They Would Not Listen.

2 Kings 16-17

But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. ­– 2 Kings 17:14 NLT

The 17th chapter of 2 Kings contains a summary of all that had happened to the nation of Israel since the split of the kingdom after Solomon's reign. It covers the time all the way up to the defeat of the northern kingdom by Assyria and their deportation. And it sums up their circumstances quite succinctly. They refused to listen to God. They refused to obey God. They refused to believe God. They rejected His commands and despised all His warnings of coming judgment. Instead of worshiping God, they worshiped worthless idols – man-made creations that could do nothing for them. They were the chosen people of God who refused to believe in and trust God. So their fate was sealed. Their destiny was determined by their callous treatment of God.

How many lessons are there in these passages for us to learn? Or will we simply look at the people of Israel, shake our heads, and wonder how they could have turned their backs on God so easily? The truth is, we treat God with the same degree of disrespect and disbelief every day. We doubt His Word. We disobey His commands. We turn to other gods instead of Him. We place our trust in other things besides Him. We regularly show Him disrespect, stubbornly resisting His will because we think we know better. Like the Israelites, we can become cocky and complacent, resting on our relationship as His children, confident that we are safe because we are saved. We have our ticket stamped and our place in His kingdom secured, so we think we can make our obedience optional. We treat His grace, mercy and forgiveness flippantly, living lives of our own choosing, highly confident that He loves us and would never forsake us. And He does and He won't. But that does not mean God will not discipline us. He loves us too much to allow us to live in disobedience. He cares too much for us to allow us to live in disbelief and indifference to His revealed will. We are His representatives on this planet. We are His hands and feet. We are to be a living testimony of His power to the lost world around us. When we claim the name of Christ, but live in disobedience to God, we mock the very name of God and take the sacrifice of Christ's death lightly. Like Ahaz, we can make the worship of God all about us. Ahaz took the bronze altar from the Temple and began to use it for His own personal worship. He replaced God's will with his own. He made worship all about him and not about God. Worship became a tool to get what he wanted. It self-focused, rather than God-focused. And we run the same risk today. When we begin to care more about what we want than what God wants, we are headed for trouble. When we begin to listen to our own desires instead of God's commands, we are on shaky ground. When we doubt God but trust in ourselves, we can and should expect the discipline of God. He loves us, but He will not allow us to dishonor His name and disrespect His will. God will not be mocked. He is calling us to obey Him. Not so He will love us more, but out of love for all He has done for us. He is calling us to honor Him with our actions, not so He will be impressed with our obedience, but as proof of our belief in Him. Are you listening? Do you hear Him? Will you obey Him?

Father, sometimes we are hard of hearing. You are speaking to us through Your Word, but we refuse to listen. We hear, but we don't want to obey. We think our way is better. We think our will is more important than Yours. Open our ears and help us hear, but also give us the determination to obey You. You know best. You have our best interest at heart. May we trust You more and more.  Amen

Where Do You Turn In Times of Trouble?

2 Chronicles 28

Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord. ­– 2 Chronicles 28:22 NLT

When trouble comes, where do you turn? When difficulty shows up in your life, where do you look for answers? For Ahaz, the king of Judah, he looked anywhere and to anyone other than God. Even though most of his problems were directly related to his own rebellion against God, he just kept turning his attention elsewhere for a solution. It never seemed to cross his mind that the best solution might come in the form of repentance. He had led his people into all kinds of idolatry, including the worship of Baal, and had even practiced child sacrifice, offering up some of his own children on pagan altars in an attempt to appease the gods. As as result of his various sins, God brought punishment on Ahaz and the nation of Judah in the form of attacks by other nations. His own people were sent into exile. The northern kingdom attacked and took plunder and many of the people of Judah as slaves. But instead of turning to the Lord for help and asking for forgiveness, Ahaz turned to the king of Assyria. He makes a pact with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria to help him fight against Edom. But instead of providing aid, King Tiglath-pileser attacks Judah. He looted the temple, the royal palace and the homes of the wealthiest people. We are told that "The Lord was humbling Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord" (2 Chronicles 28:19 NLT).

So what did Ahaz do? He offered up sacrifices to the gods of Assyria. His logic was the if their gods had given the Assyrians victory over Judah, then they must be more powerful than the God of Judah. He even shut the doors of the Temple so no one could worship there. In other words, he made it impossible for the people of Judah to worship Yahweh at all. Instead, he set up pagan altars and shrines all over Jerusalem – the city of God. The result? He incurred the wrath of God. Rather than repent, he rebelled even further, causing God to punish he and the people to an even greater degree. How stubborn can you get? How stupid can one person be? But before I judge, I had better take a long look at my own life and examine how many times I have turned to something or someone else instead of the Lord when I have encountered trouble in my life. It is so easy to see Ahaz's sin, but overlook our own. Yet each of us is guilty of refusing God's discipline in our lives by trying to escape it by looking for solutions that don't include repentance and confession. We turn to the gods of this world for deliverance – money, banking, investments, hard work, self-help books, and an assorted escape mechanisms such as pleasure, entertainment, sex, drugs and alcohol. We sacrifice our kids on the altars of sports, the arts, and education. We sacrifice our marriages on the altars of success and achievement. Yet as we see throughout the stories of the kings of Judah and Israel, God is calling us to turn back to Him. He pleads with us to repent and return. He alone can provide solutions to our problems and forgiveness for our sins. He wants us to admit that we have sinned. He wants us to confess that we have rejected Him. He wants us to return to Him and accept His offer of forgiveness and love. So where will you turn today? Who will you look to when things go poorly? Will you look up? Will you turn to God? Difficulties and trials can either turn us to God or away from Him. They can wreak havoc on our faith or cause it to grow. They can drive us to the Lord or away from Him. They can and should reveal our weakness and our need for God. Use today's troubles to turn you back to God. He is ready, willing and able to help.

Father, forgive me for the many times I have turned to someone or something else instead of You. Instead of seeing trials as a tool in Your hands to turn me back to You, I tend to try and find a way out them. I turn to other things to solve my problems. I fail to see You in them and refuse to let them turn me back to You. Open my eyes so that the difficulties of life might be opportunities to see You more clearly. Amen

What Does God Want From You?

Micah 5-7

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. ­– Micah 6:8 NLT

It's really pretty simple. God's will for you and me is not some complex, hard to figure out, mysterious thing. It is not a riddle to solve or quest to pursue. It does not involve sacrifices, rituals, or religious observances to ascertain. God's will, what He wants from us is fairly basic. He states it right here in this message from the prophet Micah. And it consists of three things: To do what is right. To love mercy. And to walk humbly with Him.

Right in the middle of all the prophesies of coming judgment and future restoration, God delivers a message to His people stating His expectations or desires concerning their behavior. He has listed all their sins. He has warned of coming punishment. Then He tells them what He wants from them. And it is really fairly simple. First, He wants them to do what is right – to live together justly or righteously. What does that mean? Well, take a look at how they WERE living. God accuses them of dishonesty in their business dealings, of greed and avarice that caused them to cheat one another, of corruption and graft, extortion, violence, lying and a long list of other unjust behaviors. They were daily violating a good portion of the Ten Commandments. Do not lie, do not cheat, do not steal, do not covet, do not bear false witness, etc. God wanted them to do what is right in relationship with one another. He wanted them to live in harmony and peace, to treat one another with dignity and respect. But they were doing just the opposite.

Then God tells them He wants them to love mercy. That word "mercy" has to do with a certain kind of zeal or love shown to another person that shows up in kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. God wanted them to be zealous for mercy. They loved to receive it, but weren't so good at extending it. God wanted to see His people zealous for and excited about showing mercy to one another. But again, they were doing just the opposite. They were taking advantage of one another. They were abusing one another. There was no mercy being extended or shown.

Finally, God tells them that He wants them to walk humbly before Him. He wants them to live their daily lives with a sense of humility and lowliness. He wants them to eliminate their pride and replace it with an understanding of who they are in comparison to Him. They are nothing without Him. They are weak and He is strong. They are only His people because He chose to make them so. They bring no value to the table. There is nothing inherently special about them. So as they live their lives, they are to constantly remember that all they have is the result of God, not themselves. Their wealth, treasures, talents, and resources are all the result of a kind, generous, loving God. To walk humbly before Him is to live with a sense of dependence and awareness of your need. It is a life of submission to His will. But instead, they had become arrogant, boastful, prideful, self-sufficient and self-willed. They did what was right in their own eyes. They walked before God with a sense of self-confidence. They did the things they did to one another with a degree of pride and arrogance, as if God would not do anything about it.

God's desires for us are highly practical, not religious and ethereal. He wants us to treat one another fairly and justly. He wants us to love showing mercy to others – especially those in need, the helpless, hopeless, and oppressed. And He wants us to live our lives with a sense of humility – unimpressed with ourselves, our accomplishments, or our possessions. This is our calling. This is who God has called each of us as Christ-followers to be. This is how He desires for each of us to live our lives. Doing the right thing, extending mercy, and living with humility. What a difference our lives would make in this world if we did what God desired for us to do. And He has made it possible for us to pull it off because He has placed His Spirit within us. He has given us His Word to direct us. And He gave His Son as a living example of what that kind of life looks like. To live like Christ is to live out these three things as He did. Take a look at His life. Examine how He did what was right, showed mercy, and lived humbly. That is what He is calling us to do. It is practical, everyday stuff. But it is potentially life-changing and world-impacting.

Father, like the Israelites, many of us are too busy doing just the opposite of what You want. We have lost sight of the goal. We are ignoring Your will for our lives. Bring us back to the basics. Give us a desire to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly before You. Amen

K

But That's Not The Kind of God I Worship!

Micah 1-4

"Don't say such things," the people respond. "Don't prophesy like that. Such disasters will never come our way!" ­– Micah 2:6 NLT

Too many today have a one-dimensional view of God. They want to see Him as loving and kind, gracious and forgiving. He is like the kindly old grandfather who excuses all the faults of his grandchildren and doles out gifts and words of exhortation. This perspective has caused many t0 reject the God of the Old Testament because He comes across as angry, violent, vindictive, judgmental, harsh, demanding, and somewhat bloodthirsty. They have a hard time reconciling the God pictured in the Old Testament with the kind, gracious and merciful God of the New Testament who sent His own Son to die on the cross as payment for the sins of all mankind. The Old Testament is full of prophesies of doom and gloom, while the New Testament is all about the Good News.

Yet in the book of Micah you find these two aspects of God's personality revealed side by side. You clearly see the God of judgment, warning His people of the punishment He is about to bring on them for their sin and rebellion. "Look! The Lord is coming! He leaves His throne in heaven and tramples the heights of the earth" (Micah 1:3 NLT). He was coming to judge and to punish. Why? "Because of the rebellion of Israel – yes, the sins of the whole nation" (Micah 1:5 NLT). Then Micah spends seven chapters listing out their various sins: Fraud (2:2), theft (2:8), greed (2:9), debauchery (2:11), oppression (3:3), hypocrisy (3:4), heresy (3:5), injustice (3:9), extortion and lying (6:12), and murder (7:2). Just to name a few!

And just like today, the people of God didn't want to hear what Micah had to say. At least not the negative part. "'Don't say such things,' the people respond. 'Don't prophesy like that. Such disasters will never come our way!'" (Micah 2:6 NLT). They were God's chosen people. Their God loved them. He would never let anything like that happen to them. But Micah warns them, "Should you talk that way, O family of Israel? Will the Lord's Spirit have patience with such behavior?" (Micah 2:7 NLT). These people only wanted to hear good news. They wanted their prophets and preachers to give them messages that were easy on the ears and less convicting to their spirits. Micah sarcastically accuses them: "Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you, 'I'll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!' That's just the kind of prophet you would like!" (Micah 2:11 NLT). In other words, they would love to be told that their sinful actions and attitudes were perfectly fine, that God was pleased with them, that they didn't need to change.

But God was not pleased. He was angry and had run out of patience. His holiness demanded that He mete out justice. He must do the right thing. He cannot leave sin unpunished. He cannot simply overlook it. So judgment was non-optional. But at the same time, Micah gives us a glimpse of the love and mercy of God at the very same time He is warning about the coming wrath and judgment of God. He reminds them of God's promise. "Someday, O Israel, I will gather you; I will gather the remnant who are left. I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture" (Micah 2:12 NLT). He tells them, "Your King will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you" (Micah 2:13b). God is both just and loving. He is holy and merciful. He is consistent in every way. Part of our problem is that we do not fully understand the nature of God. We gravitate to the more kind and loving version we find in the New Testament. But in doing so, we create a version of God that is incomplete and imperfect. Micah tries to show a comprehensive and complete image of God. Without His wrath, His love loses its power. Without His justice looming over us, demanding that right be done and sin be punished, His grace becomes cheap and disposable. We wrestle with some of the aspects of God's character because they seem harsh and contradictory. But Micah reminds us, "…they do not know the Lord's thoughts or understand his plan" (Micah 4:12 NLT). His punishment seems harsh and hard to understand. But if we only focus there we fail to understand that His punishment is coupled with mercy. He not only rebukes, He restores and redeems. He punishes, but then He prospers. He disciplines out of love. He rebukes because He has to. He redeems because He wants to. That is the kind of God I worship. He is not fickle, weak-willed, easy on sin, or harsh without a reason. God has a reason for everything He does – including bring punishment and blessing. Because He has a plan and a purpose behind it all.

Father, help us to grow in our understanding of you. Keep us from viewing You one-dimensionally and trying to paint a portrait of You that fits what we want from a god. May we grow to appreciate the fullness of Your character and understand more fully the richness of Your grace and mercy. Amen

The King Is In the House!

Isaiah 10-12

Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ­– Isaiah 11:1-2 NLT

What a wonderful chapter. Right in the middle of all the warnings of coming judgment God provides a glimpse into the future. He tells the people of God what is going to happen to them because of their sin and rebellion. They will be cut down, but they will not be cut off. A remnant will survive and return and a ruler will rise up. From the stump that is left after Israel is cut down will come a Branch, a ruler, who will reign in righteousness. For once, the people of God will be led by a King who loves and obeys God completely. What we have described here is the reign of Christ in His millennial kingdom. This will take place after His second coming, when He returns to Jerusalem, defeats the enemies of God and sets up His throne in the city of God. This period will be one of peace and prosperity. Isaiah describes an idyllic setting where creation is restored to its original state with the animosity between animals removed and the fallen nature of the world corrected. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, will rule with wisdom and understanding. He will administer justice and treat the people fairly. Righteousness and truth will characterize His kingdom and His reign. Jerusalem and Israel will be the center of the world's attention. Jews scattered all over the world will return to live in the land. Gentiles will be drawn like moths to a flame. That day will be a great and glorious day, and it is as real as today is. It will take place because God has promised it. And in that day, men will sing praises to God for His incredible faithfulness and forgiveness. And because we can count on this day taking place, we can even praise God now. It is as good as done. "With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!" (Isaiah 12:3 NLT). So why shouldn't we praise Him now for what He is going to do? Why wouldn't we thank Him now for what He has promised is going to happen? It has not happened yet, but it will.

Father, I want to learn to praise You before the fact, not after. I want to learn to thank You even before I have the answer or have seen the solution. Because You are always faithful and Your answers are always right. Your promises always come true. I can always count on You. So when I read about what is to come, I can praise You now as if it has already taken place. Because I know it will.  Amen

A Great Light!

2 Chronicles 27; Isaiah 9

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. ­– Isaiah 9:2 NLT

They say that darkness is simply the absence of light. Darkness isn't actually a substance. It is the lack of something. As we read through the history of Israel and Judah we see that they have, for the most part, rejected God as their King and sovereign ruler. At one point they demanded that they be given a king like all the other nations. So God gave them Saul. He proved to be just what they were asking for – a king just like all the other nations had. He was a mighty warrior, but not a man who had a heart for the things of God. So he was replaced by David, who we are told was a man after God's own heart. But even David had flaws. He was not perfect. Yet God made a covenant with David that assured him one of his descendants would rule on the throne of Israel in Jerusalem forever. What follows is the topsy-turvy history of the kings. After the reign of Solomon, David's son, the nation of Israel splits in two – with Israel to the north and Judah to the south. A succession of kings follow that seem to get progressively worse. Occasionally there is a glimmer of light in the midst of the darkness, but for the most part, these are not good days for Abraham's descendants. God sends prophets with messages of judgment. He will not tolerate the sins of His people forever. His holiness demands that justice be done. Sin must be dealt with. The rebellion of His people must be quelled.

But right in the middle of all the doom and gloom we read an incredible message of hope. It reveals so much about our God. He is just and holy. He is righteous and intolerant of sin. But He is also long-suffering, patient, kind, and merciful. He is not surprised by the rebellion of His people. He is not shocked that they have turned from Him and are now serving other gods. He knew that would happen when He chose them as His own. And He also knew that if His people were going to be saved from complete annihilation, He would have to do it. They could not save themselves, because they were self-destructive. In the midst of their darkness, God was going to send a light – a great light. The people were in darkness because God had removed His presence from their midst. Their darkness was due to an absence of righteousness. It was a moral darkness. It was a blackness of the soul. And nothing the people could do would illuminate the darkness and provide light for them to see their way out. So God would provide the light for them. He would send His own Son – the light of the world (John 1:4-5). Isaiah chapter nine gives us a glimpse of God's redemptive plan for mankind – hundreds of years before it took place. Out of Galilee would come the hope of the world. He would "break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders" (Isaiah 9:4 NLT). Jesus Himself would offer the invitation, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light" (Matthew 11:18-20 NLT). Jesus came to a people who were weary from having tried to live in self-righteousness for generations. They were burdened down by religious rules and legalistic demands. They were worn out from having tried to measure up to what they believed to be God's expectations of them. They were religious about being religious, but they were lost in the darkness of their own sin. But a light would shine. God would invade the darkness with His own presence. He would punctuate His own silence with a message of hope from the lips of His own Son.

"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders, And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!" (Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT)

Father, without the light provided by Your Son, I would still be living in darkness. It is only His presence in my life that allows me to see at all. He provides me with light to see my own sin and my constant need of His saving grace. Thank You for illuminating the darkness of my life with the light of Your Son. Amen

In That Day…

Amos 8-9

"But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,' says the Lord. ­– Amos 9:8b NLT

Rebellion. Rejection. Restoration. Redemption. Remnant. These are the themes of the Old Testament. Over and over again we have seen the people of God reject the hand of God over their lives. They rebel against His authority. They replace Him with other gods. They respond to His blessing and provision with indifference and outright contempt. They disobey His Law. They refuse to observe His ordinances. The sin against His commands. They bring shame to His name, instead of glory. The very people who share His name, dishonor Him with their behavior. And so God is forced to punish their sins. He relents over and over again, forgiving them for their indiscretions, until the day finally comes when He can ignore their rebellion no longer. The book of Amos warns of His coming judgment. But it also reminds us of something else that is coming: That day! God tells the very people He is bringing His judgment upon, "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David" (Amos 9:11a NLT). God promises to bring judgment, but He also promises to never destroy the nation of Israel completely. He made a promise to David that a descendant of his would rule on his throne forever. In spite of exile, years of oppression at the hands of their enemies, genocide, famines, droughts, wars, military occupations, and divinely inspired punishments, Israel would survive. Why? Because God ordained it. He had a purpose behind it. From this rebellious, stubborn people would come the Messiah, the Savior of the world and the redeemer of all mankind.

Israel would be punished. But God was not done with them yet. He would send them into exile, but He would return them to the land He had given them. He would restore the Temple and reinstate the sacrificial system. Israel would be dwelling in the land of promise when Jesus was born. Though living under the rule of Rome, Israel would be enjoying a certain degree of autonomy. God preserved a remnant and returned them to the land. The line of David had been protected and preserved. And a son was born who would be the heir that God had promised so many generations before. Jesus, the son of David and the Son of God. He was the long-awaited Messiah – not a political or military ruler, but the one who would set up the spiritual Kingdom of God on earth. He would offer a way in which Jews and Gentiles might be restored to a right relationship with God. He would provide a final sacrifice that satisfied the just demands of God once and for all. And one day He is going to return to establish His Kingdom on earth forever. He will restore the fortunes of Israel. He will reign from Jerusalem over all the earth. "In that day…" God will finish what He began. He will complete what He started. He will restore what mankind and the enemy have worked so hard to destroy.

One day the trumpet will

Sound for His coming

One day the skies with His Glories will shine

Wonderful day My beloved One's bringing

Glorious Savior this Jesus is mine

Father, thank You for the promise of that day. You are not done. You have not finished. You will complete what You have begun because You are faithful. You will redeem and restore. You will make everything right. Thank You for that reminder today. Amen

How Do You Measure Up?

Amos 6-7

Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. ­– Amos 7:7 NLT

A plumb line is a simple construction tool that consists of a string with a weight on the end. It works off of gravity and is used to determine perpendicularity. A carpenter, bricklayer, or construction worker will take the plumb line and hand it next to a wall or other structure to see if it is straight or not. The plumb line establishes the standard for straightness. It becomes the measuring tool for rightness. And in our two chapters today, God Himself uses the image of the plumb line as a way to convey to the people of Israel that He is going to measure their spiritual straightness. God said to Amos, "I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins" (Amos 7:8b NLT). God has a standard. He has a non-negotiable measuring tool for determining rightness or rightness, and it is not up for debate. We don't get to decide if we are okay or not. We don't get to measure ourselves against some arbitrary standard that we establish. It is always the Lord's standard. God had established Israel to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, set apart for His use (Exodus 19:6), but they had failed to measure up. They were regularly violating the Ten Commandments.

1.  They were to worship no other gods, but the one true God

2.  They were not to make idols of those other gods

3.  They were not to misuse God's name

4.  They were to keep the Sabbath day holy by honoring and keeping it

5.  They were to honor their fathers and mothers

6.  They must not murder

7.  They must not commit adultery

8.  They must not steal

9.  They must not testify falsely about their neighbor

10. They must not covet

The people of God were guilty of breaking all these commandments. On top of that, they were abusing the poor, growing wealthy off the mistreatment of the needy, and ignoring justice in order to line their own pockets. They were greedy, self-righteous, covetous, idolatrous, lacking in compassion, materialistic, spiritually apathetic, and addicted to pleasure. God said, "I describe the arrogance of Israel!" (Amos 6:8b NLT). They had turned "justice into poison and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness" (Amos 6:12b NLT).

Amos didn't exactly make a lot of friends with this message. That kind of sermon didn't resonate then any more than it would today. We don't like to be scolded. We hate being told that we don't measure up. Amos was told to go home to Judah and take his prophecies of doom and gloom with him. He was no longer wanted. If he didn't have anything good to say, he needed to leave. But Amos was speaking the word of God. He was telling the truth. It wasn't fun to hear, but it was what they needed to hear. Today, we have the written Word of God. It is the plumb line for our lives. It is full of the truth of God and it contains the message of God for His people. Sometimes what we read is condemning and convicting. Sometimes it is encouraging and comforting. But we cannot afford to pick and choose the message we want to hear. We can't use the Word of God to justify our sins or excuse our inaction. "For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are" (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). The Word of God is powerful, insightful, revealing, convicting, exposing and cleansing. It is the plumb line that measures our rightness. It is a rock-solid standard by which we can determine our spiritual straightness. It reveals to us Jesus, who is the gold standard of righteousness for all men. The fact is, I can no more measure up to the standard of Jesus than the people of Israel could keep the Law of God. But God has given me His Word and the indwelling presence of His Spirit to make it possible for me to become increasingly more like His Son. As I die to my own self-effort and learn to rely more on His power available to me through the Spirit within me, I can be transformed. I can be made straight. I can be brought increasingly more into line with His standard. But I first have to admit that I don't measure up. I miss the mark. I am crooked and in need of straightening. What about you?

Father, thank You for the plumb line of Your Word. Forgive me for the many times I have chosen to ignore what it reveals about me. I so want to believe that I am OK. I want to see myself as spiritually straight. So when Your Word reveals that I am not, I tend to want to reject it and go with my own standard of righteousness. But that's not how this works. You are a holy God and You have chosen us to be Your holy people, set apart for Your use and to live lives that bring You glory. Thank You for providing Your Word and the presence of Your Spirit to make it possible for me to line up more and more with Your righteous standard – Your Son. Amen

A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Amos 4-5

I hate all your show and pretense – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. ­– Amos 5:21 NLT

The book of Amos is NOT politically correct. Anytime you start out a chapter addressing the wealthy women of the community as "fat cows" you have pretty much made a decision to offend any and all. These two chapters are intense. They contain a scathing indictment from the lips of God concerning the people of Israel – the northern kingdom. These people had turned from Him a long time ago, choosing instead to worship false gods. They still considered themselves Yahweh worshipers, but had simply added a few other gods to their religious menu. They were highly religious and because they seemed to enjoy a certain degree of affluence and material success, they thought they were being blessed by God Himself or one of the many other gods they worshiped. So God has to make it clear that it is not He who is blessing them. In fact, He is about to bring judgment on them unless they repent and return. God had already brought a number of punishments on them over the years, from drought and famine to crop failure, plague and wars. But they had refused to return to Him. They had grown fat and happy. They enjoyed their wealth and loved practicing their religious rituals.

But all the while they were failing to do what was right. Their greed and insatiable desire for more drove their behaviors. As a result, they oppressed the poor by charging them exhorbitant rent. They twisted justice and hated those who told the truth. They trampled the poor by taxing them relentlessly and mercilessly. All the while building fancy houses for themselves. So God warns them to "do what is good and run from evil" so that they might live (Amos 5:14). He told them to "hate evil and love what is good, turn your courts in to true halls of justice" (Amos 5:15). If they did, God would spare a remnant of them. He would show mercy. Otherwise, "the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope (Amos 5:20).

Come back to me and live!

God has no desire to destroy them. He wants them to return. He wants to bless them. But their stubbornness will not allow them to admit their sins and return to Him. They saw themselves as religious and right. Their own affluence was a testament to their righteousness. They were religious, keeping a long list of religious observances. But in God's eyes it was all show and pretense. Their offerings and sacrifices meant nothing to Him. Their hymns of praise were nothing but noise in His ears. Their worship was more about them than Him. It was all a matter of pride and pretense. It was all a show for others to see and admire. But what God wanted was something completely different. He tells them, "Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living" (Amos 5:24 NLT). God wanted to see true righteousness lived out in right behavior and the just treatment of the poor and needy. He wanted to see religion that resulted in right behavior and a godly lifestyle. He wanted to see compassion, mercy, justice, kindness, and a true appreciation for who He was and all that He had done for them. He wanted His people to understand and appreciate His compassion, mercy, justice, and kindness and share it with those around them – an endless river of righteous living. And He still wants to see the same thing today.

Father, may my life be an endless river of righteous living. I want live in such a way that I am a conduit of Your compassion, mercy, justice, and kindness to those around me. I want to extend to others what You have given to me. Give me eyes to see others as You do. Give me a love for the poor, needy, lost and helpless. May your church and the presence of Your people on this earth be like a mighty flood of justice washing over those in need. Amen

The Inevitability of Accountability.

Amos 1-3

"My people have forgotten how to do right," says the Lord. ­– Amos 3:10 NLT

Amos was just a lowly shepherd, an ordinary layman. He wasn't a priest or a prophet, or the son of a priest or a prophet. He was a common Hebrew laborer. But God chose him to deliver a message to the people of Israel regarding their sin and His coming punishment. One minute Amos was tending sheep, the next minute he is the spokesman for God accusing the people of God of spiritual complacency, abuse of the poor, and empty religion. His is a message of judgment – on the surrounding nations, but on Israel itself. God makes it clear that they were His chosen people. He had hand-picked them, not because of anything they had done. Not because they were special or deserved His recognition. God had set them apart as His own. He had privileged them with His presence and given them a position of prominence among all the other nations. And how had they treated His favor? With unfaithfulness. They had received His special revelation in the form of the Ten Commandments, then proceeded to disobey the very commands they had been given. He had graced them with His presence and provided them with the sacrificial system as means to maintain their own holiness and deal with their own sin. But they had abandoned it for the worship of other gods. They treated God as just another in a long line of gods. He was not special. He was not unique. He was just a means to an end – their end. They worshiped Him only as long as He delivered what they wanted.

In these opening chapters of Amos, the people of Israel hear a message they longed to hear. It starts out with God's plans for the nations surrounding them, including the southern kingdom of Judah. God is going to punish them all. This had to be music to the ears of the Israelites living in the northern kingdom of Israel. All of their enemies were going to be punished by God. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Amon, Moab, and Judah. God said that they had all sinned again and again and He would not allow them to go unpunished. This is just what the Israelites wanted to hear. Then Amos drops the bombshell. He includes Israel in the list. He accuses them of the very same sins AND MORE. They were selling their own poor into slavery in order to make a profit. They lacked compassion on the poor and needy. They were guilty of gross immorality. They were taking advantage of the poor and needy. They were idolatrous. And they were unrepentant. In spite of the fact that they were God's chosen people.

"From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins" (Amos 3:2 NLT). God had to hold them accountable. His justice demanded it. His holiness required it. He could not deal with the sins of the pagan nations and turn a blind eye to the sins of His own people. His people had forgotten how to do right. They had grown fat and happy, rich and prosperous, by ignoring the very laws God had given them. Somehow they thought they had become immune to the consequences of sin. They seemingly believed that their position as God's chosen people was going to protect them from reaping what they sowed. They were counting on God's justice delivering their enemies the punishment they deserved. But they were special. They were privileged. They could get away with murder – literally. Or so they thought. Not only had they forgotten how to do what was right, they had forgotten the holiness of God. They had become complacent about His righteousness, power, and passion for holiness. They feared men more than God. They desired wealth more than God. They sought after ease and comfort more than God. They loved themselves more than they loved God. Could the same thing be said of us today? As God's chosen people, are we just as guilty of spiritual complacency and apathy. Can we justify our sins and somehow think we can somehow escape the consequences of a lifestyle that is devoid of God? The warning from Amos is just as real today as it was then. God has not changed. He is just as holy now as He was then. His expectations have not changed. He has provided a means for us to deal with our sin. He has offered us a way to receive forgiveness. But God expects us to hate our sin and confess it regularly. He wants us to turn from sin back to Him. He wants us to obey. We are His special people, but He wants us to live like it. He has even provided us with the means to do so through the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit. But have we forgotten how to do what is right?

Father, refresh my memory today. Help me remember how to do what is right, what You desire of me. Don't let me become complacent, cocky and self-assured just because I have a relationship with Your Son. I want to live like who I am in Christ. I want my lifestyle to reflect the life change You have made possible.  Amen

Who Will You Trust?

Isaiah 7-8

Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm. ­– Isaiah 7:9b NLT

Life is all about trust. Every day we are faced with opportunities to trust. We trust that our alarm will go off in the morning and wake us up for work or school. We trust that when we flip the switch on the wall, the lights will come on. We trust that the food we eat will provide us with nourishment, not make us sick. We trust that our cars will start, our drives to work will be safe, and our jobs will still be there. We spend our days trusting. We trust the chairs we sit in, the traffic lights that tell us to go or stop. We trust the cashier to give us the right change. We trust the government to do what is right. Okay, so maybe that one is a stretch. But we trust in a lot of things, including people. But why do we have such a hard time trusting God?

This section of the book of Isaiah is all about Judah's lack of trust in God. In the face of pending trouble, they are turning away from God and planning to place their trust elsewhere. King Ahaz of Judah is being threatened by King Pekah of Israel and King Resin of Syria. They are getting ready to attack Judah if King Ahaz does not make an alliance with them against Assyria. And this situation had the king and people of Judah scared. "So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm" (Isaiah 7:2 NLT). But God tells Isaiah to take his young son, Shear-jashub, whose name means, "a remnant shall return," and go to King Ahaz and tell him "to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn't need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers" (Isaiah 7:4 NLT). Isaiah is to tell Ahaz that this invasion will never happen. God is in control, not the kings of Syria and Israel. But God needs for Ahaz to stand firm in his faith. God wants Ahaz to trust in Him, not these two kings.

Immanuel – God with us

God gives Ahaz a sign. A young, unmarried woman would have a child and she would call his name Immanuel, which means "God is with us." From the time she became pregnant to the time this young child learned to speak, approximately three years, the two invading kings would be destroyed. This prophecy should have reminded Ahaz that God was indeed with him, as well as with Judah. But Ahaz had placed his trust elsewhere. He was already planning on making an alliance with Syria and Israel. So God would destroy these two nations and then call on the Assyrians to destroy Judah. But as Isaiah's young son's name reflects, God would preserve a remnant. And as the young woman's son's name illustrates, God would be with them. Why? Because of the promise He had made to David so many years before to keep his dynasty alive. Another king would come from David's line – the King of kings and the Lord of lords – Jesus. He would be the ultimate Immanuel – God with us.

But while God will ultimately save Judah, He will still bring judgment on them for their rejection of Him. He will use the Assyrians to punish them for their rebelliousness. Their refusal to trust God would have serious consequences. Isaiah has another son and calls his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Not exactly a household name, but it means "swift to plunder and quick to spoil." God was about to deal with the sins of His people. "My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloh, but they have rejected it" (Isaiah 8:5 NLT). The gently flowing love of God was about to turn into an overwhelming, devatating flood. "The Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood … submerging your land from one end to the other" (Isaiah 8:7 NLT). Their unwillingness to trust God would lead to their destruction. The closing verses of chapter eight are a reminder to us all that God is the one in whom we should place our trust. He will keep us safe. He will watch over us. He will protect us. We should put our hope in Him. We are to seek Him for help, guidance, comfort and protection. So who are you going to trust today?

Father, help me trust You today. Replace my fear with faith. You have never given me a reason to doubt You, yet I do so every day of my life. I want to learn to turn to You and rest in You.  Amen

Great Expectations.

Isaiah 5-6

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven's Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. ­– Isaiah 5:7 NLT

God had chosen the people of Israel as His own possession. He had hand-picked Abraham to be the father of the nation of Israel. God had blesses Abraham and his descendants. He had given him a land, blessed him with a child in his old age, and promised to give Abraham a multitude of descendants – too many too count. Years later, when Abraham's descendants found themselves living in the midst of a famine in the land of Promise, God led them to Egypt where He had arranged for their care through the unlikely intervention of Joseph – who had been sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and was now the second-highest ranking official in all the land of Egypt. While in Egypt, the people of Israel would prosper and multiply. Their expansion would cause the Egyptians to persecute and enslave them. So God provided a savior to lead them out of captivity and back to the land He had promised to Abraham. God miraculously provided their release from Egypt and met their needs all during their travels through the wilderness. He even gave them victory after victory over the inhabitants of the land once they arrived. Time after time, God had blessed the people of Israel. He had given them David as their king. He had graced them with His constant presence and protected them by His power. He had allowed Solomon to build a temple as His dwelling place on earth. God had provided a sacrificial system to deal with their sins and to assure their access to Him.

But as we have read in the stories of the kings of both Judah and Israel, the people continued to sin against God. They rejected His leadership. They proved unfaithful to Him time and time again. God had expectations of His people. He chose them for a reason. He had blessed them for a reason. So through the lips of Isaiah He laments, "What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?" (Isaiah 5:4 NLT). God uses the analogy of a vineyard because it was one the people of Israel would have readily understood and appreciated. Wine was a necessity in that day. Vineyards were vital to survival. So the idea of an unfruitful vine or a non-productive vineyard would have struck a chord with the people to whom Isaiah was speaking. God makes it clear that He is talking about Israel. "The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven's armies. The people of Judah are His pleasant garden" (Isaiah 5:7 NLT). God's chosen people were not producing the "fruit" He expected. Instead of justice (the righting of wrong), they oppressed (inflicted wrong). They replaced righteousness (right relationships) with violence (wrong relationships). They were guilty of greed, hedonism, willful sin, mocking God, pride, and corrupt values. It wasn't that they were fruitless. It was that they were producing the wrong kind of fruit – bitter grapes instead of sweet. Their fruit was worthless. And as a result, God was going to have to deal with them. Branches that produce worthless fruit are worthless themselves. They have no value to the vineyard owner. Listen to what Ezekiel says, "Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine's wood as useful as the wood of a tree? Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans? No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly. Vine branches are useless both before and after being put into the fire! " (Ezekiel 15:2-5 NLT). Vine branches don't even make good firewood. They have one use and one use only – to produce fruit.

God had great expectations for Israel. But they failed to deliver. And in chapter six we get a contrast between the unrighteousness and worthlessness of Israel and the righteousness and worth of God. Isaiah is given a vision of God in which he is blown away by God's holiness and his own sinfulness. Before God can use Isaiah as His messenger, Isaiah must come to grips with His sinfulness and God's righteousness. What God is about to do to Israel is just and fair because God is righteous and holy. In the midst of Israel's unfaithfulness, God would reveal His own holiness and righteousness by doing what is just and righteous. He would carry out His moral commands. He would honor His holiness by dealing with His people's sinfulness. But as always, God would show mercy and grace by providing a hope for the future. These two chapters end with the promise "But as the terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel's stump will be a holy seed" (Isaiah 6:13b NLT). God would not completely abandon Israel. He would not destroy them all, but He would preserve a remnant, so that He could fulfill His promise to Abraham. From the seed of Abraham would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God would reveal His holiness, righteousness, mercy and grace – simultaneously. Just as the cross was a representation of God's wrath against sin and His love for men by providing a sin substitute, God's dealings with Israel would result in their ultimate preservation and the provision of the Messiah. God would fulfill His own expectations of the people of Israel by providing a means of salvation and a process by which holiness is achievable – through the death and resurrection of His own Son.

Father, like Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips. I am incapable of living up to Your holy expectations. Left to myself, I am a worthless vine producing worthless fruit. I am good for nothing. But because You provided Your Son as my sin substitute, I have hope and holiness. They have been provided by You, and I can't thank You enough.  Amen

Retribution and Restoration.

Isaiah 3-4

But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. All who remain in Zion will be a holy people … ­– Isaiah 4:2-3 NLT

Isaiah is all about the coming judgment of God upon the people of God for their sins against Him. They have refused to obey Him. They have given their affections and worship to other gods. They have become arrogant and prideful, placing their faith, hope and trust in themselves and other nations. In the final verse of chapter 2, Isaiah warns, "Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?" (Isaiah 2:22 NLT). In chapter three Isaiah tells the people that God is going to take away from them everything they depend on. Every bit of bread, every drop of water, all their heroes, soldiers, judges, prophets, fortune-tellers, elders, army officers, high officials, advisers, skilled craftsmen, and astrologers. In other words, they are going to learn the hard way just how much they really need God. All the things they have learned to lean on and prop them up will be removed. It will be a devastating time with no leaders, little provision, and no hope. But Isaiah is to "tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned" (Isaiah 3:10 NLT).

This is a prediction having to do with future events. Some of these will be fulfilled with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. But most of it will come about during the Tribulation, that seven year period of time after the rapture of the church and the removal of all believers from the earth. During that time, Israel will become the target of the Antichrist, who will persecute the people of Israel like never before. The last three years of the Tribulation will be extremely difficult for those who are Jews. But God will raise up a relatively small group of Jews who will come to faith in Christ and become His witnesses during this dark period of time. There will be those who survive the Tribulation and remain faithful to God. God will punish Israel for its sins, but He will also restore Israel and preserve the nation from annihilation. God will remain faithful. So while the book of Isaiah is full of warnings and predictions of doom and devastation, it is also full of promises of restoration and reminders of God's faithfulness. "The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment" (Isaiah 4:4 NLT). God is good. He is faithful. He has a plan for preserving His people and protecting His name. He will restore. He will redeem.

Father, never let us lose hope. In the midst of all the difficulties of life, never let us lose sight of the fact that You have a plan that You are working and it is perfect. While we may abandon You, You never abandon us. You have not forgotten the people of Israel or their land. You will someday send Your Son to bring order and righteousness back to the earth. You will restore this world to the way You had intended it when You created it. You are far from done yet.  Amen

Enough Is Enough.

Isaiah 1-2

Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. ­– Isaiah 1:16 NLT

God is loving, patient, and kind. He is long-suffering. He extends mercy and grace. He is faithful and keeps His promises. But God is not a doormat to be walked on, taken for granted, and treated with disrespect. He is the God of the universe, the creator of all things. His patience has its limits. And Isaiah 1 and 2 give us a somewhat unsettling glimpse of God when He has had His patience tested one time too many. He never stops loving the people of Israel, but He does become fed up with their actions and attitudes, their unfaithfulness and hypocrisy. And He lets them know exactly what is going to happen unless they repent of their sins and turn back to Him. Isaiah has the not-so-fun responsibility of bringing a message of warning and judgment to the people of Judah regarding their rebellion and God's coming response to it.

God has had enough. He is loving, but He is not going to allow the people He has chosen as His own to continue to live in open rebellion and mock His name. He is sick of their religious rituals and observances. It is nothing less than hypocrisy. "What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?" he asks them (Isaiah 1:11 NLT). "I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams" (Isaiah 1:11b NLT). "Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts" (Isaiah 1:12 NLT). Unlike the northern kingdom of Israel, Judah was still worshiping at the Temple and keeping the religious observances God had established for them. They were making their sacrifices, giving their offerings, and observing all the appropriate feasts and festivals. But their hearts weren't in it. In fact, God tells them their hearts are sick. Their faith was worthless, impure and diluted. They were just as idolatrous as their northern neighbors. They were just as unfaithful. And so God sends Isaiah with a message that is partly a warning of judgment and a call to repentance. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me…" (Isaiah 1:18-19 NLT).

God is calling them to return to Him. He warns them that if they don't, He will be forced to deal with their pride and arrogance. They have wealth, power, pride and idols in abundance. But God tells them, "Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled" (Isaiah 2:11 NLT). God will cause them to return to Him. He will not allow them to continue to live in open rebellion to Him. So He warns them of the consequences and pleads with them to repent and return. "Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?" (Isaiah 2:22 NLT). Trust in God. Turn back to God. Put your faith and hope in God. That same call could be issued to many of us today. We are going through the religious motions, serving God outwardly, but refusing to trust in Him inwardly. The message of Isaiah is timeless. May we listen to what the Lord has to say.

Father, help me hear what You are saying through Isaiah. Don't let me read this book just as some historical document, but as the living, breathing Word of God. Show me my own sins through the lives of the people of Judah. Call me to repentance. Reveal Yourself to me through this incredible book.  Amen

A Self-Made Man.

2 Chronicles 26

But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. ­– 2 Chronicles 26:16 NLT

King Uzziah was a successful king. Like Solomon before him, he seemed to have it all: power, prestige, possessions, and an ability to succeed at just about anything he put his mind to. He experienced great military victories. He oversaw significant construction projects. He had abundant flocks and herds, vineyards and farms. His standing army consisted of 307,500 elite troops. Civic improvement projects were everywhere in Judah, thanks to Uzziah. We are told that "his fame spread far and wide … and he became very powerful" (2 Chronicles 26:15b NLT). This guy had it all, including a reign that lasted five decades.

But Uzziah had one major problem: Pride. He failed to recognize and realize that his fame, power, and success were the direct result of God's intervention in his life. He took the throne at 16 and was mentored by Zechariah, "who taught him to fear God" (2 Chronicles 26:5 NLT). And it seems that Uzziah did fear and seek God. And as long as he did, God gave him success. We are told that "God helped him in his wars against the Philistines (2 Chronicles 26:7 NLT). His fame and power were from God, "…for the Lord gave him marvelous help" (2 Chronicles 26:15b NLT). He owed all his power, success, fame, and wealth to God. But rather than thank God and acknowledge His hand in his life, Uzziah sinned against Him. He became so convinced of his own significance and self-importance that he thought he was above God's law. He didn't have to live according to God's rules. As a result, he entered the temple of God and attempted to offer sacrifices on his own. This was clearly a violation of God's law and when the priests tried to stop him, he became angry. He threw a temper-tantrum right in the temple. As he held an incense burner in his hand, he raged at the priests for attempting to stop him from doing what HE wanted to do. It's funny that the burning of the incense was supposed to be an act of worship, a pleasing aroma to God, but here was Uzziah, throwing a fit in the temple – an action that was anything but pleasing to God. As a result of his actions, Uzziah is struck with leprosy. He is rushed out of the temple and is quarantined in a separate house for the rest of his life. He is no longer able to enter the temple of God. When he dies he is buried in a separate field, apart from the rest of the kings. His pride led to his destruction (Proverbs 16:18). His failure to show gratitude to God for His providential participation in his life resulted in Uzziah's prideful arrogance and ultimate fall. He bought the lie that he was a self-made man. He ended up worshiping self more than he worshiped God. He respected his own wishes more than he did those of God. His will was more important than God's. What a temptation for each of us. God is active in each of our lives. Any success we have is a direct result of His hand. Any joy we experience is from Him. All that we have comes from Him. Even the next breath we take. And when we fail to recognize His provision, we can begin to think that we are self-made and self-sustaining, leading to a love of self that is ultimately self-destructive. "As long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success" (2 Chronicles 26:5b NLT). Keep your eyes focused on God, not self. Seek Him. Serve Him. Obey Him. Thank Him. You are nothing without Him.

Father, how easy it is to believe the lie that I have made myself what I am. I can take credit for my own successes, then blame You for my failures. I want to think that I am something special, when in reality, I am nothing without You. Open my eyes to the reality of Your providential presence in my life each and every day.  Amen

The Unavoidability of Instability.

2 Kings 15

Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king. ­– 2 Kings 15:10 NLT

When the worship of God takes a back seat, either in the life of an individual or a nation, instability becomes the norm. Without God as the firm foundation upon which to build a life or a nation, everything becomes subject to change without notice. Respect for authority, moral absolutes, love of man, and the fear of God become optional and any sense of continuity and cohesiveness vanishes. From the day that Jeroboam led Israel to separate themselves from Judah, the worship of God had taken a backseat. He had erected idols to replace God and places of worship to substitute for the Temple in Jerusalem. And every king after him followed in his footsteps of rebellion and the rejection of God. In this one chapter we see six different kings reign over Israel in a 42 and a half year time period. In comparison, Uzziah reigned 52 years in Judah. Israel was marked by instability and divisiveness. Of the six kings mentioned in this chapter, Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, and Pekah all have their reigns ended by assassination. Each is characterized as having done evil in the Lord's sight, and each is killed by his successor. Their reigns were short and ended sadly, and were characterized by a lack of respect and reverence for God.

Interestingly, in Judah you have two kings who reigned during this same time period. One was Uzziah and the other was his son, Jotham. In contrast to the kings of Israel, both Uzziah and Jotham "did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight" (2 Kings 15:3, 34 NLT). While they were far from perfect or consistent in their faithfulness, they sought to serve God and make Him a high priority in their lives and kingdoms. As a result, their reigns were long and marked by a greater sense of peace and prosperity. Had they both fulfilled God's command to destroy all the shrines and high places dedicated to the worship of other gods, who knows how their reigns might have gone. But in spite of their inconsistency, they did try to lead their people to remain faithful to God, and as a result, their reigns were marked by a sense of stability.

When we refuse to honor God in our lives, instability is inevitable. We lose our sense of purpose and calling. We leave ourselves open to attack and distraction from the temptations of this world. Godlessness can be just as much a reality for the Christian as it is for the non-Christian. We can live our lives like practical atheists, even though we say we are worshipers of God. If we refuse to listen to Him, seek Him, worship Him, or give Him the honor and respect He deserves and demands, our lives will be marked by a sense of instability and fearfulness. Life will lack meaning and a sense of purpose. Our hard work will become fruitless, our best efforts, futile. Without God at the center of our lives, our lives will lack focus and stability.

Father, help me to keep my life focused on You. I want to keep You at the center of my life and at the heart of my worship. Forgive me for all the times I replace You with other things or other people. I long to establish my life on You – the solid rock.  Amen

Unmerited Favor and Undeserved Grace.

Jonah 3-4

This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: "Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. Just kill me now, LORD! I'd rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen." ­– Jonah 4:1-3 NLT

Jonah had not wanted this assignment from God. In fact, he had attempted to run away when God had told him what he was to do: Go to the people of Nineveh and preach a message of judgment. Now we see why Jonah didn't want to go. It wasn't that he disliked the message of doom and gloom he was to share. It was that he feared the people would repent and God would spare them. Jonah hated the people of Nineveh. In his mind, they were idolatrous pagans who deserved to die at the hand of God. He didn't want to call them to repentance, because they just might do it, and then God might extend mercy to them. That is what drove Jonah to run from God. Pretty revealing, isn't it? Jonah's will was that Nineveh be destroyed. And his greatest fear was that God might show mercy and allow them to live. He knew that a message of judgment was a possible precursor to repentance.

And that is exactly what happened. Once Jonah got to the city, his only message was: "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" And we're told "the people of Nineveh believed God's message" and repented. They were so serious, they even made their animals wear garments of mourning. They prayed, fasted, and waited to see what God would do. And what He did was relent from His plans to destroy them. He extended mercy. He was, as Jonah knew, "eager to turn back from destroying people" (Jonah 4:2b NLT). But God's unfailing love and mercy angered Jonah. He wanted destruction and wrath. He hated the people of Nineveh. When Jonah was in the belly of the fish, he prayed to God for mercy. He counted on God's unfailing love. And he received it. But there is a certain degree of spiritual pride and arrogance in Jonah's prayer. He said, "Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows" (Jonah 2:8-9 NLT). Jonah seemed to think he was special because he somehow deserved God's mercy and grace. He somehow earned God's gracious favor and deliverance. The people of Nineveh didn't. And he was right. Except that he failed to understand that neither he or the people of Nineveh deserved God's mercy and grace. God says of Himself, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy" (Exodus 33:19 NET). No one deserves God's mercy and grace. We can't earn it. God simply extends it. And He chose to extend it toward the people of Nineveh. He also chose to extend it to Jonah, in spite of his rebellion and running away. Yet Jonah was more upset about a plant that died than the 120,000 residents of Nineveh who were destined for destruction. Jonah had been extended mercy and grace, but he was unwilling to extend it to others. What about you and me? Who do we know that we would love to see destroyed because of their sin? Who out there do we wish God would wipe off the face of the earth because of their evil and rejection of God? Do we have the heart that God has? Do we see the world the way He does? Are we merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love? Are we eager to see God turn back from destroying those who probably deserve it? The message of the book of Jonah is one of redemption and forgiveness. It is about the compassionate heart of God. He is righteous and just and must deal with sin, but He also longs to redeem and restore. Which is why He came up with the idea of the cross. He had a plan for restoring mankind that would allow Him to remain just and still extend mercy. Because we could not pay for the penalty our sins deserved, He came up with the only way to satisfy His righteous demands and pay in full the price our sins required. He gave His only Son. He sacrificed Jesus on our behalf. He showed us mercy and grace when we deserved death. We have benefited greatly from the mercy of God. Now we must extend it to others. We should want them to know what we know and to experience what we have experienced. Regardless of who they are and what they have done.

Father, thank You for showing me mercy. Now help me to develop a heart of mercy toward others.  Amen

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide.

Jonah 1-2

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the LORD. ­– Jonah 1:3 NLT

Running from God. Sounds idiotic doesn't it? I mean, who in their right mind would ever think they could get away from God? Yet Jonah decides to ignore God's command, catch a ship and head off in the opposite direction, somehow hoping that God would not see him and possibly forget about him. But God warns us, "'Am I a God who is only in one place?' asks the LORD. 'Do they think I cannot see what they are doing? Can anyone hide from me? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?' asks the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:23-24 NLT). The omnipotent, omniscient God is not some old geezer in the sky that we can somehow pull a fast-one over. We can't run from him. We can't hide from him. And we certainly can't say we worship Him if we refuse to listen to Him. Yet that is exactly what Jonah did. When he caught a ride on the ship and it gets caught in a violent storm, Jonah gets exposed as the cause of all their problems. And when they confront him, he simply says, "'I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.' Then he told them that he was running away from the LORD. The sailors were terrified when they heard this. 'Oh, why did you do it?' they groaned" (Jonah 1:9-10 NLT). Did you catch the irony of Jonah's statement? "I worship the Lord." Really? Do you?

You see, worship is about more than going through the motions. It's about more than words of affirmation and declarations of intent. Jonah could claim to be a God-worshiper, but his actions proved otherwise. He was disobedient and dismissive of the very command of the One he claimed to worship. He talked a good game, but he lacked follow-through. He was going to live life on his terms, not God's. He worshiped his own agenda, his own opinion, his own desires. Yet when Jonah saw what was going on and that the men in the ship were going to perish because of his disobedience, he confessed his sin and instructed them to throw him overboard – which they eventually did. But death wasn't to be Jonah's lot. Deliverance was. But first Jonah was going to have to discover what real worship is all about. He found himself in a lonely and extremely difficult situation – under the water and in the belly of a large fish. That's a bad day anyway you look at it. Jonah was in trouble and at a loss as to how he was going to get himself out of the fix he was in. So what did he do? He worshiped! He turned to the only one who could rescue and restore him. He called out to God, and in doing so he acknowledged the sovereignty and power of God. "Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish. He said, 'I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, and LORD, you heard me!'" (Jonah 2:1-2 NLT). Worship is far more than singing songs and attending a service on Sunday. It is a state of the heart. It is a way of life. It involves submission to the will of God. It includes obedience to the Word of God. It requires an understanding of the worth or value of God. Listen to what Jonah said: "When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple" (Jonah 2:7 NLT). Worship is turning our thoughts to the Lord. It is turning our thoughts away from ourselves and all those other things we turn to for hope, help, deliverance, and satisfaction. It is learning to rely, instead of run. It is listening to the Word of God and doing what He tells us to do – regardless of how we feel, what we think, or what others may tell us to do.

Jonah tried to run from God. He thought he could hide from God. But God had a job for him to do. He had a message for him to share. And God has a job for you and me as well. He has a message for us to share, too. Yet just think about how many times we follow Jonah's lead and run from God's will. We ignore God's Word. We reject God's way for our lives and choose our own. But while you may run from God, you won't get far. You can try to hide from God, but He'll always find you. The story of Jonah is really not about him, but it's about the redemptive plan of God for mankind. It's about a sovereign God who chooses to use fallen men to accomplish His divine will. God has determined to use people like you and me to accomplish His will in the world. He doesn't need us. But He chooses to use us. Amazing isn't it? So why in the world would we ever want to ignore His call and command for our lives? Why would we ever choose to run and hide from God when we can be instruments in His redemptive hands?

Father, I run way too much. I try to hide far too often. I ignore Your Words and reject Your will far too frequently. Forgive me. Thank You for using me. Thank You for choosing me. Thank You for showing patience to me. Give me a view of Your redemptive plan for mankind. Then give me the strength to obey – at all costs.  Amen

Is God For You Or Against You?

2 Chronicles 25

God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up."­– 2 Chronicles 25:8b NLT

Chapter 25 of 2 Chronicles gives us some further insight into the story of King Amaziah of Judah and the events surrounding his defeat at the hands of Israel. It seems that Amaziah started off well. We're told that he "did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight," but then we're given the additional little caveat, "but not wholeheartedly." He was half-hearted in his obedience, devotion, and submission to God. Sometimes he did what he was supposed to do. Other times, he did what he wanted to do. His real god seemed to be military conquest and power. He formed an army comprised of 300,000 trained men, then added to that number 100,000 more paid mercenaries from the northern kingdom of Israel. But a prophet of God warns Amaziah against going into battle with these Israeli soldiers on his payroll. The prophet warns him, "Your majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim!" (2 Chronicles 25:7 NLT). If he chooses to disobey God's warning, he will be defeated, no matter how well armed, trained, and numerous his troops are. If he disobeys God, he will be fighting against God – and that is a no-win situation.

But it is amazing how easy it is to inadvertently do battle with God when we choose to ignore His counsel or refuse to seek His advice. He has given us His written Word, but we too often leave it out of our decision-making processes. And yet, He "has the power to help you or to trip you up." It's interesting that Amaziah's first concern when given the warning by the prophet is about the money he stood to lose if he sent the Israelite troops packing. He said, "But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?" (2 Chronicles 25:9a NLT). Wait a minute God! I stand to lose a lot of money if I listen to You! We're talking 7,500 pounds of silver – down the drain, wasted, squandered – if I listen to God. This can't be God's will. It doesn't make good financial sense. It's fiscal suicide! But the prophet simply replies, "The Lord is able to give you much more than this!" (2 Chronicles 25:9b NLT). Just do it! Don't try and rationalize your decision or justify your desire to obey God's clear command. Remember, He has the power to help you or to trip you up. Amaziah could have used a little bit of Micah 6:8 about this time. "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you:He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful,and to live obediently before your God." God wanted Amaziah to do the just thing, not the expedient thing. God wanted Amaziah to put his faith in Him, not an army. God wanted Amaziah to make his faith into practice by obeying instead of justifying his own actions.

And God wants the same things from you and me. It doesn't pay to fight against God. That's a battle you will always win. God's ways don't always make sense. His will is not always palatable or even enjoyable. Obeying is not always easy. But it always pays. It always brings blessing. God has the power to help us or trip us up. His will always wins out. We will never lose if we always obey. Our obedience may cost us, but He will make up any loss we suffer in ways we could never even imagine. Jesus put it this way, "If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life" (Matthew 16:25 NLT). We never lose with God on our side.

Father, why would I ever willfully choose to leave You off my team? It just makes no sense. But I do it every single day in a variety of ways. I rationalize, justify, ignore, and avoid Your divine will in order that I can do my own. I decide that Your way is too costly and then learn the hard way that disobedience carries a much higher price in the long run. Father, You have the power to help me or trip me up. Why would I ever choose the latter over the former? I know. Pride. Continue to deliver me from myself.  Amen

The Self-Destructive Nature of Self-Importance.

2 Kings 14

You have indeed defeated Edom, and you are very proud of it. But be content with your victory and stay at home! Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and the people of Judah? ­– 2 Kings 14:10 NLT

Pride goes before the fall. Or something like that. We all love paraphrasing this message from the book of Proverbs. It actually says, "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18 NLT). But regardless of exactly what it says, we enjoy sharing the basic gist of it – especially in retrospect – when someone we know, and usually don't like, has experienced a failure of some kind. It's a very biblical way of saying, "I told you so!" Whatever negative circumstances this person has experienced was well-deserved. They got what was coming to them. Now while we probably misapply this verse more than any other, there is some truth to the idea that pride is destructive. And behind all pride is a sense of self-importance that blinds us to the danger we face when we think too highly of ourselves. Paul provided this warning against being overly self-important. "I gave each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us" (Romans 12:3 NLT).

Self-importance is a dangerous drug that is both addictive and destructive. Little victories and successes, even spiritual ones, can cause us to suffer from inflated self-worth and become overly self-confident. That's what happened to Amaziah. As king of Judah, he experienced some early successes and seemed to have the hand of God on his life. At one point he experienced a decisive victory over Edom, defeating 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He also defeated the stronghold of Sela, located in the city of Petra. Fresh off these convincing victories, Amaziah decides to challenge the king of Israel to a battle. He is confident and tad bit cocky. King Jehoash of Israel warns him to think about what he is doing. He compares Judah to a thistle going up against a mighty cedar tree. Not only that, but the thistle ends up getting stepped on and crushed. before it can even attack the cedar tree! But self-importance can make us self-delusional. We can begin to believe our own press clippings and think we are something really special. Which is exactly what happened to Amaziah. He refused to listen to Jehoash and went ahead with his battle plans. Rather than be content with his victory over Edom, he had to have more. He had to prove himself to himself. His self-confidence would end up being self-destructive. "King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah's king, Amaziah son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then he marched to Jerusalem, where he demolished 600 feet of Jerusalem's wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. He carried off all the gold and silver and all the articles from the Temple of the Lord. He also seized the treasures from the royal palace, along with hostages, and then returned to Samaria" (2 Kings 14:13-14 NLT).

Amaziah's pride led to his fall and the defeat of Judah. His own self-importance became self-destructive, but also spread to those around him. The effects of self-importance and pride are rarely relegated to self alone. Others are always impacted by our own self-obsession and over-confidence. Nowhere do we read that Amaziah was instructed by God to wage war with Israel. This was his own plan, driven by his own need for self-importance. And the results were disastrous. Jerusalem was left defenseless with broken-down walls. The Temple of God was ransacked and left desecrated. Citizens were turned into slaves. The wealth of Judah became the booty of Israel. All because of one man's self-importance and pride. If Amaziah had only listened to the wisdom of Solomon. "Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be happy" (Proverbs 16:20 NLT). The antidote to self-importance is humility and submission to the will of God. When we begin to think we are something special, we need to remind ourselves of the reality of our own self-worth. Paul gives us sobering words to consider any time we begin to think too highly of ourselves. "Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and use them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT).

Father, protect me from self-importance and it's offspring – pride. Help me remember that I am nothing without You. My value is found in Christalone. Self-importance is self-delusional and self-destructive. But learning to find my value and worth in Your Son reminds me that I bring nothing to the table. All my worth comes from Him and what He has done for me.  Amen