Do You Want to Carry the Presence of God?

By Gobel Brockman

     I Samuel 6:7-14 "Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.” Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord." 

     There's a question I want to ask you from this story: "Do you want to be a carrier of the presence of God?" If you said "Yes" then I ask you to consider the following about the cows in this story who carried the ark (symbolic of the presence of God):

1) "Never Been Yoked"

     These cows had never been yoked before, meaning that they were basically free to do whatever it is that free cows do. Now, they are about to be yoked, and their freedom was about to be taken away. "Yoked" cows are directed by the master. They are told when to go, where to go, and how to go. They do not get to decide the difficulty, the duration, or the distance of their journey. Every aspect of their existence is now in the hand of the master. 

     Matthew 11:29-30 (Jesus) "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

     We must notice something in this: His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. They are, however, HIS yoke and burden, and we are required to take them on. His yoke and burden are easy compared to the yoke and burden of sin, but carrying the presence of God demands that we indeed take His yoke and burden upon us. 

2) "Take Their Calves Home"                                                                                                                   

     First they have their freedom taken away. Now, they are being placed in a position that goes against their natural instincts. Mothers may "take care of business" if you come against them or their mates, but come against their children and you will see "Mama Bear" arise! And yet in this story we see that to carry the presence of God, they were required to leave their calves behind. 

     

     Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

     Simply put, we cannot say that we want to carry the presence of God in our lives until we are ready to say that it means more to us than anything else - even our own families.

(IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BOTH OF THESE HAD TO HAPPEN BEFORE THE ARK (THE PRESENCE OF GOD) WAS EVEN PLACED ON THE CART.)

3) "Go to Beth Shemesh"

     Not only have they lost their freedom, but now they have to leave behind what mattered most to them. But it's still not over yet - now they have to go to Beth Shemesh. They were going someplace they had never been before. We need to get a firm understanding of this: if we want to be carriers of the presence of God, we must be prepared to carry it to places that we are both unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. At times we're even going to be asked to carry it into enemy territory. But the Spirit of God directed THEIR steps, and He will direct OURS as well. 

4) "A Burnt Offering"

     They take a master's yoke upon them, leave what matters most behind, and go into strange and dangerous territory. And what is their reward when they finally arrive at their destination? 

They were sacrificed. 

     But we need to understand what kind of sacrifice God is looking for from us: He's not looking for dead martyrs, He's looking for living sacrifices. Romans 12:1 says this: "I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." It's not fair for us to tell God, "I'll lay down my life for you, and I'll give you everything!" unless we're prepared to follow through. We love quoting Revelation 12:11 about we "overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony" but we never seem to finish reading that verse: "they loved not their lives to the death." Are we prepared to both QUOTE and LIVE OUT the whole verse?

     So what was the benefit in all of this? After they carried the ark (the presence of God) to where it belonged, Israel soon anointed David, who was a king after God's own heart. Today we are STILL reaping the benefits of their journey. ("Jesus, the son of David" is STILL having mercy on us!) People need us to be willing to carry the presence of God into their desperate situations. Thousands of years ago two cows carried the presence of God, and we are still reaping the benefits of their journey. Will future generations be able to say the same about us because we were willing to carry the presence of God in our lives?

     So my question at this point is simply this: Do you STILL want to be a carrier of the presence of God?

We're a Spoiled Lot

By Gobel Brockman


     It's late Saturday night as I type this. I'm preparing to go to bed, and I will be getting up early for church. This week our church is hosting a guest speaker from another country. This man has spent time being jailed for his faith. I've heard a bit of his story, and I am expecting to be both challenged and humbled by his life and ministry. I've been thinking about his story and the stories of other Christians who have suffered for their faith in Christ. I've also been thinking about what Christianity looks like in America, and what I see is a simple conclusion:

     We're a spoiled lot.

     There is a video I have seen of Christians receiving Bibles in a country where Bibles are forbidden. As many times as I've watched that video, I still tear up a bit seeing them cry with joy at their new possessions. What we take for granted is a valuable treasure to them. I'm sitting here typing this on a laptop with Internet access to several Bible versions that I can view any time I like, and two leather bound Bibles setting on a table within arm's reach. This is available to me right now with no threat of arrest or harassment. I have worship music downloaded on my cell phone, and sermon audios and videos just a click away that I can listen to any time I like. Wow, how much I take it for granted.   

     In 2 Timothy 3:12, the Apostle Paul wrote these words:

     Yes, and all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

     We make heroes out of athletes, actors and actresses, politicians, and a host of others. I'll be honest - I think we sometimes choose our heroes wrong. A couple of years ago I drove another ministry couple to their next destination. They shared stories with me of being arrested and beaten simply for sharing their faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of being silenced, however, they went on to plant churches and expand their ministry. That, my friends, is a hero to me. The writer of the book of Hebrews spoke of people who stood for their faith and said this:

      "(Some) were tortured and did not accept deliverance, so that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered around in sheepskins and goatskins, while destitute, afflicted, and tormented. The world was not worthy of them." - Hebrews 11:35-38 

     ("The world was not worthy of them." THAT sounds more like a hero to me than someone saying lines in front of a camera or kicking a ball in a net.)

     I'm going to bed now. I'm honestly looking forward to hearing what these incredible people have to share in the morning. I hope that I will be challenged to be more bold in my faith, and more willing to stand for Jesus Christ in every aspect of my life. May I be reminded to not take for granted the incredible blessing that it is to be able to worship God, attend church, read the Bible, and pray any time I wish in the freedom that I have. May I be grateful for what I have, and live a life that proves that gratitude. I titled this devotional "We're a Spoiled Lot" and that may be a bit unfair, because I don't know everyone who may read this. So I will modify it this way in closing:

     "I, For One, am Certainly Spoiled." May God help me to change that.

So Where Did Noah Keep the Termites?

By Gobel Brockman


     There are many difficult questions in life that seemingly have no answer. Questions like:

Why does "slim chance" and "fat chance" mean the same thing?
Why does "sour" cream need an expiration date?
What disease did "cured" ham suffer from to begin with?

     I had one of those "difficult" questions posed to me several years ago by a man who went from being a seminary student to an atheist. Once he found out I was a Christian, he took every opportunity he could to challenge my faith. One night he asked me, "Do you believe that God is all-powerful?" I answered that I did. He then asked, "Well, if God is all-powerful, can He make a rock so big that He can't move it?" I don't think he liked my response: "He already has: the human heart. He made it, but it seems no matter what He does to bless people or get their attention, He just can't seem to move the hearts of some people." 

     I believe it goes back to the Garden of Eden. Even surrounded by all of the beauty and provision that God provided him, Adam still chose to go his own way. The sad fact is that mankind has been going their own way ever since. We go through life driving nice cars, wearing decent clothes, watching our TVs with hundreds of channels to choose from, playing on our computers while drinking our lattes, all the while giving no thought to the God Who gave us life, and no thought to the God we will answer to when He decides that our time on this earth is over. I think one of our biggest problems is a failure to see our own frailty. For all of our pride and arrogance, we need to be reminded that we are nothing but dust that God has breathed life into.

     I recently re-read the book of Romans. I've read that New Testament book many times over the years, but a passage that I had many times before jumped out at me this time. It was in Romans 1:18-20:

     "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

     That passage of Scripture tells us that God has revealed Himself to mankind, and that it is indeed possible to know Him. What really grabbed my attention, however, was that last line: "So they are without excuse."  I will attempt to be both blunt and gentle with this, but the simple truth is that if we harden our hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the power of the Holy Spirit, we are without excuse. God has not only given us life, but He has also given us the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. Simply put, that hope of salvation is available to all, and we all will be accountable to God for how we respond.

     Don't be a rock that God can't move.

Waiting on a Move of God

By Gobel Brockman


     There is something that has been on my mind a lot during this past week. We constantly hear things like, "The next revival is just around the corner!" or "The next 'Great Awakening' will soon take place." People are using different phrases to describe what they believe will be "the next move of God." I want to be very clear that I fully believe that is true - the Spirit of God is moving mightily all over the world, and I believe that it will only increase in the coming days. But what has been on my mind is what we see in the first two verses of the very first book of the Bible (Genesis). We read this familiar passage of Scripture in Genesis 1:1:

     "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

     But what catches my attention is what we find in the next verse:

     "The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." (Genesis 1:2) 

     What I find interesting is that in verse 1 God creates, and immediately in verse 2 it says that He was "moving over the surface of the waters." This is my point:

     We talk about "a move of God" and sometimes fail to recognize that He has been "moving" from the very beginning.

     My point is that the issue isn't that God doesn't want to move; the issue is whether or not we want to move along with Him. We hear a lot about the need for "discipleship." I fully believe that new converts to Christ need to be taught and nurtured in their new faith, but I have a little different view on discipleship that many seem to have. We see several places in the Gospels where Jesus would tell someone, "Follow Me." What we DON'T see is Jesus sitting people down and telling them beforehand everything they would encounter if they chose to follow Him. (We also don't see Him showing up at their house every Saturday to make sure they were coming to church every Sunday.) Jesus simply said "follow Me" - and then He kept moving. It was up to each person to decide whether or not they were going to follow Him. I don't believe it's any different today. God is moving, and He is still inviting all to follow Him. It is up to each of us to decide if we will answer that call.

     There is a great promise for those who do indeed respond to the call to follow Jesus, and it's this: the next great "move of God" is indeed on the horizon! Peter, in preaching the first sermon of the New Testament church, tells us this in Acts 2:16-17:

     "But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh..."

     That word is alive for us today. The same Holy Spirit that moved in Genesis 1:2 is still moving today! Those who will move with Him will be astounded at what He accomplishes in these days. By faith I am excited to see how God moves in these times - excited to see people born again, filled with the Holy Ghost, and moving in power as the Spirit of God moves in them and through them. I am eagerly watching to see how God moves in the days ahead.

     Because God is always moving.