If My People …

Do you recognize those three words? This is the beginning of a TIMELY Bible passage:

“If My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves and pray, and seek My Face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

But why does the land need healing? Because of the lines before this one: “If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people…” (v.13).

I thought about drought this morning. It’s the only thing we are NOT suffering with right now (June 16, 2020). COVID-19 is a massive PESTILENCE. And locusts are presently ravaging the world from North Africa, across the Middle East all the way to India. Maybe a drought is next.

But God still listens to our prayers. He promises to hear our prayers and heal our land. What does He ask of us? Look at the verse:

  1. If My people HUMBLE THEMSELVES, and
  2. PRAY, and
  3. SEEK MY FACE, and
  4. TURN FROM THEIR EVIL WAYS,…

THEN I WILL HEAR from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

I am concerned about the state of the world, of the US, of Texas. I am concerned about our vacation plans being up-ended. I am concerned about colleges closing their doors this fall and next spring—or until a vaccine is rushed to market.

If you share my concerns, join me in prayer. Reach out to God. Humble yourself before Him. Pray. Seek His face. Turn from Sin. And BEG HIM to heal your land. Beg Him to protect us from not only disease, but from another quarantine. AND

REMIND GOD OF HIS PROMISE: say “God, you promise to hear us, forgive us, and heal our land. PLEASE hear, forgive, and heal. Please stop the spread of Covid-19 and let us have a normal summer and a normal fall. Help us to live lives that please You every day!”

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Winners and Losers.

Pastor Gregg asked us to choose one word to explain who we were BEFORE Christ versus AFTER.  I chose “loser.” 

I was a LOSER.

I was bad at things, failed things, broke things, lost things, ruined things.  I started late, quit early, did things with half-effort, and the results were bad: loser effort produced loser results.  As harsh as the word is, it was not hard to choose: Loser encapsulated my life without Jesus. (To be fair, simple childishness and immaturity played as big a role as my bad habits.)

But it was hard to choose a single word for my life with Christ.  “Winner” did not feel accurate. 

I was not a WINNER.

Jesus did not simply turn a loser into a winner.

Nor did the word “achiever” encapsulate my life with Christ.  “Success” was wrong.  “Fulfilled” was wrong.  Nothing fit, because life is not as simple as winning and losing. 

Christianity is not about winning and losing, success or failure, victory or defeat.  In fact, godly, obedient Christians experience failure all the time.  Defeat is part of the Christian journey.  But wins and losses are not the point.

Walking with the Lord did not bring me from losing to winning.  Rather it brought me from losing to ABIDING.  “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you abide in Me, you will bear much fruit. But apart from Me, you can do nothing” John 15:5.

Before I walked with Him, I was a loser because I was disconnected from the Source of life, hope, motivation, and order.  Now I try to abide in the vine, to take my orders from Him—to seek HIS WILL and not my own.  Sometimes I win (or what the world considers winning), other times I lose.  But whether winning or losing, I BEAR FRUIT. 

I BEAR FRUIT.

Walking with Christ is not about wins and losses, but about ABIDING IN THE VINE and bearing fruit for God.

“Solomon finished the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. Everything that had entered Solomon’s heart to do for the Lord’s temple and for his own palace succeeded” 2 Chronicles 7:11.

God chose Solomon to be king and to build the temple.  Solomon remained in the center of God’s will and “everything succeeded.”  Solomon was a “winner” because he sought to do God’s will and not his own.

God, teach us to abide in the vine—to seek Your will and obey You in every decision.

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Future Generations.

Do you ever pray for the people of the future? Do you pray for your children or for grandchildren not yet born? Think about this—

God is not bound by time; He is OUTSIDE of time.  To Him, we exist in an eternal present.  When you pray for future generations, you are praying for people God already knows, people for whom He already has created great plans.  Your prayers will bless their lives and make them better!

The Bible has a lot to say about future generations. Psalm 119:16 indicates that God saw our entire lives before a single day began—clearly He sees ALL future lives as well.  Many verses promise blessings to generations yet unborn, such as those promising Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.

And when he dedicated the temple, Solomon spoke a great prayer about the future generations of the people of Israel (I like the fact that he KNOWS they will sin, but he prays for restoration):

  • If an enemy defeats Your people because of sin, but they return to You—
  • If there is no rain because of sin, and they pray and turn from sin—
  • If there is famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, or an enemy siege—
  • If there is any problem or personal prayer—
  • If the foreigner turns to You—
  • If Your people must go to war against their enemies—
  • If they sin and are deported to a foreign land—


“Then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and uphold their cause” 2 Chronicles 6:24-39.

God, stir our hearts to pray for our loved ones of the future, knowing how deeply You love them today.

(*Now a deeper question: if God is outside of time, can we also pray for people from the past?)

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The Weakest Link.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, correct? One weak link, and the whole thing snaps. God promised David that he would never fail to have one of his descendants on the throne, IF…

“You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons guard their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.” 2 Chronicles 6:16.

God says that the line of David will reign forever, IF his sons will walk with God faithfully.

So what happened?

David’s sons rebelled.

In small ways at first.

Solomon married women who pulled his heart away from God. Then in a generation or two, David’s descendants were worshipping idols and stirring up God’s wrath.

Could that happen to you? Or your children and grandchildren? Of course. So who is going to be the one to let sin creep in, to put other things in God’s place? Who is going to worship idols, to put your own dreams above God’s dreams for you?

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Are you the weak link? Or will you take a powerful stand for God above ALL OTHER concerns?

Let me state this a different way:

God adores you. He delights in you. He showers you with His grace.

But if you think God is impressed by you, you are a fool.

“He is not impressed by the strength of the horse; He does not value the power of a man. The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love.” Psalm 147:10-11.

“God is OPPOSED to the proud. But gives GRACE to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you in due time.” 1 Peter 5:5-6.

You don’t want God to be opposed to you, trust me. As the old song says, “Your arm’s too short to box with God.” Pray and humble yourself.

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Use Your Imagination.

The Bible is the oldest book most will ever read.  These 66 books were ancient when Washington, Columbus, and Luther read them.  And the Bible has always been challenging.  Today I read one of the harder parts—lengthy descriptions of Solomon’s temple:

“He made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars, 7 ½ feet was the height of the first capital, and 7 ½ feet was the height of the second capital. The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths made of chainwork—seven for the first capital and seven for the second….”  1 Kings 7:16-17.

I admit, two or three pages like this might allow a reader’s mind to wander.  But TAKE CONTROL!  How? With imagination.  Can you IMAGINE the details?  Could you draw them? What if you had graphing paper and could get the measurements to scale?  With time, you could sketch the entire temple by carefully reading the prose description.

And though you may lack the skill to produce blueprints from written descriptions, simply taking the time to think about it will make you a better reader.  What about other tough passages?  Again: imagination.  ASK: WHAT GENRE WOULD A MODERN WRITER USE TO CONVEY THIS INFORMATION?  If you are reading architectural descriptions of the temple or Noah’s Ark, realize today’s writer would use blueprints, drawings, and architectural models.  Lists of laws? Today we would organize them by subject and use outlines and bullet points.  Genealogies?  We would use spreadsheets or online family trees with collapsible links.  Mysterious passages of prophecy?  Today’s genre might be film, with montages and dream sequences. 

But GOD CHOSE THE WRITTEN WORD to convey His truth.  Read it. Study it.  Focus your mind and control your attention.  He will bless your study: 

“My word that goes out from My Mouth WILL NOT RETURN TO ME EMPTY, BUT WILL ACCOMPLISH WHAT I DESIRE” Isaiah 55:11.

God, inspire us to read Your word diligently.  Show us how to understand and enjoy even the difficult passages!

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Ever Been Afraid of the Dark?

Who hasn’t lain awake in bed imagining terrible things?  As children didn’t we all spy some unfamiliar shape and imagine a monster, only to turn on the light and discover it’s only a coat hanging over a chair?

Darkness is unfamiliar and spooky—and can be made much worse if you’ve had bad experiences in the dark.  And as difficult as darkness can be indoors, imagine spending a night in a dark forest or a cave or on a place like Vancouver Island—where you can hear the terrifying sound of bears coming closer, and perhaps worse, you cannot hear the stealthy mountain lions that may or may not be stalking you.

Darkness can be terrifying. 

On top of that, there are millions who struggle falling asleep or staying asleep. 

Insomnia can be maddening—rendering nighttime not restful but stressful.

But darkness does not bother God. 

“Even the darkness is not dark to You.  And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You” Psalm 139:12.

He can see in the dark, after all.  And He LIVES in the dark.  HE IS THERE:

“The Lord said that He would dwell in thick darkness” 1 Kings 8:12; 2 Chronicles 6:1.

Darkness is where God lives.  And He’s taking care of you.  God’s got you.  In fact, God has blessings to give you—while you are sleeping.

“He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” Psalm 127:2.

Remember—

  1. Darkness is not dark to God.
  2. He DWELLS in darkness.
  3. He wants to bless you while you are sleeping.

So close your eyes, meditate on these verses, and go to sleep repeating them to yourself so He can bless you while you sleep.

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*P.S. While pointing out that God dwells in darkness, I should also mention that “He dwells in unapproachable light” 1 Timothy 6:16. (How? Because He is everywhere, omnipresent. He is with you in darkness and in light.)

Great Achievements Do Not Happen in Wartime.

Are you stressed? Distracted? Pulled in too many directions? If so, you will not be able to achieve at your best.

People do well with “some” stress. They say a little stress is good for you. I remember making my best charcoal drawing while furious about something I’ve long since forgotten. And I put aside some heavy sress while I cranked out a story about a paper airplane in the Astrodome. But when life is REALLY hard, when you are OVERWHELMED, you will not be able to achieve.

The Bible shows this in the stories of David and Solomon. David may be Israel’s greatest king, but it was his son Solomon who built Israel’s greatest temple. Why? Because David’s life and reign were marked by war. And nothing demands a king’s full attention the way wars do.

Solomon said: “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of Yahweh his God. This was because of the warfare all around him until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. The Lord my God has now given me rest all around; there is no enemy or crisis. So I plan to build a temple for the name of Yahweh my God.” 1 Kings 5:3-5.

David, a man of war, deeply and desperately wanted to build the temple. But God gave that task to his son, a man of peace.

Do you have great goals? More importantly, have you let stress and crises stop you from achieving those goals? Solomon knew that crises could get in the way of building the greatest temple ever, to honor the greatest God ever. But God gave Solomon peace on all sides.

Pray. Dear God, give me PEACE. Help me rest in You, and leave my struggles with You. Give me the right goals—Your goals—and grant me the peace I need so I can achieve those goals. I give you my worries, fears, anxiety, my anger, my doubts, and my crises. I know that You are on Your throne. I trust You. I rest in You. I love You. Give me no goals and no dreams except Your goals and dreams for me. Use me to glorify You. I am Yours, God.

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Solomon’s Temple.

The temple Solomon built was amazing.  Hewn stones outside, cedar paneling inside, and an interior overlaid with 45,000 pounds of gold.  Carvings, statues, and golden cherubim inside with their wings spread across the span of the hall.  Halls, courtyards, windows, and steps leading up to huge doors.  Imagine Washington D.C.  with all its grand, glorious, marble buildings ringed in colonnades (columns). If you roll the grandeur of D.C. into a big ball, you have a sense of the glory of Solomon’s temple.

But it was not a big place.  Once you passed the outer walls and the courtyards, the temple itself was only 90’ x 30’ or 2,700 square feet.  That is smaller than many middle class houses in the United States today.  Can you believe that? 

(I think I’m going to memorize this line and say it to my friends—“Your house is 2800 square feet?!  Wow!  That’s bigger than Solomon’s Temple!”) 

We call the temple “God’s House” but the temple is not God’s House.  He does not dwell there.  He’s too big.  In fact, God is so big, the SIZE of the temple is irrelevant.  No matter how big it might have been, it would remain infinitely small compared with Him.  Solmon said so himself:

“Who is able to build a temple for Him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him? Who am I then that I should build a temple for Him except as a place to burn incense before Him?” 2 Chronicles 2:6.

The temple was a place to honor God and for God’s people to stand in awe of a God who was everywhere.  Temples help worshippers focus their emotions and their worship—and the New Testament says your body is a temple.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you … and that you are not your own.  Therefore GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY” 1 Corinthians 6:19.

How can you glorify God with your body today?

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Sports and Education.

I thought of athletes when I read this:

“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29.

Great artists, actors, athletes, inventors, writers, musicians, statesmen—it doesn’t matter: successful people in any field end up surrounded by the rich and powerful. But it was athletes that came to my mind.

HOWEVER.

Athletic ability is not most important. It may open doors, but that’s all. Athletes are analogous to warriors—and look what the Bible says about warriors on the next page:

“A wise warrior is better than a strong one; and a man of knowledge than one of strength. For you should wage war with sound guidance—victory comes with many counselors.” Proverbs 24:5-6.

If you were a general building an army, you would choose smart soldiers over strong soldiers. Football, basketball, and baseball prove it—playing SMART is better than playing HARD. So much of sports, of battles, of LIFE comes down to strategy. You have to make good decisions, often fast decisions. And fast decisions are instinctive—honest people decide to be honest. Dishonest people decide to lie. And great athletes without wisdom will foul up their own lives and the lives of their teammates. Don’t believe me? Three words: “LAST CHANCE U.”

And Marshall, today’s tip is for you: your college CLASSES are more important than your college sports. Few college athletes understand that, but it is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Proverbs 24:5-6 proves it. Re-read the verse above, then look at how I paraphrased it:

A WISE athlete is better than a STRONG one. An athlete who STUDIES to gain KNOWLEDGE is better than one who works out to build strength. You must take the mound and lead your team WITH SOUND GUIDANCE. Victory comes with WISE COUNSEL. And wisdom and knowledge come from two places: (1) the Bible, and (2) your education. You must STUDY BOTH.

STUDY the WORD—and use this gem from God’s word to stay grounded:

Proverbs 24:5-6 = Academics > Athletics.

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Wrong Thinking Comes First. Wrong Actions Follow. Fix Your Thoughts!

Many of you remain somewhat innocent. You have made good choices. You have not done things that destroy lives.

BUT—the destruction of your life begins in your mind. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7.

Your thoughts will become your destiny. Your identity is not determined by your feelings, which come and go. We are all tempted and enticed by things that are bad for us. But what attracts you does not define you. That is not WHO YOU ARE. Who you are is defined by who you are in Christ. God created you, so God gets to decide who you are.

However, your thoughts will shape your identity because they will shape your choices. If you think of yourself as a sinner who has been forgiven and transformed by Jesus, with spiritual gifts and an amazing, God-centered, grace-filled destiny, then that is who you will be.

But if your view of yourself is mediocre and half-hearted, if you see yourself as just another struggling loser in a world full of misfits, then you will live that out and that is what you will become.

God has a plan for your life. But as Beth Moore says, “the devil also has a plan for your life,” and he seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy. And he starts by whispering lies into your mind. They sound like your OWN THOUGHTS, but that’s how the enemy works. The only way to battle that is to fill your mind with God’s Word.

Paul says to “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Check your thoughts. Question your beliefs, especially the negative beliefs, or the ones that don’t line up with the Word, or beliefs that you know other respected Christians do not share. If you are in the minority among God’s people, maybe you are in the wrong. Question it. Be vigilant—because the devil lies to you every day.

Please take every thought captive. Grab your thoughts, wrestle them to the ground, and put them in handcuffs.

Then go to the Word and make sure those thoughts are from God. If they are not, give the wrong thoughts the death penalty. That’s the only way you will ever achieve God’s great plan for your life.

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