Fighting Giants

 This morning I  read in I Samuel 17 the account of David’s triumph over a giant Philistine.   Of all the felt-board stories I recall from childhood Sunday School lessons, this one stands out the most.    Who hasn’t heard this tale dozens of times?

 The short version: A giant Philistine named Goliath and his back-up entourage of the entire Philistine army repeatedly mocked the people of God.   Goliath challenged the Israelites to a showdown and a little runt shepherd boy stepped forward to pick up the gauntlet.  Rather than brandish a sword to slay this giant, David selected a sling and a small smooth stone, lodging the rock directly in the forehead of the antagonist, mortally wounding him.  Instantly, David ran to stand atop the giant and employed a sword to lop off his head. 

Was that really necessary?  I mean, the adversary was already dead.  Did David need to further humiliate his opponent’s entire coalition by climbing on the fallen foe and slicing off his head?

 YES!  I think he did.  David’s swift action loudly proclaimed, “Let that be a lesson…” to the remaining enemy forces who immediately fled.

If we listened at all to any Easter sermon a few weeks ago, you & I know our ROCK, Jesus Christ, soundly defeated the enemy.  When Jesus rose from the grave, the lethal stone landed squarely in the face of our adversary.  Still, the enemy’s entourage remains in our day-to-day life threatening to wage war against us should we fail to pick up the Sword of the Spirit and finish off those threats.   

How often do we face battles in our lives…unemployment, marital discord, rebellious teens, health issues, workplace pressures, financial difficulties, loneliness, depression, a quick temper…as if we are helpless to fight?   David’s story offers a lesson to all warriors. 

 Little David’s example beckons modern-day citizens of Christ’s kingdom to run to a crushed combatant.   Engaging the power of our ROCK, Christ in us, we  not only put this enemy under our feet, nor even merely trounce the offender.  We sever his head!  Our place in Christ compels us to daily wield the Sword, the Word of God, as the weapon of our warfare possessing the power to decapitate the wiles of our enemy and send his army running in fear.

“The Battle is the Lord’s…”  {I Samuel 17:47}  True.  Yet truer still, the battle is ALREADY WON!  Calvary secured the victory.  You and I would do well to stop hanging our heads in defeat, to recognize our sure victory against those giants repeatedly mocking us, to begin to live accordingly by the power of the Sword as we issue our own proclamation to forces of evil… “let Calvary and the Resurrection be a lesson to you.”    

“THE LORD IS MY ROCK, and my fortress, and my deliverer.” II Samuel 22:2.

“Bow down Thy thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be Thou my strong ROCK, for a house of defense to save me for Thou art my ROCK and my FORTRESS; therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” Psalm 31:2,3).   

“He Only is my ROCK and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In GOD is my salvation and my glory: THE ROCK of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times, ye people, Pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”  Psalm 62:6-8

“…upon this ROCK I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Matthew 16:18

Love: It Isn’t in the Cards

I have a confession to make.  I felt sorry for myself today.  Worse, I almost missed an important message.

I was standing in the greeting card aisle of my favorite Christian bookstore choosing Easter cards for some family members.  My eyes ran across a particularly pretty card with, “You Are Loved” in beautiful script across the front.   I picked it up, opened it and began to read.  Don’t ask me why…I’m not married, not in love with someone special I could have purchased the card for. 

Reading that card was like reading someone else’s mail.  It wasn’t for me.  In the moment, though, I wished it could be.  All those intimate words poured out with the intent of speaking to the heart of a loved one were wasted without someone to send them to me.  The tenderness of the message purchased to show another how precious she is held no special meaning for me.   My heart felt more than a twinge of disappointment as I acknowledged the words were not meant for my eyes, nor for my heart.

For the most part I am at peace about being a single adult.  But every once in a while…like when reading that card…I think being single sucks and I begin to feel sorry for myself.   I thought, “Nobody is going to tell me he loves me, no one is going to make me feel special or treasured.”  Quickly, I took my thoughts captive before a full-fledged pity party ensued.  Quietly, I placed the card back in the rack.

Then I looked around.  This Christian bookstore was strewn, wall to wall with the message of Easter.   HE IS RISEN! 

More than some sappy words in a greeting card, the message is one that echoes through the very soul of a true believer…Jesus the Messiah was crucified, died and rose again because He Loved Me.  He didn’t purchase a pretty piece of cardstock for me; He purchased my Life and my eternal destiny.  The price He paid to show me just how precious and treasured I am cost Him everything.  Jesus Christ gave his life so I might know that I am loved.

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…” Ephesians 2:4-5

“I love you with an everlasting love…” Jeremiah 31:3

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1

“Though the mountains move and the hills shake, my love for you shall be immovable and never fail…” Isaiah 54:10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life…” John 3:16

To an unbeliever, reading these words can feel like reading someone else’s mail.  Don’t miss the opportunity to help someone personalize the message of Christ.  Invite a lost friend or family member to join you for an Easter service this weekend. 

Beyond this weekend, don’t miss the opportunity to send out the message of Christ everyday by living a life which reflects gratitude for His magnificent sacrifice.  It is up to us who know Him to bring His message of hope to those who so desperately long for someone to tell them “You Are Loved.”

A Matter of Taste

Day 5 of a horrible cold and my taste buds are AWOL.  It’s the strangest thing.  I place an object of culinary delight on my tongue and, well, nothing happens.  I can’t taste a thing.  I’ve been this way for several days.  In my initial panic, I randomly bounced from one food to the next, frantically taking oversized bites, telling myself, “Surely something will satisfy my taste buds.”

My teenage son is most amused by this predicament.  “Here mom, try this jalapeño and see if you can taste it!”  

 I watch others consume a bowl of ice cream…my absolute favorite food…and I salivate like Pavlov’s dog.  I hunger for the flavor of my own creamy frozen mixture complete with tart, juicy strawberries and crunchy hunks of chocolate.  Half-way to the freezer, I am struck with the image of the only physical sensation I will experience in such an indulgence–the coldness of a spoon on my tongue.

 Frustrated, I reached a point a few days ago where I ignored the roar of hunger pains.  I figured, “What’s the use?  If I can’t taste anything I might as well be eating the cardboard from the Domino’s delivery box rather than consume the calories from the pizza itself.”

 In the absence of food, it didn’t take long before I was weak and unable to complete even the simplest tasks without exhaustion.  Hunger had not escaped me.  Neither had my body’s on-going need for nutrition.  Denial would not alter that reality.  I only found myself feeling sicker. 

 Being the deeply spiritual woman I am, I complained to God about this situation.  Not far into my whiney tirade I stopped midsentence.  I heard myself saying, “Lord, I’m just not tasting ANYTHING and I want…”

 Pausing in embarrassed silence, I heard him say, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  Psalm 34:8.  The words linger on my heart like sweet honey on my tongue.

 Have your spiritual taste buds ever been on hold?

 Perhaps you are a devoted follower of Christ but you’ve convinced yourself you don’t have time everyday to spend feasting on God’s Word, alone and still before the Lord’s Table spread for you.  Life is demanding.  You hit the ground running, not pausing for even a small morsel of His goodness. 

 Perhaps you are child of God in a prodigal state, or perhaps a nonbeliever who has found yourself unable to taste the goodness of God.  You have run as I did from one promise of flavor to another, taking big bites of things you hoped would satisfy.  They didn’t.  Nor could they.  Maybe you dug into something you thought would be delicious only to find it left you cold and unfulfilled.  Your hunger pains did not subside.  In fact, they grew even louder.  Ultimately, your condition worsened and you felt sick.

 Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life.”  When we fail to taste of Him, we not only deplete our soul of spiritual nutrients, we steal strength from the rest of the Body.  We walk in our weak flesh and easily find ourselves exhausted from the simplest efforts.  The psalmist paints a desperate picture when he describes “a heart that thirsts after Thee and a body wasted with longing for Thee like a dry and thirsty land that has no water…”,  Psalm 63:1 

 Yet the recognition of desperation for God is rewarded in the verses which follow:

 “Longing, I come before Thee in the sanctuary to look upon your power and your glory.  Your true love is better than life. Therefore, I will sing your praises.  And so I bless thee all my life and lift my hands in prayer.  I am satisfied as with a rich and sumptuous feast…”  Psalm 63:2-5

 The Bread of Life calls us to his banquet table.  He IS the rich and sumptuous feast.  He alone has the power to satisfy and to fill us.  In being filled, we not only find strength and power that sustains, we also experience His goodness.  As we come and still our hungry hearts before him, we indeed Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD.