2 Chronicles 34

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.

(2Ch 34:1-3)

“What can I do, I’m just a KID?!?”

“well… I’m not really ready to get serious about serving God, maybe when I’m older”.

“I’m way too young to be taken seriously… I’ll have to wait until I’m much older before I can tell anyone what God has put on my heart.”

Have you ever had thoughts like these? You know, those feelings that you’re just a kid, and you can’t do anything REALLY worthwhile for God till you’re an adult so why even try? Look at Josiah, and all of those thoughts go flying out the window! He was crowned as king when he was… WHAT?!?! EIGHT!!??!!

Seems a little crazy huh? Kind of makes you wonder what kind of country Israel was, having an eight year old king. Just look at what this young man accomplished though… just a boy and he TRANSFORMED A NATION. His dad was a pagan, yet he sought the Lord.

We read that when he was merely 16, the age of many of you, He began to actively seek the Lord, the God of his fathers. When we read this, we need to realize that he was seeking the face of God to learn HOW TO LIVE HIS LIFE for the Lord, and how to CHANGE HIS WORLD for the Lord. After four years, we see him spring into SERIOUS ACTION. At Twenty years old, Josiah tears up the places of Idolatry, and leads the nation into a full on spiritual revival.

You may be young, but God doesn’t discriminate, all he wants is a willing vessel.

Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

(1Ti 4:12)

2 Chronicles 33

And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.

(2Ch 33:10)

Fingers pressed firmly into your ears, mouth opened wide, you chant loudly “NANANANANANA… I’M NOT LISTENING”. We’ve all seen it if we haven’t done it, and I believe that we are often doing it in our hearts when we would never dare to do it with our lips. Maybe your teacher is talking and you don’t want to hear it, so you are just chanting in your mind “boring, boring, she is SOOOOOOOOOO BORING”. Or maybe your parents are telling you AGAIN to clean your room and inside you are saying “shut up and leave me alone!”

Don’t act shocked we all do it from time to time. It is never right for us to ignore what someone else is saying, nor would we want someone to act this way when we are talking, yet we do it. In essence this is what Manasseh was doing to the Lord. He was REFUSING to hear what God had to say. We read it right here, the Lord was speaking, but Manasseh and his people REFUSED TO LISTEN.

Now, if Manasseh had realized the nature of what God wanted to communicate, I think his response may have been quite different. You see, the Lord was trying to warn Manasseh of the certain destruction that was waiting if he didn’t repent… but Manasseh was to busy enjoying his fleshly lifestyle to really pay any attention. So what happened? Did the Lord abandon Manasseh or give up on him?

No, instead the Lord GOT MANASSEH’S ATTENTION. The Lord has ways of getting our attention when we won’t listen. Often those ways are painful, and they are NEVER fun. He doesn’t do it to hurt us, but to help us… He DISCIPLINES us to save us from DESTRUCTION. Manasseh’s discipline was rough, but it achieved the desired results… he repented!

You and I have a choice. We can LISTEN to the Lord, and respond in faith; or we can ignore Him and do what we want. If we listen now, we will be spared a lot of the pain we will go through as God attempts to get our attention. His message will come through… the question is will He be able to whisper it in your ear or will He have to shout it through a megaphone?

2 Chronicles 32

Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven.

(2Ch 32:20)

Sennacherib was pulling out all the stops. He was coming against Israel in EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE. Threats by mouth, by mail, shouted over the wall… He did everything he could to reduce Israel to a state of overwhelming fear and complete panic. That was his goal, but look where Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet turn… They turn to the Lord and CRY OUT TO HIM.

When your life is looking like this, where do you turn? What is your reaction? When I was little I would climb totally under the covers whenever I was scared; I would want every inch of me to be covered. Now that I’m a little older, I don’t do that anymore. (At least not very often!) Nonetheless, I still want to be covered completely when danger comes my way… but now I seek shelter in something far more reliable than blankets and sheets.

I turn where Hezekiah and Isaiah turned in their time of fear and trouble… I turn to the Lord, and I cry out to Him. For Israel, they had nothing to fear… as long as they turned to the Lord, He would keep and protect them.

So, where are you turning in your time of need? Are you going to the Lord, or are you still playing around in the blankets and sheets?

2 Chronicles 31

2Ch 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

What was the last thing you did with all your heart? What is interesting is, you can do something with all your might and have no heart in it. You can do something with all your mind and still have no heart in it. But if you do something with all your heart it will involve all your might and all your mind. To do something with all your heart is to have a one track thought process.

Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

I feel that what keeps us from loving the Lord with all our heart is the "all these things" mentioned in the verse above. If we would just seek Jesus first, then the rest of these things will be added. God does not want just the next good thing for us, but He wants the best for us. We need to seek him with all our heart.

2 Chronicles 30

2Ch 30:9-10 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him." (10) So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them.

Hezekiah was changing Israel back into the nation they should be. He was setting up a decree for all to take part in the passover. We do notice that this decree was optional. If you did not feel like travelling all the way to Jerusalem you did not have to. Finally, in order to spread the news, the king appointed his runners.

I am sure you have heard the phrase, "I am just the messenger." This may be how these runners felt while going out and proclaiming the king's decree. They were mocked, ridiculed, and probably even threatened. Even though they were "just the messengers." they were representing a decree that God had approved.

We are like runners. The Gospel is our decree. Jesus is the King who has sent us out. Those laughing is the world. But notice what happened... 2Ch 30:12 "Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD." God intervened because of the obedience of Hezekiah and the messengers. All of a sudden, people were taking from their own time to make a journey to celebrate something long forgotten. God did the work!

We are going to be mocked as we go about proclaiming His good news. Remember not to give up but to simply be obedient to Him. By doing so, we will be able to watch Him do a work! Who knows whose heart the message might take root in. Simply be faithful to plant the seed. Do not do all the running and forget to share the decree.

2 Chronicles 29

2Ch 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense."

It was orientation week at Bible College. I was still getting used to So Cal. I hardly knew anybody, and all my roommates were older than me which at first made me feel weird. Classs would start soon, but before they did, we first had a meeting to be introduced to all the pastors / teachers. Mark Schwartz, one of the staff at the Bible College went up and looked at all the students and very simply said, "You could have chosen to be anywhere doing anything right now. You have chosen to come here for the sake of drawing closer to God an I believe that is a testiment to our Lord." I remember thinking, for the first time in my life I had made a decision that would effect the rest of my life. Of course I had made this decision when I chose to follow Jesus, but it just struck me then.

Hezekiah was taking Israel in another direction. He was destroying the high places, cleaning the temple, and leading Israel to God. He encourages the Levites, "...do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve..." Gang, believe it or not, you have already started to create a foundation for your life. You have made decisions to follow Jesus. Even if you were to walk away from Him in the future, you would have to uproot an entire foundation. When did this happen? Because you have decided to serve the Lord, in the "now." Do not grow negligent. You could be doing anything you want with your life, but because of Jesus you have chosen to take your time aside and read this chapter and this devotion. That is an awesome testimony to the work Jesus is doing in you. Continue to follow Him.

2 Chronicles 28

2Ch 28:22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD. This is that King Ahaz.

As Christians, we often say that a person needs to hit rock bottom before they will look up. Interesting enough, Ahaz was the complete opposite.

This principle is true for many people because hitting rock bottom forces someone to make a decision. They can choose to turn for help in Jesus or they can choose to stay stuck in their ways. Jesus lived the type of life which made people make a decision. Peter, James, and John met Jesus, were challenged by Jesus, and chose to follow Jesus. The rich young ruler met Jesus, was challenged by Jesus, and went a different direction. Does this mean Jesus scared away an opportunity? No! It is a tremendous example for us to reflect Him by leaving people with the decision to say yes to Him or no to Him. Who knows if later on down the line the rich young ruler though back to that day and decided to give his life to Jesus. Only God knows. I encourage all of you, you cannot go wrong with presenting Jesus. Even if people say no, at least you let them have the opportunity to say yes.

King Ahaz was at the most distressing moment of his life. Like God tells us through the story of Nebuchadnezzar, He will lower the prideful. Ahaz then decided to stay stuck in his ways. He was driven to the point of decision and he chose to live a life where he was god of his life and no one else.

Maybe you have an opportunity to present this decision to someone. Be a friend and ask the hard question. Maybe you yourself have met up with this decision. Face the facts man, Jesus loves you, and you need to surrender your life.

2 Chronicles 26

Amaziah 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 prosper.
(2Ch 26:5)

Here we see that a clear connection is pointed out between seeking God, and a prosperous life. This word prosperous here does not mean rich, wealthy, or increased with physical goods. Instead it means a VICTORIOUS life, one that is charged by the very power of the Holy Spirit. The idea presented here is important, and is one that we need to have a proper understanding of.

In some churches today, there is a teaching that when we SEEK GOD and LIVE BY FAITH, we can expect to be HEALTHY, WEALTHY, and PROBLEM FREE. In fact, they teach that if you are poor, sick, or experiencing overwhelming difficulty, you probably don’t have enough faith. This runs completely contradictory to the teachings of the Bible. Jesus told us that in this life we should expect to face persecution… Paul said that God chose the foolish, the week, and the “base”… literally the nobodies, to be His servants.

This passage is teaching that VICTORIOUS LIFE is available to all who will seek the Lord. A life of victory doesn’t mean wealth… it doesn’t mean it is free of difficulty… it means that in the end, we win! As you seek the Lord you should become more and more convinced of the fact that GOD WINS. When we are on the Lord’s side, we are on the side of victory… Victory over sin, death, and the evils of this world. Victory in the eternal, where it really counts!

2 Chronicles 25

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart.

(2Ch 25:1-2)

A loyal heart… what is it? It literally means a COMPLETE heart. What we are told here is that though Amaziah may have obeyed the commands of the Lord externally, His heart did not belong fully to the Lord… rather than being loyal and complete it was divided and fragmented.

When we say that someone has a “divided heart”, what do we mean? Usually we are saying that they aren’t 100% in one way or another… today we might say we are “torn” between two choices. Amaziah’s heart was divided, it was torn. He wanted to follow the Lord partially, but not wholeheartedly, not faithfully.

Is your heart divided? Does it belong COMPLETELY to Jesus, or are you giving pieces of it to other people, places, and things? You could be doing all the “right things” and have a fully fragmented heart… and the heart is what the Lord is most concerned with. Listen to what David had to say, and let it be your prayer… “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.”

(Psa 86:11-12)

2 Chronicles 24

But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house. Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass.

(2Ch 24:15-18)

This is so sad to me. Here we see the king and all of the leaders of Judah, and it seems that there spirituality was connected to this man Jehoiada the priest. When he died, their relationship with the Lord was gone. This is so tragic, and it should NEVER be like this. Joash and each one of these other men should have developed a relationship of their own with the Lord, rather than riding on the coat-tails of another man's faith.

We all need PERSONAL relationships with the Lord. It is good, even necessary to have godly men and women in our lives that we can look to for leadership… but if our relationship with God is replaced by a relationship with them, we are in trouble! If the leave, if they die, if our relationship lessens, our spiritual well-being will drastically plummet.

Joash knew all about God, but he failed to have a relationship with God that was HIS OWN. What about you? When o one else is around, do you talk to the Lord? Do you know Him? Is your relationship real and growing? Don’t be like Joash! I pray that for each one of us, the moving on of our spiritual leaders would create more growth, opportunity, and experience for us… not a spiritual vacuum.

2 Chronicles 23

What an amazing chapter! All it took was one man. One man who would stand up and say “enough”. One man who would do the will of God, and not the will of man. That man was Jehoiada the priest. Under his leadership, we see a COMPLETE AND TOTAL CHANGE in the spiritual climate of Judah. Instantly we go from very dark days to the dawning of a bright and glorious horizon. He was not a king, he was not even a politician… he was a PRIEST.

Now, what was a priest, and what were his duties? A priest, in the most basic sense was a MEDIATOR between GOD and MAN. He was to represent the heart of God to mankind, and represent the people before God… he was a means through which RELATIONSHIP with GOD could be a reality. The priest duties were to offer sacrifices to God on behalf of the people, and speak to the people on behalf of God. The priests were the SPIRITUAL LEADERS of the nation.

With this in mind, read the chapter again and see how PRACTICAL Jehoiada was as he led the people out of spiritual darkness, back into the light of relationship with God. He knows who the enemies are, he anticipates the attacks, he is prepared with a proper defense, and he is committed to seeing the endeavor through to completion. What a model he is for us!

We look at this with spiritual eyes, and we see that all believers are a part of the “priesthood”. We can all be like Jehoiada in our own way. We need to know who the enemy is (the world, the flesh, and the devil) and know who it is we are trying to save (the lost!). We need to anticipate the attacks of the enemy, and be prepared for them… and we need to be willing to see the work through to its completion.

Today, ask the Lord how you can be HIS PRIEST. Ask Him what it is that He would have you to do as you seek to lead others out of the darkness and back into the light of relationship with God.

2 Chronicles 22

Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

(2Ch 22:2-4)

Ahaziah, just like his father, was as wicked as the house of Ahab. The same woman who had been such an awful influence in his father’s life was an awful influence on him. You may say, “He couldn’t help it, having an n evil mother and father like that; he was destined for wickedness”. Look at what verse 4 says though… it points us to the fact that AFTER HIS Father was dead, he chose the men of the house of AHAB to be his counselors.

This word counselor means to be advised or to consult another. Basically, he was drawing his wisdom from the wrong place. The world has one kind of wisdom and the Lord has another. The world’s wisdom always leads to the exultation of self, often at the expense of others. On the contrary, God’s wisdom leads to the exaltation of HIM, and is always beneficial to others. This morning is another reminder to us of the importance of where we go to for wisdom.

For us, we have a PURE source of GODLY wisdom. It is the Word of God. It will help you determine of the counsel people are giving you is good or bad; if it is heavenly or earthly. So, don’t just take my word for it, or anyone else’s for that matter… test all things against the Word of God, and cling tightly to that which is true!

2 Chronicles 21

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

(2Ch 21:6-7)

Jehoram had a great family, a great father, and was surrounded by great opportunity. The question I want to ask is, “What happened”? We read here in verse 6 that the problem came from his marriage to Ahab’s daughter. He brought a woman into his home that did not fear God, and did not walk in his ways, and the affect was astounding.

We all know that the Bible teaches that believers and unbelievers shouldn’t marry one another. The scriptures call it being “unequally yoked”. A yoke is the wooden piece that they use to connect a team of mules, horses or oxen together to do work. If you paired a mule and an ox together, you would have an UNEQUAL YOKE. The different heights would make it nearly impossible to accomplish any work. This is what happens when a Christian marries a Non-Christian… they aren’t the same, and so they can’t work together properly.

You might say, “So what”, I’m 15 and not getting married for a long time, and I already know all of this. Guess what, marriage isn’t the only way to be unequally yoked. We need to choose our friends wisely, especially those we spend a lot of time with. Jehovah’s relationship with this woman led to his spiritual destruction. If we aren’t careful we can allow ungodly friendships to do the same. The Bible makes it clear, “evil companions corrupt good morals”. Be smart, choose your friends wisely!

2 Chronicles 20

2Ch 20:20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."

I have never been close to going into battle before. I imagine it to be a very frightening thing. Jehoshaphat is going into battle and his words to his troops are simple: "Believe in the Lord."

In a way, we go into battle every single day. We battle against sin, against death, against sleep, against our feelings, and against this world. We are in a constant battle here in life. We are always having to react to something. I find in the midst of all this it is good to remember, "Believe in the Lord." The fact is, if we truly believe in Him, and believe Him to be real, we are foolish not to put our belief in Him. His mercies endure forever.

The promise is sweet. It says, "Believe in the LORD God, and you shall be established." I love that idea of having something to stand on. I would think that when in battle, finding a place to be established would be very important. God puts us on the vantage point. He places our feet on a solid foundation.

The words are simple today, believe in the Lord.

2 Chronicles 19

2Ch 19:2-4 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you. (3) Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God." (4) So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD God of their fathers.

It seems like we have seen loads of kings start out strong, make one wrong decision, and just plummet from there. Some reform back to the Lord in the last minute, but it always seems that after turning from God for one thing, they turn from Him in everything. This is because when we turn from God, more often than not, this is something which has been going on in our hearts. Then when circumstances present our chance to make a stand, we do not. Jehoshaphat did not do this.

Jehoshaphat made an allegiance with Israel by marrying into one of the most wicked families ever mentioned in the Bible. He then went out with this king to battle, when he had heard from the Lord not to. Whenever this is the case we see God's judgment fall upon heavily. There is a difference with Jehoshaphat. This was a sin, a mistake, but it was not what was going on in his heart. Notice how quickly it seems to be forgotten in the verses above. With a quick, "Nevertheless," the prophet acknowledges that Jehoshaphat is a man who prepares his heart to seek God.

Judgment (discipline) will fall upon us if we turn our hearts from the Lord. Forgiveness will fall upon us if our hearts stay focused on Him. You can mess up today and tomorrow and the next day, but are you preparing your heart for the Lord or are you letting something else take root. Just like the wooden idols, Jehoshaphat made sure all false gods were uprooted in his heart before he ever made a claim to do it in the lives of the people of Judah.

2 Chronicles 18

2Ch 18:11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king's hand."


2Ch 18:27 But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"
Jehoshaphat (King of Judah) and Ahab (King of Israel) are about to attack Ramoth Gilead. Of course, Jehoshaphat, being the God faring man he is, ants to consult God before they go up. Therefore he brings all the prophets together, and all of them say, "The Lord will deliver..." Now I do not know about you, but if I got the same confirmation from numerous different people, I would consider it a sign and go. However, Jehoshaphat noticed these were not God-fearing prophets. He then asks for a prophet of the Lord. This prophet and Ahab were not buddies.

The new prophet comes and he shares the same hopeful message. Ahab eventually pulls the truth out of him, realizing that he was sent to send Ahab to his doom. Despite this, Ahab goes out into battle, and of course, he dies.

Ahab was one of the most wicked people in the Bible. His whole life can be summed up in one word, coward. His wicked wife helped cause caos in Israel and destroy all it used to be. At the end of his life, despite knowing the truth, his pride was still in the way. God is never going to trick us into evil. Instead, we allow it. Notice that Ahab hearing the lies and Ahab hearing the truth really had no effect on the outcome. Ahab went out to battle and was killed.

When you ask God for something do you do it with the intension to change or are you doing it just for a quick "go ahead." If we are honest with ourselves, we probably do it for the latter. Make a decision this week to hear from the Lord and change your course accordingly. Allow His words to change the outcome of your day. Do not be like Ahab, who, whether hearing the word of the Lord or not, would not listen.

2 Chronicles 17

2Ch 17:10 And the fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

This is an incredible statement. Jehoshaphat was a man who delighted himself in the things of the Lord. He followe God and because of it, Judah followed the Lord. Not only that, but his testimony caused other surrounding lands to follow the Lord as well, or at least respect Him.

The term "fear of the Lord," literally translates "The sudden alarm of the Self-Existent One." It is an interesting way to put it. Around Judah, there was a sudden alarm that God's presense had come upon them. They could not deny it. He was in their midst.

Was God not among them before? No. He is always present. The fear of the Lord is what happens when we realize the surrounding presence of God. Sometimes it takes a God fearing man for us to realize this. In this case, Jehoshaphat's love for God caused Judah to feel the presence of God. Judah then reformed, and the surrounding nations felt it.

Do you fear God? Do you live in the realization that He is present. If you do your life is felt by others around you. It is all because of Jesus. If you do not, than you are not bearing a godly witness.

2 Chronicles 16

2Ch 16:12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.

The Lord goes to and fro seeking a heart loyal to Him. If you are not loyal to God, then you are loyal to this world. Asa was the king of Israel. According to worldly wisdom, Asa was a smart king. We are told there was a great burning on his behalf. All of Israel loved him. He brought success to Israel. He eventually became the people’s man, doing what the world wanted of him. He cleverly took back Judah’s land by making a deal with the strongest army in the world. He was a clever political leader, a leader history books would praise. Only in the Bible do we see from God’s ever unique vantage point. Asa was a man who relied on the world, before he relied on God.

It is a shame because he started his career by making a great stand for the Lord. Somewhere between then and now he started relying on the world. By the end, he was so stubborn he would not even look to God even when he had nowhere else to look. To the world, this man had it all. To God and other Christians, we see a man who died in spiritual poverty.

e-sword

Hey gang. I was just thinking about you guys after writing the devo and I thought, "I wonder if you guys know about e-sword???" E-sword is a free Bible program Tommy and I use. No, we do not write down every word in the verses we have in our devo. Instead we use this handy tool and my favorite cpu invention, "copy & paste." Anyways, with your parents permission hop on to www.e-sword.com and check it out!!! Just follow the instructions and if you need help call Tommy or I and we can help. You can download different Bible translations, books by Andrew Murray, dictionaries, and Strong's concordance (This is the tool I us to get the Greek translation of everything...no I do not actually know Greek). There are loads of free stuff, so check it out, and be cool.

2 Chronicles 15

2Ch 15:8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the LORD that was before the vestibule of the LORD.

What kind of idol is abominable? We all have different tendencies and different weaknesses. One person might look at one thing and say, "I would never do that." Another might look and consider something else a more abominable sin. Either way, this verse makes it clear, all idols are abominable. Also, it does not matter what idol it is in your life it will take courage to conquer it. When did Asa attain this courage? When he heard the Words of the Lord.

Gang, courage is found in the Word of the Lord. I understand we all have different pressures in our lives. It will take courage to up root those idols. It will take sacrifice. It will take focus. Most of all, it will take a dedicated follower of the Word of God. Stay in the Word. Live in the Word. Abide in the Word. Because without it we are not couragous. Without courage, we are a slave to our idol. Take courage in God an conquer!

2 Chronicles 14

He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest.

(2Ch 14:5-6)

“The kingdom was quiet under him”, “The land had rest”, “The Lord had given him rest”. The kingdom, the land, his own life; all were quietly at rest. Oh how wonderful it is to be at peace WITH God, for then you can experience the glorious peace OF God. God is so good to us. We were once his enemies, yet He died for us. Then He took us and brought us out of darkness into His light. There, in His presence we have PEACE and REST. We find in Him a respite from the craziness of the world around us, a quiet place in the midst of the noise.

This was what happened to Asa. He found rest in the Lord, and it was wonderful. We too can find peace in the Lord. The book of Hebrews tells us to LABOR to enter in to that rest. This is a labor different from all others. It is not working to earn rest, but working to stay in a place where we can RECEIVE that rest. It is a work of FAITH. Jesus went before us, opening up a way into the heavenlies, a way to have peace with God, a way to REST IN HIM. We can cease from our strivings and rest in His finished work. The “work” we now engage in is a vigilant watch against the enemies that would remove us from that rest; doubt, fear, unbelief, the cares of this world… so we labor to keep ourselves in the love of God, and stay in His rest. Feeling worn out? Maybe it’s time to do a little “work” and return to the place of resting in Jesus!

2 Chronicles 13

Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!" But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.

(2Ch 13:12-17)

“Do not fight against the Lord God of your Fathers, for you shall not prosper!” – Who is it that they are not to fight against? The Lord God of their FATHERS. The implication is that He was not THEIR God, but a distant memory, a part of history, someone who was part of their past, but not their present or future. In their forsaking of Him, they were now fighting against Him, and the result was that they WOULD NOT STAND.

We all want to prosper. I don’t know anyone who has ever said, “I really just want to fail at life”. Yet we don’t all want to follow the Lord. For many of us He is a part of our past, but plays no part in our present, and we see no role for Him in the future. This is a recipe for disaster! The world will tell us that it is part of the cost involved in traveling the road to success, but they are wrong. Their own road will fail them, and lead to a place of total destruction.

What about you? Are you fighting against God, yet looking to prosper? Look at your life and make sure you are not in the shoes of the children of Israel! If you aren’t, are you willing to carry the message of Abijah to those around you? To let them know the danger of the path they have chosen? It can be scary to speak the truth, but we need not be afraid, for just like Abijah, the Lord is ON OUR SIDE!

2 Chronicles 12

Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him.

(2Ch 12:1)

Notice the circumstances surrounding Rehoboam forsaking the law of the Lord, and the effect that this had on the rest of the nation. It wasn’t during a time of difficulty, or of drawn out work and labor… on the contrary it was when the bulk of his work was finished. Two things are noted for us, and we need to look closely at them:

1. He had established the kingdom. The word established means that it was made upright, fixed, and steadfast. The time of danger, of potential destruction was past… they were no longer a kingdom in the birthing process, they had been established. They had a sense of security and permanence… they weren’t worried, they were feeling steadfast.
2. He had strengthened himself. Not so much personal physical strength, but the strength of his kingdom was greatly built. The phrase literally means he had built his force. The kingdom was solid, and the army was grown… Rehoboam was sitting pretty and feeling in control.

This is where things get sad. In the midst of all of this success, Rehoboam forgets who had put him in this position. As a result, he forsakes the law of the Lord. The result of this is that the nation does the same. This is a sad reality, people often follow their leaders, they thrive when they thrive and fall when they fail.

What can we learn from this? Basically, we learn that in times of great blessing we need to be on guard. If we aren’t careful, we will forsake the Lord and His ways, losing sight of our greatest blessing in the midst of all our temporal blessings. Keep your eyes on Jesus! Hills and valleys, success and failure, we need to trust the Lord.

2 Chronicles 11

But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." ' " Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam. So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah. And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

(2Ch 11:2-6)

From the outside it seemed like the only thing to do. A rebellion had just split this young nation in two, and something needed to be done to fix it! The troops are rallied, the men are readied, and the march begins. BUT… The man of God shows up and has something to say. God had spoken to him and made it crystal clear, this military operation was not to go down; God was behind this split. WHAT!? Why would God do something like this? Why would he allow this to happen, and then prevent men from taking steps to fix it? If God is good, then why would he make something like this happen?

These kinds of questions confront us from time to time. We don’t understand why God has caused or allowed something to go down a certain way. We can’t figure out why He would stop us from doing something that seems so good, like it will be so beneficial spiritually. So we ask the obvious question WHY? It’s a question I used to ask my parents a lot, and the answer I got depended largely on WHY I was asking. See, there were times I was asking WHY, but they knew what I was really saying was, “I don’t like what you’re doing”. Other times I genuinely wanted to know and understand why something wasn’t good. My attitude would dictate what kind of response I would get.

Sometimes when people ask the “why do bad things happen to good people” kind of question, they are really saying, “I don’t like the way God is being God”. Other times they genuinely want to know. If we are asking this kind of question from the Lord with a pure heart, we will get an answer.

The answer to today’s question is simple… God sees the end from the beginning, and He was working on something far bigger than the nation of Israel. Ultimately everything He does is a part of His plan to REDEEM THE WORLD. In the larger scope, this seemingly BAD thing would actually be a GOOD thing. It would protect a remnant of God’s people from the ultimate apostasy of the nation… in effect it ensured that redemption remained possible.

In life, things will happen that don’t make sense. We will feel like they are the OPPOSITE of what should be going on. At these times we need to remember that God sees things we can’t and He knows things we don’t. Trust the Lord; He knows what’s best for you!

2 Chronicles 10

Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, "How do you advise me to answer these people?" And they spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever." But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, "What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us'—thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!' “So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, "Come back to me the third day." Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!"

(2Ch 10:6-14)

Two groups of people consulted; two totally different kinds of counsel given, who should Rehoboam listen to? First he talks to the elders, men who faithfully served with his father, men who had gleaned from his wisdom and learned from him. They basically say, “Love these people and treat them right and they will be faithful to you”. Really it is great advice. They tell Rehoboam that the request of the people is acceptable, and to respond positively will cement their relationship.

Now, we need to realize that Jeroboam is the reason this question is even being asked. He is inciting this response from the people, urging them to ask the question. I think that Rehoboam knew this, and it made him not want to grant the request. We need to realize that no matter WHERE the request may have its roots; it still needs to be addressed with prayerful consideration. Even when people come to us with ulterior motives, we need to be willing to take those things to the Lord.

Rehoboam rejects the counsel of the elders, and turns instead to the young men he had grown up with, his friends. They counsel him in the opposite way. They say that he should tell the people that things won’t get easier they will get tougher. In essence they say, “Show them whose boss, assert your power and authority!” Now, this has nothing so much to do with age as much as it does WISDOM. Sometimes the unwise counsel will come from the young, and sometimes it will come from the old. Having said that, we need to realize that it does matter where we go for counsel. Who do you go to? Do you go to friends who will just tell you what you want to hear and make you feel good about yourself? We need to go to people who we KNOW posses true, Godly wisdom. Don’t be a Rehoboam and do what seems right to your buddies; instead do what seems right to the Lord.

2 Chronicles 9

Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

(2Ch 9:8)

I love this. Notice where all of the queen of Sheba’s praise and honor is directed. It ultimately goes to the Lord and not to Solomon. She had seen the kingdom, the treasures, the Wisdom of Solomon; but it wasn’t presented in a way that raised Solomon up to some sort of “God-Like” status. Instead, when she looked at Solomon and all he had accomplished, it caused her to praise the Lord.

This is the kind of witness we want to be. We want people to look at our lives and we accomplish and see God, not us. The difference between what they see and who gets the credit will depend greatly on us. If we talk about “I,I,I” all the time, then there is no way the glory can go to the Lord… but if we talk about “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” and how He has done great things in and through us, then the glory will be His.

The queen of Sheba didn’t believe the initial report. She was skeptical. But once she came and saw for herself, she couldn’t help but praise the Lord. I pray this is the effect we will have on those around us!

2 Chronicles 8

Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD which he had built before the vestibule, according to the daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the three appointed yearly feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

(2Ch 8:12-13)

Here we see that Solomon’s relationship with the Lord was real and active, it was not a yearly, monthly, or even weekly thing… everyday he would make sacrifices. This reminds me of how necessary it is for us to make daily sacrifices as well. We read that Solomon made sacrifices according to the daily rate. So what would that mean for us? What is our daily rate of sacrifice supposed to look like?

First, we are to offer sacrifices of praise. The Bible says that this is the “fruit of our lips”. Everyday we should be thanking and praising God for who He is and what He has done. Our willingness to lay aside other things for the sake of praising God is what makes it a “sacrifice”. There are many things that pull on you, many things fighting for your attention, but the first place you should turn that attention to is the Lord!

We are also to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. I believe that this is a daily occurrence as well. Everyday, yielding ourselves up to the Lord to do His will, not our own.

Both of these things can take place in the context of a daily devotional time. We don’t sacrifice animal anymore, instead we remember Jesus sacrifice by praying and reading his word, by spending time worshipping Him and listening for His voice.

Today, we have the opportunity to be like Solomon, to spend time EVERYDAY building and developing our relationship with the Lord. So, how are your daily sacrifices going?