Grace & Wisdom under Fire

How should we respond when tried by fire?  

Let us look at the example of Abigail.                                    

Her actions and words reflect the fruit of the Spirit.

Love-joy-peace-patience-kindness-goodness-faithfulness-gentleness-self-control. - Gal. 5:22-23

David & his men requested provisions of the wealthy Nabal to refresh them after extended time in the desert. They had protected and honored Nabal’s shepherds and herds. 

Yet the arrogant and foolish Nabal insulted David’s men.  He refused to show a hint of hospitality or gratitude.

David & 400 of his men planned to annihilate Nabal and his servants.  Servants in Nabal’s household sought Abigail’s help, she acted quickly and purposefully.

Abigail immediately packed a large quantity of food and drink to deliver to David and his men.  She  traveled along with the servants. 

• Abigail was prepared-provisions were ready.
• She was generous and courageous-Abigail traveled to deliver provisions.
• She was humble, though the wife of a wealthy, but foolish man.  She placed others above herself.
• Her actions/words prevented much bloodshed.

David, influenced by Abigail’s words and actions, reversed his plan to massacre Nabal & his household.

What consequences would she face when Nabal learned of her actions?                                                         

Abigail wisely waited until daybreak to communicate her actions to a sober Nabal.

The news caused Nabal great distress, his heart became as stone.                                                                               

Nabal life was taken by the LORD about 10 days following the incident.

David learned Abigail had become a widow, he remembered her wise intervention. David summoned Abigail to become his bride.  She became the mother of his 2nd son-Kileab (2 Samuel 3:3)

This account of Abigail, David & Nabal contains lessons to live by.   Their actions and decisions are seen in the following Scripture:  Romans 12:9-14, 16-19, 21

Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the LORD; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.  Do not be wise in your own estimation.  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect  what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the LORD. …do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Gracious, Loving Father,

Thank you for Biblical examples of courageous characters in the face of intense and frightening situations.  Grant us courage, wisdom and strength to choose humility, generosity, and peace when it is in our power to do so.  Thank you for the sacrifice  and the example Christ is for each of us.  Thank You, Jesus.

In His Name, Amen.

Mischelle Oliver, Stephenville

Learning to Love

“Once you have learned to love, you will have learned to live.” ~Unknown

In many deep conversations with close friends, I have found that many of us struggle with knowing how to love.  The challenge isn’t so much in loving others, although I don’t think we really do that well either, but in loving ourselves.  We are our worst critics and, hence, our worst enemies.  We have the ability to quickly defeat anything we set out to do because not only do we struggle with loving ourselves, we struggle with finding any worthiness in ourselves.  In this group of people, I have found those who have struggled with loving themselves have a higher incidence of finding either chemical or sexual stimuli to overcome their shame.  While it seems odd that those who suffer from a feeling of unworthiness would turn to something that would make them feel less worthy, it is actually quite understandable when you look at it from a spiritual warfare point of view.  What is it that Satan wants us to believe?  That we are not good enough.  That we are weak.  That we are the worst thing we can imagine.  He uses our shame against us to do the very things we feel ashamed of and then uses that to convince us that is who we are to the point we listen more closely to Satan than to God.  

I have shared this idea in broader context with people and have gotten feedback that runs from, “uh huh, I know exactly what you are talking about” to “you just need to get your head on straight and do the right thing.”  Shame often brings out the harshest critic in us too.  Sometimes it’s so much easier to point out the people we feel aren’t as “good” as us so we feel less shame and better about ourselves.  Dr. Brene Brown is a recognized researcher and expert on shame, fear and vulnerability and she states that judging often comes from people who feel very insecure in what they are judging so they look for someone worse than themselves.  I’ve been there.  What about you?

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  A friend told me the Greek uses the work “masterpiece” instead of handiwork.  I’m no Greek scholar but I like the idea of masterpiece.  In Genesis, I read that I am created in God’s image (1:26-27).  If my understanding is correct, scripture suggests I was created as a masterpiece since God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-everything.  I do not think He would create something that wasn’t a masterpiece.  Yet, something is trying to make the masterpiece less than it was created to be.  Something is trying to take chips out of the masterpiece, trying to stain the masterpiece.  Something, or someone I should say, uses shame as a heavy-handed tool to destroy the masterpiece.  And that’s where learning to love ourselves comes in.

Self-love, in my usage, isn’t an arrogant, inward focused love.  It’s a love for self knowing that God made me and created and loved me enough to die for me on the cross in the form of His Son, Jesus.  If He can love me that much, why do I struggle to love myself?  Therein lies the battle.  Once I learn to block out the other voice or voices, once I quit listening to the one saying I’m not worthy I will see that God counts me worthy and because of that I can love myself and love others well.

I am a masterpiece created in the image of THE Master.  Because of that, I can learn to love myself well, love others openly and live fully in the hope and knowledge of my Lord.

Jeff Jones

Decatur, Texas

Conquerors

Paul pulls no punches when he explains life to us.  Living a life of faith can be really hard. In the 8th chapter of Romans, he tells us what we are up against.  If we were listing the burdens and hardships of life, we might list loneliness, pain, persecution, hunger, grief, poverty, even death.

But Paul makes it really personal. Over and over Paul asks not what is against us, but who.  Look at verses 31, 33, 34 and 35.  Not what, but who?  We have a personal enemy.

Satan is against us.

Satan accuses us.

Satan condemn us.

Satan wants to separate us from Christ's love.

Satan is not just an enemy . . . he is YOUR enemy.  He uses tribulation, distress, persecution, famine and sword to accomplish his purpose.  It helps his cause for us to look at and concentrate on the wrong things.  If we concentrate on our pain, he might win.  If we concentrate on Satan, we might give up.

So, Paul calls on us to look at Jesus; more precisely, to look at the love of Jesus.

Satan can rail.  He can hurt us, starve us, even kill  us.  But he cannot separate us from Jesus' love.  When all is said and done . . . when the smoke clears and the dust settles . . . it will be us and Jesus.  We win.  We are more than conquerors.

Dear Father,

You are the one true God.  No one is like you.  You have never failed.  You are the mighty one, and you love us.

Thank you for the victory we can have in Jesus.  Thank you for the promise that Satan cannot separate us from your love.  Thank you for telling us that we actually can get through this life.

We know you have already won.  And we remember, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”         

In the name of your Son, our Shepherd, in whom we fear no evil, Amen

Paul Shero

San Angelo, Texas

Right Where We Are

Sheep are not intelligent creatures. That is why I feel mildly disgruntled every time I read a passage of scripture that compares God’s people to sheep. We aren’t that stupid, right? Maybe it isn’t about a lack of intelligence. Maybe it’s just about a lack of awareness and knowledge. Which is very different from sheer stupidity.

I was reading Luke 15 this morning and was struck by the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. They’re very short stories--only ten verses, combined. There are 99 sheep, one gets lost, the shepherd goes and finds it, everyone throws a party. A woman has ten silver coins, loses one, searches the house and finds it, everyone throws a party. Seems very simple.

Our focus is usually on the shepherd and the woman of the house. They search. He leaves 99 sheep to go retrieve one. Ninety-nine! For one sheep? The woman lights a lamp, gets out her broom, and scours the house for one coin. She has nine others! Why not let the other one go? As a child and young adult, these are the thoughts I’d entertain while reading these parables.

I think these parables are just as much about the one sheep and one coin as they are about the effort of the shepherd and woman. Sheep are easily misled and are usually unaware of the fact that they are wandering away from where they should be. A coin is an inanimate object. It can’t even consciously choose to wander away. Sometimes we wander away from the path that the Lord has put before us without even realizing it. We look up one day and realize we’re lost. Sometimes we don’t know we’re lost until the shepherd has arrived and is throwing us over his shoulder, gently carrying us back to the fold. We don’t realize our will strayed from His until the woman is cupping us in her outstretched hands, slowly shining our marred surfaces.

This is a message not only to us, but also to the Pharisees and scribes to whom Jesus is telling these Parables. Jesus is sitting down to teach the tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees say, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” He immediately goes into the first parable. Of course He welcomes sinners and eats with them! He’s promised to meet us where we are, whether we’re “whitewashed tombs” or the obvious kind--“tax collectors and sinners.”

God meets me where I am. Does that mean that I should stay there and wait if I realize I’ve strayed before He arrives? No. It just means that I don’t have to fear, because in the midst of my blindness, my unconscious waywardness, and my ignorant wanderings, the Lord is seeking me fervently and will come and get me, regardless of how far I’ve unknowingly wandered. The sheep analogy isn’t so insulting now. It just means the Lord knows the nature of the people He created and that He will show us grace despite--and because of--our flaws. I love the way it feels when he lovingly sets me back down in the fold.

God,
Thank you for meeting us where we are. We know our hearts wander and we are sorry. Thank you for showing us grace when you find us, and helping us get back to where we came from--near to Your heart. Help us to read these parables and remember to do the same for others who stray. Help us to show them grace, too, because we are all dead without it. We love You so much, our faithful Shepherd.
Through Jesus,
Amen.

Erin Daugherty
Abilene Christian University

I'm Wide Awake

A few days ago I heard a song by Tim McGraw entitled “Live Like You Were Dy’n”. It’s a very moving song. The chorus is probably the part that most people remember. It shares similarities with the movie "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
Verse two in the song takes the sentiment of the song and puts it down where we live:

He said I was finally the husband, that most the time I wasn't
And I became a friend, a friend would like to have
And all of a sudden goin' fishin, wasn't such an imposition
And I went three times that year I lost my dad
Well I finally read the good book, and I took a good long hard look
At what I'd do if I could do it all again

I don’t think anybody can listen to that song and not be moved to think about life and how we live it. It rouses something within us. It reminds me that life is uncertain, fragile, unpredictable and short. I don’t think it’s morbid to think about such things. In fact we need reminders like that. I think they keep us “awake” on several levels.

I occasionally reflect on Paul’s statement, “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself.” The premise of his statement is basically "life is bigger than our personal needs." An addendum to that is that we need to live in the consciousness of that truth. Each day presents us with another opportunity to live “awake” to the fact that we are the Lord's possession placed on the earth for His service. Point? Life is about a lot more than “going and doing”. It’s about having our spiritual senses attuned to what really matters in life.

As the song concludes it asks us to reflect on how we use our life:
What could you do with it?
What did I do with it?
What would I do with it?
Great questions. Life questions. I need to answer those questions everyday. If Paul’s words get into our hearts I think we bring to life an “us” that is awake and focused on what really counts. And, we live like today is all we’re promised.

Gracious Father, thank you for every moment of life you give us. May our senses become more keenly aware of the opportunities we are presented each day to be "Christ" in someone's life. Remove from our hearts those thoughts and impulses that diminish our awareness of your calling. Awaken our spirits O Lord to the presence of your Spirit. Thank you for Jesus who shows us what life is all about. Amen

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas

Wise Words

 “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue” (Proverbs 17:28).

I have a terrible time keeping my mouth shut.  So much so that I’ve metaphorically tattooed a lock on my lips and I can’t open them until I’ve scrolled through the combination.   By then – to the delight of those around me – I’ve had time to weigh what I say or remain silent.

“A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul” (Proverbs 18:7).

The Bible calls a fool undisciplined, quarrelsome, senselessly improper, stupid, shameless, morally undesirable, and thoughtless.  Most alarming of all, wisdom is “beyond the grasp of a fool.”   

Why is it so hard to keep undisciplined, quarrelsome, inappropriate, thoughtless, ignorant comments to ourselves?  I think it’s because our motives are selfish.  We want to please people. We want people to admire us, and we want to control everything so we’ll feel safe.  Friends, this is like playing tug-of-war with the devil.  It keeps us focused on overcoming him, the master of foolishness!  Christ already did that.   

 Proverbs 8:12 says, “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.”  People of discretion are mature, self-controlled, understanding, sensible, of sound and prudent judgment, slow to anger; thoughtful, careful and cautious in their dealings with others.  We learn to be discreet by focusing on Christ, the master of discretion.

“A fool’s soul is always dancing on the tip of his tongue.” (From A World Treasury of Folk Wisdom , Feldman & Voelke, 1992).

People know who we are by what we say, and offhand comments change the course of history every day.  Living to pleasing God leaves no room for foolishness, and wisdom will be ours.

Father, using discretion in our speech will impact our social gatherings, family dynamics, and, most important of all, Your kingdom.  Give us the wisdom to be discreet – not so we will be admired or elevated in the eyes of others, but so we will be a reflection of Your glory, amen.

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas

Something's Stirring in the Duck Blind

Duck Dynasty has been a household word for the past couple of years.

Recently, Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family set off a firestorm of conversation touching everything from first amendment rights to hate speech to how tolerance/intolerance works in America.  It has been interesting to watch the banter over his remarks.

Setting aside the debate about the “wording” of his remarks for the moment, it has been fascinating to analyze this event as the blogs, tweets, radio and talk shows allow opinions to collide on the national stage.  It’s not about freedom of speech.  He exercised that freedom.  It’s really about the theology and ethics represented in his remarks.  By now it should be dawning on us as a nation, and Christians in particular, that the ground of meaning and dialogue is shifting beneath our feet because of how the winds of tolerance blow. 

Secularists have vehemently opposed the faith motif that is sewn carefully into each episode of Duck Dynasty.  More to the point, they have turned up the volume on expressing their disdain for the show hoping that syndicates would come to their senses and “pull the plug.”  The real issue fueling the “presenting concerns” has been nothing more than a hatred for Christian ideas.  And now, on the heels of this most recent event, a platform has been built from which the entire enterprise can be hung and neatly discarded. 

As the proverbial snowball of outrage hurls down our cultural hill, it is fascinating to watch all the things that the big ball picks up on its way to the bottom of the hill.  What is more, the “issues” that people will bring up in favor of sending the show as well as the family’s public appearances into oblivion will not be the real issues.  They will bear similarity to other moments in late and recent history that have contributed to the demise of a person, group or entity that made them think about how they live their lives. 

 

Do you remember the charge the chief priests and scribes brought against Jesus?  “He forbids people to pay taxes to Caesar and claims to be a King.”  Jesus’ accusers believed wholeheartedly that the messiah, would indeed put an end to the Romans and give Caesar notice that he was not “in charge.”  They were convinced Jesus was not the “One.”  In fact, he ran at counter-purposes with the ruling Jewish bodies and their traditionalism.  When he is arrested, it happens as the culmination of a strategic process that had been ripening for some time (Mark 3:1-6).  They rejected him because he claimed to be the messiah and was amassing a great following.  And Pilate knew that to be the case.  “For he was aware that they delivered him up because of envy” (Mark 15:10).  But savvy legalists in their number knew the “real beef” with Jesus wouldn't be enough to get a decree of execution from Pilate.  So, they brought pressure to bear.  “They stirred up the crowd” Mark says.  Pilate, being the politician that he was (no ruler in Judea in those days wanted political flash fires burning here and there), tried to pawn Jesus off on Herod who sent him back to Pilate for “processing.”  Pilate, ingeniously, draws on a Passover tradition:  “Here’s two criminal types – you pick which one dies” (Mark 15:6-15).  The crowd screamed, Pilate heard them, he washed his hands, and Jesus was neatly sent away.  Pilate restored peace.  The Jewish leaders got their execution.  But, shortly after breakfast that morning, God’s purposes moved forward undetected by the vast majority.

Do cultural “moments” like this most recent one rank up there with the trial and death of the Savior?  No.  But, it reminds us once again that righteousness is often destroyed under a different name.  I think we are witnessing, again, the trampling of righteousness in the name of a lot of things because of a confronted conscience choosing anger and arrogance over repentance and humility.

Retailers, talk shows, syndicates, booking agencies….the whole lot will likely feel the pressure.  Ultimatums will challenge the profit bottom line.  Decisions will be made.  That’s the business part of it.  But, that’s not the real story.  It never is.

I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Romans in Romans 1:18-21:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

In fact, read all the way through verse 32. 

Jesus words can serve us well, too.

¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth (John 17:13-18).

Father, give us wisdom to know how to speak in each moment so that your word and the Lordship of your Son are honored.  Give us the courage to speak what we need to speak with no thought of what man may do to us.  May our words and lives honor you above all things.  For from you, through you,and to you are all things.  Amen. 

Randy Daugherty, Stephenville, Texas