When

And When

2 Chronicles 9:1

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart."

Everybody has an "and when" time nearly every week of their life. Let me explain what I mean. The verse above says, "And when the queen of Sheba heard...she came to prove Solomon with hard questions..." The "and when" time is when people come to ask you questions. The queen of Sheba was one of those in Solomon's life who asked questions, and Solomon was ready for those questions. He was not going to allow his "and when" time to be a time when he didn't have an answer for those who needed answers. He studied to have an answer so he could better help people serve the LORD.

The Scriptures say in 1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" God expects His children to prepare themselves when their "and when" times comes. Nobody knows when this time will come for them, but they should make sure that they are ready when it does come. There are several times when you should be ready to give an answer when your "and when" time comes.

First, be ready to give an answer concerning the Gospel at all times. I have watched many so-called men of God on national television squander their "and when" time when they were asked whether Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Every day of your life you will have a chance to answer the "and when" question concerning the Gospel. Always be ready to give an answer to those who need the answer concerning their eternity.

Second, be ready to give an answer concerning the Word of God. In life you will find people who will want to ask you hard questions concerning the Scriptures, and when that time comes you should be ready to answer them. The best way to be ready when your "and when" time comes concerning the Scriptures is to daily study the Scriptures so that you will know how to answer every question that comes your way.

Third, be ready to give an answer concerning current issues. One of the troubling things I have seen in Christianity is how little people know about current issues. I can certainly understand someone going through an emergency situation in their life not knowing current issues, but as a principle you should know what is going on so you can give an answer when asked. Don't allow your "and when" time concerning current issues to be a time when you don't have an answer.

Last, be ready to give an answer about questions concerning life. Your life should be a constant classroom where you continually improve your knowledge about every area of life so you can give an answer when asked. Many people won't learn because they don't care about something, and that is unacceptable. You should always be ready to give an answer. When your "and when" time comes concerning questions of life, be knowledgeable so you can give an answer.

We all admire Solomon for having the answers to the questions he was asked, but you should also have the answers like he did. He had to work and study to have the answers, which means you will have to do the same. Use your "and when" times to help people come closer to Christ and salvation by having an answer for them when they ask you those hard questions. When you give an answer to the hard questions, you will gain their respect and attention, which will allow you to give them an answer concerning salvation.

Separating

Separating Yourself From the Crowd

2 Chronicles 6:8

"But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart:"

One thing many people try to do is to make themselves different from the crowd. Most people simply don't want to blend into the crowd. You can walk through a public place and see that many people have weird and outlandish hair and dress styles to separate themselves from the crowd. Many sports figures want to separate from the crowd and strive to be the best athlete. People in workplaces desire to separate them from the crowd so they can move up the executive ladder. Many people have a desire to be different from the crowd.

Especially, when it comes to God, you should never want to be one of the crowd. When it comes to God you should desire to separate yourself from the crowd. David was successful at separating himself from the crowd. When God looked for someone to become king after Saul sinned, David separated himself from the crowd and was chosen by God. You can see in the verse above that he separated himself from the crowd by desiring to build a house for God. Was he the only one who desired to build a house for God? I don't know because the Scriptures don't say, but I seriously doubt that he was the only one.

So, what was it that caused David to be separated from the crowd? I believe the thing that separated David from everyone else was his heart. Twice God specifically mentions David's heart as the thing that separated him from the crowd. When he was chosen to be king above his brethren, it was his heart that separated him from the others. When it came to building a house for God, it was David's heart that God honored in allowing his son to build a house for Him. It wasn't his talent that separated him, but his heart. It wasn't his looks that separated him, but his heart. The heart of David separated him from the crowd in the sight of God.

If you want to be separated from the crowd, then you need to work on your heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." God shows us specifically in this verse that the heart is what will separate you from everyone else. We often hear the importance of production, and I believe that is important, but the heart is what separates you from the crowd in the sight of God. If you would spend as much time working on your heart as you do in trying to be successful in every other area, I truly believe you would be able to separate yourself from the crowd.

Let me ask you, is the sincerity of your heart different than everyone else? Is the desire of your heart to please God different than everyone else? Christian, you can work on the outward appearance to impress everyone, but you will fail at impressing God. God delights in the person whose heart is tender and contrite towards Him. Until you come to the point where you forget about trying to impress man, then you will never separate yourself from the crowd. If you will have the type of heart that solely wants to please God, then you will be able to separate yourself from the crowd.

I will...

I Will Show Kindness

1 Chronicles 19:2

"And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him."

Kindness seems to be a lost grace in our society. Years ago it seemed that it was common to be kind to people because that was the right thing to do. Now, our society has become so self-centered that showing kindness is forgotten.

When David heard that his friend, Nahash, had passed away, he wanted to show kindness to his son. Sadly, the kindness that David showed was rejected by this young man because of what the princes told him. This act of kindness was not a one-time action, but you find that this was part of David's character.

Kindness is defined as, "The quality of being friendly, generous and considerate." In other words, if you are going to be kind, then you cannot be focused on yourself. Each of these actions will only happen if you purposely take your eyes off yourself and place them on others. You will only be successful at showing kindness by living for others. Let me give you a few thoughts from this story about showing kindness.

First, you will have to purposely decide to be kind to people. Being friendly should become a part of your personality. Saying, "Hello" to people as you see them is simply a part of being kind to people. Opening the door when you are in front of someone is being kind and friendly to people. Being generous and considerate should also be a part of your daily life. Again, this is a purposeful act that you must decide to do. David said, "I will shew kindness..." This was something David decided to do, and you must decide to be kind if you are purposely going to do these things.

Second, true kindness does not look for anything in return. David wasn't trying to be kind to see what he could get out of this young man, but he wanted to be kind because of the heartache that this young man faced. Your purpose in being kind to people should never be to get something in return. In fact, true kindness is doing something for someone when they can't do anything in return. Though it is proper for them to return gratitude when you are kind, true kindness doesn't even look for gratitude for it is pleased because it helped someone.

Third, if someone shows kindness to you, accept it and respond in the proper manner. If someone is friendly towards you, then be friendly in return. If someone is generous towards you, then thank them for their generosity. If someone is considerate of you, then thank them for their thoughtfulness. Don't be like this young man who responded adversely towards kindness.

Christians should be known for their kindness. Kindness has nothing to do with your positional stance on scriptural issues, it has all to do with your character. The greatest way to let your stance on scriptural issues help others is to be kind to them. Kindness will take the edge off, and will cause others to realize what you have is real. Make it a habit to show kindness to others on a daily basis. This will help you to have a better influence on those around you so that you can influence them for Christ.

Loser

The Loser in Disloyalty

1 Kings 16:21

"Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri."

The verse above is the result of a disloyal person. A man by the name of Zimri slew a king which resulted in the people making Omri king of Israel. God killed Zimri because of his wickedness; however, the result of his disloyalty lived on after his death. You see in the verse above that the people of Israel were divided. One part of the people followed Tibni, and the other followed Omri. The disloyalty of one man divided a people who were once united, and the division caused many people to die in war.

The losers from disloyalty are rarely seen. We normally remember the person who caused the disloyalty, but rarely do we see those who lose because of it. Throughout my lifetime, I have seen men split churches, and the result is always tragic. Recently, I heard of a disloyal staff man who took several people from a good church and went across town to start his own church. The disloyalty of this man has caused tremendous turmoil in the church that he split. Sadly, that good church has to deal with the results of this man's disloyalty. He may eventually move on, which is always the case, but those affected by it rarely recover. When I look at this situation, I am reminded of the losers in disloyalty.

The first losers I think of are the people. Disloyalty always hurts people. I think of a man who split a church years ago, and good but simple people followed this man. All of those people who followed that man are not in church today. One man in particular dropped out of church and has paid a dear price because he wouldn't get right with God. This man has lost his wife, children and his health, but won't get right with God because of how badly he was hurt through the disloyalty of the man who split the church. Though some don't like to talk about this subject, we must be cognizant that people are always hurt because of disloyalty. The person who caused the disloyalty may move on, but many people will not and sadly they will face God's judgement because they dropped out of church.

The second loser caused by disloyalty is the name of Christ. A disloyal person may have great reasons for their disloyalty, but the people of the city normally know the truth. Because they know the truth, the name of Christ is hurt. If people would think about how much they hurt the name of Christ by their disloyalty, I believe some would reconsider their actions. The name of Christ will always be hurt if you are disloyal.

Finally, the third loser caused by disloyalty is righteousness and truth. Most disloyalty is caused by someone covering the truth about a situation. Furthermore, people will often go live a life of sin after the hurt of disloyalty hits them. Righteousness and truth are often seen as the cause of the pain from disloyalty and not the disloyalty itself.

Christian, let me warn you about those who may seem to be sincere people, but are actually disloyal. My advice when someone is asking you to go against authority is to take a step back and be sure that authority is disobeying the Scriptures. Don't be part of disloyalty. You don't want to live with the regrets of those who are hurt from disloyalty hanging over your head for the rest of your life. The best way to avoid disloyalty is to stay loyal to truth, and you will find that truth will always dictate on which side you should stand.

Wasted

Wasted Mercy

1 Kings 15:4

"Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:"

After the death of Rehoboam, Abijam began to reign in Judah. Apparently, Abijam did not learn from his father that sin always has a huge price tag. Yet, though his sin was great, God exercised mercy and would not destroy him for David's sake. Because God respected David, Abijam experienced the mercy of God. Sadly, Abijam didn't use God's mercy wisely; instead, he wasted the mercy of God and continued in sin to his own destruction.

God does not owe man anything. If God chooses not to exercise mercy upon someone, that is His right. Yet, when God chooses to show someone His mercy, that mercy should not be taken as an opportunity to continue in sin, but it should be taken as an opportunity to change what they have done wrong. Wasting God's mercy is not only disrespectful to God, but it is unwise on your behalf.

When God chooses to show His mercy to a church, then that church should not waste the mercy of God. There are churches that have made bad decisions and chose the wrong position on something in the Scripture, and if it were not for the mercy of God that church would be closed. If God gives your church a chance to come back to doing what it is supposed to do, then don't waste His mercy upon your church. A church should take God's mercy as an opportunity to correct what brought it to its disparaging condition.

Moreover, when God shows mercy to an individual, that individual should take God's mercy as an opportunity to correct their sin. Many times individuals sin and face the judgement of God, in those times God could very easily destroy that person. Yet, many times God exercises mercy upon that individual and gives them a chance to get right so that He can end His judgement. That individual would be wise to let God's mercy be the opportunity they have looked for to change their ways.

A nation that experiences the mercy of God should not waste that opportunity. Many nations have been spared God's judgement for a last ditch opportunity to get right only to waste their opportunity. If you live in such a nation that is living in a space of mercy, then you should do all that you can to help your nation do right by turning others towards righteousness.

Let me ask you, are you living in a time of God's mercy? Has God withheld His judgement from you? If so, I challenge you not to waste God's mercy. Any time God shows you His mercy, use it as an opportunity to get things right with Him. The mercy of God is not to be wasted. If you waste God's mercy, then the only thing left is His judgement. Don't waste mercy shown to you, instead use it wisely to correct mistakes you have made.

Bad Habits

Good Men with Bad Habits

1 Kings 1:6

"And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom."

You will often hear someone describe another person as a "good man" or a "good lady." What is sad is how many good people have such great potential, but their bad habits destroy the possibility of what they could become. I recall such a person in the early years of my ministry. Anybody would have described this person as a good person. Sadly, this person who had so much potential ruined it with their bad habits. Eventually, their bad habits ruined all the good qualities to the point that they were thought of no longer as a good person.

Adonijah was a young man whom God described as a good man. Sadly, Adonijah allowed his bad habits to overshadow and eventually overtake the good qualities he had in his life. Instead of working on the areas that were taking away from his good qualities, he rode off the immediate perception of what others thought about him to his own destruction. There is no doubt in my mind that Adonijah could have been an important part in Solomon's kingdom if he would have worked at removing the bad habits in his life. I have found that the bad habits Adonijah had will destroy your good qualities if you likewise don't properly deal with them. Let me show you these qualities so you can avoid them in your life.

First, Adonijah practiced self-promotion. Promoting one's self is one of the worst habits that you could have. We live in a society that thinks self-promotion is how you move up in life, but in God's society you must allow God to promote you. Though the world may be successful in moving themselves up through self-promotion, that is not how God expects a Christian to be promoted. You must remember that if you acquire position through self-promotion, then man can take you down because man set you up. However, if you allow God to promote you, then you will find that man cannot take you down for man did not promote you.

Second, Adonijah was was a wasteful person. One of the worst habits you must conquer is wasting what God has given you. Just because you have something doesn't mean you have a right to be wasteful with it. You should learn to be wise in your handling of possessions and money. Many a good person has acquired a bad name through wastefulness.

Third, Adonijah was assumptive about what he deserved. He thought he deserved to be king. Don't fall for the trap of assuming you deserve something. Live your life not looking for anything from anyone, and if you do this everything anyone gives you will be a bonus. You would be best to simply do what you are supposed to do and let God worry about giving you what you deserve.

Last, Adonijah commonly chose friends and methods that led him in the wrong direction. Many good people have been destroyed because they didn't know how to choose the right direction. Christian, your direction will determine your destination. Friends and methods will determine your direction, so be sure to choose these wisely.

Many good people have been destroyed by these four bad habits. If you find yourself lacking in one of these areas, immediately start working on them so that you don't ruin the potential God has placed inside of you. Daily ask God to help you keep a right perspective of yourself and what He has given you. A right perspective of yourself and your possessions will keep you from ruining the potential God has placed inside of you.