September 2013 – Page 2 – Old Paths Journal

Are You Suffering from “I” Problems

by: Dr. Lonnie Mattingly

Psalms 54, “Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth. I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.”

Sometimes when you get a lot of facts, details and ideas all at one time, they will slip right by you. Like James said, you will look in the mirror of the Word of God and you will see yourself for what you are. You will see some changes that ought to me made, corrections and help from the Word of God. Then, after you have read these things, unless you make a concentrated effort to remember and respond, you will forget what manner of man you saw as you were reading. It will all just evaporate from your memory and you will not remember at all what God revealed to you about yourself that needed improvement. Someone said, “The biggest room in the world is room for improvement.”

As you read God’s Word or sit under the teaching and preaching of It, it might be a good idea to jot down the things that come to your mind and the areas where you need to make some changes in your life. I want what you read today to make a difference in your life tomorrow. I want you to be a victorious Christian. My key word is mentioned twice in Psalm 54:6. The word is “I”. It is a one-letter word. I want you to think with me about that little personal pronoun “I”. You see one of the problems in our society is we have been taught to be self-centered. The average person in America today lives for self. We examine everything in light of what affect does it have on me, how do I see this thing, how does it look to me. We have our share of “I” problems.

Satan had “I” problems, Isaiah 14:12-14 “How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou had said in thine heart, I will ascent into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

Why did Satan got kicked out of Heaven? Why is it that the Devil was chased from his place of prominence in which God had intended for him to serve (perhaps as one of the archangels)? Five times in this passage the Devil said, “I”. His whole attitude and existence centered around what he said he was going to do. He was all enamored with, caught up in, and infatuated by that first person pronoun “I”. He was looking out for number one.

A lot of people have “I” problems. I found an old anniversary picture of my wife and I. In that picture I do not have glasses. I was in the transition period. During that time I only wore glasses to read, and the rest of the time they stayed in my pocket. People do not want to admit when they start having eye problems. During that period of time, I would carry my glasses in my shirt pocket. I was over helping clean the gym on our church property. We were getting ready for some event. We had carpets to be laid on the floor. I put it down and said, “Man, these carpets need to be smoothed out.” I saw a lump in the middle of the carpet, and so I went over and stomped on it trying to get it to go down. Then I said, “Where are my glasses?” They were under the carpet. It was a great day.

Another example of this happened when my parents took my brother John, his wife Sophie, Nancy and myself out for their fifty-fifth wedding anniversary supper. My brother was in his eye sight transition where I was about six years prior, so he was not wearing them regularly. We got to the restaurant and he had left his glasses at home. You should have seen him trying to read the menu! He borrowed mine to try to use them as a magnifying glass. His problem was that he had eye problems.

We all have “I” problems of some kinds. The “I” problem I am talking about is a little play on words, but the truth of the matter is, it has everything to do with how you look at things. It has everything to do with your perspective.

We all have “I” problems. We all have that tendency to see things from our own perspective and not from God’s. That was the Devil’s problem. He was looking at things the wrong way and it got him in a heap of trouble. He got kicked out of Heaven. He has been an adversary of God, God’s work and program ever since. He is your enemy and my enemy. It all started with that one letter word, “I”. “I” is the center of sin and pride. It would do us all well to look in the mirror of God’s Word and see ourselves as God sees us.

Lonnie Mattingly
Pastor Emeritus
Shawnee Baptist Church
Louisville, KY
http://lonniemattingly.com

Ceasing God’s Work

Ezra 4:24
“Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

One of the saddest statements you will see in the Scriptures is the statement in the verse above, “Then ceased the work of the house of God…” It didn’t say they finished the work of God, but they ceased. In other words, this was either a choice or a result of something. Something caused the work of God to cease.

One must ask when considering the work of God, what is the work of God? We oftentimes only consider the church to be the work of God, but that is a very small view of God’s work. I look at the Scriptures and I find that God’s work involves the church, home, marriage and a person’s life. God is the giver of life; therefore, a person’s life is His work. God is the One Who instituted marriage and the church; thus, every marriage, home and church is the work of God. In each of these works, there are some things that can cause them to cease. They will either cease by choice, or they will cease as a result of an action. Let me show you some things that cause the work of God to cease.

First, joining up with wrong associations will cause God’s work to cease. In verse 2, Ezra was presented with the opportunity to yoke up with the heathen for a common cause. If you are not careful, you will think that yoking up with people for a common cause is okay to do for the sake of the bigger picture, but you must always understand this will cause God’s work to cease. God never blesses unholy unions, and when a church, marriage, home or an individual yoke up with wrong associations, God will immediately cease His part in that work. When God ceases His part in a work, then it ceases to be the work of God and becomes the work of man.

Second, becoming sidetracked from our purpose will cause God’s work to cease. In verse 5, they tried to frustrate God’s people so that they would be sidetracked. Be very careful that you keep your focus on the purpose of God’s work. In the home and marriage, God’s purpose is to serve Him together. In your personal life, you must find God’s will and not let anything pull you from it. In the church, we must be careful that we don’t lose the purpose of the church, which is to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. Don’t let unimportant things sidetrack you from God’s work.

Third, battles can cause the work of God to cease. Verse 13 shows that they were falsely accused, but they kept on building. Friend, don’t let battles pull you away from God’s work. You must be careful to keep your marriage and home strong during a battle. During a battle, you must not personally stop doing what God’s called you to do. During a battle, the church must keep trying to reach the lost for Christ. Don’t let the battle pull you from what God wants you to do.

Finally, quitting will cause the work of God to cease. In the verse above, a combination of everything together finally drove them to quit. Don’t let the attacks of the world against God’s work overwhelm you and cause you to quit His work. Always remember that God has given you the strength to carry the burden of His work. He will never allow you to face or carry more than you are able. Whatever you face today, let me encourage you to keep going. Quitting is not the answer. Allowing God to help you carry your burden is the answer. Don’t let your choice to quit be the thing that stops God’s work. Keep doing God’s work, and eventually you will find that the work of God will accomplish its purpose.

Getting the Wrong Stink on You

2 Chronicles 28:25
“And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.”

When I was a teenager, we often had a pile of compost brought to the church to spread in the flowerbed and yard. The purpose of the compost was to fertilize the flowers and yard to help them grow better. Every time I spread the compost, when I got home my mother would tell me to immediately take a shower because the stink of the compost was on me. The only reason I had that stink on me was because I was around it.

In the verse above, it says that Ahaz burnt incense to other gods. That incense left a stink on Ahaz that he could not get off. The incense left a different smell to God than the incense that was burnt in the temple. Instead of leaving a sweet-smelling savor, it left a stinking savor in God’s nostrils.

I’m afraid that too many Christians have a different stink on them than they should. I remember listening to a sermon by Dr. Tom Malone. He was preaching at a preacher’s conference when he made the statement, “I like the stink this conference leaves on me.” He was saying that spending time in that conference would cause him to be different, and he didn’t mind being identified with the smell that conference left on him.

Friend, I wonder what stink you have on you. Do you have the stink of the world on your life? Have you been spending so much time in the world that you smell more like the world than you do a Christian? You can’t run in the world and not get the stink of the world on you. Every time you watch their wicked programs, you get that stink on you. Every time you go to a wrong place, you get that stink on you. You can’t hide the stink of the world when it is on you.

Let me ask you another question. Do you have the stink of compromisers on you? You can’t watch their religious programs and read their books without getting their stink on you. Many preachers think they can hide the stink of the liberal books that they read, but it comes out in their stand and preaching. You can say you’re just trying to get ideas, but the ideas you’re getting are leaving a stink in the nostrils of God.

The interesting thing about the stink of compromise and worldliness is that most people don’t realize they have that stink on them. When you’re around it for any length of time, you get used to the smell, and you can’t discern when it’s on you. You may think you’re the same person, but you’re not.

There is only one smell I want on me, and that is the smell of God. You should spend so much time with God that people know you smell like Him. Yes, to the world the smell of God will stink, but I’d rather have the smell of God on me than the stink of the world.

Always remember, whomever you spend the most time with is whose stink you have on you. I challenge you to get the stink of God on you. When it’s on you, don’t be ashamed of it. That is the smell that will bring God’s blessings, and that is the smell that will keep you from sin.

Helping Others in Their Great Time of Need

by: Dr. Steve Heidenreich

In the past few months, I have had the opportunity to help other people help missionaries in times of great need. Thank God for many missionaries who have responded to the call of God to take the precious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the regions beyond. My family and I lived on the mission for over 15 years. I have traveled for 13 years and have worked with many missionaries from multiple countries. I have seen many difficult times of need missionaries have gone through. These years were a great teaching time for me to learn how to respond to those dear people when in great need.

Let me share a few things that I believe will help those of us who love missionaries and want to be a help in their times of need.

First, let’s remember that they are God’s missionaries. I heard someone say, “We don’t support them, they’re not one of our missionaries. Should we be doing anything for them?” In the time of great need, we shouldn’t worry about whose missionaries they are, but respond as God would lead us. Remember they are God’s missionaries reaching the people for whom His Son died.

Second, I believe that the greatest weapon we have at our disposal is prayer. We should go to God on their behalf. We have a son and his family on the mission field in the Philippines. My wife and I know too well what it feels like when they go through critical times. We feel so helpless, and yes, we hurt and weep for them. So, we go to our knees and ask God to do what we want to do and can’t. We have to ask our Father to put them in His arms and comfort, protect and guide them through His will at that specific time. Would you be the person who would hold them up in prayer?

Third, be understanding during their time of difficultly. Remember many of us have great resources around us to help in the time of need. Many missionaries have to make decisions with what little resources they have available, and you and I may wonder why they do some things the way that they do. Don’t you think they want what is best for all involved for them and their family. There are times when they don’t have any choice but to have to go with what’s happening at the time. They would gladly do what some of you would do if they had the opportunity. So, please try to understand them when they need you the most.

Fourth, when you have the opportunity to do so, help them financially. I like the story of the good Samaritan. He said, “Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” I believe with all my heart that God will bless churches more than ever when they help missionaries who are in great need.

I am writing this article as I am flying to the Philippines to encourage my 11 year-old granddaughter who has been fighting a serious bout of Dengue Fever. Many thousands of people have prayed and encouraged them in so many ways. I am so glad when God intervenes and uses His people to help when there seems that there is no way through. So many of God’s people love missionaries and make it possible for them to make it through times of great need.

I believe that God receives so much glory when His people respond together to take care of His missionaries when they don’t have the needed resources, and when they go through times of great need.

Dr. Steve Heidenreich
http://missionsminutes.blogspot.com

Leadership Mistakes

2 Chronicles 17:1
“And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.”

Throughout the Scriptures you find many leadership principles that teach you how to successfully lead those whom God has given you to lead. When reading about the lives of the kings, you find several leadership mistakes from which leaders should learn. Though there is no way we can show all the leadership mistakes that we can learn from these kings, we can learn from some of the important ones.

One mistake that leaders make is thinking they can change weaker leaders. Jehoshaphat commonly made this mistake in his reign. He had the mentality that he was strong enough to change weaker people. Every leader must be careful not to overestimate their leadership abilities. If a weaker leader does not want your help, then you are not going to be able to help them. Many weak leaders must learn from their failures, and for you to step in and try to change them in worthless. Until a weaker leader asks for your help, it is best that you keep doing what your position demands of you.

Another mistake that leaders make is having weak unions. Again, this was one of the trademarks of Jehoshaphat’s reign to his detriment, he never seemed to get beyond this. As a leader, you must be very careful with whom you join forces. First, joining with the wrong forces can destroy the direction of future generations because they will see you yoking up with the wrong people, and they will assume you think they are good people. Second, when you join with the wrong forces, it will eventually influence you and your beliefs. This doesn’t mean that you need to destroy those who don’t believe like you, but it does mean that you need to be careful that you don’t join them for the bigger picture.

Another mistake leaders make is being jealous of others. Jehoram made this mistake, and it cost him his life. Just because you are the leader doesn’t mean that you have to get all the accolades. Many leaders become jealous of others getting credit, and their jealousy leads them to get rid of those people so they can receive all the credit. The problem with this is that you can push those who are helping you to succeed out, which eventually brings about your demise. As a leader, learn to share the spotlight with others, especially when they are part of the reason you succeeded in a certain area.

Another mistake leaders make is having the wrong counsellors. Ahaziah chose the wrong counsellors, and it destroyed him. From whom you choose to get counsel will ultimately determine your philosophies. Choose counsellors wisely. Only choose counsellors who have proven what they believe, and don’t choose counsellors who don’t have their own beliefs settled.

Finally, another mistake leaders make is overconfidence. Uzziah did right, which established his kingdom, but he became overconfident once he succeeded. Don’t let overconfidence destroy you. Always remember that once you’ve succeeded, you must keep doing what brought about your success. Don’t become overconfident and think that success will continue because of who you are.

These leadership mistakes should be avoided by all. Any one of these mistakes can destroy you and what you’re leading. Be careful to avoid these tragic mistakes so that others don’t have to pay the price for your bad decisions.

Actions for the Simple

Proverbs 30:2
“Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.”

There are four main characters in the Book of Proverbs whom God addresses. Those characters are the wise, simple, scorner and foolish. Everyone starts out as a simple person. Your goal ought to be to move from simple to wise, but if you don’t take the right actions, you will become the foolish or the scorner.

I recently had a young man ask me what God meant by calling someone “simple.” I told him that it is like a blank piece of paper. That blank piece of paper is innocent and has no information, but what you write on that piece of paper can determine whether you become wise.

Solomon said in the verse above, “Surely I am more brutish than any man,…” This statement is amazing when you consider that Solomon was considered one of the wisest men who ever lived. The word “brutish” means ignorant or untaught. He was saying that there were times when he was a simple person who had not been taught what to do. He goes on in this chapter and shows what to do so that the right information is written on that blank sheet of paper called your life.

First, when you are simple, acknowledge God. In verse 4, Solomon addressed the greatness of God. When you don’t know what to do in life, you would be wise to look up to God. Whatever you do, don’t exclude God from your life. When you’re life is simple, that is a very important time when God should be prevalent in all you do. Acknowledge God early when your life is simple, and it will run off the bad characters who will cause you to write the wrong things on the blank pages of your life. If you start out in the beginning acknowledging God, then you’ll acknowledge Him when your sheet of paper is filled with godly information.

Second, follow God’s Word when you are simple. Verse 5 shows us the importance of every Word of God. When you are simple, spend much time studying God’s Word so that you’ll know how to act and what to say in every situation. It is only in God’s Word that will you find what to write on the blank pages of your life.

Third, remove wrong acquaintances when you are simple. Verse 8 shows us the importance of removing the wrong influences. What you allow to influence you will highly determine what you write on the pages of your life. Don’t spend time with the wrong people, and you won’t have the wrong information to write on the pages of your life.

Fourth, do what you know is right to do. God says in verse 8, “…feed me with food convenient for me:” This is doing what you’re supposed to do. You may be simple in an area, but be sure to do what you know is right to do.

Last, don’t blame others for your mistakes. Verse 10 says, “Accuse not a servant unto his master,…” Don’t become one who doesn’t take responsibility for your actions when you do wrong. Simple people become foolish people when they don’t take responsibility for their actions. If you make a mistake, then step up to the plate and acknowledge it. This will help you correct what you’ve done wrong.

We all are simple every time we start a new endeavor in life. Whether that endeavor is adulthood, marriage, home, career or a ministry, be careful what you write on the pages of your life. Become wise in these areas by writing the right things on the pages of your life when you are in the simple stage.

Need Prayer for a Miracle

UPDATE AS OF OCTOBER 9, 2013

This is the update that Pastor Danny Ortiz gave me about Mrs. Karisa Daniel’s condition. Please continue to pray for God to heal her body.

“She came out of the hospital last Thursday. She’s been running a low fever. She had labs done Saturday. Doctors are insisting they see her this Wednesday. They’re trying to get her prepped for the bone marrow transplant. She’s home now, but tomorrow she’s going for another transfusion and platelets. We need a miracle!”

INITIAL PRAYER REQUEST

Almost a year ago I asked prayer for Karisa Daniel, the wife of Kelly Daniel, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Bro. Daniel is an assistant pastor for Dr. Danny Ortiz at the Iglesia Bautista Fundamental. Mrs. Daniel has had a relapse of cancer, and Bro. Ortiz told me this morning a miracle is needed. I ask you to earnestly pray for this dear lady that God would see fit to heal her of the cancer.

When God Wants to Hear From You

2 Chronicles 6:23
“Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.”

Someone once asked me, “Bro. Domelle, is there ever a bad time to pray?” Of course, my answer was, “No!” There is never a bad time to pray. Anytime is a good time to talk to the LORD. Prayer should not be be allotted to a specific time, though I do believe you ought to have a specific time when you pray daily, but prayer should also be a regular part of your day. Instead of having a prayer time, you should have a prayer life.

There are some specific times when God wants to hear from you. In 2 Chronicles 6, there were some specific times when Solomon asked God to hear his prayer. Those times when Solomon asked God to hear his prayer are a good time for you to pray to God. Let me show you these times when God specifically wants to hear from you.

First, God wants to hear from you when you sin against others. Verse 22 shows us that Solomon made it specific that He wanted God to forgive him when he sinned against others. You must be careful that you don’t let your shame keep you from praying to God. If there is ever a time when you need to pray, it is when you have done wrong to someone else. Go to God and confess your sin, and ask Him how you can get right with that person.

Second, God wants to hear from you when you are losing. Solomon asked God in verse 24, to hear him when they were put to the worse before their enemy. When you feel like life is against you and you are losing and not gaining, this is a good time to ask God to show you what you are doing wrong. Stop trying to figure it out yourself, and ask God to show you what you are doing wrong so you can change it.

Third, God wants to hear from you when you are afflicted. In verse 28, Solomon specifically asked God to hear their prayer when they were afflicted. Instead of running to doctors and psychiatrists, run to God for his help. When sickness afflicts you, pray to God. When trials afflict you, pray to God. When life brings its afflictions, pray to God and ask for His deliverance. Part of the reason God allows you to be afflicted is because He wants to hear from you.

Fourth, God wants to hear from you when you are traveling. In verse 32, Solomon asked God to hear the prayer of the stranger who is traveling. Nearly every week of my life I travel to some destination to preach. Whenever I start a trip, I always start it out in prayer. It would be good to ask God to be with you when you’re traveling. God could keep you from going to wrong places. If you would pray when you’re traveling, you would see that God can keep you from temptations that traveling brings. Don’t leave God at home when you travel, but bring Him along as you travel.

God wants to hear from you when you are at war. In verse 34, Solomon specifically asked God to help them when they were at war. If you serve the LORD for any length of time, you are going to fight battles. It would be good to ask for God’s help when fighting battles in your life. Ask God if you have done anything wrong to cause the battle. If He shows you that you are the fault of the battle, then change your actions. Also, ask God to give you wisdom to win the battle for Him. Battles are not pleasant, but God can give you wisdom to win them so that His name is glorified.

Certainly, every time is a good time to pray. Yet, the times mentioned above are good times to set aside to pray. The next time you face one of these times, make it a time to pray and watch how God delivers you from whatever you face.

F.R.O.G. ~ Fully Rely on God

by: Jennifer Petticoffer

Proverbs 3:5-7

Have you ever been so excited about God and serving Him that you felt like jumping up and down like a frog? I have to say that I do this quite frequently. I love the Lord, reading His Word, applying truth, and hearing inspiring messages of how to be a better Christian servant. I want to do it all right now, multi-tasking until I fall over from physical exhaustion or from a nervous breakdown. Sound familiar?

The Lord wants us to obediently and enthusiastically serve Him, but He also wants us to do this through His power and strength not our own. I thought of some ways the title of this article could be changed to reflect what is really going on in the lives of Christian women like you and me.

“F.R.O.C.C. – Fully Rely on Caffeine and Carbohydrates”
“F.R.O.F. – Fully Rely on Feelings”
“F.R.O.N. – Fully Rely on Naps”
“F.R.O.S. – Fully Rely on Sugar”
“F.R.O.A. – Fully Rely on Adrenaline”

I have been guilty of all of the above. I don’t know if it’s my age, my mind, or my lack of Holy Spirit power, but I don’t like depending upon a cocktail of aspirin, coffee, and a sugary snack to have enough spiritual energy to go soul winning. If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it but I don’t believe that is what God has planned for his children.

God wants us to fully rely upon Him. We want to show our love for Him by producing much fruit, but we cannot even do these labors of love without Him! We can do absolutely nothing without Him.

John 15:5 – “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Maybe we have the “mind over matter” philosophy. We think – so we believe we can do. God is a “faith over matter” God. We should be zealous Christians, but our zeal must be Bible-based and Holy-Spirit fueled. If we use our own righteousness or works, we are not fully submitting to God’s power.

Romans 10:1–3, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

Some drawbacks to going without God’s righteousness and power are …

You can find yourself ALONE, and ahead of the LORD in certain areas.
You can find yourself POWERLESS; disconnected from the your spiritual Source, the Holy Spirit.
You can find yourself DISCOURAGED, with no energy, joy or comfort.
You can find yourself BACKSLIDDEN, because YOUR PLAN of zealous service didn’t work out YOUR WAY and you drop out altogether.
You can find yourself BITTER, because a pharisaical attitude is pride which alienates you from the sweetness of submitting to the Lord’s strength.

So, the old frog adage is true, “Look before you LEAP!” Look to God before you leap into the day, into a project, into a decision, into any thing. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” To look to God, we must first FOCUS on Who God is. God is: All powerful, Lord, Divine Salvation, Sanctifier, Shepherd, Omnipresent, our Healer, our Righteousness, Provider, Banner, Peace, Lord of Hosts, most High, Strong, God of the mountains, Everlasting, Ancient of Days, Author of Life, Beginning and Comforter. I should and could go on, but I do have a word limit! Do you get the idea? God is all!

All Powerful (Omnipotent) – Jeremiah 9:23-24 – “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

All Knowing (Omniscient) – Romans 11:33-36 – “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”

All Present (Omnipresent) Matthew 28:20 – “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

If we are fully relying on God we must focus on Him, and then we must always consider Him FIRST. Usually we exhaust all of our energies before we go to the Lord. We try our way and if that doesn’t work, we try stimulants, our own wisdom, social networking, or wait until we’re desperate in order to get an adrenaline rush. God wants for us to seek Him and His kingdom FIRST! (Matthew 6:33)

Sometimes our perspective of God can be all out of whack. We don’t focus on Him, so we don’t fully realize His greatness and power and subsequently we don’t consider Him first. Think about some of the great “wonders” of this world. They are immense in dimensions, but unless we have been close enough to them we cannot fathom what makes them so wonderful.

Grand Canyon – 277 miles long and 18 miles wide, one mile deep.

Pyramids – the Great Pyramid is 481 feet tall, 756 feet across.

Blue Whale – 98 feet long, 176 tons, 352,000 lbs.

Great Wall of China – 13,171 miles long

The images of these wonders that we see in magazines were taken from a great distance. The photos now fit into our hands, but THE CLOSER WE GET TO THESE OBJECTS, THE GREATER THEY WILL BECOME AND THE SMALLER WE WILL BECOME. THIS IS WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO “DRAW NIGH TO GOD” and to fully rely on Him.

We all have the daily struggles of life. We all can “run out of spiritual gas” when doing God’s work. We sometimes become “weary in well doing.” It’s before and during these times that we must focus on God, seek Him first and then fully rely upon Him. It’s then that we can know the true joy of serving our wonderful God.

Acts 17:27-28a – “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being;”

Jennifer Petticoffer
Staff Member
Longview Baptist Temple
Longview, TX

And David Came Home

1 Chronicles 16:43
“And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.”

David had just finished one of the highlights of his reign. One of his dreams had just been fulfilled. For months, David desired that the ark of God be placed in the city of David. His first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem failed when he copied how the Philistines carried the ark. The second time he carried the ark the way God told them to carry it from the beginning. The arrival of the ark into the city of David was a joyous one, not only for David, but also for the people of Israel. It was a great day for David and Israel.

One can only imagine the excitement David had in his heart and how he couldn’t wait to get home and tell his wife Michal what all happened. When David went home to his wife, he didn’t get the reception he expected. 2 Samuel 6:20 tells us about the reception when it says, “Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!” Instead of his wife being excited for her husband’s success, she was spiteful and jealous of how he acted when the ark came into the city. Her response was so bad that it affected their marriage for the rest of their lives. It says that because of how she received David, she had no more children unto the day of her death.

You would wonder if the story of Bathsheba would have happened had Michal received David properly when he came home. Don’t get me wrong, I am not at all justifying David in his affair with Bathsheba. He was totally in the wrong, and he was responsible for his own actions. All I’m saying is that if he didn’t regret coming home each night, one may wonder if that would have kept him from looking around.

Many marriages are hurt because of how a spouse is treated when they come home. If the first thing a spouse hears when they come home is griping and complaining, you will run off your spouse. Men, when you come home, your wife doesn’t need to hear you griping about what she’s not doing. She has dealt with the children all day long, and for you to come home and gripe about what she’s not doing will only hurt your marriage. She needs you to come home and give a spirit of stability to the house.

Ladies, your husband doesn’t need to come home to a wife who is griping and complaining about something he has done. He has worked all day long and is tired, and he really doesn’t want to come home and deal with drama when he enters the door. He wants to come home to a place where it is a retreat from the stress he faced during the day.

I encourage you to be careful how you first receive your spouse when they get home. Let the reception of your spouse coming home be one to which your spouse anticipates. They should have an anticipation of coming home because it is a place of escape from what they have faced all day. If you must deal with situations that have happened in the day, then let your spouse have some time of calm before dealing with that stress.

Furthermore, parents need to be careful that they don’t make their children hate coming home. If all you do the second they come in the door is get on their case every day, then they are going to hate home. Home is to be a place where family enjoys coming. Let the time they walk in the house be a joyous time. Every family member needs to work on this so that home leaves a good thought in the mind of each family member.