R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - Divine Design

HGTV is one of my favorite stations. One of my favorite programs is, Divine Design with Candice Olsen. Candice is an interior designer who can take a home from blah and boring to wow and wonderful. The creativity she has and how she can see the finished product before she's even started, amazes me. Sometimes the room she has to work with has much to be desired. I love decorating too, but to be able to be creative on so many levels is truly a gift.

In the chapters 2-4 of 2 Chronicles, I would say is truly Divine Design. The passages talk about Solomon building God's temple in Jerusalem. As we have read, David wanted so much to build a place for God's presence to dwell, but God told David it was for his son to build. Partly because Israel was still fighting with some of the inhabitants of the land and they needed every man for battle. It took 70,000 men to be carriers and 80,000 men to be stone cutters and 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working. Imagine that construction project. They didn't even have Home Depot or Lowes to help.

In 2 Chronicles 2:5 &6 Solomon says, "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. ⁶ But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?" Solomon went all out for the Lord. The decor inside the temple was more spectacular than anyone could have ever imagined. Solomon had cedar brought in from Lebanon. The colors and precious metals of gold, silver and bronze were carefully selected. In the 21st Century when a 2,000 square foot house costs almost a million dollars, imagine what the market value on this grand temple would have been then. Just a few miles from where I live is one of the most expensive house in the U.S. It's located in Corona Del Mar and the house even has a name. Its called the Portabello because its roof looks like a mushroom cap, yet its built into the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. God's temple overlooked the whole city of Jerusalem.

A short time after this temple was built, it was destroyed. All that work and to lose it must have been devastating to Israel. Later it was rebuilt by Herod and even bigger this time. All in all, God only wants the best for His presence.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, we became the new dwelling place for God's Spirit. First Corinthians 6:19, Paul tells us that we now are God's temple and the place where His spirit dwells. Think about the work that it goes into building this temple. It all begins as Psalm 139:13-14 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are a wonder, I know that full well." He did his best work of design on mankind. The intricate detail that He put into us is amazing. With all the artificial organs and even cloning, I don't think man could ever have designed mankind the way God has. His plan was for us to live in a place of praise and wonderment of His glory.

Like the two temples that were built, we can destroy our bodies, not only physically, but with negative words, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment and evil talk. Especially what we as the Body of Christ can do to each other. I have to remember this is God's dwelling place and whatever I have or have done in my life that isn't pleasing to Him, I have to remove. Even in all of Solomon's splendor, nothing can compare to the beauty of the Lord. Solomon may have been a gifted designer, but God is truly the "Divine Designer."

R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - Smart Mouth or Wise Lips

"Don't give me any of your lip, don't be a smart aleck, or don't you talk to me with that smart mouth", are just a few of the sayings I was reminded of quite often growing up. These sayings are used when someone is disrespecting someone in authority or is used when someone is a "know-it-all." I can remember seeing classmates talk to teachers with that kind of attitude and could not believe they could get away with it.

As we are going through the life of Solomon, we see that in his early years he was a man of wise lips. Throughout Proverbs he uses the term foolish and wise or righteous in contrast to one another. I'd like to say a smart mouth is the foolish one and the wise lips is the righteous one.

A particular proverb that I try to live by is "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1) Thumper says it like this in the movie Bambi, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all." This is probably more familiar to most than King Solomon's saying.

What is it about the attitude in which we speak that can stir up anger. Unfortunately today because of so much written correspondence, for example email, the reader can get stirred up with anger because of a few words that did not translate well. Personally, I try to put a happy face at the end of many of my sentences so they don't get misinterpreted.

The first twelve verses in the book of James, chapter 3 talk about how dangerous the tongue can be. The book of James would probably be the New Testament's book of Proverbs. It too talks about wisdom and the foolishness of the tongue when it is not tamed. James 3:5 & 6 says "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

I ask you today to reflect a bit how you speak to others. Do you speak to others as though you are always right and that you know-it-all? Or, do you choose your words carefully? Proverbs 17:27 says "A man (woman) of knowledge (knowledge is knowing what God is doing) uses words with restraint, and a man (woman) of understanding (knowing what God wants you to do about it) is even-tempered." Don't be a smart mouth. Instead be a person of wise lips.

R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - In A Dream is a Wish

What is a wish? The dictionary defines it, "to want; desire." We find our daily reading this week in 1 Kings. The first two chapters we see the sibling rivalry between Adonijah and Solomon. A fight for the throne. Adonijah, decides for himself that he will become king over Israel. But, that was not the plan. Solomon was to become king. Instead, Adonijah's unwise aggressive action lead him down the road that lead to his death.

Solomon had grown up watching his father David lead Israel which had prepared him for the throne. But as soon as Solomon took that position, he cleaned house, doing away with many of his father's leaders. This way he could start from scratch. He knew the responsibility of this position was great and it was going to take much more than being a warrior and wealthy.

In 1 Kings 3, Solomon has married the daughter of Pharaoh in Egypt. This little compromise was Solomon's flaw. He kept every statute that his father kept, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense in the surrounding hills of Jerusalem rather than at the tabernacle. One day, Solomon went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices. It was there the Lord appeared in a dream to Solomon, instead of while he was awake and offering his sacrifice. God did not agree with his sacrifices so instead came to him in a dream. In verse 4, the scripture says that God said to Solomon, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

This was Solomon's response beginning with verse 6, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and rigteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 Now , O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen , a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distingquish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" I'm sure Solomon was feeling heavy with the weight he now had to carry.

The Lord was pleased with what Solomon had asked for. Verse 11 God said, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for - both riches and honor - so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statues and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." Even though Solomon's sacrifices weren't pure to the Lord, his desire was and even more, Solomon was humble. The Lord honored that by giving him wisdom. Solomon was known all over the world for his wisdom. The benefit of this desire was great wealth and a long life. Then verse 15 says, "Then solomon awoke - and he realized it had been a dream." (1 Kings 3:11-15)

Last summer we did our study in Proverbs, the book of wisdom that Solomon wrote. In that we discovered that wisdom is not "what" but "who". Who is wisdom? Jesus. When Jesus is our desire, we now have a greater wisdom than even Solomon. The attributes of wisdom are knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is what Jesus is doing and has done. When we ask the Lord to help us make decisions, much like Solomon had to do when the two prostitutes came to him with their issue, it is the Holy Spirit that lives in us, who helps us to discern what is right and wrong. (1 Kings 3:16-28) Wisdom gives us understanding, which is knowing what Jesus wants you to do. Proverbs 2:10 & 11 says "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you."

Unlike Solomon, maybe the Lord has not appeared to you in a dream and asked you what you wish. Instead, He gives us the opportunity to ask for wisdom, Jesus, while we are awake and concious. The promise of wisdom is a long life. The promise of Jesus is eternal life. With Jesus not only do we receive wisdom, which leads to prosperity and health, but also we have power and victory over death.

R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - Help Wanted

This past week as I've been reading 1Chronicles, David is now coming to the end of his life and giving instructions to his son, Solomon. He is helping Solomon with organizing his government officials as well as religious leaders. He is laying out the plans for the building of the temple. David's desire throughout his life was to build the temple for God's presence to dwell. Knowing that he would never see it come to pass, he wanted to make sure Solomon understood each detail and that it required participation. It was important for the Levites to partner with Solomon. I believe it was to give the Levites a sense of ownership, since it was their tribe who looked after the tabernacle. Unlike other kingdoms in the land that were built using slaves, this was a "family" project. When people work together on a project, it creates a unity and a connectedness. When people are called to a task with the same goal in mind, there is a natural bond that happens. It's like going on a retreat or to camp. At the beginning, you barely know your roommates and by the end it's hard to say goodbye because of the experiences you have shared have connected you spiritually.

First Chronicles 23 begins with this, "When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. ² He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. ³ The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the LORD and six thousand are to be officials and judges. ⁵ Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose." (1 Chronicles 23:1-5)

That is a pretty large group of people just from the tribe of Levi that David is hiring to get the job done. This prompted something in my heart in regards to our participation in the body of Christ. Today many attend Church, but never participate in the community. Many Believer's live isolated and do their relationship with the Lord their way and in doing so, eventually walk away because they don't feel connected to the body of Believers. 1 Corintians 6:19 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price, therefore honor God with your body." If it took thirty-eight thousand men to work on building the temple of the Lord, then why do we, who now are a temple for the Holy Spirit, live our lives alone? Notice too that each had a specific job to do.

As we begin reading the Proverbs that Solomon wrote, we will see the importance of having advisers. Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." I see so many times as people are in their journey, they refuse to include others in on their process. God's plan for us is that we would become more like Jesus and in doing so, it requires others to help chisel away the rough places in our lives. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Today I would ask that you take some time to evaluate your life. Who partners with you in your journey? Who do you partner with in their journey? Are you committed to the building of the Body of Christ that the Lord has placed you in? Or do you just show up because you live your Christian life your way? Be truthful with yourself. This is between you and God, yet His plan is that you would be connected. He said in the very begining, "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18) Adam already had a relationship with God, but God knew Adam needed more. Living a life as a follower of Jesus requires help. Always keep your "Help Wanted" sign posted so you don't miss out on any relationship that God brings your way that will lead you to become all God intended you to be.

R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - Bones to Pick

"A bone to pick" is an expression often used when there is a disagreement or dispute that needs to be settled. That was the first thing that came to my mind reading this passage in 2 Samuel. The passage reads:

1 There was a famine during David’s reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the Lord about it. And the Lord said, “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites.”

2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out. 3 David asked them, “What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the Lord’s people again?”

4 “Well, money can’t settle this matter between us and the family of Saul,” the Gibeonites replied. “Neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel.”

“What can I do then?” David asked. “Just tell me and I will do it for you.”

5 Then they replied, “It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in the territory of Israel. 6 So let seven of Saul’s sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.”

“All right,” the king said, “I will do it.” 7 The king spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth,who was Saul’s grandson, because of the oath David and Jonathan had sworn before the Lord. 8 But he gave them Saul’s two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah. 9 The men of Gibeon executed them on the mountain before the Lord. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.

10 Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the mother of two of the men, spread burlap on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented the scavenger birds from tearing at their bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night. 11 When David learned what Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12 he went to the people of Jabesh-gilead and retrieved the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. (When the Philistines had killed Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa, the people of Jabesh-gilead stole their bodies from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them.) 13 So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.

14 Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land. 2 Samuel 21:1-14 (New Living Translation)

In reading this passage, David and all of Israel is facing a season of famine. After three years, he finally decides to go to God. When he finds out it was from something that had happened during Saul's reign, he goes to make amends. He recovers Saul's and Jonathan's bones and puts them where they belong, in the tomb of his father. The place where the dead belong, buried. But not just in any tomb, the place where he should have been buried all along. The scriptures says that after all that was done, God ended the famine.

What I am trying to point out here is, how often do we neglect something that we should have dealt with when "it" was alive? Saul was supposed to give the Gibeonites some land, but instead his "flesh" got in the way and he decided to try and kill them off. Not part of God's plan. There was now a "curse" not only on Saul's family, but on the Israelites too because Saul did not follow God's direction.

When we make mistakes and make choices out of God's will, could this possibly bring a "curse" on our lives? (I think I've seen too many "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.) I see people all the time forfeit a life of blessing because they refuse to "bury" the bones of the past. They refuse to settle that dispute in their heart and it leads them to a spiritual famine. Often times, others pay for our disobedience to the Lord, especially our family members. It says, in this case, it was seven of Saul's sons. Not to mention Rizpah who was a "family member" who grieved this loss. She guarded the bodies to make sure they stayed in tact.

Rizpah is like the loved ones in our lives who suffer from mistakes that we make. Personally, I know of people who carry around "unburied bones" of other family members that have been dead for years. It's a generational curse. It then becomes apart of the heritage of the family. Not something to be proud of. It brings a weariness and a lack of blessing. And they wonder why they can't seem to get that break through the need.

The scripture says that when David finally put Saul's and Jonathan's bones in the tomb of Saul's father, Kish, the "curse" lifted. The famine ended. We too need to bury those "bones" from our past. When we do we end the famine in our spirit. This gives us more opportunity for blessings to come.

John 10:10 says that Jesus came to give us "life" and "life" more abundantly. Not "death" more abundantly, LIFE. Jesus didn't leave any "bones" in his tomb, therefore, we shouldn't leave any bones in the "temple" where His Spirit dwells, which is in us.

Take sometime to examine your life. Have you been living in a spiritual famine? How long has it been? David waited three years to ask God. Have you asked God why and what is causing the famine? What bones are laying around that keep you from living in abundant life?

R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - Time Life Presents: The Psalms

Does this sound familiar? "Enjoy 150 greatest hits all in one collection. The best of the 1440's - 580's B.C. Original songs as written by Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph and that ever so talented group, Sons of Korah." Sounds like some late night infomercial doesn't it?

Actually, the truth is, the book of Psalms is the greatest collection of worship ever written. We know that songs are poetry set to music. Over the last two weeks, the Psalms has been included in our chronological study of the Bible. We know David was a musician and he wrote poetry. David was probably the King of Worship (today we label artists, the king of pop, king of rock, etc.) if there had been a label. He wrote most of the Psalms. David definitely wrote from the emotion of his heart. There are Psalms of joy and victory as well as songs of confession or a broken heart. Much like music today. It's interesting that most of David's life, he spent fighting some kind of battle. Whether is was with another nation or within his own family, poetry was his expression of the situation. He was an emotional man.

Rarely do we ever think about the Psalms being set to music. Yet often when I read them, familiar worship songs come to mind. For example Psalm 84:1&2 "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God." Do you recognize those lyrics? That song we sing today was written by the Sons of Korah. Or maybe you go way back to Psalm 8:9, originally written by David, that says, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Whose well-know voice suddenly shows up in your head? Sandi Patty maybe? A popular one we sing today is Psalm 106:1 and Psalm 107:1 & Psalm 136, which the author is anonymous says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Today, Chris Tomlin has taken this Psalm and set it to music that can be appreciated in our generation. I sometimes think that the harp David played was similar to music artists today who pick around on their guitars. Can you just imagine David sitting in his room on the edge of his bed, writing what he was feeling at the moment. I wonder if that is why in some of the Psalms he mentions his bed. Psalm 149:5 "Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds."

How many times can I go to the Psalms and find a song that meets me right where I am. Much like listening to the soft rock radio station that plays oldies. Maybe I haven't heard a song in years, but instantly it can take me back to a place and an emotion I felt. I believe that is God's purpose for this collection of worship. He was there when they were written and He wants to share them with us today. He wants to let us know that David had the same emotions then as we do now and experienced the same struggles and victories that we do today. I once heard that the reason there isn't any music to go with the Psalms is because God wants us to make the music relevant to us in our time of life, because the word of God's lasts forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

Today, God has given us song writers today who write music that is God inspired. But many of these songwriters go back to the Word of God and set new music to old words. These words that stand the test of time and can still speak life into our spirit. Take some time each day to read from this collection of God's greatest hits. The Psalms say the right thing, at the right time in your life.

R.E.A.L. Women Devotional - Coming Clean

I'm going to segway this week to the Psalms. I have been reading "The Narrated Bible" this time through and this past week was the story of David and Bathsheba. This is where Psalm 51 is inserted as it is David's prayer of repentance to the Lord for his sin. Something that always is highlighted for me in this passage is the issue of a "clean heart". Since we are at the beginning of spring, spring cleaning is on my mind. Especially under the current circumstances. It seems that I am cleaning the house more often. You see, the owner of our home is selling the house we live in and in doing so, people are coming through to look at it. What is really difficult for me is that I have never met these people and yet they are looking into the most private places, my closets.

The other day as a man was looking in my closet of personal things, it made me so self conscious of what he might find. This got me thinking about my heart.

David comes clean with God in Psalm 51. He was cleaning the closet of his heart. It begins like this, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Verse 7 continues with "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Verse 10 says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me." The New Living Translation says it like this, "Create a in me a clean heart, O God and renew a loyal spirit in me." I like the words used in that translation.

David knew what he had done was wrong. Transgressions and iniquities are like the things we stash away in our closets that we can't seem to throw away. Transgressions are the wounds that happen when others impose their sin on us. Iniquities resemble that of a bruise, bleeding on the inside. The things we stash that are sinful acts that we hide from others that we never let go of. The hyssop that David mentions is what the Israelites used in Egypt to spread the blood of the lamb over the door frames so when the Lord passed over them they would not be struck down like the first born of the Egyptians. This was the symbol of freedom because it was after this Pharaoh let them go. They were finally set free from the bondage of Egypt. If we as Believer's today live by our spirit then Egypt would be like our flesh. David was so ridden with shame that the only way to be free from the bondage of sin was to confess. He knew only the blood could wash him white as snow. Because of the death of Jesus, his blood now covers us and washes us white as snow.

Much like these strangers who are looking in my closets, seeing my most personal items and even the condition I keep my closets in, I'm more eager to clean them out. What kind of person do I look like to them because of what is in my closet? If a stranger could look into my heart's closets, what would they see? Would they see shame, anger, bitterness, hate, unforgiveness, etc or would they see a woman who has the word of God hidden in my heart? You know in Deuteronomy, God says that is the only thing we are supposed to hide in our heart. Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

I know I have things stashed away in my heart that don't belong there. Those things don't stay hidden for long. Jesus said in Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." No matter what, the things in our heart will be exposed by what we say.

Today, I ask you to come clean with yourself. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your "Mr. Clean" and ask him to help you throw away those things that are stashed away and hidden that are not good. The things that even though you think are hidden, yet are what you talk about often. Open up those closets in your heart that carry bitterness, anger, hurt, guilt, shame, unforgiveness, etc. Do this, write down those things that you have stashed away on a piece of paper. Be sure to forgive others as well as yourself. Pray over them. Tear them up and place them in a trash bag and throw them away to never be picked up again. If we would do this regularly, we wouldn't live such heavy lives.

Coming clean comes at a price. Are you willing to let go of the junk that is cluttering your life? Or have you chosen to keep your heart cluttered with junk? Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. Think of him like the Salvation Army, take your stuff to him and leave it there.