Long before King David had selected his “Thirty Mighty Men”, we see the young shepherd choosing “five smooth stones”. David’s men would eventually become the stuff of legend, remembered by name (II Sam 23), and revered for their heroism. By contrast, the stones he chose are all but forgotten, left behind long ago in the Valley of Elah. And yet, it was through David’s use of those five stones, that fear was vanquished, the foe was conquered, and God’s people were liberated.

Much has been said about “The Thirty”; too little perhaps, about “the five”.

Scripture doesn’t provide too many specifics about these unnamed stones, but the few details we’ve got are adequate to provide us with helpful insight & encouragement into our own life & ministry. Let’s remember what we can about these significant little chunks of geological anonymity:

“And David chose five smooth stones from the brook” -I Samuel 17:40

THERE WERE FIVE.

History verifies that one single stone was enough to slay the giant, yet David didn’t have peace until he’d chosen the fifth. He picked the amount he was comfortable with. Six would’ve been too many, four, too few. David needed five. Confident of his selection, he was ready for the fight.

Which stone it was that dealt the fatal blow isn’t revealed. Was it the 2^nd one taken from the brook? The 4^th? Scripture keeps that detail a secret. All we’re told is that, as David ran toward the Philistine, he simply “put his hand in his bag and took out a stone” (I Sam 17:49). It didn’t matter to David which one it was, for they were all equally suited for the task. He only needed to know that it was indeed one of the five.

Every stone serves its purpose, even the ones that are never taken out of the bag. Sometimes it’s our collective solidarity, rather than our individual accomplishments that God intends to reward. The Holy Spirit isn’t required to honor one above another who all serve the same Master (read the parable of the “Laborers in the Vineyard” Mt.20:1-16).

THEY WERE SMOOTH.

These stones had no rough edges. They had pushed against each other for so long now, that little friction remained between them. Sharing the same river for so many years had made them ready to serve the same mission. They fit well together in the shepherds’ pouch. Each one fit snugly into his sling. They would serve his purpose, even at high velocity. They could be trusted.

Not all of those who serve the Great Shepherd will endure their time with the sheep. If we aren’t willing to bear with one another long enough to knock off the sharp corners, we’re likely to be overlooked at a time of special selection. Our Master won’t send us out from His sling until He’s sees that we’re no longer jagged. He intends to hit His mark. If you don’t suit His purpose, He’ll pick a different stone.

The choicest servants that Christ can find are those who work together the longest. The current here is unapologetically swift at times, but there is only one surefire way to make a rough stone smooth.

THEY CAME FROM THE BROOK.

There are countless stones, in numerous brooks, all over the face of the earth. Yet God, for thousands of years, had His eyes on these five. Specially designed at the beginning of Creation, and strategically placed at the time of The Flood, these 5 stones had a long wait for glory. Thousands of years would pass before they’d finally be discovered by Jesse’s youngest, and brought to center-stage. Until then, they’d have to endure lifetimes of insignificance & anonymity.

Little is accomplished in the Kingdom of Heaven without great patience. A driving need for immediate gratification, recognition, & significance has led many of her servants into exile. But those who patiently remain in their place, are best positioned to be most useful to the coming King, whether we realize it or not.

ANONYMITY PREVAILS.

Those of us who crave recognition among our peers ought to be cautious. By chasing public acknowledgment, you may just forfeit your opportunity for true greatness. Be content with anonymity if that’s what God’s chosen for you.

Concentrate on unity, humility, & endurance instead. Only then will we become the mighty men and women we long to be. Only then will you live a life worth remembering.

“David prevailed…with a stone” -I Samuel 17:50

Not to promote undue concern, but it’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life. The odds are slim, I know, but it’s still conceivable. It occurs every year, all over the world, and survival is no guarantee. Accidents like these are real, both in the physical sense, as well as the spiritual. And although I hope it never happens to you, it’s always best to be prepared.

WHERE IT STARTS

Anyone who’s taken a tumble of this kind will attest, the real surprise comes not in the falling, but with the landing. The actual descent happens fast, so it’ll be over before you even realize it. But the pain you feel once you’ve stopped makes the landing almost impossible to forget. The bottom of a cistern is no vacation destination, as you will quickly discover. 

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Assuming you survive the initial fall, you’ll need to come to terms with where you are, and how you got there. You may not realize that you’re in a well at first, and disorientation is probable, so you’ll need to look for clues as to your whereabouts. Darkness and terror are helpful here, because when found together, they serve as a strong indication that you are indeed stuck in a pit.

If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day

Now, the first principle of finding your way out of a deep, dark hole, is to look up. Whether you find yourself in a physical well, or a spiritual depression, up is your only way out, and out is where you need to go. So direct your attention heavenward.

(And then brace yourself for what you’re about to see).   

ADJUST YOUR EYES

Rather than the compassionate gaze from those above, you’re probably going to notice what appears to be indifference. Standing at the mouth of the well will be your own colleagues, none of whom seem to have noticed your plight. They will appear to be so unaffected by your trauma, you may find yourself wondering if, maybe, it was they who pushed you down, and that perhaps your trouble is their fault. You may even feel a tinge of relief for having fallen out of fellowship with them.

Author Alan Redpath writes, “I might suggest, perhaps with more truth than some of us would like to admit, that a persecuted Christian sometimes gets better treatment from the enemies of God’s people than from his Christian friends. Was it not the king of Judah who imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon who let him loose? We glory in our wonderful gospel of love and mercy for the unsaved, but we usually act as if we have no gospel for the saint who has been tripped up by the devil!“

But be careful here. If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day.

It’s a fatal mistake to think you can escape that hole by securing sympathy for yourself. Don’t even bother trying. Emotions are like quicksand. The harder you work to gain a foothold thereby, the more likely it is that you’ll drown in disappointment. Nobody’s ever been rescued by pity, and you don’t need help sinking any further than you already have. Look up, yes, but don’t expect to find comfort (Psalm 69:20).

CHECK YOUR VIEWPOINT

The angle you have on life from the bottom of a well is entirely skewed. The truth is, your companions aren’t the reason you fell in the well…you are. And yet, by divine providence, they will prove to be the very help you need to get out of it. Your friendship with those in God’s family is the only rope long enough to reach you where you’re at. If you ever hope to get back to the surface after a fall like yours, resist all temptation to cut the cord.   

Coming back to solid ground will restore your perspective. The difference in cleanliness between yourself and your allies will become readily apparent. You’ll see at once that it wasn’t your friends who were defiled, it was you all along. Get ready to be disgusted with yourself.

But they’ll understand. They’ve probably fallen into a similar hole themselves. They’ll help you wash off, tidy up, and move on, and the whole terrible episode will become a thing of the past.

Just try not to forget what happened, ok? Some lessons can only be learned in a subterranean classroom, and you don’t want to repeat a course like that if you don’t have to.  

WALK WITH CARE

It’s always best to step with caution as we sojourn through this life. Yet don’t be surprised when God peels back a layer of grace that long concealed the depth of your own sin. And don’t be shocked when you find yourself plummeting into a deep, dark well of despair because of it.

It’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life

Falling down is easier than you think. If and when that happens, you’ll be glad you took the time to read up on it beforehand. “Pay careful attention to how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15) … “If you think you’re standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

God bless.

The Apostle Paul was a very colorful man in Christian ministry. He made tents for a living but wrote Scripture & raised the dead in his spare time. He figuratively stormed the gates of hell and literally paid a visit to heaven (before his life was even over!). He planted churches, plotted missions, and pioneered a movement. He’s remembered 2,000 years later and spoken of all over the world. Aside of Christ, few men are as spiritually vibrant as Paul was.

This wasn’t always the case, however. Paul (formerly named “Saul”), used to be a far uglier man. He spent much of his young life huddled in and around Jerusalem. Feeding his intellect & ego on Judaism, he developed into a Pharisee. Growing fat with pride, he persecuted the church and took nourishment by consuming the spiritual life of others. At last, having become fully encased in dead religion, his life came to an end (that particular phase of it anyway).

RADICAL REFORMATION

At the age of 30, Paul underwent a fundamental change that he describes as “metamorphosis” (taken from the original Greek word “metamorphousthe” found in Romans 12:2). Metamorphosis is the inevitable process by which a butterfly proves itself to be more than an ordinary worm. Like a caterpillar, Saul had to become a new creature entirely. His mind, his lifestyle, his future, and even his name needed to change. Saul couldn’t become the Apostle that God ordained him to be until his old life as a Pharisee was fully terminated.

Christians are one of the few creatures on earth that have the capacity to “morph” like a caterpillar does. The change seen in the Apostle Paul is proof enough. The unfortunate difference between caterpillars and Christians, however, is that caterpillars don’t need to be coaxed into the cocoon. Christians on the other hand, usually always do.

RADICALLY RESISTANT

Anticipating this reluctance, Paul (as a newborn ‘butterfly’), wrote a letter to his “caterpillar kinfolk” in Rome. In that letter, he “beseeches” them to surrender their bodies to the only process that will, in fact, convert them from the low-life drudgery of religion, into a “new creature” altogether. As Paul saw it, there were countless Christians still crawling around like larva when they could’ve been flying by now.  

Of all those born into God’s kingdom, few will ever reach full maturity 

With that in mind, let’s note a few similarities between what we find in the animal kingdom, and what we know of God’s kingdom:  

1: Caterpillars never think of flying, they concentrate mostly on eating. Worried about little more than basic survival, their short time on earth is marked by a repeating pattern of eat and rest, eat and rest. Their life is dominated by their appetite. For caterpillars it’s just a phase, but for many Christians, it’s their entire lifespan. Perhaps this is what Paul had in mind when he lamented to the Philippians, “Their god is their belly”.

2: Out of every 100 butterfly eggs, only 1 (maybe 2) will ever fulfill their destiny. The rest will do the same thing day after day, until the enemy swallows them up. They’ll never reproduce. They’ll never go where they could’ve gone. And, perhaps most tragic of all, they’ll never know what it’s like to fly. As Scripture predicts, “Many will depart from the faith”. In other words, for every lovely butterfly you see there are 98 others who never made it.

3: Metamorphosis is the ultimate test of one’s trust in their Creator. With no idea of what comes after chrysalis (the cocoon stage), caterpillars instinctively wrap themselves into a homemade coffin to die anyway. They don’t question God’s plan, they don’t weigh the ‘pro’s & con’s’ of it, and they certainly don’t rebel against their Lord. Instead, they intuitively make their shell and die, as if they were eager to do so. Christian’s treat metamorphosis like it’s the end of their life, but caterpillars rely upon the truth: “This is a trustworthy saying: If we die, we will also live” (II Tim.2:11).   

RADICALLY RARE

These are but a few general comparisons between caterpillars and Christians. But the truth is hard to miss: Of all those born into God’s kingdom, very few will ever reach full maturity.

There are countless Christians crawling around like larva when they could’ve been flying by now

For fear of metamorphosis, most believers will opt to crawl through life, and then die with a mouthful of milkweed. Few Christians will ever put on the new colors offered by Christ (Ro.13:14), taste the sweetness of spiritual nectar (Ps.34:8), or rise above the worldliness of their contemporaries (Col.3:1).

DEAR CATERPILLAR, God has offered you a kaleidoscopic life! A fresh start, full of wonder and opportunity, far beyond your present imagination! “I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God”, embrace metamorphosis!

“Pressure makes diamonds…dragons make heroes”. Fact & fiction both agree that adversity has the potential to bring out the best in those who endure it. Folks who want to be great are a dime-a-dozen, but those who will do what it takes to get there are one-in-a-million. If you want to be remembered in the future, you’d better be ready to embrace pain in the present. History reveals that some of this world’s most notable characters were forged in some of life’s least comfortable climates.

For Joseph it was a prison. With Moses it was the desert. For David it was the wild. Jonah went through a great fish, Shadrach went through a fiery furnace, and Job went through a figurative hell. Each of them enduring their own private agony & bewilderment before finally emerging as Kings, Prophets, & Patriarchs.  

Greatness & glory have their prerequisites. Always have…Still do.

GOOD AS GOLD

People like these are scarce, but every generation has them. They are, what the Scriptures would call “GOLD” (Zech. 3:9)…a small minority of men & women who’s faith in God doesn’t turn to ash when they’re put through the fires of adversity. A ‘remnant’ who stays loyal to the Lord in spite of the cost involved. Those who stand out among their contemporaries for choosing pain over pleasure when God’s will involves pain. They serve Jesus in good times and in bad, for better or for worse, and are memorialized for doing so.

Remarkable men & women don’t just come out of nowhere…

But where is this remnant today? Gold in the hills has always been hard to find, but faith among men, even more so. Jesus Himself wondered, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk.18:8). It’s alarming to realize that the closer we come to Christ’s return, the softer the Christian community is getting. Buried beneath 21 centuries of cultural sediment, it’ll be a wonder if Jesus finds us at all.

PRICELESS GEMS

How many modern Christians are missing their chance to become the next Joseph simply because they won’t “let themselves be cheated” (I Cor.6:7)? How many believers are still living in worldly bondage just so they can avoid a trek through the desert? Or how many of us are bowing at the feet of man-made idols because we’re too scared of being thrown into the proverbial furnace?  

We fail to see hardship & privation for what it really is: A gift from God that keeps us from becoming the kind of person we all know is wrong. And if you’re not careful, you too could turn into the very person you’ve long despised. It all begins when your attention shifts from pleasing God, to protecting self.

Greatness & glory have their prerequisites

How many have suffered a stunting of their spiritual growth as soon as they found a spouse and secured a decent “nine-to-five”? They’ve grown more and more comfortable, while becoming less and less commendable. Their schedule is full, but their life is empty. Instead of turning into gemstones & dragon-slayers, they’ve become feeble & forgettable. It happens all the time.  

IN THE CRUCIBLE

The Christian faith is God’s invitation to an “abundant life”, but that abundant life includes pain and distress. Genuine Christianity is meant to bring a person to their melting point because it’s designed to produce great men and women, not people marked by mediocrity. If you want your life to count, you’ll have to carry your cross.  

Every golden ring is born in a crucible. Apart from a little heat, even the most precious of metals remain hard, unattractive lumps. Without any spiritual fortitude, a life gets ugly. Tomorrow’s church will be void of prophets & patriarchs if today’s Christians are void of patient endurance. 

PRECIOUS FAITH

I was recently asked, “Is there more to life than this?” The answer is “yes”, permanently yes. God always has more for you than what you currently enjoy of Him. The question isn’t whether God has more in store, but whether you’ll continue forward in the right direction despite the pain that awaits.

David did it, Joseph did it, and with a little faith of your own, you can do it too (as long as you’re willing to face the heat). Remarkable men & women don’t just come out of nowhere…they come out of adversity.

The only way into the Kingdom of God is “through much tribulation” (Acts 14:22), so don’t pawn off what could have been a 24-karat faith for a handful of fool’s gold.

“Trials show that your faith is genuine. It gets tested as fire tests & purifies gold (though your faith is far more precious than mere gold). So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world”

–I Peter 1:7

I’ve never been as interested in working for McDonalds as I have been recently. Not because of a long-suppressed desire to wear a polo shirt & headset, and not because I want out of the job I’ve already got, but because operating the griddle at Mickey D’s is more lucrative than ever. And I’m qualified.    

In order to get my last job I first had to invest 2 years of my life and several thousand dollars to secure an associate’s degree. It required a professional resume, character references, and a full background check. I even wore a suit to the interview. After all of that, I felt pretty lucky to get the position. It was the highest paying gig I’d ever landed, even though it offered me no health, no dental, and no PTO. Yet even after 7 years of faithful service, it still paid less than McDonalds is offering me right now as a walk-in. It felt like a fair-shake at the time, until I drove past the Golden Arches yesterday and saw that sign in the window.

And it’s not just McDonalds either. Gas stations, factories, & businesses all over town are doing the same thing. Not because they have gobs of money to spend on their staff, but because they can’t even find people to pay. I still remember the olden days when education & experience were mandatory for any position that offered more than fifteen bucks an hour. Now, the top two requirements are your physical presence and a pulse.

HAVING IT YOUR WAY…

Have we suddenly become a people that won’t serve without a bribe? That might explain why hiring incentives have doubled since last year, and why companies have to ‘bait’ people into employment. The industries that offer the biggest kickbacks right now, are driving-related occupations and personal/home health care. Cash bonuses on those fronts range from $100 to $30,000. Other places are offering bonuses of $100 to $2,500…just to prepare food!

Some would blame this trend on the pandemic. Others might point their finger at a covert political agenda. But what if the real problem was nothing more than personal irresponsibility? Selfishness & sloth weren’t born yesterday, but they certainly seem to be growing stronger with every passing generation. When offered a choice to serve or to be served, many nowadays are choosing the latter. The last 18 months have really exposed some underlying health conditions in our country.

This crisis, however, isn’t unique to America. The church faces a similar predicament, and it’s nothing recent either. Jesus once said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few”. There’s always been more work to be done than there are personnel willing or able to do it. We’re surrounded by piles of unmade money, unpicked fruit, and unsaved souls, all for a shortage of laborers. Maybe we’re all waiting for bigger incentives.

YOU DON’T DESERVE A BREAK TODAY…

What would you do if there were no incentives? What if serving Jesus garnered you nothing at all? No praise, no promotion, no actual wage. How much does it take to convince you that the giving of your time is worth the time you give? Be careful of withholding or discontinuing your service just because it doesn’t seem ‘worth it’ anymore. If you require a fifteen dollar bribe just to serve Jesus, you’re already halfway to betrayal without even realizing it!

Instead, let’s appreciate the opportunities we have to serve the Lord no matter how unprofitable they seem. I know it can sometimes feel like the investment we make far outweighs the return, but that’s just because we haven’t seen the full return yet. “Don’t get tired of doing what’s good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9).

WE’RE LOVIN’ IT…

It’s never been easier to be counter-cultural than it is right now. All it takes is a little service. Giving of your time and energy to help out where help is needed. Working yourself to exhaustion for no greater incentive than the pleasure of knowing that God is pleased. We’re called to shine in this world, and one of the ways it’s done, is through our work. “So, my dear brothers and sisters, always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (I Corinthians 15:58).

While Kwik Trip struggles to find someone who’ll get out of bed and run their cash register for $30,000 a year, the servants of Christ are gladly giving up their evenings & weekends for free. Because we love our Employer. We aren’t in it for the money, but for joy.

Keep up the good work.

Would you feel safer in a city where the penitentiaries are overflowing with crooks & criminals of every sort, or in a city where the prisons are half-empty because the judge liberally pardons them?

A FRIGHTFUL SCENARIO

Imagine coming home to find your entire family slain in cold blood (a quick Google search revealed that this scenario has been the grim reality for some, but I’ll spare you the sorrow by sharing no links). Shocked, you somehow manage to alert the authorities, and in short order, a man is brought into custody. His clothes are covered with the blood of your loved ones, and they, likewise, have traces of his. There is no doubt that the murderer has been caught.

Time passes, and at his arraignment, the suspect pleads ‘not guilty’. You’re insulted to say the least.

Time passes. At his trial, heaps of incriminating evidence is presented, along with multiple witnesses, all testifying against him. You are one of those witnesses, and you gladly honor your family by showing no mercy.

More time passes. You’re informed that an unexpected guilty plea was submitted. A glimmer of optimism washes over your soul. You’re thankful & relieved. You & your family have gotten the justice they deserve. Or so you think.

AN UNEXPECTED VERDICT

Again, time passes. At his sentencing, the defendant is asked to affirm his guilt before the court, which he readily does. The judge then declares his verdict: “I have seen the evidence, and I have heard the witnesses. Let the record show that I am a gracious & compassionate man. A judge who abounds in mercy and in love. I have decided to blot the crimes of the defendant from the record entirely. He is exonerated in full”.

The courtroom is stunned, the prosecution is outraged, and you feel like life has been taken from your family a second time.

The judge continues, now addressing the killer directly: “I declare you not guilty. You are innocent of all charges. Your crimes have been fully expunged from your record, and you are free from every penalty of the law. In addition, any future crimes you might commit are hereby forgiven as well. This court will always, only, consider you to be innocent. Further, I, personally, will lavish my love, care, and protection upon you for the rest of your life. I have decided to treat you as if you were my very own son, and I will bring to justice anyone else who fails to honor my decision. This case is closed”.

A MORAL DILEMMA

Is that the kind of judicial system you would prefer? Or would you feel better if criminals were brought to justice every time? Be careful answering that question.   

It’s hard to imagine such a scenario. Even if a judge or magistrate like that were somewhere to be found, it’s likely that he’d be removed from the bench in the blink of an eye. Few people would tolerate a judge who not only dismissed criminal offenses, but unduly honored the lawbreakers of that community. If you’re like most people, you’d rather take the risk of living among crooks who attack the innocent than with a judge who acquits the crooks.   

Unless, of course, you were the crook.

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

When we’re sinned against, we instinctively want justice. But when we commit the sin, its mercy we look for. Culpability changes everything. A person’s appreciation for God’s mercy depends on which side of the law they believe themselves to be on. Are you the law-keeper, or the law-breaker? Do you most often see yourself as the victim, or the culprit?

The hypothetical murderer of your family would have a different reaction to the judge’s verdict than you would, simply because he’s the one who committed the crime. He’s the one on trial. He’s the one facing punishment. You might not value leniency for your family’s assassin, but you’d want some for yourself if you were the one in court.  

A BIBLICAL REALITY

This explains why the Apostle Paul labors in Scripture to prove our guilt like he does (see Romans 1-3 in particular). Only guilty people can appreciate the clemency of a Judge like ours. It’s for this reason that “God has consigned everyone to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” (Ro.11:32).

When we fail to see ourselves as criminal, we fail to see our need for mercy, and God’s free gift of salvation offends us. But when our sins are ever before us, we recognize our own personal need for God’s pardon, and the free gift of salvation becomes so much more attractive.

We’re all guilty. And until we submit that plea, innocence is out of the question.  

Case closed.