Joy in Honor

"The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom ; and humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 15:33)
"Before destruction a mans heart is haughty; but humility comes before honor." (Prov 18:12)

The second part of each of these proverbs have stopped my heart in my study.  I began my journey into adult hood with the hopes that my mistakes would be few. After a decade of decisions in places of prominence I have understood that failure makes up a far larger portion of my life than previously anticipated. I had wrongly understood that a life with minimal mistakes would bring me honor. As mistakes have multiplied in my life in every area the concept of honor has become an unattainable goal.  The Bible has something far different to share.

The first verse explains that wisdom is held in the hands of God.  The attention paid to Him brings the humility of knowing He is in control. Honor then proceeds from an understanding of Gods sovereignty. The second verse begins with a negation. Those who have never experienced failure are prone to the pride that wells within a man when he believes he alone has accomplished a task. The Bible says that destruction is inevitably in this man's path and from it he will learn the humility of the knowledge of Gods sovereignty. From this path comes honor.

If the Bible is to be our teacher then the expectations of life must change from their outset. Honor does not come from always making the right decision. If this were the case then honor would belong to no man. Honor does not come with success. If this were the case then those who fell from success would view honor as something fleeting. Instead, honor is something that comes to a man when God is his end. It's the understanding that the day must begin and end with Gods instruction. He alone it's the one who brings lasting honor to our lives. This is an honor that relies not on circumstance but on proven character. The rich man may be called a fool and the poor man a man of honor. Circumstance has no bearing on those who seek the title of honor.  Once again, the presence of God is ever redefining mankinds picture of success.

8:36 AM

The joy of a messy stall

Proverbs 14:4

"Where there are no oxen the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the power of the ox."

My readings in the book of proverbs paused over this wise saying. I've never used an ox or had to clean up after one for that matter, yet this proverb causes me pause. It reminds me of another proverb not in Scripture, "if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, take someone with you".

Both of these sayings strike a sensitive part of my character. I like to go fast and I like a clean stall. However, there is very little worth accomplishing that does not require others and the mess they inevitably make. My life would be cleaner without children and also much more empty. My life would be faster without my wife and yet far less sanctified. I could create a ministry tomorrow by myself and yet it's longevity would be far less optimistic without faithful partners that take years to cultivate. The process of adding others to the task takes far more time and is far more messy than going it alone and yet the presence of others in life is essential to anything eternal.

One final thought on the idea of a clean stall when there's no ox...often it easy to view others as the ones who make things messy. While children cause clutter and wives create hair in the bathroom it is there presence in our lives that unearth our own messiness. Their presence in our lives exposes the hidden selfishness and pride in our own hearts like a spotlight on a dark stage. Without their presence I would not know how dirty my own stall is. While is it true that the stall is cleaner without others. It also never gets cleaned.

Joy in humiliation

Daniel 4 recounts the humiliation of the great Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. First he was warned in a dream and then turned into an animal for 7 years. This story has caught my fancy many times in previous readings. I have always marveled that God would go to such great lengths to humble the greatest man in the earth. A smirk has always grown on my face when I think of the great king eating grass at the command of God. A warning to the proud and an exaltation of the great king of heaven. 

However, today this passage speaks something far deeper to me. Of all the men who have ever walked the earth, I know of none other who was turned into an animal for his humiliation. I think it no coincidence that the humiliation came to the man who single-handedly built the greatest empire known. That this great empire saw its greatest advancement in the lifetime of Nebuchadnezzar makes him the perfect candidate for God to show His glory. It's not that other men had not been as prideful as Nebuchadnezzar, rather it is that no other man had built what Nebuchadnezzar had built. He was given the opportunity and skills to build a great empire and in turn much was demanded of him.

Today I sit in a humble position. No matter the cause, I am without a church to lead. I do not have a steady job. We have just welcomed a new child into our family. At the moment I am at the bottom of the food chain. However, I know what God has planned for me. Great opportunities await for great wealth and great influence as i seek to build a great church. Pride should not be the issue of my heart. But as I read this passage of great warning to those who seek to build great things, I am humbled by the immensity of my arrogance. Pride does not need assets with which to work. It has more than enough fuel within the heart of a man in which to light his entire body on fire. It is no coincidence that when a man has little, his chest swells twice the size than when he had much. My pride is seated in my perception of myself in relation to my perception of the world. Those things that I aught to have pride in, namely my position in Christ and the bounty of His grace, I have little observation. However, those lowly things such as money, respect, and comfort I make of utmost priority in the construction of my worth. Yes it has been in these lowly times when my mind has run far more rampant in the affairs of daily life than in my care for Gods eternal kingdom and my eternal home.

If I am to build great things for God, my pride must be effectually checked now. He must have final word concerning my worth. The things of this world must grow strangely dim if my next calling is to be of great worth and eternal significance. If these things do not happen. If my eyes cannot be taken away from the acceptance of man, then I have no need to be turned into an animal who's life is spent for today, I will have already become it.

Joy in Never Being Forgotten

Nehemiah live a life of risk and sacrifice.  His burden for his people was so great that he risked his life by approaching the great king of Babylon. He took the heat from Sanballett and the Samaritans wagering his own life for the life of his people.  In chapter 5 we find Nehemiah's personal remarks as to his food intake.  Although the governors before him followed the traditions of the day and asked for food rations, Nehemiah instead provided his own rations.  He could have lived like a king.  Nehemiah instead chose to live for The King.  He ends his report with a personal remark, "remember for my good, oh my God, all I have done for these people."

Nehemiah's words strike a note in my own heart.  God asked me to wager my own life for the preservation of my church.  I followed His commands and the risk came up short on my end.  Instead of a hero I am the scourge.  Instead of success I have found failure if only in human eyes.  What have I to say about these on goings?  I repeat the words of Nehemiah, " remember me for good, oh my God, for all I have done for these people."  

I'm sure Nehemiah faced many days when the goodness of his actions were made suspect to his eyes. However, in the obedience of God nehemiah was never forgotten by his God.  There is a peace that Gods servants know well. Nehemiah knew it.  Father, you have deemed me well esteemed to know it as well. No matter the storms that may still yet to blow in this crazy life You have called me to, put a chain upon my heart that will never let it doubt that I am never forgotten by my God.

Joy in courageous obedience

2 Kings 23

The purge of Josiah gives me chills when I read it.  He was the son of wicked parents who found the words of the Law.  After hearing YHWYs commands to follow Him only, Josiah purged all of Israel and even the surrounding Northern Territory of all idolatrous alters.  You can see the very hand of God through Josiah as he tears down the alters that God had previously sent a prophet to foretell.

I marvel at the courage of Josiah in these matters. He was still a very young king.  I can imagine his advisors becoming angry at his decisions.  I can hear the threat of revolt from his subjects.  Josiah went after the idols who had stolen Israel's heart.  This was not a small issue for the adulterous Israelites.  And yet Josiah proceeded with his purge unflinchingly.  No more children were to be sacrificed because there would no longer be a place to sacrifice them!  

I respect the courage of Josiah as I learn about the uncompromising commands of God.  There is no half way with Him.  As He thunders from His mountain, there is no God beside Him.  All other gods are not just ignorant worship of a fake god.  All other worship is to defy the very God who thunders.  There is no other way to approach Him.

I look back at the times in my own life when I obeyed God halfway due to the pressures of outside revolt.  From my childhood to my life as a pastor, there where many days when my obedience fell short of tearing down the idols themselves rather than just promising not to use them.  It is so easy to rationalize a half hearted obedience to God when the impending result of my complete obedience would cause great destruction.  The truth is that the only destruction I should care about is the destruction that comes from not obeying His commands in full.

Father, Your grace has already covered my past weakness in the fullfilment of Your commands.  Thank you for this pardon and the patient heart behind it.  Give me the courage to follow you with a resolute unbending commitment to Your commands regardless of the consequences.

Joy in Fearlessness

2 kings 18

The story of Hezekiah begins with significant details that would define the rest of his life. He did what was right in the eyes of The Lord and he tore down the high places. Several of his predecessors started their reigns doing what was right in the eyes of The Lord. None of them were so brave or devout that they where willing to tear down the strong places. Hezekiah was the type of man who saw no gray when it came to obeying the commands of God. It should come as no surprise that he neither saw any gray when it came to obeying or tolerating the enemies of YHWY who invaded his land. The dreadful Assyrian power were not to be paid tribute. The pagan philistines were not to be allowed to inhabit their land. Hezekiah knew who the real king was in Israel. YHWY was not one for gray either.

The courage of Hezekiah to challenge the fearsome Assyrian super power comes directly from his devotion to YHWY. What other kings would have taken as a death wish, Hezekiah took as an unassailable commitment to obeying YHWY as king. Assyria was no match for the king of the universe. While others may have been willing to believe it and even let it leave their lips in safe company, Hezekiah was willing to live it. His life would be a testimony to the truth that there is no fear when ones knee is bent to the King if Kings.

There is no fear when we follow God completely. There is no danger nor need that is not swallowed up in His complete sovereignty. Though the storms of life may wage around us. Though the rest of the world may fear for their lives. In the service of the King there is no fear. Hezekiah's life is one of many of the great cloud of witnesses that attest to this truth.

Joy in Passionate Obedience

2 kings 14

There's a strange story at the end of Elisha's life that begs interpretation. The king of Israel, joash, is sitting beside the deathbed of Elisha morning his imminent demise. The kings fear is for the armies of Israel without their spiritual advisor. Elisha asks the king to draw his bow and shoot out the window. Then he asks the king to take the arrows and beat them on the ground. The king does so three times and then stops. Elisha uses one of his last breathes to rebuke the king for not striking them more times.

The questions beg to be asked in is passage. The first one is if any poor chap was struck by that prophetic arrow shot from the window. The second is of a more serious nature, why was the king chided for not striking the arrows for more than three times? Elisha didn't ask him to continually strike them. The number and severity of the striking was completely up to the king. Joash seems to get a bad rap for something he really wasn't instructed to do. Why on earth was Elisha so angry?

I believe a possible answer to Elisha's anger is in the fervency of the obedience of the king. Joash had a definite need for protection. Elisha was giving him a chance to experience Gods power even in his absence. The command was given for joash to perform the miracle and he simply did as he was told, nothing more. The error is in the passion between the lines. With the God of the universe offering his services, joash simply followed orders. Gods commands were given to receive His blessing. Joash was willing to obey but not with the expectant fervency that should have accompanied his obedience. In short, it was a heart issue.

There are many times I do not understand the commands of God. His requests seem foolish to me. Honestly there have been many times where I haven outright disobeyed the commands of God. There have also been many times where I obeyed with my hands while holding my heart in faithless apathy. God wants both my hands and my heart when it comes to obeying Him. He wants me to burn with expectation as I receive the very commands of the Creator. From this passage it would seem that the measure of Gods blessings toward us are directly proportionate to the passion in which we welcome them.

Joy in the Holy Spirit

2 kings 5

"I know there is no God in all the earth but in Israel"

This is the response of Naman to Elisha when he was cured of leoprosy. Naman had experienced the power of YHWY and he knew it was far different than anything he had previously known.

When you experience the power of God it cannot be explained by anything other than His supernatural work. There are times in one's life when God stretches His hand in extraordinary ways. In those moments it is less the effect of His hand but rather the feeling of His presence when He moves. An example of this would be the miracle of salvation. When the miracle of salvation happens the individual involved experiences many changes. First is the forgiveness of sins that releases the burden of guilt and shame that individual had carried all of his life. Second is the new direction in the believer's life as they are called to exhibit outwardly what God has done internally. The fellowship of the saints is introduced. A new passion for obeying God is present. These first two events create a great deal of change within the life of the new believer. These changes are so evident that Jesus Himself tells us in John 15 that anyone who does not have this fruit does not actually know Him.

There is something deeper yet that goes on in the life of a new believer. Sins are gone and a new course is set. However, it is why that new course is set because of the eradication of sin that works the greatest amount of power in the life of a believer. Salvation is not just the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is the presence of God in the absence of those sins. The greatest gift of salvation is not an entrance into heaven but the presence of heaven's greatest attribute immediately on earth...the very presence of God through the Holy Spirit.

The Christian does not just celebrate the eradication of sin. The Christian celebrates the positive antithesis of sin which is the presence of God Himself. He takes root within us when the miracle of salvation happens. The power that flung the stars into space lives within the confines of our earthly flesh. We experience more than the flittering glimpses of God's miracles around us. No, we have the heart pounding presence of the everlasting God within our bones that drives us to do things no man would ever try and in turn no man could ever accomplish without His presence. His word is living and active. His presence is living and active in our bones at all times.

What difference should this make in the life of the believer? I short, it should make every difference in every facet. Our song should be a song similar to the newly cured Naman, "there is no other god in all the earth except the One who lives within my bones."

Joy in the Spontaneous Living Word

Joy in the Spontaneous Living Word

Today I write from a spontaneous delight in the Scriptures.  Some days my study of the Scriptures seem like just a discipline that is well worth it's diligence.  Many days, I open God's Word to find a message for my people and I find good food whose importance cannot be diminished.  However, there are some days like today when the study of the Scriptures is what it says about itself, "living and active."  

As I was studying for Bible study tonight in the Book of John chapter 7 the words leaped from the page to a soul that was barren enough to cry for them.  The book of John is high drama mixed with deep Theology.  In Chapter 7 Jesus shows us that there is always a plan in place.  "It was not his time" so He stayed behind and told His disciples to go to the feast of Booths without Him.  Jesus didn't go immediately not because He was afraid or that the Heavenly Father was not able to protect Him.  Jesus stayed behind to create the drama that would come when He arrived openly in the middle of the feast.  He cried out "if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink...streams of living water will flow from within him."  As Jesus faced imminent danger, His plea was not for mercy from the crowds.  He was not there to talk them into following Him.  He was not there to make friends of enemies.  Jesus was there crying out to the thirsty children of Israel.  He was there not to speak logic to murderous men but to speak life to those who knew they needed it.  He was willing to stare down death that day knowing that His time was not full to die.  Not long after this speech He would stare down death for the thirsty of the land and it would be His time.  He would taste death to bring the rivers of living water to the world, of which I am blessedly a partaker.

Father, thank you for an example of love and courage.  Thank you for allowing Your son to come not as a high King but as a lowly servant.  Thank you for loving me enough to pour out living water on my thirsty soul.  Thank you for setting an example through Your Son of how to walk faithfully on treacherous roads.  As I follow you as others follow me, Your words speak hope and promise power.

Joy in contentment

1 kings 21

In the study of the kings of Israel one must expect a certain lusting after all one sees. In the immortal words of Bruce Springsteen, " a rich mans not happy until he's a king, a kings not happy until he rules everything." Ahab finds himself staring longingly from his palace window into a vineyard owned by Naboth and his family. I do not pretend to understand why Ahab wanted this vineyard nor the slow working of jealousy as he peered at it daily. I suspect Naboth also looked longfully at the palace and wished to be in Ahabs position. However, in this story it is Ahab who has the resources to actually own Naboth's vineyard. The story ends tragically with Naboth wrongfully executed through Jezebels sly hand. Ahab is left wandering his new vineyard in what one would expect a certain diminishing of returns.

The reflection this morning is on that seed within Ahab that caused him to want a small vineyard outside his palace. Ahab had the resources of the whole kingdom at his command. The best grapes were his. However, its not the best grapes he wants but rather the grapes he doesn't have. His thirst to own everything left his mouth dry and his hands bloody in the end. Is this not how it goes every time?

There is a thirst for what we do not have. There is a longing for happiness in fields we have never trod. Certainly there is joy in the fields of labor and pleasure. Certainly I myself have found joy in a wife, child, and job that I once did not posses. The problem is not in enjoying what we have and working to receive more blessings. The problem is when one child, one wife, one job is not enough and another must be had to continue in happiness. Joy is certainly not found in the quantity of possessions. Joy is found when one understands as Paul did, that contentment truly is great gain. Joy is found in the blessings I already have. In fact there is so much joy in what I have at this very moment that my greatest challenge is to try and consume the joy already overflowing and at my immediate disposal. A reflection of these blessings causes my heart to swell and sing in unison with Paul in Philippians 4 "rejoice in the LORD always and again I say rejoice!"

Father let me find the joy available to me at this moment. Your blessings are new each day. Let my heart rejoice in Your ever faithful goodness. My soul knows no greater treasure.

Joy in God's Unified Church

It's 9:30 on Wednesday night and I have never been more proud of community fellowship. In the wake of announcing my call to leave this church as their pastor and also the unveiling of a bold new direction for the church, I didn't know what to expect from this evenings question and answer. Hot button topics would be addressed. The reason for my departure I felt sure would be questioned. Doubt and fear are normally the expectations in events such as this.

What I found was a unity I have never seen before in our church. A passion to follow Christ regardless of the stakes. An understanding of Gods strange call in our lives as He moves one man out and another in. I found a passion in the hearts of my people that cannot help but be contagious to the rest of our world.

Tonight CFBC decided to go full speed ahead in the call of the Gospel. I feel the pleasure of God in our fellowship. I know great blessings lay ahead as God blesses His unified children.  Watch out Rustburg, for in the power of Christ through His unified body, the very gates of hell will not hold us!

9:46 PM

Joy in a Word from The Lord

1 Kings 22

In this passage the divided kingdom of Israel collaborates together to defeat the Syrian army inhabiting one of their territories. Before they finally agree to join together they listen to the prophets of their gods prophesy victory in rather eccentric ways. The king of Judah asks king Ahab if there are any other prophets to hear from. Ahab's response is that there is but that the missing prophet never speaks anything good so he wasn't invited. This statement foreshadows how the rest of the story will go. The point of reflection though is what we are really asking when we want input from God.

When we ask for a "Word from The Lord" what does our desire really want for? Are we looking for divine direction to alter our course and set us upon eternally significant ground? Are we instead looking for a confirmation to do what our hearts already desire to do? If I were to be honest, I must admit that the majority of the time I desire God's direction it is to legitimize my own plans. I want a divine supporter of my earthly plans. Another way of saying this is that I want my will done in heaven as it is on earth.

Those who have studied their Bibles know the error in this statement. It is not my will done in heaven but God's will done on earth. In contrast with my previously admitted flaw, a real Word from The Lord will rarely coincide perfectly with the plans of my heart. This not to say that everything I desire to do is against the will of God. I haven confidence that my heart is continually being brought into the image of God's very own heart. My desires should be in line with the Word I know clearly and my passions should continually be for His glory. But there's something deeper to the actual plans of life than the vague desires to honor God.

It is very rare that in my own plans that my own flesh is not exalted in some way or another. Whether it is the timing of the plans that cause my flesh to never be bent or in the slight ways I have discovered through time that give me a pat on the back without actually asking for it. But when the very Word of The Lord actually does come there is always something within it that exposes those little fallacies that I didn't even know I had constructed. God's Word always gives Himself the glory. That glory will always come at the expense of my own.

So in the depths of my heart I must admit that I often feel like Ahab. When I've got a good plan that seems not only good but also accessible, I am slow to really want a Word form The Lord on it. If my life was written in a book these would be the moments where the reader is tipped off to the destruction coming. These area the moments when man tries to bend God rather than being willing to be freely bent by Him. Rarely does the real Word from The Lord please my heart in its entirety. However, there has never been a time when it was not the framework for the greatest joy.

Father, send me Your Word and may I hear it with joy. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May Your name be hallowed in my life. May I receive the very best You have to offer.

Joy in the valley

1 kings 17

Elijah had just prophesied to king Ahab that no rain would come to Israel unless he spoke it. From there Elijah was lead by God to a brook and was fed by ravens. When reading this story, it is tempting to view these introductory details as just the foothills by which the rest of the story will climax. In many ways this type of reading is true and very much beneficial. But if I am to stop and reflect upon those months where Elijah is alone and fed nourishment and companionship by only the ravens, there is much to understand about the life of God's man.

First, Elijah is public enemy number one. We know little of who knew about Elijah's prophecy other than Ahab. However, one can imagine that the longer the drought the faster the rumors of that prophecy would travel. I can imagine an Israel that knew of Elijah's prophecy, who marveled at it at first, who were amazed by the power of his word, and then slowly grew into distaste and anger as their animals starved and children died. Elijah was not a beloved figure in those days. It was quite possible that the ravens were the only company he could have kept.

Second, the man of God is absolutely dependent on God for safety and provision. It would be a spiritual thing to say that we are at all moments in this exact position. While this is true, at the moment I have expected income, money in the bank, and to the best of my knowledge i am not wanted by the police. Elijah was all of these things. He was all of these things and had a great deal of time to ponder them and let the slow workings of anxiety charge his bones.

I feel for Elijah during these terrible months. I feel his pain and also tremble a bit when I realize that I am God's man as well. In the history of all the people God did the most through and in, one of the reoccurring themes is that to be a powerful tool in His hands one must be first properly sharpened. These were the sharpening times for Elijah. Alone with only the ravens for companionship. And not just alone in proximity but also the most alone a man can be, alone with an entire country wishing his demise. These are the hard times where only the faith in God's promises and goodness keeps you from the madhouse. Elijah knew these truths well.

I would be a fool to ask God to be used in His magnificent plans and yet demand comfort and foreseeable provision. The man of God will and must be brought to the brink of his own demise to truly settle into the deeper experiences of God. Though these thoughts cause me to tremble and rightfully so, the joy in this reflection is that God sharpens His man not for the ash help but for the wood shop. Such great care does not go wasted but the King of Kings upon the tools He plans for great purposes. Remember the name Elijah and the images it unearths. Thoughts of ravens and loneliness do not flood my mind. No it is the pictures of Elijah calling down rain upon the patched earth. He runs past chariots. He goes toe to toe with the most immoral king Israel had ever known and his evil wife. The calls down fire from heaven and the subsequent slaughter of all the Baal prophets. His life ends not by a lonely brook but by a chariot ride to heaven. No, God's great care to sharpen His men is not to destroy them but to ready them for the moments that make legends. Take joy man of God for your chariot awaits!

Joy in the presence of God

1 kings 9

After the building of the temple God came to Solomon again in a vision. YHWY had enabled Solomon to build a great temple. He gave Solomon the resources and the wisdom with which to use those resources. And now that the work was done, YHWY made it very clear to Solomon the tendencies of a man and a country who accomplishes much in earthly terms. God had filled the temple with His presence. Solomon and Israel's focus should be upon the presence within the temple and not the temple itself. If Israel was not to keep this focus then the temple would be simply a "proverb or byword among the people's". History records that God always keeps His promises.

It is so hard to distinguish the works of God from the presence of God within the deceptions of the human heart. When a man places his desires on the presence of God, the works of God naturally follow. But when the works of God become evident, the focus of that man turns to the magnificence of His works rather than His presence. Pride wells up within a man that blinds him to the the need for Gods presence. When the magnificent presence of God is forgotten then His glory is stolen and a great fall in the pride of man is sure to follow.

Father, may my heart be passionate for Your glory and presence. Open my eyes continually to see You within Your works.

Joy of God's Favor

1 kings 5

The building of the temple amazes me. The cost, the labor, the amount of gold used is astonishing. While I know the idol it will become for Israel, I have to think that the dedication and sacrifice of all involved was pleasing to The Lord. Beyond that, I can see the supernatural hands of God going before Solomon's work. YHWY ordered the steps of Solomon and the treaties he made to accomplish the work. I am not naive enough to think there was no mixture of complaining and discord in Israel over this work, but the overall feel has a sweet smell to it.

When God moves there is a sweet smell. At times it may be hard to discern for the sound of crashing waves and rushing waters, but the smell is always there. It's that peaceful joy in the storm and the potent satisfaction when the trial is over. it is the sweet premonition of faith that allows us to see that Gods plans are to us after the trial what they were to God in the midst, perfect!

Joy in wisdom

I kings 4

In this chapter the author recounts the grandeur of Solomon: building projects, daily allotment for food, and horses and chariots. Above them all was the means by which he attained them, wisdom.

It is this item of wisdom that I wonder greatly about. James defines wisdom as the necessary lenses by which to see the world in the midst of our trials. For James, it is not a means of gaining wealth but of understanding exactly what God is doing and wants to do. Wisdom in the New Testament often is surrounded by hardship and the joy found supernaturally within. And yet Solomon uses his wisdom to build a kingdom that would be his spiritual demise. He multiplied all three things that God forbade His kings to multiply, gold, horses, and wives. Solomon's wisdom did not achieve the glory of God beyond the supernatural wisdom that Solomon was given to achieve his selfish ends.

Father, It is so much easier to ask you for the comforts and successes of life than to ask for wisdom that finds you in necessary trials. My flesh wishes for a success story in wealth and ministry. It is hard to submit to Your will knowing that it contains the hardships that make me resolute for your cause. In light of this I cannot ask for the wisdom of Solomon. I must ask for something more. Father, please grant me wisdom that will provide for my children, guide my hands in leadership for your church, and foremost keep me firmly entrenched in Your presence!

Joy in family

1 Kings 2

In this passage King David gives his last words to his son Solomon. He tells Solomon to be a man and to follow YHWY's commands. These are good words. What is shocking to me is that he says nothing about raising a good family. David's life has been turmoil due to his lack of leadership within his own home. And yet David still has not learned his lesson. Unfortunately Solomon will not learn from his father either. One could say that the sins of the father were passed on to the son.

As God works in my life I am becoming more and more aware of the priority of my family. Success is worthless without someone to share it with. My desire to reach the world must start in my home. That is my kingdom.

Father these are very easy words to write. I know my heart. I know my lust for success, fame, and wealth. You must chain my heart to your will. You must put within me a greater desire for the success of my family than for success within the world. I cannot do this on my own.