Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Put God First; Don’t Miss All He Has For You

Not all who are invited, answer the call. It’s not about simply following a set of rules, though we should do that also. Yahweh wants to be first place in our hearts and minds. He does not want anything to take that priority over Him. For some it may be money. For others it may be an addiction or a job or even their children or spouse.  That is not to say we are called to leave our children or spouse.  It simply means we must put Yahweh first. When we do so, everything else will fall into place.

Matthew 19:16-26

The Rich Young Ruler

      16And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; 19HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 20The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

      23And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Think about the opportunity the rich young ruler passed up. For Him, money was too important. Money by itself is not bad and does not need to be forsaken by all. Abraham was rich, as was Isaac and Jacob and King David and many others. We should each take care to look for anything that has a higher place in our lives than our relationship with Yahweh. Then we should ask Him to help us turn away from it and put Him first.

I invite you to pray:

Father, please help me to see clearly what may be taking a higher priority in my life than it should. Help me to put you first in my life in all aspects, above all other things and relationships. I pray I would not choose to miss out on all that you have planned for me because I am afraid to let go of something else, like money. Please help all your people, who are called by your name to do likewise. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Kindness / Gentleness, Loving / Kind, Parenting, Purposeful / Intentional

Do Not Be Too Busy for Children

It is often easy for us to get busy pursuing what we think we need to do, including ministry. We can sometimes overlook the children, even our own, to some extent. Yeshua loves children. He does not want us to overlook them. He wants us to make time for them.

Matthew 19:13-15

Jesus Blesses Little Children

      13Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me and all your people to look favorably on children, to make time for them, to treat them as having significance and not just being “in the way”. Please especially help parents to embrace their children as a blessing and not look at them as a burden. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Love, Parenting, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

Should We Do What Is Allowed by God or What Is Desired by God?

Should We Do What Is Allowed by God or What Is Desired by God? This is a simple question, that if you truly embrace it, could change your life and your walk with our Father. What is spoken in Matthew 19 about marriage is clearly very important and we need to remind ourselves about Yeshua’s instruction, but the applicability of this scripture goes much wider to all aspects of our lives.

Matthew 19:1-13

Concerning Divorce

      1When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

      3Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? 6“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” 7They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?” 8He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9“And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

      10The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” 11But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12“For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

How often do we act like the Pharisees in this way? How often do we focus on what is “allowed” instead of what is “desired” by God? I have encountered more than a few who when you start discussing application of Biblical teaching to their lives, instead of asking “what is more pleasing to God”, they focus on “what is allowed without sending me to hell”. Boy, there is certainly a wide range between those two positions. If we are really trying to decide what to do based on “not going to hell”, that is the wrong heart and attitude. That is selfish rather than loving God. Let us rather start by focusing on doing what is pleasing to the LORD.  This is what demonstrates our love for Him, in that we die to self and surrender to Him.

Let us compare it to someone who works for us, perhaps maid or gardener. Do you want them to do only what is the bare minimum for you not to fire them? or would you be more pleased if they directed their work such that they met your desires and preferences, going beyond the minimum? How do you feel in each case? Which way do you want God to feel about you?

The same could be said about a parent and child relationship. Do you want your child constantly doing the bare minimum? If you ask them to clean their room, do you prefer they go do it properly or just move a few things or maybe half and then claim they have accomplished what you requested? Even if you allow them to get away with that, which approach is more pleasing? Again, which way do you want God to feel about you?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me and all those who are called by your name to focus on what is pleasing to you and not simply what is allowed or tolerated. Let it transform me personally, my family, and all those called by your name so that we would truly be submitted servants that are pleasing in your sight and can serve as lights to others to come to you. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

 

 

Discerning / Judging, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Loving / Kind, Merciful

The LORD May Work Through the Unrighteous to Serve His Purpose

There are many people who conclude that someone is righteous and what they teach and follow must be what God approves of because they see Yahweh at work in and through that person. It sounds good on the surface, but what does scripture say?

The LORD works through evil people to serve His purposes as He sees fit. He does not just work through the righteous. 2 Kings is just one example. Pharaoh who stood against Moses during the plagues is another. There are many others as well. Pay attention to Jeroboam son of Joash in the following scripture.

2 Kings 14

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

      17Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20Then they brought him on horses and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. 22He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.

      23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. 24He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. 27The LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

      28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he recovered for Israel, Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son became king in his place.

Jeroboam son of Joash did evil in the LORD’s sight but the LORD still used Him to save Israel. In this case the LORD was moved to show mercy on and help His people Israel and thus used someone who was unrighteous. The simple message is that just because someone can be seen with Yahweh working through them does not mean that person is necessarily walking in the proper relationship with the LORD, following His statutes and commands.

We must test everything against the written word of God in the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to give us discernment. The Holy Spirit will not contradict the written word, properly understood and in context. If we the LORD is working through someone, great. Pay attention. However, do not simply adopt all that they say or teach or how they live. Test everything and hold fast to what is good.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, Please help your people (including me) to have discernment in whom we follow. Let us not simply follow everyone you may be using, but rather with the help of Holy Spirit, let us have discernment to test the teachings and actions of others against your unchanging holy Bible. Amen.  

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Humility, Pride, Repenting from Sin, Wise

Pride Goes Before Destruction

How does Yahweh feel about pride?

Proverbs 16:18-19

5Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

18Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

 19It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

The scripture warns about pride. We see Satan rebelled against Yahweh out of pride. Pride is offensive to the LORD and it is quite simply a routine path to getting yourself in trouble.

2 Kings 14:1-16

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

      1In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king. 2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 3He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. 4Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, that he killed his servants who had slain the king his father. 6But the sons of the slayers he did not put to death, according to what is written in the book of the Law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

      7He killed of Edom in the Valley of Salt 10,000 and took Sela by war, and named it Joktheel to this day.

      8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” 9Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush. 10“You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?”

      11But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent. 13Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits. 14He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

      15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16So Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son became king in his place.

Amaziah “did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father”. He did some things well, but it appears he could not break through the man made cultural traditions he grew up with that involved worship in the high places. Either he did not acknowledge it or he was not willing to deal with it because it was hard. He experiences victory and let’s it go to his head. What was he hoping to accomplish with war against Israel? Why call them out? The King of Israel even tried to stop him, but to no avail.

Pride seems to have filled Amaziah and he picked a fight that was unwise. He lost and so did Judah with him. It was totally unavoidable.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to have a humble spirit before you and before men. Please help me not to be prideful. Let me be content with what you provide and rejoice in it. Let me not covet what others may have or feel that somehow I have to prove my worth to others. Let me focus on pleasing you and being fulfilled and satisfied in that. Help me to see any areas where I am not walking in your ways and grant me the wisdom and courage to change, even when it is very hard. Guide our leaders to seek after righteousness in all their ways. Help them see clearly your path from the path of wickedness. Please grant these requests to all those who are called by your name for your honor and glory. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Devotions by Tonia

Snowflakes

Snowflakes are beautiful and all different. Our masterful Creator demonstrates his power in many majestic ways. Even in snowflakes, he created diversity.

He cares about the intricate details in life. There are so many wonders to behold. There is so much in nature he created that shows his miraculous glory. Even in the different seasons of the year, there is variety in what grows and blooms. In winter, snowflakes fall and beautiful holly berry trees grow.

He puts so much variety in nature for us to enjoy. He gives us beautiful scenery and a variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables that grow year round. He can and does also give us variety in our lives of things to enjoy. He gives us delights to enjoy from him. Laughter and joy and true friends that encourage us and help us keep going during hard times. He cares about the details of our life. He is a very personal God and wants to bless us with things that are meaningful to us specifically.

I am thankful for this variety he gives us in this world. It makes life more enjoyable and not mundane. He is a God that cares about the details. In 1Timothy 6:17 it says, Charge those who are rich in this world that they be not haughty, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.

Look around at what the Lord has freely given you to enjoy in your life. It is good to be thankful and observe the personal blessings he gives us specifically  because he know what we like and wants to bless us.

Prayer

Lord, Thank you for rich blessings you give your children. Thank you for the personal gifts you give us to enjoy in this life. Let us not take them for granted but have a thankful heart. In Jesus name. Amen.

Devotion by Tonia in service to Christ “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13)

All Powerful / King of All, Interceding for Others, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Repenting from Sin, Strong in Our Weakness

Trust in the LORD Alone to Be Your Shield and Provider

Almost every historical record about the prophet Elisha is intriguing. He was bold and passionate for the LORD. He asked for a double helping of what Elijah had, and received it from the LORD. His death was no less dramatic or impactful for Israel.

2 Kings 13:14-25

Death of Elisha

      14When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. 17He said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The LORD’S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them.” 18Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. 19So the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.”

      20Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. 21As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

      22Now Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.

      24When Hazael king of Aram died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of Jehoahaz his father. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

This chapter can be a bit confusing. There are actually two Kings that are referred to as Joash, one who ruled Judah and one who ruled Israel. (For more context, Who Was King Joash in the Bible? on GotQuestions.org.) Both did evil in the LORD’s sight.

I find it a bit challenging to understand why the LORD through Elisha granted victory to Joash over Aram as it is not mentioned that he was repenting or walking in the ways of the LORD. In fact, given how Elisha treated other kings of Israel who were wicked over the preceding chapters, there seems to be a significant difference in how he treats Joash of Israel. However we can see Joash humbled himself in desperation and came to the LORD’s prophet on behalf of the suffering people if Israel. In the end it comes back to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These are God’s people.

23But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.

I also think it is interesting that Joash was supposed to know how many times to strike the ground with the arrows. Maybe that was an indication of his heart not fully trusting in the LORD? However, scripture does not say that explicitly.

How about the miracle that is just seemingly thrown in on top of the rest of the action, where someone is thrown on the bones of Elisha and gets raised from the dead? Wow! Let us not get confused and put upon Elisha’s bones any supernatural power. It is always Yahweh who has the power and He must have done this for His glory by highlighting the importance and power shown through His prophet.

This is an action packed chapter.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help your people to turn to you in good times and bad. Help us to humble ourselves and bring our supplications before you. Lead us to give thanks as well. Bring forth more powerful leaders to help the people draw near to you and walk in your statutes and your commands. Let your people not rely on kings or presidents or congress (e.g. government of any kind), but upon You and You alone. For the sake of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, please restore righteousness to your people, all those who have been grafted into Israel through accepting Yehsua as Messiah. Let us not suffer at the hands of the wicked who wish to transform our nation to grow further from you. Cast out the wicked and lift up the righteous in those who govern and throughout the nation(s). 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Interceding for Others, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Repenting from Sin, Righteous, Seeking God, Slow to Anger, Traditions / Holidays, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Do Not Continue in the Sins of Prior Generations

When we continue walking in the ways that pagans worship their gods, the LORD is angered. It does not matter that it is the same way our fathers or grandfathers have followed. That is not an excuse. He can remove His hand of  blessing or more strongly bring us to continued defeat. That affects us personally, but in the most basis sense it is a loss that we are not turning away from the ways that pagans worship their gods to walk in the way Yahweh has instructed us because we want to show love to Him.

2 Kings 13:1-13

Kings of Israel: Jehoahaz and Jehoash

      1In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them. 3So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. 4Then Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. 5The LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly. 6Nevertheless they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. 7For he left to Jehoahaz of the army not more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash his son became king in his place.

      10In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 11He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, but he walked in them. 12Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Just because “everyone else is doing it” or “that is how my family has done it for generations” is not a good excuse for continuing to live apart from the ways of the LORD. Focus on the words of scripture more than my comments… there is no comment about what these traditions of man meant to the people. It is irrelevant. What matters is what it means to Yahweh.

For those of you with children, consider that you can help them immensely by making a change when they are still young so that they will grow up walking in the ways of the LORD instead of burdened with traditions that are displeasing to the LORD. Parents can take on the hard change and help their children have an easier time of it. Do not focus on who’s to blame. Just focus on changing and walking in the ways of the LORD and then sharing that transformation with others.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, help us to walk in your ways and be pleasing to you. Let us not continue in the sins of our fathers or the sins of the culture around us. Give us clarity and wisdom to identify where we need to change and courage to do so. Help us draw strength in you and your Holy Spirit. Let your righteousness sweep across our nation and the world. Let your people who are called by your name repent from the ways of men and embrace you fully. Raise up workers to help in this harvest and prepare people to receive the message and change their lives. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Grace / Forgiveness, Money / Finances / Wealth

Steward Well What Yahweh Entrusts to You

Reading in 2 Kings 12, we find ourselves in the middle of another “page turning” story. It is engaging and full of significant action. It drives home the importance of good stewardship and organization for accomplishing what Yahweh entrusts to us.

To reconnect with the context, in 2 Kings 11 Jehoiada, a priest, sets Joash on the throne as king. He was restoring the kingdom to a rightful heir after Athaliah had murdered many of her own grandchildren to take the throne. Joash was seven years old when he became king and did right in the sight of the LORD while Jehoiada instructed him.

2 Kings 12

Joash (Jehoash) Reigns over Judah

      1In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

      4Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD, 5let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”

      6But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damages of the house. 7Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, “Why do you not repair the damages of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but pay it for the damages of the house.” 8So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.

      9But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of the LORD. 10When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the LORD. 11They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD; 12and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 13But there were not made for the house of the LORD silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the LORD; 14for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD. 15Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully. 16The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it was for the priests.

      17Then Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

      19Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash at the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Verses 2 and 3 highlight that Joash did right while having benefit of the instruction of the priest who helped him. He was young and he listened to council. However, we see that he failed to remove the high places where false worship took place, even as he worked to restore the house of Yahweh. It would seem that Joash and Jehoiada had a blind spot regarding either the need or the courage to remove the high places. In the end Joash delivers mixed results… some good and some disappointing.

Digging further in the passage, we see a powerful example regarding the importance of how we steward and organize ourselves to accomplish tasks for the LORD.

When they started collecting money and giving it to the priests to restore the temple, they took the money and never made repairs. Perhaps they did not have the skills or the time? Perhaps they were simply not held accountable. I do not know how long before they had to face stewardship by the King, but it took that to get the repairs on the right path. They had to make a change after assessing the first approach and then have the money directly paid to the workmen to make the repairs. This was more successful. It is a good reminder that stewardship is necessary to ensure we get the expected outcomes even within ministry. It may not be by wickedness that it fails, but it could be we do not have the right organizational structure and approach for the task at hand.

It is interesting to note that the workmen did not require detailed stewardship. They were faithful. So let us not assume we need to micro manage everything in order to be successful either. We need to assess each situation and evaluate the right level of stewardship. We do need to validate progress and results are as expected in some manner.

As part of stewardship when you have something valuable, you also need to think about security to protect it. In this case Joash did not have an army prepared to defend that which he was investing in to restore. They lost many valuable objects as payment for the hostile king to leave.

Overall we see mixed results in Joash’s leadership. He had some good and some bad. We can learn from both. Sadly, when Jehoiada died, Joash acted wickedly, but we can study that more when we get to 2 Chronicles 24, which gives more history on Joash.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please open my eyes to what you want me to accomplish on your behalf. Give me the wisdom and courage and help from others I need to boldly and effectively pursue what you call me to do. Please remove any blind spots for areas in which I do not see clearly the wickedness still present in my family or my self as we have been blended with the culture around us. Thank you for being with us and for your grace and mercy to love us even when we are not perfect in accomplishing all that you desire. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Parables

Our Forgiving Others Affects Yahweh’s Forgiving Us

Our LORD not only offers to forgive us through Yeshua, but He expects we likewise forgive others. The scripture has strong messages toward this end. One example directly follows the LORD’s prayer in Matthew 6, but is often overlooked.

Matthew 6:12 and 14-15

12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

—

14“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15“But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

But surely there is a limit to how many times we should forgive? Peter thought seven times would be generous. Yeshua had much more in mind. Keep in mind that Yeshua is basically saying we should continue forgiving without counting. There is symbolic value in the seven and seventy. I believe the number seven represents the number of perfection or God. But think of it like this… we should forgive others as we want to be forgiven by God. Do we want Him keeping a score? I do not! I have made too many mistakes.

Forgiveness hinges on genuine repentance and not on how many times we mess up.

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness

      21Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

      23“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24“When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25“But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26“So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27“And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29“So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30“But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31“So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32“Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34“And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

I invite you to pray for this area in your life.

Father, please forgive me for my sins and shortcomings. Please help me to forgive others. Show me any areas in my life or any people in which I hold to unforgiveness. Help me to release that and embrace forgiveness.  Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.