The View From The Top - A Lesson For Leaders

This morning while sitting in my hotel room in South Asia I made a cup of coffee with my AeroPress coffee maker, because if you want good coffee while you travel abroad you carry your own coffee maker. While sipping on my delicious, freshly brewed coffee I opened my Bible to 2 Samuel chapter 11. You know the story. It's the story of King David and his rape of the wife of one of his Mighty Men, the elite fighting force of David's army. This is one of his Special Forces men. A trusted warrior. A man of valor and honor.

David was a man who had fought his battles valiantly and won. He deserved a break. It was time for him to rest. So David sent Joab out to fight for him. Then the Bible records that David got off the couch  and went up to the roof to stretch his legs in the cool of the evening, and that's when things start to go south. David sees a beautiful woman bathing on her rooftop. Now before you blame Bathsheba, step outside of your culture and into the culture of David's day.

The other day I was on the roof of a guest house in Kathmandu. As you can see in the picture, rooftops are a useful part of the home. This would have been similar in the time of King David, except for the satellite dishes. The roof is where the women would dry the laundry, but it is the roof where the family would go to bathe as well. The average person did not have servants to heat water and fill a soaking tub. They would take a bucket of water, usually room temperature, to the roof where they could enjoy some privacy. Bathsheba would have gone to the roof to wash the sweat of the days work off while there was still some daylight left.

King David went to his roof to survey all that he had accomplished and because his roof was higher than any other around him he was able to see this beautiful woman pouring water over her body in what we would call a bucket shower or camping shower. The problem wasn't that David saw her bathing, it was that David watched her bathing. It is so very ironic that David stood there in the fading daylight transfixed on that which did not belong to him as the sun was setting on his kingship. He did not see what he was setting in motion. He had let his guard down. He wasn't thinking clearly. He was lost in lust.

You know the rest of the story, but what struck me this morning as I was reading was the unintended consequences of his actions. David think he would get caught in his sin. He thought he was smarter than everyone else. But when Uriah has more integrity than David he decides he has to kill him in order to cover up his sin. But the unintended consequences were that Uriah was not the only one who was killed because of David's sin. Verse 17 of chapter 11 tells us that "some of the people among David's servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died." Uriah was not the only one who died because of David's sin. Other men died who were not a part of the story. David did not rape their wives, but he did orphan their children. What a tragedy!

When the prophet Nathan confronted David he told the king these words from the Lord:


2 Samuel 12:7–8 (ESV) Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.

David went to the roof to survey all that he had accomplished but he failed to see it was not his accomplishment, it was what the Lord had given him. And then these words, "I would have given you as much more." David settled for too little. He stole what did not belong to him with his own hand when the Lord was ready to give him so much more.

So here are a few things we can learn from David's mistake as a leader:

1. Do not surround yourself with "Yes" men. Surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth. I have a friend who told me over 30 years ago, "I love you enough to tell you the truth, even if it costs us our relationship." And there have been times that he has, and I love him like a brother.
2. Never let your guard down. Guard your eyes. Guard your heart. Guard your mind. When you let your guard down the enemy will attack you at your weakest point, and sometimes the weakest point is where you think you are strong but you neglect you protection in that area. Your pride will be your downfall every time.
3. Don't try to cover your mistakes. Take your lumps and move on. The coverup only makes things worse.
4. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay. There is no such thing as a victimless sin. People who have nothing to do with your sin will also pay the price. Uriah died. Other innocent men died. And the baby born from David's sin died.
5. Don't settle for too little. God wants to give you so much more than you can even imagine.
6. Don't live in the failures of the past. When you were a child learning to ride a bike you probably fell off the bike at some point and scraped your knee. But you got back up and rode your bike like a boss. Learn from your mistakes, don't live in them. That is not your identity. The Lord said of David that he "is a man after my own heart" even knowing David would make a huge blunder. The Lord does not see your failures, He sees Jesus. Get back up, get back on the bike, learn from your mistake, and move on forward.

The Heart of the Father

THE ORLANDO MASSACRE

On June 12, 2016, a gunman entered a nightclub in Orlando, FL that was frequented by members of the LGBT community with evil in his heart. By the time he was killed by police officers he had killed 49 and injured another 53. He believed he was doing God a favor and earning himself a guaranteed spot in heaven. My heart is broken for the victims and the families who have been devastated by a coward who raised his hand against a country and one specific community in particular.

The rhetoric has been flying around from many different perspectives since the massacre. Two statements have been made by some members of the Christian community that have been very disturbing to me that need to be addressed. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love. These two points of view do not meet this standard set forth by the Apostle Paul. The first goes something like this, "This is the judgement of God upon the LGBT community." or, "They got what they deserved!" The second is along the lines of, "Well, the Bible calls for homosexuals to be put to death."

I would like to deal with the second statement first. Does the Bible call for all homosexuals to be put to death? What does the Bible say about homosexuality? There is much debate within Christendom about homosexuality. You may disagree with me, and that's okay, but may we please disagree in the spirit of love.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY?

The first mention of homosexuality is in the book of Genesis chapters 18 & 19. The Lord sent two angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy the cities for their wickedness. When the angels (in the form of 2 men) came to Lot's home the men of Sodom tried, unsuccessfully, to attack the angels intending to rape them, presuming them to be men. Lot escaped and the Lord rained flaming sulfur down upon the cities destroying the cities and all the inhabitants.

The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness but nowhere in the Bible does it state that the cities were destroyed solely because of homosexuality. Normally you hear people arguing from one of two poles. One group says God destroyed them because of homosexuality; the other side says they were destroyed for their lack of hospitality. I believe both poles lack fidelity to the scriptures. The Lord says in Ezekiel 16:49-50, "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it." God did not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for any singular sin but because they were totally corrupt.

In the book of Leviticus we read, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" Lev 18.22; and "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them" Lev 20:13. These passages do call homosexual relationships sin, an abomination in the eyes of God, and the latter calls for the death penalty, but is this a prescription for all people of all time? NO!!! These passages must be taken in their context.

What is the context? The Lord is speaking to a specific people group for a specific purpose. He is addressing the Children of Israel and He wants them to be a people separated unto Him. This is made clear in the following passages; "You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out." Lev 20:22 and "Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine." Lev 20:26. You cannot lift a verse or two out of it's proper context and make it prescriptive for every person, for all time.

I am not saying that homosexuality is not a sin. Romans 1:18-32 make it clear that homosexuality (along with a whole host of other sins which we don't seem to have that much of a problem with, i.e. greed, arrogance, unloving, unmerciful) is sin, but nowhere in the New Testament does it call for capital punishment for this particular transgression. If you want to apply this one punishment for this particular sin, please be prepared to apply all the Old Testament Law to your life as well. The Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the churches in Galatia that you cannot pick and choose. You must keep the entire Law or you can choose to live under the grace found only in and through Jesus Christ.

Now you might say, "But SEE! It is an ABOMINATION in the eyes of God!" You are right. It is an abomination in the eyes of God. But I did a quick search of what God calls an abomination and here are a few things I found that are also an abomination:

Arrogance - Liars - Murderers - People who devise wicked schemes - People who enjoy doing evil - False witnesses - People who try to divide others - Those who justify wickedness - Transvestites - The sacrifice of the wicked - Those with a crooked heart - Scoffers - Devious people - Unequal weights and measures - Wickedness - The unjust - and That which the world exalts.

That is quite a list, but one thing I noticed; the Bible does not prioritize sin on a flowchart of "Really Bad Sins" to "Not Really All That Bad Sins." God does not have a sliding scale like we do, and we make sure our favorite sins are not given much weight and sins we do not like are weighted very heavy. In our own minds we picture God winking at our sins and being disgusted by sins we don't find tempting to us.

You may be feeling justified in your own eyes as you don't feel called out by that list but just wait. Have you ever lied? Then you are a liar. Have you ever murdered someone? No? Really? If you have ever read the Sermon on the Mount you may want to reconsider your answer. In Matthew 5:21-25 Jesus tells us it is not a matter of the Law bought a matter of the heart. Jesus is saying if you hate someone you have committed murder in your heart. If you have a hatred in your heart for people who struggle with homosexuality, you are guilty of murder, and that is an abomination to God.

WHAT DOES JESUS SAY THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR US?

Jesus doesn't say anything about homosexuality in His earthly ministry but He does have something to say about the first statement I pointed out, "This is God's judgement on the LGBT community." Jesus was asked about a situation where the Roman governor mingled the blood of some people from Galilee he slaughtered with the blood of the sacrifices they brought to the temple and also about how bad the people must have been who died when a tower fell on them. I find His response useful for us today.

Luke 13:2-5 "And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus goes on to tell a parable about a fig tree that didn't produce fruit. When the landowner came and saw the unproductive fig tree he wanted to pull it out and throw it away but the gardener talked him into waiting until he could work with the tree and fertilize it. The point of the story was about the mercy and grace of God. Jesus was pointing out that we should not be in the business of judging people, the point is you must be concerned about your sin. Jesus wants you to repent while you still have a chance. Those who were murdered in Orlando no longer have a chance to repent. Their place in eternity is sealed. Those who did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ will never a relationship with Jesus. That breaks my heart! That breaks the heart of God!

THE HEART OF GOD

We see the heart of God in the book of Ezekiel, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?" Ezekiel 18:23. "Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'" Ezekiel 33:11. And the Apostle Peter tells us, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. God wants sinners to repent and turn to Him.

If God Himself does not take pleasure in the death of sinners why would we? We are to imitate our Heavenly Father, Eph. 5:1-12. We need be more concerned about loving people into the Kingdom who are enslaved to sin. We also need to repent of our own sin and get our own hearts right and in line with the heart of God.

Lay Down Your Burdens

Lay Down Your Burdens

This is the story of a man named Frank. Frank loved to hike. You could always find Frank hiking the trails through the mountains and hills around Phoenix, Arizona. He could be found hiking no matter what the weather was like. In the scorching heat of the Arizona summers he would hike in the early morning before it was too hot. When it was raining he would dawn his raincoat and out he would go.

Frank spent lots of money for just the right shoes and clothes for hiking. He would always take plenty of water to stay hydrated. He would take morning hikes; he would take evening hikes.

Frank always dreamed of one day hiking Mount Whitney in California. Mount Whitney is the highest mountain peak in the lower 48 contiguous states. His friends were always encouraging him to go for it. After many years Frank finally decided to do it.

Frank spent months training and preparing for this strenuous hike. He read books and blog posts about how to hike the high mountain peaks. He bought everything the books suggested for the hike. He even found people he could Skype with to pick up tips for the hike.

The long anticipated day finally came when he was to hike the mountain of his dreams. He set off on his hike early in the morning before the sun came up. Frank figured he would take his time.

He chose a route that would take him about seven days to hike in and back out. He would camp along the way and enjoy his time alone in God’s great creation.

As he walked the winding trail he met all kinds of interesting people. He soon met up with a man who was friendly and knew the trail well. His name was Lou. Frank had found a friend.

Lou was a bit of a prankster. He noticed Frank would pick up a rock now and then and put it in his backpack as they were hiking. Lou soon figured out he could slip an extra rock into Franks pack without him knowing it.

The morning of the second day started off well and without Frank knowing it, Lou stuck a note onto the back of Frank’s pack that read, “I bet you can’t slip a rock into my pack without me knowing it!”

The challenge was on. Because Frank and Lou were taking their time, other hikers would overtake them and as stealthily as possible they would try their hand at slipping a rock or two into Frank’s pack with him being none the wiser.

This went on for two entire days. Frank didn’t even notice the unusual number of rock accumulating in his backpack. The only thing Frank noticed was he was getting fatigued more than he had anticipated, but he pressed on.

The morning finally came when the two men were going to ascend to the summit. They got up early and started the trek to the top of the mountain. The destination was in sight and they figured they would reach their destination by noon.

The higher they climbed the wearier Frank became. Lou would walk on ahead of Frank and rest while his traveling companion struggled with every step.

Frank could finally go no further. He collapsed under the weight of the load he was carrying. He couldn’t make it to the top. He was exhausted. He faltered so close to the top of the mountain.

As Frank sat there completely spent and discouraged, Lou walked right by him laughing. He was heading back down the mountain in search of his next victim.

Frank’s story does not end with him sitting by the trail defeated, you see, another man came by. His name was Joshua.

Joshua looked upon Frank with compassion. He opened Frank’s backpack and started taking out the rocks, even the rocks Frank himself had picked up along the way. 

Joshua tenderly asked him why he carried these rocks. Frank didn’t have a good answer. As Joshua gave him water to drink, cast the weights aside, and said, "You don't have to carry that burden anymore. I'll carry your burdens."

Joshua picked up Frank's backpack and put it on his own back. He helped Frank to his feet and then carried him to the summit.

Let me introduce the characters to you:

• The Rocks – That's the things we pick up along life's journey. Things such as: Hurts caused by others; Hurts we have caused others; Abuse; Forgiveness withheld; Bitterness; Sin; Habits; Materialism; Idols of all sorts; Etc. Your list of rocks will vary from mine.
• Frank – That is me. I pick up rocks and put them in my pack.
• Frank is you as well. You pick up rocks and put them in your backpack just like I do.
• Lou – That is Lucifer. He is not a friend. He is an enemy. He will put rocks in your backpack. He wants to slow you down or even get you to quit altogether.
• Joshua – That’s Jesus. He wants to help you purge your pack. He will help you reach the summit.

Hebrews 12:1-2   Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne on God.^[1]

Let Jesus take your story and make it His story.

Adapted from my message which can be accessed by clicking this link: Lay Down Your Burdens 

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^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Heb 12:1–2.

My Utmost For His Highest

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2013

What is your New Year's resolution? Here are a few resolutions I have never heard verbalized before but it seems as if it just works out in our lives as if we had.

I resolve to:

• read the Bible less this year.
• pray less this year.
• put on another 10 pounds this year.
• play more video games this year.
• exercise less this year.
• spend more time in a drunken stupor this year.
• smoke more cigarettes this year.
• watch more television while sitting on the couch ignoring everyone and everything else this year.

Here is the Bible verse I am going to keep in front of me throughout 2013:

Philippians 1:20 (NLT) For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.  

Oswald Chambers calls it giving My Utmost For His Highest. That is my resolution this new year. I know it will cost me something. It will cost me some extra time snuggled up under the covers in the morning. It will cost me some time watching sports or some meaningless reality TV program. It will cost me my utmost for His Highest.

I am not looking to accomplish great things for Christ this year. I'm looking to deepen my relationship with Christ this year and leave the results to Him. That does not mean I am not attempting to do anything for the cause of the Kingdom of Christ this year, but I just want to be available for Him to do with me as He sees fit.

Oswald Chambers

My heroes are not the guys who sipped from the thimble of mediocrity; they are the men and women who have drunk deep from the chalice of self-discipline. Those who have callouses from spending hours on their knees. People who have scoured the scriptures thirsting for a more intimate relationship with the Lover of their soul. Men who have seen the sick healed, the dead raised, the worshippers of idols turn to the true and living God.

This is the year I start seminary. This is the year I finish the devotional My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. This is the year I read the Bible through from cover to cover.

This will cost me My Utmost For His Highest. Will you join me?

Click here for My Utmost For His Highest online.

Satisfaction

The Powerball Lottery is up to $500,000,000! That's half a billion dollars!!! What would you do with that kind of money? Would it be enough to buy happiness? Would it be enough to bring you satisfaction?

Lewis Martinee wrote a song that was popularized by the Rolling Stones, that put it like this:

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

King Solomon wrote an entire book of the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes, that same thing over and over again throughout the book. Even King Solomon couldn't get no satisfaction, but it wasn't for the lack of trying.

Why is it that the thirst for money and wealth is never satisfied? Why is it that the thirst for power is never satisfied? The things of this world can never satisfy what our souls long for.

Jesus said:

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6

 Jesus answered and said to her (the woman at the well), "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." John 4:13–14

We are designed for greater things than what we settle for. We settle for stuff when we could have Christ. We settle for the things that feed our lust for power and glory that will last but for a moment then vanishes forever. We are designed for eternity and we settle for that which is temporal.

There is great satisfaction and contentment in Christ. Don't settle for anything less than Jesus. Everything else will burn up and be gone in a moment.

Do You Hear God's Voice?

I was reading in the book of Exodus this morning about God calling Moses from the burning bush. He told Moses that He had a job for him to do. Moses had all sorts of excuses why God needed to move along and go bother someone else. Moses finally relents and obeys the call of God.

You read of similar things happening in the New Testament. Jesus calls Peter, James, John, and Matthew. They immediately leave their jobs and follow Jesus. But you also read of the rich young ruler who hears the call, weighs the cost, and decides it is a price too high to pay. How incredibly short sighted this guy was. He had it all and found he wanted nothing more than what he could hold in his hand right then and there.

Have you heard the voice of God? The first call is the call of salvation. God never stops there though. He continues to speak to us. How we wish His voice was as clear and distinct as a voice coming out of a burning bush. Jesus will often speak to us in soft whispers gently spoken in our ears. He has a job for each of us. Are you listening?


You may say, "He doesn't have a job for me. I don't have the skills needed to go do what other people are doing." Excuses! God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Matthew 5:14–16 (NASB95)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

There! There is your calling. Start right there. You are a light to the world. Notice He doesn't say, "Would you consider being a light to the world?" You ARE a light to the world. The world is watching you.

Since you ARE a light to the world, don't you think you need to listen for the voice of God? He speaks to each one of us, it's just that we distract ourselves and cover up His voice with all kinds of other things. Get quiet and alone with God. Spend time reading His Word. Spend time with the television, radio, iPod, and video games turned off. Spend time in prayer and meditation. Learn to cultivate your listening skills. He is speaking to you, learn to hear His voice.


Don't settle for the stuff of this world that you can hold in your hand here and now and miss out on the riches of Heaven. God is calling you. Are you listening?