#P5: Too Great a Journey

by | Jun 25, 2015 | Devotions

Pastor's Five, P5 logoThe angel said to Elijah, “…Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 1 Kings 19:7, NASB.

This is perhaps one of the most significant chapters of Scripture in my personal journey. I often return here as I wrestle with the conviction of God’s calling and the cost of obedience in my own life.

Elijah has just seen God move powerfully on Mt. Carmel. He has done a supernatural feat and must be on a spiritual high! Then Jezebel threatens him. He certainly believes the threat because he is afraid and flees to Beersheba. As Elijah lays down to die, he is ministered to by the Lord and it is only the provision of God that sustained him over the next 40 days to Mt. Horeb.

God chose to speak to Elijah there, but not until a couple of reflecting questions were posed. Every minister needs to hear and answer these questions from time to time. God chose to speak softly…not in the way He spoke at Mt. Carmel with fire from heaven. He spoke personally, privately, and prominently to His prophet…as He reminded him that his mission was not up until God said it was. Elijah was strengthened and returned to Damascus and played out the last chapter of his earthly life’s story.

What is significant to see today…is that God’s provision is sufficient. Apart from Him and IT…we cannot finish the course before us. We will fail. The journey is too great. But with God, we are amply supplied…even if we do not know it in the moment.

When you find yourself at the end of your rope, remember who holds the rope and take courage. Look for the provision of God. Consume it. Rest in it. Be restored to your mission. Finish your course.

Shalom, CA

#P5: Who is Responsible?

by | Jun 21, 2015 | Devotions

Pastor's Five, P5 logo“When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is this you, you troubler of Israel?’ He said, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals.’ ” 1 Kings 18:17-18, NASB.

After 3 years of drought and all that goes with it for a nation and its leaders, Elijah comes out of hiding (at the Lord’s direction) and comes to Ahab. This evil king immediately assigns blame for all that Israel has incurred on the prophet who pronounced judgment. It is Elijah’s fault! He stopped up the rain!

Elijah though turns the focus back to its rightful cause…the sins of Ahab and his fathers are responsible for the troubles in the land. It is the forsaking of God and God’s covenant that is the cause of such tragic circumstance that Israel is experiencing.

Much the same way, this conversation plays out in our nation today. The “narrow-minded religious types” have stirred up trouble with their preaching on righteousness! It must be their fault. Really? Is it not the sins of excess? Of the murder of innocent babies in the womb? Of the forsaking of God and the pursuit of God? Is it not the sins of omission in not pursuing justice for all? These sins are real and prevalent in the eyes of God! He is watching the actions of His people and noting their sins of commission and omission!

The preacher who declares God’s displeasure with homosexuality, murder, lying, covetousness, idolatry, and so on…is not responsible for the consequences of sin; rather, he should be seen as the watchman who cries from the guard tower a message of warning…”Turn back to God even now before you know His wrath!”

Could it be that this is not only true of a nation…but also applies in a personal way in your life? Is it possible that the suffering you are experiencing is not due to someone else but is a direct result of your own sins?

If so, what is the cure? Only one cure for sin and it is aWHO…not a WHAT! Run to Jesus! Repent of your sin. Seek His forgiveness and redemption. Rest in His unfailing promises. He alone is good and He alone can restore you to abundant life!

#P5: When God Provides

by | Jun 18, 2015 | Devotions

Pastor's Five, P5 logo“God away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 1 Kings 17:3-4, NASB.

Even the most devout and pious among us struggle with faith from time to time. We know God says He will meet our needs as a loving Father…we know God will never leave us nor forsake us…we know that God has plans for us to prosper us and not to do us harm. All of these things are a matter of faith in the revealed Word of God, yet knowing them is different from having faith in them.

Faith is intentional action based on knowledge. We “know” our car will crank so we sit down and buckle up before we ever turn the ignition switch. That’s faith. We know the stove works so we put a pan or pot on it, turn it on and go about gathering our dinner ingredients even before the pan is hot. That’s faith.

So, knowledge without action is merely knowledge. It is not faith. What Elijah exhibits here is faith. God said…Elijah did…God provided…Elijah benefited. Simple as that.

So what of the times when we say we know and we believe (have faith) and yet we don’t see provision? This is a looming question in many minds so I want to point out a key element that we’d do well not to miss: God provided for Elijah AFTER Elijah obeyed the Word of the Lord. [NOTE: I am not speaking of God’s common grace provision or how He provided a Word to Elijah…but I am specifically speaking of God’s promise of food and water.]

God said to Elijah…Go to the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan, hide there…I will feed you. None of these commands are ambiguous. None are negotiable. None are too difficult to obey even if they might seem crazy in the mind of the hearer. Simply stated…”Obey My Word…and I will care for you.”

I think at times…we miss the mark on “Obey” and then wonder why God doesn’t care for us. He said____ and we ignored or rebelled while trying to cash in the marker on the promise. Is God a man that He should be manipulated by our actions? NO! He knows what we are doing and is not mocked. What we sow (rebellion and self-sufficiency) is what we reap.

I think at times, when asked about things of God…my response is sometimes passed over simply because it sounds too simple or straightforward. Here is the counsel fo God’s Word…If you want to know the protection of God and want to experience His daily provision in your life…simply Go where He says, when He says, and do what He says.

Could you imagine the 12-year-old boy coming to his mother at 8PM after a long day of video games? He declares that he is hungry and charges that his mother has neglected him. She reminds him that dinner is at 6…that she prepared a meal, set the table, fixed his plate and called him to dinner. He neglected to come and therefore he was hungry. Our complaints against God are often similar and God’s response is also much the same.

Shalom, CA.

#P5: As seriously as God…

by | Jun 16, 2015 | Devotions

Pastor's Five, P5 logo“Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” 1 Kings 16:12-13, NASB.

These chapter in this book may be some of the bloodiest in all of Scripture. The detail widespread judgment and destruction in summary form giving both cause and effect for the judgment.

In Israel, the northern kingdom, the kings were particularly wicked (as juxtaposed against Asa king of Judah in the South). They not only embraced idolatry but promoted it among God’s people through implication and edict. They named the “Lord God of Israel” as their own but worshipped as the inhabitants of the land that God had given them.

In the verses above, God wiped out a king and all his family because of their sin. Their sin! I know it sounds incredible…since many of us embrace a picture of “hippie Jesus” who eats granola, preaches peace, and lets people choose their own course without consequence; however, the Scripture portrays God far more accurately.

God hates sin and judges sinners. Not just everyone elses sins…and not just the “big” sins…but our sins and every sin. He hates sin. He has no tolerance for it and the only way a righteous and holy God can deal with sin is to destroy it utterly.

A couple of quick reflections:

  • God is the author of this destruction of Baasha and his household because of his unrepentant idolatry and wickedness before the Lord. God is a righteous judge.
  • Baasha knew judgment was coming because He knew the instructions of God, the Law of God and the prophesy of God…yet he refused to repent.
  • God executed justice swiftly but not immediately. Time lapsed from the prophesy to the judgment, but once judgment started, it was overwhelming.
  • God is still the Lord God of Israel even though their king sinned and the people sinned and idolatry was rampant.

The parallels are incredible in my mind. God loves us, is patient with us, desires our repentance…but is also righteous and holy and a swift executor of judgment against our sin. We should and even MUST view ourselves, our culture, and our sin as “seriously as God.” Only then can we experience the redemptive mercy fo God. If not, we will experience only His judgment…for He is a righteous judge.

Did God lie about sex outside of marriage?

by | Jun 12, 2015 | culture, missional, Pastor's Reflections

Open Bible 1So today I was assaulted by a young woman’s comments on Facebook regarding this article. I know the young woman and those who decided to agree with her as she agreed with this writer. I don’t know that I have ever been more grieved in my spirit as a man, a Christ-follower, a pastor, or as a dad.

Dear sweet girl…the truth behind “true love waits” is a God truth and did not originate in the domain of the church. The church does not own that truth but it should promote it as God’s truth.

All sex outside of that between a husband and his wife is sinful. It is harmful and it is less than God’s perfect plan or desire. There are many things wrong with the perspective of the writer of this article. Many representations of God and truth that are offered in error. One thing is true though…God desires for a sexual relationship to occur according to its biblical design. It is not guilt-ridden. It is not dirty. It is not a provocateur of shame. There is an origin for these things and he is a slanderer and liar.

You can trust God dear girl. God’s plan is better than your plan, my plan, or anyone else’s plan. If we read and understand God’s Word, we know conclusively that God’s plan for our lives is for our benefit/good, not our harm. He is a good and loving God who often warns us to avoid dangerous conduct because of the harm it causes that we cannot anticipate but God knows perfectly. Trust Him. He is trustworthy.

Finally, for whatever role the church or her parents or others played in evoking the feelings this girl speaks of…I am sorry. I was not there but I am sorry. I wish it were not the case. Furthermore, God can do something good with your experience if you allow Him. You of all people have an opportunity to become an Ambassador of Grace. (Certainly you need to experience that Grace from God first…but you can!) Who better to help others see the difference between a righteousness you work for and try to obtain…and one that is lavished upon you when you enter into a relationship with a God who demonstrably loves you “to the moon and back.” What if, God redeemed this horrible experience of yours and showed you how you could save others from it…not by removing God from the equation but by showing them how God really is.

You lady…I pray God demonstrates His love for you in a way that is experientially real for you.

And for those who wrestle with similar feelings as those this writer spoke of…you can trust God too and He is good to you too. He is and His plan, His perfect plan is the best course for your life. I promise…as someone who has tried my plan without God and God’s plan with me….God’s plan is worthwhile and profitable for you.

Peace.