God Warns Against A King

The story of Samuel is a great one. Samuel grows up serving the Lord, and he is a strong figure in Scripture. In 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel came to him, asking him for a king. They wanted someone to rule over them, someone to have the power to make things happen. What they didn't realize is that a king might not be on their side. A king might put his own interests first, and while he could lead an army, he could also take all of their rights away.

Samuel warned the people, "Here's what the king who rules over you will expect to be done for him. He will take your sons. He'll make them serve with his chariots and horses...others will have to plow his fields...He will take away your best fields and vineyards and olive groves...He'll take your best cattle and donkeys." Samuel tells them, "You yourselves will become his slaves (1 Samuel 8:10-17)."

The people insisted, "No! We want a king to rule over us. Then, we'll be like all the other nations..He'll go out at the head of our armies and fight our battles (1 Samuel 8:19-20)."

What is interesting is that God had already established the 10 Commandments, which would allow the people to honor God and live in a civilized society. God told them, through Moses to have no other gods, to not commit adultery, to not bear false witness, to not murder, to honor their father and mother, to not steal. In doing so, they could certainly have a civilized society without a king.

You might ask, who then would be in charge of protecting the country? God had already led the people out of slavery, protected them in the desert, defeated powerful armies. And, he did all of that without a king. He chose people, who honored Him, including Moses, Joshua, and Gideon to do what seemed impossible. But, still the people wanted a king.

Saul was a tall, handsome man. He was a leader who, the people thought, could propagate sin. They wanted to worship false gods; they wanted to disobey God. At least a king could be on their side.

People do the same in our day. They elect leaders to propagate sin and promote acts that are directly contrary to Scripture, including murder and homosexuality. They celebrate taking God's Word out of businesses and institutions. The people in 1 Samuel were all about propagating sin through a strong leader.

Fortunately, we can see a country succeed when the leadership recognizes God as the King. Moses  and Joshua were imperfect people, but their strength and goodness came from trusting in God. They defeated powerful armies and led the people towards the Promised Land because of their faithfulness.

A Bold Gentleman: A Heart-Warming Story from Scripture

It is difficult to read the story of Ruth and Boaz and not be compelled to talk about it. It is an incredible story in the Bible, that is so encouraging and applicable to our day.

The book of Ruth is perfectly placed (of course) right after the book of Judges. We can read about so much evil  in the first seven books of the Old Testament, as people turn away from God, time and time again. Then, comes the story of Ruth and Boaz. Reading this story is like taking in a breath of fresh air, when God uses faithful people to turn unfortunate circumstances into times to be thankful.

In the beginning of the book of Ruth, Naomi and Ruth both lost loved ones. Naomi lost her husband and two sons, and Ruth lost her husband, who was one of Naomi's sons. It was tough. Ruth chose to stick by her mother-in-law's side, and they traveled to Bethlehem.

Ruth and Boaz were in the city of David, and the city where Christ would be born. Unexpectedly, the two of them met, when Ruth showed up at Boaz's field to pick grain.

Boaz was the owner of the field and gladly allowed Ruth to work for him. He had heard about her kindness to Naomi, and he showed her much kindness in return. Boaz told the other workers not to harm her. In fact, he told them to make sure she was well taken care of. Boaz told Ruth, "Pick up the grain that is left. I've told the men not to bother you. When you are thirsty, go and get a drink. Take water from the jars the men have filled."

Boaz was not back-biting or rude to those around him. He was bold and went out of his way to be kind. He cared for Ruth, and treated her like family. He eventually took her to be his wife.

There is so much to this story to appreciate!

1. Boaz wanted what was best for Ruth. He told her from the day they met, "May the Lord be with you." He showed sincerity in his words and actions. He was a gentleman.

2. Ruth recognized his kindness. She said, "You have made me feel safe. You have spoken kindly to me. And I'm not even as important as one of your servants!" She was attentive to his kindness. 

3. We can be thankful for the bad and good examples that God has for us to read in Scripture. We can see with certainty that we do not want the destruction that comes with those who choose evil. And, we can rest assured that those who turn towards Him can expect good things to come (Romans 8:28).

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

Why Do We Need the Bible?

This morning I was thinking about encouraging people to read the Bible, and a question came to my mind: Why do we read the Bible? Why does it matter? After all, we are born with the knowledge of good and evil and we seem to just know right from wrong as we assimilate ourselves into the culture. We have a society and laws based mostly upon Christian principles, so those teachings we accept at a young age. In addition, we can learn morals from our parents, our teachers, and our coaches when we are young. And as we grow, we learn from our peers and mentors. So why do we need the Bible?

As I work my way from Genesis through Revelation, I see history recorded and principles laid out for living a good life. I see a book full of advice, and I know that without following the advice and instructions in the Bible, we can expect emptiness and destruction. Proverbs 1:32 tells us that "foolish people will be destroyed by being satisfied with the way they live." We can destroy our lives if we are not following God's Word. We need encouragement and direction every day. 

I appreciate the wisdom in Proverbs 3:7-8: "...Have respect for the Lord and avoid evil. That will bring health to your body. It will make your bones strong." In a world with so many options, I hope you remember...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.

In all your ways obey him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight."

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

My Epiphany

As I was doing the dishes this evening, a striking realization came to my mind. That tends to happen a lot when I am keeping busy. It seems that as my body works hard at a task, my mind works even harder. This evening, I was thinking about what my role is in life. I was thinking about all the people I look up to and all the good that they do. I realized that I could just do a little bit of all these good deeds and implement them into my life. While it was a great idea, I realized that God places before me what he has for me to do. Opportunities come when God ordains for it to happen.

And, like a flash of lighting, the pressure was gone. I cannot do everything, but I can be the best wife to Bill and mother to my two boys that I can. In doing so, I can learn to be a great cook, home decorator, cheerleader, financial planner, teacher, and worker. I can focus because I know where my focus is to be. I am a child of God, and can be at peace with the duties that God has set before me.

I pray you do that same. For those of you with kids, I encourage you to get my book Wisdom for the Journey in Parenting: 50 Simple Tips for Christian Moms and Dads, so that you can take the steps to be the best parent that you can be. In my book, you can learn to measure your work by God standards, instead of that of all the people around you. The profit from sales now through December 2018 for  will go to the Cleveland Pregnancy Center.

www.williamhseng.com

Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng

Top Five Food Finds for the Fall

As the weather starts to cool, we will be getting in the spirit of Fall. Fall, often times, means football, food, and family time. Here are some healthy ways to enjoy food this Fall...

5. Banza pasta - This pasta is made completely from chickpeas! It looks and tastes just like pasta. And for people, like myself, with sensitive stomachs, you will even feel great, too.

4. Simple Truth Vegetable Chips - They are crispy, salty, and delicious.

3. Simple Truth Vegetable Broth - For people that just want nothing to do with meat, this is a great way to make soup! Instead of using chicken stock, I love this option!

2. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts - What better way to eat hazelnuts than in chocolate!?

1. Bigelow Orange Spice Tea - It's fruity with just the right amount of spice.

It is always a pleasure to share my newest food finds, as I know that people are always looking for healthy options for the family.

Thanks for reading!
~Melissa Seng

America, The Land of the Free!

Happy 4th of July Weekend! It's a great time to celebrate and be thankful to be an American. We live in the greatest country in the world. We live in a nation where we can pursue what can only be called the American Dream.

What is the American Dream? James Truslow Adams popularized the term in 1931 when he said that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." Life can be better, richer, and fuller for all of us.

I want to address two questions that might come to mind. First, what does the American Dream look like? Second, is it a Christian pursuit?

First, what does it look like? It's not having what you want in life; it's earning what you want in life. If you want a small house on a farm, with some animals and a barn, it's having just that. If you want a big house with a swimming pool, and a sports car, and the ability to send your 5 kids to a private school for their education, its having just that. If it's becoming a doctor and going on vacation twice a year with your family, it's earning that degree and doing just that. If it's going on mission trips to help others or giving to one of the many non-profit organizations that do so much good for people all over the world, you are able to do that.

Second, is the American Dream a Christian pursuit? When we try to give our "humble opinion," we try to tell ourselves that we should not have anything good in this life and that only God's plan is of any significance. But, you are part of God's plan, and you can do many good things when you are in line with Him. God created us and said, "It is very good (Genesis 1:31)." He gave us the grass of the fields to enjoy, the animals to appreciate, and the food that was good to eat. And he gave family to reflect all that is good in Him. The American Dream can be a way of recognizing Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

God has blessed us is by creating a nation where the people are "One nation under God," and where we see blessings that come through faithfulness to His Word, in the form of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I love Neil Diamonds song America. He sings about our ancestors coming to this great country, "without a home, but not without a star." I think about that star as hope in Jesus and direction from God, and I am thankful for our ancestors dream and pursuit to come to America.

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

Cheering Your Husband On This Father's Day

Father's Day is a few days away. It's the day that many fathers feel like they are just not good enough. Well, I want to encourage you in this blog to appreciate fathers a little more this Father's Day.

To the Fathers:

Fathers, you are amazing! Just being there for your kids is huge for helping them grow with confidence, security, and good character. Dr. James Dobson says in his book Bringing Up Boys that fathers being absent is the biggest contributor to criminal behavior in kids as they enter adulthood (2001). So, if you are present and spending time with your kids, you can take the pressure off of yourself. You are already making a positive impact on your family.

Dr. Dobson says that fathers need to be the leader, protector, and provider. As you, fathers, fill these roles you are giving your family the stability and structure that God desires for us to have.

To the Wives:

As women, we tend to think that we have to be eveything to everyone. When we are at home with our family, we just want to go out and change the world. When we are making a difference in the world, all we want to do is go home and be with our family. It's a tough battle. But, often times we just need to be the cheerleaders. We cannot be everything to everyone. Instead, we can provide encouragement to the ones closest to us, so that together, we can make a difference.

Keeping that in mind, we need to know that our husband can be a great influence in the world. Strong, courageous, and Godly men can put the world more at peace. We need to encourage them and be grateful for their strength in character and integrity. We need to know that they can have influence and we, too, can have influence. We impart wisdom, discipline, love, and care to our children. Those gifts will shine through them to thousands of people they will meet in their lifetime.

To All:

We aren't to compete with, but to compliment one another. As John C. Maxwell says on Minute with Maxwell, "It's a fact that we can do more together, but it's also a fact that we can be more together."

Thanks for reading!

~Melissa Seng

Dobson, James C. (2001). Bringing Up Boys. Tyndale House Publishers.