Tender Heart

 Hezekiah sought after God. His son Manasseh did not. Manasseh became king when he was only 12 years old. He reigned 55 long years. The Bible paints a pretty grim picture of his monarchy in II Kings 21. We are not given any details why he turned from the godly example of his father. 

Here are a few things he did. He did evil in the sight of the LORD. He erected altars to pagan gods. He made an Asherah. He built pagan altars in the house of the LORD. He provoked the LORD to anger. He actually set the carved image of the Asherah in the temple. He did these wicked things for 55 long years. 

Questions arise as to why God allowed this wickedness to continue for so long. Why didn't God judge Manasseh and remove him from office? We may not understand the ways of God. Israel chose to leave God in pursuit of idolatry and God allowed it. He also judged it. 

Manasseh's son eventually succeeded him on the throne. His name was Amon. He also did evil in the sight of God. He only reigned for two years before his servants conspired to murder him. That left a young eight year old boy to be the next king of Judah. Eight years old. 

We learn in [II Kings 22:2] that Josiah, who ruled at eight years old, did right in the sight of God. What made the difference? Why did Manasseh and Amon rebel against God and young Josiah, who grew up in idolatry and abominations, loved God? I will leave that question for other theologians.

When Josiah was 18, he wanted to get a count of the treasury in the temple. While counting the offerings the priest found the book of the law. Don't just skim over that word found. The connotation is that the book of the law had been lost in the Temple and unread by even the scribes and the priests. When the book of law was read to Josiah he grieved over how far Judah had departed from God. It grieved Him. He cried out to God. God relented from judging Judah under Josiah's reign. In [11 Kings 22:19] one of the reasons God gave for his reprieve from judgment was that Josiah had a tender heart when he heard the words of God. 

I wonder if our hearts are equally tender to the word of God. We certainly have access to it in America. Many households own multiple copies of the Bible. That does not ensure they are read or studied. Half of the United States attend worship services occasionally. That does not mean the word of God is preached, listened to and certainly not obeyed in daily living by all attenders. 

I want to be like King Josiah, who even has a teenager, had a tender heart for the word of God. I want to remain pliable in the Master's hands allowing Him to sculpt me however it would please Him. We need churches, political leaders, financial experts, and people in the media who would be tender to the word of God. We need people who will repent and adjust their lives according to the laws of God. If we do not have that I fear America is destined for doom. 

I Can't Forgive Myself

 I just met Bryan (not his real name). He attended a Bible study I also attended. His first words were, "I just can't forgive myself. I am ashamed and condemned." I asked if anyone else in the room felt the same way. Hands shot up everywhere and heads nodded in affirmation. With those sad words in mind I prayed silently for God to show me where to go in our study. 

I felt impressed to go to the rich chapter in Romans 5. Especially focusing on verses 7-9. The worth of something is determined often by what people are willing to pay for it. If that is true, God determined that our worth led Him to sacrifice His only Son to purchase our redemption. The proof of His love is that Jesus died for us. 

Talking about love, forgiveness, worth, salvation, and grace resonated all over the room. People from all different walks of life. Different backgrounds but a common need for God's grace. When it was all said and done, I concluded the study by asking if God is willing to forgive us for our trespasses, who are we to say we cannot forgive ourselves. Are we saying we know better than God. We do not deserve forgiveness. We certainly did not earn it. It is a free gift of unmerited grace. Amazing Grace. We embrace it by faith. 

God offers forgiveness instead of condemnation. [Rom 8:1] He offers righteousness in place of trespasses. [II Cor 5:21] He embraces us as sons and daughters instead of shunning us as enemies when we submit humbly to Him for redemption. God offers eternal and abundant life in place of low living. 

Jesus rescued four souls yesterday from their sin saving them from the wrath of God forever. Four who couldn't forgive themselves, but found God's forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus. God had more joy over those four souls saved than our regular Sunday morning worship gathering. I thank God that He forgives people who cannot see fit to forgive themselves. Glory to His name. 

Mind Blowing Work of God

 We trudge through life keeping the same routines and operating in the same old rhythms mundanely day after day. Just ordinary day with ordinary activities. Such ordinary days can almost lull us to sleep spiritually. We crack open our same old Bibles, pray our same old prayers, and worship in our same old ways. We do not expect much from God and typically do not see Him working in powerful ways. 

Every once in a while God does something mind blowing revealing His supernatural power and waking us from our spiritual slumber. I had that experience four nights ago. After another predictably busy Sunday, I geared up for a week where I had commitments four nights in a row. I was probably least excited about the commitment on Monday night. A gathering of preachers to discuss things that held no particular interest to me. 

Toward the end of the meeting, the guy leading it asked if I could stay behind to visit with for a few moments. Let me say up front that in a million years I would never have guessed the mind blowing work of God and opportunity this guy presented to me. I am not at liberty to say what we discussed. It had nothing to do with me leaving Spring Creek. It was such a mind blowing moment that I sat stunned for a few moments. It was hard to take it all in. 

God showed up in such a mighty way in what otherwise was a pretty ordinary day. The revelation of His power in that moment humbled me. Awed me at how great He really is. 

I know many of you want to know what happened. All in due time. Some things have to wait for God's timing like this issue. I never saw the powerful work of God coming. He showed up in such a strong way that I left our little impromptu meeting astonished at the ways of God. When He says nothing is impossible with Him that is true. We tend to forget this in our ordinary days. He has the power and still does the extraordinary. 

You never know when He is going to show up in an extraordinary way and do something mind boggling on any given ordinary day. It makes walking with Him and serving Him such a great adventure. It makes the ordinary days go by with greater contentment when you anticipate God showing up in extraordinary ways. What will He do next? I sit on the edge of my seat in anticipation. 

You Never Know What A Day Will Bring

 We had settled for the evening preparing to eat dinner when my phone rang. It was dear friend and former college roommate. He called with tragic news. One of our college classmates died and he wanted to know if I knew about it since I am close to the family. I had not heard anything. 

We called him "Tex." He was a cowboy. Not the pretend kind with the hat and boots. He grew up roping and ranching with his father. He knew all the lingo. Wore starched wranglers, button down shirts and boots. We became friends when God called him to preach. We were polar opposites. He was gregarious and me more introverted. He could charm anyone. He had blue eyes and a smile as broad as west Texas from where he came. He could make us laugh. He was the life of the party. I seldom even showed up to the party but somehow God connected us. 

One semester we dropped a sofa from his third story dorm room by looping two lariat ropes around each end and lowering it down. That sure made a lot more sense to us than carrying it down three flights of stairs. I guess it never dawned on us that we could drop it. It made it safely to the bottom. 

Tex got a small pastorate while in college. His father was a pastor. God used Tex. I still remember meeting his father on the campus of Howard Payne University. That struck up a friendship between a seasoned pastor and a novice tat has lasted over three decades Tex and I shared many meals and private conversations. We lived together one summer in a house with a few other guys. Our bond was tight. 

Tex got bit by a mosquito on 2015. He contracted West Nile virus. He nearly died. The virus attacked his brain causing severe brain trauma. From that point on he never lived one second without severe migraine headaches. He averaged about two to three hours of sleep a night for the past eight years. 

Tex had to retire from preaching as a young man. He was just hitting his stride He could not concentrate and be around large crowds of people for extended periods. It drained him. The few times I was around him the last few years his personality had changed. He did not have the same sparkle in his blue eyes and prolonged conversations really taxed him. He often had to get up and walk away to not have to concentrate making is constant headaches even more severe. He suffered night and day. Still he pushed on. He started a thriving business. Worked hard and saw it grow despite his constant pain. 

News of his death shocked me. I just talked to Tex's dad a few hours before Tex died. It is all surreal. Tex was actually two years younger than me. He was so beloved his memorial service will be held in the high school gymnasium. It is a sad time. My brother is no longer suffering. He is safe in the arms of Jesus. His first sight after eight years of chronic pain was Jesus. He instantly was pain free for the first time in a long time. He leaves behind a broken shell of a body, a beloved wife, three grown daughters and two loving parents,  but his soul his free. No more pain. No more tears/ My brother is free. I am shocked and saddened by his sudden home going. I am also rejoicing. 

My heart hurts for the grieving family left behind. I celebrate that my friend is with Jesus. 

Tex's father told me his back door opened and a sheriff's deputy walked in. The father knew instantly something bad was wrong. The deputy informed his oldest son was dead. It was Tex's father who told me, "You never know what a day will bring. What a knock on the door or the ring of the telephone will bring. We have cried gallons of tears. We have an inner peace though."

I am not sure what I would say or how I would respond in that situation. I hope I would hold to my faith dearly. I hope I would not cave in and crater. I hope I would cling to Jesus and stand firm in the faith even on those days when you never know what it will bring. Some days triumphs. Some days tragedies. God is still on the throne for both.