DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- One Against The Mob

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – One Against The Mob
I Kings 18:22
 
"Then Elijah said to the people, 'I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are 450 men.' "
 
The TV game show was entitled, "One Against The Mob." One lone contestant faced 100 people who would taunt and jeer, trying to influence the contestant. Elijah alone faced all the prophets of Baal and Asherah, but he turned the table by taunting them. It takes guts – and God's anointing – to stand against the mob of the anti-God culture. How I respond reveals the depth of my faith in the true God.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: It may seem that I stand alone when facing the mob, but I am not truly alone.
 
Have a "standing" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- The Altar Call

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – The Altar Call
I Kings 18:20-21
 
"So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' But the people answered him not a word."
 
The Altar Call came at the beginning of the service before the sermon. The preacher was pleading with people to make a decision to follow the Lord. But across the congregation, no one responded. Silence. But abstention is not indecision. As in a vote in the Senate, an abstention  or "Not Present" is really a "no" vote. It just indicates that the voter is to chicken to stand and be counted. I can't hide behind my silence. No vote is really a "no" vote.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT:  When a person answers the call to follow God  with "maybe someday,"  that is in reality a "no."
 
Have a "yes" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Toleration, Support, and Political Correctness

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Toleration, Support, and Political Correctness
I Kings 18:19
 
"Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mt. Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat a Jezebel's table."
 
These pagan prophets were on the government dole. Governmental tax money was being used to support the prophets and practices of these pagan religions. It is clear from the story-line that God's prophet, Elijah, was receiving no such support. The religion of Secular Humanism (a modern name for pagan thinking) is not content with toleration of its ungodly philosophies and practices. It demands to be embraced and supported to the exclusion of other religious beliefs. Political correctness has no toleration for competing faiths. But just because the governmental, educational, and judicial systems embrace and promote these pagan practices with tax-payers' money does not make them right. God is still God, and truth is still truth, and in the end, God's truth will triumph.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Pagan philosophies are not content with toleration, but demand to be embraced and supported.
 
Have a "politically incorrect" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Trouble With A Capital T

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Trouble With A Capital T
I Kings 18:18
 
"And he [Elijah] answered, 'I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.' "
 
The huckster in "The Music Man" might have said, "That's Trouble, with a capital T, which rhymes with G, which stand for Government." When the leaders of a nation rule by God's righteous law, the people are blessed. But when they don't, it spells nothing but Trouble for the citizens. "Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34 NLT). That's why we are to pray for those in authority, so we can live quite and peaceable lives (I Timothy 2:1-2).
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Governmental authorities bless the people when they rule by God's righteous commandments.
 
Have a praying day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Troublemakers

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Troublemakers
I Kings 18:16-17
 
"So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said to him, 'Is that you, troubler of Israel?' "
 
Righteous people who stand opposed to the godless agenda of the world are considered to be troublemakers. In an attempt to silence them, the ungodly resort to name-calling rather than confront the issues. The godly are called pernicious and disparaging names like bigot, homophobe, or "radical right." But the voices of the troublemakers need to be heard. Lord God, send us more Elijah's who will speak out against an evil generation.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: We need Elijah's who will boldly speak God's truth to the powers that be.
 
Have a "troublemaking" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Does God Play Games?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Does God Play Games?
I Kings 18:8, 9, 12, 14
 
"And he [Elijah] answered him, 'It is I. Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here." ' So he said, 'How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me.... And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know, and when I go and tell Ahab, and he comes to find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth .... And now you say, "Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here,' " He will kill me.' "
 
Obadiah had a hard time believing Elijah – and ultimately God – because of past experience. He thought that Elijah was playing a game with him. I once worked with an unbelieving man who wanted to paint a picture of God sitting at a huge chess-board, moving people here and there, like one big game. It reflected his fatalistic view of life. Sometimes, because I don't see the whole picture, I have the same feeling – that I am just a pawn in the game of life, that God is playing games with me, because what I thought God told me to do did not happen. I, like Obadiah, have feared God from my youth, but still sometimes I question, "God, what are You doing?" In spite of that, I still know that He is working all things for my good because I love Him (Romans 8:28). God does not play games.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God has a purpose even when I can't see the whole game-board.
 
Have a trusting day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Chance Encounter?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Chance Encounter?
I Kings 18:5-7
 
"And Ahab had said to Obadiah, 'Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive. So they divided the land to explore it .... Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, 'Is that you, my lord Elijah?' "
 
Obadiah was surprised to meet Elijah. It seemed like a chance meeting. But in reality, God had orchestrated the entire affair by having Obadiah, by Ahab's direction, go to the part of the country where Elijah was. God had arranged the meeting so that Elijah could get a message to Ahab. What seemed like a coincidental circumstance was a God-ordained divine encounter. How many times has God put people into my path to speak His word into my life and I didn't recognize it? I need to be more aware of divine encounters.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Chance meetings may indeed be divine encounters.
 
Have an "aware" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- God's Undercover Agents

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – God's Undercover Agents
I Kings 18:3-4
 
"And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly, for it was that while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had them fed with bread and water.)
 
They are not always apparent, but there are people in governmental service who fear and serve God. They have positions of influence. Scripture tells of many "Obadiahs" – Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Nicodemus, Joanna (the wife of Herod's steward who supported Jesus ((Luke 8:3)), and even believers in Caesar's household (Philippians 4:22). I am confident there are god-fearing people even in President Obama's Washington, D.C. They may not get much press, but I thank God for them as they fill their assignments with honor.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: There are god-fearing people in strategic positions of governmental service who have influence, even though they may be undercover agents of God.
 
Thank God today for god-fearing people in our government.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Many Days

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Many Days
I Kings 18:1-2
 
"And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, 'Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.' So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria."
 
God is in no hurry. He has all the time in the world (pun intended). Sometimes it seems the "many days" stretch on and on, and still there is no word from the LORD. Elijah patiently waited for God's direction before he moved. I get in such a hurry and am tempted to take matters into my own hands. But God is not asleep. His times are different than my times. In His time, He will reveal His plan and send rain.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God works His will in His time, not mine.
 
Have a patient day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Walk The Talk

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Walk The Talk
I Kings 17:24
 
"Then the woman said, 'Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.' "
 
People will have confidence that my words are true only if they match what I say.  If I say one thing and do another, they will conclude that my words are false.  My life needs to support what I say if I am to be a credible witness.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT:   A godly life is demonstrated by godly action.
 
Have a "walk the talk" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Persistent Prayer -- A Demonstration of Faith

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Persistent Prayer: A Demonstration of Faith
I Kings 7:20-22
 
"Then he cried out to the LORD and said, O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?' And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, 'O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him.' Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived."
 
Elijah cried out to God  three times because he believed that God would hear his prayer. God's word is replete with examples of persistent prayer. Jesus Himself gave parables about asking more than once to illustrate that "men ought always to pray and not lose heart" (see Luke 18:1-8 and Luke 11:5-8). Paul prayed three time for his thorn in the flesh (II Corinthians 12:8). And we are to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). Persistent prayer is a demonstraton of faith.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Praying for a need more than once is not a sign of lack of faith; indeed, it is a demonstration of faith.
 
Have a persistent day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- I Give Up!

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – I Give Up!
I Kings 17:19
 
"And he said to her, 'Give me your son.' So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his own bed."
 
The son embodied the widow's dreams for the future. He would care for her in her old age. He would get married and give her grandchildren. Now those dreams are dead along with her son whom she carries in her arms. I have dreams that have died that I carry in my heart. But I hear the voice of the Lord Jesus saying, "Give them to Me." He will carry them. Thank you, Jesus.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHTS: God will carry dreams that have died if I will release them to Him.
 
Have a "giving up" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Who Can I Blame?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Who Can I Blame?
I Kings 17:17-18
 
"Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, 'What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?' "
 
Life is like that. First her husband died. Then a drought came. Then her son died. Sometimes it seems that one tragedy after another strikes, and it sort of piles up. It is so easy to lash out in frustration and anger and blame someone – myself, my family, the preacher, even God – when in reality it is no one's fault. It is just life, and life just happens. So easily I forget how God has brought me through past circumstances. Instead of venting my emotions on others and damaging relationships, wouldn't it be better to live by faith and trust God?
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Blaming others for life's problems does not solve the problems – it only damages
relationships.
 
Have a trusting day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- The Fruit Of Obedience

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – The Fruit Of Obedience
I Kings 17:15-16
 
"So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah."
 
Obedience to the word of the LORD is the secret of living in God's provision and blessing. If I don't live according to His word, I have no reason to believe He will meet my needs. When the flour and the oil run out, I need to take inventory of my obedience.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The fruit of obedience is God's blessing.
 
Have a fruitful day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Laziness

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – God's Cure For Laziness
I Kings 17:14
 
"For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.' "
 
The promise that God shall supply all my needs is a precious promise (Philippians 4:19). He is Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:14). But there are limitations. God's promise of flour and oil to the widow was based on a need that she could not fulfill. The promise would last until the rains came and she and her son would be able to meet their own needs. God provided manna to the Israelites in the wilderness until they got to the Promised Land. Then the manna stopped. It was then their responsibility to gather food by their own labor. I think this is God's plan to avoid laziness, and laziness has no place in the life of the Christian. God is still the Provider. He gives the strength and ability needed to work. But He requires that I be involved. "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (II Thessalonians 3:10). To expect God to meet all my needs when I have the ability to do so is to tempt God.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God is the provider but that is not an excuse for laziness.
 
Have a "un-lazy" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Fearless Living

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Fearless Living
I Kings 17:13, 15a
 
"And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward, make some for yourself and your son' .... So she went and did according to the word of Elijah."
 
I can imagine that if I was her, I would have said, 'You gotta be kidding! I only have enough for my son and me, and you want me to give to you first? No way!!! I need to take care of myself first." But she recognized him as a man of God [note vs. 12 – "the LORD your God"], and she heard his words, "Do not fear." Jesus said the same thing: "Do not worry about yourself, what you will eat or what you will drink....But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you" (Matthew 6:25, 33). I do not need to fear about my own needs. I can trust God to supply my needs if I put God's kingdom first.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Fearless living is a sign of trusting God's provision.
 
Have a fear-free day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Stix, Stix, Pickup Stix

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Stix, Stix, Pickup Stix
I Kings 17:12
 
"So she said, 'As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.' "
 
God did not sent Elijah to a fat-cat who could afford to support him. Instead, He send Elijah into the worst imaginable situation – into a drought, to a widow and her son who had no money, who were starving with the only possible outcome being death. She was at the end of her rope, picking up sticks to prepare to die, and the only answer was a miracle. It is in the impossibilities -- when we are out of our own resources -- that God reveals His love and power by the miraculous. God's glory can best be seen when there is no other possibility that divine intervention.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The impossibilities of life are the opportunity for God demonstrate His possibilities.
 
Have an "impossible possible" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Good Manners

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Good Manners
I Kings 17:10-11
 
"So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink." And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
 
How did Elijah know that this was the widow God had told him to contact? Perhaps she wore some kind of clothing that identified her as a widow. But there was probably also a quickening in Elijah's spirit that said, "This is the one." And there must have been the same kind of quickening in the widow for her to respond so quickly. After all, they were strangers to each other. God does confirm His will by moving in people's hearts. But even though Elijah, as a prophet, had the authority to demand her to get him food and water, he still used good manners and said, "Please." Good manners are the oil that make relationships run smoothly.  A position of authority does not give a person the right to be rude and run roughshod over people.  More can be accomplished by requests with good manners than by rude commands.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Even though we know God's will and have the right to demand, we still need to use good manners in dealing with people.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Obedience to God's confirmed will does not negate the need for good manners.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Expect The Unexpected

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Expect The Unexpected
I Kings 17:8-9
 
"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
 
God does not always meet my needs in the way that I expect. I doubt that Elijah ever considered that he would be fed by ravens or by a poor widow at Zarephath near Sidon. Sidon (far north towards Beruit in Lebanon) is a far out of the normal area that Elijah would usually travel in Israel. Walking by faith does not always see around the next bend in the road.  It is just confident that God leads around the bend and will be there to provide. As Abraham said to Isaac as they traveled toward the place of sacrifice, "The LORD will provide" (Genesis 22:8). 
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Faith expects the unexpected.
 
Have an expectant day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- My Comfort Zone

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – The Comfort Zone
I Kings 17:6-9a
 
"The ravens brought him [Elijah] bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after awhile that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'Arise, go....' "
 
There are times in the seasons of life when everything is good. God supplies my needs in such a marvelous and miraculous way that it seems I could be content to stay there forever. Ahh, the good life!!! But then the brook dries up and the ravens stop coming, and life becomes more difficult. Instead of getting upset at God, perhaps I should understand it is His way of saying, "It's time to move on," and taking me out of my comfort zone to a new place of ministry. When Jesus was transfigured on the mount, Peter thought it was so wonderful that he wanted to build a house and stay there. But Jesus said, "No," because there were people in the valley who needed their help. God uses various methods to move me from the comfortable life to the challenge of ministry if I will listen.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God gives us seasons of blessing, but when the river dries up, it may be His way of moving us out of our comfort zone.
 
Have a "blessed" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A Lonely Place

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A Lonely Place
I Kings 17:2-5
 
"Then the word of the LORD came to him [Elijah], saying, 'Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.' So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan."
 
Cherith is a lonely place of isolation – emotionally, if not physically. God's calling may take a person on a path to a place where others   -- even family -- cannot go. Obedience to the leading of the LORD may cause separation from people because they do not have the same calling or vision. Even Jesus' family thought He was crazy (Mark 3:21) and separated themselves from Him (Matthew 12:46-47). But God's promise is that He will sustain during the times of loneliness when we feel separated from everyone. He is a faithful God.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God will sustain during the Brook Cherith experience.
 
Have a "sustained" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Standing Before God

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Standing Before Go

I Kings 17:1

"And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.' "

Elijah was a man with guts! Elijah stood before King Ahab with a message of judgment. I don't know if his knees were shaking as he confronted the king, but I know mine would if I was told by God to give a message to the president. His name – Elijah – is a compound of El (God) and Jah (a contraction of Yhvh or Jehovah). Elijah's gumption came from his conviction that God is God and that his allegiance to the LORD God – the King of the Universe – was greater than his allegiance to King Ahab. So he spoke with authority.  When he spoke, he stood before God and was answerable to Him, and not to man.  If I wants to speak God's word with authority, I have to be convinced of my allegiance or I will succumb to fear. 

TODAY'S THOUGHT: God's messengers are accountable and answer to God whom they stand before – not men.

Have a "standing" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- New Beginnings

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – New Beginnings
Exodus 12:1-2
 
"Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.' "
 
I am so glad for New Year's Day. It is a day of new beginnings – a day of hope and anticipation for tomorrow. The bondage of Egypt is history, and the land God promised is in the future. Sure, there will be new challenges this year, and I will still deal with some of my same issues and attitudes from last year. But it still feels like a new opportunity to see what God will do as I begin the journey into the new year. Thank God for new beginnings.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHTS: January 1^st gives opportunity for a fresh start.
 
Have a new day. Love you.