Becoming: Part 5 - Living Hands Free

     It is commonly suggested that men are not very good at multi-tasking, yet quite good at compartmentalizing. Though this may or may not be the case, I have come to realize my own personal weakness in multi-tasking. Because of this realization, I have had to give myself a reminder that I cannot carry as big a load as God. The phrase I have begun to tell myself is, “God can care for that at the moment.” As I remind myself in this way, God seems to chime in as well. He seems to say to me, “that’s Mine, keep your hands off.” No matter how good or not so good you may be at multi-tasking, there will be times when God reminds you to keep your hands off what only He will touch. In these times, we are to learn the difficult yet profitable task of living hands free. At times, we are to live hands free.      In 1 Samuel 25-31, David though anointed to be King over Israel, is on the run from the current King, King Saul. Saul had for some time been attempting to kill David ever since the people of Israel began to see David as a more powerful warrior. In this last section of 1 Samuel, we come to the end of David’s journey fleeing from Saul. This time is a time of living hands free for David and in the end God paves the way for him to become king. Though there is much we could say about this time in David’s life, I want to focus particularly on how and why David chose to live hands free. I believe that he can be an example of how we may do the same as we are living in the process of God’s making. Please consider the following:
1. Living hands free, frees us from guilt. 26:6-12
2. Living hands free is accepting the possibility of the worst. 27:1-4
3. Living hands free is being honest and blameless in difficulty. 29:6-11
4. Living hands free is not grabbing all you can. 30:21-25
     Through the above, David serves as an example. We may then ask how David was able to live hands free in this manner? The answer is very simply found in the sixth verse of chapter thirty were we see that David received his strength from the Lord. For us this is the key as well.
     One of the many things that make it difficult to live hands free, is our own idea of who we should be. Part of growing up is coming to understand who we are as individuals. Because of so many developmental issues we tend to create a false-self. This usually creates an unsustainable living situation. Sue Monk Kidd in her book When the Heart Waits, helps us understand how we must confront the false-self and let it go. She suggest:
A. Let go of Your own self-image.
B. Let go of societies definition of you.
C. Let go of the compilation of your heroes.
D. Let go of your failures.
E. Let go of who unhealthy people say you are. 
     As we release the above, we are to embrace our true selves as defined by our Creator. These things help us to discover who He has created us. I think you would agree that the creator of a thing has the right to determine the identity and its purpose. Consider embracing the following: 
A. You are the reflection of God’s image.
B. You are valuable and worthy of the most immense love.
C. You possess world-changing gifts, talents, and abilities.
D. You are worth chasing.

Becoming: Living in the Process of God's Making - Part 4 "A Cry to Settle"

            During times of seeking God’s will Susan and I did not always agree on how much we should tell our children. I thought we should tell them everything, but she disagreed because she did not want them to live with the same sense of unsettledness as we did. Much of my children’s teen years were like this, and I probably could have done better provided stability for them.

            Most people cry out for a sense of settling down. Getting married and having a family is seen by many as “settling down”. Those with toddlers may argue with that definition. It is very much the opposite is it not? Truth be known we are individuals seeking to settle in an unsettled society. Not much about our world is settled. Observe the following descriptions.

            A settled society is defined as “traditions and common sense”. A controlled society refines and reinforces skills and habits while relying on the tried-and-true strategies of action.  An unsettled society is defined as one where ideas not habits are the “motor-force of life”.  Leaders create new strategies for action. Long-term influence depends on survival of competing ideologies. The later seems to the reality in which we live.

            In our longing to be settled, we tend to think of the Bible presenting a settled society, but it is the very opposite. All of history has been filled with unsettledness yet our human nature cries out to be settled. Part of living in the process of God’s making is learning to be settled in unsettledness until the restoration of all things through Christ. Therefore, let us consider this idea. Living in process often leaves us unsettled among family, friends, and strangers.

            A look into how David and Jonathan navigated a strong unsettling can be found in 1 Samuel chapters 19-21. When things seemed to settle, they became unsettled as before we need (1 Samuel 19) To needs displayed in this chapter are the love of a true friend and the power of God’s protection. Chapter 20 seems to reveal the idea that unsettled families call for settled friendship. Here the friendship of David and Jonathon was healthier that Jonathan’s relationship with his own father King Saul. Finally, chapter 21 reveals the necessity of navigating through the fears of other.

            With all that can be unsettled, who we trust becomes evident by who we worship. What Notice the harsh words spoken to King Hezekiah in Isaiah 36:4-7. He was being spoken to by the king of Assyria who basically stated that Hezekiah did not trust in the LORD because he did not worship in public. It is important to know that those who reject God see the hypocrisy of us who claim to trust God yet fail to worship Him as LORD in public. Here a church family finds a strong reminder. If we claim to trust God, we ought to worship is LORD.

            This worship will build a community that can be trusted. Two components of this are unity in prayer and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1-2). With this infilling comes the fruit of the Holy Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-26. May Yucaipa Valley Church of the Nazarene be a place of trust during an unsettled world.

Becoming: #3 – Remaining Humble 1 Samuel 18

            Once I stopped being jealous because of how God used others pastors, I began to learn from them. Learning from them means understanding the reasons why they have such a positive impact on their churches and communities. I understand the typical answer of its not them its God, but why then do some pastors fail to have much of an impact? Does God fail? If everything is up to God, then He has a spotty record of success and failure. I personally believe that God provides all that is needed for churches and pastors to make powerful impacts on their communities. Success will depend on our cooperating with Him. We don’t sit by and watch God do all the all the work. He calls, equips, and sends us into the lives of others. Yes, it is His plan, and His power, but we must cooperate in order to participate.  

            We see this in the lives of many biblical and historical figures. The focus here is the process God leads His people through as He guides them to places of impact. A very powerful perspective is gained through the life of David. He was a shepherd turned king. In this process David had to cooperate with God through faith, patience, and obedience. As he did, those around him had mixed feelings. He experienced love and praise from some, but jealousy and rage from others. Remaining humble through these experiences was part of David’s cooperation with God. However, God is leading you into lives around you, the challenge will be to live humbly in His plan.

            This post focuses on 1 Samuel Ch.18 where we see David successfully remain humble in the face of various reactions to God’s work in his life. Here, we draw several conclusions concerning jealousy and humility. Jealousy destroys appreciation yet love destroys jealousy (V. 1-9). Though he was naturally inline to become king, Jonathan loved David without a hint of jealousy. The exact opposite was the case with King Saul as he sought to destroy David, because David received all the praise. Jealousy also blinds us from the good God does in others (V.10-16).

            As we see jealousy at work in this text, we also see the work of humility. David displays the idea that humility is not thinking of yourself beyond who you are (V. 17-27). It also allows us to live within the jealously of some and the praise of others (V. 28-30). By observing how jealousy and humility work in David’s life, we receive the challenge to receive God’s favor through humble cooperation.

            A foundational truth to support this challenge is found in Proverbs 3:34 which states “Toward the scorners He is scornful, but to the humble He gives favor” (ESV). This foundational truth is displayed though a parable of Jesus in Luke 18:9-14.  As we live up to this challenge, may our church be filled with Jesus’ example of humility as found in Philippians 2:1-11.

“1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Becoming: Living in the Process of God’s Making

Sermon #1: At the Bottom – 1 Samuel 16

     I like to tell my high school seniors to enjoy being at the top, because they will soon return to the bottom and be freshmen once again. If my count is right, I have started at the bottom at least eight times in my life. This is about seven times more that I would have chosen. However, in starting at the bottom, I was able to lay a foundation as God moved me along. To be very honest, I am not sure if I’ve ever reached the top of anything.

     I think that we would agree that starting anything is a challenge. We start new jobs, educational endeavors, and seasons of life. At times the hardest starts in life follow major disappointment. It may seem easier to just sit in disappointment, but start again we must. So, if we are starting a fresh venture, or recovering from a disappointment, may we not neglect the making of a good start. In 1 Samuel, we see how to start at the bottom because at the bottom is the foundation.

     Beginning in the first three verses of the chapter, we see that Samuel had to move on from his grief and into what God had next. Two things come to mind when I read this text. The first is how God speaks in the past tense concerning Samuel’s future. He does this because from His perspective it was finished. I also think of the words of Sue Monk Kidd in her book When the Heart Waits when she states, “When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has found.” When we start at the bottom, God is already at the top.

    Pressing forward in the text (v. 4-10), we learn that Samuel had to move through what God had not chosen in order to find what He had. As he did so, Samuel had to trade his view for God’s. God does not look at people and situations as man does. As we do the same thing, understanding that moving through what God has not chosen may bring you to the end of what you know. This, though challenging, gets us to the starting point that begins our journey to peace.

     As God was guiding Samuel through this process, Samuel found that God had chosen what he and others had least expected (11-13).  Concerning these verses, Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite” Adding to this thought are the words of Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann. “He describes three stages in the life of our faith. Our faith begins with a focus on security, counting on God to provide for us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Inevitably, God shocks us with some unexpected turn of events, whether a death, a health problem, or a national crisis. Our faith becomes painfully disoriented. Finally, though once it seems as if trust in God has been shattered, faith can be reoriented often in surprising ways” (Kandiah, 2017). 

     The last section of this chapter displays the truth that, even though anointed to be king, David served in lower places (v.14-23). With David as our example, we are encouraged to start where God starts us. This may be a low place or a place moving out of major disappointment and hardship. However, we can’t miss what we are to become by focusing on what we think we should be. As God moves you forward, just start where you. From God’s perspective, your victory is a done deal.

Reference:

Kandiah, K. (2017). When God does the unexpected. Christianity Today, 61(2), 52-55.

God's Tolerance: Part 3 "Rebellious Presumption" 1 Samuel 13-15

     As a leader, I believe that I must earn your respect. I don’t think I deserve it because of my title or education. One of the ways that I attempt to earn respect is by being consistent to what I value and require of those around me. Being too stringent or too lenient will cause the respect level to diminish. If it diminished too much, God may make a change. Two things that God simply does not tolerate for very long are presumptuous and rebellious leaders.
     We understand why God would not wish to tolerate these, because we can’t stand them either. There is a certain relief when a presumptuous leader is removed. The whole organization takes a collective deep breath and pours out a sigh of relief. What becomes sad is when an otherwise good leader has their success turn into arrogance and rebellion. I think we all understand why humility and godly obedience is a prerequisite to being used by God. As I say this, I can’t help but think to myself of the leaders that I know who battle this. May we learn the needed lessons before we are removed. So, whatever role you play, may you understand that rebellion and presumption will be the cause of us loosing what we should be (1 Samuel 15:22-23). 

     The context of this statement in 1 Samuel (Chapters 13-14) is complicated and multi-layered.  

The people feared by the threat of the Philistines under the leadership of Saul (13:1-7). Saul failed to wait for Samuel and made the offering himself. This was an act of disobedience that disqualified him from leadership (13:8-23). Though Saul was a failed leader, God saved the Israelites from the Philistines through the hand of his son Jonathan (14:1-23). Because of this, Saul made a rash vow and it almost cost him his son’s life (14:24-46). Finally, Saul disobeyed the Lord’s commands and keep what he was supposed to destroy (5:1-34).

     From this context, 1 Samuel 15:22-23 make a bit more sense and help us understand two very important truths. First, many rebel by holding onto what they are to destroy. Saul’s rebellion was holding the spoils of war for himself which God told him to destroy. Here the words of Jerry Bridges come through. “Rebellion can be both obvious transgressions or in acts if decency. It is then appropriate to ask, what has God told us to destroy? One possible answer is found in 2 Cor. 10:5 where Paul writes, “5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

     Secondly, we can understand that God removes the presumptuous because presumption is one’s attempt to worship himself. Saul’s presumption was that he could do what only Samuel was called to do. One ways to fight against this very common human instinct is to pray for protection. Notice have the Psalmist prays in Psalm 36:11. Here he prays, “let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

     In conclusion, there is a personal challenge to which we may respond. We must destroy the seeds of presumption and rebellion. These may differ from person to person, but what we have in common is the need to safeguard ourselves by destroying them. Failure to do so is the equivalent of asking God to tolerate what will remove us from being our best and having a faithful relationship with God. We cannot ask God to tolerate what removes us from being our best.  

God’s Tolerance Part 2: “Less than Best” 1 Samuel 11-12

     I like it when God is tolerant of me, but when He is tolerant of you I must also like it.  Though there is a bit of humor in that statement, it is a hard truth that must be examined within my own heart. This hard truth births a closer look at God’s tolerance of me that causes me to take responsibility for the condition of my life. I must remember, whatever God is tolerating is creating a life setting in which I must be faithful.

     We all appreciate and benefit from God being tolerant, but when He is tolerant of those around us we must also be appreciative.  All this creates a life setting that requires flexibility and faithfulness. In this light, the challenge for both the Christian and those who do not believe in Him becomes to faithfully live in circumstances caused by sin. To examine this idea, we can turn to 1 Samuel 11-12.

     One of the first things we discover here is the possibility of a life setting formed by rejecting God’s best (1 Samuel 11) In this text God reveals the existence of justified an unjustified violence. In this setting, there is regret and blame because of the chosen leader. Somehow this chapter seems very familiar to our own. God tolerated their desire for a king and it has brought everything God said it would. Now there is regret. Regret is the outcome of living in less than God’s best.

     Moving to Chapter 12, we observe several ideas about living faithfully in a setting less than God’s best. These ideas are found in Samuel’s farewell address he makes to the Israelites. Each of these ideas are presented here in a short fashion and may better be understood by a slow reading of the text. First, keep a clear conscience before God and others (12:1-5) and remembering God’s ability to deliver (12:6-11). Next living in less than God’s best may provide us with a new sense of obedience (12:12-15) and appreciation for His mercy (12:16-18). Though living in less than God’s best means that we are guilty, we can renew our commitment to live in service from your whole heart (12:19-20). This will bring about the need to refrain from seeking fulfillment through empty things (12:21), moving us into an appreciation of God’s faithfulness to rebellious people and willingness to call us His own (12:22). Finally, we can display humble, and faithful leadership (V.23-25).  
     Being that living in less than Gods best is part of living in a broken world that each of His followers are challenged to live faithfully. Faithfully living in circumstances caused by sin is achieved through forgiveness (Luke 17:1-6).  As each respond to these challenges according to their own family and church roles, may they not sin against God by ceasing to pray and teach truth (12:23).

God's Tolerance: Part 1 - Tolerance is Not Permission

     As a person living in this world, I must be tolerant of certain things that I believe to be wrong or at least less than best. I simply cannot function as an individual by speaking out or being argumentative with everyone with whom I disagree. However, does that mean that I need to agree with or accept to be right those things that I believe to be wrong?

      As a Christian, I feel like I am being asked to tell people living in rebellion against God that they are ok and that my opinions may not be true for them. This issue has caused me to begin a tolerant pursuit of truth. This means that I am committing to being respectful to those that disagree with me while I seek to learn truth. Being that I am fully convinced in the existence and resurrection of Jesus; my pursuit starts with Him and those who recorded His teachings. This includes the historic events caused by His life and beliefs of those who followed Him. Though my pursuit begins there, it also includes the many other academic disciplines present today.

     As we come here today, each of us hold certain beliefs. Those beliefs are often challenged by changing life situations or new information. What I am hoping, is that we all are looking to base our lives on truth and not mere opinion. As a Christian pastor, my desire is to help you understand truth about God. I am not going to hound you in every area of your life that I think needs growth. That’s God’s job. However, I do want to share with you that God is tolerant, but that does not mean that He is permissive. To help us with this, consider the words of Pastor Jonathan Parnell as he states, “Now, as political and newsy as it may seem, the main thing to understand about tolerance is this: It is profoundly theological. Yes, tolerance is defensible based on mere reason, and no, you don't have to be a Christian to practice it — or even a theist. But the firmest ground for why we would bother being tolerant goes back to God.” (Pastor Jonathan Parnell http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/no-one-is-more-tolerant-than-god)
     The main thought of this message is the idea that God’s tolerance is not permission. Though it is not permission, it is full of grace and mercy in the hope of repentance. It is not rude or condescending, and it never says the one in rebellion is unloved. One Old Testament story reveals how God was tolerant of Israel’s rejection of Him when asking for a king in 1 Samuel 8-10. Here we can discover two truths about God’s tolerance. When thinking these through, remember that tolerance means that those in disagreement are not hostile or harmful to each other.

     In 1 Samuel Chapter 8 we read of Israel’s desire for a king. They were suffering at the hands of the Philistines and believed the answer was a king to deliver them. In Chapter 9, God was tolerant of Israel’s rejection and allowed Samuel to choose Saul as King. Pay close attention to verses 15-18 and you will notice two important truths. First, God remained faithful to hear their prayers for deliverance. Second, God remained faithful to restrain them.

     Moving to Chapter 10, we discover that God was tolerant of Israel’s rejection and worked in the heart of the leader they had chosen over Him. One surprising merciful act was the fact that the Spirit of the Lord turned the heart of Saul and allowed him to prophecy in verses 6-9. Following this, the people celebrated God’s tolerance perhaps thinking that they were right all along. They may, like many of us today, saw God’s merciful tolerance as permission to remain in rebellion free of its consequences. A simple reading of the rest of the story told in 1 Samuel reveals that our rebellion always has negative consequences in the end.

     This truth leads us to a New Testament thought. God’s tolerance is not to be mistaken for a lack of justice and judgment. To grasp this idea let’s quickly consider the words of 2 Peter 3:1-13. The first thought here is that those who misunderstand God’s tolerance forget about His past judgments. Also, seen here is the overall goal of God’s tolerance that in turn should be ours. The goal of God’s tolerance is that those in error would repent. This becomes very serious because God’s tolerance will end. Therefore, we are to live in holiness and godliness.

     Because of the seriousness of the topic and the place of tolerance in our world today we should be on a tolerant pursuit of truth. I would hope that even those who are not following Christ desire to live in truth. Living in lies is counterproductive to a life most desire to live. Finally, we at Yucaipa Church of the Nazarene are to be tolerant for the same reasons God is tolerant. May God help us be tolerant in the hope of repentance and true unity beneath His truth.

My Situation: How to Thrive in Your Imperfect Place - Part 5 "Responding to Rejection"

            Rejection has played a large part in shaping my life situation into one that I am very thankful. I was not thankful for the rejection when it occurred, and there was temptation to deal with it in ways that were unhealthy. But I thank God that He walked me through those challenges to where I am today. We all have and will continue to face rejection, but it is how we handle it that will shape our life situation. This message addresses the issue of thriving in your imperfect place by properly dealing with rejection. The text for this message as we finish this series is found in 1 Samuel 8. 

           By the time we reach this text, the Israelites had suffered at the hands of poor leaders like Eli and his sons. Therefore, they were rejecting the good leadership of Samuel and God.  As many of us would, Samuel was experiencing this rejection on a personal and spiritual level. However, God came along side Samuel helping him to not take the rejection too personally. Based upon the rejection experienced by Samuel in this text, I want to address avoiding the dangers of improperly dealing with rejection.

            First, improperly dealing with rejection disrupts the safety of community. God created us to live in the safety of community. For the safety of community real reasons for rejection exist. For example, Proverbs 22:10 states, “Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease.” Our brokenness and the brokenness of our community keeps us from getting this 100% right. In our attempts to get this right, we as a church may welcome any and all to attend but not all should be allowed to serve as leaders. For the sake of the community, we must work hard to understand the Lord’s will concerning who is called to lead.
            Secondly, improperly dealing with rejection causes us to become overly self-critical. Psychologist Guy Winch believes “the greatest damage rejection causes, is usually self-inflicted because we usually become overly self-critical”. Life then becomes a battle of being overly self-critical verses understanding the need for personal growth. When we are in this position we must learn to understand our value that makes improvement worthy of the effort. Learning to understand this requires getting connected with emotionally and spiritually healthy people.

            With these two ideas in mind, the personal challenge becomes, to deal with the dangers of rejection by embracing the reality that God understands your heart unlike all others. Read the account of how God leads Samuel to select David as Israel’s second king in 1 Samuel 16. The key verses here are 6 and 7. Here we read, “when they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

            This same passage presents a corporate challenge to our church. The challenge is to deal with the dangers of rejection as a church. At times, we may have to reject our own initial reactions and replace them with God’s. Samuel had to reject his initial understanding of God’s will for the real one. Sometimes who we think should serve in leadership is not God’s choice. May we continually be checking for God’s will as to who shall lead His church.  

My Situation: How to Thrive in Your Imperfect Place - Part 4 "Put it Away"

            I have learned the benefit of leaving my cell phone in my home office when I go to bed. I used to keep it on a small night stand next to my bed and use it as an alarm clock. The problem was, as I would try to go to sleep I would desire to check sports updates, or respond to just one more text. Putting my phone away in my office and buying a simple alarm clock gave me the opportunity to have a few moments of quiet prayer leading to sleep. I had to put away my phone to gain a quiet moment.

            At times our lives situations require us to put some things away. There are things that we all need in life, but fail to have because we refuse to put away some things that we should not have in the first place. Some of these things that we need are things that we have lost. Perhaps you have lost a sense of peace or a measure of faith. When we lose peace or faith, life becomes a struggle to regain them. Therefore we have the challenge of regaining what we have lost by putting away what we should not have.

            1 Samuel 7:3 states, “And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’” The context of this verse (1 Samuel 4-7) is a time of great trouble and loss. The Israelites were seeking to regain what they had lost. The trouble was, they had a strong enemy and were not in right relation with God. This had been the case for many years and now they were beginning to experience the challenges of having what they should not.

            Where they found themselves, brought about the need that many of us have today. They and we need to put away our false comforts. The Israelites had been defeated by the Philistines and the Arc of God had been captured (Ch. 4). They had come to believe that if they had the Arc with them, they could not suffer defeat. They were wrong. What brought victor was God, not that which symbolized Him. That which you believe to signify the presence and power of God is useless without obedience to God.

            The Philistines also became an example of what must be put away. Those things to which we trying to add God. The Philistines suffered greatly because they tried to place the Arc of God among their gods and thus returned it to the Israelites (Ch. 5-6). Trying to add God to your gods causes false assurance and failure. Is we want what God offers we cannot add him to life goals. He and His Will must become our life goals.

            When the Arc of God had been returned to Israel, Samuel proclaimed a challenging truth. Our main verse for this message is that challenge and it is one that remains true. Putting away what you should not have allows you to have what you should.  According to Samuel, we should have a heart directed to the LORD and the ability to serve Him only.  In order to have this, what do you need to put away? The same question can be asked of us as a church. What do we, as a church, need to put away so that we can gain what we don’t have?

            Finishing this thought, it would be wrong to avoid a couple of obvious questions. What if God is not your main concern? What if God is your means to an end? If you find yourself in this positon, you are among many. It is very difficult for us to grasp the fact that God had a reason in mind when He created us. However, when you accept this, you will find peace in nothing else. When you accept this, He will be your main concern instead of a means to an end.   

My Situation: How to Thrive in Your Imperfect Place - Part 3 "An Uncommon Word"

     This week a friend thanked me for giving him a perspective different from his own. His situation involved an issue that could have been acted upon from a multitude of perspectives. For one hour, we thought out loud about many of them. At the end of the conversation we felt like we had looked at both common and uncommon perspectives. My prayer is that God will speak plainly to him, providing a divine perspective. The divine perspective often offers the most uncommon yet most needed word. 

     Similar to the situation faced by my friend, living in a family or community necessitates the need for an uncommon word. We find ourselves being tempted to simply speak about common ideas and popular perspectives. We want to speak what is easy and non-confrontational. However, if we wait on the Lord He can give us an uncommon word. As we continue with the series “My Situation”, may God shape your situation with an uncommon word.

    To elaborate on this topic, we will first look at Samuel’s situation as he was called by God. His situation was unexpected and would require him to be God’s spokesperson. The word of the Lord was rare and there was no frequent vision (V.1). Samuel was young and did not yet know the LORD nor His word (V.7). This was about to change because God was on verge of publically punishing the house of Eli because Eli had known of the sins of his sons and did nothing to restrain (V.11-14).

     Into this situation Samuel was called to speak a difficult and unpopular word. In Chapter 1 Samuel was dedicated to serve the Lord. Now, in Chapter 2 God was calling on him to fulfill the reason for his dedication (v. 3-10). Samuel was confused by the initial calling. The only thing that would clear up the confusion would be to remain still and utter the words, “speak, for your servant hears” (V. 10). When Samuel did this, God gave him a difficult word to speak (11-15).

     Samuel now found himself in the honorable yet difficult position of speaking an uncommon word. His ability to understand the word of God was new. He had to speak difficult words to an authority figure who was being punished for sin. To fulfill this task, he was granted the presence of God and powerful authority to speak effectively (V.19-20).

     God did not stop calling people to speak uncommon words when He called Samuel. He continued to do so throughout history up to today with you. He has shaped you through uncommon words and calls you to speak them to others. For you to fulfill your calling into the lives around you, be a listening servant willing to speak an uncommon word. If you are willing to listen pray the following, “Father, show me the places in my life where Your word is rare and fill me with words to speak.”.

     Not only are individuals to speak uncommon words, but collectively churches are to influence their communities in the same way. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10, three important issues are raised. The word must be accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit and full conviction. Secondly, the word may be received with much affliction yet with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Finally, those who receive the word become examples that need no words. May Yucaipa Valley Church of the Nazarene be this type of church. Toward this end consider the words of Ryan Shelton, “We cry out for God to speak with authority and power in our worship meetings and then we open up our Bibles to listen” (http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/only-our-god-speaks).