“Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat” (1 Chronicles 21.20 NKJV).

King David’s reign had become mighty, and he decided to take a census of Israel against God’s wishes. Since censuses have been done in the past without dire consequences, it could be assumed that David’s motives instigating this particular census found in 1 Chronicles 21 and in 2 Samuel 24 were not pure. Pride was probably the main motivator of this census, and God sent an angel to destroy Israel (21.15). David wasn’t the only one who saw the angel standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn over Jerusalem (21.16). Ornan the Jebusite (Jebusites originally built Jerusalem before they were conquered by the Israelites) saw the angel. Ornan (aka Araunah) was threshing wheat (separating the edible grain from the inedible chaff) on his threshing floor upon the top of Mount Moriah (the place that Abraham took Isaac for the foreshadowing sacrifice of Jesus). Ornan’s four sons who were threshing with him ran and hid from the angel, but Ornan continued his work of threshing. He didn’t let fear stop him from what he was called to do. Since Ornan was threshing, he was able to offer David the wood, the animals and the location for the sacrifice that would eventually sheath the angel’s sword. Ornan was paid greatly for his land (that eventually would become the site for God’s temple built by Solomon) and his name would be recorded in history. Our lives are intertwined by the lives of others; and we may see and feel the consequences of their mistakes. However, if our motives and hearts are pure, we do not have hide from God. God will protect us within life’s storms; and if we diligently continue the work that He has called us to, trusting His will for our lives and not fearing the storms around us, our work will be rewarded.

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love” (1 John 4.18 NLT).

In graduate school, I was required to tutor a person learning English as a Second Language (ESL). I decided to talk with the local ESL teacher, and she allowed me to sit in a few of her classes. I befriended a beautiful woman from Vietnam. She and her husband owned a convenient store. Her husband spoke English fairly well because he ran the cash register and had to communicate with the customers. However, since she spent most of her time in the back of the store taking care of her home and family, her English was underdeveloped.

We met a few times before class and decided that I would start visiting her weekly at her convenient store. I eagerly wanted to help my new friend with her English, and I would try different methods of teaching her during each of our first sessions. Once, I brought a children’s book with me and read it to her, but I could tell it didn’t really make sense. Another time I brought the game Scrabble, but that was too advanced. I tried several other activities and curriculum, but none of them seemed to help her communicate better.

Finally, I found myself sitting with my friend face-to-face, listening to stories of her life and to the thoughts bubbling up in her heart. I was patient with her broken English and gave her loads of positive verbal and nonverbal cues. I allowed her plenty of time to collect her thoughts and express her feelings in a language so different from her own. As the weeks and months passed by, my friend’s language improved and her confidence in communicating greatly increased. She felt comfortable talking with me, and her sense of security advanced her English language skills.

One of the stories my friend told me in her much improved English made a deep impression on me. The story took place when she was pregnant with her twin boys four years earlier. She was new to America and she didn’t know any English. She needed to make a doctor’s appointment at the large city hospital, but she wound up weeping outside on one of the building’s steps. She couldn’t read any of the signs. She couldn’t speak with any of the employees. She didn’t know where to go; and she felt lost, alienated and desperate for someone to understand and support her.

And I wonder if many new Christians feel like this. They begin a relationship with Christ and are suddenly plunged into this strange and amazing world of salvation. They don’t know the Christian lingo and they have trouble expressing their thoughts and feelings about faith. They may feel lost, alienated and desperate for someone to understand and support them. All they really need is someone to come alongside of them and help them find their footing in this new walk of faith.

I think the best thing we can do for new Christians is to sit with them—face-to-face—and listen to them with encouragement and reassurance. We can offer them the abundant grace and mercy that God has given us, so they can learn to feel comfortable and confident in their faith. Before all the curriculum, activities and expectations, we need to help them establish their security in Christ. And the best way to do this is to show them the same love Christ shows us.

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13.34-35 NLT).

Lately, I’ve taken up cycling at the gym. I really enjoy my Spin Class because I can zone out and let me brain relax. I’m not going anywhere on my stationary bike, so I don’t have to worry about my surroundings. I just pick up the speed, change my gears and sit and stand when my instructor tells me to. By the time I leave, my body and mind are purged and refreshed.

By now I’ve learned my settings for the different terrain scenarios we ride. I know what gears I need to take it easy, to race and to pedal standing. I can gage my body and energy level and push myself to make the ride hard or relax on the gears and make my ride easy.  One particular day, I decided that I was going to take my cycling workout to the next level. I wanted to increase my gears by 1 or 2 points during every song, so I could raise the intensity of my ride and test my endurance.

When the music started, I noticed that my normal “ride easy” gear was tough. I felt like I was in my racing gear. Then when I set my racing gear, I felt like I was in my climbing gear. Not only could I not set new highs for my gear settings, I had to back off on the gears just to be able to finish each ride. By the end of the course, I was worn out and disappointed. I wondered if I had lost some stamina over the weekend.

I talked to one of the ladies who had been taking the Spin Class for years about my frustrating ride. She smiled with understanding and quickly explained that a few of the bikes’ gears were not working properly. She said that the gear settings were off and that they needed to be fixed by the equipment specialist. I felt a little relieved, but I wanted to wait until my next class to guarantee that it wasn’t my stamina that was the problem.

Two days later, I made sure to get on another bike. I tested my normal gear settings, and discovered that the woman was right: the bike I rode earlier was off—way off! I decided to push myself during that Spin Class and broke all my previous gear setting highs. It was so nice to see an honest display of how much I have improved.

As I finished the class, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me something important. It wasn’t really said in words; instead, He imparted some of His understanding into my heart. What I discovered is that as Christians, God’s favor and grace automatically places us on higher gears. While everyone trudges through life without the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 16.13) and the renewed mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2.16), Christians have an intrinsic wind that pushes and directs them on a life of purpose, power and meaning….if they are willing to seek and receive it.

I believe that if Christians were to seek God daily and bring all their thoughts, decisions and actions to His throne, God would place us on the fastest, surest and strongest path to achieving our destiny. We would lose all idle time and fully embrace each day that He has given us. And as we spend time with God, we will realize that our purest joy is found in our intimacy with Him. We will fully understand how blessed we are to have an eternal relationship with our Creator who loves and enjoys us. And every day will be filled with hope and joy because our sins have been cleansed by Jesus who died to give us eternal life with God.

 “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins” (Ephesians 1.7 NLT).

I Got Your Back

“Then he said, ‘If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you’” (1 Chronicles 9.12 NKJV).

king David’s men were about to go to war; however, David’s military leader, Joab, discovered that “the battle line was against him before and behind” (1 Chronicles 19.10). In a nutshell, the army of God’s Chosen People was surrounded. Instead of running away in fear and declaring defeat, Joab divided his soldiers into two units, and each division fought a different enemy. Before the soldiers began their campaign, however, Joab commanded that if one division of soldiers fell behind, the other division would help them. In life, God leads us into battles and calls us to overcome difficult situations. Many times these battles are so overwhelming that we can’t fight victoriously alone. We use up all our strength, willpower, resources and faith; but still we feel like we are falling behind. We need a Holy Spirit inspired person, group or resource to come along side of us and help us defeat our enemies. Sometimes the world looks down on people who ask for help. Somehow, seeking outside guidance and/or assistance is seen as weakness or faithlessness. But the truth is that if we are doing God’s will, admitting when we need help is a sign of strength and understanding. Life is too short to live in constant defeat. Instead of feeling like we have to overcome every obstacle ourselves, we need to look around us at the people and resources God has provided to help us claim our victory.

“Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight” (1 Chronicles 9.13 NKJV).

A language that is actively being spoken transforms. Only dead languages, like Latin, stay the same as the years roll by. English is no different. There is a remarkable difference between Chaucer’s Old English, Shakespeare’s Early Modern English and today’s English. New English words are being formed every year, especially with the advancement of technology. Words unheard of less than ten years ago, like Blog, Tweet and Wi-Fi, are now commonplace.

As language is being used, the pronunciation of words also changes. The vowel sounds shift and some vowels become long, while others become silent. Groupings of consonances begin to take on unique articulations, and words no longer sound the same. To compensate, teachers and grammarians make up little rules to help their learners understand the different sounds. But the fact is that “e” doesn’t really make the “a” long, and people once pronounced the “ght” in “knight” (sounds like your are clearing your throat).Our language morphed into something different to embrace the people communicating it.

For this reason, people say that language is a living thing. The same is true for God’s Living Word, the Bible. Yes, the stories were written thousands of years ago, but there is something living and active about the words tucked in between Genesis and Revelation. Originally written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament), the Bible has renewed itself in fresh ways (at times with much difficulty and persecution) to embrace the people currently communicating on this earth.

Even though the Bible has changed from King James Version to the multitude of versions and languages we have today, the heart of the Bible is still the same. The Bible is about a Creator in love with His Creation and willing to do anything—including dying for the sins that separate Him from His beloved—to draw them into relationship with Him for eternity. And language, diction, grammar, spelling and vocabulary will not stop God from reaching those He prizes most–US!

Jesus loves you is such a simple phrase, but this little phrase is the scarlet thread woven through the entire Bible. Therefore, when you read every Psalm, Proverb, Narrative, Parable and Prophecy, just remember that phrase: Jesus loves you. The Holy Spirit in every Christian is an amazing teacher, and He will help you through the grammar, spelling and pronunciation, so you can read the Heart of God and believe His Word.

Questions: How has Holy Spirit appllied the anciet stories of the Bible to your life recently? How are the promises in God’s Word still relevant to you today?

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4.12 KJV).

 

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As I sat in church before the music started, I looked down at my white washed denim jeans. A two inch square sticker with a combination of letters and numbers clung to my pants just above my knee. This piece of insignificant paper represented my three children who were enjoying Children’s Church and learning about Jesus. I would need to give this sticker to the children volunteers in order to collect my lovely little ones after the service.

My eyes would travel down to this sticker every now and then during the one hour of worship and preaching, and I found it ironic that such a feeble thing could possibly symbolize the little souls that I would sacrifice my life to love, care for and protect.

The comparison between the lives entrusted to me and the label on my jeans was laughable; yet, the system of dropping off and picking up kids was necessary for establishing a safe and peaceful environment for both the parents and children at church. Without this system, church would be chaotic and very little learning and growth would occur. Everything that produces something of significance (relationships, family, home, work, government and life) must have an established system in place for positive movement to occur.

As I stared at my sticker, I thought of the prayer of salvation that I whispered when I was fifteen years old. Two college students came to our small youth group one weekend and led a little revival. I don’t know exactly what I said, but I know that something supernatural was opened in my life. My words were feeble and insignificant, yet they unlocked the most beautiful and amazing gift available to all of us: An intimate relationship with our Creator.

Many people have difficulty entering into a relationship with God because they can’t grasp how simple the system of salvation is. Before all the theology theory and religious discourse there is simply a need – a need for meaning, significance, purpose, love, forgiveness, wholeness and truth. There is a person who sits up one day and realizes that there has to be more to life than living and dying. And whether they confess this need with the mouth of their body, mind or spirit; God takes hold of this symbolic whisper and opens the doors to His grace, favor, love, forgiveness and Spirit.

Jesus did all the work. All we need to do is believe and receive.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10.9 NLT).

I thoroughly enjoyed 42, the movie based on Jackie Robinson’s first two years as America’s first black ballplayer on an all white team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. I admired the raw faith that was captured in the real-life plot of the movie, and I greedily ate up the multitude of parallels to God’s Word. However, the theme that resounded heaviest in my heart was that sometimes God uses our hardships to accomplish His greater good.

God will use our pain, our heartache and our difficulty to break open the doors of limits, so we can run in the fields of His Promise. God allows only the strong to endure this process because only they can maintain the patience, fortitude, resilience and humility required to take God’s plan to the finish line.

Jackie Robinson was a man of strength, and His obedience and reliance on God transformed a nation. I applaud him and people like him who are willing to take hits from this world in order to accomplish the mighty work of God.

1) The Problem – In 1946 America is still knee-deep in racial fear and segregation. Since baseball is iconic for American pride, desegregation of this sport is crucial to Americans taking a big step towards racial equality.

2) The Call – The Brooklyn Dodgers’ manager, Branch Rickey, has a God-given burden to step up and fight against racial prejudice. He has a plan, but He knows that Enemy’s forces on every side will rise up to stop him. He has the platform to set the stage for change, but he needs someone with talent and heart to break through racial barriers.

3) The Heart – Jackie Robinson has a passion for social justice. He grew up in a fatherless home; but with God’s help and self-determination, he has established himself as a man of moral integrity, intelligence, talent and resolve. He will prove to be a dynamic influence, confronting racial prejudices in America with humility and grace. He willingly accepts the heat of racial prejudice, which God transforms into powerful energy of His love, truth and justice.

4) The Temptation – Ben Chapmen is used as the Enemy’s pawn to be the pinnacle of attacks directed toward Jackie Robinson. With his slanderous racial slurs, he spews the Enemy’s hate and aversion to anyone aggressively demonstrating God’s love and acceptance to His people. Jackie Robinson chooses not to fight back on the same low-blow level, and God is able to redeem the racial abuse by creating nationwide compassion for the cause of racial justice.

5) The Glory – Jackie Robinson acquires the respect and admiration of everyone around him, initiating a breakdown of preconceived racial stereotypes. Not only does He lead his team on a winning streak to the World Series, he leads America further on a winning path to racial equality. God’s glory is demonstrated through the lives of Jackie and Rachel Robinson, Branch Ricky, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the many others who took a stand of faith. Finally, a nation is changed and history is made. God’s glory shines!

My daughter loves to pick me flowers. I have to watch her as we walk our church’s lawn, because she will pick the beautifully landscaped flower bushes along the way. I have taught her that she can’t pick flowers outside our gym, neighbor’s house or at the store. But at home, she is able to pick flowers to her heart’s content.

Since spring has begun, she has brought me several sweet bouquets of wild flowers from a nearby field and cultured flowers from our hibiscus bushes. One day I was sitting at my computer typing, and my daughter came in with two huge hibiscus flowers.

The broad blossoms wore a brilliant scarlet shade and their petals opened wide like soup bowls. They adorned my plain brown desk with a cheerful touch of the warmer season. I glanced at them every now and then, recalling little images of my daughter’s precious face and letting my love for her simmer into my awareness.

When I came back to my desk later that night, I couldn’t believe how much my crimson blooms had changed. Instead of opened and brilliant, they had become dull and narrow. Each teardrop petal had folded inward, until the entire blossom had transformed into an unnoticeable, thin piece of organic material.

The metamorphosis that took place in only a few short hours was disheartening, and I couldn’t believe the pitiful flowers on my desk were the same vivid ones that my daughter had gifted me earlier.

The Holy Spirit whispered to me, “That’s what happens to my children when they disconnect from me.”

When we stay rooted in God, our lives are wide open and receptive to Him. We absorb all His goodness and share the luster of His glory wherever we go. However, if we disconnect from His presence and purpose, we begin to focus on ourselves. Our lives fold inward into selfishness and pride, and we lose sight of the greater meaning of our existence.

It is far too easy to push off spending time with God and His Word. Life gets busy and daily responsibilities take precedence. Before we know it, we have become so self-focused that we we’ve forgotten to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit shrivel, and we wonder why we have lost our peace, joy and hope.

But unlike the closed hibiscus, we can tap back into God’s abundance at any time. Our bloom can reopen to God’s Spirit, and our lives will once again produce spiritual fruit. Life is too valuable to waste it away as a closed hibiscus bloom. Taking time each day to spend with God will keep our lives radiant and meaningful, and we will add a touch of His splendor to the world around us.

Questions: How can you rearrange your schedule each day to spend time with God?

“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35.1 NKJV).

 

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“He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matthew 17.20 NIV).

A dear friend of mine gave me a faith necklace. The pendant strung on the slender rope of silver was a little glass jar with a single mustard seed in it. The gift was a beautiful symbol of Matthew 17.20, which contains Jesus’ words about having faith of a mustard seed. I greatly valued this necklace because it came from my spiritual sister, and it became a rock of remembrance for me about my own faith journey.

Several months later, I wore the necklace to a family gathering. As I was talking to one of my nieces, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to give it to her. I hesitated at first because the necklace was a gift, but I realized that my friend who gave it to me had paid forward countless possessions to others as the Holy Spirit directed. However, I also didn’t want to give the necklace away because it was a tangible affirmation of my faith.

In the end, I surrendered to the Holy Spirit’s leading. I had learned by now that God always blesses acts of faith, whether large or small, and His love is more valuable than the most priceless pieces of jewelry. I gave the necklace to my niece and explained to her that God wanted her to have it. Not only did she like the necklace, I believe the gesture poured greatly into her self-worth as a daughter of God. Through my obedience, God was able to show my niece a portion of His abounding love for her.

In the past, I would have researched this necklace and exhausted my time and energy trying to recoup what I had given away; but this time I placed the ball in God’s court. If He wanted me to have my faith necklace back, He would have to provide it by His power and in His timing.

A few month’s later, I received a shipment of party supplies for my daughter’s fourth birthday party. To my surprise, I found a package that did not belong with my order. I opened it up and in the plastic wrap were six brand new glass jar pendants, exactly like the one I had given away. I couldn’t believe it! I quickly read the order to see what happened and discovered that the store was giving away a free gift from some of their surplus items. It seemed that they had enough jars to spare, and my little seed of faith had multiplied.

I was able to bless five other people with a faith necklace. In particular, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to send one of them to my mentor who started a ministry in another town.  She called me several days later weeping. Her faith had run low with many devastating blows to her ministry, and she needed God to affirm her faith steps. That night after she prayed, she opened her mailbox to find my faith necklace with a tiny faith seed in it. I explained in my note that I just wanted to thank her for always being such faith warrior and godly role model for me.

I know this is a small example of God’s amazing system of faith, but every time you make a sacrifice for God and His Kingdom, according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, God will multiply it. The results may not be mailed to you directly, but they will materialize in real and exciting ways.

 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9.6-8 NIV).

Uzza’s Hand

“And when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand on to the ark; and he died there before God” (1 Chronicles 13.9-10 NKJV).

David, his commanders and almost all of Israel were celebrating the beginning of David’s kingship over the entire kingdom of Israel (previously, David ruled only Judah). King David sent out men to go find and invite all the people who weren’t with them celebrating in Jerusalem. Once everyone was in attendance, David commanded music to be sung and played on a variety of instruments because they were going to bring the Ark of the Covenant (God’s presence and glory) back to the Chosen People! However, on the way one man, Uzza, touched the Ark and died from the consequences. Although not much is known about Uzza, two things can be gleaned. First, Uzza did not have reverence for the Lord and His commandments. He directly disobeyed God’s rules on how to move the Ark of the Covenant as listed in Numbers 4.5-6 and Numbers 15. The priest built poles, so that the Ark could be transported without being touched by human hands. Second, Uzza’s name means strength and the word “hand” comes from the Hebrew word, Yad, which also means strength. Therefore, Uzza represents a person walking in his own authority using his own strength to steer the presence and glory of God. As Christian, we desire the fullness of God’s presence and glory in our lives, but this yearning must be anchored to our obedience to His commands and our submission to His authority. We can’t expect God’s fullness in our lives when we disobey His Word and walk in our own strength. If we want to taste all the good that God has for us, maybe we should start embracing the Protection of His laws and the Provision of His Sovereignty.

“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Ecclesiastes 12.13 NLT).