Have You Considered the Stone?

When you hear the story of David and Goliath, the first thing that comes to mind is David defeating the giant Goliath with a sling.  It is a great story of strength and courage.  David defeats the giant that no one else in the great army of Israel would even attempt to confront.  That is what most people think of when they hear or read this story.

I have a different take on this story.  Have you considered the stone?  As David made his way down to confront Goliath, he stopped at a stream and chose five smooth stones.  One of those smooth stones he would use to kill the giant.  I ask myself why a smooth stone?  Well a smooth stone would fly straight and true when a rough rock would not.  Since the stone was smooth it would more likely hit it's target than a rough rock.

I also ask myself how did that stone get that way?  Smooth I mean?  Well the water rushing over it in the stream along with the sand and the wind and other elements in the environment would knock off the rough edges of what started out as a rock and whittle it down into a smooth stone.  The constant battering of the water and elements would round out the rough edges and make it into the smooth stone that David used to kill Goliath.

This reminds me of me.  When I was in sin I was like that rough rock.  I had the sharp edges and rough cracks which represent the sin in my life.  When I received Christ as my personal Savior, He began to knock of the sharp edges and smooth out the cracks in my life and began to make me into a smooth stone that He could use to kill giants in other people's lives.

Here's something else to consider.  That smooth stone not only killed the giant, it also changed history.  If David had not killed Goliath, the blood line of Jesus Christ would have ended right there for surely Goliath would have killed David.  If the stone had not been in that stream at that moment in time, there may not have been a Jesus Christ.  But God knew when and where this event would take place in history.  He made sure that that stone was there in that stream when David needed it.

You know He does the same with us.  He knows who needs us and when they need us.  He puts us in that particular stream in someone's life so that we, through Him, can kill the giant in that person's life.  You know when God begins to smooth out our rough edges, it can hurt.  But He uses trials and tribulations in our lives to smooth us out so that we can be giant killers.

Again, I ask.  Have you considered the stone?

We Get What We Get

The recent controversy with the oath at the Air Force Academy is just the latest example of how we as Men of God are sitting back and allowing the enemy to win one small battle at a time.  You know what?  We get what we get!  If we as Christian Men of God sit back and allow one voice to take God out of an oath, remove the Ten Commandments from  the wall of a courthouse or take away a football players right to go to one knee when he makes a good play then we get what we get.

Everything bad that is happening in our country today can be traced back to one Supreme Court Decision back in 1962.  You know the one.  All of the mass shootings, all of the gang killings, all of the misbehavior in public schools.  All of it can be traced back to the first time that Christians sat back and did nothing. The fact that the decision was made was bad enough, but the fact that Christians sat back and let it happen was even worse.  It was the start of the modern day Sunday Pew Christian.  The so called Christian that goes to church on Sunday but never does anything else that even comes close to what God has called them to be.  It has led to the I am a Christian, but I don't have to go to church to prove it syndrome.  This behavior has gotten progressively worse over the years. The recent study that shows that for the first time in our American history less than 50% of our citizens claim to be Christians just goes to prove that we are losing.

Men of God, stand up and be heard.  Do not allow the voices of a small group of Atheists or Agnostics be heard over the roar of the Men of God. We have the Almighty on our side!  This country can be changed if we would only do what God has called us to do.  If we don't, then we get what we get.

Are You The Man That God Has Called You To Be?

Occasionally I will ask myself the question, am I the man that God has called me to be?  If I answer honestly, I would have to say no.  I know that I don't always put God first.  I know that I don't always treat my wife and children the way that I should.  I know that I allow the stresses of life to pull me away from God.  But God still loves me anyway.  He promised that He will never leave me or forsake me even if I do Him.  Once I take the time to pray and ask for forgiveness He reminds me that I am a child of the King and that He will forgive me.  God loves us unconditionally even when we forget that He is in control and that He will see us through anything that life can bring.

God has called us men to be His hands and feet and to be Godly husbands and fathers.  He wants us to be humble before Him and to be Godly examples to others.  We are the light in this dark world that will lead the lost to Him.  He commanded us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel and to make disciples".  We all are called to do that.  But to be used by Him, we must be the men that He has called us to be.  Put Him first, be Godly loving husbands and fathers and be examples that others can follow to the foot of the cross.

Are you the man that God has called you to be?  If not, then what are you going to do about it?