David: letting God handle it

David amazes me. I admire that a young man would take on a lion and a bear without anyone's help.  I admire that he would take that same courage and confidence into a battle against a skilled warrior. I am amazed that he could move back and forth from the king's household to the sheepfold. Yet I am particularly impressed by his restraint.

When David was offended by Nabal, he almost lost it. He marched against Nabal but then listened to the advice of Abigail. In the end, he thanked God for restraining him from avenging himself. Twice he could have killed Saul but refrained; he explained to his friend that the Lord would strike him but "the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's annointed".

It seems to me that I often start out with great intentions into service, ministries or missions. Somewhere along the line, I become frustrated with those who are less committed to the cause. In those moments, to simply take care of my heart and let the Lord deal with the rest is not easy. Jesus, in his last conversation with Peter on the beach, called him to do the same - take care of his own life while letting the Father deal with others.

For some, that is probably not a hard challenge. For those of us who feel a deep sense of justice, who were raised on "The Pursuit of Excellence" principle and who tend to live in leadership, it can be a great challenge. One which David seemed to handle well; one in which I will try to grow.

Acts 5; Fear

Fear seems to tie these stories together. Ananias and Sapphira did not fear God and paid dearly for it. The end result of their lives demonstrated that a healthy fear of God is a good thing. In fact, it is what all the people had after they heard the news about the couple. A healthy fear (respect, awe) seized everyone. It permitted the church to meet unmolested and elevated the respect given the apostles by the people.

The Jewish leaders, however, did not fear the uneducated apostles. They only feared the crowds and the loss of their prestige. It took an old sage among them to introduce the idea that perhaps the apostles were working for God. Even after that, the Sanhedrin still did not fear God in their hearts or they would not have beaten the apostles. Yet it was enough to convince their heads and win the freedom of the apostles.

So summing it all up, I think this means that without a healthy fear of God we tend to be selfish and fear people. With a healthy fear of God, we tend to be courageous and respected. Surely all of us want the latter more than the former but are we willing to change our view of God to get there? Are we willing to let God be the God of the Old Testament who punished people, wiped out nations and released death at times? Are we willing to let him be the God of Revelation from whom the four horsemen ride out? Honestly are we even willing to let Jesus be the guy who kicked over tables, drove people out of the temple, refused to heal a woman till she begged and condemned leaders? Are we willing to follow a Holy Spirit that killed Ananias and Sapphira? If not, I guess that means we end up on the side of the Sanhedrin.

Joshua 10:16-43; Strong and Courageous

Joshua must have started off his leadership as somewhat shy and nervous. If "be strong and courageous" was the prescription, then the problem must have been that he was lacking courage. That does not seem to be the description of Joshua in chapter ten. In fact he calls his leaders to put their feet on the necks of the kings they are about to kill and declares to them what God spoke to him in chapter one, i.e., "do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous." He not only believed and lived the message, he now passed it on to those around him. He overflowed with courage and strength.

Every now and then in life, a true "life-changing" decision must be made. For me, leaving my career to become a missionary, adopting Venezuelan twins and returning Sfrom the mission field were some of those gut-wrenching decisions. I now get to face a new one. Every time fear tries to take over the decision making process. All the questions of "what if" cloud the issue. Once a decision has been reached, however, I pray I move ahead with ruthless confidence like Joshua. He was totally sold out to the conquest of the land and called others to catch up. I pray that I will follow the same pattern.

I also have to ask myself why don't we walk with the same confidence and focus 24/7? Why do we let ourselves become so caught up in the trivialities of life that we fail to accomplish the greater good? Life with a clear purpose looks so different from life without purpose. If feels different. It has meaning and conviction. In the words of the Switchfoot, "We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?" So here is to hoping that we live not only with strength and confidence but with strength and confidence in our God-given purpose.

Joshua 1:10-18; Courageous

God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. He could have told him to be humble or be patient or be caring. All are Godly traits. Yet he commanded strength and courage. Perhaps Joshua was timid or passive. Perhaps it was simply the position Joshua was in, i.e., the needs of the people at the moment. Or perhaps it was more about God.

If God was going to be able to help his people in the same way that he had helped them before, he needed the opportunity to show up. If Joshua was passive or indecisive, then there would not be a chance for God to perform any great works through him. How can God reward faith and step boldly into our lives if we do not take any risks? If we are always in control of life and never place ourselves in a vulnerable situation, then how will God have the chance to manifest himself?

So God called Joshua to strength and courage; surely he wants the same in his people today. Surely he wants the chance to manifest himself in us, i.e., to be seen as the one true God who is still actively at work in his people. Yet what chances does he get? We cherish security and work to eliminate risks, even developing "risk management" offices and seminars. But why would God ever show up in a life where we have taken total control and never step out in bold faith? Surely God smiled when Joshua walked away from his meeting with God and proclaimed "in three days we cross the river to take possession of the land." Soon God would split the Jordan river, tumble Jericho without a fight and become the focus of every resident for miles around. All the results of Joshua's courageous faith.

Surely there are rivers to cross and strongholds to tumble in my world that are God-sized jobs. The question is will I be courageous enough to give God the opportunity to show up?

Romans 12:1-2; Courageous Meditation

I continue to be amazed at how there is very little new in the New Testament. Throughout the Torah God called his people to meditate on the law and be different. When he commissioned Joshua he called him to be courageous and hold to the law. Now in Romans 12 Paul says to be different and renew our minds. Nothing new. Yet, nothing easy.

Both actions take effort. Expending effort in order to be different is not what we are continuously told be your society that we should do. We are called to think and act differently from the masses. Constant bombardment from media tells us to look like everyone else, to not be spiritual and to follow the icons of Hollywood.

God knew that only constant bombardment from his word can counter this type of attack on the mind and soul. Yet it will always take courage to step out of the crowd and march to a different drum.