2 Samuel 22:1-20 is an amazing chapter.

I know that we have heard many times about who God says He is in the Bible, and we have heard many times about what God has said we are.  But really ask yourself, do you really believe you are what God says you are?  What do you believe you are?

I am going to share 2 Samuel 22:1-20 with you, and I am going to break it down into different sections to get you thinking more.  This is a chapter, a song from King David.  King David did a lot of running from his physical enemies.  But when you read "enemies," think of spiritual enemies, forces of darkness.  Unless you are like David and are really running from physical enemies.

—————— Who God is to us (vs 2-4) ———————

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold and my refuge,

my savior; you save me from violence.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

————— Our distress and cry to God (vs 5-7) ————–

For the waves of death encompassed me,

the torrents of desctruction (destruction = Belial = the Devil) assailed me;

the cords of Sheol (Sheol = death) entagled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;

to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry came to his ears.

————– God's response to our enemies (vs 8-16) —————

Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations of the heavens trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

He rode on a cherub and flew;

he was seen on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness around him his canopy,

thick clouds, a gathering of water.

Out of the brightness before him

coals of fire flamed forth.

The LORD thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice.

And he sent out arrows and scattered them;

lightning, and routed (routed = confused) them.

Then the channels of the sea were seen;

the foundations of the world were laid bare,

at the rebuke of the LORD,

at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

—————— God's response to us (vs 17-20) —————–

He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Yes, God delights in you!

You are a new creation!  You are His saint!  You are His righteousness! You are no longer a slave to sin!  You are free!  You are good!  You are alive!  You are the apple of His eye!  You are His, and He delights in  you!

Life really is amazing.  It really is.

God has been teaching me a lot.  He's always teaching me a lot actually.  That's part of what this blog is about, to share with you what God has been teaching me while I journey through life.

But I can say that life is amazing.  No matter what is going on, life is amazing, even when life seems to actually be sucking.  And it's amazing because God is sovereign.  God rules all!  God controls all!  That actually to me is a comfort.  Because I have the ability to make my own choices.  Sometimes I can make really good choices, and sometimes I can make really bad choices.  But I still believe that God is in complete control.  I believe that nothing happens at all unless God has approved it.  God has a plan.  He has a plan and He has a purpose for everyone.  And God's Will will be done!

So when there is a situation that is out of my control and I can't make choices to affect it, I really just have to trust in God.  I have to trust in God anyway, no matter what.  But I will admit to worrying a lot when there is a situation that I do not have control of.  I worry because I don't know what the outcome is going to be and I fear that it's going to be what I don't want it to be.  But it's in those times that by trusting in God, I can worry not.  Because God is in control.  He has a plan.  His Will will be done.

I believe that God wants what's best for us.  The thing is to have faith.  We, or at least I, so often don't think that God know's what's best for us, or wants what's best for us sometimes.  Or maybe sometimes we think we know what's best for us, or think that what God says is best for us really isn't.  That's so foolish I think!  God is God.  He loves us.  He loves you!  He wants what's best for us.  But He is sovereign.  Sometimes what's best for us really hurts.  But God is in control.

So I can say, life is good because God is sovereign!

Maybe you need food, clothes, shoes, a car ride, a place to live. Maybe you just need a friend or a mentor.

Maybe you don’t know what you need, but you know you need something… like perhaps a real relationship with God?

Or maybe you just need prayer for something.

If you need anything at all, I encourage you to contact me and let me know.

It costs you nothing.

It doesn’t matter where you live.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

You don’t have to be a Christian to recieve help. But do know that I do this because there is a God who loves you, and because I love you.

-Joshua

What is the point in paying for this website if I don't ever use it?  Not that I don't ever use it.. I do.  But I want to use it more I guess.

Anyway….

I have been thinking a lot about love lately.  Actually I have been thinking a lot about a lot of things, as I feel like kinda a lot of things have been happening lately.  And to be honest, I haven't been doing too well with all of it.  Life lately has sure had it's ups and downs.  And the downs can seem so down and long.  Ugh.

But going back to love.  Love is it, isn't it?  Isn't what we live for to love?  I mean, we were created to be loved and to love.  Yes, we were created for relationships, but relationships happen because of love.  God created us, and He loves us.  And we need His love.  And He created us to love Him too.  And then He said to love each other.

I could whip out a ton of verses on love.  But I'm not going to.  I think that most people who are reading this have probably read and/or heard numerous times a lot of scripture that talks about love.

All I want to do here in this blog post I guess is remind myself, and remind others, that it's all about love.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole hearts, with all of who we are.  And the second greatest is to love others.  Everything wraps around that.  And then the Apostle Paul talks about how nothing is worth it unless it's done with love.  Otherwise, it's just a waste of time and useless.

I say I need to be reminded of this because I don't think I have been doing a good job at this lately.  I'm pretty selfish.

Actually, just yesterday and today mostly, I came to the realization that I really want power.  And comfort.  And a lot of what I do is actually to try and gain more power and be more comfortable.  It's not done out of love.  Or, maybe it is done out of love… love for myself above all other things, which is also wrong.

One scripture passage that I will whip out at you is Ephesians 3:14-19.  It reads, "14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

That has been my prayer.  I want to to be strengthened in my inner being by the power of the Holy Spirit to comprehend more and more the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ.  I want that so that I may also fall deeper in love with Jesus.  And I pray and hope that as I know that I am loved, and as I love, I will be filled with all the fullness of God.  Oh I so want this!  That's what life is about.

Anyone care to disagree?

I could die right now.

You could die right now.

People die all the time.  Seriously.  You could be driving and you might be an excellent driver, but it doesn't mean someone else won't run a red light and hit you.  You never know!  Anything could happen.

The interesting thing is we think we are going to live forever.  Or at least, that's how we live our lives.  Now, for those of us who are in love with Jesus and are Christ followers, we will live forever with Christ.  But while on this earth, we will not live forever.  The Bible says that God is who He is.  He does whatever He wants.  He takes life, and He gives life.  Who's to say He won't take your life now?  And we have no right to question God in any of this.  We have no right to say He is not just, when He Himself created justification in the first place.

The Bible also says that we are created to glorify God.  Life's story is not about us.  Life's story is all about God.  Go read the Bible.  From the beginning in Genesis to the very end in Revelation, everything is centered on God.  Everything is to worship God.  Everything is to Glorify God.  Life is all about God.  But we, and I, often forget that on a daily basis, and continue to go on living life like Life's story is about us.

So I really am thinking now about how selfish I have been living life.  I have realized this time and time again actually.  I work for me.  I am going to school for Networking for me.  I am trying to pursue a girl for me.  Honestly, even the majority of the ministry that I do is selfish.  I am not saying that doing these things are bad.  We have to do them.  I'm just saying that my motive has mostly been all me.  For my glory.  Not for God's glory.  The Bible says to do everything that we do for God's glory.

So if I were to die right now, I don't think I would be very proud of what I have done.  Sure, I have done lots of good things.  Lots of people do lots of good thing.  I'm sure that I have impacted lives in a good way.  But my motive has not been for God's glory.  That's the thing!

Honestly, I am afraid to step out and live life completely for God and for His glory.  I have fears that if I do, I will lose my job, get kicked out of school, get persecuted.  Because I don't want those things to happen.  Because I want to live life comfortably.  For me.  Because I think life is all about me.

I go to work, but say nothing or do nothing to tell them about Christ and His love and His Life.  I go to school, but say nothing and do nothing to people there about Christ and His love and His Life.  I go to the store, to a coffee shop, to the movie house, whever I go, and 99% of the time do not tell or show anybody about the love of Christ and His Life.  And I don't do or say anything about Christ because, again, I forget that life is about God, and not me.

So my prayer is that right now, starting today, I will begin to not forget that death could happen to me at any moment, and that life is all about God and His glory.  My prayer is that God will change and transform my heart and I really will begin to do everything that I do for God's glory, whatever that means.  Maybe if I realized that life was all about God and not me, I wouldn't fear as much.  Just a thought.

How are you living life?