Put on your dancing shoes, shake loose your tambourine, we survived December 21, 2012, and now it’s time to celebrate. Somehow we avoided the end of the world. No meteors collided with our little blue planet, no aliens showed up unannounced, nobody sprouted a third eye, nor was the whole of mankind magically transformed into kinder gentler versions of themselves.
Yes! We avoided annihilation in spite of the fact that a bunch of guys in loincloths a few thousand years ago ran out of rock while chiseling their calendar. If you can’t trust the Mayans, I guess you can’t trust anybody anymore. Hey, weren’t they the guys who cut the beating hearts out of people’s chests, decapitated folk to appease weather gods, and other gruesome things that weren’t very Christ like?
Only I know the amount of e-mails I’ve gotten concerning this singular topic over the past few months, and from men and women whom I would have considered mature in the faith. Each – in their unique and roundabout way – wanted to know the same thing, that is, what I thought would happen on December 21, 2012.
At first I would jokingly write back something pithy, since I am known for my pith, but then I started getting annoyed and even somewhat perturbed, because these were after all professing Christians, who were taking a myth from a culture that had no tangential relationship with Christ Jesus, and running with it as though their hair was on fire.
It has become very easy and even somewhat of a frequent occurrence for our generation of believers to mix the sacred and the profane as though they belonged together under the same umbrella of general philosophy or belief structure.
Rather than submit to the authority of God’s word, we are quick to borrow from the godless and the heathen to uphold our preconceived notions and suppositions. Even though the Bible may hold the contrarian view to what we’ve adopted as our pet doctrine, we will site some long extinct tribe whose shaman once read the selfsame thing we assert in the intestines of a freshly slaughtered bovine as our reason for believing what we believe.
We will go out of our way, bend ourselves into pretzels, and butcher the word of God beyond recognition just to make it say what we want it to say, but we will take some guys whose notion of a good time was speed decapitations at their word.
The world was supposed to end, but it didn’t. We’re still here, still breathing the same air, still having to deal with the neighbor who thinks the hallway is the new dumpster. In case you got distracted by this distraction, until the next distraction, if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother could you possible lend a hand, perhaps put your shoulder into it a tad, and help those of us who never stopped laboring to further the kingdom of God?
No, I’m not asking for money, just for professing Christians to start preaching Christ with sincerity of heart, and the same feverish fervor they preached the Mayan End of Days.
Some of us have grown past holding our breaths from one date to another, and keep working through the frenzy, all the way through the big letdown, without rest or respite. Once in a while it would be nice to know we have some company along the way since safety in numbers is a proven truism.
There will always be a date, whether in the distant or not too distant future toward which men look with anticipation. Whether from men setting dates for the catching away, Mayans getting bored with chiseling into rock and giving up the project, or an ancient Swahili legend about an old lady who counted 2014 pebbles into a jar after which it spontaneously combusted (fear not, I made the last one up) there’s always some date to which we look as the definitive day when everything will change.
As I said, the world did not end this morning. This, however, does not mean that the world will never end, or that the approaching darkness is not a real and present reality. When it does happen, it will happen on God’s time, the One God, the only God, the God who spoke the universe into being, and due to whose good pleasure this rock we call home still spins.
If we do not stop trying to blend the sacred and the profane, to borrow what we like from a dozen different cultures while marginalizing the word of God, we will find ourselves shackled and silenced before we realize what’s happening.
While believers of all levels of maturity were having a hissy fit over the Mayan calendar and what it meant, real things have been happening in the world…troubling, dangerous things which will have dire consequences.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 209
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
1 Kings 3:10, “And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”
The Lord can be pleased, but He can also be displeased by what we ask of Him. Our requests, petitions and prayers can bring joy to His heart, or cause His heart to grow weary. It all depends upon what we ask of Him, and whether or not it shows the requisite maturity God has come to expect of His children.
God has invested wisdom, God has invested knowledge, He has invested His Spirit and His will in our lives, and He wants to see the transformation in our thinking and our actions because of this. God does not invest in us hoping we remain the same, perpetually childish, perpetually unthankful, and perpetually distracted by the things of this world. When God pours into us, it is with the singular purpose of transforming us into an image pleasing in His sight.
Anyone who’s had children knows that one of the greatest joys of parenthood is seeing one’s offspring go through the stages of development, becoming wiser, more mature, and more self-sufficient with each subsequent stage. In short, parents love to see their children grow up.
When we are infants we are wholly dependent upon our parents for survival. As we grow, we begin to fend for ourselves, growing more self-reliant with time, until we are finally on our own earning our own way.
Our spiritual wellbeing is dependent and predicated upon continued growth and maturity. If we remain in a state of infancy, then we can never hope to be the warriors God grooms His children to become. If our prayers continue to be self-centered and vain, they will never please the Lord, nor bring joy to His heart.
1 Kings 3:11-12, “Then God said to him: ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.’”
Of all the things Solomon could have asked for, of all the things he could have requested of God, things which would have profited and benefited him, he asked for something that would profit and benefit the people of God instead.
Due to the fact that Solomon did not put himself first, God answered his prayer, and gave him a wise and understanding heart to the extent that there had not been anyone like him before, nor would any like him arise after.
What would you ask God for if you were given this once in a lifetime opportunity?
What would you request of the Lord if He came to you in a dream and said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ Would your request be as selfless as Solomon’s? Would you ask for something that would benefit the people of God rather than yourself?
Each of us must come to the place of self-denial in our walk as Solomon did. It is in selflessness that love for others can thrive, and grow, and produce much fruit for the kingdom of God. It is in selflessness that we are able to devote our time, our effort and our resources toward doing good and making an impact in a world which is becoming increasingly hedonistic with each passing day.
If selfishness still has a place in our hearts, we will always find a reason or excuse not to reach out or stand in the gap. If selfishness has not been thoroughly exterminated, we will always find a way of justifying inaction, and even if we manage to go and do what God has commanded us to do, we do it halfheartedly, attempting to find the easiest route to obedience rather than the most fulfilling.
It is when we grasp the true value of wisdom, understanding, discernment, and other intangibles only God can grant us that we begin to desire them. If I do not value wisdom, I will not ask God for wisdom. If I do not value understanding, I will not ask God for understanding.
When the offer is made, and we are able to ask for anything, we will ask for what we perceive as having the greatest value.
If our minds are renewed, and our hearts beat for Christ alone, we will know the true worth of more of Him in our lives, and because we know, it will be the thing we ask for. If we live for His glory, then we will ask for the necessary virtues wherein we can bring glory to His name. Yes, it all comes back to the heart, and to whom our heart truly belongs.
1 Kings 3:13, “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”
Because he was selfless in his request and because his request pleased the Lord, the Lord also gave Solomon certain things He didn’t ask for.
The lesson in Solomon’s prayer is as simple as it is profound. It is a lesson echoed by Christ Jesus Himself when he admonished us to ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,’ and when we are faithful in this, everything else will be added on.
There are issues of paramount importance in our life, as well as issues which are peripherally important. To our detriment we often confuse and interchange the two, and seek after the peripherally important things, while neglecting those of paramount importance.
Even before God granted him wisdom and understanding Solomon was wise enough to know the difference between the two, and having realized the incalculable value of a wise and understanding heart, it is the one thing he asked of the Lord.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
1 Kings 3:10, “And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”
The Lord can be pleased, but He can also be displeased by what we ask of Him. Our requests, petitions and prayers can bring joy to His heart, or cause His heart to grow weary. It all depends upon what we ask of Him, and whether or not it shows the requisite maturity God has come to expect of His children.
God has invested wisdom, God has invested knowledge, He has invested His Spirit and His will in our lives, and He wants to see the transformation in our thinking and our actions because of this. God does not invest in us hoping we remain the same, perpetually childish, perpetually unthankful, and perpetually distracted by the things of this world. When God pours into us, it is with the singular purpose of transforming us into an image pleasing in His sight.
Anyone who’s had children knows that one of the greatest joys of parenthood is seeing one’s offspring go through the stages of development, becoming wiser, more mature, and more self-sufficient with each subsequent stage. In short, parents love to see their children grow up.
When we are infants we are wholly dependent upon our parents for survival. As we grow, we begin to fend for ourselves, growing more self-reliant with time, until we are finally on our own earning our own way.
Our spiritual wellbeing is dependent and predicated upon continued growth and maturity. If we remain in a state of infancy, then we can never hope to be the warriors God grooms His children to become. If our prayers continue to be self-centered and vain, they will never please the Lord, nor bring joy to His heart.
1 Kings 3:11-12, “Then God said to him: ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.’”
Of all the things Solomon could have asked for, of all the things he could have requested of God, things which would have profited and benefited him, he asked for something that would profit and benefit the people of God instead.
Due to the fact that Solomon did not put himself first, God answered his prayer, and gave him a wise and understanding heart to the extent that there had not been anyone like him before, nor would any like him arise after.
What would you ask God for if you were given this once in a lifetime opportunity?
What would you request of the Lord if He came to you in a dream and said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ Would your request be as selfless as Solomon’s? Would you ask for something that would benefit the people of God rather than yourself?
Each of us must come to the place of self-denial in our walk as Solomon did. It is in selflessness that love for others can thrive, and grow, and produce much fruit for the kingdom of God. It is in selflessness that we are able to devote our time, our effort and our resources toward doing good and making an impact in a world which is becoming increasingly hedonistic with each passing day.
If selfishness still has a place in our hearts, we will always find a reason or excuse not to reach out or stand in the gap. If selfishness has not been thoroughly exterminated, we will always find a way of justifying inaction, and even if we manage to go and do what God has commanded us to do, we do it halfheartedly, attempting to find the easiest route to obedience rather than the most fulfilling.
It is when we grasp the true value of wisdom, understanding, discernment, and other intangibles only God can grant us that we begin to desire them. If I do not value wisdom, I will not ask God for wisdom. If I do not value understanding, I will not ask God for understanding.
When the offer is made, and we are able to ask for anything, we will ask for what we perceive as having the greatest value.
If our minds are renewed, and our hearts beat for Christ alone, we will know the true worth of more of Him in our lives, and because we know, it will be the thing we ask for. If we live for His glory, then we will ask for the necessary virtues wherein we can bring glory to His name. Yes, it all comes back to the heart, and to whom our heart truly belongs.
1 Kings 3:13, “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”
Because he was selfless in his request and because his request pleased the Lord, the Lord also gave Solomon certain things He didn’t ask for.
The lesson in Solomon’s prayer is as simple as it is profound. It is a lesson echoed by Christ Jesus Himself when he admonished us to ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,’ and when we are faithful in this, everything else will be added on.
There are issues of paramount importance in our life, as well as issues which are peripherally important. To our detriment we often confuse and interchange the two, and seek after the peripherally important things, while neglecting those of paramount importance.
Even before God granted him wisdom and understanding Solomon was wise enough to know the difference between the two, and having realized the incalculable value of a wise and understanding heart, it is the one thing he asked of the Lord.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 208
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
Solomon realized instinctively what Paul would later verbalize in his letter to the Romans, that there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Whether to bless a nation or judge a nation God appoints its authorities, its rulers and its kings. As creatures limited in understanding, oftentimes we do not perceive or understand the plan of God in the appointment of a certain leader, or a certain authority. One of the most common reasons why we cannot see the plan of God is due to the underlying assumption that the leader or authority was appointed for our blessing rather than our judgment. We want to believe that God will bless us in spite of ourselves, but His word confirms the contrary.
It is when we open our eyes to the reality that God establishes rulers to both bless and judge that we come to understand why certain men are in power in certain nations.
How can you not understand the sovereignty of God and everything it implies when your father, once a shepherd boy, became king of Israel? How can you not understand that God does as He wills, when contrary to every expectation his father had felled the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a stone?
Solomon did not forget the lessons of the past. He did not forget the life his father had lived, and all the kindnesses and blessings God had shown him. Because he did not forget these things, Solomon came to understand the nature of God more fully than his contemporaries.
Solomon was not an uneducated man. Since his father was king, chances are good he had the best schooling of the time, likely groomed to one day be king himself. When Solomon speaks of his being as a little child concerning leading the nation of Israel, he does so out of true humility and sincerity before God, even though at the time he was the most qualified individual in the kingdom. Since his father had been king before him, Solomon had a legitimate claim to the throne based on bloodline. His father had chosen him, God had chosen him, he’d been groomed to lead, yet here he was speaking to the Lord in his dream insisting he fell short of the necessary attributes to lead.
I keep returning to this because it is of vital importance whether God has called us to lead men, or serve Him in any capacity. No matter how easy or difficult the task might seem, being dependent upon God for guidance, counsel, and wisdom are always of utmost importance. Oftentimes it’s the things we think we can do on our own – without the aid or intervention of God – which we seem to muddle up more than anything else.
If little foxes can spoil the whole vine, then small decisions without the Lord’s input can be detrimental to our walk, wellbeing, and efficiency. The reason for this is that no decision is isolated or insular. One decision leads to another, then another, and the domino effect produced by the initial decision, even if in our minds it seemed like an irrelevancy, can be frightening.
1 Kings 3:9, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
And now we come to the heart of Solomon’s prayer, an altruistic and selfless prayer if there ever was one. The impetus for this prayer was neither an easy life for Solomon, nor a more comfortable existence. The impetus was the people of God, and Solomon’s prayer centered on this singular desire of having an understanding heart to judge God’s people.
Solomon also prays for discernment, and once more it is a request after God’s own heart because he does not ask to discern between more and less profitable, or easier and harder, but between good and evil.
I realize full well that between relativism and moral equivalency we’ve pretty much done away with the difference between good and evil, having considered ourselves so superior to any who came before us that we’ve redefined everything until it meant absolutely nothing, but to God there is still good, and there is still evil, and I pray the desire of our heart is to discern between the two.
There is a marked difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God and more often than not, in the short term, the wisdom of God looks like foolishness to those of the world.
Solomon asks for wisdom, not because he wanted to impress those around him, not because he wanted to prove to his contemporaries how smart he was, but for the most altruistic and selfless of reasons…to judge the people of God wisely and with understanding.
God is pleased when we pray selfless prayers. He is pleased when we come before Him and ask not for ourselves, not for our glory, but for the furthering of His kingdom and the blessing of the entire body of Christ.
When we are diligent in our study of God’s word, we discover why God doesn’t answer certain prayers no matter how often or how passionately we might pray them.
James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Solomon’s prayer was not for himself, it was not centered on his person, his wellbeing, or his status. Solomon’s prayer was for the wellbeing of the people of God, and for his equipping as an instrument of God in guiding them.
Selfless prayers are rare nowadays, but God honors selfless prayers because they come from selfless hearts which are in harmony with God’s will for us.
As ardently as self is preached from many a pulpit nowadays, God still honors selflessness among His people, and though every televangelist might insist that God has changed, His word tells us He has not.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
Solomon realized instinctively what Paul would later verbalize in his letter to the Romans, that there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Whether to bless a nation or judge a nation God appoints its authorities, its rulers and its kings. As creatures limited in understanding, oftentimes we do not perceive or understand the plan of God in the appointment of a certain leader, or a certain authority. One of the most common reasons why we cannot see the plan of God is due to the underlying assumption that the leader or authority was appointed for our blessing rather than our judgment. We want to believe that God will bless us in spite of ourselves, but His word confirms the contrary.
It is when we open our eyes to the reality that God establishes rulers to both bless and judge that we come to understand why certain men are in power in certain nations.
How can you not understand the sovereignty of God and everything it implies when your father, once a shepherd boy, became king of Israel? How can you not understand that God does as He wills, when contrary to every expectation his father had felled the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a stone?
Solomon did not forget the lessons of the past. He did not forget the life his father had lived, and all the kindnesses and blessings God had shown him. Because he did not forget these things, Solomon came to understand the nature of God more fully than his contemporaries.
Solomon was not an uneducated man. Since his father was king, chances are good he had the best schooling of the time, likely groomed to one day be king himself. When Solomon speaks of his being as a little child concerning leading the nation of Israel, he does so out of true humility and sincerity before God, even though at the time he was the most qualified individual in the kingdom. Since his father had been king before him, Solomon had a legitimate claim to the throne based on bloodline. His father had chosen him, God had chosen him, he’d been groomed to lead, yet here he was speaking to the Lord in his dream insisting he fell short of the necessary attributes to lead.
I keep returning to this because it is of vital importance whether God has called us to lead men, or serve Him in any capacity. No matter how easy or difficult the task might seem, being dependent upon God for guidance, counsel, and wisdom are always of utmost importance. Oftentimes it’s the things we think we can do on our own – without the aid or intervention of God – which we seem to muddle up more than anything else.
If little foxes can spoil the whole vine, then small decisions without the Lord’s input can be detrimental to our walk, wellbeing, and efficiency. The reason for this is that no decision is isolated or insular. One decision leads to another, then another, and the domino effect produced by the initial decision, even if in our minds it seemed like an irrelevancy, can be frightening.
1 Kings 3:9, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
And now we come to the heart of Solomon’s prayer, an altruistic and selfless prayer if there ever was one. The impetus for this prayer was neither an easy life for Solomon, nor a more comfortable existence. The impetus was the people of God, and Solomon’s prayer centered on this singular desire of having an understanding heart to judge God’s people.
Solomon also prays for discernment, and once more it is a request after God’s own heart because he does not ask to discern between more and less profitable, or easier and harder, but between good and evil.
I realize full well that between relativism and moral equivalency we’ve pretty much done away with the difference between good and evil, having considered ourselves so superior to any who came before us that we’ve redefined everything until it meant absolutely nothing, but to God there is still good, and there is still evil, and I pray the desire of our heart is to discern between the two.
There is a marked difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God and more often than not, in the short term, the wisdom of God looks like foolishness to those of the world.
Solomon asks for wisdom, not because he wanted to impress those around him, not because he wanted to prove to his contemporaries how smart he was, but for the most altruistic and selfless of reasons…to judge the people of God wisely and with understanding.
God is pleased when we pray selfless prayers. He is pleased when we come before Him and ask not for ourselves, not for our glory, but for the furthering of His kingdom and the blessing of the entire body of Christ.
When we are diligent in our study of God’s word, we discover why God doesn’t answer certain prayers no matter how often or how passionately we might pray them.
James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Solomon’s prayer was not for himself, it was not centered on his person, his wellbeing, or his status. Solomon’s prayer was for the wellbeing of the people of God, and for his equipping as an instrument of God in guiding them.
Selfless prayers are rare nowadays, but God honors selfless prayers because they come from selfless hearts which are in harmony with God’s will for us.
As ardently as self is preached from many a pulpit nowadays, God still honors selflessness among His people, and though every televangelist might insist that God has changed, His word tells us He has not.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 207
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
Solomon slept, yet his reasoning was active. If we read the passage carefully, we realize Solomon was speaking to God in his dream. Essentially, Solomon was praying and having a dialogue with God while sleeping and dreaming.
1 Kings 3:5, “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’”
Even in his dream Solomon acknowledges the goodness and great mercy God had shown toward him. His gratitude and thankfulness for what the Lord had done on his behalf, going back to his father David, ran so deep that even in his sleeping hours Solomon meditated upon the goodness of the Lord.
Do we acknowledge God’s kindness for us as Solomon did? Is thankfulness so imprinted upon our hearts that even in our sleep we pray prayers of thanks to God?
1 Kings 3:6, “And Solomon said: ‘You have shown great mercy to your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and you have given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now, Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.”
Not only does Solomon acknowledge God’s goodness, he also acknowledges his own impotence and ignorance in regards to leading his nation and his people. Solomon realizes that though he now sat in his father’s chair, he was not his father David. The words of this prayer confirm Solomon’s acknowledged need of the Lord’s help in order to prosper and succeed as king.
Solomon did not look upon his position with pride. He did not beat his chest and assume that he would now lead the people into a good future, because he was humble enough to be aware of his own shortcomings and limitations.
By the words which Solomon prayed, we come to realize he was wise before he asked for wisdom and it showed in the declaration of his own limitations and outright impotence. He saw himself a little child who neither knew how to go out, nor how to come in. This man was now king over the whole of Israel, but knowing his own limitations, how tenuous power is, and that he would have big shoes to fill, he humbled himself in the sight of the Lord and prayed this prayer of meekness and submission.
Although in many instances Solomon’s life is a lesson in what not to do, and how not to go about living one’s life, in this case we can learn something positive from his prayer. Something we ought to do and practice whenever we come before God.
Solomon knew God, who He was, and what He can do through the prism of what He had already done for his father. Solomon spoke of God’s mercy and kindness toward his father David, because he had seen these things firsthand and knew of what he spoke.
We cannot pray effectively, we cannot petition God successfully, if we do not know the God to whom we are praying. If we do not know God, we have no hope of getting our prayers answered by Him. Solomon knew God; therefore his prayer was formulated in such a way wherein the attributes of God were evident and at the forefront of his affirmations.
If we possess no knowledge of God, how can we hope to entreat His favor?
Tragically the church, by and large, has adopted the ‘best of both worlds’ mentality, wherein many believe they can have a tangential knowledge of God, enjoy the things of this world, and still compel Him to answer when He is called upon.
We must know God intimately, we must establish, nurture, and grow a relationship with Him through prayer, fasting, and the daily consumption of His word. To know that God exists, to believe that He is, without knowing the fullness of who He is, is a recipe for disaster. When we will need Him most, and call upon Him with the greatest of desperation, if our knowledge of God did not extend beyond the fact that He exists, our prayers will go unanswered.
Knowledge of God and His goodness gives us boldness to approach Him, to come before Him with a certainty only an intimate familiarity of Him can give. When we know God, we are not timid in our approach of Him. When we know God, we are not faint-hearted, bashful, or otherwise reticent. Because we know Him, because we know He is a good and loving Father, we approach the mercy seat with courage, steadfastness and boldness.
The knowledge of God and our awareness and acknowledgement of our own limitations are a powerful combination…one that God does not overlook or ignore.
Solomon acknowledged his own impotence, frailty, and limitations, while simultaneously acknowledging the goodness and mercy of the Lord. He knew it is the Lord who lifts high, it is the Lord who elevates, and it is the Lord who gives wisdom and honor and victory.
Why is it so hard for some to acknowledge the providence and sovereignty of God in their lives? Why is it so difficult for some to give God the glory and the honor for all, without equivocation or an attempt to siphon off some of the glory for themselves?
As long as Solomon deferred to God, as long as he acknowledged his own impotence and served God faithfully, his reign was good and noble and just. As soon as he turned his heart away from the Lord, and began to follow after his flesh more than after the leading of the Lord, we see the ruination which befell him, and the sorrow of heart which enveloped him.
God’s ways are good, and whenever and wherever He leads and guides us we must give Him the honor and glory rightly His.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
Solomon slept, yet his reasoning was active. If we read the passage carefully, we realize Solomon was speaking to God in his dream. Essentially, Solomon was praying and having a dialogue with God while sleeping and dreaming.
1 Kings 3:5, “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’”
Even in his dream Solomon acknowledges the goodness and great mercy God had shown toward him. His gratitude and thankfulness for what the Lord had done on his behalf, going back to his father David, ran so deep that even in his sleeping hours Solomon meditated upon the goodness of the Lord.
Do we acknowledge God’s kindness for us as Solomon did? Is thankfulness so imprinted upon our hearts that even in our sleep we pray prayers of thanks to God?
1 Kings 3:6, “And Solomon said: ‘You have shown great mercy to your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and you have given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now, Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.”
Not only does Solomon acknowledge God’s goodness, he also acknowledges his own impotence and ignorance in regards to leading his nation and his people. Solomon realizes that though he now sat in his father’s chair, he was not his father David. The words of this prayer confirm Solomon’s acknowledged need of the Lord’s help in order to prosper and succeed as king.
Solomon did not look upon his position with pride. He did not beat his chest and assume that he would now lead the people into a good future, because he was humble enough to be aware of his own shortcomings and limitations.
By the words which Solomon prayed, we come to realize he was wise before he asked for wisdom and it showed in the declaration of his own limitations and outright impotence. He saw himself a little child who neither knew how to go out, nor how to come in. This man was now king over the whole of Israel, but knowing his own limitations, how tenuous power is, and that he would have big shoes to fill, he humbled himself in the sight of the Lord and prayed this prayer of meekness and submission.
Although in many instances Solomon’s life is a lesson in what not to do, and how not to go about living one’s life, in this case we can learn something positive from his prayer. Something we ought to do and practice whenever we come before God.
Solomon knew God, who He was, and what He can do through the prism of what He had already done for his father. Solomon spoke of God’s mercy and kindness toward his father David, because he had seen these things firsthand and knew of what he spoke.
We cannot pray effectively, we cannot petition God successfully, if we do not know the God to whom we are praying. If we do not know God, we have no hope of getting our prayers answered by Him. Solomon knew God; therefore his prayer was formulated in such a way wherein the attributes of God were evident and at the forefront of his affirmations.
If we possess no knowledge of God, how can we hope to entreat His favor?
Tragically the church, by and large, has adopted the ‘best of both worlds’ mentality, wherein many believe they can have a tangential knowledge of God, enjoy the things of this world, and still compel Him to answer when He is called upon.
We must know God intimately, we must establish, nurture, and grow a relationship with Him through prayer, fasting, and the daily consumption of His word. To know that God exists, to believe that He is, without knowing the fullness of who He is, is a recipe for disaster. When we will need Him most, and call upon Him with the greatest of desperation, if our knowledge of God did not extend beyond the fact that He exists, our prayers will go unanswered.
Knowledge of God and His goodness gives us boldness to approach Him, to come before Him with a certainty only an intimate familiarity of Him can give. When we know God, we are not timid in our approach of Him. When we know God, we are not faint-hearted, bashful, or otherwise reticent. Because we know Him, because we know He is a good and loving Father, we approach the mercy seat with courage, steadfastness and boldness.
The knowledge of God and our awareness and acknowledgement of our own limitations are a powerful combination…one that God does not overlook or ignore.
Solomon acknowledged his own impotence, frailty, and limitations, while simultaneously acknowledging the goodness and mercy of the Lord. He knew it is the Lord who lifts high, it is the Lord who elevates, and it is the Lord who gives wisdom and honor and victory.
Why is it so hard for some to acknowledge the providence and sovereignty of God in their lives? Why is it so difficult for some to give God the glory and the honor for all, without equivocation or an attempt to siphon off some of the glory for themselves?
As long as Solomon deferred to God, as long as he acknowledged his own impotence and served God faithfully, his reign was good and noble and just. As soon as he turned his heart away from the Lord, and began to follow after his flesh more than after the leading of the Lord, we see the ruination which befell him, and the sorrow of heart which enveloped him.
God’s ways are good, and whenever and wherever He leads and guides us we must give Him the honor and glory rightly His.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 206
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ Not only was this a generous offer from a generous God, it was also a test for Solomon. Nothing reveals the heart of a man faster than offering him his one true desire.
As such I do not believe that positions or possessions change people, they just amplify their true nature whatever that nature happens to be. I’ve known people who came to prominence swiftly, whether materially or influentially and who remained the same down-to-earth, good natured men and women they’d always been. I’ve also known those who came to prominence, and pretended they did not know me, and wanted nothing to do with me once they achieved their fame or their fortune.
The seed, the nature, had always been there, but the attaining of their heart’s desire amplified them a hundred or a thousand fold.
Whenever we are given liberty we are also being tested. When God encourages us to ask, He does so as a good and loving Father who is showing generosity toward His children, but also as a wise Father who is testing the hearts of His children in the same breath.
Those who have children will understand the following better than those who do not. From early youth we attempt to instill good virtues, morals, wisdom, and understanding in our offspring. We are tireless in showing them the path they must go, in encouraging them to follow in the footsteps of Christ, but there comes a moment when we must trust our children to make their own decisions, to put one foot in front of the other and begin their own journey.
Before this day comes, we test our children repeatedly even if we don’t realize it. The first time we let our son or daughter spend the evening alone without supervision or a babysitter is a test to see whether or not they are responsible enough to be on their own. The first time we entrust the car to our son or daughter after they’ve gotten a license, is a test to see whether or not they bring it back in one piece, and if they are mature enough to care for something like a car. The examples are many, but the end result is the same, and God tests our hearts and true intentions in much the same manner.
God makes the same offer to us as He did to Solomon, yet often times does not grant us that which we desire, because our desires are detrimental to our spiritual wellbeing. Even when God says no, it is in love and for our own good. Simple as that revelation might be, it took me a very long time to come to terms with it, receive it and accept it, because some of the things I asked of God seemed selfless enough to my own understanding.
Often times we try to piece together why God said no, when all we ought to be doing is accepting His answer as the best possible outcome for our lives.
One day, perhaps we will know why God said no to certain prayers, but it will not be while we are on this earth, and possessing the limited understanding we possess. But then again, when we are in His presence, hearing ‘well done, good and faithful servant,’ it is highly doubtful we will still be wondering why God didn’t answer a particular prayer.
‘What do you want?’ that is the question God poses to each of us in His own unique way, and based on our answer He determines why we want what we want, our level of maturity, whether our request is selfish or selfless, and a score of other things.
I have a niece and a nephew who couldn’t be further apart when it comes to personalities. Eric reminds me of myself when I was younger, very introspective and thoughtful about every little thing, and Lois who reminds me of a whirlwind wrapped in a tornado.
Ever since they were old enough to walk, I take each of them to the toy store for their birthdays, and tell them to pick out whatever they want as my present to them.
While Eric most often picks one item, and even that almost insignificant like a spinning top or a few marbles, Lois goes to town and puts a real dent in my wallet.
When I would ask Eric why he doesn’t get more things, he just gives me this quizzical look and says, ‘I don’t need them.’ When I finally asked Lois why she got so much stuff every time, she just shrugged her shoulders and said, ‘because I wanted it, and because you said I could.’
Two siblings only a year apart, yet very different in their reasoning as far as being told they can have anything.
It warms God’s heart when He offers us anything, and we turn around and say, ‘there is nothing more I need, for I have You and in having You I have everything.’
If our will and desire are sanctified and shrouded in God’s Spirit, what we ask for will be of great spiritual value, and will aid us in our walk toward eternity. What we ask God for reveals where our treasure is, and which life we deem more important, whether this life or the life to come.
Any time our will is involved, any time we have to make a decision concerning something, it is a test. God wants to see our level of maturity, God wants to see whether He is enough, whether we worship Him in spirit and in truth for who He is and what He has already done, or for what we hope to gain from Him by mimicking a relationship.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Solomon continued...
‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ Not only was this a generous offer from a generous God, it was also a test for Solomon. Nothing reveals the heart of a man faster than offering him his one true desire.
As such I do not believe that positions or possessions change people, they just amplify their true nature whatever that nature happens to be. I’ve known people who came to prominence swiftly, whether materially or influentially and who remained the same down-to-earth, good natured men and women they’d always been. I’ve also known those who came to prominence, and pretended they did not know me, and wanted nothing to do with me once they achieved their fame or their fortune.
The seed, the nature, had always been there, but the attaining of their heart’s desire amplified them a hundred or a thousand fold.
Whenever we are given liberty we are also being tested. When God encourages us to ask, He does so as a good and loving Father who is showing generosity toward His children, but also as a wise Father who is testing the hearts of His children in the same breath.
Those who have children will understand the following better than those who do not. From early youth we attempt to instill good virtues, morals, wisdom, and understanding in our offspring. We are tireless in showing them the path they must go, in encouraging them to follow in the footsteps of Christ, but there comes a moment when we must trust our children to make their own decisions, to put one foot in front of the other and begin their own journey.
Before this day comes, we test our children repeatedly even if we don’t realize it. The first time we let our son or daughter spend the evening alone without supervision or a babysitter is a test to see whether or not they are responsible enough to be on their own. The first time we entrust the car to our son or daughter after they’ve gotten a license, is a test to see whether or not they bring it back in one piece, and if they are mature enough to care for something like a car. The examples are many, but the end result is the same, and God tests our hearts and true intentions in much the same manner.
God makes the same offer to us as He did to Solomon, yet often times does not grant us that which we desire, because our desires are detrimental to our spiritual wellbeing. Even when God says no, it is in love and for our own good. Simple as that revelation might be, it took me a very long time to come to terms with it, receive it and accept it, because some of the things I asked of God seemed selfless enough to my own understanding.
Often times we try to piece together why God said no, when all we ought to be doing is accepting His answer as the best possible outcome for our lives.
One day, perhaps we will know why God said no to certain prayers, but it will not be while we are on this earth, and possessing the limited understanding we possess. But then again, when we are in His presence, hearing ‘well done, good and faithful servant,’ it is highly doubtful we will still be wondering why God didn’t answer a particular prayer.
‘What do you want?’ that is the question God poses to each of us in His own unique way, and based on our answer He determines why we want what we want, our level of maturity, whether our request is selfish or selfless, and a score of other things.
I have a niece and a nephew who couldn’t be further apart when it comes to personalities. Eric reminds me of myself when I was younger, very introspective and thoughtful about every little thing, and Lois who reminds me of a whirlwind wrapped in a tornado.
Ever since they were old enough to walk, I take each of them to the toy store for their birthdays, and tell them to pick out whatever they want as my present to them.
While Eric most often picks one item, and even that almost insignificant like a spinning top or a few marbles, Lois goes to town and puts a real dent in my wallet.
When I would ask Eric why he doesn’t get more things, he just gives me this quizzical look and says, ‘I don’t need them.’ When I finally asked Lois why she got so much stuff every time, she just shrugged her shoulders and said, ‘because I wanted it, and because you said I could.’
Two siblings only a year apart, yet very different in their reasoning as far as being told they can have anything.
It warms God’s heart when He offers us anything, and we turn around and say, ‘there is nothing more I need, for I have You and in having You I have everything.’
If our will and desire are sanctified and shrouded in God’s Spirit, what we ask for will be of great spiritual value, and will aid us in our walk toward eternity. What we ask God for reveals where our treasure is, and which life we deem more important, whether this life or the life to come.
Any time our will is involved, any time we have to make a decision concerning something, it is a test. God wants to see our level of maturity, God wants to see whether He is enough, whether we worship Him in spirit and in truth for who He is and what He has already done, or for what we hope to gain from Him by mimicking a relationship.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
A Nation Grieves
Bad news travels fast and worse news travels faster. Twenty children are dead, countless individuals are traumatized, and everyone’s trying to find an explanation as to how such evil can manifest in an individual from dissecting his psychological profile, to blaming it on mind control.
Truth is, evil is evil, and although it takes a special kind of evil to do what was done in Connecticut, it is not exclusive to North America as on the same day a man in China stabbed some twenty children in a school.
Evil becomes more pronounced as righteousness becomes less apparent. The consequences of rejecting God wholesale are incalculable, and we’ve only begun to see the tip of a deep and gargantuan iceberg.
What I find off-putting at best and downright disturbing at worse is that many are quick to use this tragedy to push their own agendas. There is a time and place for politicking, there is a time and place for debates and reforms, but this is neither the time nor place.
Our hearts must grieve if only to remind us that we are human beings, created by one Maker, of the same dust and of the same breath. Our hearts must grieve, for to do anything less would be to acknowledge if only to ourselves that such tragedies have become so commonplace they no longer affect us as they ought anymore.
It’s easy to blame God or ask where God was in a situation such as this, but when man rebels against God, He gives man over to a reprobate mind. It is the absence of God that brings about such events, not the presence of Him.
For what it’s worth, I will post the next installment of the Reality Check series I filmed while in America this last time. I do so only because I believe it is timely.
May God mend the broken hearts, and may we humbly come before Him in repentance as a nation once more.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Reality Check Part 3
Truth is, evil is evil, and although it takes a special kind of evil to do what was done in Connecticut, it is not exclusive to North America as on the same day a man in China stabbed some twenty children in a school.
Evil becomes more pronounced as righteousness becomes less apparent. The consequences of rejecting God wholesale are incalculable, and we’ve only begun to see the tip of a deep and gargantuan iceberg.
What I find off-putting at best and downright disturbing at worse is that many are quick to use this tragedy to push their own agendas. There is a time and place for politicking, there is a time and place for debates and reforms, but this is neither the time nor place.
Our hearts must grieve if only to remind us that we are human beings, created by one Maker, of the same dust and of the same breath. Our hearts must grieve, for to do anything less would be to acknowledge if only to ourselves that such tragedies have become so commonplace they no longer affect us as they ought anymore.
It’s easy to blame God or ask where God was in a situation such as this, but when man rebels against God, He gives man over to a reprobate mind. It is the absence of God that brings about such events, not the presence of Him.
For what it’s worth, I will post the next installment of the Reality Check series I filmed while in America this last time. I do so only because I believe it is timely.
May God mend the broken hearts, and may we humbly come before Him in repentance as a nation once more.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Reality Check Part 3
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Stages of Judgment
The last sermon I preached during this last stint in the States was about the different stages of warning God employs when He is attempting to reach a nation, and stir it to wakefulness. Since the drive home was longer than I had anticipated that night, I had time to think on the topic, roll it around in my mind, and try to understand it deeper than I had before.
The reason I had to think about this particular topic is because the way I preach does not lend itself well to notes, cheat sheets, diagrams, or three point sermons. I believe God knows what the people need to hear, and when we try to manufacture a sermon, or come to a meeting with a canned sermon, we are inhibiting God from moving in us and through us, and speaking the message the people need.
Yes, I do believe in preparation, I do believe in getting into the Word and spending time alone with God, but as far as planning ahead of time as to what you will say, I’ve never subscribed to that particular school.
When we study the word of God it becomes apparent that there are stages to God’s warnings until judgment is finally poured out. First, God first sends a prophet to a nation. The prophet is tasked with prophesying impending judgment, counseling the nation to repent. At the time, the message seems so improbable, and even impossible, that most often the man whom God sent to warn is mocked and ridiculed for the message he was tasked to deliver. There are instances however – Nineveh being one of them – when the people repent and turn their hearts back to God. If the nation repents at the words of the prophet, then that’s as far as it goes.
If the nation does not repent, God begins to establish watchmen. A watchman is one who looks, sees judgment approaching from afar off, and begins to cry aloud that judgment is coming. One thing we must understand about a watchman is that he sees the judgment approaching before others within the household of faith see it. If a man calling himself a watchman is warning of the same thing the six o’clock news is warning of, then he is a watchman in name only.
Watchmen are by the nature of their calling misunderstood. Due to their vantage point, they see further into the future than those not established in the watchtower, and what they see usually conflicts with what others around him see, envision or hope.
Watchmen watch. They look afar off, and report what they see, not what they think they see, hope they see, or interpret they see.
After the watchmen’s warnings go unheeded, God proceeds to remove His hedge of protection and blessing from the nation in question. Since both the warnings of the prophets and the watchmen went unheeded, and in most cases the nation waxed worse becoming futile in their hearts and actions, God is left with no choice but to continue taking steps in fulfilling what He forewarned of.
After blessing, favor and protection is removed from a nation and the nation still continues to ignore or otherwise disobey God – coming to the point of being in open rebellion against Him – the last and final step God takes is to pour out His judgment upon the rebellious and disobedient nation.
Pray as we might for God to withhold His judgment, if repentance is not forthcoming His righteousness demands He pour out what He promised He would. I mention this only because I’ve run into well-meaning, good-hearted people recently who don’t believe God will judge America because they’ve prayed towards this end. God will not override His justice, or righteousness I fear, and the death of Christ on the cross proves this fact beyond doubt.
If God did not override His justice, holiness and righteousness to save the life of His only begotten Son, He will not do so to spare a rebellious and unthankful nation just because we ask Him to.
As yet, we are not seeing the judgment of God, although it is evident to one and all that the favor, blessing, and protection of God have been removed from us.
Because rebellion is still the order of the day, and because even those within the household of faith have laid down their standards and are actively embracing the ways of the world, judgment is only a matter of time.
For those who were wondering, yes, I made it home safe and sound, although some twenty-four hours later than I had planned. Spending twenty-one hours in a car after spending almost eighteen hours either on planes or in airports is taxing, and I don’t recommend it for anyone.
Nothing tests one’s patience so well as snowstorms and inept bureaucracy.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The reason I had to think about this particular topic is because the way I preach does not lend itself well to notes, cheat sheets, diagrams, or three point sermons. I believe God knows what the people need to hear, and when we try to manufacture a sermon, or come to a meeting with a canned sermon, we are inhibiting God from moving in us and through us, and speaking the message the people need.
Yes, I do believe in preparation, I do believe in getting into the Word and spending time alone with God, but as far as planning ahead of time as to what you will say, I’ve never subscribed to that particular school.
When we study the word of God it becomes apparent that there are stages to God’s warnings until judgment is finally poured out. First, God first sends a prophet to a nation. The prophet is tasked with prophesying impending judgment, counseling the nation to repent. At the time, the message seems so improbable, and even impossible, that most often the man whom God sent to warn is mocked and ridiculed for the message he was tasked to deliver. There are instances however – Nineveh being one of them – when the people repent and turn their hearts back to God. If the nation repents at the words of the prophet, then that’s as far as it goes.
If the nation does not repent, God begins to establish watchmen. A watchman is one who looks, sees judgment approaching from afar off, and begins to cry aloud that judgment is coming. One thing we must understand about a watchman is that he sees the judgment approaching before others within the household of faith see it. If a man calling himself a watchman is warning of the same thing the six o’clock news is warning of, then he is a watchman in name only.
Watchmen are by the nature of their calling misunderstood. Due to their vantage point, they see further into the future than those not established in the watchtower, and what they see usually conflicts with what others around him see, envision or hope.
Watchmen watch. They look afar off, and report what they see, not what they think they see, hope they see, or interpret they see.
After the watchmen’s warnings go unheeded, God proceeds to remove His hedge of protection and blessing from the nation in question. Since both the warnings of the prophets and the watchmen went unheeded, and in most cases the nation waxed worse becoming futile in their hearts and actions, God is left with no choice but to continue taking steps in fulfilling what He forewarned of.
After blessing, favor and protection is removed from a nation and the nation still continues to ignore or otherwise disobey God – coming to the point of being in open rebellion against Him – the last and final step God takes is to pour out His judgment upon the rebellious and disobedient nation.
Pray as we might for God to withhold His judgment, if repentance is not forthcoming His righteousness demands He pour out what He promised He would. I mention this only because I’ve run into well-meaning, good-hearted people recently who don’t believe God will judge America because they’ve prayed towards this end. God will not override His justice, or righteousness I fear, and the death of Christ on the cross proves this fact beyond doubt.
If God did not override His justice, holiness and righteousness to save the life of His only begotten Son, He will not do so to spare a rebellious and unthankful nation just because we ask Him to.
As yet, we are not seeing the judgment of God, although it is evident to one and all that the favor, blessing, and protection of God have been removed from us.
Because rebellion is still the order of the day, and because even those within the household of faith have laid down their standards and are actively embracing the ways of the world, judgment is only a matter of time.
For those who were wondering, yes, I made it home safe and sound, although some twenty-four hours later than I had planned. Spending twenty-one hours in a car after spending almost eighteen hours either on planes or in airports is taxing, and I don’t recommend it for anyone.
Nothing tests one’s patience so well as snowstorms and inept bureaucracy.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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