A Foundational Distrust of God is Usually the Root of our Departure from Him

The other day I had a convo with my son warning that our heart is deceitful above all things…that we need be careful not to reason ourselves into decisions that depart from Truth.

I saw a funny meme recently of a sheep in a pasture attacking a wash basin. It made me belly laugh. He charged that thing like it was his worst enemy, making himself flip upside down over the the metal tub! The caption said, 

ME: When I wander from God.

GOD: What He sees when He leaves the 99…

The visual is such a great reminder of the ridiculousness we place ourselves in when we wander from Him.

It’s why we’ve got to allow the Word of God to become our Source of Truth AND to surround ourselves with trusted counsel who will speak Truth when we begin to wander.

Most times when we let common sense trump Divine-sense, things don’t fare well & here’s why:

Our source of counsel has a direct effect on success.

When King Solomon dies, his son, Rheoboam, becomes king & immediately faces a big decision. He seeks wisdom from his father’s advisors, but doesn’t like their counsel, so he turns to his peers. When he executes the younger men’s harsh counsel, his kingdom is split in two!

His servant, Jeroboam, begins ruling over most of Israel, while Rehoboam rules the tribe of Judah.

“Jeroboam THOUGHT TO HIMSELF😳, unless I’m careful,” the people of Israel might reconcile with Judah when they make sacrifices in Jerusalem.

So, “On the advice of his counselors” he made two gold calves for the people to worship instead!

God promised the kingdom to Jeroboam for generations if he’d obey, but the king refused. I don’t think it was due to obstinance, though, because here’s the bottom line:

A foundational distrust of God is usually the root of our departure from Him.

We don’t believe that He will care for us, so we take matters into our own hands to secure safety, to create provision, to fabricate peace…

Father, forgive us for the times we don’t believe you & pretend to be providence! You are the only one who can keep us safe & provide for our every need. Guard us from self sufficiency by speaking to us through your Word & surrounding us with wise counsel who will warn us when we begin to wander.

#OneYearBible

June 14th One Year Bible Readings

1 KINGS 12:20-13:34

ACTS 9:26-43

PSALM 132:1-18

PROVERBS 17:6

Pride is ALWAYS a Tell-tale Sign of a Coming Fall

I rarely use “always” & “never”, but according to God’s Word, pride is ALWAYS a tell-tale sign of a coming fall.

King Solomon was the wisest man alive & he penned some of the most compelling verses chocked full of wisdom. The underbelly of that wisdom & all of the blessing that comes with it, however, is a temptation to pride. It leads to the promiscuity of his heart & the downfall of his kingdom.

I often wonder when he wrote the book of Proverbs because 16:18 tells us that he KNEW pride goes before destruction & a spirit of hautiness before a fall. Another Proverb promises that pride ends in humiliation, but humility leads to honor. And yet, it seems, he did not heed his own advice.

The Lord clearly instructs his people not to marry foreign women for they may lead their men to follow their little gods. Solomon not only disregards the imperative, it’s almost like he tosses it in the trash when he chooses to marry over 700 foreign women & have an additional 300 concubines!

1 Kings 11 tells us that these women do in fact turn his heart away from the Lord, causing him to do what is evil in the Lord’s sight.

Do you find that as astounding as me? This man had every earthly thing anyone could ever desire, & yet it wasn’t enough. Even though the God of Israel appeared to him twice, he refused to follow the Lord completely.

We are smack dab in the middle of an entire month celebrating pride. It’s jaw-dropping to me that we would celebrate something that is sure to bring a fall…

AND it’s also a great reminder to take a look inside to see where pride might be lurking in the deep recesses of our own hearts.

Where are we stiff-arming God’s protective imperatives that carry weighty consequences?

Father, disgrace is sure to follow pride, & to be honest, it feels like our pride-filled nation is heading to hell in a hand basket…we need You, God, to move in a big way, but start first in us!

Shine your light on any pride in our own hearts, exposing the things that are sure to bring us low. It is only in Your wake that we can avoid a fall. Help us not be wise in our own eyes, lead us to confess self-sufficiency as sin & give us humble hearts to follow Your lead.

#OneYearBible

June 13th One Year Bible Readings

1 KINGS 11:1-12:19

ACTS 9:1-25

PSALM 131:1-3

PROVERBS 17:4-5

The Forgiveness of God Creates a Longing to Fear & Follow Him Alone

We recently had some young people over & one of the gals said, “I’d love to hear your story because I’ve heard it’s pretty incredible.”

I suddenly found my eyes leaking as I replied, “Well, I’m not sure I’d call it incredible. There’re many dark places, some parts published & others, as of today, are not. But, yes, I’d love to share the great incredibleness of God with you!”

I looked to the floor, a bit embarrassed by the tears & wondering the why behind them when a well of emotion rose & I blurted,

”I’m just so grateful for the forgiveness God has given for all the things I’ve done. I can’t imagine life apart from Him! The only thing I deserve is hell & yet He saw fit to buy my sin-riddled life with His…I think it’s what motivates me to write each day, to remind people of the great love they’re missing when they do life apart from The One Who loves them even when their lives look like a pigpen!”

Those may not have been my exact words, but I’m sure you get the picture 😉 When I finally I looked up, I was surprised to see a tear on her cheek too.

Bearing witness to God’s goodness & grace, whether 1st person or as an onlooker in someone’s life, has that kind of effect. It’s disarming, endearing & encouraging!

That’s how I felt when I read Psalm 130. The writer confesses,

“Lord, if you kept a record of our sin, who could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.”

He knows the depth of debt that’s been paid & likens his longing for the Lord to a sentry longing for the dawn.

A sentry stands watch through the wee hours of the night, so imagine how they must long for the first light of day when they can end their post & rest!

And so it is with us…when we catch a glimpse of the undeserved love of the Lord, something inside lets go. We no longer need to strive for worth or stand guard over our lives! When He becomes Lord, our hope is uprooted from earthly things & firmly planted in The Eternal One whose love is unfailing! 

Oh, Lord, be just that! LORD over our all! You promise to redeem us from every kind of sin! Remind us of the great gift of your forgiveness! We can’t earn it & definitely don’t deserve it. When we Hope in You alone, You take the messiness we’ve created & make something incredible!

#OneYearBible

June 12th One Year Bible Readings

1 KINGS 9:1-10:29

ACTS 8:14-40

PSALM 130:1-8

PROVERBS 17:2-3