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“When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” (I Kings 3.28)
In his first recorded act as king, Solomon really impresses his people—so much that they hold him in awe. His approval rating goes through the roof. Not bad for your first act. Keep in mind that by his own admission, Solomon is just a little child (I Kings 3.7). His father died and now he’s king. It’s that simple. No kingdom management courses, no professional certification, no online training series. One day a member of the king’s family, the next day the king.
But notice what impressed Israel about their beloved king’s successor. It’s not him, but rather because he had wisdom from God. That’s why the people held him in awe—God’s wisdom. It was how Solomon administered justice that wooed the people. So what did this wisdom look like? How did wisdom reveal herself?
Well, here’s what happened. Two prostitutes approach the king for a ruling. They live in the same house and both delivered babies around the same time. During the night, one woman rolled over on her baby, killing him by accident. When she saw what had happened, she switched her baby with the other. When that mother woke up in the morning she saw her baby was dead, but upon closer investigation, realized it wasn’t her baby—her housemate had switched babies! Now each woman is claiming that the live baby is hers. King Solomon, what do you say?
Solomon listens to their story and then instructs his servants, “Bring me a sword.” He then orders the baby to be cut in half so one woman can have one half and the other woman the other half. The real mother of the baby is filled with compassion and says, “Don’t kill him; give her the living baby.” But the other woman replies, “None of us should have him; cut him in two!” At this, the king rules, “Give the living baby to the first woman; she is the mother.” And when all Israel heard the verdict, they held the king in awe.
I admit this is a gruesome story but there are principles to God’s wisdom in it: First, Solomon listened to the ladies’ story. Wisdom listens; she doesn’t speak first or think of what to say next while the person is still talking. Second, Solomon issued an unconventional, creative and even surprising order to cut the baby in half (Of course, he never intended to go through with the order). At times, wisdom also appears unconventional, creative or surprising. Third, Solomon had patience to let his order work, which exposed the false mother. Wisdom is patient and lets her work run its course. Fourth, Solomon suggested action. Wisdom is practical and deals in application. Fifth, Solomon’s order momentarily offended the real mother. Wisdom sometimes offends, although she is beneficial in the end.
So be ready when God’s wisdom appears; she might not look like you thought she would.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Livin’ What You’ve Been Given
“So be strong, show yourself a man, and obey God.” 1 Kings 2.2-3
As most of you know, our family is adopting a boy from the Philippines. His name is Rex and he’s two-and-a-half and in a couple of months, we’ll bring him home. There’s not a lot we can do for him now—just wait for the paperwork to be processed—but we are praying for him.
My prayers center around 1 Kings 2.2-3. When he’s about to die, King David charges his son Solomon with three things. David has already passed the throne onto Solomon, so Solomon is now the king. Note that the items in the charge will not make Solomon king because at this point, Solomon is already king. He doesn’t have to earn the right to be king or prove he’s worthy of the throne. He already has it. Instead, these words are instructions on how to live now that he is the king.
David charges Solomon to: 1) Be strong; 2) Show himself a man; 3) Obey God.
I’m praying these same words for Rex because, well, his name means “king.” That’s a powerful legacy his birth parents left for him, naming him king when he was born. Now, his life experience might run contrary to his name, he might doubt his royalty, might question his value. He might even set out to prove it. But all along, he’s still Rex, he’s already king. The quest is not earning his throne, but rather living with it. And that might be the hardest journey of all.
For many of us, the hardest quest is living with what we’ve already been given—like love, grace, salvation, worth, destiny. We’d rather go the hard road—punish ourselves, faint from thirst, be scarred by experience—before we’ll accept the reality of our high position. We’d rather work off our crime than receive forgiveness, rather earn our love than be her beneficiary.
But my son is king and I won’t let him forget it.
I pray you live well out of what you’ve been given.
As most of you know, our family is adopting a boy from the Philippines. His name is Rex and he’s two-and-a-half and in a couple of months, we’ll bring him home. There’s not a lot we can do for him now—just wait for the paperwork to be processed—but we are praying for him.
My prayers center around 1 Kings 2.2-3. When he’s about to die, King David charges his son Solomon with three things. David has already passed the throne onto Solomon, so Solomon is now the king. Note that the items in the charge will not make Solomon king because at this point, Solomon is already king. He doesn’t have to earn the right to be king or prove he’s worthy of the throne. He already has it. Instead, these words are instructions on how to live now that he is the king.
David charges Solomon to: 1) Be strong; 2) Show himself a man; 3) Obey God.
I’m praying these same words for Rex because, well, his name means “king.” That’s a powerful legacy his birth parents left for him, naming him king when he was born. Now, his life experience might run contrary to his name, he might doubt his royalty, might question his value. He might even set out to prove it. But all along, he’s still Rex, he’s already king. The quest is not earning his throne, but rather living with it. And that might be the hardest journey of all.
For many of us, the hardest quest is living with what we’ve already been given—like love, grace, salvation, worth, destiny. We’d rather go the hard road—punish ourselves, faint from thirst, be scarred by experience—before we’ll accept the reality of our high position. We’d rather work off our crime than receive forgiveness, rather earn our love than be her beneficiary.
But my son is king and I won’t let him forget it.
I pray you live well out of what you’ve been given.
Livin’ What You’ve Been Given
“So be strong, show yourself a man, and obey God.” 1 Kings 2.2-3
As most of you know, our family is adopting a boy from the Philippines. His name is Rex and he’s two-and-a-half and in a couple of months, we’ll bring him home. There’s not a lot we can do for him now—just wait for the paperwork to be processed—but we are praying for him.
My prayers center around 1 Kings 2.2-3. When he’s about to die, King David charges his son Solomon with three things. David has already passed the throne onto Solomon, so Solomon is now the king. Note that the items in the charge will not make Solomon king because at this point, Solomon is already king. He doesn’t have to earn the right to be king or prove he’s worthy of the throne. He already has it. Instead, these words are instructions on how to live now that he is the king.
David charges Solomon to: 1) Be strong; 2) Show himself a man; 3) Obey God.
I’m praying these same words for Rex because, well, his name means “king.” That’s a powerful legacy his birth parents left for him, naming him king when he was born. Now, his life experience might run contrary to his name, he might doubt his royalty, might question his value. He might even set out to prove it. But all along, he’s still Rex, he’s already king. The quest is not earning his throne, but rather living with it. And that might be the hardest journey of all.
For many of us, the hardest quest is living with what we’ve already been given—like love, grace, salvation, worth, destiny. We’d rather go the hard road—punish ourselves, faint from thirst, be scarred by experience—before we’ll accept the reality of our high position. We’d rather work off our crime than receive forgiveness, rather earn our love than be her beneficiary.
But my son is king and I won’t let him forget it.
I pray you live well out of what you’ve been given.
As most of you know, our family is adopting a boy from the Philippines. His name is Rex and he’s two-and-a-half and in a couple of months, we’ll bring him home. There’s not a lot we can do for him now—just wait for the paperwork to be processed—but we are praying for him.
My prayers center around 1 Kings 2.2-3. When he’s about to die, King David charges his son Solomon with three things. David has already passed the throne onto Solomon, so Solomon is now the king. Note that the items in the charge will not make Solomon king because at this point, Solomon is already king. He doesn’t have to earn the right to be king or prove he’s worthy of the throne. He already has it. Instead, these words are instructions on how to live now that he is the king.
David charges Solomon to: 1) Be strong; 2) Show himself a man; 3) Obey God.
I’m praying these same words for Rex because, well, his name means “king.” That’s a powerful legacy his birth parents left for him, naming him king when he was born. Now, his life experience might run contrary to his name, he might doubt his royalty, might question his value. He might even set out to prove it. But all along, he’s still Rex, he’s already king. The quest is not earning his throne, but rather living with it. And that might be the hardest journey of all.
For many of us, the hardest quest is living with what we’ve already been given—like love, grace, salvation, worth, destiny. We’d rather go the hard road—punish ourselves, faint from thirst, be scarred by experience—before we’ll accept the reality of our high position. We’d rather work off our crime than receive forgiveness, rather earn our love than be her beneficiary.
But my son is king and I won’t let him forget it.
I pray you live well out of what you’ve been given.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
No Burritos
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14.15)
I’m in Houston for a management training course. Among all the great things Houston has to offer is Mexican food. I could have taken this course in a different city, but Houston called out to me. She wanted to feed me her burritos. How could I resist? It’s not that I can’t get burritos in central Pennsylvania, but I think you’ll agree there’s a difference. Burritos are simply better the closer you get to the Border.
Myriads of Mexican restaurants welcomed me into their city. I probably passed fifteen or twenty on my way to the hotel. When I got there, I was overjoyed to find a restaurant ala Mexico right next to where I was staying. Now these were good accommodations! The first chance I got, I walked to the restaurant. It had all the marks of a genuine Mexican restaurant: a sign that said, “Mexican Restaurant;” tortilla chips and salsa at the table, mariachi uniforms on the waiters, and a piñata in the corner. I might as well have been in Tijuana.
I sat down and opened the menu, although I knew what I wanted—a big, fat burrito, bursting with chicken and black beans and rice and everything else they wanted to throw in. But just to be polite, I started to peruse the menu. After all, they had gone thru all the trouble to print this thing up. Page 1, no burritos. That’s okay, there are still four other pages. Page 2, no burritos. No problem, they usually put them in the middle. Page 3, The Middle, no burritos. No worries, probably on the Specialties page. Page 4, Specialties, no burritos. I had one page left, and although my mind said Page 5 would be the margarita, Corona and sangria page, my heart wanted to believe otherwise. Could it be Page 5, Drinks and Burritos? Could Mexico come through for me?
Nope. Or should I say Nada. Page 5 was only Drinks. There were no burritos in this restaurant!
What? A Mexican restaurant that doesn’t serve burritos? Aren’t they supposed to go together? Just like loving God and obeying God are supposed to go together.
Jesus makes a very clear statement. He says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Our love for Jesus is demonstrated by our obedience to Him. I’m not talking about being perfect. I’m not talking about never messing up. Rather, I’m saying that our love for Jesus is connected to our level of obedience. A radical love will manifest as radical obedience. A passionate pursuit will show itself as awesome alignment. The closer we get to Jesus, the easier obedience will be because his desires will become our desires. So, to love God is to obey Him.
More important than Mexican restaurants and burritos, is your love lined up with obedience?
I’m in Houston for a management training course. Among all the great things Houston has to offer is Mexican food. I could have taken this course in a different city, but Houston called out to me. She wanted to feed me her burritos. How could I resist? It’s not that I can’t get burritos in central Pennsylvania, but I think you’ll agree there’s a difference. Burritos are simply better the closer you get to the Border.
Myriads of Mexican restaurants welcomed me into their city. I probably passed fifteen or twenty on my way to the hotel. When I got there, I was overjoyed to find a restaurant ala Mexico right next to where I was staying. Now these were good accommodations! The first chance I got, I walked to the restaurant. It had all the marks of a genuine Mexican restaurant: a sign that said, “Mexican Restaurant;” tortilla chips and salsa at the table, mariachi uniforms on the waiters, and a piñata in the corner. I might as well have been in Tijuana.
I sat down and opened the menu, although I knew what I wanted—a big, fat burrito, bursting with chicken and black beans and rice and everything else they wanted to throw in. But just to be polite, I started to peruse the menu. After all, they had gone thru all the trouble to print this thing up. Page 1, no burritos. That’s okay, there are still four other pages. Page 2, no burritos. No problem, they usually put them in the middle. Page 3, The Middle, no burritos. No worries, probably on the Specialties page. Page 4, Specialties, no burritos. I had one page left, and although my mind said Page 5 would be the margarita, Corona and sangria page, my heart wanted to believe otherwise. Could it be Page 5, Drinks and Burritos? Could Mexico come through for me?
Nope. Or should I say Nada. Page 5 was only Drinks. There were no burritos in this restaurant!
What? A Mexican restaurant that doesn’t serve burritos? Aren’t they supposed to go together? Just like loving God and obeying God are supposed to go together.
Jesus makes a very clear statement. He says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Our love for Jesus is demonstrated by our obedience to Him. I’m not talking about being perfect. I’m not talking about never messing up. Rather, I’m saying that our love for Jesus is connected to our level of obedience. A radical love will manifest as radical obedience. A passionate pursuit will show itself as awesome alignment. The closer we get to Jesus, the easier obedience will be because his desires will become our desires. So, to love God is to obey Him.
More important than Mexican restaurants and burritos, is your love lined up with obedience?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Lead the Life
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” (Philippians 4.9)
I don’t know many people who would say, “Whatever you’ve seen in me, put it into practice.” I mean, that’s pretty bold. You have to know what you’re doing, and like what you’re doing. Like it so much that you’d want others to turn out like you. More often, though, we don’t want people to follow our example. Isn’t that true? What have you said or thought more often? That people should follow in your footsteps? Or that they should avoid them?
The Apostle Paul was so confident in his lifestyle that he wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” What’s interesting is that he wrote this to all the Christians in Philippi—not to one or two people. He’s encouraging all the people to follow his example. This is interesting because it’s easy to be on your best behavior around one or two people. It’s easy to control your tongue, easy to curb your temper when only one person is watching. But open it up to everyone, and that’s a different story.
But this doesn’t faze Paul. He trusts his life. And he urges others to trust it too. Paul leads the life he wants others to live. What if we lived that way, too?
Lead the life you want others to live.
I don’t know many people who would say, “Whatever you’ve seen in me, put it into practice.” I mean, that’s pretty bold. You have to know what you’re doing, and like what you’re doing. Like it so much that you’d want others to turn out like you. More often, though, we don’t want people to follow our example. Isn’t that true? What have you said or thought more often? That people should follow in your footsteps? Or that they should avoid them?
The Apostle Paul was so confident in his lifestyle that he wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” What’s interesting is that he wrote this to all the Christians in Philippi—not to one or two people. He’s encouraging all the people to follow his example. This is interesting because it’s easy to be on your best behavior around one or two people. It’s easy to control your tongue, easy to curb your temper when only one person is watching. But open it up to everyone, and that’s a different story.
But this doesn’t faze Paul. He trusts his life. And he urges others to trust it too. Paul leads the life he wants others to live. What if we lived that way, too?
Lead the life you want others to live.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Whatever Happens
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1.27)
When you stub your toe, when you’re bored at the computer, when you get cut off in traffic, when you have PMS, when your wife has PMS, when your sports team loses, when your flight is delayed, when your kid won’t brush her teeth, when your files won’t import, when your import won’t file (foreign adoption), when you have cancer, when your husband has cancer, when you aren’t chosen for the promotion, when your stocks are down, when your stocks are up, when your candidate doesn’t win, when someone does evil against you, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
When your ex goes for someone younger, when your children don’t turn out like you wanted them to, when dinner isn’t ready when you get home, when it rains five days in a row, when the paint color is darker than you thought it would be, when your hair falls out, when your hair grows in, when you don’t know how you’ll pay the bills, when re-runs are on again, when the neighbor boys trample your posies, when the neighbor dogs poop on your dahlias, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
When your boss is younger than you, when your baby won’t sleep in the middle of the night, when your boss acts like a baby, when your car breaks down, when your car is full of screaming kids, when your kids go off to college, when the nest is empty, when the silence is deafening, when there’s a pile of leaves to rake, when your teeth are crooked, when your skin is pimpled, when your behind is dimpled, when you can’t lose weight like you once could, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
When your hope is gone, when your love is lost, when your faith is dim, whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Whatever happens….that about covers it.
When you stub your toe, when you’re bored at the computer, when you get cut off in traffic, when you have PMS, when your wife has PMS, when your sports team loses, when your flight is delayed, when your kid won’t brush her teeth, when your files won’t import, when your import won’t file (foreign adoption), when you have cancer, when your husband has cancer, when you aren’t chosen for the promotion, when your stocks are down, when your stocks are up, when your candidate doesn’t win, when someone does evil against you, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
When your ex goes for someone younger, when your children don’t turn out like you wanted them to, when dinner isn’t ready when you get home, when it rains five days in a row, when the paint color is darker than you thought it would be, when your hair falls out, when your hair grows in, when you don’t know how you’ll pay the bills, when re-runs are on again, when the neighbor boys trample your posies, when the neighbor dogs poop on your dahlias, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
When your boss is younger than you, when your baby won’t sleep in the middle of the night, when your boss acts like a baby, when your car breaks down, when your car is full of screaming kids, when your kids go off to college, when the nest is empty, when the silence is deafening, when there’s a pile of leaves to rake, when your teeth are crooked, when your skin is pimpled, when your behind is dimpled, when you can’t lose weight like you once could, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
When your hope is gone, when your love is lost, when your faith is dim, whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Whatever happens….that about covers it.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Wisdom From A Six Year-Old
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3.17-18)
Last night as I was tucking our daughter into bed, I prayed with her. It went something like this:
“Dear God, thank you for your great love. Your love is high and wide and long.” At that point, she took over and said,
“And it’s fat and deep, so deep we are scared to go in but we need to.”
I was awestruck at her words! As a six year-old, she voiced what many adults can’t—the fact that God’s love scares us, and even though we want to enter in, the depth of the love keeps us away.
It just seems too deep, too dangerous; we don’t know what’s down there. And should we want to retreat, we fear we won’t be able to escape. That’s really what we’re looking for—a way out—should it not work out. We don’t want to open our hearts to God’s love and then discover we can’t close them as if the seal was never broken. And so we avoid the depths.
But we miss what we really need.
To anyone on the verge, you can trust Him. He’s what you need.
That’s wisdom from a six year-old.
Last night as I was tucking our daughter into bed, I prayed with her. It went something like this:
“Dear God, thank you for your great love. Your love is high and wide and long.” At that point, she took over and said,
“And it’s fat and deep, so deep we are scared to go in but we need to.”
I was awestruck at her words! As a six year-old, she voiced what many adults can’t—the fact that God’s love scares us, and even though we want to enter in, the depth of the love keeps us away.
It just seems too deep, too dangerous; we don’t know what’s down there. And should we want to retreat, we fear we won’t be able to escape. That’s really what we’re looking for—a way out—should it not work out. We don’t want to open our hearts to God’s love and then discover we can’t close them as if the seal was never broken. And so we avoid the depths.
But we miss what we really need.
To anyone on the verge, you can trust Him. He’s what you need.
That’s wisdom from a six year-old.
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