Inside Out Living

This morning I was reading Proverbs 28 and I was struck with the number of verses that had a reference to a national leader or ruler. I could help but think of the recent inauguration of President Barak Obama. Now I know that it may sound presumptuous for me to offer the president advice, but the advice is not really mine, it is God's. There are six proverbial truths in this chapter (probably more but six I will mention) that would help any leader succeed and be a blessing to those he leaders.

1) Avoid Immorality (28:2a) - Many presidents (and other leaders for that matter) who have gone before Obama could tell him the headaches of getting involved in immorality. Loss of respect and loss of effectiveness to influence other leaders come with this problem as well.

2) Exercise wisdom (28:2b) - I know this one really goes without saying anything except duh! But how many times have we seen foolish decisions from leaders because they are trying to appease someone else instead of focusing on the right thing to do.

3) Pursue godliness (28:12) - I don't know if Barack Obama is a Christian (one who has placed faith in Jesus for salvation). Whatever label he uses to identify himself with does not dictate the spiritual reality. Only God knows the heart of a man. However to pursue godliness from this point forward will drastically change his life for the better (as it would any individual).

4) Practice fairness & justice (28:15, 28a) - Yes this is something that God cares about, especially from leaders of nations. It is something that everyone should care about too. Remember God's love extends to everyone so we should care about what happens to everyone.

5) Honor other people (28:16a) - Whether you like them or not, you need to honor and give credit to other people whenever they deserve it. Show appreciation and gratitude of those you are leading. There is nothing more disheartening to have a leader that doesn't recognize your hard work and effective results.

6) Maintain integrity (28:16b) - This is different from the first point. It may be the most difficult item on this list as a politician and leader. That is not to excuse it away or minimize its importance. A high level of integrity is intregal to a leaders ability to lead and influence other people. Just as the mayor of Portland, OR.

"Don't praise yourself; let others do it!" - Proverbs 27:2 NLT

"Fire test the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised." - Proverbs 27:21 NLT

This morning as I read Proverbs 27 I was struck by these two verses on opposite ends of the chapter. It got me thinking about how we are to rightly handle praise when it is offered. The first verse really sets the background for this discussion. I think we all know people or at least have heard people who do not practice this verse. They praise themselves up and down until the people around them are sick of it. I was watching a couple of reality TV shows with my wife last night that had some of those type of people on it. It just makes me sick when I hear them talk. If you or something that you have done is truly praiseworthy then other people will take note of that and will give you the praise that you deserve. However if you are praising yourself already, it doesn't matter who great you are or what you have done, other people will not heap praise on you in addition to what you have already said. This is why you should leave room for other people to do the praising.

So this leads itself to the second verse regarding praising. How is it that a person is tested by being praised. I think the testing is how we respond to the praise. Your response to other people's praise is a direct reflection of your humility, pride, self-confidence, and your understanding of your position in Christ.

True humility is evident when you are being praised. Humility responds to praise with honesty, integrity, and gratitude. A humble response is appreciative of the praise but does not gloat in it. A humble response also gives credit to others when it is appropriate. This is where the integrity comes in. If you used someone's idea or someone else helped you get the project done that you are getting praised for you had better give them some credit. The honest part of a humble response is recognizing that you did do a good job and it is appropriate for them to praise you. If the praise is getting out of hand or they are praising you for something you did not do then that is different. But don't show false humility by rejecting appropriate praise and discouraging the person who is trying to encourage you.

Pride and arrogance can become evident through the testing of praise. This problem sometimes can become such an issue some people will error on the side of caution and not praise others for fear that they will become arrogant. How can you avoid becoming proud because of the praise of others. Much of what was said before will come into play here. Giving others credit when credit is do is a big one, especially credit to God. Remembering that for everytime you did something right there are probably three other times that you actually blew it and had to ask for forgiveness and lean on grace. Basically I am talking about perspective. We have to keep our successes and failures in perspective.

Your self-confidence is evident in how you handle praise. If you are uncomfortable with the praise then you are probably lacking in some confidence. Know that you can accomplish great and significant things and anticipate that people can and will praise you at some point. To bolster your confidence remember these times because if you blow the next time you can be guarnateed that you will wish that the person would be praising you.

Your understanding of your place in Christ is also revealed when you are praised. Paul declared that he can do all things through Christ and that apart from Him he was nothing. Not just that, but also that Paul had died and it was in reality that Christ was living through him. This is so key to passing the test of praise. Remember that when you do something significant for the Kingdom of God the praise you are receiving is actually praise and thanksgiving to God. The success and significance of what you have done is only present because God chose to work through you and the praise that they are giving is in reality praise to God for using you.

Just some thoughts this morning on handling praise. I hope you will be able to navigate the testing of praise.

My seven year old son is beginning to understand the larger world around him. The other night he asked if God was the president of the World? This was a very curious question and not one that was easily explained to someone with a second grade education.

He knows and firmly believes that God is in charge of the world and created everything we see. Every time he prays he thanks God for the whole world and for anything else that comes to mind. He has been learning in school about the inauguration of President Obama and about the role of the President of the United States. So to him it makes perfect sense that God would be President of the world because he knows that the highest position in our country is president. However as I tried to explain to him God is far greater than merely the president of the world. First I told him that God was more like a king than a president because nobody had to vote for Him for Him to be in charge. I think he understood, but for my son as for many Americans it is difficult to undertand what it is like to live under a king. However even that description of God falls short because kings can come and go and can be desposed of their power.

I got to thinking about this conversation when I read Proverbs 21:1 this morning. "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he turns it wherever he pleases." (NLT) This proverbial truth helps us to keep in perspective that God is the one who is in sovereign control of the world regardless of who the leaders of the various nations are. This is not a debatable issue and whether you agree with it or not, it is still true.

This truth isn't always easy to work out in to the practicality of every day life because some national leaders are corrupt and oppress their people taking advantage of their power for their own personal gain. I think what will help us to reconcile that reality with the greater reality of God's sovereignty is to keep in mind that neither God's sovereignty nor his exhaustive foreknowledge of man's actions ever negate the responsibility of humans as free agents. So while God can and does direct the course of human events, He will always do this in accordance to the free decisions of humans.

This is why today is no different for me than last Thursday when Bush was still President. I struggle with understanding why so many of my fellow evangelicals get bent out of shape that we have a democratic president now. I think they lost sight of the fact that God is still the one in control regardless of who we vote in and acknowledge as our nation's leader.

Just some of my thoughts on the reaction to Obama's Inauguration. Love to hear your comments.

Christianity Today just posted a transcript of Rick Warren's invocation from today's inaugural address. You can read the transcript here .

For those of you who didn't watch the inauguration this morning it was a truly great prayer. One of sincerity and truth. I loved how Pastor Rick weaved in his personal testimony at the end. Not that he needed to add more about how Jesus changed his life, but the fact that he mentioned that Jesus changed his life and prayed in the name of Jesus means all the world to me.

"Wine produces mockers; liquor leads to brawls. Whoever is led astray by drink cannot be wise." - Proverbs 20:1

As I was reading Proverbs 20:1 this morning I got to thinking about the reasons why I don't include drinking wine (or any alcohol for that matter) with ministry or my personal life. The reasons are numerous why I choose not to drink, but here are the three main reasons that influence my thinking:

1) When I was younger my Dad shared with me a story about a time that he found his twin brother passed out in his bed, lying in his own vomit. My Dad told me how that sight influenced his own decisions about drinking and it greatly influenced my decisions as well. The idea of doing something that could lead to lying in my own vomit was repulsive to me.

2) I don't know if any of you have noticed but alcohol can be quite expensive. For me it would be exercising poor stewardship to ask my family to sacrifice so I can buy my alcohol.

3) Personally, I feel that underage drinking is a serious issue in America. I feel a need to model restraint on drinking alcohol to not only my own children, but also to the teens and children that I minister to.

Now, please notice that I am not saying that consuming alcohol is sinful, for scripture never says that. I am not attempting to be legalistic here, I am only sharing my personal convictions. Yes, I have tasted a few different alcoholic drinks in my time. Never have been drunk or "buzzed" though, which scriputre is clear that it is sinful to be controlled (i.e. impaired) by a foreign substance.

So for what it is worth, when I read Probers 20:1 it makes perfect sense to me and I ask myself what godly benefit ever comes from drinking alcohol.

For those of you out there who have given up on whether or not one person can make a difference in this world you need to check out this article posted on Food 4 the Hungry's website: http://www.fh.org/apblog/rss/a-child-sponsors-a-child

Way to go Emme, you totally rock!

This morning I am re-reading the story of Ruth in the Old Testament to prepare for my sermon this Sunday. I absolutely love this story.

As I read it again this morning I am struck again by the lavish grace that Boaz pours out on Ruth and Naomi. Boaz goes way beyond any requirements of the law for providing for the widows. He goes beyond the requirements of the kinsman redeemer in that he actively seeks out the one with the right of redemption.

Boaz' interaction with Ruth and Naomi is a wonderful illustration of how our heavenly father interacts with us. Boaz initiated the relationship, he extended grace through his provision and generosity, and he secured their redemption through a sacrifice.

What a beautiful picture of the great salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.

Well after many weeks of preparation and a move that spanned three days we are here and are now settling in to our new home. It is slowly starting to feel like home instead of just a nice vacation. Of course I've never met someone who went on vacation with all of their furniture.

The move went amazingly well. A big thank you to all of you who helped us load the truck in Burns and unload the truck in Ocean Park. The help in Burns allowed us to get on the road on Tuesday (sorry if you missed seeing us one last time since we left early) and stay the night in Bend Tuesday night. That made a huge difference because the pass was clear when we went over on Wednesday morning, but was white-out conditions within 2-3 hours after we made it over. The rain and flooding on Thursday didn't mess us up either and the rain stopped long enough for us to unload the uhaul. Wow, God has really been watching out for us.

Payton has his first day of school today. I dropped him off and had a chance to meet his teacher. He is in a 2nd & 3rd grade combined class. I hope he will be able to adjust to being around older kids in his class. The school is very nice. It is only three years old.

Today is Sydney's birthday so Kristi is working on making a cake for her, and we will be going out for dinner tonight.

Thank you everyone for your prayers for us during this time.

Blessings,

David