Don't Miss "WE"

There is a great story in John 9 with a great message, especially in the word "we."

V:4  " As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

John 9:6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing."

Who must do the work?  Jesus?  No, he includes his disciples by saying "we."  So it is today, Jesus is looking for us to do the exciting work of the Kingdom with Him.

Look: does Jesus ever tell the man, go wash, and you will be HEALED?  No, He just tells him to go.  Geography will tell you that the pool of Siloam was in the southern part of the city.  Perhaps a ways from where they were.  Excuse the pun, but the man needed "blind faith" to walk through the city to the pool until he washed and then could see.  When Jesus asks you to help Him do work in the Kingdom, do you?  Do you have to have all of your questions answered, or do you just obey?  Even when we don't know all of the details and exactly how it will all turn out, Jesus expects us to GO, when He tells us to.

If we go, the Father has our back and we will by faith SEE something great!

Does God have my back?  

In 1 Samuel 15:4 Samuel tells Saul, "go to battle."  As Saul gathers the men he does so in a town called Telaim  As there are no coincidences in the Hebrew language, we know it is significant that the name Telaim means "covered lambs."  When God calls you to fight for Him, He has you covered.  Have a great day and weekend as you walk WITH your sight.  Blessings, P.T.

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24

Good leaders aren't afraid.  Period.  They have fear, but it doesn't run them, rule them, or cause undo anger.  Their fear motivates them to action.  Seeking God action.  It stirs them to positive God directed activity.  Good leaders seek God first and then ask Him what is to be done when fear comes, when anger arises, when things go wrong, or before they ever start something... anything.

Fear doesn't immobilize or hinder them to ruin.  Ephes. 4:26  "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."  Saul here has so many emotions that drive and control him that he is "out of control."  If you read this passage of scripture and underline all of the emotions, they are scary.  They read: "angry, galled, jealous eye, afraid, etc.  It was hard to work for a king (boss) who repeatedly tried to kill you.   I tell our youth pastor Noah, he's got it made working here, I've never tried to kill him.  :)  

Key:  1 Samuel 18:14 (of David) "In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him."  That is what God wants for you.  Not the dysfunction that Saul had.  Both of Saul's children turned against him, and rightly so as he was offering up his daughters as prize horses for show and trade.   

From the same daily reading comes Jesus appropriate response;  John 8:31 "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Have a great day, and rule your emotions, don't let them rule you.  P.T.

"Less Philistines"

1 Samuel 15:1-16:23

I believe this to be Saul's second chance; instead it turns out to be another layer of him losing the kingdom. ​

Samuel comes to Saul and says, this is how it all began: God had me come and choose you, you were the least, yet I put you in charge, into leadership.  You blew it once, now I have another assignment.  One of the "applicable keys" is the command from God to "completely destroy" all of the things that are or could be a false god.  It is a test of leadership, and of obedience.  Will Saul obey, and will he lead and have his men/people obey God?​

I believe God was coming with a second chance, to restore Saul.  David would still be king someday, but the quality of Saul's life and his relationship with Samuel and the Lord could have been much better.  This was a break, a "halftime" if you will for Saul.

I believe the redemptive nature of Christ and the cross is there for all of us today.  Haven't we all sinned, blown it, made mistakes?  Jesus is there to restore, redeem, regenerate, because of his incredible mercy.​

If you read Saul's story, you realize he could have enjoyed; mentoring David.  He could have accepted the relationship between David and Jonathan, not passed bitterness on to his daughter Michael, and enjoyed grandchildren.  He didn't need to spend all of that time and money and all of the national resources of men's time and respect chasing down David in the wilderness.  He could have enjoyed his men's/soldiers' respect.  He was twice humiliated because he was wrongfully chasing David, when he should have been focused on Israel's real enemies, the Philistines.  He could have enjoyed: "less Philistines".  If we will utterly destroy, completely rid ourselves of false gods and stop giving into the spirit of offense with other Christians, we too could enjoy "less Philistines" or false gods in our lives that distract from our true mission.  Despite our flaws and mistakes, sins and weaknesses, Jesus now comes and wants to give us a second chance.  Jesus wants to restore us, but we must rid ourselves completely of ALL of our false gods.  The Hebrew verb for "completely destroy" is used 7 times just in this one chapter.  Applicable key: completely destroy what God wants destroyed and enjoy: "less Philistines."​

Final thought: from this account comes the eventual very teachable statement: "it is better to obey than to sacrifice."  Saul thought his false gods would be acceptable to God because they had "earthly value".  That is our mistake at times also.  Come clean and receive God's second chance with: "no Philistines".​

Blessings, P.T.​