Today's Devotion

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August 18 Morning



2 Chronicles 16:7-9 (NIV) 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cu****es and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."



Asa was one of the good kings of Judah. He restored the Temple and encouraged the nation to return to the worship of Jehovah. While he was earnestly working on the Temple, God gave him peace for ten years. When an enemy finally did come to attack, he relied upon God and completely defeated them. He had set his heart to seek the LORD.

After Asa had reigned 35 years, the king of Israel, Baasha, began to fortify cities along the border. This was indication that he was preparing for war. Instead of seeking God as he had done earlier, he took the treasures from the Temple and bribed the king of Aram to break his treaty with Israel. The tactic was successful in that Baasha gave up his plan to attack Judah. It was not a success in the eyes of God who sent Hanani the seer with these words of instruction. Had Asa forgotten how God helped him when he was small and unsure of himself? God is always searching the earth to find hearts fully committed to Him. Those are the hearts He strengthens.

Sometimes we attain immediate success, but because we did not do things God's way we end up with long-term problems. Asa later came down with a disease in his feet. He would not seek God for that either, but only sought help from the doctors. That resulted in his death. Asa's legacy was a good one, but it would have been even better if he had stayed dependent on God.



As God blesses your life, recognize that strength is from Him. Stay fully dependent on Him.


Evening

August 18

John 1:17-18 (NIV) 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.



Moses was the mediator of the Law. He was the One who went up onto the mountain and met with God. He brought down the aws of God to guide the nation of Israel to the Messiah. The Law brought a realization of our failure to glorify God. Through the Law, man could see how incapable he is and how dependent on God he must be.

When the Messiah came, He was the mediator of grace and truth. We see the grace and truth of God in His life. Moses brought the Law on tablets of stone. Jesus brought grace and truth in His very being. The life He lived and the words that He spoke were the grace and truth of God to man. Our requirement to glorify God is met in Jesus' life.

The only One who could ever convey to us who God is, the fullness of His truth and grace, is the One who has always been with God. No one else has truly seen God. Moses got just a glimpse. That glimpse could not convey His fullness; only the One eternally with God could do that. Jesus has made God known to mankind. Every other man that has tried to convey the truth of God falls infinitely short of the revelation that Jesus demonstrated with His own life and words. Whatever mediator you choose to turn to, none can come close to the revelation you see in the Gospels. Only Jesus can truly make God known to us.

If you have been looking to some other person, whether they are a Christian or not, realize that the revelation of God to your heart must be known personally through Jesus. At best, that other person can only point you to Him as I am attempting to do now. You must meet Him personally in the Gospels. He is the only One who can truly make God known to you.

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August 19 Morning



2 Chronicles 18:19-21 (NIV) 19 And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' "'By what means?' the LORD asked. 21 "'I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. "'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'



This passage is troublesome to many. God is not a man that He should lie. What is happening here? Ahab was one of the wickedest kings of Israel. His wife, Jezebel, was the wickedest queen. Jehoshaphat had become the king of Judah and was his ally. Though Jehoshaphat was a godly king, he must not have had much discernment. Many prophets declared that Ahab would win the battle, but Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from a prophet of Jehovah. When he was called, he first told him to go and win the battle. When Ahab pressed him for the truth, he told what he saw in the halls of heaven, today's passage.

God was asking the angels how to get Ahab to go to his doom in a battle against Ramoth-Gilead. The text suggests the angels made suggestions, but all were declined. Finally one spirit said, "I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets. I believe this was a fallen spirit. They are always seeking to harm mankind. God's hand of protection holds them back unless it serves His ultimate purpose in which he allows them freedom to act. We see the same kind of scenario in the beginning of Job.

Ahab had Jehoshaphat wear royal robes, and he dressed in normal soldier attire. When the Aramean army went after Jehoshaphat's chariot, he fled. A stray arrow found the joint in Ahab's armor and mortally wounded him. You can't get away from the decrees of God. A fallen spirit and a heathen army were used to bring judgment on the murderer, Ahab. Tomorrow we'll see how God dealt with Jehoshaphat for befriending Ahab.



Consider: Be sure your sin will find you out.


Evening

August 19

John 1:29,33-34 (NIV) 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

Throughout the Jewish history, all the way back to Abel, a lamb had been slain as a sacrifice. The lamb never really took the sins from the people. Each sacrifice was a look forward in faith to the perfect Lamb that would. It was an expression of faith that one-day God would provide. That expression of faith made them right with God. It did not take away guilt, however. Each year the atonement sacrifice was made again.

John the Baptist was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare people's hearts for His ministry. The Holy Spirit had given a very specific sign to John. The One that he sees the Holy Spirit come down on like a dove is the One who will baptize people with the Holy Spirit. This One is the Son of God. John saw that happen when he baptized Jesus.

As Jesus walked by, John told his disciples, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This was the Lamb that millions of lambs throughout history were just a shadow of. He is God's Lamb. He is the One God provided to be the perfect sacrifice for sin. He had to be a sinless man that could take on the sins of others and take the curse of death for that sin in their place. The time had come. The Messiah was present. Look! Fix your eyes on Jesus. He takes away the sins of the world, your sin and mine. What a beautiful Lamb God has provided! This is the Son of God! There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

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August 20 Morning



2 Chronicles 19:1-3 (NIV) 1 When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, 2 Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. 3 There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God."



In yesterday's devotion, Jehoshaphat had narrowly escaped death when he went out to battle in league with wicked Ahab. As he returned to Jerusalem, he was met by Jehu the seer. Jehu gave him a word from the LORD. "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Most Christians today would quickly answer, Yes! He had almost given his life for wicked Ahab. It was not as though he did not know how wicked he was. Jehoshaphat had cleansed his country of idolatry and knew Ahab promoted it in his own land. Surely he had heard of Elijah's victory on Mt. Carmel and of Ahab and Jezebel's response. He must have known how evil he was, and yet, he joined forces with him.

Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers, the Apostle Paul tells us. This surely was an unequal yoke. We know that God loves the world. Yet, here in this prophetic word, the wrath of God is upon Jehoshaphat because he helped the wicked and loved the man who hated the LORD.

Ahab had crossed the line so many times, and in spite of all the chances God had given him, he set his heart against the LORD and against His prophets. We must have a discerning spirit to know when we are assisting those who have set themselves against the Kingdom of God. We are not to help them or even love them. I can hear the gasp as you read that line. Hate the sin and love the sinner? Yes, unless they have come to the place where they know the truth and yet hate the LORD.(see 2 John 10,11; Psalm 139:21)


Evening

August 20

John 1:48,50-51 (NIV) 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."



The Apostle John gives us a description of the other apostles' first encounters with Jesus. He describes how Philip invited Nathanael to come and see. Philip was already using Jesus' words. Nathanael had a hard time believing the Messiah could come from Nazareth.

When he approached Jesus, Jesus said he was an Israelite in whom nothing false could be found. When Nathanael asked Jesus how he knew that, Jesus told him that He had seen him under the fig tree before Philip came to him. It seems that this was some kind of sign to Nathanael, because he immediately declared Jesus as the Son of God. The Holy Spirit must have revealed something to Jesus of a spiritual encounter under that fig tree. We would call it a word of knowledge, but since Jesus is one with the Spirit, it would be more than that. Jesus can use the term I saw you.

We sometimes wonder if God does see us in the secret place when we pour out our hearts to him. Perhaps Nathanael was asking God to give him a sign that his prayers were heard. We'll have to wait until heaven to find out. What we can know of a certainty is, Jesus sees us there and can let us know that He does.

Jesus then told Nathanael that seeing Him there was nothing compared to what Nathanael would see in the future. He was going to see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. That is a reference to Jacob's ladder. Jesus was saying that He is the ladder. The angels, messengers of God, go and come through Him. He is the connection between heaven and earth. The revelation of God and His work in the world comes through Jesus. The answers you are searching for come via Jesus.

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Devotions for 08-21
August 21 Morning



2 Chronicles 19:9-10 (NIV) 9 He gave them these orders: "You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. 10 In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities--whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances--you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin.



Jehoshaphat appointed judges according to the Law of God and ordered them to act in the fear of God, not taking bribes, and being impartial. He warned them that they were not judging for men but for God who placed them in their positions. We could say the same for any Christian in any activity. We should all do our work in the fear of God, knowing that we represent Him and not ourselves.

Then Jehoshaphat gave them the instructions in our text for today. Serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. Whatever work we are called to we, too, should serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. Is that how you would describe your work ethic? If it is, God is glorified in your work.

The fear of the LORD is rarely mentioned today. The judges were supposed to make judgments in the fear of the LORD and to warn people that the wrath of God would come upon those who sin against the LORD. The fear of the LORD and His judgments were motivating factors of that day. Because we have a greater revelation of the love of God, should the fear of the LORD motivate us any less? I believe they should go hand in hand. As we read of kings whose hearts turned away from God and faced defeat and disease, we should recognize that it is love that brings wrath for the purpose of turning us. We should do all things in the fear of the LORD. That is having a healthy respect for His holiness and His Fatherly love.



Meditation: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7a


Evening

August 21

John 2:9-11 (NIV) 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Some of John the Baptist's disciples were following Jesus. Sometime between the wilderness temptation and the first Passover of Jesus' ministry, Jesus and those disciples went up to a wedding. Cana is very close to Nazareth. A wedding is a weeklong party in the Jewish tradition of that day. The groom must have been a friend or relative of Jesus' physical family. We can see that Jesus was concerned about these social events during his ministry.

Mary, Jesus' mother, asked Jesus to deal with the problem of lack of wine. If the host ran out of wine before the week of celebration was up, it would be a shameful thing. At first Jesus seems to suggest that He will not do anything, at least anything miraculous, to help. He said His time had not yet come. Then He asks for six stone water jars that hold 20 to 30 gallons each to be filled with water. What changed His mind? I think we can safely assume the Spirit of God instructed Him to go ahead and act, giving Him specific instructions.

When the master of the banquet tasted the water that was turned to wine, he was surprised that the best wine was served last. When Jesus makes something it is the best. The Spirit of God chose this to be the first miracle of Jesus' ministry. The disciples placed their faith in him when they saw this transformation of physical matter, but it may be saying much more to us. The Apostle Paul referred to men as clay pots with a treasure inside. We are a vessel for the Holy Spirit. Wine is often used as a symbol of the Spirit. John the Baptist had preached that the Lamb of God had come to baptize people with the Spirit of God. The bulk of our physical being is actually water. This first sign signified the great work Jesus had come to begin, the transformation of mankind into vessels filled with His Spirit. He would make that possible through His death, resurrection and ascension. Be filled with the Spirit. God has saved the best for last.

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August 22 Morning



2 Chronicles 20:2-4 (NIV) 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.



In spite of Jehoshaphat's lack of discernment, he knew what to do in time of trouble. This is a model chapter in how to face difficulty in our lives. Instead of running to his generals, he ran to the LORD. He resolved to inquire of the LORD. When we are alarmed, we will run to where our trust is placed. He proclaimed a fast. The people of the nation came together to seek God. From every town they came to seek Him.

We need to learn a lesson from this. We often put our heads together to come up with a solution. We are great at running to friends to ask for advice, like Rehoboam did. We even grab a book like, How to Deal with Troubled Teens. What we need to do is be resolved to inquire of the LORD. When we do, those under our influence do also. Jehoshaphat's good example led the nation down the only path that would save them. Believe it or not, America has had a nationally declared day of prayer and fasting in its history, too.

Once they decided they would wait upon God, He spoke to them! First, Jehoshaphat led them in a prayer in which he laid the situation before God. He declared that power belonged to God. He confessed their weakness and ignorance and that their eyes were upon God. Then they stood before the LORD with their wives and children and waited. What an example for us today! We need to learn to wait. God spoke through Jahaziel. God said the battle was His, and He gave them their marching orders.



Prayer: Lord God, help us to learn to turn to You first, recognize our need, and wait until we get Your answer.


Evening

August 22

John 2:23-25 (NIV) 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

This was the first Passover Feast of Jesus' ministry. He had been going every year, but now the Spirit had directed Him to do miraculous things to confirm the words that He spoke. The Jews believed that miracles authenticated the ministry of the prophet. In Jesus' case, He would do miracles that were beyond the scope of any prophet.

Though the people believed in Him, He did not entrust (or commit) himself to them. He understood the nature of man. Since the Spirit had not been poured out, Jesus knew He could count on man to be self-centered and treacherous. The Old Testament tells us that if we place our trust in man, we put ourselves under a curse. Jesus was following the agenda of the Holy Spirit, not that of man. He committed Himself to God alone.

Jesus did not need to learn from experience that men are evil. He knew from the time of being conscious of His condition as the Son of God in human form. When He found Himself in the fashion of a man He humbled himself and became obedient to the Father. He knows our condition. He knows our nature.

We need to understand this lesson. Even the best-intentioned men are men. Even Spirit filled men can backslide. Our trust and hope must be in God alone. We should have fellowship and work together with our brothers, but ultimately we commit ourselves to the Father. Jesus is the head of the body, and He alone can give us our instructions. We must obey Him above all the leading and programs and schemes of men.

Knowing what is in man also means knowing what is in me. I must follow the Apostle Paul's example of keeping my body submitted to the will of God, dying daily. It is important for us to understand what is in man. It keeps us looking to the right source, and it guards our hearts against making men idols. It should also keep us dependent on the Lord.

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August 23 Morning



2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (NIV) 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." 22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.



Yesterday we read about the people waiting upon God and getting His instructions on how to face the vast army coming against them. They believed and began to obey God. Jehoshaphat consulted with the people to see if they had the faith to put singers out front. Apparently they liked the idea. Since they truly believed that God was going to fight the battle and deliver them, they thought they might as well sing His praise for the splendor of His holiness on the way there. This huge men's choir sang the same chorus that was sung at the dedication of the Temple. It must have been the national anthem of Judah.

If you ever attended a Promise Keeper event and heard ten thousands of men sing praises to God, you have a taste of what this must have been like. The praise was not a part of the LORD's instruction, but it was a natural response when they believed He was delivering them from their enemy. As they sang, the LORD turned the enemy upon one another. There was not one enemy soldier left alive. Judah took three days to gather all the spoils of war. There was more than they could carry away. On the fourth day they held a great praise festival at the Valley of Praise.

The people's response to God's word in the face of a major threat upon their lives is an example to us. They didn't mope around or complain and whine, instead, they sang their thanks to God for who He is.



Consider: It is often in the midst of an expression of faith that the LORD delivers us from the thing we fear.


Evening

August 23

John 3:6-8 (NIV) 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."



One of the Jewish religious leaders came to Jesus at night. He probably did not want to be seen by his colleagues because they were jealous of Jesus. He admitted that they knew Jesus came from God because of the miracles He performed. His name was Nicodemus. Let's call him Nicky. Nicky had one thing on his mind and Jesus knew what it was before he asked. "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Like most of the folks in the Bible, he was thinking literally and Jesus was speaking symbolically. To explain, Jesus spoke the passage for today. Flesh gives birth to flesh. A human body gives birth to a human body, but if you are going to be born from above, you must be born of spirit, for God is a spirit. Surely a religious leader like Nicky should be able to understand such a thing. Actually, it was amazing that he had a hunger for the truth at all. The religious establishment was so corrupt that power and money were the driving forces of their decisions. We'll see Nicky later in the Gospel of John.

Jesus went on to say that the person born of the Spirit is like the wind. The word for spirit and wind is the same in the languages of the Bible. You hear the wind, but can't tell where it came from or where it is going. The person born of the Spirit doesn't understand God's past working in their life, and they don't know where God will lead them tomorrow. Life is an adventure with God. Nicky thought he knew where he came from and where he would be tomorrow. His life was all planned out. He was working his way up the ladder of power and influence, but the truth was getting in the way and nagging him with doubts about the validity of his goals.

Are you born of the Spirit? Is God free to direct your life as your Lord and Master, or are you headed in the direction you have set for yourself? Is there a question in your heart as to the validity of your goals? Sit down with your Maker and let Him show you that a life of faith is incomparably superior.

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August 24 Morning



2 Chronicles 20:35-37 (NIV) 35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was guilty of wickedness. 36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber, 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.



Jehoshaphat went down in history as a godly king. Like most of the kings, he did not remove the high places. There was always a remnant of idol worship allowed to remain. Those places seemed to be the enemy's stronghold in Judah that no one had the boldness to conquer. Though Jehoshaphat made his share of mistakes, overall, his heart was after God and he was said to have walked in the ways of Asa his father.

At the end of his life he had a chance to practice a lesson that he had learned early on as a king. Do you remember when he made the alliance with Ahab? A prophet warned him of God's judgement for loving the one that hated God. (September 21) Ahab was the wickedest king of Israel.

In our passage today, Jehoshaphat again made an alliance with a wicked king of Israel. It is not a war, just a business venture. They teamed up to build some ships. Solomon had imported great amounts of wealth, and perhaps these kings thought that they could do the same. The LORD destroyed those ships before they could set sail.

Jehoshaphat may have justified the situation in his mind saying, It is only business.When we learn a lesson, the LORD often allows us to face the temptation again to see if we have really learned it. Is our heart really given to God and not flesh in those situations?Jehoshaphat failed the test a second time and had this blot on his testimony.



Warning: Watch those areas of weakness where you think you have learned a lesson. They may come again to see if your heart has surrendered in that area to God. It is a chance to examine our heart and see what is not yet in the LORD's hands.


Evening

August 24

John 3:14-16 (NIV) 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

In trying to help Nicodemus to understand His mission, Jesus related what He had come to do with a story from the Law. Nicodemus studied the Law daily and would have immediately understood the implications. When the Children of Israel were complaining about their circumstances, God sent fiery serpents among them. Those who were bitten died in a short time. Moses asked God what he could do to save them. God told him to make a brazen serpent and put it on a pole. Anyone that had been bitten could look at the image and be healed. That is where the medical symbol of today comes from.

Jesus related this story to His mission. To be hung on a pole was to be cursed according to the Law. The brass in the image represented judgment. Jesus was saying that He would be cursed and judged so that the sin sick world could look to Him and live.

Why? Because God loved the world so much that He was willing to send His only Son to save the world from their certain death condition. He was the only one who could take the curse and sins of the world upon Himself and satisfy the justice of God. Those who lived before Christ looked forward in time to what Jesus would do for them. Those of us who live after the cross look back in time to what He did there. We all gaze upon the cross and in believing are healed from this deadly poison of sin. God so loved YOU that He gave His only Son, that if YOU will believe in Him, YOU will not die from the poison of sin in you. You will have eternal life. Have you looked and been healed?

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August 25 Morning



2 Chronicles 21:13-15 (NIV) 13 But you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your father's house, men who were better than you. 14 So now the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. 15 You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.



When Jehoshaphat died, his son Jehoram began to reign. His first act was to have his brothers murdered. He married one of wicked King Ahab's daughters. He led Judah into idolatry. Under Jehoshaphat, the kingdom of Judah had one of the largest and most powerful armies the nation ever had. Even when they were outnumbered, God intervened and helped them because they looked to Him. But his son took after the weakness of his father and made that his life. We need to realize that our children are watching our areas of compromise.

Nations that were paying tribute began to rebel. When Jehoram went to deal with them, he lost in battle. His power steadily diminished, but he still did not turn to the LORD. Elijah brought him a word from the LORD, our text for today. Every detail of it was fulfilled, but there is no record of Jehoram's repentance. The old saying, His head is bloodied but not bowed, certainly was applicable to Jehoram. Enemies came and robbed him of his wealth. They killed all but his youngest son. He reaped what he had sown.

Finally he became ill and suffered a painful death just as Elijah prophesied. The record says that he passed away to no one's regret. There was no honorary fire, and he was not buried with the kings of Judah. Just because people follow a man into evil does not mean that they honor him. Most serve a man like this out of fear and hope for position rather than respect. After the good kings Asa and Jehoshaphat, the kingdom of Judah dive-bombed to one of its lowest conditions in the short reign of one evil man.



Consider: One person can do so much good, or they can do so much evil with its accompanying destruction. Evil always makes you pay more than you expect it could ever cost.


Evening

August 25

John 3:19-21 (NIV) 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

God is a just God. He will deal with men according to the revelation of the truth they have seen. John the Beloved told us in the first chapter that everyone sees the light of God. Some would personally witness His miraculous life or hear about it from those who did. We have had a revelation of the light of reality through the message passed down to us in the Gospels. Some of us have had a personal revelation of the Light. Then comes the choice of what we will do with what we have seen and heard. If there was no revealing of light, we would not be accountable, but that is not the case.

The revelation of Light will have one of two affects. The light always draws you to the truth. Then we either desire it or hate it. That is usually evident in the lifestyle we choose. If we cling to self and our own ways, we will avoid the Light. When the Light comes to visit in believers, those who love darkness are repulsed by the Light in their life. They will find excuses to hate them also. That is why lovers of darkness will find friends who love the same, and those who love the light will gather with others who do too.

Those who love the Light continue to come to the Light. They do not want to be deceived and go on in the darkness of their own ways. Instead, they want to be certain that what they do is done through God, so they are continually coming to the Light. Do you come to the Light of God in His word, prayer, and fellowship to discern if what you're doing is of selfish origin or of God? The Light makes everything plain. Walk in the Light.

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August 26 Morning



2 Chronicles 24:2,5-6 (NIV) 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years of Jehoiada the priest 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, "Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now." But the Levites did not act at once. 6 Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, "Why haven't you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?"



It was really Jehoiada's love for God and faith in His promises that motivated him to risk his life to see that the throne was restored to the lineage of David. Being Joash's surrogate father, he had a great deal of influence on the king. Our passage today indicates that his influence kept Joash obedient to God as long as Jehoiada lived.

Shortly into the reign of Joash we see the reverse was also true. Joash, probably then a young teen, ordered the collection of the temple tax. He wanted the temple repaired. Former Queen Athaliah had robbed the temple for the temple of Baal. When the priests were slow to obey the command, he called Jehoiada and asked him why he wasn't seeing that the Word of God was being lived up to. Now it is Jehoiada's turn to reap what he had sowed. He sowed the word into Joash's life and now Joash was requiring him to act on that word. For those who love the Lord, a challenge to obey is not a trial to bear. It is a blessing.

Sometimes the ones we mentor can turn around and mentor us in areas we are blind to, or making excuses for. What better evidence could we have that our work in the LORD is being blessed and taking hold? Proverbs 12:1 tells us the man who hates correction is stupid. Proverbs 13:8 tells us the one who heeds it is honored.



Consider: Do you welcome the correction of others, even when they are someone you have taught?


Evening

August 26

John 3:28-30 (NIV) 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.



One of John the Baptist's disciples asked if he was concerned about Jesus becoming more popular than him. John answered that a man can only have what God gives him. If God gives a man favor or anointing, the Sovereign God of all allowed that. Who are we to question it?

John reminded them that his message had always been that of the forerunner. He was only there to announce the coming of the Messiah. Then John gave them an illustration from the marriage customs of that day. When a groom went to receive his bride, he would take his bride into her house where she was conceived and consummate the marriage. The friend of the groom (best man) would wait outside the door of the home for the voice of the groom to announce that the marriage was consummated. Then the friend would announce to the waiting crowd that the marriage was complete, and the weeklong party could begin. It was a tremendously joyous occasion.

John the Baptist was saying that he is like that friend of the groom. The bride, the people of God, belong to the Messiah, not the friend. He is not sorrowful that Jesus had become more popular. It was like hearing the voice of the groom saying the marriage is complete. John is calling out that it is time for a party, not whining about losing the limelight. John the Baptist's joy was complete in knowing that people were going to Jesus. It was a necessity that John's ministry wind down, and that Jesus' ministry take off and surpass that of John's.

Sometimes we forget that our work for Jesus is not about our popularity but about His. People may be attracted to our ministry, but if that does not send them on to Jesus, we have lost sight of what it is all about. He must increase in the eyes of those we minister to, and in doing so we will naturally decrease. That is not a sad thing, it should be the completion of our joy.

[admin]

August 27 Morning



2 Chronicles 24:17-18 (NIV) 17 After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.



Jehoiada the priest was a very positive influence on Joash and upon the nation of Judah. God's grace allowed him to live to be 130 years old. Once he died, the officials of Judah began to exert their influence upon Joash. Instead of influencing the world around them with their faith in Jehovah, they wanted to be like the world around them and worship Asherah poles and idols. Joash was so influenced by them that the temple of God, that he had insisted be repaired, fell into disuse.

God sent prophets to warn the people that they would not prosper if they continued down this path. Today, in our culture, we need to be the voice that warns that our nation will not prosper if we continue our current trend of forsaking the worship of the true God. One of the voices that spoke out was Jehoiada's own son, Zechariah. He warned that if they forsook God, He would forsake them. The officials convinced the king to have him put to death. This was the son of the man who had saved him and set him up as king. He signed the order and Zechariah was stoned in the temple courtyard. When the voices of truth are silenced so that the people can go their own way without God, judgment is at hand. The next spring, the army of Aram came and killed all the officials that had such an evil influence and took the treasures of the city to Damascus. Joash lay wounded in his bed. His court servants assassinated him in revenge of the death of Zechariah. What a great beginning, but what a sad end.

We are tempted to not speak out for fear of facing Zechariah's fate. The alternative is to face the fate of Joash.



Consider: Life is fatal. We will all give an account of our life before God. Better to try to call those you influence to God, in hopes of repentance, rather than to be silent and die when God judges the land.






Evening

August 27

John 3:34-36 (NIV) 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."



Here is a three verse summary of the entire Bible. Jesus spoke the words of God. Of coarse, the prophets did also, but every word that flowed from His lips was directly from God. The Spirit was given to Him without any limitation, because He placed no limitations on the Spirit. We wonder why we do not have more anointing. It is because we limit the Spirit in some area of our life. We have reservations in some unsurrendered corner that we reserve for self. Jesus had no such reservations in His heart and mind. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the Father. It is pride in our life that keeps desires and thoughts from obedience to God. We make excuses like, I will not forgive that person, or I cannot do such a menial task or I have served enough for today. The resistance to the Spirit limits His influence on our life.

Everything has been placed in the hands of Jesus. He can do what He wills with all creation. When you know and love Him, that is a wonderful realization. When you resist and despise His Lordship, that is a frightening declaration.

If you presently and actively place your trust in Jesus, you possess eternal life. He is Life. He is eternal. When you commit yourself to Him, He lives in you as your eternal life. You begin to see life as it is with the meaning and beauty it was given. The whole earth is full of His glory. But if you reject the Son of God, if you refuse the gift of life and cling to your right to rule your life for your personal pleasure, another attribute of God will be evident in your time on earth and afterlife, wrath! God's wrath is the righteous response to the rejection of all that is good. It is justice toward those insistent upon joining that way that destroys both ones own self and those in contact with you. That wrath lives with you both through this life and forever. Choose Jesus! He is life abundantly. He is goodness. Surrender every corner of your heart and mind to Him and the Spirit of God will permeate your life.

[admin]

August 28 Morning



2 Chronicles 25:7-9 (NIV) 7 But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel--not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow." 9 Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?" The man of God replied, "The LORD can give you much more than that."



Amaziah, son of Joash, began to reign at the age of 25. At first he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not with all his heart. He mustered the troops to battle against Edom. The forces were only a third of what they once were when godly kings reigned. He hired another 100,000 soldiers from Israel as mercenaries. Then a prophet of God came with the warning that is the text for today. If you use these soldiers God will cause you to be defeated, because it is God who decides the outcome of wars.

Amaziah asked a question that is so much like what we would ask, But what about all the money I paid already? The prophet told him the obvious answer, God can give you much more than that.

He sent the troops back, knowing that he was throwing away the money and infuriating them. The mercenaries did retaliate and raided some of the cities of Judah. It cost Amaziah to be obedient to God. God gave Amaziah the victory without them. The plunder would have been much more than the price he paid for the mercenaries. Don't be tempted to use people and ways that God has not blessed. This is another illustration of the danger of yoking up with unbelievers.

Then he did one of the stupidest things recorded in Scripture. He took the idols of the people he defeated and began to worship them. They certainly hadn't worked for their former owners. He forsook the God who gave victory for ones that couldn't help. From that time on it was downhill for Amaziah. In our day, the enemy's gods are subtler than idols. They come in the form of man's wisdom and pleasures of this life.



Warning: Be careful to follow the LORD with all your heart so that when He gives you success, you do not turn to the powerless and vain things of this world, but stay wholeheartedly after the LORD.


Evening

August 28

John 4:13-15 (NIV) 13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

John said Jesus had to go through Samaria. There was another route, but He had to go that way. The Holy Spirit had a most unlikely appointment for Him. The Samaritans were descended from Jews that had intermarried with other nations. They had their own version of the books of Moses. The Jews looked down on them as an inferior and polluted people.

At noon, Jesus stopped at a well. He was physically tired from the journey. The disciples went on to a place where they could buy some food. While Jesus was resting, a woman came to the well. This was not the normal hour to come for water, for it was the heat of the day. She was avoiding running into other women. Jesus asked for a drink of water. She was shocked. Jews never use the same jars that Samaritans use for fear of defilement. You are a Jew, and you want to drink from my pot? He told her she should be asking Him for living water. She asked Him how He was going to get the water without a pot. Jesus answered with the verses above. Read them again.

Israel is a dry and mostly barren land. Water means life to it. Jesus had turned the physical into an analogy for the spiritual. He has life giving water for the spirit of mankind. We are dry and barren without the water of life, but if we will receive it from Him, it will become a spring that wells up to eternal life.

As through most of the Book of John, we see the person misunderstand the spiritual reality. She wanted the gift so she didn't have to come and face the embarrassment of seeing other women. She had a reputation. Jesus had to tell her He knew her sin. She then tried to change the subject into a religious debate, but Jesus went right to her heart with truth. Her testimony led many in her town to Jesus. He refused to buy into the prejudice of His culture about this race and about women and even about her moral condition. She was a soul that was in drought and thirsting for life. How do you see the people around you?

[admin]

August 29 Morning



2 Chronicles 26:4-5, 16 (NIV) 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.



If you read yesterday's devotion you will be wondering about verse 4. How could the author say that Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the LORD? Perhaps the Old Testament authors knew more about grace than we give them credit. Many of the kings did terrible acts and yet were called right in the eyes of the LORD. The only way to really reconcile this is that the grace of God covered their sins because they had given their lives to God. This should encourage us that though we have backslidden at times, the grace of God covers ALL our sin. The stories of these kings are so much like the lives of Christians today. At a memorial service we hear the very same thing that the author writes here. Every person has failures and shortcomings but to what or Whom did they commit their soul?

There is a cycle of testing in the lives of most Christians that is similar to the one Uzziah experienced. When they commit themselves to obeying God and serving Him, they find their lives are blessed in many ways, including physical abundance. Here is where the testing becomes more difficult and the refinement more intense. We can go the way of Uzziah and become prideful, thinking our blessings are the result of our efforts and skills, or we can go the way of David, who humbled himself and realized that without God he was nothing. Both of these kings were credited as doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but one finished with a powerful testimony of repentance and restoration. The other, Uzziah, ended his life isolated and in shame. Much of the fruit of our actions is seen in this life, especially at the end of life. The prideful are then powerless, and those that flocked around them while they held power desert them. The humble, however, even though powerless, will be surrounded with the lives of those they have blessed.



Consider: Which will you be?




Evening

August 29

John 4:22-24 (NIV) 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Jesus did not give in to the prejudice of His culture, but neither did He deny the error in the Samaritan belief system. Their version of the Laws of Moses was corrupt. They had formed a counterfeit belief system that did not lead to salvation, that is, to the Messiah. The tendency today is to praise the lack of prejudice but condemn Jesus' judgment on her religious beliefs. Jesus was leading her to truth, not some universal acceptance of all belief systems.

The issue was not about which mountain was the appropriate God pleasing mountain to worship on, but about the heart. The true worshippers are more concerned about the condition of their spirit not ritual. They are more concerned about truth than cultural acceptance. What good is worship if the heart is fixed on the wrong thing or if the substance of belief is untrue? The Father is not looking for the correct procedure but for those worshipping in spirit and truth. With that expression He bridged their cultural differences and found the common ground of a heart after God.

Then He told her a most amazing thing. God is looking for that kind of worshipper. We don't have to go grope around after God. We just need to worship in spirit and truth and He will find us. He is a spirit. He is not some physical object. You don't need to worship before or in some special setting, but you do need to worship Him in spirit.

He is truth. There is nothing false in Him. That is why the two requirements for worship are that you worship in spirit and truth. You must be honest about your condition. Nothing is hidden from Him. You can't present one thing when your heart is trying to hide something contrary. He sees right through us. Will He find you this evening worshipping in spirit and truth?

[admin]

August 30 Morning



2 Chronicles 27:2, 6 (NIV) 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the LORD. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices

6 Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.



Uzziah's son, Jotham, learned from God's quick and severe dealing with his father's pride. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and no exceptions to that are noted. The problem was in the people. Sometimes God will place a godly leader over a people whose hearts have turned away from God. His example to them should cause them to see the blessing of God is upon those who walk in His ways. Do you know someone who is full of the fruits of the Spirit? The peace and joy and patience in their life should give you a hunger to walk more closely to the LORD.

Sometimes the people will not heed the example God has given them. Then you can count on coming leaders to not be as godly and the nation to not be as blessed. Everyone makes choices, and those choices not only affect you but those around you. Jotham's faithfulness showered a rain of blessing upon ungodly people. Perhaps that is why he died at the young age of 41. The people did not deserve the blessing he brought them through his godly life.

God gave power to Jotham because of his godly life. The word 'steadfastly' is two words in Hebrew. It means to set one's direction. He laid out a course and stuck with it. He aimed for God and would not swerve off course. In Colossians 3 the Apostle Paul tells us to set our mind and heart on things above. The writer of the Hebrew epistle tells us to hold unswervingly to the course we have set. Is your course set like Jotham's was, or are you drifting? Do you know the direction of your goal, and have you decided to pursue that goal with all you have? Distractions are many and are often subtle.



Remember: Learn from both the good and bad examples of others, and keep your eye fixed upon the goal, Christ Jesus.


Evening

August 30

John 4:34-36 (NIV) 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.



When Jesus stopped at Jacob's well, the disciples went to buy food. When they returned Jesus was sharing with the Samaritan woman. The woman went to tell her testimony to the town's people, and they came out to hear Jesus for themselves. Many of them believed that Jesus was the Savior of the world. This is the first time during Jesus' ministry that people realized that the Messiah had not come for the Jews alone.

The disciples tried to get Jesus to eat the food they had purchased, but Jesus told them that He had food that they did not know about. They wondered if someone else had brought Him something. Here again we have the physical misinterpretation applied to the spiritual. Jesus saw the world in analogies, and His Spirit filled disciples will see the world in that light also.

Then Jesus explained to them that His food was doing the will of God and completing the work He was assigned. He was so absorbed in sharing the light of the Gospel with these receptive people that food was the last thing on His mind. This spiritual work was a much greater priority than eating. He illustrated the need by having the disciples see the people that had come to hear Him as a crop of ripe grain. From planting to harvest is usually four months, but Jesus is saying the planting and the harvest of souls has come together. This woman shared her testimony, and that was the planting. Now the people have come to believe in Jesus, and that is the harvest. Jesus is saying, Look, we must be busy earning heavenly wages for work in the ripe field. We can harvest in joy and share our joy with the one that planted. How can you think about food at a time like this? This work is a more satisfying food. Look around you. The fields are ready for harvest. Are you too absorbed dealing with your daily bread? When the opportunity is before you, leave everything else and work the field.

[admin]

August 31 Morning



2 Chronicles 28:9-11 (NIV) 9 But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, "Because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. 10 And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren't you also guilty of sins against the LORD your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back your fellow countrymen you have taken as prisoners, for the LORD's fierce anger rests on you."



After Jotham died, his son Ahaz reigned. God gave the people a king that they deserved so that hardship would turn them back to Him. Ahaz' army was defeated by the Arameans. Their treasures were robbed, and many of the people went into captivity. Then the Northern Tribes inflicted heavy casualties and took two hundred thousand women and children captive and a great deal of plunder.

As the army of the Northern Tribes returned to their capitol Samaria, a prophet of God named Obed met them. The message from God was that their victory was due to God's anger against Judah, but they had gone overboard in executing it. God's question to them was this, Aren't you also guilty of sins against the LORD your God?

There are times when we find ourselves with the upper hand over those who oppose us, but we take it to the extreme. We should consider that it may not be so much that God is favoring us as God punishing them. God's justice is always tempered with mercy, but man's justice rarely is. If we consider that we could be in their shoes, that we are to apply the Golden Rule if we mercy, then we will act with a great deal more mercy. Aren't we also guilty of sins? The Northern Tribes showed great wisdom and fear of God when they listened to the prophet and returned the captives along with the spoils of war.



Remember: How you act gives permission for others to act the same way toward you. God says, To those who show mercy, I will be merciful. (Matthew 5:7; James 2:13)


Evening

August 31

John 4:48-50 (NIV) 48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

Some folks are desperate for signs and wonders. Show me and I'll believe, they say. A miraculous sign may help convince the seeking but cautious heart, but it will add to the condemnation of the hardhearted who is looking for excuses. Jesus said, They have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father (John 15:24). Many will believe and yet not confess it, because they love their lives just as they are (John 12:42-43).

The royal official may have had some doubts, but he was desperate for Jesus to save his child. He did not let the rebuke deter him. There was nowhere else in which he placed any hope to turn. Jesus spoke the word, and it was done. Remember that whatever your situation, Jesus need only speak the word and it is done. If He does not speak it, there is a reason. The solution to every problem is a word from the lips of Jesus, but He will not speak it when He has better things in store for you.

The man took Jesus at His word. What a great expression! What an example for us today! Like the Centurion whose servant was sick, this official knew a word from the lips of Jesus was enough. And yet, when he arrived at home and found his child well, he asked what hour his healing took place. When he found it was the moment Jesus spoke, he and his entire household believed. The miracle convinced his seeking heart. Are you taking Jesus at His word, both His written and spoken word? When He speaks to your heart, do you count it done? And when you see the miracle, are you and your household convinced? The words that He speaks to us are Spirit and life (John 6:63). Hear Him.

[admin]

September 1 Morning



2 Chronicles 29:29-31 (NIV) 29 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped. 31 Then Hezekiah said, "You have now dedicated yourselves to the LORD. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the LORD." So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.



Revival! Hezekiah was the next king, and he began to reign at the age of 25. The very first thing he did was to order the repair and cleansing of the Temple. He saw clearly that all the devastation that the nation had been through was because they had turned from Jehovah to the gods of their neighbors. As soon as the priests had consecrated themselves, they began removing the defiled things from the Temple. In only 16 days the work was completed. They rejoiced because the work was done so quickly.

As the priests began the sacrifices, the musicians and singers began to make music. The people all bowed in worship. When the priest had completed the initial offerings, the king and all the people went to their knees. Then the Levites sang the psalms with gladness and bowed their heads in worship. There is a natural progression from songs of gladness and praise to worship and adoration for all that God is. Through worship, the people had dedicated themselves to God. Once dedicated to God, they could freely bring their offerings. They brought so many offerings that the Levites had to help the priests offer them.

This revival took place in the same pattern that many revivals have since taken place. One man saw the desperate need and began to make a change. The leaders followed his example of dedication and commitment and the place of worship was cleaned up of all that defiled it. Now that things are in order, the people follow and enter into worship, dedicating their lives to God. Finally, there is an abundance of gratitude and thanks for all that God is, so much so that there is hardly the capacity to contain or keep up with all that God is doing in the people.



Prayer: Revive us again, O Lord, and let it begin in me!


Evening

September 1

John 5:17-19 (NIV) 17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

There are two main lines of thought in regard to rest and work. Some believe that God's seventh day of rest is ongoing to the present. They believe God does not actively intervene in the world today but allows the natural laws He established to guide all things. A careful look at Scripture, even the Old Testament alone, shows that this is not true. He sets up kings and removes kings. He comforts the downcast and all who turn to Him. He answers the call of all who cry out to Him, and takes the wicked down a dark path.

Jesus declared the Father is always at work and that He was too. In the original language and setting, this was a clear declaration of His equality with God. He had broken their manmade interpretations of God's law, and He called God His Father. Those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God have not studied the reaction of the religious establishment in Jesus' day.

Then Jesus, our example in all things, made a very amazing claim. He said He did nothing by Himself. Incredible! He only did what He saw the Father doing. He listened and watched to see where His Father was at work and did what His Father was doing. That would make His actions entirely faultless. If Jesus had the need to live in this manner, how much more do we, who are not God, need to act only when we see the Father at work? The passage goes on to say that the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He does. Does the Father not love you? If we will watch with discerning eyes, with recognition of how much we need His guidance, will He not also show us what He is doing and invite our participation?

[admin]

September 2 Morning



2 Chronicles 30:18-20 (NIV) 18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God--the LORD, the God of his fathers--even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Hezekiah had just come to power. The nation was in shambles because of the sins of the former King. The first thing Hezekiah did was cleanse the Temple and prepare to celebrate the Passover. He invited those from every tribe who had not been taken captive to join them in returning to the LORD. Many mocked him, but a great number humbled themselves and came to the feast.

Some of those who came had not gone through the ritual purification to be able to eat the Passover, but in their zeal to return to God went ahead and joined in the Passover meal. Hezekiah asked the LORD, who is good, to pardon everyone who had set their heart on seeking God, even though they had not gone through the ritual cleansing period. God not only heard, but the passage says He healed them. I don't know exactly what this means. You could say they were spiritually healed, forgiven and restored, or perhaps they were even physically healed of any affliction as a sign of God's forgiveness.

The Old Testament is full of illustrations where the heart of man is more important than ritual or the details of the Law. Jesus reminded the religious leaders of His day of David eating the Shewbread that only the priest were allowed to eat. God looks at the heart. When you have people who come out of sin to seek the LORD they are usually not cleaned up or familiar with what is right. They may say and even act in ways you consider un-Christian. Remember, God who is good, will pardon them if their heart is set on seeking Him. Let the Holy Spirit bring conviction and change. If you feel led to correct them, do so lovingly and gently. In this chapter there was great joy. It would have been dampened had Hezekiah rebuked all who were not up on the rules of the Sanctuary and the Passover meal. Instead, he encouraged the Levites who did know and did a good job according to the Word of God.



Consider: Be gracious with young Christians as God was gracious with these worshippers.


Evening

August 2

John 5:41-42, 44 (NIV) 41 "I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.

44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

The applause of men, the approval of an audience, is a seductive and fickle illusion. Jesus refused to accept it. Surely He heard it thousands of times, but He refused to let it enter His heart. How hungry man can be for man's approval! The old nature craves it. Actors and musicians become so addicted to it that they go into depression and drug abuse when their hour of fame ends.

Jesus often painted things in black and white. He said, You can't love God and money. It seems here that He is saying, You can't live for the praise of men and the praise of God. You must choose one or the other. There are rare times when the praise of man coincides with the praise of God, but the reason for that praise is usually different. If the love of God was in the hearts of those who gave the praise, it might be different. In the passage above, Jesus knew that was not the case.

Jesus then told them that if they accepted praise from one another, but made no effort to obtain the praise that comes from God only, they could not believe. It was not possible then or now. The praise that comes from God alone is for the secret acts that no one else sees. Those acts are an unseen demonstration of what is really in the heart. The anonymous giver, the secret fast, the time alone in prayer, the meal with the homeless man, no one but God sees or hears about. Why would someone do such things? They seek the praise that comes from God alone. Their genuine faith has expressed itself in love.

This is a test of the authenticity of your faith. Do you seek the praise that comes from God alone, or do make sure that others find out about your devotion? Authentic faith sees the praise of man as worthless and lives for the praise that comes from God alone. This is not works to earn merit, but the life of faith expressing love for the Father.

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September 3 Morning



2 Chronicles 32:19-21 (NIV) 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world--the work of men's hands. 20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. 21 And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword.



At this time in history, Assyria was conquering the known world. Its forces were unstoppable. They took Egypt and the nations around Judah. Israel had fallen. When they came to Judah, they took the fortified cities to the south. Archeologists have actually found pottery shards on which notes were written during the fall of Lachish and Azekah. There are still great murals in existence of the siege of Lachish by Assyria. But when they got to Jerusalem, they were unable to get through. They began with a propaganda war by saying that the God of Judah was like all the other gods that could not protect them from their great army. They had heard how Hezekiah had destroyed all the other gods and encouraged the worship of the one true God. The testimony had gone out into the world.

Here is something you don't see much of in Scripture. The king and the prophet cry out to God. They present the Assyrian mockery of God to the throne of God. Hezekiah told the people of Judah that the Assyrian army only had physical power and military might, but they had the LORD God of the universe helping them!

The LORD heard their prayer and sent and angel that annihilated huge numbers of Assyria's fighting men. History records that when the king or Assyria wrote his poem of conquest he said, I shut up Hezekiah like a bird in a cage. Reading between the lines, you see he was unable to take Jerusalem and had to give up his siege. Upon returning to Assyria, some of his sons assassinated him as he worshipped in the temple of his god. His god could not deliver Jerusalem into his hands nor could he save his life. Now whose god is a sad record of not being able to protect? The possession of military superiority does not matter. What matters is who is on the LORD's side. I hope you are.



Consider: Anything other than the true God will fail and leave you disappointed and empty.


Evening

September 3

John 6:27-29 (NIV) 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." 28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" 29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

In the story of Jesus with the woman at the well, Jesus told His disciples that He had food to eat that they knew nothing about. Now He is telling them that He has food to give that endures to eternal life. Most of us work to put perishable food on the table. The problem comes when you labor FOR the food instead of the reason of faithfulness to the LORD. Working for food is short-sighted and on the level of animal life. God has given man a much higher calling in Christ Jesus.

The crowd, ever obsessed with finding the quintessential rule, asked, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" God had given hundreds of laws through Moses. The prophets seem to have focused the essence down to a few key laws. Now they wanted one work that would get them into heaven. Jesus had the answer, only it was not a work they could perform, but the work of another. "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Do you want to receive the food that endures to eternal life? Do you want the water that is an eternal fountain? Do you want satisfaction in that void in your heart both now and forever? Believe in the one God has sent.

When you believe that He is the One that the Father has provided to make you right with Him, then you will go to Him for the eternal food. Though you consume His wonderful words, they can be eaten again and again. The wonder is that instead of getting used to them, they get sweeter each time. What are you living FOR? I hope you have not given up and settled for the things of creation that are passing. They satisfy less and less with each successive consumption. Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.

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September 4 Morning



2 Chronicles 34:27-28 (NIV) 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 28 Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.'" So they took her answer back to the king.



The son of Manasseh was evil and soon assassinated. His son, Josiah, was put on the throne at the young age of 8. By the time he turned sixteen he began to seek the LORD. He purged the nation of idols and ordered the repair of the temple. In the process the Book of the Law was found. Apparently, things had been so bad for so long that the priests did not even know where a copy of the Law could be found.

When the Book of the Law was read to Josiah, he tore his robes and grieved over the sins of his fathers and the judgement promised in the book. Because the Spirit had not yet been poured out on all, he sent his staff to ask a prophetess living in Jerusalem if this justice was impending. She told them that God was going to keep his word and send the nation into captivity, but because Josiah humbled himself, tore his robes and wept before God, the judgment would not come in his lifetime. His eyes would not see the destruction of Jerusalem.

God is just and keeps His word, but He is also patient and generous. One man's heart that was tender toward His word postponed the judgment. O that all God's children would have such a tender heart toward the word of God. When you read Scripture do you allow it to speak to you personally, and take it to heart as Josiah did? He did not think it was for other people or justify the words because he was not involved. He saw the application was for him and his nation personally and humbled himself. If there is one attribute we need more than any other as we read the Word, it is humility.



Remember: Humility helps us to hear and take it to heart, not shrugging it off or appointing it to someone other than ourselves.




Evening

September 4

John 6:53, 63, 68 (NIV) 53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

After the miraculous feeding of the 5000, the people wanted Jesus to regularly provide food for them like the manna in the wilderness. Jesus told them that there was something much greater to seek after. He encouraged them to look for food that lasts forever. Then He explained that it came through His body and blood. This was a thought so difficult for them to grasp that many turned away convinced that He was not the One. After all, the law that God gave forbade such a thing. But as we see so frequently in John, the people are taking a spiritual expression to literal extremes.

John explained to us in the first verses of this gospel that Jesus is the Word made flesh. Some have taken these words just as the Jews of Jesus day and said that the bread of communion is transformed into the flesh of Jesus and the wine becomes His blood. We must read on to verse 63 to see that Jesus is clearly referring to His Word and His Spirit. Notice the word life in these verses. Verse 53 says that life comes through His flesh and blood. Verse 63 explains that life is from the Word and the Spirit. We see the same thing in John 4; worshippers must worship in Spirit and truth.

This ended the popular period of Jesus' ministry. The crowds would not be back until Jesus goes south in the last month of His earthly life. Why did Jesus make it so hard? People were coming to Him for the wrong reason. They wanted food and health, not the Spirit and truth. But there were a few who were desperate for the words of life. When Jesus asked if even His closest would leave too, Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Why do you follow? Are you desperate for Spirit and truth? Do you see that as life itself?

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September 5 Morning



2 Chronicles 35:20-22 (NIV) 20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. 21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What quarrel is there between you and me, O king of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you." 22 Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Neco had said at God's command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.



Josiah had been a godly king and restored the temple worship, but the prophet had told him God's judgments were inevitable. In our passage today, Josiah does what seemed good, but not at God's leading. In fact, God warned him through the mouth of a heathen king. Carchemish must have been an ally of Judah and it seemed to make sense to fight together their common threat, Egypt. The words of the king of Egypt should have given Josiah a check to seek God's plan. When we step out on our own, with our own reason, we can place ourselves in harms way. God is faithful to warn us, even through the lips of an unbeliever. Remember in Jesus' day when the High Priest said, It is better for one man to die than the nation to perish? Though he did not know it, it was a prophetic word.

We shouldn't ignore what unbelievers say when they are rebuking us. It may be the Lord. I have heard unbelievers say, I thought you trusted in God. Ouch. God will use those who are unbelievers to remind us to look to Him.

Josiah was a great king and gave the nation one more chance to turn back to God, but he put himself in a position to be taken out of the scene early by not being sensitive to God's warnings.



Consider: Be sensitive to God's warnings, even when they come from unsuspected sources.


Evening

September 5

John 7:16-18 (NIV) 16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

The Jewish leaders were amazed that Jesus could speak with such depth and yet he did not study with any of the great rabbis of that day. Man puts so much emphasis on his own educational system with each generation thinking theirs is the correct and complete one. Jesus doesn't point to His miraculous birth, or His hours of study, or even His eternal existence; He says what we need to hear. Our teaching should not be our own. It should come from the One who sent us. Are we hearing His voice? Is the Word alive to us by the power of the Holy Spirit?

How do you change from the perspective of men and their pride in their brain cells, to a person whose ear is opened to the Spirit of God? Choose to do God's will. Choose to glorify God and not self. If you choose to do God's will, you must first lay aside your own goals of self-importance, the right to autonomy. That is taking up your cross. When the will is then submitted to your Creator, His voice can come through. You are no longer seeking your glory, but the glory of the One that sends you. In doing His will, you realize that His ways are the fruitful and productive ones even though the world may not understand. Your eyes become opened to a design that goes deeper than the visible.

This is the difference between a speaker and a preacher. The speaker may stir your emotions, but a genuine preacher of the Gospel will bring glory to God and not self. You will leave thinking the speaker is a wonderful person, but you leave the preacher's message thinking about the glory of God. Born again souls will find that the Holy Spirit will put His finger over their lips when they slip into expressions that exalt self.

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September 6 Morning



2 Chronicles 36:15-16, 21 (NIV) 15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.

21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.



The LORD kept sending the prophets with warnings, because he had pity on his people. Judgment would come, but their receptivity to the word of God would have made a world of difference in their transition to captivity. Because they were so hard hearted, despising God's word and scoffing at His prophets, the conquest by Babylon was brutal. Young and old were slaughtered, and everything of value was taken. The Temple was burned.

The harder we make our hearts, the more devastating the circumstances must be to wake us up and turn us back. They had faced humiliating defeats during the reign of the last four kings, but none of those defeats caused them to humble themselves before God and turn to Him. There was no remedy. God looked for another way, but there was none. Often people ask how God could have allowed a disaster to happen. In many cases it is because there was no other remedy. Nothing less would turn people from the hardness of their heart.

Israel had ignored the law of Sabbath rest for many centuries. Every seventh year they were not supposed to plant, but just let what came up on its own be sufficient for them. If they had ignored this law for 490 years, then the land was due for 70 years of Sabbath rests. That is exactly what happened. The land had its rest, and the people had their humiliation and change of heart. Those who returned would be intolerant of idol worship and possess a fear of disobeying God. The following devotions now move into the period of restoration, when the people were allowed to return and build the temple again. God is preparing them for a great redemption, the coming of the Messiah.



Prayer: Lord, help our country to turn to You before it is too late.


Evening

September 6

John 7:37-39 (NIV) 37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The Feast of Tabernacles was the most popular feast of the Jews. They built makeshift shelters all around Jerusalem in which they stayed during that week. Each day the High Priest would go to the pool of Siloam and bring back a pitcher of water to the altar. The people sang the Hallel Psalms accompanied by the Levitical choir and flutes. They marched around the altar holding palm branches extended over it. At certain points in the psalms, they stopped to wave the branches and give shouts of praise. The priest poured out the water as a drink offering, reminding them of God's provision of water in the wilderness. It was also a prayer for rain for their crops. On the last day of the feast, they marched around the altar seven times, a reminder of the march around Jericho.

It was probably after this dramatic conclusion of the ceremony, as the shouts of praise died down, that Jesus' voice rang out. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." It must have stopped everyone in their tracks. Jesus was saying that the physical water was good thing to be thankful for, but He was bringing the spiritual water for thirsty souls. After His ascension He would be pouring out living water, the Holy Spirit, to all who would come to Him.

The Spirit of God indwelling us is the great ideological difference from all other religious ideas. Some religions had blood atonement. Some had a Savior whose words were supposedly a revelation from God. Christianity is unique in that this God claimed to indwell them with His presence. The great thirst in the heart of man is only slaked by this indwelling presence of the Living God.

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September 7 Morning



Ezra 3:3 (NIV) 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.



Over 40,000 of the captives returned with that first group, led by Jeshua and Zerubbabel. The amazing thing is they returned with over 7000 servants and animals, personal possessions of gold and silver. Captivity had not been that hard on them. Many had prospered.

When they arrived, the first thing they began to do was to build the altar. The temple footings had not been laid. The walls of the city lay in ruins, but they focused first on the altar. It had been 70 years or more since a priest had offered the morning and evening sacrifices. As they studied the Law and saw the need for the lamb to be slain for their sins, they were most anxious for the sacrifice to begin again.

Before we can do anything of value, we need to be right with God. The blood of the lambs did not wash away their sin, but they looked forward to the Lamb of God who would be the perfect sacrifice. They wanted to be obedient to the Word of God and do as they were instructed. Unlike most of the world today, they had a fear of God and His wrath upon sin. In fact, they feared God more than they did the people around them that threatened to rob and destroy them. Perhaps this was one good lesson from the captivity.

Is the sacrifice more important than your temple and city walls? Is the cross and all that it means more important than your church building, appearances, and physical security? If you understand God's attitude toward sin, His hatred of evil, then it should be. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)



Thank God for the sacrifice of the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!






Evening

September 7

John 8:3-4, 7 (NIV) 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Verses 1-11 are not found in some of the earliest manuscripts, but it is included in one and a space was left for it in two others. Augustine suggests that it was left out of some because they were of slight faith and to avoid a scandal. If we look at the text carefully, we find it was the Pharisees who were scandalous. They seem to be trying to trap Jesus in His loving attitude toward sinners. Jealous of the crowds Jesus drew, they were seeking for some way to show that He did not adhere to the Law that God had given through Moses. In doing so they broke the Law. The Law demanded both the man and the woman be dealt with. Where was the man? If they caught her in the act, they must have caught the man also. Was he in on their scheme?

When they questioned Jesus, He bent over and began to write on the ground. The Greek word used for write is better translated to write against. Perhaps He was writing down the sins they had committed and were in need of mercy for. When He was pushed to act, He suggested that the one who was without sin to cast the first stone. If you are going to start judging others, make sure you are right with God and not in need of mercy yourself. Stones dropped to the ground as they left, one by one, from the oldest to the youngest.

It was not that Jesus had compromised the Law, in fact, He made it even stricter by saying that even looking on a woman with lust was an act of adultery. Then He told the woman He did not accuser her either. He was the only one there that could have thrown a stone at her or at us. Instead He offered her hope. Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin. When forgiveness is offered, there is also the expectation of a change in lifestyle. This is not a story of compromise but of the grace and mercy we all are in need of, with the expectation of a transformed life.

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September 8 Morning



Ezra 3:11-13 (NIV) 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.



The altar was built first, and then the foundations for the temple were laid. The priests dressed in their priestly robes, with the instruments prescribed for the singing of praise, began to sing the chorus that had been sung 500 years earlier when the first temple was dedicated. I think we'll be singing the same song when the last temple, New Jerusalem, is completed. It is the song of endless ages, for the goodness of God never changes.

Surely the elderly were crying with mixed emotions, remembering the sins that brought the temple down, the grace that kept them through the conquest and captivity and now restored them to their land. God kept His word, but who could have imagined in the midst of the horror, that it would even be possible to build the temple again. The cry that went up was mixed with the joyous praise of the younger people who had only heard of a temple. They had been taught about the sacrifices and the service of the temple. They had heard descriptions, and now they were the ones who would one day tell their children of seeing the foundations laid.

We have foundations too. The names of the Apostles are on our foundation. When we sing that song in the completed final temple, some will remember when the foundations were laid. They'll remember hearing the teaching of the life and sayings of Jesus from the Apostles. I imagine there will be a great shout then.



Consider: Stranger and pilgrim in the earth, are you looking for the city that has foundations whose builder and maker is God? You don't have to wait to sing the song. You can start now singing, He is good and his love endures forever.


Evening

September 8

John 8:31-32, 36 (NIV) 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

In this discussion with the Jews, Jesus said that every word He spoke came from God. He claimed that when He was crucified they would believe. He also claimed that every action was from God. His claims were so extraordinary, yet His life backed His claims. Some of those present believed Him. To those who believed He spoke the words of our text today. If you are a believer today, these words are also to you.

If you hold to Jesus' teaching, you are really His disciple. We put a lot of emphasis on the decision to believe. Discipleship requires a continuing process of holding to the words that Jesus spoke. A believer can go on in bondage to sin because they have not chosen to go on in discipleship. Clinging to Christ's life transforming words that came from the Father breaks the bondage of sin. Until we go on into discipleship we will be a poor example of the life of Christ.

As we live in the Word of God, it will change the way we think. Changing our thoughts changes our desires. Changed desires cause us to act differently. The freedom that comes from holding to Jesus' teaching is something the world cannot understand. They think they are free to sin when sin is enslaving them. Your freedom to turn down temporal pleasure looks like bondage to them. Only the deepest stages of their bondage can they see they are enslaved. Demonstrating your freedom with joy and love can help them see the difference. Are you a mere believer still in bondage, or are you going on into discipleship and the freedom that only the Son can give?