Early in his reign as king he starts to get his house in order. He takes care of the men who assassinated his father and then he starts assembling his army. But as the count comes in he finds that he’s a little shy of the numbers he was hoping for (he only has about 300,000 fighting). So he does the “prudent thing” and hires another 100,000 men to boost his numbers…and spends a no small sum of 7,500 pounds of silver to make it happen (about $4.5 million in today’s value).

It’s a good business plan. It made sense then and it makes sense now. We very often do the sound, business thing even today. We look at this plan and there’s nothing wrong with it. Except…

A man of God comes to King Amaziah and tells him:

Your majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim! If you let them go with you into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up. (2 Chronicles 25:7-8, NLT)

And here’s the first lesson in the story…ask God before you act! If King Amaziah had asked God what to before he acted, God would have saved him some cold, hard cash. But the king did what he thought was right and it ends up costing him. Speaking of the cash…it’s the first thing on the king’s mind as he hears this advice from the prophet…so he asks the question we would ask…

Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about all the silver I paid to hire the army if Israel?” (2 Chronicles 25:9a, NLT)

That’s what I would have asked. It’s what any elder board would ask. Hey, I’ve already spent the money so what do we do about that? Should we waste it all or press on and hope God covers our mistake? Too often we press forward and expect God to follow our plan. King Amaziah certainly doesn’t want to just blow 7,500 pounds of silver…but here’s the answer…

The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this!” (2 Chronicles 25:8b, NLT)

And there’s the lesson for me…don’t worry about the cash. God has plenty of it and He doesn’t need me to tell Him how to manage it. I’m His steward. It’s my job to be obedient…even after I’ve been stupid. God will see us through…but only if we continue to follow His plan…not ours!

And King Amaziah does the smart thing. He walks away from the cash and the additional forces. And God comes through with flying colors…as He always does. Sometime the “prudent thing” isn’t a “God thing”. We need to ask God first and then follow the plan we get…no matter how insane it might seem to us. He’s God…we’re not…it works!

This week’s topic? My nature…more specifically, my sinful nature.

The topic came up during a LifeGroup discussion yesterday afternoon (thanks again to Danny & Suzanne for letting me sit in with them). The group started talking about how little we tend to get out of our comfort zone and talk with others about God. Then it turned to how the church has often alienated itself from those who need God (I’ll let you fill in this list).

During this discussion, it struck me that maybe the issue is that we think a little too highly of ourselves. We’ve convinced ourselves that we’ve “arrived”…that’s we’re “holy” and “righteous”. None of that is true. At our core, we are sinful creatures that God has redeemed to Himself (Romans 3:9-26). I didn’t do it…God did.

With this perspective, who am I to think for one nano-second that I have the right to withhold God’s love from others (even for my own comfort)? I can’t fix myself much less anyone else. It’s just my job to love on others and let God the rest. My fear and my own self-righteousness too often gets in the way.

And then this quote from my reading today in Richard Foster’s book on Prayer:

We are not sinners because we commit sinful acts; rather, we commit sinful acts because we are sinners. (page 46)

I get this one backwards all the time. It’s good for me to remember that God has saved me from myself. Being a pastor doesn’t change my condition. Being a good person doesn’t change my condition. Only Jesus can change me (or those He’s placed in my life). I just need to accept His free gift and follow Him with everything I’ve got (which I often fail at doing because of the above truth).

I needed this reminder this week. I think I was getting a little too big for my own britches.  =0)

The passage I read int he book of Mark this morning was another matter altogether. As often happens (more so recently), I saw something new in a story I’ve read many times before. That’s one of the many things I love about reading Scripture…there’s always something new because God is just that awesome!

Here is the story I read this morning:

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. (Mark 6:1-6, NLT, emphasis mine)

Jesus goes home and finds out that his own family and friends refuse to accept Him or believe in Him. And it has a huge affect. Because of their unbelief He can’t do any miracles among them (save for a few “minor” healings). I’ve never made this connection before, or at least not this clearly. Jesus’ ability to perform miracles among the people was heavily dependent on their faith in the miracle.

Wow…and ouch!

The same must be true for me today. How is my faith affecting the work of God in my own life? Am I stopping the miracle because I don’t believe in it (or in Him)? Am I expecting the miracle FIRST and THEN I’ll believe? Or do I believe in the miracle and the one who is going to perform it and then He does His amazing work?

Am I expecting the miracle or keeping it from happening in the first place? I wonder…

This topic came up again this morning as I was doing my daily reading through Exodus. I’m at the part where God is giving His instructions to Moses regarding the tabernacle. And this morning was specifically about the clothing that Aaron (and subsequent High Priests) should wear. Included in the instructions is this:

Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord. (Exodus 28:30, NLT, Bold Added)

I was curious about what the “Urim and Thummium” looked like and how they were used. Unfortunately there isn’t much specifically known about them. The picture above is possibly what they looked like, but we simply don’t know for sure. They are only mentioned another five times in the Old Testament. The best evidence indicates they were used to discern God’s will “at certain times”. Nobody is exactly sure when or how that was done.

It’s very similar to the idea of casting lots. We’re not exactly sure how that was done either…the closest thing we have today is flipping a coin or throwing dice. We do know that it was done and even commanded by God. It just seems odd to me that God would use the equivalent of a coin-flip (although one directed by Him) to help His people make decisions.

Even the disciples used casting lots…although they shouldn’t have. The last recorded instance of casting lots was in Acts, before Pentecost when the remaining disciples where trying to select Judas’ replacement…

Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. (Acts 1:26, NLT)

Two problems here. First, this wasn’t what Jesus had instructed them to do…they took matters into their own hands instead of waiting for the Holy Spirit as Jesus had instructed them to do (Acts 1:4-5). Which led to the second problem, Matthias wasn’t the guy…Paul was the replacement and God had to go make that happen without the disciple’s help because they got ahead of Him.

Which brings me back to now. How often do I wish discerning God’s will was as “simple” as  coin flip? How often do I get ahead of God and try to do things the way I think they should be done (or they way they’ve always been done)? How often does God have do things without me because I wasn’t patient enough to wait on the Holy Spirit’s guidance?

How often indeed…

First to go was his livelihood. In the blink of an eye he had lost half of his fortune, but he still had the other half to fall back on.

Until it was taken too…just moments later. Stolen. Taken by those who hadn’t earned it. His entire fortune was gone.

But he still had his family.

Then he lost them too. All of his children killed in a freak accident. Every last one of them. They had been together sharing life together. Laughing on moment…gone the next.

But he still had his health.

Then he lost that too. He developed a horrible skin disease that caused him great pain and anguish…on top of what he was already suffering.

In just a short time this successful man went from having everything to having nothing. He went from cloud 9 to the bottom of the barrel.

His wife, seeing all of this calamity, says this:

Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.

Can’t blame her attitude. I would have been tempted to say the same thing (or think it myself). How much is too much? When does the pain end? When will God let up?

Many of us have asked similar questions when faced with far less pain and loss. Why me? Why now? Why this?

But how this man answers is incredible:

But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. (Job 2:10, NLT)

Wow. I’m not there yet. In fact, I confess I’m a long way from this attitude. But Job asks a great question: “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” My head’s answer is, “YES! That’s the deal…God gives us only good things.” But I know better. Life is full of pain and disappointment. Scripture even says so…very clearly. It’s the result of sin. It’s the price we pay for our disobedience.

So, I’ve got to learn to take the bad with the good and trust God’s heart in the long-term. He wants my best, but sometimes that means going through the pain and suffering. He never promised us a rose garden.  ;o)

It was one small sentence, but it has stuck with me all week…

What are you doing right now that requires faith?

What a great question. What am I doing in my life right now that requires faith? The question has haunted me all week. God is using this simple question to challenge me spiritually. Am I only doing things that are fully under my control? Am I even willing to attempt something this week that requires me to depend completely on Him?

It’s a challenging question…it stretches my faith (pun intended). And it’s not the first time God has spoken on this topic. Jesus admonished His disciples to have just a little faith…

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them.
“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed,
you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move.
Nothing would be impossible.”
Matthew 17:20, NLT

Just a little bit of faith makes a huge difference…because that’s when God does His thing. Just a little faith and nothing is impossible…because nothing is impossible for God. A little faith is enough…because we’ve got a huge God.

Imagine what could happen with a little more faith.

So…what are you doing right now that requires faith?

I was reading in my devotional book this morning (and I need a new one for next year if anyone has any recommendations) and the author made a profound statement that God is using to challenge me.

The challenge focuses on this verse:

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt,
you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain,
‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.
You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
Matthew 21:21-22, NLT

That’s a powerful promise from Jesus…one that most of use struggle with living up to. Jesus says we can move mountains if we have faith and don’t doubt. And that’s where the challenge comes…

No one ever gets mountain-moving faith by obsessing about the mountains.
We get it by focusing on God.

I don’t know about you, but I am too often the guy worried about the mountain in front of me…whatever current stress, fear, or struggle that may be…instead of focusing on God. But He’s teaching me this lesson and I am slowly beginning to learn to trust Him, lean on Him, and have faith in Him alone and stop worrying about the mountain.

It’s a hard lesson…but the mountains are starting to move already…

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Hebrews 12:1, NLT

In other words: you’ve heard about the spiritual giants such as Abraham, Moses, and David so start acting like them. Easy to say…not so easy to do. On the one hand, most of these “spiritual giants” had their share of problems (i.e.: lying, cheating, and murder) so they are as human as you and I are. On the other hand, they had great faith and walked close to God in spite of their weaknesses (and maybe because of those weaknesses).

Any way you look at it, it’s a tall order. How do we do this? Well, that’s why you have to keep reading to verse 2…

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Hebrews 12:2, NLT

How do we run the spiritual race? How do we endure it? How do we act like the spiritual giants of the past?

By keeping our eyes on Jesus. It’s not about us. It’s about Him. It’s not about our strength or our weakness…it’s about His power demonstrated in our lives. We do not initiate or perfect our faith…Jesus does (sometimes we get that one backwards).

So….who you lookin’ at?

That is, unless I really, really, really trust that person. It’s just that most people have a way of letting us down…often when they are trying their darnedest not to. We’re human. We fail. We’re frail. We kinda suck.

But there is someone we can trust 100%. He never lets us down. He never fails. He’s strong enough to lean on. He definitely does NOT suck. And He tells us to trust Him…

Don’t let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God, and trust also in me.
(John 14:1, NLT)

I confess that too often I trust in myself or others to try and get me through. Sometimes I even try and let God be my assistant and/or guide to help me through  life. But I got a reminder this morning that this isn’t enough…Jesus doesn’t want to just be our “copilot”…He wants to be the pilot that takes us where we need to go:

Do you see Jesus as someone who has come along to assist you? Or do you rely on His dwelling in your heart? He is not just your example or your copilot. He is the substance of your life. You cannot know the Father, and you cannot get to heaven, with Him only showing you how to get there. He must take you there. Having been born of His Spirit, we must let His Spirit actually live in us. (Walk With God, page 224).

Yep, that’ll preach…

I get caught up in work and school and family and the myriad of other “things” going on in my life and He ends up getting squeezed out. It’s not on purpose…I start out with the best of intentions…but it happens. I fail to ask Him about a problem at work. I walk into a meeting and forget to partner with Him. It is subtle, but it makes a huge difference. I am not living in relationship throughout the day.

I know better and God is helping be do better. I desire to walk with Him all day long. I need His Spirit to challenge me and guide me and direct me. I need relationship with Him from beginning to end. So I will start my day with Him and I will end my day with Him. It’s just time to fill in the “in between” a little better than I have been doing lately.