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5 Lessons From The Life Of King David

October 29, 2015 by EnnisP 2 Comments

David Never Waited
For Special Dispensations
From God

There are very good reasons David is one of the most popular figures in the Bible.

His story is long and spread out, which means you won’t read very far before bumping into him, but more to the point, it’s personal. We don’t have to wonder what David said or what he thought or how he felt. Many of those details are laid out for us.

It also never gets boring. It’s the stuff that inspires movies.

The history extends from 1 Samuel 16 to 1 Kings 2 (42 chapters) and much of it is repeated, with additional detail, in 1 Chronicles. All total, he is the focus of about 70 chapters and since God made timeless promises to David and his descendants, he is mentioned repeatedly throughout the Old and New Testaments afterward.

Additionally, large portions of the Bible were actually written by David and his son, Solomon.

David is credited with 75 Psalms
Solomon is credited with 2 Psalms (although he wrote over a thousand), much of Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes.

These portions of the Bible are still read and embraced daily. Psalms and Proverbs are the starting points for many devotions. Saying David is influential is an understatement.

In short, David is the reference point for personal-relationship with God. If you want to know what that relationship feels/looks like, David’s your guy.

He’s easy to identify with. He’s spiritual without being super righteous and human (meaning sinful) without being committed to evil.

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If we were to ask people which Bible personality they would like to emulate, David would probably top the list. Who wouldn’t want to be the little guy who takes on and defeats Goliath? [Read more…] about 5 Lessons From The Life Of King David

10 Nonconventional Ideas About Faith

April 14, 2015 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

You Can’t
Stereotype Faith

In Luke 18 Jesus shared an interesting story about a widow.

The widow had been cheated and was attempting to get justice through the legal system, but things weren’t working out so well. Her appeals were being ignored by a judge whom Jesus referred to as unjust.

We aren’t given any more details. We don’t know who cheated her or how severe the offense was, but as it turns out that information isn’t important.

The point was, as a widow, she had about as much clout as a dead tree. Widows were on society’s bottom wrung, and the judge, who didn’t care about God or people, wasn’t interested in her problem. She was an inconvenience, a gnat to be swatted away.

But she never gave up. She knew the law and she knew her cause was just, so she did the only thing she could. She hounded the judge repeatedly.

And it worked.

He finally realized that processing her legal matter, though inconvenient, was far less bothersome than repeatedly listening to her complaint.

In spite of being marginalized by the system, she found a way to assert her cause.

And Jesus used her as an example. He shared her experience to teach the disciples persistence in prayer. But that explanation leaves us a bit curious. The parable never mentions this woman praying.

In the end of the parable Jesus referred to her as an example of faith and He wondered aloud if that kind of faith would still exist when He returns.

Since prayer and persistence and actions can all be expressions of faith, and that was at least a strong sub point of the parable, we can make several observations about faith. Several of these points don’t square with convention.

For example: [Read more…] about 10 Nonconventional Ideas About Faith

Christmas Story: Comparing The Supporting Characters

December 20, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Zacharias And Simeon
Are Similar Yet Different
Both Add Richness
To The Story

There are many supporting characters in the Christmas Story. Some have very short roles but they all add richness to the plot. Because they are diverse, they symbolize different types of believers.

Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

May 10, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Tithers Offer Confused Instructions
But
Anti-Tithers Give None At All
Other Than Don’t Tithe

The definition of tithing is really straightforward. The word means one-tenth or ten percent and it is the designated amount of one’s income dedicated for God’s purposes. A “Tither” is someone who contributes ten percent of their income to God.

But don’t let that simple definition fool you. Tithing isn’t an easy topic to dissect. Every tither agrees on the ten percent part but they don’t all agree on how to calculate it or how it should be applied. “Tithe” can mean one thing for one person and something very different for another. The differences can be significant. Questions abound.

Tithers argue over which portion of their income should be included when calculating the tithe. Are we tithing on gross income or net? Stated more precisely, the question is “Ten percent of what?”

But the debate doesn’t stop there.

Those who say “Net” don’t agree on why it should be net instead of gross and they offer a variety of different formulas to calculate net. Some eliminate only their taxes before calculating the tithe and others eliminate more.

The same is true for gross tithers. They can’t say why it should be gross or what constitutes gross. In extreme cases, the definition of “gross” expands to include things like birthday gifts and student loans. Obsessive!

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Because the Bible never addresses these issues directly, gross tithers have to use stern looks and a demanding voice to force the issue. Emotional strong-arming.

In one internet conversation, a man complained that his pastor refused to accept his offering because it was calculated differently to what the pastor taught and was therefore tainted.

That mindset gives tithing a legalistic hue and it is this enforcement attitude to which many anti-tithers react. [Read more…] about Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

Finding God In Life – But Which Life?

April 25, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Two Questions:
How Much of a Life Do You Have?
And
Which One Are You Living?

God is a part of our lives constantly. He is present and aware everyday, every moment of everyday . Nothing goes unseen by Him. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

We, however, sometimes scratch our heads in wonderment thinking,

“where are You now God, when I need You most?”

The answer is He’s right where He’s always been. He hasn’t moved or changed. He operates by the same principles for everyone.

Deep down we know this is true but still question Him anyway not because He isn’t present but because He isn’t doing exactly what we asked – resolve some horribly embarrassing dilemma immediately – and instead of questioning our request or motive or approach we assume He didn’t hear or can’t answer or is being passive aggressive.

Saying nothing or doing nothing, however, is a response.

When He doesn’t give us what we ask for, the correct assumption is to think He wants us to change our perspective. He isn’t the talisman that helps us solve life’s problems. He provides the wisdom to solve these problems and then expects us to do something with it.

If we are going to find Him in life, we are the ones who must change.

The problem is most of us don’t really know what “Life” is. What does that term really mean? And defining “Life” isn’t the only problem. According to Jesus we can adopt one of two possible life’s so after we define the term we need to figure out which one we’re living. [Read more…] about Finding God In Life – But Which Life?