A few weeks ago I was driving and heard a news report of a soldier wounded in a bombing in the Middle East. He had lost a leg and an eye in the bomb blast and had fought hard to stay alive. Many of his fellow warriors had fought the battle for life and lost. In an effort to honor his comrades he had set a goal of going back to the mountain side his platoon had trained on and to scale the mountain again in honor of his friends who had died. The day his climb was successful he endured through limited vision and his prosthetic leg. At some point closer to the top the prosthetic proved more of a hindrance than help so he removed it and proceeded to crawl to the ascent. His victory came as he remembered his brothers at the pinnacle of the mountain.
I was greatly inspired by this warrior’s testimony and admired the depth of his love and loyalty to his brothers at arms. Then my mind pondered why we brothers and sisters of faith don’t express our devotion to our God and each other like that. Instead there are many times just the opposite is true. Christian warriors have been known to wound their own at high rates. Words and attitudes are the weapon of choice. Shunning or leaving fellow warriors out is a form of warfare used. Judgmental and critical heart attitudes cripple. Not everyone in the local church acts like this, but if only a few do it can cause many hurt and wounded warriors.
Maybe you could name someone right now who once attended church regularly but due to an experience with a fellow believer has distanced themselves from the church. Do you know of an unbeliever who has said to you “I would go to church, but the people there are no different than anyone else.” As believers we are instructed to be different.
Check out Romans 12:9 through the end of the chapter. Paul says from the beginning that our love must be sincere or real. He urges us to outdo one another in showing brotherly love. He goes on to instruct believers to not lose their spiritual zeal, which means to persevere in love and obedience to the Lord Jesus. He instructs us to help those in need and to practice hospitality. The last verses talk about dealing with others who are not kind or loving to you. He instructs us to live at peace with all men as much as it is up to us. It encourages us to return good for evil and to heap burning coals of kindness on the other person’s head. In the end Paul says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” What a great challenge!
If you know someone who has been hurt by the church or a church member, go to them and apologize for whoever or whatever hurt them. You can’t go back and “fix it”, but you can love them and treat them with respect. Develop a friendship with them and when the time is right, invite them to come to church with you. If you were the one hurt, choose to forgive even if the other person never apologizes. God will reward that. Get back into the fellowship of believers. We must persevere as the wounded warrior did in climbing the mountain. It will not be an easy path to minister to those who have been wounded or to forgive those who have hurt you, but it is needed. I am joining you in climbing this mountain and with God’s help we will see Him heal those around us. We will make it to the top even if it means crawling. In the end the most important thing is to bring honor and glory to The One who really matters. Climb on!

Yesterday we moved from 8 in the morning until 4:30 in the evening when the truck pulled away. During that time the workers made inventory of everything that went on that truck. There are 23 pages of inventory. lol Yes, I know that is way too much stuff, but that is not the point here. The point is that the list was made because in a few weeks we will unload the truck and get back to doing life in our home. There will be a need for the accounting to make sure everything is ready. That is what David did. For several years he had been gathering treasures to complete his project. The day of handing over the goods had come and his accountants had written down what the haul included. On top of that the people added to the treasure with their gifts. In the end they offered not just their supplies but themselves. This is God’s desire for us. He doesn’t just want your stuff, He wants your heart. Wholly is how the scripture put it. God’s desire and his plan is that we take inventory as well and give our possessions, but even greater our hearts to Him. The time for serving is at hand and the Temple we are helping build is the Kingdom of God. By the way, thanks for the prayers yesterday! The move went as smoothly as it possibly could. Now just pray for the house we are to have here. 🙂

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord!” Early in the morning I love to hear the birds singing. The sound of water weather the seashore ebb and flow or the roar of a water fall both are music to my ears. Even the wind before a storm as it whips and whistles is thrilling to me. The sound of thunder in the distance as it shakes the earth is a sound of power. All of these remind me of the power, existence and love of God. He created them all and yet He chose to take time to intricately weave the anatomy of a human being with such tiny parts that some we still are studying to try to figure out. Oh what an awesome God we serve. One who is in control and never sleeps nor slumbers. He doesn’t tire or grow weary. He paints the skies in the morning and sends rain in due time to keep everything in order. Glory to Him!

David was an imperfect man, leader, and father, but God loved him. One of the reasons God calls him a man after His own heart has to do with David’s response to always run back to God. Psalm 42 puts it this way, 8 “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.”
David did see God has “the God of my life”. It reminds me of Colossians 3 that says, “When Christ, who is your life is revealed, you will be revealed with Him in glory.” When God is your Life and Christ is who you live for, you are comforted by His steadfast love and you find peace as His song is in your heart even in the late hours of the night. I fear sometimes we say He is our life, but we want to control it. We want the benefits without the sacrifice. Just like you can’t have a physically fit body without exercise, you can’t have spiritual fitness without leaving all to follow God.

David wrote these Psalms from a dark place in his pilgrimage. He felt defeated and hurt by so much going on in his life. If you live long enough most people go through deep waters that cause you to feel worn out and weary. Life can be hard and situations far from your control, yet in the midst of your difficulty you find God there with you, comforting and directing your steps. You may be like David and can’t figure out why the tables have turned and how to make things right. It goes back to who or what you are trusting in. David chose to trust God and the end result was David found strength in the only One who could bring comfort and peace. What a great reminder for all of us to seek Him above all else and know His strength and power.

It is so easy to be so wrapped up in life that we miss or even take for granted the Creator of the Universe. Look at how Psalm 65 describes Him.
65:5 “By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”

The One who painted the morning sky with brilliant light and kiss the evening with the glows of sunset longs to have a relationship with you and me. The One who carved the mountains and stills the raging sea is allowing you and me an all day audience with Him. He is listening even now for us to speak to Him.
Yet between Wal-mart runs, answering phones and yes even scrolling through Facebook we miss the invitation. Creator God, please forgive us for keeping you waiting. Please hear our prayer today for strength, guidance, wisdom, security, hope and joy. Please show us Your paths for our lives. Most of all, help us to see the people around us who are in desperate need for You and give us the words of life. Help us not to miss You today as we do “life”. Help us see You in the laughter of the aged and children. Help us see You in the blowing wind and the warming sunshine. Help us lean in and embrace each moment You give us because they truly are gifts from You.

David was anointed king and one of his acts as King was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. In preparation for that David gave instructions for who was to be a part of the parade. This verse struck me as funny. 15:22 “Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.” As a musician I am sure that having the music just right was a major concern, and no one understood what David wanted like Chenaniah. Sometimes when you work with a group or organization you find that one person who “gets it”. Those are the people you want in charge. I pray that to my heavenly Father I will be one of the ones who gets what He wants. I pray I will be a usable vessel to Him. I pray my mind and actions portray that His mind is communicating with mine and I do exactly as He wishes. Lofty goal but one well worth having. 🙂

On a recent trip to the Middle East we stood on top of a mountain and looked into the valley below. The tops of the mountains surrounding my position were rocky on top, but as you worked your way to the base the valley below was lush. Green grass grew, a still stream of water rested for the herd making its way to the base of the mountain to find refreshment and peace. Along the valley floor were large boulders here and there that would be an easy hide out for predators. As I took in all I saw Psalm 23 kept coming to my mind. Though the mountains above were the right vantage point for control of the valley below, there was great peace in the provision of the valley. As our heavenly Father watches over us, we too can know the peace that comes from trusting Him. We trust His provision, His protection, His mercy, His goodness even when difficult times come we can still trust. So thankful for how God teaches me daily that I don’t have to be looking down from a mountain top in the Middle East I can see His hand at work here today. God, thank you for pouring out your mercies upon me daily. You are Greatly to be praised!

David’s mighty men were the rock stars of the day. Can you imagine 1 man taking on 300 and winning? The 3 mightiest were the dream team of enforcers and yet they loved David so much they risked their lives to go get him a cup of water in an enemy camp. Oh how God would desire us to be mighty men and women for His sake. We don’t have to risk life or limb for something as meaningless as a cup of water. He asks us to put ourselves out there daily as a testimony to His goodness and to stand in truth and right walking. We don’t wield a literal sword, but the sword of the Spirit, His word is His weapon of choice. My hearts desire is to be a mighty warrior for my great God. How about you!

Unless you have walked through a dark time in your life you might now be able to relate to Psalm 77. You might even look at it and think “how hopeless and depressing.” But if you have been through a dark path you will look at it entirely different and might even say “That is exactly how I felt.”
3 “When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”
Or maybe this more describes how you feel,
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”
The answer the Psalmist came to was to remember what God had already done. Chapter 78 recounts all of the things God did for His people Israel as He saved them from slavery all the way through the wilderness. He was not painting with rose colored glasses. He knew there were times that God was testing the hearts of the people to see if they would remain true to Him. No matter how we feel God does care. He longs for our obedience and to know Him in a deeper way. Our “dark times” are meant to drive us to a deeper dependency on Him. Don’t harden your heart or be deceived God is still with you and He loves you even when it seems silent and dark. On those days recount His presence in your life in days past and know He is still there.