April 25, 2018
When was the last time you really thought about Him? A time beyond a quick prayer for a personal need or someone else's need? A time to deliberately reflect on your life's journey with Him so far? If you can't remember, such a time is overdue.
"We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple. As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth ... For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death." (Psalm 48.9,14)
"We have thought on Your lovingkindness." A deliberate time of reflection, remembering His specific acts of protection and provision. The serious injury prevented. The unexpected bonus or check when expenses outweighed resources. The peace and joy experienced at a time when fear and anxiety would otherwise have prevailed. Your matchless God named Yahweh, whose name and praise extends throughout the world, came through for you - again and again. Indeed, "For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death." There is none more sure and faithful even to the end of our days.
Some deliberate introspection is in order. The more we reflect and remember, the more grateful we are.
Schedule some alone time with Him today. He deserves it, and you'll blessed by it. Steve Taylor, 2018My other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon ebookhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWAmazon paperbackhttps://www.createspace.com/4500045 Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g
April 24, 2018
He was a good friend, and his death hit me hard. As a young pastor, he had often prayed with me, and modeled a passion for prayer and compassion for the lost. Shortly after we moved, we learned of his death. Few things have been as difficult as mourning his loss.
The deep friendship of David and Jonathan was legendary. The son of King Saul, David's sworn enemy, Jonathan risked death at the hands of his own father because of this friendship. And then one day in battle, Jonathan, his brothers, and his father, King Saul, were all tragically killed in battle. David lamented the loss of his dear friend.
"I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was more wonderful Than the love of women." (2 Samuel 1.26)
Theirs was a deep and pure devotion and love. Commentators are in agreement that there is not the slightest hint that David and Jonathan expressed their love in a sexual way. They had a bond of friendship and partnership in serving their God.
Proverbs 18.24 says, "A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Many casual friendships do not always work for our best good, but that one special friend who is with us through thick or thin is a blessing beyond measure.
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12.10 ESV)
Invest in a special friendship today for your good, and the good of your friend.Steve Taylor, 2018My other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon ebookhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWAmazon paperbackhttps://www.createspace.com/4500045 Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g
April 18, 2018
In what was a legacy of "the Red Scare" of the fifties and sixties, I remember, as a child, seeing brightly-colored signs on certain public buildings with the text, "Fallout Shelter," emblazoned on them. In the event of a nuclear blast, this was a place of refuge.
"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride."(Psalm 46.1-3)
This is a collective song of confident declaration. God is "our" refuge and strength. Therefore "we" will not fear. Come earthquake, tsunami, or volcano, we stand fearless within the fallout shelter of our refuge and strength.
The "our" and "we" of this song is important, because we often need a personal reminder from the people of God as to this truth. On our own, fear sometimes prevails. We're subject to memory lapses as to the safety and strength of our divine refuge. We need to join in song with our brothers and sisters to remind and reinforce this comforting truth.
In a turbulent world, may we ever be strengthened and reassured as to our Mighty Fortress.Steve Taylor, 2018My other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon ebookhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWAmazon paperbackhttps://www.createspace.com/4500045 Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g
April 17, 2018
The test of character is how we handle a crisis. Consider this crisis and how one man handled it:
"When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep." (1 Samuel 30.3,4)
If there is a 1 to 10 crisis scale, this would be about a 20. The population of an entire city has been captured, and every one of David's fighting men have lost family. Amidst the profound grief, there is talk of slinging some stones in the direction of the man considered responsible: David. Needless to say, "David was greatly distressed" (1 Samuel 30.6). But, how he responds to this monumental crisis shows us something of his character:
"But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God." (1 Samuel 30.6)
The details aren't revealed, but the fact of his response to the crisis speaks volumes. Rather than coming unglued and despondent, he focused on The Source of stability and strength he had always known. He drew near to the One whose reassuring peace, presence, and power washed over and in him.
In the midst of crisis, we either turn away from or lean into the real source of help. The test of character is how we handle the crisis, and to whom we turn in the crisis. May David's strength be ours as well.
Steve Taylor, 2018
My other blogs
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April 11, 2018
Fighting for hope. It's like treading water. We haven't lost hope, but depression and discouragement challenge our grasp of it. We've in a dark valley, and hope seems almost impossibly high on a mountain above.
We often see raw, transparent emotion in the Psalms; ranging from the heights of boundless joy to the deep pit of despair. For example,
"My tears have been my food day and night ... O my God, my soul is in despair within me ... I will say to God my rock, 'Why have You forgotten me?'" (Psalm 42.3,6,9)
That's a no-holds-barred description of despair and depression. And yet from the dark prison, the Psalmist looks up and says, "Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him" (Psalm 42.5,11) Out of despair, he fights for hope. He isn't there yet, but he is confident that one day he will be there again.
Like the Psalmist, today may not be the best of days. We may be in a season of tears. Dark clouds may have settled over us, and we're not sure when or if they will ever part. We remember joyous times past, but we're fighting for hope today. We anticipate that we will "again praise Him," but that day is not this day.
The old saying goes that when you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. A day of heartfelt praise is in your future, and that hope and reminder is just the thing to hang on to until then. God may seem silent and absent (verses 3,9,10), but He waits with you in the dark season of life. His presence and concern will become evident at just the right time.
Hold on. Fight for hope. Remember yesterday's heights of joy, and know there are future heights. Trite as it may sound, this too shall pass. Today's darkness will give way to tomorrow's brightness. Ultimately it will give way to the brightness of His coming kingdom. And that will truly be worth it all.
Steve Taylor, 2018
My other blogs
http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/
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April 4,2018
Elderly people often comment, "I never thought I would get this old this fast." With the passing of time, I'm beginning to see that comment with greater clarity. I'm prone to think I'm really the age of my children, but then I look in the mirror.
“LORD, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am." (Psalm 39.4 Holman)
That's a sobering if not depressing thought, isn't it? Except that there is wisdom in such a statement. We do well to seek the LORD's guidance in trying to frame the realm of our existence. Until we grasp life's limitations, we will not likely set important priorities. I often think one of the enemy's great strategies is to influence people to be preoccupied with the trivial, and never consider how brief life really is.
This moment is valuable. It can either be invested or squandered. We can use it selfishly or sacrificially. "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5.15-16)
I'd like to think I'll be around for a while yet, but best I should make the moments count, whether few or plenty. What you will do with this moment? Steve Taylor, 2018My other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon ebookhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWAmazon paperbackhttps://www.createspace.com/4500045 Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g
April 3, 2018
It's easy to cheer for the underdog. We have an affinity for the sports team that goes up against the seemingly superior, heavily favored team. And that might have something to do with our fascination with the famous battle between David and Goliath, recorded in 1 Samuel 17.
Goliath was a legendary giant, towering above everyone at an astounding ten feet tall. He is aptly described in 1 Samuel 17.4-7.
Matched against this giant of a man was a seemingly puny shepherd boy, armed with a sling and five smooth stones (verse 40). In the face of apparent impossible odds, David declared, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." (1 Samuel 17.45)
David's audacious confidence was not in himself, but in the God whom Goliath had taunted. His concern was not for his own fame or recognition, by for that of Yahweh.
There are battles we are drawn in to. Someone challenges our opinion or belief; they disagree with our position. The easiest thing in the world is to assume a defensive position because our reputation appears to be at stake. Are we as concerned about our Father's reputation as we are our own?
A book I'm reading makes a seemingly "scholarly" undercut of the life and work of Jesus. This book is no doubt effective in undermining the reputation of Jesus in the eyes of skeptics and unbelievers. A "righteous indignation" roils up within me as I read, but I wonder what I can do. It's a Goliath task to deflect the destructive work of a bestseller. But, I serve - as do you - the God of David. The battle may seem overwhelming, but "the battle is the LORD's" (1 Samuel 17.47)
Let's engage today in His battles, with His weapons, for His reputation, and marvel at the victory He brings.Steve Taylor, 2018
My other blogs
http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/
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