Mephibosheth Thanksgiving

   There's a story in the Bible that talks about the fierce battle between the families of the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. After Saul and his son, Jonathan, died in battle, their family's power slowly diminished in the land. To add to their struggle, people, thinking they were doing David a favor, began to kill off Saul's descendents. This didn't sit well with David. For when two men murdered another of  Saul's sons, he had them executed.

    When David was finally crowned King over Israel, one of his first acts as king was to find any of Saul's living relatives. He was soon informed that a crippled named Mephibosheth was the only one left of Saul's household. He was the son of Jonathan, David's good friend. King David sent for him, and when he arrived, he said... “Don’t be afraid,” ..., “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” A few sentences down, we further read: So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. (2 Samuel 9:7, 11b)

   Here was a man that had no rights or privileges to receive such blessings. But out of the grace that Jonathan first extended to him, David returned it upon Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth.  

   As we're about to celebrate another Thanksgiving, I'm reminded of King David's table and how it applies to us as followers of Christ. And here are but a few reasons why: First, although I never deserved to sit around the King's table, I am welcomed through Christ to be there. I no longer have to fear God's wrath because peace has been given to me through Jesus. Second, if I receive nothing else in this life but God's grace and forgiveness, I am blessed beyond measure. Everything else is "icing on the cake." And third, I can celebrate today and I am thankful today because I am a Child of the King. You see, I'm not just invited to God's table, I'm also adopted into His family. And I have every right that is given to His children.

   Even though my sin had made me a crippled, even though my family line was full of death and despair, it was through God's favor that I’m invited to sit and eat and enjoy God’s abundance and presence. I will forever be thankful for such a marvelous blessing.   

   May you remember where your blessings come from as you sit around the table this Thanksgiving as well.

Together...We Win

    The other day, I was out in the backyard of our home working. As I was finishing up, I thought I'd take a break and play a little game. Earlier, my son had left the bag toss game out with all of the bags. If you're unfamiliar, it's the game played with rectangular 2x4 ft. boxes with a 6 inch hole near one end and placed down at an angle several feet away from each other. The object of the game is to get the bags into the hole by tossing them from the location of the opposite box.

   I began throwing bags when my 3-year-old, Abby,saw what I was doing and ran over with the desire to play as well. Apparently, she had watched us enough to know how to play because she demanded all the blue-colored bags. With them in hand, she ran over to the other boxes and proceeded (to the best of her ability) to throw them over to the box near me.  She dumped the bags down on the board and picked up one. With all of her might, she wound up like a big-league pitcher and launched the bag in my direction. It traveled about a 1/3 of the way. A pretty-good feat for a 3-yr-old, but far from enough to make it the distance needed. Undeterred, she picked up another and went through a similar ritual with basically the same results. She then did something I wasn't expecting...
  She stopped, looked up and waited for me to take my turn. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about tossing one over that she didn't see in enough time to get out of the way of...so I was very cautious. The first bag landed right in front of the box and was leaning against it. Without a word, Abby ran to the bag; picked it up, and then proceeded to drop it in the hole. My next bag landed on the top of the board (1 point if you know the rules). This didn't stop her. she picked that bag up and through it in the hole as well. She continued to do this until all of my bags were in the hole.
  In that moment, I smiled thinking to myself how cute she was. And then I realized what she was actually doing. You see, she didn't have the strength or ability to get the bag in the hole, but she wasn't going to let that defeat her. Instead, she partnered with me (someone who was able to accomplish the task) so that we could both win the game. And may I add, she was a great helper.  
   This reminded me of the character of God. While He could accomplish every task that He desires on earth without our help, He still asks His children to join Him in doing the work. Therefore, we are successful and accomplish more when we join with God rather than try and rely only on our own power. 
   This begs the question, what are you working at these days that unless God helps, there's no way you can accomplish it? What dreams are you dreaming about your career, church, family, and/or future that without God's help there's no way it would happen? Are you too easily satisfied with only what you can win at on your own, or do you long for something greater?
   It's true, we can be more successful when we work together. But it's also true that we can do the unimaginable when we join God in His work. The results and rewards are eternal. 

Risky Business

There are times when traumatic events take place in our lives that are out of our control. When that happens in close relationships, there's a temptation from that point on to try and control every other relationship we have. The mindset being, "No one's ever going to hurt me like that again." But as long as we do this, we won't have authentic relationships because people will resent and fight our controlling behavior. Building a 'wall' around ourselves isolates and hinders our chances at meaningful relationships as well.
    What's the alternative? Risk getting hurt again and share your life with potential friends. They may let you down, but then again, you've let others down as well. Forgive others and allow yourself to be forgiven.
    Furthermore, there's someone far more powerful and intelligent than we are who is in control of it all. You can accept this fact and bend to His will (give up "control"), or you can fight Him for it and eventually lose anyway. Relationships are a risky business, but they're worth the risk especially our relationship with Jesus.

In Need of Repair

   I don't know how you feel, but I always get a bit depressed and saddened when confronted by such reckless disregard for human life. My heart aches as the pictures and news reports come in of those injured in the recent Boston Marathon bombings. I want to cry out, "What's wrong with this world?" When they start to post images of the deceased and begin interviewing friends and relatives. And before throwing my hands up in despair, I am reminded once again that it's broken...The world that is. 
   It was never meant to be this way. Something inside of us all knows this. But even though we know that hatred and death is wrong, it doesn't stop us from continuing to hate and in some cases even murdering others.
  But what do we do when confronted by such horrible acts? What do you do when someone decides to explode a bomb next to an 8 year old (Martin Richard) who not too long ago held up a sign requesting no more hurting people-peace?

You trust... 
You find comfort in the fact that in God there's safety.In the midst of calamity, there's a peace that comes from knowing that One greater than you has control.
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.  Psalm 91:1-2
  The answer is trust in Jesus. When He promised us that even though there's trouble in this world, we should take heart for He has overcome this damage and even allowed restoration through His death. 
   Yes there's pain. Yes there's sorrow. Yes there's sadness, depression, and loss. But we don't have to allow these feelings and events to define us. 

   The human race has been damaged by the results of our choices to do wrong. But we're not destroyed beyond repair. If we'll let God do it, He will remake us back to the people we were meant to be. Will this mean the world will be a utopia? Probably not until He comes back, but when I change, there's a greater chance that more will change with me.   
   The world is broken and needs repair. We must allow God to fix us first...others will follow.