The Emperor’s New Foes

 bob-maclafferty  1 Response »
Mar 312012
 

Successful. Charismatic. Powerful. He redesigned his country’s judicial system from the ground up. He personally led his people in a nationwide spiritual revival. He commanded a standing army that dwarfed that of the United States. He would have been a serious contender for Time’s Man of the Year!

In spite of all that, the instant his recon squad made their report, he knew that he was in over his head. They reported that the combined armies of three neighboring countries had already invaded his country and were dangerously close to the capitol city. Alarmed, he hired a team of consultants….. No. Alarmed, he reinstituted the draft and considered weapons of mass destruction…… Uh.. No.

Alarmed, he called all his people to join him in the capitol- men, women, children.  He asked them to fast and then led them in prayer.

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 1 Chronicles 20:12 NIV 1984

And “they stood there before the Lord.” verse 13

The answer came from an unexpected place. A man addressed the king and said he had heard from the Lord.

This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.  Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.  You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”  verses 15-17

Early the next morning, they looked down across the valley and the enemy camp. Not one man was left standing. They had slaughtered each other to the last man. The victory was more far-reaching than just the outcome of that day’s battle.

The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.  And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. 1 Chron 20:29-30

Jehoshaphat knew a few things.

He knew about mission. He devoted his life to making his country one where people had high value and his Lord was central.

He knew about vision. He knew that only by focusing his eyes solely on God could he hope to be successful and to be successful at the right things.

He knew about humility. He knew that he was totally dependent on the power of God in his life.

He knew how to listen to those God sent to support him.

I face challenges today. Do you? 2012 still looms large, a year filled with uncertainty. My job. Staffing. Expenses. Revenue. My family. Distance. Separation. I don’t have all the answers yet. But I know Who does.

I know that with His power I can live and lead in a way that will please Him.

I know that if I keep my eyes focused on Him, everything else will become clear and in a way that makes Him look good.

Unlike the character in the fable that rhymes with the title of this post, Jehoshaphat was not deluded into believing foolish falsehoods, but kept his eyes focused on his Lord, enabling him to recognise and follow truth when he saw it. How about you?

153 Miracle Fish

 bob-maclafferty  2 Responses »
Apr 222011
 

Resurrection shock worn off, Peter and a group of friends had fished the night away, hoping for a little cash money. Many of them were not only experienced fishermen, they new everything there was to know about the Sea of Galilee. They knew the currents, the best fishing areas, the best shoreline to beach their boats. In spite of all this knowledge and experience, they spent the entire night in vain, catching nothing.

 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” John 21:4-5 NIV.

Grudgingly, these esperienced fishermen had to admit that they had caught exactly nothing.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” verse 6.

I can just hear the grumbling. Move the heavy, water-soaked net just a few feet to the other side of the boat? Who did this guy think he was? God?

But to their credit, they took the stranger’s advice and moved their net.

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. verse 6.

John, finally recognizing Jesus, told Peter who the stranger was. Peter, typical Peter, jumped into the lake and swam the 100 yards to the  shore!

Gasping for breath, he pulled his dripping self out of the water and stared in amazement! A fire, burned down to coals, fish baking, and bread!

 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Don’t you just love that? Jesus sticks with the understatement. “you will find some“, bring “some“.  Yeah, they got some fish alright!

 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net shore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. verse 11.

Some fish! So many that they had to leave the net in the water and tow it to shore behind the boat!

 I’m thinking of the responses I would have made to the disciples.”When will you ever learn?” or “Why are you playing in the water instead of focusing on your mission?”  But no-

 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” verse 12.

Jesus, awaking hours before dawn, building a fire, catching His own fish, waiting for the disciples to give up on their own efforts.

Jesus, the ultimate servant leader. Jesus, serving food for their stomachs before food for thought. Jesus, more concerned about connecting than criticizing.

Father, let me give before I ask. Let me love before I teach. Let me serve before I lead.

(Part 2 of a 3 part series beginning with Triple Rejection before Sunrise and  followed by Triple Commit After Breakfast.)

Storm Killer! One more name for God

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Apr 262010
 

Ominous clouds loomed, shoved around by a gusty wind as our Christian scouting club marched toward the outdoor meeting site. We joined hundreds of other youth on a grassy hillside for a worship experience. The forecast was bad. A gust of wind picked up one group’s canopy into the air and dumped it into the lake!

Unbeknown to us, a storm cell was actually headed directly for our camp. We began the service by praying for God’s will to be worked out in the weather. Just moments later, we learned that the cell had completely disappeared from the radar weather map!

The service continued, a mixture of songs of praise and inspiring words. At the end of the service, one of our young people made a decision for Jesus for the first time!

After Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples had this to say about Him:

“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41

Would our young person have made his decision anyway? I don’t know. I do know that God always speaks. We just can’t hear Him until we stop and listen. This may have been the listening moment for this young person and God acted to protect it.

The rain and storm was held back until the closing prayer. I felt a slight mist during the prayer that let me know the storm was still there, waiting to be unleashed. We experienced a torrential downpour that afternoon, accompanied by thunder and lightning. When our leader decided to break camp and head home for the safety of our youth, again,   the rain subsided until all the kids were safely on the buses. Then it resumed with a vengeance.

My God can calm a storm any time He wants. When He does, He will do it in a way that makes it clear Who did it. Can God calm storms in your life, in your heart? Yes He can. Anytime. Anywhere. Give Him permission today to calm your storm in a way that will let you brag on Him!

A Kick in the Ribs

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Oct 192009
 

He was big, bold, proud. King of the hill and he knew it.  A 16.5 hand American Saddlebred! He was my trailriding horse, and what a lively ride he was. We had just returned to the farm from a long trail ride and had turned the horses loose to head back to their home pasture. Wandering through the gate from the barnyard, they paused to enjoy some lush grass.  I was impatient to get them back into the pasture and began waving my arms and stamping my feet to keep them moving. My horse was grazing in front of me, his head pointed to my left. As I continued to pressure the horses to move, he stamped one of his huge rear hooves in irritation. Then he kicked out behind him in anger. My impatience caused me to be oblivious to both of these rebellious signals as I continued to move forward.

Suddenly, he wheeled away from me and violently kicked out behind him. In an instant, I turned my body to the left. I felt a terrific impact on my right side as I was slammed up against the barn wall. Gasping for breath, I staggered through the barnyard, focused only on getting to the car. My wife and girls were scared to death and asked me what was wrong. By then, the pain was setting in and I could feel my ribs grating against each other like a handful of gravel. “Take me to the hospital”, I gasped. Slumping in the front seat, I turned sideways to take the pressure off my right side. My youngest daughter held my hand and gave me something to focus on as I concentrated on each breath.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11-12

Later, in the ER, I discovered that I had 4 broken ribs, three of which had been broken twice. I had 3 floating pieces of rib in there! As I lay in the bed, I realized that my quick turn to the left didn’t fit with the oblivion, the lack of attention I had shown while herding the horses. A firm brush, or shove, of angel’s wings moved me enough to save my life. If I had not moved, I would have taken the kick in the face, or more likely, in the center of the chest. My doctor told me that this could have easily stopped my heart!

Saving grace! God intervened my my life to make His power obvious to me and to those around me. He does it, not because He has to, but just because He can. God speaks to us, but rarely through the spoken word. God speaks to us through miracles that happen in our daily lives. Has He performed a miracle in your life? Don’t keep it to yourself. Bragging on God is so fun! Spend your day knowing that He loves you enough to show off His power in your life!

10/19/09 workplace devotional