When God is Truly in It

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2 Samuel 6:14-15

New International Version

Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

For Encouragement

When we do things well, there is joy, and if it is in God’s vineyard, He pours abundant grace to bless our care and obedience in respecting His holiness. It shows we revere Him. Heaven responds favorably, the earth rejoices, and His people serve with open hearts. Godly praise and thanksgiving fill our hearts and mouths, transforming our worship for our Savior’s glory. So, allow your imagination to feast on the procession that finally brought the Ark to Jerusalem, a testament to God’s grace and our reverence for His holiness.

David, having learned from the tragic death of Uzzah, whom God struck down for touching the Ark (2 Samuel 6:6-7), made a significant change. He assigned the Levites their God-given roles, and they carried the ark, as God had designated, instead of a cart (1 Chronicles 15:1-3). This time, life reigned instead of death. God’s presence charged the atmosphere, and there was an overwhelming sense of joy. The music, the sacrifices, the dancing—all glorified the Lord. David’s obedience to God’s directives in reverence for His holiness led to a transformational experience.

David’s transformation was nothing short of remarkable. His previous neglect had caused him much pain and fear when God struck down Uzzah.

“How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?”

Terrified, David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months (10-11). The Lord blessed Obed-Edom. Report of this awakened David and snapped him out of his fear. This experience led to a profound change in his attitude towards worship and reverence. Humbled, he obeyed the Lord by doing the right thing the second time amid celebration (1 Chronicles 15:1-3). He danced with exhilaration in God’s presence with abandon – a dance his wife, Michal, Saul’s daughter, frowned upon to her regret (2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23).

It is a dangerous path to scorn the worship of the Most High. God’s glory should inspire us to surrender in praise, not defiance. It is not distasteful for God’s children to lose themselves in praise and worship, to be so fully immersed in their devotion that they forget the world around them, acknowledging His worth and reverence. Christ, and He alone, deserves our all in worship.

As believers, this should instill in us a profound sense of respect and consideration for others’ unique expressions of joy in worship, acknowledging God’s holiness. We must admit each person’s worship as a personal and sacred experience.

Don’t Be Distracted – Just Follow Me

John 21:19

New International Version

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

For Encouragement

Bravado, denial, disillusionment, fallback to old ways, failure, and disappointment—Simon Peter knew this road well and traveled it for gold medal. However, that was not his lot in life. Jesus had much more for the man He had prepared to lead His church. So, in the early morning in one of His post-resurrection appearances on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus met him and his friends, disappointed and wallowing in failure after a futile all-night fishing trip. Jesus refreshed them over broiled fish and bread for breakfast, after which He restored Peter. The way He did it must have brought into sharp focus Peter’s personal weaknesses, and conveyed to him his need for divine enablement to succeed in his assigned responsibilities.

The Lord’s repeated question to Simon was penetrating. “Simon, son of John. Do you love me?” (John 21:15, 16, 17).

Peter’s first two responses were sincere but not convincing (15, 16). Guilt can weaken a man’s confidence, but thank God He knows the integrity of our hearts.

In each response, Christ gave Peter a charge and mandate. For the third time, Jesus repeated His question, “Do you love me?” He had been with the Lord for three years, so he understood the Lord’s repeated question. They revealed his vulnerability despite his gallantry, and that hurt him. It is painful when someone says something that highlights our weakness.

Peter surrendered his weakness to Jesus.

Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.

How else could he express it, and isn’t that what the Lord expects from us—to surrender our weaknesses to Him? (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“Jesus said, Feed my sheep.”

Peter has his commission now and is almost rejoicing in his heart, but there is more for him. Jesus told him the way he would die, not a pretty way to die, but reminiscent of how He, Jesus, died. Then He added a command:

“Follow me!” (19).

This command has loads of reminders and hope. Jesus was telling Peter:

“I have tread victoriously on the path I am calling you to journey with me. I know the pain and suffering that would challenge you, but I know how to conquer them and move you to higher grounds, and I will see you through. Please don’t go ahead of me and don’t retreat in cowardice again. Just follow me. But I also know your tendency towards distraction as on the sea-walk with me (Matthew 14:28-31). Your show of bravado in Gethsemane was also a showoff and unnecessary, as I told you (John 18:10-11). This call is serious business, so don’t blow it, Peter. Follow me!

With a pounding heart, Peter follows the Lord for a beach stroll. He hears some familiar footsteps behind them. It is John following them, and in sheer curiosity asks,

Lord, what about him?

Oh, Peter! Peter!

Did you hear the Lord a few minutes ago warning about distractions? But we are so much like Peter. We concern ourselves more with other people’s matters than our own, which are screaming for attention. As the Lord said, leave that to me, Peter. It’s not your concern.

His message today as His disciples is: Don’t get entrapped by distractions. Just follow me with your eyes fastened on me, for I am the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith, and you will ride with me into victory .

Shalom

Prioritizing the Honor Due Jesus

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John 5:12

New International Version – UK

So they asked him, ‘Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’

For Meditation

His healing was instant and otherworldly. Who commands a human body to attention and wholeness like the Carpenter from Nazareth? His word had healed the man. He could go home to live an everyday life like he did before his predicament, but was it the goal of his healing? What about the man who healed him?

Jesus, in His mercy and grace, had purposefully come to the pool to heal this man. He chose not to heal anyone else. This was a profound privilege for the man, a cause for immense joy and deep thankfulness.

The day Jesus healed the man was a Sabbath, and the law of the Pharisees and Sanhedrin forbade carrying a burden. Picking his mat infringed on the Sabbath law, he therefore faced inquisition. So they asked him,

“Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk (12)?”

The man was in a state of perplexity. He could not comprehend Jesus, as He had slipped away from them. This leaves us with a mystery, inviting us to ponder over the man’s character and his encounter with Jesus at the temple later on.

Grace had healed him, and grace had more to do with his life, so the Lord warned him.

See, you are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you (14).

You would think the man would go down at Jesus’s feet and thank Jesus for His grace that healed him, but he didn’t. Instead, he ran to the authorities and reported Jesus to them. Pleasing the authorities over the temple and its worship system became his priority instead of the Person the entire Levitical worship system represented. As Paul said in his exalted prosecution of humankind in his Epistle to the Romans:

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:25).

How much time do we commit to deepening our relationship with Jesus, our Savior, to commend Him to others by our lives and word?

The man was so preoccupied with pleasing the authorities that he missed a crucial opportunity. He failed to prioritize knowing and worshiping the Creator before whom he stood. This scenario, unfortunately, is all too familiar in our churches today. We often prioritize our leaders and the traditions we’ve established, neglecting the true worship of the Lord of the church.

The world asks us the same question the Jewish leaders asked the man: Who is the fellow who told you to get up, pick up your mat, and walk from your sin paralysis? Can we give a testimony that articulates the identity of Jesus to the inquiring world?

Let us pause and consider: have we spent enough time with Jesus, knowing Him and reflecting His image to the world? This is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves.

Refocus for Your Healing

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John 5:7

New International Version – UK

‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’

For Encouragement

They gathered expectantly at the pool of Bethesda; a place believed to have healing powers. The angels were said to stir the water, and the first person to enter the pool after this stirring would be healed. Unfortunately, not all received their healing. Imagine the anticipation and struggle of the people and the disappointment that swept through the significant number of disabled— “the blind, the lame, [and] the paralyzed” (John 5:4).

The race to get in was a classic survival of the fittest among the disabled. How could this man, an invalid for thirty-eight years get ahead of this pack that included man relatively strong people like the deaf, dumb, leprous, or partially sighted?

Jesus walks in one day, and learns of the man’s condition, and asks him:

“Do you want to get well?”

The Lord always asks a question from a completely informed position. Nothing eludes His Omniscience. He asks only to focus the recipient’s attention on Him and incite faith for a miracle.

The man’s response was a classic blame game, revealing the heart that does not look within itself for clues and guidance but blames everybody for its circumstances.

‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’

Step back for a second and observe the man’s argument. Yes, he wants to get well. That’s why he has stationed himself at the pool to wait for the angel’s visitation, which he considered his only hope for healing. However, the obstacles overwhelm him every time the pool gets stirred. Worse of all, people are selfish and inconsiderate.

“So don’t blame me, mister whoever you are.”

The man’s response echoes in the valley of despair everywhere these days, but how refreshing the mercy and grace of God in Christ.

Jesus did not rebuke the man, but just said,

“Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (8).

These words, spoken with authority and love, transformed the man’s life in an instant, a demonstration of the power of Jesus to heal and restore.

Isn’t it sweet?

When you become overwhelmed and frustrated, the Prince of Peace says, take your eyes from the human objects of your hope and expectation. I am the Healer you have waited for, with the wrong focus all these years, and now I have come. Have faith in my word, and it will heal you.

Now, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

The waiting was over. Anxiety had seized. Joy had replaced disappointment and frustration. After thirty-eight years, the invalid was whole again because the Savior intervened, and he will for you. This transformation, from a life of suffering and despair to one of joy and wholeness, is a testament to the power and love of Jesus.

So, stop worrying that nothing is working for you, and look to the Savior in you to bring glory to the Father in your situation. Yield to Him by faith and receive mercy and grace for a miracle in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Shalom

If You Think You’re Standing

Luke 22:31-32

New International Version

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

For Meditation

The schemes of the devil are subtle and ensnaring. Without the Lord, we have no chance against them.

We feel spiritually solid and impregnable because we know our word and pray. People recognize our spiritual vitality and maturity. They respond with respect and come to us for counseling. When the allegation came against that brother for sexual impropriety, who else could they appoint to lead the investigation than us?

We breeze through the case without mercy. “How could he do such a thing after the Pastor’s excellent teaching and recent sermon series? And he is not even repentant enough.” So, we recommend the harshest disciplinary action and move on.

Sometime later, you travel on business. A meeting lingers, and you dine late and alone in the dimly lit hotel restaurant. The lady across from your table sends you an occasional parcel of smiles. You pay no attention at first, but she persists. You sit there with confidence and give her a cocky smile in response, “Not me, lady! Go get one of your types somewhere.”

The next day, you are on a flight home, lost in your thoughts. “How did it happen? How can I face my wife today? Do I have the guts to confess it? How will the church react if they hear about it?”

The fact is, we are very human and weak in this world without our Savior. We will always fall until we acknowledge this and humble ourselves under His Sovereign protection and constant intercession (Rm. 8:34). Pride is our worst enemy. Still, we can hardly believe we are swimming in its warm pool.

Follow the discourse of Jesus with the disciples at the Last Supper table with me as Dr. Luke tells the story, and let’s observe some things together.

Jesus warned the disciples against the leadership style of the world, recommended His servanthood model in its place (Lk. 22:24-30), and addressed Peter in his self-confident posture.

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (31-32).

To appreciate the force of Jesus’s statement, walk through Peter’s failures after this event with me. He slept in Gethsemane (45), followed the Lord at a distance after His arrest (54), denied the Lord three times as the Lord predicted (55-62), absent from the crucifixion scene (Matthew 27:55-56), failed to grasp the resurrection report from the women (Luke 24:11-12), and went back to his old business (John 21:3). It was all downhill until the Lord intervened and restored him after the fishing fiasco on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias (15-19). Do you see how worse things could have been for Peter without the Lord’s intercessory prayer?

So, let’s take the admonition of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12 seriously and appreciate Jesus’s current intercessory ministry in heaven on our behalf.

“If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Shalom

Quenching That Thirst

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Psalm 42:2

New International Version (NIV)

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?

For meditation

The Psalmist, in his poignant words, expresses a deep yearning for God’s presence, asking when he could go to meet Him in the temple (Psalm 42:1). This intense desire, like a fish out of water, is a palpable yearning to leave the dry place and enter God’s presence, the fountain of life, from whose presence flows streams of living water.

God is not just a part of his life, but the very essence of his being. The Psalmist has cultivated an intimate and dependent life with Him, which he cherishes. He thirsts for God as for water in the desert, especially when he cannot sense His presence (Psalm 42:2).

Today is Tuesday, the second day after that Spirit-filled worship service, where the Holy Spirit immersed us in Christ. Are you feeling a dryness already? Did dawn bring a yearning to be in His Presence for a closer and more intimate fellowship through the week?

Thank God for the Holy Spirit and the written Word; we don’t have to go into a physical building to secure His presence. Our bodies are His temple (1 Corinthians 6: 19).

Life has bumps and challenges of many kinds, and today is no exception. Perhaps it’s a tough conversation with a loved one, a demanding work project, or a health issue. Whatever it is, remember that dryness will come as you struggle through the busyness of your day. What will you miss the most, and what will you reach out for in those moments?

Imagine a stroll with Jesus through the woods, with the backdrop of waterfalls and chirping birds at such times. Isn’t that refreshing? Can you make that your experience with Christ in the word and prayer?

As a beloved disciple of Jesus, He has intricately woven your life into His, so you should miss Him when something drives a wedge between you and Him.

Paul said it this way.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Jesus was Paul’s life, and ours too, as believers.

Our Lord sought closeness with the Father while on earth, and He calls us to the same desire for intimacy with Him every day, especially when the going gets tough.

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” when they got so busy that they could not “even have a chance to eat (Mk. 6:31)?” This is the closeness He wants for us as His disciples, a time of rest and rejuvenation in His presence.

May we accept this call and step away with our Lord to a quiet place for Him to strengthen, refresh, and refocus us each day.

Shalom

Divine Caution

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Jeremiah 9:23-24

New Living Translation

This is what the Lord says:

“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,

    or the powerful boast in their power,

    or the rich boast in their riches.

But those who wish to boast

    should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord

     who demonstrates unfailing love

    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,

and that I delight in these things.

    I, the Lord, have spoken!

For Meditation

That is all we can boast about—that we know Jesus and understand He is the Supreme King and Sovereign Lord—the only source of our contentment and joy.

Everything else is vanity, as King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1:14, a chasing after the wind. How useless could that be?

As Wiersbe comments:

“No amount of education, power, or wealth—three things the world today depends on and boasts about—can guarantee the blessing of God. God doesn’t delight in a nation’s learning, political influence, armies, or gross national product. He delights in a people who practice kindness, justice, and righteousness because they know and fear the Lord. God promises covenant blessings to those who obey Him, not to those who only submit to religious ceremonies.”

Throughout the annals of history, God has consistently displayed His unwavering love for His people, even in the most diverse and challenging circumstances. Consider how He shielded His people, the Jews, in Persia by thwarting the sinister plot of the proud and hateful Haman (Esther 6:6-12; 7:9-10). Despite Israel’s transgressions that led to their exile, God’s steadfast kindness and love for them remained. He dispensed justice by vindicating the innocent and punishing the guilty. In that foreign land, righteousness served as His banner, a constant reminder of how His people should live. His ways and standards should be the norm for His people.

Consider the end of all the tyrants of this world and know that God reigns over His creation to preserve His beloved and humble the proud and arrogant.

In this world marred by sin, we are called to serve this compassionate God. It is imperative, then, that we cast off our reliance on our own wisdom, strength, and wealth, and instead, embrace “Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Let this divine wisdom and humility embrace you and rejoice in your salvation and intimacy with Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest on you. Amen!

The Dearest of Thoughts

Genesis 18:17

New Living Translation

 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked.

For Encouragement

People’s opinion. How powerful it is in our lives. It is so powerful it has become one, if not the most decisive, influence in most people’s lives. What do people think about us? What would they say about this? How are they going to receive what we have to say?

If we could dive into people’s minds and know their thoughts, humanity may have become extinct long ago, but we don’t because we are human. If we knew the thoughts some people have about us, we may be tempted to wish them dead. So, thank God for Deuteronomy 29: 29. You are not a murderer.

Since we cannot know what happens in other people’s minds, we hope and are thankful when they reveal their thoughts to us. Nobody tells others about their intimate thoughts, but only when their relationship is deep and robust, with trust as its foundation — the reason we cherish friendship. This confidence is the comfort and reassurance we find in our relationship with God through Jesus, the best friend we could ever have.

In John 15:14-15, Jesus said to His disciples in the Upper Room Discourse:

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me.”

Jesus had handpicked His disciples, inviting them to be in His presence and learn from Him. He intended for them to carry His message to the world once His earthly mission was complete (Mark 3:13-15). They had indeed learned well, except for the betrayer. Now, the teacher was about to reveal the depth of their relationship, which had developed from a teacher-student dynamic to an intimate friendship. Jesus had fostered a bond of trust, enabling Him to share everything His Father had shared with Him.

Many years before His earthly mission, Jesus chose another friend in whom He built confidence, Abraham, who did everything He told him to do (Genesis 18:18-19).

Imagine the scene where Abraham saw his three heavenly visitors off after their visit. They pause in the way, and the Pre-incarnate Jesus, one of the three, asks the others:

“Should I hide my plan from Abraham?”

How sweet! How profound!

How did Abraham get to that level of intimacy with God? Go back to Genesis 12 and follow the relationship of the two to this point. And that is not all.

Chapter 22 will reveal more about Abraham’s obedience to the Lord, who called him out of his people and his father’s household (12:1-3) to walk with Him by faith. Why would God keep anything from him, even His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot, Abraham’s nephew, lived?

Just as God had called Abraham and the twelve disciples out of the world for a specific purpose, He calls us for the same reason. He yearns for our obedience and trust, as these are the keys that unlock His most intimate thoughts. Do you share this desire? Then walk with Him in obedience and reverence. Psalm 25:14 beautifully encapsulates this sentiment.

“The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.”

Shalom

One God … One Lord

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1 Corinthians 8:4-6

New King James Version

Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

For Encouragement

Biblical affirmations hold a profound significance in our lives as believers. They serve as pillars that fortify Christian truths in Christ—the Lord of the church—and guide our minds and hearts to their rightful place of rest and belonging.

Christian doctrine leaves no room for ambiguity. It paves a clear path to glory—the narrow road leading to the pearly gates and the streets of gold. What a joy it is to hear the resounding affirmations of our faith in Christ, unclouded by doubt or uncertainty.

Paul said with an apostolic authority that idols are not gods. He was commenting on the controversy of eating meat sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 8:4-8)! They are lifeless human creations to satisfy their spiritual emptiness and fill the spiritual void in their hearts that can do nothing (cf. 1 Kings 18:23-29).

With equal authority, the apostle to the Gentiles affirms that there is only one God (1 Corinthians 8:4).

There is one God, the Father,

    by whom all things were created,

    and for whom we live.

And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,

    through whom all things were created,

    and through whom we live.

In the scripture above, Paul affirms, as John MacArthur puts it, the essential equality of God the Father and God the Son [The MacArthur Bible Commentary, pg.1583].

The heart of our faith lies in the profound unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as one in the Godhead — the Trinity — and there is no other besides Him (Deuteronomy 4:34-35). Contemplate this magnificent truth and let it fill you with awe.

So, what more do you want to know? How do you apply your understanding of this golden truth? What power and authority do you lack in your Triune God that you should go after any of these other “gods” who are lifeless and powerless? If Jesus is your God, Lord, and King Eternal, why do you fear eating what He has blessed for our enjoyment with prayer?

As Paul declares in his doxology:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

    How unsearchable his judgments

    and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

    Or who has been his counselor?”

“Who has ever given to God

    that God should repay them?”

For, from him and through him and for him are all things.

    To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36).

So, rejoice in your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and through Him, give glory to God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit.