Baptist City Blog

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.

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 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.

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.

Subtil Men and Women

2 Samuel 13:3

"But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man."

Three times in the Scriptures God uses the word "subtil" to describe people. In each instance it is not a good description, but one of warning and deception. In the verse above, it says that Amnon's friend was a "subtil man." In the Book of Proverbs, God talks about a woman who was "subtil of heart." When the serpent approached Eve in Genesis, God described the serpent as "more subtil than any beast of the field." In each instance, the subtlety of character was used to show that they were trying to use deception to get another person to do something.

Determining whether someone is subtil is not always easy. A subtil person will say one thing to one person, but when talking to someone else they will say something else. You will find that a subtil person can never be nailed down on where they stand. You will find that a subtil person is one who is more interested in you liking them and their position than in you following truth.

Moreover, a subtil person is one who will never tell you their intentions or plans. They always have a good reason to get you to do wrong. Their plans are always kept secret. Simply put, the subtil person is not a transparent person. They keep everything under their sleeve so they can get from you what they want. In most instances, a subtil person has plans to get you to go against what you know is right. They desire you to forsake your character for the sake of physical pleasure or immediate gratification.

Furthermore, the subtil person is not a black and white thinker. In other words, they don't have absolutes, but everything is relative with them. The situation determines where they fall. Their whole purpose is to win you over to them so that they can take from you something that they desire.

So, what is the answer to avoiding subtil people? I believe the best way to avoid subtil people is not to be subtil yourself. In other words, be open and transparent to those with whom you come in contact. Don't be one who speaks in code, but speak plainly so everyone can understand. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Transparent people will run off subtil people. When you make everything right and wrong, you will find that the subtil person will avoid you.

Christian, let me challenge you to be a person who by nature is transparent. God is a transparent God. He never has ulterior motives. Be transparent in your marriage. Be transparent with your children. Be transparent with those for whom you work. Be transparent in your business dealings. Most of all, be transparent in your work for Christ. Subtil people will destroy you and those whom you love, so avoid them by being transparent and decisive with what you believe and do.

Blessings in the Clouds

Psalm 147:8

"Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains."

Often, when I go to the airport to take a flight to a meeting, I can see the storm clouds coming in and know that I am probably in for a bumpy ride. For many years, I disliked those clouds because of a bad flight I had many years prior. The clouds reminded me of the bad flight I had, and my mind would remind me of the adversity of the clouds instead of their blessings.

I fear that many people look at the clouds of life the same way I looked at the clouds when I flew because of bad experiences they've had in the past. Every time they see the clouds, they are reminded of the bad experiences of the clouds instead of what came from those clouds. What many forget to see is the blessings that those clouds brought to their life.

In the verse above, the Psalmist talks about the clouds covering the heaven. When he talked about the clouds, he wasn't complaining about them covering the sunshine; instead, he showed the blessings of the clouds. He said that the clouds prepared rain that would fall to the Earth. He understood that the rain made the grass to grow. He also understood that because the grass grew, the cattle had food to eat. He realized that because the cattle had something to eat, it eventually gave him food to eat. No, he didn't immediately realize the blessings of the clouds, but he knew that the clouds would eventually bring him personal blessings.

You must realize that the clouds of life are not always bad. You can choose to look at the clouds as a time of adversity, or you can choose to look at the blessings the clouds bring to you and others. If you dwell on the immediate, you will only complain about the clouds; but, if you look to the future you will see that the clouds are a blessing to your life.

Furthermore, the clouds of life are not brought to you just so that you can receive blessings, but they are also brought to you so that you can be a blessing to others. I often say that God uses us as object lessons to be a help to others. I have realized in my life that most of the hard times that I endure are not for my good, but they are for the good of others. When you see the storm clouds gather on the horizon of your life, you should take those storm clouds as a sign to minister to the needs of others. God doesn't send you through hard times just to make you miserable; He allows you to go through them so that you can help others who are facing the same clouds.

Moreover, you must realize that there was a period of time between the clouds gathering and the time that the Psalmist enjoyed the blessings of the clouds. Likewise, your blessings won't be immediately realized. You must be patient with God and realize that He doesn't work on human timing, instead He works on His own timing. If you will be patient and not give up, you will see the blessings of the clouds in your life.

Have the clouds gathered in your life? Has it been awhile since you have seen the sun shine in your life? Don't despair, the blessings are on the way. When you allow your cloudy days to be a blessing to others, it is then when you will find that the clouds will become a blessing in your own life. Stop complaining, and look for a way to use your clouds to help others. If you do, you will find the blessings in the clouds.

Your Compass in the Woods

Judges 6:24

"Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites."

A person said to me, "I feel like I'm lost in the woods with no compass." What a helpless feeling that must have been for this person. Yet, I find that there are times when everyone surely feels that way. You're walking in the woods of life and don't know where you are going, and seemingly have no compass to direct you. That would be a helpless feeling; however, if you are saved, you do have a compass in the woods and that compass is God.

The children of Israel had different names by which they addressed God. Each name was important to the situation which they faced. For instance, when Gideon offered a sacrifice to God in a time when Israel needed peace, and he called the place where the sacrifice was made, "Jehovahshalom." The name "Jehovah" means, the self-subsisting God. In other words, He is the God of gods. There is no beginning or ending, for His power is everything. He is the eternal being that can never be changed. Everything around you may change, but Jehovah will never change. Let me show you some of the things about Jehovah that never change.

First, He is Jehovah-jireh, which means the LORD will provide. His providing hand never changes. The only One Who can provide your needs in life is God. Christian, you can always count on the fact that when you have a need, Jehovah-jireh will provide. Whenever you have a need that nobody can fill, Jehovah-jireh can fill that need.

Second, He is Jehovah-nissi, which mean He is your banner. Every country has a flag that they fly. That flag is their identity, it is their banner. God wants you to know that He is your banner. Do you know what that means for you? That means that you are on the winning side. He has already won the war, and as long as you stay under that banner, no matter how hopeless it may seem, you have already won.

Third, He is Jehovah-shalom, which means the LORD sends peace. You may feel like your life is in turmoil, but He is the God Who can give you peace in times of turmoil. Whenever you need peace in your heart, call to Jehovah-shalom for that peace and you will find it.

Fourth, He is Jehovah-shammah, which means He will be there. Whenever you step out by faith and wonder if God will come through, He will be there. God never forsakes you no matter what you may face. If He tells you to do something, He will come through and be there for you.

Fifth, He is Jehovah-tsidke, which means He is your righteousness. He settled that on the cross. You have no righteousness of yourself to which you can boast, but the only righteousness you have is in Jesus Christ.

Christian, you may think that you are in the woods without a compass, let me encourage you that Jehovah is your compass in the woods. You don't have to wander through the woods of life without a compass, for He is your all-in-all. He is everything you will ever need. Don't feel like you are going through life without a compass, for Jehovah is your compass of life.

The Danger of Overconfidence

Joshua 17:13

"Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out."

A disturbing statement is said about the children of Israel when God says that they didn't drive out the inhabitants; instead, "...they put the Canaanites to tribute;..." This statement reeks of overconfidence. The children of Israel thought they could handle those whom they had not conquered because they were so confident in themselves; however, they did not realize that their overconfidence blinded them to the fact that disobedience to God's Word should never be tolerated. They thought past victories guaranteed them the strength to handle those whom they should have defeated. Their overconfidence led them to become lazy instead of being vigilant, which eventually led to their bondage to those whom they should have destroyed.

Let me be very clear, I understand the importance of being confident in all that you do. Leaders must be confident in what their doing if they are going to succeed. Churches must be confident if they are going to succeed in reaching the lost for Christ. Business owners must be confident in their product and service if they are going to succeed when others fail. Confidence is one of the most important ingredients you will find in successful people.

However, overconfidence will lead one to destruction. Overconfidence comes from an over estimation of one's self. You will find a person becomes overconfident when they think more highly of themselves and their abilities than they should. You may have had some success, but past success should not cause you to think that you are better than others and stronger than what you really are. You must be careful to keep a proper estimation of yourself and your abilities to keep you from becoming overconfident.

Moreover, overconfidence gives you a false assurance of future success. You will find that people who are overconfident will assume that they will succeed because they succeeded in the past. Past successes don't guarantee future success. The effort, methods and hard work that brought success in the past will secure success in the future.

Furthermore, overconfidence will blind you to your own weaknesses. When a person becomes overconfident, they begin to think that they have no weakness. Overconfident people always see others as the problem and not themselves. When overconfidence blinds you, you will stop working on the areas where you are weak.

Let me warn you from becoming overconfident in yourself. Always keep past successes in their proper perspective: they are in the past. Any future success will be determined by what you do right now. Keep the proper perspective that at best you are still a sinner and are capable of making mistakes. Simply put, to keep from becoming overconfident, keep your eyes off yourself and place them on Christ and others. That is the key to always keeping yourself in proper perspective.

Success can breed overconfidence and eventual failure; or it can humble you that God would allow you to be able to help others. Daily ask God to help you to keep a proper perspective of yourself. When others brag on you, listen to it for a couple of seconds, then forget about it. Those who brag on you now will attack you later if you don't keep doing what you are supposed to do. Don't let overconfidence be your eventual destruction.

Silence Please

Joshua 6:10

"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout."

What a strange command God gave to Joshua and the children of Israel when He told them not to make any noise while they walked around the walls of Jericho. It would seem that the more noise they made the more the intimidation factor would play on the minds of the people in Jericho. Yet, I believe that God wanted His people quiet so that He could speak to them while they were walking around the walls. This journey around the walls was not just an exercise of intimidation, but I believe it was supposed to be a spiritual exercise for Israel to let God speak to their hearts.

When you look in the Scriptures, you find that God speaks to the hearts of men when they are quiet. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Notice, the acknowledgment of God's power does not happen when there is noise, but it happens when you are silent. When you still yourself and everything around, that is when you see the power of God work.

It was in the time of quiet that God spoke to Elijah. 1 Kings 19:12 says, "And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." When Elijah ran from Jezebel because of self-pity, it was then that God sent an earthquake and fire, but He was not in these. It was when everything got quiet that Elijah heard the voice of the LORD. It was in the quiet time that God had the opportunity to speak.

When God spoke to Samuel in his childhood, it was not during the daytime when all the noise was around him, but it was in the quiet of night when God spoke to Samuel. God spoke to Samuel while he was in bed, and the noise of the hustle and bustle of those around him was gone. It was then that he heard the voice of the LORD. Samuel could not hear God's voice in the noise, but he heard His voice when it was quiet.

Our society is accustomed to having noise about us. When you go to the restaurant, at times the music is so loud that you have to ask the waitress to turn it down. When people are in their cars, you often see them playing music loudly. When walking down the street, you see people with earpieces in their ears listening to music. People just don't like it when there is silence. When there is silence most people become uncomfortable.

Christian, you need to learn to have a regular time of silence so that God can speak to your heart. You will find in the quiet time that God will reveal Himself to you in a way you have never seen before. It is when I silence everything around me that God often speaks to my heart. Some of the most spiritual times you will have is when you learn to spend time meditating on God in silence. Let me challenge you to have a regular time when you turn everything off for a few minutes so that God can speak. I have found the best time to do this is after reading the Scriptures. Break the bad habit of always having noise, and learn to let God speak to you in the time of silence.

Benefits of Chastisement

Deuteronomy 11:2

"And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,"

A person would rarely think that chastisement could be a blessing. The word "chastisement" means, to rebuke or reprimand severely. Chastisement normally brings thoughts of bad connotations. It normally brings thoughts of some time in your life when someone chastised you for something you did.

However, God shows us that chastisement is not a bad thing. In fact, when you look at the verse above, you realize that God chastises those who have a relationship with Him. You must understand that there is a difference between chastisement and judgement. A person who has no relationship with God will never receive chastisement, they will only see the judgement of God. On the other hand, a person who has a relationship with God can be chastised and judged, but God's first action is always chastisement. You find that there are benefits to God's chastisement.

First, God's chastisement allows you to see His greatness. In other words, God chastises you when you place something or someone above Him. One of the purposes of chastisement is to get you to keep a right perspective of yourself, others and God. God should always be the greatest in your life, and any time you lower your estimation of God, He must chastise you so that you can see His greatness.

Second, God's chastisement allows you to see His mighty hand. Why would a person lose a proper estimation of God? Because they forgot how mighty He is. Unfortunately, God must constantly remind us of His might so that we don't lose proper perspective. When you forget how mighty God is, then He must chastise you so that you don't hurt yourself.

Third, God's chastisement allow you to see His mercy. There are times when God's chastisement comes after we know we have done wrong. It is in these times when God chastises us to remind us that He still wants to keep a relationship with us. His chastisement is more to help us remember His mercy than it is to correct us. The reason being is because when we know we have done wrong, we have probably already corrected ourselves to the point that we will wonder if God still wants us. So, God must bring us in for chastisement for the sole purpose to remind us of His mercy.

What a wonderful reminder of how to act when we chastise those whom we lead. Whether you are a parent, pastor, boss, management or leader in a church ministry, you should use chastisement for the sole purpose of bringing a person back to where they should be so that you can continue having a good relationship. The purpose of chastisement should not be to hurt, but it should be to keep a good working relationship with that person.

If you are the beneficiary of chastisement from authority, don't take it as a personal attack. Realize that authority must chastise you at times when you do wrong so that your relationship can continue. Don't let chastisement seem evil to you, but take it as a sign from authority that they love you and want the best for you. Your perspective of chastisement will determine how you take it. So, keep the proper perspective so that you don't become bitter, because the next step after chastisement is judgement. Allow chastisement to build your relationship with authority, so that you can live a productive and happy life.