30 Days through Scriptures: Day 10

Ecclesiastes 3, 1 Kings 17-18, 2 Kings 5, Joel 2, Jonah 3-4

When I was in Sunday School as a child, I always thought it would be awesome to be a prophet. I could be fed by ravens, call down fire from heaven, heal people of diseases, bring people back to life, speak God's word, get eaten by fish and survive, etc.

How cool would it be to have God give you that kind of power? Everyone would love you. People would be lining up to see your "magic tricks." I thought it would be the life.

But then as I grew up and actually read these stories for myself, I realized that I would hate being a prophet. Prophets had no friends. Prophets were rejected by their communities. People only came to them if they needed something. 90% of what God told you to report to the kings was that God was mad and was about to punish Israel or Judah.

I always wondered why people called Jeremiah "the weeping prophet." Then, I read Jeremiah once. Of course you will cry all the time if people beat the snot out of you every time you give God's message.

If you look at just these stories from today, Elijah is so alone and hungry that people won't feed him. God has to send ravens to bring him food. Elijah would be dead if God didn't intervene.

Elijah then goes to the mountain and turns Israel's hearts back to God. Best day ever... right? Wrong. As soon as Israel repents, Elijah has to run for his life because Jezebel is trying to murder him. In fact, Elijah gets so depressed that is ready to take his own life.

Naaman shows up at Elisha's house and God won't even let Elisha go out to see him. And then Naaman doesn't even want to obey Elisha because he is so offended that it is something as simple as dipping in the river. Then, when Naaman is healed, he comes back and Elisha can't have any presents. God gets all the glory and Elisha gets none, plus he doesn't get to be rich. That kind of shoots down the prosperity gospel.

Joel gets the honor and privilege of telling Israel that God is going to completely wipe out their food supply/livelihood by sending a swarm of locusts. I'm sure that made him a lot of friends.

Jonah decides that he doesn't like what God has to say, so he chooses not to say it. He ends up trying to kill himself instead of preaching to Nineveh. God doesn't let it happen and Jonah ends up preaching repentance. Nineveh turns to God and what is Jonah's response? He is ticked off that God would forgive them.

So, I ask you 7-year-old Brent... which part of being a prophet do you think is cool? Is it the no friends part? Is it the run for your life part? Is it the beatings? Is it the poverty?

Maybe Sunday School Brent grew up and realized that being a prophet isn't so cool after all. And what became of Sunday School Brent? He grew up to be youth pastor Brent. It's not quite as severe, but still...

30 Days through Scriptures: Day 9

1 Kings 8, Psalm 84, Proverbs 4, 10, 12, Song of Songs 2

There once was a man. He was a very wise man. And this wise man's name was Solomon.

Solomon was not your typical leader of a country. He did not have hundreds of advisers telling him what the wisest decision was. In fact, Solomon advised other kings and rulers with his wisdom.

Just imagine if Barack Obama had the wisdom of Solomon. We wouldn't need the "political machine" that has been created in America. Obama would make the wisest decision and we would all agree with his ruling.

That clearly isn't politics in the USA today. We vote for "the lesser of two evils," and then complain about the person voted for (whether we won or not).

The biggest reason for this is because we are voting for human beings. We are voting for a man (or woman) to lead us. We are not seeking God's leader... we are seeking the leader I like best. And then when God puts a leader in place, we don't want to follow them anyways.

Solomon had it all different. He was king. Nobody questioned him (and if they did they were put to death). And while this doesn't seem like a "fair" situation, God appointed Solomon to be king of Israel.

God then gave Solomon wisdom to rule the people. Think about that... Solomon never made an unwise ruling. Solomon never had to apologize for a mistake.

For those of us who know the end of the story, Solomon became very "greedy." He had over 1000 women who were either his wife or concubine. He started to love Solomon more than he loved God. And in the end, his sons divided Israel and led 2 separate nations.

So the moral of the story, humans are humans. God is God. Humans are not God (except Jesus... but He is the exception to all rules). When you go to the polls to vote for President, realize that you are voting for a human. When that President is over-worked, stressed-out and in over his (or her) head, realize that he (or she) is a human.

Our leaders are not God. They get tired. They make poor decisions. They make mistakes. They don't know the end results. And once in a while (just like me and you), they get it right.

So, pray for your leaders. They need just as much prayer as the rest of us. Forgive your leaders. They need it just as much as you. Help your leaders. They need people to help them too. And most of all, support your leaders. You can't do it alone... and they can't do it alone.

30 Days through Scriptures: Day 8

Psalm 103, 2 Samuel 11-12, Psalm 51, 139, 1 Kings 3

Another day with David... interesting that it took only 6 days to get from Adam to David and then we read about him for 2 straight days. I think whoever made this "tour" likes David or something. Moses and David seem to be the main characters of the Bible so far. Luckily, we will be reading about the life of Jesus for about a week (I just looked ahead).

But the main story today, is the story of David and Bathsheba and the consequences it produced. If you don't know the story, here it is in a nut shell:

David sees Bathsheba. David likes Bathsheba. David sleeps with Bathsheba. Bathsheba gets pregnant. David kills Bathsheba's husband. David marries Bathsheba to cover his tracks. David thinks he is in the clear. Nathan exposes David's sin to the whole nation of Israel. David repents.

David writes the words of Psalm 51 during his time of repentance to God. His words in verse 10 are the words that I have had to say too many times... Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

David realizes that his heart is dirty. He realizes that he can't change his heart. And he begs God in Psalm 51 to change his heart. He begs God to make his heart repentant.

In my life, I see myself coming to God many times asking God to change my heart. I have a dirty, disgusting heart that needs to be purified. I am amazed that Keyla chooses to love me sometimes. I mean God is love... I know God loves me. But Keyla has a choice, and she chooses to love me.

It is something that I will never understand.

I think God put Keyla in my life to show me some of His love for me. His love that never ends. I can't even begin to comprehend what that means.

I've heard that when you become a parent you understand what God's love truly is. You love your child so much that they could never do anything to change that love... but I don't have kids yet.

I know this post is very scatter-brained... I'm sorry for that. I'm still trying to figure out what is going on in my head. Good luck to anyone who can put the pieces together and find the direction I took in this post.

30 Days through Scriptures: Day 7

1 Samuel 17, Psalm 19, 1 Samuel 20, Psalm 27, 2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 17

As I read these stories about David, it is clear to see that David has 2 sides to him. He is one of the greatest warriors of all time. He killed Goliath. He "allegedly" killed tens of thousands. He lead his mighty men into many battles and was victorious.

And he has a very sensitive side. He writes some of the most famous poems of all time. He writes songs. He wants to build God a permanent temple where they can praise God.

David is a man's man... and he is also a very passionate man. David is one of the most feared men in the history of war... and he is in touch with his emotions.

I was trying to think of a movie character that can accurately portray who David was and the best example I can think of is William Wallace (Braveheart). Braveheart starts the movie by falling in love with his wife. They get married and the next scene she is murdered.

The rest of the movie really seems to be a story of his passion for his wife turning into revenge as he leads the Scots into war against the English. Throughout the movie, we are reminded what he fighting for as he dreams of his wife and carries her "favor."

And then as the movie concludes and William Wallace eventually dies (sorry to ruin the ending of a 15 year old movie), in his hand he is holding that same favor. And as he dies, the camera watches the favor fall to the ground and William is now spending eternity with his love. And everything he did was because he knew she was watching.

David seems like Braveheart. He is a great warrior and he is very passionate. David isn't out to avenge the death of his wife, but he is fighting for God. And then as he worships God, he puts what he is feeling into some of the most beautiful poetry ever.

30 Days through Scriptures: Day 6

Those of you who have followed my blogs before know that blogging on weekends pretty much doesn't happen, and so I am a few days behind, so I am going to spend some time and catch up.

Judges 7, 16 Ruth 1, 1 Samuel 3, 16, Psalm 23

I find it very strange how different the people that God uses are. Today we read about Gideon, Samson, Ruth, Samuel, Saul, and David. 6 people with 6 completely different personalities and outcomes.

Gideon (as we read yesterday) starts his story by hiding in a cave. He is very reluctant to lead the Israelites. He struggles to trust God at all, in fact he "tests" God twice.

I personally think having an angel come and talk to me would be proof enough, but Gideon asks God to give him 2 miracles. So, Gideon is a very hesitant leader.

Samson is God's man from the day he was born. His mother probably told Samson his whole like that he was God's chosen leader. Samson never doubts himself or his strength.

And in the end, his pride leads to his destruction. Well pride... and womanizing. But even before Samson hooks up with Delilah, he is eating honey from a lion's carcass and "celebrating his wedding (probably involved alcohol)." God gives Samson 3 commands and Samson breaks all three.

Ruth isn't even Hebrew. Ruth is a Moabite. Yahweh isn't even her God, except through marriage. But Ruth is loyal to Naomi. Oh yeah, and she's a woman. In those days, women were "less human" than men. And she was a widow. She had the odds stacked against her, but she chose to follow God.

Samuel is an interesting story. His mother really, really, really wants a baby. God gives her Samuel and she gives him back to God. Samuel is being trained from a young age by Eli to be a priest of God. His whole life is preparing him to serve God.

Saul is voted king of Israel... because he is tall and good looking. Saul doesn't even want to be king, but the Israelites make him king. He follows God for a little while, but ends up rejecting God's laws and starts to be very hateful towards God's chosen man, David.

David comes from a big family. He is the youngest of 8 brothers. His father doesn't even think he is worthy to come to the house to see the prophet anoint one of his brothers. David is still out watching the sheep. Nobody would've picked David... except God.

6 different people... 6 different stories... 6 different backgrounds... and yet, God uses every single one of them.

Gideon takes 300 men into battle against a giant army, and God gives Gideon the victory.

Samson kills thousands of Philistines throughout his life and finally in his death and saves Israel.

Ruth ends up marrying Boaz and being the great grandmother of David.

Samuel spends his life serving God as a prophet. He anoints King Saul and King David. One of which turned out pretty well for Israel.

Saul obeys God for a little while and leads Israel to military victories. He ends up rejecting God and spending the last part of his life trying to kill David, who God has chosen as the next king.

David kills Goliath, becomes the most powerful king in the world, makes some big mistakes, but in the end... continues the family line (ironically through Bathsheba) that leads to the coming Messiah.

The only thing that these 6 people had in common was that at one point they chose to obey God. They all came from different backgrounds. They even came from different countries and ethnic groups. But when God called, they all said "yes." And God used them to change the world.

30 Days through Scriptures: Day 5

Deuteronomy 28, Joshua 2, 6-7, 24, Judges 6

I was talking to one of my best friends this morning and he was talking about how he was going through the Old Testament. He keeps seeing God being "harsh" (his words). And lately he has been seeing God in the OT, start to fit into the God of the NT.

I think the biggest mistake ("sin" seems to harsh, but is probably more accurate) the church in America has made is the Jesus we present to the world. We present Jesus as a nice guy who loves everybody and just wants to be your buddy.

And while Jesus is loving, He also had every aspect of the God we see in the Old Testament. The same God who sent His Son to die on the cross led the Israelites into war over and over and over again. The same God who loves you told Joshua to annihilate everyone in Jericho.

But in American churches, God just wants to be your buddy or your friend or something like that. That's not the God I see in the Bible.

How many times have we seen a preacher or evangelist beg the audience to accept Christ as Savior? How many times do we sing "just one more verse"?

What happened when people wanted to follow Jesus? He said "take up your cross and follow Me!" Whether that meant giving all your possessions to the poor or leaving your job and family or being homeless... Jesus said it's either all or nothing. And usually He wasn't to "kind" about it.

He didn't beg anyone to follow Him. In fact, He usually said "No, don't waste My time."

As I read God interact with Joshua and Gideon, He says "Trust Me with EVERYTHING!"

Joshua is a brand new leader and his great war plan is to walk around a city quietly for a week. God says "trust Me... even though it seems pointless." God tells Gideon to send home 99% of the troops that show up to fight (when they are already outnumbered 10 to 1 before the start).

But we know that Jericho's walls fell, and the Midianites slaughtered themselves. Only God could do that. God just wanted someone to trust Him with everything... He provided the victory.

30 Days through the Scriptures: Day 4

For those of you who like to debate the time of these posts... I am posting this one at 1:05am.

Exodus 32, Leviticus 26, Numbers 11, 14, Deuteronomy 4, 8

So, Moses has been on Mount Sinai for over a year talking to God... and the Israelites get bored. They create their own god in the shape of a calf.

This story has always amazed me. In fact, this whole generation blows my mind. They saw the 10 plagues, they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, every day they receive food out thin air... AND they see Moses talking to God.

And they can't be patient and wait to hear what God has to say. They make their own god. Blows my mind...

But then again, I'm a pastor and often times God isn't my number one priority. God has been talking to me about something for over a year now and I still haven't obeyed Him. I'm not much different than those Israelites.

So God gives them all these laws and rules... and then God gives them the future consequences. Obey and you will live in peace and be blessed. Disobey and God will correct you.

And within a couple months of hearing Moses' report from God... the Israelites choose disobey. Some people have to learn the hard way.

The problem is that this generation never learns. They complain about free food and run away from the Promised Land.

I wish I didn't have to be one of those people who learn the hard way. Why can't I just hear God Word and do what He says? Why do I always have to try (and fail) Brent's way one, two, three, fifty times before I obey God?

Deuteronomy 4 and 8 are very similar. Pretty much Moses is saying Obey God... Don't Forget God! When things are going poorly, obey God. When things are going great, obey God.

I think the hardest thing in life is handling success properly. Almost every single person who gets some success becomes prideful. Especially this author.

Pride is something I have always struggled (I wish I knew a word more powerful than struggle... maybe battled) with. I want to share a quick story where God really punched me in the face about this.

So, I was in Brazil with my youth group on a mission's trip. It was the last night where our group was doing skits and giving testimonies. I was speaking last and going to present the gospel. I had my speech all planned out. I was going to use 4 different Bible verses to share the gospel.

But I followed 3 testimonies and each of them used 1 of the 4 verses, so I was down to 1 verse. When I(we) finished, a few women came forward and accepted Christ as Savior. It was awesome to see God work.

But... Brent was kind of unhappy. The other teens had "stolen my thunder." God worked everything out and I was mad that it didn't go the way I planned. We got back to the place we were staying and I will still kind of upset.

And then I was using the bathroom and thinking about it and I came to this realization... it's not about me. It is about God. I came downstairs and joined the rest of the team for nighttime devos and just apologized to everyone for my attitude.

It was a good first step in a lifetime battle with my pride and love for Brent. It still isn't easy, but I am constantly dying to myself and giving God His glory.