Credit Where Credit is Due

Scripture

2 Samuel 8:6 (HCSB Strong's)

Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

Observation

Twice in this chapter (8:6 and 8:14) the Bible states that "the Lord made David victorious wherever he went".  The savior of Israel, the One to whom the credit was due for the kingdom coming together, was God - NOT David.  God had promised earlier that David would have rest from all those around him (7:1 and 7:11); and He was now fulfilling that promise.

As I ponder these words this morning, I think of the "success", the "victories" that are in my life.  It is all too easy to use the word "I" -  "I" found a good partner for life; "I" worked hard; "I" got a good education; "I" found a good job; "I" did a good job laying aside for the future; "I" am doing well in God's kingdom, in the work He send my way; "I", "I", "I".  But, then I think of all the divine appointments God has made for me over the years (many I know I have missed).  The divine appointment made for me that brought Sue into my life, one through whom a LOT of the good flows; the divine appointment(s) made for me in my career that led me to this place; the divine appointment(s) made for me to know the men of God that I have known, by whom I have been mentored - so many; the divine appointment(s) made for me to be of service in God's kingdom.  And on and on and on it goes.

There is no doubt in my mind - God deserves the credit.  Just as the writer of 2 Samuel says here, God has given me "victory" wherever I have gone.  That doesn't mean it has all been easy; but it has all been of Him, from Him.  To Him be all the glory, honor, and praise.

Application

I should always be of the mind that my very life comes from the Father, and should give him all glory, honor, and praise.

Do I have "itching ears"?

While drinking coffee this morning ……

Scripture reference:  1 Kings 12:1-15

Focal verse:  1Kings 12:13. Then the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him. 

This is a super story!  

To quickly relate the setting:  Solomon had died; Rehoboam was set to be made king; Jeroboam (the loyal servant that had been a "go-to" guy for Solomon, until Solomon turned turned on him, intending to kill him - Jeroboam had then run to safety in Egypt) has returned from Egypt requesting that Rehoboam lighten the load of his people. Rehoboam sought the advice of the sages; when they didn't answer as he wanted them to, he sought the advice of his peers - the young men he had been hanging out with. They answered as he wanted, so he went with that advice. 

Observations:

1. Rehoboam never asked "What would God want me to do in this situation?".  This seems interesting to me - Rehoboam was the grandson of David, who generally ALWAYS asked God for direction. I would think that some of this would have rubbed off on Solomon, which would have, in turn, rubbed off on Rehoboam. 

2. Rehoboam did not appear to be looking for "wisdom". Now, wait a minute. His Daddy vas Solomon - the all time "king" of wisdom - the writer of Proverbs!  I would think that some of this would rub off on Rehoboam!

This whole thing reminds me of Paul's warning to Timothy … (2Timothy 4:3. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new.) … Rehoboam had likely already made up his mind; he was just looking for someone that agreed with him. 

So, the question really is … where do I seek direction?  It is so easy to say "I look to God for my direction", but a lot more difficult to put this into practice. Shouldn't I be reflecting of scripture - God's primary way of speaking to me - when a decision point comes up?  Shouldn't I be seeking His wisdom?

And then, there are people God arranges to be in my life - older (most of the time - but not always), wiser people that have walked with God for years and years and years. They are there for a reason, for a purpose - shouldn't I look to them for their wisdom?

Too many times I, like Rehoboam, have already made up my mind. I'm just looking for someone that will agree with me. When I find that someone, I'm off and running. As we said in the world of manufacturing, "ready, fire, aim". I pray that God will slow me down, that He will move within me to ask the right questions, and then to LISTEN!

How about you?

When I retired a little over 2 years ago, I committed to read the Bible through each year.  This year (third time through), I am reading "chronologically, and find myself reading the little book of Amos this morning.

I challenge you to read the first five chapters of Amos, a writing I have often simply passed over. There is a LOT of stuff in these few verses. A recap:

God pronounces judgment on six city-states that have historically oppressed the Israelites, and behaved in a "sinful" fashion to their neighbors. Now, the Jewish people must have applauded and cheered as Amos went through this list of city-states, describing how God was going to "get them". 

You'll remember during this time the Jewish people were developing their "Day of the Lord" thought. Although the Jewish people were specifically "chosen" by God ( through whom God would bless the world - they seem to have forgotten that part), God had allowed them to be beaten and trodden upon, and generally disrespected. They built this "Day of the Lord" picture - one day, God would come striding into history, and would defeat all of their oppressors, and would establish a kingdom, with the Jewish people on His right hand. The Jewish people would rule in concert with God, in their rightful place, above all other humanity. 

So, as Amos foretold the destruction, you can just imagine they thought that "Day of the Lord" had arrived. 

But then, something very interesting happens. Amos turns the prophesy directly upon Judah and Israel. Judah will be judged specifically because they have abandoned the specific instruction from the Lord - they have a specific revelation of God they have ignored. They have lived in ways that are not God's ways, in ways they have been specifically instructed NOT to live. The Israel kingdom will be judged because they have specifically disrespected humankind, God's creation in His own image. They turn a blind eye to the poor and the needy!  (How many times do i pass by someone that is hungry?) And their sexual practices are detestable to God.  (Sound familiar?). And they are indicted because they are superficial in their worship - they spread coats they have essentially stole from the poor and needy next to the altars, and sleep on them - a false piety. (Not that we would ever be shallow n our approach to God!). 

It gets even better. God then goes through reminding the Jewish people what He has done on their behalf. God calls their hand - He says, essentially, "You guys have evidently forgotten all that!  And, I'm done with you!". And then God points out His faithfulness, even in the face of their unfaithfulness. He has known no other; He has specifically chosen them; they have not been faithful. So, God is going to bring judgement upon them. 

And it gets even better. God points out, through Amos, the "signs" He has sent - six "calamities". They are …

  … Famine

  … Drought

  … Crop disease and locusts

  … Plagues and warfare

  … Destruction of Israelite cities

Of course, the Jewish people didn't recognize these as warning signs - I would think, if they had, they would have changed their ways. 

"Since you haven't been paying attention …

Amos 4:12-13

Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you,

and since I will do that to you,

Israel, prepare to meet your God!

13 He is here:

the One who forms the mountains,

creates the wind,

and reveals His thoughts to man,

the One who makes the dawn out of darkness

and strides on the heights of the earth.

 Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name.

(In light of their defiance of God, would this not just draw you up tight?  WOW!  I have missed this for years!)

The remedy is easy…

Amos 5:14-15

Seek good and not evil

so that you may live,

and the Lord, the God of Hosts,

will be with you,

as you have claimed.

15 Hate evil and love good;

establish justice in the gate.

Perhaps the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be gracious

to the remnant of Joseph.

And, then, Amos gets to the "bottom line" (at least for me, in this reading). 

Amos 5:21-24

21 I hate, I despise your feasts!

I can’t stand the stench

of your solemn assemblies.

22 Even if you offer Me

your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them;

I will have no regard

for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.

23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 But let justice flow like water,

and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.

I approach all readings with an expectation that God has something to say to me.  So, what is in this for me this morning?

God is not appreciative - God does not respect - a shallowness in relationships. He expects me to be "sold out" - to have a deep appreciation of Him, and what He has done on my behalf. Just as He chose Israel through whom to bless the world, He has chosen me to be an empty vessel, "holy … available", ready for His use, through whom He will bless others. I have a tremendous responsibility here. He does not want a shallow, lip-service kind of a relationship with me; He wants a deep, abiding relationship, one that will allow Him to transform me into His image, just as He created me to be. In all that I do, He expects me to bring honor and glory to His holy name. 

Now, that is a scary prospect, isn't it?  How can I EVER accomplish that?

Fact of the matter is, I can't. Not through my own devices. 

God has provided a way …

Ephesians 3:16-19

16 I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, 

17 and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 

19 and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

"Father, stir within me a strong desire to practice faithfulness to You; to recognize and to remember all that You have done, and will continue to do, on my behalf. Create within me a willingness to be transformed daily into an empty vessel through which You pour blessings. Grant me the discernment to recognize opportunities You put in my path."  

On prayer .....

From time to time, I am asked to pray for specific things for specific people.  Now, I am a believer in speaking with God about my concerns (praying), and am certainly a believer in answered prayers - there have been a number of those in my life!  However, I remain somewhat befuddled about the proper attitude in prayer, and what should comprise my prayers.

A couple of years ago, Sue and I were making a final trip from California to Tennessee - we were finally retired, and moving to our permanent home. We had disposed of most of our California possessions in California, and had rented a trailer for the few things we were bringing with us to Tennessee. We drove along, having a grand time visiting with each other, talking about how we were going to enjoy our retirement. (I had ensured the truck had been serviced well - tires, oil, filters, brakes, and had even installed new windshield wipers - there was not a lot of opportunity to use them in California, and they had gotten pretty old and dry.)  Somewhere about Oklahoma, one of my new windshield wipers broke.  I stopped and picked up a new one, and installed it right there in the parking lot. We made it to Little Rock that night, and got up very early the next morning in hopes of making it home that night. (BTW, if you have ever been on I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis, you know how desolate it can be - dark and narrow are two adjectives that come to mind.  At any rate, we left the hotel about 5:30AM, headed to Memphis, retirement, and points beyond.  It was dark-thirty, cool, and raining. About 30 minutes out - on that dark, desolate highway - my windshield wiper broke.  I got off the road as quickly as I could, and swapped the wiper from the passenger's side to the driver's side so that I could see!  Back on the road - now the ONE windshield wiper I had broke!!!  Still dark.  Still raining.  So, I got off the road as quickly as I could, opened up the trailer door, found my tool bag and my trusty duct tape, and bandaged the last broken wiper.  Back on the road.  A little bit down the road was a truck stop, and I was sure they would have wipers, so we pulled off the road.  The front parking lot was very full, so I pulled around the back in hopes of getting under some shelter.  Just as I turned the corner, I hit a pot hole that you could have lost a large dog in, and the trailer came up off the hitch, pulling the ball with it.  The nut on the bottom of the ball had fallen off somewhere along the road! If this trailer had come off on the road, I'm not sure I would be sitting here today.

Now, you ask, what does all this have to do with prayer and my question?

Well, glad you asked. Here are my thoughts. I could have prayed for God to stop my windshield wipers from breaking, and I might have gotten the answer I was looking for. But, if I had gotten the answer I was looking for - and I know "if" is a big word - I may not be sitting here today. I believe God was trying to get my attention, trying to get me off the highway so that He could provide protection. Frankly, I had been rather lazy in ensuring my connection to my trailer was in good shape; He was taking care of me.

Bottom line?

I do believe that, at times, it is appropriate to specifically pray for specific things, and even to "intercede"  for others in specific ways.  However .....

I am convinced our prayers should center more about being in the proper relationship with God, about our "attitude" with Him, and about recognizing His perfect will.  It might be kind of a strange thought, but I'm pretty sure He knows more about me and whats good for me than I do.  I need the discernment to understand His desires for me, and the wisdom to carry those desires out.

'Nuff said.

A start ............

I've been drinking coffee a LONG time, with LOTS of different people, and ALL over creation.

My first job was sacking groceries down at the Winn-Dixie; W-D is now gone, but the memories still hang around.  I'm not sure why the manager took an interest in me, but he did.  Roy invited me to "break" at Purser's Pharmacy one morning - "Let's go have a cup of coffee" he said.  Dad always said he wasn't old enough to drink coffee, so I had not acquired a taste at the young age of 16.  So, off we went.

"I'll have cream and sugar" I said to the lady behind the sandwich counter (those are gone, too, aren't they?)."

"No way", Roy exclaimed, in shock.  "If you're going to drink coffee, drink coffee; if you're going to eat a candy bar, have a Hersheys!"

And, so I learned a little about life and a lot about coffee that morning.

When I stop a minute and think about the intervening years, I realize that I have learned a lot about life sitting across the table from someone, drinking coffee.  You know, wisdom is an elusive thing - a thing that seems to come to folks that have ages that start with a 4 or a 5 or a 6 - or even higher (depending on what my age was at the time, I think).  I know that I have not taken enough time for coffee with these guys over the years.  I'm trying to do better at that.

But, now, I'm on the other side of the table a lot, with not much wisdom.  So, I am starting a blog to write about those kinds of things that come into my head.  I intend to write about the conversations I have over coffee, and the places I have them.  I hope you'll find the ideas that pick at my brain interesting.

Come back often!