The Second, Third, etc. Time Around

One of my favorite people of the Bible is David. Two things stand out to me about him: he was a man after God's heart, and he failed alot and big. It isn't so much that he failed but that he continued to get back up with God's grace and keep going. This was because he was a man after God's heart. Most think about his failure with Bathsheeba but there were others. His first marriage failed, he caused the death of a lot of his people by his own arrogance, he failed with his kids, and the list goes on. I would suppose that because he was a leader God let us see more of his life. Not that his failures did not cost him. The consequences for some of them were enormous and lifelong. Psalm Three talks about what happened after the Bathsheeba affair. The first two verses explain a bleak situation. There did not seem to be very many of his friends left. He had a lot of enemies, the chief of which at this time, was his own son. He wanted David dead. His enemies were speaking about him behind his back and possibly to his face. What they said is what is so significant in this psalm. They were saying that because of his failures God had forsaken David; that God had given up on him. More modern terminology (the kind of which I personally heard toward me) was that God put him on a shelf for the rest of his life. However, David knew this was not true. Whether or not he would be restored as king, he still knew God had not forsaken or given up on him. David referred to God as a shield around him. As a result he could get a good night's sleep because he knew God had not given up on him and was still taking care of him. SO...
Regardless of the failure, even though forgiveness is promised for all sin, the promise of God still holds: "He will accomplish His purpose for me" (Psa 138:8). "He who began a good work in me will continue it until the day I face Him" (Phil 1:6). There are other Scriptures along this line but these two keep me going. The same God who held David by the hand WHEN he fell (Psa 37:23-24)is also holding mine and will never let go. God does not promise second or third chances per se, but He seems to like to give them to those after His heart.

Qualifications of Elders: Blameless

Our church is taking a detailed trip through the book of Titus. Since I am the interim pastor and the church will start looking for a senior pastor sometime next year, we thought we ought to consider what kind of man to look for.
The first qualification, blameless, that is mentioned in Titus 1:6 is mentioned again in verse seven. This emphasizes its supreme importance. But it is easy to confuse blamess with sinless. Actually, the best way to understand blameless is no one is able to point a finger at you and say: "You did _____ and never made it right." Being blameless involves making right the wrongs done to others. It is best seen in Proverbs 28:13. "He that covers up a transgression will not prosper, but he that confesses and forsakes will find mercy." It is also explained very clearly in James 4:1-10. There James tells us the reason relationships, families, and even churches divide is because someone wants something and someone else is in their way. He doesn't say what one wants is necessarily wrong, but that he wants it bad enough to fight and even divide over it. Problem is that God says He becomes an enemy to those who do this and things will just get worse. Solution: humble yourselves before the Lord. In other words, resolve it now and in His way (actually to be proud in this passage is simply doing things my own way instead of God's).
It is difficult going to someone, confessing how I have offended them, asking them to fill in what I have done and am not aware of it, and then asking for forgiveness. But that is what blameless is and that is the kind of pastor to be looking for.