Undignified

2 Samuel 6: 12 – 23 (NIV): Now King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel--I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor." And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

David is rejoicing because he is bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. The Philistines had taken it, and had given it back because of what happened to them; then it stayed at Obed-Edom's house, and now it was coming home to where it belonged.
What is so famously wonderful about this story is how David danced with all his might as he rejoiced before God. He threw his dignity aside and gave his all to God. “I will become even more undignified than this,” he said, “and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.”
Sometimes I fear we have become so dignified that we fail to worship God at all. We want reverence and respect, and well we should, but let's not become so dignified that we fail to worship. Yes, David cost a man his life earlier in this story because he failed to treat the Ark with proper respect, but many of us sit like wooden Indians in church, then scream like Comanches at a ball game. Isn't it interesting that dignity goes out the door in a crises, or when our favorite team is on the field. But when is the last time you let the world see your love for God?
Perhaps we are so dignified because we are full of pride. David was the King of Israel; he had to conduct himself with dignity, but when it came to worshiping God, he humbled himself.
And yes, this story comes with a warning that it may cost us at home. This incident seems to have essentially ruined his relationship with his wife, Michal, but he didn't let anything dampen his devotion to God. Find ways to worship God with all your heart, and let the whole world see you do it.

The King of Glory

Psalm 24 (NIV): The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. "Selah" Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty-- he is the King of glory.

It should change our attitudes to realize that the earth and everything in it belongs to God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills – and he owns the hills too. And he owns us. We belong to him and live on his planet at his mercy. We breathe his air, drink his water, and are able to stand on the ground because of his gravity. How differently should we live our lives today when we realize that we are God's guests here?
Make no bones about it, the Bible teaches that God created the universe. Genesis 1:1, the very first verse, tells us this, and David repeats it here. Some people believe we are incredible accidents of evolution, the Bible teaches that we are designed by an intelligent, loving creator. Can we believe that Jesus rose again for our sins if we don't believe God created us? Either the Bible is true or it is not.
David was a worshiper. He wasn't perfect, but he loved God and expressed that in the psalms he wrote. He knew, though, that only the righteous had the privilege of entering into God's presence. “Who may ascend” may be a reference to going to heaven, or David may have meant worshiping God in his temple. Either way, he understood that only those “with clean hands” could enter into God's holy presence. “Clean hands” means the righteous. Righteous people don't worship idols. Righteous people don't swear by what is false. Jesus said those who are pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8).
So, how do we become righteous? How do we have clean hands and a pure heart? Paul says it this way: We die to ourselves and allow Jesus to live through us (Galatians 2:20). We cannot be righteous by our own efforts. We trade our lives for Christ's and his righteousness covers us.
David ends this psalm with a charge for the gates of the city to open wide so the King of Glory may come in. This is a picture of Christ entering his kingdom. When Jesus was here before, he entered Jerusalem on a donkey, humble, and about to become a sacrifice for us. When he returns, he will enter as a victorious King, destroying his enemies and all falsehood and injustice.

I Can Do All Things

Philippians 4: 10 - 20 (NIV): I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In this passage, Paul is thanking the Christians in Philippi for sending him supplies while he was in prison in Rome. A man named Epaphroditus had brought them to him. Philippians is known as the letter of joy because Paul refers to being joyful sixteen times in these four short chapters. It's so interesting that Paul is so joyful and content while he's writing this, since he was in prison at the time.
But Paul had found the secret to being content in every circumstance, good or bad. He knew he had fabulous treasure because he had Christ. He said in chapter three that he considered every material possession he had "rubbish" (garbage) compared to knowing Jesus as his Savior. Remember, Paul had come from a wealthy family. We know this because of his education. So he meant it when he said he had had plenty - and he had had it all taken from him. Materialism leaves us empty; Christ fills us with joy. This is difficult for us Americans to grasp, but it is the secret to contentment.
When we lean upon our own strength or our own possessions, we are in for a bumpy ride, but when we lean upon Christ for our strength, we can find contentment, and we can accomplish things we never dreamed possible.
When we minister to others we have the privilege of being Jesus' hands, feet and voice. I've often said that if God wants to give me a hug, he uses your arms to do it. If God wants to encourage me, it just might come from your voice. God has left his ministry in our hands. We are "Jesus in the skin" when we minister to others.
Not only that, but when we give to others, we are giving to God himself. How do I give back to God? By giving to others. And God wants to bless us. We are his children and he loves us. He will take care of us as we take care of others. It's a wonderful circle of love, full of joy, and with no room for selfishness or materialism. Join the circle, be a blessing, and see if God will not bless you too.

Rejoice and Be Thankful

Philippians 4: 4 - 8 (NIV): Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

To rejoice means to be full of joy and let everyone know it. When we realize how much God loves us, and the wonderful future he has planned for us, we can become full of joy. And when we are full of joy, it shines out of us so that all around can see it. Perhaps the best advertisement we have for our faith is people seeing the joy in our lives. A joy that stays even when circumstances are not so pleasant. That's because we realize that the trials we face today are only temporary. Our loving friendship with God will last for all eternity.
The next part of this passage is one of my favorite verses. In The Living Bible it says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."
We'll all choose today to either worry or pray. When we pray, that will ease the worry. Paul knew when he wrote this from prison how easy it is for us to sit and worry about what's going to happen. After all, he was awaiting a trial to see if he would be executed for his faith. But the more we realize that God is in control and knows what he's doing, the less we will worry. If we don't really believe God knows what's best for us, or that he is powerful enough to make it happen, then our minds will be filled with worry.
When we pray, let's remember to be thankful. It's good to ask God for blessings, but let's remember to thank him for the ones he's already given. In fact, let's really show our faith and thank God for the blessings he's going to give.
Finally, if we want to live worry-free lives, we must fill our thoughts with good things. We have to do our part. Do you think about things that are true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? How much time do you spend thinking about God? How much time do you spend meditating on his Word? If we fill our minds with evil day after day, we shouldn't expect God to bust through that and give us peace.

Pray and Don't Give Up

Luke 18: 1 - 8 (NIV): Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off ? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

This is a rare parable in the Bible because Luke tells us what it's about before Jesus tells it. Perhaps this is because God really wants to make sure we understand this one. God would rather you pray than anything else. You were created to have a relationship with him and prayer is how you do it.
Too many times we pray once or twice, then give up if we don't feel we have our answer. Jesus told this story to show us that we must never give up. Keep praying until you are satisfied with the answer. If that is after the day you die, then so be it. Why is it so important that we keep praying about something? Because the only reason we would keep asking God is if we believed he was going to answer. This is what having faith is all about. We give up so quickly because we don't believe he really will.
I firmly believe that God allows situations in our lives for the sole purpose of keeping us in prayer. He wants us to depend on him instead of ourselves and we might as well get used to it. But don't worry, it's a good thing to trust in God. Remember, he loves us beyond what we can fathom, he knows what's truly best for us, and he spoke all of creation into existence.
If you are praying about something and feel you need a boost of power or faith, try adding fasting to your prayer. Fasting humbles us before God and shows him that we are serious. The hunger pains remind us to pray and allow us to sacrifice, identifying with Christ.
So keep praying and never give up. Show God that you believe in what he says. This pleases him. And like the widow in our story, keep asking until you get your answer.