Making the Right Decisions in Tough Situations

It started out as a simple stroll. It was at the time when kings go forth to battle and Israel, under the military leadership of David's designate, Joab, was at war with the Ammonites. The narrative tells us that while Israel besieged Rabbah, David stayed in Jerusalem. On this particular spring evening and with his army doing well in battle, "it came to pass . . . that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon" (2 Samuel 11:2, KJV).

Even if the Scripture did not tell us what happened next, chances are good we could have figured out how this drama unfolded. A handsome and powerful king with time on his hands, so to speak, looking across the way at a beautiful naked woman is fertile ground for trouble. Like Eve in the very beginning, and countless others since then, David found himself in the proverbial “wrong place at the wrong time.” In Genesis we read of Eve, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat" (3:6). Instead of sensing imminent danger when she was first approached by the serpent (Genesis 3:1) and removing herself from that place back to where she should have been, she stood to reason with the serpent and lost that battle. David, standing on the roof gazing at this beautiful specimen of God’s creation, had a moment in time to decide if he would make a hasty retreat and go back into the house. However, the narrative continues, "And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house" (2 Samuel 11:3-4).

For some of us, being innocently in the “wrong place at the wrong time” brings its own challenges. The magnitude may not be like that of David's, in this instance, but we find ourselves in situations we did not foresee and did not plan for. Suddenly, it seems, we are presented with an opportunity to do something we would not normally do. The seemingly helpful co-worker of the opposite sex, the busy-eyed flirtatious fellow believer, the chance to take something that is not ours, to look a something we should not be looking at, the compliment or email from someone we know we should stay away from for our integrity’s sake. Danger lurks and seductively so. Right there and then we have to decide; we must decide. It would be wonderful if we could all affirm that we would make or have always made the right decisions, but as we have seen, that is not always the case. The immediate consequences of his actions were that a husband was murdered and an innocent baby died. His circumstances remind us that we must always be vigilant; we must not let our guards down. We cannot afford to admire, think on, rationalize, or reason through the circumstances of our testings. Instead, let us be quick to "get out of there." It is not always easy but He has promised, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). With His help and by His grace, we can make the right decisions.

How are you doing with your challenges?

Loving the Unlovable

Have you ever met someone who was difficult to love? Not necessarily romantically, but just to love as another human being. The phileo kind of love that we are exhorted to show to another. I have known a few people like that; really obnoxious personalities with a healthy dose of bad attitudes and manners. Looking at some of them one could never tell. They are what I call "lime people" - deceptively smooth on the outside, sour on the inside. It is quite possible that even as you are reading this, at least one person you know comes readily to mind!

The challenge for some of us is that we share the pews with some of these people. Yes, they are sitting among us in our Churches on Sunday mornings. The unlovable unbeliever we can probably understand, but an unlovable Christian seems like an oxymoron. More times than not we avoid them like the plague. Yet in a way that only Jesus can, He challenges us to break through our apprehensions and judgments when He says rather emphatically to those following Him, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34, KJV). Notice this was a "new commandment" because the law did not make such a demand. In this new era, we are to love others the way He loved us and that means, among other things, without conditions. In other words, we cannot say we will love someone if he or she changes their attitudes and behaviors to meet our predetermined standard(s) because God, through Christ, did not impose any such conditions on us.

Paul exhorted the Roman believers, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love" (Romans 12:10a), and again, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (13:8). He realized this was not our natural disposition when he exhorted the Thessalonians, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you" (1 Thess. 3:12).

God doesn't expect us to avoid the unlovable among us but to love them. But there is a purpose, as there always is, to what He asks us to do and Jesus pulls the veil apart so we can get a glimpse: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Our greatest challenge can be the open door to our greatest opportunity. So the next time you see or come across someone you deem unlovable, you are in the right place to show him or her the love of Christ. Consider it a test, and purpose it on your heart that you will ace it. Moreover, by doing so, you will put the devil to shame and Christ will be exalted. Now, that is what I call exciting!

On Being A Role Model

It would probably be a nice thing if we all had good role models to emulate. It is commonly held that a role model is a "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others" and it is difficult to argue with that. However, that does not tell us anything about the quality and character of the person being modeled. Role models can be good or bad depending on how they influence or affect us. Because such influences can have lasting consequences, it is extremely important that we choose our role models carefully.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1, KJV). Other translations put it differently. For example: "You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (CEV) and "Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ" (HCSB). I do not believe Paul's intent was for the believers to shift their focus from following Jesus to following him. After all, Jesus is the perfect example and the best role model one could ask for. However, what we see is that as Paul gave instructions to the church on a number of issues, he concludes what we know as the previous chapter with the words, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God : Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved" (10:31-33). It is on that note that he proceeded to say, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." In other words, emulate me; imitate me; learn from me as I emulate/imitate Christ. This emulation was a form of discipleship that allowed for the spiritual growth of the believers, as well as it placed them in a position of holding Paul accountable for walking in "the Way of Christ" so he would not be a stumbling block to them.

It is important to note that this was not a call to blind allegiance; they were to follow the Apostle only to the extent that he was following Christ. The principle here is that good role models are not interested in amassing followers at any cost. They realize the burden of their responsibility and the importance of influencing the lives of others in positive ways. As we go about our daily lives, who are we role models to? What kind of a role model are you? Are you leaving a positive and lasting legacy or are you influencing the lives of others in ways that are questionable?

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." As you resolve to follow in the steps of Christ, ask God to help you to let that be your appeal to someone in your sphere of influence. Become a role model and model Jesus. Someone is looking for one to follow.

Taking God Out of the Box

We do not know much about her. According to the narrative in 1 Kings 17, she was a widow living with her son in Zarephath, a Baal-worshipping city on the Mediterranean coast of Phoenicia between Tyre and Sidon out of the borders of Israel. We also know that she was poor, destitute and desolate because at the time we met her, she was down to her last "handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, [she was] gathering two sticks, that [she] may go in and dress it for [her] and [her] son, that [they] may eat it, and die" (v. 12). That she had to gather the sticks herself confirms her lowly status as it was clear she had no slaves to do such a menial task. Being a widow with no one to look after her, she had resigned herself to the fact that after this last meal she and her son would die; there was nothing else to eat. Even if spurred on by the will to survive and a mother's instinct to provide for and protect her offspring, she had no money to buy whatever, if anything, that was available. The famine had taken its toll. Yet it was to this woman that God had sent Elijah: "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (v.9).

To sustain him? What was God thinking? Didn't He see the woman's condition? She was one meal away from her and her son starving to death. Then there was Elijah. God was sending him into Gentile territory to be fed by a widow when, as we discovered later, there were many widows in Israel at the time (Luke 4:25-26). Why not send him to one of them? Lest we forget, Elijah was a hated man in Israel because he was held responsible for the drought and the resulting hardships. Israel had embraced the worship of Baal and was being punished by God. So, here we have God, to whom all things are possible, sending His prophet from among His chosen people to a Gentile widow in a Baal-worshipping city for sustenance. Couldn't He have provided for Elijah some other way? In a way that made some sense?

Because He is omnipotent, of course He could have but why should He? When God does something we typically expect Him to do so in ways that makes sense to us. If we could figure Him out or always understand His ways He would not be much of a god. He reminds us that His ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). His dealings in this situation clearly demonstrate His ability to provide for and bless His people in any way, in any situation, and through whomever He chooses. When we are looking for and expecting Him to act in a certain way, we need to remember He is not limited in the ways He operates in our lives.

We would be remiss if we did not observe two important truths in the narrative: Elijah's obedience in going where he was sent, and the widow's obedience in doing what God had commanded her to do regardless of the external situation. Both acts of obedience were responsible for the miracle that followed (vv. 15-16). One of the lessons for us is that as children of God we can expect Him to work in our lives and situations in ways that we would least expect. In other words, with God always expect the unexpected. Take Him out of the box and watch Him do the things He alone can do, and bring to pass all the things He alone can make possible.

Born With a Purpose

Parents have an awesome but sobering responsibility. To bring a child into the world, give him or her a name, and plan for the future of this little person is no easy task. Parents have hopes and dreams for their children. We want them to be successful and as much as is within our power, at the very minimum, for them to have a good education which will translate into a stable career, a relatively good life, and secure their future. We may not do everything perfectly, but for the most part our intentions are good.

However, parents are not the only ones who have plans for the child or children entrusted to their care. Though we embrace them as our own they are ultimately God’s and He too has a plan for their lives. Every child that comes into the world does so with a God ordained purpose. For a number of reasons that purpose may not be realized, but it doesn't change the fact of purpose. In the Scriptures we see several instances where individuals were called by God for specific purposes and in some cases, from they were in their mothers' wombs. For example, from the prophet Isaiah, "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name" (Isaiah 49:1, KJV). From the prophet Jeremiah, "The LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak" (Jeremiah 1:4-7). From the apostle Paul, "It pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen" (Galatians 1:15).

Clearly, not all of our children will be called as profoundly as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Paul. Not every child will be called directly to ministry, but every child is called to something God honoring and it is the responsibility of parents, god-parents, adopted parents, and other caregivers to pray for discernment in that regard. In our prayers we should pray for that God-given purpose, often times dormant in those lives, to be quickened and for our children to walk in that purpose. Yes, it is not just about giving them our love and other material things, but also about a spiritual legacy. Not only should we pray unceasingly for them but we should also consistently bless them by speaking words of life and encouragement into their lives. A blessing could be something like, “You are the righteousness of God and will walk in His purpose” or, “You will excel because you are a child of purpose and God’s plan for your life will be manifested for His glory.” Alternatively, declare your own blessing based on the God’s word and promises. No matter how rebellious they may be, they can never outrun our prayers and declarations. We do our part and trust God to do His. However, first things first. Those of us who have a position of influence in the life of a child need to nurture our own relationship with God and seek His wisdom for the task at hand. If there is ever a time our children need good God-fearing role models, it is now.

How are you doing in that regard?

"I Will Love You Still" - Neville Peter

There are not enough words to describe what this song means to me. Can I worship Him still even when I don't understand His will? My soul says "Yes, Lord. I will worship you you there, even when it's hard for me to understand your will, I love you still." Another tremendous song by this gifted and anointed minister. I sure hope it challenges and blesses you and it challenged and blessed me.