Give us a King!

Vote!  Vote!  Vote! 

Everywhere I turn, someone is telling me to VOTE!  

I know it is pretty common during an election year, especially as it gets closer to election day, but it seems quite extreme this year. Does it seem like that to you? 

TV and social media ads are endless. Signs and billboards are everywhere. It even seems like the religious community has joined in as well. I’ve heard several popular pastors share their political views. Celebrities and athletes are also making their voices heard. Recently, during an NFL game commercial, players told the audience to get out and VOTE. One person even said, “it is the most important thing you will ever do in life.” What?!? While I agree that voting is important and a privilege that we should not take for granted, I do not believe it is the most important thing that a person could ever do in life. I can think of at least five things right off hand that are more important than voting for a US President.  

I honestly do not remember a time when the push to vote was so aggressive. People are completely fired up and passionate about their candidates, so much so they are ready to fight anyone who disagrees with them. I have seen several arguments, both in person and via social media that were just down right ugly. It is truly sad to witness – especially when it is adults (and Jesus followers) behaving this way. There was a time when most people simply voted. There wasn’t this constant need to discuss our political views with everyone and anyone all of the time.  In fact, it was out of respect for one another, that we did not discuss politics at all – particularly with people who didn’t share our same views. It actually used to be considered rude to do so. Today, it is quite different.  

There seems to be such a sense of urgency, as if our lives depend on a certain person being in office. I believe this sense of urgency comes from people: 1) lacking faith in God and 2) thinking that a President is THE answer to all of our problems.

People believe that having the right person (their person) in office will solve many of our problems to include: racism, the economy, police brutality, gun control, abortion laws, climate change, taxes, insurance coverage…even curing COVID-19. Can I be honest and just say….I highly doubt either of the current candidates is THE answer to these problems. In fact, I know that neither of these candidates is the answer to these problems. No one on Earth is. Both may be able to affect some change, but no man is our complete ANSWER. Seeing the misguided hope of so many people – placing their faith where it does not belong and in what will only disappoint – makes me sad. 

I am reminded of 1 Samuel, chapter 8, where the children of Israel demanded a king. Prior to that time, God was their King and He appointed Judges over the people to help govern. The judges served as mediators or liaisons, and provided some Godly wisdom when dealing with matters that affected the people. Ultimately God was their King. It was God who was guiding them and they were following.  After a while, that just wasn’t good enough for the people. They saw that other (ungodly) countries were doing it differently, and they wanted what they had. They wanted an earthly king, because they thought that would satisfy. Sound familiar?

Please read with me:  

1 Samuel 8:4-9 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.”  

God did give the people what they wanted, but did you see what He says?  He says that the people were rejecting HIM. Ultimately their strong desire to have an earthly king revealed their lack of trust and reliance on God, and instead revealed their trust in man (who cannot save). God also told Samuel to warn the people – let them know that certain things will be required of them, and they won’t like having a king. Isn’t God gracious?  Always providing us with information and warnings ahead of time. Do we listen? Not usually, as it was in this case. They continued to demand a king. 

1 Samuel 8:19-22 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king”…..

Saul eventually became the first king of Israel and there were many other kings after him. Some good, some okay and some horrible. The people of Israel went through some extremely difficult times – many of those a result of whoever was king at the time. You see, anytime we choose a man as our answer, rather than God we will have issues. There is not a human on Earth who has enough wisdom to lead right 100% of the time, nor be everything to all people, all of the time. That is only something that Jesus can do. 

Eventually the people of Israel were unhappy again, and this pattern continued for many years.  It is actually the same thing that we do today.  We want something, we get it, we’re happy for a moment, then unhappy again.  Someone takes office, we don’t like it, we cry and pout and then push to have someone better elected…..and so on and so on. 

I can honestly say that my life has never changed drastically based on who has been in office. Has yours? I’ve lived long enough to see several republicans and democrats in office, and while it wasn’t always the person that I voted for – I survived their term(s). Sure my pay and taxes changed here and there, we experienced a few wars, government shutdowns, and some laws were passed that I didn’t necessarily agree with, etc. but I am still here. I am still alive and doing well. I respect the position of President and will respect the person in office whether I voted for them or not. Ultimately, God is in control. 

Please don’t misunderstand – I am not bashing the candidates, nor am I saying that you shouldn’t vote. By all means, vote! And not for a Savior, because there is only One, Jesus! We should vote based on what matters to us, but our fellow Amercians have the right to do the same…and guess what?  Their vote may differ from yours, and that is okay. If a person who I did not vote for gets in office this year or any other year for that matter, it will not change my response, and it shouldn’t change yours either. Do not fear. Do not be angry and bitter. Simply respect the choice that has been made and put your trust in God, who IS your answer. Human leaders will fail us, but God never will. 

That being said, I’d just like to encourage you. Don’t be discouraged by politics or by the state of our country, or the world for that matter. If you are a follower of Christ, this Earth is temporal and we are just passing through until we get to our Heavenly home. Don’t lose hope or get caught up in things on Earth, when God tells us to keep our minds on things above.

And lastly, may we remember that God only requires one thing of us: to Love Him and love our neighbor as ourself (even if they support a different political party than you do).  

Romans: 13:1 Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.  

Isaiah 9:6 For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  

Psalm 146:3-4 Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.  

Colossians 3:3 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.  

Love, Melissa

Don’t Dally in the Valley

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Recently I was reading the book of Genesis, chapter 19.  Many of you are familiar with the story found in this chapter – the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even if you are not familiar with the Bible, you’ve probably heard the story before. Lot and his family escape from the wicked city and God destroys it with fire. You may have also heard about Lot’s wife, who turned back to look at the city and she instantly became a pillar of salt. There are so many truths and principles found in this story.  Today, I’d like to focus on one verse:

Genesis 19:19 – “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die…”

This is Lot speaking.  He is speaking to God, after being pulled from the city to safety.  I had to read this twice, because I was a little confused by what Lot was saying.  Lot was instructed (by God) to GO TO THE MOUNTAINS and settle there, but instead decided that he wanted to settle in the valley. What? If I just saw God destroy a city with fire, I would be inclined to do whatever He was telling me to do – no questions asked. You?

I couldn’t understand why Lot would settle anywhere but where God instructed him to, ESPECIALLY after all that he had witnessed. God sent heavenly messengers to Lot to warn him and save him. God rescued Lot and his family. He saw firsthand the supernatural all-powerful hand of God. God spared his life! Yet, Lot still decided it would be better to stay in the valley instead of listening to God. If anyone would believe God and His word, it should be this man, yet after all he witnessed, he did the opposite. Lot even starts his statement by saying how wonderful God is, and yet all of that was followed by a big BUT….

I felt God asking me, “WHAT IS YOUR BUT?” and “WHY SETTLE IN THE VALLEY WHEN I AM CALLING YOU TO THE MOUTAINS?”

The valley typically represents a place of darkness, a lowly place, or a temporal place. We sometimes refer to challenging seasons of life as valleys.  We usually hear of people walking through valleys in order to get their destination. It is not normally a place to settle in and set down roots.

Mountains on the other hand usually represent a place of victory, triumph and rising above life’s challenges and obstacles. Many times we use mountains to describe our overcoming of something difficult in life, and a permanent place to settle down.  Mountains are also mentioned when describing a feeling of being closer to God. 

In my mind, Lot’s choice to settle in the valley was disobedient to God and God’s plan (for an abundant life). He was choosing to settle in a not so great place for whatever reason. Maybe because he was used to the environment, and being surrounded by sin and darkness after living in Sodom for many years – I can’t imagine the things he witnessed.  Maybe the higher place seemed too unfamiliar or uncomfortable to him.  Maybe he was afraid or felt unworthy, unqualified or unprepared. Maybe he didn’t completely trust God or maybe he was just flat out prideful and chose to disobey God. In my opinion, he seemed to be taking advantage of God’s kindness. Whatever Lot’s reason, he chose to settle in the valley. I was also surprised to find that God granted him this request:

Genesis 19:20-21 – “…now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there that my life may be saved.”He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken.”

When I read this, I was reminded of God’s patience and grace toward us.  God allows Lot to go to this town located in the valley. This wasn’t God’s plan for Lot, but as we see in other Bible stories, God gave him over to his desires. Was it God’s best for Lot? No. I won’t go into detail here, but there were many terrible things that took place following Lot’s decision.

So, what does this text have to do with me? Well, as I mentioned above. I felt God asking me questions regarding my own life. Has God called me to a higher place and I am choosing to settle in the valley? Passing through is one thing, but have I put down roots?

If you are anything like me, you have a tendency to become complacent with where you are (in life). Our walk with God can become routine at times and we start just go through the motions.  We become content and comfortable with the way things are, and settle in a place that God has NOT called us to.  Sure, we can look back and see where we started out and how far we’ve come (growth). We may recognize the things God has done for us and may have seen His hand working in our lives, but we stop there. We decide this is far enough. God is saying, “Go here”, but we’re choosing otherwise. Going any further is scary, uncomfortable and uncertain.  Sometimes God is telling us to do something very specific, but we are so unsure of the outcome, or it doesn’t line up with our plans, that we don’t step out in faith, and do it.

Over the past few days, I have been really seeking the Lord about this.  What valley have I settled in? What should I be doing right now that I am not doing? What are the things that are holding me back from getting to the mountain? What am I afraid of?

And what about you? Have you settled into a place that you don’t belong?  Maybe it is obvious and you know without a doubt that you don’t belong there. What is keeping you from leaving? Maybe it is not so obvious – you may have unintentionally settled in the valley on your way to the mountain, forgetting that you have a final destination. Maybe you were sidetracked or distracted with something that isn’t God’s plan for you.  Whatever your situation, I’d just like to remind you that God loves you with a perfect, unfailing and unchanging love.  He is kind, gracious and so very patient with us. He has something special for each of us. Please don’t settle for the valley when God has something waiting for you on the mountain. I believe that He has something for YOU that is exceedingly abundantly above your greatest expectations!

Love,

Melissa

How Do You Like Your Coffee?

Are you a coffee drinker?  Up until recently I was not.  As a matter of fact I thought coffee tasted terrible and couldn’t understand why so many people were FANS of it.  My friends would often try to convince me to drink it by offering all sorts of delicious trimmings.  The trimmings included things such as cream, sugar, chocolate, flavored creamers and even liquor.  One person even suggested I add lots of sugar – 6 packs to be exact.  None of these things worked and I still was not convinced.

A few months ago I saw a segment on the Dr. Oz Show about the health benefits of coffee, and decided to give it (yet) another try.  I am willing to do almost anything if it is beneficial for my health.  Shortly after watching the show, I asked my husband to pick up a coffee for me on his way home from work, and he did.  He brought me home a small ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts that included a turbo shot of Espresso and one pack of sugar.  It tasted okay.  A little bitter, but doable.  Even though I wasn’t completely sold on the taste, it wasn’t as bad as I expected.  I was so motivated by the health benefits that I didn’t really care about the taste as much anymore.  I likened it to taking vitamins or medicine.  They don’t always taste good, but they keep us healthy.

So, it’s been a few months now and I continue to enjoy my little weekly coffee treats.  Two weeks ago I stopped adding the sugar and I now drink it black.  My taste buds have adapted to the taste of coffee so much that I no longer need sugar to cover up the bitterness.  I now appreciate the taste of black coffee and love the benefits that I receive.

God reminded me of a couple of things through this experience.  One, that many of us don’t automatically have a taste for His word.  Two, that many of us want the word of God sweetened up and can’t take it straight.

You are probably wondering how I got that from drinking coffee.

Well, the coffee represents God’s Word (The Bible).  The sugar, cream, liquor and anything else that we add to coffee represents the things that we use to mask the taste of God’s word – to make it more palatable.

God’s word in and of itself is full of benefits…too many to list here.  These benefits however, can only be experienced when God’s word is ingested.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 ~ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

When we add things to God’s word or try to change it in order to make it more appetitive, it takes away from its effectiveness.  In fact, Jesus is very clear that we are NOT to do this.

Revelation 22:18 ~ I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book…

God doesn’t need our help to make His word more appealing.  He doesn’t need us to tweak it a bit by adding sweetness here and there.  He doesn’t need us to soften it up in order to make people want to try it. Like coffee, God’s word is powerful and the benefits are in receiving His word straight.  God’s word is PERFECT JUST THE WAY IT IS!  The reason God’s word is perfect is because He is perfect!

Psalm 34:8 ~ O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Like the coffee, I didn’t readily receive God’s word at first.   It seemed a little bitter to me.  I only wanted to hear it if it was wrapped in a sweet package.  I only wanted to read the things in God’s word that were nice and pleasing to my ears. If it didn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, I didn’t want it.  The truth is I learned some not so nice things about myself through reading God’s word.  There were times when God’s word didn’t condone my lifestyle and made me feel guilty about the way I was living.  There were times when God requested something of me that wasn’t easy to do; challenging me to come out of my comfort zone.  So much of the time I didn’t even understand what God was saying through His word, but  I believed that it was beneficial for me, so I pressed on. I continued to take in my daily dose of Bible and after a while I actually enjoyed it.  I acquired a taste for God’s word like never before.  I began craving it more every day.  Just like the coffee, today I enjoy God’s word straight.  It no longer seems bitter to me.  I can’t imagine going a day without speaking to my Creator and hearing from Him through His perfect word.

Today, I’d like to encourage you to acquire a taste for God’s word.  Seek God and learn to enjoy His word straight.  While there isn’t anything wrong with adding a little sweetness or flavoring to God’s word to help it go down a little easier.  There is something wrong if we become too dependent on those things (ex. adding 6 packs of sugar to your coffee). Get rid of the ‘sweet trimmings’ if they have become your focus.  That will only keep you from reaping the wonderful benefits of God’s word.  If you don’t recognize the benefits of God’s word in your life, then maybe you aren’t getting enough and need to increase your daily dosage.

Hebrews 4:12 ~ For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Isaiah 40:8 ~ The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

ATTENTION: Immediate Response Required

Going on from there He (Jesus) saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. ~ Matthew 4:21-22

When I read this today, I was amazed at how quickly John and James responded to Jesus when He called them.  Here they were, busy working, yet they left everything (including their father) to follow Jesus.  The Bible also says that they did so IMMEDIATELY.  Wow!  I’m not sure I would have been able to do that.  Would you?

I am the type of person that goes through a bit of a process before making a decision like that.  My process usually starts with me asking questions such as what, when, where, why and how?  I want to know all the details and exactly what I am getting into.  Second, I check my calendar to find out if I already have things scheduled or planned.  I want to make sure it is going to be convenient for me.  Third, I usually take some time to think and pray about the situation.  Lastly, I like to seek advice from friends and family before making a final decision.  This process could take some time, and that was something John and James didn’t have.  Jesus was calling, and they needed to answer one way or another.  I find it interesting that these brothers didn’t wait to reply to Jesus, and it’s a good thing they didn’t.  If they had, they would have missed out on a lot!  John and James would have missed out on the opportunity to be Jesus’ disciples.  They would have missed out on hearing the teachings and instruction of Jesus.  They would have missed out on witnessing all of the miracles performed by Jesus.  They would have missed out on God’s blessing for their lives!

As I read this, I wondered how many of us don’t answer Jesus right away when He calls.  How many of us know that God is speaking to us about something, yet we don’t answer?  How much are we missing out on, because we don’t respond immediately to God?

John and James were working at a job, and didn’t give any notice before leaving.  They weren’t concerned with how things would get done after they left.  They didn’t make a big deal about having to leave their father either.  Jesus called, and they answered.  It’s that simple.  Why is that?  I believe it’s because they understood who was calling them.  They knew that Jesus was God in the flesh and reverenced Him.   They knew that He had an awesome plan for their lives.  They didn’t worry about the details, because they trusted Jesus.  They were focused on the bigger picture.  They were focused in Jesus Christ!

Are you like John and James?  Do you respond to the call of Christ immediately or do you procrastinate?

I bet some of you are like me and hold off on responding, because you want to make sure all of the details are squared away first.  I’d like to encourage you (and myself) today to respond quickly to the Lord.  When He is calling you, prompting you, convicting you, impelling you, nudging you, urging you or motivating you…RESPOND!  Don’t wait.  Don’t let the opportunities God has for you pass by.  You may not get the same chance again.  You might not have all of the details figured out, but rest assured God does.  You may not know all the answers or what the final outcome will be, but you know God.  Trust Him.  Don’t doubt.  Have faith.  Don’t be afraid, because God  is with you.  If you hear Him calling you…ANSWER! God is so pleased when we answer His call immediately.  Let your answer be, “Yes Lord!”

Psalm 95: 7-8 ~ For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.  Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts…

Hebrews 11:6 ~ And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.