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Thursday, December 28, 2017

Choices (Pt.1)

“Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.”-Psalm 25:12 (NLT)

Choices! I read an article recently about a Columbia researcher who has found that the average person makes about 70 conscious choices everyday. That amounts to 25,500 choices a year. Meaning that over 70 years a person will make 1,788,500 choices on average.

As I searched the internet I found what, at first, I thought was information that was countering her findings. Multiple other sites say that the average person makes 35,000 decisions per day. This may sound contradictory, however, choosing and making decisions are not necessarily the same thing.

Decisions are made as we eliminate options compared to making a choice which involves empowering ourselves to choose.

Let’s say I am approaching  fork in the road. Both roads take us to our destination, one appears to be paves and well maintained, the other is a dirt road and extremely difficult to navigate. As we approach the fork in the road, upon looking at the options we decide that dirt road looks too difficult to pass, so we veer right, we’ve made a decision. If we approach the fork in the  road and stop to consider the ramifications of taking each path and ultimately decide that going left will produce in us something that will strengthen our character, then we’ve made a choice. Most of what we face each day are not choices, but decisions. In fact, most of our decisions are informed by our emotions or preferences, where choices are rooted in values and beliefs. Things can get sticky when we make choices based on emotions and preferences.

We can spend our lifetime making all sorts of decisions, yet we spend little time, if any, making distinctive life choices. If it is true that we make 35,000 decision per day and only 70 distinct life choices; then it would be easy for those important life changing moments to get swallowed up by decisions that are fleeting.

According to Psalm 25:12, God has empowered us to choose! In one of my favorite verses in the Bible, God is speaking to Israel and declares in Deuteronomy 30:19:

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

God has given us the ability to choose a path that leads to life or choose a path that leads to death. Next week I want to focus in on six areas in which you’ve been given the ability to choose that can impact you life everyday: love, joy, peace, forgiveness, serving God and salvation.

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church

Monday, December 11, 2017

The receiving end of resentment (Pt.2)

“And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.”-1 Samuel 18:14

It’s important to understand that when the spears began to fly, David did not stick around to be pierced through by Saul. He removed himself whenever he could from these difficult moments.  However, removing ourselves is not always an option and so David adopted another way of handling Saul’s persistent attacks. He behaved wisely in all his ways!

The bible is clear about how we should respond to those trying to harm us:

“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”-Romans 12:17-21

The Bible says not repay evil for evil, but rather we are to let God take care of bringing about justice. It’s not enough that we simply don’t wish bad things to happen to our enemies, but He goes so far as to say that we should demonstrate compassion towards those who wish to do us harm. Jesus takes the idea even further in Matthew 5:44-45: 

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Through each of these passages God is challenging us to choose honor rather than vengeance, something David chose in regards to King Saul:

“And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.”-1 Samuel 24: 9-12 

David chose the path of honor. One which each of us is called to follow:

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”- Philippians 2:3-4 

This is a noble pursuit, but what happens if they persist. Remember King Saul tried to spear David three times, sent messengers to kill him, pursued him in the wilderness repeatedly in an attempt to capture and kill him and yet every time David demonstrated honor.

In fact, David refused even to rejoice in his enemies ultimate demise:

“Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”-2 Samuel 1:11-12

I never see it recorded that David ever bad mouthed, gossiped, or slandered King Saul in any way. Choosing honor protected David’s heart from becoming bitter and from becoming resentful himself!


Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church 




Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The receiving end of resentment (Pt.1)

“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 So Saul eyed David from that day forward.”-1 Samuel 18:1-9

How are we to behave when we are on the receiving end of someone else’s resentment? So often when we discuss resentment, we are discussing the dangers of holding it ourselves and how that impact our lives. However, we also need to look at how to respond to resentment when we have become the target of it. 

David became the source of great displeasure for Saul, when greater victories and successes were attributed to David rather than to himself. In fact, vs.9 tells us that Saul began to eye David. Saul could bot appreciate the praise being heaped on David and it soon became the seed of his resentment. 

Resentment is a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury. 

The displeasure Saul felt toward David swelled into a desire to destroy him by any means:

“And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice. Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul.”-1 Samuel 18:10-12

This would not be the only time that Saul would attempt to pin David to the wall with his spear (1 Samuel 19:9-10). However, pinning someone to the wall isn’t always done with a spear; in our lives it is done mostly with words and vicious behaviors. Nevertheless, Saul’s wickedness is not the focus of our study. What we are looking to glean from is David’s response to Saul’s attacks. 

It’s important to understand that when the spears began to fly, David did not stick around to be pierced through by Saul. He removed himself whenever he could from these difficult moments. 

However, removing ourselves is not always an option and so David adopted another way of handling Saul’s persistent attacks: 

“And David behaved wisely, in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.”-1 Samuel 18:14. 


Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church