Act Like Men
Sent by King David to exact revenge upon Israel’s enemies, Commander Joab took some “special forces” for a mop up operation. Instead of an easy victory, Joab found himself and his crack troops virtually surrounded by Ammonites and Syrians in what appeared to be an almost impossible situation. Joab was a shrewd military leader and quickly took the best of the best to fight the Syrians, while sending his brother Abishai with the rest to face the Ammonites. Then Joab sent them all into the battle with these challenging words.
Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seems good to Him.
Hundreds of years later, the Apostle Paul issued a similar challenge in a different context. The Corinthian Church faced challenges from within and without. Divisions over personalities, sexual temptation and failures, idolatry, and misunderstanding and misuse of God-given gifts had put the church at risk. As he brought his challenging letter to a close, Paul drew the lines of battle in much the same way Joab did, though the battle was of a different nature.
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Cor.16:13,14)
Our churches and our families face challenges as great as any the people of God have ever faced. In a day of emasculated men and powerful women, we are apt to forget the place of strong male leadership among the people of God. But the words of Joab and Paul are as crucial as ever. We must “play the men”. We must “act like men”. We must be aware of and alert to the spiritual dangers that our families face. We must know the faith and stand firm in the truth as it is in Christ. We must be strong in the faith and live it before our wives and children. And the coup de grace; we must do everything we do in the love of Christ. We must lay our lives on the line and live with the next generation and eternity in view. Our children and children’s children may face challenges we have never imagined. Let us do all we can to prepare them, by God’s grace being men of God: “…and the LORD do that which seems good to Him.”
In the love of Christ,
Charles Cavanaugh
Ep 2.51 | The Preached Word: A Means of Grace
One of the most overlooked blessings and biblical mandates of scripture for the church is the preached word of God. Pastors hold a distinct privilege and personal responsibility to preach the word of God and do so faithfully. The layman is equally responsible to avail himself to this beloved means of grace. Join Charles and Daniel as they talk about the scriptural basis for the preached word being a means of grace…
Will Christianity Survive?
(Meditations & Observations on Ps.72)
I am, I believe, an optimist. I tend to believe that things could be worse and will get better. I am not oblivious to the negative but tend to look for the positive. Having said that, I must admit that this is a dark hour. The leadership of our nation is wicked, and godlessness abounds. The forces of Islam seem to have the momentum, killing Christians and anyone else who may stand in their way. The possibility of violence against Christians in the West, even in the United States, is not remote. The frightening prospect of the church in the West having to go under ground could turn into a reality in the foreseeable future. The overwhelming onslaught of violent Islam might cause one to question whether Christianity will survive.
Meanwhile, in the United States, anti-Christian philosophy and culture are the rule while Biblical Christianity is more and more despised and viewed as radical and out of touch with reality. In post-Christian America, Biblical views are largely considered odd at best and dangerous at worst.
Some may ask, “Will Christianity survive?” We must not glibly answer such a question. But in Psalm 72, we find the truth inspired by God’s Spirit. This Psalm was written for Solomon but looks far beyond his rule in Israel. It is promised of the son of David that, “They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace as long as the moon endures. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.” (vv.5-8) As great as Solomon’s kingdom was, it never reached these proportions. Only one Son of David could ever be spoken of in this way: The Lord Jesus Christ.
So will Christianity survive? The better question is, “Will Christ cease to reign?” For he does reign. “You have put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him,He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we do not yet see all things put under Him.” (Heb.2:8) In the words of the hymn; “Jesus shall reign where’re the sun, does its successive journeys run”. He does and He shall forever reign.
I do not know what the earthly future holds. But I do know that Christ reigns, and that as long as He reigns, Christianity will not just survive. It will thrive, and; “the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
In the love of Christ,
Charles Cavanaugh
A Few of My Favorite Things
There is a change in the air…the morning air is getting crisper. My favorite season of the year is fall. Seems in the fall we come inside and gather together more. Autumn sweeps in and turns my thoughts homeward. I love the quote from L.M.Montgomery in Anne of Green Gables: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”.
I am thinking of the classic movie “The Sound of Music” and the song “My Favorite Things”. They sing the song with all their favorite things, and suddenly life is lighter and brighter. You know the song… I bet you are singing it in your head right now.
On my porch I have a large chalkboard on which I change the wording according to the season we are in. On the chalkboard I write a few of my favorite things: Apple pie… football… changing leaves… flannel… cider… fireplace… laughter… chilly… bonfire… family and friends… bountiful… thankfulness…
Well, here are the favorite things from the chalkboard expanded.
- Laughing – A good black and white comedy… Dick Van Dyke. “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.” (Prov.15:3a)
- Changing Leaves – Just looking out the big picture window in my office. There are no curtains on the window to hide the beautiful view of creation. I am so thankful for the changing, falling leaves. “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” {Jim Bishop}
- Sitting On My Porch – Sipping cider from a mug just musing over life. Do you ever take the time to muse?! “Whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phil.4:8)
- Football Around The Fireplace – “That old September feeling, left over from school days of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air… another fall, another turned page; there was something of Jubilee in that annual autumn beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.” {Wallace Stigner, ‘Angle of Repose’}
- Flannel – Waiting to put on my favorite flannel shirts.
- Family and Friends Around The Fireplace – A lot of love spread around: sharing hospitality.
- Thankfulness – Standing in awe of my Creator and His bounty He lavishes on us. “O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your riches.” (Ps.104:24)
What are your favorite things? Take time to muse upon them this fall season.
For from Him and through Him
and to Him are all things.
To Him be glory forever more;
To Him be glory forever.
Amen….Amen…A……. men.
{Romans Doxology}
Pam Cavanaugh
Obsessed
One of the most difficult and important things in any sport is focus. Great athletes have learned to stay focused almost to the point of obsession. Their physical abilities are put to maximum use because of their mental sharpness. In fact, some with lesser abilities have maximized their effectiveness by building and maintaining focus.
More importantly, godly saints have been able, by God’s grace, to maintain focus in their walk with God. Mary stayed focused on fellowship with Christ while Martha was distracted by “many things”. John stayed close by the Lord’s side, so much so that Peter looked to him when he wanted something from The Lord. The Apostle Paul was obsessed with Christ, referring to himself often as “a man in Christ”. He was totally focused on “the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus“.
Perhaps no one had more distractions from what matters most than King David. He had all the responsibilities of national leadership plus many enemies domestic and foreign. In Psalm 57, he describes multiple calamities which seemed to inundate his life. Terms like “swallow me up” and “My soul is among lions” show the nature of David’s overwhelming problems.
But David was a man obsessed; a man with a glorious fixation, as he tells us in verse seven of that Psalm. “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” No distraction could brake his obsession with God. And notice the things that arrested his attention: the steadfast love of God; “For Your mercy is great unto the heavens,”; the truth of God; “and Your truth unto the clouds”; and the glory of God; “let Your glory be above all the earth.”
I would be the first to acknowledge that David faced significant challenges staying focused. There are certainly events in his life that testify to this. Yet no distraction was allowed to remain permanent. His heart was fixed on his God: His goodness, His truth, His glory.
May we live with such a glorious fixation. May we, like saints of old, be obsessed with our God, our Savior, our Lord. Distractions will come and go and often abound, but they need not permanently keep us from focusing on what matters most. Life is short, and eternity is long. Others may think us strange or foolish. Let us not be moved by such things. Keep the eyes of the heart fixed on Christ.
Charles Cavanaugh
Ep 2.48 | Should We Submit to Church Leadership?
For several week, Charles and Daniel have been looking at church leadership, but what does that mean for us as the churchman? How do we deal with the tension of personal responsibility and the biblical mandate to put ourselves under godly church leadership? What we are looking at is the harmony of accountability and responsibility…
One Size Fits All
There are a lot of things we must always try on when we go shopping: dresses, those jeans in different sizes, shoes, and the list goes on.
But there is one thing in which “one size fits all”, and that is putting on a grateful heart. A friend of mine posted a quote by Zig Ziglar; “Among things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” I have been thinking about this simple quote for the last few days. Sometimes I do not have a grateful heart or even give it to others. I get busy with life and circumstances, and I don’t focus on being grateful. In Scripture, gratefulness can be described with another word: thankfulness. That is the real issue of the heart. “It is easier to act your way into a feeling than it is to feel your way into an action”(Adrian Rogers). Let’s face it and be truthful. We don’t always feel grateful, but we must move ourselves in that direction. “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
When I move in that direction, it is because I focus on Who God is and what He is to me in my life.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
(Psalm 23:1-3)
When I try this powerful word on for size, it totally fits. It never has to be returned. I must put on the heart of gratefulness and give it away to others. The list would fill an ocean of all the things I should be grateful for: what The Lord has and is doing for me. Remember, keep giving your word, keep giving away a smile,and share a grateful heart.
“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.” (Psalm 111:1-3, NRSV)
And, by the way, I am grateful for each of you my dear readers.
Pam Cavanaugh