The Danger of Blending In

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I Samuel 8--Israel wanted a king.  Since coming into the Promised Land, they had fought many battles to gain possession of their inheritance.  They had won many, but they had lost some too.  The battles that they had lost could be attributed to one thing:  in some way they had not fully followed the commands of God.  When they were obedient, God's favor was upon them and God routed many of the people from the land without Israel fighting a battle.  But when they were disobedient, God's favor was removed and they fought alone.  Ultimately, they lost these battles  because they tried to fight without God.

Now they wanted a king.  Their perspective of what a king would mean to their nation was in direct opposition to what God's perspective and plan was.  Israel wanted 3 things as seen in verses 5b and 20:

1. They wanted to be just like all the nations around them
2. They wanted a man to judge them, not the Holy God
3. They wanted to just live their lives, without having to fight for their land 

God wanted just one thing from His chosen people.  Verse 8 reveals the heart of God.  He desired the trust and loyalty of Israel.  But His heart sounds like it is breaking again when He recalls their past, saying, "According to all the deeds that they have done, even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you."

By desiring a human king, Israel was forsaking their God who had made them a people when they were not one, who brought them out of bondage in Egypt, who walked with them in the wilderness, who brought them in to their new land, and who had helped them dispossess the wicked people who lived their.  Having done all of that, they now had grown independent of their  God, and wanted a king in who they would completely rely on, a king who might not judge them so harshly, and who would take his armies to battle. But most importantly, they just wanted to be like everyone else.  They no longer wanted to stand out; they wanted to blend in.

Anything that we use to dethrone and replace our Lord will have a negative effect on us, just like it did Israel.  God tells Samuel to warn the people about asking for a king.  Samuel tells Israel all that a king will take from them.  But his critical last sentence to them in verse 18, regarding replacing God with an earthly king, was a stern warning, a warning we would be wise to pay close attention to:

"And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."

I cannot read these Old Testament stories of God's people without thinking about my own life as a Christian.  How often do I turn to a 'king' in my life, depending on that particular idol so that I can blend in and be more like the world, so that I won't stand out so much? How often do I turn to the 'kings' in my life who will not judge my sin as harshly as a Holy God?  But it is the last category that hits home the hardest for me.  What 'kings' do I allow in my life for the sheer comfort of being an idle Christian?  You know the ones I speak of, don't you?  They are  the 'kings of laziness and sloth' that I sit under so that I don't have to do the hard work of evangelism, ministry, engaging with people, acts of love, crucifixion of my flesh.  

These sinful 'kings' lead me down the path of unrighteousness, and they weaken my faith.  They are replacements for the one true living God, and they are, moment by moment, causing me to blend in instead of stand out.  Today my heart must answer the question:  Will I be a regular paper clip or will I be the only bright colored one in the bunch?  How will you answer that question?

The Tests of God

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“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.”  (Ex. 20:20)


Oh, how we struggle with the idea that God will test us!  Yet, after God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, the Israelites became terrified.  They had just seen the lightening, heard the thunder, saw the mountain smoking, and heard the trumpet of the Lord.  Of course, they were terrified!  They wanted Moses to remain as the one who God would speak to.  They were afraid, and were happy for Moses to continue in his job. 

Sensing their great fear, Moses speaks to them the words I quoted above.  Jesus also came to test the hearts of all men.  Some will permanently fail the test; others will pass the important test (belief in Him), but fail countless other tests, and never attempt to consistently please the heart of God. 

I pray that I can be found in this last category.  I know that I have passed God’s first test of believing in my need for a Savior, and inviting Him to come into my life and change me.  And I am now in the process of learning how to pass His tests every moment of the day.  These individual tests have only one question that I must answer:  “Who will be in charge right now?”  This one question only has two answers:  The Holy Spirit or my sinful flesh.

God desired that His chosen people would not sin.  He still desires that I would not sin.  They Israelites had no Old Testament or New Testament.  I have both.  Israel had no Holy Spirit inside of them to help them make the right choices and do the right thing.  I do.  I can understand why they struggled so in the tests God brought to them, failing miserably most of the time.  I, however, have absolutely no excuse!

For the Israelites, God used their fear of Him to motivate them toward surrender and obedience to His word.  God uses something quite different in me; He uses my faith and my need of Him to motivate me toward that same surrender and obedience.  In both cases, God has only one goal.  “That we may not sin.”

I desire to pass all of my tests today, and everything is a test!  I surrender to the Lord Almighty, and to His Spirit within me, that I may walk by the Spirit in obedience to the will and command of God.  I desire an A+ at the end of the day!  What about you?

Welcoming The New Year

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As 2012 is drawing quickly to a close, my flesh wants desperately to do what it has done for countless years.  It desires to make plans and promises regarding how I will live in the coming new year.  For as long as I have been old enough to understand what a resolution is, I have made them.  Some were utterly ridiculous, while others have been truly important and desired out of my love for God.  But the truth of my resolutions has been just that:  they were MY resolutions.  You see, I have always been a planning,  goal-setting and goal-achieving sort of girl.  But if this past year has taught me one thing it would be that all my plans and goals and resolutions will come to nothing if they are not in line with God's plans for me.  This has been the principle that God has been driving home (sometimes painfully) in my heart in 2012.  This has been the year that He took all of the comfort of my plans and goals and turned them upside down.  And I know He has only had one purpose in mind:  to help me see clearly my self-sufficiency that keeps me from greater intimacy with Him.

As I turn my gaze from looking back at 2012, I see the coming year with eyes that cannot detect exactly what lies ahead.  I know I am not alone in this for none of us knows what our future holds.  But I am excited this year at my inability to "have a plan,"  because it is forcing me to live in greater trust and dependence on the only One who knows the plans He has for me.  He is asking me, "Will you surrender ALL to Me?"  I know my heart desires that, but will I be faithful to do it?

So instead of making well-meaning resolutions and promises this New Year to do this or not do that, I only seek to sit more at the feet of Jesus, simply listening to Him as He tells me all the plans He has for me, day to day, and even moment to moment.  It is in this simple act of surrender that I will truly find joy and peace and rest in 2013.  This is the "better part" that Mary discovered.  What a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders as I place the government of my life upon the shoulders of the One who was sent to carry it.

May you find this same joy and peace and rest in 2013!

With love and gratitude for you all!
Cheryl

Jesus, Light of the World (12-23-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light all of the Advent Candles and the Christ candle.)
"Since the creation of the world when God said, 'Let there be light,' our dark world has been influenced by the illuminating quality of light.  God always intended for the darkness to be separated from the light, and that principle has deep spiritual ramifications as well.  Once, while we were still sinners, Christ came into the world bringing His light, so that we might come in faith to Him.  When we did, we began to walk in the Light of Christ.
Today, as we consider all of the Advent Candles and their significance to our walk, we are again reminded of the importance of light in the Christmas story as we have been studying it in this blog devotional.  Think back with me to the very first candle of Advent, the Prophesy Candle.  Isaiah told us of the coming of the Messiah.  He told us of a Light that would come out of Galilee;  that those who walked in darkness would see this light; and that the Light would shine on them.  Later, Isaiah said to us all, 'Arise, shine, for the Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us.'  His prophecy foretells the Light of Christ coming into the souls of humans who have been darkened by the sin found in their hearts.  Once inside of us, though, this Light will now be seen by others who walk in the same darkness in which we once walked.  How we thank you Lord, for the prophets of old who told us that You would come.
Next, let's contemplate the Bethlehem Candle, our second Advent Candle.  We remember that God revealed the Light of the world to an obscure village and its people.  On a dark hillside outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds were astonished when all at once an angel lit up the entire night sky with all the glory of Heaven itself.  The angel stood in the shepherds' presence and declared to then the good news of great joy.  But God did not stop with just one angel.  He sent down a multitude of these heavenly bodies who brought glory to the Christ Child, the Light of the world, and the warmth of the Light surrounding them comforted the shepherds as they heard the good news of a Savior who had been born in Bethlehem.
As we consider the only pink candle in the Advent Wreath, our thoughts return again to the words of the angels.  This pink candle, the third Advent Candle, represents the good news of salvation in Christ alone.  Because this Infant God would bear in His body our sin, of which He would die from the punishment He would take for us, we would no longer have to be separated from God if we would but realize that His bloodshed was the only  punishment needed for our sinfulness.  The color of the candle represents blood that now saves us, something we could never do for ourselves.  Jesus accomplish this salvation because He was the perfect and holy sacrifice that was required.  Now we must share this good news of salvation in Christ with others, carrying to others the only Light that can now brighten their darkness like the noonday sun.
Our last candle in the wreath, the third purple one, causes us to remember the wise men who traveled so very far to come and worship whomever the star would lead them to.  By a bright heavenly star, God lead these brilliant men to a tiny child who would become the Savior of the world.  These men followed a light to the Light!  To follow the directions of the star was their obedience to God, and such obedience led them to the Light.  This candle, the Wise Men Candle, teaches us what our response should now be to so great a Light and Salvation.  We should, like them, follow with joy, obeying all He tells us to do.
We have one last candle to light.  It is not in the wreath itself, but stands tall above the four, in the center of the wreath.  This is the Christ Candle and it symbolizes the purity and holiness of Christ, the One who is to be the most see in all that we do, a shining example of who we are to be.  The light of His candle should prompt our hearts and spirits to reflect that same light, His light.  The Christ Candle calls believers to a deeper walk of commitment as we face the coming New Year.  So let's join our spirits together in a prayer of just such a commitment as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Light of your world and mine.  Will you pray with me?
Precious Light of the world, how we desire to worship You in a new and fresh way.  Today, we want to offer You a sacrifice similar to the wise men who brought their very best to You.  Teach us the deeper meaning of Your birthday story. 
In the coming year . . .

• let us arise from our complacency and shine Your light to others, lighting their way to You,
• let us run to meet with You, Jesus, and then run to tell others of Your transforming light,
• let us remember the sinful state from which we have been saved and learn to walk daily in the light of Your salvation
• and let us follow diligently after You, O Bright and Morning Star, for You are the Light of the world, and our Light and salvation, and we rejoice in You!  In Your holy and most precious name we pray, Amen."

Merry Christmas, my dear readers!  And may 2013 be a bright year, filled with the Light of Jesus, the Light of the world!
Watch for more blogs after the New Year!
Blessings to you all!

Jesus, Light of the World (12-22-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light the fourth Advent Candle, the Wise Men candle.)

Matthew 28: 1-10

"Had there ever been a darker day?  'How could they have crucified Him?  How could they have not know that He was the Light of our lives?  But now He is dead.  He's gone, and the darkness is more than our souls can endure.'  could these have been the heart-wrenching thoughts of those who had followed Jesus and had believed the He was the Son of God?  the would have been ours that day, I am quite sure.

Mary Magdalene had been demon-possessed, and He had cast seven demons out of her.  She had known Him personally as her Light.  On the first day after the Sabbath was over, this Mary, and another Mary (the mother of James who was also called Jacob), and Salome were now able to do the work that was required for burial.  They left their homes early that day and brought to the tomb the spices that were necessary for a proper burial preparation of Jesus' body.  The sun had barely risen in the sky when they set off to the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathea had placed Him  There was not much to talk about as they walked to where He lay, for their hearts were too heavy for idle chit-chat and too sad to speak of their great sense of loss and sorrow.  But all of a sudden, the thought of the stone in front of the cave weighed heavy on them as they wondered who might help them move it so that they could do what they had come to do.

Approaching the tomb they saw an amazing sight.  The stone was already rolled to the side, and upon closer investigation, there minds tried to understand why the tomb was empty.  Jesus' body was not there!  A man wearing a white robe was sitting just to the right of the cave's opening, and he told the three not to be afraid.  But what were his next words?  Had he really said that?

'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.  He has risen; He is not here; behold here is the place where they laid Him.'

Jesus . . . alive?  How could it be?  Was it really true?  Oh, what joy filled their souls as the reality of the scene settled upon them as they stared at the empty tomb!  The sorrow in their hearts melted away as the words He had spoken to them just days before became a clear reality in them.  ' And on the third day I will rise from the dead.'  At that very moment, their darkest day had tuned into  bright hopefulness as the Light began to fill their hearts.  The Light of the world was not dead at all.  He had risen from the dead.  The words of the man in the white robe rang in their ears as ran to tell the disciples this great news.  'Jesus, your Light, is alive!  He us on His way to Galilee where you will will soon see Him!'

It's all such an incredible story, isn't it?  From beginning to end it is truly amazing!  It requires faith to receive it and believe it, doesn't it?  Just like the wise men of old, the Magi of the greatest story ever told, we only must study the story, recognize the miraculous signs, and follow the Star, the Light of the world.  Having done those things, we must become again like the Magi.  Our love, adoration, and worship are the greatest treasures we can bring to the Light of the world.  As we offer ourselves up to Him, fully surrendered to His will and fully crucified in our won flesh, His Light in us, the Holy Spirit, will begin to shine outward to the world He is trying to reach.  The challenge to each one of us is to continue in daily fellowship with Jesus, reading His word, praying, and obeying all that He says.  Then He will be able to fulfill His purposes for all men, both Jew and Gentile, through those who are devoted to Him.

Won't you be a part of the continuing Christmas story, that is still being read by the dark world today, by allowing His Light to shine out of you and onto those who are in desperate need of the Light of the world?"

Jesus, Light of the World (12-21-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light the fourth Advent Candle, the Wise Men candle.)

Luke 23:44-46
"Jesus' archenemy did not quit trying to destroy His light.  Satan waged war on our Savior throughout His entire life.  Time and time again while Christ walked this earth, he would come to Him with one purpose in mind.  The enemy would never stop until he had destroyed the Light, once and for all.

From Satan's part in an evil alliance between another King Herod and  Pilate; to the lies he whispered to the Pharisees;  to the temptation for money and power that he dangled in front of Judas; to the mocking and vicious whippings that the Roman guards administered; to the spineless accusations and acts of the priests; to the crazed mob who yelled out, 'Crucify Him'; to the awful end, Christ's crucifixion on the cross, Satan surely had set his focus firmly on the end of Jesus.  And in Christ's last days on earth as a human, Satan stepped up the torment to a horrifying level.

The Magi had come to a King Herod from a different era, asking him where the King of the Jews could be found.  The questioned had enraged the Herod who governed Judah at the time of Jesus' birth.  And again we see Jesus referred to as the King of the Jews in our verses today, but this time they are spoken as an insult to Jesus but the very Roman guards who nailed Him to the cross.  They mocked His  authority and power by saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!'  Could it have been the whisper of Satan that then caused them to insult Jesus even further by placing an inscription above His head on the cross that read, 'This is the King of the Jews'?

Surely Satan moved in and about the crowd that day, watching and listening.  A wry smile curled on his lips as he wrung his evil hands together.  'Surely the time is near,' he thought.  'Soon, yes very soon, this Jesus will no longer be a threat to me.'  The darkness of the fallen angel was not contained within him, for at that very moment, at the sixth hour (12 noon), a deep darkness 'fell over the whole land' and remained until three hours later.  It was so dark that the sun could not be seen.  Darkness seemed to be overpowering the Light.

'Yes!  YES!  The Light of the world is ebbing.  It won't be long now until I am in charge!' Satan muttered to himself.  The the words he had longed to hear for so long were filling the vast emptiness of the darkness that surrounded them.  'Father, into Thy hands I commit My Spirit.'  And Jesus died.  The evil grin on the face of Satan turned into a low chuckle and then into riotous laughter.  'I've won!' he shouted with delight.  This indeed was the darkest day in all history.  The Light had been extinguished, or so everyone thought.

Dark days will surely come to us all, days when it seems like we are miles and miles from the Light of Jesus.  But we know the rest of the story, don't we?  In the end, Jesus wins!  No matter how the 'darkness' tries to creep into our lives and blow out the Light of Jesus in us, Satan will never be successful if we but keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Light the world, Jesus our Savior.  He is the Light of all of your days.  Spend time with Hm, and He will bring even more light into your life."

Jesus, Light of the World (12-20-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light the fourth Advent Candle, the Wise Men candle.)

Matthew 2: 12-18
"Now that the Magi had seen the Christ Child, had worshiped Him, and had given Him their greatest treasures, they understood that it had been God who had orchestrated their journey and this meeting.  God had spoken to them through the Scriptures and the prophecies, through the sign of the star, and through seeing the Savior as the fulfillment of the journey God led them to make.  But now, this was something new.  God had never before spoken to them in this manner.  Yes, God had clearly spoken to them in a dream, warning them not to return to King Herod!  Leaving Bethlehem, they chose to listen to God and heed His warning, so they returned to their own country, but they did not return by the same path on which they traveled when they were following the star.  Instead, they chose to walk in the Light!

But King Herod refused to accept the Light for who He was.  He chose to remain in the darkness of his sin, jealousy, and bitterness.  Herod believed that he had been tricked by the Magi when they did not return to Him, as he had requested of them, and report to him the exact location of the Christ Child.  It appeared that way as he muttered to himself in the darkness of his own making, but in the light, it is clear that it was God who would not allow Herod to discover the whereabouts of Jesus.

Evil poured out of King Herod.  He became so enraged at the course of events, so threatened by this Child King, that he committed the unthinkable.  He recalled from his conversation with the Magi the approximate time that the star had appeared to them in the eastern sky.  He took that information and ordered his men to go to Bethlehem and its surrounding area and kill every male child who was declared to be two years old and younger.  They carried out his wishes to the letter and left in their wake so great a mourning and weeping that our finite minds could never completely imagine it.  Herod's evil and dark plan was intended to snuff out the flame of the Light of the world before others could catch on to His fire.  This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the event of the birth of Christ (Jeremiah 31:15).  But God had other plans for His Son.  Before the decree went forth from Herod, He had spoken to Joseph in a dream to warn him as well.  Joseph was told by God to take Mary and Jesus to safety in Egypt because Herod was going to search for the Child with the intent to destroy Him (Matthew 2:13).  Joseph was complicit, and he immediately and wisely chose to obey the warning of God.  Joseph and Mary, with baby Jesus in her arms, quickly packed up and left for Egypt, where they remained until God called them out, when Herod died and it was safe for them to return home.

God still speaks to those who will listen.  He used the Magi in His eternal plan for the gospel to go forth.  They were a part of His divine purposes.  And today, so are we!  As we continue to attempt to be faithful to spread the Light of Jesus in our dark and lost world, there will surely be opposition to overcome.  The darkness will always be looking for opportunities to extinguish the Light.  So we must be constantly connected to God and His word, listening to the directions that He gives us, so that the Light that we have to share will not be snuffed out.

Pray for divine appointments from God in which you can share Christ with others.  Pray for protection over the words that you will speak, so that they might not be overcome by the evil one.  Listen to the warnings and directions God is giving you.  Obey in faith all that He asks and directs you to do.  Those who can be called 'wise men' today are those who know the voice of God and who are willing to be intimately connected to Him and His purposes so that the gospel of Light can be shared with those who are trapped in the darkness of the evil one.  Who knows how many might say, 'I have seen the Light!' because of your willingness to share Him with them!"