TerryLema

Writing about the one thing David wanted yesterday had me researching other “one thing” passages in the Scriptures. My search took me to one of my favorite stories in 2 Kings. It is the story of Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he also had leprosy. A slave girl captured from Israel told of a prophet in Samaria (Elisha) who could cure Naaman. You can read his story in 2 Kings 5:1-19.

Initially Naaman goes to the king of Israel who fearfully passes him off to the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s simple command is to go wash in the River Jordan. Naaman balks at the simplicity of the command and departs until his soldiers convince him to return and give it a try. Naaman goes down into the Jordan a leper and arises from it cleansed.

Naaman gives glory to the LORD God of Elisha, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel,” and then he promises to “never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD.” 

He ends his visit with Elisha with one thing – a request for forgiveness.  “’But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also-when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.’ ‘Go in peace,’ Elisha said.” [vs 18-19]

One thing. Naaman understood that his official duties would require him to accompany the king in religious ceremonies and asked forgiveness of Jehovah’s prophet. Elisha granted it – “Go in peace.” I wonder if we’ll meet Naaman when we get to glory. I hope so. I hope that his heart remained true to the God of Israel.

I went to prayer last Thursday at CFC Middleton. It was in the refurbished “The Way” building (where I pastored for about a decade). I was reminded Thursday of the one thing that I really miss now that I am no longer pastoring there.

I used to go into that old log cabin building whenever I wanted. I would sit in one of the chairs and look up at those log beams and pray. The quiet and solitude always made me aware of the presence of the LORD.

Later in the morning I was reading in the psalms and came to Psalm 27:4: “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple.” [HCSB]

“One thing.”  David wants one thing from the LORD … one thing. He wants that one thing that Moses also wanted, to remain in the presence of the Lord all His life. That made me ask myself, is this the one thing I truly want from God?  Or is my life consumed with wanting many things?

I think my focus is too often diverted to many things. At times I feel like the dog that has its attention set on its master until it sees the squirrel cross its path and it’s off and running, only to return to the master a bit bedraggled after much calling and coaxing.

Father, one thing I ask of You this morning … to remain in Your presence all the days of my life. May I forever gaze upon the beauty of my LORD Jesus wherever I am. Amen

Jesus chose 12 men to be His closest disciples. Matthew 10 gives their names: “First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew (sometimes called Nathanel), Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.” [vs 2-4 HCSB]

Some were fishermen, one a tax collector, one part of a political movement called the Zealots. It appears Phillip was practical and levelheaded. Bartholomew may have been thoughtful and wise. Thomas had a moment of doubt. And Peter was often rash and spoke before thinking.

We don’t know a lot about these men prior to being named Jesus’ apostles. If someone had met these men before their association with Jesus, they would probably have called them ordinary.

And truthfully, we do not need to know a lot about them prior to their being named Jesus’ disciples. It is not what they were or what they did BEFORE Christ that is important. It is what they were and what they did AFTER Christ that is important.

Jesus still calls ordinary people to His side. I look around at church on Sundays and what I see are ordinary people given an extraordinary calling. And as I do, I remember what Matthew recorded prior to recording the disciples’ names:

Verse 12a: “Summoning His 12 disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness. These are their names [insert yours here]…” [HCSB]

1 John 3:1:  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  

Ever feel misunderstood?  Have your motives ever been questioned?  Your sincerity doubted?  Your words misconstrued?

Of course.  We have all experienced that at times.  Perhaps no more so than when we acknowledge our belief in Christ Jesus as Lord, Savior, King.  It is one thing to tell people that God loves them; quite another to declare that every knee will one day bow to His Lordship.

John begins this passage in his first letter with the wonderful exclamation: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us.”

Then John immediately warns us that the world will not understand us.  Why?  Because the world does not understand God.  The world’s view of God has been warped by lies and perverted by sin.  The world has a made-up view of God that they use, thinking it releases them from acknowledging Him as Lord.  He’s that man upstairs, the big guy, a nice teacher, a doddering old stick-in-the-mud trying to ruin fun.

And if the world does not understand Christ Jesus our Lord, it will certainly not understand those who have placed their trust in His Lordship and are daily seeking to be conformed to His image.

Misunderstood?  You bet!  Still, we must remember, Christ died for those who were His enemies, for those who misunderstood and did not yet know Him.  And such were we once.

Father, give us the courage to show the world Who you are in truth …. To reflect the love of Christ to all those who do not understand Your love for them. Amen.

Acts 4:13:  … they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 

It was only a short time after the miracle at the Gate Beautiful and Peter’s preaching to the crowd about the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus that the enemies of the Gospel took notice.  Acts 4 begins with the fact that the priests, captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came.  “They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.”  [Acts 4:2]

They were so disturbed that they threw Peter and John in jail until the next day when they could be questioned. When brought before the authorities for questioning the next morning, Peter used that time of conflict to once again preach to those gathered. He didn’t pull his punches this time either.  “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.”  [Acts 4:10]

The courage of Peter and John didn’t go unnoticed.  Those who were listening realized that although unschooled and ordinary, Peter and John had been with Jesus.

Miracles gave Peter the OPPORTUNITY to share about His Lord.  Conflict also gave Peter the OPPORTUNITY to share about His Lord.  And it was evident to all present that Peter knew what and Whom he was talking about.

Do you see a pattern here? Whether miracles or conflict, healings or persecutions, we should be sharing Christ and Him crucified and resurrected.  We should be sharing with great courage.  When we do that, people will then take notice that we too have been with Jesus.

Acts 3:8:  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  

That’s the reaction of the crippled beggar at the Gate Beautiful after Peter and John lifted him to his feet and brought healing to him … in the name of Jesus.  Crippled from birth, the man instantly walked, then took to jumping and leaping.  He didn’t have to go to rehab to learn how to walk, when Jesus touched him through Peter and John, his feet and legs knew just what to do.

And so did his spirit. He immediately began to shout praises to God for his healing.  This drew a crowd, which prompted Peter to preach to the crowd about the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and the salvation found in Him alone.  And Peter didn’t pull any punches …. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  [Acts 3:15]

The physical healing of the one man became the opportunity of eternal healing for the many. 

God blesses us with so much today.  We see physical healings in the body of Christ, we see emotional and spiritual healings. We witness restorations of finances, relationships, sobriety and so many other intersections where God touches our lives.  These should lead us to witness that our God is the Living God and He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him through Christ Jesus.

God gives healings and miracles … He loves His people … but no healing or miracle should stand alone.  Each should be opportunity to witness what our God can and does do!

Psalm 18: For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

David sang, “I love You, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies.” [Ps 18:1-3 HCSB]

This song has another one of those superscriptions.  It is thought it was written and then sung on various occasions as David looked at God’s deliverance in grateful retrospect.  Although David is king, he identifies himself as “David, the servant of Jehovah.”

In his opening stanza, David speaks of the personal nature of God’s work in his life.  Look at how he identifies Jehovah by using that little word “my.”  To David, Jehovah is:  my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield, my salvation, and my stronghold.  No wonder David is praising Him.

David then goes on and recounts what God has done for Him.  In grateful poetic beauty, David reminds his listeners of his great debt and thanksgiving to His God.  David is what he is because throughout his life, God has been all in all to him.  Through the best of times and in the worst of times, God was always David’s rock.

The song climaxes in verse 46: “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!”

As David remembered all the troubles he had suffered at the hands of his enemies and the former king, Saul, there is only one conclusion – The LORD lives!

Beloved, our God is the Living God.  Our Rock.  Our Savior.  Blessed be His Holy Name.

“But I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For You have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.” [Psalm 59:16 HCSB]

In some of our Bibles there are identifying instructions before the psalms.  These are called superscriptions and were added as the book was compiled.  The contents of the superscriptions vary but fall into a few broad categories: (1) author, (2) name of collection, (3) type of psalm, (4) musical notations, (5) liturgical notations and (6) brief indications of occasion for composition.

The superscription for Psalm 59 is:  To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

You can read about the incident David’s song describes in 1 Samuel 19.  King Saul was jealous of David and seeking ways to kill him.  So, “Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning.” [1 Sam 19:11-17]

Both Saul and David had expectations for the morning. Saul EXPECTED David to be dead.  David, on the other hand, EXPECTED God to be strong on his behalf and save him.  David trusted God through the night and EXPECTED to be singing in the morning … “I will … joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning.”

Sometimes the nights are long, the enemy of our soul works to keep us restless and worried. But God is our strength, our stronghold [fortress] and our refuge.  Like David, no matter what the enemy plans for us in the night, when morning breaks, we will be singing of God’s love.

Father, help me to sing in the morning of Your great love – no matter what the night may hold.  Amen

I am still singing this morning about the “Joy in the House of the LORD.” [Jonathan Smith, Phil Wickham]

I love that song and the Phil Wickham video. Phil Wickham wasn’t the only one to write a song about the House of the LORD. David wrote a few songs about it also.

There’s a verse in Psalm 26 that had me pondering the House of the LORD this morning. Verse 8 proclaims, “Lord, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides.” [HCSB]

Too often we consider the building wherein we meet with others to be the House of the LORD. That may have been true in David’s time, but it is not true in ours. The House of the LORD has moved from building to believer.

“You know that you are God’s house. The spirit of God lives in you.” [1 Corinthians 3:16 HCSB]

What signified the House of the LORD in the Old Testament was the Presence of the LORD. Now the Presence of the LORD is in us. We are indwelt by the very Spirit of God. He lives in us.

And in this living, breathing House of the LORD, there should always be great joy!

I have a series of exercises from physical therapy that I try to do every day. The goal is to regain some of the muscle and flexibility lost over the last four years because of the auto-immune disease PMR.

I use the bed in the spare bedroom. At first exercising was boring. Then I livened it up by adding some praise and worship. I start my playlist and sing along while I exercise. It sure goes by fast now!

Today, “Joy in the House of the LORD” was the last song. One verse really ministered to my soul, “We sing to the God who heals, We sing to the God who saves, We sing to the God who always makes a way. ‘Cause He hung up on that cross, Then He rose up from that grave, My God’s still rolling stones away!” [Jonathan Smith, Phil Wickham]

Since I exited that room, that one phrase keeps turning over and over in my mind …. “My God’s still rolling stones away!”

 When the stone was placed in front of the entrance to the borrowed tomb in which they placed Christ’s body following the resurrection, it was to assure that Jesus was kept inside. When God rolled that stone away, He announced to the world that nothing – not even death itself – could hold Christ Jesus in that tomb.

Resurrection life flowed out … flowed all the way to the stone that encased me in death … and rolled my stone away!

Glory to God. Yes, my God’s still rolling stones away! Resurrection life still abounds. Death still surrenders to life in Christ. God still heals, saves, and makes a way!