A Friend In Any Season

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Jason

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. — Proverbs 17.17

Corey and Jason, circa 2005

Corey and Jason, circa 2005

15 years ago, God brought a friend into my life whose presence would profoundly change me. Corey Trevathan and I met on the campus of Lipscomb University in the fall of 1997, but we really became close the next summer when we served as youth interns together for the College Street Church. It didn’t take long for the two of us to realize that we worked well together: we were similar enough to be compatible, but different enough to make it interesting. I had no way of knowing it at the time, but some of my all-time favorite memories would be forged as I tried to make Corey laugh on camera during the filming of our Wednesday night videos back then. So much fun.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to witness the ministry God has given Corey. In those early days interning together, we used to dream about what it would be like to work together, full-time partners in ministry. It seemed just that — a dream — but with some dreams, there is also a knowing. For a brief period of time, that dream came to fruition. I can say that some of the most rewarding and fulfilling years I’ve spent in ministry were the years I partnered with Corey. His passion for teens and their families manifests itself in so many capable ways: a tremendous gift for administration; a God-given ability to communicate; and, most of all, a pastor’s heart for those in his care.

But my appreciation for Corey goes far beyond his ministerial contributions. In my life, Corey has been one of the “all season” friends. He’s been by my side to share in some of my greatest joys in life (my wedding, the birth of my children); and he’s also been there during some of the more difficult seasons, too. When I have good news to share, Corey is one of the first people I want to call. But, more importantly in my mind, he’s also the one I want to hear from in times of crisis. I count it a supreme honor to have the prayers of this man covering me when I’m in pain.

One of Corey’s favorite expressions is the view of the Christian life as “a long walk in the same direction.” In the 15 years I’ve known him, Corey has been committed to walking in one direction — the Way of Christ. His communion with the Lord inspires me. His conviction to serve motivates me. And his courage for the journey renews my spirit.

Corey, today is your birthday and I thank God for who you are to me and so many others. Your faithfulness to God’s call on your life has made me a better husband, father, minister, and disciple of Christ. Happy birthday.

Posted in Friends | Leave a comment

The Story: The Trials of a King

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Jason
Nathan confronts King David, 2 Samuel 7

Nathan confronts King David, 2 Samuel 7

2 Samuel 7 has been called one of the high points of the OT. As king over Israel, David builds for himself a majestic palace. But after completing it, he makes a sobering realization: “I’ve built this palace for myself while the ark of the Lord remains in a tent.” So David sets out to build a temple for the Lord.

God sends word through Nathan the prophet: “I’ve always been on the move. I’ve always dwelled in a tent. This isn’t about YOU building a home for ME. Instead, it’s the other way around.” God promises several things to David:

  • V9, I will make your name great.
  • V11, I will give you rest from all of your enemies.
  • V12-13, David’s offspring will reign eternally.

David responds with praise:

  • V22, How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you…

Filled with God’s promises and David’s praise, this is truly one of the high points in the entire OT. The promises made here will serve as an advance declaration of where this story is going, a preview of coming attractions: there will be a coming son of David who will reign on the throne forever. In David, there is a king on the throne who is God’s representative agent, leading the people in faithful obedience.

But if this is the peak of David’s story, unfortunately we know what that implies. If 2 Sam. 7 is one of the highlights of the OT, then we quickly find ourselves at one of its low points in 2 Sam. 11&12.

It’s an ugly episode, a scandalous one. By the time ch11 ends, David has violated half of the Ten Commandments. And itt all begins with the one crucial mistake David makes in v1.

2 Sam. 11:1, In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

I’m going to suggest to you that everything that follows in these next few verses is the result of David’s mistake here in v1. In this short verse, we’re told that the season rolls around when most kings engaged in warfare; but David doesn’t go out. He sends someone else to fight for him. He’s not where he usually is; we can even say, he’s not where he’s supposed to be. And this leads to a critical mistake:

David has lost sight of his identity as a warrior in God’s service.

In Saul’s day, the Israelites would sing this little jingle and it would burrow it’s way into Saul’s brain: Saul has slain his thousands; but David his tens of thousands. David was the one rushing headlong toward the battle line to square off against Goliath. At his peak, David was the kind of man everyone loved; men wanted to be like him and women wanted to be with him.

But those days are long gone. David has now settled comfortably into middle age. The hungry warrior has become a complacent king. David has forgotten his identity; he was forgotten that he was a warrior.

Let’s stop right here for a minute. Do we need to hear this word? Is there a warning here for us? What is your self-perception? Do you think of yourself in these terms, as a warrior in God’s service? Do you think of yourself as a warrior engaged in an ongoing spiritual warfare? Or do we think of ourselves as something less?

We are engaged in a spiritual struggle. This is all over the Bible. Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The preceding verse talks about putting on the armor of God so that we can stand against the devil’s schemes. Satan had a plan of attack and he strikes David when he least suspects it. And why is David susceptible to this attack? Because he’s removed his armor; he’s disengaged from the physical battle; but more importantly, he has left himself vulnerable to the spiritual battle around him.

Look at what happens as a result of this mistake in v2-5.

Because he’s not where he’s supposed to be, David ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time. And that’s how temptation usually works, isn’t it? It’s not a coincidence that temptation hits us when we’re at our weakest, our most tired, our most defenseless. By losing sight of his role as a warrior in the Lord’s service, David has left himself susceptible to temptation. And the same thing happens to us.

He’s walking on the rooftop; he sees a beautiful woman bathing; and this is where it all begins to go downhill. He had an opportunity right here to choose wisely. But instead of following the example of Joseph, who fled when he was presented with an opportunity for sexual immorality, David lingers.

Question: when sexual temptation presents itself, do you flee? Or do you linger?

This is important to say: there’s no indication that David went to the rooftop looking for this; this temptation just presented itself. But by lingering, David waters that seed of temptation and his desire continues to grow. By continuing to look at Bathsheba, David is turning this temptation over and over in his mind. This is where we get into trouble.

Unfortunately, sexual temptation is as ubiquitous today as it ever has been. We are a culture awash in sexuality. And to one degree or another, each of us grapples with the difficulty of faithfully stewarding God’s gift of sexuality in a world where longheld norms of sexual ethics are being discarded.

Men and women alike are bombarded with temptation. Like David, our hearts beat for God. We want so desperately to do the Lord’s will in our lives. Yet, this is an area where we continually struggle.

If that sounds familiar, there is hope. Don’t lose sight of the fact that you are a spiritual warrior in God’s service. Don’t forget who you are. Satan is targeting so many of us; he would love to bring us down. You’ll see the ruin this brings in David’s life — Satan wants to wreak the same havoc in our lives. Don’t let him do it! Reclaim your place as a mighty warrior in service to God. It’s time that we put on God’s armor once again.

Three realities we can affirm from David’s story:

  1. Giving in to sexual temptation is a sin. Period. You can rationalize it all you want, but it’s a sin. It dishonors God.
  2. You’re not alone. Like I said, there’s not a man in here who hasn’t had to deal with this at some level. There is comfort to be found in knowing you have brothers who can relate to your struggles.
  3. God can bring victory. Is this giant to great for you to slay, with God’s help? Absolutely not. God has slain greater giants than this. He has brought victory to billions of men throughout history on this very issue. Do you really think you’re so far gone that he can’t help you? If so, let me say this: if you think your problem is too great, then your view of God is too small.

David had a couple of opportunities here to make the right decision:

  • On the rooftop, he made a conscious decision to cross the line. You know when you cross that line in your heart, when you give in to the temptation, when you linger.
  • But at this point, he still had an opportunity to repent, to snap to his senses and say, “What am I doing here?” But he didn’t.
  • Instead, David sends someone to find out about her (v3). Word comes back: “Her name is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam.” And then the real kicker: “She is the wife of Uriah.”
  • Once again David has the opportunity to hit the brakes. When he heard the word “wife”, it was another opportunity to jolt him back to his senses.
  • But David ignores this; falls to the same problem that plagued Saul: the delusion that he, in fact, WAS the king over Israel & he could do as he pleased. He takes Bathsheba for himself, violates the Law of God.

In fact, you could argue that David broke half of the Ten Commandments here:

  • You shall not murder
  • You shall not commit adultery
  • You shall not steal
  • You shall not give false testimony
  • You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife

These are not the actions of a spiritual warrior.

Bathsheba sends word that she’s pregnant; David goes into full cover-up mode. He brings Uriah back from the battle line, tells him to go home to his wife, enjoy a few days off. But Uriah refuses. He says, How could I go home while the ark of the Lord and my commanding officer are out there doing battle? Did you notice the designation of Uriah as “the Hittite”? He’s not even a true Israelite, yet his actions are more honorable than Israel’s king.

David tries again; once again Uriah won’t go home. So David devises a more insidious plan. He writes a letter to Joab, his commander. And he orders Joab to put Uriah in the worst part of the battle and to withdraw, ensuring his death. In a sadistic little twist, David sends the official decree back to Joab through Uriah; this honorable man has no idea that he’s carrying his own death papers.

And so Uriah the Hittite is murdered.

But in order to carry out this little plan, a few other people must pay as well. V17, When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

Did you catch that? Joab couldn’t just put Uriah out there on an island by himself. He had to put other men in harm’s way as well in order to carry out David’s order. And some of these men lose their lives. This means that there are children in Israel who grow up without a father…all because of David’s sin.

I told you a few weeks ago that there’s no such thing as partial obedience. Well, here’s a complimentary thought: there’s no such thing as private sin.

We tend to think of some sins as “public” sins and others as “private” sins. And this can be a dangerous train of thought, because it leads us to sometimes think that these “private” sins don’t hurt anyone. “Oh, it’s just a little white lie. Oh, it’s just one little glance. Oh, it’s just a little fantasy. It’s just a little flirting. Nobody gets hurt.”

This is a lie from the bowels of hell.

With sin, someone always gets hurt. Sin is systemic in nature — it takes root and bleeds out in a variety of other areas. Every pebble of sin disturbs the surface of the water. Even private rebellion has public consequences.

Look at the people affected by David’s “private” sin:

  • Bathsheba, forced to choose between her husband and her king
  • Joab, asked to essentially murder one of his best men, becomes an accomplice in David’s cover-up
  • Uriah, loses his life, completely innocent in the matter
  • Dead Israelite warriors, also innocent, have no stake in this matter, never even knew they were pawns in David’s little game.
  • Their families. Who is hearing the cries of these widows as they mourn the loss of their husbands? Who hears the cries of these children who must live out the rest of their days without a father, all because David couldn’t keep his temptations in check?
  • David and Bathsheba’s child

Look at the wake of David’s sin; listen to all of these voices and you want to tell me that there’s such a thing as private sin?

The prophet Nathan confronts David and the king is broken. Although he asks for and ultimately receives forgiveness for his transgressions, the consequences of his sin haunt David for the rest of his days. His story is a painful reminder of the tragic consequences of human sin. Forgiveness can be found, but that forgiveness rarely absolves us of sin’s consequences entirely. 

David’s story ends on a hopeful note, however.

After Bathsheba grieves for Uriah, David takes her to be his wife. Another son is born to them (2 Sam. 12:24-25), a child named Solomon. But the child has another name, Jedidiah, which means, “loved by God.” As the scene closes, this child is a reminder that God’s love – not sin – will have the final word in David’s life.

And may God’s love have the final word in our lives as well.

Posted in Devotional, Faith, God, Scripture, The Story | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Story: Giants

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Jason

David and Goliath. 

It’s the classic story, firmly etched in our collective consciousness. The Philistine giant and the young shepherd boy.

Brute strength vs. bold faith.

The Bible presents Goliath as the Philistine champion. Standing over 9 feet tall, this enormous man taunts King Saul and the Israelite camp day after day. His challenge: send your most battle-tested warrior to engage in one-on-one combat. The stakes? The loser’s army must surrender to the victor. On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified (1 Sam. 17:11).

Young David is shuttling back and forth between the battle lines and home at this time. He arrives to the military encampment with some supplies just as Goliath spews forth his jeering derision. Incredulous, David asks the soldiers, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v26)

Are these the words of a naive boy? Is this simply bluster on the part of a greenhorn? Or is this an indication of David’s supreme faith in his God, a God who is greater than any foe?

By the time word gets back to King Saul, David has already decided to accept Goliath’s challenge on behalf of Israel’s God: “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” (v32)

Saul is unconvinced. He can hardly put the fate of his administration in the hands of a zealous shepherd boy. “You are only a boy,” he tells David, “and he has been a fighting man from his youth,” (v33). But this is the key difference between Saul and David, the primary reason David will succeed him as king of Israel: the fate of God’s people is never dependent upon man. It was, is, and always will be the province of YHWH.

And this is precisely the point David sets out to prove. He recounts instances of God’s faithfulness: in the face of lions and bears — threats to the flock — David has borne witness to God’s power to save. It is this confidence — confidence that the Lord indeed is his shepherd — that animates David here as he engages Goliath. “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.” (v37)

David shuns the king’s battle armor. He rejects any source of security outside of the promise of YHWH. Could the same be said of us? A full pantry, a healthy bank account, the assumption that we have many years ahead of us — we are tempted to find security in all kinds of armor. Yet David shows us a better way, the way of faith. Such naked trust prompts even more taunts from Goliath, for this always the world’s response to such “nonsensical” faith. “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” (v43) Goliath invokes the names of his gods as he prepares for yet another slaying.

Listen to what David: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” (45-46)

And then…David runs to the battle line.

David is not the example of stepping out in faith.

David is the example of recklessly running headlong into danger supremely confident that the Lord is on your side.

Because God has slain greater giants than these.

What giants taunt you? Where are the places in your life that feel the most insurmountable?

Pain. Addiction. Insignificance. Grief. Pride. Resentment. Anger. Depression.

God has slain greater giants than these.

Where are you most tempted to find security? In relationship with God? Or anywhere else?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

May we all aspire to the faith of this shepherd boy, a faith undaunted in the face of adversity.

For our God has slain greater giants…

Posted in Devotional, Faith, God, Scripture, The Story | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Story: The Lord Looks At the Heart

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Jason

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. — 1 Samuel 16:7

The “appearance industry” is big business in our culture. Fashion moguls determine the latest trends from handbags to shoes to jewelry to hair styles. The average American women spends $100 a month on cosmetics. Added up, that comes to over $7 billion a year. Plastic surgery, weight loss pills, tanning beds, Rogaine…we are simply immersed in sea of appearance-enhancing options as Americans.

We might ask: Is there anything inherently wrong with all of this? And my answer would be, “Not necessarily.” Taking time to consider our daily appearance is probably wise, so we need not heap undue guilt upon ourselves. However, I think it is likely an easy trap to fall into when we begin to focus too much effort and energy on our outward appearance to the neglect of “weightier matters”. This is probably the word we need to hear the most.

Do you spend an inordinate amount of time each morning in your closet deciding what to wear?

How much do you spend on cosmetics each month? Isn’t it folly to spend so much to simply wash it all off?

Are you obsessed with your appearance? Are you equally obsessed with prayer? Service? Loving God and loving others?

These are the questions we probably need to ask ourselves.

God’s Story affirms a radical perspective: a God who examines not the physical specimen but rather the condition of the heart. The prophet Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king over Israel in the wake of Saul’s moral failings. Seven sons of Jesse are presented to Samuel, yet the Lord rejects them.

Eliab, Jesse’s firstborn son, emerges at the head of the line. We picture an alpha male, a strapping, natural-born leader. He looks the part and then some. Samuel thinks to himself, “This guy has ‘King’ written all over him. Surely he is the Lord’s anointed.”

God says, “Nope. Try again.”

One by one, Jesse’s sons trot out before the old prophet and each one is summarily turned down. Samuel turns to Jesse and says, “Jesse, you have any more boys?”

“Uh, well, yes. There’s my youngest son, David. But he’s out tending the sheep.”

And Samuel says, “Go fetch him. We won’t sit down until he arrives.”

The Bible says David was “ruddy” with handsome features (1 Sam. 16:12). But those aren’t the features that most impress the Lord. There is something about David’s heart that sets him apart. Later on, we will come to understand: David is a man after God’s own heart.

His heart beats for the Lord.

The song in his heart is a song of praise.

And the Lord says, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”

So right there, with his bewildered older brothers smirking on the sidelines, David, the youngest of the clan of Jesse, is anointed by the prophet Samuel. And the Bible says from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.

David’s heart was available only to the Lord. It was spoken-for space, occupied by the Lord who shepherded over David as he spent those many nights watching over his flock. David understands who he is and, more importantly, he understands who God is — the Great and Sovereign Shepherd. God is powerfully present to David — through his anointing, but even more powerfully in the still and quiet of the fields of Bethlehem.

David sings, “There is no foe as great as the God of my soul.”

David declares, “Though I am surrounded by death’s valley, fear will never claim my heart. For you are with me.”

And this conviction of God-presence will make all the difference in the next chapter of David’s story.

Posted in Devotional, Faith, God, Scripture, The Story | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Story: Good Guy or Bad Guy?

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jason

Anakin-Skywalker-anakin-skywalker-16914288-1363-1929A few years ago, my kids and I really got into the Star Wars movies. Of course, I was all over it. Over the course of several weeks, we plowed through all six movies and I had the chance to tell them all of my glorious childhood associations with this mythic inter-galactic story.

After several viewings, my youngest son, Jackson, was struggling to put all the pieces together. With his little scrunched up face, he asked, “Dad, is Anakin Skywalker a good guy or a bad guy?”

“Well, it’s complicated,” I told him. “It really depends on which part of the story you want to look at.”

darth-vader-facePhantom Menace Anakin is a precocious little kid who (accidentally) saves the day. Pretty clearly a good guy. As a padawan under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin trains to become a Jedi Knight. Again, one of the good guys.

But then his story turns tragic as he’s “seduced by the Dark Side of the Force.” Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, murderer of younglings, slave to Emperor Palpatine, choker of Death Star devotees, and overall movie-bad-guy archetype. So, for a major portion of his story, Anakin / Darth is pretty clearly a bad guy.

haydenjedi21But [SPOILER ALERT] his story takes a redemptive turn in the final act as he overthrows the Emperor, saves his son, brings balance to the Force and (unfortunately) removes his helmet. Amid the jubilation on Endor, we see Anakin taking his rightful place in the hologram good guy Jedi Mount Rushmore.

You can see why my son is a little confused.

In our reading of The Story this year, we come across certain characters who are easy to classify as “good guys”; think Moses, David, Abraham. And we also meet plenty of “bad guys” (and gals), like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Ahab and Jezebel. But at this point in our reading, we come to an individual who, like Anakin Skywalker, is a bit more difficult to categorize. Depending on which part of his story you read, you’d be inclined to think of him as either a good guy or a bad guy.

We’re talking about King Saul, the first king over Israel.

Israel comes to Samuel and demands a human king. Amazingly, God allows this request, which leads us to Saul: There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others. (1 Sam. 9:1-2)

Saul comes from a good background; he’s one of the elite. Only the upper crust tells the story of their great-great-great grandfathers. Saul comes from a wealthy line, a proud and noble family.

The first time we meet him, he’s doing something noble: searching for his father’s lost animals. Does that sound like someone else in Scripture? Reminds me of Jesus.

God speaks to Samuel: 1 Sam. 9:16, About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel. Other translations put it this way: Anoint him prince over my people.

This word is different than the Hebrew word for “king”. Some scholars see this as God allowing Israel their request while still remaining sovereign over Israel. Saul IS the king, but that kingship is only to be understood under the ultimate kingship of God.

In 1 Sam. 10, Samuel anoints Saul as the first king over Israel. And Saul receives this promise: The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Just a few verses down, it says 10:9, God gave him another heart.

Saul is given a new heart, a fresh start, a clean slate. He is given a position of authority as king in Israel, to be a steward over the people. In ch11, at the high point of Saul’s story, he leads the people to victory over the Ammonites and when it’s over, he instructs the people to worship God and renew the covenant.

So Saul is definitely a good guy, right?

Well, not so fast.

In the next few chapters, Saul consistently makes decisions that consistently fail to honor God. Here is a quick overview:

  • In ch13, he treats the sacrifice to the Lord flippantly. Instead of waiting for Samuel to mediate the sacrifice, he takes it upon himself to do so. Samuel says to him in 1 Sam. 13:13, “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.”
  • In ch14, thanks to the daring exploits of his son, Jonathan, Saul has the Philistines on the ropes. About to send the troops out. But according to OT Law, no Israelite army was to enter battle without the priestly address (Deuteronomy 20:4-5). This involves presenting the ark of the covenant and the priest offering up this word of blessing: Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.
  • Sensing that he was about to lose a golden opportunity to rout the enemy, Saul commits an unthinkable act: he orders the priest to suspend his blessing. Saul disobeys the direct command of God by going into battle without the full blessing. Remember: his role was to be at the front of the line, leading people in covenant faithfulness.
  • In the same chapter, Saul makes this rash vow: Cursed be the man who eats food before evening. This unnecessary oath creates incredible hunger in Saul’s men; when they finally are allowed to eat, they violate the command not to eat meat with blood in it.

Over and over again, Saul proves unfit for the office of king over Israel. But his story culminates in one final tragic episode: see 1 Samuel 15:1-4

God gives Saul a direct command: Take on the Amalekites and completely destroy them and everything that belongs to them. Hard word, but God gave it to a few people at various times in Israel’s early history.

Saul’s army strikes, and God gives them the victory. V9, But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs – everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

Because of this sin, God takes the kingdom away from Saul. Saul makes excuses for his behavior — he says he obeyed the command partially.

And Samuel stops him right there. Because there is no such thing as partial obedience.

We often want to bargain with God like Saul does here. “I was partially obedient. I obeyed most of the command. Isn’t that good enough?” But Saul’s partial obedience is really just rationalization for his disobedience. How often do we do the same thing?

Here is Samuel’s response, speaking on behalf of the Lord: 1 Samuel 15:22, Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

By his disobedience, Saul forfeits the blessing of God; his story is tragic in this regard.

So let me ask you: Is Saul a hero or a villain? A good guy or a bad guy?

Before we render a final verdict on Saul, let me ask you another question.

What about you? Are you a hero or a villain? A good guy or a bad guy? Which one are you?

You see, the line between heroes and villains in Scripture get blurry sometimes. With a guy like Saul, it kind of depends on which part of his story you want to look at.

And the same is true for us. Like Saul, the Lord has done so much for us – chosen us, anointed us with His Spirit in baptism, given us a new heart and a fresh start.

And yet, also like Saul, too often we are poor stewards of those blessings. Like Saul, we make poor choices and, like Saul, we have to suffer the consequences for those actions.

Here is the good news: our stories haven’t concluded just yet.

Good guy or bad guy? The choice is ours.

Posted in Devotional, Faith, Leadership, Scripture, Stewardship, The Story | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Story: Light to the World or Like the World

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jason

Faithful to her promise, Hannah gives her son, Samuel, to the Lord’s service. Samuel grows to become a mighty prophet, a man of God recognized from Dan to Beersheba (the Israelite way of saying “from north to south”). Everyone acknowledged that God worked and spoke mightily through Samuel. The Bible says that God let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground (1 Sam. 3:19).

Toward the end of his life, after many years of leadership, Samuel is approached by the elders of Israel.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” — 1 Sam. 8:4-7

God is king over Israel. He always has been. But the other nations have human kings to lead them into battle. And Israel is tired of being different; they want to be like the other nations.

This may have been news in Samuel’s day, but God saw it coming. Way back in Deuteronomy 17, God gave commands to Moses regarding what to do when the people demanded a king. But here is God’s primary requirement for Israel’s king:

When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law…It is to be with him and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law… — Deuteronomy 17:18-19

The king is to be God’s representative agent among the people. He is to be at the front of the line when it comes to obedience to the Word. But Israel doesn’t want to a king because they believe that will help them live more faithfully in covenant with God.

They want a king because they want to be like the other nations.

Elsewhere in Deuteronomy (7:6), the children of Israel are told, “You are a people holy to the Lord your God.” Israel was to be set apart, distinct, different because of their faithfulness to God’s commands. But rather than embracing this role, Israel wants to accommodate.

To blend in.

To be like everybody else.

Does that sound familiar?

Is one of your greatest temptations the temptation to simply blend in? To be like everyone else? Don’t want to “stand out”?

Here is a truth we struggle with, just as Israel did: You can be a light to the world or you can be like the world. You can’t do both.

As followers of Christ, God calls us to a distinct way of life. We need to respect this. It’s not about “we’re better than other people” – it’s about living set apart, holy lives that declare to the world “We belong to God!”

All of this means that I should be constantly evaluating my life and asking the question: “Where am I most tempted to accommodate?”

  • Is it with regard to my speech? Is there anything distinct about your speech pattern with regard to gossip, for instance? Or is that an area that you tend to accommodate?
  • Or what about my listening life? Maybe I don’t go around saying things about others, but what comments do you allow to go unchecked? How often do you give audience to those who gossip? That makes you complicit in the sin, by the way.
  • Maybe it’s your thought life. Maybe that’s one area where you’re most tempted to exchange God’s will for the world’s perspective. Maybe this is one area Satan has a foothold in our hearts.

Accommodation is a constant temptation for us, just as it held real allure for Israel. But this is the gospel truth about accommodation:

Accommodation always leads to enslavement.

Israel’s desire for a king is, in essence, a rejection of the liberty that comes under God’s kingship and an embrace of a new form of enslavement. Samuel spells it out pretty clearly in the rest of ch8: he tells them that the king will take their sons and daughters and put them into his service; he will take the best of their herds and flocks. And, most chillingly, he says in 1 Sam. 8:17: “and you shall be his slaves.”

When we accommodate our values to blend in, we’re rejecting the liberty that comes from God’s sovereign rule in our lives and we are willingly embracing the very shackles He aims to demolish in our lives.

Israel rejects God’s rule in favor of the wrong thing. And we understand this, don’t we? How often do we seek enslavement to the wrong things? We’re always running toward that which is bad for us.

Instead, maybe we can heed God’s warning to Israel. Maybe we can retract our request for a king other than Jesus. Maybe we can still be a light to the world if we’d simply give up this impulse to want to be like the world.

I like to think that’s still possible.

Posted in Devotional, Faith, God, Scripture, The Story | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Story: Given to the Lord

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Jason

There was a ceratin man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, and Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Elkanah comes from good stock. You can tell because his ancestry is listed in such great detail here. Jeroham, Elihu, Tohu, Zuph…the names were well rehearsed if you came from a family like Elkanah’s. This is a proud family, a good line. Elkanah’s role is to perpetuate the family name.

There’s only one problem: the wife he truly loves, Hannah, is barren (1 Sam. 1:5). Perhaps Elkanah took a page from Abraham’s playbook and took a second wife as a means of securing progeny. Whatever the case, the circumstances create a rivalry. Hannah is mocked openly by Peninnah (v6).

Elkanah doesn’t help matters much here. He turns to Hannah and says, “Am I not more to you than ten sons?” (v8). He doesn’t get it. In Elkanah’s mind, Hannah is free of the burden of producing a son. To him, Hannah should derive her value from her relationship with her husband. Elkanah fails to recognize the deep yearning within his wife for something more, the God-given instinct to embrace maternity. Hannah grieves for her barren womb. She mourns the loss of that which she has never even known.

I would suggest to you that Hannah’s grief is no less real than the grief of my friends who have buried children over the years. She weeps as a parent denied the privilege of holding their baby. She joins Rachel in lamentation:

A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. (Jer. 31:15)

In her grief, Hannah instructs us. She turns to YHWH, appealing to His power to reverse her fortunes. “Hear my plea, O Lord. As you brought life from Sarah’s barren womb, will you not repeat your miracle for your humble servant today? Remove my affliction, Sovereign Lord, and grant me a son. If you would hear my humble prayer, then I pledge to give this child to You for Your purposes all the days of his life.”

I cannot begin to tell you how formative this narrative has been for my family over the years. Prior to my birth, my mother prayed the same prayer. As the story has been told to me, my mother struggled to become pregnant again after the birth of my sister. In fact, she was told she would very likely never conceive again. With the faith of Hannah, my mother steadfastly prayed for God to act and, I’m happy to say, the Lord heard her prayer. My mother prayed for a son that she could consecrate to the Lord for His purposes.

Roll the clock ahead to the present: my wife and I have three children of our own and I’m only now becoming aware of how difficult it must’ve been for both Hannah and my mother to follow through on their prayers. Sunny and I prayed for our children prior to their birth and we promised to give them over to the Lord once they arrived. Following the example of Hannah and my mother, we’ve learned that parenthood is an exercise in stewardship.

These aren’t “our” children, despite the language we often use.

These are precious souls that God allows us to shepherd for a short period of time.

Thinking of my own children in this way makes it a little easier to give them over to the Lord.

Emphasis on “a little”.

Because it’s natural to want to horde this incredible gift from God. To cling so tightly to these perfect amalgams of their mother and me. I talked with a Mom this week who was telling me about her daughter, who has committed to serving overseas on mission for the next 11 months. No breaks, no return home.

I asked, “What must that be like, as a parent?”

“Simultaneous joy and agony.”

Sounds like a pretty apt description of parenting, if you ask me.

In a culture that is kid-obsessed, I’m praying that the body of Christ can model God-honoring stewardship of these incredible little blessings. May we render unto the Lord that which already belongs to Him.

Posted in Blessings, Faith, Family, God, Kids, Mom, Scripture, Stewardship, Sunny, The Story, Theology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

April Showers…

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Jason

…brought these to our little part of the world.

20130501-081952.jpg

20130501-082117.jpg

Posted in Blessings, General, Sunny | Leave a comment

2013 MLB Preview: NL West

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jason

Finally, my NL West preview. I think the Dodgers won the backpage, offseason headlines with their acquisitions of Greinke and Hyun-Jin, but the Giants remain the class of the division for now. After winning two championships in three seasons, we must ask: are we witnessing a new dynasty? Possibly. Another deep October run and there’ll be no doubt about it.

1st place: San Francisco Giants

With San Fran, it’s all about the pitching. In Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner, the Giants have a dynamic duo fronting the rotation that rivals just about any team. Cain has truly become the ace of the staff in the wake of Tim Lincecum’s head scratching descent into mediocrity. Can Lincecum bounce back? I’m not so sure. He piled up a lot of innings on that arm at a young age (Carlos Zambrano, anyone?) and even his posh makeover can’t make up for diminished fastball velocity and control. Offensively, Buster Posey is smooth. Hard to believe this kid is only in his 4th MLB season. That means — with a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP, and two championships under his belt — he can still get better. Sandoval and Pence provide the only other deep threats, but this lineup is sprinkled with veterans who rarely give away at bats. If Sergio Romo continues his late inning dominance, I see the Giants being in the discussion as the best team in the National League.

2nd place: Los Angeles Dodgers

I love their pitching depth. Kershaw, Greinke, Hyun-Jin, Billingsley, Beckett, Capuano, Lilly, Harang…the list just goes on and on. I think Greinke could contend for the Cy Young award once he proves healthy and we all know what Clayton Kershaw is capable of doing. He’s still young enough to elevate his game some more. The lineup looks like your brother’s fantasy squad. The question: can these guys translate their career numbers into a full season together? As usual, it’ll all come down to health. Kemp, Crawford, Ramirez, Ethier, and Gonzalez have all dealt with injury issues the past few seasons. But you have to think that even if one or two of them are nicked up, the others can carry the club in the meantime. In the bullpen, Don Mattingly seems committed to Brandon League as closer, but the most skilled arm belongs to Kenley Jansen. This guy throws BBs. Watch out if he inherits the 9th inning; he likely won’t give it back for quite some time.

3rd place: Arizona Diamondbacks

I think this is the only team that could possibly challenge San Fran or L.A. in this division. That being said, I have no clue what they’re doing. In the offseason, they traded their premiere offensive player (Justin Upton) as well as the prize arm in their farm system (Trevor Bauer). And I’m not sure they’ll like the return on those deals in just a few short years. As it stands, they’re left with a solid rotation fronted by Ian Kennedy. I really like Brandon McCarthy and Trevor Cahill, too, but they may be relying too much on Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin. We’ll see. The offense has a lot of veteran bats: Aaron Hill, Martin Prado, Cody Ross, Jason Kubel. And Paul Goldschmidt looks like the real deal. Expect him to take the next step. Tyler Skaggs, Randall Delgado and Didi Gregorius will continue to season in the minors, but they might need to be ready to log some time at the big league level. This club has loads of talent, but in the end, I think they’ll fall short of the top two spots.

4th place: Colorado Rockies

This pitching staff is atrocious and pitching in Denver won’t help matters. It says something when your “ace” is Jorge De La Rosa, fresh off TJ surgery. Offensively, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez will keep them in a fair number of ball games. And if Dexter Fowler continues to develop into a force at the top of the lineup, then they could make some hay in the division. But the rotation is so suspect, I can’t see that happening. On the basis of their offense, I think they finish ahead of the Padres, but only barely.

5th place: San Diego Padres

Here’s another head-scratcher: why in the world would the offensively-challenged Padres shop their one offensive force (Chase Headley) in the offseason? I don’t get it. I guess Headley’s value is at an all-time high, but the Padres weren’t going to get an Upton-esque return for a player with less of a proven track record. Truthfully, you should expect plenty of growing pains with this club as the youngsters continue to mature. Can Yonder Alonso turn into a productive first baseman? Will Jedd Gyorko’s minor league numbers translate at the big league level? Will Evereth Cabrera develop into more than simply a speedster? The pitching isn’t much to look at either. Did you know Jason Marquis was still drawing a major league paycheck? Me, neither.

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

2013 MLB Preview: NL Central

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Jason

This is where my objectivity as a baseball analyst is tested every year. Will I really call ’em like I see ’em or will I just mail it in as a Cardinals homer? Most years, it’s not really an issue; the Cardinals have been the class of this division for quite some time. But this year, I really think they’ll be hard pressed to keep up with the Reds, who might be the most complete team in the league. Should be another fun race to keep an eye on in 2013.

1st place: Cincinnati Reds

When you have Joey Votto and THIS bullpen, you’ll win plenty of games. The Cincy attack is deeper thanks to the addition of Shin-Soo Choo, but Votto is the best hitter in the league. He simply squares up every swing. With Votto in his prime and a great supporting cast surrounding him, the offense should be fine. Speedster Billy Hamilton is waiting in the wings and might provide a mid-season boost if Ryan Ludwick’s injury persists. The ‘pen is absolutely lights out, reminiscent of the Nasty Boys of 1990. They made the right call keeping Chapman in the closer role; he’s absolutely dominant. That move backs up all the other power arms: Broxton, Marshall, LeCure, Hoover…I mean, it’s just ridiculous. The rotation isn’t necessarily scary, but it’s good enough. If you want to nitpick, the defense is mediocre. Otherwise, this is a championship-caliber team.

2nd place: St. Louis Cardinals

You could argue that the Cardinals were actually the big winners when Albert Pujols left town to sign his megadeal with the Angels. 16 months after that signing, Pujols is limited to DH duty in Anaheim, while the Cardinals have reinvested his millions by inking Carlos Beltran to a two-year deal and re-signing Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. The farm system continues to produce help for the big league club in the form of Allen Craig, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, and Lance Lynn; in coming years, “Baby Vlad” Oscar Tavares and 2B prospect Kolten Wong will look to continue that trend. The loss of closer Jason Motte has left the bullpen in an early season disarray. If Motte returns or Edward Mujica can take the job and run with it, the Cards should contend for a wild card spot and possibly the division crown.

3rd place: Milwaukee Brewers

This team is better than I realized. The offense is really solid. Despite losing Prince Fielder last season, they still led the league in runs. Ryan Braun is the real deal and the complimentary pieces are really solid. Aoki developed into a really nice leadoff hitter for them; Segura, Weeks, Ramirez, Lucroy, Gomez, and Hart (when he finally returns) make for a relentless lineup. The real issue is pitching. Gallardo is a legit #1, but after that, the cupboard is bare. The Kyle Lohse signing gives them another veteran starter and Marco Estrada is solid, but the rest of the rotation and the bullpen is full of unknowns. Can Jon Axford reclaim his All Star form? Can Wily Peralta or Chris Narveson contribute? What happens if Corey Hart has a setback? These questions will keep Milwaukee from contending in this top-heavy division.

4th place: Pittsburgh Pirates

For the past two seasons, the Pirates have started hot out of the blocks only to fade miserably down the stretch. Losing all of those division games against Houston probably means that their window to eclipse 81 wins for the first time in 20 years might have closed. Andrew McCutchen is a star but the rest of the offense is substandard. Some of the veteran arms (A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, Francisco Liriano) could keep them afloat if they have career years. But they’ll simply be holding the fort down while Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon marinate down on the farm. When those two arrive, it’ll be a different story for the Pirates. Until then, they’ll struggle to compete.

5th place: Chicago Cubs

Theo and Co. are in full rebuilding mode. They’ve been stockpiling minor league talent and the ETA for many of these prospects is still 2+ years away. But that makes the offseason signings of Edwin Jackson and Carlos Villanueva somewhat confounding. Why not give their rotation spots to some younger players who could develop at the MLB level? Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Marmol are probably the most tradeable assets for Theo; maybe they’ll finally deal them for some more minor leaguers. When all the youngsters arrive, the Cubbies will contend. But for the next couple of seasons, I don’t see them finishing higher than 4th in this division.

Posted in Baseball, Sports, St. Louis Cardinals | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment