1 Kings 3 - Raw Talent

Imagine God came to you with this offer. 

What would you ask Him for?  Is wisdom the best choice?

Reuben

Psalm 139 – David’s Spiritual Secret

A wise man once said: "Two things I know for sure in this life, there is a God and I am not him".  It never ceases to amaze me; especially here in American where knowledge is king, how much we want to figure out God.  We seem determined to answer all the questions and in a sense, put God in a box.  When I read Psalm 139 it seems one thing that David figured out over the years was that God was not something he could totally understand.  And what I love most about reading this chapter is that not only did David come to that realization, but also he seemed to have to come to peace with that fact and was in awe of a God that he could not completely comprehend. 

And at least for me, depending on the day, that is the difficult part.  There are days where I am more than fine with living in the tension of not being able to figure God out.  Fine living in the peace that comes from trusting God even when I can't understand it.  Then there are the other days, where frustration sets in and I just want to know.  I want to know what God is doing; I want to know the big picture.  Days where I lose sight of the fact that He has it all figured out for me.  Days I forget that I was "fearfully and wonderfully made" and that God's "works are wonderful".  In my frustrating search for clear and understandable answers, I forget to rest in who God made me to be!

What about you, ever lose sight of how wonderfully you were made by God?

Mathew McCabe

Psalm 51: True Confession

Over the last three-plus decades of my life, I have lost track of the number of times I have found myself coming back again (and again and again) to this psalm. And I fully expect to continue praying this psalm on a regular basis for the rest of my life. Why? Because I need it -- I continue to sin. I need to confess that sin. And I need to remember (again and again) that I offer this prayer of confession to a wonderfully merciful God.

Look at how David piles on synonyms: he writes of God’s “mercy”, “unfailing love”, and “great compassion.” When seeking forgiveness, he asks God to “blot out”, “wash”, and “cleanse.” When describing how he has offended God, he speaks of his “transgressions”, “iniquity”, and “sin.”

This psalm provides me better words than I could ever come up with on my own to bring to God when I confess my sin. These words express what is most true about me (or at the very least, what I want to be most true about me) when I have offended God or another by something that I have done or left undone.

Verses 10 - 12 have always encouraged my soul. No matter how badly I have blown it, God stands ready, not only to forgive my sin, but also to restore me to relationship with him. This text gives voice to my desperate need for God to do in me what only he can do – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

I really, really want to have a pure heart. I need God to create it within me. I cannot do it without him. What about you?

Ken Jackson

2 Samuel 12 – Caught in the Act

B-U-S-T-E-D. Did you ever have one of those moments? You're clearly doing something you shouldn't be doing and you get caught in the act? You let that sassy word slip out only to turn around and see a child looking at you wide eyed. Your mom finds you with your hand in the jar after she's told you to leave those cookies alone. You make a "friendly" hand gesture toward the car next to you just as you realize it’s someone that attends your church. 



How do you respond in those times? Do you own up to what you've done or
 do you try to cover it up? Make excuses, perhaps? 



David had clearly messed up by committing adultery and murder, yet I'm encouraged by his response to Nathan. "I have sinned against the Lord." He knew he was wrong and he owned up to it.

-Gina G.

2 Samuel 11 - Adultery and Murder

What I find interesting in this chapter is verse 1, In the spring, when kings go off to war....But David remained in Jerusalem. David was the king Israel and he should have been in battle with his army. He should have been with his soldiers celebrating their crushing defeat of the Ammonites, but instead he stayed in Jerusalem.

We can learn so much from David's life, and one in particular, "BE WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO BE!!"

Men if you struggle with lusting, then staying on the internet at home by yourself is probably not the best option for you. Ladies if you struggle with gossiping, then hanging around friends who gossip is not the smartest thing to do. People if you struggle with anything, going to the places or hanging with the people that feed that addiction or temptation is NOT WISE!! Be where you are suppose to be!!

You see if David goes into battle with his army, then he is celebrating with Uriah and patting him on the back instead of sleeping with his wife and planning Uriah's death. God does not spare David in this situation. God does not hand David a free pass on this one. In the last verse of the chapter we see God is not happy with David and later we find out just how unhappy God is. There is some really heavy stuff about to come down on David's house because of the sin he commits here in this chapter.

I am not saying that God's wrath is about to come down on your house because of your sin, but I am not saying it will not happen either. Our God is still the God of justice. Jesus' death and resurrection did not change God to a God that just hands out pixie dust and lollipops, and frolics in open pastures with "Afternoon Delight" playing in the background. If you act on your sins God will bring justice to your life trust me.

Like any good parent, we love are kids enough to give them discipline when they are out of line. David wasn't where he should have been, acted on his lustful desires, plotted and killed a man, and God disciplined him for it. If you are not where you should be and act on your selfish desire, God will discipline you too.

So I say this one more time, BE WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO BE!

John

Psalm 103 – God’s Goodness

David’s words in this Psalm are rich with expressions of God’s mercy and compassion.  And even in translation, we can still hear some of the poetry. 

As far as the east is from the west. 

He remembers that we are but dust. 

The wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

Rich.  Worth remembering, even memorizing. 

The other thing I notice here is that David is talking to himself.  He’s not addressing God, or Israel, or mankind.  Like Psalm 42 (Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God.  Ps. 42:5), he’s talking to his own soul.  And what he tells himself to do is worship.  That’s the point of the litany of God’s goodness, to get his soul in gear to worship.  Only at the very end does he address others, first angels, then all creation, telling them to worship.  But he concludes with this, and you too my soul, praise the Lord.

All this drives home the point that worship is a choice.  Like love, it involves emotions as rich and deep as the words of Psalm 103, but in the end it is something – Someone – we choose.

- Paul Abbott

1 Chronicles 17 – God’s House

David has a plan: he dreams of building God an impressive house to show his great devotion.

God has another plan.  David’s heart may be in the right place, but to realize this dream the Lord has someone else in mind better suited for the task. 

Then God one-ups David. “Oh no,” he says, “You’re not gonna build me a house; just watch me build you a house… and with it a kingdom that will last forever!”

How do you respond to this over-the-top favor from God?  What can you say?  What can any of us say?

Once again, David gives us the words.  “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” (vs. 16)

We hear David offer a similar prayer to God in Psalm 16:6:

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

If, like me, you’ve ever struggled for words in God’s presence, consider committing one of these passages to memory, so our hearts might beat for God like the one who penned them.

Reuben

2 Samuel 6 - King of Passion

Let's try this again.  Strike two for Mr. Youth Pastor.  If you were paying attention and logging into the blog this morning you would have noticed two things.  1.  First I totally spaced writing a blog for the chapter today.  Ann Barker keenly noticed that at 7 this morning and let me know.  No excuses I just blew it.  Sorry about that.  2.  Then, while finishing an all night Star Wars Movie Marathon Guys Night with the high schoolers at church (mind you....I had not yet slept) I went to the One80 page at the Cedarbrook site and clicked on the chapter for Friday.  Unfortunately it was for next Friday.  After reading, pondering, and writing my thoughts in the blog, it came to my attention (thank you Janet S for catching it) that I posted the wrong blog.  So....here we go again:

Lots of different emotions displayed in this chapter.  Anger.  Fear.  Jealousy.  Rejoicing.  Maybe because it happens at the end of the chapter, or maybe because it displays something that we all wish we could have more of; the one that stands out the most for me is the unbridled passion of King David as he danced before the Lord.  If you are like me, far too often we feel inhibited in our worship of our King.  What will people think?  Will they think I am weird?  Our pride gets in our way and we hold back.  To steal a thought from Janet S post on my previous blog, "to let loose just a little bit...especially as we approach Easter this Sunday".  Maybe this chapter is an encouragement for us to worship with unbridled passion this weekend especially.  Made me think of a song by David Crowder Band.  Enjoy the listen, and looking forward to worshiping with you Easter morning!




Mathew McCabe

Psalm 27: Ups and Downs

I don’t think it is possible to read through this psalm without being struck by David’s deep and abiding confidence in God. We do not have to read past the first several verses to deduce that David was not writing this particular song during a calm and trouble free time in his life.

Put yourself in his shoes for a moment: how would you be feeling if you had “evil men” advancing against you, “enemies and foes” attacking you, “an army” besieging you, and a “war” breaking out against you? Would any of that rock your world a bit? Might these circumstances cause you more than a little anxiety and fear?

In the face of all of this, David maintains steadfast confidence in the character and goodness of God. In verse one, David tells us that he experiences God as being his light and salvation, the stronghold of my life, and as a result of that, he concludes with, “of whom shall I be afraid?”

Again, with all H-E-double hockey sticks breaking loose around him, David asserts in verse 13: “I am still confident in this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” What explains this kind of trust? How could David hold tightly to his trust in God and his goodness when all of his circumstances could have easily convinced him that he was on his own?

I think the key to his confidence is found for us in verse 4 (one of the most wonderful verses in all of the Old Testament in my humble opinion). David knew his God – he did not just know about him – he knew him personally. In fact, you could say that he was obsessed with him. David’s deepest desire was to keep company with God, come what may in his life. And he did. His deep awareness of God’s presence with him fueled his confidence that his circumstances did not have the last word in his life – God did.

And that is still true for you and me as well. Does your faith need a confidence boost? Follow David’s lead and keep company with God. Who else would we rather go to when life seems too much to handle?

Ken Jackson

1 Samuel 20 - Jonathan’s Loyalty

Promises. That’s what I thought of when I read this chapter. Up until now we’ve seen numerous promises made by God to his people. Back in Genesis, God promised that never again would the waters of a flood destroy all life. The visual reminder of that promise: the rainbow. Later, he promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. In Exodus, he promised that he would free the Israelites from their oppressive circumstances in Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land – a land flowing with milk and honey. I could go on, but you get the idea. God is a God of promises. And he keeps every one of them.

Now David and Jonathan were good friends and loved one another deeply. They made a promise to be loyal and always care for each other.

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’”

After Jonathan had died, David remembered that promise and showed kindness to Jonathan’s son. (See 2 Samuel 9).

Promises are powerful. Let’s hold on to God’s and work to keep the ones we make.

-Gina G.

Psalms 19 - Outdoor Lessons

So as a worship pastor Psalms is where it's at! I love the way the Psalmist articulate their heart and soul throughout the book.

In this particular chapter I LOVE the first 4 verses. The way David puts in to words the way the heavens cry out and praise God without saying a word is amazing to me. As a songwriter I would love to write something that thought provoking and that moving.

Recently I was at lunch with a Cedarbrook member and they made me realize something I've never thought of in worship. They stated that they were not good at praying to God. They always felt inadequate talking to God, but singing worship songs, hymns, and psalms made it much easier. What a great outlet for those of us that are not so great with words!!

As I read this chapter I couldn't help but think that this is a GREAt chapter to memorize and pray when our words are not enough. So if you struggle like I do at times talking to God this chapter can help tell God how we feel.

I think David's words even help me end my blog.

"So let these words of my mouth and the meditations  of my heart be acceptable in Your sight my Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer."

John

1 Samuel 17 – Giant Killer

The Biblical story of David is an epic in the true sense of the word.  Here near the beginning, David slays a giant.  It is a near miracle and demonstrates his right to the throne like Arthur pulling the sword from the stone.  Later there will be a woman and before it’s over David will be both adulterer and murderer.  David has feet of clay just like you and me, but God never leaves him.  Why?

One answer is found here in today’s chapter.  Learning about Goliath, David asks, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?   I recognize this voice.  I’ve heard it before.  So have you.

If you were to curse the U.S. Marine Corps (the way Goliath curses Israel and Israel’s God) in the presence of my older son, he would not be able to hold his tongue.  Before you knew what (or who) had hit you, he’d be on his feet and you’d both be out the door to “discuss” this further in the parking lot.  Something similar would happen if you spoke ill of a certain young woman in the presence of my younger son.  Like David, my sons are in love. 

There’s a reason Israel’s greatest warrior-king is also her greatest poet.  And a reason why David’s life is blessed, charmed, in spite of his feet of clay.  David is in love with the God of Israel and the story that unfolds is epic.

- Paul Abbott

Psalm 23 - A Shepherd’s Song

How many times have the words of Psalm 23 flooded back to my soul when I’ve allowed stress or anxiety to pull me far from God’s pastures?  Like a wayward lamb, I need help getting back to the quiet waters I was made for.

To those who would dismiss this reliance on God as a crutch, I would simply ask, “Have you seen these limbs of mine—so prone to wander, so prone to stumble?  It seems I’m made for crutches.  His rod and His staff—they comfort me.  His Words guide me back home.

We all need to put great words on our tongues to lead us home.  And there are few words as great and beautiful and wrapped in truth than the words of Psalm 23, penned by a man after God own heart.  If you have five minutes, you can listen to the Psalm here—put to music by Jon Foreman:

"The House of God Forever"



- Reuben Smith

A Tale of Two Kings – I Samuel 16

Verse 7 says “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

The Lord does not look at the outward appearance, but rather at the heart.  An absolutely wonderful statement.  A statement that can give confidence to the “little guy”, give hope to all of us regular ordinary people who don’t really feel like we have any “special” talents.  Nothing that sets us apart from the big, the strong, the powerful, the talented.  And yet in one simple statement from this chapter, it does not matter.  God looks at the heart and does not concern himself with the things that the people of the world look at.  He will, and often does, use the most unlikely character to do amazing things in His Kingdom!

The Lord does not look at the outward appearance, but rather at the heart. A wonderful statement yes, but potentially also a terrifying statement.  So often we think we can hide things, live a compartmentalized life, but keep it hidden on the inside.  Look good on the outside, but have all kinds of darkness in our hearts.  Say the right things and do the right things (when the right people are watching) but be completely different on the inside.  In that case, the fact that God looks past the outside and into the heart, a little bit scary.

So for you, which is it?  Wonderful or terrifying?  Or maybe a little of both.  (you don’t have to answer here on the blog, but might be a conversation you want to have with God).

Mathew McCabe

1 Samuel 3: Transition Team

As I read this chapter, I was reminded of the question posed by noted theologian Lily Tomlin: “Why is it that when we speak to God, it’s called prayer, but when God speaks to us, it’s called schizophrenia?”

Why would it surprise us or strike us as odd that that God wants to speak to us? Think about this question in terms of a close relationship that you have with someone. What would that relationship be without communication? If you love someone, you talk with that person, they talk to you.

In our text we find that God is speaking to Samuel, but Samuel does not recognize God’s voice; he doesn’t know that it is God talking to him. Think about this for a moment. This means that it is possible for God to speak to us and for us not to realize that it is God speaking. That is a sobering thought! What might we miss out by not recognizing his voice?

Samuel’s experience shows us that hearing God’s voice is a learned behavior; it may take us some time and training to hear God’s voice. His experience also shows us that God can speak to anyone. He does not restrict his voice to Christian leaders or spiritual superstars. Samuel was probably only twelve years old at this time – he was no spiritual giant (at least not yet!). If God was able to speak to and through Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22), he can certainly talk to you and me!

Taking a lesson from Samuel, we can open ourselves up to recognizing God’s voice in our lives by inviting him to teach us with the prayer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Lots of ordinary moments in our day can be filled with this invitation, and filled with God’s answers to this invitation. We have read what God said to Samuel… what might he say to you?

Ken Jackson

Ruth 1 – Tough Love

Life is not looking very promising at the onset of today’s chapter.  There’s famine in the land. Tragedy has struck with the death of Elimelech, and later of Mahlon and Kilion. And now we have not just one, but three grieving women. There are no children, so no heir. It’s quite disheartening.

Then we see something in Ruth that inspires: “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

I can’t walk away from those verses without being ridiculously challenged. She’s faithful, even when it hurts. She is willing to leave her family with no husband or hope of one, friends, her home, and the religion she’s always known, to live in a new land with her mother-in-law. And I think it’s crazy that she made this bold move without God clearly speaking to her as He had done with Moses or Abraham. She simply trusted.

-Gina G.

Judges 16 - Superman's Flaws

So Samson was our first superstar in the Bible. He had fame, looks, and most of all he was powerful. Not just in the political sense, but literally he was the strongest man alive. He had it ALL, but he also had a big EGO to go with it. You see his pride was his big issue, probably like a lot if us today.

We see in verse 16 Delilah had finally nagged enough, (that's another blog in itself) and Samson told her the secret to his strength. At this point I wish I could go back in time and slap Samson, and say, "Really??? Like you didn't get it the 1st time? I mean dude you're killing me...you are killing me Smalls!!"

After the Phillistines capture Samson they gouged his eyes out and then the Bible says in verse 21 that they put him to grinding in prison. This was a huge grinding wheel that Samson would have to push in a circle over and over to crush grain. So now we find our hero is blind, powerless, and walking in circles.

Wow that sounds like us sometimes. We feel defeated because we live in this rut, or we let our pride get in the way of us really connecting to the Father, and then we become blind, powerless, and walking in circles.

What find so cool about this story is verse 22. This verse starts out with the word BUT, and that's an amazing word in this passage. The word BUT tells us there's hope for Samson. It tells us that God was not through with our hero. We see that Samson's hair began to grow back, and that was a symbol that God was with Samson.

So, If you feel that you are blind, powerless, and walking circles just know there is a BUT in your story, and  His name is Jesus. He can give you hope. He can deliver you from your enemies. He can you give you sight, power, and steps with purpose!! 

John  

Judges 7 – Military Upset

If Gideon is an unlikely leader, his victory over Midian is an even more unlikely victory.  Any fool can see that an army of 32,000 is better than a band of 300, especially one armed with empty jars, candles and trumpets.  Some may be tempted to wonder if the truth is being stretched just a bit here.

But reading about Gideon’s victory, I’m reminded of other wars and other stories where the battle turned on the most unlikely events and the outgunned underdogs won the day.  (It’s too complicated to detail here, but remind me to tell you sometime about the turning point in the battle on Little Round Top at Gettysburg.)  Hearing those tales, we’re tempted to call them miracles, and maybe they were.

A couple of centuries later another young man named Jonathan attacked the enemies of Israel with only his armor bearer, just the two of them against far superior numbers.  Explaining his “military strategy,” Jonathan captured the lesson Gideon learned that night in the valley near the hill of Moreh.  The Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few (1 Samuel 14: 6).  To which his armor bearer replied (loosely translated here), then I’m good to go, with you heart and soul.  Let’s go kick their backsides.  And they did.

The Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few. 

Remember that the next time you’re outnumbered.

- Paul Abbott

Judges 6 – Unlikely Leader

When I was a kid, I remember sneaking off to our tree house way out in the woods by the edge of our property.  It was a quiet summer afternoon and I was all by myself.  From the top of the fort I could look out over the rusty field below and up into the expansive sky above.  It was time for a talk.

“God, it’s me, Reuben.  Okay listen, I’ve got this idea.  A great way for you to prove you love me and we're in this thing together.  Here’s my idea: Can you make me fly?  Not all the time or anything--just for 15 minutes, tops.  And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone; I'll do my flying on the down-low.  It’ll be something just You and I can share, kind of a secret handshake in the clouds.  What do you think?  I totally believe you can make this happen if you wanted to.”
I had stumbled onto a profound theological question: Can God be tested?

I suspect all of us want special favors from God.  We want Him to make Himself known to us, to dazel us with a sign, to write out His plan for our lives so it will be clear.

But in John 4:48, Jesus responds directly to people like me: "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe."

Like Gideon, I wanted to be dazzled.  I wanted proof of His power.  Or maybe I just wanted to control God.  Over and over again in scriptures, it seems that God is far more interested in growing our faith than passing our tests.

Consider this: What if God actually did for you and me what He did for Gideon?  How would this grow our faith?  Maybe God wants us to do the work to earnestly seek Him, instead of answering our every demand for a sign.

Home at Last – Joshua 24

Another chapter full of reminders of all the amazing things that God did for the people of Israel.  A highlight reel of all the ways God provided for, protected, and lead the people. And as Joshua is reminding them of what God said and did for them, he breaks into message about what our response should be to this amazing God.  In verse 14 he says “Now fear the Lord and serve him with faithfulness”.  He goes on to remind them to get rid of the idols and false god’s (not that they had had any trouble with setting up idols or anyting…cough cough).  I love what Joshua says next in verse 15.  To paraphrase, he says:  if you don’t think following and serving God is good, then choose something else, but for me…we are going to Serve the Lord.  Don’t let the fact that the end of this verse is probably one of the most common phrases to find it’s way onto all manner of “household chachka”, keep you from seeing it’s power.  Joshua all but assumes that even though the people have seen miracle after miracle from God, some if not many, will choose to follow another god or another idol.  And Joshua just makes the declaration “listen people, you all can do what you think is best, as for me, I have seen the goodness and glory of the Lord and so I choose to serve the Lord. 

So, what about for you?  Will you choose to serve the Lord, or will you serve idols or false God’s? 

Just in case you all did not know this or have heard me say it.  As for the McCabe family, I don’t know what you all are going to do, but as for the McCabe’s, we will serve the Lord

Mathew McCbe

Joshua 7: Slow Learners

Tough chapter. We look on at yet another situation where we see sin at work and its horrible consequences. Listen again to the warning that God had just given to the Israelites in Joshua 6:18: “But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.”

God wanted Israel to understand and remember that each individual’s actions had consequences for their entire community. Even with this clear warning ringing in our ears, we are still shocked to read about how one man’s decision to ignore and disobey God leads to a terrible outcome where many innocent people, including his own family, are killed. There is just something about this that does not seem fair.

I think part of our struggle when reading stories like this one is that our modern, individualistic worldview clashes with the more communal, corporate view of the Bible. Our modern mindset says that individuals benefit from or suffer for what they themselves do (or don’t do). Usually, they are exempt from the benefits or deficits or what others do (or do not do). If it were otherwise, our individualism would say that it is unjust.

In the world of the Bible, however, entire communities and families benefit or suffer because of the actions of an individual, and no one reckons this unjust. If we don’t understand the differences between those two perspectives, we will have difficulty understanding much of the Bible. 

God exists in community and his dreams, his plans, and his goals have always involved community, not just individuals. This is why all of his promises have come down to us through his dealings with a believing nation (Israel) and a believing community (the church). God loves individuals; of this let there be no doubt. But God’s view is always communal or corporate.

May this chapter remind us of several timeless truths: God is holy and he still takes our obedience and disobedience very seriously. Like Achan, we are part of a community of believers. Our choices and actions have potential to dramatically impact how others experience and see our church community. With this in view, let’s decide together to choose obedience.

Ken Jackson

Joshua 6 – Strange Tactics

I’m going to be honest with you; the first thing that comes to mind when I read this chapter is the Veggie Tales movie, Josh and the Big Wall. Don’t judge. In the movie, as the Israelites begin their walk around Jericho, the guards taunt them:

“Keep walking, but you won't knock down our wall.

Keep walking. But she isn't gonna fall!

It's plain to see, your brains are very small.

To think walking, will be knocking down our wall.”

I’m sure this plan seemed ridiculous to Jericho’s army. You really think you’re going to succeed by silently marching around in circles and blaring some trumpets? Yet Joshua and the Israelites had unwavering faith to believe God’s unusual plan. They marched in obedience around the city, trusting God despite danger and ridicule.

“It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.” -Hebrews 11:30 (NLT)

By faith the walls of Jericho fell. Not by the Israelites trusting in themselves, questioning God, or giving up even when it appeared as though nothing was happening. By faith!

-Gina G.

*For your viewing pleasure, check out part of Josh and the Big Wall by clicking here.

Joshua 2: New spies, New spirit

My life has been filled with tragedy. In 1989 my sister Angel was killed in a car accident on her way back to college. And in 2002 my 2 year old nephew died suddenly from a life threatening virus. I dont' have time to go into great detail about these events, but needless to say those were the hardest times of my life!

I think we would all agree that in those times it's hard to see God. I have found that it is hard to find the good in times of tragedy. We usually sit around asking, "why me?" and "what now?" But what I have also found out through these hard time is God sees the bigger picture!!

I can't think of much darker lifestyle than prostitution. A lifestyle of emptiness, judgement, and heart break. And thats exactly where our heroine is standing at the beginning of this chapter. I would dare say that it is not the career choice any of us would choose, but I repeat God sees the bigger picture.

My family put our faith in the Lord and with the help of some great friends survived these tragedies. We have actually seen great things come out of these terrible situations. My mom and dad to this day get letters, emails, even Facebook messages from people stating what an inspiration my sister Angel was in their life. And my sister Cindy, she followed her dream of becoming a children's book author, because she was inspired by her 2 year old son's life. You see God saw the big picture for my family, we just had to let the dust settle before we could see it.

Rahab was putting life in danger. She was possibly making a horrible situation even worse. She knew she and her family would surely die if the King found out about her hiding the spies, but she placed her trust in LORD through the dark times, and when the dust settled she saw great things come out of the dark times.

You see, God honoured her faithfulness, not only by helping the Israelites later on destroy Jericho, but He used Rahab in a much bigger way than anyone would have ever expected. If you skipped up to the New Testament book of Matthew you will see in chapter 1 the genealogy of Jesus. If you read verse 5 carefully you will see it says, "Salmon son of Boaz, whose mother was RAHAB." That's right, this woman became apart of the lineage of the King of Kings!! God's plan for Rahab was much bigger than just the crumbling walls of Jericho, His plan involved the crumbling walls for all mankind.

So if you are in the midst of a very dark time, even though it maybe hard to see, just let the dust settle and you will see God's bigger picture.

John    

Deuteronomy 28 – Loud and Clear

Reading Deuteronomy 28, I’m reminded of a line from Fiddler on the Roof.  Facing another difficult circumstance for his family, Tevye says, I know we are the chosen people, but once in a while, can’t you choose someone else?

God promises life and happiness to his people if they keep his commands.  But if they do not . . .   Well, if they do not, then they will face all the horrors of life two millennia before Christ.  As the story unfolds, they didn’t keep the Law and much of what we read in this chapter actually came to pass – hard to believe, I know.

What, from God’s perspective, might be the point of all this?  The Law is good, holy, and if obeyed perfectly, it produces life and happiness.  But to a sinner, it brings judgment.  And I am always a sinner.  Trying to sort all this out in the aftermath of Jesus’ life and death, the apostle Paul writes, the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death (Romans 7:10). 

So how is this a good thing?  Couldn’t God just choose someone else?

The Law, and the consequences I face when I break it, bring me face to face with the truth that I am a law-breaker.  It drives home that I can’t live up to God’s standards.  The Law shows me my need for a Savior, for Jesus.  Writing again, Paul says, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24).

When I read the harsh judgments of a chapter like Deuteronomy 28, I’m reminded that this pain and sorrow is what separation from God looks like.  And somehow hanging on a Roman cross, this is what Jesus endured for me.

- Paul Abbott

Deuteronomy 8 - Dangers of Success

In children's ministry, the most challenging kid to reach is not the one who acts up or bounces off the walls; the most challenging kid to reach is the one who has always been shielded from consequences.  Without this connection, their capacity for growth will always be stunted.

In this passage, we see so vividly how God our Father is always interested in helping us grow, in helping us see things as they really are:

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,… to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” —Deuteronomy 8:3

Could this be one reason God allows us to experience the full consequences of our actions—if only for a moment we might see our need for Him as intense as it really is?

Reuben Smith

Dueteronomy 4 – Never Forget

The story of the nation of Isreal is the story of people with a horrible memory.    So often when reading or teaching from the story of the Old Testement I get crazy frustrated.  God miraculously protects them from Pharaoh and his army on the way out of Egypt.  He miraculously parts the Red Sea for them to cross.  And shortly after that, they complain and doubt His ability to get them water and food.  God was constantly asking them to remember. Jacob set up a pillar of rocks in the spot where he realized “God was in this place and I was unaware” so that he would remember.  A little forward in history and the nation will set up piles of rocks after crossing the Jordan to remember God’s power and goodness.  We must remember!  All of biblical history reminds us and shows us God’s goodness towards mankind.  But on a more personal level, our own history can speak volumes to God’s provision and goodness in our lives.  It can, as long as we remember it.  As long as the times of His miraculous provision for us, the times of His powerful protection of us, stay in our memories.  Or will we forget like in the story we are reading (Cross Red Sea on DRY ground…3 days later grumbling because they doubt God can provide water for them)?

What do you need to remember?  Would love to hear some great stories of God’s provision, protection, and all around goodness in our lives.  Share your stories.  It will help us all remember.

Mathew McCabe