The Lord Takes Care of His Own (2)

“God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord”  (1 Corinthians 1:9 NLT).

   King Saul of Israel had performed a ritual reserved for the priests of Israel. and he was told that he would be removed as king.  The prophet Samuel knew that the next king would come from the family of Jesse of Bethlehem, but he didn’t know which son it was to be.  He arrived at Jesse’s home and announced his mission.  Jesse presented his sons one-by-one to Samuel, and none was the one to be chosen.   Samuel asked if that was all the sons Jesse had.  Jesse answered, well, there is David.  He’s out tending the sheep.  They called him in, and Samuel anointed him to be the next king of Israel.  This teenage sheepherder was going to be the next king of Israel, but he had a long way to go.  He did not become king until he was about 30 years old.  

   Acts 13:22 tells us why God chose David to be King of Israel: “After removing Saul, he made David their king.  God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”  That’s quite a ringing endorsement for this young shepherd.   Doesn’t sound like David will go through all four steps of service to God that we have been discussing:  Step one—called by God, Step two—answer the call and begin working, Step three—mess up, make mistakes, Step four—accepting forgiveness and being reinstated into the calling of God.

   David’s first call was an unexpected one to the battlefield.   He was tending the sheep while his brothers were fighting in a war.  David’s father sent him to take food to his brothers, and when he got there, he found a bewildering sight—there was no fighting going on.  The Philistines had sent out a giant, Goliath, who challenged the army of Israel to send out one man to fight him, that fight deciding the battle.  No one in King Saul’s army was willing to fight Goliath.  At this point God called David (step one) to fight Goliath.  David basically said, “Yes, I’ve killed a bear and a lion with my sling.  I’m not afraid of this guy.”  It didn’t take David long to go to step two—He accepted the call.  We all know the outcome.  David did kill Goliath.  This was one time when David didn’t need to go through all four steps.

   Fast forward to a time when King Saul became very jealous of David and tried to kill him.   He chased him with his army for several years.  Once, King Saul went to sleep in a cave while hunting for David.  It happened to be a cave where David was hiding.  David had the opportunity to kill King Saul but he didn’t even though he had been anointed as the successor to King Saul.

   David did become King at age thirty, and he ruled well.  He gained safety and prosperity for Israel by defeating the nations surrounding Israel.  Sounds like everything was going well for King David—no sight of step three ever happening.  Well, of course it did, and it began on a quiet night when King David couldn’t sleep well.  He got out of bed and walked to the outer part of the castle and saw his neighbor’s wife, Bathsheba, bathing on the roof of her house.  She was beautiful, and David called for her to be brought to the palace.  She came to him. And they spent the night together.  Oops, David had been doing well in step two, but now he was having a quick slide into step three.  He messed up big time.  Later Bathsheba informed him that she was “with child.”  David had a way to fix this.  He sent word to his army commander in the field and had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, sent home on a furlough.  It backfired.   Uriah refused to sleep with his wife while his fellow soldiers were fighting the enemy.  David increased his slide into step three by sending Uriah back to the battlefield and directing the commander to place Uriah in the front line so he would be killed.  The way was clear for Bathsheba to move into the castle with King David.  But David was now deeply stuck in step three.  His decline included not only adultery, but also murder.  The prophet, Nathan, confronted King David with his sins, and David repented.  God did forgive him, put him back in step two, and he remained King of Israel for many years.

   A less well-known slip of David occurred earlier, before he became king.  He had been hiding with the Philistines when King Saul was looking for him to kill him.  David hid with them for over a year, and he offered his services to the Philistine commander when they were attacked by Israel, a definite slip into step three.  God rescued him out of this mistake by having the Philistine commander refuse David’s services.  I can’t imagine that David would ever have become King of Israel if he had gone to war against Israel.

   God was faithful and forgiving to David.  Even though David made some big mistakes, he was forgiven and brought back into the good graces of the Lord.  He ruled Israel for forty years and became known as the greatest king that Israel ever had.  David trusted God, had faith in Him, and was humble before the Lord.  His Psalms give great evidence of His love for God and His dependence upon Him.  When you need encouragement think about how God worked in David’s life to forgive Him and guide him through the mission God had given him. 

The Lord Takes Care of His Own

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV).

   I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, so I am one of His own.  He takes good care of me even when I don’t deserve it.  He has done the same for all His children.  There are numerous examples in the Bible.  Three notable ones are Abraham, David, and Peter.  We find a four step process visible in the lives of these three men.  First God calls them.  Second, they accept His call and begin following Him.  Third, each one makes a huge mistake, and fourth, each one is forgiven by God and called back into service.  

   Let’s look at Abraham today.  

   In Genesis 12:1,2 we learn of God’s call to Abram:  “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing’” (NIV).  God’s instructions were a little vague at first, “Go…to the land I will show you.”  That’s like telling me to go get the kids, pack the car, and go.

   “Okay, Lord, we are in the car.  Now what do we do?

   “Drive to Houghton Road and turn south.”

   “Okay, we are driving south on Houghton.  How far do we go?”

   “Go to I-10.”

   “Lord, we are coming up to I-10.  What direction do we go?”

   “Head east.”

   That may seem a little strange, but we have no clue that God gave Abram directions any farther ahead than that.  It seems that Abram had to trust God on a daily basis, and that’s just what He asks us to do.  God wants us to listen for Him and to Him for His Word for the day.  

   Okay, so far, so good.  Because of a famine, Abram went to Egypt, but there was a problem.  Abram’s wife, Sarai, was very beautiful, and Abram was afraid that Pharaoh would kill him and take Sarai for himself.  So he asked Sarai to say that she was Abram’s sister.  She did, and Pharaoh spared Abram, but he took Sarai into his harem.  He treated Abram very well, but Sarai was now in Pharaoh’s harem and likely to be called into his bedroom for the night.  

   Abram was at stage two, and he messed up big time.  But God rescued him by causing various illnesses to fall upon Pharaoh’s household before He could sleep with Sarai.  Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What have you done to me?...  Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?... Now then, here is your wife.  Take her and go.”  God forgave Abram, and He still had plans for him.  

   As Abram and Sarai left Egypt, they entered another place where Abram feared for his life because of Sarai’s beauty.  Guess what?  He did the same thing again.  Sarah was taken into another harem, and God rescued her again, and still kept Abram in His plan. Abram seems to have been in a circle from stage two to stage three and back to stage two again.  

   But Abram was not done messing up.  His next mistake was a beauty.  God had promised Abram a son for him and Sarai.  Many Years went by and Abraham and Sarah had no children, so Sarah suggested to Abraham, “Take my maidservant and have a son by her.  We will raise him as our own.” 

   Abraham said, “Okay.”  

   Yep, this was the big mistake.  Back to step two.  (It seems that we all spend too much time going through step two to step three and back to step two again.)  Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden had a son, Ishmael, by Abraham, but it was not the son God had promised.  Abraham was once again forgiven by God, and God was still calling him to be the Father of the people that God would call His own.  But, Abraham had to wait another twelve years for the promised son, Isaac, to be born.  God is not obligated to go by our timetable, but we will abide by His.  There, of course, is enmity still today between the descendants of Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac.

   God’s will was done.  Abraham was called, and He accepted the call.  He made several mistakes, and God forgave Him.  It is of utmost importance to note that God did NOT abandon either His plan or Abraham.  He was faithful to accomplish all that He said He would.

   Perhaps you have been called, and you have accepted.  Perhaps you have made mistakes as Abraham did.  Be encouraged by the story of Abraham and Sarah.  God forgives and He continues to work His will in your life when you allow him to do so.    

God Made Today Just for Us

“This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24  NLT).

   So what’s special about today, Friday, April 10, 2026?  Well, it’s Friday, the end of the work week for most people.  It’s springtime, and flowers are blooming.   Baseball season is in full swing, and in Pennsylvania, trout season has begun.  We live in the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world.   We are free to express our political beliefs, and we are free to express our religious beliefs.

   Those are all good reasons to consider today to be special.  One other reason, a very important reason, is one that our pastor reminds us of every Sunday—We are one day closer to being with our Savior, Jesus!.   That, in itself, makes this a very special day.  But I like the reason given in Psalm 118:24:  “This is the day the Lord has made….”  That’s reason enough to rejoice.  What are we supposed to do on this day that the Lord has made?  The Scripture makes it clear—“…rejoice and be glad in it.”  Should we be singing songs and saying “Praise the Lord!” all the time today?  Perhaps in our hearts we should be doing that.  I also believe it means that we should have a joyful attitude all today, treating others with respect and giving them reason to enjoy the day.  When possible, brighten someone’s day with a compliment or at least a smile.  And in our hearts we should take the opportunity to frequently think of our Lord and how much He loves us.  And when we do that, our hearts will be joyful and we will be thanking Him for all He has done.

Thank you, Lord, for this day.  I will rejoice and be glad in it! 

 

   

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  (Matthew 28:5-7,19 NIV)

   “He is risen!”

   “He is risen, indeed!”

   Wait, we are to say that on Easter Sunday, and this is the day after Easter.  We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday, but He is risen today also, and He is risen tomorrow, and He is risen all the tomorrows through eternity.  So, we can say every day, “He is risen!  He is alive!”   He has risen for all of forever.   He has forgiven all of our sins for all of forever.  He has prepared a place for us to live with Him for all of forever.  We declare His love for us for all of forever. 

THANK YOU, JESUS!  YOU ARE FAITHFUL!

 

The Sixth Sense

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.   But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16,17 NIV)

   The most obvious proof of God’s creation is what we experience when we look around us at nature.  There are many things in His creation that demonstrate God’s goodness to us.  One that we experience and appreciate every day is the five senses that He put into the human body.  We see, we hear, we smell, we taste, we feel the  beauty of this world.  He has given us the five refreshing senses so that we enjoy His creation, but He also gave them to us for our protection. 

   I enjoy the sight of a mountain range partially covered with snow, and I am enthralled by the myriad of stars I can see on a clear night.  Sight also protects me when I see a car speeding by as I am about to step off the sidewalk to cross the street.  

   Have you ever had the taste of fresh huckleberry pie with just picked huckleberries?   My aunt made the best huckleberry pie, probably because she had a huckleberry patch just behind her house.   Of course, the taste of cold watermelon on a hot summer day is also a treat.  The first bite of a sandwich made with meat that was improperly stored will probably keep you from at least an upset stomach later.

   The smell that accompanies a spring rain is refreshing.  It speaks of the joyful growth of spring and the coming beauty of flowers.  The smell of escaping gas in your home may well prevent a housefire, and the continued smell of exhaust gas  in your car is a warning that poisonous carbon monoxide gas may be present. 

   The Hallelujah Chorus sung by a full-voiced choir is inspiring, and the voice of Mahalia Jackson singing O Holy Night is a treat to the ear.  Handle’s Messiah played by a full orchestra always makes me rise to my feet.  God has certainly given us great pleasure in the music we hear.  Fire alarms save many lives each year by warning people to exit from burning buildings.

   A hug from my wife is a great joy.  I like hugs from my friends, too, but their hugs are not the same as a hug from my wife.   The touch of her hand on my cheek helps show her love for me.  My feeling of touch warns me when my hand gets too close to a fire or hot burner on the stove.  

   All of these are fantastic blessing we received when God created mankind.  There is one other sense that God has made available to us, and whether we use it or not is our choice.  That sense is not as easy to describe as are the other senses.   It’s the sense of the Holy Spirit.   When Jesus rose to heaven, He promised us a counselor, a helper—the Holy Spirit.  While the Holy Spirit is with us always, it is up to us to acknowledge Him.   I’ve heard someone describe the Holy Spirit as a gentleman, one who is always there, but also, one who will not force Himself on an individual.  He’s the voice of the Lord in my ear and in my heart.  Sometimes His presence is just a nudge to do something.  I usually do what the Holy Spirit says when He nudges me, but I don’t always know the reason.  Other times I know that I know that I know that there is something important for me to know or do.  Many times He has given me topics to write about.  I always appreciate that.  Several times He has even provided the wording.  That’s when I really need to listen closely.  

   This “Sixth Sense” is vital to my Christian life.  It is important for me to be open to hear from Him at all times. The Holy Spirit is part of our triune God—not less and not more than any other part.   The words of Psalm 46:10 tell me how to hear from Him:   “Be still and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world” (NLT).  Lord, I will be still and I will know that you are God.  Thank you, Father God, for giving us this counselor who reminds us of the words of Jesus.