Have you bowed down to any false gods lately? Have you been influenced by those around you and find yourself following after what they "worship"? Granted, we may not build golden calves or pray to dead saints, but we must admit that we live in a very "idol" oriented society. More on that in a minute......
The definition of an "idol" is any idea, ability, possession, activity or person that we regard more highly than God. As we continue our look at II Kings this week, we see where their obsession with idolatry finally cost them their freedom as a people and a nation. God's patience had run out with them. In II Kings 17, He allows Israel to be conquered by the Assyrians. 136 years later, He permits the Babylonians to capture the people of Judah. His people, the Israelites, who once gloried in a united-kingdom who worshiped the one True God and was blessed because of their obedience, has now been conquered and led into captivity because of their sin. Because they looked around and wanted to be like the other nations. They wanted to worship what the other nations worshiped. They wanted to be godless and corrupt people like their neighbors.
So how does this message relate to us today? Does America have its own idols? I believe so. Maybe not in the form we see in II Kings, but certainly ones that fit the definition. Let's look at a few:
1) Money - I once heard a lesson by Beth Moore who used the verses from Psalm 115:5-8 to describe the obsession our culture has with worshiping money. " But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet but they cannot walk.....Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." Beth related these verses with gold and silver coins and paper money. It has a mouth, but cannot speak, eyes, ears and noses, etc. This is the idol of money that we worship. The love of and obsession with money takes us away from God, our families and the kind of life God desires us to live. It becomes all some people can think about, work for and desire more of. We have allowed money to become a useless god.
2) People - We don't have to go far to see the obsession we have with celebrities, athletes, powerful and beautiful people and even with our own relationships. Millions of dollars are spent each year by those wanting to look like someone they "worship." Thousands of hours and tons of energy are spent by those trying to become the next great athlete - so they can acquire what? Fame and fortune! Hundreds of dollars are spent on a few hours in front of the latest, hottest, and loudest scream inducing performer, all so we can bow down and worship at their feet. We put people on pedestals and then wonder why we are so disappointed when they fall. We're worshiping the ability and the image of these people without really even knowing them personally.
3) Busyness - Oh the god of busyness. It's probably caught us all off guard at times. Not until we realize that our good deeds and full lives have created a separation between us and God rather than a closer relationship, do we see the need to slow down. Somehow we think the busier we are, the more impressed people (and God) will be with us. We look at the "super-women" around us and long to be like them. They always seem to have it all together. If only we could look, act, smell, talk, walk, etc. like her - our life would be fulfilled. But when that woman's family falls apart, her "all-togetherness" crumbles, her children rebel and her worshipers disappear, what do we have left to look up to?
Is our nation on the same path as Israel and Judah? Are we bowing down to so many false gods, that we've forgotten the real God who desires and deserves our true worship and devotion? Have we allowed the Enemy to slowly distract and deceive us? Whatever he can do to deviate our attention from God, he will do.
How long will God's patience last with us? "So the Lord was very angry with Israel (America) and removed them from his presence. Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel (America); he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of the plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence/ cast them out of his sight." II Kings 17:18,20
Blog Questions:
1) What are your thoughts? Are we living in the day when God has removed us from His presence as He did with Israel?
2) What other idols do you see Americans worshiping?
Encouragement for Purpose-Full Living!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Ultimate Source of Wisdom
We all want wisdom and knowledge, but do we know where to find it? Are we seeking worldly wisdom or godly wisdom? What are we doing with all the knowledge that is available to us?
In First Kings, we meet the next in line for the throne, David and Bathsheba's son, Solomon. In I Kings 3:9, Solomon asks God for wisdom and a discerning heart so that he could govern the people of Israel successfully. God was pleased with his request and grants him wisdom, along with great riches and honor.
So how do we gain wisdom? As we go through life, we discover there are many ways to gain widsom, such as: 1) Writing down and reflecting on what we've learned through our experiences. 2) Gleaning knowledge from others. "By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom" (Proverbs 13:10). 3) Thinking outside the box. It's ok to try doing things a new way. 4) Not rushing to closure. Growth is always a work-in progress. Creativity is untidy and unnerving. The ability to stay focused and faith-filled in the midst of change is a mark of wisdom and maturity.
But the ultimate source of wisdom is God! A young executive told his secretary he had an important meeting and didn't want to be interrupted. But his boss needed to see him and and walked in. When he found the young man on his knees praying, he withdrew quietly and asked the secretary, "Is this usual?" "Yes," she replied, "he does it every morning." "No wonder I come to him for advice! " said the boss.
Do others look to you for godly wisdom and advice? God is inviting us, just as He did Solomon, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you (I Kings 3:5). If you need wisdom, talk to God: "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6). "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally...." (James 1:5). What does godly wisdom look like? James 3:17 describes "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peacable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." Does this describe what others see in you?
One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will guide you/watch over you." God is ready to instruct and teach us. To give us godly wisdom that we can in turn share with others who are hurting and seeking encouragement. Have you gone to the ultimate source today?
Blog Question: Let's see how many verses we can find with the words wisdom and/or wise.
In First Kings, we meet the next in line for the throne, David and Bathsheba's son, Solomon. In I Kings 3:9, Solomon asks God for wisdom and a discerning heart so that he could govern the people of Israel successfully. God was pleased with his request and grants him wisdom, along with great riches and honor.
So how do we gain wisdom? As we go through life, we discover there are many ways to gain widsom, such as: 1) Writing down and reflecting on what we've learned through our experiences. 2) Gleaning knowledge from others. "By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom" (Proverbs 13:10). 3) Thinking outside the box. It's ok to try doing things a new way. 4) Not rushing to closure. Growth is always a work-in progress. Creativity is untidy and unnerving. The ability to stay focused and faith-filled in the midst of change is a mark of wisdom and maturity.
But the ultimate source of wisdom is God! A young executive told his secretary he had an important meeting and didn't want to be interrupted. But his boss needed to see him and and walked in. When he found the young man on his knees praying, he withdrew quietly and asked the secretary, "Is this usual?" "Yes," she replied, "he does it every morning." "No wonder I come to him for advice! " said the boss.
Do others look to you for godly wisdom and advice? God is inviting us, just as He did Solomon, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you (I Kings 3:5). If you need wisdom, talk to God: "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6). "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally...." (James 1:5). What does godly wisdom look like? James 3:17 describes "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peacable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." Does this describe what others see in you?
One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will guide you/watch over you." God is ready to instruct and teach us. To give us godly wisdom that we can in turn share with others who are hurting and seeking encouragement. Have you gone to the ultimate source today?
Blog Question: Let's see how many verses we can find with the words wisdom and/or wise.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sex, Murder, Lies.....
"Military leader killed in line of duty; his wife has an affair with his Commander." "Man rapes his half-sister." "Man murdered by enraged half-sister's brother." "Man flees to escape revenge and his own death." "Son returns with plans to overthrow his father's throne." No, these are not themes for a new TV crime series or movie box-office hit, but they may have been the headlines in the Jerusalem Journal during the reign of King David!
The book of 2 Samuel highlights the vital importance of the choices we make. We learn that 1) blessing comes to us and those around us when we choose to obey God's commands. 2) There are always consequences to the sinful actions we choose to partake in and 3) When we choose to repent, our relationship with God is restored.
If you are familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12), you know their affair led to cover-up attempts and eventually, murder. God was displeased and disappointed with the choices David had made and intervenes before more damage is done by sending the prophet Nathan to confront David of his sin. David repents, God forgives; but the consequences remain. In David's life we see the grace of God in action and David's life also gives us a sobering look at sin in action.
How did David's sin affect him and those around him?
1) Emotionally - One of the consequences of his sin was the death of the child he conceived with Bathsheba. "David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted...and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food." (2 Samuel 12:16-17). David was emotionally spent and filled with grief.
2) Physically - David wrote Psalm 32 during this time. In verse 3, he describes how his body dealt with the guilt he was carrying - "When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long." Up until this point David had not confessed his sin to God and his body was being affected. The stress of covering up our sin can and will have physical ramifications.
3) Spiritually - David goes on in verse 4, of Psalm 32, to describe - "For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer." God's conviction was weighing heavy on David. His sin had separated him from the God he loved and sought after all his life.
4) Relationally - Another consequence was the impact his sin had on his family. The "headlines" I stated at the beginning were all events that happened in David's family after his sin with Bathsheba. Sin and its consequences will always affect others - sin is not committed in a vacuum.
5) Financially - David's sin also affected the nation of Israel. With all the drama going on in David's life and family, the nation must have suffered. 2 Samuel 21:1 states that there was a famine in the land for 3 successive years. Men from other tribes rebel against David (2 Samuel 20). What once was David's pride - a strong and united nation - is now suffering because of his sin.
My question is - Do we learn from the consequences of others' sins or do we as a society tend to glamorize it? Think about the TV shows that highlight "reality"? Many of them seem to make light of sin, ignore its consequences and give the message that if you're good looking, have money and can talk your way out of trouble, you'll make it in the world unscathed. Other shows highlight sex, drugs/drinking and irresponsible behavior with little attention to the affects these "unrealistic" shows have on its viewers - many times, young viewers. Yet, I must say that shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom (MTV) have done a decent job of showing the not so glamorous side to teen promiscuity and the parenting challenges young teens face.
So, do you learn from others consequences? We watched as the Tiger Woods' saga unfolded and saw how his sin affected him financially and tore his family apart. We see a young and talented Lindsay Lohan unravel before our eyes. We witness spiritual giants lose their ministries and athletes destroy their bodies all because of choices they make; many times without giving any thought to the consequences of their actions. I hope we are able to learn from these examples. I hope we will see the devastation sin and its consequences can bring and not fall into the Enemy's trap. The story of David and Bathsheba was put in the Bible for a reason. I believe 1) to show us that God does not let sin go unpunished and 2) that with repentance and God's forgiveness, once a failure is not always a failure.
BLOG QUESTION: Share your comments about the following statement: Sin will take you further than you thought you'd stray; keep you longer than you thought you'd stay; and cost you more than you thought you'd pay.
The book of 2 Samuel highlights the vital importance of the choices we make. We learn that 1) blessing comes to us and those around us when we choose to obey God's commands. 2) There are always consequences to the sinful actions we choose to partake in and 3) When we choose to repent, our relationship with God is restored.
If you are familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12), you know their affair led to cover-up attempts and eventually, murder. God was displeased and disappointed with the choices David had made and intervenes before more damage is done by sending the prophet Nathan to confront David of his sin. David repents, God forgives; but the consequences remain. In David's life we see the grace of God in action and David's life also gives us a sobering look at sin in action.
How did David's sin affect him and those around him?
1) Emotionally - One of the consequences of his sin was the death of the child he conceived with Bathsheba. "David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted...and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food." (2 Samuel 12:16-17). David was emotionally spent and filled with grief.
2) Physically - David wrote Psalm 32 during this time. In verse 3, he describes how his body dealt with the guilt he was carrying - "When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long." Up until this point David had not confessed his sin to God and his body was being affected. The stress of covering up our sin can and will have physical ramifications.
3) Spiritually - David goes on in verse 4, of Psalm 32, to describe - "For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer." God's conviction was weighing heavy on David. His sin had separated him from the God he loved and sought after all his life.
4) Relationally - Another consequence was the impact his sin had on his family. The "headlines" I stated at the beginning were all events that happened in David's family after his sin with Bathsheba. Sin and its consequences will always affect others - sin is not committed in a vacuum.
5) Financially - David's sin also affected the nation of Israel. With all the drama going on in David's life and family, the nation must have suffered. 2 Samuel 21:1 states that there was a famine in the land for 3 successive years. Men from other tribes rebel against David (2 Samuel 20). What once was David's pride - a strong and united nation - is now suffering because of his sin.
My question is - Do we learn from the consequences of others' sins or do we as a society tend to glamorize it? Think about the TV shows that highlight "reality"? Many of them seem to make light of sin, ignore its consequences and give the message that if you're good looking, have money and can talk your way out of trouble, you'll make it in the world unscathed. Other shows highlight sex, drugs/drinking and irresponsible behavior with little attention to the affects these "unrealistic" shows have on its viewers - many times, young viewers. Yet, I must say that shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom (MTV) have done a decent job of showing the not so glamorous side to teen promiscuity and the parenting challenges young teens face.
So, do you learn from others consequences? We watched as the Tiger Woods' saga unfolded and saw how his sin affected him financially and tore his family apart. We see a young and talented Lindsay Lohan unravel before our eyes. We witness spiritual giants lose their ministries and athletes destroy their bodies all because of choices they make; many times without giving any thought to the consequences of their actions. I hope we are able to learn from these examples. I hope we will see the devastation sin and its consequences can bring and not fall into the Enemy's trap. The story of David and Bathsheba was put in the Bible for a reason. I believe 1) to show us that God does not let sin go unpunished and 2) that with repentance and God's forgiveness, once a failure is not always a failure.
BLOG QUESTION: Share your comments about the following statement: Sin will take you further than you thought you'd stray; keep you longer than you thought you'd stay; and cost you more than you thought you'd pay.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
One Word for 2011
Choosing one word to focus on for the next year is not a new idea around here. If you're in our online Know the Bible study, we've been coming up with our words for several months. But today I stumbled across a website - oneword2011 and their Facebook page ...seems my idea was not original after all!
The ladies in our online study have been coming up with some great ones:: Love, Focus, Diligence, Generous, Purpose, Peace, Sacrifice, Trust, Commitment, Absorb, Joy, Self-Discipline, Priorities, Change, Blessings, Patience, Time, Thankfulness, Consistency...just to name a few!
What do you need to concentrate on in 2011? What area of your life is God reminding you that He would like to see some change in? Don't ignore His prompting.....Don't make Him have to get your attention the hard way! Ask Him for your word....He'll provide it without doubt.
A couple things that will help make this word a reality is, once you've identified it, find and write out a verse that encourages, motivates and affirms your word. Also, find a visual reminder - like a photo, quote, magnet, poster, etc. that you can use to keep your goal in mind. Here's my visual:
My word for 2011 is: Faith. I already know I will be stepping out in faith in the next few months. Asking and allowing God to provide things I may have been self-sufficient in will test my faith and patient and control and …....(who knows what else?)
I was listening to a sermon online last night from one of my favorite pastors, Jonathon Falwell,(trbc.org) and he was explaining to his church that in order for God to do great things in the next year, they needed to be people of great faith! That caught my attention. I'm praying for God to do great things in my life and ministry as well....so I took notes!
Based on the passage in Matthew 14:22-32 (Jesus walking on the water), our faith must consist of four things:
1) Faith that is saturated in prayer. If Jesus took time to get away and pray, how much more do we need to? (v. 23)
2) Faith that gets us through our fears. If we're wanting God to do a great work, we have to realize that He's the one who's going to do it, not us. Why do we need to be scared? (v.25-27)
3) Faith to obey God's call without question. Peter obeyed Jesus' call to "Come" (v. 29). He didn't stop and ask him how it was all going to work, what would happen if..... No, he obeyed the call.
4) Faith that never doubts God's power. Peter was fine until he took his eyes off Jesus. As he looked around and realized what he was doing, he became afraid and started to sink. He doubted God's power (v. 30-31).
I needed to be reminded of what my part is if I want God to do great things and increase my faith. I hope you'll join us this year as we not only focus on a word, but put action to our comittment.
Please share your word with us.....
The ladies in our online study have been coming up with some great ones:: Love, Focus, Diligence, Generous, Purpose, Peace, Sacrifice, Trust, Commitment, Absorb, Joy, Self-Discipline, Priorities, Change, Blessings, Patience, Time, Thankfulness, Consistency...just to name a few!
What do you need to concentrate on in 2011? What area of your life is God reminding you that He would like to see some change in? Don't ignore His prompting.....Don't make Him have to get your attention the hard way! Ask Him for your word....He'll provide it without doubt.
A couple things that will help make this word a reality is, once you've identified it, find and write out a verse that encourages, motivates and affirms your word. Also, find a visual reminder - like a photo, quote, magnet, poster, etc. that you can use to keep your goal in mind. Here's my visual:
My word for 2011 is: Faith. I already know I will be stepping out in faith in the next few months. Asking and allowing God to provide things I may have been self-sufficient in will test my faith and patient and control and …....(who knows what else?)I was listening to a sermon online last night from one of my favorite pastors, Jonathon Falwell,(trbc.org) and he was explaining to his church that in order for God to do great things in the next year, they needed to be people of great faith! That caught my attention. I'm praying for God to do great things in my life and ministry as well....so I took notes!
Based on the passage in Matthew 14:22-32 (Jesus walking on the water), our faith must consist of four things:
1) Faith that is saturated in prayer. If Jesus took time to get away and pray, how much more do we need to? (v. 23)
2) Faith that gets us through our fears. If we're wanting God to do a great work, we have to realize that He's the one who's going to do it, not us. Why do we need to be scared? (v.25-27)
3) Faith to obey God's call without question. Peter obeyed Jesus' call to "Come" (v. 29). He didn't stop and ask him how it was all going to work, what would happen if..... No, he obeyed the call.
4) Faith that never doubts God's power. Peter was fine until he took his eyes off Jesus. As he looked around and realized what he was doing, he became afraid and started to sink. He doubted God's power (v. 30-31).
I needed to be reminded of what my part is if I want God to do great things and increase my faith. I hope you'll join us this year as we not only focus on a word, but put action to our comittment.
Please share your word with us.....
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