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Secret Acts

By Paula Leave a Comment

“…and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Matthew 6:4

Jesus is talking about giving to those who need.

Sometimes it’s translated charitable deeds.

Think of them as acts motivated by love.

You do unseen acts out of love every day.

That lunch you packed.

That load of laundry you did.

That prayer you whispered.

The phone call you made.

That errand you ran.

That burden you shoulder.

The kind word. The smile.

The sympathetic ear.

And so many others.

Acts motivated by love.

God sees.

He knows.

And one day He will personally thank you.

Lessons from the Good Kings: Joash

By Paula Leave a Comment

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 2 Chronicles 24:2

We know King David. And Solomon. Maybe even Hezekiah and Josiah. But there were many other kings in Judah, and admittedly, many were terrible. However, there were some good kings, not perfect kings, but good kings. These good kings can serve as examples of things we can do even in our culture, in our lives to honor God. So far we’ve studied Asa and his son, Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, began his reign with the execution of his brothers. 2 Chronicles 21:20, in recording his reign ends with “and, to no one’s sorrow, departed.” His son, Ahaziah, was no better and after his death in an ill-advised battle, Jehoram’s widow seized the throne and “destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.” (2 Chronicles 22:10)

Except one. Princess Jehoshabeath who was the wife of a priest named Jehoiada hid her toddler half-brother, Joash, in a room in the temple. Six years later, when Joash was seven years old, Jehoida led a group of men to overthrow Athaliah and establish Joash as the rightful king.

Joash leaned heavily on the advice of a godly mentor. You can read more about Jehoiada and his devotion to God in 2 Chronicles 23. He covenanted with the people and with Joash that they would be a people of God. He re-established the proper role of the priests and Levites. Everyone in Judah breathed a sigh of relief. He also chose wives for Joash. We can certainly argue that having two wives was outside God’s design, but it’s a subtle indication that Joash depended on the priest’s counsel.

The relationship between Joash and Jehoiada underscores our need both to be and to enlist a mentor. Of course, we are more likely to call it discipleship and maybe even do it in a small group setting, but that doesn’t erase the need or the importance of building deep relationships with other believers. That is the model Jesus established in His earthly ministry and we see it in the life of Paul later in the New Testament.

Joash had a heart for worship and for the house of God. Afterward, Joash took it to heart to renovate the LORD’s temple. 2 Chronicles 24:4 The Temple was the place God Himself chose to dwell and the respect the people showed to the place was a reflection of their devotion to the One who dwelt between the cherubim. Joash reinstituted the collection Moses had set up to pay for the upkeep of the tabernacle. Verse 13 says the collection was enough to restore the house of God to its original condition and it was reinforced as well. The original condition was what Solomon built. This was no small undertaking and a significant expense.

We tend to shy away from venerating the place we worship. It’s “just a building” and certainly the church of God is the people of God. However, do we have an intense desire to restore, to revive our worship? Do we long to meet with God, to be where He meets with His people? Are we generous with our contributions so that His full glory can be made known?

Joash walked away. Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. 2 Chronicles 24:17-18a. The unsettling conclusion seems to be that Joash’s faith and devotion to God were shallow at best. When flatterers came, he knowingly, willingly walked away from truth and embraced a lie. That is the very definition of apostasy.

And it got worse. When Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, called him out, Joash had the priest murdered. This brazen act ultimately resulted in Joash’s assassination at the hands of his own servants. He was buried without honor.

This is a cautionary lesson for us. Are we clinging to truth or are we enamored with lies? Are we following the God of Scripture or a god we created? How do we react when we are called out for our sins? Do we become defensive and lash out at the messenger or do we thank God for sending correction?

Following Christ is a lifetime occupation, not just a fad for a season. Next week, we’ll see how Joash’s failures impacted his son, Amaziah.

Revive Us Again

By Paula Leave a Comment

We praise Thee, O God! for the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus who died, and is now gone above.

We praise Thee, O God! for Thy Spirit of light,
Who has shown us our Savior, and scattered our night. [Chorus]

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins, and hath cleans’d ev’ry stain. [Chorus]

Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.[Chorus]

Chorus:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

William P. MacKay, 1863

Read Psalm 85

(Revive us again. We need the Holy Spirit to infuse us, to remind us of who we are, and where we stand. We need to be reminded that this world is not our home, that we have an inheritance reserved in heaven for us. We need the encouragement that Christ dwells in us, that His yoke is easy. Give us clean hearts and renew a right spirit within us. Yes, revive me again.)

Lessons from the Good Kings: Jehoshaphat

By Paula Leave a Comment

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 2 Chronicles 17:3

Because of his father’s long reign, Jehoshaphat was thirty-five when he began to reign. 2 Chronicles 17:4 tells us he followed God’s commandments and God established the kingdom in his hand. Furthermore, “he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 17:5-6 The rest of 2 Chronicles 17 details his military success, to the point that neighboring nations were reluctant to challenge him.

But that’s not the whole story. Jehoshaphat was willing, even eager, to align himself with the ungodly. 1 Chronicles 18 details his cooperation with King Ahab in the battle of Ramoth-Gilead against the king of Syria. Ahab was constantly held up as the worst example of ungodliness. When Jehoshaphat returned home from that battle safely (thanks to God’ deliverance) he was met by the prophet Jehu.

“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD. Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.” 2 Chronicles 19:2-3

How do we respond to our enemies? Christ instructs us to love our enemies. That’s not negotiable. However, loving them does not mean we should help them advance their anti-God agenda.

This warning seems to have gotten Jehoshaphat back on track. 2 Chronicles 19:4-11 detail his reforms to the judicial system in Judah. He appointed judges and solemnly instructed them to weigh the cases based on merits, with the fear of the Lord as their overarching motivation.

How do we respond to correction? Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us it is part of being a true child of God. We should use it as an opportunity to renew our commitment to Christ and His cause.

It never fails. When things are going along pretty well, that is usually the signal for the enemy to try something. In Jehoshaphat’s case, it was the armies of Moab, Ammon and their allies. They came marching toward Jerusalem with overwhelming forces. The king proclaimed a fast.

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12

It wasn’t long before God moved another prophet, Jahaziel, with the response.

Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. … You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17

How do we respond when overwhelmed? I’ll be honest. I don’t usually respond like Jehoshaphat. Digging myself into a bigger hole by complaining about the injustice of my situation is more typical. But this advice/reassurance from God is just like what He told His people at the Red Sea back in Exodus 14:13-14. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed.

True to His word, God intervened and Judah went home rejoicing after a rout of their enemies.

Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat’s life story doesn’t end with that great victory. God is not afraid to show the shortcomings of his people. Jehoshaphat arranged a marriage between his son and heir, Jehoram, and the daughter of Ahab, and continued to seek alliances with the wicked kings of Israel. Perhaps because of his soft stance on the kings of Israel, his son took a page from their playbook. Once Jehoram was firmly established as king, he had all his brothers executed.

That fomented a period of bloody unrest and uncertainty that lasted until Jehoram’s seven-year-old grandson, Joash, was crowned. Next week, we’ll look at what we can learn from a child king.

Lessons from the Good Kings: Asa

By Paula

But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. 1 Kings 15:14

Asa was Solomon’s great-grandson. His father, Abijah or Abijam, was an idolater, but Asa determined not to follow that path. He was a religious reformer who worked to rid Judah of its foreign altars and gods. One day a prophet named Azariah, the son of Oded, came to see the king. You can read his message in 2 Chronicles 15. But here is one important verse:

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7

Confronting and dealing with sin in our lives is a difficult, messy business, especially when we start uncovering and tearing down the idols we hold on to. Asa’s commitment was so firm that he even removed his mother from her official position because of her idolatry.

Our bold leadership in pursuing holiness can motivate others. In the fifteenth year of his reign, Asa saw the fruit of his commitment as the entire nation reaffirmed their covenant relationship with God alone.

Our dependence on God must not waver. Early in his reign, when Judah was threatened by the mighty Ethiopian army, Asa prayed to God for help with utter confidence in Yahweh. “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 2 Chronicles 14:11 However, years later, Asa used some of the Temple treasures to buy Syria’s friendship. Asa result, war, conflict, and turmoil marked the rest of Asa’s reign.

Asa’s spent the last two years of his reign with a severe disease in his feet. The Chronicler records that he tried all that the physicians could do, but he never sought the Lord’s help. Perhaps, God was sending the king a message – if you won’t stand firm in your commitment to Me, you won’t stand at all. Notice though, it is a reflection of God’s grace that Asa was remembered as wholly true to God all his days. Thankfully God deals with us in that same gracious way.

Asa’s son Jehoshaphat was watching all this and taking notes. Next week we’ll see what he learned and how we can apply those lessons.

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

By Paula

God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

God be with you till we meet again,
’Neath His wings protecting hide you,
Daily manna still divide you,
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

God be with you till we meet again,
When life’s perils thick confound you,
Put His arms unfailing round you,
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

God be with you till we meet again,
Keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Smite death’s threatening wave before you,
God be with you till we meet again. [Refrain]

Refrain
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

Jeremiah Eames Rankin, 1880

Read Exodus 33:14-18

(On this solemn day let us not take meetings for granted nor fail to grasp the wonder and power of God’s presence with us. May we pray that blessed reality for our loved ones each day.)

Secret Acts

Lessons from the Good Kings: Joash

Revive Us Again

Lessons from the Good Kings: Jehoshaphat

Lessons from the Good Kings: Asa

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series