Archive for January, 2010

Read 1 Chronicles 16:7-36

I don’t want to provide a whole lot of commentary today because I’m not sure a whole lot is needed.

Instead, I just want to encourage you to do what David encourages us to do. I want you to…

“Give thanks to the LORD”

“Sing to him, sing praise to him”

“Tell of all his wonderful acts”

“Seek his face always”

Do you think you can do that today?

Read 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Let’s be honest.

When you’re trying to read through the Bible, it’s extremely tempting to skip over the genealogies.

Am I right?

And yet, if you were to skim over the 600 or so names that fill 1 Chronicles 1-7, you might miss the one name that stands out in a unique way.

In fact, of all the names mentioned in this genealogy, only one name receives any sort of commentary.

Jabez.

And this man, Jabez, is mentioned because of his prayer.

And his prayer was simple.

He asked God to give him more influence.

He asked God to never leave him.

He asked God protect him as much from trouble and pain.

And the Bible says that “God granted his request”.

Now, while you may feel like you are just one of many people in this church, this city, or this community, maybe you’re more than that. You’re certainly more than just a name.

So, maybe you were made to stand out. And maybe you need to start asking God to give you more influence. And maybe you need to ask God to be with you in everything you do. And maybe you need to ask God for His protection of your life and family.

And maybe, just like Jabez, God will grant those requests.

Read 2 Kings 18:1-8

It’s obvious certain things are idols. Asherah poles, sacred stones, and high places were each idolatrous, and any God-fearing Israelite would recognize them immediately and smash them to pieces.

And most of us if placed in King Hezekiah’s shoes would have done exactly what he did.

Hezekiah threw out all the altars that were set up to make-believe gods. He took away all the junk that had been competing with God for the people’s attention.

But that’s not all he did.

Hezekiah did something else that I’m sure ruffled a few feathers.

He broke the bronze snake that Moses had made.

Now, this wasn’t Samson’s snake or Solomon’s snake. It had amazing historical significance. And God used it in the early years of the nation of Israel in an amazing, life-saving way (see Numbers 21:4-9).

And do you know why Hezekiah broke it into pieces?

The text tells us it was because they had been worshipping it instead of God.

But Hezekiah realized that sometimes you’ve got to break the snake!

Because some idols are more obvious than others.

What are those idols in your life that don’t look like idols? And are you willing to break those snakes?

Read 2 Kings 5

God often asks us to do easy things.

Simple things.

Uncomplicated things.

And yet, just like Naaman, we are often so unwilling to do it.

So, what is that very basic thing God has been prompting you to do, but you’ve neglected to do?

Will you do it today?

And maybe, because of your simple obedience, God will do something miraculous.

Read 1 Kings 19

Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can become discouraged?

I guess I can’t speak for you, but from my experience it really doesn’t take much for me to feel absolutely worthless.

I know Elijah relates if no one else does.

One minute Elijah is calling down fire from Heaven. And the next minute, he’s praying for God to kill him.

One minute Elijah is challenging the 450 prophets of Baal. And the next minute, he’s running from a woman.

One minute Elijah is taunting Baal. And the next minute, he’s questioning God.

In less than a day, he forgets everything he knows to be true about God.

And I’ve learned (and I’m still learning) that it doesn’t take much for us to lose perspective either. It doesn’t take much for us to become discouraged.

But I’ve also learned that in those moments when I feel overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, that I need to think clearly. I’ve learned that I need to change my perspective.

And when I do, I realize that God is still on the throne. I am still one of His children. And He is not finished with me yet.

Read 1 Kings 13

God never contradicts Himself.

You might want to write that down so you don’t forget it.

It might just save your life.

If you don’t believe me, you might want to read our passage today.

God takes His words and His Word seriously.

So when you see in Scripture that God expects you to stay sexually pure, you can be confident that He’ll never change His mind.

And when you read that you can approach Him in prayer with confidence, then you can take that promise to the bank.

God never contradicts Himself.

Believe it!

Read 1 Kings 3

I’ve got to be honest with you.

If God had approached me with an offer for anything I wanted, I’m pretty sure wisdom wouldn’t have even made my “Top Ten” list.

I would have probably asked for good health for my family, prosperity, as little pain as possible, and success in everything I do, to give a few examples

I wouldn’t have made the wisest choice.

But it’s obvious that Solomon made the best choice when he asked for wisdom.

And I think we can learn a lot from his choice.

Read 2 Samuel 23:20-23

I’ve never chased a lion, and I never will. I won’t even taunt one at the zoo. I’ve watched way too many, “When Animals Attack” videos to even think about bothering a lion.

And yet in this brief passage of Scripture, a guy by the name of Benaiah chases a lion.

I don’t even know how you chase a lion. I certainly don’t know how you would keep up with one. But evidently, Benaiah does. And ultimately, he catches him.

And the Bible says that he catches the lion by chasing it into a pit. I don’t know if he chased him purposefully in the direction of a pit he had dug himself or if this was just some random pit but nevertheless, he chases him into some kind of pit.

But I do think I know why.

Benaiah saw an opportunity.

Most people see obstacles when they see lions, but not Benaiah.

Now, I’m not recommending any of you do anything crazy like jumping into an enclosed space with a wild animal, but at the same time, I don’t think God wants us to play it safe with our lives.

I’ve learned that the obstacles in my life may actually be more than obstacles.

They may be opportunities.

Read 2 Samuel 11

I think most of us read this passage and see it as a story about David and his adultery, but I don’t think this story is about adultery at all.

It’s bigger than that.

It’s about sin.

And more specifically, I believe this story is about our sin.

Perhaps you don’t think something like this could happen to you.

It can. And it will happen to you the same way it happened to David…one bad decision at a time.

And I believe that one of the great problems in the church today is that we underestimate our ability to really blow it.

But read these next few words carefully…I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, how young or how old you happen to be, you are only a couple of decisions away from really blowing it big time.

It’s not just David who struggles. It’s all of us. We all have something in our lives, that if we entertain it long enough, will grab a hold of us and dominate our lives.

And over time, if you engage in that sin regularly enough, regardless of what it is, it will bring you down.

And it won’t be pretty!

Read 1 Samuel 24

Sometimes, circumstances are just circumstances.

So, when something happens that you could have never imagined could happen, be careful not to read too much into it.

It’s not necessarily a yes from God.

And it’s not necessarily a no.

David’s circumstances serve as the perfect example.

David finds himself in a situation where all the circumstances lined up, right?

And all the people around him are pointing to the fact that the circumstances are all lined up.

They are saying, “David, you have to take out Saul. God orchestrated all of this so you could become the next king of Israel! You don’t even have to pray about this. Isn’t it obvious?”

But fortunately for David, he was able to separate himself from the momentum of these particular circumstances, and ask the question, “Does the thing I’m about to do, the thing I really want to do so very badly in this moment, contradict God’s Word in any way whatsoever? Is this the right thing to do?”

And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn’t disobey the Scriptures just because all the stars seemed to be aligned.

And neither should you.

Remember that sometimes circumstances are just circumstances.

But God’s truth endures forever.