Beware of What (or whom) Draws Your Hallelujah

There is a song called, “Hallelujah”, whose lyrics have captured my attention recently. The 2nd verse tells of the time King David becomes distracted by success & falls for the beauty of Bathsheba.

It was during the time that kings went off to war, but David idly remains behind while his men fought without him.

Idle hands lead to idle hearts & idle hearts are ripe to fall for IDOL things

David was a man after God’s own heart. He worshiped God with reckless abandon, but in his success, he let his hallelujahs fall upon earthly things.

The 2nd verse of the song ends with, “And from your lips she drew a hallelujah…”

Not only does David admire her beauty from afar, he has an affair with her & she becomes pregnant. In a pickle, he calls her husband Uriah home from war with hopes that he’ll sleep with his wife Bathsheba, but he refuses out of duty. So David orchestrates Uriah’s death on the battlefield. 😳

Nathan the prophet calls David out, telling him that because David showed utter contempt for the Lord, that the baby will die & his household will turn against him.

Y’all, when we let our hallelujahs fall to hollow things, we open a wide door for enemy operation.

I did that for a brief season when we first moved to GA. We were living a financially fat wallet kinda life, but in all the fatness, I became spiritually skinny. I let my hallelujahs fall to hollow things & forsook FaceTime with my Father.

I will never forget gathering for a small group & my friend asking me to pray. She said, “Oh Kimberly prays with power,” then she turned to me & asked, “Will you open us in prayer?”

Y’all, it had been SO long since I’d spoken with my Lord that I didn’t know what to say or how to pray. He seemed distant, but the distance was of my own doing.

I uttered a few words in a whisper. It was hard & GOOD & here’s why: I went home that night & confessed, much like David, how my affection had fallen onto idle things which had become IDOL things.

I know what it’s like to let my hallelujahs fall to hollow things & I don’t ever want to experience that again!

Father, You alone are worthy of our praise. Make us hungry for your Word & may our hallelujahs find home only in You.

#OneYearBible

May 27th One Year Bible Readings

2 SAMUEL 12:1-31

JOHN 16:1-33

PSALM 119:65-80

PROVERBS 16:4-5

Struggling to Love?

Struggling to love? Maybe it’s because we have to first receive it  before we can give it 💞

We call Jesus Lord, but He calls us friend. We wander far, but He remains near. His most extravagant show of love is his death so that WE might escape death eternal.

He loves us.

Period.

No cleaning up required.

No performing perfected.

He.

Loves.

Us…just the way we are.

Of ALL the religions in the world, this is THE ONLY one founded on relationship.

His command in John 15:17 fulfills all others:

“This is my command: Love each other.”

It’s not a fluffy, Pollyanna kinda love that overlooks offense. It addresses it…in love.

It’s not a, “Let’s talk about anything, but the hard things between us.” It addresses the shady gray with Truth, in love & with love!

Love doesn’t desert. Love leans in when things get hard.

True love isn’t a disregarded, doormat kinda love that allows people to wipe their emotional feet on our hearts. True love speaks Truth & sets healthy boundaries to preserve future relationship.

This kinda love is hard & honestly impossible if He hadn’t loved first…He loved even unto death a people who deserve only death!

Jesus said that His branches who do not produce fruit will be pruned at best, or cut off & thrown into the fire at worst. It’s not a threat, but an invitation to abide in His extravagant love & experience the fruit that comes when we do!

If we love the way He loves us, even unto death of selfish ambition & personal preference, choosing to speak Truth in love, allowing people freedom to love back or go their own way, that kinda love, He promises, brings joy in the highest form!

Oh Papa, may we remain in The Vine so we can love with Your love! Bring to mind a way we can love with Your serve-with-no-expectation-of-return kinda love. 

Holy Spirit, permeate our hearts with patience, kindness & humility. Guard us from irritability & keeping a record of wrongs. Help us love with grace & Truth that never gives up.

That kinda love is impossible apart from You, so help us make FaceTime with the Father the most important priority on the daily! We choose to abide in You so Your Word might abide in us. Undo our will so that Thine might be done!

#OneYearBible

May 26th One Year Bible Readings

2 SAMUEL 9:1-11:27

JOHN 15:1-27

PSALM 119:49-64

PROVERBS 16:1-3

Dealing with Disappointment? To What or Whom Did You Affix Your Hope?

Sometimes outcomes do not match expectations &, well, that can be hard. Dealing with disappointment is ripe opportunity to address times when we’ve appointed hope towards someTHING rather than then our Source of Hope.

The very word, “disappoint” means to unfix or unsettle. When you think about the prefix, it means the reverse of the noun that follows, so when we feel disappointed, the hopes we appointed or affixed to something, or someone are not met & we are left feeling unsettled…it doesn’t feel good, but it CAN become good & here’s why:

Moments of disappointment remind us that there is only One Hope that does not disappoint, & it’s a Person, not a place or thing.

I’m sure the disciples felt unsettled every time Jesus spoke of His coming death & yet His death had to occur SO THAT resurrection life might follow.

Not only that, He promises a gift to fill the void. Jesus tells us in John 14: 27  that He is leaving, but in His wake, He leaves Peace of mind & heart.

He doesn’t give the facade of peace. He gives the tangible yet inexplicable kinda peace that comes from His very Presence as our Source of peace!

One of Jesus’s names is Emmanuel, God with us. Even though He is with the Father, we are in Him & He in us. When He ascended to Heaven, the Father sent us an advocate, & not just AN advocate, but THE Advocate, our Comforter & Counselor, The Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells us that The Holy Spirit has 2 very specific purposes:

• To teach us EVERYTHING

• To remind us of everything Jesus taught

Maybe like me, you are tempted towards disappointment this morning, & that’s ok, it’s what we do with it that matters.

Father, forgive us for the times we affix our hope to a little p person, place or thing. We will always feel unsettled when we do that.

Jesus, You are our Living Hope Who conquered sin & death! We lean into Your Presence today, affixing our thoughts on Your Truth rather than mere facts before us.

Holy Spirit, counsel us, reminding us of the peace of mind & heart that comes when we keep lock-step with our Lord. We affix our Hope on Him! There is no fear when He leads the way because He is The Way, the Truth & our very source of life!

#OneYearBible

May 25th One Year Bible Readings

2 SAMUEL 7:1-8:18

JOHN 14:15-31

PSALM 119:33-48

PROVERBS 15:33