struggles

1 Samuel 23-24 – How to Go High When They Go Low

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As children, we’re taught to play fair and do what’s right…even if no one else is…then things will turn out alright for us.

But what do you do when doing the right thing seems to make matters worse?

In 1 Samuel chapters 23 and 24, David is taking the high road and doing what’s right and honorable, yet matters keep getting worse.

  • David rescues a town of people, and they sell him out to King Saul. (1 Sam. 23:12)
  • David defeats Saul’s enemies (1 Sam. 23:5) yet Saul moves in to kill him. (1 Sam. 23:7-8)
  • David retreats from Saul, refusing to challenge or threaten him, yet Saul pursues David night and day. (1 Sam. 23:14)
  • David has the opportunity to kill Saul, yet chooses to show him honor instead. And still, Saul continues his homicidal pursuit of David.

How did David continue to take the high road rather than give Saul a taste of his own medicine?

  • David made God, not Saul, the object of his focus and asked God to show him what to do. (1 Sam. 23:2-6, 9-12)
  • David focused on God’s long-term plan, rather than his short-term relief. (1 Sam. 23:16-17)
  • David trusted God to rightly settle accounts, even if Saul didn’t. (1 Sam. 24:12,15)
  • Finally, David protected himself, while giving God time to work.

David had learned from his youth that his battles were not his to fight. He learned he should stay close and right with God and trust God to fight the battle. (1 Sam. 17:47)

What battle are you trying to fight in your own strength? What wrong are you trying to right in your own way? Perhaps David (and God) is trying to tell you something.

Numbers 33 – Are We There Yet?

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“Are we there yet?!” What parent hasn’t heard these nagging words from the back seat.

We all want to “get there.” So much so, that we fail to appreciate what’s happening on the journey. But when I read Numbers chapter 33, I’m reminded that our life is more about the journey than the destination. Long before you get to the destination, there’s…

  • The Start. Remember how exciting it was, as a child, to start a long journey? Starting felt like the best part. The car was packed, the house was locked, you felt the car back out of the drive, and you thought of all the things you would see.
  • The Stages. Once you started, the journey happened in stages. You stopped at: gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and parks. And these stops were necessary. You can’t make a long trip on one tank of gas and one meal. You must make it in stages.
  • The Struggles. Journeys usually include struggles. There are detours, flat tires, and traffic jams. There’s the kids fighting in the back seat: “They’re touching me!” “Do I have to sit next to them?!” “I don’t have enough room!” “You mean I have to sleep with them at the hotel?!”

For believers, the journey’s the same. There’s…

  • The Start. (Num. 33:3-4) Remember the excitement of starting your journey with Christ? Leaving an old way of life, anticipating new things, the unexplained confidence, etc.
  • The Stages. As believers, we make our journey in stages. (Num. 33:5-49) Some of the stages are unwelcoming and inhospitable, and we’re eager to move on. Other stages are like an oasis from which we never want to leave. Still, we must remember that until we see God face to face, we must move on to the next stage of the journey.
  • The Struggles. And our journey as believers will include difficulties. (Numbers 33:52-56) The struggle to take possession of what God wants to give us is a standard part of the journey. He will not hand it to us on a silver platter. We must roll up our sleeves, cross the river, and get to work. But some of the difficulties we bring upon ourselves, by not ridding our lives of things that don’t belong there.

So, when it comes to making the journey God wants you to make, stop focusing on the destination. Instead, buckle up for the long ride, expect some struggles, and change your question from, “Are we there yet?” to “Where are we now?”

How to Have the Perfect Marriage. Really!

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I know they say there’s no such thing as a perfect marriage. But what if there is? What if it’s possible to have the perfect marriage?

Some people think that to have the perfect marriage you have to marry the right person. But I don’t think that works. No one’s perfect, and with all the people out there, the odds of finding the right person is pretty slim.

I think to have a perfect marriage you have to do something different. You have to…

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What Makes a Good Marriage Story – Part 3: The Characters

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(The posts in this series have been adapted from the “Relentless Love” marriage seminar, created and taught by David McKinley and Bret Legg at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, TX.)

In this series, we are looking at your marriage as a story and what goes into making that story good.

We looked at the author of your marriage story and how the author determines the direction and the nature of the story. We also asked the question, “Who is the Author of your story?” Is it you? Is it you friends, family, or peers? Is it God, or is it fate?

Now let’s look at the main characters of the marriage story.

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How To Deal With Interrup…

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Everyone gets interrupted. It happens every day.

You start to do something and you get a call from that telemarketer you’re so fond of. You sit down at your computer to begin working and your email begins to ding as if you’ve just hit the jackpot on a slot machine in Vegas.  You’re getting one child ready for school when the other decides that the syrup on their pancakes would be a good medium for finger painting.

Interruptions are also a part of marriage.

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What’s A Good Marriage Look Like?

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Depositphotos_19059467_xsWhat’s a good marriage look like? Even if we don’t ask this question out loud, we all wonder what a good marriage really looks like. Maybe you have your own ideas about what a good marriage looks like. When you think about a good marriage, maybe you picture a husband and wife…

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