The Monday Memo from John Stanko

Memo 1070: The Bigger Picture

After David had rest from his enemies, he decided to build God a place that would house His presence on earth. However, the Lord spoke to Nathan, the prophet, and adjusted David's plans:

“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom'" (2 Samuel 7:11-12).

God gave David, and He wants to give you, the bigger picture of His will and purpose through His word to David. What implications does this expanded view have for your life and purpose? I'm glad you asked. For the answer, you will have to continue reading.

THE KINGDOM

God is all about building His kingdom on earth. The Kingdom was on Jesus' mind from the start of His ministry. He taught His disciples to pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Jesus' first words of public ministry were, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 4:17). In essence, Jesus was saying that God was fulfilling what He had promised David by establishing an everlasting Kingdom through Jesus, a descendant of David's family.

Your life purpose is a matter of Kingdom business. What do I mean by that? First of all, the king assigns your purpose; you don't choose it. Then you function in life to fulfill your purpose with God's help through the Church but not exclusively in or to the Church. In other words, your objective is to extend God's kingdom rule wherever He places you: family, business, school, ministry, neighborhood, or government. What does that mean exactly?

It means you behave according to God's righteous standards of the Kingdom with love as your main motive: love for God expressed in service to others. You express your purpose through the gifts God has given you and you apply your creativity to do things in fresh new ways that will solve old or new problems. Your purpose is not a church matter. You may express it in a church setting—in fact, you should do something with your time and gifts to help build the church—but you do what you do there because the King directs you to do so. Thus, your church role is an expression of God's Kingdom rule in your life and not the totality of your service to God. It's not a matter of what church you belong to but what Kingdom you serve.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

David wanted to build God a place that would contain Him, that would house His activities and be the focus for God's people, but God intervened with a better option. His "house" would be the earth and he would rule over it as a King. In a way, David wanted to build God a church, but God preferred a Kingdom identity instead of being the God of a house or building.

I would rather be known as a Kingdom man than a church man. I have given my adult life to the Church as an expression of God's kingdom rule in my life. I did not choose nor do I prefer Church work. As I write, I am in Spain participating in a church anniversary celebration for some African churches. Why am I here? I'm here because the King sent me here; it's part of my Kingdom assignment. I sat through long services, having come here at some inconvenience and discomfort to myself at my own expense because of my commitment to the King that's expressed through His Kingdom government in my life. And for me, that means church work.

What about you? Are you a church person? Do you want only to build God's house? Or are you a Kingdom person? Do you want to see God's sovereignty extended over all His creation, regardless of the place or activity? Do you see the difference? David tried to localize God, but God refused to be contained. Your job is not to small God up to a size you can manage, but to enlarge your own perspective and capability to match His vision of a kingdom on earth that reflects the one in heaven.

I urge you to allow God to give you the bigger picture of what He's doing and how you and your purpose fit into it, and then get busy representing God's kingdom in both the church and the sphere He has called you to. Have a blessed week!

Memo 1069: Sincere, But Sincerely Wrong

Have you ever done something you believed was right but it turned out all wrong? You were earnest and sincere, but didn't do something correctly and the end result wasn't what you desired. You found out it isn't enough to be sincere, for you can be sincere and still be wrong. David learned that important lesson as you will see in this week's entry in our life on the throne series.

THE ARK TILTS

After David twice defeated the Philistines in battle, he turned his attention to spiritual matters. He and 30,000 of his followers decided to bring the ark of God from where it was to be with them in Jerusalem. We read, 

They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals (2 Samuel 6:3-5).

Unfortunately, the road was not smooth and tragedy struck as they got closer to their destination:

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God (2 Samuel 6:6-7).

David was angry and offended that his sincere efforts had caused the death of one of the worshipers: "Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah" (2 Samuel 6:8). David went back to his kingly duties after that, but the incident weighed heavy on his mind as he wondered how something so right could have gone wrong so badly.

LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN

We then read in another book that David didn't forget about transporting the ark, but this time relied on more than sincerity to get the job done:

[David] said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord (1 Chronicle 13:12-15).

On his second attempt, David was not only sincere but was also accurate and thus he successfully brought the ark to its new home.

This reminds me of when a group of men and I started a business. We were sincere, we were zealous, we were prayerful—but the business ended in failure. Why? It's because I was trying to make money even though the business did not relate to my purpose (plus I was in partnership with some who were less than honest in their business dealings). God had to teach me to pay more attention to His voice and not just my bank account.

The good news is that I found my purpose from that failure and have been teaching others how to find theirs for more than 30 years. I learned, just like David did, and thus I was able like he was to move on from my mistake to do things the way God wanted them done. How about you? Are you still angry or sulking after your lesson that sincerity is not enough? Can you learn from the experience so you can act more in accordance with God's will and way for your life?

David obviously did his research after the death of his comrade who touched the ark. If like him you seek the Lord, which involves humbly accepting that God is moved by faith and not just by sincerity, then you'll be able to move on your error to serve and obey God more intelligently and accurately in a way that He is eager to bless. Have a blessed week!

Memo 1068: More Than Prayer

When David fought his last battles with the Philistines, we see a pattern of how he did business, so to speak, that brought him success and good fortune. What did he do? For that, you will have to read on, but it's worth the time, for it will reveal something that you can use as you rule from your own throne God has given you.

HE ASKED

What did David do before he went out into those battles? He asked the Lord's direction and God answered both requests. First we read,

David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands" (2 Samuel 5:19).

Notice in this instance that the Lord told David to go but didn't tell him how to go. He didn't give him a strategy but just the green light to proceed. The writer reported, "So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them" (2 Samuel 5:20). So far, so good.

Then the Philistines came a second time, and once again David went to the Lord:

David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer (2 Samuel 5:23-25).

This time the Lord not only gave David the green light, but He also gave him a specific strategy along with a signal he was to heed so he would know when it was time to attack. You may be reading and thinking at this point, "Of course, David prayed and God answered. What's so special about that? What is there in these stories that can help me?" Good questions indeed, which I will try to answer in this next part.

ON THE GO

When you come to the Lord for answers, you must have faith He will respond. I know many people who pray and that's a good thing, but prayer is their only practice. They don't really expect to hear and therefore aren't looking for a strategy to follow; they are simply putting in their prayer time. Their lives are devout but they lack fruit—fruit that can be measured in terms of people reached and things done. So the first lesson is to pray with a view toward action, not with a mindset that prayer is the main thing. It is not.

Then there are those who pray and want a specific answer for every step of the way. Sometimes God will reveal a unique plan and strategy and at other times, He simply instructs us to go and it will unfold as we go. But the key thing is that we must do our part, which is to go, and God will do His part, which is to break out against our enemies as we go.

For example, I never leave Africa before I have a return trip planned. I know God wants me there, so I don't have to pray about that. However, recently I sought him for a specific fundraising strategy that was something new I had never done before. There God gave me a strategy that unfolded over two weeks as I specifically sought Him for what to do and how to do it. In both instances, I had faith God was leading me, the one through my love for being in Africa and the other for a unique opportunity to help more people in multiple countries.

In both cases, David assumed he was to attack—that was a given. When God did not give him a strategy, he still went with the assurance God would reveal Himself in the battle. In the other case, God revealed Himself before the battle. Either way, David was in attack mode. God didn't have to direct him to go; He simply assured him he was on the right track and could count on His help.

Where are you waiting and praying when you should be going and praying? Where have you allowed prayer to become the only aspect of your action strategy instead of one part of it? Are you in attack mode or wait mode? Does God have to move you or are you moving, listening as you go. Prayer is vital but it is a means through which God will reveal His action plan for you. But if your only action is prayer, then you have a flawed strategy that will keep you on your knees but seldom keep you on your toes. Have a blessed week.

Memo 1067: Two Strikes, You're Out!

Does it seem like life is difficult that even a little progress is the result of tremendous effort, only to require more effort for the next step? Does it seem like you're constantly engaged in a battle? If so, then read on for our hero David could relate to your situation having been in the same one himself. Let's look at that dynamic of fighting for your spiritual ground in this week's Monday Memo.

ONE STRIKE

David had captured Jerusalem and was firmly established as the leader of all Israel, and one would think there would have been peace in the land. However, Israel's enemies, the Philistines, had something else in mind:

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.” So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off (2 Samuel 5:17-21).

David accepted the challenge the Philistines presented, sought the Lord, and engaged them in battle with the Lord's blessing.

This reminds me of the time in my own life when a person came to me and asked if they could deliver a word from the Lord. When I said of course, they said, "You will sow and sow and then sow some more, and just when you think you can't sow any more, you will be asked to sow some more!" I've often thought of that word as I have been asked to give and commit time and resources I didn't think or know I had to help others, often when my own needs were great or greater than theirs. In other words, I've had to be aggressive in my efforts to come into the blessing and position God had for me.

TWO STRIKES

Even though David defeated the Philistines in every encounter, that didn't stop them from trying one more time:

Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer (2 Samuel 5:22-25).

David could have prayed, "God, how much longer do I have to put up with this?" but as far as we know, he didn't say that. Instead, he kept fighting and fighting to come into the fullness of the blessing God had for him. 

Perhaps you are in same position David was in. You have a promise from God but it seems like the battle is never-ending to see it come to pass. Then let me remind you of what Paul wrote in his well-known passage about the armor of God: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13). The "day of evil" is on the calendar for every godly life, and you will have to put on the armor, do all you can do to sand, then stand some more. Proverbs says, "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small" (Proverbs 24:10 ESV).

The good news is after these two battles, the Philistines never showed up again. Two strikes and the Philistines were out. David had his breakthrough and was able to transition into his role as king. You may have to sow more than you ever thought you would or could. What's more, you may have to stand longer in your full armor to withstand forces that seek to defeat you and devour your inheritance in the Lord. However, the good news is that in the fullness of time, known only to the Lord, you too will be victorious just like David—if you don't give up. Have a blessed week.