by David Scott Robertson
MURFREESBORO, TN - January 27, 2005 - Middle distance runner David S. Robertson broke a world record today in the 5-mile run at Middle Tennessee State University's indoor track. The official time was 39:04:05. The record-breaking dash undercut the Olympic record by 3.25 seconds and the world record by a full two seconds. It was a personal best for Robertson at this distance.
ESPN2 caught up with Robertson at the finish line to capture these remarks:
* * *
ESPN2: Congratulations, David! Do you realize you've broken the Olympic record and the world record with tonight's performance?
ROBERTSON (breathing hard): Yes, I'm aware of that! It's also my personal best.
ESPN2: The crowd was certainly behind you tonight.
ROBERTSON: I appreciate that. I want to dedicate my new personal best time to the boys in the Lazarus Project, a ministry of the Hope Center. I'd like to dedicate the new Olympic record to my wife, Monica, and my daughter, Abigail. And I'd like to dedicate the new world record to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
ESPN2: Your run was incredible! You really turned it on that last 1,000 meters coming from fourth place to first to run right into the record books.
ROBERTSON: I'd like to give credit where credit is due…my Coach was with me every step of the way…my Coach's name is the Lord Jesus Christ…
ESPN2: Reporting live from MTSU, this is Randy Kazopolis, back to you, Bob,
at Sports Central.
* * *
The above scenario has been brought to you by my imagination. Most of it is true. My name is Robertson. I did run 5 miles at MTSU in roughly 39:04:05. There towards the end of my run I did jog past an old woman in Spandex, two college co-eds with pony tails, and what looked like a retired chemistry professor. Later, in the shower, I did actually dedicate my "personal best" and two "records" to those I mentioned. The only thing missing was ESPN2 and an audience.
I've discovered that for me it's fun and motivating to imagine what I would do and say if I were suddenly thrust into the spotlight for my "fifteen minutes of fame." I did this a lot while watching the '04 Olympics in Athens this past summer. I remember watching with great joy, delight, and admiration as many young athletes were bold with their faith and appreciation to God when the microphone came their way. Many times, the first words out of their mouth was not a message of self-glorification to tens of millions of people but a message of thanksgiving to an audience of One - to God.
My thought today is that the next time you accomplish a goal or achieve something worthwhile to you, be bold in your faith and give credit where credit is due, even if it is only to an audience of One, that is, to God alone. For example...
- You've just washed ten loads of laundry in record time! CELEBRATE TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD!
- You've mowed the lawn and weed-whacked faster than you've ever done it before! CELEBRATE TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD!
- You washed two cars, cleaned the interiors, AND properly inflated both sets of tires - all on your lunch break! CELEBRATE TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD!
- Your husband arrives home after work and the toddlers are alive! You've done your job! CELEBRATE TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD!
- You've made the photocopies, finished the report, read the homework, written the paper, sent the faxes, purged the emails, made all your meetings…whatever it is that you have done of heroic proportions on the job, at school, or at home - rejoice! CELEBRATE TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD!
I think the Lord would very much enjoy hearing you give thanks with a grateful heart and rejoice over your accomplishment(s) by crediting Him for His kind (direct or indirect) assistance in your exploit.
Our names may never appear in the Guinness Book of World Records for some astonishing feat, but as the two scriptures below suggest that God is keeping score of our thoughts, words, and deeds in His record keeping system, then we've made the history books after all!
"…your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your BOOK before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16 - emphasis mine).
"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and BOOKS were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books" (Revelation 20:12 - emphasis mine).
DSR
1/30/05
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Monday, January 24, 2005
Clean, Crisp, Refreshing
by David Scott Robertson
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders...no DRUNKARDS nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinithians 6:9-10 - emphasis mine).
* * *
Driving home from the local university from a workout recently I passed a beer truck. On the side of the truck in huge letters was the name of the beer being proudly advertised. Just below the product's name were stenciled these three words: Crisp, clean, refreshing.
I thought to myself, that's false advertising. Three alternate words came to my mind immediately: "dangerous, poisonous, deadly".
As a pastor, I've seen the horrific aftermath of those who bought the lie that alcoholic beverages were in fact crisp, clean, and refreshing. I've counseled with them in my office as they've held their heads in their hands, crying hot salty tears, because they're on the brink of losing everything dear to them due to alcoholism.
In so many words, they've desribed different aspects of their lives being destroyed by imbibing crisp, clean, and refreshing alcoholic beverages:
* * *
THEIR WORK LIFE IN THREE WORDS: tardiness, absentee-ism, fired
THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH IN THREE WORDS: sickness, cirrosis, obesity
THEIR MENTAL HEALTH IN THREE WORDS: addiction, anguish, bondage
THEIR FAMILY LIFE IN THREE WORDS: verbal-abuse, physical-abuse, sexual-abuse
THEIR FINANCIAL STATUS IN THREE WORDS: lack, collections, poverty
THEIR LEGAL STATUS IN THREE WORDS: fines, lockup, suspension
THE ACCIDENT THEY CAUSED IN THREE WORDS: child, tragedy, casket
* * *
Unless they repent, their eternal status can be summed up in three words as well: judgment, loss, hell.
It's not only mothers who are against drunk driving. It's not only police departments and school systems that are against substance abuse. God opposes drunkeness.
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
"Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
God is not trying to steal your fun and rain on your parade. God is trying to redeem your life from destruction and surround you with lovingkindness.
God knows that it's not only the liquor stores and retailers that sell alcohol that gain a clientele from the users of this product - it's the doctor's offices, hospitals, counseling centers, and funeral homes that bear the increased burden.
Satan's tactics include tempting us to sin while witholding information about the consequences of such choices. Beer commercials portray happy, scantily-clad slim women and handsome men with flat abs enjoying their product but they conveniently leave out "the rest of the story."
The wars of Afganistan and Iraq (plus all other war-time casualties combined) still don't equal the staggering total of alcohol related injuries and death in our world today. We gasp in shock and horror (and rightfully so) as over 150,000 people's lives are swept away in an instant from earthquakes and tidal waves yet are strangely desensitized to the fact that millions more are gradually killing themselves through alcohol and substance abuse.
The remedy is not so much in adhering to the gospel of alcohol manufacturers to "drink responsibly"; instead, the remedy is to turn to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to "...open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Isaiah 42:7).
If you or a friend you know are caught in the web of addiction to the crisp, clean, and refreshing taste of beer, wine, hard liquor, illegal drugs (or abuse of prescription drugs), may I encourage you to enjoy the crisp, clean, and refreshing invitation of Jesus Christ who alone is able to set you free from the law of sin and death.
DSR
1/24/05
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders...no DRUNKARDS nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinithians 6:9-10 - emphasis mine).
* * *
Driving home from the local university from a workout recently I passed a beer truck. On the side of the truck in huge letters was the name of the beer being proudly advertised. Just below the product's name were stenciled these three words: Crisp, clean, refreshing.
I thought to myself, that's false advertising. Three alternate words came to my mind immediately: "dangerous, poisonous, deadly".
As a pastor, I've seen the horrific aftermath of those who bought the lie that alcoholic beverages were in fact crisp, clean, and refreshing. I've counseled with them in my office as they've held their heads in their hands, crying hot salty tears, because they're on the brink of losing everything dear to them due to alcoholism.
In so many words, they've desribed different aspects of their lives being destroyed by imbibing crisp, clean, and refreshing alcoholic beverages:
* * *
THEIR WORK LIFE IN THREE WORDS: tardiness, absentee-ism, fired
THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH IN THREE WORDS: sickness, cirrosis, obesity
THEIR MENTAL HEALTH IN THREE WORDS: addiction, anguish, bondage
THEIR FAMILY LIFE IN THREE WORDS: verbal-abuse, physical-abuse, sexual-abuse
THEIR FINANCIAL STATUS IN THREE WORDS: lack, collections, poverty
THEIR LEGAL STATUS IN THREE WORDS: fines, lockup, suspension
THE ACCIDENT THEY CAUSED IN THREE WORDS: child, tragedy, casket
* * *
Unless they repent, their eternal status can be summed up in three words as well: judgment, loss, hell.
It's not only mothers who are against drunk driving. It's not only police departments and school systems that are against substance abuse. God opposes drunkeness.
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
"Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).
God is not trying to steal your fun and rain on your parade. God is trying to redeem your life from destruction and surround you with lovingkindness.
God knows that it's not only the liquor stores and retailers that sell alcohol that gain a clientele from the users of this product - it's the doctor's offices, hospitals, counseling centers, and funeral homes that bear the increased burden.
Satan's tactics include tempting us to sin while witholding information about the consequences of such choices. Beer commercials portray happy, scantily-clad slim women and handsome men with flat abs enjoying their product but they conveniently leave out "the rest of the story."
The wars of Afganistan and Iraq (plus all other war-time casualties combined) still don't equal the staggering total of alcohol related injuries and death in our world today. We gasp in shock and horror (and rightfully so) as over 150,000 people's lives are swept away in an instant from earthquakes and tidal waves yet are strangely desensitized to the fact that millions more are gradually killing themselves through alcohol and substance abuse.
The remedy is not so much in adhering to the gospel of alcohol manufacturers to "drink responsibly"; instead, the remedy is to turn to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to "...open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Isaiah 42:7).
If you or a friend you know are caught in the web of addiction to the crisp, clean, and refreshing taste of beer, wine, hard liquor, illegal drugs (or abuse of prescription drugs), may I encourage you to enjoy the crisp, clean, and refreshing invitation of Jesus Christ who alone is able to set you free from the law of sin and death.
DSR
1/24/05
Monday, January 17, 2005
King David, the Man of Blood
by David Scott Robertson
1 Chron. 28:2-3 (NASB)
Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. [3] "But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.'
* * *
King David had the unique honor of being called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). There are a lot of noteworthy people listed in the Bible, but no one else gets this extraordinary comment made about them.
One reason for this might be David’s incomparable passion for God. David loved God so much that he was willing to become undignified in his worship before the Lord. This caused some to despise him for it (2 Samuel 6:20-21). God loves it when people fear God more than men.
Another reason David might have been called a man after God’s own heart is that David had an unparalleled understanding of and appreciation for authority. He demonstrated this time and again when he refused to kill King Saul even though he had multiple opportunities to do so as Saul relentlessly hunted David down like an animal.
David’s zeal for God is forever documented in the many Psalms that bear his name as author. His love songs were not to women but to his God. And God loved him for it and made a covenant with David establishing his dynasty forever.
Once God had firmly established David’s kingdom, it was in the heart of David to build a permanent dwelling – a magnificent temple – to house the Ark of the Covenant and to glorify the name of the one true God, Jehovah.
But here is where God draws the line and says no. He sends Nathan the prophet to the king to relay the message that it is a good thing for David to desire to honor God in building a temple. But that honor will not fall to David but rather to his son Solomon.
The reason? “But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.' (1 Chronicles 28:3).
There is no telling how much blood David shed on the battlefield. As a matter of fact, David was such a prolific warrior that the women of the day made up a song about David’s conquests:
(1 Sam 18:7 NIV) As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."
Even on his deathbed, David, the man of blood, is plotting the murders of men. He instructs Solomon to execute Joah son of Zeruiah for his senseless murder of two of David’s army generals (1 Kings 2:5-6). And David also says this about a man named Shimei son of Gera, the man who cursed David with a terrible curse as he was fleeing from Absalom:
“[David to Solomon] You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him’” (1 Kings 2:9).
David was a man of war and a man of blood. But it’s not the blood he shed on the battlefield fighting the righteous battles of the Lord that I believe prevented David from building the temple. I believe there was blood on his hands that had nothing to do with the “tens of thousands” of deaths he was responsible for, both directly and indirectly as commander-in-chief of Israel’s armed forces.
The reason I feel David was called “a man of blood” was because he shed the innocent blood of one man: Uriah the Hittite. In his lust, David had an affair with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and got her pregnant. To cover up his sin, David plotted the death of Uriah, who incidentally was listed among David’s mightiest men. Uriah was part of a famous and elite group of David’s troops called “The Thirty” (2 Samuel 23:39) that put their lives on the line constantly in defense of the king and Israel.
Although David did not personally plunge the dagger into Uriah’s heart and take his life, God nevertheless held the king responsible for the death sentence that David had imposed on this faithful warrior. And because of that, I believe, the Holy Spirit who inspires the writing of all scripture, chose to have King David described as “a man of blood.”
Psalm 51 records the deeply repentant response of King David to Nathan the Prophet’s exposure of the conspiracy. And this repentance and subsequent reconciliation with his God saved the kingdom from being handed over to another more worthy to rule as God did in the case of King Saul who had disobeyed God so flagrantly.
David was forgiven but the consequences for David, the man of blood, were that the sword of violence within his own household would never depart. David made love to Bathsheba at the cost of three of his sons' lives (the baby from the affair, Ammon, and Absalom) and the privilege to build the temple to the great God Jehovah.
The book of Proverbs hosts a list of seven things that God hates. Included in the list are “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17). May we as modern-day Christians, the blood-bought church of the redeemed, treat the blood of men and of Jesus with utmost respect.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
DSR
1/17/05
1 Chron. 28:2-3 (NASB)
Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. [3] "But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.'
* * *
King David had the unique honor of being called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). There are a lot of noteworthy people listed in the Bible, but no one else gets this extraordinary comment made about them.
One reason for this might be David’s incomparable passion for God. David loved God so much that he was willing to become undignified in his worship before the Lord. This caused some to despise him for it (2 Samuel 6:20-21). God loves it when people fear God more than men.
Another reason David might have been called a man after God’s own heart is that David had an unparalleled understanding of and appreciation for authority. He demonstrated this time and again when he refused to kill King Saul even though he had multiple opportunities to do so as Saul relentlessly hunted David down like an animal.
David’s zeal for God is forever documented in the many Psalms that bear his name as author. His love songs were not to women but to his God. And God loved him for it and made a covenant with David establishing his dynasty forever.
Once God had firmly established David’s kingdom, it was in the heart of David to build a permanent dwelling – a magnificent temple – to house the Ark of the Covenant and to glorify the name of the one true God, Jehovah.
But here is where God draws the line and says no. He sends Nathan the prophet to the king to relay the message that it is a good thing for David to desire to honor God in building a temple. But that honor will not fall to David but rather to his son Solomon.
The reason? “But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.' (1 Chronicles 28:3).
There is no telling how much blood David shed on the battlefield. As a matter of fact, David was such a prolific warrior that the women of the day made up a song about David’s conquests:
(1 Sam 18:7 NIV) As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."
Even on his deathbed, David, the man of blood, is plotting the murders of men. He instructs Solomon to execute Joah son of Zeruiah for his senseless murder of two of David’s army generals (1 Kings 2:5-6). And David also says this about a man named Shimei son of Gera, the man who cursed David with a terrible curse as he was fleeing from Absalom:
“[David to Solomon] You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him’” (1 Kings 2:9).
David was a man of war and a man of blood. But it’s not the blood he shed on the battlefield fighting the righteous battles of the Lord that I believe prevented David from building the temple. I believe there was blood on his hands that had nothing to do with the “tens of thousands” of deaths he was responsible for, both directly and indirectly as commander-in-chief of Israel’s armed forces.
The reason I feel David was called “a man of blood” was because he shed the innocent blood of one man: Uriah the Hittite. In his lust, David had an affair with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and got her pregnant. To cover up his sin, David plotted the death of Uriah, who incidentally was listed among David’s mightiest men. Uriah was part of a famous and elite group of David’s troops called “The Thirty” (2 Samuel 23:39) that put their lives on the line constantly in defense of the king and Israel.
Although David did not personally plunge the dagger into Uriah’s heart and take his life, God nevertheless held the king responsible for the death sentence that David had imposed on this faithful warrior. And because of that, I believe, the Holy Spirit who inspires the writing of all scripture, chose to have King David described as “a man of blood.”
Psalm 51 records the deeply repentant response of King David to Nathan the Prophet’s exposure of the conspiracy. And this repentance and subsequent reconciliation with his God saved the kingdom from being handed over to another more worthy to rule as God did in the case of King Saul who had disobeyed God so flagrantly.
David was forgiven but the consequences for David, the man of blood, were that the sword of violence within his own household would never depart. David made love to Bathsheba at the cost of three of his sons' lives (the baby from the affair, Ammon, and Absalom) and the privilege to build the temple to the great God Jehovah.
The book of Proverbs hosts a list of seven things that God hates. Included in the list are “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17). May we as modern-day Christians, the blood-bought church of the redeemed, treat the blood of men and of Jesus with utmost respect.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
DSR
1/17/05
Monday, January 10, 2005
For the Lord Was With Him
by David Scott Robertson
"David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him" (1 Samuel 18:14).
* * *
When I read this verse in my daily Bible reading in 1 Samuel chapter 18, I don't mind telling you that I wanted it to apply to me. I wanted it to become one of my "life verses" that I commit to memory and quote regularly. It's perfect for me. I know it refers to David, son of Jesse, whom Samuel anointed to be king of Israel. But what if I could somehow lift that verse from the Scriptures and have it apply to me, now? Wouldn't that be great?
"David [Scott Robertson] continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him."
There are other verses in the same chapter that are equally fantastic that illustrate that David's phenomenal success was due to the Lord's being with him:
- "Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men and officers alike" (1 Samuel 18:5).
- "But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle" (1 Samuel 18:16).
- "Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So David's name became very famous through the land" (1 Samuel 18:30).
But alas, the Lord's presence in this ancient patriarch's life is an isolated incident, right? The Lord granting David of old unusual favor, incredible success, and supernatural protection were all a "one-time thing," right? God did this because He wanted to build a dynasty through David, and eventually through his son, Solomon, and ultimately fulfill the Messianic prophecies that the Christ would come through the house and line of David, isn't that correct?
Yes and no. While it is true that God had a sovereign plan for King David and his lineage, and it is true that the Messiah would eventually come through this natural ancestry, at the same time it is not true that God's favor and presence in David's life was an isolated incident, a one-time thing!
I believe with all my heart that God does not play favorites. If we as modern-day followers of Jesus, disciples of Christ, true believers in the Son of God, "fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13), then it is my firm conviction that we can enjoy the same presence of God and subsequent success in life and times as King David did in his. I believe my statement here is more than "wishful-thinking" and really draws upon theological underpinnings to validate its truth to me and you:
- "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5).
- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
- "…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
- "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8).
What was it about King David that so drew God's attention that He instructed the prophet Samuel to fill up his horn with oil and go and anoint David, son of Jesse to be king?
- David's first love was God.
- David was a passionate worshipper.
- David was a humble man.
- David was obedient in all things to God and man.
- David had a profound respect for authority.
- David was loyal to his friends.
- David loved his family immensely.
- David was a man after God's own heart.
Would your friends testify that the above list of statements pretty much describe you?
Do you possess qualities such as these? Are you growing in these areas? Is Jesus truly your first love?
If so, then you have a heart after God and you can expect that His presence will go with you and He will give you rest (Exodus 33:14). As God was with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and Elijah and Jeremiah and Samuel and David and Paul and Peter and James and John…so God will be with you. And if God is with you, success in whatever your hand finds to do cannot be far behind.
DSR
1/10/05
"David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him" (1 Samuel 18:14).
* * *
When I read this verse in my daily Bible reading in 1 Samuel chapter 18, I don't mind telling you that I wanted it to apply to me. I wanted it to become one of my "life verses" that I commit to memory and quote regularly. It's perfect for me. I know it refers to David, son of Jesse, whom Samuel anointed to be king of Israel. But what if I could somehow lift that verse from the Scriptures and have it apply to me, now? Wouldn't that be great?
"David [Scott Robertson] continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him."
There are other verses in the same chapter that are equally fantastic that illustrate that David's phenomenal success was due to the Lord's being with him:
- "Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men and officers alike" (1 Samuel 18:5).
- "But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle" (1 Samuel 18:16).
- "Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So David's name became very famous through the land" (1 Samuel 18:30).
But alas, the Lord's presence in this ancient patriarch's life is an isolated incident, right? The Lord granting David of old unusual favor, incredible success, and supernatural protection were all a "one-time thing," right? God did this because He wanted to build a dynasty through David, and eventually through his son, Solomon, and ultimately fulfill the Messianic prophecies that the Christ would come through the house and line of David, isn't that correct?
Yes and no. While it is true that God had a sovereign plan for King David and his lineage, and it is true that the Messiah would eventually come through this natural ancestry, at the same time it is not true that God's favor and presence in David's life was an isolated incident, a one-time thing!
I believe with all my heart that God does not play favorites. If we as modern-day followers of Jesus, disciples of Christ, true believers in the Son of God, "fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13), then it is my firm conviction that we can enjoy the same presence of God and subsequent success in life and times as King David did in his. I believe my statement here is more than "wishful-thinking" and really draws upon theological underpinnings to validate its truth to me and you:
- "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5).
- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
- "…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
- "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8).
What was it about King David that so drew God's attention that He instructed the prophet Samuel to fill up his horn with oil and go and anoint David, son of Jesse to be king?
- David's first love was God.
- David was a passionate worshipper.
- David was a humble man.
- David was obedient in all things to God and man.
- David had a profound respect for authority.
- David was loyal to his friends.
- David loved his family immensely.
- David was a man after God's own heart.
Would your friends testify that the above list of statements pretty much describe you?
Do you possess qualities such as these? Are you growing in these areas? Is Jesus truly your first love?
If so, then you have a heart after God and you can expect that His presence will go with you and He will give you rest (Exodus 33:14). As God was with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and Elijah and Jeremiah and Samuel and David and Paul and Peter and James and John…so God will be with you. And if God is with you, success in whatever your hand finds to do cannot be far behind.
DSR
1/10/05
Monday, January 3, 2005
Seven Steps to a Blowout Year
by David Scott Robertson
How many of you reading this would like for the year 2005 to be the best year of your life? How would you like to surpass merely SURVIVING the year? Survival is good. Nearly 150,000 (so far) victims of the terrible tsunami in Southeast Asia weren't even able to accomplish this feat last year (through no fault of their own).
For us in America, surviving 2005 means that at the end of the year you were not only able to accomplish respiration, digestion, and circulation successfully for another twelve months, but you were also able to avoid a natural catastrophe or freak accident. That's great, but how many of you like me have set your sights for 2005 beyond mere survival?
How would you like to surpass even being SUCCESSFUL in 2005? Being successful means getting a few "wins under your belt" throughout the year. Maybe you've set your sights on changing careers, or obtaining a promotion and earning a higher wage. Perhaps your goals include getting on a budget and beginning a savings account, or starting to exercise and eat right and lose 15 pounds to improve the quality of your life. Maybe in 2005 you want to go back to school and learn a skill, a trade, or finish your degree. Once again, that's all good, but is worldly success - academically or economically - really all there is to life?
How would you like to stretch past survival and past success all the way to actually making 2005 the most SIGNIFICANT year in the history of you? Do you believe that this is possible? What if something bad happens? What if you get sick? What if you go to the doctor and he says the "C" word? What then? What if you get fired? What if you total the car in a ditch? What if somebody you love dies? Does that automatically disqualify 2005 from being the best year?
Not necessarily. You see, it's not what happens TO YOU, but what happens IN YOU that counts. A significant life is an inside job. It's getting a winning attitude inside you that comes through faith in God who is bigger and stronger and wiser than any obstacle you and I will face in the New Year.
I believe that we individually play a big role in whether or not 2005 is going to be best year of our lives. We've got to be serious enough to make a commitment. A commitment is when you give your word that you're going to do something and you do it. In this thought today, I'm going to challenge you to make 7 commitments to GOD and YOURSELF in order to assure your victory in the New Year.
COMMITMENT #1: I WILL DO THE SPIRITUAL BASICS WELL
For years I've been saying that "living the Christian life rarely goes beyond doing the basics well." Interview any respected and stable Christian and you will find three basic but common denominators that I encourage you to enfold into your own daily routine:
(1) I WILL READ MY BIBLE FROM COVER-TO-COVER IN 2005 - I recommend using the One-Year Bible format available at any Christian bookstore.
(2) I WILL HAVE A DAILY PRAYER TIME - Give the "first-fruits" of every day in '05 to the Lord. Make time to talk to Him in prayer and spend a few moments each day listening.
(3) I WILL WORSHIP GOD DAILY - Get a worship CD or tape and listen to it until you can sing the words to each song by heart. Then get another CD or tape and repeat the process. Just like "burning a CD" on your home PC, you need to burn worship songs onto the tablet of your heart so that you can recall them from memory. Worship is a weapon and powerful spiritual warfare.
COMMITMENT #2: I WILL GET AND STAY PURE
"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
How serious is God about this purity thing? Well, according to the above scripture, without it you won't even make it to heaven. Let me make a statement: There will be no ongoing spiritual power in your life without purity. God is not going to dispense miracle-working power to lukewarm believers.
Personal holiness is not an impossible standard. When the Bible calls something holy, it means it has been "set apart for God's use." It is reserved, consecrated, dedicated to God exclusively. Is that something you desire?
To get pure, repent of known sin. Ask God to expose sinful tendencies in you. Examine your thought life. Avoid sexual immorality. Make personal holiness and sexual purity a priority in your life in 2005.
If I were king, I would require every married man in my kingdom to read the book "Every Man's Battle" by Steve Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. I would require every single man in my kingdom to read "Every Young Man's Battle." These books help men win the war for their purity in a sexually-charged society. "Every Woman's Battle" and "Every Young Woman's Battle" assist women in the same pursuit of sexual purity.
Why is this important? Because Internet porn is the #1 addiction in the United States of America. Because the divorce rate in the church and in the world are no different. Because sexually active church-going singles fill our churches in epidemic proportions. Few things short-circuit God's plan for your life faster than sexual impurity. The Ten Commandments condemned adultery, but Jesus took it a step further in the New Testament:
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).
The very (controversial) subjects of masturbation and "how far can a Christian go?" are robbing Christians of discernment and disqualifying many from the Christian race. A moral failure is not easily overcome. God's standard for purity is plain:
"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people" (Ephesians 5:3).
COMMITMENT #3: I WILL CONNECT WITH GOD'S PEOPLE
Don't connect with just anybody, connect with God's people who will "spur you on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). If you are a Christian, your best friend should not be an unbeliever. Establish and fiercely guard strong boundaries.
Why so dogmatic on this? Because God will not be mocked, "…Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Be faithful to attend church services. Get in a small group. Get a prayer / accountability partner whom you give permission to ask you the hard questions.
I assure you that all the Christian men who had an affair in 2004 and all the Christian women who caved into temptation in 2004 did not make and keep these first 3 commitments that I've described thus far.
If you don't want to lose spiritual ground in this New Year, then you must make a commitment to stay connected to God's people, the church, the family of God, the community of believers.
COMMITMENT #4: I WILL WIN SOULS AND MAKE DISCIPLES
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…And lo, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
By making a decision to join God in His work of seeking and saving those who are lost you automatically have positioned yourself in the center of God's #1 priority for mankind. God is "not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9), but that all should come to repentance. And guess who He wants to enlist to fulfill this Great Commission? You. Accept the challenge and there's a great reward for you on the Day of Judgment; neglect it and suffer loss.
COMMITMENT #5: I WILL CONSECRATE EVERYTHING I HAVE TO GOD
This commitment is key. It's a major expression of your faith and trust in God to "let go and let God have His way" with all the variables and people that make up your life and lifestyle.
I implore you to completely give your marriage, your kids, your relationships, your job, your money, your time, your goals, hopes, and dreams to God. Lay them on the altar and echo Jesus' God-pleasing, world-changing profession: "not my will, but yours be done" (Matthew 26:42).
There is nothing you and I have and enjoy that did not come directly or indirectly from the hand of God. Our possessions are stewardship responsibilities - from our cars to our kids - for God to monitor how wisely we use these resources to see how He will use us in eternity.
COMMITMENT #6: I WILL RISE ABOVE THE LEVEL OF MEDIOCRITY
I am passionate about what I'm about to say to you on this point. I hate mediocrity with a perfect hatred and count it my enemy! I hate normal and usual and boring routine that sucks the adventure out of life!
God didn't make you and me to be turkeys scratching dirt but the more appropriate metaphor is majestic eagles fashioned to soar on the thermals and see things no turkey will ever see! I want to encourage you to live life on the edge - to push the envelope of your experience with God!
Live an expanded life. Like Jabez ask and receive from God an enlarged spiritual territory. Do that thing that God has been nudging you to do but you've been too chicken to do. Quit holding back in public and private worship for fear of looking stupid.
Rising above the level of mediocrity is removing whatever limitations that have intimidated the daylights out of you and tethered you like a hot air balloon on a rope and kept you from soaring to new heights in God.
Are you always playing it safe when it comes to the things of God? Are you too timid and shy to dare to believe God for more that you're currently experiencing? I've heard it said that "it takes guts to get out of the ruts." A rut is nothing more than a grave with both ends kicked out. Good, Christian people who would never consider commiting suicide will nevertheless live far below their privileges and fritter away their goal-less, aim-less lives one meaningless day at a time.
Don't let it happen to you! Allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct you into hundreds of opportunities this year to really live an expanded life that is anything but mediocre.
COMMITMENT #7: I WILL LOOK FOR JESUS TO RETURN IN 2005
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Jesus did not return in 2004, perhaps 2005. It's possible. The Rapture of the Church is a biblical fact. You may not understand it or you may not have heard many sermons preached on the subject at your church, but it nevertheless is an event on God's prophetic time clock.
This same Jesus who came to earth the first time as the Suffering Savior will one day return as THE Conquering King of kings and Lord of lords!
There are many compelling signs of Christ's return to this earth as prophesied in the Bible. I believe the catastrophe of the 9.0 undersea earthquake and subsequent tidal waves which massacured Sumatra, India, Indonesia, and other nations is one of those signs.
Luke 21:25 reveals that in the last days prior to Jesus' return: "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea." Are the nations not in anguish at this very hour at the roaring and tossing of the sea?
Plan like He's not coming back in your lifetime, but live like He's coming back today!
My friends, as we approach a New Year, we need to have tucked away in our hearts an expectancy that we will live to see the coming of the Lord and an urgency to get about the Father's business of winnings souls and making disciples.
DSR
1/3/05
How many of you reading this would like for the year 2005 to be the best year of your life? How would you like to surpass merely SURVIVING the year? Survival is good. Nearly 150,000 (so far) victims of the terrible tsunami in Southeast Asia weren't even able to accomplish this feat last year (through no fault of their own).
For us in America, surviving 2005 means that at the end of the year you were not only able to accomplish respiration, digestion, and circulation successfully for another twelve months, but you were also able to avoid a natural catastrophe or freak accident. That's great, but how many of you like me have set your sights for 2005 beyond mere survival?
How would you like to surpass even being SUCCESSFUL in 2005? Being successful means getting a few "wins under your belt" throughout the year. Maybe you've set your sights on changing careers, or obtaining a promotion and earning a higher wage. Perhaps your goals include getting on a budget and beginning a savings account, or starting to exercise and eat right and lose 15 pounds to improve the quality of your life. Maybe in 2005 you want to go back to school and learn a skill, a trade, or finish your degree. Once again, that's all good, but is worldly success - academically or economically - really all there is to life?
How would you like to stretch past survival and past success all the way to actually making 2005 the most SIGNIFICANT year in the history of you? Do you believe that this is possible? What if something bad happens? What if you get sick? What if you go to the doctor and he says the "C" word? What then? What if you get fired? What if you total the car in a ditch? What if somebody you love dies? Does that automatically disqualify 2005 from being the best year?
Not necessarily. You see, it's not what happens TO YOU, but what happens IN YOU that counts. A significant life is an inside job. It's getting a winning attitude inside you that comes through faith in God who is bigger and stronger and wiser than any obstacle you and I will face in the New Year.
I believe that we individually play a big role in whether or not 2005 is going to be best year of our lives. We've got to be serious enough to make a commitment. A commitment is when you give your word that you're going to do something and you do it. In this thought today, I'm going to challenge you to make 7 commitments to GOD and YOURSELF in order to assure your victory in the New Year.
COMMITMENT #1: I WILL DO THE SPIRITUAL BASICS WELL
For years I've been saying that "living the Christian life rarely goes beyond doing the basics well." Interview any respected and stable Christian and you will find three basic but common denominators that I encourage you to enfold into your own daily routine:
(1) I WILL READ MY BIBLE FROM COVER-TO-COVER IN 2005 - I recommend using the One-Year Bible format available at any Christian bookstore.
(2) I WILL HAVE A DAILY PRAYER TIME - Give the "first-fruits" of every day in '05 to the Lord. Make time to talk to Him in prayer and spend a few moments each day listening.
(3) I WILL WORSHIP GOD DAILY - Get a worship CD or tape and listen to it until you can sing the words to each song by heart. Then get another CD or tape and repeat the process. Just like "burning a CD" on your home PC, you need to burn worship songs onto the tablet of your heart so that you can recall them from memory. Worship is a weapon and powerful spiritual warfare.
COMMITMENT #2: I WILL GET AND STAY PURE
"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
How serious is God about this purity thing? Well, according to the above scripture, without it you won't even make it to heaven. Let me make a statement: There will be no ongoing spiritual power in your life without purity. God is not going to dispense miracle-working power to lukewarm believers.
Personal holiness is not an impossible standard. When the Bible calls something holy, it means it has been "set apart for God's use." It is reserved, consecrated, dedicated to God exclusively. Is that something you desire?
To get pure, repent of known sin. Ask God to expose sinful tendencies in you. Examine your thought life. Avoid sexual immorality. Make personal holiness and sexual purity a priority in your life in 2005.
If I were king, I would require every married man in my kingdom to read the book "Every Man's Battle" by Steve Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. I would require every single man in my kingdom to read "Every Young Man's Battle." These books help men win the war for their purity in a sexually-charged society. "Every Woman's Battle" and "Every Young Woman's Battle" assist women in the same pursuit of sexual purity.
Why is this important? Because Internet porn is the #1 addiction in the United States of America. Because the divorce rate in the church and in the world are no different. Because sexually active church-going singles fill our churches in epidemic proportions. Few things short-circuit God's plan for your life faster than sexual impurity. The Ten Commandments condemned adultery, but Jesus took it a step further in the New Testament:
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).
The very (controversial) subjects of masturbation and "how far can a Christian go?" are robbing Christians of discernment and disqualifying many from the Christian race. A moral failure is not easily overcome. God's standard for purity is plain:
"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people" (Ephesians 5:3).
COMMITMENT #3: I WILL CONNECT WITH GOD'S PEOPLE
Don't connect with just anybody, connect with God's people who will "spur you on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). If you are a Christian, your best friend should not be an unbeliever. Establish and fiercely guard strong boundaries.
Why so dogmatic on this? Because God will not be mocked, "…Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Be faithful to attend church services. Get in a small group. Get a prayer / accountability partner whom you give permission to ask you the hard questions.
I assure you that all the Christian men who had an affair in 2004 and all the Christian women who caved into temptation in 2004 did not make and keep these first 3 commitments that I've described thus far.
If you don't want to lose spiritual ground in this New Year, then you must make a commitment to stay connected to God's people, the church, the family of God, the community of believers.
COMMITMENT #4: I WILL WIN SOULS AND MAKE DISCIPLES
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…And lo, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
By making a decision to join God in His work of seeking and saving those who are lost you automatically have positioned yourself in the center of God's #1 priority for mankind. God is "not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9), but that all should come to repentance. And guess who He wants to enlist to fulfill this Great Commission? You. Accept the challenge and there's a great reward for you on the Day of Judgment; neglect it and suffer loss.
COMMITMENT #5: I WILL CONSECRATE EVERYTHING I HAVE TO GOD
This commitment is key. It's a major expression of your faith and trust in God to "let go and let God have His way" with all the variables and people that make up your life and lifestyle.
I implore you to completely give your marriage, your kids, your relationships, your job, your money, your time, your goals, hopes, and dreams to God. Lay them on the altar and echo Jesus' God-pleasing, world-changing profession: "not my will, but yours be done" (Matthew 26:42).
There is nothing you and I have and enjoy that did not come directly or indirectly from the hand of God. Our possessions are stewardship responsibilities - from our cars to our kids - for God to monitor how wisely we use these resources to see how He will use us in eternity.
COMMITMENT #6: I WILL RISE ABOVE THE LEVEL OF MEDIOCRITY
I am passionate about what I'm about to say to you on this point. I hate mediocrity with a perfect hatred and count it my enemy! I hate normal and usual and boring routine that sucks the adventure out of life!
God didn't make you and me to be turkeys scratching dirt but the more appropriate metaphor is majestic eagles fashioned to soar on the thermals and see things no turkey will ever see! I want to encourage you to live life on the edge - to push the envelope of your experience with God!
Live an expanded life. Like Jabez ask and receive from God an enlarged spiritual territory. Do that thing that God has been nudging you to do but you've been too chicken to do. Quit holding back in public and private worship for fear of looking stupid.
Rising above the level of mediocrity is removing whatever limitations that have intimidated the daylights out of you and tethered you like a hot air balloon on a rope and kept you from soaring to new heights in God.
Are you always playing it safe when it comes to the things of God? Are you too timid and shy to dare to believe God for more that you're currently experiencing? I've heard it said that "it takes guts to get out of the ruts." A rut is nothing more than a grave with both ends kicked out. Good, Christian people who would never consider commiting suicide will nevertheless live far below their privileges and fritter away their goal-less, aim-less lives one meaningless day at a time.
Don't let it happen to you! Allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct you into hundreds of opportunities this year to really live an expanded life that is anything but mediocre.
COMMITMENT #7: I WILL LOOK FOR JESUS TO RETURN IN 2005
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Jesus did not return in 2004, perhaps 2005. It's possible. The Rapture of the Church is a biblical fact. You may not understand it or you may not have heard many sermons preached on the subject at your church, but it nevertheless is an event on God's prophetic time clock.
This same Jesus who came to earth the first time as the Suffering Savior will one day return as THE Conquering King of kings and Lord of lords!
There are many compelling signs of Christ's return to this earth as prophesied in the Bible. I believe the catastrophe of the 9.0 undersea earthquake and subsequent tidal waves which massacured Sumatra, India, Indonesia, and other nations is one of those signs.
Luke 21:25 reveals that in the last days prior to Jesus' return: "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea." Are the nations not in anguish at this very hour at the roaring and tossing of the sea?
Plan like He's not coming back in your lifetime, but live like He's coming back today!
My friends, as we approach a New Year, we need to have tucked away in our hearts an expectancy that we will live to see the coming of the Lord and an urgency to get about the Father's business of winnings souls and making disciples.
DSR
1/3/05
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