Bold Trust

There is a level of trust that many believers have in the Lord. We trust the promises of his word. We trust that he will hear our prayers. And we trust that he loves us in spite of our sinful nature. But there is a trust that goes beyond the normal; one that extends our faith beyond what is typical as we lean hard on our faith and believe in the mighty power of the God we serve. Mature believers understand that there are times when our trust in God must be bold, where we are to lay everything on the line not faltering and not doubting, but believing with everything that is within us that God will hear us and answer us in our time of need. We understand that there are times when we are to respond like David did in first Samuel, chapter 17, verses 45 through 47, which says:

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.’”

Against insurmountable odds, and against an adversary that if operating in the flesh would’ve certainly destroyed David, he stretched his faith and placed his trust in God in a way that few would. Even though the eyes of the Israelites saw certain defeat at the hands of the giant, David knew the God he served and boldly trusted him to win the day. There was no doubt in his heart when he challenged Goliath. And if there was fear, his words did not reflect it. It was almost as if David knew something that no one else there did; as if his faith was at a level that defied their understanding. When we are met with insurmountable odds, and are faced with an enemy that clearly pits itself against God or his plans for our life, we should have the same boldness that David did. He spoke boldly with faith that didn’t waver, and we should too.

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Earlier in first Samuel, God exalts David as a “man after his own heart”, partially because of David’s bold trust in him. We serve an all-powerful God through whom there is nothing that can’t be accomplished. If God is for us, who can be against us? Sometimes we forget who God is. Sometimes, like Peter, we take our eyes off of him and notice the waves around us which causes our faith to waver and for us to sink in despair. We need to be like David, and trust God beyond human reason. We need to remember the God we serve; a God who created everything and has control over everything. Though we may not experience miracles on a daily basis, we should never forget that the same God of the Bible is alive and well today; that he hears our cries for help and he can literally move heaven and earth to save us. Through him, David slew a giant which ultimately led to the defeat of the Philistines. What do you think he can do through you if you boldly call upon him in your time of need?

Like Father

I work full-time as a video producer at a college university. One of my most recent projects was a video highlighting first generation college students; students who were the first of their family to ever pursue a college degree. These students decided to break out of the generational cycle set by their parents, grandparents and beyond to be the first of their line to continue their education at a college level. This isn’t to say that obtaining a college degree makes anyone any better than anyone else. But I bring it up to highlight the truth that it is possible to break generational patterns set by our parents - college being one example. If you’ve read the succession of Israelite kings highlighted in the Old Testament, you might’ve notice a pattern passed down through the generations that really should’ve been broken. It says in second Kings chapter 21, verse 20:

“He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done.”

The “he” that is mentioned here is in reference to Amon, a young king who followed in his father’s footsteps, continuing the pattern of disobedience that his father had modeled. I can only imagine how difficult it is to break with tradition, or vier from taught behavior, and blaze a new path in life. But many have done it. I want to encourage you, if your parents have never followed Christ, that doesn’t mean you have to follow their path. Today would be the perfect time to blaze your own trail. Second Kings records king Amon following the same destructive path his father had led. If the example your parents set before you doesn’t lead to Christ, I would implore you to choose the path that does.

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King Amon chose to follow the destructive path his father had walked. But if we read on we learn that though Amon and his father had done evil in the eyes of the Lord, Amon’s son, Josiah, chose to break the pattern. The Bible says that he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left”. Within the line of Israelite kings, most chose to do evil in the sight of God. But there were a few, those like David and Josiah, who broke with tradition and blazed their own path, following God and obeying his commands. If your parents are not following Christ, that doesn’t mean you have to follow their lead. You can blaze a new path; a fruitful path; one you can pass down to your children and grandchildren.

Serve The Lord

In Bible times, foreign gods where a major issue. The first of the ten commandments God gave Moses on mount Sinai was, “you shall have no other gods before me.” But this seemed to be a continual thorn in the side of the Israelites. It didn’t seem to matter how faithful God was to them, how many miracles he performed, or how many prayers he answered, foreign gods were always an area of temptation for them. Though we may not struggle with this same temptation, there are others that can just as easily draw us away from God. And if we were ever hot for him, if we are not careful, our dedication can grow lukewarm and we can drift further and further away from him; so far, in fact, that we may no longer “serve” him. The world may begin to look so enticing that God becomes an afterthought. Joshua challenged the Israelites with these words; words that I think we should take to heart as well. In Joshua chapter 24, verse 15, it says:

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable for you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

Our culture, our media, and our environment may never shine a light on the goodness and the faithfulness of our God. That means that we will have to keep the fire hot through effort. We need to continually seek God. We need to continually love him. And we must continually serve him. Worldly enticements, and our apathy as a culture, has take the place of foreign gods. Without realizing it many of us have turned to technology and entertainment media to occupy our time and our attention. We may need to wake up and turn our eyes back to God. We may need to address what Joshua said to the Israelites: “If serving the Lord seems undesirable for you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” I pray that you and I will make that same declaration.

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Following Christ in our culture takes effort. We need to actively seek him, and we need to seek him first. We need to fill our minds with heavenly things; things that make us think about him, worship him and serve him. Because if we are left to our own devices, we are prone to wander. Like a pot of boiling water removed from the burner, we are liable to grow lukewarm. We must purpose in our hearts to pursue God with all that is within is. We must decide today whom we will serve. And as we do, I hope and pray that we come to the same conclusion Joshua did. I pray that we will say with our mouths, as well as with our hearts and our actions, “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Stop Biting

In the book of John, Jesus reminds us that everyone will know that we are his disciples if we love one another. Love should always be an overriding agent in our behavior. It should drive our heart, our dedication, our decision making and our motives. But at times, loving someone, even fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, can be a challenge. Even with believers, personalities may clash, political and world ideologies may differ, and cultural biases may cause division. That is why the Bible stresses unity so strongly. Love is the binding agent that should align us to one common purpose and one common Lord. This commonality, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, should help us to supernaturally love one another if our natural tendencies fail us. It should keep us from quarreling and biting each other so that division will not be the cause of our downfall. Paul puts it this way when speaking to the Galatians in chapter 5, verses 14 and 15:

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Earlier, Paul calls out divisive factions within the body. Apparently, there were those who were actively causing division; those who were resistant to what Paul was preaching, trying their best to cling to the old covenant. But we have the benefit of knowing the whole truth. We have the entire scripture. This should bring unity. It should inspire love for one another. And if we are able to remain focused on this commonality, fueled by the Holy Spirit, we will grow together in faith and we will flourish. We will encourage and uplift one another in love. And we will avoid the pitfalls outlined in this portion of scripture.

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If we rely on our flesh, we will begin to look more and more like the world. Our love for each other will eventually grow cold. And like angry dogs we will “bite” at each other, and if we continue down that path, we may even devour each other. An overriding commandment is for us to love one another. I challenge you to explore what this means in your life. What does loving your neighbor look like? Are you loving your neighbor? Does it even enter your mind? Loving your neighbor may require you to be proactive. It may require prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and maybe even a change of heart. Love is the primary agent driving everything in the Bible. In fact, God is love. And if love is that important, shouldn’t we pursue it with everything that is within us?

Drop It

During my college years I remember listening to a song by a secular group who called themselves the “Spin Doctors”. The song was, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”, which talked about a girl who felt she always had to be right about everything. In the song it was clear that the artist found this trait to be quite annoying, and I have to confess, I’m sure I would have also. Do you know anyone like this? In college, I certainly did. For them, it seemed as though being proven right was of primary importance. I admit that there are times when defending an idea is important, but I would submit to you that believers should choose their battles wisely. Proverbs, the book that provides both practical and godly advice, says this in chapter 17, verse 14:

“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.”

I can attest that in my life, pursuing peace in a relationship is more important than being proven right. Arguing a point that doesn’t really matter is like breaching a dam. Proverbs says that we should drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. In doing so, you might save yourself a major headache and you might even save a friendship. If you find yourself arguing with your friends, family or significant other over things that really don’t matter, consider if being right is really more important than maintaining peace. Because if you start a quarrel, before long, you may find yourself in the middle of a heated dispute where words can be said and feelings can be hurt just because you’ve opened the floodgates to needless contention.

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Often times quarreling can be avoided. And more often than not, there is no benefit to starting an argument or pushing someone’s buttons. Needless arguments only lead to anger, pain and sometimes, regret. If you have a problem in this area, it may take an added level of self-control, patience and maybe even a bit of understanding to stop a quarrel before it starts. It is worth praying that the Holy Spirit help you to guard your tongue. Because even though we can say something, it doesn’t mean that we always should. Our words can be a weapon, so you might want to be careful who they are aimed at. So why don’t we take this proverb to heart? “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” I think that is good advice.