The King over Earthly Kings

I've had a goal for awhile now to read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation but earlier this year I stopped reading after Ruth. Yesterday I picked up again and read 1 Samuel 1 - 8. Then stopped - chapter eight was very interesting. This is where Israel asks Samuel to appoint a king to rule over them.

"So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (1 Sam. 8:4-5)

Why would they decide to ask for a king now, when all throughout the years God has provided everything they needed? What made them believe He was not enough for them? The more I thought about it, the more I realized the people did not think about all that God had done for them, but had turned their eyes towards other nations and made their lives the standard. Israel wanted to be like other nations and have a physical leader they could look to - they did not want to stand out. They trusted in what they thought was right - men leading men, and not what God desired - men trusting God and following His ways.

So Samuel warned them what reality would look like with a human king:

-Sons taken for war, to reap the harvest
-Daughters taken for the king's court and kitchen
-Crops and cattle taken as taxes for the king
-The best servants taken to serve the king

"But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Sam. 8:19-20)

What a lousy excuse. To go before them and fight their battles?! Really? You don't think that the whole old testament up and to this point had story after story of "...and the Lord went before them and destroyed their enemies..." and yet that was their excuse. How horrible was it to have God as their King?

-He loves them and wants them to succeed
-He owns everything already, so doesn't need to take servants or taxes
-He controls every earthly king
-He has been faithful to bring justice, grace and mercy to them in the past.
-He demands that they stay true to the covenant He made with them.

At this point I could have stopped and said, "How silly Israelites...come on, who the heck would trade an earthly king for the King of the Universe?!"

And yet...it is so easy to see Israel's situation as simple, but am I really that different? How many times do I think my ideas or decisions are better than His? Who do I trust in a majority of the time, men? Or a holy God?

But even with their disobedience God was able to redeem them. He chose Saul to be their king. Then God chose David, the son of Jesse.


Romans 15:12 (NIV)

And again, Isaiah says,
"The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him."

Double Love

I’ve been reading “The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk” with my friend Carly. Usually I have no problem reading books, as a former literature major my favorite past-time is reading. However, I have a weakness when it comes to Christian non-fiction...I cannot seem to finish them after I start. So having Carly read this one with me has forced me to continue through the book to the end. The chapter we are in speaks on doubt – doubting God, His truth, His character, His promises and His plan for our lives. But one passage stopped me in my tracks:

“We must become committed to living out the double love command, a lifestyle that places love for God first and love of others second out of our overflow of God’s love. We must learn to walk moment by moment in faith and repentance and to say no to temptations to choose selfishly.”

How do I choose to love God first before loving others? It’s so easy to love others and say “oh yeah, I love God.” But what does it look like – practically – to love God first? I think it means to give up my daily comforts that draw me into spiritual passivity. It means lots of little choices that add up to daily habits. It means getting up early or leaving my desk at lunch or hiding away in another room in the evening just to spend time with God every day. It means turning off the television/radio/computer when I hear Him calling me to dwell with Him.

It means putting Him first before my husband – something that will probably cause me to feel like I’m being selfish, a bad wife, or guilty over not being with him in the evening. When you love someone you want to be near them. You want to spend all of your extra time with them. You think about them throughout the day. Certain things will trigger a memory with them and you will smile. The more I think about it, the more I realize I love my husband more than I love God. The choice to either read Scripture or walk out of this room and dance with my husband to country music is easy...I would pick my husband. It hurts my heart, but it is true right now.

But in the long run this choice to put God above all else will improve my marriage, friendships, outlook on life, and ultimately my character. I will know Him deeply. I will run to Him first when I feel scared or troubled. I will be able to fight the lies that creep into my head and the temptations to doubt my Savior. What a reward to gain! Yes – this is what I will choose. Lord, help me choose You first. Help me make the small decisions that will ultimately be for my good. Draw me to yourself and teach me your promises and shower me with Your love.

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
–Psalm 25:4-5

Mad Men - Where Truth Lies

My pastor encourages us to ask ourselves these questions, “Am I feeding my mind with beauty and truth? Am I becoming a more increasingly encouraging and life-giving person? Or one who is cynical and bitter?”

Tonight I watched the first three episodes of Mad Men season one. I had heard about the show from a number of people saying it was interesting and that it had won awards for costuming and correct representation of the 60’s. But the more I watched the more I felt my soul grieved by what I saw. Deception, pride, judgementalism, selfishness, vulgarity, baseness and manipulative behavior ran rampent. Husbands cheating on wives, secretaries flirting with married bosses, homemakers judging their neighbors, coworkers stealing ideas to get ahead, being willing to do anything to make money. These were the core themes of the show. These were the people you were supposed to connect and feel empathetic with enough to continue watching the season.

Things of beauty and truth were rare and far between. I knew that allowing this show to be a part of my life would eventually tempt my cynical and sarcastic side. It would dull my senses towards truth, morality and loving others. It would creep into my marriage and challenge our unity and commitment to godliness. In otherwords, this show would not fill my mind with beauty or remind me of God’s truth. So, I took it off our Netfilx queue and will not watch any more episodes, no matter how many people tell me about the props, costuming, or time period acuracy – the underlying whispers that would invade my heart are not worth it.


Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. - Col. 3:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:1-2

Chocolat Suisse

There are many benefits about having an internationally-minded family. But the one I want to highlight is Swiss-made chocolate. The past two days I have enjoyed its smooth, creamy and luscious flavor in many forms.

Yesterday it was in squares of pure milk chocolate and then in a square of hazelnut-infused milk chocolate. Today it was in the Swiss version of a Kit-Kat. Let me tell you that I have been tortured by Kit-Kat's new marketing campaign where they show people eating the bars making the sounds of their little jingle...and every time I've been in the grocery store I have resisted purchasing one. Well today my patience was rewarded. I tasted THE best version of a "kit-kat" one that has all the crunchiness of a kit-kat but covered in the dreamy Swiss milk chocolate.

Now if only my supply of Swiss chocolate was not so small...