Compromise - David

David has been greatly blessed by God, and now he is ruling over all Israel.  In 2 Sam. 11 we read that in the spring of the year the kings go out to battle.  While Joab and all Israel went out to battle, David remained at Jerusalem.  It seems that David was not where he should have been, out with the battle.  Usually people get into trouble when they are somewhere they shouldn't be!  Obedience begins when we go where God wants us to go!  David observed a beautiful woman when he walked on the roof of the king's house.  Here David made his choice to compromise.  He inquired about who she was, and eventually had her brought over to the king's house.  He took advantage of her there, and soon the news came back to him that she was with child.  David compromised morally, taking a woman that was another man's wife.  He knew she was Bathsheba, Uriah's wife.  Uriah was one of David's mighty men, loyal to David unto death.  David decided to cover up the sin with Bathsheba, so he asked that Uriah would be sent home.  David talked with Uriah, and sent him to his house to be with his wife.  However, Uriah never went to his house, because he was loyal to his men.  David even got Uriah drunk in hopes that he would go to his own house.  But Uriah stayed loyal to his men.  So in a final act of betrayal and murder, David sent a letter with Uriah telling Joab to put Uriah in the hottest place of the battle.  Now David has covered up his adultery by lying and murder!   But what is done in private is known by God.  Nathan's revelation, "You are the man" brought David to a place of repentance.  David cried out to God in Ps. 51, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."  There is life after compromise!  Though there was much pain and heartache, God did forgive David, and restored him.  Life would never be quite the same for David, but he did experience God's forgiveness and presence once again.  The good news is that God will heal us from our compromise when we cry out to Him.

Do I need forgiveness for anything in my life?

Compromise - Eli

Eli was the priest in Shiloh at the time of Samuel's birth.  We are told about the wickedness of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas.  The Old Testament law was that when sacrifices were offered, the fat was to be burned first, before the meat was eaten.  However, these sons did not respect the offering, and would demand the meat while it was raw, and threatened to take it by force if it wasn't given to them.  They also would lay with the women at the door of the tabernacle.  They did not listen to their father Eli when he corrected them.  But Eli was compromising along with his sons.  In 1 Sam. 2:29 the Lord said to Eli, "Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?"  Eli was compromising with God, in order to honor his sons.  He did not want to lose the relationship with his sons, so he compromised his relationship with God.  By doing this, he lost God's blessing on his life.  Israel came under attack from the Philistines, and they lost the battle, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed in the battle.  When the news of the battle came to Eli, he fell backwards off his seat, and broke his neck and died.  Then Phinehas' wife heard the news, and she went into labor, and died after the child was born, which she named Ichabod, which means "the glory has departed from Israel."  Eli's compromise was very costly for Israel.  Because he did not put God first, but allowed compromise into his life, his family, and his nation suffered greatly, and came into captivity to their enemy.  Compromising our relationship with God for other people will always bring bad results in our lives.  We can learn a lesson from Eli - Do not compromise with God.

How can I stop compromise from becoming part of my life?     

Compromise - Esau

Recently I looked at the lives of men who compromised their relationship with God.  Esau became a godless person, though being raised in the home of Isaac and Rebekah.  The story is told in Gen. 25:29-34.  He came in from hunting and was famished, so he asked Jacob for some stew.  Jacob took advantage of the situation and asked for Esau's birthright.  Esau sold his birthright for a pot of stew.  Heb. 12:16 says Esau was a profane person, meaning he was a godless person.  He did not develop a relationship with God.  He no longer respected the things of God.  Heb. 12:12 says, "Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."  When we are tired, and weary, and wounded in our heart, we need to pay attention to this.  We need to strengthen the areas of our lives that are weak and wounded.  Otherwise, that which is lame may become dislocated, but God wants us to be healed.  We need to make "straight paths" for our feet.  We need to straighten out what has gone wrong, and get our feet back on a straight path.  Everyone of us gets wounded, and hurt, and we all need to strengthen and straighten our paths.  Look into the word of God for direction, and spend time in prayer to strengthen weak areas.  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."  Heb. 12:14.  We need to come to peace with the struggles we have with people!  We need to deal with people, and forgive, and let go of past hurts.  We need to pursue holiness, for only then will we see the Lord.  When we compromise our faith, we do not see the Lord working in our lives.  "Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled."  Heb. 12:15.  There is grace to overcome all bitterness and hurt.  Esau compromised his relationship, and did not see the Lord's blessing. 

Am I compromising in any area of my life today?

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

Matt. 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  It is God's purpose to make us of a pure heart.  This is a constant challenge for us, for Jesus told us that "...out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness..."  Mark 7:21,22.  We need to keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,  Sin can easily cling to us, so we must look away from all that distracts, Heb. 12:2.  Jesus endured the cross, and all temptation, and He is our example to consider, so that we do not become discouraged.  "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, stiving against sin."  Heb. 12:4.  We must strive against sin, refusing to give into it.  God spoke to Cain in Gen. 4:7, "...if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  Sin is like a wild animal crouching at your door, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.  Chase the little animal away!  Tell it to go!  Give it no opportunity to pounce!  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord."  Heb. 12:14.  People, people, people!  Dealing with people often means we must deal with anger, strife, and unforgiveness in our hearts.  Sin stops the Holy Spirit's work in us, and without Him working in us, we will not see the Lord.  We are warned not to be like Esau, who sold his birthright for a pot of stew.  He became a godless, impure person, giving up his inheritance for a single temporal meal to satisfy his flesh.  He did not struggle against sin, he gave into it.  Fight against bitterness, unforgiveness, and compromise, lest sexual sin or godlessness be in our hearts.  By the grace of God, we can have a pure heart.  Sin takes as much space as it can get.  "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace."  Rom. 6:14.  It is our responsibility to keep our hearts pure, and only then will we see God.

Am I walking with a pure heart today?

Blessed Are The Merciful

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  Matt. 5:7.  Mercy can be defined as compassion, kindness, and an outward manifestation of pity.  Mercy sees and feels what the other person is going through.  The merciful are promised mercy in return.  The opposite is also true; those who show no mercy receive no mercy.  This was true for the unforgivng servant of Matt. 18.  Though he had been forgiven a debt he could not repay, he refused to forgive someone a very small debt.  He was put in the debtor's prison until he would pay all he owed.  "So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  The unmerciful do not receive mercy.  This was also true for the rich man in Luke 16.  The poor man Lazarus was laid at his gate everyday, and yet the rich man never once had mercy on the poor man.  Both men died, and now the rich man in hell cried out for mercy, that Lazarus would come and dip his finger in water to cool his tongue, for he was tormented in the flame.  The rich man received no mercy, for he had a lifetime to show mercy, but had shown none.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who misuse and persecute us.  In this way we will be acting like our heavenly Father, who causes the sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.  Job had three friends who spent their time criticizing and condemning Job.  Yet God told Job that He would bring these friends to him, and Job was to pray for them.  "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends.  Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."  Job 42:10.  Pray for your enemies, and forgive those who hurt you.  In this way God can show you mercy and restore all that you have lost, and even multiply it back to you!  "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment."  Jam. 2:13.  When mercy and judgment meet, mercy always wins.  The covering on the ark of the covenant was a mercy seat.  God wants to show mercy to His people.  We can be thankful that there are new mercies every morning, Lam. 3:22,23.  Even in the midst of Israel's failure and suffering, there were new mercies everyday.  No matter what your past has been, everyday is a new day, and there is mercy for each day.  Show mercy to someone today, and God will show mercy to you. 

How can I show mercy to someone today?

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst

Matt. 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  There are 5 things I noticed about hunger, and the importance of staying hungry for righteousness.
1.  Hunger is healthy.  It is a very healthy sign if a person is hungry.  When a child is not hungry and is too lethargic to eat, it is a sign that something is seriously wrong.  It is so much better to have a child crying for food, than for the child to have no appetite.  We too are to be like new born babies, crying out for more of God's Word.  1 Pet. 2:2 says, "as newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby."
2.  Hunger brings growth.  Only through hunger can we grow physically, and only the spiritually hungry will experience growth in their walk with God.  2 Pet. 3:18, "But grow in the grace and knowldege of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever, Amen."
3.  Hunger causes you to seek.  We are told by Jesus to seek first the kingdom of God.  This spiritual hunger will take care of the other needs in our lives.  It was David's great desire to spend his life seeking after the presence of the Lord, Ps. 27:4,5.  A person will be motivated by hunger.  Pro. 16:26 says, "The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on."  A hunger for God will motivate you to seek God deeply for the answers you need.  In fact, only those who diligently seek Him will please God, and find Him to be a rewarder.
4.  Hunger opens new doors.  "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."  Ps. 107:9.  Israel's journey was up and down, depending on their hunger.  When they stopped seeking God, they fell into the depths of distress.  When they sought God, He lifted them up, and delivered them from their enemies.  Hunger defines your path!  Hunger creates your life!  You will follow the path of your hunger!
5.  Hunger brings appreciation.  "A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."  Pro. 27:7.  A hungry person appreciates any food he can find.  A full person can even find sweet food replusive, because he is not hungry.  That's why we are told not to go shopping when we are hungry!  Everything looks good when you're hungry!  A spiritually hungry person appreciates anything about Jesus.  Any song, any Scripture, any word about Jesus is good when you are hungry.

Are you hungry for righteousness today?