Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So, God granted him what he requested.        1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV

            The CU football team, among many games will be remembered for the game against Stanford University. CU had a commanding lead and looked like they would sail to an easy win. However, in the second half, CU stalled, and Stanford made a comeback to win the game.

            There are many accounts in sports where a team had a poor start and overcame that poor beginning and ended up winning a game or even a championship. The same is true for many individuals in the Bible and history.

            Jabez was one of those. While the details are not known, his birth was so traumatic that he carried the memory of it for the rest of his life. His name means pain. It seems the name indicated that he started out as one who caused pain and would continue to do the same and experience pain throughout his life.

            However, Jabez showed his faith in the God of his fathers and called on the name of the Lord and made his plea for the way his life started would not be his life’s script and how it ended. The Lord heard Jaez’s prayer and granted his request. As a result, he is remembered as one who was more honorable (respected) than his brothers. He didn’t allow his destiny to be determined by how his life started. But this was more than self-determination and grit. It was from one who believed there was a God in heaven who can change the course of life.

            Perhaps you can relate to Jabez. Your life has had a bad beginning. Perhaps your actions have brought pain to yourself and others. When you place your faith in the Lord, there is forgiveness, a path to a bright future, and a victorious finish.

            I think of my Filipino son in the faith, Pastor Joel Reyes. He grew up as an abandoned child on the streets of Manila. He ended up in the Isabella Province and was treated as a slave laborer by a man who took him in. He joined the anti-government army. He was almost killed in a gun battle with government soldiers and, at one point, tried to commit suicide. Yet the Lord intervened in His life in miraculous ways. He became a Christian and then followed a call to ministry. Married a wonderful Christian woman and raised a daughter who is now in medical school. He has pioneered several churches. Recently, his passion and visionary leadership have resulted in building the Dunamis School of Revival and Ministry Training in the Isabella Province.

            Don’t be discouraged about what has happened in the past or the challenges or failures in the present. Ask the Lord to bless your life and allow the end of your story to show His divine favor.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! 1Chronicles 16:34 (ESV)

On this Thanksgiving Day there are reflections on the many things that we are thankful for. However, it is important to go beyond what we are thankful “for” to what who we are thankful “to.”

Pastor Brent Cunningham from Timberline Church in Fort Collins said it well in a devotional when he said, “God wants us to cultivate thankfulness so that we see past the gift to the giver.” If you were to follow the pattern in 1 Chronicles 16:34 what would you express to the Lord for? What are the character traits, the blessings that we have that come from the Lord?

We can also express thanks to the people who have impact our lives. I am thankful to my wife Debbie for her constant care and concern for me. She endured my health crisis ten years ago and has continually supported and monitored my ongoing challenges over these years.

I am thankful to my pastor at Generations Church in Canton, Georgia for his faithful ministry and impact on our church, community and beyond.

I am thankful to our children Christian and Stephanie for their continual love and support. I am thankful to our grandchildren for their uniqueness and developing their passions and abilities and relationship with the Lord.

I am thankful to those who have given generously to see the dream and vision of a Bible School in the Northern Philippines become a reality.

And yes! I am thankful to the Lord for giving me life, physically and spiritually. I am thankful to the Lord for His forgiveness, steadfast love, His grace and mercy and sustaining strength for each day.

Now it’s your turn…..

In God we boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
But you rejected and embarrassed us.
You did not go into battle with our armies.
You made us retreat from the enemy.
Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. (Psalms 44:8-10 NET)

When my son was about 9 years old and in his second year of baseball, we were driving home as he dealt with feelings of disbelief and discouragement because his team lost the game. I tried to put things into perspective by stating that sometimes you lose; it’s part of sports, it’s part of life. He responded, “But Dad, I have never played a game where we lost!” As I thought about it, I realized that last season his team was undefeated. Winning was an expectation based on his limited baseball history.

     I think of this when I read Psalms 44. This Psalms strips away the idea that when we have enough faith and enough trust, life will always go our way. We will never be on the losing end of a struggle, financial decision, or health outcome.

     This Psalm begins with recounting the many times the Lord fought Israel’s battles for them. They had a “winning” history to reflect on and be thankful for. The present focus on the Lord is seen in these verses,

By your power we will drive back our enemies;
by your strength,we will trample down our foes.
For I do not trust in my bow,and I do not prevail by my sword. For you deliver us from our enemies; Psalm 44:5-7 (NET)

     But when the battle took place, they not only lost the battle, but they were overwhelmed, retreated, and abused by their enemy. They just did not lose; they were devastated. This was only more confusing because the Psalmist declares,

All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you or violated your covenant with us. We have not been unfaithful, nor have we disobeyed your commands.  Psalms 44:17,18 (NET)

     When defeat comes instead of victory, we seek a rational explanation. Was it pride? Sin? Relying on ourselves and not the Lord? A lack of faith? Reflection is not bad, but what happens when to the best of our understanding, none of these are the case?

     That is what we see in this Psalm. There is absolutely no reasonable explanation for why God’s people would or should have been defeated like this. But unlike many who face a situation like this and turn away from God, the Psalmist continues to turn his attention to the Lord.

Rise up and help us.
Rescue us because of your loyal love. Psalm 44:26 (NET)

     Even when life brings defeat, the Psalmist realized that the Lord was still the One who could come to their rescue. His plea to the Lord is not based on what God’s people had done or who they were. It is solely based on the Lord’s faithfulness and love. In the words of the song by “Casting Crowns,” “It is not because of what I’ve done, but because of who you are!” That applies to our salvation from sin and our rescue from life’s most tragic defeats and darkest times.

                  I jumped to conclusions and said, “I am cut off from your presence!”                                                                                                                              Psalm 31:22 NET

            This morning I was reading Psalms 31 in the New English Translation when this verse stood out to me. Perhaps it is because it so often describes our quick reaction to life when things are not going our way and we grow impatient and are tempted to feel abandoned.

            The key word is “feel.” When we live life based on our feelings and human perception, instead of trusting in God and standing on the truth of God’s Word, we wrongly define our circumstances and God’s mercy and strength.

            Have you been there? I believe we all have at one time or another. Job is the classic example of working through emotions and maintaining trust in the Lord. He did not understand fully, but He refused to give up and “curse God and die.” As a result, we see this reference to Job in the New Testament, “We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.”           (James 5:11 NLT)

          The verses before and after the Psalmist utters his quick conclusion are important.

Psalms 31:21 (NET) “The Lord deserves praise for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me…”

Psalms 31:22b, 23 (NET) “But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help. Love the Lord, all you faithful followers of his! The Lord protects those who have integrity…”

Integrity. That is what Job was commended for during his trials. We need to remember that when the Lord “feels” distant, He is not. We need to follow the admonition of James and, “Draw near to the Lord…” (James 4:8 NIV) Don’t base your perception on your circumstances or feelings but on the truth of God’s Word.

          We can learn from those who have made it to the other side of the dark valley when prayers seem to go unanswered and we feel alone. That is why this Psalm ends with this encouragement, “Be strong and confident, all you who wait on the Lord.” (Psalms 31:24 NET)

          Don’t jump to any conclusions about God or your situation. Your story is still being written. Keep trusting. Keep waiting. The Lord is closer than you feel.

As I was reading Jeremiah, a verse caught my attention. In the context, Jeremiah is complaining to the Lord about the wicked who always seems to prosper. These whom the Lord allows to flourish, even have a show of religiosity.

You are always on their lips, but far from their hearts. Jeremiah 12:2 NIV

I am reminded of the old saying, “Everyone talking about heaven, isn’t going there.” We also hear the adage about, “Talking the talk, but not walking the walk.”

          Isaiah the prophet, utters similar words that Jesus quotes in the gospels about the religious leaders:

The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Isaiah 29:13 NIV

          It is good to hear people today whether politicians, celebrities, or people we run into every day quote the Bible and make references to God and His ways. But on a personal level, giving a verbal ascent does not reveal true faith.

          Today, we are made aware of a growing number who identify their religious views as “none.” Perhaps that is better than years past when someone would say, “Of course I am a Christian, I was born in the USA.”

True faith is reflected in the fruit of our lives. Jesus makes it clear that a profession of faith must be followed by action and a true commitment to Him and His ways.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21 NIV

          These sobering words remind us that true faith requires a heart transplant. The Lord spoke through Ezekiel about Israel, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

          The good news of the gospel is new life. New desires. New attitudes. A new life where “the old is passing away and all things are becoming new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

          The prayer reflected in the old hymn is, “Search me O God and know my heart today…” This reminds me of Psalms 19:14 (NIV) May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

          That is what we should all desire. That our words aligns with our heart forming the basis of our actions reflect the work of Christ in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

“In those days, the LORD began to

reduce the size of Israel.” 2 Kings 10:32 NIV

This verse is one that should attract the attention of those who want to learn lessons from the Old Testament history of Israel and Judah. After the death of Solomon, Israel was a divided kingdom. Ten tribes form the Kingdom of Israel. Two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) comprise the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Judah is the kingdom that carries on the rule and reign of King David. These two kingdoms will be at war with each other. The times of peace and alliances will be few and far between.

A series of kings rule Israel. Some are tied to a family dynasty others rule due to revolt. All of the kings of Israel allow idolatry and, with a few exceptions, are more wicked than righteous.

King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, were the most notorious for their wickedness in Israel. Through marriage, Ahab aligned himself with Judah’s King Jehoshaphat. One hundred ten years into the existence of Israel as a separate nation from Judah, General Jehu of Israel revolts and takes over as King. This is from the Lord, who uses Jehu to execute judgment against the house of Ahab.

So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. 2 Kings 10:28

Jehu was good but not “good enough.” He did what the Lord wanted but was not fully devoted to the Lord. Even though Jehu’s sons would rule for the next four generations, a turning point was set in motion.

The territory of Israel began to be reduced. Enemy nations took over cities. Kingdoms under Israel’s rule began to revolt. While there was some reversal of this trend, Israel experienced an overall decline until it was taken captive by the Assyrians. It took over 100 years following Jehu’s reign for this to happen.

The spiritual observations are these:

1. We see that the Lord is patient and provides an opportunity for people to repent and change their ways. When evil and idolatry persist, people begin to believe it is acceptable.

      2.   The Lord chooses those He will use to accomplish His purposes. King Jehu was utilized to execute judgment against the house of Ahab as the prophet had predicted. He did obey the Lord. He removed Baal worship. But he also tolerated other forms of idolatry.

     3.   The Lord’s judgment is in His time and His way. The human tendency is to view God’s judgment as immediate. However, throughout scripture, the Lord’s judgment is usually delayed. There will be signs and events that should get people’s attention. But too often, these are ignored or dismissed.

The application.

  Is there an application to the United States and biblical history? The United States is not “God’s chosen people” like Israel. However, this nation was established based on the recognition that, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “There is a God who governs the universe.” John Adams declared that the Constitution was for “a moral and religious people.”

Can our nation survive an immoral and secular environment if that is the case? Are we seeing the Lord allow the United States to lose its standing and influence in the world due to turning our backs on the values and principles that were held up as ideals when our nation was established?

      We don’t need the government to be different. We need people to be different. For people to be different, the Church and God’s people need to be the salt and light we are called to be. Business as usual, will not create change. Anger and resentment at our current culture and society will make a difference.

            Regardless of what is taking place in a world headed for destruction, we have the calling and the responsibility to live our lives dedicated to Christ and His cause. We need to see those who reject Christ not as our enemy but as victims of our spiritual enemy.

            Our founding fathers took a stand. Even though there were those who didn’t believe in the cause of the revolution, they stood fast. That needs to be our spiritual commitment in this day and at this time.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalms 90:12 NIV

I receive a daily email from Baseball Manager Clint Hurdle (https://www.clinthurdle.com/) that contains devotionals and blogs of inspiration. Today in the “Monday Thinking” post the following entry below caught my attention. It reminded me of the practicality and wisdom found in the Bible.

“We’re each only gifted a certain number of days. There’s mere thousands we will experience. And the truth is most are blur, because we only place significance on those where something momentous happens. The extreme highs, the crushing lows. The days that mark a before and an after. We miss all the ones that fall somewhere in the middle. The majority. The seemingly inconsequential, mundane, routine, the every day. We let them all bleed into one another in a blur, not realizing, that there isn’t a never-ending, overflowing, abundance of them.

Forgetting that one day, the bank of days will inevitably run out. We have to stop being everywhere but where our feet are. We forget it’s up to us to make the most of every moment. We push aside the knowledge that life is fleeting, because we’re too entitled to what we’re not guaranteed ― tomorrow. We tell ourselves that there will be time to do it all later. We’re so sure that it will come. But, the time to do it all is really now. The truth is that the magic is right here. It’s in the small moments, in the days that seem inconsequential. It’s in life. Each day is a gift, a limited number on a tally we don’t get to see. Stop waiting. Live now.”
― Em Manuel, Salt and Whistle

I usually write my own devtions and thoughts. But I found this worth sharing. Dave Burchett is an Emmy Award-winning television sports director for Fox Sports, ESPN, and NBC, with a background in radio. He and his wife, Joni, are former staff members of Campus Crusade’s Athletes in Action.

I’m Done!

by Dave Burchett I have reached and exceeded my saturation point.  I’m done. Done with what? I am done with negativity. Our leaders, the media, and social media platforms spend a ridiculous percentage of their energy on what is wrong with this world. Their solutions are often soul-sucking condemnation, judgement, and summary dismissal of people who simply ask questions. Perhaps the most distressing thing is that many in the church have fallen into the same dark space. Christian social media responses to cultural and doctrinal issues may be slightly less profane but not much, if any, less negative. Brothers and sisters, we are supposed to be light! But please don’t take my word for it. Your argument is with Jesus.  “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will  praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16, NLT) What I see too often is this very sad paraphrase of His words demonstrated through social media platforms.  “Let my sharp words shame or demean you so that everyone will see how clever I am and praise me.”  Paul addressed why we should be eager to be light in the world in Ephesians 5:8.  “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!“ My heart breaks when I see how many followers of Christ seem to have forgotten they were once full of darkness. It is only because of God’s grace that you have light.  So I am done with negativity and it is not because I am naive about the condition of the world. I am done with negativity precisely because of the condition of the world. This hurting, fearful populace needs hope, light, and grace. They need the positive message of the Good News. That is my goal for the rest of my days. I feel quite comfortable that the negative side will be well represented by countless others.  Everyday I need to make choices. I can be judgmental or I can be joyful. I can be pessimistic or I can be prayerful. I can be condemning or I can be caring. I can be fearful or I can be faithful. I can be grace-filled or I can be graceless. We make those choices and I know they are not easy. Making the choice to eat better is hard. Making the choice to work out is even harder for me. Those are decisions with good but temporal benefits. But making the choice to be a positive, loving light in this world has eternal impact. Warren Wiersbe is one of my favorite writers. His book Be Joyful: Philippians): Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy is a great study to reorient your negativity. “When you have the single mind, you look on your circumstances as God-given opportunities for the furtherance of the gospel, and you rejoice at what God is going to do instead of complaining about what God did not do.”― Warren W. Wiersbe That response ain’t natural my friends. That is a mindset based on who God is. It is a choice grounded on the grace He has lavishly given to each one of His children. I’m done with negativity. I don’t know if I have two weeks or two decades left on this planet but I don’t want to spend my time wallowing in pessimism. I remember joking with my television production crew a few years ago that I was in the 4th quarter of life. One of my dear, encouraging friends said this with a smile on his face. “What if you’re in overtime?” That could well be but no matter how much time is on the life clock I want to be a positive light. I want to remember and live out the truth of John 13:35. “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” The choice to love and be light is infinitely more important than winning online arguments, getting social media likes, and racking up followers. I want to be a loving light for the Good News of the gospel. Anyone want to join me?