God's Generals

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

This day’s lectionary readings display three major characters in Scripture, King David, Moses, and Paul, and the ministry difficulties they faced.  Each passage focuses on their struggle with adversaries, and showcases the model for effective, Christ-honoring servant-leadership.  We can learn from each of them.

King David had his life threatened constantly.  It seemed that often the threats were going to be successful.  David’s first public act was as a young boy standing up to Goliath.  Ever the underdog, God prospered the young man from Jesse’s household.  David suffered bouts of self-doubt and fearing the worst (who could be confident when chased by an army?).  But faith returned again and again.  Listen to an older David’s heart:

Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!  Psalm 42:11

Moses led Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and he had more than his share of adversaries who wanted to turn back.  Holding court for peanut-sized issues took all day.  Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, saw how Moses was being worn-out with settling minor disputes and problems, and advised him to find Godly leaders to help shoulder the load.  Moses took Jethro’s advice and diligently built a structure to honor God’s ways, and keep God’s people focused on the mission.

Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions.  He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people.  Exodus 18:24-25a

Paul is the poster child for leaders with critics who were trying to undermine and siderail his ministry.  The most glaring example were those who preached the Gospel out of envy for Paul’s success.  They thought that building their own following would put Paul to shame.  They wanted him to rot in prison.  Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers was his response, the selfless, Christ-focused answer of the ages:

Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ.  They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.  But that doesn’t matter.  Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice….For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past.  And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.  For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.  Philippians 1:17-18, 20-21

For You Today 

The models of Moses, David, and Paul take personal hardships and transform them into mirrors which reflect God’s power and goodness.  All who lead in God’s family should make it a life-goal to do the same.

·       Like David, learn to put fears and worries in the rear-view mirror.

·       Like Moses, listen to sound advice from elders who love God.

·       Like Paul, trust and lean on God’s decision about the future, and continue serving until he calls you home.

It’s safe ground to follow the leadership style of God’s choice vessels.  If you’re going to lead in God’s army, study His best Generals.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of Wikimedia.com (see each individual picture for link to source)                   

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

An Okra Kind of Christmas

[i]

Monday, December 12, 2016

Why am I discouraged?  

Why is my heart so sad?  

I will put my hope in God!  

I will praise him again—

my Savior and my God!  

Psalm 42:11^(NLT)

Have you heard?  Christmas is coming; thirteen days and counting!

We are in the season of family visits, last minute scurrying around to find that perfect tree to decorate, and perfect gift to give.  The temperatures are dropping along with the leaves from the trees in your yard.  You’re hearing Christmas carols and getting invitations to cantatas, musicals, children’s plays and parties. 

There is an occasional “bah; humbug” to be encountered, but, in all, it’s as the song has it:  the most wonderful time of the year!

Except for some people.

Some folks are going through the pains of emotional, physical, relational, or financial ruin.  It’s not pretty, and it is certainly difficult to muster up a smile when your life is being turned upside-down.  But even in the midst of life’s crueler moments people often pray with David to come out of the doldrums, to look on the brighter side and cheer up.  Still, it is not easy; sitting in a chemotherapy waiting room, or meeting with a financial crisis counsellor, or staring at the divorce packet you just received in the mail.  That stuff is not going to be dismissed by a smile and another round of egg nog.

It just won’t!

Years ago a dear friend and church member gave Elizabeth and me a wonderful present of two dozen Christmas angel ornaments.  They are hand-made and delightfully make their way onto the tree each year.  But there is a darker side to this gift.  Take a close look and you’ll see they’re all made out of okra pieces.  I don’t like okra whether it’s fried, baked, raw or stewed!  Nope!

People have been trying to convert me to being an okra-eating preacher for years; I’ve heard it all…if you just try it fried, like Aunt Dorey made, or if it’s just right with possum innards, or livermush….  Allow me to say it like George H.W. Bush said about broccoli:  I’m nearly seventy years old, and I don’t like okra, and nobody’s gonna make me eat that mess!  Just one more time for emphasis:  I. Don’t. Like. OKRA!

Except for my ornaments; I like my angel onaments – no smell, no slime; they’re dried, painted, glued together with angel hair on top and covered with some kind of industrial sealer.  They’re beautiful…and not on my plate; that’s the only okra for me!

There’s a darkness that comes along with Christmas, a darkness that contrasts the lights, manger scenes and children’s faces of happy times.  It was the kind of darkness Mary and Joseph experienced.  Mary was the kind of young Mom who treasured up in her heart all the stuff angels had told Joseph and her.  That first Christmas included the joy of welcoming their first child, but it also meant the pain of giving birth. 

And that first Christmas also foreshadowed the murder of their firstborn son on a cross because of Mary and Joseph’s sins and ours.  

The joy and pain of that first Christmas gift is a strange marriage to hold at one time, and yet – that is what we are called to do; we are called to weep over the darkness and rejoice over the coming light.

For You Today

I’ve decided to take a little different approach to okra in this Christmas season; if I see you eating okra at one of those parties, and actually enjoying the stuff, I’m going to think of my okra angel ornaments and try to celebrate your dark side with you. 

It’s going to be an okra kind of Christmas!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title image: By Russell Brownworth