Saturday, June 24, 2006

Title: Three Principles Of Fruitfulness / Topic: Fulfillment

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 11; 2 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 24; 1 Timothy 6

Scripture: 2 Kings 12:4-12
4 Joash said to the priests, "Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD -the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple."
6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7 Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple." 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the LORD. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the LORD. 10 Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the LORD and put it into bags. 11 When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD -the carpenters and builders, 12 the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

Observation: What an interesting peek into the inner workings of the temple repair project. I am amused that human nature has not changed -- these people deal with the same issues that we do. First, I notice that when the money is given directly to the priests nothing got done. Why? Because there were three things missing. First, there did not seem to be any real specific plan -- just a general instruction: "repair whatever damage is found." Second, there was no accountability. Neither the money nor the work had any reporting and evaluation attached to it. So the money went to the priests and though they may have had good intentions, nothing was accomplished. The third thing lacking is a match between tasks and giftings. These were priests -- good at sacrifices and other temple duties, but probably not so good at carpentry, masonry, etc. When they fixed these three things, the job went forward and it got done.

[I love the way the money was collected: a big box with a hole on the top! And when it got full, there were at least two people counting and bagging the funds. That's how we do it today. It keeps everybody honest and removes the temptation to steal.]

Application: These three things are things we all need. A plan, accountability, and a good match between tasks and giftings.

A plan is essential if we are going to get anything done. "Shoot for nothing and you will hit it every time!" "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." "Plan your work and work your plan."

Accountability is a system with someone to report to who evaluates our status and/or progress and helps us improve. Without accountability we gravitate toward the temptations that every person faces daily: pride, lust, greed, laziness. It is too easy to lie to ourselves about what is going on in our lives. We need someone else to help us get on and stay on track.

A good match between the tasks and giftings is essential for long-term happiness and a sense of fulfillment. If I am doing a job that I am ill suited for, I may be able to get the job done, but it will be a toil and a frustration. If you work at what you are good at and what you love to do, your work will be a joy and give a sense of fulfillment.

Prayer: Lord, help us to learn these lessons and take steps to build our lives on a solid footing. May we take the practical measures to make our live and the lives of others better. Help us to find the purpose and destiny You created us for and to live it out to the fullest.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Title: Practical Faith / Topic: Holy Living

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22; 2 Chronicles 23; 1 Timothy 5

Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:4, 8, 16
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God...
8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever...
16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

Observation: Paul keeps it real, bringing practical instruction to Timothy concerning people with financial needs in the church. The long and short of it is this: every believer should help his family members as an expression of his love for the Lord.

Application: I love the practicality of the Christian faith! If we don't keep it real by applying the love and sacrifice that is a part of our Christian creeds to taking care of our family members in need, then our faith itself isn't real. Paul says neglect of family provision means a denial of the faith! That's strong stuff.

Bottom line: Faith starts at home. We must strive to make what we believe have an impact on those who we have the most immediate and significant responsibility. If it doesn't work at home, it doesn't work at all.

Prayer: Lord, help all of us to make it real at home. Show us how to bear the burdens for ourselves and those whom You have placed in our care. May our faith cause us to be excellent in our relationships within our homes and even to our extended families.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Title: The Seared Conscience / Topic: Holiness & Repentance

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 8; 2 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 21; 1 Timothy 4

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

Observation: What is a person like who's conscience has be "seared as with a hot iron?" What is a seared conscience? As I thought about these questions, I thought of all the really bad people that are out there, like terrorists, molesters, drug traffickers, and the like. Surely, these are the kind of folks that have a seared conscience. I did a Google search on "seared conscience" and came up with about 163,000 results. The first two were of interest to me as they are a two-part sermon by the late Rev. Charles Finney. As I read the words of Finney, I realized that a seared conscience is not limited to the obviously sinful people. The fact is that in our time, a seared conscience is common to just about everyone, even for those who consider themselves Christians, including me.

Application: Read Finney's words with openness -- the links are at the end of this application section. To me much of what he says borders on the extreme (but that may be partially due to the loss of Godly standards that is our common experience). What does ring out loud and clear from Finney's words is a challenge to laxness. There are moral aspects to so many areas of our lives that we give no moral thought or concern to whatsoever. This must change! These include important personal and social issues, personal productivity and performance, personal duty or health, matters of time (wasting time, punctuality, etc.), money and material things, prayer, attitudes regarding church and our personal spirituality, and many more.

It's is time to rethink our casual approach to virtually every area of our lives and seek to have God's truth and power come to bear in a real and tangible way.

These sermons are not easy reading but are worth your time and effort to look them over. I encourage you to click on the links and spend a minimum of 10-15 minutes on each.
Read Finney sermon part 1. Read Finney sermon part 2.

Prayer: Lord, help us to apply truth to every area of our lives and to allow ourselves to be lifted to a high moral standard in everything we think, say, and do. Forgive us for being inattentive to the details of our lives and for being careless about holiness. Lord, help us to be holy without legalism and earnest without fanaticism. May we live with our consciences sensitized to Your Spirit.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Title: Passing The Torch / Topic: Revelation

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 6; 2 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3

Scripture: 2 Kings 6:15-17
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Observation: Elisha's servant awakens to a shock. Overnight, the enemy king's intelligence has pinpointed Elisha's location and he has moved his army into position surrounding the city to capture him. Imagine waking up and glancing out the window only to see a military assault force. I'd be shocked too. So he goes to Elisha, "What are we going to do?"

But Elisha knows something that the servant does not. Elisha has had a previous experience that showed him Invisible Forces that fought for Israel. Whether Elisha can actually see them, or whether he can't, Elisha knows they are there. And he longs to have his servant experience the same revelation that will give him the same kind of faith and boldness that Elisha possesses. So Elisha prays and his servant sees "the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

We are not told what the servant said, but he could very well have said the same words that Elisha spoke when he had his own revelation: "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Now Elisha's servant is ready to step up in the same way as Elijah's servant (Elisha) stepped up after being made ready with his own revelation.

Application: Our Lord is powerful and has amazing resources that most of us never see and few truly experience. Previous generations have seen many great miracles of God.

For example, I have spoken to some believers, old men and women now, who as children watched as a long row of ambulances was backed up to the entrance of Angeles Temple in Los Angeles, where Aimee Semple McPherson was conducting healing services. These old saints shared with me how the ambulances would depart empty, their sick, diseased, or maimed passengers having received a miracle of healing no longer needing their transportation! These folks saw the miracles with their own eyes and that revelation filled them with faith.

Now it is time for a new generation to receive this revelation.

Prayer: Lord, how we long to see Your mighty chariots of fire! I ask that You would open our eyes to see the mighty array of Your heavenly hosts that stand at the ready to do battle on our behalf. Our faith is real but needs a heavenly boost! Please allow us to have the kind of revelation that brings unwavering boldness in doing the work of the Kingdom of God.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Title: Forgiveness In Advance / Topic: God's Grace

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 4; 2 Kings 5; Psalm 83; 1 Timothy 2

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:17-19
17 "If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD. 18 But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also — when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this."
19 "Go in peace," Elisha said.

Observation: This is one of those great stories where God reaches out to include the unincluded. Naaman is an Aramean, not from the tribes of Israel. In fact, his nation had attacked Israel and his master had obtained a young Israeli girl as a slave! (This is how Naaman learned about Elisha.) Nevertheless, God uses Elisha to heal and teach Naaman. He is not only healed but is converted to follow the true God.

What is most interesting to me is this exchange between Naaman and Elisha after Naaman is healed. He asks Elisha if he may take back with him a load of dirt from Israel so he can to create an altar back at his own home on which to offer sacrifices to the God of Israel. And then Naaman asks for forgiveness for future acts of idolatry! He knows he will accompany his master to worship the idol Rimmon and that when his master bows, Naaman too will be expected to bow. He doesn't want to do it, now that he knows of the true God, but he feels he must and asks to be excused from the penalty for idolatry. Elisha grants his request!

Application: Man looks on the outside, God looks on the heart. Naaman would be bowing to Rimmon on the outside, but bowing to Jehovah God in his heart. I'm not saying that we should accept, allow, or approve any and every unrighteous behavior. I am saying that God's answers often do not fit into our neat little boxes.

Did God want Naaman to bow to Rimmon? Of course not. But Naaman was taking his first steps as a believer and God wanted to let him grow into his faith without placing upon him demands that he was not prepared to handle. And the Lord knew that Naaman could be an influence for good in the court of his pagan master, the king of Aram.

Bottom line: Be careful not to spout off with trite and prepackaged answers to the tough problems in people's lives. Sometimes there is an unusual solution that may seem to violate some closely held belief. I think it might be wise to ask the question: "Does this idea advance the kingdom of God?"

Prayer: Lord, make us sensitive to the nuances of the Spirit. Your ways are not our ways and Your thoughts are not our thoughts. May our thinking be raised heavenward so we can think and see as You do. Give us wisdom and discernment as we seek to lead others in Your perfect way.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Title: Invisible Forces / Topic: Faith

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 1; 2 Kings 2; 2 Kings 3; Psalm 82; 1 Timothy 1

Scripture: 2 Kings 1:9-12
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours — otherwise not."
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.

Observation: What a scene! Elijah is taken up to heaven by God in a chariot of fire. Before he goes, he and Elisha have the exchange detailed in verses 9 and 10 above. Elisha asks Elijah if he may "inherit a double portion of your spirit." "'You have asked a difficult thing,' Elijah said, 'yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours — otherwise not.'"

Elisha does see Elijah as he is taken and the request is apparently granted. Elisha picks up Elijah's cloak (or mantle, as they were called) and uses it to part the waters of the Jordan as Elijah had done just a little while earlier.

What I noticed was Elisha's impassioned words as he saw the surreal scene of Elijah being taken to heaven. "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" I have always wondered why he yells about the Israeli military forces. What do the chariots and horsemen of Israel have to do with what is happening? As I read it this morning and once again pondered the question, it occurred to me that Elisha is having something of a revelation. He is seeing "a chariot of fire and horses of fire" appear from thin air, pick up Elijah, and all of this drawn up to heaven in a whirlwind. Suddenly, he realizes that in all the battles that Israel has fought, these chariots and horses of fire have been fighting for the people of God. Seeing it with his own eyes, he now has a newly reinforced faith and understands that what he has seen is just a sample of the resource available to him and to all those who put their trust in God. Now Elisha can pick up the mantle of Elijah and walk in confidence knowing that the forces of heaven he has supporting him are the true "chariots and horsemen of Israel."

Application: I would love to see the invisible spiritual forces that assist us in advancing the Kingdom of God. But whether seen or unseen, they are real -- and we, whether seeing them or not, will move forward in faith, believing that as we move in God's truth and grace, God will surely provide whatever help we need.

Prayer: Lord, help us to act in the confidence of the knowledge that as we listen to You and move on Your impulse, all the power and resources of Heaven are available to our cause and will be directed as needed by Your mighty hand. Give us a greater boldness knowing that it is not our own ability that determines our success, but it is our availability to and dependence upon You that makes the difference. Help us to use this confidence to make the maximum difference for good in our world.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Title: The Character of a Godly Father / Topic: Fatherhood

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18; 2 Chronicles 19; Colossians 4

Today is Father's Day and I have decided to blog on a Father's Day theme.

Scripture: Colossians 4:7
Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

Observation: Paul tells the Colossians about the man who will be delivering Paul's letter to them. His name is Tychicus (tick'-uh-cuss) and Paul describes him as "a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord."

Application: These are all qualities of a godly father.
"dear brother" relates to kindness and openness to close relationships with others
"faithful minister" speaks of a reliability, consistency, and fidelity to represent God
"fellow servant" demonstrates that he has the correct understanding of leadership as being called to serve for God's best in the lives of those in your care.

The Lord is looking for men who will stand up and make their lives available to be used of God to lead as servants, live as models, stand for the truth, and intercede for the weak. And our world is looking for these men as well. Men, let's give our lives for the good of others, be it our own biological children, or those not related to us.

Prayer: Lord, raise up men to be fathers in the truest sense of that role. May Your people, and specifically the men of Your Way, answer the call to demonstrate Your amazing and beautiful character to everyone who will look. Raise up and use fathers to bring revival in our land.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.