II Chronicles 24: 15-17
Now when Jehoiada reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel and to God and His house.
Jehoiada was the priest who became a father to Joash when his wicked grandmother Athaliah murdered his whole family. And King Joash did well as long as Jehoida lived.
God granted Joash to have Jehoiada's counsel for many long years.
Verses 17-18
But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them.
They abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols ...
As soon as the old priest died, King Joash listened to the wrong people, and turned away from the Lord! How could he still not recognize right from wrong? How could he be so susceptible to the wiles of the enemy (Satan)? Grief?
Verse 19
Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
God even sent His prophets to turn them back to the Lord, but they refused to pay any attention to them.
Verses 20-21
The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the [grand]son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said ..."
So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord.
Okay, God even sent Joash's beloved Jehoiada's own grandson to remind him of God's ways to return to Him, but King Joash had him murdered!
It looks like Joash never did learn to think for himself; he constantly needed someone to tell him what to do. While his adopted father, the priest, was around, he did what he told him to do. But as soon as he died, he turned to other people who lead him in the opposite direction. And he followed them.
Verse 25
... (King Joash's) own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the [grand]son of Jehoida the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
Burial was very significant in those days. What the mourners did or didn't do reflected the character of the deceased.
The priest was buried with the kings, the king was not.
I want to be sure to continue to follow my God, and never stray from His path for me. When I die, I want to die strong in the Lord. If I don't die but am Raptured, then I want to have no regrets or misgivings when I go.
Death can come any time, without warning. And Jesus can return any day now. So I am seeking my Lord every day; I am reading and studying His written Word continually; and I am posting my blog every day, so others can also draw closer to Him. May my Lord strengthen me to be faithful to Him, even when my natural proclivities try to draw me into myself.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Weary And Heavy-Laden
Matthew 11: 28-30
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.
These are Jesus' words. He sees how we struggle under the heavy loads we carry in our lives, and He has compassion on us. He invites every one of us to come to Him. He wants to relieve our stresses, so that we will be free to do all the good He has planned for us to do.
A yoke is a specially carved piece of wood that would link two oxen together to pull a wagon. Jesus uses this picture to show us how He wants us to link with Him to let Him carry the load for us. That's what makes it easy and light for us.
He wants us to learn His strong gentleness that will give us precise control in our maneuverings of life.
And His humbleness of heart will keep us from promoting ourselves.
When we learn to trust Him to fight our battles for us, then we will be able to relax and not fret over the outcome.
Even when we are in the thick of the battle, when we see a thousand fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, and it doesn't touch us! (Psalm 90:7). This peace He gives goes beyond what we can understand. It keeps us calm while everyone else around us is losing it.
Have you ever experienced this kind of peace?
Too much stress is the cause of all kinds of diseases and conditions and syndromes people today suffer with. If they would only "come to Jesus" and let Him be Lord (Boss) over their lives, He would relieve their stress (weariness) and take their (heavy-laden) load upon Himself! This is what He's offering every single person alive.
He's not saying we won't have trials and troubles, but that He will be with us, taking the sting out of the worst and leading us in how to manage it all.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your love for me, who was Your enemy. Thank You for sending Your own Son to take my death for me, and give me His Life that will endure forever. Thank You for His taking upon Himself all my trials and problems and sorrows, for teaching me how to trust You with my life through them all, and not worry about any of it.
Thank You, Father, for being faithful to do everything You have said You would do for me, in my life right now and forevermore, causing me to receive the Life of Your Spirit (be born again, from above, John 3:3), and granting me such privileges to be able to learn of You and understand so much of Your ways!
Thank You for helping me keep my cool in the midst of turmoil. Thank You for letting me curl up in Your lap and rest in Your arms. I have found that Your yoke is easy, and Your load is light, with You carrying the brunt of it for me.
And You have given me rest for my soul, in my spirit.
O Father, please grant all Your children to learn of You and Your ways, to trust You implicitly, to handle their lives with serpentine wisdom and dove-like gentleness (Matthew 10:16) when they face attack and/or persecution.
Strengthen Your people, Lord God Almighty, to face the enemy and stand up under the attacks. You have given us Your armor to put on (Ephesians 6:13-17); let each of Your soldiers be garbed in Your protection, and maintain Your peace.
And may the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony give all of us Your victory over the enemy (Revelation 12:11).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.
These are Jesus' words. He sees how we struggle under the heavy loads we carry in our lives, and He has compassion on us. He invites every one of us to come to Him. He wants to relieve our stresses, so that we will be free to do all the good He has planned for us to do.
A yoke is a specially carved piece of wood that would link two oxen together to pull a wagon. Jesus uses this picture to show us how He wants us to link with Him to let Him carry the load for us. That's what makes it easy and light for us.
He wants us to learn His strong gentleness that will give us precise control in our maneuverings of life.
And His humbleness of heart will keep us from promoting ourselves.
When we learn to trust Him to fight our battles for us, then we will be able to relax and not fret over the outcome.
Even when we are in the thick of the battle, when we see a thousand fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, and it doesn't touch us! (Psalm 90:7). This peace He gives goes beyond what we can understand. It keeps us calm while everyone else around us is losing it.
Have you ever experienced this kind of peace?
Too much stress is the cause of all kinds of diseases and conditions and syndromes people today suffer with. If they would only "come to Jesus" and let Him be Lord (Boss) over their lives, He would relieve their stress (weariness) and take their (heavy-laden) load upon Himself! This is what He's offering every single person alive.
He's not saying we won't have trials and troubles, but that He will be with us, taking the sting out of the worst and leading us in how to manage it all.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your love for me, who was Your enemy. Thank You for sending Your own Son to take my death for me, and give me His Life that will endure forever. Thank You for His taking upon Himself all my trials and problems and sorrows, for teaching me how to trust You with my life through them all, and not worry about any of it.
Thank You, Father, for being faithful to do everything You have said You would do for me, in my life right now and forevermore, causing me to receive the Life of Your Spirit (be born again, from above, John 3:3), and granting me such privileges to be able to learn of You and understand so much of Your ways!
Thank You for helping me keep my cool in the midst of turmoil. Thank You for letting me curl up in Your lap and rest in Your arms. I have found that Your yoke is easy, and Your load is light, with You carrying the brunt of it for me.
And You have given me rest for my soul, in my spirit.
O Father, please grant all Your children to learn of You and Your ways, to trust You implicitly, to handle their lives with serpentine wisdom and dove-like gentleness (Matthew 10:16) when they face attack and/or persecution.
Strengthen Your people, Lord God Almighty, to face the enemy and stand up under the attacks. You have given us Your armor to put on (Ephesians 6:13-17); let each of Your soldiers be garbed in Your protection, and maintain Your peace.
And may the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony give all of us Your victory over the enemy (Revelation 12:11).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, October 26, 2018
The End Of The Last Days
Matthew 10: 21-22
And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all on account of My Name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved (rescued).
This is at the end of the final days. I believe it will come in my time, I've asked my Father to let me be here for Jesus' coming, and see the dead rise from their graves and meet Him in the clouds.
God's great Plan of the Ages is revealed all through His Word! Every part of it is intricately intertwined with all the rest, in one glorious, magnificent, orderly and grand Plot, overarching everything mere man can plan or do!
God has told us how history would unfold, and it has proceeded exactly as He told Daniel it would. And Time is still marching on, unfolding events that are rushing this World into the very circumstances He has already told us are coming.
We think our choices are freely chosen on our part, but everything we as a Race of Man choose only furthers God's goals. He's that wise and powerful.
O my dear Father, please continue to strengthen Your Church, the Body of Christ, to boldly face the extreme trials coming.
And, Father, please send out more laborers into Your fields ripe to harvest! That all Your lost sheep will be found and brought into the safety of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all on account of My Name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved (rescued).
This is at the end of the final days. I believe it will come in my time, I've asked my Father to let me be here for Jesus' coming, and see the dead rise from their graves and meet Him in the clouds.
God's great Plan of the Ages is revealed all through His Word! Every part of it is intricately intertwined with all the rest, in one glorious, magnificent, orderly and grand Plot, overarching everything mere man can plan or do!
God has told us how history would unfold, and it has proceeded exactly as He told Daniel it would. And Time is still marching on, unfolding events that are rushing this World into the very circumstances He has already told us are coming.
We think our choices are freely chosen on our part, but everything we as a Race of Man choose only furthers God's goals. He's that wise and powerful.
O my dear Father, please continue to strengthen Your Church, the Body of Christ, to boldly face the extreme trials coming.
And, Father, please send out more laborers into Your fields ripe to harvest! That all Your lost sheep will be found and brought into the safety of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, October 25, 2018
The Workers Are Few
Matthew 9: 37-38
Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.
I wonder how many of God's children, disciples of Jesus, actually "beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest"!
Child of God, have you sought God's favor in sending workers into His fields?
If you do, He just may send you! When a young woman, Lottie Moon, heard a sermon on this verse, she began to pray, and God told her to go!
I don't think He sends everyone out to a foreign field who asks Him to send workers, but I would never say He won't want you to go. That's between you and your Father.
The harvest truly is great, and workers are always needed. My dream is to vagabond the World casting abroad the seed of the Gospel! God has priviledged me to attend Bible college and learn how to study His Word to understand it the way He wrote it, how He intends to teach us. This blog is one of my efforts to begin to cast handfulls of His seed. If you are reading this in another part of the World, I would like to know where you are, and how this is helping you.
And do continue to beseech the Lord of the Harvest.
O my Father, please put Your calling on more workers; all the laborers that are needed to reach even the most remote fields.
O Father, You have said that You desire Your Gospel to be proclaimed to "every creature," and that You have chosen Your own out of every Nation, every tribe, every tongue that is spoken in all the World! Please send Your workers into all these fields to reap Your abundant harvest!
Please find every one of Your lost sheep, wherever they may be in all the corners of this whole Earth; send out Your workers to find them all, and bring them into Your sheepfold. So that there will be that one fold and one Shepherd!
Unite all Your chosen ones in all the congregations over the whole face of this Earth, that the lost will see our love and know that Jesus Christ has come to save.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.
I wonder how many of God's children, disciples of Jesus, actually "beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest"!
Child of God, have you sought God's favor in sending workers into His fields?
If you do, He just may send you! When a young woman, Lottie Moon, heard a sermon on this verse, she began to pray, and God told her to go!
I don't think He sends everyone out to a foreign field who asks Him to send workers, but I would never say He won't want you to go. That's between you and your Father.
The harvest truly is great, and workers are always needed. My dream is to vagabond the World casting abroad the seed of the Gospel! God has priviledged me to attend Bible college and learn how to study His Word to understand it the way He wrote it, how He intends to teach us. This blog is one of my efforts to begin to cast handfulls of His seed. If you are reading this in another part of the World, I would like to know where you are, and how this is helping you.
And do continue to beseech the Lord of the Harvest.
O my Father, please put Your calling on more workers; all the laborers that are needed to reach even the most remote fields.
O Father, You have said that You desire Your Gospel to be proclaimed to "every creature," and that You have chosen Your own out of every Nation, every tribe, every tongue that is spoken in all the World! Please send Your workers into all these fields to reap Your abundant harvest!
Please find every one of Your lost sheep, wherever they may be in all the corners of this whole Earth; send out Your workers to find them all, and bring them into Your sheepfold. So that there will be that one fold and one Shepherd!
Unite all Your chosen ones in all the congregations over the whole face of this Earth, that the lost will see our love and know that Jesus Christ has come to save.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Today And Tomorrow
Matthew 6: 34
Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come. All we have is today, this present moment.
If I focus on today, doing what I need to do today, taking care of today's needs and obligations, then of course tomorrow will care for itself! It will proceed from today's completion as a brand-new day, with no pile-up of obligations from the previous day's lacking because of worrying about tomorrow!
One day at a time, focusing on the present moment, doing "the next thing" without putting it off or procrastinating, will complete the day and allow the next morning to bring a brand-new day, with no carry-over from yesterday to clutter it up!
It's so simple, just do whatever my hand finds to do, now, not putting it off; and I will accomplish all that God planned for me before the foundation of the World!
Thank You, Father, for each new day to know You better, love You more, and serve You faithfully!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come. All we have is today, this present moment.
If I focus on today, doing what I need to do today, taking care of today's needs and obligations, then of course tomorrow will care for itself! It will proceed from today's completion as a brand-new day, with no pile-up of obligations from the previous day's lacking because of worrying about tomorrow!
One day at a time, focusing on the present moment, doing "the next thing" without putting it off or procrastinating, will complete the day and allow the next morning to bring a brand-new day, with no carry-over from yesterday to clutter it up!
It's so simple, just do whatever my hand finds to do, now, not putting it off; and I will accomplish all that God planned for me before the foundation of the World!
Thank You, Father, for each new day to know You better, love You more, and serve You faithfully!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
The Queen Of Sheba
II Chronicles 9: 8
Blessed be the Lord your God Who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.
These are the words of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, King David's son.
She recognized God's love and goodness. She expressed her faith in God as the Lord over Israel Who could establish them forever (unlike any other god or idol worshipped in this World); and that He is their true King, setting Solomon on His own throne over His people, to preside over His chosen ones with Divine justice and righteousness.
O my Father, You are the One Who sets up and puts down all who have authority. You turn their hearts whithersoever You choose, like the rivers of water.
You gave this Queen of Sheba the insight to recognize You as the Lord God Who loved Israel, and Who set this man on Your throne in Your place of authority to rule the people according to Your goodness and righteousness.
You are the King over all kings, the Lord over all lords. You rule with absolute right, in all You do. You are the standard for what is right.
My Lord God, You came to this Earth to be with us as one of us, so that You could fit us to be able to be with You where You are (John 17:24). This is Your determination from before the Creation of this Earth.
You chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to form the Nation to whom You would give Your Law, so that as they obeyed You, You would bless them, and others in other Nations would see Your goodness and want to worship You, too.
The Queen of Sheba had heard about the wisdom You gave to King Solomon and she had to go see for herself if the report was true. She said, "behold the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You surpass the report that I heard." Father, You had this foreign queen hear about Your man, and when she came to check him out, she was astounded!
You are amazing, my Lord God! Everything You do surpasses our imagination. You are working out Your great Plan of the Ages through the choices of our World leaders. You are showing Yourself mighty and capable of everything You want to do. And You are setting the stage for the culmination of this Age of Man.
Dear Father, please continue to lead our leaders, guide them into Your ways for the benefit of Your peoples. And continue to protect Your righteous men and women from the machinations of our enemy and his minions. Please bring Your righteousness back to this Nation before the end.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, October 22, 2018
A Wise Reprover
Proverbs 25: 12
Like an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
We need to watch our words. Our words come from our attitudes. Our attitudes come from what we believe. So we are admonished to, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Another version calls it the "issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
Golden earrings and ornaments are very beautiful as well as valuable. For our words to be valuable and beautiful, we need God's wisdom. We gain God's wisdom from His Word.
But no matter how desirable and beneficial our advice is, it can only be received by an ear that is listening. We waste our words on those who have no desire to hear us.
So we also need His discernment to determine who is ready to hear the reproof we have to offer.
It can all be a very delicate situation, when dealing with close family members or friends we value.
O my Father, You dealt with me with such gentleness and compassion. Please teach me how to display that same gentleness and compassion toward those dear to me who are harming themselves and others. Strengthen me to face the opposition and, having done all, to stand.
And soften the hearts of the hearers to hear Your Words, to understand Your ways, and to accept Your reproof. Whether You will use me or another of Your children to confront them, please do confront them to turn them around, to repent of the evil they have been believing and turn to Your beautiful Truth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Like an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
We need to watch our words. Our words come from our attitudes. Our attitudes come from what we believe. So we are admonished to, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Another version calls it the "issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
Golden earrings and ornaments are very beautiful as well as valuable. For our words to be valuable and beautiful, we need God's wisdom. We gain God's wisdom from His Word.
But no matter how desirable and beneficial our advice is, it can only be received by an ear that is listening. We waste our words on those who have no desire to hear us.
So we also need His discernment to determine who is ready to hear the reproof we have to offer.
It can all be a very delicate situation, when dealing with close family members or friends we value.
O my Father, You dealt with me with such gentleness and compassion. Please teach me how to display that same gentleness and compassion toward those dear to me who are harming themselves and others. Strengthen me to face the opposition and, having done all, to stand.
And soften the hearts of the hearers to hear Your Words, to understand Your ways, and to accept Your reproof. Whether You will use me or another of Your children to confront them, please do confront them to turn them around, to repent of the evil they have been believing and turn to Your beautiful Truth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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