Imperfect, but Being Perfected

This morning I read 1 Samuel 27, the passage when David and his men fled to the land of the Philistines to seek refuge from King Saul.  After ingratiating himself with Achish the king, David persuaded him to give him some land.  Achish complied and gave David the town of Ziklag.  For the space of time David remained in Philistine territory, he lived a double life.  He was outwardly loyal to Achish but secretly remained loyal to Israel and God.  He and his men would go on raids of the native inhabitants of the land and when asked by Achish David would lie, "Oh, we went on a raid in the south of Judah."  He would give some of the spoil to Achish, who became absolutely convinced of David's allegiance and sword.

I think some can make the mistake of seeing a God-fearing man like David playing the hypocrite and believe this scriptural account is an endorsement of this behaviour.  I do not believe David was right in living a double life, and I do not believe God in any way endorses hypocrisy.  Just because something is recorded in scripture does not mean what happened was good or right.  God can redeem all evils, but we should never use scripture to justify sin.  The Bible is unique in that God does not sanitise His people.  We employ great effort to hide our warts, but God lays even wicked motives bare for all to see.  He does not withhold the truth to make His disciples appear blameless.  The fact that Barnabas and Saul had a fierce contention does not mean we should justify contentions with brothers and sisters in Christ!  Barnabas and Saul contended with each other because they were sinners, human beings reliant upon the grace of God for salvation.  Even men filled with the Holy Spirit make mistakes.  I will even risk the fallacy of personal experience to unequivocally affirm this point!

I believe the account of David living a double life in Ziklag is a warning to all who will heed.  David was a man after God's own heart, but this did not spare him from making sinful decisions with catastrophic results.  The move to Gath was not because David sought the LORD.  It was a natural response to his fear of death, not faith in God.  I think it is most significant that for the year plus David was in Ziklag, not once do we read of him inquiring of the LORD.  Because David did not seek the LORD and did what was right in his own eyes, he was likely blind to his own hypocrisy.  He justified his choice to co-habitate with the enemy by fighting for Israel in secret.  Perhaps he even saw his successful raids as proof of God's favour!  We do not read of David inquiring of God at all until Ziklag was burned to the ground, his wives kidnapped, all his possessions were stolen, and all his men wanted to kill him!  That is what it took to bring David to his senses.  Sometimes it takes tragedy and loss for us to see our great need for God.

Out of distress, David fled to Gath.  He went about things the wrong way.  It took disaster for David to seek God again.  1 Samuel 30:6 reads, "Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God."  I think, "Ah David, why didn't you strengthen yourself in God before seeking refuge with the enemy and living in hypocrisy?"  I find David does not need to answer, because in his situation I see myself.  Have I always seen my mistake of trusting myself instead of finding strength and guidance from God?  Of course not.  God is willing to bring us low so we might look to Him.  That time in Ziklag was not wasted time but a teaching moment God employed so David might never, ever seek refuge in anyone else but Him.  Never again did God want David to do what was right in his own eyes.  After this incident, David sought God often.  There were bumps along the way, but a valuable lesson was learned:  one learned only through such a catastrophic failure.  God's people will learn our lessons when we respond through the exercise of faith in God.

The Troubled Heart

"Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe."

 1 Samuel 24:5

Observe the tenderness evident in the man after God's own heart!  When King Saul persecuted and pursued David, seeking to kill him, David was presented with an opportunity to kill Saul.  Men loyal to David goaded him on, telling him that moment was a fulfillment of God's word to deliver all his enemies into his hand.  Yet David refused to kill Saul and would not allow any of his men to do so.  Instead, he cut a piece from Saul's clothing as a sign he had opportunity to kill Saul but did not.  It seemed justifiable to David at the time as a sign he harboured no ill will against Saul.

But later, David was troubled by his actions.  He was convicted by the Holy Spirit and regretted what he had done.  He would not lift up a finger against God's anointed, nor even speak poorly of him:  how dare he damage Saul's robe?  Some would have felt justified in killing Saul in cold blood, yet David was deeply convicted over simply cutting a piece of Saul's fabric!  God convicts people of sin that extends far beyond the limited reaches of the Law because it aims at the heart.  Even when David showed great restraint, God wounded his conscience and taught him a deeper lesson still.

May our hearts be smitten even when we think of evil, before our sword is unsheathed and damage done.  Often we do not perceive our actions as evil because we have justified them according to the twisted perspective of the flesh.  It is only afterward our hearts are troubled because we realise we have done wrong in God's sight.  Remorse and regret are wayfaring professors who will do us much future good if we will heed their lessons now.  Acknowledgement of past failures according to God's standard is the first step towards walking in a biblical, God-fearing manner in the future.  When our hearts are troubled because of our sin, let us repent before God and man.  May we humble ourselves and take correction as obedient children before a loving Father who seeks to restore.

God receives the repentant with a smile and open arms.  Rejoice when convicted, O sinner, for in that moment God speaks.  What grace that He communicates such instruction to us!  Let us take to heart His correction and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, though the entire world counsel us otherwise.

When God Overrules

It has been nearly three years since God moved me and my family from southern California and transplanted us in Sydney.  I can say by God's grace we are looking healthy as a unit, like a well-established tree.  The leaf-casting season was short, and I'm not aware our leaves even drooped as we drew up water through well-tilled earth!  Our roots have shot down deep into good soil, and the loving Body of Christ has been a huge part of that on both sides of the Pacific.  We have had exceptional support from family, friends, and from so many at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  When I think of all God has done from establishing the boys at a great school, strengthening my marriage, and granting us permanent residency, I am in awe.

For almost the entire time our family have been in Australia, we have lived in one house.  It was certainly a God-send, granted at the time we needed it most.  There have been issues scattered over that time with an occasional repair required, but for the most part we have been without complaints.  Of course on those super hot days air conditioning would have been nice, but we've also become more acclimated to Sydney weather!  A couple months ago, we received a notice our rent would be increasing.  Laura decided it would be good to test the renting market and see if we could find a comparable house for less money.  Now I am one of those people who really don't like to move.  I would rather go to the dentist every day for a week than pack everything up, change our address with more people and businesses than I care to count, and deal with the hassle of unpacking, arranging, re-arranging, and hanging pictures.  How long will it take me to learn where things are in the kitchen?  I don't even want to think about it.

For the past couple months, Laura has been checking online, going to open houses, and us boys tagged along for a few.  The more houses we saw, the more I was convinced what we have been paying - even with the increase - was excellent value for money.  So many of the houses we saw were beat up rentals with too many problems:  garages converted to shabby rooms, exterior doors that scraped so hard on the tile they won't open, carpets that resembled a spattered crime scene, and no storage whatsoever.  Even Laura had pretty much resolved to stay at our place, something I was resolved to do before she ever started looking.

But then one house came up which caught Laura's attention.  It was a comparable size and relatively close to the boy's school.  There were some sizable concessions (detached garage without an automatic opener, electric cooktop, and a much older house), but there were also pluses:  single storey, air conditioning, less than a one minute walk to a park, and located in a cul-de-sac with a pool - all for $80 less a week than we had been paying for our current home.  Laura filled out the application and we arrived at the open house Saturday and were greeted by a gaggle of well-dressed prospective renters.  As I saw all the people, I assumed most of those folks were in a far more financially viable position and was fairly confident we wouldn't stand a chance.  At that moment I figured the only way we could have a sniff at the property is if God miraculously opened the door.  And to be honest, I didn't want Him to.

Does that sound bad?  I don't know if it is or isn't.  But I know you can be very honest with God.  Your honesty doesn't offend Him.  Honesty can offend people, but not my heavenly Father!  The fact was, I was very comfortable in our home and did not welcome the aggravation and stress that comes with moving house.  I would be happy to stay in a comfortable, predictable environment and trust for God to provide for our needs right where we were, which He has been graciously doing.  So as I drove away with admittedly selfish motives I prayed, "LORD, I pray we won't get that house.  What a pain to have to move."  Now my wife and I have an agreement we have made with God:  if He opens the door, we will walk through it.  In our minds, the only way the door to renting that property would occur if God opened the door.  I continued on through the day, thinking very little about the property.  Consider my surprise when Laura sent me a text message with three words:  "We got it."  Laura later told me she had just put down a deposit, and we had been chosen out of 25 other applicants.  I was more than surprised.  I was more like, "Oh no!" but not in a bad way.  Obviously God had overruled my plan.  He opened the door to that rental property, and I am delighted to walk through that door.  What are my shortsighted plans compared to God's?

This morning I was laughing to myself.  How ironic that I would uproot my family from San Diego and move to Sydney, only to balk at moving to another suburb!  The fact is, God has every right to order my steps and tell me where to live.  This morning I read in 1 Samuel 22:5:  "Now the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth."  Fearing for his life, David had gone to the land of Moab and stayed with the king in his stronghold.  But God sent the prophet Gad to tell David not to remain there, though Saul sought his life, and to go to the land of Judah.  Obediently, David did as God commanded him.  This move certainly required faith for David, seeing as there remained only a step between him and death.  Yet God was gracious to protect and provide for David, as He will for our family as well.  God will never mislead or trick us.  The children of Israel were reliant upon the presence of God leading them in the desert, and the leading of the Holy Spirit is the same for Christians concerning our actions as well as where we live.  Moving for me is an act of faith, and I know God will use it for good.

It is a good thing to consider:  when you are overruled by God, will you choose to obey and rejoice?  For me my joy was not immediate, but I tell you the truth:  what peace, joy, and delight is found when we choose to obey and rest in God's will.  He knows us and the struggles we will face.  He will see us through every one and bring us to His desired end.  It will be difficult at times and it will not always be comfortable.  But what a joy to know that God is leading, directing, and upholding us by His gracious love.  I am praising God for the provision of a place to stay, and I covet your prayers as we prepare to move in the next few weeks.  Glory to God, for He rules over all!

On Spiritual Fitness

Our family recently signed up for private health insurance.  There were many reasons we did so.  The primary reason was that if we did not to opt for private health insurance in Australia within the first 12 months of being permanent residents, there would be a sizable rate increase we would have to pay for the rest of our lives.  Basically, the government strongly advocates private health care as well as public.  The cost of private health care through Bupa is about half of what we were paying for international health care through Aetna, so we're actually saving money!

There are many benefits to private health coverage I was aware of, but there was a promotion I was not aware of.  After signing up for Bupa, we were given the choice of three gifts:  a $200 New Balance shoe vocher, 20 movie tickets, or a Fitbit One wireless activity and sleep tracker.  After mulling over the options, we decided to go with the Fitbit One.  It's an amazing piece of technology, very small and clever.  It keeps track of how many steps you take, calories burned, distance walked and incline climbed.  The tracker syncs with your mobile device and computer, keeping track of how you are doing.  It notifies you when you have reached a goal and new goals can be set.  You are able to input exactly what foods you eat and how much water you drink.  Strap it on your wrist at night and it keeps track of how long you were in bed and how long you were restless or awake.  My, the things I'm learning about myself!

What is great about this device is not only that it keeps track of what you do, but it also pushes you on to do more.  It is a silent encouragement in my pocket to be more active and to consider my health with eating and drinking choices.  I thought to myself:  what if we did the same with our Christian walk?  It might be very useful to know how long I have prayed, how much screen time I have had during the evenings, and how often my mind intentionally considered scripture.  After walking yesterday and looking at how many calories I burned, I was unimpressed:  "I only burned 130 calories after all that?!!" (I did go over 3,000 for the day)  I wonder how many of us actually gauge how effective our spiritual exercises are.  Our means of measuring is far more subjective.  But we don't need to clip devices on our pockets to be able to answer these pertinent questions:  what did God say to me in prayer?  How can I apply that passage to my life today?  Am I intentional in sharing my faith with others?  Do I have new stories about how God has revealed Himself to me?  We need to take careful stock of our spiritual health, even as it is beneficial to carefully observe our activities, food choices, and sleeping habits.

How spiritually healthy are you?  What sort of things are you putting in your mind?  Are you standing strong in the LORD and in the power of His might?  Are you utilising the gifts God has entrusted to you?  If all we did is eat without exercise, we would balloon up.  If all we do is gain knowledge through scripture without putting it into practice, we become the equivalent of a couch-potato Christian - someone who impacts furniture more than people.  Let's get moving!  We all have room to grow in Christ, and He will lead the way.  We cannot only be content with what we have done yesterday, but be spurned on to do more today for God's glory!