Monument to self.

Today in my early morning devotion I was looking at the life of Absolom a young man who built a mounment to himself.  Absolom was a young man who was living in the shadow of his father.  David was a very godly man and Absolom was a very ambitious man.  As I said a few days ago ambition is not a bad thing when directed the right way and to the right things.  In Absolom's case he wanted to be king and he would do anything to get the throne.  He spent four years conspiring against his father and eventually seized the throne.  This led to a brief but bloody civil war where thousands died and eventually Absolom was killed.  The lessons we can learn from his life are many.  First, we learn that ambition misdriected will cost much in the long run.  Secondly, building monuments to oneself which Absolom did will be destroyed or shown for the foolishness they are.  Thirdly, promotion of oneself leads to the destruction of those around us.  Many a family has been destroyed because a husband or wife is a casualty because to much time being spent on a occupation or career.  Children are neglected or ignore as a parent pursues the almighty dollar or career.  The price is to high.  Jesus said, we are to store up treasures in heaven where moths cannot eat it, they will not rust or be stolen.  Where are you storing your treasures, in this world or the next?

Think before you act.

   I love the story of David and Bathsheba found in 2 Sam 11.  It has so many twists and turns and is such a human story.  David is walking on his balcony, he sees a beautiful woman and falls for her in one glance.  Problem is she is married.  He throws caution to the wind and has an affair with her.  She gets pregnant.  He tries to cover up the sin and brings back her husband to sleep with her.  When tist fails David has him ordered killed but makes it look like an accident.  David then takes Bathsheba as his wife and a child is born to them.  Nathan the prophet exposes the sin and the child born to this union becomes ill, David repents but the child stills dies.  What a human story.
   We all have done things we will later regret.  The tragedy of human life is we all make mistakes and sin.  With that sin sometimes comes consequences we have to face.  In Galatian 6:8, it states, "God is not mock, whatever we sow we will reap."  If you sow sin, you will reap sin and if you sow righteousness you will reap righteousness.  Here is food for thought.  I suggest that all of us look hard at our lives and decide today what kind of life we wish to sow.  My desire is to sow righteousness and make an impact on my world.  I trust you will wish to do the same.  It is our decision. 

Desire for the Lord

    In my devotions today I was looking at the life of David.  In 1 Sam 7:8-27, we find a marvelous story of David wanting to build a temple for the Lord.  His desire was to have a central location for worship of the Lord.  As he was preparing for the task the Lord told him he could not build it.  When he inquired about this, the Lord told him that he had spilled to much blood in his life time.  Now for most most this would have discouraged them to the point that they would have moved on to another task.  David however was not like most men.  He looked at this setback as an opportunity for growth. 
   David immediately spent the rest of his lifestime doing a work of preparation.  David gathered material to build the temple.  It was David who drew up the plans for the temple and he also gave much of his personal fortune to the project.  David look at this setback as an opportunity.  Many times in our own lives we face setbacks and problems and how we face them is very important.  We can be like many and fume and fuss and take our ball home so to speak or we can grow and become better because of them.  Our view and attitude is so important.  One of my favorite saying is, "Attitude is everything in the things of God."  One of my present board members says, "Attitude is the only thing."  Setbacks and problems are God's tools of refinement.  How they refine us depends on us.

Doing the right thing.

Today in my devotions I was reading about Job and how he did anything he could to maintain his position and power.  He literally eliminated anyone who stood in his way.  He actually killed his rivals.  Now today many people employ similar tactics as Job does.  They may not physically kill people but they will do anything they can to destroy a reputation and make themselves look good at the expense of others.  Once a Christian business told me that business was business and Christianity was Christianity.  I asked him if they could mix and he said to my shock that sometimes they could not.  My remark to him was that you have to take you Christianity into every facet of your life or you are being a hypocrite.  We live our lives in the public arena as Christians as well as in our homes.  What we do in public does matters as it does in our homes.  I know that what we do in private affects our public realm and vice versa.  Your thoughts, words, deeds and attitudes reflect who really is in control of your life.  Is Jesus in control of your life or not?  It is time for personal examination.  I know I have been talking about this issue a lot recently because each day we live we are one day closer to the coming of the Lord.  The signs of the times indicate we are getting closer and closer.  Recently in one of our evening services a word from the Lord came telling us that Jesus is coming very very very very soon.  This word shook me to my very foundation.  I have resolved to live my life as if Jesus would come back in the next seven minutes.  This has change my whole perspective.  I hope it will change yours. 

Proper choices

   In my devotion today, I was reading about the tribe of Judah chose David to be their king some seven years before the rest of the tribes would.  The tribe of Judah had the mind of God years before others did.  Saul had been the choice of the people but David was God's choice.  Problem is that it sometimes takes people a little to catch up with God.  I have often mused about myself and how I have ended up where I have.  For example, I have been a pastor for 33 years and have pastored in many places.  These were churches that I never though I would ever be at.  One time I was sitting in the home of a family who had been in Yellowknife.  They were describing life in the North and I thought no way man would I ever go there.  It was my next community.  Another time I was driving through Salmon Arm and the Lord said, this is where you will pastor one day.  I thought great.  I will pastor the Pentecostal Church here.  I did return to pastor in Salmon Arm but it was with the Foursquare Church.  Back in 2000, we were having lunch by the Sturgeon river in St. Albert and my wife said, "would it be great to pastor here."  I replied, "only it you drag me kicking and screaming."  I did not like large cities but here I am. 
   I wrote all this for one reason.  I have never looked at myself as a talented or special person.  Just a willing heart.  You must be willing to go, do and be what God wants you to be.  Over the years I have met and so have you, talented, intelligent, wonderfully gifted people sitting on the sidelines doing the minimum for God.  Why are they sitting there doing relatively nothing.  It is the condition of their heart.  My exhortation to you is to be a willing heart.  Make yourself available to God.  David did and see what God did for him.   

Sunday is a great day.

I always look forward to Sunday and have since I gave my life to Christ.  Sunday is the day I get to hang out with my local Christians.  It is the time that I get to corporately worship the Lord and hear or present the word of God.  The local church is such as a wonderful thing.  It is the place you can healed, restored, delivered, receive forgiveness, be encouraged, strengthen and come into full victory.  There is nothing like having a loving family lay their hands on you and pray for you when you are going through a hard time.  I feel so sad for those who decide to either stay home or refuse to go to the house of the Lord.  They are missing so much.  Yes, I have heard all the arguments but in the grand scheme of things they really are so insignificant.  You may have many reasons in your mind to not go to the local church.  Let me give you one why you should.  The local church was God's idea.  Let me give you another.  Jesus made the local house of worship His habit and if you are His disciple you should as well, otherwise you are just being disobedient.  I will not mix words on this issue.  Go to God's house today and be an example.  Take your children and show them the importance of it.  I have four children who serve the Lord and the local church was an important role in that happening.  Church was never an option and they are saying that today to their children.  So I encourage you to go to your local house of worship and be a blessing.  

What is the Problem?

   I was paying as I do every Saturday morning for revival.  This is a habit that I have had since Sept 25, 2005.  You may ask the question, "What was so significant about that day?"  That was the day the Lord spoke to me particularly to pray for revival.  Up to that point it was an occasional thing but that day it became a focus of every Saturday.  I have been faithful ever since.  This morning as I was praying and I asked the Lord why we were not seeing the results we wished and His answer was very clear, much to my surprise.  He said the problem was His people.  In particular it was our hearts.  I asked Him to show me my heart and I did not like what He showed me and so I spent a significant time just repenting.  The truth of the matter is there are not as many of us as there should be in the place with God that we should be.  Now we can use many excuses to justify our present condition.  We are to busy, distracted, to many demands, life has been hard, people have hurt us, etc.  The reality is we really do not have an excuse.  Judgment and revival begin in the House of the Lord.  I will not speak for any one else.  I just know I have dropped the ball.  So if people in your world remain relatively unchanged and you are not seeing the results you want to see.  Look at your own heart it saves a lot of time and frustration.  2 Chron 7:14, reminds us that if we want to see God hearing us, forgiving our sin and healing our land it begins with us.  We need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.  The answer is simple yet so complex.  If you are like me you do not want your heart exposed.  Self examination is encouraged in scripture but we do not like to do it because it may show us what we are really like.  We all have an image of how people see us.  We work from that image to present the best us, we can.  The reality is we should be asking God how He sees us because at the end of the day it is Him that we have to give an account of our lives.  Scary thought unless you keep short accounts with Him.  Our lives should be lived for an audience of one.  For God and Him alone.  Change your world today by changing your heart.  Remember Jesus said when we seek the Kingdom of God first, then all things will be added to us.  Now as Doctor Laura says, "Go and do the right thing."