Sawing logs

Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me. Psalm 3:5 (LB)

At first glance it may seem like no big deal. David lay down and slept peacefully. I do that every night. But then you read the subtitle of the chapter. It says, “A Psalm of David when he fled from his son, Absalom.”

David is fleeing for his life. His son has gone postal and wants to kill him and take over the throne. David is hiding in caves, hiding in the woods. Bad enough knowing any moment, he could be lined up in the cross hairs but imagine how he feels knowing it’s his own son with his finger on the trigger.

I cannot fathom the pain I would feel if my son, Nathan, and his buddies were chasing me through the woods.

So what does David do? He lays down and sleeps. Peacefully, no less! He has complete faith God will protect him.

I only wish I had that kind of faith. I am no where near that level. Not even close. But maybe someday.

There’s another story of a guy sleeping in the midst of a life threatening situation. In fact, it’s David’s great, great…grandson, Jesus.

He and His disciples are on the Sea of Galilee when a storm comes up that has even Peter reaching for the Dramamine. About the time the boat is ready to go under, they find Jesus lying on a pillow, checking out the back of His eyelids. No fear. No worry. He was at peace in the midst of the storm.

If you’re going through some stormy times of your own, here’s a question you can ask yourself. Where would you rather be? Sailing on peaceful waters without Jesus, or bailing water in the midst of a storm with him in the boat? 

Someone hand me a bucket!

 

Tell him where to go!

And then He adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” Hebrews 10:17

One thing we need to remember is that when God forgives, He forgets. There are several scriptures that teach us that. If He kept all our sins on His hard-drive, He’d max it out so He just drags and drops the files into the trash and then deletes the trash.

Satan doesn’t forget our past and he doesn’t want us to either. So he keeps bringing it up. It’s one of his best weapons – condemnation. You’re no good. You did drugs. You cheated on your wife. You lied, you stole. He has a record of every wrongful thing we’ve ever done stored on a flash memory-stick and when we’re least  expecting it, he’ll pop it into the USB port of our life and play it in vivid color. It all comes back like it was yesterday, and we feel condemned.

Next time Satan reminds you of your past and you feel discouraged, here’s what to do. Remind him of his future. Now he’ll be the one who is discouraged. He will someday be bound and cast into a lake of fire where he will spend eternity.

Since God forgives and forgets our wrong doings, we must do the same for our family. I cannot stress how important it is. If they made a mistake and asked your forgiveness, then forgive them and forget about it. Don’t bring it up again. Ever.

You get in a heated argument with your wife and you want to dig something up out of the past - bite your lip. Put a cork in it. No matter how much you want to, don’t bring it up. She might drag stuff out of your past, but don’t you do it. You be the bigger person.

Same goes for your children. They mess up for the hundredth time – don’t throw their past failures in their face. Deal with the present then move forward to the future but forget the past. God put your eyes in the front of your head for a reason. They’re meant to look forward. He didn’t create us with a rear-view mirror.

Again, since God is willing to forget the past, we must do the same. Let’s move forward in victory!

 

Why the long face, Joe?

And Jesus’ brothers urged Him to go to Judea for the celebration. “Go where more people can see your miracles,” they scoffed. “You can’t be famous when you hide like this. If you’re so great, prove it to the world!” For even his brothers didn’t believe in Him. John 7:3-5 (LB)

It can be gut wrenching. To have family members, especially children, who are not walking in the ways of the Lord. Worse yet, who scoff at your beliefs.

Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in Him. Now, I’m not sure how it made Jesus feel, but as a dad, I’ve got to wonder how it made Joseph feel. He knew Jesus was the Son of God. He knew he was not the biological father. I’m sure he explained that to his children. But his children didn’t believe him. They’re either calling him a liar, or worse yet, delusional. They can do the math. They know Jesus was conceived before Mary and Joseph were married. That casts a shadow on Joseph’s integrity. To be wrongfully accused by your own children. That is gut wrenching!

I’m not sure how Joseph took it. The Bible doesn’t say. I do know that in time, Jesus’ brothers became believers. They came around. In fact, his brother, James, wrote one of the epistles in the New Testament.

Friend, don’t be discouraged if your children do not believe as you do. Stay strong in your faith. Live a consistent Christian life before them. Set the tone in your home. Be the right example. In God’s perfect time, your family will come around. They’ll see that good old Dad wasn’t as crazy as they thought he was. Stay strong in the Lord, my friend. You stay strong in the Lord!

Action points:

1. Resist the tendency to preach to your kids and begin speaking into their lives by your example.

2. Trust the Holy Spirit to speak to them. He will, in His own way.

3. Do not allow room for discouragement. Cast it aside and live your life positively and victoriously.