Part 2

 ¹³The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him,
 ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "^(I)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

1 Kings 12:13-14

Instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders, the very ones who served with his father Solomon, he chose the ways of children by forcefully ruling with an iron fist.  This proved to be a terrible move since it raised an uproar amongst the nation and forever separated Israel from Judah.

There's always God's way of leading His flock.  Most of the time it's not the most efficient or productive ways according to what our flesh thinks.  But rather, it's the path that exercises patience, self-control, kindness & love.  King Rehoboam chose a method to rule by fear instead of having the fear of the Lord.

There's a choice each of us needs to make especially for those in leadership.  When we steward any of God's gifts we need to approach them according to the fruit of the Spirit and not with selfish motives.  In the work environment I see this struggle because of deadlines and personal agendas.  It's easier when everyone shares a common goal but it's so much harder to lead when everyone wants to do it their way (fueled by their motives).  So how do we overcome this struggle within work environments?  I still believe that we can be firm in our leadership but still be gentle and kind.  Patience and self-control will definitely be tested; which is a great thing.  We can and need to apply God's teachings everywhere.

Father God, thank You for this wonderful lesson of stretching our faith beyond the comfortable doors of church.  Help me Lord by sending Your mighty Spirit to fill and to counsel me in all ways in all places.  Teach me boldness to be the same person whether at home, church, amongst unbeliever and work.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, amen!

Listening to Wisdom

 ¹³The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him,
 ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "^(I)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

1 Kings 12:13-14

Instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders, the very ones who served with his father Solomon, he chose the ways of children by ruling with an iron fist.  This proved to be a terrible move since it raised an uproar amongst the nation and forever separated Israel from Judah.

Opening Gift Too Early

  ²³But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 

  ²⁴yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 

Philippians 1:23-24

The Apostle Paul is making this simple statement: put aside personal gain for God's bigger plan.  Paul was tired, beaten, treated poorly by just about everyone in flesh; it's no wonder that he preferred to be with Jesus where there's only love and joy.  This is a promise to each of God's children and we are focused on this throughout our trials.  But getting there isn't the only task, it's gathering up all the wandering sheep along the way.  Some will follow, some will not but we still need to call them according to our giftings.  The goal is the finish line, not the bail out.

Each and every one of us wants to give up at times, wanting to go to heaven already.  This mostly comes from the trials we're going through.  It's tough, tiring and sometimes a losing cause.  But we all need to be reminded of our purpuse and refocus through our quiet times, fellowship and sabbath.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being an awesome, caring Father.  Help me Lord to look beyond the trials but at the goal, Your beautiful promises.  In You wonderful name I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Who's the Enemy?

 ¹⁰Finally, ^(S)be strong in the Lord and in ^(T)the strength of His might.
 ^11(U)Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the^(V)schemes of the devil.
 ¹²For our ^(W)struggle is not against ^(X)flesh and blood, but ^(Y)against the rulers, against the powers, against the ^(Z)world forces of this ^(AA)darkness, against the ^(AB)spiritual forces of wickedness in ^(AC)the heavenly places.


Ephesians 6:10-12


We cannot live as Christians in a vacuum, isolated from the reality of battles and conflicts in the physical and spiritual realm.  The Bible is teaching us that the spiritual realm is full of this and we need to arm ourselves.  But before we wag war we need to know who our oppressor is.  Without doing this first we fight our family, friends, coworkers and other people the devil is working through.  Make no mistake, the devil is the one we need to fight not the created vessels.


I get angry, upset and impatient all the time and I take it out conveniently on the ones I'm closest to.  But the battle for me is insecurity brought on by the sin of my flesh.  The battle for me is greed but I blame others because they're standing in my way of feeding myself.  There are so many situations where if we trace it back enough we can see the devil's schemes in action.  We need to fully arm ourselves with God's discernment.


Father God, thank You for loving me so much.  I'm worthy only of death but You pulled me out of the miry clay and set me on a mission.  Enable and equip me for Your calling.  I pray my eyes are open a little wider to see and understand who the enemy is throughout all the distractions.  In Your Son's precious name I pray, Amen!

Cannot Hide from God

 ¹³The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: ^(W)fear God and ^(X)keep His commandments, because this applies to ^(Y)every person.
 ¹⁴For ^(Z)God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.


Ecclesiastes 12:13-14


For most of the book of Ecclesiastes you kind of get the feeling like Solomon gave up, or didn't see the purpose of doing certain things anymore.  But this conclusion sums everything up very well; you can't hide from God.  We all need to concern ourselves with the state of our hearts, where God can see directly, and not so much about the external appearances or circumstances.


This whole theme about concerning ourselves with our hearts has been a driving theme recently starting from Pastor Wayne's message, small group studies on Mark 7 and now in Ecclesiastes/Psalm 42.  We need to work on the internal to influence the external for the eternal.  I see 2 examples at work where I was too concerned with the external (work).  When Don asked me a question while I was tending to an emergency and when Mike stopped by to ask my advice.  Both times I was too concerned with the task at hand and turned away from doing God's work amongst my brothers.  God so graciously provided another opportunity to talk to them but it shouldn't have come to a second attempt.  I could've graciously asked to speak a little later instead of being cold about it.  I need to focus my heart and set up memorial stones at work so I always remember I work for God.


Thank You Father for being so patient with my impatience & self-centeredness.  Lord, I pray that You fill my heart with Your Spirit to acknowledge and wear You well at work, home, in ministry; every single place You call me to be.  Thank You for never abandoning me in the calm or storm.  In the most precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Death Assisting Life

    ¹A ^(A)good name is better than a good ointment,
         And the ^(B)day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.
    ²It is better to go to a house of mourning
         Than to go to a house of feasting,
         Because that is the ^(C)end of every man,
         And the living ^(D)takes it to heart.
    ^3(E)Sorrow is better than laughter,
         For ^(F)when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
    ⁴The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
         While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.


Ecclesiastes 7:1-4


What is Solomon trying to say in the book of Ecclesiastes, is a place of mourning really a better place to be?  With all that sadness, isn't it better to be in a place of rejoicing and celebration?  Solomon wasn't trying to say that sadness is better than joyfulness; he was stressing the point of understanding eternal joyfulness instead of temporary happiness.  It's better to go to a house of morning because nothing makes us focus on life (eternal or temporal) than death.  It is during this grieving process where we ask the greater, more important questions which lead to transformations of heart.  When we're partying, having a good time, we get caught up in the moment and fail to acknowledge eternity because our minds are distracted.  We become fools and live for the temporary.


I see this to be so true.  It's during our valleys where we realize what kind of faith we have; when we're put to the test by fire in the furnace.  How do I fare?  Not as good as I know God wants me to be but better than I've approached things in the past.  Going through the miscarriage taught me a lot of how I respond in the midst of crisis.  Turning down this job opportunity was another example of leaning on God's provisions.  Serving in Frontlines has also taken me to another level of being tried by fire.  So many opportunities to live correctly by the realization of death upon us.  How can I not grow in faith?


Father God, thank You for blessing me with a beautiful, God-fearing wife.  Thank You for carefully placing my trials along with Your victories and for carrying me through each and every step.  Help me Lord God in this continued season of refining and pruning.. all I can say is Yes, Lord!  In the most precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!