Faking It

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Kings 14:26-27

“And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.”

Rehoboam is known for being the king that split the nation of Israel. His greed drove him to make decisions that ultimately divided the kingdom. Sadly however, this was not the worst policy he implemented. During his seventeen year reign, he continued to ignore the Word of God and to introduce idolatry to the nation. As a result, this once powerful nation fell prey to their enemies. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Egypt saw the weakness of Israel and sent…

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Pray For Me 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Kings 13:6

“Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.”

Jeroboam had been called and anointed as king of Israel. He was given the same opportunities and promises that David was given. His problem was, instead of drawing near to the Lord, he followed the gods of the surrounding nations, and turned Israel away from the Lord. God, in His unparalleled mercy, sent an unnamed prophet to win Jeroboam back to the ways of the Lord. The man of God declared a powerful message of rebuke to the king; and with a stunning show of the power of God, the altar split in two. Jeroboam’s…

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Works Of God 

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Psalms 66:5
“Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.”

Where we can go to see God work?

We could start by attending a church where people are serving the Lord. We can watch God work in the lives of others. We can observe His transforming work as people respond to the Gospel, or His equipping work as young and old, men and women, offer themselves in service of the Lord. We might see His comforting work as the broken hearted are encouraged by the Word of God, and the presence of Christ. We might see His restoring work as the prodigals return to relationship with Jesus. But there is another way to see the works of God. We can step out of our comfort zone and offer ourselves as servants. The chief reason people don’t see God work in their lives is because they are afraid to step out in faith and serve the Lord. If we continue to use the excuse that we can’t, we will never find the power and enabling of God to assist us beyond our abilities. On one occasion the disciples found they could not accomplish the ministry they were faced with, when they asked Jesus why He responded,

Matthew 17:20
“Why could we not cast it out?
‘So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.'”

Jesus promised if they trusted Him, they would see God accomplish tasks they knew to be impossible. Our problem is we do not want to be in impossible situations. We like to have control of our life and the events surrounding us. It is when we will step out in faith, trusting in the provision of God, and enlisting ourselves in His service, that we will see the works of God.

Perhaps God has been stirring your heart to serve. Maybe you have been thinking about volunteering to teach children or to join a mission team or to open your house for a home fellowship, but you have resisted because you feel inadequate. Allow me to encourage you,  God always calls the inadequate. His methods are to choose the weak and foolish things of the world so He is always glorified through whatever is accomplished.

“Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.”

Pastor Jim

Questions for Psalm 66

  1. The 5th chapter of James asks “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” According to Psalm 66 verses 1-4 we are to shout, sing, and tell the world and God how awesome He is. If the Lord is doing or has done a work in you are you praising Him?
  2. In verses 5-7 the writer is remembering how God rescued the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. God continues to save people today!
  3. Fire is used to purify metals in a process called smelting. God uses a process called trials to refine us. Look at verse 12, where does God bring us at the end?
  4. Verses 13-15 describe vows, have you ever said “God, if you get me out of this mess I will obey you for now on”, but you return to your old ways? Be careful to follow through on whatever you promise to do. Let your “yes be yes” and your “no be no.”
  5. In verses 16-20 is describing confession. Are you afraid of God? Fear not. What does the writer say in verse 20?

 

Who Are You Wearing? 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

Psalm 65:6

“Who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power; . . .”

Have you ever noticed when movie stars are walking the red carpet, for one of their many awards presentations, they are not asked what they are wearing, but who they are wearing? One of the marks of success is getting a particular designer to make you a one-of-a-kind outfit.

Here the Psalmist declares to us what God is wearing. He is “clothed with power.” I picture God getting ready for the day and choosing to put power on as His garment. His power is infinite. No power on earth or in heaven can be compared to it. The power of the storm, the devil, sickness, and death, were all overthrown by the word of His mouth. Without sweating, straining, grunting, or pulling a muscle, Jesus spoke and conquered the greatest powers on earth. The people…

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New, But Not Improved 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Kings 12:8

“But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.”

A youth pastor I once knew had a plaque posted on his wall that read, “Hire a teenager while they still know everything.” Every parent and high school teacher can attest to the fact that young people are often stubborn and insist they know better than the generations that have gone before them. I think part of this is God given and healthy. I think there is great value, especially to the church, in allowing a fresh set of eyes to give us a different perspective on how to best approach ministry. That being said, I also believe this can be unhealthy, and even destructive, when it is not curbed and directed by the wisdom of those who have walked before us.

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Misguided Affections 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Kings 11:40

“Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.”

It is almost eerie to compare the similarities between Solomon and Saul, and Jeroboam and David. As a result of personal sin, Solomon, like Saul, had the kingdom taken from him. While Jeroboam, like David, was chosen by God, to rise to the challenge, and lead a new nation. Sadly, both men failed miserably. The root cause of Solomon’s sin is explained earlier.

1 Kings 11:1-2. “But King Solomon loved many foreign women… from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.’ Solomon clung to these in love.”

Solomon was responsible for introducing idolatry…

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If…Then…

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1 Kings 9:4
“Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments…” 

If you are a parent, you understand conditional promises. Almost daily you find yourself saying things like “If you keep your room clean, then…” Or “if you get good grades, then…” Basically you are declaring that if certain conditions are met, certain rewards will be given.

The Bible is filled with these same kind of promises. Here Solomon is told, if Israel walks in line with the commands of God, they will experience the blessings of God, but if they turn from God, they will be chastened by Him. This is not a difficult concept to understand. If we choose to walk with Christ and live obediently to His word, we will be blessed. If we turn from Him and pursue things that His word forbids, we will begin to experience the chastening of God. We will find that the sinful activities we pursued actually robbed us of the life they promised to provide.

The narrative of Scripture reveals that Israel ignored these warnings. They were attracted to the lifestyles of the nations around them and they forsook the ways of God, for the ways of the world. It did not take long for this to have negative affects on the nation. After Solomon died, the nation experienced a devastating civil conflict that split the kingdom in two. Weakened by the split and continual rebellion against God, the nations were later overrun by enemies and taken captive to distant lands. What had once been a beautiful testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of God, became a testimony to the horrible consequences of sin.

No matter how great the temptation to turn from God and embrace the ways of the world, we must remember the example of Israel. If we meet the conditions we receive the promises. We will have a blessed life as we follow after, and live pleasing to, the Lord.

Pastor Jim

Hungry? 

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

Psalm 63:1-2

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.”

Have you ever had one of those times when you are craving something, but you are not sure what it is? When that happens to me I tend to keep trying things, in an attempt to satisfy a craving that I cannot define. What is true with physical hunger, is also true in the spiritual realm. God created us with a need for Him. This need evidences itself with a desire to find meaning in life, answers to what lies beyond this life, and a craving to worship.

Man is incurably religious due to his built-in hunger to know God. This hunger to…

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Speak Up

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Psalms 64:2-3
“Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words”

David found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of carefully planned attacks. Like an army of well-trained soldiers who had rejected God, they came against the righteous. Their weapon of choice was not the sword, spear, bow or staff, but the tongue. Things have not changed much. The most effective weapon against the righteous today is the tongue. If a person takes a stand against the unrighteous trends that are being heralded as freedoms in our world today, they will receive an onslaught of verbal attacks. Should you decide to boldly declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ, calling sinners to turn to God, you will need to be ready to hide beneath the shelter of the Almighty, because attacks will come. This is not a new phenomenon, the early church experienced the same things. As they declared the message of Christ, those with the loudest voice sought to silence their message.

Acts 4:17 “But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

Instead of cowering under the threats, the church gathered together and sought the Lord to embolden them to share Christ, regardless of the consequences.

Acts 4:29 “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word.”

The times we are living in are not times to be silent. The world is in a downward spiral because the devil wants to destroy the lives of all men. People are being led into destructive lifestyles that will have life long consequences, and we need to boldly declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it alone has the power to save.

Perhaps more than ever, we need to remember the words of Jesus,

Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Pastor Jim

Too Small

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pjimgallagher's avatarJim Gallagher

1 Kings 8:27

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!”

Seven years, hundreds of thousands of man hours, and countless wealth, was invested in the building of the Temple. When it was completed, it was one of the most glorious buildings of the ancient world. The best architects, builders, artists, and specialist had been commissioned to accomplish a feat that still boggles the minds of historians today. One can only imagine what it must have been like to stand on the Temple mount, looking up at this glorious building, and looking down upon the city of David. Yet, with all it’s splendor, Solomon is struck with the realization, it is simply way too small.

Unlike the church, the Temple was not designed to house people. A few men took turns…

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