Until He was Strong … Part 7

We learned in “Until He was Strong…Part 6” that King Amaziah did not follow God with a perfect heart. I often wonder, how does the way I live my life with respect to my relationship with God affect my children. In many cases in the Biblical records we do not get a complete picture of the home life and how the children are raised. We see that often times both their king father is known and, often times, their mother’s name is mentioned. Regardless, many of the mistakes of the father are either repeated or the next king completely changes his ways to be opposite of his father. In the case of Uzziah, this does not seem to be the case. It states of him that “he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. (2 Chronicles 26:4-5)”

Wow! There is a lot packed into those two verses. First, we see that he did that which was right in the sight of God. In other words, he probably obeyed God’s commands. We are not given much of King Uzziah’s story in the Bible. His reign is shared in 2 Chronicles 26 and very briefly in 2 Kings 14; yet, he ruled for 42 years. In that time, the nation prospered, and the desert areas were reclaimed by his water conservation plan. He also reconstructed Jerusalem’s walls and added towers and engines of war (all discussed in 2 Chronicles 26). Thus, it appears that Uzziah prospered. However, in verse 5, we also see that he sought God “in the days of Zechariah.” Does this sound familiar? King Joash “did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” (Remember back to “Until He was Strong…Part 5”) Once again, someone is only following God while there is someone for accountability. It definitely reminds us that we need to have that accountability, but it also reminds us that we need to be strong in the Lord even when there is no one “watching” us.

The second thing that we see of King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:5 is that “as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.” This statement was true until we see that he warred against the Philistines and won great battles. It tells us in verse 7 that “God helped him again the Philistines” and many other enemies. Other kingdoms then started giving King Uzziah gifts and his fame spread even to Egypt. Then, (I bet you can guess it) King Uzziah “strengthened himself exceedingly. (v. 8b)” This is when he began his building projects, which were all good for Jerusalem and his country. In verse 15, we see the phrase “for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.” Did you catch it? “Until he was strong”!

Now we see the demise of King Uzziah. In 2 Chronicles 26:16, we are told, “But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD (where only the priests were to go) to burn incense upon the altar of incense.” It was at that point that the priests (81 of them) went into the temple and withstood King Uzziah telling him that he was not to be there… “for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.” However, King Uzziah was angry and he had a censer in his hand ready to burn the incense (again, not allowed for any but the priests). While he was standing there angry “with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. (v. 19)” Right before the priests’ eyes, Uzziah came down with leprosy, spreading over his face. They threw him out of the temple, which he was also hasting to leave “because the LORD had smitten him. (v. 20).”

What a sad way to end your reign as the king of God’s chosen land. He actually reigned for 52 years (the last few years with his son as he could not be in the land with leprosy). That was it. That as the end of his life. He had done all these great things, but in the end, he was remembered for his pride.

We must be careful that when God blesses us, and all that we do, that we not get lifted up with pride. We may think that we strengthen ourselves, but we must remember the one who really gives us our strength.

Until next time… seek God, with or without someone holding you accountable and be strengthened in the Lord and DO NOT become PRIDEFUL!!!

Look for “Until He was Strong…Part 8” about King Uzziah’s heritage.

Until He was Strong … Part 6

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After King Joash was killed by his servants, his son Amaziah began to reign in his place. The first thing we read about King Amaziah is “… he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.” (2 Chronicles 25:2) The first question then should be, what does it mean “not with a perfect heart?” It means “complete” or “whole”. We might say it this way, “he did not do that which is right in the sight of the LORD whole heartedly.”

At first, it appears that Amaziah did follow the Lord’s heart. He killed off the servants that had killed his father. Of course, he probably thought he was doing justice in doing that. Most kings would have gone further in his day (in both his country as we’ve seen before within their own families and in those kingdoms around Israel). They would have killed even the sons or family members of those who had killed his father. However, King Amaziah did not kill their children as it states of him in verse 4 “… but he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.” In other words, King Amaziah followed God’s laws and showed mercy to the family members that may have feared him.

Next, he gathered men together to fight against the Edomites (an enemy of the Israelites). He gathered both men in the kingdom of Judah (of which he was the king) and he hired men from the northern kingdom of Israel (which had already turned away from following God). However, before King Amaziah went into battle, a man of God came to him and told him not to take these men from the northern kingdom of Israel into battle with him. Instead, he was to trust God:

“God hath power to help, and cast down… The LORD is able to give thee much more than this” (2 Chronicles 25:8-9)

So, King Amaziah sent the hired soldiers back home. The it states that “Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, …” and he won the battle. What is notably absent from Amaziah’s battle was thanking God for the victory. In fact, it states that “he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. (2 Chronicles 25:14b)” Why would he do this? Of course, the LORD was angered by this and sent a prophet to say, “Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand? (v. 15b)”

King Amaziah did not stop there. He then determined to fight against the northern kingdom as the hired soldiers who were sent back from the previous battle had “fallen upon the cities of Judah… and took much spoil. (v. 13)” After the battle with the Edomites, King Amaziah went against the northern kingdom and he lost the battle because, as God said, “they sought after the gods of Edom. (v. 20).” At the end of King Amaziah’s life, it is said that “Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD” and his own people killed him.

We learn here that if we are going to follow the LORD, we must do so with a “perfect” heart. King Amaziah did some of the law of God, but he then turned and worshipped other gods as well. We are told in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot worship god and “mammon”, meaning any other thing. Also, Jesus states in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” So, what is God’s will? That we believe on his Son Jesus Christ as both our Lord (Master) and Savior, and that we do His will in not following other gods. In other words, we are to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. (Luke 10:27)”… with a “perfect heart.”

As we continue to see how the kings followed God, until they were strengthened, let’s ask God to give us that perfect heart. Watch for the doings of King Uzziah in “Until He was Strong…Part 7”.

Until He was Strong … Part 5

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Today we are going to look at the next king of Judah, Joash. Remember that Ahaziah’s mother reigned for six years after killing all of Ahaziah’s brothers so that there would be no king left on the throne. However, there was a daughter of the previous king, and aunt to Ahaziah’s children, who had hidden the youngest brother, unbeknown to Athaliah. This child’s name was Joash. The aunt that hid him was named Jehoshabeath who also happened to be the wife of Jehoiada the priest (see 2 Chronicles 22:11).

When the seventh year of Athaliah came, Jehoiada the priest strengthened himself by taking many men, including the captains of hundreds, the Levites, the chief of the fathers and all the congregation and made a covenant to bring forth the king’s son to reign “as the LORD hath said of the sons of David. (2 Chronicles 23:3)” After setting King Joash up to be king, and killing Athaliah, we see the following:

“And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD’S people.”
2 Chronicles 23:16

Remember, King Joash is only seven years old at this time. So, it is not surprising that Jehoiada the priest is leading the way. In 2 Chronicles 23:16-21, we see Jehoiada breaking down the house of Baal, the false god, and setting in order the ways of the God as “written in the law of Moses” (v. 18). This is where the story because sad, in my opinion. It is stated that King Joash began his reign at the age of seven and…

“…Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.”
2 Chronicles 24:2

Joash wanted to repair the house of the Lord. So, he had money collected to do so. When the money was to be distributed for repairing the house of the Lord, King Joash and Jehoiada distributed the funds for the work. Once the work of repairing the house of the Lord was complete, “…they offered burnt-offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada (v. 14). Did you catch it? Here is that phrase again, “In the days of Jehoiada.” After this, Jehoiada died at the ripe old age of 130 years old. Wow! This man must have had such wisdom as he followed the Lord all the days of his life and we know that we grow in wisdom when we follow God. At this time, however, is where the story of King Joash turns sad. We are told the following:

“17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. 18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. 19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.” 2 Chronicles 24:17-19
2 Chronicles 24:17-19

It seems that after the priest Jehoiada died, King Joash listened to people rather than to God. He then saw some of the consequences and seems to have attempted to bring the people back to God. But, that is not the rest of the story. In the next few verses of 2 Chronicles 24, we see that the son of Jehoiada went in the Spirit of God to King Joash and confronted him about transgressing the commandments of the LORD. In fact, his words were, “ye have forsaken the LORD, (so) he hath also forsaken you. (v. 20)” You would think that King Joash would heed these warnings. Afterall, he saw great success and prosperity in his land while Jehoiada was alive, but this is not what happened. Instead, King Joash had Jehoiada’s son stoned to death and it says, “Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him. (v. 22)” Within that year, the Syrians came against Judah and won “because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. (v. 24)” Even Joash’s own servants conspired against him at this time and killed him on his bed.

So, what is there to learn from King Joash? We CANNOT just follow the ways of the Lord while we have someone there to hold us accountable. Yes, we need accountability; it helps us to stay strong in the Lord. However, we are all personally responsible to God for our own actions. Let’s not follow God all the days of our Jehoiada. Instead, let’s follow God all of our days!!! Look for until He was Strong…Part 6 about King Amaziah and see how he personally strengthened himself. The warning is “Be careful!”

Until He was Strong … Part 4

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Last post, we saw that overall Jehoshaphat sought the Lord when he was in danger and turned the people’s hearts towards God when they were afraid. However, we also learned that Jehoshaphat, like us, didn’t always seek the Lord for his daily decisions, and, thus, made leagues with those that were ungodly bringing harm to himself and his people. One of the consequences of Jehoshaphat making these leagues was his son turning from the ways of the Lord.

Jehoshaphat made an affinity with evil King Ahab of the northern kingdom by allowing his own son to marry King Ahab’s daughter. This son was given the kingdom by his father, and the first thing we see him do is “strengthen himself, and kill all his brethren… also of the princes of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 21:4) He actually walked in the ways of king Ahab and not in the ways of the Lord God. (2 Chronicles 21:6). This is what God stated of Jehoram (also known as Joram), “Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever. (2 Chronicles 21:7). In other words, the only reason that King Jehoram was allowed to reign is because of a promise God made to David in his family line. Do you often wonder why people who are so evil are allowed to continue without what seems like any consequences? I sometimes wonder who in their past was a praying grandmother or grandfather in whom the Lord made promises. The lesson I learn here is this… live in the ways of the Lord and pray for your loved ones. We don’t always get the blessing of seeing our prayers answered, but it appears that God does answer prayers and follows through on His Word. Isn’t that just like God?

However, God did appear to remove his mercy upon Jehoram according to 2 Chronicles 21:10 as God allowed the Edomites to revolt “because he (Jehoram) had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers.” What did he do? He turned the people’s hearts from following God (2 Chronicles 21:11). However, God warned Jehoram and gave him the chance to repent. Jehoram did not do so. Read the rest of 2 Chronicles 21 to see the sad outcome of his life. The people actually didn’t even bury him in the sepulchers of the kings as he had done so wickedly.

One of the consequences of Jehoram’s sins was that all of his sons were carried away except his youngest son. Again, because of God’s promise to King David, this son was made the king. His name was Jehoahaz (or Ahaziah). Unfortunately, he reigned only one year as he, too, walked in the ways of King Ahab. It is no wonder as his mother was the daughter of King Ahab who also walked in the ways of King Ahab since her mother before her, evil Queen Jezebel, had brought false gods into the kingdom of Ahab. In fact, it states of Ahaziah that “he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. (2 Chronicles 22:3)” This was now a dark part of Judah’s history. When Ahaziah died, his mother “destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. (2 Chronicles 22:10). She proceeded to rule for six years. Again, it becomes apparent that when we don’t follow the Lord’s ways, there are consequences to pay. Would any of this have happened had Jehoshaphat not made a league with King Ahab? Would any of this happened had Jehoshaphat asked God about his business decisions as he asked God to help him when danger was present? Of course, I cannot answer that question for certainty, but it does challenge me to pray for every decision remembering that God cares about the details and every word and deed has consequences.

We could move onto the next king of Judah who strengthens himself, whether in himself or in the ways of the Lord, but today, I want to stop and just ponder this: do we include God in every decision that we make? Is He truly a part of our every day lives? Do we know He is present and cares about every detail of our lives? He knows our words before we speak them. His thoughts are too numerous for us to count. He created us and desires fellowship with Him so there is no where we can hide from Him. (All from Psalm 139.) If you have never considered this… that we are to daily abide in Christ (John 15), then ask Him to show you how and let’s make our lives glorifying to God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by including them in our every day lives… in all of our decisions, not just when we are in trouble, but BEFORE we get ourselves into those messy places. Look for Until He was Strong…Part 5 about King Joash and how he followed the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

Until He was Strong … Part 3

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While studying about the kings of Judah in 2 Chronicles, one finds the continued pattern of kings beginning by following God and then turning away in some way either after they are strong or when they appear to just not need God’s direction any more. In part 2, we saw that this was the case with King Jehoshaphat. He “had riches and honor in abundance” because “he sought to the LORD God… and the LORD established the kingdom in his hand.” However, he made an affinity with King Ahab of the northern kingdom, who lost his life in a battle that God had warned they should not enter, and King Jehoshaphat returned home.

After King Jehoshaphat returned home, he was told by God (through a prophet) that he should not be in a league with the ungodly, and he was commended because he had prepared his heart to seek God. (2 Chronicles 19:2-3) Jehoshaphat then set about to turn the people’s hearts back to God. After this, an enemy came against Judah, Jehoshaphat’s kingdom. Jehoshaphat “feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast through all Judah.” He once again asked “help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 20:3-4). The rest of the story is in 2 Chronicles 20, where Jehoshaphat was told that he would not have to fight this battle, but that God would give them victory without any fighting. Jehoshaphat believed God and said in 2 Chronicles 20:20 “…Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” He went so far as to appoint singers to praise the LORD while the enemy was killing itself off. In the end, God allowed Jehoshaphat’s men to carry away plunder in abundance, “more than they could carry away.” (2 Chronicles 20:25)Wow! This was an incredible act of God that Jehoshaphat was allowed to witness, to be a part of. After this, “God gave him rest round about.” (2 Chronicles 20:30) I would think that after something like this, I would want to seek God every day of my life. But, alas, King Jehoshaphat, just like me, is human. At the end of his life, it states that “after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel (King Ahab’s son), who did VERY wickedly.” Jehoshaphat made ships to go to battle with Ahaziah and it states that “Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish” (2 Chronicles 20:37)

So, what do we learn from King Jehoshaphat? We learn that God is the one that prospers us, and God looks upon our hearts, whether or not we prepare our hearts to seek Him. God protects us when we don’t heed him, but there are consequences. We also learn that we need to seek God in ALL of our decisions. When Jehoshaphat was going to battle or feared, he called on God. However, it does not state that he asked God about whether he should make an affinity with King Ahab or join himself with Ahab’s son, King Ahaziah. It is important that we call on God all the time, not just in our battles. We need to seek His guidance in our affairs as well. We are not to be unequally yoked and we are to seek God’s wisdom. In fact, James 1:5-8 states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall received ay thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” We see this played out in the life of Jehoshaphat. He knew that he should seek God, but he did not heed God’s warnings. Let us learn from our fellow humans. We, too, are weak and fail. However, we are to continue growing in our relationship with God and in the knowledge of God and His ways. Seek God always and for all decisions. This is the lesson that I take away from King Jehoshaphat’s life. Look for the next part of “Until He was Strong…Part 4” as we continue to see how the Kings of Judah can teach us the ways of the Lord.

Until He was Strong … Part 2

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In continuing to read 2 Chronicles, the pattern continues with the kings… at the beginning of their reign, they do well in the ways of the LORD, and then, at some point, they either strengthen themselves or stop seeking God as they continue to rule. This was no different for King Asa’s son, Jehoshaphat. In 2 Chronicles 17, we see the following about him:

2 Chronicles 17:3-5 “And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, BECAUSE he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim (a false god); But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore, the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.”

It continues to say of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 17:6 “And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD.” He even sent people to “teach in the cities” “9 And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.”

Obviously, Jehoshaphat had a heart that desired to follow God. However, we find in 2Chronicles 18 that something changes. In verse 1, it states, “Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.” Now, Ahab was one of the worst kings in Israel (the northern kingdom) who married Jezebel, a worshipper of many false gods. Ahab was confronted by the prophet Elijah on many occasions because of his idolatrous ways. An affinity is a marriage alliance. In other words, Jehoshaphat allowed his son, Jehoram, to marry Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. God had given instructions in the Old Testament about who the Israelites could marry. This daughter came from the marriage Ahab had with a non-Israelite, more specifically, an idol worshipper, outside of God’s will. When Jehoshaphat allowed his son to marry, this was again a step away from God’s will. Not only was Jehoshaphat allowing his son to walk away from God’s will, Jehoshaphat was making a league with Ahab who was not following the ways of God.

In the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 6:14, we are also told not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. When we do this, we tend to follow the unbeliever’s ways and begin to step away from following the ways of the Lord. This is, in fact, what happened with Jehoshaphat. It seems that he knew this. When he and King Ahab were planning to go into battle, Jehoshaphat wanted to seek God’s will. Ahab called forth his prophets, but these were not called prophets of the Lord (See 1 Kings 22). However, Jehoshaphat pushed a bit and asked for a prophet of the Lord. This prophet (Micaiah) actually told King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat that they should not go into battle because it would not go well with them. However, the kings proceeded into battle, and they lost. King Ahab was killed, and when King Jehoshaphat was surrounded by the enemy, he called out to God and 2 Chronicles 18:31 says, “the LORD help him; and God moved them (the enemies surrounding him) to depart from him.”

Jehoshaphat then return to his house in peace (2 Chronicles 19:1) and was confronted by a prophet who said in 2 Chronicles 19:2 “…Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD?” The prophet also stated that there would be consequences for Jehoshaphat because of his actions, but “3…there are good things found in thee, in that…. Thou has prepared thing heart to seek God.”

You see, Jehoshaphat at first sought God about going into the battle with Ahab; however, he did not heed God’s warning. Still, in the midst of his despair, he called out to God. As a result of his not heeding God’s warning, he was to suffer the consequences after he returned home. We will see later that his son turned from following God because of the affinity that Jehoshaphat had with King Ahab. Still, Jehoshaphat was commended by God for preparing his heart to seek God. This is not the end of the story of King Jehoshaphat, but we are out of time now. Look for Part 3 of “Until He was Strong” for more, and remember, seek God and heed His Words!

Until He Was Strong… Part 1

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In reading 2 Chronicles, I have noticed a pattern with so many of the kings. They sometimes began their rule with setting things right with God whether personally or for the entire kingdom. However, as they grew older, they either strengthened themselves or they simply stopped seeking the Lord. The lessons that I am learning is that, if God allows us years of life, we need to begin in His strength, end in His strength and continue seeking Him all the days of our lives. Let’s look at the Scriptures to see what lessons we can learn.

Speaking of King Asa (2 Chronicles 14-16)

“And Asa did good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God… 4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment… 7 Therefore he (Asa) said because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.”
2 Chronicles 14

“(through a man who heard from God it was said,) 2 … The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye SEEK him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”
2 Chronicles 15

(Notice the word SEEK here)

“4 … when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD god of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them….. 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul…17… the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.”
2 Chronicles 15

(When the Northern kingdom of Israel was coming against the southern kingdom of Judah which was under King Asa, King Asa sought help from the enemy of Syria “1 In the thirtieth sixth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah (where Asa was the king. A prophet of God said to Asa)… 7 Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand…. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly.”
2 Chronicles 16

(Notice that Asa and the people did not SEEK God, but rather, they sought an enemy to bring them help.)

“12 And Asa in the thirty ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.”
2 Chronicles 16

(This is not to say that the physicians are bad… just that Asa did NOT SEEK GOD!)

How sad it is that Asa’s hear was “perfect all his days” meaning he knew God, he trusted God, he claimed to follow God… and, for the most part, he did. However, when trouble came later in his life, he didn’t seek God. Isn’t that just like us? Sometimes we panic and try to find a way to get help and forget to seek God. When we get comfortable with where we are, we tend to find ways to help ourselves instead of seeking God first. Maybe God would use the physicians in Asa’s life. It is certain that God would not want to use the enemy to help in time of war… but in both cases, Asa did not seek God and, therefore, we will never know what might have happened had he done so. Don’t let this be the case in your life… and I don’t want this to be the case in mine… Let’s seek God, whether we are weak or strong, and see what He will do!

Be sure to checkout Until He Was Strong.. Part 2 about King Asa’s son and his choices.

Praying Thanksgiving for Others

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Read the following Scriptures carefully. What do they all have in common?

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
Romans 1:8

“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”
Ephesians 1:15-16

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:3-11

“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
Colossians 1:3-14

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.”
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; 4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:”
2 Thessalonians 1:3-5

Paul was super excited to thank God for fellow believers. Why? What did Paul have to gain? He gained persecution, poverty, and distress of all kinds. There was nothing for him to gain by sharing the gospel except more trouble from the authorities and those who did not like the message. And, yet, Paul was excited when people accepted the Truth of the Gospel and came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul found the grace of God and shared it with others and wanted others to know that grace too (Philippians 1:7). Paul desired that those who believed would grow in love toward others (Ephesians 1:15, Philippians 1:9). Paul was excited that others gained that hope of heaven which spurs us on to love and good works (Colossians 1:5, 10). Paul was excited that these fellow believers would have a reward … an inheritance and forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:12-14). Paul was excited that as the believers’ faith grew so did their love for others despite their persecutions (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4).

Some people do not understand this. Christians are not sharing the gospel and looking for converts to the faith in order to gain riches and popularity. Oh, I know there are some people that do this. However, those that are truly in love with Christ just want others to know that same joy, peace and abundance of life. Like Paul, we share with others and we grieve when others do not understand the truth of the gospel because they are missing out on the greatest grace and joy we could ever have. Like Paul, we want others to have that inheritance of eternal life. We want others to experience that joy and love for others despite the hardships of life. We are overjoyed when we hear of others who are walking in the truth… not because we have anything to gain from it personally, but because we understand the joy that comes from being in relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Father who is both our God and Father.

It is interesting that, just as in Paul’s day, when people come to accept the gospel, the Word of Truth, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and truly follow Him (making Him the Lord of their lives), people become more loving to others even when others are not kind to them. The people who follow Jesus Christ begin to do works of righteousness, not because they are forced to do so, but out of love for others. The people who follow Jesus Christ begin to labor for others and pray earnestly that others may come to see the truth too. Why? Because, in short, God is good and this gospel is truly such good news that we honestly want others to know it too. This is why Christians pray so fervently for their loved ones who do not know or accept the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ… the gospel of God… the goodness that God has given to us. Christians pray fervently for those they love, that they would see the goodness of God because it is worth it! Just as Paul said over and over again, “we thank God” for those that we know that have received because we know that they have found the greatest gift life has to offer.

If you are not a Christian and you know a Christian who is praying for you, please understand that it is because they love you… and, even more, they love Jesus Christ and they want to share that awesome love with you! Faith, Hope, and Love… these three remain… (1 Thessalonians 1:3) and the greatest of these is love!

1 John Challenge

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This week in reading 1John, and walking through the week with family and friends, I learned something valuable. I love the way God allows us to read something, or brings it to our attention, just at that moment where He is going to give us a real life example. I believe that I learned more from reading 1John this time than any other time. For me, it became one big thought. And, what is that thought? IF YOU HAVE SEEN JESUS, there is an excitement in your relationship with Him. (1John 1:1-3) When that excitement is there, He wants you to hold on to that joy (1John 1:4-5). He then tells us what we gain from this relationship with Him… we can walk in the light and the truth and have a cleansing from our sins (1John 1:5-9). And, yes, we continue to mess up. Who doesn’t ever, ever sin? (No one according to 1John 1:8, except, of course, Jesus Christ.) But, He forgives us when we confess those sins. He does not see us as the failure, He sees us as someone who has done something wrong and we have the chance to make it right!

In 1John 2, John reminds us that it is only Jesus Christ who has given us this ability to be continually in right relationship with God. Jesus is the one who took the penalty for our sins… and not only ours who accept it, but even those who do not. In other words, God does not love someone who does not believe in Him any less. However, they have chosen to not have relationship… which is what the rest of John’s first letter seems to be about… relationship (fellowship).

In 1John 2, we are told how to have fellowship. If we truly know Jesus and understand what He did for us, we will want to follow His ways. Why? because they bring us a peace. He perfects us or completes us. When we are made whole, there is a peace in our lives. If we do not understand the love of God, how can we possibly love others? And, when we do not show love to others, there is such contention. John continues in 1John 2 to show us that we should love the Father and His ways and not the world’s ways. This world WILL pass away. We will come to an end! The talk this week in our home brought to light the concern with the way the world is going right now. John even addresses that! There will be people who are against Christ and against Christians. However, no matter what others might say about you or to you, “This is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1John 1:25) This is our hope and so we should abide in Christ.

John then seems to stop and reflect on that great love of Christ all over again in 1John 3. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (verse 1) That love that we accept from God makes us different! The world cannot understand (1John 3:1). I see this truth in those who are not Christians, those who seem to just not understand me. That is okay. There is a peace. “We are the sons of God” (1John 3:2) Because we are the sons of God, we purify ourselves as Christ is pure. Why would we do that? Because we love Him! When we are trying to please our spouse, we do those things that we believe will please that spouse. Why would it be any different with Christ? He was manifested (shown to us) to take away our sins… (v. 5) Because He did this, we should love one another because we should see the great love He has shown us as an example. “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1John 3:13) A follower of Christ may look different, and those around them may see them as “holier than thou” or “just ignorant and stupid.” The Apostle John anticipated that too. He said in 1John 3:19 “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him”. Also, in 1John 3:24, he said, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.” What a peace we gain from stepping back and remembering that we are children of God… and that He loves us enough to fellowship with us… to have a relationship with us.

Then in 1John 4, we are warned that not everyone will understand, and that not everyone even wants to. However, we are assured that we overcome what the world throws at us (1John 4:4). When in our hearts we only and always want to speak about God and His ways and His doings, the world does not understand: “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (v. 6) And how does this truth work itself out in our lives? We love one another because love is of God. God proved that love to us by sending His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. (1John 4:9) If we are living through Him, then we abide in Him, and we do those things He wants us to do and we love others: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1John 4:11) And, “We love Him, BECAUSE HE first loved us.” (1John 4:19)

John then ends his letter with a great excitement… “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world.” (1John 5:4) And how do we overcome? “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” But, this is not a blind faith as some will say. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself” (v. 10) “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may KNOW Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (v. 20), which He hath given to us in His Son (v. 11). John tells us that He wrote these things so that we may know that we have eternal life and that we might believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1John 5:5)

Why would John be so bold as to tell us this? Who is He to tell us anything? That brings me back to where I first started… BECAUSE John HEARD, SAW, LOOKED upon, and HANDLED with His hands the Lord Jesus Christ. (1John 1:1) And not only that, John bore witness to what he saw and he so wanted us to all know too. Why does John want us to know? He wants us to experience eternal life because He understood the joy of the relationship with Jesus Christ and His Heavenly Father. Thus, John wrote these things unto us “that our joy may be full.” (1John 1:4) This is always my hope too… that others would come to know the Love that God has bestowed on us through Jesus Christ and that this love is worth more than life itself. I want to share what God has given to me because I have that joy of which John spoke. Would you consider, if you have not already, seeking that joy as well? It begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Enemy for the Truth?

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Have you ever met someone that appears profoundly sad much of the time? Maybe it appears that there is an absence of joy… not just happiness, but joy (there is a difference)? It is hard to watch someone be in this state when you know that God wants to give this person His joy, even in very difficult circumstances. Christians understand this joy and often want to share it with others. When I hear a deep sadness in people, I often wonder if the peace of God would bring joy to their Spirit. Jesus says that He came to give us His joy… so I cannot help but believe that the peace of God would definitely bring joy to a joyless countenance. I see a difference between those that truly know Christ, and those that either just know of Christ or have rejected Him altogether. Those who truly know Christ seem to handle difficult circumstances in a much different way. There is a joy that comes through even in the sadness and difficulties. I cannot even explain this except to say that I am not the only Christ follower that I know who sees this difference too. This is the drive for me… the drive to want to hold forth the Word of God to others so that they might know Jesus too… truly know Him. That knowledge brings his peace (He says so…) and a joy (His joy…) and comfort beyond measure in our difficult circumstances.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27

“These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
John 15:11

When I hold forth the Word, I am holding forth the truth of God. This truth comes with evidence. We all know people who tell us that they are “telling us the truth”, and yet, the evidence does not seem to bear witness to that truth. So, yes, there is a truth… and if it is truth, then the evidence will support it (whether or not we choose to believe it). For instance, someone may tell me about an experience that they have been through, and it may be very, very difficult to believe. However, if someone were to show me video coverage of that experience or provide me many witnesses who all say the same thing, I would then have the evidence needed to believe it. So, at first, the truth was presented to me, and I didn’t believe. That did not change the truth of the situation. However, when the evidence became clear, then I could not possibly deny the truth.

The truth of Jesus Christ was presented to me in a similar way. I did not grow up as a Christian. I went to church pretty regularly, but I did not understand what being a Christian meant. I knew of Jesus Christ and I believed there was a God. I began to read the Bible when I was in my late 20s and there was significant evidence being presented to me of God’s true existence. However, when I discovered what the Bible said about Jesus Christ being the Savior and the Son of God, and that He came to set me free from the shame of my sins, I was presented with evidence that I had not heard before. The evidence for this truth built for several years as I read the Bible and found what it said about Jesus and God. The evidence then became enough for me to believe the truth when Jesus Christ personally presented Himself to me as I confessed that I was a sinner and I wanted Him to take this shame from me. He met me there… I physically felt His presence.

Of course, this physical presence of Jesus Christ with me cannot be an experience that I can share with others. I did not have a video camera and no one could see this. So, this experience is hard to use as evidence that the Bible is the Truth of God leading us to Jesus Christ as our savior from our sins. However, I accepted this as truth and then was on a journey to find more evidence. As I did, I began to share what evidence I found with pretty much anyone that would listen. The truth became more and more evident to me. I have been questioned about this truth over and over again. As I go to search for the answers, even through my own skepticism, I find that there are always answers to the questions which support the truth that I have come to accept. Of course, if someone were to show me evidence against the truth, I would have to reconsider. However, that has not happened. In fact, the more I search for evidence against this truth that I have come to accept, the more evidence I find for this truth.

So, what is my point in all of this? If we find something to be true, and it changes our life for the better, we usually want to share that with others. We do this with our health, our finances, where we live, new activities, and so on. We usually cannot wait to share something that we find works well in our lives. We also love to share what we think is true. Isn’t that why Facebook is flooded with fact-checks? Everyone wants to know whether or not they are being lied to. We want the truth. In fact, even habitual liars are angered when someone tells them a lie! Isn’t that interesting? So, why is truth so important to us? That is another whole topic… somehow the desire to want the truth must be hardwired into us… and where does that hardwiring come from? For me, the answer to that question is again further truth of the existence of God.

Anyhow, here is the point. I have shared what I have found to be the truth with many, many people because I believe it is the truth. God’s Word (as I found the Bible to be) tells us about God, about ourselves, about our relationship to God, and about our relationships with each other. God’s Word addresses the big questions we all have about life. When Jesus came to me, and God’s Word confirmed my experiences, my life changed. My life is not always happy. I have faced some really hard circumstances; we all do. However, I have a peace and a joy even in all of that. I have a hope that I see missing in so many others who do not hold to the truth that I have found. Because I have found what I believe to be the truth, I hold it out to others and try to share with them. I so want them to know the freedom that I have found. I want them to experience life, and life abundantly (as Jesus calls it) so that they, too, have a peace and joy even in the difficult circumstances. It is hard to watch people suffer… even harder when you believe you have the answer and they aren’t even open to hearing what you have to share with them… evidence and all.

Today, I feel like Paul must have felt. “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16) It is heart breaking that when we share the truth, people actually begin to hate us. People tell me they don’t want to hear. A distance begins to grow between the ones I love and me. I have been cutoff many different ways… whether just on Facebook, or in person, or through no phone calls. Regardless, my heart breaks… “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”