Life is full of good and bad, she thought as she finished folding under the dough that covered the top of the apple pie. Good makes you happy, might bring you together. But, it’s the hard times, the bad times that strengthen things. Love doesn’t get strong in good weather. It needs a little fire to temper it.”
–L. C. Matthews (The Promise)
“For they were all trying to intimidate us, saying, ‘They will become discouraged in the work, and it will never be finished.’ But now, my God, strengthen me.”
–Nehemiah 6:9 (HCSB)
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“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
–1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV)
Yesterday we saw the revelation that came to Peter. He was frustrated when the Lord asked if he “loved Him” (agapao). Peter realized that he could not agapao the Lord, or anything else, without the Lord living within him. He will more fully come to understand this when the Holy Spirit fills him as we see in Acts chapter 2. Only with God in us can we truly love as He did.
I wrote that to bring our attention to David. I have always, in my mind, thought of David with New Testament thinking. He understood the concept of grace and mercy; he knew that the Lord would be with him in his daily life as well as in his trials. Here, in 1 Samuel, we see David and his men coming back to Ziklag finding that their families had been taken; their possessions either burned or stolen. Included with this kidnapping were David’s two wives. David is under attack; he is at his wit’s end–but notice, he “strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
David was in a desperate position. He had been hiding from Saul among the Philistines and actually takes up arms for them. He is not trusted by them and they insist on sending him back to Ziklag before the battle against Israel. There are many things we can learn from this situation. First, let me use the words of Alan Redpath, “Like David, the Christian often finds himself in the wrong camp, going along with the wrong company. He has lowered the standard, and he excuses himself by saying that you must be as like the world as possible; you must imitate ungodly people and not let them think that you are peculiar or unusual. Then he discovers to his humiliation that there comes a point where the unbeliever, who holds a higher standard for the Christian life than he does, suddenly turns to him and says, ‘What do these Christians here?'”
I have heard the excuses and reasons for the lowering of standards, and it is nothing but uncut baloney. Look like the world, act like the world, drink like the world, smell like the world–hmm, but be of the world. However, the world is looking for someone who will stand for what they believe. Many years ago I was in a wedding for a friend. At the reception they passed around the champagne to toast the new bride and groom. I turned my champagne glass over on the table and lifted my water. The lady serving the champagne chided me saying that it was improper and an insult. I wondered, “an insult to whom?” Sometime later my friend came to me and told me that he and his wife were watching to see if I would compromise or stand firm in what I believed. See, we are a living letter, giving testimony all the time to those around us.
The second thing, and what I really wanted to bring out today is the above verse. When we have compromised, become complacent, given in to curiosity what can we do? Strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When trials come, depression and despair hits, and we find ourselves in the dumps of life, what can we do? Strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When life seems to be crumbling in front of us, there is fear and trembling all around, and perhaps we even have those who would want to do us harm, what can we do? Strengthen ourselves in the Lord!
Here is the key–notice what David did at this low point: He strengthened himself in the Lord, then went to the Lord and inquired about what he should do. He was not put out to pasture, he was not put aside on a shelf, or thrust in a corner or put on probation. “So David inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.'” (1 Samuel 30:8, NKJV) David inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered, and David obeyed. “Pursue!” Don’t sit moping about; don’t be singing the blues; don’t be moaning, “Woe is me…I should go eat some worms.” Pursue! Pursue what God has for you. Do not neglect His calling, His purpose for your life.
Where do you find yourself today? The call of culture today hollers for tolerance, but at what price? “The pursuit of peace is not to become the pursuit of peace at any price. Some of us need to take care that our distaste for conflict and confrontation does not lead us to pursue peace at the cost of righteousness.” (Alistair Begg) Instead of lowering the standard, lift it up. Strengthen yourself in the Lord, no matter the situation–that is part of growing in grace. Christ is not only the Author of our salvation; He is also our Sustainer.
————————————
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
–1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV)
Yesterday we saw the revelation that came to Peter. He was frustrated when the Lord asked if he “loved Him” (agapao). Peter realized that he could not agapao the Lord, or anything else, without the Lord living within him. He will more fully come to understand this when the Holy Spirit fills him as we see in Acts chapter 2. Only with God in us can we truly love as He did.
I wrote that to bring our attention to David. I have always, in my mind, thought of David with New Testament thinking. He understood the concept of grace and mercy; he knew that the Lord would be with him in his daily life as well as in his trials. Here, in 1 Samuel, we see David and his men coming back to Ziklag finding that their families had been taken; their possessions either burned or stolen. Included with this kidnapping were David’s two wives. David is under attack; he is at his wit’s end–but notice, he “strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
David was in a desperate position. He had been hiding from Saul among the Philistines and actually takes up arms for them. He is not trusted by them and they insist on sending him back to Ziklag before the battle against Israel. There are many things we can learn from this situation. First, let me use the words of Alan Redpath, “Like David, the Christian often finds himself in the wrong camp, going along with the wrong company. He has lowered the standard, and he excuses himself by saying that you must be as like the world as possible; you must imitate ungodly people and not let them think that you are peculiar or unusual. Then he discovers to his humiliation that there comes a point where the unbeliever, who holds a higher standard for the Christian life than he does, suddenly turns to him and says, ‘What do these Christians here?'”
I have heard the excuses and reasons for the lowering of standards, and it is nothing but uncut baloney. Look like the world, act like the world, drink like the world, smell like the world–hmm, but be of the world. However, the world is looking for someone who will stand for what they believe. Many years ago I was in a wedding for a friend. At the reception they passed around the champagne to toast the new bride and groom. I turned my champagne glass over on the table and lifted my water. The lady serving the champagne chided me saying that it was improper and an insult. I wondered, “an insult to whom?” Sometime later my friend came to me and told me that he and his wife were watching to see if I would compromise or stand firm in what I believed. See, we are a living letter, giving testimony all the time to those around us.
The second thing, and what I really wanted to bring out today is the above verse. When we have compromised, become complacent, given in to curiosity what can we do? Strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When trials come, depression and despair hits, and we find ourselves in the dumps of life, what can we do? Strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When life seems to be crumbling in front of us, there is fear and trembling all around, and perhaps we even have those who would want to do us harm, what can we do? Strengthen ourselves in the Lord!
Here is the key–notice what David did at this low point: He strengthened himself in the Lord, then went to the Lord and inquired about what he should do. He was not put out to pasture, he was not put aside on a shelf, or thrust in a corner or put on probation. “So David inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.'” (1 Samuel 30:8, NKJV) David inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered, and David obeyed. “Pursue!” Don’t sit moping about; don’t be singing the blues; don’t be moaning, “Woe is me…I should go eat some worms.” Pursue! Pursue what God has for you. Do not neglect His calling, His purpose for your life.
Where do you find yourself today? The call of culture today hollers for tolerance, but at what price? “The pursuit of peace is not to become the pursuit of peace at any price. Some of us need to take care that our distaste for conflict and confrontation does not lead us to pursue peace at the cost of righteousness.” (Alistair Begg) Instead of lowering the standard, lift it up. Strengthen yourself in the Lord, no matter the situation–that is part of growing in grace. Christ is not only the Author of our salvation; He is also our Sustainer.