Thirst.

Have you ever been insane with thirst? Parched? Famished? So thirsty you daydream about water, lemonade, tea, and snow cones? We never experience that kind of thirst because there is water everywhere. But it would only take two days in the desert or the wilderness and water would become the only thing on your mind—your every thought would be water. You would drink water from a hoof print, or suck the moisture out of mud, or lick the leaves of plants, each one holding a single drop of water. I heard about a man who squeezed the dew out of Spanish moss, just to drink the brown, dirty water.

You should thirst for your Creator—your Savior—the same way.

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul thirsts after You, God. I thirst for God, the living God” Psalm 42:1-2.

The Message paraphrases it:

“A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive.”

The Passion translation:

“I long to drink of you, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you!”

The Voice says:

“My soul is dry and thirsts for You, True God, as a deer thirsts for water.”

Or as we sang it in a youth chorus:

“As the deer panteth for the water,

So my soul longeth after Thee.

You alone are my heart’s desire,

And I long to worship Thee.”

–As the Deer, the Maranatha! Singers.

Pray. Dear God, help me to thirst for you. Fill us with a deep love for you, with a hunger for your word, and a thirst for your heart. Help us to be obsessed with knowing you better every day. Help us desire more and more and more of you! We love you, Lord. Make us love you more!

ΑΩ

Leadership.

Leadership is difficult.  A leader must inspire confidence—and that can’t be taught. A second challenge is constant conflict; many hate conflict. 

But the hardest part of leadership may be knowing what needs to be done.  This is where black-and-white thinking will let you down.  A leader must develop a nimble and flexible mind, able to ADAPT to unexpected circumstances and unforeseen dilemmas.

(For example: How should we respond to a pandemic?)

King David had an open mind. When God sent a famine, He told David it was because of Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites. David went to the Gibeonites and asked what he could do to atone for that sin. They said “Give us seven of Saul’s descendants that we can hang in Saul’s place.” David did so. Rizpah, one of Saul’s concubines camped out by the bodies to shoo away birds and wild animals. For weeks, she guarded the bodies as they hung there decaying, an emetic vision of oozing gore, twisting and dripping in the breeze.  When David heard what Rizpah had done, he honored her by having the bodies removed and buried in Saul’s tomb.  Then God sent rain and ended the famine.

Whose side was David on? First, he let foreigners hang seven Hebrews to atone for Saul’s sin. Then he honored Saul’s family when he buried the men in Saul’s tomb. 

The truth is, politician David pleased the Gibeonites, then found a way to please Saul’s family.  Most importantly, he pleased the Lord and God ended the famine.  2 Samuel 21:1-14.

THAT may be the key to godly leadership: the ability to take bold, public action even when it appears to contradict your previous action, because you are willing to consider different sides of the issues.  Leadership requires a nimble, flexible mind—an open mind.

“He opened their minds, so they might understand the scriptures” Luke 24:44.

“I pray that your minds may be opened to see His Light” Ephesians 1:18.

God, give us DEEP ROOTS in your word. And give us the courage to have an open mind when we face hard questions.

ΑΩ

God Loves You in Your Infinite Smallness.

A journey across the country can make you realize how small your life is.  Your home, your city, even your state can seem small after driving to destinations a thousand miles away, places with entirely different altitude, weather, and plant life.  Perhaps you have stared into a night sky filled with countless stars and discovered your own infinite smallness.  God is everywhere and all-powerful and all-knowing, and what are we, that we think so highly of ourselves?

Yet, God loves us.  It is beyond comprehension, but it is true:

“He does not take His eyes off the righteous” Job 36:7.  “He numbers the hairs on your head” Luke 12:7.   He examines us every morning and numbers our every step Job 7:8.   He saves your tears in a bottle” Psalm 56:8.  “You hold my right hand” Psalm 73:23.  God longs for the creature His hands have made Job 14:15. 

(Imagine that: God LONGS for you!) 

Not only that, God delights in His children so much that He SINGS over them:  “The Lord your God is WITH YOU.  The Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take GREAT DELIGHT in you.  He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with SINGING” Zephaniah 3:16.

God calls you the APPLE OF HIS EYE, and He protects His children the way a warrior would protect his vision. 

“He who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” Zechariah 2:8.  “He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye” Deuteronomy 32:10.

God loves you so much, it is as though He obsesses over you like a doting parent.  Do you see that?  He counts your steps, He counts the hairs on your head, He never takes His eye off you.  He cherishes and saves your tears.  He holds your hand.  He longs for you.  He sings over you.  And He cherishes and protects you like the apple of His eye.  Nothing means more to Him than YOU.

David sums it up:

“The Lord thinks of me” Psalm 40:17.

Amen!

ΑΩ

Layers.

Childhood emotions come in single syllables: mad, sad, glad.  You laugh, cry, pout, fume.  Adulthood is complicated.  You feel pensive, ambivalent, bittersweet.  Adult emotions have more layers than a wedding cake. 

David understood.  This poet who killed giants, this warrior who was a music therapist, this military tactician who cuddled lambs—David understood complex emotions.  For years, he sang to help King Saul’s emotions.  Then he spent years running from the king.  And though he could have killed Saul, David refused, and when others did, David grieved the loss of his mentor-turned-enemy. 

David’s life was like that, one weighty drama after another.  If his life was a television show, I would scoff, call it a soap opera, and shut it off.

But what I am impressed with is David’s ability to INHABIT his emotions.  Like any good writer or musician, the psalmist can sit there and live in that place, fully feeling his emotions and then using his creative skills to express them in words and music.  (By the way, how amazing is it that Israel’s greatest warrior and king is also one of its most creative and prolific writers?)

When Absalom leads a revolt, moves into the palace, sleeps with the concubines—most kings would write the son off and hate him forever.  Not David.  David fights back, regains the throne, but commands his men to show Absalom mercy.  When Joab kills the usurper, David is broken.

“Absalom! My son, my son!  Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! Absalom, my son, my son!” 2 Samuel 18:23.

At a time when David’s soldiers should be cheering, the king’s grief ruins the celebrations.  But—FEELINGS.  It’s COMPLICATED, right?  Where many men would try to ignore the loss and be happy to pick up the crown and scepter, David remains a father who loves his children.  He is not afraid to INHABIT his emotions.  This man’s-man feels everything. 

And why does that matter?

Because David was “a man after God’s own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14.

God, teach us to FEEL emotions, not fear them.

ΑΩ

How to Improve a Bad Day.

Ever had one of those days? Everything’s going wrong and it’s all catching up with you? Here’s a solution that is guaranteed to work. (See Isaiah 55:11.)

Consider David’s prayer in Psalm 3. He has just been betrayed by his son Absalom, and he took his 600 men and is running for his life. Because his SON is going to kill him and take his throne. Imagine how that hurts a father.

David goes to God and says LOOK AT MY ENEMIES! LOOK AT THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION! And then:

“But You, Lord, are a SHIELD around me. You are my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and He ANSWERS me from His holy mountain” Psalm 3:3-4.

Here’s what you do: Talk to God about the verse—and pray the words TO God. Then:

  1. Copy the verse down in your own handwriting.
  2. Put the piece of paper in your pocket.
  3. Take the paper out and read it and re-read it whenever you feel discouraged. Every time you think about the things that are making you feel depressed and upset, read the verse.
  4. Also read the verse over and over and try to memorize it.
  5. Then—make sure you actually DO memorize it.
  6. And keep going over the verse tomorrow and the next day, and every day when you think about the things that are challenging you.

And THAT is how God’s word will change your life. Slowly, gradually, it will move out the bad, negative thoughts and replace those thoughts with RIGHT thoughts, with CORRECT thoughts. Soon you will fill your mind with GOD’S THOUGHTS on every subject.

And that will totally revolutionize your life.

I challenge you: write down this verse or another that encourages you, put it in your pocket, and re-read it all day long. Soon you will feel much better. I have done it hundreds of times—I can promise you that it works.

ΑΩ

Non-Toxic Masculinity.

American culture exalts a narrow view of manhood: you gotta be rugged, strong, and unemotional, like pickup trucks banging up and down mountains in TV commercials, chewing up boulders and spitting out gravel. 

But the ads are fake.  If you treat your truck that way you will not only destroy the suspension, you may void the warranty.  Bob Seger singing “like a ROCK!” should not be taken to indicate you can drive your Chevy directly into rocks.  And it may be built “Ford Tough,” but it’s not that tough. Remember Sam Elliot’s “Guts, glory, Ram”?  Guts and glory are fine as long as you stay in your lane.  

Men were not built to chew up boulders and spit out gravel either.  Even the toughest among us have feelings, and when those feelings are ignored, problems result.  But what is proper behavior for a man?  David may be the best example.

Samuel reports that God called David a man “after God’s own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14. What do we know about David’s heart?  He was bold and courageous, brilliant in battle, a powerful king—and he never lost touch with his emotions.  He felt EVERYTHING.  He reminds me of Macduff, the fictional hero of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, who grieves the loss of his family and is told to bear it like a man.  He answers: “I shall do so, but I must also FEEL it as a man.” 

David, this man’s man, with a heart that God tells us is like God’s own heart, FEELS EVERY EMOTION.  (See Psalm 3:4, Psalm 13:5-6, Psalm 55:4-5,17.)

Yet we hide our emotions.  Some of us hide from emotions.  There are times when responsibility requires we avoid emotion, but we are wrong to always avoid negative feelings.  We are wrong to demand little boys never cry (though not wrong to teach children age-appropriate self-control). 

Dear God, our compassionate Father, teach us to inhabit our emotions, to feel them, put them into words, and face them courageously.  Make us more like David, a strong man who embraced all his emotions.

ΑΩ

Loyalty.

Are you loyal for a season or for life?

Most young people are fair-weather friends, committed to things while it is convenient. But sometimes God will put people in your life who deserve a serious commitment. As you know, your mom and I have friends we have known since childhood, and to whom we remain committed. Other friendships last only for a season—and that is okay too.

But when God overwhelms you with a friend or a vision or goal, some deserve your loyalty for life. After Ruth met her Hebrew mother-in-law, Naomi, Ruth was loyal to her for life, even enough to adopt Naomi’s religion. After Naomi’s sons died, she planned to return to Israel, and sent away her daughters in law. But Ruth would not go:

“Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you. For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me” Ruth 1:16-17. (Now THAT is loyalty!)

Ittai the Gittite was similarly committed to King David. When David and 600 of his men had to run for their lives, David told Ittai not to put his life at risk by following David. He said, “You are a foreigner and an exile, and what’s more, you only arrived yesterday. Go back, and may God take care of you.” But Ittai refused:

“As the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means life or death, your servant will be there!” 2 Samuel 15:21.

Could you ever be that committed to a cause or a person? I KNOW you could—both of you are loyal.

But some people and causes deserve your loyalty, and some do NOT. Ask God for the wisdom to know the difference.

ΑΩ

What About Those Alpha Males?

Some are born leaders—their voice and raw physical traits always land them on top. There are those of whom it can be truly said, “he never took a back seat to anyone.”  Perhaps such raw leadership works best in more physical fields: battle or sports or law enforcement.  George Washington, Billy Graham, and Robert E. Lee are examples.

Others lead well with no physicality but because they possess exactly the gifts required by a given field. Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, and FDR are examples of men who became powerful leaders in spite of an unimpressive appearance or physical limitations.  Few would call Lincoln or Napoleon alpha males—yet their leadership abilities are beyond question.  Perhaps “alpha male” is a metaphor best left to the wolf-pack research from which it comes.  Human society is too complex, rightly elevating men based not on brute strength but on more sophisticated qualities.

Consider Goliath, Saul, and David.  Goliath is 9 feet tall, with a neck like a bull and a voice like a lion. Israel’s army cowers before Goliath for 40 days.  Then there’s Saul: the handsome king stands a head taller than everyone in Israel (6’6” maybe?). He had been king long enough to be confident—but he fears Goliath—and with good reason.

Then there’s David. He’s young, thin, a delicate boy with pretty eyes. Worse, he’s a shepherd. He sits in the grass, petting lambs and writing POETRY!  He plays lullabies for the king.  He’s a singer, a musician, a poet.  As my buddy Chris would say, he’s “artsy-fartsy.”  What can David do?  What can this child with the tender heart of an artist offer?  (What did God think of David’s tender, artistic heart?)

Of course, David defeated Goliath, became history’s most celebrated warrior, and eventually replaced Saul as king. Though he led thousands of men in battle, God loved David’s tender heart, even describing him as “a man after God’s own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14. 

Don’t strive to be an alpha male. Strive to be a man after God’s own heart.

God, fill us with tender hearts.  Give us hearts like yours.

ΑΩ

David Lost the Moral High Ground.

Who was David’s greatest enemy?  Goliath?  King Saul?  The Philistines? How about Absalom? 

David’s own son staged a coup, taking his father’s throne and forcing David and his armies into the streets, running for their lives.  His son?  What happened?

David had children by so many wives that there were half-brothers and half-sisters all over the kingdom.  Amnon fell in love with his half-sister Tamar, raped her, then tossed her aside.  Tamar’s (full) brother Absalom waited for David to address the injustice.  But King David, though angry, did nothing.  Two years later, Absalom killed Amnon himself, a choice that set him on a path of rebellion against his father that grew into insurrection and eventually a usurpation of his father’s throne.  Absalom was ready to kill David and all his men. 

David ended up running for his life and composed Psalm 3 while in hiding, a fugitive from his own son.  Was Absalom then David’s greatest enemy? No.

David’s greatest enemy was himself. 

Following adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, David lost the “MORAL HIGH GROUND.” 

He did not lose his sense of right and wrong. He did not even lose his relationship with God—he prayed through Psalm 51 and was restored to fellowship with God.

But David lost the “MORAL HIGH GROUND,” the ability to take decisive action against the sin of his children. 

When Amnon raped Tamar, David probably saw in Amnon his own sin with Bathsheba.  David sympathized, perhaps, with his son’s failure, and he lacked the WILL to execute justice.  David should have had Amnon put to death under the law, or if that was too much for him, he could have had him banished.  He should have done SOMETHING.  But he let the memory of his own sin rob him of the MORAL WILL to enforce the law.[1]

Sin weakens our resolve, and sometimes serious sin leaves us indifferent to true holiness—even after we have made things right with God.  It is simply difficult to expect others to make the good choices we failed to make ourselves. 

May we never sin so severely we lose the moral will to demand the best from ourselves and those around us.

ΑΩ

[1] King David likewise suffered from a Separation of Powers problem.  As king, David was the legislator who made laws, the executive/prosecutor who enforced laws, and the judge who decided cases.  When these three powers are combined in a single man, corruption follows.  Someone other than David should have tried and adjudicated the case against Amnon.  I have often written that this was Pontius Pilate’s problem: his concern at keeping the peace (a politician/legislator’s concern) caused him to fail as judge, allowing the trumped-up case against Jesus to proceed with neither a valid legal basis nor evidence to support the case.

Mercy.

“Corporal” or “bodily” punishment is effective with children because it is painful.  There is also fearful anticipation associated with the instrument of punishment. In order of mildest to most severe, I would rank them: hand, wooden spoon, ruler, belt, tree branch/switch, the cricket-bat-style wooden paddle.  I feared my father’s belt—that was his most severe tool.  He feared his father’s razor strop, a heavy strap of leather more intimidating than any belt. That healthy fear created a healthy respect. 

I would argue the respectfulness of young men is in direct correlation to the use of appropriate discipline when deserved. That discipline should be predictable and consistent—rarely a surprise—and should come from a father who is otherwise tender and kind. Strong-willed boys will not grow into strong, self-disciplined men without the training of consistent discipline, sometimes including corporal punishment.  Girls need consistent discipline as well, though probably less corporal punishment.

Nevertheless, one of the most amazing things a tough disciplinarian can do is choose NOT to punish. A good parent should watch for that rare moment when circumstances and a child’s genuine remorse indicate the best thing to do is have a conversation that ends with MERCY rather than punishment.

When my dad set a hayfield on fire as a little boy, his father—after helping a dozen men put out the fire—sat his six-year-old down, talked a while, and explained why he was not punishing his terrified, regretful son.  Years later, Daddy had mercy on me several times.  And when private school suggested expelling my son, it was my turn to show MERCY.

“He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve, or repaid us according to our offenses…  As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  AS A FATHER HAS COMPASSION ON HIS CHILDREN, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For HE KNOWS OUR FRAME. HE IS MINDFUL THAT WE ARE BUT DUST” Psalm 103:10,12-14.

Dear God, thank You that You know our limits, You know we are “but dust.” Thank you for your mercy!  Help us understand Your mercy and use us to share it with others.

ΑΩ