You can't buy forgiveness

1 Samuel 12:1, 14-15  When I was little there was a claymation show on Sunday mornings called Davey & Goliath. It was a 15 minute show that involved a boy and his dog (who could talk to Davey but no one else) and each episode they would learn a theological truth by way of events in their everyday life. I watched it every week and eventually had every episode memorized. One week Davey and his family were on a ski vacation. Davey took his dad's skis without permission and when one of them came off it slid into a crevasse, never to be seen again.

His dad knew something was up when Davey suddenly became extra helpful and polite around the house. Davey finally admitted that he was trying to earn his dad's forgiveness. I'll never forget Davey's dad's stern but loving voice saying, "Davey, you can't buy forgiveness."

Israel had sinned by insisting on having a king like all of the other nations. They got what they wanted, but feared that God would punish them for pushing for their own way in spite of Samuel's warnings. Having their own way did cause them a great deal of misery over the next few centuries, but God never turned his back totally on Israel. He loved them, not because of what they did for him, but because of who he is.  He still sent Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice for their sins. You can't buy forgiveness.

Watchful & Thankful

Colossians 4:2- When I was a boy, my brother and I pestered Dad for months until he bought us a minibike. We stood in the store as Dad made the deal. 3.5 horses of motorized freedom and adventure sat gleaming on that showroom floor. But Dad didn't have a truck, so he arranged for it to be delivered to the house later in the afternoon. Ryan and I were distraught at the knowledge that we owned a minibike but were not able to possess it. We hurriedly ate our lunches and stood in the front yard watching the street and waited for the delivery truck to appear. After what seemed like years, the truck appeared, the minibike was unloaded, the delivery papers were signed, and suddenly we possessed what we had been wanting for months. It was as great as we had imagined. I learned how to service a small engine, maintain chains and cables, and how to clean carburetors. We got many hours of enjoyment out of that minibike. Dad saw us use, maintain and appreciate the value of that minibike. Yes, we told him thanks, but he saw that we reality of our thankfulness by the attention and care we gave the gift he gave to us.

When we pray, are we praying with a watchful eye that believes that the promise God makes will be come true? And when we receive the promise; that answer to our prayer, what is our response? Will God see us live a life of appreciation for what He has done for us?

Let's make sure that in our prayers we are both watchful and thankful.

Love because...

Romans 12:12-  This simple scripture comes in the middle of a paragraph that details what love looks like when lived out in a person. it is interesting to note that all of the examples here speak only to our responsibilities to others. It never promises that if we do these things that love will be returned to us by those we have shown love to. Verse 12 tells us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. We would like for verse 13 to tell us that if we do these things all our hopes would become reality, our affliction would go away and we could take a break from prayer for a while and just enjoy blessings. Instead it calls on us to be ready to share what little stuff we have with others.

We love because we are instructed to love. We are able to love because Christ has shown His love to us. Although our love is directed to people, it goes to the very heart of God because when we love His creation, we love Him. So we don't love in order to get love. We love because we are loved. We aren't initiating love. We are returning love.

Always

1Chronicles 16:11 Those of us who have been in church for a while have heard over and over the necessity of putting God first in every situation. We all know several scriptures that we turn to in situations we want to change. But typically we don't resort to prayer until we have exhausted all of our own ideas and abilities. Many times I have heard someone say with resignation, "All we can do now is pray." How much less drama would we endure in our lives if we sought God's leading every day; even in days when it seems like we can handle it without Him? When we are in constant communication, we don't have to get reacquainted every time we have a crisis. "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." Always means always. Not just in a crisis.

Who's In Charge?

Luke 6:12-16  Jesus spent all night in prayer in preparation for his choice of the 12 who would be his apostles. All night. Jesus. The Son of God. Yeah, Him. He spent all night in prayer before making a major decision. That convicts me. How many times have I made a major decision after convincing myself that my thinking about it a lot was equivalent to praying about it? We can all quote scriptures about taking our needs to God in prayer, but many times our prayer sounds a lot like, "Change my mind if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong" while we are on the way to act on our decision.

I hear God get blamed for a lot of stuff. Someone says they "heard from God", and take action, only to reverse course some time later when it didn't work out the way they thought it would and say again that they "heard from God". I always want to ask them, "Which time were you lying?" When you prepare in prayer for a major decision you can go in peace regardless of the outcome, because you know that you are following God.  I always feel better when He is responsible for the outcome. I have a habit of messing things up when I make the decision.

Feed the Roots

Luke 5:15-16- Doing the work of the Lord is draining even when it is fulfilling. When you have something that is working well and is fruitful there is a temptation to keep on doing it as long as it works. But if you do that, there will be a time when your spiritual tank will run dry. That is when failures occur. Don't mistake fruit for food. You may be producing a bunker crop of fruit, but unless you are rooted in the fertile soil of private prayer and devotion, the fruit will stop and the tree may die. It seems counter-intuitive to withdraw when things are going gang-busters, but if you don't, you, and those around you will eventually suffer the consequences of not feeding the roots. Disregard those who would encourage you to keep doing what's working when you know you need time to replenish. Those who want you to keep going will bail on you when you give out. Get alone with God. Feed your roots so you can produce fruit for the long haul. It's good for you. It's good for those around you.

It's Free!

Luke 3:21-22; 4:1-2, 13- Many times in life we focus on minor things and miss out on the larger picture. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on him while he prayed. It is tempting to spend our time focusing on the specifics of how that happened; what it looked and sounded like, or what method he employed to receive it and fail to focus on what the Holy Spirit did in Jesus. Jesus went through a severe time of testing and temptation through the strength given by the Holy Spirit. Satan threw every device at his disposal at Jesus but was unsuccessful. Jesus employed no methods, no gimmicks sold by other preachers, or positive thought strategies. Jesus employed what is available to every believer- the power and strength of the Holy Spirit working in him. Don't be confused by the proliferation of messages out there. Don't get caught in the traps of specifics some would push upon you. Pray that God's Holy Spirit would come and give you the strength to overcome everything Satan can throw at you. It is a power that cannot be bought or sold. But it is available to all who will accept it in faith.

Daily or Desperation?

Mark 1:21, 35-39- The Gospel of Mark is the most action packed of the gospel accounts. Jesus goes from place to place performing miracles, confronting accusers, and teaching disciples. But Jesus realized the necessity of spending time alone in prayer, regardless how how busy and fruitful his ministry was. He went to Capernaum and taught in the synagogue. It was a great meeting with popular adoration and a miracle. People were abuzz about the great service. Jesus leaves and goes to the home of a friend and heals a sick lady there. People come to the house all evening and he heals the sick and delivers the possessed. All in all a pretty good day of ministry.

Early the next morning while the disciples were sleeping in, enjoying the memories of the day before, Jesus got up early and got alone so he could pray. He didn't wait until he had given himself out and hit a wall of discouragement or weariness. Neither should we. Our prayers must be consistent to be powerful. If we want to be effective over the long haul, we can't coast after victories, or wait until a new battle rages. If Jesus needed daily prayer, how much more do we? Let's practice Daily prayer instead of Desperation prayer.

Rescue

Acts 12:5-17 We really do have an adversary who would like to destroy us. Each of us as believers have a responsibility to pray for one another when difficult situations arise. Paul's friends faithfully and constantly prayed for him while he was in prison. When someone asks you to pray for their difficult situation, it is easy to say you will but then forget to actually do it. But there is great power in concerted, corporate prayer with many voices in agreement. As time goes on, and as life gets more uncertain, we will find it increasingly necessary to support one another in concerted constant prayer. It's a discipline each of us need to develop. We'll sure want others to surround us with prayer when we are the subject!

Every Day

We remember the really great days and the really tough days. But most of our days are normal days with normal aggravations, joys, fears, and blessings. It is important that we reserve time in each of these normal days to build our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The writer of Lamentations tells us "morning by morning new mercies I see". The Psalmist tells us to "taste and see that the Lord is good". Spend some part of everyday just getting to know God and ask for His everyday help and deliverance. Then when the great day comes, your first thought will be to praise the Lord for His blessing. And when the difficult day comes, your first thought will be to praise the Lord for His sustaining and protecting power.

When we really know God, in every life circumstance, we will naturally praise the Lord. But to really know Him, you need to talk with Him every day.