David

When it’s Time to Fly

Posted on by Shannon

This week will see significant changes in many families. Children will start new grades in school, university students will leave home and settle into dorms, and graduates will look hard for jobs that may take them to new places. Parents, who know full well the difficulties of the world, long for the days when their children were safe at home. But would that be the best for them now?

When Jacob left home, he learned that the world was not there to serve him. His selfish ways brought him much hardship. He couldn’t even have his way with his choice in a wife. He learned quickly to become disciplined, skilled, and to trust in God, not just himself or his family connections. Gen.27-33.

Joseph was torn from his family as a teenager and thrust into the cruel world of slavery in a foreign country. What hurt most was that his own brothers were at fault. But despite difficult employers, hard labour, and time in jail, he learned to use his wits and trust God’s overall plan. Would he have become the trusted second-in-command over all of Egypt if he had remained at home? Gen.37-41.

David showed great courage as a young man, but only reached his stride when king Saul drafted him into the army. There he made new friends (Jonathan), fought and won personal battles, learned to survive, and eventually became a powerful leader, eventually replacing Saul. His parents trained him, but his independence matured him.

I suspect that even Jesus gained great confidence at 12 years old from his experience with the Jewish teachers in the temple, alone (Luke 2:45-49). His famous statement to his fretting parents teaches us all: “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Good homes guide young people as they find their footing for their upcoming independent lives. But eventually we must let our children grow to adults and fly from the nest. Having done your work, they will thrive. Their faith will guide them.

– Tim Johnson

Robots and the Human Brain

Posted on by Shannon

Recently a hotel in Japan opened up with robots for its staff. Guest still have to register using an in-house computer, but the check-in robot lady talks to people about when breakfast will be served, and other details. A cart-like robot takes suitcases up to rooms, and a coat-room robot stores people’s garments. The hotel is a novelty, but its owners are genuinely trying to save money by not having to hire human staff. While the whole concept is amazing, the abilities of robots still don’t match what a human being can do.

Here are seven facts about the human brain as designed by God:

1. No one knows for sure, but the latest estimate is that our brains contain roughly 86 billion brain cells.

2. More than 100,000 chemical reactions take place in your brain every second.

3. Brain information moves anywhere between 1 mph and an impressive 268 miles per hour. This is faster than Formula 1 race cars which top out at 240 mph.

4. The brain produces as many as 12,000 to 50,000 thoughts per day, depending on how deep a thinker a person is.

5. Babies have big heads to hold rapidly growing brains. A 2-year-old’s brain is 80% of adult size.

6. Your brain’s storage capacity is considered virtually unlimited. It doesn’t get “used up” like memory in your computer.

7. Best of all, a human brain is free. One comes with each baby at birth.

While man has been able to invent some amazing robots, they depend on a costly army of designers, maintenance people, parts, and programmers. The human brain speaks eloquently of the greatness of God.

David expressed it very well in Psalm 139:14, “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.”

– Tim Johnson

To Search and Know

Posted on by Shannon

A new computer has introduced me to the world of cloud computing. It used to be that you had to store all your files on your physical computer, or at least backed up by some sort of gizmo you could buy. But now you can send all your files over the Internet to vast storage places operated by different companies that reserve some space for you. You can add to it any time you like, and later search for what you need to finish projects. It’s like sending information into a hovering cloud in the sky that guards it, only releasing it when you give it permission. Much of the knowledge of the world is now stored in virtual clouds. It’s amazing and very convenient.

The ability of God to know everything about us is also amazing. He doesn’t have to retrieve files from a cloud to check up on us, nor does he need special permission to find ways to help us when we need it. God is omniscient, possessing a full array of knowledge about all things at all times.

David expressed this in Psalm 139. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

David’s words are not meant to frighten us. He is merely praising God for who He is and how He cares for us. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them” (v17).

– Tim Johnson

Great Friends

Posted on by Shannon

One of the greatest friendships we find in the Bible was that of David and Jonathan. From them we can learn what makes friendships work well. Both of them were soldiers and they appreciated weapons and strategy. In 1 Sam.18:4, Jonathan gave his sword and bow to David as a gift; very personal items. It’s the things people have in common that bring them together. It can be something as engaging as soldiers in the army, or something as simple as an interest in gardening.

These two men quickly found themselves in a tricky situation: Jonathan’s father, king Saul, was jealous of David and wanted to execute him. Friendship was tested by the complications that followed. Jonathan knew David was innocent of any deceit, so he stood by him in loyalty. Good friends do that for each other when difficulties strike. Loyalty should never waver between good friends. However, in real life we often suffer the pain of losing a good friend; loyalty can vanish sometimes. But the world is full of interesting people open to friendship and we may simply need to open up to them, putting the pain of prior friendships on the back burner. Never forget a friend even if they have turned their back on you. If you’re lucky, they may return someday.

If you read the last few chapters of 1 Samuel, you’ll find that Jonathan sacrificed for his friend David, who had a death sentence on his head. They sometimes met secretly to check on each other, challenge each other, and figure out what to do next. Jonathan would have suffered severely if his father found out. Strong friendships don’t mind sacrificing for each other. If you haven’t had a friend like that, maybe you should find ways to sacrifice for others. As someone once said, to have a friend you’ve got to be a friend.

Of all the things that help friendships flourish, there needs to be a strong common-denominator of conviction. Both David and Jonathan loved God and wanted to serve Him with all their hearts. This one over-riding quality gave these men the best foundation to stand on. It furnished them both with humility, common-sense, direction, and courage. Great friendships are built on faith in God and appreciation for each other.

There’s a tragic end to the story of David and Jonathan: the latter died in battle (1 Sam.31). David mourned for him and wrote his thoughts down in a piece called “The Song of the bow” (2 Sam.1). When David became king he honored his friend Jonathan by caring for the man’s handicapped son for the rest of his life (2 Sam.9). Real friendships are never forgotten.

– Tim Johnson

Man’s Greatness and God’s Mercy

Posted on by Shannon

David was Israel’s greatest king – a man after God’s own heart. He was a prototype of the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God.

In what lay David’s greatness? He was a giant killer, a bold warrior. He united Israel’s twelve tribes and ushered in the nation’s finest age. His greatness, however, lay neither in his military might nor his statesmanship.

David was also a sinner. He enticed Bathsheba, committed adultery with her, then tried to conceal his sin by murdering her husband. But when confronted by God’s prophet he openly acknowledged and confessed his sin. Psalm 51

Therein lay his greatness. Not that he sinned, but that he confessed it and sought the mercy of God. He said, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love…blot out my transgressions…Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from sin. His greatness lay in his humility and admission of his weakness and dependence upon God.

While many things in people’s lives can contribute to greatness, no person is truly great who conceals his sins and refuses to acknowledge his need for divine mercy. David is an example of this need. Someone has said, “Jesus cleanses only sin, not excuses.”

– David Johnson (adapted from an article)