A Contagious Faith

Posted on 2014/02/21 by Shawn Thomas

There were several very noble and courageous sentiments expressed by David and others when King David left Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion. One of them came from Ittai, a foreigner (:19) who refused to stay in Jerusalem with the new king, but said in :21, “As the LORD lives and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” This is the definition of real lordship, and should challenge each of us to be committed to follow Jesus our Lord in the same way.

But the statement he made, “As the LORD lives” is also a significant one. Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Reason For God, by Tim Keller

Posted on 2014/02/20 by Shawn Thomas

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Tim Keller has defied conventional wisdom by planting Redeemer Church — a growing, evangelical fellowship — in the unlikely ground of Manhattan, New York. In the course of his work, he has engaged thousands of lost people and their questions about a Biblical worldview. He shares some of the fruits of his labor with us in his book, The Reason For God.

Keller divides his book into two parts: the first deals with a number of common questions and objections to Christianity, and the second gradually builds a positive case for the gospel. Both sections are full of excellent apologetic arguments, presented in a winsome way — which is not always the case with “cultural warriors.” It is difficult to imagine gospel truths being presented, and objections answered, in a less offensive way.

It is evident throughout that the author has had multiple conversations with unbelieving people and knows how to interact with them. On page 187 he writes: Continue reading →

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“In Christ Alone”: Praying for a Loved One

Posted on 2014/02/20 by Shawn Thomas

It is easy to get in a “rut” when we pray for friends and loved ones, merely rehearsing the same tired words every day. It can help to run the person, or the special request, through another “grid”, like a scripture (such as the Lord’s Prayer, see here) — or even a song, like “In Christ Alone.” Continue reading →

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His Ready Servants

Posted on 2014/02/20 by Shawn Thomas

In II Samuel 15:15 we find a great word from the servants of King David to their sovereign: “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” They were in a difficult situation together; Absalom had just begun his rebellion and had proclaimed himself king. David had told his people that they were going to need to flee Jerusalem, or they would die at Absalom’s hands. And this was their response: “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” Of course, this is what servants of the king OUGHT to say, if they are really his servants. They do not serve to do their own will, but HIS.

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Lessons From An Infamous Character

Posted on 2014/02/19 by Shawn Thomas

II Samuel 15:1-2 says of King David’s devious son that “Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, ‘From what city are you?’ And he would say, ‘Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.’ Then Absalom would say to him, ‘See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.'” There are a couple of notable things about Absalom’s actions:

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Seeking the Giver

Posted on 2014/02/18 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 3 concludes with :8, “Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing be upon Your people. Selah.” What began earlier in the Psalm as a catalogue of all of David’s troubles ends in exclamations of praise to God for His deliverance. It is also insightful that in Hebrew, the first word of the verse is not “Salvation”, but rather is “Yahweh” — the personal name of the God of Israel.

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By The Will of God

Posted on 2014/02/17 by Shawn Thomas

In Colossians 1:1 Paul wrote that he was an apostle “by the will of God.” This is an extremely important assertion. He had not taken this mantle upon himself; God had purposed and given it to him. It should be the goal for each of us to be able to say the same thing about ourselves, and our place of service.

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Knowing Him

Posted on 2014/02/14 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 3:3 David said: “But You, YHWH, are a shield about me …”. It is instructive that the enemies of David, the “naysayers”, said: “There is no help for him in God” — the word “God” there is the Hebrew “Elohim”, which is a general name for God. But in his response, David said, “But you, O YHWH, are a shield for me …”. YHWH, of course, is the personal, covenant name of God, the name He gave Moses when he asked Him what His name was.

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Don’t Listen To What “Everybody” Is Saying

Posted on 2014/02/13 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 3:2 David writes: “Many are saying to my soul, ‘there is no salvation for him in God’.” The Psalm tells us that David’s situation was indeed bleak: he wrote it when he was in the cave, fleeing from Absalom during his rebellion. Things did not look good for David, and evidently he wasn’t getting a lot of encouragement either. “MANY” were saying that there was no hope for him.

One of the things this Psalm should remind us of is that what the “many” are saying is not always right! Continue reading →

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Breaking the Chain: The Sons of Korah

Posted on 2014/02/12 by Shawn Thomas

Some people feel as if they are “doomed to failure” due to a sin their parents committed, or because of something unsavory in their family background. The story of the sons of Korah reminds us that we are not consigned to failure because of our family heritage.

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