Through the Darkest Valleys- Daniel 3:16-18

My dad suffered from grand-mal seizures; he would go into full body muscle spasms and shake furiously on the ground.  It was a scary thing to watch and sometimes I would ask God why He allowed such a thing to happen to my dad; a God fearing Christian. However, my dad never doubted God; although some claimed a lack of faith kept him from being healed.  My dad would always stand firm with his response, “My God can take these seizures; if He wants to. But if He wants to use them for His glory, then so be it. He will heal me one day when I get home.”  God never healed dad of his seizures condition here on Earth; I believe have seen a glimpse of why He chose not to: So many lives have been touched (and are touched) by my dad’s unwavering faith. Dad chose to follow Jesus even if it meant going through the darkest valleys; he knew he was never alone!

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.17If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18 (NKJV)

Shadrach, Meshack, and Abed-Nego found themselves faced with what appeared to be certain death.  They could have abandoned their stance and begged for their lives; turning their back on God’s way. Instead they stood firm in faith and told the King that God could chose to save them and be glorified or He could chose to let them die and be glorified; either way they would not relinquish their faith.  They chose to face the dark valley with God instead of their own way without Him.  They knew the probable outcome of their story, but it did not shake their faith and love for God. 

Are you going through a dark valley? Are you bruised and broken looking for answers?  As a believer in Christ we know that all things work together for good in our lives; fulfilling God’s purpose (Rom. 8:28).  Allow God to use you in whatever circumstances you are in; then you will lay hold on the peace of God that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7). God will use those dark valleys to grow you and bring others to Him; He will be glorified! Remember, no matter what we face here on Earth, Heavens glories are much, much greater (Rom. 8:18).

Hope in Hopelessness -Psalm 23

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. Psalm 23 (NKJV)

For a lot of people, this is a very familiar section of scripture.  The scripture paints a beautiful picture of a Shepherd who is watching out for his sheep.  Sometimes at first in this passage I picture a little vulnerable lamb that is safeguarded by a kind overseeing man; smiling with his staff in hand as he gently directs the lamb.  The picture seems so peaceful and serene; what a perfect scenario; the author of this psalms must have had some easy peaceful life.  Urrrnnt (buzzer for an incorrect answer), wrong! 

We should not forget who wrote this psalm: David.  David certainly had a victorious life in God; after all God called him, “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22).  However, we would do well to remember that David’s life was far from a simple one; he faced a lion, a bear and a giant (1Sam. 17:37). King Saul whom he served wholeheartedly tried to kill him on several occasions; he was constantly on the run and having to hide.  After he took the throne he committed adultery, tried to lie his way out, had a man murdered and then married his wife.  His baby son died.  The story goes on and on; through sin, redemption, disappointment, and victory. David’s life was far from perfect, and rarely did he have earthly peace.

However, David had a deeper understanding of God and His grace and righteousness; we see this reflected in what has become known as the 23 Psalm. I hope the next time you read the 23 Psalm that you keep in mind that David’s life was not one of constant calm and serenity; it was a life much like ours: often hectic, confusing, painful, discouraging and full of turmoil. Although David faced many situations where he could have given up (and probably thought about it) he recognized that he was guarded and guided by the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11).

Does your world feel like it is crumbling down on top of you?  Are you at your wits end?  Do you feel like there is no hope and no escape?  I think we all find ourselves there at one time or another. Turn to the Good Shepherd and find hope in the 23 Psalm; a poem of hope and peace, through a life of trials and tribulation.

Seeking the Lost? – Matt 18:11-14

One day we got home from a family trip to Wal-Mart only to realize that my little girl was only wearing one boot.  We searched all over the van, but it was not there. The harsh realization hit us: it must be somewhere between the checkout counter and our parking space at Wal-Mart.  So I did the daddy thing, I got back in the van and went back to the store in search for the little brown boot.  I retraced our steps from the parking lot back into the store; still no boot.  I looked at the greeter with little hope and asked if anyone had turned in a little girls boot. She smiled and told me how she had discovered it and taken it to the service desk; there I found it, rejoiced and took it home!

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matt. 18:11-14 NKJV

As Christians we were once lost; separated by our sins from God.  Then Jesus stepped down off His throne, became a man, lived a perfect life and died and was resurrected to pay for our sins. When He called out to us we took the step toward Him; He came running toward us and swooped us up in His arms. We had been found and there was much rejoicing by God; there was a party throughout the heavens!

Now we are His sheep; He is still calling out and seeking those that are lost. He has fervently proven His undying love for us. He has gone the extra mile, weathered many pains so that the lost will not perish.  As believers we are the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27); it is our job to go throughout the world and spread the good news: Jesus is still calling for the lost to be found (Matt. 28:19-20, Rev. 22:17).  

What if we would go out and seek the lost with the voice of Christ? What if we would do so with Christ’s passion and intensity; even if it also costs us everything? 

Do you know? - 2Tim. 2:15

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)

I will be the first to admit that I have made my share of assumptions; I have at times taken for granted that the things I feel and the way I see is right, must be right. We should never put our trust in the way we feel; we will be misguided (Prov. 14:12). I have met several people (I was once one) who assume that Luke and Mark (writers of the Gospels according to Luke and Mark) were two of the twelve apostles? They were not; Luke was called the “beloved physician” and was a companion of the apostles and fellow believer in Jesus Christ.  Mark was the cousin of Barnabas, a believer who’s Gospel is thought by some to be based on Peter’s recollections. Neither one of them were one of the twelve apostles.  

Now you may think that not knowing who was and was not a member of the twelve apostles is not important. You may think that it is ok to just skim the scriptures and infer here and jump there; however this gives room for misinterpretations and false beliefs.  Paul urged Timothy to be diligent in showing himself approved. He told him to rightly divide the word of truth.  The word divide is translated from the word “Orthotomeo” (or-thot-om-eh'-o) a Greek term meaning, “to teach the truth directly and correctly”. Enable for Timothy to do this he had to lay aside assumptions and share the truth that he had heard of Paul and the apostles as well as Old Testament scripture.

Now we do not have the benefit of walking directly with Paul or the apostles, but we have been given the Holy Bible (Compilation of writings of man, divinely inspired by God) to guide us in sharing the word of truth.  We must read and study the scriptures, we must lay aside our own assumptions; diving deep into God’s word, so that we may find the truth within. Only then can we share the truth that is found in Jesus Christ, both directly and correctly.

If we are to be effective we must make it a point to set aside time on a daily basis to learn and grow in the word of God. God’s word has been given us as a guide; an instruction manual or “how to” book of life (Psalms 119:105).  It is of the utmost importance that we do not take it lightly; we should not assume that we will be given automatic knowledge and deep spiritual insight at conversion.  We also need to realize that it is not the solely the job of pastors and ministers to study and share the word of God. We should follow the example of the believers in Berea; they were commended for searching the scripture daily, to assure that what was preached to them was not contrary to God’s word (Acts 17:10-11).

Do you read the word of God daily? Do you take time to study the word; digging deeper into the contextual meanings?  There is no better time to start than today!