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The One thing every Crisis Reveals
Are you in a perpetual crisis or maybe you are not in enough crises?
From breaking a fingernail to facing death, you want to be seen as having a sound mind in a crisis.
Our Biblical Ground Work: 1 Samuel 25
There was a man from Maon who had a rich business. His name was Nabal (meaning: fool) and he was married to Abigail (meaning: my father’s joy) who was of good understanding/intelligent/wise/street smart/of sound mind, she just so happened to be beautiful as well. Nabal was hard and evil with his dealings.
David and his men were living in the area so became a wall around them. Nabal benefited from that wall of protection. David sent some men to ask for food supplies, for a feast, from Nabal. He revealed how hard and evil he is to the men who came from the future king. David is about to do David (man of war 1 Chronicles 28:3) when Abigail steps in.
Abigail, after being told about the incident, jumped right into action to make sure her family business would not be destroyed by David. She filled bushels full of food and strapped them to her donkeys. She herself rode a donkey and met up with David. Knowing it would take her some time to prepare, and knowing that David would not take any time to seek revenge, she sent her servant ahead of her to tell David she was coming. She went as quickly as she could and staying out of sight of her husband as well.
She confronts David with the most courageous speech in 1 Samuel 25:24-31. As a result of her intelligent actions her house was saved but she still had to tell her husband what she did. She waited for him to be sober then she told him what she had done. When she was finished talking, the Lord struck Nabal with a seizure, which paralyzed him and then killed him 10 days later.
David sent his servants to retrieve Abigail as his wife. Her reply was, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” As his wife she would be taken captive by the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30). She spend many years with David in hiding and travelled all over the middle east to avoid Saul. She gave birth to David’s second eldest son named Chileab or Daniel (meaning: God is my judge) (1 Chronicles 3:1). As we read about David’s sons causing him grief, we never hear of this one being involved in any of it. I wonder why?
Our Biblical Life Lesson: A Crisis Reveals Character
Life is filled with the minor events that change our lives to the larger events that shape our existence and our direction in life. Each of these are defining moments. They are born out of some kind of crisis, from some event that some one has lost control over.
COVID-19 is a great example of a life event out of control. A pandemic is something no one can control except our Lord. He is controlling it at this moment and will keep controlling it until He is ready to put it to an end.
Abigail, as David’s wife, has seen many things happen from the threat of death to being held hostage by the Amalekites, famine to pandemics, peace and war, running from Saul to running from Absalom. In which of these do you think she lost her head? None I suppose, what about you?
Meet with us in The Bible Gals as we discuss the nature of crisis and how it is meant to reveal our character.
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This is the Way
I am no more confused than you are with figuring out the direction in which I should go. One thing I do know is I spend too much time trying to figure it out and not enough time just listening. I travel down this road, because it makes sense, only to fail. I travel down that road, for the same reason, only to fail again. I ask God, what the heckers is going on, but I ask in vain, because I am telling Him He is wrong and I am right. Due to my vainness I keep going. Thank the Lord for His great mercy to teach me, because today I am not as likely to keep going as I was yesterday. When I hear Him say, “This is the way, walk in it!” I stop, back up if I need too, and go His way. Pursuing the biblical direction is the Way. It is the only way. I go that way and I really want you to go that way too. It is the way to better character and it is the way to your calling.
This Way to Better Character
I assume you believe Jesus Christ. I assume you have faith. So, then I am going to assume that you want to act like Jesus in this world. 2 Peter 1:5-7 sums up the way all of us should go to a better character. Kindness and love is talked about as if it is the way to better character but according to Peter they are the last things to add to our faith. Kindness and love are external character traits that prove out that we have worked out the rest of the list (virtue, knowledge, self-control and perseverance). The way to have the character of Jesus is to work out what is going on inside you first. You need to care about the way you do life then know what you should do. You need to learn how to focus on the way you are being told to go and keep going in that direction despite what you think or what others say. You cannot help but become godly when you are following God all over the place. Treat people kind and show them the love Jesus has for them. When you go to the right or to the left, even if they the wrong way, people will be blessed by you. No matter where you are in your life, better character is always the best way to go to your calling.
This Way to Your Calling
There is only two things to do for Jesus, act like Him and follow Him. He has already been Him (2000 years ago) so you do not need to do what He did, so that has to mean, you have your own plan to follow. As you work out your character traits Jesus will reveal Himself to you along the way to do what He wants you to do. Unless you look like Jesus He will not send you into your calling. Imagine if you have an issue with people calling you by a shortened version of your name and Jesus wants you to become a public speaker of some kind. How will He send you if you lose your cool every time someone doesn’t use your full name. Boy, that will need to be worked out first, or you won’t have anyone coming to listen you speak. Your message will be – call me by my given name or hear me roar. That is not Jesus. The way to your calling is always through the way to better character. Jesus will not allow you to get to your calling any other way so don’t try to cheat, just follow Him. Do not be the thief of John 10:10 by trying to get God’s blessings by any other way but through Jesus. Your calling can be found no other way then by following Jesus. He is the only way to your calling.
Walk this Way!
Stop heading to the right and to the left to find you. Jesus is the way to the character that defines you and He is the way to your calling. Jesus cared about people because He focused on what He was doing for them and why He was doing it. He was focused on going in the way of the Father. He listened for His voice and saw what the Father was doing. His ears heard a Word behind Him saying, “This is the way to go, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21) He went to His calling through the Father’s character. Jesus was our example and we can do exactly what He did. We can hear the voice behind us and walk in it. The Father told us we can so we can. Follow “the Way” the Father is directing you and find yourself in the way too.
