Posts

I Am Yours

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2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15   “Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: ‘We are yours, David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.’” 1 Chronicles 12:18 Those strong words from a warrior like Amasai must have given David courage while he waited for Israel to affirm his authority. When strong warriors pledge their allegiance to a leader, they are doing something God has created us to do and that is to offer our lives for a cause bigger than serving ourselves. David understood this impulse in other warriors because he had done the same thing to the Lord God. David had offered his life to the Lord, and now other leaders could see the strength of God’s Spirit in him. Who have we offered our lives to? Or are we still living for ourselves? We were created to sacrifice together for a greater cause, goal, and purpose than ourselves. Too many become distracted by politic...
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“Come” (and then “Go”)

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2 Samuel 2; 1 Chronicles 11; Psalms 142; Matthew 14   “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it is you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said.” Matthew 14:27-29 When Jesus called his disciples from their occupations of fishing, tax collecting, or farming, he said, “Come, follow me.” When he walked to them on the water in the middle of the night, his word was still come, but the risk was greater. Are we still saying yes to Jesus’ call to come follow me, regardless the cost, direction, or context? Before we can go and make disciples of all nations, we must first learn to come and follow Jesus. These two rhythms of come and then go are repeated in the way Jesus trained his disciples and must also be a part of our rhythm of life as we follow Jesus in mission. As we come to be with Jesus we are renewed and transformed (even if it means “walking on water”). Our pursuit of the presence of Jesus gives us cou...
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Greater Love

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2 Samuel 1; Psalms 140; Matthew 13   “’How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathon lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathon, my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!’” 2 Samuel 1:25-27 David’s lament for Saul and Jonathon revealed his love for them despite Saul’s insane jealousy and murderous rage. That kind of love can only come from God. When Jonathon renounced the throne and formed a friendship-covenant with David, he also expressed a depth of sacrificial love that could only come from God. Jonathon went to David in his most lonely, desperate times, and helped him find strength in God. Jonathon was willing to sacrifice his future, his inheritance, and even his life for David. This is a different level of love than the love of romance David referred to in his lament for Jonathon. This is not ‘eros’ or even ‘philos,’ but rather, ‘agape’ lov...
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Honouring the Fallen

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1 Samuel 30-31; 1 Chronicles 10; Matthew 12   “When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.” 1 Samuel 31:11-13 Why did the valiant men of Jabesh risk their lives to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons from the celebrating Philistines? Many years earlier, in his first decisive act of leadership as a newly anointed king of Israel, Saul had delivered the residents of Jabesh Gilead from the invading Ammonites. The people of Jabesh never forgot their deliverance. They also didn’t want the enemies of Israel to mock the anointed king of Israel in his death. How do we treat fallen leaders? Do we join in the public shaming, or do we honor the work of God in their lives, ...
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Judgment (For what we’ve received)

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1 Samuel 28-29; Psalms 109; Matthew 11   “’And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.’” Matthew 11:23, 24 Jesus denounced his hometown of Capernaum for not responding with repentance to the miracles they witnessed. The healing of the centurion’s servant, countless demonized people set free, the paralytic man healed and his sins forgiven, all took place in Capernaum. Jesus taught that towns and cities will be judged, not just individual people. The judgment of Sodom, a city ruled by homosexual passion, would be more bearable than the judgment of Capernaum, the town on the shore of Galilee. Why? Because God’s judgment would be received. To whom much has been given, much is required. Those who have the written Word of God, forgiveness of sin, mater...
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Kingdom Authority

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1 Samuel 27; Psalms 141; 1 Chronicles 9; Matthew 10   “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness…’As you go preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.’” Matthew 10:1, 7, 8 The message of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus gave his disciples to preach required them to receive the authority of the king before they were sent out. The disciples of Jesus were required to make their relationship with Jesus more important than any other family relationship. Their authority to represent the king came from their submission to the king. This message of the good news of the kingdom of heaven was then to be demonstrated by driving out evil spirits in the lives of those who came to them for healing. This kingdom authority was more than eloquent preaching; it set captives free and bro...
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Mercy in Reaching Sinners

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1 Samuel 25-26; Psalms 63; Matthew 9   “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples…On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Matthew 9:10, 12, 13 The tax collectors of Jesus’ day were seen in the same category of uncleanness as the prostitutes. The betrayal of collecting taxes from fellow Jews for Roman occupiers was compounded by their abuse of this position of authority to demand even more and personally enrich themselves. To eat in a tax collector’s home was forbidden for an observant Jew. Yet Jesus defined this kind of social interaction as the focus of his ministry. He came to call sinners, the unclean, to the good news of the kingdom. However, this approach to ministry and life would require “mercy not sacrifice.” Are we living wit...
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