Your Good Deeds Will not be Seen as Such

Ever wonder why it is that when good deeds are done, they are not seen as just that, good deeds? I know that I do and struggle with it on the regular. There seems to always this thought of other intent. Things are not just accepted as they are.

“¹After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. ²And David said, ‘I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.’ So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.” – 2 Samuel 10:1-2 (ESV)

Here we have an instance of the death of a king and David sent his servants to serve up his sympathy to the son. As we see things here, David was just being a good neighbor and showing support during a time of sorrow. We do not see any motives to the contrary, and isn’t that how things should be. Regardless of the dealings had with someone, in their time of sorrow, we should be gracious to them.

“³But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, ‘Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?’ 4So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away” – 2 Samuel 10:3-4 (ESV)

And there it is. Even as David sent his servants in good faith, they were accused of ill intent and dealt with as if it were true.

The evil one is constantly looking to undermine the work of the LORD. Where we do know that the LORD will prevail, the individual battles daily are going to go the way of the evil one from time to time. We have to know and be ready for the undermining activity of the evil one and work with and for the LORD to overcome. Even when our motives are as they appear, there will be doubt sewn in by the evil one and we will be dealt with as though we are to the contrary.

It is not easy in this world and the LORD never promised or even said that it would be. I have to remember that as I work to do the will of Him. I have work to do and I should be doing that work according to the instructions that He provides for me. I have to remember that no matter the thoughts of others, it is the work in the name of the LORD and I have to just do the work and move on to the next that God has for me. I have to know and understand that the evil one will always be there to distort the truth, but as the LORD is truth, He will prevail.

What is your view of doing the right thing? Are you seeing that your motives are undermined? What if you approached things to do the will of the LORD and know that He will prevail regardless of the way others see them?

Redeemed by Faith

This week a question came up in my discipleship group as we dove into redemption. As we are redeemed through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, what about those who cam before Christ, how were they redeemed? Well, the short answer is, through faith.

“²¹Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. ²²Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” – 2 Samuel 7:21-22 (ESV)

I was reminded that faith is a who word and not a what word. It is the LORD that redeems us. It is through Him alone. Faith is Him. Things are only guaranteed through Him. We may not know the full outcome, nor the route for that matter, but we are assured that He will provide.

“¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ²For by it the people of old received their commendation.” – Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV)

It is through faith, the LORD, that we received redemption. So, those before Christ were redeemed through faith.

To us here in this world, it is more complicated yet simple at the same time. We have come after Christ and are redeemed through His shed blood and resurrection. He took on all of our sin as His own, so that I would not have to deal with the consequence of that sin, death. So, that is the simple part, I only have to believe that He died for me and that without Him, I am not redeemed.

The complicated part is that it is not just a one time thing. Yes. I am saved and redeemed once, but I do not get a free pass after that. Redemption is not a box to be checked and I can get along with things. As I have been redeemed, I am to follow His commands and lead a life bringing glory and honor to Him. He has taken on my sin and shame and it is now up to me to follow Him wherever He leads me and to do whatever He has for me. I must have faith that His will be done always and forever, regardless of me.

Before Christ, the people were redeemed through faith that He was who He said He was and would do that which He said He would. After Christ, we are redeemed thanks to the shed blood and resurrection of Him and that He is who he says he is and does what he says He will.

What is your view of redemption? Are you looking for it from somewhere and see it as a task to be completed? What if you had faith that the LORD is who He says He is?

Follow the Direction of Elders

This morning I find myself in 1 Samuel looking through the passage of the anointment and proclamation of Saul as king. We have a situation where Saul is chosen and then anointed and then proclaimed to be king at the direction of Samuel from the LORD.

Saul was told how things would go down and he, Saul, only needed to heed the directions and it would all come about.

“⁶Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. ⁷Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” – 1 Samuel 10:6-7 (ESV)

Here we see that Samuel gave instruction and Saul would follow through with it. But these instructions did not just come from anyone. Samuel was the priest and revered in his work with the LORD. And therefore the instruction was coming from a trusted source and should be followed.

I find myself in a position of needing instruction. As a part of a discipleship group. I seek the advice and instruction from those in the group. The presumed leader of the group is one of our pastors with the church and therefore considered to be more in concert with the LORD as he is well studied and a teacher of God’s Word. I see him as an elder and look for instruction from him.

We should all find someone that we can listen to as a teacher and elder to follow. But, we have to be careful and identify the person of the LORD and not a person of great personality. It is easy to be swept up by the dynamics of the individual. It is not about the person, but about their understanding of the Word of God and how that applies to our lives individually. The instruction that comes from them should be for the glory of God and not for the glory of the person.

Once we have found the person to provide the instruction, it is up to us to follow that instruction and know that the LORD will provide, but in His due time and not our own.

Who are you listening to for instruction? Are you listening to your peers or those in similar situations as you? What if you found an elder and followed their instruction as led by the LORD?

Speak and Ask From the Heart

Ask of the LORD and He will provide. The thing is, that ask should be from the heart and not from the head. This morning I am reminded of this again as I read in the book of 1 Samuel.

“¹³Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard.” and “²⁰And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the Lord.’” – 1 Samuel 1:13 & 20 (ESV)

Hannah asked of the LORD from her heart and the He granted her ask. What a great God we have that He grants even the greatest of asks, for a child.

But, that ask was not for Hannah directly and was from the heart, and therefore the LORD was listening and granted the ask. When you review the rest of the passage we find that Hannah was asking for a child, yes, but she in her ask, she was also giving the child to the LORD, not just a gesture, but fully and completely to the LORD.

“¹¹And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’” and “²⁷For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. ²⁸Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” – 1 Samuel 1:11 & 27-28 (ESV)

Hannah asked for the child from the LORD with her heart and promised that when granted she would give the child to the LORD. This devotion to the LORD and not selfish ask is an example to me to do the same when asking of the LORD. I have to ask with my heart and with the intent to honor the LORD with the results of the LORD’s granting of my ask.

Where are your asks of the LORD coming from? Are they for your own selfish gain? What if you were to ask from the heart and devote to the LORD?

Devote to All the Family

“¹⁶But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return 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.’” – Ruth 1:16 (ESV)

Here we find Ruth declaring her full devotion to Naomi. It seems like this would be the easy and normal thing, to devote yourself to someone fully. But, the context of the devotion is even more telling. Ruth was the daughter-in-law to Naomi and her husband had died, as had the husband of Naomi and the other daughter-in-law Orpah. There was nothing keeping them all together as the custom was for the daughter-in-law to return to their family, and Orpah did. Ruth however, overcame the custom and the peer pressure and remained devoted to Naomi.

This is the devotion we are to have to one another. My wife and I are in our 50s at this point in our lives. We love one another and are devoted to one another. If something were to happen to me, I would not expect Lori to devote herself to my mother or family as she has those of her own and I am sure that she would not expect that of me either. But, the love we have for one another is not just for one another. We love our families as our families and Lori’s mother is mine and my mother is hers. We are devoted to one another’s families as we are to our own.

The same is the case in our lives with Christ. We are a son and daughter of Christ and are devoted to Him and our extended Christian family as we are to one another. I will go where the Father sends me and Lori will do the same. When it comes to our relationship with Christ, Ruth does put it best in verse 16 above.

What does your devotion look like? Are you committed for the short while? What if your were fully devote to one another and to the LORD as Ruth describes in verse 16 above?

Who will You Choose to Serve

What is at the top of your priority list? Monitory wealth, health, fun, family, God, work? What is it that when listed out, falls at the top of the list? This is what you serve. It is a misconception that you can have it both ways. We are only able to serve one and that would be the one at the top of the list.

“²⁴No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

Notice in the title of this post I have mentioned the idea of choosing. Yes, you and I have the ability to choose what is at the top of the list of priorities to serve. The list I mentioned is just a short one and is not all inclusive, but serves to show that there are lots of competing priorities in our lives. It is up to us to choose the one that is at the top of the list.

“¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

Here Joshua is speaking with the people of Israel and advising them of service. They have come in contact with a number of gods over their time and lineage. He is not telling them they “have” to follow the LORD. He is advising that they do have free will to choose. But, their choice should be made and they should not be uncommitted to one or the other, while providing for them his choice to serve the LORD.

We likewise have the choice. The LORD provided us with free will. He allowed for you and me to choose from all of those competing priorities in our lives. Where they are important, they all cannot be the most important thing, for if they are all of the same importance then none of them are of importance at all. There must be that one that is found at the top of the list that we will ultimately serve regardless of the other priorities that come up.

I choose to serve the LORD and will rely on Him for all. Yes, I will continue to have other things that are on my list, but regardless of what those are, they fall 2^nd and below to my service to the LORD. I know that my service to the LORD will lead to that grand inheritance in heaven and that what He has for me in this world comes as a result of my service to Him.

What do you choose? Are you looking at all of your priorities and placing one at the top of the list? What if you were to choose to serve the LORD first and foremost and placed all the rest of your priorities 2^nd and below on the list?

Even Late in the Game, There is More to Do

I have long believed that one should give everything they have at all times. In sports, even in a blowout, both teams should give 100% all the way to the final bell. It might be with the third team players, but those third team players should be give 100%.

This was the LORD’s approach with his work as well. Noah was around 500 yrs old when he started building the ark. Abraham was 100 yrs old when Isaac was born. Moses was 80 yrs old when he was called by God. And Joshua was old as the LORD indicated to Him there was more to do.

“¹Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.” – Joshua 13:1 (ESV)

The LORD will continue calling on us regardless of our age or season in this world. I find myself at this point to be in my 50s. Where I am not old by the standards of the age, I am not young either. But, the LORD is not through with me. I have more work to do that I am not even aware of at this point. I even have plenty of time to do the work (the LORD may have 100 more years in store for me). The thing is that no matter where I am in the game, I have to continue working as the LORD has more for me to accomplish. I have to give 100% to the final bell.

How much are you giving to the final bell? Do you find yourself letting up as you get older? What if you took the approach that there is always more to accomplish in God’s plan and that He is not through with you just yet?

The LORD is with Me Just as He was with Those Before Me

This morning I am reminded that the LORD is with me. Not just with me, but with me as He was with those that came before me. I am take back to the night that 3 men of the church came to the home of Lori and I. We sat in the living room talking and they conducted an interview of Lori and me for the role of deacon of the church. These men were deacons themselves and, of age, they were of a generation before me. Lori and I were taken aback at the thought of us being deacons for the church. We were not of a “right old age”. We did not see ourselves as spectacularly known members of the community. We were ordinary children of God doing the work He had for us when it was presented to us. But God had a plan for us.

“⁵No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” – Joshua 1:5 (ESV)

You see, God would be with us as He was with those who came to our home. God knew the status of our heart and that we were ready to begin His work in the church. And He knew that we were mature in Him even when we did not know it ourselves. He had prepared us for this time and was with us the whole time. The deacons before us were wise and tested. They were, in some cases the same men from when I was a bed baby in the church. I had learned from them and had demonstrated to them through my actions, that I and we were servants of the LORD. We were not doing so for our own gain, but for the good of the church.

The LORD was using Lori and I in ways that we were not even aware at the time. So the LORD made it so that we would be leaders in role and not just action for Him. He brought us to the role He had for us and at the time when was good for He, the church, and us. The LORD would be with us from before that time, during that time, and into today.

As for today, the LORD is still with us. Lori is the reliable servant in the children’s department at our church. I am now the generation before those in my discipleship group. We are those of before, demonstrating the LORD being with that the LORD will be with those who come after us.

It is quite something to see and experience that Lori and I are now those who are preparing those who come after us. Where I do not see us as being the mature brother and sister in Christ, I do see where those that come after us will look to us for guidance as they grow in Christ themselves. It is now our role to let them know that the LORD will be with them just as He is with us.

What are your thoughts on your station in the LORD? Are you wondering if the LORD is or will be with you? What if you took it upon you that the LORD will be with you just as He is/was with those that came before you?

The LORD Provides Leaders

Yes, the LORD will provide the leaders of the church and elsewhere.

“¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” – Deuteronomy 18:18 (ESV)

The people of Israel had Moses to lead them out of Egypt. As his time grew to an end, the LORD let known that He would provide leadership for them afterward. This leader would come from the people and he would speak the Word of the LORD as Moses did.

This demonstrates that God has a plan for us and will provide what we need, when we need. In this case the need would be leadership. God chose the next leader for the people prior to the need for him to take over. This would allow for the smooth and efficient transition from Moses to the next and it would all be as he LORD had intended.

I have experienced this myself a number of years ago. I was a member of the pastor search committee in our church. As committee members, we had reviewed all the applicants and even went to visit one at his current church. After offering to position, he turned us down. We continued to pray that God would provide the right pastor for his church and we kept coming back to the one. So we contacted him and he accepted. This was the man provided by God for our church when we needed him.

The LORD does not just provide for our physical needs. He provides for all of our needs. His provision even extends into the people needed in our lives.

When was the last time someone was provided for you? Are you even aware that the LORD will provide even the right people? What if you gave yourself fully to the LORD with the knowledge that He will provide all that you need when you need, even the people you need?

We are Chosen

Chosen as the people of God.

“⁶For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 7:6 (ESV)

Here we see the designation of chosen to the Israelite people. They were chosen to receive the promised land and were blessed beyond what they could imagine.

“¹³He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.” – Deuteronomy 7:13 (ESV)

As the chosen of the LORD, there was bounty given. And the people would experience great. The journey to this point was long and hard and those who were rescued from Egypt gave way to their families to come to experience the promised land. But, as the chosen people, the Israelite people would receive the LORD’s bounty.

And we are God’s chosen people as well. We all have the opportunity to accept Christ as our savior and when we do, we are added as heirs in heaven.

“¹³For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” – Romans 10:13 (ESV)

And yes, we ALL have the opportunity. We are chosen by God to receive His gift of salvation and we will receive His bounty. We have to reach out and ask for the gift and then not only are we given it, but we have to receive it. In other words I have to be sincere and treasure the gift of salvation and devote myself to the LORD in return.

When I do accept the gift of salvation and devote myself to the LORD, as the Israelite people were instructed, I will receive the gift fully. It will be demonstrated that I have been chosen by the LORD as His and my reward will be great.

We are chosen to be the people of God. We do however have to accept the gift of salvation for that to be demonstrated to the world. Wholly and fully we are to accept Him and devote ourselves to Him, and we are rewarded.

What is your thought on being chosen? Are you know that you are chosen? What if you looked at it from the perspective that you are chosen, but you do have to ask for salvation, and then receive the gift fully to demonstrate that you are chosen?