God’s grace

Returning From Lo Debar

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And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 2 Samuel 9:7 ESV

This verse paints a beautiful picture of the restoration of Mephibosheth, though he is not the focus of the story. Mephibosheth had been hiding in Lo Debar, because He was afraid that King David would want to kill him, since his grandfather, King Saul had tried to kill David. But instead, David remembered his best friend Jonathan, who was Mephibosheth’s father. In that same way, restoration in our lives begins because God promises to forget our sin, when He remembers that Jesus gave His life for us on Calvary.

Because of that friendship, Mephibosheth’s life was completely changed by the kindness of King David. First, David gave Mephibosheth everything that his grandfather King Saul had lost because of his sin. Then, instead of digging up past grievances, David invited Mephibosheth to come live in the palace with him and join him every night at the super table. While many of us admire wealthy and powerful people, few of us are ever invited to live on their estate or sit down and have dinner with them. But God invites us today to come to His house and sit at the table with Him. God is determined to do more than just bless us: He not only wants to be our closest friend, but He also offers to adopt us into His family! But we will never fully receive all that Jesus has in store until we return from our own Lo Debar, come and live in His house, and sit down at the table with Jesus every day for the rest of our life!

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Not Good Enough!

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“I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 ESV

“You are not enough!” Colonel Phillips shouts to Steve Rogers, in the first Captain America film. Colonel Phillips wanted an army of superheroes, but all he ended up with was Steve. Of course, later in the film we find out that Steve actually is good enough, but the colonel needed a lot of convincing. Maybe the reason I love that movie is because I can identify with not being good enough.

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When I was a little boy, I didn’t think deeply on it, but I sensed that I was somehow not good enough, because all the other kids had a dad. Then, when I was five, mom remarried and my new “dad” showed up with his crew-cut, a dark mustache and lots of strict rules. He had rules about sitting at the table – “no talking at the table and eat all the brussels sprouts.” There were rules about shining my shoes on Sunday, making my bed like his drill sergeant had taught him and most of all rules, about playing the clarinet. He loved the clarinet, played in a chamber group, and listened to Benny Goodman and Pete Fountain. They all sounded fine, but in spite of daily practice, when I picked up that instrument more squeaks and squawks came out than the proper dulcet tones. I was not good enough. Saturday music lessons didn’t help much, and my afternoons, when my friends were out playing baseball, I sat in the basement room struggling with my instrument. My lower lip was often split by the reed and if I thought at all of heaven it was the place where no one had to play the clarinet ever again! Bringing that, “Not good enough!” struggle into my job, my family, and my church life, made me work tirelessly to do better, yet left me with the nagging feeling that no matter how hard I tried, I could never be good enough for God. Of course, I knew that I was saved by grace, but I figured God just sort of put up with me from there. I still squeaked and squawked at playing the notes of life and God had lots of rules that I couldn’t keep up with. But over the course of fifty plus years following Jesus, I have begun to learn the love of my Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for me. He doesn’t first ask me to play perfectly, sit silently at HIs table, and shine my shoes on Sunday. He first gave His life and then called me to follow Him. Sheep do not always follow perfectly. We are not fast, strong, or smart. We don’t even smell good! Yet despite all our many faults and failures, He loves us and by His wonderful merciful grace we belong to Him!

God Meets Jacob (and us) in the Desert

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And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. Genesis 28:11 ESV

Until this time Jacob’s life had been easy and predictable. His father was a wealthy and godly man, and his mother favored him over his brother and made sure that anything he needed was provided. But, because of his own deceitfulness and trickery, Jacob was now running away, and uncertain when he would ever see his parents again. At the end of day one in his journey, as Jacob watched the sun set in the desert, he realized that for the first time in his young life he was completely alone. Yet in spite of everything he had done, God loved Jacob and had scheduled a meeting with him that night, that would change the course of his life.

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Ironically, it was Esau, not Jacob, who knew about camping and hunting, and Jacob in his hurry, had not thought to bring along a tent, a sleeping bag or even a pillow. Today’s verse tells us that when he lay down to sleep, Jacob had to use a stone for a pillow. I will bet that as he lay tossing and turning with his head resting on that rock, that Jacob was missing the comforts of home! Some of us can look back and identify with that moment. or maybe you are in the middle of a desert right now! The good news is that in this, desert moment, with our heads resting on a stone pillow, God has not forgotten us. In fact, He has chosen this dark and lonely time to meet with us, not to solve all our problems, but to begin or deepen our relationship with Him. In Jacob’s life, it would be another twenty years before he would return home, but that night was a start. If you are ready for a new start, a dream, and a ladder, then get ready for an adventure that only God Himself could have planned. Then, stay tuned for the next installment in Jacob’s life, as God replaces his scheming with blessings, that are wrapped up in hard work and some hard knocks!

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! Genesis 28:12 ESV