Lessons from Numbers 13-14: Part One of Four

Last week I dove head long into these two Old Testament chapters, and pulled out a few leadership lessons. The truth is that I barely scratched the surface of all the leadership material in Numbers 13 & 14. There are so many angles that I could take a month of blogging just to cover them.

Today, I want to begin looking again at these passages, because I think there are more than just leadership lessons that we can pull from this story. What I write about today describes a phase I feel like I am in at the moment.

To refresh your memory, as we get to Numbers 13, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for some time. They finally arrive at the Jordan River, and are preparing to cross it in order to claim the area known as Canaan that God had promised them. But, before they could go in, God had a recon mission that needed to be completed.

Numbers 13:1-2a reads:

The Lord now said to Moses, "Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites."

Moses would end up sending twelve tribal leaders into Canaan to scout it out. I can only imagine the excitement of the moment. No doubt there was a great anticipation among the people. Their long, tiring journey had reached it's climax. All the grumbling during bad days; all the rejoicing during the miraculous times has brought them to the edge of the Jordan. In only a few short weeks, they would be moving into their new homeland.

When we read the scripture from the exodus out of Egypt, through the dry desert heat, and finally to the doorstep of Canaan, we see many times where the people grew impatient with both God and Moses. When things didn't go the way they expected, they declared their desire to return to slavery in Egypt. When Moses went away to get the Ten Commandments, the people became restless and took matters into their own hands, and created a golden calf to be their god.

But, as Numbers 13 starts, all that is behind them now. Perhaps that's a good lesson for us to keep in mind. Those times when we feel like we're wandering in the desert of life, when God seems a hundred miles away, and we're tempted to take matters into our own hand.... Well, those are the times when we need to silence our restlessness, and recognize the truth of Numbers 13:1-2a. God isn't through with you. In fact, if you stay on His course, you'll eventually find yourself on the edge of a mighty opportunity.

That truth especially applies if you are a Christ-follower. God has an awesome plan for you. A few years back, Steven Curtis Chapman sang about this plan, calling it "The Great Adventure."

So, my encouragement for you today is that as you go through those deserts in your walk with God, be prepared to encounter the Jordan. You may not be able to see it at the moment, but it's there. God's just leading you to it. This desert phase is temporary. At the right time, God will lead you into that "promised land."

New Kids Resource

The makers of Veggietales and Focus on the Family have teamed up on a great new kids resource. Jelly Telly recently made it's Internet debut, and provides children with great, Christ-centered entertainment.

My boys discovered JellyTelly.com while reading their Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines this month.

Each day of the week, JellyTelly.com presents a different episode, combining many different Christian entertainment programs into the show. Kidmo, Drive Thru History, Hermie the wormie and many others are all part of the show.

So, add this new resource to your children's online experience. You can even get the shows for your church.

By the way, they haven't paid me to brag about them. I'm a fan of Drive Thru History and Kidmo, and thrilled to see this come along.

Prepare Yourself To Win

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that as a leader, you need to surround yourself with other good leaders. Good, smart, strong leaders will compliment the other leaders in the team, and definately benefit the group or organization as a whole. Plus, each individual will bring their own set of specialties and insights to the group, making it stronger and smarter.

But, what happens if you don't have good leaders on your leadership team? I've certainly sat in on my share of board meetings that had individuals filling a leadership position, but they had very little leadership skills about them. The Bible gives us a great example of what can happen when unqualified people are placed in leadership positions.

In Numbers 13, we find the Israelites preparing to cross into Canaan to claim the land God had promised them. These people had witnessed some of the most legendary acts of God, had stumbled in their journey with God, been disciplined, returned to God, did this song-and-dance several times, and finally arrived at the Jordan River.

Moses had taken this rag-tag bunch of people, many of them true Israelites, but also a good number of "moochers," from the bonds of slavery through the desert and to the edge of their new home. In the process, Moses had offered some of the best leadership known to mankind. He had an amazing relationship with God. He had trained many of the leaders of the future nation.

Yet, we still arrive at Numbers 13. God tells Moses to send out twelve leaders, one from each tribe of Israel, to explore the land of Canaan. So, Moses chooses the twelve tribal leaders. Now, we're not told exactly how these men were chosen, whether Moses hand picked them or if the tribes chose the men. What we do know is that they were leaders among their people, and Moses sent them out to explore the land -- suggesting Moses gave them a final approval.

Had Moses thought they would give a dishonest account, he would've replaced them. These men were trustworthy. Or, so it was believed.

This chapter tells us that these dozen men did their job faithfully. They scouted the land, the cities and the people. They followed Moses' instructions entirely. After forty days, they finished their mission and returned to the camp.

Their report was pretty basic about their journey up until verse 28. That's where we find the description of the people who lived in Canaan. Hope and excitement get crushed by the giant size of some of the residents in the land. Optimism is replaced by pessimism.

We know from this story that Joshua and Caleb come out as the heroes of this bunch. These two stood out, because they saw Canaan through God's eyes, as a land belonging to them and easily conqured with God's help. Caleb, sensing the coming uproar, tried to calm the Israelites, and encouraged them to take the land.

And, it's at this point, at verse 31, where we learn what the ten other leaders are really made of:

But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

Their lack of backbone, wisdom, reliance on God and real leadership stirs up the people to the point they want to head back to Egypt and into slavery. The revolt gets to the point that the community even considers killing Joshua and Caleb.

There's more to this story in Numbers 14, but I think the point is made. Weak and inexperienced leadership is an automatic recipe for disaster. Poor leaders will tend to spread fear and doubt. They'll be quick to speak and slow to think. They'll give bad advice and make terrible decisions.

In any endeavor, leaders must prepare themselves to win. That process begins by surrounding yourself with the right leaders. You don't need "yes" men. You need people who can give an accurate assessment of the situations you're facing, weigh that evidence against what you have going in your favor, and provide wise counsel on how to deal with those situations.

Victorious leadership has no room for cowardace. So, who are you surrounding yourself with in order to win at what you're facing in life?

Craig Groeschel Congratulates My Church

Outreach Magazine recently published it's annual survey of churches, and among the fastest growing in the country is the one I attend, North Point Church in Springfield, Missouri. Check out this short video from Lifechurch.tv's Craig Groeschel.

Blogger Check-Out

Today, I want to point you to another blogger, Herbert Cooper, who pastors Peoples Church in Oklahoma City and is friend of the church I attend.

The past couple of days he has shared some interesting thoughts about doing anything short of sin to reach people for Jesus. The concepts and ideas he presents will likely be a bit tough to swallow for people from a traditional church background. I encourage you to read and digest these thoughts with an open mind on the many different ways God can reach people.

Enjoy reading Part One and Part Two.

What's Wrong With Healthcare?

With the debate over health care reform raging across America, we've been subjected to a wide range of view points on the subject.

I personally believe that the federal government needs to stay out of the insurance business. Government has terrible track records for every agency it has ever set up...save for the military. Key examples of government's ineptitude include social security, medicare, medicaid, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the postal service.

Given the misuse of the health care portion of this list by certain politicians wishing to stay in power, I believe that those in the Washington power circle don't want health care reform so it can benefit us. I believe it's a political ploy to ensure certain figures can hold onto power for many years to come. Evidence of this can be seen every election cycle when certain candidates are accused by their opponents of wanting to take social security away from senior citizens.

That all being said, let's look at the health care system that we have today. Is there anything wrong with it? It doesn't take but a brief look around the globe to realize that America has one of the best health systems in the country. Our doctors and hospitals are some of the best the world has to offer. So, the health system can't be the problem.

However, the biggest complaint people have about their doctors visits and hospital stays is the cost. I remember when I was a child, and the annual physical for school sports would cost about $25 for the visit. Today, that's just the co-pay. My wife has gone through three surgical procedures to fix damage on her right hand caused in an automobile accident last summer. I've been amazed at the prices charged for what should have been simple tasks.

So, we have the best health care, but some really bad prices. Some folks might argue that you get what you pay for. However, I don't think the price associated with the care is justified. Something else has gone wrong to bring the system to a costly point. And, that leads us to the last remaining major player in the health care system -- insurance.

Now, I'm not anti-insurance, but I do think we must place the blame for the cost increases in our health care system on the insurance industry. But, to understand the increases, we must understand what led to them, and the economics involved. The following illustration is a bit simplistic, but it will make the point.

In a system where health insurance is used only for catastrophic situations, such as a severe accident, heart attack, cancer, etc., the patient foots the entire bill for regular office visits and basic surgical procedures. This process leads to price competition, because the patient will intentionally shop around for better prices. In many cases, patients can negotiate or barter medical costs. Price competition in a capitalist market always lowers costs.

How does this work? It's the same concept that you find using cash over credit or debit cards. As you see your own money going out to pay for services, you will do what you can to curb costs, and that will lead you to pick your physicians more wisely. Insurance acts as the plastic card in that you don't actually see your money changing hands. The impact on your bank account is delayed. Hence, our love of insurance.

By spreading health insurance to cover all medical expenses, we have pushed off the cost of it to other hands. Corporations have taken control of what used to be the consumer's responsibility -- shopping for medical care. This has led to HMOs, PPOs and the like, which has in turn reduced the consumer options by limiting the doctors available under the chosen plans.

Tack onto that, the insurers have also walloped the doctors by charging extremely high rates for their malpractice insurance. This has forced medical offices to charge more to cover those expenses.

The end result is a never-ending cycle of increasing expenses on the consumer and physician end.

Whether someone or some corporation is getting rich off this system is irrelevant. The politicians would like to paint this as some big, evil company or doctors group as the bad guy. But, they are wrong in this portrait of the health care system. Every person and company has a right and a duty to earn a profit in the capitalist economic system.

The problem is that the system is broken in the way that it is set up. No government program will ever fix that. If anything, a government program will only intensify the problem by imposing bureaucratic red tape, great inefficiencies and extremely high taxes.

The only way to fix the health care problem is by resetting the system. We must return to a consumer-oriented system where the patient makes all the decisions regarding their medical care, including paying for those decisions out of their own pocket.

Sadly, no one is talking about the reset option.

The Healtcare Idol

One thing has been bugging me lately about the debate on healthcare reform. I was watching some of the public comments on one of the cable news channels, and someone made the claim that health insurance was a right, not a previlage.

The reform of the healthcare system has captured the American spotlight as liberals try to take us into socialized healthcare and conservatives try to prevent it. I've stated my take on the healthcare debate before.

What concerns me today is this notion that we all deserve healthcare. That it is our right. That we cannot survive without it (which is a bogus argument, considering we've done pretty well so far).

When did our very existence depend on a need for health insurance? From where did the notion come that says we cannot survive without it?

Friends, we have made healthcare and health insurance our newest idol in America. We have taken something harmless, and turned it into a necessity. We're replacing our reliance on God with a reliance on the government. Hmm, I suppose that makes government an idol, too.

Exodus 20:3-6 says:

"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

As Mark Driscoll would point out, insurance itself is a good thing. There's nothing necessarily wrong with having insurance to cover the catastrophic events of life, or planning long term care of an elderly loved one. But, as Mark says, when you take a good thing and make it a god thing, that becomes a bad thing.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Five of Five

In the discussion about seeking the approval of God and not the approval of man, one thing needs to be made clear -- having the approval of man is not a bad thing. Proverbs 22:1 says, "A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." Clearly, having a good reputation is a very good thing.

In the book of Philemon, Paul uses his good reputation in an effort to pursuade Philemon to be kind to his slave, Onesimus , who had run away, but was returning. Fearing that Philemon would do his slave some kind of harm, Paul write these words, "So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me."

Even Jesus had the approval of man. We referenced this earlier this week regarding Jesus' pre-teen years. Luke 2 concludes with a statement that, "Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." This would all change as he later challenged the religious establishment, but the point is that people genuinely liked Jesus.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's a good thing to have a good reputation. We run into trouble when we sacrifice what God wants us to do in order to please mankind.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Four of Five

In his book, The Grace Awakening, Chuck Swindoll recounts a time early on in his ministry when the church he served faced a very difficult decision. A major meeting on the issue was set. His leadership board was split right down the middle.

Swindoll says that the day before the meeting, he drove out of the area to get some alone time with God. As he was reading the Bible, he came across Galatians 1:10.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please
men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

That verse became the game-changer and liberator for Chuck. During that meeting, Swindoll says he voiced his support for the direction God was leading them. It wasn't popular, and he several people left the church over the issue.

Those are hard situations to deal with. During those times, we don't have God wagging his finger in our face, threatening to leave forever. Instead, those situations pit us against people we used to eat and spend time with.

Some people cave to the pressure. They don't like conflict, and as such, they'll sacrifice their beliefs, God's word, or God's commands to make peace with the people around them. Maybe you're like that.

Let Galatians 1:10 be your game-changer. Conflict isn't fun. But, when you're seeking God's approval, the threats and angry words of people you thought were friends can more easily bounce off of you. The approval of a perfect God overrides the approval of imperfect man each and every time.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Three of Five

Jesus was a popular dude. Have you ever considered that? An average Joe wouldn't have been able to attract crowds of thousands into the wilderness. But, it wasn't just His teaching or miracles that made him popular, although I'm sure those helped.

The Bible in a round-about way, lets us in on a little known fact about Jesus. He was a likable guy. Jesus had just started His public ministry when he was invited to a wedding.

Keep in mind that Jesus had never performed a miracle in public (or private as far as we know), so "miracle worker" hadn't become a part of his resume. Jesus didn't get into this wedding celebration based on His religious beliefs or any endorsement from the local rabbi.

None of that applied. Jesus was at this wedding, because he was well-liked. So well-liked, in fact, that the wedding party extended their invitation to a half-dozen or so strangers Jesus had picked up along the way.

What I like about this wedding story is that Jesus didn't strive to be a popular guy. We see evidence of that through the events that unfold over the next three years. Someone who strives to be popular never would've ended up nailed to a Roman cross.

Jesus' early popularity was because He was a genuinely nice guy. I'm sure the elders in His hometown had noticed that Jesus had a good head about Him. He probably had the same wisdom he displayed in his pre-teen years. In fact, the end of Luke 2 makes special note that Jesus was liked by those around him.

But, Jesus lived the Galatians 1:10 principle:

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please
man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

As we see throughout the remainder of the Gospels, even though he was popular, Jesus wasn't driven by that popularity. It didn't consume Him. Even when tempted, Jesus didn't compromise His mission or message to remain popular. Instead, Jesus was driven by the approval of God.

What are you driven by, the approval of man, or of God?

Kanye and the Gospel

Much has been made of Kanye West's disruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMA's this past weekend, so to add another voice in the discussion would be rather pointless. However, I think what Kanye did perfectly illustrates what happens all the time in our churches.

Get some momentum going and BOOM, along comes a disruption. Jesus starts moving among the congregation and WHAP, there's a distraction. Begin a new service program in your community and THUD, a diversion takes your attention. Make major changes to the way the church operates and CRASH, you get division.

Anytime you begin following the path God has laid out for you, whether the YOU in this case is you as an individual or your church, expect someone or something to come along and try to disrupt what God is doing. Let me re-emphasize that...EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN, because most likely, it will.

So, how do you deal with the disruptions that try to tear you from God's promises? Well, the first thing you do is turn the trouble over to God. He has a knack of dealing with disruptions while protecting His people. And, secondly, you can't let the disruptions take the microphone (see: Taylor Swift). Once you give a disruption a foothold, it'll grab that and take some more until the disruption has become a distraction, which in turn creates a diversion and eventually leads to division.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Two of Five

Every election season, we see it happen time and again. The scene has been played out so often that it is now almost predictable. Somewhere along the road to the office they are seeking, candidates cease touting their credentials and begin playing the popularity game.

"Vote for me, I'm popular."

"Pick me, I hang with the President."

"Choose me, I'll give you a government program so you'll never be in need again."

I'm only 35, so I can't speak to much beyond those years, but politics in America have become less about leadership and much more about popularity. I suppose its the nature of that beast to create a bunch of glad-handing people who's sole work is to make you happy rather than to actually lead. See, leadership is not about happiness or warm, fuzzy feelings. Many times, leadership involves making very unpopular decisions for the betterment of the organization, industry or nation.

The same is true when it comes to following Jesus. When you read the Gospels, it's pretty obvious that Jesus didn't play the popularity game. The religious leaders of His day wanted Jesus to side with them, and were disgusted when Jesus would hang out with the sinners and tax collectors.

Jesus' teachings were sometimes offensive, and John records a time when He lost many followers, because he claimed to be the bread of life. When Jesus had finished speaking, many of his followers grumbled to themselves, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

John 6:66 may very well be one of the saddest sentences in the whole Bible, "After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him."

That's pretty clear evidence that Jesus wasn't into popularity contests. He knew His mission, and being popular was not a component in completing it.

Life isn't about being the most popular. It's not even about being well liked, although I think it is a good thing to have a good reputation. As Christians, we are meant to be servants of God, to follow His instruction and remain obedient, even if it's not popular.

After all, there will come a day when we will all kneel before the Almighty. On that day, our popularity won't matter, but our obedience will.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part One of Five

One of my favorite verses in all of scripture is Galatians 1:10. This one verse has gone a long way in breaking down a bunch of walls I had built up in order to look good, sound good and appeal to my ego. This week, I'm going to pull five things we can take home from this single verse.

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing
people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

My first encounter with these two sentences came about two years ago while helping a pastor friend with the small church he leads. They helped out in giving us some perspective during a challenging time when others would have had us sacrifice the direction God was leading in to favor making people happy.

Has that ever happened to you? You arrive at a fork in the road in your walk with God. God asks you to do something that is not only difficult, but unpopular. This path could cost you friends. It could create some enemies. So what choice do you make?

Go the easy route, and you guarantee that people will at the very least not be unhappy with you. If the route has been part of a discussion, the people might even be very pleased with you. In fact, they have probably reasoned that God really wants you to take the logical and easy route. No doubt they have told you of the good things that will happen if you make the people's choice, and the bad that will happen to you if you decide differently.

But, what about God? What is He telling you to do? In Galatians 1:10, Paul hints at the struggles that he has faced in his life. He went from being a well liked, popular young Pharisee who was on track for Pharisee greatness, to being a hated, despised traitor. And, he owed it all to his obedience to Jesus.

On the Damascus road, Paul (then called Saul), had to make a very difficult choice to cast aside his popularity when Jesus confronted him, took him through a life change and on a new journey. Paul went from persecuting the churches to promoting them. He went from destroying Christians to creating them.

And, don't be fooled. Paul knew what his choice would mean. He knew that eventually, the people he once lived to please would someday come for his head. But, Paul, who penned Galatians 1:10, understood that one day all of us would kneel before Almighty God and answer for our lives, including our obedience or disobedience to Him. Considering that, Paul realized it to be a no-brainer. Pleasing people is meaningless in front of the Almighty.

What about you? Have you ever faced a difficult decision where God wanted you to go one direction, but your friends and family wanted you to go elsewhere? Who did you choose to please?

I Remember

Eight years ago this morning started out like any other morning for me. It was a routine news day at KWFC Radio. I had just wrapped up my morning news duties, and was getting settled in for the mid-morning news calls for the stories we were following.

That would change when our office manager would walk into the news room and mention that one of the world trade center towers had been hit by a plane. I turned the television on to Fox News when there was discussion that it had been a Cessna-type plane. That all changed when a jet flew into the picture and slammed into the other tower.

Immediately, we all knew this wasn't an accident, and I broke into our normal music programming to begin several hours of wall-to-wall coverage of the event. We quickly called in all our staff to go cover elements of the story around the area.

Then, smoke was seen billowing from the Pentagon. Another jet. Shortly after that, another jet was down in a field. Rumors of lost contact with a fifth jet circulated. They'd later be proven false, but they signified the fear and panic that had stricken our nation. We were afraid.

All flights were grounded. People were stuck wherever their planes set down. Yet, there was still fear other attacks were planned by other means.

Then, the unthinkable happened. The towers fell.

We were stunned.

It wasn't because these buildings came down so much as it was the realization that we were watching the deaths of thousands of people.

On the ground, people were fleeing for their lives. Television reporters were breaking down in the middle of their reports. Even I nearly lost it a couple of times while reporting the events of that morning. Had to fight the emotions. That was hard.

We went through that day with fright. We didn't know what was next, or where it would strike. By the end of the day, however, we were angry. We were mad. The sleeping giant had re-awoken, and a price would be paid.

I remember how our nation awoke. We were determined. Those who waged war on America would soon feel the wrath of America. But, our president cautioned us. It would not be a quick war. The enemy had many hiding places. I think we knew back then that it would span past his time as our leader.

As these eight years have passed, America has slowly limped back into her slumber. Gone is the widespread rage at the attack on our soil. On OUR soil. All the attacks up until September 11, 2001, had occurred on someone else's soil. It was our property being attacked, a ship, an embassy, an outpost. But, it was in a different part of the world. This was here. HERE.

Today, we have forgotten. The outrage has been replaced by apathy for the drawn out war on terror. Our microwave, instant-everything culture has lost it's interest in fighting for our country. Our politicians have realized this and turned from a determination to win into a determination to blame the previous administration.

Eight years removed from the tragic events of that day, and we're ready to throw in the towel. We claim to be the greatest nation on the planet, but have no stomach for war and death.

Rememberance. Determination. Victory.

Ministry Idolatry

I've been sick the past couple of days, hence the lack of a Wednesday blog entry.

This summer, a number of high profile pastors gathered to address religious leaders at Advance 09, which was described as a conference about the power of God's gift to His people -- the Church. You can download the audio or watch the video of the speakers for free at the website.

One of the speakers that really caught my attention was Mark Driscoll, the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in the Seattle, Washington, area. Regardless of what your opinion may be on Mark or Mars Hill, the address he gave on idolatry was an eye opener for me. His catch phrase: Idolatry occurs when we take a good thing, make it a god thing, and that becomes a bad thing.

So, block out an hour (or download and watch at your leisure), and enjoy the video below.

Book Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

I have always been a fan of Max Lucado's writings, and when word surfaced that his newest effort was entitled "Fearless," I had a hunch that this book was going to be a timely one. My assessment was dead on.

In a world that seems to be spinning out of control at times, fear is at an all-time high. We're fearful of the next stock market hiccup, illness or pink slip. But, Lucado encourages us through example and scripture that hope is right around the corner.

Fearless is an emotion-packed book that I imagine most people can relate to. Personally, I saw myself, and the people around me in several of the chapters. Fear can be an intimidating foe. It can cripple the strongest men, keep people from a good night's rest, and is the leading cause of economic instability.

Yet, we don't have to live in a constant state of fear, especially those who are Christ followers. Jesus paved the road to end the epidemic of fear. More than once, He encouraged those around Him not to be afraid.

Part of the journey of faith Christians make involves overcoming the obstical of fear and worry. I highly recommend "Fearless" as a must read for anyone who is going through frightening and difficult times.

For a sneak peak at the book, click here.

Must Read Blog

No writing today. But, I love today's blog post from Perry Noble from NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. Perry writes on discovering God's call in your life.

The Paradox Leader

One of the most inspiring and interesting biographies in the Bible has to be that of King David. I don't need to go through the life history of David, you can read that (and should) for yourself. But, there are a few bits of knowledge that I want to pull out of David's story, because they are the things that really set him apart from all the other leaders mentioned in the Old Testament.

David was the great paradox of kingship in the ancient Middle East. Like King Saul, David came from humble beginnings as a farmer, although David was the shepherd of the family, and came from an even lower start than Saul.

Saul eventually became like the other kings of his day -- drunk with power, position and his own abilities. Saul relied on his own strength to get things done, and was quick to ignore God's commands.

In a way, Saul was like many of us. He didn't know how to really handle the big stuff in life. His paranoia over that led him toward insanity. He allowed jealousy to drive away his best military man, David. That same jealousy led to anger and hatred that eventually led Saul to chase David throughout the wilderness of Israel in an attempt to hunt down and kill the future king.

Saul was just like the world. He was the people's choice. To the people, Saul fit the part. No doubt, he was able to give good speeches. He probably had a booming voice to match his tall stature. But, Saul got in way over his head when he accepted the kingship. Then, he was too proud to admit that he didn't have what it took to run the country.

David was the paradox of Saul. 1 Samuel 16 introduces us to David, the shepherd boy. The paradox of David becomes very clear just seven verses into the chapter when God tells the prophet Samuel, "Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Immediately, we know that the next king of Israel is going to be unique. Later, we find out that David's heart is in tune with God. All those days spent with the sheep in the wild fields near Bethlehem allowed David to ponder the things of God. In return, God was with David, and led him to some amazing opportunities for his age. By the end of chapter 16, David is serving regularly with Saul.

But, David has not forgotten his humble beginnings. In chapter 17, we discover that David is now working two jobs, splitting time between Saul and the sheep. Soon, it would be time for the second great paradox in David's life. He was going to meet a man named Goliath.

The whole Goliath saga is amazing in that Saul, the king and master warrior, should've been the one to fight the giant from Gath. Saul's skills would have been a much closer match than anyone else in the Israelite army. But, we find Saul cowering in his tent, and not acting very king-like when he agrees to send little David out to do the king's work. That one decision would soon destroy the relationship between Saul and David forever.

David had no business being on the battlefield that day. He wasn't big enough or strong enough. He was too small for Saul's clunky and heavy armor. He couldn't even carry a sword or shield in a fighting posture. So, David went to war in his t-shirt and blue jeans. His only weapon was a child's toy and some rocks. And, against the odds, David left a story that we look to today for hope and inspiration.

The battle had barely ended before Saul's jealousy struck. David received greater praise from the people for defeating Goliath than Saul did for his cowardice. From that day on, evil thoughts would reign in Saul's mind as it related to David. It wouldn't be long before Saul would conspire ways to kill David. The future king would soon be on the run to save his life. And, that's where we pick up another paradox about David.

1 Samuel 24 tells of David's best real chance to end Saul's hunt for him. Saul had tracked David into the wilderness of En-gedi, and was in fact right on top of them. The area is filled with caves, and David had sent his men into the backs of the caves to hide as Saul's troops marched by.

But, just as Saul was approaching David's hideout, nature called, and Saul had to take care of business. Saul's bodyguards checked out the make-shift port-o-potty, and set up security just outside.

David's men were quick to realize what lay before them -- VICTORY! If there were ever a vulnerable position to conquer an enemy, Saul was in it. David knew it, and his men encouraged David to slaughter Saul and end this hunt.

Conventional wisdom would've agreed with David's cohorts, but David had a different plan. He cut off a piece of Saul's robe, instead. Why would David miss the opportunity to kill Saul? He had already been anointed to be Saul's replacement. This seemed to David's men to be the fulfillment of that anointing.

I think David had plenty of time to consider what an anointing by God meant. It wasn't something you should callously disregard. It was something to be respected. Even though God had gone a different direction in his selection of king, Saul was the first to be anointed, and David knew that was something to be respected.

So, verse 5 points out that David's conscience got the better of him. He had only cut off a piece of Saul's robe, but David knew that was very disrespectful. He told his men, "The Lord knows I shouldn't’t have done that to my lord the king. The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him."

Clearly, this didn't sit well with David's men, because David had to restrain them from killing Saul. They wanted this cat-and-mouse game over with, and saw the chance to end it. But, they didn't have the insight David had. David knew of the respect that was due toward God's anointed. If God wanted Saul gone, that was going to be God's doing, not David's.

David also knew the adage that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Had he seized the opportunity and ended Saul's life, David would've spent the remainder of his years looking over his shoulder at the next would-be king. The same paranoia that had consumed Saul would've also devoured him.

So, what's the lesson we can learn from the paradox of David? Go back to the first verse I mentioned. "People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Many of us spend our lives trying to impress people with our outward appearances or the deeds we can show. We allow other people's opinions of us shape the way we think and act. That's the way Saul lived. He was a people pleaser. He went with what was popular opinion, and shunned the wisdom and instruction of God.

Proverbs 29:25 says, The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." Paul writes in Galatians 1:10, "Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant."

We should also live the paradox. If we're to have a heart after God's own heart, as was described of David, we must first start seeking and trusting in God, not man.

First Day of Class: Part Eleven of Eleven

We've come to the end of this series of making changes in our churches to welcome the newcomers.

The last suggestion to making your guests feel more comfortable is to simply be yourself. It’s weird, but visitors can quickly detect fakery and problems in a church. They may not be able to put their finger on it, but they can tell when the atmosphere is charged with tension or charged with Jesus.

One of the biggest issues in the church today, especially in the developed world, is the fakery that goes on. Christians in America are notorious for including a plastic smile with their Sunday outfits. To their fellow church attendees, everything in their world is “fine” and “good.” So good, in fact, that it can’t be real.

You have issues and I have issues that we are dealing with. You know it, and I know it. Now, you don’t have to spell out those issues, and I may not tell you what I’m struggling with. But, to lie about our world to our fellow believers only serves to harm our integrity, especially to the unchurched.

Granted, visitors don’t expect your greeting to be accompanied with a laundry list of your sins from the past week. But, if you’re being honest with yourself and your accountability partners, you will exude a personal atmosphere that says you’re not faking it when Sunday rolls around. You will be oozing the freedom that you found in Jesus, and THAT is contagious. Newcomers will want more of that.