THE AMALEKITE SOLDIER - NOT THE WHOLE TRUTH

The saying goes like this; ‘When the going gets tough the tough get going.’ Used in ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ and ‘Lion King II’, it’s a phrase that is meant to inspire commitment and uncompromising perseverance, the opposite of how this unnamed soldier lived his life.

Sensing an opportunity to be the King-maker, seeing a moment for personal promotion, searching for a way to get noticed by the future King, this anonymous soldier weaved a story that got him tangled up in it. That would lead to his death, a sad end, the tough didn’t get going anymore!

It is sometimes too easy to take a short-term opportunity at the expense of the longer-term honour that comes to those who let God set the direction for a life, a business, a church, even a nation. Too often when we take over we dishonour God and dishonour others as well.

If only he’d been honest, if only he’d been honourable, we might have known his name and he might have become great. Jesus said that the last will be first, the least will be the greatest, so why not believe Him instead of pushing your own agenda. Then you can wait to see what His plans are for your life, and God’s plans are always good.

Try it!

SAUL - DOWNHILL LIVING

I enjoy cycling. Not racing, but meandering along country lanes, the cliff-tops along the coast, canal footpaths, in fact anywhere. What I most enjoy is freewheeling downhill. It takes no effort, but the only way it leads is to the bottom. It’s easy!

What isn’t so easy is getting to the top again. It’s hard work, one turn of the pedals at a time, but when you get there it’s worth it because the view is exhilarating and the feeling of achievement is overwhelming. It’s not quite Everest – in fact it’s nothing like Everest – but I made it.

Saul’s life was a freewheel to the bottom. He became an ‘easy-rider’ and lost sight of what he should have valued most, he went deaf to the voice of God who would have cheered him back up the hill, preferring to listen to his own voice and the compromising voice of others.

If you want to get to the top of the hill, you need to ‘trust God and love Him’, put Him first and listen to His voice. As Carl says, ‘every faithful man…who lived an obedient life, ended on a high note.’

 

There’s a reason for that. So find out what it is and get pedalling to the top.

SAMUEL - DEEP FOUNDATIONS

Samuel is a colossus. But you can only be a colossus if you have deep foundations and Samuels foundations were laid before he was born. This is what his mum said; ‘I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.’ (1 Samuel 1:28). Then in 1 Samuel 2:21, ‘the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.’ And in 1 Samuel 2:26, ‘the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with men.’  For a tall building you need deep foundations.

Some of us have had the privilege of being ‘given to the Lord’ at a young age but have not paid enough attention to how that might impact our life later on. Others of us have given ourselves to the Lord many times but have still not grown tall.

Get the foundations deep enough and you’ll grow tall enough. God will use you in amazing ways, you’ll be anointed by Him for tasks that He knows you can do because he sees what is below the surface in your life.

‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’ (1 Samuel 3:10) ‘Here I am.’ (1 Samuel 3:16)

SAMSON - THE SOAP OPERA

What a plot-line!

Samson seems caught up in an unbelievable soap opera script that lurches from one crisis to another. A special, unexpected gift from God to his parents, filled with the Spirit’s power to kill a thousand Philistines, water is miraculously provided for him when he is thirsty and then he brings the house down and he kills, ‘many more when he died than while he lived.’ (Judges 16:30). It’s confusing.

He messed up too many times for my liking, he always wanted to be in control, yet God didn’t give up on him. Is that okay? Is that how it works? Is that fair? As Carl reminds us, many people who have clearly been used by God have messed up, there seems to be incredible fruit from their lives, even when in secret all is far from God’s best. But like Samson, eventually the end comes and it is not going to be pretty.

There’s still time to stop doing what displeases God, still time to turn away from what is wrong and step away from the edge, still time to remember what you have promised God and still time to keep those promises. ‘God always finishes what He starts. It’s never too late for a fresh direction.’

GIDEON - CONFUSED.COM

Ummm!

Gideon always evokes in me a mixed reaction. Making excuses to God, doubting God and then building an idol that took the nation away from God, yet also, a ‘mighty warrior’ who went ‘in the strength’ he had to win a victory that seemed humanly impossible. I’m confused!

As a parent the phrase, ‘how many times do I have to tell you?’ is probably familiar. We are so slow to act upon things that we should know better about and too often our timing is much more important than Gods. And that’s where I get confused about Gideon. When he did what God wanted him to do in the way God wanted him to do it at the time God wanted him to do it, everything went well. But when Gideon took control of the agenda, it eventually all collapsed.

God was certainly patient, Gideon certainly played his part in God’s plan but ultimately he didn’t put his trust in God, he ended up leading in his own strength and led the people to the wrong place.

How easily we can get confused, over complicate things, allow doubt to be our master when all God is looking for is obedience, first time.