Mighty People

March 6, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

I was reading King David’s list of Mighty Men. Many theologians believe that the names that appear in 2 Samuel 23 was the list and descriptions that David wrote himself. He was not threatened to have such competent and gifted people around him. Those leaders challenged David to lead at a higher level.

In the spirit of this list, I was thinking about my own list of Mighty Men (and Women). These are some of the incredibly gifted and highly competent people who surround me and help me do more than I could have done on my own. David listed his “Big Three” first, and then the rest of the names in no particular order of importance. I, too, list my Big Three first, and then the rest of my Mighty People in no special order.

Jesus – my Master; as I’ve gotten to know Him better through the years He becomes a closer and closer Friend.
Betsy – my helpmate and very best friend.
Bubba – my covenant brother, like Jonathan was to David.
My parents – incredible counselors, godly examples.
Tom & Pinky – fearsome fellow warriors.
Dick Jr. – sharpening my iron more than anyone else can.
T.J. – armor-bearers don’t come any stronger or any more valiant.
C-Dog – one of the wisest, kindest people I know.
Steve & Keri – faithful, dependable, Spirit-led prayer warriors.
Dave & Jessica – ready for anything at anytime.
Bob & Pat and Stan & Clara – mature Christians who are still young at heart and so forward-looking.
Sister Warnick – always seeing more in me than I can see myself.
Barney – personifies all of the reasons why I do what I do, a trophy of God’s grace.
Jim – a fellow shepherd whose hindsight and insight give me foresight.
Hank – years of wisdom continually poured into my life.
Aaron – growing like Timothy, destined to be a world-changer.

To my Mighty Men & Women I say, “Thanks!”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , . 7 Comments »

Giant Killers

March 2, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Multiple choice quiz: with which of the following biblical characters are you familiar?

(a) David son of Jesse.
(b) Abishai son of Zeruiah.
(c) Sibecai the Hushathite.
(d) Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim.
(e) Jonathan son of Shimeah.

Honestly, now, how did you do? I’m guessing you at least got (a) since David is probably the best known king of Israel. But what about the other guys? Have you ever heard of them before?

Do you know what they all have in common? They are all a part of King David’s inner circle, and they are all giant killers.

Isn’t it interesting how like attracts like? David became the original giant killer when he killed Goliath. Abishai, Sibecai, Elhanan, and Jonathan were probably attracted to David because of his bravery, because of the stories they had heard of his victory over Goliath. But then something starts to stir inside of these men—they want to emulate David, they want to be giant killers too.

So here are the questions I’m asking myself today:
(a) Have I won any victories that would attract other “warriors” to me?
(b) Is what I’m doing today something I would want those closest to me to emulate?
(c) Are there some giants still hanging around that I need to defeat?

You can find out a lot about the significance of the victories you have won by who’s attracted to you, and by who’s imitating your lifestyle.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Are You A Trustworthy “Enemy”?

January 28, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, right? Wrong—words hurt!

At times you may think, “Well, I may have deserved that one.” Perhaps you did or said something inappropriate, and the other person responded out of their anger or frustration or embarrassment. But what about when you’ve done nothing wrong? Those sharp, wounding words seem to come out of the clear blue, from someone you never would have expected to be so hateful—angry, spiteful words deliberately hurled at you like stones.

David was forced to hide in Philistine territory to get away from Israelite King Saul. This was smart on David’s part because the Philistines had been ancient enemies of the Israelites, so Saul would never cross into Philistine territory to look for David. David asked King Achish for refuge in his territory, and Achish gave him the city of Ziklag in which to settle.

There’s a cliché that says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Achish was Saul’s enemy, so David could have assumed that Achish was his friend (the enemy of David’s enemy).

But here’s the important point—David didn’t consider Saul his enemy. Saul may have thought David was his enemy, but David didn’t reciprocate. David didn’t treat Saul as an enemy, but neither did David treat Achish as a friend.

Yet the Bible records an amazing statement: Achish trusted David (1 Samuel 27:12). Neither Saul nor Achish could ever claim that David slandered them, maligned their character, or did them any harm at all.

How could David do this? How could he keep from lashing out at the one who hurled insults at him (Saul) or the one who was his ancient foe (Achish)? David asked God to help him—

Fierce men conspire against me for no offence or sin of mine, O Lord.
I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight! (Psalm 59:3-4)

I see three great life applications when you are wrongly attacked or slandered:

  1. Don’t treat those who criticize and slander you as an enemy.
  2. Don’t find the enemy of your enemy and call him a friend.
  3. Do acknowledge your hurts and take them to God.

You don’t have to befriend your foes, but neither do you need to lash out at those who are falsely attacking you. Let God arise to help you, and may even your enemies find you trustworthy!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Piling On!

January 26, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

It just wasn’t going very well for David!

His boss, Saul, was jealous of him and was trying to kill him.
He had to leave his best friend behind when he ran for his life.
And his wife.
And his Mom & Dad.
And his brothers.
And his pastor.
Then his best friend is almost killed for standing up for David.

So David runs to enemy territory. After all “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” right?

Um, not so much! The king of Gath was Saul’s enemy, but he wasn’t too fond of David either. How does David get out of this one? He starts drooling like an idiot, clawing weird symbols on the wooden doors and acting like a madman!

David runs away from Gath to Adullam Cave, which then quickly becomes the gathering spot for every distressed, bankrupt malcontent in the country. Some following David had!

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, where nothing is going right, and everywhere you turn is simply more trouble—out of the frying pan and into the fire! The problems just seem to keep piling on!

Yet there in Adullam Cave, David pens some of the most profound words. Read them carefully, and note the progression:

I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. (Psalm 34:1-3)

Notice how David chooses to praise God as an act of his will—I will extol the Lord… I will praise Him with my lips.

And then this act of his will gets into his soul (his emotions), and as a result, the other distressed, bankrupt malcontents begin to see something different in David. He doesn’t break down when the problems pile on; he praises God!

And then these malcontents begin to glorify the Lord with David; they begin to exalt His name together.

Friends, how you choose to respond when the problems pile on is vital. Yes, misery loves company. If you are feeling miserable, other miserable people will flock to you. Don’t use this group to have a pity party, but see it as an incredible opportunity to use your will to praise God.

Remember, feelings follow actions. You may not feel like praising God because the problems are piled on so high, but when you act the feelings will follow. David went from “I will” to “my soul” in just one verse! And the same thing will happen for you too!

A distressed, malcontented world is watching you—what will you do when your problems pile on?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments »

The Jonathan Experience

January 22, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

David tried to do the right thing.

His countrymen were under attack from their archenemies. David prayed, and God told him to go rescue his countrymen. But when David called his loyal teammates together, they weren’t as enthusiastic about this plan as David was. This must have made David second-guess if he heard from God correctly, so he prayed again. Once again God confirmed, “Go fight the bad guys.”

They fought, and God gave them the victory. And the newly-rescued town hailed their deliverer as a hero. They invited him into their town and gave him the best meal, the best place to stay, and the highest honors they could give. But people are extremely fickle. They heard there was a reward out for David, and they thought the money was worth more than this hero’s presence in their town, so they conspired to turn him in.

David prayed again, asking God’s guidance. God said, “Yes, it’s true, they are going to turn you in. Time to run!”

So David ran. Ran for his life. Day after day after day after lonely day David ran through the desert, dodging the men seeking his life. As you might expect, David got tired, his men became discouraged and probably started to grumble. David thought to himself, “I’ve only tried to do the right thing. I haven’t harmed anyone, in fact, I’ve liberated oppressed people. This shouldn’t be happening to me.”

David—the almost-constant pray-er—didn’t pray. It stands out so starkly compared to his previous pattern. Whenever he was in a tough spot, or needed guidance, or even needed reassurance, David prayed. But not here in the desert, on the run, pursued by a relentless foe, surrounded by grumbling “friends.” No, he just retreated from the field of victory, from the fickle crowds, from his enemies… and from his God.

And then these great words appear in the narrative: “Jonathan went to find David.”

Jonathan, David’s covenant friend, didn’t sympathize and say, “You have every right to be upset.” He didn’t counsel David to attack his pursuing enemy. Jonathan didn’t tell David, “If I were you here’s what I would do.”

“Jonathan helped David find strength in God.”

What a friend! No pep talks … no crying on shoulders … no strategy sessions. Jonathan helped David get back to what his typical lifestyle had been—find his strength, his guidance, his encouragement in his God.

“Firm, graceful, loving, faith-building friendships can change the world.” —Craig T. Owens

I am so very blessed to have “Jonathans” in my life. They have shown up in my deserts at just the right time and helped me find strength in my God—helped me get back to my roots.

I pray you have a Jonathan or two (or three!) in your life. They are extremely rare people, so diligently nourish those relationships. And even more, I pray that you will be a Jonathan to a friend who is on the run.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments »

The Village That Wasn’t There… Yet

November 27, 2008 — Craig T. Owens

In my devotional time I am studying the life and leadership of Joshua. This morning I was beginning to read the sleep-inducing list of boundaries and towns that were assigned to each of the Israelite tribes (Joshua 15). I read the description of the territory for the tribe of Judah, and I must admit that I sorta glossed over the names of all of the towns. I got to the last verse and was ready to move on, and then it hit me.

As a pastor I’m always thinking ahead to my next series of messages, and currently I’ve been thinking about our Christmas series. So all of a sudden it jumped out at me — something I didn’t read in that list of towns. I went back and re-read the list a little more slowly this time. Nope, still not there. I looked a third time at all 38 cities: still missing. There are a couple of very notable figures that dominate the Old and New Testaments, and they have something in common — King David and Jesus both come from the tribe of Judah. And both of them were born in Bethlehem.

But in the list of towns in Judah’s territory, there is absolutely no mention of Bethlehem.

This town either didn’t exist, or it was so “insignificant” that Joshua didn’t even think to mention it. It would be almost another 500 years before David would be born in Bethlehem, and then another 900 years or so after that before Jesus would be born in this tiny village.

God had in mind for the greatest earthly king in Israel’s history and the King of all kings to come from such humble origins… from a village that didn’t even make the list. On this Thanksgiving Day, I’m grateful to belong to a God who has time after time made a “Bethlehem” for me at just the right moment!

My friend, if you are facing a difficult situation today, know that God already has the answer. He already has a Bethlehem prepared for you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment »
Newer posts »