Tag Archives: Uriah the Hittite

Jesus Uses Broken Things

When The Sweetheart and I first arrived in the country of Latvia in 2011, we were part of a team; a team we had never even met. We were of varying ages, from different areas of the United States, most married, some not, others with small children, some conquering life with teenagers. But, we all discovered we had one thing in common, we had been through STUFF. The Sweetheart even fondly called us The Misfits. Why, we wondered, with our different backgrounds, did God bring us all together to start churches in another country, another world to us? (You can read part of my story here.)

If grace is a kingdom
I’ve stopped at the gate
Thinking I don’t deserve to pass through after all of the mistakes I’ve made

The Apostle Peter experienced plenty of STUFF on his own. As a follower of Christ, he was able to see so many of the miracles of our Lord and vowed to follow Him to the very end. We know that instead, out of fear of the people, he actually did what Jesus said he would do: he denied Him, not once, but three times!

But I heard a whisper
As Heaven bent down
Said, “Child, don’t know you that the first will be last and the last get a crown.”

Peter’s mistakes didn’t keep him from being used of God, and in a mighty way! He preached the first message after the Upper Room Outpouring at Pentecost and saw 3,000 people saved in one day. He didn’t stop there, but right along with Paul and many others; kept preaching the Gospel until his death.

Now I’m just a beggar in the presence of a King
I wish I could bring You so much more
But if it’s true You use broken things
Then here I am Lord, I am all Yours

King David was christened with the title, Man after God’s own heart. Yet David committed adultery and murder! Of course we know sin is sin but David paid dearly for his sin against God and Uriah, the Hittite, with the death of his infant son, born from his relationship with Uriah’s wife, Abigail.

The pages of history they tell me it’s true
That it’s never the perfect; it’s always the ones with the scars that You use

Did that mean it was over for David? No, David repented and God forgave because David desired to please God, he loved the law of God! David is credited with writing over half of the 150 Psalms in the Bible. Most of them were born out of trouble and over and over David repeats how much he loves God’s Word. Psalms 119:47–48: “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” 

It’s the rebels and the prodigals; it’s the humble and the weak
The misfit heroes You chose
Tell me there’s hope for sinners like me

There are many, many other people in the Bible who failed God.

  • Jacob cheated
  • Peter had a short temper
  • David had an affair
  • Noah got drunk
  • Miriam gossiped
  • Martha worried
  • Thomas doubted
  • Sarah couldn’t wait
  • Moses stuttered
  • Zaccheus was short! (there’s hope for me!)
  • Jonah ran away
  • Gideon was afraid
  • Rahab owned a brothel
  • James and John wanted special seats beside God
  • And Lazarus was dead

True, they, and many others too numerous to mention, made mistakes, they fell down, stumbled and maybe even involved others in their mishaps. But, the good news is they got back up and allowed God to take their slip-ups, their bloopers, gaffes and outright sins and forgive, forget and then empower them to do great things in the Kingdom.

I hope you haven’t missed reading the lyrics in this post. They are from a powerful song, Broken Things by Matthew West. The first verse grabs me because he stops at the gate. Why? He didn’t feel worthy to enter, the enemy was whispering in his ear his past, his many mistakes, and it hindered him from being all God wanted him to be.

It’s never the perfect that God seeks out! It’s the ones with the scars, those that have been through STUFF, such as our team in Riga, Latvia. Maybe just like you. But who better to reach broken people than people that have been broken?! We have learned, we have persevered and we have compassion for others who may also be struggling. (I could turn this into a series on my mistakes alone!)

It is said that if God chose the perfect, those that seemingly have no mistakes in their past, then the credit would go to them, not to God. But when He chooses the imperfect, those that have humbled themselves before God, discovered that they can’t make it without Him, have needed Him to bail them out, save them, deliver them, etc., then God receives the praise and the glory!

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 ESV.

Do you feel as if you belong in the band of misfits? That maybe you have made too many mistakes for God to forgive? Or maybe you have accepted His forgiveness but think that you can’t be restored to ministry? Remember these heroes of the faith that believed GOD was able to take their mess and turn it into ministry.

Grace is a kingdom
With gates open wide
There’s a seat at the table just waiting for you
So, come on inside

He calls the broken because they are dependent on Him, they rely on His power and His might and when they turn it over to Almighty God, no one can turn them away from the King’s table. They are not perfect but continually chase after the One who is.

Enjoy this song, let it be a blessing to you today or pass it on to a friend. God is ready to restore and use you again! And be sure and comment, share with us someone in the Bible that may have messed up or had a past to overcome that God was able to use regardless of circumstances.

God hates?

DF-cover-side-viewDon’t forget your copy of The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. Great for ANY FAST or prayer journey. On Amazon in paperback and Kindle and Barnes and Noble too! Be blessed!

 

It is a joy to live according to Godly principles; we are motivated by Love!

The Bible speaks of Seven Things that God literally hates. Sounds pretty strong doesn’t it? Actually it is very strong. The Kings James Version states that they are an “abomination to Him.” In this case a dictionary definition seems in order. Abomination means:  noun, that which is detestable, vile, and shameful; arouses intense hatred coupled with disgust; and is abhorred or loathed. 

Proverbs 6:12 says these are characteristics of, “A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart – he always stirs up conflict. Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed – without remedy.”

Proverbs 6:16:

There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

1. Arrogant eyes. (Pride) We are not all the same. We do not all have the same talents and gifts. Hezekiah had pride in his possessions but they eventually brought down the discipline of God on him. 2 Chronicles 32:25. Hezekiah did humble himself and ask for forgiveness. “Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.” Proverbs 21:4 NLT.

2. A lying tongue. (Making things appear as though they were true when they are not.) When you willingly and knowingly do not tell the truth with the intent to harm others…how damaging this can be to those around us! If it is in the workplace or in the Church, regardless, it will destroy your reputation, friendships, and character in an instant.

3. Hands that shed innocent blood. (You can simply destroy someone by telling them they are no good or have nothing to offer.)

Lucifer wanted to be like God! “For you said to yourself. ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.” Isaiah 14: 13-14. His end was destruction! Saul was jealous of David, “…They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king! So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman.” 1Samuel 18:8-10 NLT.

4. A heart that plots wicked schemes. (Even wishing or thinking vindictive, hateful and vicious things on others is a sin!) We must focus our hearts on the fruits of the Spirit that are mentioned in Galatians in 5:22-23 NLT: “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

5. Feet that are eager to run to evil. (Maybe also going to places we don’t belong.) Being in a hurry to tell tales. Those that just can’t wait to share the latest, whatever it is. Gossip is a sin! “Resist the devil and he will flee from you!” James 4:7.

6. A lying witness who gives false testimony. (Especially for personal gain.) As new creations in Christ we should reflect His nature. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT.

7. One who stirs up trouble in their family. (Is there anything worse than a troublemaker?) And is there anything worse than a troublemaker in the Church? Anyone who purposely causes trouble in the Body displeases God and gives place for others to sin and for him to sin even more. “If anyone claims, ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.” 1 John 2:9-11 NLT.

law and order (618x800)

The Apostle Paul talks about the consequences of these behaviors: “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21 NLT.

The Bible encourages the opposite! If we have had problems with these sins in our lives there is hope! There are many examples of these sins in the Bible and of repentance and forgiveness:

David planned to have Uriah the Hittite killed so he could have Bathsheba for his wife. He paid dearly for his sin, and many times there are consequences for our sins; he lost his newborn son! But he was repentant and did find forgiveness for his soul.
Jacob caused so much trouble as a youth that he was sent to live with relatives! He tricked Esau into selling his birthright to start with; that didn’t settle well. God finally had to send an angel to wrestle with him to get his attention, “Your name will no longer be Jacob…from now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” Genesis 32:28 NLT.
The Apostle Peter had a lying tongue when he denied he knew Jesus three times. But he repented and then began to preach the Gospel!
Paul was a murderer and destroyed many innocent Christians before the light shone down from Heaven on the road to Damascus. His life was changed in an instant when he was blinded by that light and he became the greatest preacher that ever walked the face of the earth. He repented and was forgiven!

Do you have a lying tongue? Are you a gossiper? Are your feet in a hurry to spread evil? Have you given false testimony for personal gain? Is your heart full of pride? Have you been guilty of destroying someone’s gift from God? Do you continually stir up trouble in your family?

There’s an APP for that! It’s called PRAYER…and He will meet you there. If your heart is right, and you humble yourself before Him, you can find forgiveness. Don’t let the enemy tell you otherwise!

Don’t ever be too proud to bow your knee and admit to God that you have let any of these sins take hold in your heart! Get rid of them before it’s too late.

God’s love is bigger than our mistakes. All we have to do is ask.

Kingdom2

 

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