Category: Faith

Posted on

Never—It’s a Long Time

Those of you who know me are well aware of my passion for sports. If you follow college basketball, then you know that during late March/early April the NCAA holds its annual tournament, aptly named March Madness, to determine its champion. 16 teams are seeded in each of 4 regions by the selection committee. A team from each of the various conferences receives an automatic bid because it won its conference tournament. Due to upsets in those tournaments and also because not all conferences are created equal, there are teams that get into the tournament that most people have never even heard of.  These teams often get seeded at #16 and have to face #1 right out of the gate. This is a one and done tournament—winners advance, losers go home. On paper, these #16-seeded teams have no chance of winning their first game. In fact, up until 11 days ago, a #16 has NEVER beaten a #1 in the NCAA tournament. History was rewritten on March 16, 2018 when #16 UMBC stunned #1 Virginia in the first round of the tournament. Never is a long time, isn’t it?

This brings to mind the story of David and Goliath found in 1 Samuel 17. David was the baby and runt of his family. He was home tending sheep while his three oldest brothers were out fighting the Philistines with the rest of the Israelite army. His father sent him out to deliver food and check on his brothers one day.

As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.

1 Samuel 17:23-24

Goliath taunted the Israelite army on a daily basis. As a result, King Saul was offering a huge reward to anyone who killed this giant.

David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’                                                                                                                     

1 Samuel 17:26

 When David’s question made its way to Saul, David was called before the king.

“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”                                                                                                      

1 Samuel 17:32-33

David persisted and laid out his qualifications, or rather God’s, before King Saul:

The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”

1 Samuel 17:37

Saul provided David with armor for the battle, but it only made David uncomfortable because it didn’t fit well. So, he picked up 5 stones and put them in his bag. Armed with only his staff and sling, David headed across the valley to take on Goliath. He was greeted by more taunting from the giant.

David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord ’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

                                           1 Samuel 17:45-47

And that’s exactly what happened…

As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.

1 Samuel 17:48-51

The odds were stacked against both UMBC and David. On paper, neither had a chance of winning the battle before them. That didn’t deter them though. Instead, they faced the overwhelming challenge head on. UMBC may not have been the most talented team on the court that night, but whatever deficit they faced in skill, they made up for with belief and determination. They didn’t take the court that night hoping not to be blown out by Virginia. They took the court believing they could BEAT Virginia! Likewise, David was not the better equipped of the two. He didn’t even have a sword. He went to battle knowing it wasn’t his battle to win, but rather God’s. He believed with all his heart that God would rescue him from the Philistine.

These stories inspire me. And they convict me. Is there some part of your life where the odds are stacked against you? What is your response? Admittedly, I often keep my expectations low so as not to be disappointed. It’s like a defense mechanism of sorts. I don’t have any trouble cheering on others in their battles though. My walk doesn’t always align with my talk. I believe His promises are true for everyone else, but struggle to believe they are true for me too. Maybe you have similar struggles. I pray these stories renew your faith in the One who makes the impossible possible.

In Mark 9:23, after being questioned by the father of a demon-possessed boy as to whether he could do anything for the boy, Jesus says, “Everything is possible for the one who believes.”

May we all have the same mindset as the team from University of Maryland – Baltimore County and the faith of David.

In this final weekend of March Madness, we have #11 Loyola-Chicago taking on Michigan in one of the semifinal games for the right to advance to the championship game on Monday night. An eleven seed has NEVER made it to the final game. But, we already learned that NEVER is a long time, didn’t we?

Posted on

Messy Roads

Winter can be messy, not to mention cold. I was heading up the mountain to Somerset a few weeks ago and got behind a coal truck. The road was dirty and slightly wet from the salt and melting snow. The combination made the car’s windshield wiper fluid my MVF—-Most Valuable Friend. There was just enough mess on my windshield that I needed to use the wipers occasionally. Unfortunately, the wipers made the mess even worse. Have you been there? Since being able to see the road comes in handy while driving, I needed that wiper fluid desperately.

Life gets messy too, doesn’t it? As Pastor Chris frequently reminds us at Charter Oak Church, “everybody’s dealing with something.” In the middle of our mess we sometimes take charge, turn on the windshield wipers, and make an even bigger mess. As I was driving up the mountain that day, it occurred to me that the wiper fluid is symbolic of Jesus in the lives of His children. He’s our MVF and more! When we confess Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, He cleans us up.

“he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”                                     Titus 3:5 NLT

But He doesn’t stop there.

Without the wiper fluid that day, I would have been hard-pressed to stay on the road. At times I could barely see through the mess on my windshield. When the “somethings” in our lives cloud the path, Jesus stands ready, willing, and able to show us the way.

“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”                                       Psalms 32:8 NLT

There’s a little more to the story.

I had windshield wiper fluid that day, but without my pressing the button to activate the pump and wipers, it would have done me no good. Similarly, we play a role in activating Jesus in our lives. We must seek Him and His guidance. Care to join me?

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.”                                                                                                    Psalms 25:4 NLT

 

 

Posted on

Sacrifice Before Glory

My small group has been studying the book of Philippians and our most recent lesson focused in on Chapter 2 Verses 1-11. Throughout this passage, Paul encouraged the Philippians to be more like Jesus.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”                                    Philippians 2:3-5 NLT

It’s not easy, is it? I think, as humans, we’re selfish by default. I can’t speak for you, but I tend to remember when someone puts my needs ahead of their own. Humility doesn’t come easily either. We’re a prideful bunch! Jesus did it all perfectly while He walked this earth, because He was God. He would later make the ultimate sacrifice and die a criminal’s death on a cross.

But death did not have the last word—

“God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”                                                                                                                          Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

If I had to sum up (and I like to do that) the whole point of the lesson it would be that sacrifice comes before glory. It was true for Jesus—He was the ultimate example.  It is also true for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I love when I can connect the dots. While we were driving home from my husband’s grandmother’s funeral last week it struck me that, other than Jesus Himself, she has to rank right up there as one of the best examples I could ever have of what sacrifice before glory looks like. By the time I met her nearly 30 years ago, Gram had already been firmly entrenched in modeling sacrifice daily as the primary caregiver for her disabled husband. That continued until his death in 1993 and she did it all with a smile. She was a lady of great faith and loved her family with all she had. It almost seems like we lost her twice because Alzheimer’s robbed her of her memory several years ago, and now we’ve lost her physical presence too. Lost isn’t a good choice of words though, is it? No—she’s not lost at all. We know exactly where she is. She’s with Jesus.

First, the sacrifice, then the glory! I can’t think of anyone more deserving of that glory.

In loving memory of Freda “Little Gram” Leipold
October 21, 1924 – December 26, 2016

 

Posted on

(in)dependence

Dependence-Day

In this world you will have trouble…                                                 (John 16:33 NIRV)

You may not remember being a toddler yourself, but have you ever witnessed one expressing his newfound independence with the words, “I can do it myself!”? That thought generally continues far beyond the age of 2. In fact, I’m still struggling with it 50 years later. Oh, how the enemy loves that attitude! It feeds right into his plans to separate us from God.

As parents, we want our children to be able to stand on their own two feet and become independent adults. That’s a great goal, but perhaps we should be more specific and limit the object of that independence to people. No matter our age, trying to “do it ourselves” leads to pride and drives a wedge between us and our Creator.

When trouble strikes and the burdens are mounting, we quickly find that we can’t do it ourselves. Well, okay, maybe not quickly. I will admit, I often try to fix it myself first. Perhaps you do too. That’s not the way God drew it up though. He wants us to live in dependence on Him, not independent of Him. God doesn’t want us depending on anyone else. Humans will fail us; He won’t. While the enemy wants nothing more than for us to think we alone can handle whatever trouble finds us, Jesus says,

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”           -Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Are you tired of trying to go it alone? Weary from hauling around your burdens? This promise is for you. Jesus wants to lighten your load and give you rest. He simply asks that you come to Him. That’s a pretty good deal, don’t you think?

But wait, it gets better! I never completed my opening verse. Yes, we WILL have trouble here on earth. Jesus then says,

“But cheer up! I have won the battle over the world.”                        (John 16:33 NIRV)

Or, in the words of a dear friend, “I read the end of the book. We win!”

Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross and dying for my sins so that I may have life and have it in abundance. Help me to fully understand that you are all I need. If I stay focused and seek you above all else, you will meet my needs. Help me do my part and, by faith, trust you to do yours. Amen.