Before The Day

The mystery of God’s plan to bring all people together has been revealed in Jesus Christ. The message will spread as we remember our relationship with our Creator and maintain the right perspective that He alone is King. 

“Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel…Just then Saul was returning from the fields…What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said. When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger…the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one…during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them…the Lord has rescued Israel…all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord.”

1 Samuel 11:1-15

We all have a breaking point. What’s remarkable is to consider the amount of pain we will live with each day before turning to God. People of Israel, actually considered whether or not to blind their own eyes and surrender rather than fight the evil that came against them. Are there any areas in your life where you have agreed with the enemy and just learn to live with less than the holy life God has for you? 

Something remarkable happens when the spirit of God comes upon us. We are able to participate in God’s plan. It only takes one person full of a spirit to do God’s work and bring help deliver others. When the people fear the Lord more than the enemies, they faced, they came together as one. How does that relate to us? 

What lessons could we learn from this story about how a person could be impactful by being spirit led? What lesson could we learn about the importance of bringing unity rather than division? The enemy wants nothing more than to isolate you and get you to accept surrendering to fear and blindness.  

“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.” Psalms 97:1-12

David was an earthly king, but he knew that he was not the one in charge. He had great power, but his power paled in comparison to the power of the Almighty. David gives two key insights into how to be righteous. Jesus came to set things right for us. Righteousness is more than just following rules. Righteousness brings restoration and is a result of right relationship with Him. Righteousness elevates God and eliminates evil. 

When David acknowledges God as the righteous king, he also commands us to hate evil. If you think about the passage in Samuel and David’s call to hate evil, you can see that God does not want you to just allow anything and everything into your life. There is a pursuit of holiness that he has for us because we are called to be holy as He is holy. Where have you allowed for evil rather than eliminating it? How could inviting more of God’s presence help purify your heart and prepare for more of his power? Saul was empowered by the spirit and so should we be each day. 

David sings of exalting God. He sings of the light of God shining in our hearts and the joy of God shaping our lives.  Paul said the same thing when he said, be rooted in God’s love let the light of Christ light up your life. We were meant to radiate love to the world out of love we have received. Think about how you feel when you’re afraid. David says not only should you not be anxious, but you should be full of the joy of the Lord, knowing that nothing compares with the power of God. How could you elevate, praise, and rejoice in God through whatever trials are tough times you’re facing? Have you allowed the joy of the Lord to become your strength? 

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come…Remember him before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered…and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it…here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment”Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

Solomon spent his life pursuing wisdom and he takes us to the pinnacle of the mountain, the highest point that he climbed. When given the chance to sum up all the collective wisdom he had attained, the summation of all his learning is that it is best to fear God and keep his commandments. He was saying that your perspective matters. Understanding God's power and authority matters. Seeing that there is a bigger purpose and a mysterious plan that is unfolding matters. His Word and His ways matter. What does fearing God and keeping His commandments mean to you? How might it be different than what else you have learned in life?

The question is not if but when. One day we all will stand before the Lord, and he will judge our deeds.  In Christ, we should have no fear of this day but naturally there could be some trepidation. Solomon says remember him before. Is that our order of operations? Do we not often turn to God after? After we were in the middle of a hard time, after we get a bad diagnosis, after we are in trouble, after we don’t see any way out. Help me Jesus is the most common prayer in the world.  

What would happen if we stepped into the before? What if we started every day by listening and applying Jesus words to seek first the kingdom of God. What if we were strengthened by the spirit before we approached the start of each day? How could that help strengthen us so that we were not riding the ups and downs of the chaos of the world we live in? Jesus wants to calm the seas and steady your ship. He wants to help you see that we are part of His Story and His Plans will prevail. What if we started each day by proclaiming the power of God and inviting Him to help us participate in bringing about His redemptive plan through us? 

“A day of the Lord is coming…the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow…The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord…all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty…On that day Holy to the Lord will be inscribed”

Zechariah 14:1, 5-21

The world around us can seem like complete chaos, but we have a Creator who will be anointed King of our hearts. God is a God of order not disorder. He speaks and mountains move, water separates, and light shines. When He speaks light will come and living water will flow. The text says the Lord will be King over all the earth and He will be worshipped. The Bible says one day every knee will bow. This passage was written along before Jesus and points to a different kingdom. 

The question is what part do you play?  How can you participate in the bigger picture of God’s plan of redemption and restoration? The enemy wants you to think you do not have anything to give. He wants to undercut your identity and let fear steal your strength. Do not let him. Hate evil and hold on to the hope you have in Christ. In our culture we like to mass produce products, but the miracle occurs in the individual life that is changed by love. Jesus meets each person one at a time and wants to use you to help someone today.

“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land…in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished…So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.””

Revelation 10:1-11 

Ask yourself why the angel gave John the scroll to eat? Why was it both sweet and sour? It tasted sweet to his mouth that turns sour in his stomach. How does that relate to us at all? 

God’s truth reveals His love, gives hope, promises salvation, and reminds us that evil will not win. There is sweet and sour. Sour because truth also tells us this world is broken and we will see sin, rebellion, suffering, and injustice. 

Sweet because Christ saves, bitter because not everyone right now is willing to surrender their hearts to Jesus. Sweet because God is faithful, powerful, and righteous, bitter because we can all fail to give God the glory and worship Him fully. Sweet because of the promise of redemption, bitter because the day of judgment is real. 

The transformational moment comes when we are awaken to the truth that we are called to participate. We have a part to play as we internalize the word of God and then externally share it with others. The story is not over, the last day has not come, and there is work to be done. Like Saul we can be empowered by the Spirit to help deliver others by sharing the love of Christ with the strengths and resources we steward. So don’t delay. Seek first the kingdom and remember your Creator before the silver chord is broken. Jesus into every moment before during and at the end of each day. More have his presence means more power in your life. Lift up His Holy name in praise, pursue His Holiness and you will see victory in every battle.