Posted in Grace, Leadership, Life Inspiration

We should do no less

abigail

What do you do when the world around you is full of wickedness and you’d like to lash out and do ungodly acts? When you’ve had it up to your eyeballs with bad attitudes and hatred spewed in the name of politics, when the Name of Christ is uttered in contempt and it seems as though it’s in vain that we attempt peace? There was a day that it took a woman to fix the mess that man had created.

Shocker right? Just kidding!!!! Kinda…

In the book of 1 Samuel chapter 25 we find the story of Abigail, wife of Nabal who was a wicked, self-centered man, described as Belial; a demon himself who no doubt made this woman’s life miserable, and yet she stayed. David who had yet to become King was on the run from Saul with a band of rag tag men who had been described as “every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented”. Not exactly an army of heroes that we read about with David in other stories. But at this point we find David and his men voluntarily performing the unpaid task of body guards over Nabal’s men as they were in the same fields shepherding. David thought it not too much to ask of Nabal for a few victuals  but Nabal’s arrogance railed against David, who he knew to be future King saying “ Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse?”

He was about to find out! The next thing you hear David saying is “Gird ye on every man his sword”. It was the equivalency of the Power Rangers of the day. But then came Abigail.

A few lessons from Abigail that help me this morning in the face of this adverse world we live in.

She waited in Adversity

Living with a man such as Nabal was not an easy task, and though it would have been the culture of the day for her stay it wouldn’t have made it fun. Yet we find her there with an obvious respect of her household and a desire to care for them. Our main role in this life (aside from the first serving God) is to take care of our family and make it as pleasant as possible. Abigail had garnered respect and honor, her husband’s staff obviously felt that she was competent to get something done because when they’d heard what Nabal did to David and knew that there would be certain repercussions, they came to Abigail for help.

It’s often not easy serving when the world around you disregards God and His people. But it’s important to stand strong in the faith so that in the hour of need, those around us know in whom they can depend.

She waited on an opportunity

As soon as the servants came to Abigail with the news of her idiot husband’s behavior she went into survival mode. She knew that she would need to fix what her husband had broken. She didn’t go to David with excuses, she went to David with humility. We’re not going to gain God’s mercy and grace on this Nation by making excuses, we’re going to have to go to Him in humility for our idiot leadership who spout off to God with their behavior “Who is God?” I have wonder how many times the sword could have been drawn on us if it had not been for God’s people taking that opportunity to intercede on America’s behalf.

Abigail waited… both in time and in service. We should do no less.

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Posted in Christian Service, Church Unity, Leadership, Life Inspiration

Knitting Lessons

Every year our annual tent meeting has a different flavor. We’ve had years when the fires of Heaven came down and stirred out hearts, this past year it was a calming of the heart having just lost our Pastor of 20 years and facing an uncertain time. This year there seems to be a mending of the community for the Kingdom of Christ. Tears well up in my eyes and joy bubbles in my soul when I write those words this morning. I’ve desired it, I’ve dreamt about it… a time when saying the name of another church didn’t come attached to an emotion of frustration. We can’t worship with them because they don’t believe like us, dress like us, talk like us… Woah… I can feel the room getting quiet.

Hasn’t Satan won a mighty battle in the church when he has us at odds with one another? How many souls go out into Hell each year because they didn’t see Jesus in our testimony, just us? And believe me that won’t save anyone. We’ve spent more time telling the lost what’s wrong with the church rather than what’s right. They see no difference in the house of God than they do a social club because isn’t it really just another “click?” Your friends, your family, your four and no more? Harsh topic this morning and one that has the potential to create a ruckus, and that’s okay, I’m up for the fight.

The preacher of last night’s meeting brushed over one of my favorite bible stories; the story of two best friends, David and Jonathan. I love 1st Samuel 18:1 where it says “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” That’s a deep friendship, an example of Christ-like friendship. Jonathan was willing to betray his own father for the sake of David because he knew his father was wrong and that David was a chosen, anointed man of God. It was more important for Jonathan that he be right with God than right with man.

Which brings me to the question of doctrine. I’m not talking about linking up with churches who do not believe that Christ is the virgin born, Son of God, walked among men, crucified and risen the third day, sitting at the right hand of God, Redeemer.  That would make us accountable for sending souls to Hell if we linked ourselves with anything else. But I speak of born again Christians who believe Christ is Lord of all and Creator of the universe, but they do it a little different than I do. It’s not a different doctrine, but rather a different style that has most churches at odds. Doctrine is the foundation of truth, all else is the foundation of men. What are you standing on?

Christ sat down with sinners and we won’t even sit down with each other.

Colossians 2:19 says –

And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

If we hope to increase the Kingdom of God we need to do more knitting and less splitting. Whew! That’ll preach! You cannot detach yourself from another child of God without a disconnection of Christ at some point. Because God is the God of all. And if the “Head” of the church is not Christ, then the blood supply is shut off. Scary thought…

Christ said we needed to nourish one another, feed our souls on His goodness and then share it with everyone. I pray that this year’s tent meeting is the beginning of a knitting session with other Christ believers in our community. I love them…preach on preachers! Hope to see everyone at 7 tonight at Victory Baptist Church!

Posted in Life Inspiration

Did you see what my God did?

If you’re looking to see God glorified you don’t have go very far into your day to see the failure of self-proclaimed Christian people. I say self-proclaimed because it’s not obvious from their behavior. But what’s the excuse of those of us who genuinely, (not perfectly) try to serve and glorify God. Why is our praise not more evident? Why is it when we win victory over a battle in our life we hesitate to tell the unsaved world Who it is that’s responsible for our Victory? We’ll give God credit for life and death situations because to even the world that’s not unreasonable, but what about the everyday battles.

What about the ‘whew’ moments when you were a few buck shy meeting the bill demands and it suddenly appeared, the good doctor’s report that wasn’t real scary but it was scary enough in your world, the not so bad mechanics report on your car issues, the fall that almost happened, that unexplained blessing that was sent your way today on the job or in the home, what about those times and why is it important?

 A saint of God well known for his praise was David. He penned the majority of psalms, he gave credit to Whom credit was due and not just his fellow warriors were aware but the heathens around him as well, so that all were without excuse; they’d been told God prevailed in David’s life. One example is 2 Samuel 22:47-51

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me. And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

This is possibly a reference to the many perils that David had experienced at the hands of Saul, Absalom his son and many others. His friends and colleagues had seen him low, his enemy had assured themselves they’d won the victory over him only to see him rise from the ashes of defeat! He wanted them to know where his strength was derived; and because of that David’s reach was extended. He says in verse 44

Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.

People whom David had never met would be his servants because they’d hear of David’s God and desire to serve the man who’d had the blessing of God upon him. How much greater of an impact could the church make if we’d praise God more? If we were giving God His just dues for everything in our life, would they not desire to serve that God?

Praise Him for His goodness today, somebody needs to hear!

Posted in Uncategorized

Go Up!

Deuteronomy 1:21

Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

In one of our teen camp sermons this week the teens where taught from the life story of David on the giants in our lives. At the end of the session I passed out index cards and ask them to list some of the giants in their lives so that we might pray over them and work on defeating them. One of the giants that was repeated was that of “discouragement.” I loved their honesty. I understood their giant, because I had been up against it too. He has so many tools, but I’m not sure that discouragement is not Satan’s best because it tears at the very heart of your enthusiasm for life; and bit by bit you find yourself struggling to move forward. You can’t get past this valley, it’s an uphill battle all the way.  But God said Go up! I love it in Deuteronomy 1:6 when Moses says the children of Israel “The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:”

I hear that this morning. “Shari, you’ve been in this place long enough, it’s time to move forward. Why is it that once we get in the valley of discouragement it’s so doggone hard to get out of it? I have great attitude toward life. I’m not one that discourages easy. But it happens. Usually when I take eyes off God, and turn my ears toward people. Listen to Israel’s reply…

Deuteronomy 1:28

Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

I guess David wasn’t the only ones with giants in his life was he? And neither are we. Which is what I discovered when those cards came back from the teens. And my first thought was “discouragement? Really? You’re so young and fun with opportunity galore before you, how can you be discouraged?”

For the same reason I’m discouraged. We’re letting people define our purpose. God said “fear not, neither be discouraged.”  Man said “People discourage us.” I’ve come to the conclusion that not everyone wants out of the valley and they sure don’t want to walk it alone. So they share their point of view, and point to the giants as if we hadn’t already noticed them. Some people are satisfied with the valley. The problem for me is I’ve had the mountain top experience before! I’m not satisfied in the valley. People still discourage me, and I still see the giants, but as Preacher Ed pointed out (he’s quite the encourager) we’re looking at the giants from earth, God views them from Heaven. When David went up against the giant in his life he didn’t talk about the giant, he talked about God. All of Israel talked about Goliath. David talked about God. We spend so much time talking about the things that are going on in our life, we forget about what God can do.

When we begin to talk about what God can do, something begins to happen. Our attitude changes, our point of view changes. We begin to think of what can be rather than what is. We see behind the giant. David looked right through him to victory. He heard the people, but he seen God.

Turn the people off. God said “Go up!”

Posted in Uncategorized

A Heart Like That

God's own heartI Kings 3:12

Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart;

A Heart Like That…

That’s my desire. To be able to look at a situation and discern God’s desire. Too often (way too often!) I am self-centered and so Shari focused that I fail to see what it is around me that God could bless and use for His glory. Solomon was so humbled that God had used his family, that he was second generation to the throne, the son of the mighty David, and possibly, (and I really hadn’t caught this until now) a little insecure! Wow! Maybe Solomon and I have something in common after all.

Solomon had surely seen the wins and losses of his father. He knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to follow in the footsteps of a man so loved by his people and favored by the Lord. I have to wonder what an evening might have been like in the home of King David, where the conversations may have gone… I wonder if Solomon had watched or perhaps knelt beside his dad and listened as he prayed those prayers that caused God to say “he was a man after My own heart.” I wonder if he had watched his father embrace a selfish desire only to weep in earnest repentance later. His parents’ affair had caused him to have an older brother he would not know until Heaven, he’d seen and heard of God’s judgment first hand. No wonder as he prepared his heart to sit on the throne his desire was to be able discern right from wrong, he’d certainly seen his father’s struggle with it!

A heart like that… what would it look like on any given day? It’s not always easy. Sometimes it requires going against the status quo or stepping outside your comfort zone. Solomon’s first decision after this was to determine the truth between two harlot women on the matter of who’s child had died and who’s had lived. And how did he decide? The same way God does, he tested their hearts. He knew the true mother would never allow harm to come to her child.

Today, God may test your heart. Will you pass? When it comes to making a decision will you decide with godly wisdom or selfish desire? Owch… stepped on my own toe there. I have to wonder, and pray that I am a child after God’s own heart…