The Christian Life

I Think About Saul A Lot

/ SaxophoneWife / 4 Comments

Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has again refused to obey Me.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard what God was saying, that he cried to the Lord all night. (1 Samuel 15:10-11)

I wonder so much about why God condescended to the Isralites and allowed them a king. I wonder how God could say to Samuel that He regretted appointing Saul. Some might ask, “Didn’t God know Saul would turn away? How can He act like this was unexpected?” These are valid questions. I don’t know the answers, but I think about it and wonder.

And, I wonder at Samuel’s grief. After hearing God’s regret, he cries out to God all night long. What is he crying out? I don’t know. Why is he so troubled by this?

The Bible says that in the morning Samuel went to Saul. Saul is in high spirits and he announces to Samuel that he has done as God has told him. To celebrate his achievement, he has already erected a monument to himself on Mount Carmel!

Now, God’s instructions to Saul were to completely destroy the Amelekites, a judgment for thier mistreatment of the children of Israel. Samuel told Saul that God said nothing was to survive. Every one and every thing was to be destroyed. However, Saul disobeyed God. He and his men kept whatever appealed to them—the best of the livestock, in particular. So, when Saul brags to Samuel that he did all God had required, Samuel says, “Oh, really? So, why do I hear all these bleating sheep and lowing oxen?” (See verse 14.) This is Saul’s reply:

“It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep and oxen,” Saul admitted, “but they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God; and we have destroyed everything else.” (1 Samuel 15:15)

I don’t know about you, but that voice, that reply, sounds very familiar! It’s this idea that if we obey some of what God tells us, it’s good enough. And, if we can find any way at all to justify the part that was actually disobedience, we think God won’t notice or won’t mind. It’s like Adam and Eve explaining to God they were just covering up their nakedness. “See? We’re being good. Right, God? We didn’t want to be naked.” They hoped He wouldn’t notice the pile of apple* cores. Listen to Saul:

 “But I have obeyed the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I did what He told me to; and I brought King Agag but killed everyone else. And it was only when my troops demanded it that I let them keep the best of the sheep and oxen and loot to sacrifice to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 15:20-21)

We humans don’t change. Not from Adam to Saul, and not from Saul to Caroline. I mean, I get it. God’s expectation of absolute obedience feels a little intense. He’s expecting an awful lot of us! We are just dust, after all. Right?

No. God does not see us that way. He did not send Christ Jesus to die for dust. He did not choose a people, the people of Israel, to carry faith in Adonai into this world, because we are mere dust-lings. Do not forget that His divine breath of life animated that first man and first woman. He created us in His image. That He used dust, well, He made the dust! Of course, He did know we would fall. He knew we would fail. This is why He did send His only begotten Son, because He knew we would need the abundant grace and mercy that only can be found at the foot of the Cross. We are a dusty flesh enveloped around the eternal, a spirit that will abide forever. A flesh that will be tranformed in the twinkling of an eye into a glorified body!

Let’s get back to Saul. In the very next section, Samuel tells Saul that his offerings and sacrifices are nothing compared to his obedience. Can you imagine? He speaks of that disobedient heart in a way that makes an honest person shudder.

“For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. And now because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, He has rejected you from being king.” (Verse 23)

Saul is devastated by this. He pleads and begs, but Samuel tells him it is too late. He lost it all, because of disobedience to a clear instruction from God. He tried to blame his men. He tried to say he did it for God Himself to be honored. God cannot be deceived or manipulated.

So, I think about Saul—his bloodlust for David; his calling forth the ghost of Samuel; his son, Jonathan; his spiritual demise—so much to think about Saul. So much to learn from his life. I am sad for how many Sauls I know.

If you are struggling to obey some instruction from the Lord—maybe, you rejected His word from the beginning; maybe, you think a partial obedience should be adequate; maybe, you say you’ll obey once this or that happens—it doesn’t matter what reason you may have, or what excuse you can conjure. Disobedience is rebellion against God. That stubborn will to have your way is a sin. You might take offense at being compared to a practioner of witchcraft or worshipper of idols, but the Word of God says it. Not me. If we don’t come into agreement with the Lord, my dear friend, we will lose that divine purpose He has given us. Does that mean a ministry calling, a talent that would bring you before world leaders, an opportunity to glorify God, the blessing of raising our family, our eternity in Heaven? I don’t know what divine purpose God has given you, but I know that it is worth much more than the cost of humbling yourself and repenting, and then obeying God without delay.

Please, turn away from disobedience. That is my sincere hope and prayer for you today.

❤

*No, we don’t know if the fruit was an apple. It’s just a proxy.
This post is for Blogtober Day 13: Politics.

My Best Financial Advice

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Blogtober Post #7. Theme: Money

I don’t want to say it, but I really don’t think we should expect much from our economy. In fact, considering the times in which we live, we should can expect things to get worse. I hate to write those words, but there are real problems ahead of us.

So, I’d like to share my best financial advice with you. No, I am not an economist. I am not in anyway involved in finance. However, I have learned a few tried and true financial habits that have served me well over the years. It’s simple advice.

MY BEST FINANCIAL ADVICE

  1. Tithe to your church.
    “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my Temple; if you do, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!” Malachi 3:10

    I have never heard anyone other than myself say that this is an important reason to have a church home, but I do believe strongly it should be one of the primary reasons we go to church. Yes, we want to attend church for the good relationships and spiritual fellowship we can find there. We want to attend church for the opportunity to worship together and hear the Word of God preached. We want to attend church to find a place to serve, a place to be baptized in water, and a place to receive Holy Communion. However, the Lord’s directive above is very clear, and it comes with a vital promise that I count on. And, God has proven Himself, by the way—over and over!

  2. Give more than just your tithe to the Lord.
    “But remember this—if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

    When I say we should give more, I mean we should give more within the church (special offerings for the needy or sick, missions, homeless outreach, prison ministry, etc.), but also to other worthy and godly organizations outside of the church—for instance, Mercy Chefs or Samaritan’s Purse. They are being Christ’s hand extended to the needy, lost, and forgotten. They meet people in crisis with the love of Jesus, and vital help. Folks, entrusting your money into the hands of people doing God’s work is a great way reap much, because you can never out give God.

  3. Get out of debt. Stay out of debt.
    “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

    I realize that there is some debt that we have to endure, like a car payment or mortgage. However, there is a lot of debt we don’t need to incur, like credit card debt. I encourage anyone with any debt to work to pay it off. There are some very smart strategies to help you pay down debts quicker. Find them, and follow them. Likewise, there smart strategies to help you resist impulse purchases, and learn money mismanagement skills that won’t leave you depending on your credit cards to get through the month. It may require you to tighten your belt for a few years, but it will be worth it.

Money troubles are the cause of many health and relationship problems. The worry and stress can really do a number us! That’s all the more reason to strive to get out of debt, and get your accounts right with God. The Lord will bless your efforts, and in time you will begin to reap the benefits.

❤

Despair is a Round Trip

/ SaxophoneWife / 3 Comments

I was closing an email from Doug, the Saxophone Player, and my eye quickly glanced down at his signature.

This email came from his office at the jail, and I was just moved to tears seeing his title. You may not know my husband’s testimony**, but I can tell you that I did not marry a man fit to be a minister. I married a great guy, but he had some big problems. Those problems affected his family, and drove me to despair so many times I don’t need a map anymore.

Yet, in those places of hopelessness The Holy Spirit kept telling me to trust God. Sometimes, there would be this flash of a vision from an unknown future. I would see him speaking to a group of people, Bible in hand. Where did that come from?

I can’t get over what God has done in my husband’s life, and I hope I NEVER do! I hope I never forget what God has done, and that He is able to do far more than we can hope or imagine—if we will just keep trusting Him. That trust will most likely mean a few trips to despair for anyone daring enough to let God do things His way, but I promise it’s a round trip when we’re in His hands. It’s a round trip!

I did not marry a man worthy of his titles: Reverand, Pastor, Chaplain, Chief Executive Officer, President. He wasn’t worthy of the work the Lord has entrusted to his care, but God made him worthy. God persevered, and Doug surrendered.

If you know the way to Despair as well as I once did, please seek the Lord for help. Please, believe that He is able to help you in your circumstances, because what He does for one of His children*, He will do for any of them.

❤

*If you aren’t sure you are a child of God, don’t wait to find out. CLICK HERE.
** This is Doug’s Testimony. CLICK HERE

If

/ SaxophoneWife / 3 Comments

I’d like to share a few quotes from Missionary Amy Carmichael‘s book entitled If. It is based on 1 Corinthians 13, often called the love chapter in the Bible.

If you aren’t familiar with Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), I encourage you to click on her name and read the very brief biography at that link. There really have been very few women like her.

“If I myself dominate myself,
if my thoughts revolve round myself,
if I am so occupied with myself I rarely
have a heart at leisure from itself,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.“

Amy Carmichael

“If the praise of others elates me
and their blame depresses me;
if I cannot rest under misunderstanding
without defending myself;
if I love to be loved more than to love,
to be served more than to serve,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.“

Amy Carmichael

“If I do not forget about such a trifle as personal success,
so that it never crosses my mind, or if it does,
is never given room there; if the cup of flattery tastes sweet to me,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.“

Amy Carmichael

“If my interest in the work of others is cool;
if I think in terms of my own special work;
if the burdens of others are not my burdens too,
and their joys mine,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

Amy Carmichael

“If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it,
because the spirit of discernment is not in me,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

Amy Carmichael

I have been thinking lately how much I underestimate God’s expectations of me. When I consider the life this woman, how she served and sacrificed for Christ and others, I am horrified by my laziness, failure, and complacency. Do I know nothing of Calvary’s love? Lately, I wonder.

❤

Waiting Room

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

I think God builds waiting into His plan for our life. I think it might even be one of the holiest experiences we can have on earth.

  • I think of Moses waiting at the shore of the Red Sea for God to make a way.
  • I think of Ruth waiting to glean discards in the field.
  • I think of David waiting for his son to be healed.
  • I think of Esther waiting for the to appointed hour to enter the king’s chamber.
  • I think of Joshua waiting for the walls to fall.
  • I think of Hannah pleading with God, as she waited for a miracle.
  • I think of Elijah waiting for fire from Heaven.
  • I think of Sarah plotting her own way, instead of waiting for God’s promise.
  • I think of Daniel waiting for the lions to fall asleep.
  • I think of Mary suffering scorn, as she awaited her Savior’s birth.

At those times when we are given room to wait,  let’s be sure to not squander them. Let’s not regret that we have a waiting room to occupy, but let’s use it. Don’t plead with the Lord to end it, but recognize what a rare gift it is to be invited to wait on Him.

To wait with Him.

It is an exclusive opportunity that in one instant will end. The waiting will be over.

Until then, let’s attune our ear to His voice. Learn to listen. Learn His ways. Practice trusting Him.

Trust Him more.

Instead of filling our waiting room with busy work or mindlessness—entertainment, diversions, speculation—let’s spend it wisely. Rest on His promises. Trust in His presence. Pray. Worship. Seek.  Practice patience; remain faithful. Learn His comms.

Waiting on the Lord is never, ever in vain. 

❤ 

Psalm130_5

 

What Hea-Woo Did in Prison

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

This is the story of Hea-Woo.

Hea-Woo is from North Korea.

One day, she escaped across a river to China.

While she was in China, someone witnessed to her about Jesus Christ. Hea-Woo came to know Christ as Lord and Savior, and and began learning about her new faith.

It was not long, though, before she was captured by the secret police and returned to North Korea. There, she was sentenced to a prison camp.

At that prison camp, she made a few important decisions. She decided to:

  1. Tell her fellow prisoners about Jesus.
  2. Witness to her fellow prisoners by helping them (sharing her rice with the sick, helping others wash their clothes, etc.).
  3. Begin a secret church. They met in the prison bathroom.

Her church really captured my interest.

  • Her church met on Sundays and on Christmas.
  • Without access to a Bible, she could only from what she remembered learning in China. Whatever songs or Bible verses she remembered, she would teach her tiny congregation.
  • Their singing had to be as quiet as possible to avoid detection. It was almost imperceptible.

Hea-Woo ultimately was released from the prison camp, and later escaped to South Korea.

During her time in the North Korean prison camp, she lead five people to salvation. She says, “They were on the edge of death, and I could give them the message of hope.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd46BOaywLg

When God Takes the Hard Road

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

Someone shared a dumb meme on Instagram that read, “God takes the harder route on purpose, to show us He’s so powerful.”

Give me a break!

We are not dolls in God’s toy house. He doesn’t use us like some benevolent giant, creating horrific challenges for us to face just so He can be our Hero. Yuck!

That is not the character of God.

God LOVES you! He doesn’t bring trouble to show His power. Trouble comes, because we breathe. We sin. We have an Enemy who hates us. God is not our Enemy. He is our Friend. Would a friend sneak over and slash your tires, just so they could come to your aid and win BFF points?

NO!

That is not love!

Who would ever love a person they knew had intentionally hurt them, just so they could save them?

If it seems like God is taking you on the long and hard road to victory (instead of the short and easy one you imagine exists), guess what?

It’s because that’s the only way out!

God loves us. He desires good for us. His promises to us are for our benefit! Over and over He reassures us in His Word that He’s got our back. He’s on our side!

So, if the road ahead looks long and hard, rejoice in knowing God will walk every step with you—if you will put your faith and trust in Him. And, I tell you what, on that long and hard road He has already sent His angels ahead to prepare oases along the way, places to rest and be invigorated. He has already sent angels to post warning signs for every trap and field mine the Devil has laid down. He has already prepared His own to be there for you when you need a hand to hold, a listening ear, and a praying friend.

Folks, if you choose to trust God, trust Him. All the way. And, you know, here’s the truth: we cannot trust our own eyes. Sometimes, things look a lot worse from our perspective, and the Devil tempts us away from God’s sure path with the false image of a quick fix. Don’t let your heart deceive you. Trust God! His way is the only way out.

God bless you today! ❤️

“Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am thy God: I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of my just one hath upheld thee.” Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

My Prayer for Hunter

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

Hunter Biden is a troubled man.

I cannot bear looking at his pictures. They are images of a dead man. They make me sad, and my heart hurts for him.

Don’t get me wrong. Criminal behavior must be prosecuted. Justice is always the right thing.

HOWEVER, this man’s need for Jesus is clear.

As I have been reading the news, I found an article that excerpted an email he wrote himself in 2018. He reminisces about going to mass as a child, and then talks about what happened at the mass for his brother.

He writes: “For the first time in my life [I] prayed to [not] just my dead mother and my dead sister but also to my dead brother. And for the first time in my [life, I] prayed for me-and I asked please let me be with you please let me know you love me please let me forget please let me come.”

I don’t know what was behind this email, and it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that this guy is not really any different than most of the men we’ve met through New Brothers Fellowship. He has a much higher profile, and much bigger budget than anyone I’ve ever met in or out of jail, but money and fame don’t make a bit of difference when it comes to Eternity. One day Hunter will stand before God. He will either be washed by the blood of Jesus, or not. The sin he has committed in this life will either be remembered no more, his record expunged, or it will be the evidence that seals his conviction and condemns him to eternal death.

So, I am going to pray for Hunter to be saved. I feel very sad for him. I am very angry at what he and his father have done, but that doesn’t keep me from being so sorry for him and caring for his spiritual need.

Below is my prayer for Hunter. Will you pray with me for him—at least this one time?

Dear Heavenly Father:
I am coming to You today on behalf of Hunter Biden. My heart is troubled for him, Lord, and that has to be because of You. So, I will lift him up and intercede on his behalf, because I know that You love him.

Lord, my first request is that You please protect this man from harm at the hand of others or himself. Please, protect him.

I also pray that somehow You would make a way for him to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lord, I don’t think he is seeking redemption, but an escape. I pray instead he would have a divine encounter with truth. I pray he would be saved and delivered.

Lord, I cannot begin to understand his choices. I don’t want to know the things that have been done to him, or the things he has done to others. I don’t want to know the debauchery that has defined his life. He’s excelled at every sin on the list! He’s a perfect specimen of a life lived for self.

Yet, I know that his sin is not so different than mine, in that all sin separates us from You. We are who grade our sins against some imaginary scale, but all sin is equal at the Cross. All sin can be covered by Your precious blood. So, I pray for Hunter what I have prayed for many other men these past 16 years: please, stop him. Put an end to his running. Sit him a jail cell next to a New Brother, Lord. Let him be humbled, that pride broken, so that he will recognize his need for You. God, please, forgive him for what he has done. Bring him to justice, and bring him to salvation.

Oh, Lord. Please, give him one more chance to know You as his Lord and Savior.

In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

❤

You Play A Part

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

You may look at some people in your life and wonder what they’re doing there.

[They may not matter much to you.]

Yet, the truth is you have no idea how important they may be to your future.

[Or, how important you might be to theirs.]

God is not random. He has a Big Plan, and it has to do with people.

The people…
…who always seems to show up;
…you can’t seem to lose;
…who rub you the wrong way;
…you see everyday, yet they are strangers to you;
…you wish you could know more.

All those people. 

So, don’t ignore them.
Consider them.
Reconsider your relationship with them.
Give them your respect.
Treat them with gentleness.
Help them, encourage them, and bless them.
Look for the opportunity to love them.
Pray God’s will for their lives, lift them up when they are down.
A little time and compassion matter.

And, always remember that no matter what you might think about their life right now, or the choices they’ve made so far, God has always had a plan and a purpose for their lives.

Maybe,
just maybe,
He’s been waiting for you to play your part.  

14 August 2011

The Believer’s Deadline

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

For some time now, I have been thinking about the absence of the fear of the Lord amongst Believers.

I think it’s a core issue that has caused many to compromise, embrace false doctrine, and fall away from right standing with God.

I believe we have made God into our own image; someone we can understand. Someone who’s thoughts are like our thoughts, and who’s ways are like our ways. We even think our thoughts are His thoughts, sometimes. Without seeking His Word, we go forward. It seems right to us, so let’s do it.

This kind of “faith” actually requires no faith at all.

“But 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 diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Somehow, the church got the idea that God was supposed to be approachable, and that seems to be the crux of the problem. He is not approachable, except through Christ. Only through Christ. We must come to Him clothed in the righteousness of Christ, cleansed by the blood. And, Christ is not something we put on and take off when we get to the church door.

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14)

“And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” (Philippians 3:9)

The God of the Old Testament has not changed, and He never will. He required great things of those Saints of old, yet we expect Him to be satisfied with our measly gifts today. We give Him our “extra” time. We yawn and watch the clock. We decide how much we serve according to what we’re already doing, not according to how much there is to be done. We give more time to entertainment, than we do to knowing Him. Sports scores clutter more Facebook statuses than Scripture references. We pollute our minds watching and listening to things that should make us jump up and run out of the room. Why do we want to be a part of glorifying that which nailed our Savior to the Cross?

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Friends, I have not written this to condemn anyone. I am not judging your choices, or prejudiced against your lifestyle. I am only concerned for the Body of Christ. The days are getting short, Brothers and Sisters. Christ is coming soon. That is not an inevitability that we just wait to arrive. “Why think about it? Why preach about it? It’s going to happen anyway.” No. We are missing the point, if that is what we think. Paul described this Christian life as a race to finish (2 Timothy 4:7). What runner ambles around the course, not caring whether or not he reaches the end? The Rapture is a deadline we are supposed to prepare ourselves for, and daily be working towards.

I love you, and I am praying for you. I pray you will allow these words to challenge you to search your heart. ❤

September 13, 2011