What does it mean to be an image-bearer?

If you’re like me then you’ve probably had trouble making decisions. Did you know that if you’re a follower of Christ then we actually have a guard placed over our hearts and our minds that protects us from making the wrong ones?

The goal of our faith should be set on the presence of God.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   What we have before us in 2 Samuel 7 is the immediate reaction of King David to Nathan’s prophetic word that David would not be building a house for God, and rather that God would be establishing and building a house, a kingdom, a dynasty from David, and that the dynasty would be established forever. This response is a prayer from David. This is the second longest speech-act from David’s lips in 1&2 Samuel. It is one word longer than the prophecy itself, conveying to us that David’s response to God’s covenant promises is thematically as important as the covenant. In other words, we need to pay attention to David’s response just as much as we pay attention to the promises. We need to see how a person of elevated status, how a king, but even more than, a man after God’s own heart, acknowledges the promises of God. In response to this news David walks whatever distance existed between his luxurious house and the tent that the tabernacle was housed in. He enters the tent and “sat before the LORD.” This is the only time in the Bible someone is said to be praying while seated. The word “sat” is the same word used to describe David “dwelling” in a house a cedar, but the ark “dwelling” in a tent. This little detail should not be lost on us. David is now dwelling before the LORD. Before, David was sitting in his house of comfort coming up with plans he wanted to accomplish for God, but now David, after hearing God’s plan for him, was sitting before the LORD awestruck. We consider it the pinnacle of privilege to dwell in luxury; to be in a comfortable state of ease; the highest goal and pursuit to have it all! And David, in the eyes of the world, had luxury, comfort and ease. He had all that could be had, it seemed. But what we find here is that there is a pinnacle that reaches up to a greater privilege, there is a higher goal, there is a more satisfying comfort, and that is to sit before the LORD, marveling at his grace and agenda! And the goal of our faith should not be set on the gifts, on the graces, but on the presence of God Himself. In that great prayer book called The Valley of Vision, one of the prayers goes like this: “I pray not so much for graces as for the Spirit Himself; because I feel his absence, and act by my own spirit in everything. Give me not weak desires but the power of His presence, for this is the surest way to have all of his graces.”

All kingdoms other than Christ’s will be marked by sin, death, and corruption.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   The greatest mark of worldly kingdoms is death. Augustine said, “The dead are replaced by the dying.” The characteristic of every other kingdom is that they have start dates and end dates.Everything is dying. Everyone is dying. But God breaks in and says, “I am promising a king and a kingdom that will not fade away, who will not die.” Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it, with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” A kingdom that is greater than death, sin, and time, will need a king greater than death, greater than sin, greater than time. His greatness will be seen in the way he serves/suffers and in the way he reigns. The kingdom spreads, marches, and makes itself known through Christ’s church, through her taking on the characteristics and values of the kingdom. What we are involved in here, people, is not a big self-help campaign. The church and her mission is not about living your best life now. The church is about making known that there are two kingdoms in this world, and everyone is living in one of them. Everyone is taking up residence in a kingdom, and our great message is that people can come into the forever kingdom, secured by Christ! All other kingdoms will be marked by sin, by death, by corruption, by sorrow, by brokenness, by an expiration date. This king, King Jesus, reigns over all, has all authority, all things are under his feet and he is the head over all things, and in him all things hold together. AND LISTEN, this King invites you, commands you, to come to Him to enjoy all things as He has designed them to be enjoyed. So come! Come to King Jesus and trade death for life sin for righteousness brokenness for healing sorrow for joy a hateful tyrant for a loving father lies for truth insanity for sensibility slavery for freedom Come to the KING and enjoy all things!

The story of the Bible is built upon the promises God makes to His people and their fulfillment.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   In order to understand the significance of 2 Samuel 7, then we first must understand that God is up to something before we even get to 2 Samuel 7. So like we have said, we cannot read the Bible as an anthology of separated stories that convey moral lessons for a happy life. This is not like Grimm’s Fairy Tales, of distinct stories that teach us good principles for living the good life. The Bible is a cohesive story of who God is and what He is doing in this world He created. And the major storyline is that God is rescuing and redeeming a people and creating a kingdom of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. He chooses to start this kingdom with the Jewish people, and from them it will incorporate and spread to all the earth. God established a covenant with Abraham, promising to do this very thing in Genesis. God established a covenant with Moses beginning in Exodus 19 to bring blessing on His people when they obeyed, and curses when they strayed from His word of how life is to be lived within this kingdom. And now, in 2 Samuel 7, God establishes the Davidic covenant, which has to do with zeroing in on an aspect of the Abrahamic covenant. In the Abrahamic covenant, God promised that through Abraham’s seed, all the families, or ethnic groups, of the world would be blessed. In the Davidic covenant, that promise of a seed is focused in on David’s lineage. So once again, just take note that the Bible is a story, and what we are seeing is that story is built upon promises that God makes His peoples and then God fulfills those promises in the most miraculous of ways.

We cannot live comfortably and live on mission because in order to live on mission we have to be fully dependent on God and not on the things that make us comfortable.

Something of seeming insignificance can be extremely important in God’s hands.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   David slept in just a little bit later than normal that morning. No battle or war was calling his name. He had finally put an end to the Philistine invasions and raids. He could enjoy the sunrise creeping up the horizon. Not too much to do that day, but he was looking forward to his dinner with Nathan. Nathan had always been a good friend, a faithful friend…faithful to the truth that is, and willing to tell David what he needed to hear. The sun was slipping down past the horizon when Nathan showed up and the two of them, along with their families, enjoyed a meal fit for a king. After supper, David and Nathan snuck off to one of the rooftops. David wanted to pitch an idea to Nathan. “Nathan, our journey started long ago, being delivered from the Egyptians. Our people have managed to cross the Red Sea and the Jordan River into this promised land. We have faced many miseries, but God’s mercy has been greater. And Nathan, our great country and people are finally at rest. We can breathe a little bit. And look at what I get to enjoy—the luxuries of being a king in this house that is strong and always smells of cedar! And what a celebration we had just a short while ago—the worship, the dancing, the joy of having the ark of the covenant brought back into our possession. But something bothers me Nathan. It bothers me that that ark is only covered by a tent. The ark of God, Nathan, covered by a tent, and yet here I am walking from room to room lined in cedar, strong and sure. This is not good! Nathan, you know we have to do something. We have to build a dwelling place for the ark, for the honor and glory of God!” Nathan, looked at David with understanding eyes, and calmly said, “Let’s go for it.” David and Nathan shook hands, hugged, and then Nathan went home to leave David thinking about what needed to happen first. Choose a location, gather materials. David was restless that night dreaming of the majesty of the house he would build for God. Nathan was restless as well, but for a different reason. It was the word of the LORD that kept David up. The word of God came to him and said, “You think my servant David could build me a house? Have I even asked for a house? Did I ask Moses to build me a permanent house? Joshua? Any of the judges? No, my son, I didn’t. My people were on the move by my direction, so I had to be on the move with them. So go back to David and prophecy this word over him.” When it comes to listing off the top ten most famous events that take place in the biblical storyline, we might put on that list Noah’s ark and the flood, David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den, the crucifixion and resurrection, Peter walking on water, and a few others. What wouldn’t likely show up on that list is what takes place in 2 Samuel 7, our text for today, even though what we will read about and study is probably in the top five, if not the top three, of most important events in the Bible. It may not make the most famous list because there is not a war involved, not a miracle, but rather only a conversation, a promise, between David, a prophet named Nathan, and God. And yet that promise is the very reason why we are sitting here today. So my goal for the next couple of days is to explain what is going in this chapter and its significance, not just throughout the Bible, but it’s significance for us today.

Pastors are normal people who need to care for themselves like anyone else.   #doctalkspodcast   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

Remembering a past event brings up the last remembrance.   #mentalhealthminutelw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

Jesus chose to ride a donkey in the Triumphal Entry. It wasn’t his lat resort it was his first.

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought God couldn’t possibly use me? 

Have you ever heard Jesus be called our cornerstone? Here’s what that means.

We should daily pray for and look for opportunities to connect with a person to reach with the Gospel.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

Why are you living for Jesus but still carrying the weight of the world on your back?

The rich young ruler had worked hard to live a righteous life. But there was this one thing he wouldn’t lay down.

Have you ever done something scary for the Kingdom?

When we recognize God’s goodness, we should grow more joyful and more humble.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   How much more humble should our worship be? We have Jesus, who disrobed himself of all the trappings of eternal majesty and glory and took on the form of a servant, became obedient unto death, unto death on a cross as a despised and dirty criminal. He didn’t just bring the offering to the mercy seat that would atone for sin, He was the offering Himself! Forgiveness won for the repentant. Eternity secured for the believer. Hope gained for the weak! Adoption papers signed in the blood of Jesus. Peace secured. Wrath averted! Victory over sin made possible. Death and hell avoided. Life and Liberty accomplished! Why shouldn’t we rejoice??!! When a person grows in understanding all that God has done on behalf of the believer, that person’s humility deepens, and their expressions become fuller. What we must do is examine what see in the pages of scripture against our own lives. Is there humble, full rejoicing in our lives? Will that mean that sometimes people break out in dancing in the aisles? I sure hope so! Will it mean people will shed quiet tears of joy and awe? YEs! Will there be high fives and bear hugs, and loud singing and shouts of praise? There should be! Hoops and Hollers? Bring it on! All of this and perhaps more, done with all our might—but watch this—all done with growing expressions of humility, and all done before the LORD. Coram Deo. Which spills out into the everydayness of our lives.

Well we may not have filled the freezer, but it gave us enough for a fish fry! Shaun shares the Merrell secret recipe for the perfect hush puppy.   #OutdoorsWithShaunMerrell   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

Those who receive treatment for PTSD often improve. #mentalhealthminutelw Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

To everyone who knew him, Jonathan Hibrido was known as “Death Carrier”. That was until November 2nd, the Day of the Dead, when everything changed.   #MovingWorks   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

The more of God’s glory we see, the more humble we become.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   You may not remember this, but just a couple of years ago, we had this very experience in a tiny way. We had gone without meeting corporately for about two months, and when we were finally able to all be together in the same room, under the same roof, and worship together, there was a vibrancy, a joy that corporate worship had been restored. Yes, we managed to do some church things while we couldn’t meet together, but it wasn’t the same was it. So in the same way, the Israelites had managed some worship elements, but it was not the same as having the ark present, the visible manifestation of the presence of God in their midst. They had gone 20 years without the ark. Can you imagine? Kids had been born and grown up with no experience of how full worship was to be done. How might you think we might respond if we had gone 20 years (1,040 Sundays) without worshiping God together, fully, as we are called to do? 1040 Sundays of our worship being disjointed, dislocated, because God was not in His proper place? Do you think there might be FULL EXPRESSION of worship among the redeemed? Of course! Now let me say this as well—what we see here is full expression of HUMBLE REJOICING. Why do I say that? Let me show us together. One detail that we are given is that David is wearing a linen ephod. Some people say that David is acting in a priestly way because he is wearing a linen ephod and making sacrifices on behalf of the people. I don’t disagree with that at all. And we know that the linen ephod has significance all the way back to 1 Samuel 2, when Samuel, as a boy, wore a linen ephod and was ministering “before the LORD.” But what we have here is David having taken off his royal garments to be seen in the garments of a servant. David has lowered His status before the LORD. He has taken on the garments of a servant. We know that clothes can be used to display status. And in this day, it was the same. People put on sackcloth and covered their heads in ashes to convey mourning. Religious leaders would tear their garments if they thought they had heard blasphemy. Joseph received a coat from his father that distinguished him as the patriarchal favorite. So it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that here David is taking off regal garments to take on the form of a servant. We see this further later in the text, when Michal says, dripping with sarcasm, “How the king honored himself today uncovering himself…” In other words, “You were not kingly at all, not regal in the least, not distinguished or reserved or majestic. You looked like a slave boy trying to impress the slave girls. And notice what David says there, “It was before the LORD that I disrobed and took on the form of a servant.” So watch this—the more of the glory of God we see, experience, understand, the more humble we become. The more exalted God goes in our minds, the lower we go in our humility, and the more full, robust our expressions of worship become. The ark of the covenant had returned, the mercy seat, the place of blood atonement was restored in its rightful place, and this humbled David and all the people to the core.

God uses moments of when we are uncomfortable to refine us and deepen our faith. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   Life isn’t always a bed of roses is it? But isn't it supposed to be? I mean Jeremiah 29:11 hello? We all want to claim that everyday right? Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We love words like prosper and hope and a future! Life should be full of that! So how do we reconcile it in our heart when it’s not. Today we’re going to look a bit deeper at this promise God made, who He made it to and the time in history it was spoken. This beautiful promise was given to God's people in Babylonian captivity. It was a promise that the Lord would bring them back out of captivity, but the journey would not be without struggle. Also the future would be more for the next generation, so many wouldn’t even see the coming days of freedom. This was a very uncomfortable time. A false prophet made them believe the days of captivity would be few, but Jeremiah spoke the words of the Lord and made it clear these days would not be over soon, so get comfortable, even in the uncomfortable. Jeremiah 29:4-7 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” There would be hope to come and a beautiful future, but for now, in these years of captivity and divine discipline for their disobedience, the people of God would need to settle in, accept where they were and be obedient. Yes, while in a place you would rather not be, build houses, plant gardens, marry and increase in number. Seek peace and prosperity, pray for your captors, the city you are in and as it prospers, you will prosper. The restoration of God’s people would come in time, God’s time. Was it uncomfortable? Yes. Was it where they wanted to be? No. Still, God was with them and even in the midst of it all, He was making a way. Restoration cannot come without true repentance. And even when we turn back to God, the consequences of our choices often take time to heal. We don’t like being uncomfortable, but those are the moments and seasons God uses to refine us, sometimes discipline us and deepen our faith. Comfort breeds complacency, so it’s actually those uncomfortable places and seasons that can be a catalyst for something bigger God is doing that we can’t see. We simply need to walk by faith and trust Him on the journey. It’s easy to be faithful when things are going great and we’re on top of the mountain. It’s in the uncomfortable valleys we begin to question. What you can know, no matter where you may be today, is that God loves you and no matter what, He will use whatever you’re facing and wherever you are for your good, as you trust Him with it. His plans for you ARE good, even if the circumstances around you are not. That’s the truth. If where you are is not where you want to be, look to Jesus and take the steps He is leading you to take and remember, as a believer in Christ, this world is not the end. The plans He has for us are good! Our hope is secure and our future IS bright. I’m Lori Cline.

Sometimes our worshipful response to God’s glory is spontaneous.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   The restoring of the worship of God in Israel for all the world to see has so exhilarated David that he is LEAPING AND DANCING. Can we just stop for a moment and let that picture settle in our minds. David, leaping and dancing. The King of Israel, leaping and dancing down the streets of Jerusalem, with a procession of thousands of people doing the same thing. Music playing, drums beating, horns blasting, lords a leaping! What are we to do with all this? If worship is directed by God, and the boundaries for worship are established by God, prescribed by God, and all that we have seen in this passage (the dancing, rejoicing, leaping, sacrificing, shouting) that is done before the LORD and received by the LORD, what are we to do, and how are we to think and act? This most definitely will make some of you uncomfortable, to read of a scene where it is obvious that structure and flow have given way to spontaneous expressions of worship? This is not David saying, “Okay, the time for clapping has come to an end and now we enter into the leaping portion of our worship service!” No, this was all a response to the majesty, the mercy, the blessing of God upon the people of Israel. This was a response to the glory of God returning to Israel, being restored to its right place in the life of Israel! And it was received by the LORD because he is worthy.

Being told "we need to talk" makes us recall bad deeds. #mentalhealthminutelw Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

Our lives are ever in the eyes of God and should be lived for the glory of God.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   My job as a pastor is to do my very best in explaining God’s word to you, which reveals His character, His plan, His kingdom, and to expose to you the implications and applications that God’s word holds for your life and my life. I am not an authoritarian over you, forcing you to act or think a certain way. My word is not the last word. However, Christ exercises His authority through the church. And my job is to exhort you, as professed Christians, who claim that Christ is King, to heed God’s inspired word. We are to understand the Bible, not as a book full of antidotes, or little McNugget gems of wisdom for your personal and private life in order for you to be happy, but rather as the revealing of all that God desires for us to know about Himself, and how God has chosen to execute redemption for a fallen race, and how He brings holiness into the life of those He redeems. His word is the authority! His Son lived perfectly under His authority; He Son died and rose again to dispel all doubt about the veracity of God’s word; God’s Spirit convicts us of this authority, and convinces us of His authority, and the church is the institution, the organism where we display together the beauty and unity and harmony of marriages, and homes, ministries and relationships when they dwell under God’s authority. This will undoubtedly bring friction into your life. The more you find yourself submitted to the anthem of “Christ is King,” the more you are joyfully following the rule of Jesus in your life in a biblically pronounced way, then the more resentment, the more pushback, the more ridicule you will face from the constituency of the world, from those who live according to another kingdom, with a different ruler. Sometimes that constituency is a talking head on television, and sometimes it is a spouse. But we must be reminded that we are to live “before the LORD.” This is the recurring phrase, the dominant phrase in 2 Samuel 6:16-23. You will notice the phrase, “Before the LORD,” 5 times (14, 16,17, 21a, 21b) and this phrase is used in contrast to Michal’s accusation that David danced “before the eyes of his servants’ servants.” We are to be ever mindful that our lives are to be lived “Coram Deo” before the face of God, under the authority of God, in the presence of God, within the penetrating gaze of God, to the glory of God. And we should seek to live our lives in a way that shows we want, we strive, to live Coram Deo. All of life being centered around God is living coram deo.

God takes what has been lost and writes a new chapter in our story. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   Are you more comfortable in gain or in loss? We don’t have to think about that one long at all, do we? When the bank account is full, new cars are in the driveway, all the latest fashion trends hang in the closet, the air is cool and the pantry is overflowing, life is good and oh so comfortable. But what about when life takes a turn and things begin to unravel? The job is lost, the car breaks down, the AC stops working, the bills pile up and what once was is no longer? All of a sudden, it can get very uncomfortable. In most wedding ceremonies you vow to love one another for richer or for poorer. We do that because LOVE isn’t dependent on what you have. True love REMAINS in gain or in loss. God’s love for you is even greater and isn’t dependent on what we have or do, but how often does OUR love and devotion for Him wane when things get uncomfortable and don’t look like we had hoped. In these hot and uncomfortable days of summer, I'm taking a look, the rest of this month, at uncomfortable moments in scripture. What can we learn from men and women, who even in their very uncomfortable circumstances, didn’t retreat, stayed the course and honored God? We can learn so much from their lives and be inspired to not only STAY in the uncomfortable moments, but we can grow and thrive as a result of them. When I started thinking about who I wanted to highlight, one of the top names to come to mind was Ruth. The very first line of this four chapter book in the Old Testament sets the stage for it all. Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. There was a famine in the land. People were hungry and there was nothing to eat. Now keep in mind, these were Israelites, God’s people. They were starving. This famine wasn’t simply about food, their hearts had turned away from God. Instead of trusting God, families were ejecting from the promised land to go figure it out for themselves and find comfort once again. That path took this family we read about in chapter one verse one to the land of Moab. The Moabites were enemies of the Israelites and worshiped idols. Still, Moab is where they went and found wives for their two sons. Before you even get to verse six, the man and his two sons die, leaving behind his wife, Ruth and her two daughters in law. To say things had unraveled and were uncomfortable for these women would be an understatement, but what we see unfold in this beautiful redemption story is a direct result of what these women did when things got rough. Naomi, the wife, returned home, where she belonged. Ruth 1:7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Naomi knew she wasn’t where God wanted her to be. She didn’t stay in the comforts and provision of the enemy, she went home, to the land God had promised and delivered, and she trusted He would provide. Ruth, the faithful daughter in law, chose to go with Naomi back to Bethlehem. Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. This is a beautiful display of love, in gain or in loss. Ruth didn’t leave Naomi. She chose to stay when the going got tough. As a result of her faithful obedience in this very uncomfortable and most uncertain moment of her life, what was lost was about to be redeemed. That’s how God loves us. He takes what has been lost and writes a new chapter in our story. That’s the truth. Go read the rest of Ruth and see how God not only redeemed Ruth and Naomi’s story, but how He redeemed ours as well. I’m Lori Cline.

Have you ever heard of Bartimaus in the Bible?

We should meditate and anticipate on the coming sermon each week.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!

To truly have right worship, we must rely on God’s Son and His Spirit. #daybydaylw Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   We need a perfect King. And that is why we need someone better than David. Someone who doesn’t forget God’s word or neglect it, but follows it completely and fully. Someone who does have clean hands and a pure heart. This is why we don’t hold David up as a character to emulate, but rather as a pointer to someone greater, to Jesus. Jesus is the better David. And since He is the perfect man, He can be our perfect King, who conquered sin and Satan and death. He can lead us in the worship God deserves, and He does so by the Spirit he gives us in salvation. Continuing to live in a dislocated manner will bring havoc into all parts of life, but restoring worship to its proper place results in the right type of fear and joy. In 1998, that dislocated finger brought pain into my life, to where I couldn’t operate, couldn’t live, couldn’t play ball, like I was designed to. And no matter how much my coach pulled and jerked on that finger, it wasn’t going back into place. I needed the work of a professional, a doctor. He came and set things right. He restored me. And that is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He, and only He, can restore our worship, can re-center our lives, can empower us to live out God’s word. He is the doctor. He is the King. A reverence for God, a return to His word, and a reliance on His Son and Spirit are far more important than the appearance of worship.