HOPE REMAINS. Amos 9:13-15.

My elementary school selected well-behaved sixth graders to serve as “patrols.” Their main duty was to stand on the curbs and use flags to control traffic before and after school. But patrols also had hall monitoring duties for those who showed up early. Early arrivals were supposed to sit behind the line and behave calmly. It was a struggle. When you misbehaved, the patrols would report you. I remember watching this scenario, completely mystified. Even as a first grader, the impossibly tall sixth graders seemed too young for such heady responsibility. I listened to my peers to learn the ropes:

“Brian! I’m going to report you!”

“No, please! Give me a second chance.”

“I already gave you a second chance.”

“But can you just give me a third chance? Pleeeease?”

“Okay. But this is your last chance.”

“Okay! Right on!”

I was amazed. What was this ‘chance’ they spoke of? We never had ‘chances’ at home, or at church or at mother’s day out. The word ‘chance’ immediately became part of my vocabulary. Soon I was begging everyone for second chances, third chances, and more—patrols, teachers, my parents, everyone.

No matter how badly we fail, doesn’t everyone want another chance, a bit of hope? No matter how dark the tunnel, aren’t we motivated by that spot of light at the other end? Who can live without hope?

God is the ultimate expert on human nature, and he knows how desperately we need hope. How many times do God’s prophets pronounce judgment only to follow it up with the promise of restoration? God is so full of compassion, he almost always offers hope to those who will repent.

In the book of Amos, God pronounces chapter after chapter of judgment on the people of Judah and Israel.

“Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” Amos 4:12.

“Let judgment run down like waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” 5:24. (This line was quoted by Martin Luther King in his “I Have a Dream” speech.)

“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion” 6:1 (This is one of the most famous lines in the book of Amos.)

“Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel” 7:8.

God promises to send devastating judgments: plague, famine, poverty, and war (see Amos 4). But perhaps the worst judgment is silence:

“Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it” Amos 8:11-12.

This prophecy would be fulfilled during the 400 years of silence before Gabriel announced the birth of Christ. Imagine four centuries without a word from God. Some of us become anxious if we can’t “feel God” for two or three days. Imagine ten generations of silence from heaven.

Yet, God promises hope. There is always hope—because God knows how badly we need it. “He knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust” Psalm 103:14.

Notice that Amos ends his book with words of great hope:

“Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall drip sweet wine … And I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the … cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof. They shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant [the people] in the land, and they shall no more be pulled up….” Amos 9:13-15.

There is always hope, 1 Corinthians 13:13.

God always offers hope.

“I don’t think people can live without hope. What oxygen is to the lungs, hope is to our survival in this world. And the Bible is filled with hope.” –Billy Graham.

God, thank you for hope! No matter how dark our days might be, there is always hope. Hope for healing and restoration. Hope on earth, and hope for a beautiful eternity in heaven. Make us prophets, evangelists, missionaries of HOPE in a world with so little. May our lives and our words bring hope to all who know us.

AΩ

God Bless Our Preachers and Teachers. Jonah 1 and 2.

A pastor’s life is not an easy one. Here’s a typical day for one pastor I know: up at 5 to spend time with the Lord, head to the gym at 6 where he spends 30 minutes swimming laps, then runs and lifts weights. He is in the office by 8 and has meetings all day. His daily planner—one dedicating an entire page to a single day—is completely full. Every hour has a meeting or telephone conference. His evenings and weekends are similarly structured. Frankly, I am not sure whether to admire him or pity him. But I do not question him: decades of experience have taught him the level of busy-ness necessary for his work. He is the administrative pastor of a very large church. He carries a great deal of responsibility. It is not an easy job.

And it’s not just the hours or the stress. I recently imagined myself in my pastor’s shoes, and I instantly knew that my life would not be my own. Neither my work life, nor my home life, nor my hobbies. What I mean is this:

If you are in the ministry, every other aspect of life must submit itself to that one highest calling.

What a minister does with his hobbies is between him and God–but he can’t just involve himself in anything that might cross his mind. There are limitations on ministers’ choices that do not burden laymen.

To illustrate my point, imagine a minister who decides to write crime dramas as a hobby. Will he write cuss words or will his cops and criminals never use bad language? It’s certainly possible to write novels without cuss words. But it is unusual in today’s market. If the books begin to sell, will the pastor-author use his real name or a pseudonym? If the publisher wants him to spend a month doing a coast-to-coast book tour, will the preacher drop his church responsibilities–not only sermons, but also weddings, funerals, hospital visits and more–to run around the nation promoting his “brand”? The point is, a pastor is a pastor 24-hours a day. He cannot take off his “pastor hat” to put on a “novelist hat.”

The preacher is a preacher full-time. His family, his hobbies, his evenings and weekends off, his vacations—everything in his life must submit to the pastoral calling. That is a remarkably selfless way to live.

Most of us do not appreciate how much freedom pastors surrender when they surrender to the ministry.

When God called Jonah to travel east to preach to the sprawling city of Jonah’s enemies, Ninevah, Jonah did not sit around passively ignoring God. Instead, he took action, immediately running to the ocean to secure passage on the first ship he could find that would take him west—as far from Ninevah as possible. Jonah probably hoped God would find someone else, Jonah’s fellow-prophet, Amos, perhaps.

Instead, God went after Jonah, sending a terrible storm to the Mediterranean Sea. Everyone on the ship was screaming, struggling, and praying. Everyone but Jonah, who was fast asleep in the bottom of the ship. The captain woke Jonah, “What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God!” Jonah 1:6.

The men cast lots to discover who was at fault. The lot fell to Jonah. They asked him who he was and what he did to bring this supernatural storm upon them.

“Take me up and cast me into the sea. For I know that for my sake, this tempest is upon you” Jonah 1:12.

The men were terrified. What if they threw Jonah overboard and only made this angry God angrier still? But Jonah insisted. So they tossed the stubborn prophet overboard, and the sea calmed instantly: “the sea ceased from her raging” Jonah 1:15.

I bet Jonah expected the next scene in this story to be his drowning. He was prepared to die—as long as he didn’t have to talk to those horrible Ninevites. But God had other plans.

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God” Jonah 1:17–2:1.

Wait. What? It took Jonah three days of sloshing around in the darkness of a whale’s belly before he was ready to pray? And this guy’s a prophet?

Once he began praying, Jonah humbled himself. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple … But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay thee what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord” Jonah 2:7,9.

Have you ever disobeyed God? Probably. Did God send a whale after you? Probably not.

But God keeps his messengers on a short leash: I believe God expects a deeper level of commitment from the men and women he calls into full-time Christian service:

“Let not many among you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such, you shall incur a stricter judgment” James 3:1.

Pray for the ministers God has placed in your life. They face challenges you cannot imagine and will never experience. God calls many of them to walk difficult roads, through minefields of often unfair and undeserved criticism (not to mention the sometimes “deserved” criticism). People are extremely hard on ministers, and even more so in this age of entitlement. Pray for those who teach the word, “that God may open a door for the word, that they may proclaim the mystery of Christ” Colossians 4:3.

Dear God, fill us with gratitude for those who teach and preach the word to us. Bless our pastors and our churches. Fill them with grateful people who share love and encouragement with your men and women who work in full-time ministry. May we be a blessing to those in leadership.

AΩ

Victory is Not Without Risk. 2 Kings 15:5.

Painting: “King Uzziah Stricken With Leprosy,” by Rembrandt, 1635.

Uzziah was a farmer, war hero, inventor, and king. He lived a rich, successful, creative life. But his successes were not without risk. But what possible risk accompanies success?

Uzziah was crowned king at the tender age of 16, 2 Kings 15:2. The young man was obedient to God, as was his father:

“He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done” 2 Kings 15:3.

Result? King Uzziah “reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem” 2 Chronicles 26:3.

King Uzziah won a series of wars against the Philistines, knocking huge sections out of the walls of their cities, 2 Chronicles 26:6-7. In fact, so talented was he in battle that his fame spread as far as Egypt, 2 Chronicles 26:8. 

At home, Uzziah fortified towers in the wall of Jerusalem, dug numerous wells in the desert, and cultivated herds and flocks, farms and vineyards, “for he loved husbandry” (farming) 2 Chronicles 26:10.

Nevertheless, King Uzziah’s real genius appeared on the battlefield. He amassed large armies, then outfitted them with top gear:

“And Uzziah prepared for them shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons [suits of armor], and bows, and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and on the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong” 2 Chronicles 26:14-15.

Notice just two of King Uzziah’s innovations: he gave his soldiers suits of armor to wear and he placed catapults on the walls of Jerusalem, an “engine” rarely seen at this time. No wonder he was a successful general and held the throne for over fifty years!

But then things went south. You can probably guess where King Uzziah went wrong: Pride.

King Uzziah forgot about Israel’s doctrine of the Separation of Church and State.

BOUNDARIES, you know? God separated the kings from the priests. No matter how successful and devout a king might be, he was not allowed to interfere with the duties of a priest. But some of the kings crossed the line. King Saul did it. King Uzziah did it.

“He transgressed against the Lord and went into the temple to burn incense upon the altar” 2 Chronicles 26:16. The priests followed the king in and rebuked him. How do prideful kings respond to rebuke? Angrily.

“Then Uzziah was wroth … and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord” 2 Chronicles 26:19.

The priests rushed the king out of the temple—and the king himself got the message. Suddenly he was terrified and humbled.

“He hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death and dwelt in a several house [separated from everyone else], being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord” 2 Chronicles 26:20-21.

You have heard it before:

“Pride goeth before destruction,” Proverbs 16:18.

King Uzziah let his pride convince him he could ignore the rules. And God punished him with a punishment that would never go away. Never again in his life would Uzziah be so prideful, so arrogant, so presumptuous in the presence of the Lord.

“And the Lord smote the king so that he was a leper unto the day of his death” 2 Kings 15:5.

God, make us humble. No matter what we achieve, keep us humble. Warn us! Protect us! Send someone to speak hard words to us! Never let us cross boundaries that you expect us to respect and honor. Make us your humble, grateful servants. Never let us forget that all our achievements come from you!

“What do you have that you did not receive?” 1 Corinthians 4:7.

AΩ

How Do I Get My Children to Follow the Lord? 2 Chronicles 24:24-25.

What do most immigrants to the United States want their children to do? Go to med school, of course! The idea has become such a stereotype, standup comics make millions telling jokes about it. But the stereotype is not untrue. Parents of every stripe, of every American ethnicity and culture have imagined their children as doctors and lawyers, engineers and accountants.

As children develop their interests and talents, the dreams of parents re-align to match those talents: we dream athletes will go pro, we dream musicians will join the New York Philharmonic or make millions banging drums in a rock band. We dream big and encourage children to do the same. The truth is, most children will find work doing less dramatic things. Most will work quietly in an office somewhere doing things no one makes movies about. If only parents could write letters of recommendation for their own children!

God gave young David the ultimate letter of recommendation. When he selected David to be king of Israel, God told Samuel that David was “a man after God’s own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14. Can you imagine putting that on your resume? King David grew up herding sheep, but God got involved and grew him into a worthy king, probably the greatest king of Israel. God told David that one day the Messiah would come from the line of David—what a legacy!

David’s children were a disaster.

Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar. Absalom then murdered Amnon. Years later, Absalom rebelled against his father, gathered an army, tried to steal his father’s crown, and ended up dead. Solomon was not the disappointment Absalom was, but Solomon’s children fell into civil war and David’s kingdom would be divided for two centuries, before finally being conquered and split up among occupying powers.

After the high priest Jehoiada restored the crown to his nephew, the rightful king Joash, young Joash reigned well. But when the high priest died, Joash led Judah into idol worship. God raised up the priest’s son Zechariah to rebuke the idol worshippers, but the men stoned him to death.

“Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father [uncle] had done to him, but slew his son” 2 Chronicles 24:22.

God did not overlook the murder of his prophet but sent Syria to attack Judah.

“The army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him … his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died” 2 Chronicles 24:24-25.

What happened to the line of David, that even the good men fell into idol worship?

What HAPPENED to the line of David?

Sure, we remember David’s sins. He murdered Uriah and stole his wife. But he was also the one God described as “a man after God’s own heart.” He wrote half the book of Psalms. David wrote so many worship songs! Songs so good, God thought we should have copies of 72 of them. This is also the man with so much integrity he would not lay a finger on King Saul, no matter how Saul chased him and how badly Saul wanted to murder him. David sinned horribly, but he also served God faithfully for many years. Yet, his lineage is a mess.

What were David’s dreams for his children? What are your dreams for your children?

We know it’s not really about their career path. We want our adult children to be happy, well-adjusted, surrounded by loving friends and family, and busy with meaningful, creative, rewarding work. And there is only one way to ensure they have such a life: they must walk with God. That’s what we really want, is it not?

We want our children to love Jesus.

How? Is there any way I can ensure that my children will “live a life pleasing to the Lord” Colossians 1:10?

SHORT ANSWER? No.

LONGER ANSWER? Yes, but.

You cannot control the choices your adult children make.

Often siblings will make quite different choices, though both were raised by the same parents. This common observation indicates the first rule relevant to the lives of adult children: DON’T BLAME THE PARENTS. I know it’s tempting. But not only everyday life, but the Bible itself is filled with examples of good parents whose children did not turn out so good.

Don’t blame the parents.

But knowing you cannot control your children’s lives, there are some things you can control.

Be a serious disciple of Christ yourself.

Read the word. Apply the Word to your life. Memorize the word. Pray the word. And Share the word with others. Model the habits of a serious disciple of Christ. (“Discipleship is caught, not taught.”)

Pray for the right spouse—and pray for your spouse.

Besides you, no one but your spouse will so greatly influence your children.

You can also control how much you pray for your children. Pray more!

As David prayed:

“Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes” 1 Chronicles 29:19.  

Or as Samuel put it:

“God forbid that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you” 1 Samuel 12:23.

Don’t hesitate to add fasting to the spiritual disciplines you exercise on behalf of your children. Once they are grown, prayer and fasting are about all you can do!

You can also control your example.

Set a good example, in word and deed. Speak kindly. Be an encourager. Be a humble servant. Love your family. Work hard on the job. In short, be the best you can be. Set the example.

Teach your children about the Lord.

Parents are the most important teachers children will ever have.

Finally, model Christ’s love, compassion, grace, hope, faith, and joy.

Have fun with your children! Show them that life is exciting and fun and that there is always hope in Christ, no matter the struggles. Show them by your own example that no matter what you may face, the joy of the Lord will get you through it.

Dear Lord, help us to do the best we can for our children by serving you! Help us to make you our top priority, so that all the rest will fall into place. May we honor you with our Bible study, our hard work, our grace, love, and forgiveness. Make us more like Jesus every day, and never let us forget to pray hard for our children and families.

AΩ

How Far Would You Go to Become King? History Indicates Some People Will Do Anything for Power. 2 Kings 11: 2-3.

Obi Wan Kenobi says of Mos Eisley Spaceport:

“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.”

As in all space movies, what’s true in outer space is true on earth. It is true of America. Of my city and yours: We must be cautious.

Jesus said it another way:

“Be shrewd as serpents, but innocent as doves” Matthew 10:16.

May God give us wisdom and discernment. May God make us cautious and shrewd.

The reign of King David was Israel’s golden age. God blessed Solomon’s reign too as a sequel of sorts: the Sons of Jesse, Part Two.

But the moment Solomon died, people began choosing sides, a civil war erupted, and suddenly God’s Chosen People were living like North Korea and South Korea: one people with one language, one culture, one heritage, but divided into two warring kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom called itself Israel, and the Southern Kingdom called itself Judah.

And the bloodshed was just getting started. Kings would take the throne of Israel or Judah, wear the crown for a year or two, then be murdered. If the new king feared the same fate, he might murder every brother and nephew of the king he had killed and sometimes murder his own brothers and nephews. The royal palace became a bloodbath.

Following one of these massacres, a complicated drama swirled around a young woman named Jehosheba. Her father was Joram a former king of Israel, and her mother was Athalia, soon-to-be the Queen of Judah. Jehosheba’s half-brother was the reigning king of Judah but was suddenly murdered. Once he was killed, his mother Athalia immediately killed every other heir to the throne—her sons and step-sons—so that SHE could wear the crown.

Jehosheba had an infant brother named Joash, and she saved him before Grandma could find him and kill him. Jehosheba carried him off to be hidden in the temple. In addition to her royal ties, Jehosheba was the wife of the high priest, and thus lived in the priest’s apartment inside the temple. The new Queen Athalia would avoid the temple, being interested only in the worship of Baal. Thus Joash, the last surviving son of King Ahaziah (and heir to the throne of David), would spend the next six years hidden away indoors, a fugitive from a grandmother who believed him to be dead–and liked it that way.

“Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain, and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Queen Athaliah did reign over the land” 2 Kings 11:2-3.

Can you imagine a little boy locked up in an upstairs apartment for the first six years of his life? Remember the MAN IN THE IRON MASK, Dumas’ great novel about the king and pretender to the throne who hides his slightly older twin away in a prison so that he can steal the crown? Joash lived the much more common story: a rightful king who must be hidden so the pretender to the throne will not murder the rightful king. For six years the pale little boy stayed inside, keeping his voice down like Anne Frank, hidden away in an attic.

But unlike Anne Frank, young Joash was saved. When he became seven, his uncle the high priest assembled an army, rebelled against the wicked Queen Athalia, and anointed the seven-year-old Joash King of Judah.

“Then they brought out the king’s son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoida and his sons anointed him, and said ‘GOD SAVE THE KING!’” 2 Chronicles 23:11.

Trumpets were blown. Announcements made. The queen heard what was happening and rushed to the temple to see for herself. When she saw her seven-year-old grandson wearing the crown, she was shocked.

“Athaliah rent her clothes and shouted ‘Treason! Treason!’” She was captured, taken outside the House of God, and slain, 2 Chronicles 23: 13-15.

Can you imagine a mother who would have her own sons and grandsons killed so she could be queen? Do you think there are people like that in our world today? There are. Every day terrorist organizations use the internet to recruit foot soldiers, angry young men who dream of bombing a church, school, or children’s hospital.

In addition, some of our world leaders are mirderously evil. (I don’t claim to know which ones!) But I’m sure the depths of evil on the world stage would surprise us. With some dictators, perhaps we expect it. But what about the leaders of nations with democratic elections? Again, I don’t claim to know. But I would rather be shrewd than be naive.

Yet on the other hand, we must not forget that there are also “prominent men of noble character” like Jehoiada the high priest and his wife Jehosheba, people of great courage and integrity who will stand up for what’s right.

Sometimes it is hard to know which is which. Are you rooting for the madman or the righteous leader? Am I rooting for the murdering con-artist or the man of integrity? May God give us the wisdom to know. He knows. He knows and he can lead us.

Dear God, make us like the men of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” 1 Chronicles 12:32.

AΩ

I Dreamed That God Was Coming to Judge My Enemies. And I Was Happy! Amos 2:5.

One Sunday morning Jesus appeared in all the churches. He showed up simultaneously on a million big screens. Some churches were in the middle of a song when his face popped up and the music went quiet, like someone had unplugged all the cords at the sound booth. Bands and singers across America stopped singing, looked up, and realized they had been pre-empted by none other than the Man Himself, Jesus Christ.

In other churches, pastors had already started preaching, walking back and forth across the stage, some reading Bible passages, others getting started on the obligatory funny story, when suddenly a bearded man with dark, Semitic features showed up on the Jumbotron. The little microphones taped to the preachers’ chins were no match for the voice of the Son of God, he whose voice could silence Niagara Falls, Revelation 1:15. Preachers and musicians across America ran from their stages and sat with their families, terrified. What was happening?

“Fear not,” Jesus said. He smiled. “I am the first and the last. I am he that lives, though I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. I hold the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:17-18). I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the One who was, who is, and who is to come (Revelation 1:8). Peace be with you. As the Father loves me, so I love you (John 15:9).”

After calming people with his words of peace and love, Jesus announced the reason for his visit. Judgment was coming.

“I am going to judge North Korea. The nation has become an asylum, led by a string of evil dictators. This cannot continue. I am going to judge Vietnam, a nation that continues to persecute believers. I will bring judgment on China, where my pastors are thrown into jail for preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, many of whom are never heard from again. I will bring judgment to Sudan, a nation that has spent the better part of three decades fighting a war against its own Christian citizens….”

As Jesus spoke, congregations around America began to clap spontaneously. It was a normal reaction to great points from a great speaker. And this was Jesus, after all. The greatest speaker. Soon, people were cheering. Jesus was going to judge China. And Russia. And Somalia. And Sudan. And Burma. And Iran. And Nigeria, Eritrea, India, and Pakistan. In fact, Jesus spoke at length, covering a long list of well-known persecutors.

All the countries where missionaries and preachers were thrown in jail would be judged. All the nations where those who converted to Christ were then charged with the trumped-up crime of “apostasy” would be judged.

Jesus was going to round up all the bad guys, and America’s churches were here for it. It felt like a State of the Union address: every time the Son of Man took a long pause, there was applause. Soon everyone was standing. This was our Man, our Messiah! He showed up in church to fight for us and our people! Spontaneously there were standing ovations all across the nation.

He went on: He would be judging all the nations dwelling in darkness: Indonesia, Malaysia, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Cuba, Nicaragua[1]. Then the Lord said something no one could have predicted:

“And woe to you, United States. You are a people who know better. Yours is a land founded on scripture and freedom and grace and truth. Yours is a land with Bibles in every home.”

The clapping stopped. People sat down.

“Woe to you, United States. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Pakistan and India, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Pakistan and India on the day of judgment than for you (Matthew 11:21-22).”

No one was smiling anymore. People around me were staring at the floor. Silent. Lost in thought, words of judgment washing over them in waves.

“And you, the people of the Bible Belt, you evangelicals cheering the destruction of nations you detest, will you be lifted up to the heavens? No. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Imperial Japan, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Emperor Hirohito on the day of judgment than for you (Matthew 11:23-24).”

“Woe to you, American Christians. For though you do not persecute believers, you neutralize them with money and distractions. You make yourselves so rich and so busy that you have neither the time nor the interest to serve me.”

“Woe to you, American Christians. Because you say ‘I am rich and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked … As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent” Revelation 3:17-19.

I woke up then, and before I raised my head, I realized I was asleep at my desk, my arms folded across the Bible I had been reading. I was in Amos chapters one and two, where the prophet pronounces judgment on God’s enemies. The people of Judah and Israel must have enjoyed hearing that:

“I will send fire into the house of Hazael, devouring the palaces of Ben-Hadad … I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, devouring its palaces … I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, devouring its palaces … I will send a fire upon Teman, devouring its palaces … I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, devouring its palaces … I will send a fire upon Moab, devouring its palaces” Amos 1:4 – 2:2.

But then God pronounced judgment on his own people.

“I will send a fire upon Judah and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem” Amos 2:5.

I understood my dream then, and I shuddered. Because I have a bad habit of rejoicing when my enemies lose. I cheer when bad people get what they deserve. I am pleased when a murderer is locked up for life. My favorite thing on the news is to watch the slow-burn of celebrity scandals: another rich playboy going down in flames. Another arrogant politician who set his career on fire with his addictions. Yes, I rejoice when my enemies suffer. I know I do.

And Jesus will judge them. But he will judge me too–and he holds me to a much higher standard! The lives and works of believers will be examined at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Being saved and born-again does not leave you free of all judgment. God will examine your life and reward you accordingly. See 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10.

Do not rejoice over the destruction of your enemies, Proverbs 24:17-18.

Do not rejoice when progressives suffer. Do not rejoice when members of another political party suffer. Do not rejoice when scandal destroys your political or cultural enemy. Instead, remember, “There but for the grace of God, go I.” Only God’s grace has spared you the same fate.

And God will judge his church. He will judge his people. Why do we think we are better that someone else?

“It is time for judgment to begin with the house of God” 1 Peter 4:17.

AΩ

[1] The nations named here as persecutors come from the 2024 World Watch List published by Open Doors, a list I believe to be based in part on the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act. https://erlc.com/resource/the-top-countries-facing-christian-persecution/

He is Coming With a Plumbline in His Hand. Amos 7:8.

Not long after moving to the country, I decided to build a tree house. Officially it was going to be a two-story deck built around the trunk of a massive tree. My neighbor had given me several round poles that were about 16’ long, and at his insistence, I began building a frame with them. They were free, after all. 

But being as tall as they were, it was difficult to keep the poles straight. I nailed boards to the poles at 45-degree angles, bracing them. I kept eyeballing the poles to ensure they were straight. I also used an eight-foot bubble level.

But the curvature of the poles created problems. Every time I thought my frame was true (“true” being carpenter-talk for “straight”), I would walk around the structure and see that I was wrong. The thing was not true. It was off. That’s when I began using plumblines.

Do you know what a plumbline is? I made mine with long lengths of kite string tied around a nut or a bolt at one end. Then I attached the strings to the top of the tall poles on at least four sides. If the strings hung loosely not touching the post at any point, it indicated the post was not straight.

Plumblines are one of the simplest mechanical devices. The word “plumb” refers to lead weights on a string. In modern English, if a structure such as a doorframe is “plumb,” then it is vertically true, whereas, if it is “level,” then it is horizontally true. Thus, plumblines answer a critical question: is this structure straight, or does it lean? A lean is a weakness. Leaning walls collapse.

God showed Amos a vision of a plumbline.

“Behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the Lord said unto me, ‘Amos, what seest thou?’

And I said, ‘A plumbline.’

Then the Lord said, ‘Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them anymore; and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword” Amos 7:7-9.

The Lord is giving Israel one more chance. He will not send locusts yet, Amos 7:2. He will not send fire yet, Amos 7:5. But he is coming to take measurements with a plumbline.

What will God find when he measures you and me? Are you straight? Do I lean?

God’s word is the plumbline. How do you measure up against the word? Are you honest? Are you a person of integrity? Can people depend on you? Can you support the weight of other people’s expectations? Can employers rely on you? Can family and friends rely on you? Or do you lean so badly that you will collapse under the expectations of daily life? Are you true or are you “one bubble off plumb,” as they say?

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out” Proverbs 10:9.

Integrity means “wholeness.” If you are honest, if you “walk in uprightness,” you will be healthy and whole.

“God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him” Psalm 18:20 (The Message).

When God holds a plumbline up against your life, what will he find? Do you stand straight and TRUE, or are there weak spots, curves, and deviations in your character?

“Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people” Amos 7:8.

AΩ

[1] Though the King James Version employs the word “grasshopper,” most use the word “locust.” A locust is simply a type of grasshopper that has undergone hormonal changes due to an abundance of food following a drought: grasshoppers are solitary, but locusts swarm in the millions; grasshoppers do not fly per se but merely hop. Locusts are migratory and can fly for miles leaving destruction in their wake. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locust

*I never did finish that tree house–which is just as well, as lightning soon killed the tree.

Marathons, Mentors, and Fathers. 2 Kings 2:9.

Image from The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., ISRAEL MY GLORY, March/April of 2020, available online at https://israelmyglory.org/?issue=march-april-2020

Have you had a great mentor? Not everyone has. When I was a young man, I was privileged to have two mentors during my college years. I found the process useful: it was great to have someone to talk to about my spiritual life and the work I was trying to do among the youth to whom I was teaching the Bible. Both mentors taught me valuable lessons and I appreciated them.

What I did not appreciate at the time was that neither of my mentors could hold a candle to my father. I had been raised by a “prominent man of noble character,” Ruth 2:1. My dad had more integrity than both these mentors put together. What my mentors had was the gift of gab, and an intuitive grasp of social situations, team-building, morale, and the like, areas in which my father did not excel. My mentors could “read the room” and charm people in ways my father could not (nor would he want to). He was a brilliant yet simple man in whom there was no guile, John 1:47. But he was kind, and he was doggedly, absolutely honest in all situations and at all times.

One day God revealed to Elisha that he would be losing his mentor, Elijah. But the two prophets would spend a long, final day together. That morning in Gilgal, Elijah told Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha said, “I will not leave thee.” They walked from Gilgal to Bethel—eight miles. Elijah told Elisha to stay in Bethel. But he answered, “I will not leave thee.” So they walked from Bethel to Jericho—twelve miles. For the third time, Elijah told Elisha to stay behind, this time in Jericho. But again he answered, “I will not leave thee.” So they walked from Jericho to Jordan—six more miles, for a total of twenty-six miles. The two prophets walked an unscheduled marathon that day.

At the Jordan river, Elijah removed his cloak, rolled it up, and tapped the water with it (like Moses’s staff) and the waters “were divided hither and thither, so that the two went over on dry ground” as the nation of Israel had done so many years before, 2 Kings 2:8.

Elijah knows these are his final moments on earth. He knows he will be leaving Israel in the care of his protégé, the prophet Elisha. The older man turns to the younger and says, “What can I do for you before I am taken away from you?”

Elisha answers, “I pray thee, let a double-portion of thy spirit be upon me” 2 Kings 2:9.

Elisha could have asked for something selfish—for gold, or a long life, or all sorts of things. But his request is unselfish. He has seen the good Elijah has done, so he asks that God would use him to do more of the same. A “double-portion” is what the eldest son inherits from his father. Elisha is asking that the gifts of Elijah, whom he regards as a spiritual father, would be bestowed on Elisha so that Elisha can continue to draw the hearts of Israel to the Lord.  

Elijah knows it is up to God to grant such a request, but he says, “If you can see me when I am taken from thee, it shall come to pass.” Suddenly horses of fire pulling a chariot of fire race toward them on the road, split the two men apart, Elijah is swept up in a whirlwind and taken to heaven—and Elisha sees it, which confirms he received the double-portion he had requested, 2 Kings 2:10-12.

Like Elisha, you will become like those you admire. We take on the traits we value in others. We become like our mentors and fathers, our coaches, our trainers, our best friends, our encouragers. People you love influence you. People you spend time with influence you.

However, if you were to meet the two men I described as my mentors, you would see nothing of them in me. We simply spent too little time together—and perhaps we are cut from vastly different cloth. On the other hand, if you knew my father, you would have no doubt about his influence. We are so much alike. Not entirely, of course. But we have a great deal in common. I think like him, tell stories like him, build arguments like him, use homespun wisdom and metaphors from simple country life to address complex modern problems. And I hope to be guileless, kind and doggedly, absolutely honest in all situations and at all times.

I would be proud to receive a double-portion of my father’s spirit. Perhaps I already have.

Some might argue that is the very nature of fatherhood. I am thankful for a godly father.

Dear God, fill us with Elisha’s desire to be more like Elijah. Help us request the right things, to hope, dream, and pray for the right things. Show us what we should strive for, what our ambitions ought to be, what our goals ought to be. Make us more like Jesus every day. Fill us with a double-portion of YOUR spirit.

AΩ

Spiritualism, Mediums, and the Occult. 2 Kings 1:6.

I found these business offerings on Yelp: Palm readers. Tarot cards. Ouija board readings. Crystal balls. Horoscopes. Hypnosis. Supernatural Readings. Psychic Consultants. Witchery. Manifesting with a Life Coach. Conjuring. Voodoo.  

These businesses thrive in our modern world. In an age of Enlightenment and Science, you might have guessed these relics of an age of superstition and the occult would have disappeared. Not at all. You can consult a medium in every city in America. (Yes, even Salt Lake City—from whose page I collected the names above.)[1]

Have you ever been tempted by the quick, easy answers of a fortune teller? Have you become frustrated waiting for God to give you answers? Is it so wrong to want a glimpse of the future?

Wanting answers is not wrong. But seeking them from the enemies of God is wrong.

There are only three types of people who claim to tell the future.

First, there are some who worship Jesus as Lord and claim to be modern-day prophets.

I have followed some of these for years and have seen them proven wrong. The Bible says if one claiming to be a prophet prophesies falsely, he is a false prophet and should be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 18:20-22. I do not believe in any of our so-called modern-day prophets. I’ve never found one of them to be 100% reliable—and the Biblical test requires 100 percent.

Second, many who claim to predict the future are simply con-men.

This is often the case, particularly among those who manage to make a great deal of money on their alleged fortune-telling. These charlatans are discussed at length in the excellent book, THE CONFIDENCE GAME: WHY WE FALL FOR IT EVERY TIME, by Maria Konnikova.

Finally, there are those who actually receive information from the spirit world, and some of that information is accurate.

Demons are not omniscient. But many people believe they have access to more information than we do. They can give just enough information to mediums, fortune tellers, and others, to convince the lost that they have found the answer to all their problems. Why provide such a convincing demonstration? Because it will draw people further into the occult, further into false worship, and further away from Jesus—which is the enemy’s ultimate goal.

When King Ahaziah was injured in a fall, he sent men to ask a false god about his prognosis. The prophet Elijah met those messengers with a message for the king:

“Thus sayeth the Lord, is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” 2 Kings 1:6.

What happened? King Ahaziah died, of course. God takes this sin seriously, though many Americans do not.

“Do not seek out mediums or spiritualists, for you will be defiled by them” Leviticus 19:31.

“If a person turns to mediums, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from his people” Leviticus 20:6.

When you have questions about the future, pray as Jesus taught:

“May YOUR KINGDOM come and YOUR WILL be done” Matthew 6:10.

“Nevertheless, not my will, but THINE be done,” Luke 22:42.

Dear God, train us to trust you and leave our questions about the future in your hands. Do your will in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. Protect us from the ungodly influence of spiritualism and the occult. Remind us that it’s not harmless fun, but is actually harmful and dangerous.

AΩ

[1] I am not against life coaching, by any means. I know several godly people who work as life coaches. But when I googled “fortune tellers,” this was one of the hits on the Yelp page for Salt Lake City. And while life coaching under the authority of Jesus and his word can be legitimate and God-honoring, “manifesting” is not. I have written about manifesting here: https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2023/05/04/may-the-force-be-with-you/

Naysayers and Yes-Men. 2 Chronicles 18:17.

Which is worse, an irritating naysayer or an easy-going yes-man?

Executives must be wary of both. My father was a deacon. He took confidentiality seriously, never repeating at home anything that had been discussed at a deacons’ meeting. However, he did make one comment about one of his fellow deacons. He said Earl (not his real name) was a naysayer. Earl would question every decision—on even the simplest matters—just to be sure someone had asked the hard questions.

Being a naysayer who asks too many questions can be counterproductive because it (1) wastes everyone’s time, and (2) can cause the naysayer to cultivate the bad habit of simply being negative without reason. As a lawyer, I learned years later that members of decision-making bodies bear a legal duty to ask questions, a duty not to be a “rubber stamp.” Let’s assume Earl had that in mind and was not simply being a burr under the saddle.

However, as irritating as a naysayer can be, a yes-man poses a much greater risk.

Yes-Men go along with whatever the man in charge wants. If the executive is a CEO ready to sell his company to a large corporation, yes-men will ignore their doubts and tell him the sale is a great idea. If the chief is the owner of a sports team who wants to offer millions to an untested rookie, yes-men will stand there with the checkbook open. If the boss is a king contemplating war, yes-men are already hiring caterers for the victory parade.

Yes-men fail to ask questions. They keep the boss happy by agreeing to anything he suggests. And they do him a disservice.

Leaders need people to ask hard questions. Executives do not need yes-men.

But executives are human. Whether bosses, kings, presidents, or pastors, they like it when people agree with them. Like anyone else, they believe their ideas are great and they want to hear positive feedback. But what they want is unimportant. What they need is to face the hard questions, to subject their ideas to tough scrutiny and see whether the ideas survive.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” Proverbs 15:22.

Israel’s king Ahab surrounded himself with 400 yes-men who claimed to be prophets, and one prophet who refused to be a yes-man.

When Ahab and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat planned to start a war together, Ahab’s 400 prophets said Attack, for God will give you victory. But Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from someone who was not an obvious yes-man, and asked whether Ahab had any other prophets.

Ahab answered, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesied good to me but always evil” 2 Chronicles 18:7.

The man was Micaiah, a true prophet of God. He was called and told the two kings that Israel would be scattered like sheep without a shepherd—another way of saying Ahab (Israel’s shepherd) would die in battle. Ahab was enraged. “Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good but evil?” 2 Chronicles 18:17. Ahab had Micaiah thrown in prison—and then the two kings attacked Ramoth-Gilead and, though Ahab wore a disguise, he was killed as Micaiah foretold.

“Just as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17.

God, help us to appreciate those who ask us hard questions. May we welcome tough questions. May we respect and honor those who make us better by saying the hard things, by confronting us, and by having the courage to initiate awkward conversations. Help us to feel—and express—genuine gratitude to the people in our lives who ask hard questions, who tell us our plans are poor, and who do their best to speak hard truths. Give us the wisdom to discern when they are right and when they are wrong. Lead us by your Holy Spirit, and guide us to the wise counselors around us.

AΩ

P.S. In my experience, YES-MEN may be the biggest problem facing many Christian churches and schools. Organizations that do not exist as part of a larger body–a denomination, for example–tend to have boards populated entirely by yes-men. If a church or school was founded by a single man, particularly if it is non-denominational, there is often a board made up of the founder’s closest friends and partners. Such a board will fail if it supports the founder’s every whim. We must ask hard questions. We must submit to the Holy Spirit and clarify things with the word and wise counsel. And sometimes we defer to the pastor (or private-school founder) simply because we trust him as a God-given leader. However, if the board never challenges the executive, if it never says no, if it serves only as a rubber stamp, approving ALL the leader’s ideas, then that board is not doing its job.