Bible Study

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I Would Never . . .

Have you ever observed someone in the midst of some activity and say to yourself, “I would never do that!“?  Perhaps it was something that you just thought was ridiculous or silly.  Or maybe it was something wrong, an obvious sin that becomes visible and known in another person’s life and you conclude that there is no way that would ever happen to you.

But things do happen.  Choices are made.  Decisions are reached.  Options are discarded.  Desperation sets in.  And “all of a sudden” a person is in the midst of an affair, stealing from an employer, involved in a drug culture, lying about their activities and work accomplishments, gossiping about others, meddling in the lives of friends and strangers, harboring greed in their thoughts and actions, filled with pride and self-promotion, and on the list could go.  Very few people, if any, set out to do such actions.  Most Christians, when caught in sin that becomes public state, “I never thought it could happen to me.”  But it does.  Time and time again, it does.  But not just in public figures and newspaper headlines, but in you and me and in countless Christian lives in churches around the world.  We are tempted and we sin.  We think, “I never saw that coming.”  We feel blind-sided and wonder why we so easily give in to temptation at times.

If this describes you, as it does me, Paul has some words of warning and encouragement for us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13:

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  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 stand up under it.”

God’s warning is clear.  If you think that sin has no appeal to you; look out!  It is when we think that we are untouchable that we drop our guard and relax.  Every job that I have had involved an element that if you became completely comfortable with it, you had better get out.  My first job “away from home” was in my uncle’s sawmill.  You learned quickly to respect the equipment, the stacks of logs and lumber, and the entire work environment if you wanted to avoid serious injury.  My next two jobs involved heights — roofing and TV tower and antenna installation and repair.  While I learned to trust my safety equipment, I also learned to have a respect for each environment that I was in.  To be observant and recognize the potential dangers.  To look for a bowed or sagging roof that might indicate a weakened support structure.  To pay attention to guy wires and tower legs that might be frayed or rusted to the point of weakness or failure.  It was never a given that just because every roof I had been on or every tower I had climbed had supported me so far that this one would as well.  I remember times during both of those jobs where I would hear or read of someone who became comfortable in a similar situation as mine and did not take heed to the potential danger.  Stories of people being seriously injured or even dying because they thought they knew what they were doing and therefore nothing could happen to them.

The same things happen in our spiritual life.  We get comfortable.  We think we know what we are doing.  Our confidence in our self takes us to the very edge.  We are so sure we know our “limit” that we continue to push it — to test it, saying, “I’ll never step over the line.  I’m not that stupid!”  And so we let the seeds of greed, lust, envy, pride, jealously, anger, hatred, etc., into our life and somehow think that we can control it.  Paul says that if you think you can handle this on your own, watch out because you are about to fall.

While the warning is clear, the promise is equally obvious.  God says that there is no temptation that is trying to overthrow you but what has already been tried.  Nothing will catch Him off guard.  Nothing will have Him scratching His head wondering, “What am I going to do now.  I don’t know how to get this person beyond this situation.”  We have a God who says that no temptation has to be given in to.  God knows every temptation that you and I will face and through His Word and His Spirit, He has given us a way out of each one.  A way that He says allows us to “stand up under it”, not necessarily avoid it.  A way that keeps the temptation from “giving birth to sin”, even while the temptation may remain present. 

Are we listening to God closely enough to hear His way out?  Are we spending consistent time in His Word, allowing His Spirit to teach us and to convict us of “sin, righteousness, and judgment”?  Jesus gave us the example of warding off temptation with Scripture.  Do we know the Scriptures well enough to use it as our “way of escape”?  Or do we play with God’s Word, sorting out verses that seem to justify our actions while ignoring the context and the principles that say the path we are headed down is leading to destruction?  I’ve known a number of Christian individuals, some very well known speakers, who have used the creation account as justification for “admiring” a woman’s beauty and even make suggestive comments about her because they are “praising God for His incredible handiwork”.  I’ve also seen some of these same individuals play with the fire of lust and end up burnt because they learned too late that they didn’t have the strength that they thought they did to control the temptation.  Their influence, their character, their witness for God goes down the drain because they were satisfying their desires rather than listening to God’s Word that says that a man who looks lustfully upon a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  The way out — the truth of Scripture — was there all the time.  It just didn’t seem necessary because, “I can handle this!”

I don’t know what areas of life and the temptations of life that you think you are standing firm in.  Whatever it is, God’s warning still holds true for you and me today; “be careful that you don’t fall!”  If you are saying in your mind, “I would never . . . “; look out!  Look to God and He will show you how close to the edge you already are and how you can escape the results of the temptation and stand up under it.

May you and I reject a prideful thinking that says, “I would never . . .”.  May we rely on the faithfulness of God to provide us a way of escape from every temptation through His Word and the power of His Spirit working in us.

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It’s Alive!

Have you ever observed a stationary object for a period of time, perhaps just for a moment, and all of a sudden realized through its movement that it wasn’t stationary — it was alive!  Sometimes, the only reason we were able to even tolerate looking at the object was because we thought there was no life in it.  If we had known it was alive, we would never have even come close enough for a look.  I wonder if that is how Moses felt when God commanded him to throw down his staff and he did.  Did Moses have any idea that his staff would gain life — the life of a snake?  Imagine standing that close.  Imagine picking up that life that you didn’t even expect to be life.  I wonder how quickly after Moses touched the snake that it turned back into his staff.  Did he experience the writhing, squirming snake, even for a moment, and wonder why he was even touching it? 

We often have a similar relationship with an object we become comfortable with because we mistakenly assume it has no life — there is no danger present . . . there is nothing it can do to us because we think it is lifeless.  That object is the Bible, the Word of God.  Hebrews 4:12-13 says:

“For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Alive and active!  Sharper than a double-edged sword!  Sounds dangerous.  Sounds like something we would try to hide from.  It is no wonder that God follows up verse 12 with the words in verse 13.  There is no where to hide.  This living, active Word of God will penetrate our life, dividing soul and spirit as it judges the motives and hidden secrets of our heart.  It is a revealing Word that convicts us of “sin, righteousness, and judgment” and becomes the measuring rod of our obedience and/or disobedience. 

The writer of Hebrews gives us these verses in the context of entering God’s rest.  Chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4 point out a time of rest that God has promised that has not yet been entered into.  The people of Israel are used as an example of those being promised rest — the “promised land” — yet did not enter into it because of their disobedience.  Verse 11 encourages us to “make every effort to enter that rest”.  The warning is there as well; if we follow the Israelite’s example of disobedience we will perish outside of the rest that could be ours.  And so the warning of verses 12 and 13.  We cannot hide our disobedience.  As much as we try to cover it up before others, it is “uncovered and laid bare” before God.  It is the Word of God that says, “If you love Me, you’ll keep My commands.”  The Word of God becomes the measuring stick that says we do love, or we don’t love, based on His knowledge of our motivation for what we do and don’t do.

How are you handling this living, active, sharp Word of God?  Are you being careful and cautious in your approach, giving it the respect and attention it deserves?  Or are you careless and casual, thinking there is no danger to you — no reason to pay close attention to the separating of soul and spirit that this living Word could bring?

May you and I grow in our respect and appreciation for a living, active, and sharp Word of God.  May we live knowing that God is everywhere and nothing in our life can be hidden from the standard of God’s Word.

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How Am I Going To Do That?

Have you ever been given, or taken, responsibility for something that you wondered if you could really accomplish it or pull it off?  Perhaps at work, you’ve been assigned a task that seems like it is beyond normal expectations.  Perhaps at church, you’ve “volunteered” to lead a ministry that reaches out to the homeless and hurting of your community and you’ve just been shown the research of how many people are in need.  Perhaps at home, you’ve decided to tackle a home improvement project that seems to grow in size, difficulty, and cost every time you look at it.  Whatever it is, there is probably something each of us can look at and think, “How am I going to do that?”

When I think of big, potentially overwhelming, “are you sure I can do this?”, kind of projects in the Bible, one of the ones at the top of my list is the building of the temple.  As I read the instructions that are given for the building of the temple and look at the material list of this construction project, I have to wonder if there weren’t times that Solomon thought to himself, “How am I going to do that?” 

Perhaps that is on David’s mind as he gives his son the instructions for building the temple of God.  Then, adding to any self-doubt Solomon may have had, David introduces his son to the entire assembly with these words, “My son Solomon, the one God has chosen, is young and inexperienced.  The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for human beings but for the Lord God.”  (1 Chronicles 29:1)  Wow!  What a confidence-building pep talk.  I know, that wasn’t the purpose of the introduction.  David was enlisting help for his son to accomplish the task before him.  The pep talk came earlier in chapter 28 of 1 Chronicles.  It is there that David gives Solomon words of wisdom that will equip him to take the lead on this monumental task.

In verse 6, David declares to Solomon and all the officials of Israel that it was God who had chosen Solomon to lead the nation and to build God’s house.  That is a powerful piece of information.  How many times when we have asked, “How am I going to do that?“, would we have worked harder, looked more intently for a solution, persevered longer under hardship, if we had only been confident that God had chosen us for the task that seemed so big?  I looked several days ago at the scripture Paul wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Many times, we don’t get bogged down with the “who can be against us”  part of the question as much as we wonder and doubt “If God is for us?”.  We believe God can accomplish what He wills and desires, but is this it?  David sought to remove that doubt from Solomon’s mind.  He stated clearly, over and over, in front of many witnesses, “God has chosen you for this task”. 

Okay, pep talk is over.  . . . Solomon knows that God has selected him for the task at hand.  . . . Nothing can stop him now, God is on his side.  . . . But wait!  The pep talk isn’t over.  . . . There is something that Solomon needs to understand yet — something that has the power to impact every area of life.  David knows that as important as building this temple is, there are more important things for Solomon to understand, so he says these words:

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.  Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary.  Be strong and do the work.”  1 Chronicles 28:9-10

How often do we go from “How am I going to do that?”, to “Wow!  Look what I have done!”?  David is warning his son that he must remain completely devoted to God and constantly allow God to purify his motives, thoughts, and desires.  There is a hidden downside in being chosen by God to accomplish a monumental task — it is so easy to allow pride to creep in and steal credit and honor from God.  David seems to warn Solomon — don’t let this go to your head, this really isn’t about you. 

How often do you and I need that same warning?  Don’t let this go to your head, this really isn’t about you.  In the midst of doing, it is easy to lose focus and begin to have a divided heart.  We can’t live long with a divided heart.  Joshua put it this way, “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  Elijah said it like this, “How long will you waver between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”  Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”  Throughout scripture we see this call to a wholehearted devotion to God.  God knows if we are following Him grudgingly or passionately.  His desire is for us to continue steadfastly in a single-minded, single-hearted pursuit of Him in the midst of everything we do.

When life has you asking the question, “How am I going to do that?”, trust in an All-Knowing God that knows if you should do “that” and can empower and equip you to accomplish it if you should.  But never forget to do all to the glory of God.  The monumental tasks we accomplish are not about us or our glory, they’re about Him and His glory. 

May you and I be found faithful, doing everything God desires with a willing heart and pure motives.  May we truly love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. 

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Did I Say That Out Loud?

I’m guessing that I’m not the only one who has ever said something that didn’t sound right the moment it left our lips.  Perhaps on its way out of our mouth, we realized we had reached the point of no return and there was no stopping these words that would soon burst into the air.  Maybe its a second later, as our words float through the air and land in our ears, we can’t believe what we’re hearing.  Or another moment passes and we see the looks of disbelief and shock on the faces of those around us as our words register in their mind.  We want to ignore the statement — going on as if nothing had been said.  We want to brush our words aside and hope no one heard or remembers.  We want to explain what we really meant.  We wonder to our self, and even verbally question, “Did I say that out loud?”

I get the sense that David has one of those moments in Psalm 139.  It is a wonderful Psalm.  A well-known Psalm — at least the first 18 verses and the last 2 verses.  In the first two-thirds of the chapter, David writes of an All-Knowing God that has created him and has known his entire life before a day of it came to be.  He acknowledges that there is no where that he could go to hide from God — God will know where David is.  He even writes about God knowing the words he will speak before they are even on his tongue.  God knows intimately every detail of David’s life and he marvels in his writing of such an incredible God.

And then comes verses 19 – 22:

“If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
   Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
 They speak of you with evil intent;
   your adversaries misuse your name.
 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
   and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
 I have nothing but hatred for them;
   I count them my enemies.”

Whoa!  Did he say that out loud?  How do you go from, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!” to “If only you, God, would . . . “?  As David unloads his heart before God regarding the wicked and those who live against God, I think the words coming out of his mouth slowly began to register in his mind.  Perhaps that question crossed his mind, “Did I say that out loud?”  In light of what he had just expressed in the previous 18 verses about God’s knowledge of everything, even before it came into being, did it matter if it was said out loud? 

The reason that I think David wondered about his words, is his request in the final two verses of Psalm 139.  I get the image in my mind of David saying, “That didn’t sound right, but I know what I meant.”  And then it hits him — God also knows what he meant.  David had just declared so beautifully God’s complete knowledge of all things.  Now was the time to seek input from this All-Knowing God.  God could see through all of the personal feelings — the hurts, the fears, the worries, the pride, the selfishness, the sin in his life — and know exactly the intent of his words.  And so we have those wonderful verses in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 

I’ve been there, haven’t you?  I say or do something that could be taken wrong.  I know, or at least am fairly confident, that I had good and honorable intentions but it doesn’t come across that way.  It’s the, “Wow, did I say that out loud?”  “You know that is not what I really meant.”  And so I come to God as David did.  Search me, God.  You do know me even better than I know myself.  Look within and examine my very motive for that thought and statement.  Show me if it is indeed pure, or if it comes from worry, fear, selfishness, or pride.  Open me before you and show me anything that you find offensive.  Help me to get rid of whatever it may be.  Lead me.  Lead me not just in some general direction we’ll call life, but lead me in the way everlasting.  Both in the way that leads to everlasting life and also lead me in the way forever and always.  Keep me in the way and guard my heart, mind, and will; that I would not stray. 

May you and I recognize an All-Knowing God who sees everything about us.  When we speak and act out of the passion of our heart, may we turn to God to purify and reveal to us the basis for those words and actions.  May our passion for God be the source of what we think and for what we say out loud.

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Depth of Riches

Have you ever been doing something in faithful service to God in such a way that you find yourself breaking out into song?  I have.  With my singing abilities, or lack thereof, I always hope I am somewhere alone when that happens, but it does happen.  I will be praying, or studying, or simply spending time with God reflecting on His character and the relationship He desires for me to have with Him, and a song wells up within me and must come out.

I get the impression that Paul experienced that same feeling as he wrote Romans 11.  The chapter focuses on Israel’s rejection of God.  Paul makes it clear that their disobedience and stumbling does not have to be permanent.  He addresses the result of this turning away from God as he writes in verses 11 and 12, “Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery?  Not at all!  Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.  But if their transgression mean riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!”  Paul continues in this chapter by warning the Gentiles to not become arrogant or think of themselves as better than the people of Israel.  He warns the believers to remain faithful in staying connected to the root of God as he writes, “if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.”  Israel’s rejection of God and God’s mercy to the Gentiles was not to be seen as an unchanging, unwavering decision.  Not that God would change, but He was working to bring change in the lives of people.  His desire is not to replace the people of Israel with the Gentiles, rather He is working to use His display of mercy to the Gentiles to draw His people, Israel, back to Himself. 

It is as Paul contemplates the great mercy that God has shown on Jew and Gentile alike that he breaks out in the following song:

“Oh, the depth of riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
  How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his path 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 to him are all things.
  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.”

Wow!  What a song!  As I am writing this, the students at Michiana Christian School  are singing the song, “Everlasting Love”, in chapel.  One verse in it states, “Oh, the wonder of His everlasting love is deeper than the sea.”  That seems to be what Paul is getting at in his song.  He has already written about the great riches being opened up to the Gentiles.  Riches that will be even greater as their fullness is spread to the entire world — both Jew and Gentile.  So, Paul writes this “song” proclaiming the vast depth of God’s riches in wisdom and knowledge. 

We often wonder, “What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?”  That is one of our “daily questions” in the View From The Top:  What Does God Say study that I am using to develop the writings on this blog.  Generally, wisdom deals with the application of what we know.  It is learned through experience and as a gift from God — “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously without finding fault” (James 1:5).  Wisdom is doing, saying, being, the right thing at the right time.  On the other hand, knowledge is information.  Many people and cultures pride themselves in their ability to obtain knowledge.  Knowledge discovers, investigates, and reveals.  Knowledge by itself is not always discriminate in its use or application.  Knowledge discovers things such as nuclear reactions — Wisdom restrains that discovery’s use to that which brings good and not harm.  In both wisdom and knowledge, God exhibits a depth of riches beyond compare.

His wisdom is beyond searching and untraceable!  God’s experience is limitless as He is not bound by time or space.  God is the true author of wisdom as only He knows the proper and best application for anything that we may come to know.  His knowledge is complete and perfect.  No one has completely known the mind of God nor has He needed any person’s counsel to teach Him something new.  God is the author of the universe and everything in it.  It all came about by His desire and His word.  Nothing we learn as new “earth-shattering” discoveries is new knowledge to God.  The depth of the riches of His knowledge is beyond our comprehension.

So, why did Paul burst out in song?  Why do I find myself singing in the midst of contemplating God?  I think it is for the same reason.  When taking the time to dwell in thoughts of an All-Knowing God’s great mercy, I feel no choice but to praise Him for the depth of riches He chooses to share with me.  I am in awe and wonder that this All-Knowing God, full of complete wisdom and knowledge , desires that I would have a relationship with Him through His Son. 

When you and I struggle with decisions in life, limited in our wisdom and knowledge, may we turn to the One who has a depth of riches that He longs to share with us.

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What, Then, Shall We Say?

Have you ever been speechless?  Confronted with such knowledge, wisdom, and truth, that there is absolutely nothing that your mind can think of to say in response.  Or maybe you’ve been in the presence of such foolishness, ignorance, and lies that there is nothing that you can think of saying that would be profitable to anyone.  For many, being speechless is a rare thing.  We have a response for everything.  We must have the last word, so we’ll say something — anything at all, really.  Just don’t let me get caught without an answer.

Paul gives us one of those statements of knowledge, wisdom and truth as he writes in Romans 8:28-30:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” 

What depth of truth!  No wonder Paul raises the question in verse 31, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things?”  What can you say in response to a Sovereign, Almighty God who conforms, calls, justifies, and glorifies according to his incredible knowledge — a foreknowledge that knows what was, what is, and what will be in your life and mine more clearly than we know our self this moment.  Because of what God knows about those whom He has already seen that choose to pursue Him in obedient trust, God can state that He works to the good in all things for those who have been predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.  He can do this because He knows in advance what our choice about Him will be.

And so Paul asks, if this is the kind of God we serve, what can we say?  “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  I’ve always looked at this thirty-first verse of Romans eight and thought, “That’s an easy question.  No one, of course!”  Yet there is one, isn’t there?  If God is for me, who can be against me?  Me!  The Bible teaches that God allows me to choose my master.  God has chosen to limit His sovereign, almighty nature by giving mankind choices — free-will to do either right or wrong.  The decision is ours to accept or reject the very grace and mercy that defines God’s love for us. 

The part that is so hard for me (and you?) to fathom is that God knew every day of my life before I was even born.  He knew how I would respond to the missionary speaker at The Country Church calling for people to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.  He knew the times I would drift and wander — both away from Him and back toward Him.  He even knows if I’m finally back in submissive obedience to Him for the rest of my life or if there are still periods of wandering yet to be lived.  I choose. 

I choose to be done with wandering.  I choose Jesus as my Sovereign, Almighty Lord.  Because God knows I choose, He is faithful and just and will conform me to the image of His Son — calling me, justifying me, and glorifying me as He brings me to maturity in Christ.  What, then, shall I say?  If God is for me, who can be against me?  No one!  Because I choose Him, no one can be against me and win.

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A Night With The Lions

I love the story of Daniel in the den of lions!  Coming from a guy in full time prayer ministry, that is probably not a surprising statement.  As central as prayer is in the context of the story, it is not what I consider to be the main theme of Daniel 6.  I see greater themes — such as integrity, trust, living a consistent lifestyle when people watch and when they don’t, and God’s Almighty nature.

The chapter begins with king Darius appointing 120 rulers to oversee the kingdom with 3 administrators over these rulers.  One of these 3 administrators is Daniel.  The same Daniel who was taken captive and brought into the service of the Babylonians as a “spoil of war”.  In some ways, the story reminds me of the account of Joseph recorded in Genesis.  Daniel is not in Babylon by choice but he determines to live a life that honors and respects God regardless of the circumstances he finds himself in.  By trusting God and refusing to eat from the king’s table, Daniel places himself in a position that God knows it is He who will be honored in anything Daniel does.  So Daniel rises in influence and authority to the point where “Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”  (Daniel 6:3) 

Even Daniel’s rivals and fellow leaders could find nothing in his life to drag out of the closet.  Here was a man that was so  squeaky clean that no amount of digging and investigating was going to come up with anything to dirty his image — let alone remove him from leadership.  Daniel exhibited true integrity.  His enemies “could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”  In our current American political culture, I find this amazing.  I’m not sure I know of any political leader today whose enemies would conclude they can find nothing against them.  Yet here is Daniel, living a life so upright and God-honoring . . . God-honoring . . . that is it!  So, the rival leaders conclude, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”  If he is so God-honoring then we will use that against him.  And so they do.  They set up the king to influence him to make a law that prayers can only be prayed to the king for a thirty day time period.  Oh, and any lawbreakers — they get to spend the night in the den of lions.

What would you or I do in Daniel’s spot?  I can hear myself now.  “That’s not fair!”  “That’s a trap.”  “Prayer is such a private thing anyway, who will know if I’m praying and who I’m praying to?”  “God will understand if I change my practice of prayer to fit this culture I am in, He surely wouldn’t want me to die.”  This could be a long paragraph if I continued, but I think you get the point and could add some excuses of your own.  Daniel’s integrity and trust in God would allow him to have no part in making excuses or justifying a different action.  After Daniel had learned of the decree, “he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” 

Daniel would not allow others to bully him out of his relationship with God and his daily times of prayer.  His integrity would not allow him to make excuses to change his routine so that he could “pray it safe”.  I can actually picture the apostles thinking of Daniel as they respond to leaders of their day, “We must obey God rather than men.”  So, the trap is set . . .  the bait is taken . . . the victim is brought before the king for punishment . . . and the king has to be thinking, “what kind of leaders have I appointed that they have managed to pull this over on me and leave me with no way out.”  The text tells us the king was distressed and made every effort possible to try to save Daniel until the end of the day.  Finally, his time is up and his last ditch effort to save Daniel actually surprises me.  I had to look twice — yes, there it is . . . isn’t this against the law?  It sure looks to me like the kings final, “when all else fails”, solution is one that sounds familiar — he prays!  As Daniel is about to be thrown into the den of lions, the king says, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”  Sounds a lot like a prayer to me, how about you? 

So, a night with the lions begins.  I’ve heard all kinds of imaginative minds describe what it must have been like for Daniel that night.  The Bible really doesn’t give much detail about his night, but it does describe the night the king had.  The king was worried about his friend.  He “spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him.  And he could not sleep.”  Can you imagine the weight of putting to death your friend, your trusted adviser, the only one of your leadership team who truly lived with integrity?  You’ve allowed your pride and gullibility to make your decisions for you and force you into an action you absolutely hated to do.  Wow, what a night!  No wonder the king heads to the lions’ den at first light.  All the while wondering, “Is it even possible that this God whom Daniel serves continually could actually rescue him from these lions?”  And that is his question when he arrives, “Daniel, did your God save you?”  Imagine the relief and joy the king felt when Daniel replies, “My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouth of the lions.  They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.  Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”  Just as his friends had done when facing the fiery furnace a few chapters earlier, Daniel believed in a God who was mighty enough to rescue even from death.  Yet as great as those rescues are,  the greater story is the unwavering obedience shown by these young Hebrews when forced to choose between compromise and life or obey God and die. 

How often do you and I find ourselves making the wrong choices — even when the immediate consequence of our disobedience isn’t physical death.  We choose compromise and acceptance over obedience and rejection.  We choose compromise and fleeting pleasure over obedience and endurance.  We choose compromise and expediency over obedience and patience.  We choose compromise over obedience!

May you and I learn from the integrity of Daniel.  May we live our life with such integrity that no one can find anything to charge us with unless it has something to do with our obedience to God.  May we practice our integrity, serving God continually, in ways that will influence those observing our interaction with our God.  May we do what is right, because it is right, regardless of the consequences.

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Who Will Go? . . . Do? . . . Serve? . . .?

“And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’  Then I said, ‘Here am I!  Send me.'”  Isaiah 6:8

I love to read the words God gives to us through Isaiah.  Chapter six always jumps out at me and grabs my attention because of Isaiah’s quick and bold response in verse eight.  It makes me think about what caused this rapid, positive answer.  Also, what would it take for you and me to consistently have a similar response to the commands of God?

The reasons for us seeing a willing Isaiah are found in the preceding seven verses.  First, Isaiah saw God for who He is.  He saw the Lord seated on a throne being worshipped by angelic beings.  They were singing of His holiness.  He saw God high and lifted up.  God was established in such splendor and glory that there was no mistaking just how powerful and holy this God was.

Secondly, the absolute holiness of God brought Isaiah to the point of noticing himself for who he was.  He saw a sinful man who could not exist in the presence of the holiness of God.  His companions and surroundings did not fit with what he was observing.  The brightness of the throne room revealed just how drab and dirty Isaiah’s world was.

Then finally, he experienced complete forgiveness.  His sin was taken away.  It was out of this sense of joy, and even relief, that Isaiah volunteered to do whatever was asked of him.  It is not until after he volunteers that he receives the instructions for the task he was being called to do.

If we would daily recognize these same three things, perhaps our lives would be more fully devoted to God.  When we acknowledge our unworthiness to even gaze upon the holiness of God, and realize He paid the price to take away our sin, our response to serve Him should come just as quickly and boldly as Isaiah’s did.

I pray that God would give you and me the courage and boldness to always serve Him faithfully.