Resting in the Light

Sometimes in the quiet hours of early morning the Lord blesses me in the most unexpected ways.

Every morning of late Jackson, my three-year-old son, has been getting up incredibly early and I find myself grumbling from the struggles of the day before or worse even dreading the struggles of the day to come.

But not Jackson.
The very FIRST thing he does each morning is find the light. Sometimes the light gets in through the expected places and sometimes it gets in through the unexpected places.

Regardless, he goes to it, he squats down and he basks in it. After he rests in this light, he then goes and get his “friends for the day” and he holds them up in the light too. He share this light with those closest to him.

What a beautiful picture of the grace God gives us each day. Grace that enables us to give grace to others. A picture of how His mercies are new each morning. This morning I stopped and rested in the light with Jackson. We prayed and I paused, humbly accepting that I once again have began to rely on myself more than Jesus to get through the hard. I grabbed my Bible and spent some time in the light. I found rest at the feet of Jesus, I found rest soaking in HIS word.

Children are a blessing from God in profound ways.

Jackson has a way of reminding me what is important when I forget. For a season I found myself sitting with him (still do) for long hours through the night – often beside the bathtub trying to soothe him. During that season the Lord impressed on my heart, “If you cannot even be still for your son, how than can you be still for me?”.

This season the Lord is using Jackson to remind me that life is found in the light of the world. In the life and grace of Jesus.

Lord forgive me, and help me to not resent these moments and days and months of intense pressure. Help me to recognize the gifts of these moments to help me to strive to enter the rest that is coming. Help me to do all things in the strength that YOU Lord provide.

“Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

December 1, 2022 1

Fruitful Success, Leadership, and Servitude…

Studying in Joshua this morning and it gave me a great opportunity to reflect on how we (society) define leadership and success in the world, versus how we define these two things Biblically as Christians.

God gave success to the Israelites when they obeyed His plan and not their own.

Victory came when they trusted in the Lord; not in their own military or material wealth.

Just this week I had the opportunity to present for a speaking engagement as the Executive Director of the non-profit I work for. The group we were speaking for had chosen three non-profits to present and one of those would be awarded a nice donation to their program.

Leading up to this event I found myself asking the Lord to use this as an opportunity to glorify Himself in some way. I asked the Lord to help me lead with grace and humility and for His Will to be done EVEN IF that meant my program not being chosen.

In the past, I had the tendency to only consider an opportunity successful based on the accolades gained. I would burn myself out from exhaustion and the pressure to perform perfectly to a standard that no human is capable of. Thankfully, Christ has freed me from all of that. It is not through I but in Him that all things are accomplished.

I did lead with grace, the Lord blessed me with wisdom, and my program DID NOT get chosen for the award but the program who had the greatest need DID. After the presentations and awarding I was able to genuinely congratulate and celebrate the winner, something that I noticed not every leader did. As I was packing to leave several individuals came up with personal donations of their own to my program and while this amount was less than what the award would have been, the hearts behind the giving was MORE.

Isn’t that just like God to double the blessing, to take what little we have to give and to fill our cups until they are overflowing.

It is key that we pursue God’s standard for success rather than the world’s. Worldly success is subjective and never satisfied, success in the Lord is true and never changing.

D.L. Moody wisely said, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”

Success equates obedience! Success is not controlling others but it is allowing yourself to be controlled by God! Our examples of success comes from God’s word. Biblical success is evidenced by humility, grace, wisdom, and patience.

This mornings passage also gave me some reflection on leadership. Joshua is an example of an excellent leader. Joshua was confident in God’s strength and this made him courageous in the face of opposition and kept him seeking God’s advice!!

Strong leaders are led by God.

Joshua taking over as leader following Moses’s death had to be difficult for the people; as it is for any of us when we go through leadership changes. As a society we have seen the difficulties of leadership changes nationally – and locally. With this we have seen how those of the world have responded and the contrast of how those who are in Christ have responded. Christians have the hope that is stored up in Christ, Christians have the cross.

A few Biblical principles that we can remember when we are struggling with what the world is calling “leadership” and “success”.

1. God’s leadership can always be trusted. (Isaiah 48:17-18).

2.Whomever He appoints over us, we are called to pray for them. (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

3. We are called to submit to God’s Word as the ultimate authority, be subject to our governing authorities, (Romans 13:1) and follow godly leaders as they follow Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Act today on what you know God has said, and He will assure your success in carrying out His purposes!

Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”.

November 2, 2022 0

Less Hustling & More Trusting

Joshua 9:1-18, “7The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.” 8They replied, “We are your servants.” “But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?…14So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. 15Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. 16Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby!

Reading through this passage in Joshua made me consider the amount of times that I am caught up with myself and what I think is best or right – that I FAIL TO CONSULT THE LORD!

There is a ton going on in this passage. We have a group of Kings joining together to come against Joshua and the Israelites, then there is the people who are in the land afraid, and then we have Joshua who is now leading the Israelites and constantly assessing their state of affairs and their next moves, both militarily and practically.

When the Gibeonites came proclaiming to be from a distant land, the Israelites sampled the provisions BUT did NOT consult the Lord (Joshua 9:14). Because they failed to consult the Lord they were unable to see through the deception. Israel’s leaders were deceived. Despite the fact that God had already specifically instructed them not to enter into any treaties with the inhabitants of Canaan (Ex. 23:32; Deut. 7:2; 20:17-18).

Joshua knew enough as a strategist to consult the Lord before going into battle – but the peace treaty (covenant) seemed innocent. However, by failing to go to God for guidance they ended up dealing with a lot of angry people and an awkward alliance.

Joshua failed to consult the Lord.

How often do you do the same?

For me personally, I struggle in new situations or changing situations to take the time to slow down and consult with the Lord. So much so, that sometimes I do not even realize the situation at hand is the vehicle God is using to answer my prayers. I forget about the promises God has already given me. I start hustling and depending on my self before I even realize it.

I do not intentionally not consult the Lord.

However, I can fail to be Intentional in consulting Him.

Therefore, I must be intentional with my attention, and actively look for, wait on, and be still for the Lord.

In the example we see here in Joshua, God uses this situation for good even still! Just like He has done for me and probably you too so many times! Such a merciful God!

Romans 8:28-29, ” And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn.

Joshua reminds us that even the best human leaders are fallible and fall short. God was setting the foundation for His Son Jesus, whom would come to be the perfect Prophet, King, and Priest.

Because of the treaty entered into between the Gibeonites and Israelites, the Gibeonites had

The opportunity to come to know God.
The Gibeonites got to experience God’s grace by the security and protection they now had from the Israelite nation.
Because of this covenant the Gibeonites turned from their false gods and came to know the God of Israel.

We share something with the Gibeonites in that we too experience God’s mercy and grace – through our salvation found in Jesus Christ. While we were still sinners He sent Jesus for us (Romans 5:8).

We have the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as our Savior. (see John 3:16)
We get to experience God’s grace when we accept His Son, Jesus, as Lord of our life. This grace is sufficient in all things. (see John 1:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Because of the fulfilling of the law, through the death of Jesus on the cross, completed in His resurrection, we are no longer slaves to sin and death but have been born again through the Spirit (see Romans 6:11).

While Israel needed to be made right with God again and again (Jos. 24), Jesus died for all who would trust in Him to be made right with God forever (Jn. 3:16).

The work has been finished (Jn. 19:30); when life gets busy or your mind is overwhelmed by the chaos, in ALL things, go to the ONE who holds ALL things together.

When we consult with the Lord, we find peace. In His word we find life and wisdom. When you intentionally seek Him – He will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

September 25, 2022 1

What or Who has Authority in Your Life?

As I have been watching events unfold these last few years on both a national and local scale, I have found the book of Judges impressed upon my heart. In particular I have been drawn to the events that unfold in Judges 19. My heart aches as I read this tragic story. I feel grief for both Israel historically and for the people (You and I) today.

Judges 19 documents an horrific account of a Levite’s concubine, who is abused and battered to the point of death, because of the Levite’s choice.

This woman should have been safe in a city full of Israelites. Instead, she is the victim of a group of perverse and wicked men who prove themselves to be no better than the Canaanites. Judges 19 reminds us of a similar story and time in Biblical History, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.

Similar to the sinful men in Judges 19 (V22-25) who demand for the Levite to be sent out to them to have sex with (the Levite instead offers his concubine), Genesis 19 (V4-8) documents Abraham’s nephew Lot in a similar set of circumstances. Evil men of the town came to Lot’s door demanding to have sex with the two male guests inside of Lot’s house (Lot offers his two virgin daughters instead). These two stories are not exactly alike in detail and outcome but they do highlight just how easily man can fall into the bondage of sin and rebellion against God.

Small acts of disobedience turn into larger acts of evil.

What drastic consequences can result when social protocol carries more authority than moral convictions…

“In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 17:6). This is a key verse and phrase in the book of Judges;

This phrase, "in those days Israel had no king..." is repeated several times: In the epilogue indicating the main theme of the book and this phrase is used to close the book as well.

The period of the Judges, while bloody and horrendous at times, exemplifies the magnitude of God’s loving mercy and His heart for His people. Judges is a historical book documenting the history of Israel from a theological viewpoint. The repeated failures and Israel’s unfaithfulness to God is on full display! BUT… so is God’s character! You get to see a just God allowing a nation to fully reap the consequences of their actions; You see a God who REPEATEDLY proves to be faithful and merciful, and with testing HE provides deliverance. Through many cycles of disobedience we get to see God’s love for us in HIS patient discipline.

The people had clear direction from the Lord on what they were to do going forward now that they were in the Promised Land of Canaan.

However, true to theme the people decided that they knew better and chose for themselves what they would do, oftentimes ignoring very clear directions from the Lord such as:

Failing to obtain all of the Promised Land; they did not drive out the inhabitants of the Land, disobeying the covenant from Deut. 12:9. This unfaithfulness necessitated judges needing to be raised up to lead them.

The failure of the generations after Joshua to teach God’s covenant to their children had devastating impacts spiritually, politically, socially, and economically. “After that a whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who new neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel”, Judges 2:10.

A few practical takeaways from the book, broadly speaking:

When we allow seemingly harmless habits to go unchecked before the Lord, they grow and can become dominating forces that rule us. And without God – there is no stopping the depravity and the deeds which follow.
Unity of the Church is important, holding each other accountable to God’s laws is essential. Obedience will lead to blessings.
When the Israelites faith disintegrated, their unity as a nation disintegrated. They could have taken complete possession of the land had they obeyed and trusted God. At this time they had been in the promised land around 300 years.
The nation failed to establish a government based upon God’s moral principles. Laws were not enforced, crime was ignored, and the magnitude of these crimes grew. It took a terrible tragedy to wake the people up and even then, instead of the matter being dealt with swiftly, many lives were lost unnecessarily.
To prevent our unresolved problems from turning into major conflicts, we should take action to deal with them swiftly.
We find our direction through God’s word, prayer, and obedience.

The most important takeaway from the period of the Judges is a warning! A firm warning against synchronizing your behavior with the behavior of the world. In Christ we are called to be set apart and holy, not conforming to this world. (Romans 12:2) (John 17:15-18) (Ephesians 2:10).

This book provides for us the groundwork laid for the people’s needs of a righteous king, ONE who will save the people and change their hearts, ONE who will lead them to faithfulness to God. Judges shows us the imperfection of fallen man and gives a stark contrast to who the Christ will be and our need for a perfect Savior.

I encourage you to pray and search the scriptures to test what is true, I encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal to you anything in your life that you may be giving authority to over the authority of God’s word; for His word is the light to guide our path (Psalm 119:105).

September 15, 2022 0

What a Wonderful Name it is

Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

August 28, 2022 0