wherein doth thine heart lie?

2 Samuel 17: 23

And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

One of the more difficult things to deal with, in this life, is dissenting opinion among like-minded people. It is easy to deal with when you are holding discourse with someone who doesn't think like you do - the assumption you bring to the table is simply that you'll either argue or not. Regardless, unless you both take measures to actually listen to one another it is likely you will only wait your turn to speak, and ultimately only touch down on some few common points. And you certainly will not be of like minds because of that single issue.

Not so among believers of the same camp. One of the dangers of being among people who strongly go after the same goals you do, and who are of a mind similar to yours, is that any sudden change is actually shocking. If you and your brother spent the last twenty years only fishing in your spare time, and then tomorrow he asks you if you want to take up language study, it is likely your first response will not be "sure!" but rather "who are you?" Moreover, if your brother explains his reasons, no matter how good, there will be a transition point where you will have to truly evaluate your own fundamental beliefs in this regard.

How much more so for Ahithophel here - he and Absalom were in one accord, seeking to take out David and put Absalom on the throne. They were gung-ho for it, and God seemed to be blessing many of the efforts that were geared toward that goal. But Absalom and Ahithophel were not being led by God - and I believe Ahithophel realized this. It is why he killed himself.

I bring this verse to bear as a reminder - our eyes should be not be focused on our peers, our loved ones, our goals, our friends, our families, or ourselves. They should be focused on God. Any other focus will bring condemnation and death.

CALL TO ACTION

I - Pray a song of praise

God has done marvelous things in your life!

Claim ten things that He did that made a profound difference in your life. Include anything YOU feel God did in your life.

example(s): a new job, a check that covered a debt, a new wife, a sunrise that made you day better, a pay raise, no fighting during a family outing

II - Pray another song of praise

God has done even more marvelous things in your life!!

Claim ten events or duties you take for granted that clearly indicate God's presence in your life.

example(s): perfect weather, water, food, divine providence, not feeling right about which path to take and thus not having an accident

III - Pray for guidance

God has a plan for your day!

Claim God's guidance today

- set aside 15 minutes to ask him for guidance about the issues of your day.

- set aside 30 minutes to listen to his answers.

- hearken to His guidance throughout the day for those answers that did not click yet.

IV - Pray a song of thanksgiving

God is real!

Thank Jesus for planning your day.

Give praise and glory to the most high God for knowing what you need even before you are aware.

Meet me on the water

In the eighth chapter of Luke we find the apostles in a boat. The realm of a boat would have been a comfortable one, as many distances were often traveled by boat, at the very least by Simon, whom they called Peter. The boat was coasting along on a lake, quiet enough, that Jesus went to sleep. Some time after Jesus had been asleep for a little bit, a storm showed up, and the disciples' boat began to rock. The placidity of five minutes ago was forgotten, and they were afraid. They soon woke up Jesus, who calmed the seas. It is pointed to notice both responses here.

The disciples were amazed that Jesus could quell the storm.
Jesus questioned their faith.

How often are we in placed in the same situation? There are many such boats, resting on inland seas, rocking serenely to a tune only the boats can hear, with gentle waves lapping, and we feel blessed to even be in the boat.

• Your bills are paid.


• You've food in your fridge.


• You actually like your job.


• Your homework makes sense.


• You keep every appointment you make.

Then, the boat starts to rock.

• A paycheck bounces.


• You can't afford groceries.


• Your boss is breathing down your neck.


• The homework suddenly doesn't make sense, and its due tonight.


• You haven't been on time to an appointment in a month, and your customers have stopped calling.

What do you do?

You really only have two options.
You can trust in God.

• Pray.


• Believe the events that are happening can truly glorify Him.


• Recognize what you DO have to be thankful for.


• Give not yourself over to fear, but be appreciative of what IS going right.

You can trust in fear.

• Run / Scream / Yell.


• Believe the events that are happening will ruin you.


• Recognize that nothing matters.


• Give yourself over to frustration, suffering, fear, and anguish.

Nobody's life is without waves. Clearly, some lives are utterly fraught with misery while others seem a great deal more even-keeled. Regardless, every life has some stress or other. And it is how we address that stress that caresses the mess. In other words, letting the events dictate your state, dictate your actions, or dictate your perception, will ultimately destroy you.

Choose to pray.
Be the one Jesus gives praise to the Lord for because of your faith.
Be like Peter, in that he trusted Jesus and actually walked on water.

I want to meet someone out on the water.

Sing, Sing a Psalm

This observation will be short, owing to the lack of anything truly inspiring to hit me this morning from the daily reading.

I like the Psalms, though it wasn’t always that way. The older I have gotten and the more trials and tribulations I have gone through, the more I see the efficacy of these cries to the Lord.

One day as I was driving, I was pouring out my heart and soul to the Lord, trying desperately to put words to the agony I was experiencing. Then it came floating up… I began praying the Psalms of old, not perfectly, not in order, but they were Psalms. Bits and pieces strung together began to adequately express what I was trying to communicate to God and it was wonderful.

The result of that little session was a strong desire to know more of the Psalms. From their eloquent beauty and power in exalting and praising God to the poignancy and angst of soul in crying out, these Psalms hit the mark.

I have been blessed in many ways through these recordings of man’s cry to God… I wish to make them my own.