To Spur You On

In light of our congregational repentance night, I thought this verse is most fitting.

"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer."
Psalm 66:18

I think it will be a great time of refreshing as we share our hearts, abolish sins in our lives and move towards repentance.

A Tribute to King David

Since we are studying out Psalms, I decided to google some photos of King David since I've never researched to see what he was portrayed to look like before. I always pictured him in my head to be this tall, muscular and very masculine man with sharp facial features....and of course over all, very handsome. =) Anyways, below are a few photos I found depicting King David during the different stages of his life.

How do youguys picture King David??

(The html is kinda screwy so bear with me.) =)

Michelangelo's 17ft marble statue that portrays King David at the moment he decided to go into battle with Goliath.



King David playing the Harp.

















Tate Gallery, London.






















A life size wooden carving of King David.

(I wonder how tall/big he is??)



















Painted statue of King David from Upper Swabia, c.1460-70. Bode Museum, Berlin, Germany.

I know... GENIUS :)

Wow, looks like the benefits of righteousness (from Psalm 112) include...
1) children, who are strong and blessed
2) wealth (not limited to material wealth)
3) having direction (even in the dark)
4) good stuff (will come)
5) confidence and security
6) honor

NICE! Sign me up :)

Also, ya know how there are just some great sayings out there? For example, here is my most recent fav...

• If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

My lil bro's fav...

• Friendship is liking peeing on yourself, everyone can see it but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
  

Wellllll, I coined my own saying from today's reading (Psalm 90), it's not funny but it's WISE, check it out...

• Life is short.

I know... GENIUS :). And no need to applause, I brought my own... click play below :)

Love ya

(Phamster, feel free to quote me all you want on facebook haha)

Psalms and songs

Psalms and songs

Some of the Psalms we have read the past few days are inspirations for some of my favorite songs.

Psalm 1:

This is the basis of Song 109, "Rejoice in the Law of the Lord" in Songs of the Kingdom, Second Addition.

Psalm 36:

Third Day sings a song based on Psalm 36:5-6a "Your Love O Lord (Psalm 36)"

Your love O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide...

Psalm 40

U2's "40" is based on Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord
He inclined and heard my cry
He brought me up out of the pit
Out of the miry clay

then the chorus... based on 40:3a: He put a new song in my mouth...

then:

He set my feet upon a rock
And made my footsteps firm
Many will see
Many will see and fear

Then the chorus again

hi chrono peeps :)

I'm not a huge fan of poetry, prose, etc. so Psalm is a bit difficult for me to connect with but I liked the Psalms we've been reading the last 2 days.

My fav verse from today's reading: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you... God is the strength of my heart..." Psalm 73:25-26.

I liked Psalm 15 (from yest's reading) cuz it describes some of the characteristics of righteousness...
1) doing what's right
2) speaking the truth (from the heart, e.g. with love)
3) treating people right
4) honoring God's people
5) having integrity (keeping my words even if it hurts)
6) being generous

And I recognize verses 5-6 from Psalm 36 cuz Third Day integrated them in their song (below). "Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep."

Check out the video, I enjoyed it cuz we get to see some of the great characters we read about (awww I miss them sorta hehe). See if you recognize them all? I'll give you a lil start, the first person shown is good ol Abraham (but I had imagined Isaac to be younger? hmmm).

Love ya :)

Psalm thoughts, some thoughts

Great posts the last few days from the sisters.  I have to say, where are the brothers at?  The blog's turning into the Tera, Tina, Lisa, PT show.  Great job girls, don't stop, I just hope we can get some more bros posting.

I liked the end of Psalm 91 because it's God talking.  It's not David or someone telling us God loves us, but God himself (or the writer portraying God).  

"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him,

and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91 and 95 both have God talking in the first person and I feel like when David writes, he doesn't do that.  David seems to talk himself or share where he's at or what he knows about God.  Maybe that's why they don't list the writer of these psalms.  Anyone else have any thoughts about that?

I feel like David could have written Psalm 109 when he was being chased out of Jerusalem because of Absalom. I don't think the man he's talking about is Absalom, but maybe some of the other guys that drove him out.  To some degree, David was wrongly accused or wrongly put out of the kingdom, and he says, "He wore cursing as a garment...may it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him."  

What do you think, do you guys see any of that too or am I reading too much into it?  

As faithful as David was, there were also times in his prayers where he started to question God. However, he then reminds himself of all that God has done for him, and meditates on it..

Psalms 77 really convicted me and I really want to go after meditating on all the things God has done for me. I know my heart needs it.

Sisters, I just wanted to encourage you to find the time to meditate on some scriptures that stood out to you from today's reading. =)

Psalm 77:6-12

⁶ I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

⁷ Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?

⁸ Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?

⁹ Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Selah

¹⁰ Then I thought, "To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High."

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

¹² I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

In today's Psalms reading, I love how God shows us the different stages David went through during his prayers. His prayers went from praises showing complete trust in the Lord, to growing weary and pleading with God. You can see that David first praises God for his protection, strength and love. He then continues to praise him for the fact that he is a just God, and those who conspire against him will be dealt with by God. However, in the next Psalms, David starts to grow weary, just like we all do, even after our high with God; and he starts to plea with the Lord to help him...

"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help, my throat is parched." - Pslams 69

Today's reading shows me that I need to have more prayers like King David. I am very encouraged by the great example David displays of trust in the Lord not only during his high points, but also during his low. I love the fact that no matter what, David continues to hold on to his convictions to trust that God's strength will deliver him from where ever he's at. yaay for King David!=)

Reading psalms for today

As I was reading the psalms, I was confused about a few things David was praying about. We are not suppose to be praying for destruction to our enemies right? It is in God's will on how he will deal with them so why was David constantly praying for God to destroy them or put malice on them? I know he was struggling with people plotting against him but I didn't get that whole concept.

If people were against me, I would pray to God that they hopefully jump off a bridge or that they get sick. That seems aweful.

Psalm 13

"How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?... But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me." Psalm 13

I am a pretty joyful person most times...but I must admit that there are days in which sadness can set in my heart. Not depression, just a feeling of uncertainty, questioning, loss. Last night was one of those days. (This could be a result of watching 3 straight movies w/ death, shooting, killing...etc. My bible talk had a fun movie marathon. :D heehee) But I think it is much deeper than the movies I watched.

I think that God puts these feelings in my heart to remind me to seek after him...to rely on him. I was moved to pray and sing songs. Though the initial sadness didn't go away, it allowed me to feel at peace. I can relate w/ David when he shares about how he must wrestle with his thoughts and feel sorrow in his heart. I believe it is going to be a daily battle to overcome challenges set before us. I have lots to be grateful for and many things going on to keep me focused on the right things. But the ultimate thing I can truly 100% look forward to is God's unfailing love and the promise of seeing him face to face in heaven.

I shall sing...sing loud and proud...for God is GOOD to me.

I sang this song to God this morning.

"I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you...oh my soul, rejoice. Take joy my KING, in what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound...in your ears. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears."

April OC meeting- pics

Our gracious host: Mitch and Jackie Gonzales!!!

Nick and Dean

Getting ready to pray for the food! yummy!

Incredible breakfast feast!!!

The ladies :)

Leave It Better Than You Found It

David is trying to make the transition as smooth as possible. Maybe because when he was transitioned the kingdom was in turmoil. Which asks the question, in what shape are we leaving the kingdom to our next generation?

Let’s view it from a ministry prospective. Teens, in what condition are you leaving the teen ministry for the pre-teens. Campus, in what condition are you leaving the campus ministry for the teens. Singles, in what condition are you leaving the singles ministry for the Campus. And marrieds, in what condition are you leaving the marrieds ministry for the singles.

We all have a part in how are next generation is going to lead, let's not make it that difficult for them by having them inherit our sinfulness. Let’s make sure we follow through the mission God has given us in our prospective ministries. Let’s leave it better than we found it

David, The Temple and Heman

Did anyone catch this:

For David had said, "Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service."  1 Chron 23

It's funny to be me because it doesn't say God told him to do this or is it in the law that this should be done.  But maybe the Israelites understood that the Tabernacle was temporary.  Plus David has the Spirit so maybe he's acting on that authority.  

And yes Heman is in the bible.  I liked this quote:

All these were sons of Heman the king's seer.  They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him.  God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 1 Chron 25:5

I guess he was a pretty righteous, respect by God kind of guy.  To be the king's seer is a pretty high position and God gave him many children to bring out some glory.  

I had a post yesterday, but it got deleted.  Doesn't matter that much, people are commenting that much on my negative posts anyway.

I enjoy this blog, hope you all are too!

consequences of sin

I felt sad for Aiah today who lost her 2 sons along with the other 5 sons from Saul’s lineage; the sons were killed as a result of Saul’s sin. Perhaps this is described in scriptures such as Numbers 14:18 “Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” There is certainly a wage for sin (Rom 6:23) and while our sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ, it appears that we still bear any ramification or consequences of our sins… and those consequences can trail us for a long time.

Recently I’ve been following the story of Demjanjuk for his alleged involvement with war crimes during the Holocaust. He is now 89 yrs old and is still being prosecuted for some decisions he made over SIXTY yrs ago. And suppose he is guilty of the allegations… that’s a VERY long time for his sin to be following him around! (Note: I am not presuming any direct or vicarious liability outside of what the court has found, it’s just a supposition.)

(Articles about Demjanjuk are on the internet; enter his name on CNN.com or other search engines.)

Just some thoughts... LOVE YA :)

David- A man after God's <3

Today's reading was definitely sobering and stomach wrenching. :(
Although David's son was rebellious and sinful beyond control, he still had a deep love for him. His love for his son was undying and undoing. When David heard of Absalom's death, he wept and cried, "O my son Absalom, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you--O Absalom, my son!" These words were considered the most moving expressions in all literature of a fathers grief over a son's death--in spite of what he had done. Absalom had many talents and abilities, but he was spoiled, impatient, and overly ambitious. These, along with his vanity and pride, led to his tragic death (of all things, his hair got caught in the thick boughs of a terebinth tree-- he was especially noted for his beautiful long hair, in which he took great pride(2Sam 14:25-26).)
Despite David's request to be gentle, Absalom's death was tragic. The brutal overkill is indicative of the deep animosity felt by David's men. David's sinful abuse of royal power had finally produced its most bitter fruit..the death of yet another son.

So, how is it that David was considered "a man after God's heart? We can perceive David to be a irresponsible father, husband and leader. He sinned greatly and suffered great consequences. But even in his darkest times, he still loved deeply. Especially a son whom rebelled against him, defiled his cocubines in public view and tried to take his kingship by force...he still loved him deeply...with deep anguish and pain for the loss. I admired that alot. Just as our heavenly Father has seen, felt and suffered for my sake (all of my sinfulness-pride, vanity, self righteousness, lack of love, selfishness and disrespect..) he still died on that cross for me. David wished it was him that died that day instead of Absalom. Jesus died that day for my sins. David mourned for his son and the sin that overtook him. God mourns and cries for me everyday as I choose to sin and hurt him.

I want to have God's heart everyday. I want to love deeply and to be broken of my sins. To turn away from my sins and bring him glory.

Humbled and grateful.

questions I had while reading...

1) 2 Sam 12:24 states that when Solomon was born, "The Lord loved him..." why did God particularly love Solomon when he was just a newborn? What was special about this baby as compared to other babies or David's other children? Or did God love this baby for the person he would become?

2) Before Amnon raped her, Tamar stated, "Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you." Could Amnon have married Tamar? I thought the law was against incestuous relations?

Lev 18:11 Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

Lev 18:9 Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

3) When David was informed that Amnon had raped Tamar, the bible only says that "he was furious" (2 Sam 13:22), it doesn't sound like David disciplined Amnon? Is that correct? If so, do you think David's inaction gave rise or contributed to Absalom's resentment/rebellion later?

4) After Absalom killed Amnon, he fled to Geshur for 3 years (2 Sam 13:38). Again, it doesn't sound like David responded in any particular way? Why didn't David drag him back and discipline him? Or do something?

5) When David heard that Absalom had won the people's hearts (2 Sam 15:13) he left with a lot of people. Why did't he stay and fight? Or at least investigate the situation further to verify if the news was true? The last rumor he heard (about his sons having been murdered) was false, this rumor could have been false too?

6) 2 Sam 15:30 says that he was barefoot, why was he barefoot? Did David forget his shoes? haha I know, this is so trivial, but I don't understand why he was barefoot :).

I think I felt a little disappointed by David's management of his family affairs, but in The Making of a Man of God the author points out that when David left the city, what made him weep was not so much the loss of his throne but rather, what broke his heart was the the discipline of his Father (2 Sam 12:11-12 "Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you")... the evidence of his sin in his children and in his kingdom. In spite of his failures, as he reacted to the chastening of God he was still the man after God's own heart.

Chrono Mid-Year Camping Trip

Hello fellow Chrono’s, I’m trying to get an idea of how many people will be attending our Mid-Year camping trip. Our camp sites is San Onofre State Beach which is a very popular camp site in SoCal. I’m trying to book all the sites together for that weekend. So if I can get a head count ASAP because they are going quick.

Thanks.

Location:
San Onofre State Beach Camping

Date:
June 26-28th Friday night thru Sunday morning

Cost:
$10 pp for the weekend (non refundable) food not included

Parking:
1St car is free (only 2 cars per site)
2nd car is $10 per site (so let’s meet at the building and car pool)

What you’ll need:
Chrono Bible, Tent (or share), Sleeping back, beach chair, food and drinks

My contact info:
Email: mitch_gonzalez@hotmail.com
Ph# 949-351-1664
Or look for me at singles mid-week
Deadline to sign up is April 18th 2009

Interesting reading today

It starts off with David getting tired in battle and having to be rescued by Abishai (we’ll come back to that) Then we read about a 12 toed and 12 fingered giant...OK? Next we read about Joab and Abishai, the up and coming warriors leading King David’s army and how they route the Ammonites and Arameans. Then it gets more interesting. David prays for restoration, not exactly sure what from. It’s not like they lost the battle.

Maybe he needs to be restored in his strength. Going back to the beginning it did say that he got tired in battle. Maybe David feels like he’s losing his spiritual edge. Maybe he feels like he had to rely on a man to save him in battle instead of the Lord. Maybe he feels like he’s not the MAN he used to be. Maybe that’s why he decides to stay home instead of going to battle because he’s insecure about his ability to fight. Maybe he commits adultery to make him feel more like a MAN.

I know that’s a lot of maybe’s but isn’t that how Satan works. He gets us thinking maybe your getting to old for this spiritual battle. Maybe you need to step aside and let the young up and coming Christian leader handle the needs of the church. Maybe instead of going out and sharing your faith you should just stay home and take a nap. Maybe you should have a drink or go on the internet or call that co-worker who’s been asking you out on a date for the past 6 months. This displeases the lord

Nathan story of the Rich Man and the Poor Man’s lamb is a classic one. David was so eager to judge; too bad he didn’t have that same eagerness to do what was right in the first place. But then we see David’s prayer for forgiveness. I think the phrase that changes God’s heart was “Against you, you only, have I sinned”. Sure what he did to Uriah was pretty missed up and I’m sure Bathsheba was somewhat forced to sleep with the king. But as much as those people were sinned against, ultimately it was God who was sinned against. God had given David all he need, yet David was not satisfied. I can totally relate, how about you?

Spotlight: Michal (some thoughts for the SISTERS)

It’s interesting who the Bible shines the spotlight on; we know very little about David’s wife Ahinoam, but we know some things about Michal, David’s first wife. Michal had a lot of heartaches in her life…

• Michal loved David. But soon after she married him, she had to help him escape her dad, and was thus separated from her love. Saul then forced her to leave her home and be a wife to another man, Paltiel (1 Sam 18, 19, and 25:44).

• While coping with the fact that David did not come back for her during the years that he was hiding from Saul, Michal lived with Paltiel who appeared to have really cared about her. And perhaps right when she was getting used to her new husband, the news arrived that her dad and brother (Jonathan) had been killed in battle, and she was forced to leave her home (again) to go back to David (2 Sam 3).

• Although David was back in her life, he has brought back two other wives (Abigail who was smart and beautiful, and Ahinoam who was prolly cool in some way, else why would David marry her hehe) and their children. Furthermore, he was the new king and had a lot of work to do (and most likely did not have a lot of time for Michal) (2 Sam 6).

So when she saw David dancing “before the Lord with all his might” (btw the chrono left this detail out, it is found in 2 Sam 6:14), she rebuked David! She was not appreciative and supportive of her husband’s worship of God but was an angry, negative, and disrespectful wife! And subsequently, she never had any children (for whatever reason).

Prov 27: 4 says, “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” Anger, fury, and worst of all, jealousy can prompt us to do CRAZY things (I've been there, YUCK). However, underneath feelings such as anger and jealousy are usually feelings such as hurt and insecurity. This was the case with Saul as well as Michal. Rather than allowing her hurt to heal over the years, Michal’s hurt had grown into a bitter root (Deut 29:18, Heb 12:15) and she expressed her hurt with sarcasm and anger.

She should have…
1) stepped back and asked herself whether she was really feeling any sadness or insecurity and
2) shared her hurt or insecurity with someone (perhaps Abigail or Ahinoam hehe) so that she could be healed (James 5:16a).

Then she could have been…
1) trustworthy, temperate (1 Tim 3:11) and
2) submissive to her husband (Eph 5:22-24),
3) and thus, be more powerful and effective for God (James 5:16b).

Love ya :)

Kingdom of David and Solomon

Saul and David

I feel like during the time Saul and David is confusing.  

"Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.  But some troublemakers said, 'How can this fellow save us?'  They despised him and brought him no gifts.  But Saul kept silent."  1 Samuel 10:26-27

Valiant men were with the king that was a rejection of God as king, but troublemakers saw how foolish one man could be.  I wonder if the reason Saul stayed silent was because he knew it was true that he really couldn't save the people.  

Look at how Saul motivated the people:

"He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, 'This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.'"  1 Samuel 11

He used fear, which worked, but it only works for a while.  Later he makes the decree that no one will eat until they defeat their enemy.  This sounds strong, but when you think about it, its kind of dumb.  You're not going to have much energy if you don't eat.  Then in 1 Sam 13 Saul starts off with 6,000 men, but many left "when they saw that their situation was critical and that the army was hard pressed."  Fear didn't help them push through when things got tough.  Then when "all the troops with him were quaking with fear" Saul didn't wait long enough for Samuel and made sacrifices himself.  That's when Samuel tells him that his "kingdom will not endure."  At this point the army is down to 600 men.  6,000 to 600. 

Saul was a colossally bad king that didn't follow God.  

Now men came to join David while he was on the run.  They wanted to follow him because he was with God and God was with him.  

It's interesting that there were many men that followed David that were sort of 'rebelling' against Saul.  They suggested David kill Saul.  David became their leader.  "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him and he became their leader."  There were men who saw that Saul was bad and went to David.  The amazing thing is that David was not a rebel.  He mourns the death of Saul.  One guy comes to David to tell him "good news" that Saul was dead, but David didn't see it that way.  David didn't really rebel against Saul.  He was still following God, David just had to get away from Saul because he was threatening his life.  David wasn't trying to compete with Saul as to who was better or from God.  He was just doing what he had to do to survive.  Although there is something symbolic about David having to go live with his enemy (the Philistines) because the leader of Israel had gone so far off track.  

These are just some things I noticed and thought about these two men.  This is one of my favorite parts of the Bible.  

NYC April Meeting

We had our April meeting on Sunday and here are a few highlights.  

Felicia did a review of all we covered during March.  We finished Deuteronomy, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth and started 1 Samuel.  

I talked about Doeg the Edomite.  He killed 85 priests of Israel and an entire city.  I think one of the reasons was because he was not an Israelite, but Saul had him as his head shepherd.  

Also there were some confusing times while Saul was chasing David.  Was it right to support Saul, though he was unrighteous?  Was it wrong to side with David, who did nothing wrong?  There were "troublemakers" who didn't support Saul as King.  

We spent most of our time talking about kings and leadership.  We talked about why the people wanted a king.  A king would make them like the other nations.  There was a security they could have, but it was a security without God.  I thought it was interesting that God chose the first king from Benjamin.  A few days earlier (in the chrono) Benjamin had almost been wiped-out because of their sin.  I wonder if God did this because having a king would be a bad idea.  We also wondered if leadership was important.  Was a king or a head leader (a symbolic king) necessary?  

The final question Luis asked sparked lots of conversation from the sisters.  What did they think Samson looked like?  Lots of conversation and people they thought he looked like.  Luis thought maybe he wasn't that big, but just had the spirit which made him strong.  We also talked about did Samson change at the end?  He prays and God used him to kill Philistines, but did he have to die?  Was there some pride there?  

It was a great meeting with lots of discussion and crosstalk.  

Liz was 2 months behind in the reading and I said I didn't think she could catch up and finish on time.  She said she could, so we made a bet.  A $20 lunch if she finishes on time.  I hope she does it, and she says she's done it before.  

Some picture were taken, hopefully someone will post them.  I'm looking forward to the next meeting!

Speaking of I Love You

Justin, where you at dog? We've been missing your insightful post and comments. Hope all is well in the big apple.

peace

I love you...

There is only one place in the bible (as far as I know) where God says the three heart warming words "I love you" (Isa 43:4), it was sweet to read David's heart to God in Psalm 18:1, I never noticed that before, super cute hehe made me smile :)

Polygamy relationships

As I am reading about various people in the bible, I didn't know that David had multiple wives. It seems traditional in other cultures to have multiple partners and I wasn't sure where in the bible people start just marrying one man and one woman. I'm asuming it is in the new testament somewhere but I'm not sure if God approved of the men and women doing this. What do you think?

April 1st's reading

I wanted to post this on Wednesday...

Did anybody else get that feeling of "aaaahhh" when David's name was mentioned, and God finally mentioned. That after all of this time of Gods people wandering around and living in sin, God finally brings about this young man who loves Him and wants to serve Him.

I don't know about you, but after reading about how Gods people went back in forth in their obedience, I was starting to get a little depressed. The sad thing is to know how God felt about being abandoned by His own people. Think of it like this.... What if you had a "significant other" who constantly said, "I love you, please be with me", and then the next thing you know - they're cheating on you... Only to come back to you later and say "oh please forgive me!! And please be with me again!!"... Only to be forgiven and accepted again! And then to be abandoned again! I don't know about you, but I'd get pretty hurt and feel pretty unloved...

This is not only the Israelites, but us when we choose to live in sin. God gets hurt when we go back and forth from living for and loving him, and then living for and loving ourselves... I want to encourage everybody to take a look at our hearts and make any changes necessary in order to live a life that is completely devoted to God, and not have a wishy washy, back and forth type relationship with God. Sin is useless and will never satisfy our desires. God is the only one that will fully satisfy us; Satan just wants us to believe that our sinful nature will satisfy us... It's a lie!

some thoughts for the SISTERS

• “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance…”

Based on appearance, Samuel thought one of David’s older brothers (who were probably all tall and strong looking) would be the next king. Instead, it was the youngest son who was selected. David was so “young” (or perhaps insignificant) that his family didn’t even bother inviting him to the family gathering (1 Sam 16:11).

Based on appearance, the men who came to David (from today’s reading)—men from the outskirts of society (those in debt, distress, or discontentment)—seemed unlikely to become the most powerful army the Israelites ever had (indeed, the infamous Might Men would be among the ranks).

• “…but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Appearance is not the heart of the matter (hehe). God’s eyes ranged throughout the earth in search of hearts committed to Him (2 Chron 16:9) and chose David because he, though young, had a heart for God (Psalm 71:5 “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth”). David stood out; he wasn’t tall or strong looking on the outside (yet), but his heart was king-size (hehe) in the eyes of the King of all kings.

And David probably helped his men to have hearts for God as well.

• Heart is what matters most

God honors those who have hearts for Him and thus, God honored David. In addition to permitting David to be an ascendant of Jesus (how cool is that!), David is the name mentioned by Jesus among the last words of the Bible (Rev 22:16).

While it is important for us to be excellent in all areas of our lives (1 Cor 13:11a, 2 Cor 8:7); such as our physical fitness (1 Cor 6:19-20), finances (Luke 16:9), and character (Prov 11:16, 1 Pet 3:3-4)… it is the health, wealth, and beauty of our HEARTS FOR GOD that matter most.

Love ya :)

Jonathan, David’s BFF

I didn’t want to miss mentioning something about Jonathan (one of my fav characters in the Bible). The first time I read about Jonathan, I thought it was a bit odd that he liked David so much when it seemed they hardly knew each other. But this is what I learned from reading The Making of the Man of God by Alan Redpath…

Jonathan was faithful and courageous (among other traits). For example, it was faithful and courageous of him to take on the Philistines with his armor bearer (1 Sam 14).

And he admired those who exhibited faith and courage...
When Goliath barked his challenge at the Israelites, everyone seemed to tremble in fear. Goliath paraded before them everyday for FORTY days, and no one responded to him; not the army men, not Saul, and not Jonathan (we are not assuming Jonathan’s inaction was out of fear, perhaps Saul told him not to fight Goliath).

Then David walks out (not even dressed in armor)… David defends God’s name and army, kills the arrogant giant with a rock, and cuts off the giant’s head! And Jonathan is watching the whole time… he was probably AMAZED by David’s faith and courage.

Indeed, on the very same day, Jonathan befriended David and “became one in spirit” with him (1 Sam 18:1).

And they were best friends forever :).