Dealing With Troublemakers...

When you pursue God daily, it’s easier to know how to deal with troublemakers. David’s example here in 1 Samuel chapter 30, helps us see how a heart in the right standing with God benefits others. Some of the men in David’s army were left behind to guard their supplies, mainly due to the fact they were faint and weak from lack of food and rest. David allowed them to stay behind and recover. After defeating the Amalekites, some of his fighting men didn’t want to share in the plunder. David put a stop to that immediately. He rewarded his loyal men who stayed behind, just as he rewarded those who fought in the trenches. We tend to fall into two categories of human beings when we compare ourselves with others. Those that lose sight of our purpose and responsibility to God, and those that know their place, without losing sight. The first type says, “we are better”, “we did more”, “they did nothing”, or “we deserve more”, and thus their attitudes breed dissension. What we forget is as believers we are one body serving Jesus. As Paul said (my paraphrase), “the eye can’t say to the foot, we spotted the treasure so we deserve more. We are more important.” Each body part serves a purpose, and without each, the body couldn’t function properly. The second type of person, who remembers God, and knows his place, responds like David did. Even though the group of men didn’t fight in the battle, they served a purpose, as David clearly stated, “who guard the equipment”. Each loyal member of his small army served a purpose, and David wasn’t going to allow a few greedy, selfish men, turn his group of loyal men into a divided, competitive, group of comparers, that we destroy the cohesiveness of the group. God gave David the wisdom, and infused Him with the right amount of humility, to be the leader he needed to be that would lead Israel into a kingdom God had planned for them. Do you always know how to handle troublemakers? If not, ask God today to give you the wisdom and humility it takes to lead into the kingdom that He has in store for them.

21 Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200  men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. 22 But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.”23 But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. 24 Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike–those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” 25 From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. 1 Samuel 30:21-25

A Changed Life....

No one can legitimately argue a changed life (spirit). It only comes from God, and cannot be explained. One more reason we put our trust in God, and not man (ourselves). A changed spirit is the greatest witness we can have, and sometimes it doesn’t involve words.

5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8

Never Fully Trust Yourself...

Never fully trust yourself. Trust God instead. We are fallible, He isn’t. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

23 Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in Him. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because He knew human nature. 25 No one needed to tell Him what mankind is really like. John 2:23-25

The Certainty of Truth....

One thing that always keeps me striving to pursue God is the fact that until God opens our eyes to the truth, we may never even grasp one of His truths, even though we think we do. It’s that certainty of truth that keeps me going. Nothing can alter that, except God Himself. That’s why I pursue Him, it’s the only way to know truth. And as Jesus said, it’s the only thing that can set me free.

13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area He saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; He also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, He told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning My Father’s house into a marketplace!”17 Then His disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume Me.”18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are You doing? If God gave You authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and You can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” He meant His own body. 22 After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered He had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. John 2:13-22

What Perfect Love Is Able to Do....

This proverb truly shows the magnitude of God’s love for us. It also shows what perfect love is able to do. And it’s only through Jesus’ unfailing love and faithfulness, that atonement for our sin is possible. It’s our attitude towards God, and His amazing Grace, that allows us to avoid evil. When we emulate Jesus, love flows freely, releasing forgiveness out to rescue lost souls.

6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. Proverbs 16:6

Suicide Is Not the Unpardonable Sin....

There’s a misinformed theory out there that has been accepted as fact, that needs to be brought into the light. It involves Suicide. Many people have believed the notion that suicide is part of the unpardonable sin. When someone takes their own life, they seal their destiny in Hell. I’ve done some research and found this false notion has been amplified by the Catholic Church. Thomas Aquinas promoted the notion that if you committed suicide, God would not forgive you. This meant that if you took your own life, you wouldn’t be able to ask God to forgive you. It was the unpardonable sin. If you look at this concept in light of the Gospel, you’ll clearly see this can’t be true. If Jesus died on the cross, rose after three days, and defeated death, that means that through faith in Him we are forgiven of our sin. That includes our past sin, our present sin, and even our future sin. It’s our faith in what Jesus did that saves us, not what we do. The unpardonable sin (that Jesus explained), is not believing in Him; not putting our faith in what He did on the cross. Think about that. How can God forgive our sin if we don’t do the very thing He requires us to do in order to be saved? How can we be covered by the blood of the Lamb if we never believe it happened. How can God forgive us if we don’t believe Him, that He provides a way for us to be forgiven. We can’t. And that’s the unpardonable sin. If someone commits suicide, that doesn’t equal not believing in God. It doesn’t mean they aren’t a believer. It just means that they had a lapse in judgement for a brief moment and did something outside of their faith. It doesn’t mean they didn’t have faith. Think about it: have you ever made a mistake, a bad decision? Did you do it because you don’t believe God exists? It was probably because you had a lapse in judgement, a selfish moment. It’s human nature to have these moments. Fortunately, most of us don’t go with our feelings to the extreme, and act on them. Now-a-days, with society basing everything on how it makes people feel, I see the suicide rate increasing. Again, not to send people to Hell, but just to end their life. Do you think Satan loves suicide? Of course He does. Why? Because it takes a believer out of this world. It’s one less person He has to fight against. Well, I’ve think I’ve made my point clear; suicide is not the unpardonable sin. God has, can, and will forgive believers who have taken their own life. Is it a sin? Yes, murder is a sin, but it’s one that is forgivable, just like lying, stealing, and adultery. Is God happy when it happens? Of course not. But it’s not an unforgivable sin. Now, in today’s passage we read about King Saul visiting the witch of Endor. He asks to call up the Spirit of Samuel (who had died). When he does, Samuel, responds by telling Saul that he will die tomorrow, and be where Samuel is. With that thought, this question arises: if Samuel was a prophet of God, the last of Israel’s Judges, and he lived his life pleasing God, how then would Saul, whom God abandoned, and was told that his kingdom would be given to a David, when he died that next day, be in the same place Samuel was? Interesting, isn’t it? Chew on that thought awhile....

17 The Lord has done just as He said He would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. 19 What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.” 1 Samuel 28:17-19

God Has Reasons....

God has reasons for everything. Sometimes He reveals them to us and sometimes He doesn’t. Our role in all of this is to trust that He knows what He’s doing, and live our lives aligned with His will. Faith is doing this very thing. Trusting God with our life even when we don’t see the outcome. Faith in God is knowing the outcome will be for our ultimate good, even if that means we have to suffer in accomplishing that good. True peace comes to every human being that understands this concept and makes the decision to trust God with the unknown. Everything serves a purpose in God’s will.

4 The Lord has made everything for His own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. Proverbs 16:4