Lock up the memories of all the self-centered days I have had. What a perfect solution that would be.
And yet, God has done just that. No, He has done greater than that. He has canceled my sins. He has sent them as far as the east is from the west…that is how far He has removed them. (there is no geographical point separating east from west, so they are continuously going AWAY from me!) Still, the memories of my misdeeds and mistakes are locked up…in my mind! I have stored them away, attempting to keep them bound up forever. I have achieved a measure of success with my “self-storage”. But God wants me to unlock that storage unit in my head and allow His Spirit to assure me that those errors are forever gone and erased. The consequences that I have suffered can, and are being healed by my loving God. I need not hang unto them.
One consequence of my locking away my “issues” is that I have put myself on a shelf…a back shelf at that! I have allowed the memories of the past to hold me back and keep me from moving ahead in areas God wants me to move!
I still wish at times that I could lock ME up…put me away so I don’t make any more mistakes. But God does not desire me or anyone to lock thmselves away. We are to die daily to ourselves and step out in faith to do whatever He calls us to do. God is gracious. He is forgiving. He is love! “His grace is sufficient for me”. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
These are the words I shall meditate upon; not the words in my head that were spoken from my past. I shall feast on His Word. I cannot put myself away. I cannot lock me up to assure I will sin less. That is not God’s way. I cannot store away bad memories and not forgive myself and those who hurt me in the past. That is not God’s way.
His way is love; forgiveness, openness, and honesty. He is my Healer. He is my Restorer. Rather than “store” myself away, I shall live in “restoration” by His Spirit.
Well, Uncle Bob, whoever you are…God has used your simple sign. We never know what He can and will use to set another free!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Time Has Come
Many people talk about the end times. There are new prophecies and predictions daily it seems. If you look at life through the eyes of the media, you could become quite distraught and fearful. The economy is terrifying. Jobs are scarce. Crime is rampant. But, I tell myself, the things reported on the news are just that...news. And "news" is supposed to be an unusual happening; something out of the ordinary. So, "why so downcast, O my soul? Put your trust in HIM".
Our economy has nothing to do with what is happening in the world. Oh, yes, I am affected by it all. My retirement funds are plummeting at the moment. The house I am trying to sell has been on the market over two years and sold six times, only to fall through one more time this week! Gas and food prices are climbing. Fear does knock at my heart's door also. My physical mind wants to react. In fact, my body is struggling with a nervous condition that doctors have yet to diagnose.
Ah! But my heart, the depths of my being, is not disturbed. You see, I have a choice. I can believe the reports of the economists, doctors, and commentaries, OR I can believe the report of the Lord. I choose the latter. I have friends and family members who insist I should "look around and get real." I do look around. But in so doing, there are choices on what my eyes focus on. I can focus on the "reality" of the circumstances, which may seem bleak, or I can focus on the Word of the Lord.
The Bible is full of stories of faith. People who looked around at their circumstances and then looked to the God who rises above all circumstances. I think of the woman who had only a little grain and oil in the midst of famine. Had she focused on her "reality" alone, she would have perished. But she chose to trust in God and share her last crumb, discovering that God had no famine. He who created all became her supplier. I think of Paul and Silas who were jailed for doing what was right in God's sight. How unfair! Justice had not prevailed. Yet, they sang to the Lord until the walls literally shook and the bars opened. They did not envoke a lawyer, fight for their rights or demand justice. They sang. They worshipped. They trusted God. And they received deliverance.
I think of the many stories of provision...in the wilderness...in Egypt...in the Promised Land...wherever God's people were, there was need for provision and faith.
Oh, some of my acquaintances say that these are just stories handed down from unreliable sources. I suppose that one could choose to believe that. But more modern history suggests that those who had faith in the impossible, those who believed in a loving and capable, personal God, were able to endure much longer than those who succumbed to fear. While I noted that "news" is supposed to be the unusual, I admit that we do not hear news of miracles too often. Why is that? Are they passe? Are they over and done with? Were they just wishful thinking and made up stories I think not!
I think the reason is two-fold. One is that perhap miracles are not so unusual. Perhaps they occur daily. So common, in fact, that we miss them. We fail to see the hand of God in our provision, in our daily protection. The second is that we do not always listen to the right channel. There is an enemy who wants to seek, kill, and destroy our faith and our peace, at the very least. He is the power of the air. Our society seems to want to deny the existence of this being. They cannot deny the results of the existence of evil. That is what they parade on the news. But they try to explain it away with "circumstances". Therefore, we get caught up in listening to the reports of the enemy and begin to allow fear to reside in our minds.
There are true miracles happening every day. There are many foreign lands where missionaries report "unusual" happenings from a human perspective. But those reports do not air on the common channels, and are ridiculed if attempted to be.
That is why the Word says to talk about them among yourselves and pass them on to future generations.
I made a "Memoirs of Faith" book for one of my grown children for Christmas last year. In it, I reported acts of God in provision, healing, protection, etc. that our family has experienced. I reported the heritage of faith handed down from previous generations. I don't know if it has been read yet, but I know that some day they will need it.
Yes, the time has come. Time to change the channel. Time to write down the works of God, even the small ones, to meditate upon. The time has come to exercise our faith; to put aside fear; to stand against the trend of society. The time has come for me to write regularly in this blog and I intend to do so!
To God be the glory: Great things He has done!
Our economy has nothing to do with what is happening in the world. Oh, yes, I am affected by it all. My retirement funds are plummeting at the moment. The house I am trying to sell has been on the market over two years and sold six times, only to fall through one more time this week! Gas and food prices are climbing. Fear does knock at my heart's door also. My physical mind wants to react. In fact, my body is struggling with a nervous condition that doctors have yet to diagnose.
Ah! But my heart, the depths of my being, is not disturbed. You see, I have a choice. I can believe the reports of the economists, doctors, and commentaries, OR I can believe the report of the Lord. I choose the latter. I have friends and family members who insist I should "look around and get real." I do look around. But in so doing, there are choices on what my eyes focus on. I can focus on the "reality" of the circumstances, which may seem bleak, or I can focus on the Word of the Lord.
The Bible is full of stories of faith. People who looked around at their circumstances and then looked to the God who rises above all circumstances. I think of the woman who had only a little grain and oil in the midst of famine. Had she focused on her "reality" alone, she would have perished. But she chose to trust in God and share her last crumb, discovering that God had no famine. He who created all became her supplier. I think of Paul and Silas who were jailed for doing what was right in God's sight. How unfair! Justice had not prevailed. Yet, they sang to the Lord until the walls literally shook and the bars opened. They did not envoke a lawyer, fight for their rights or demand justice. They sang. They worshipped. They trusted God. And they received deliverance.
I think of the many stories of provision...in the wilderness...in Egypt...in the Promised Land...wherever God's people were, there was need for provision and faith.
Oh, some of my acquaintances say that these are just stories handed down from unreliable sources. I suppose that one could choose to believe that. But more modern history suggests that those who had faith in the impossible, those who believed in a loving and capable, personal God, were able to endure much longer than those who succumbed to fear. While I noted that "news" is supposed to be the unusual, I admit that we do not hear news of miracles too often. Why is that? Are they passe? Are they over and done with? Were they just wishful thinking and made up stories I think not!
I think the reason is two-fold. One is that perhap miracles are not so unusual. Perhaps they occur daily. So common, in fact, that we miss them. We fail to see the hand of God in our provision, in our daily protection. The second is that we do not always listen to the right channel. There is an enemy who wants to seek, kill, and destroy our faith and our peace, at the very least. He is the power of the air. Our society seems to want to deny the existence of this being. They cannot deny the results of the existence of evil. That is what they parade on the news. But they try to explain it away with "circumstances". Therefore, we get caught up in listening to the reports of the enemy and begin to allow fear to reside in our minds.
There are true miracles happening every day. There are many foreign lands where missionaries report "unusual" happenings from a human perspective. But those reports do not air on the common channels, and are ridiculed if attempted to be.
That is why the Word says to talk about them among yourselves and pass them on to future generations.
I made a "Memoirs of Faith" book for one of my grown children for Christmas last year. In it, I reported acts of God in provision, healing, protection, etc. that our family has experienced. I reported the heritage of faith handed down from previous generations. I don't know if it has been read yet, but I know that some day they will need it.
Yes, the time has come. Time to change the channel. Time to write down the works of God, even the small ones, to meditate upon. The time has come to exercise our faith; to put aside fear; to stand against the trend of society. The time has come for me to write regularly in this blog and I intend to do so!
To God be the glory: Great things He has done!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
His Desire
Sometimes my heart is fickle! It rejoices in God when something exciting happens. It cries out to Him in pain! But, sometimes it does not focus on His love and mercy and grace! Sometimes I get side-tracked by the mundane issues of life.
I am currently facing changes in my life. I am a person who puts my whole heart and soul into whatever I am doing. I see projects through to the end. I eat, sleep, and drink whatever job I am assigned to....usually to a fault. This sounds like a great employee or volunteer, but it allows for a tearing up of my heart on the inside whenever that job or project ends, especially if someone ELSE ended it.
So, I try to turn my eyes upon Jesus. I believe in delighting in Him. He promised that if we would do so, He would grant us the desires of our hearts. That becomes a problems when my heart is fickle and doesn't know what it desires!
I am learning though, that when I am truly delighting in Jesus, that He is what my heart desires! His will! More of Him!
"May He grnt you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May tha Lord fulfill all your petitions." Psalm 20:4 &5
When my desires becomes His will and purpose for my life, then they will be fulfilled! And, so will I!
"Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
So many times, I have "tried" to delight in the Lord in order to get my way; to get some desire of my heart. Usually, it was for rescue or help in the time of trouble. We have only to look to the Lord for help. When my heart becomes consumed by my problems to the point where its desire is just to get free of those problems, my heart has been out of focus. My heart's desire should be about Him and His calling on my life. My interpretation of "delighting" becomes skewed and confused, UNTIL I truly do spend time with Him and He becomes my focus.
It's funny how time spent with God changes my heart's desires so they line up with His desires for me. I must put my mind at ease remembering His desires are for my good and not for eveil (no matter what I've done); and to give me a future and a hope!
Yes, I'll say it again...When my desires become His willand purpose for my life, then they will be fulfilled...and so will I!
I am currently facing changes in my life. I am a person who puts my whole heart and soul into whatever I am doing. I see projects through to the end. I eat, sleep, and drink whatever job I am assigned to....usually to a fault. This sounds like a great employee or volunteer, but it allows for a tearing up of my heart on the inside whenever that job or project ends, especially if someone ELSE ended it.
So, I try to turn my eyes upon Jesus. I believe in delighting in Him. He promised that if we would do so, He would grant us the desires of our hearts. That becomes a problems when my heart is fickle and doesn't know what it desires!
I am learning though, that when I am truly delighting in Jesus, that He is what my heart desires! His will! More of Him!
"May He grnt you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May tha Lord fulfill all your petitions." Psalm 20:4 &5
When my desires becomes His will and purpose for my life, then they will be fulfilled! And, so will I!
"Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
So many times, I have "tried" to delight in the Lord in order to get my way; to get some desire of my heart. Usually, it was for rescue or help in the time of trouble. We have only to look to the Lord for help. When my heart becomes consumed by my problems to the point where its desire is just to get free of those problems, my heart has been out of focus. My heart's desire should be about Him and His calling on my life. My interpretation of "delighting" becomes skewed and confused, UNTIL I truly do spend time with Him and He becomes my focus.
It's funny how time spent with God changes my heart's desires so they line up with His desires for me. I must put my mind at ease remembering His desires are for my good and not for eveil (no matter what I've done); and to give me a future and a hope!
Yes, I'll say it again...When my desires become His willand purpose for my life, then they will be fulfilled...and so will I!
Monday, October 18, 2010
His Mercy Endures Forever!
Mercy! Apparently that's a word that falls easily from my lips. My husband says I awaken many mornings and say that before I am fully aware. It probably comes from teachings I received in my younger days about calling on mercy and grace...shouting "mercy!" to troubles and problems.
Yet, I have lived much of my life not appropriating mercy in my own life. I made decisions and then, if there were consequences of these decisions with negative affects, I would blame myself and feel as though God would not help me out of those circumstances. After all, I brought them on myself by some hasty or till-thought-out decision. Therefore, I reaasoned, I should have to bear the consequences and not beg nor expect God to bail me out. Sounded reasonable. Left me defeated.
Recently some changes in my life have been plaguing me. Some are related to decsions made with good intentions, but perhaps, not of the best choice. Other changes caused by other people's decisions were leaving my heart torn apart.
So, we were singing in church about the mercy of God. His mercy is forever...He is good...etc. I was worshipping, yet struggling to keep my mind off my problems and pain. Suddenly, it was like God said to me, "Mercy is favor you don't deserve in the first place, so why are you rejecting it because you think you deserve the consequences you are facing? Are your decisions powerful enough to over-rule my mercy?"
Wow! I had not thought about the fact that by hanging on to my pain and fear, I was actually rejecting the mercy of God. I don't deserve His intervention! But it is not because of the decisions I made, but rather just because of my humaness, and Jesus chose to over-rule that a long long time ago! I could have made better choices and still not have deserved God's mercy! That's precisely what mercy IS! Undeserved favor and grace! I cannot earn His mercy! If I could, it would no longer BE mercy!
Yes, God is good...ALL the time...and His mercy endures forever! AMEN!
Yet, I have lived much of my life not appropriating mercy in my own life. I made decisions and then, if there were consequences of these decisions with negative affects, I would blame myself and feel as though God would not help me out of those circumstances. After all, I brought them on myself by some hasty or till-thought-out decision. Therefore, I reaasoned, I should have to bear the consequences and not beg nor expect God to bail me out. Sounded reasonable. Left me defeated.
Recently some changes in my life have been plaguing me. Some are related to decsions made with good intentions, but perhaps, not of the best choice. Other changes caused by other people's decisions were leaving my heart torn apart.
So, we were singing in church about the mercy of God. His mercy is forever...He is good...etc. I was worshipping, yet struggling to keep my mind off my problems and pain. Suddenly, it was like God said to me, "Mercy is favor you don't deserve in the first place, so why are you rejecting it because you think you deserve the consequences you are facing? Are your decisions powerful enough to over-rule my mercy?"
Wow! I had not thought about the fact that by hanging on to my pain and fear, I was actually rejecting the mercy of God. I don't deserve His intervention! But it is not because of the decisions I made, but rather just because of my humaness, and Jesus chose to over-rule that a long long time ago! I could have made better choices and still not have deserved God's mercy! That's precisely what mercy IS! Undeserved favor and grace! I cannot earn His mercy! If I could, it would no longer BE mercy!
Yes, God is good...ALL the time...and His mercy endures forever! AMEN!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
"I Love You, My Daddy"
"I love you, my Daddy!" is a sweetly spoken phrase my granddaughter has started saying to her father. It sounds so special and sweet that she could probably get away with just about anything using that phrase. But she also often accompanies it with kisses...melting all hearts in range...
I thought about this unique expression of hers. She says it most of the time spontaneously, and not to get around discipline. She says it when she sees her daddy come in to the house. She says it when he leaves in the truck. She also says a similar phrase to her mom and brothers. She always includes the "my" and tacks on the relationship status.
I am not sure where she picked up this little habit. None of her friends or any family members use it. It seems to be something that came straight from her little heart.
The more I hear those words, the more meaningful they are. A little child, just three years old, is expressing spontaneously her love of family, marking ownership of each one.
I need to do that with God. I need to say "I love you, MY God!" Even better, "I love You, MY Father!" AND even better, "I love You, MY Daddy!" My relationship with Him needs to grow more intimately daily. I need to find delight in His prescence and comfort in His embrace. I need to need Him just like my little girl! I need to declare Him as MINE! And to know Him so intimately that calling Him "Daddy" seems completely right.
I know most of us had imperfect earthly fathers. Mine was among the better one.s, but even so, lacked ability to completely meet my needs and extend comfort and help. He lacked the ability to understand my needs. He lacked the desire to really get to know me as a unique person. But my Heavenly Father does not!
Too many fathers have hurt and abused. Sometimes it was intentional, stemming from their own pain and struggles with their own demons. Sometimes, it was unintentional. An unkind word spoken harshly in a tense moment; A half-hearted reply or reaction to something of significance in our lives; a word intended to be used as a joke...all these can have lasting impact on our vision of a father. And we tend to interject that vision upon God.
We must know this: He is NOT a man that He should lie, be violent, or hurt us in any way, intentional or not. God is incapable of failing us. He can only LOVE to the greatest degree. He cannot speak harsh words of irritation. He cannot ignore our significant moments because He created them
I thought about this unique expression of hers. She says it most of the time spontaneously, and not to get around discipline. She says it when she sees her daddy come in to the house. She says it when he leaves in the truck. She also says a similar phrase to her mom and brothers. She always includes the "my" and tacks on the relationship status.
I am not sure where she picked up this little habit. None of her friends or any family members use it. It seems to be something that came straight from her little heart.
The more I hear those words, the more meaningful they are. A little child, just three years old, is expressing spontaneously her love of family, marking ownership of each one.
I need to do that with God. I need to say "I love you, MY God!" Even better, "I love You, MY Father!" AND even better, "I love You, MY Daddy!" My relationship with Him needs to grow more intimately daily. I need to find delight in His prescence and comfort in His embrace. I need to need Him just like my little girl! I need to declare Him as MINE! And to know Him so intimately that calling Him "Daddy" seems completely right.
I know most of us had imperfect earthly fathers. Mine was among the better one.s, but even so, lacked ability to completely meet my needs and extend comfort and help. He lacked the ability to understand my needs. He lacked the desire to really get to know me as a unique person. But my Heavenly Father does not!
Too many fathers have hurt and abused. Sometimes it was intentional, stemming from their own pain and struggles with their own demons. Sometimes, it was unintentional. An unkind word spoken harshly in a tense moment; A half-hearted reply or reaction to something of significance in our lives; a word intended to be used as a joke...all these can have lasting impact on our vision of a father. And we tend to interject that vision upon God.
We must know this: He is NOT a man that He should lie, be violent, or hurt us in any way, intentional or not. God is incapable of failing us. He can only LOVE to the greatest degree. He cannot speak harsh words of irritation. He cannot ignore our significant moments because He created them
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Healing Scars
When the scars upon my heart
Met the scars upon His hands,
Something changed forever,
Becoming something very grand.
Bleeding within my chest,
Trembling with fear and shame;
My heart heard a gentle Voice
Softly call my name.
It was barely beating;
Hardly worth the life;
Broken very often
And stabbed with many a-knife!
Wounds of disappointments
And redirected prayers;
Confidence depleted
Made heartbeats hard to bear.
Scars of intentions
Misunderstood by friends,
Oozing self-resentment
Self-pity did defend.
Inadequacies coursed through
Veins of broken dreams.
My bleeding heart stood gaping...
Death's nearing rapidly it seems!
But the Voice whispers gentler
Yet louder, to my heart.
Tender hands stretched out
To offer a fresh start.
Hesitation filled my soul.
Yet, with shaking stance
I offered up my broken heart
For yet another chance.
And then the hands opened wide,
And much to my surprise
I found a loving touch of God
Understood my great demise.
For there upon those open palms
Were nail scars so deeply driven,
Oozing out the love
And forgiveness freely given.
And those scars upon His hand
Touched the scars upon my heart;
And though His scars grew deeper,
Mine simply did depart.
There was my heart, no longer scarred
Nor heavy as a stone...
But newly fresh- a heart of flesh!
His scars have cured my own!
Yes, when the scars upon my heart
Touched the scars upon His hands
I was changed forever,
And am becoming something grand!
by Charlotte Saben 8/26/10
Met the scars upon His hands,
Something changed forever,
Becoming something very grand.
Bleeding within my chest,
Trembling with fear and shame;
My heart heard a gentle Voice
Softly call my name.
It was barely beating;
Hardly worth the life;
Broken very often
And stabbed with many a-knife!
Wounds of disappointments
And redirected prayers;
Confidence depleted
Made heartbeats hard to bear.
Scars of intentions
Misunderstood by friends,
Oozing self-resentment
Self-pity did defend.
Inadequacies coursed through
Veins of broken dreams.
My bleeding heart stood gaping...
Death's nearing rapidly it seems!
But the Voice whispers gentler
Yet louder, to my heart.
Tender hands stretched out
To offer a fresh start.
Hesitation filled my soul.
Yet, with shaking stance
I offered up my broken heart
For yet another chance.
And then the hands opened wide,
And much to my surprise
I found a loving touch of God
Understood my great demise.
For there upon those open palms
Were nail scars so deeply driven,
Oozing out the love
And forgiveness freely given.
And those scars upon His hand
Touched the scars upon my heart;
And though His scars grew deeper,
Mine simply did depart.
There was my heart, no longer scarred
Nor heavy as a stone...
But newly fresh- a heart of flesh!
His scars have cured my own!
Yes, when the scars upon my heart
Touched the scars upon His hands
I was changed forever,
And am becoming something grand!
by Charlotte Saben 8/26/10
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A Lesson From King David
King David was a man. He was just a simple shepherd boy with some musical talent, when God called him to become a king. But he didn't become that king overnight. Not even over the next couple of years. He had a lot of growing up to do. And he made some errors along the way. He left us a legacy to learn from.
We can learn some things NOT to do from King David. We all know he never should have dwelt on the sight he saw of Bathsheba sunning herself...but that's another lesson for another day.
Today, I believe God is showing me something very significant about our society, and how easy it is to get involved in the wrong kind of politics.
David was not exactly a politician. Yet, he had a substantial following of men ready to defend and die for him, even before he became king. It is true, that God had already chosen him, annointed him, and called him. Yet, David continued to b e a servant of King Saul, comforting him when he was bombarded by fear and anxiety attacks. Even after it became evident that King Saul was no longer the best ruler for Israel, David did not usurp his authority or brag about the facts of his anointing. He quietly grew, knowing in his heart that some day, God would make room for him.
In today's world, we currently have a very controversial leader. Many Christians voted for him, believing the previous administration had erred greatly in important issues. Some now regret it. Others do not.
What concerns me here, more than the decisions that the President is making, is the daily decisions many many Christians make to undermine him. Personally, I will say that I did not vote for him, nor can I support many of his choices. I too, was among those who passed on jokes and made fun of him. I referred to him in ways that were not Christ-like.
And then, I read the story, AGAIN, about David and Saul. Saul had become so fearful of losing his kingdom, that he set out to kill DAvid. The saga takes up several chapters in the Bible. But the story that stands out to me, is where King Saul goes into a cave to respond to a bodily function, and David and his men are already inside. Saul doesn't notice them, but they notice him. One even suggests to David that he sneek up behind him and kill him. After all, God had already anointed David to be the nnext king...
David toys with the thought, and then slips up behind and cuts off a piece of the kingly garment, and pockets it. Later, he produces it to proce he could have killed the king. But DAvid said, "I will not harm God's anointed." He honored the position of the king. (By the way, originally, Saul was chosen by the people because they disliked the previous administrative dealings. They did not want a theocrasy, but wanted to be ruled by men.)
I coorelate that story to our current situation. God did not ordain our President and anoint him...or DID He? Supposedly we prayed for the election. Supposedly we voted with our conscience. And yet, here we have a controversial guy many do not like. Oour system is run by the people (suppoosedly). God did not "choose" the president ahead of time. Supposedly. Now I wonder, IF God's people, who are called by His name (Christins) humbled themselves and prayed...then we must accept that God MUST have had a hand in rising up this current adminsitration, no matter what we think of it. And the Bible, which we believe to be the Word of God, says clearly to pray for our leaders.
Should we not take the same stand as DAvid did? Should we not resist harming the man in the position of leadership? It seems to me that the REAL enemy of our land, and our spirits, the devil himself, has gotten quite a hayday going with hateful words and jokes. We are undermining the authority of the man that God has allowed to lead us.
The Word says nothing about any man delivering us or healing our land...it is GOD who shall do this...through PRAYER, not jokes, and political upheaval. I am not saying we should not exercise our rights to speak up against what we believe is wrong...or to voice our opinions. But our opinions that deride an authority can only be siding with evil. I am not saying we should not stand up and be counted and declare what we feel....but I see this as two different things here.
1. We should responsibly speak up for righteousness and demand our laws be based in it.
2. We should support through PRAYER ALL the leaders God has currently allowed in our society.
3. By allowing our hearts to become bitter, hateful, or fearful, we are not declaring the Kingdom of God for our country.
I think this is an evil sly undermining of America...not by our President or ANY administration, but by the forces of evil, who divides the Christians, causes our hearts to not be one, causes our hearts to be fearful and dissatisfied....thus preventing us from the true power of God.
Think about it please! I am no longer going to be participating in anything divisive or unproductive or demeaning towards leadership. I will not be sending any forwards of political jokes or rumors of things undermining our President. I will send prayer requests of information that has been substantiated for which we need to join in prayer. I will admonish my friends and brothers and sisters to pray and to surrender our hearts to God's love. I will honor the position of authority that God has graciously allowed us to maintain in this country for over 23o years! AND I will speak up to my leaders, expressing my concerns, in a godly fashion. And I will use the power of my vote to say what I mean!
Let us take to heart the verse about humbling ourselves. (Who of us would even want to be President right now?) Let us PRAY! Let us pray with contrite and upright hearts, fully surrendered to God. Let us lay aside the agendas, the fear, the jokes and comments, and truly seek the Lord for our great nation.
We can learn some things NOT to do from King David. We all know he never should have dwelt on the sight he saw of Bathsheba sunning herself...but that's another lesson for another day.
Today, I believe God is showing me something very significant about our society, and how easy it is to get involved in the wrong kind of politics.
David was not exactly a politician. Yet, he had a substantial following of men ready to defend and die for him, even before he became king. It is true, that God had already chosen him, annointed him, and called him. Yet, David continued to b e a servant of King Saul, comforting him when he was bombarded by fear and anxiety attacks. Even after it became evident that King Saul was no longer the best ruler for Israel, David did not usurp his authority or brag about the facts of his anointing. He quietly grew, knowing in his heart that some day, God would make room for him.
In today's world, we currently have a very controversial leader. Many Christians voted for him, believing the previous administration had erred greatly in important issues. Some now regret it. Others do not.
What concerns me here, more than the decisions that the President is making, is the daily decisions many many Christians make to undermine him. Personally, I will say that I did not vote for him, nor can I support many of his choices. I too, was among those who passed on jokes and made fun of him. I referred to him in ways that were not Christ-like.
And then, I read the story, AGAIN, about David and Saul. Saul had become so fearful of losing his kingdom, that he set out to kill DAvid. The saga takes up several chapters in the Bible. But the story that stands out to me, is where King Saul goes into a cave to respond to a bodily function, and David and his men are already inside. Saul doesn't notice them, but they notice him. One even suggests to David that he sneek up behind him and kill him. After all, God had already anointed David to be the nnext king...
David toys with the thought, and then slips up behind and cuts off a piece of the kingly garment, and pockets it. Later, he produces it to proce he could have killed the king. But DAvid said, "I will not harm God's anointed." He honored the position of the king. (By the way, originally, Saul was chosen by the people because they disliked the previous administrative dealings. They did not want a theocrasy, but wanted to be ruled by men.)
I coorelate that story to our current situation. God did not ordain our President and anoint him...or DID He? Supposedly we prayed for the election. Supposedly we voted with our conscience. And yet, here we have a controversial guy many do not like. Oour system is run by the people (suppoosedly). God did not "choose" the president ahead of time. Supposedly. Now I wonder, IF God's people, who are called by His name (Christins) humbled themselves and prayed...then we must accept that God MUST have had a hand in rising up this current adminsitration, no matter what we think of it. And the Bible, which we believe to be the Word of God, says clearly to pray for our leaders.
Should we not take the same stand as DAvid did? Should we not resist harming the man in the position of leadership? It seems to me that the REAL enemy of our land, and our spirits, the devil himself, has gotten quite a hayday going with hateful words and jokes. We are undermining the authority of the man that God has allowed to lead us.
The Word says nothing about any man delivering us or healing our land...it is GOD who shall do this...through PRAYER, not jokes, and political upheaval. I am not saying we should not exercise our rights to speak up against what we believe is wrong...or to voice our opinions. But our opinions that deride an authority can only be siding with evil. I am not saying we should not stand up and be counted and declare what we feel....but I see this as two different things here.
1. We should responsibly speak up for righteousness and demand our laws be based in it.
2. We should support through PRAYER ALL the leaders God has currently allowed in our society.
3. By allowing our hearts to become bitter, hateful, or fearful, we are not declaring the Kingdom of God for our country.
I think this is an evil sly undermining of America...not by our President or ANY administration, but by the forces of evil, who divides the Christians, causes our hearts to not be one, causes our hearts to be fearful and dissatisfied....thus preventing us from the true power of God.
Think about it please! I am no longer going to be participating in anything divisive or unproductive or demeaning towards leadership. I will not be sending any forwards of political jokes or rumors of things undermining our President. I will send prayer requests of information that has been substantiated for which we need to join in prayer. I will admonish my friends and brothers and sisters to pray and to surrender our hearts to God's love. I will honor the position of authority that God has graciously allowed us to maintain in this country for over 23o years! AND I will speak up to my leaders, expressing my concerns, in a godly fashion. And I will use the power of my vote to say what I mean!
Let us take to heart the verse about humbling ourselves. (Who of us would even want to be President right now?) Let us PRAY! Let us pray with contrite and upright hearts, fully surrendered to God. Let us lay aside the agendas, the fear, the jokes and comments, and truly seek the Lord for our great nation.
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