I am sure that most of you heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in Sunday School when you were young. I thought of this story recently when my wife and I went to see the movie Fireproof. There is the obvious connection with the title. But, there is a more subtle connection as well. In the Bible story, these men were instructed to bow to an idol created by the king. The men would not bow. As a result, they were threatened with the fiery furnace. Their reaction showed the depth of their faith. "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” The key line in their answer is, "But if not...we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship..." Their answer was not contingent on God's reaction. They were not going to ...
At first glance, this declaration may seem grandeous and presumptuous. But, I don't think it is. David's life, out of all the men in the Bible, is laid bare to us in a way that is unique. We see David's entire life from boyhood to warrior to king to sage. We see him as a confident young man. We see him forgotten and left out. We see him rise in standing with men and then we see him fall. We see him suffer profound loss of friendship and relationship. We see him run and we see him fight. We see him as a warrior. We see him as a leader of men. We see him as a King. We see him struggle and fall to sexual sin and adultery. We see him murder. We see him remorseful and utterly undone. We see him fall to pride. We see him longing for God. We see him betrayed. We see him struggle with family issues, some for which he is responsible. We see him suffer the loss of a beloved son. We see him declared a "man...
After all of these years, I have pretty much decided that my greatest enemy is not Satan. It is me! More specifically it is my selfishness. It's my tendency for my motivation to do anything to be "What can I get out of this?" or "How can I manipulate people, circumstances, etc. to get things to turn out the way I want them?" I don't think these things consciously! It is just obvious when I really evaluate my behaviors and feelings. The irony of it all is that this approach causes me great pain and is very tiring. It is hard work to always be trying to manipulate your surroundings. It is no fun for those who love me either. Many years ago, I worked for a pastor named Bill Britton. He was an author and evangelist. One of the articles that he wrote follows. In the end, it is obvious to me that I am NOT dead yet. Dying to Self Bill Britton When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the ins...
Comments