Whatever Happened to Wisdom? (1 Kings 3:3-15)

If there is a commodity missing among today's political leaders it seems to be wisdom. As I pen these lines another political leader is caught in a scandal involving poor judgment at best if not outright lewd behavior. The phrase, "What was he thinking?" comes immediately to mind. I imagine things are going to get a lot worse for him in coming days, and rightly so.

With scandal after scandal happening, many sexual, among today's political and world influential leaders, it shows an enormous deficit of wisdom. Otherwise intelligent people just making unwise, immoral, decisions in their lives should give us all cause to worry about the direction of our world. Sometimes it seems like the inmates are running the asylum. World banking and monetary leaders, presidential candidates, prime ministers, members of congress all demonstrating a lack of practical wisdom paints the picture of a world run amok.

When young Solomon took the throne from his father, David, he knew that he was green as a gourd. The enormity of the task of ruling the most powerful nation on earth at the time no doubt overwhelmed him. In 1 Kings 3, Solomon knew that job was bigger than he was and so he turned to God as his father had done. God rewarded Solomon by offering him anything he wished. Solomon chose wisdom or understanding in governing his people. God granted him his wish and gave him the bonus of riches and long life.

Wow, that's refreshing, a leader who wanted wisdom above everything else. You mean you can rule/lead without pollsters, marketing, image consultants and PR teams? Unheard of! No one can get elected, appointed, etc. these days asking for wisdom can they? Did I mention, lost commodity?

But to be honest, is there a really a cry for wise leaders among us? Is wisdom something that we hold up as a desirable value these days? Have we just fallen into the trap of just listening for what our itching ears want to hear? We blame our politicians and banking CEO's for the economic mess we're in as a country. But isn't it true that our own lack of wisdom has led to the housing and banking meltdown? We have lusted after things so much we have failed to exercise practical financial wisdom. Outgo cannot exceed income. The numbers will eventually catch up to us. You spend more than you make and eventually things will come to a screeching halt. Doesn't work for us individually, it's not going to work for us as a country.

Our poor execution of wisdom effects every aspect of daily and personal life. Don't exercise wisdom and you will eventually have to pay the price. It's true in our relationships, family life, business life, and personal life. Too often our own selfish desires and impulsiveness and sense of entitlement override our wisdom meter and we find ourselves digging out of a mess of our own creation.


I am sure that if I was in Solomon's shoes I would have asked for wisdom too. There was a lot pressure following a dad who was known as the greatest king of all time. Those were mighty big shoes to fill, especially when you never faced off against a giant with only a sling let alone conquer your neighboring enemy nations in routing victories.  But as I look at my own life, I have to say there's a lot out there to handle. I'm not sure that I'm bright enough to deal with all the stuff I've got to deal with. I may not be making decisions that will determine the direction of a country or effect world trends, but I sure need God's wisdom in my day to day life. Perhaps the wisest thing that I could do would be to do the very thing that Solomon did at the beginning of his reign and that is to pursue God and ask for His wisdom as I begin each day.


God, I confess that I'm not that bright. I don't have all understanding or all knowledge or all anything. I need your wisdom in my life. I need your wisdom as a husband and father and even son. I need your wisdom in my finances. I need your wisdom in my personal life. I need your wisdom as a pastor and as a friend. I need you wisdom in the simple day to day things of life. Lord, I'm asking for your wisdom today.

Leadership, Pride, Confidence and Humility (2 Sam. 24)

No one is perfect! Even the best of leaders make mistakes. Some of those mistakes cost them personally, professionally and can even involve the fate, well being or even the lives of others. I have definitely made my fair share of mistakes in my own life and most certainly as a leader. In my latest ministry, planting a new church, many of my decisions turned out to be monumental mistakes from location sites to personnel. It has cost the church significantly and me personally.

I have been intrigued studying the history of various military leaders and their battles. Conditions, motivation, timing, intuition, savvy, courage, risk, arrogance, planning, resources, opportunity and much more all seem to play a part in the success or failure of a campaign. Bad decisions or miscalculations often had devastating effects that cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands and changed the course of history.

The same could be said of various political and business leaders. The decisions made by these leaders have either made or broken a country or company. Collins, in his book, "Good to Great," listed several companies who's practices and leadership decisions made them great, lasting and profitable. But some of those very companies have tanked or failed in the latest economic downturn. Even some of the brightest leaders can crash and burn.

King David sure made his share of mistakes. Sometimes with all the success, leaders can become a little over confident and some can get down right cocky. Pride has a way of blinding our weaknesses. Overwhelming success can lead to a sense of entitlement which generally leads to dumb, erroneous decisions. Just ask Tiger Woods or Jim Tressel about their recent falls from grace.

One of the very basic things that David forgot was who was really in charge. David had had so much success as a military leader that he grew to find his confidence in his military might. That misplaced confidence cost him and his people dearly. In 2 Samuel 24, David decided to take a census to virtually gauge his power. A census seems like something every commander would do to measure his resources before heading off to battle. Only David wasn't heading off to battle, he was just flexing his muscles and patting himself on the back.

God wasn't very pleased with David and after David confessed his sin, God gave him three choices for punishment. Three years of famine and three months of foreign invaders didn't appeal to David, so he decided on three days of plague. None of the options seem very appealing to me. Over 70,000 people died as a result of the plague. But at that point, David had had enough (as had God) and stepped up to the plate. He offered his own life if God would stop the killing spree of his people. He had made a monumental mistake that cost his people, individuals, families an enormous price.

The prophet Gad told David to build an altar and make sacrifices to the Lord. But when he got to the place that Gad had instructed him, the man who owned the property offered it and his oxen to David for free. But David refused and paid well above market price for both the land and the sacrifices. He stated that he would not offer a sacrifice to the Lord that would cost him nothing. That's leadership! That's integrity! He took ownership of his mistake and dropped the entitlement attitude. It cost him something. It had already cost others plenty. It would have cost his kingdom and his people a whole lot more had David ignored or tried to cover up his sin. David had been down the entitlement path once before and learned the pain of cover up. This time he rose to the occasion by humbling himself, a tough thing for very successful and powerful leaders.

God, too often I feel like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7. The very thing want to do I find myself doing the opposite. Recently it seems that I've made more judgment mistakes than Carter has liver pills. It's humbling. But I know Lord, that humbling myself before you is exactly where you want me. I need to be in a constant state of dependence on you. You said that when we humble ourselves before you, You will lift us up. My confidence is in you Lord, not myself. Direct my steps. Guide me in your path. I'll trust you to supply my needs.

Daily Reflections on Heb. 2:5-18 (The Arrogance of Some People)

I've never claimed to be a genius. But the more I look at the relationship between God and Jesus the more confusing it seems to get. John says that in the beginning the Jesus was with God and was God. Okay that seems easy enough. He goes on to say that Jesus became flesh, a human being. Got that too. I don't know how all that is, but I can get my little mind around that part.

But the part that starts stretching my mind is this father/son thing. If Jesus is God, and He says Himself, "whoever has seen me has seen the father," why the father/son designation? Seems a little odd in light of the fact that Paul talks about the fact that equality with God was something Jesus could easily grasp. Now tell me that doesn't confuse you just a little. To further add to my confusion, how can Jesus call me a brother if He is God and I'm, well, plain ol' human, flawed me?

Throughout Jesus ministry, from the time we find Him in the temple at 12 years of age, He talks about doing His father's business or will. He defers to the father regarding various teachings and miracles. He prays to the father. And here in Hebrews 2, He puts His trust in Him. Why would someone equal with God, the father, creator of the universe, put His trust in the father? Does this strike anyone else as a little perplexing?

Yet there is a great lesson here. If Jesus, God in the flesh, equal to God, creator of the universe puts His trust in God and defers to Him, what does that say about me? Why wouldn't I do the same thing. Instead, I often times rely on my on wisdom, ability, ingenuity, resources, etc. to do things. If Jesus, who had the right to go off on His own agenda, submitted His daily agenda to God, why shouldn't I? Why is it I think I have the audacity to live however I want and give God only partial input into my life? Why is it that I think I can take God when I want Him and ignore Him the rest of the time? Why do I think that my time, my money, my resources, my gifts, my life is actually mine? Who do I think I am? And who do I think God really is?

God, I'm pretty arrogant concerning my own life. It seems that I just go about doing whatever I want whenever I want with little to no regard for you. Instead of seeking you daily, hourly, minute by minute of my life, I have a tendency to check in with you whenever I feel like. It's almost like I show up to visit you on occasion or when I'm in dire straights. Forgive my arrogance. I recognize you as Lord of my life. Here I am. I put my trust in you.

Daily Reflections on Deut. 9:1-6 (Chosen Doesn't Mean Deserving)

As kids, whenever it was time to pick teams the same routine always played out. The two captains stood across from all the other participants and one by one everyone was selected. The best players or personal friends were always chosen first. The final picks, well let's just say felt like leftovers. Nobody really wanted them on their team but took them anyway. Sometimes the picking stopped before everyone was chosen and the final persons were more or less assigned to a team.

When you were picked, there was a kind of personal satisfaction and almost an exuberance for being selected in the early rounds as one of the elite, one who was worthy. You looked forward to displaying your prowess or amazing skills in the imminent contest. Being chosen was an honor. There was a sense of pride among all those chosen. The leftovers, they were just glad that they were allowed to participate.

The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. It was already inhabited, so God was going to drive out the peoples living there. It had to be both an exciting and nervous time for the Israelites. The people living in the land were strong and powerful and some tall, giants in fact. The spies, thirty-eight years earlier, had a correct observation of the people already living in the Promised Land. Ten of them were so intimidated that they gave a bad report about taking the land. They referred to themselves as "grasshoppers in their eyes."

But God had already demonstrated His power and ability to drive out the Israelites enemies. They had fought and soundly defeated any enemy that stood in their way. God had already fought for them as they defeated the people on the east side of the Jordan and given that land to some of the tribes or Israel. By this time, they were a little cocky. They hadn't suffered a defeat and had watched their enemies and existing nations fall prey to their hands. Even though they had been outnumbered in the past, in made no difference. They were God's people and proud of it.

Realizing their arrogance at being chosen by God to inherit the land, Moses had a a little message for the Children of Israel. In Deuteronomy 9, he tries to set them straight. "Dudes, you aren't getting this land because you're special. God's getting rid of these people because of their sins. They are vile and God is punishing them. Don't think you're anything too special. Because if you act like them, God will do the same thing to you." Then he goes on to remind them of their recent history with God, their disobedience. He point blank calls them a "stiff necked people."

Being stiff necked doesn't have anything to do with how they slept. It has to do with their stubbornness, their arrogance, their rebelliousness. Moe might have called them a pain in the neck (or some place else) to both himself and God. They no doubt were. At times God was ready to destroy them and Moe pleaded in their behalf. At other times, Moe was ready to destroy them and God intervened.

Here in chapter 9, Moses clearly states that although they were the "chosen" people, they didn't deserve what God was doing for them on the basis of their own merits, righteousness, integrity or good looks. God was clearing the land of wickedness and preparing the way for His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was working His plan to redeem all mankind.

Being a part of God's elect or chosen people is a unique privilege. So often we think that just because we're followers of Christ we're above everyone else. We somehow think we're special, deserving. The good news is that we're on the winning team when accept Christ as Lord and Savior and become a member of God's very own family. But we're on the team not because we deserve it or because of our righteousness or because we're good people. We're really no different from the Israelites. We, too, are stiff necked people. If it weren't for God's grace, we'd simply die in the desert.

God, I'm so thankful for your grace. I realize I'm a mess without you. It's such a privilege to be welcomed into your family and share in your Son's inheritance. I never want to take for granted your favor, your love, your mercy, your riches, your presence. I never want to assume an arrogant attitude over people. I am no better than they, just blessed to have received your forgiveness.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 7:36-50 (Spiritual Arrogance or Genuine Desire)

Apparently all Pharisees weren't bad. Some actually gave Jesus a chance and must have even followed Him. Joseph of Arimathea gave up his tomb for Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus personally after work to hang out and learn. And in this passage today, Simon invites Jesus over for dinner for some conversation.

It's no wonder that the Pharisees had a hard time with Jesus, because even the guys that were open to Him had trouble making the mental shift. They were so ingrained in their religious thinking and traditions, that breaking free meant a radical paradigm shift. It was almost like calling "red" "yellow" to them. Jesus blew their minds. The Pharisees had been the foremost keepers of the Law and customary traditions of their day. In fact, they were so entrenched in the Law that they failed to see people.

Jesus shows up at Simon the Pharisees' house with His normal entourage. He always seemed to have people following Him everywhere He went. Instead of totally humiliating everyone Simon allowed some of the entourage in with Jesus. Among the group was a woman who the text says "lived a sinful life." If she wasn't a prostitute, she no doubt was a gal with a dubious reputation for getting around.

Now the weird thing about this story is the foot washing that Jesus received from her. Something about Jesus had evoked great emotion in this woman. She was crying so hard that she had enough tears to wash Jesus' feet in them. She also obviously wasn't destitute because she anointed Jesus' feet with perfume, which means she had some cash.

Simon the religious Pharisee was instinctively repulsed by her behavior. He saw this, "sinful" woman and couldn't believe that someone like Jesus would allow her to touch Him. After all, any righteous Jewish man would know that touching or being touched by someone "unclean" would make you "unclean." Simon, normally wouldn't have gone near her or probably even allowed her in his house because she was a sinful woman and he wouldn't have wanted to expose himself or his family/household to someone like her.

But not only did Jesus allow her to touch Him, He cleansed her and taught this confused Pharisee a lesson. The Pharisee saw this woman as a hopeless lowlife to be avoided at all cost. Jesus saw her as a woman in need of God's love and grace. As you read this account, it becomes clear who had a greater appreciation for the presence of Jesus. Simon treated Jesus like a peer. The woman treated Jesus like the Savior and Lord that He was.

Too often, followers of Christ invite Jesus into their life, space, home, whatever for some light dinner conversation or even to debate a theological issue. They are not moved by His presence. They think of Him more as a peer or equal or just another guest. They miss who He really is. They aren't impassioned by Him and thus their life seems ordinary and spiritually mediocre. They are often intellectually aware of who Jesus is and what His truths mean, but not really enlivened by Him.

If Jesus entered our home or place of worship, I wonder how He would be treated. Would we kiss His feet, wash His feet with our tears or simply usher Him to the best seat in the place? Would we be really moved or would be delighted just to converse with Him?

God, first I want to see you as you are. I want to have the heart of this woman. But I also don't want to have the heart of the Pharisee toward those in similar situations to the "sinful" woman. Give me your eyes and heart.

Daily Reflections on Lev. 10:1-10 (What Makes God Mad?)

Whoosh! He's blazing. It's what happens when you tick off God. One minute they're standing there proud as peacocks. The next, they're shish kabobs without the skewer. Apparently God was dead serious about what the priests were to do and what they weren't. God gave implicit instructions how he wanted the sacrifices to be given and what was acceptable to Him. He warned them of the consequences. When Nadab and Abihu decided to freelance a little in their fancy new threads, God didn't take too kindly to their actions. You might say He was flaming mad.

If you read the text, you will see that Nadab and Abihu offered an unauthorized fire before the Lord contrary to God's command. Their arrogance cost them their lives. A fire came immediately out of the Tent of Meeting and consumed them. These two thought they were hot, but in an instant God made them hotter.

I've always wondered why God was so quick to act against these guys. It reminds me a lot of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts who brought their offering to Peter, lied about it the total amount and dropped dead on the spot. No doubt the people who witnessed the events suddenly took God seriously.

As I look at both incidents, there are some similarities. It appears to me that both were trying to grab a little extra attention for themselves. Nadab and Abihu, no doubt, thought that they were privileged and my guess were showing off just a little bit. God doesn't share the stage with anyone. When He gives specific instructions, He expects them to be followed to the letter. These were crucial days for the Children of Israel. If the people were to understand and observe these new teachings, then they had to understand that God meant what He said. So God gave them an example of how serious He was about this new covenant He was establishing with them. He demonstrated that no one was immune to breaking the Law. No one would escape the consequences.

Some of us try to minimize God's truths and teachings today. However, God isn't about to alter His truths and teaching or the consequences just to satisfy our whims, desires, wants, or agendas. God allows us the choice of how we want to live, but He doesn't allow us to choose the consequences or eliminate them all together. God's truths and teachings are for our benefit, not just arbitrary rules He established to make us miserable.

God, thanks for your teaching and truths that guide my life. Countless times I've violated those truths only to discover you were right all along. I've created a lot of unnecessary pain in my own life and the lives of others because of my arrogance and free wheeling. Thanks for your forgiveness and grace, Lord, for righting my ship when I begin to list.

Daily Reflections on Ex. 8:1-8 (One More Night with the Frogs)

It's one of the most intriguing responses in the Bible. In Exodus 8, Egypt is experiencing the first of the ten plagues God brought on them for Pharaoh's hard heart (stubbornness) in not letting the Children of Israel go. Frogs have come out of the rivers, streams, lakes, canals and ponds and are everywhere. Now when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. Not just outside. They came inside. Imagine swarms of frogs invading your house. You thought roaches and mice in your house were bad. Open up the cabinet and frogs jump out. Plop down on you couch and find it covered with frogs. Pull back the covers on your bed, and guess what frogs. Step into the shower and the tub is full of frogs. Go to your favorite diner and special of the day, frog legs.

I can't really imagine what that would have been like. Life had to be horrible. Noisy, slimy, smelly frogs everywhere. Moms had to be going nuts. Kids screaming. Brooms getting a work out. The only guy doing a big business, the exterminator. The only problem was that they kept coming.

Once Pharaoh had finally had enough of the frogs, he calls Moses and Aaron back and asks them to get rid of them. Moses says, "You name the time and I'll get rid of them." Now notice Pharaoh's response, "Tomorrow." Are you kidding me? Did he really say tomorrow. I don't know about you, I would have said, "How about fifteen minutes ago!" Is this guy completely nuts? Why would he suffer one more day of the frog invasion?

There's a famous sermon on this passage entitled, "One More Night with the Frogs." It's weird how when immediate relief is in sight, people put it off. Yet time and time again I've seen it. People in the midst of personal suffering, ensnared in some horrible or painful or unhealthy situation resist the help to get out. I've watched people in abuse situations stay there even though there was a way out. I've seen people living in negative environments continue down the path when hope was offering a hand. I've never understood it. Why live in that mess, when there is a way out? One more night with the frogs mentality takes over.

Is it stubbornness? Is it pride? Is it self masochism? Is it laziness? Is it stupidity? Is it paralyzation? Is it habit? Is it a misplaced sense of security? Can't tell you. All I know is that it's an all too common response.

To be honest, I see it in a different sense all the time. I watch people all the time refuse to accept God's grace in their life. For whatever reason people reject the hope of eternal life in Christ. I watch people ignore God's truths and plunge headlong into situations and lifestyles that they know will bring pain to their life. It's not just one more night with frogs, it's more like, "hey I like suffering so bring on the frogs, heck bring on all the plagues."

God, I'm so thankful for your grace and relief. I don't want to spend any night with the frogs. Deliver me from my own self destructive behavior. Guide me by your Spirit.

Daily Reflection on Mt. 11:20-30; Ps. 14:1-7 (Blinding Pride)

We've often heard that love is blind, but what I've discovered is that so is pride. Pride and arrogance seem to be roommates that are almost inseparable. I not sure is pride leads to arrogance or arrogance leads to pride, but you can bet that where there is one, the other is hanging out pretty close.

Jesus talks about all the people who had the opportunity to witness, experience the presence of God in their midst yet blindly went on their own way. Jesus had performed miracles, healed the sick, raised the dead and it wasn't enough to turn their hearts to Him. Wow, the show was great but it did little to change them. It was back to the same ol' same ol'. What does it take to get some people's attention, to change hearts.

The psalmist says that a fool declares there is no God. A lot of people live that way. Oh they acknowledge God exists, but practically they live as if He doesn't. We just do life in total oblivion to God's presence, teaching, principles. God says that's dumb. That's why so often we crash and burn or have at least have a blow out. At minimum we'll probably stumble around and run into a few things.

Jesus says that if we really want to experience Him, live in His power, we've got to drop the arrogance, the pride. Coming to God humbly, seeking Him, His help, His power and that's when we get to live in His power. Our pride creates a blindness that doesn't allow us to see God.

God, I don't want to be blinded by my own self. Forgive me for doing life my way without acknowledging you. I need your power, your protection, your guidance.

Daily Reflections on Gal. 6:9-10 (Brighten the Corner)

Some days I've just had it with people. Rudeness abounds. There are days in which people drive me absolutely, certifiably crazy with their attitudes and behaviors. I can get up in the morning cheery as usual and have so many run ins with rude, mean, arrogant people that I'm ready to kick my dog when I get home or anyone else for that matter.

Having worked in retail while I was pursing grad school, I feel sorry for store clerks at Christmastime, especially the last few days before Christmas. The griping, the complaining, the arguing, the pressing, the rudeness of customers take their toll. It's hard to smile and say, "Have a nice day." What you really want to say is .... So I've decided I'm going to treat the cashier as a person and engage them in personal conversation about themselves and their duress. I try to relate to the pressure of their job and circumstance. Their response is usually amazing. Some people actually take a deep breath as if to relax.

Doing good come in a variety of forms. I try to make it a habit of thanking people for doing their jobs that are particularly monotonous or stressful or unpleasant or those who have to work weird hours or holidays. I just simply say, "Thanks for being here." "Thanks for doing what you're doing." I've found that by doing that even if I've been inconvenienced or treated discourteously not only does it brighten their day and ease our tension, it helps me maintain a positive spirit.

Here's the rub. It's hard for me to have a "doing good to others" attitude all the time. I can be demanding, critical, or arrogant myself. Something doesn't meet my standards or go my way, well let's just say I can be very expressive or demonstrative. There are times when I know that I'm being played, taken advantage of, or used. I don't feel like being, I mean, doing good at those moments. I can be very vociferous in defending an idea or a principle.

Yet, here's what I know as a sufferer of hypertension, the more I engage in negative or antagonistic behavior, the higher my blood pressure rises. Doing good to others actually lowers my bp and benefits me. I'm not in a knot all the time and life is better for me.

God, I don't feel like doing good to others sometimes. I get frustrated and angry and agitated. Give me strength to not be weary in well doing.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 18:9-14 (Comeuppance)

Judgments! We make them all the time. We peruse the food court at the mall before selecting a restaurant to suit our liking. We glance over the menu searching for the delectables to satisfy our taste buds. We gaze into our closet in anticipation of our day or activity before carefully choosing the perfect attire for our occasion. We size up the best cell phone, car, apartment or house to meet our need or budget or more likely, our eye. We flip through the playlist on our ipod, itunes, or cds pausing only when the right song fits our mood.

We live in a menu driven society. We like variety and choice. We push, pick, touch, grab, click our selection. When it no longer meets our needs or becomes boring, we select something else. Our judgments are based on what is appealing or satisfying to us, more specifically, to me. And our judgments aren’t limited to cloths, songs, movies, food or other “stuff.” We extend our judgment making into the realm of people, persons, classes, races, etc.

Since we’re good at making judgments based upon our tastes, likes, whims and standards, it’s easy to cast aspersions onto people. We, in effect, begin to place value and esteem upon others based on our opinion, method of expectation, or appearance. This week my youngest daughter is doing an experiment for her psychology class. She’s dressing as an older woman to determine how people treat her and to gain perspective as an elderly person. My guess is she’ll learn a lot about others and herself.

The hardest judgments to make are about ourselves. Sometimes we’re overly critical of ourselves and sometimes we’re totally blind to ourselves. Sometimes we pass off certain behaviors, thought processes, traits (good or bad) as just who we are. It’s tough to be impartial about us.

The only judgment that really counts is God’s judgment. It doesn’t really matter what or how I think of others or myself. What matters is what God thinks. He looks into our hearts and minds and casts His judgment. It’s easy for many of us to take the attitude of the first man in the parable Jesus tells in this text. We make our own judgment about ourselves in light of ourselves; to which God says, “Get ready for your comeuppance.” God is looking for hearts like the second man in the story who recognizes his (or her) own need for God’s grace and cries out to Him.

God, forgive me for my arrogance. I do make judgments of others’ value based on appearance, status, talents, wealth and giftedness. Help me to see myself through your eyes and help me to see others also through your eyes.

Daily Reflections on Jn. 10:11-18 (Aliens)

To this day my oldest daughter is freaked out by E.T.. She sleeps with a light on in her closet when she's home. When she was a kid, all you had to say was, "phone home," and she'd be in a panic. A lot of people are fascinated by UFO's and aliens. There've been tons of TV shows, docu-dramas and movies suggesting the presence/existence of aliens on or visiting our planet. And if you've ever been to Roswell, NM, you know the town makes a living off of alien life.

In fact, some have suggested that v.16 of our text is a reference to life on other planets. "Sheep not of this pen that I must bring," according to some, means life elsewhere in the universe or solar system. Quite frankly, I think that's a BIG time stretch. That's making the text mean something out of context or say something Jesus didn't.

Jesus had been teaching Jewish people who considered themselves "God's Chosen People." They translated "chosen" as God's "ONLY" people. Even in the early years of the church, some erroneously taught/proclaimed/insisted that one had to become a Jew before he/she could become a Christian. When Jesus was talking about sheep not of this pen, He was refering to people like me, a non-Jewish sinner. Jesus was saying what He said in John 3:16, that he loved all the world, all persons, and was laying down His life for all people.

I think there's a tendency among the religious elite or even plain ol' church folk to center only on church folk and church. It's almost like a spiritual arrogance. We're the chosen people now, we're God's favorites, He's only concerned about our relationship with Him. Take another look, a closer look. Didn't Jesus also tell a parable about abandoning the 99 sheep in the fold to go look for the ONE outside the fold? Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost, to gather all who will come to Him. He's as concerned for those who didn't grow up in the church, who've strayed from God and the church.

Unfortunately many pastors, church leaders, church members (refered to as "hirelings" in this passage) run from the ravenous wolves of this world to protect ourselves. We isolate ourselves in our church groups and church schools or home schools so that the evil of the world stays out. We circle the wagons and never venture out. But because of Jesus' love, He faced/faces the dangerous wolves head on to collect as many sheep as He can before they are devoured. He didn't wait until they wandered into the fold. He laid down down His life for them while they were among the wolves.

God, help me lose my fear of the aliens, the strangers, the outsiders and realize I was once one of those people. Give me the strength, courage and protection to face the ravenous wolves so that I might be a part of gathering your sheep not of your pen. David learned to do battle with the lion and the bear with only a sling shot, while tending his father's sheep. Later that gave him the confidence to battle with and defeat Goliath with only that same little sling shot (and your power). God, thanks for rescuing me. And thanks for leaving your light on in my closet just for me.

Daily Reflections on Lam. 3:25-29 (Alone)

Oh the exuberance of youth! As a teen I began a real journey of faith in Christ. After 4 years of Bible College, I was ready to take on the world and reform the Church. I had all the answers in my mind. (The only problem was that I didn't even know all the questions.) I was ambitious, impetuous, adventurous, idealistic, oh and one more thing, naive (that sounds better than stupid).

I know for most of my youthful years many people considered me downright arrogant. I probably was. I thought of myself as confident, assured and determined. After all, a leader with a spiritual vision has to be, right? My attitude was, "Okay, Lord, I know what to do, just turn me loose. I'm raring to go." And God let me go, on my own. You'd think after a couple train wrecks I'd have learned. But some of us are either just plain stubborn or slow learners. Truth is, I may have been both.

All of us learn through the school of hard knocks. We learn through the trials and hardships and struggles of life. We call this "life experience." The more we experience in terms of difficulties and challenges and victories, the wiser we become. As we get battered around in life, we are forced to listen to others, to rely on others, to ask for help. It's during those times we are often forced into isolation, to sit alone in silent ponder.

These are times I've experienced my greatest spiritual growth. These are the times I find myself crying out to God from my knees or face down on the floor or at least my bed. If we don't have these times, we'd probably never learn to rely on God or listen for His voice, His direction, His guidance, His timing. I can't say that these have been the most pleasurable experiences of my life, but they have been some of the deepest, most intimate growth I've had. For in these times I've seen the power of God and the grace of God.

Going through a lonely time? A difficult time? Relish it. Make the most of it. Use the time wisely. Remember it was in those times that God spoke to the heroes of the Bible, like Moses, Elijah, David, Samuel, Gideon, Noah, Abraham, Peter, Paul and others. It was after those encounters that they experienced some of their greatest ministry. You're not alone. You're actually in good company. Ps. 46 says in those moments to be still, relax, cease your striving and know that He is God.

God, waiting on you is hard. Having to endure loneliness and failure and rejection is hard. Thanks for the lessons I've learned in the past. Thanks for demonstrating your power, your presence and your wisdom. Thanks for providing the strength you promised in Isa. 40. I'm still learning to wait on you, especially waiting quietly. Forgive my arrogance.