2 Chronicles 23

Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the LORD under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses—with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David. 2 Chron 23:18 I had friends who went to a large church in their hometown. They grew up in this church and really loved the pastor that had been there for years. He finally retired and upon his retirement, he told people a secret that he had been hiding: he never went to seminary. Now this wouldn’t be a big deal under normal circumstances; many effective ministers have never been to seminary and they are wonderful men of God. The problem for this man was that he lied and told the church that he had gone and earned a degree. Clearly we run across people in ministry that we soon realize probably shouldn’t be in their positions. As the ungodly queen Athaliah was ruling over Israel, unqualified people were being placed in leadership of God’s house. But Jehoiada was a true man of God, and he placed the rightful king into his position of leadership. Then he put the right people into the offices of the temple, that being the Levitical priests whom God had set apart for that position. He saw unqualified and ungodly men attempting to do the work of God’s house. Ministers are not perfect people, but there are qualifications listed in the Word of God so that ministers will be selfless and not selfish people. You don’t have to be a minister or a deacon to serve the church. Some of the people who have served with me in churches never held an official position in that church. However, I’m sure that God is going to recognize their service one day before the throne. Are you in an office of the church? Are you qualified to be there? Does your church have people in office who clearly are unqualified? You need to pray that God would open their eyes so that they would remove themselves without a fight. Pray for your ministers that God would keep them from temptation and from incidents that can ruin their ministries.

2 Chronicles 22

For they said, "He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." 2 Chron 22:9 My first day working for a landscaping company was a big learning experience. I had never done any kind of work like it and so I wasn’t sure what to do. We were at a very nice house being built, and my new boss told me to level out flower beds in front of the house so that sod would lay evenly on them. He also mentioned that I should take out any large chunks of dirt that could not be broken up. I started with a rake, but soon was bent over the beds picking out dirt chunks and tossing them. My boss came over and said, “I appreciate you getting your hands dirty, but you really don’t have to work that hard. If you’re getting the beds level, that’s the main thing. Don’t get distracted by the dirt clods.” So I finished the beds and after putting sod on them, they looked great. How perfect is God looking for us to be? It should be a great comfort as we have seen Jehoshaphat with some failures, and yet God wrote in His word that Jehoshaphat sought God with all his heart. Sometimes he got things right the first time. If he didn’t, he repented of his sinful mistakes and then did it right the second time. Do you understand what it means to follow the Lord with all your heart? It means that you seek to do things right the first time, and when you miss that mark you repent of your failures and seek to do it right the second time. Too often people mess up and then they give up. That puts you exactly where Satan wants you and places you in a position of getting away from the Lord because of your guilt. Remember, don’t make the Lord a priority in your life; make Him your life.

2 Chronicles 21

He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one's regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. 2 Chron 21:20 I know I’m on a WWII kick, but there is so much application, and people don’t know much history anymore. In Stephen Ambrose’s book, “Band of Brothers”, there is an account of the 506th while they are sitting in the woods of Bastogne, France. Their job was to hold the line, basically just by sitting in foxholes while the Germans pummeled them with artillery. The regiment asked the unit to come up with one person to go back to the States for a short time to drum up support for war bonds. Instead of many wearied soldiers all vying for the opportunity to go home, they instead came up with the person that was of least value to the unit. So they picked a Lieutenant and sent him home with much joy. The Lieutenant thought that the guys were sending him home because they liked him. In truth, they were glad to see the guy leave so they could fight more effectively. Jehoram didn’t act much like the son of Jehoshaphat. Jehoram did evil in the sight of the Lord by his alliances with ungodly people and ungodly religious practices. He was king for eight years and made sure to kill his brothers so that no others would be prepared to take the throne from him. When Jehoram finally died, the people were relieved. It says that he “departed with no one’s regret.” Translation: they were glad to see him go. The people had such disdain for him that they didn’t even bury him in the tomb of the kings. Matthew Henry put it this way, “Nobody valued him while he lived, none lamented him when he died.” There are two issues for you to think about. First, do you have a Jehoram in your life? Are you willing to value someone that everyone else despises, so that he might be won to the gospel? Loving those who love us is easy. We show Christ’s love when we love those that are hard to love. Secondly, if you left, would people in your church be sad or glad? What kind of attitude to do you show those who worship with you? One of humility or of haughtiness? The church has enough “supervisors”. We need more “employees.”

2 Chronicles 20

When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, "Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." 2 Chron 20:21 If I walked into a Sunday School class today and asked the question, “Do you trust God?”, I’m sure that everyone in the room would say yes. But, how do we really show that we trust God? Trust is displayed when our actions follow our words. I remember moving for seminary with no job prospects at all. We got there with a full bank account and no job, and we trusted God. Sometimes as the money dwindled, so did our trust. That’s when we learned what trust really is. It’s putting your faith in God alone to accomplish the things that you really need. Jehoshaphat was a man who trusted God. He’s going out to a battle that God said He would fight for them. Jehoshaphat is so confident of this promise, that he doesn’t put soldiers with spears at the front; he puts singers with tambourines at the most vital location for his fighting force. It would be one thing to say they trusted the Lord, but they actions of the people show that they believed what they were saying. Do you believe what you’re saying? Does anyone believe what comes out of your mouth? Do you claim to trust God, but act like the hopeless? Unbelievers need a convincing witness. You don’t have to fake your trust. Be honest about your personal difficulties in your faith. But, there should be a difference in how you and a lost person approach similar situations.

2 Chronicles 19

"But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God." 2 Chron 19:3 I am tired of hearing how John is a good person. Or Sally. Or Billy Bob. The Bible says there is none that does good (Romans 3:12). Yet all these people would just give you the shirt of their back or help you in a crisis. And so they are labeled as a good person. Have you ever been talking and heard someone be labeled a bad person? Occasionally, but not often. And the judgment of what makes a person good can change from person to person. Jehoshaphat made some good decisions as king of Judah. One of his bad decisions was in aligning himself with godless Ahab. Even after Micaiah gives the word that God would not bless the battle, Jehoshaphat goes forward with it anyway. And in this chapter he is being reprimanded by God through the prophet Jehu. However, despite this lapse in judgment we see that God says there is some good in Jehoshaphat. Does that mean that God is calling him a good person? No, because the good that is being attributed to Jehoshaphat is only as a result of his willingness to follow the Lord. He removed the Asheroth from receiving false worship amongst Judah and he set his heart to seek God. Where is your heart set? Is God pleased with the motives and directives of your heart? Your motives are not set by what you do on Sunday, but what you do between the Sundays. We are seeing a lot of passages about God being our priority. Has it been set in your life yet? Think of what you did over this past week, and you’ll have your answer. Was it different from a past week of three months ago, or pretty much the same?

2 Chronicles 18

Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" 2 Chron 18:17 Every winter in my youth groups I always had a Christmas party. It was a big deal with the kids dressing up, candles, and parents sitting with them, the whole nine yards. At that party I would give each student a gag gift that had something to do with an incident during the year, or just something to fit their personality. It takes a lot of planning, and one year a kid showed up even though he didn’t sign up. I realized this halfway through giving the gifts and was furiously thinking of something to do. I gave the last gift and then called up this young man. I told everyone that he hadn’t signed up, but that I wanted to say something about him. All I could think of was that he liked video games. He had two different video game systems and a computer for playing games. He sat down happy to be recognized and I thought how sad it was that all I could think of in 20 minutes is that the kid liked video games. But, that’s who he was and everyone knew it. In this passage we see God’s prophet, Micaiah, being maligned by King Ahab of Israel. There is a battle brewing and Ahab has four hundred prophets who all say that Ahab will win. They were clearly “yes men”, and Jehoshaphat looks at Ahab and says, “That was fun. Now do you have a real man of God who can give us an answer.” So Ahab gets Micaiah and says that the prophet never has anything good to say about him. And sure enough, that holds true and then we see the above reaction of Ahab. But who was at fault in this conflict? Micaiah is simply communicating God’s message to Ahab, and Ahab is shooting the messenger. The reason Ahab always got bad news from God is because Ahab was a bad dude. He was known to be someone who didn’t live for the Lord, but he wanted a different message on the day of battle. What if I went to your friends and co-workers and mentioned your name? What would they say? What are their impressions? Would they mention the Lord? If you haven’t, they probably won’t. We need to be aware of the testimony we have among those around us. It’s our most convincing witness of Jesus.

2 Chronicles 17

He took great pride in the ways of the LORD and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah. 2 Chron 17:6 Our family went to one church my entire time in high school. Towards the end of that time I began to realize we had some loving people in our church, but they just didn’t believe the Bible was completely true. The pastor preached as if it wasn’t, and the people lived as if it wasn’t. After we had been gone a while, I ran into a church member from our old church. I asked her how the church was doing and she said, “Oh we have a beautiful glass entrance that people can walk into the church through. We are going to build our new sanctuary and it will be beautiful.” While these are exciting things to have going on at your church, they are not an indication of how your church is really doing. She was taking pride in some meaningless accomplishments of church building, instead of having pride in kingdom building. Jehoshaphat was a man who loved God. This king of Judah quickly worked to make sure that the people of Judah were living the covenant lifestyle with their God. The Hebrew means that he exalted the ways of God in his heart. When he took pride in the ways of the Lord, it means that they were very important to Him. The words of Scripture were to be closely listened to and applied to life. As a king, he knew the success of his reign would be determined by how he lived for the Lord. What do you take pride in? Are you proud of how your church is building its own kingdom, or how your church is building God’s kingdom? Do you seek to follow God’s plans over your own? If so, that is showing pride in God’s ways. Pride can be a dangerous thing in the life of a believer, unless that pride is based on what Jesus has done in and through you. Remember that He gets the credit for all that is good that has come from your life.

2 Chronicles 16

"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars." 2 Chron 16:9 As someone who has done public speaking and preaching for many years, I know how a speaker looks for someone to talk to. We’re always told to include the entire audience, but eventually you find those really enthusiastic people and you often find yourself looking at them. I’ve seen people who were listening, responding, and writing down the things I was saying. Then I’ve seen people sitting in the back with their arms crossed and acting as if I just told them their momma was a tramp. I look at them occasionally, but I’d rather just stay in with the group of people that are responding as I had hoped. God is much the same way. His message is available through His word, through His ministers and through His church. He is looking through all the earth to find those who are listening on the edge of their seat, and not those who are sitting back with arms crossed as they show their dissatisfaction with God’s message. As God searches throughout the earth, does He see in you a heart that is “completely His”? Do you belong to Him at every moment? If you will live for Him, He will strengthen you for the task. Whether it is doing something difficult that you know you must, or simply standing against those who live for the exact opposite of the Lord’s will in their lives.

2 Chronicles 15

All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly , and He let them find Him. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. 2 Chron 15:15 People often argue about the process of salvation. Some say that it is completely a work of God and that we have no active role in the process. I disagree, and this verse includes an interesting statement “He let them find Him.” This idea is repeated throughout the chapter. When people sought God, He was easily found. When people sought to ignore God, He allowed them to ignore Him. God is clearly in the process as people seek Him, but we have a responsibility to reach out to God. A professor in this debate summed up salvation this way, “If you’re in Heaven, it’s all of God. If you’re in Hell, it’s your fault.” His point is that we have a choice, and that if we choose Heaven, then it’s by the merits of God’s own son, and nothing we did beyond the choice to seek Him. So in this verse we see that Judah swore to seek God, and so He made Himself easy to find. God does not enjoy playing hide-n-seek with His people. But when people choose to ignore them, God allows it so that they might see the predicaments that come from trusting in themselves. Would you say that you clearly feel God’s presence in your life, or does it feel more like absence? God makes it clear: if you seek Him, you will find Him. If you don’t, you won’t. Seek after God and his will. Not in a quick or fleeting way, but make your life about seeking to honor and please the one who was pleased to create your life.

2 Chronicles 14

Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You." 2 Chron 14:11 There was a show a couple years ago called “30 Days”. It was hosted by the guy who ate McDonald’s for 30 days straight to show the effects of that food. They turned that concept into a show where opposites were paired for 30 days. One time they brought an atheist into the home of a Christian family. She knew of the Lord from her childhood, but had never trusted Jesus to be her personal Savior. Towards the end she took the Christians to meet her atheist friends. An atheist asked the husband, “Do you think that ‘In God We Trust’ should be on our money?” The Christian never gave a straight answer and finally the atheist said, “I think it should stay there, because it is a part of our history.” He wasn’t acknowledging God, but acknowledging our country’s history of worshipping God. The Christian life is really proved by trust. Asa saw the Ethiopian army coming against his army at two to one odds. But, Asa’s trust was not in his military might, but in the Lord who had established Israel as a nation. As a result of that trust, the Lord went before them and won the battle. They clearly said “O Lord, You are our God”, and because of that willingness to trust Him alone, God won the victory. How trusting are you of the Lord? When financial difficulties come, do you cut or withhold your tithe? When a crisis comes do you work harder or pray harder? Do you trust God with your good days as much as you do the bad ones? Does God hear from you when things are going well?

2 Chronicles 13

"Now behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you will not succeed." 2 Chron 13:12 I pulled up next to a friend in town one day at a red light. We noticed each other and waved, and then I knew it was on. Neither one of us wanted to be left behind by the other. I had a Pontiac Sunbird, which looked sporty but wasn’t. He had a Ford Probe that looked sporty and was. When the light hit, he just left me in the dust. Even though we both had four cylinder cars, I later learned that there is a liter size to your engine that is more of a determination of speed that your cylinders, and his car had a larger liter engine. We both had cars, but that’s where the similarities ended. As Israel comes against Judah, King Abijah tells Israel that they have a false hope. The priests of the living God had escaped Israel and come to Judah where God was worshipped. Israel had traded the truth of God for a lie and were worshipping idols instead of the God that led them into the promised land. Abijah tells the enemy not to fight against Judah because to do so is to fight against the Lord, and they would not win. Israel decided their gods were just as good as what Judah had, and 500,000 dead soldiers later, Israel saw their mistake. Are you serving with the Lord? Is there anything He has instructed you to do that you are fighting against? Any sin that He has told you must be removed from your life? Any location He has led you to go that you have said no? You need to let God lead and then be a willing follower of Him.

2 Chronicles 12

He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chron 12:14 I think that everyone has something that they can excel at. I have a great love of sports and competition, but the major sports like baseball, football, and basketball are all fun for me, but I don’t have any unusual talent for them. I often wondered if there was some sport out there that I could have been good at if given the chance. Then when I was a sophomore in high school, I went skiing for the first time. I took a half day lesson, mostly so I could learn how to stop myself. The instructor said I had natural talent and wanted to give me continued lessons, but since I was living in Missouri, that wasn’t an option. I skied several more times in high school and got dramatically better each time. But, since I didn’t have the opportunity to put any real effort there, nothing ever came from it. Rehoboam had a real need to divert his attention. When Judah was invaded by Egypt, God tells Rehoboam, “You have forsaken me, so I also have forsaken you”. Essentially God says if you want to ignore Him, he’ll make the disconnect feel complete. Not because God seeks to leave us alone, but He would rather leave us to ourselves for a time so that we might consider what we have lost in our marginal relationship with Him. Rehoboam did evil, because he didn’t seek to do good. I didn’t concentrate on skiing, so I had no real connection with the sport. Rehoboam didn’t concentrate on God, and therefore he had no real connection with the Lord. Are you trying to fit God into your life? Don’t. You either make Him your life, or you will find yourself living a marginal life that is filled with more spiritual defeats and heartaches than with spiritual victories and memories.

2 Chronicles 11

'Thus says the LORD, "You shall not go up or fight against your relatives ; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.""' So they listened to the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam. 2 Chron 11:4 Do you know what happens when a family fights itself? Only one family has a funeral. The civil war was a difficult and dark chapter in our nation’s history. I remember reading about an early skirmish along the western front around the Missouri and Kentucky region. During a lull in the battle, a cry came out from the Confederate lines to the Union lines. The rebel soldier stood up without his rifle and asked if a certain soldier was a member of their regiment. Within moments a Union soldier charged from their lines directly to this soldier and hugged him, certainly to the surprise of both sides. They were brothers who had chosen different sides in the battle. The rebel soldier had noticed a familiar face along the enemies lines and decided to take the chance to see his brother again. After a few moments of speaking, and no firing from either line, the brothers returned to their lines and the firing continued to be silenced. Eventually both sides began firing again, and the conflict with the greatest number of American casualties in history continued. Rehoboam didn’t much like the idea that Jeroboam was in control of the people that Rehoboam felt he was entitled to lead. So he gathered Judah’s fighting men and prepared to go against Israel. Then God tells Judah that the division is a result of God’s will and plans, and that they should just return to their homes and not fight their relatives. There was certainly intermarriage amongst tribes of Israel, which was not an issue with the law. So they certainly would have been fighting not only distant relatives through Abraham, but also brothers and sisters as well. Are you allowing fights within your family? Are you keeping the fight fueled, or are you attempting to bring peace to your family? What about your church family? The word “relatives” in this verse can also be translated “brothers”. There is nothing more disappointing than to watch brothers and sisters in Christ treat each other like enemies in church business meetings and beyond. Let us step up and say “No more fighting in the family.” Let those who want to fight, do so by themselves. A one person fight dies quickly.

2 Chronicles 10

So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" 2 Chron 10:9 I’ve always had great respect and admiration for Ronald Reagan. There is no denying that he was one of the most important and influential presidents that our country has ever seen. And he often gave the answers that Christians wanted to hear. He talked about prayer. He talked about God. But when Reagan had to make a decision, he turned to psychics. He didn’t schedule a trip or decision without consulting Jean Dixon or some other noted psychic of the time. I remembered seeing this as a teen in tabloids, and not really believing it. But, recent reading of some of his advisers has verified that he often turned to these people for guidance. We have to be cautious about who we approach for advice. Rehoboam had two groups of people to get counsel from. He had his fathers advisers, who had played this role and gave him sound counsel on how to correct some of his father’s mistakes. But, then he also turns to his childhood buddies and asks what they think. It’s interesting to note that when he asks the older men he says “how do you counsel me” to answer the people. He says to his friends “what counsel do you give that we” regarding his answer to the people. I think his buddies liked being friends with a powerful man in the kingdom and they didn’t want to see him relinquish any power. Their motives were selfish, but they convinced Rehoboam that it was in his interest. Who do you turn for advice? Are you sure that they have your interests at heart, or are they seeking what is best for themselves? You need to be going to the throne in prayer and when you can ask spiritually mature advisers for counsel, don’t ignore what they say.

2 Chronicles 9

How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. 2 Chron 9:7 I’ve had many different kinds of bosses in my life. I’ve had the “friend” boss that tries to be cool with everyone. I’ve had the “climb the ladder” boss who clearly didn’t want to be around the peons. There are a few others in the mix, but every once in a while you get a boss you like. While I was working landscape construction, I had a boss named Bill. He asked me on the first day if I knew how to work a skid loader. I told him no, so he gave me a five minute crash course and then left me to it. One day we had to get rid of a residential sidewalk. He pointed to the jackhammer, gave me a quick tip on using it, and then left me to it. Bill would watch you from time to time, but he gave us the skills that we needed to do the work, instead of doing things himself all the time. The people who served Solomon felt like I did serving Bill. They heard amazing wisdom coming from this man everyday. I’m sure there were times that they went to the King themselves and asked for personal advice of guidance. These men gladly served someone they trusted to be a wise and thoughtful man. They knew that He loved the Lord, and served Him with devotion. Do you have a leader like this in your life? Maybe it’s a boss at work, or a minister that you assist at church? Have you thanked them for their approach to leading? Evalute yourself with the people that you have authority over. Do people feel blessed for serving with you, or do they dread watching you walk in the door? This could be at home, work, or church. Seek to bless as much as you seek to lead. People willingly follow someone who loves the ones he leads.

2 Chronicles 8

Now it came about at the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house that he built the cities which Huram had given to him , and settled the sons of Israel there. 2 Chron 8:1-2 Northwestern University is located in Chicago and has a football team noted for futility. They set the record for the longest losing streak in Division 1 football when they lost 32 straight games. Upon losing the students ran onto the field with the chant “we’re the worst”. Then they tore down the goalposts and threw them into Lake Michigan. In later years, Gary Barnett became the coach at Northwestern. He quickly turned the program around, taking them to the Rose Bowl in 1995 and earning Coach of the Year honors for himself. Suddenly the loveable losers were looking forward to brighter days. When the team got together for the 1996 season, Coach Barnett got all the trophies and awards out from the previous year. Every player was given some sort of award for their play the previous year. Then Barnett took a trash can and put his Coach of the Year trophy in it. He told them that if they rested on the laurels of 1995, they would never move forward. Every player came by and put his award in the trash and then they got to work on another 1st place season in their conference. If there was anyone who could have rested on previous accomplishments, it would have been Solomon. He built the temple that his father could not. He made sure that it was everything it was supposed to be. And when he finished that incredible work…he kept on going. He began building up new cities and moving Israel into them. He knew that his work was not done, because he still had strength left in him. Are you continuing to look for ways to serve the Lord? Or have you decided you need a break from some successful ministry you were a part of? If you want to take a break from an area, that’s great, but find a new one to fit into. You lose and the church loses when you allow yourself to take time off and do nothing. Have you been ignoring work you know that God wants you to do? Maybe your pastor has begged to have a roll filled in the church, and you’ve waited for someone else to fill it.

2 Chronicles 7

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chron 7:14 When I was a kid I usually didn’t beg for things from my parents. One of my favorite toys as a child were Legos. Not the huge ones that kids have now that prevent choking, but the tiny ones that you could eat a handful of and never know it. My parents bought me some tubs of these, but then they started coming out with the Lego building sets. These were boxes that had a picture of a castle, jet, etc on the box, and the box contained all the pieces to make the object pictured on the box. I bought a helicopter one, and started to build it, but I couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t follow the instructions, but just tried to do it from the picture. Eventually I gave up and those specialized Legos simply became another part of my tub ‘o stuff. As God is talking to His people at the temple, He gives instructions for how to have healing in their land. But, there are four steps given: humble yourself, pray, seek God’s face, turn from your sin. If someone were to do three of these, but miss one, then the healing will not happen. What if you didn’t pray? Or what if you didn’t turn from the sin that hurt you in the first place? We have to be willing to do all that God instructs us. Partial obedience is disobedience, and it hurts us. Who are God’s people? They are people that have been adopted into His family through Jesus Christ. I heard someone once say that this text above has nothing to do with believers today because God was talking to Abraham. However, as believers in Jesus Christ we are partaking in the promise to Abraham to give him innumerable descendants. Are you part of God’s people? Someone that belongs to God should seek to be completely obedient. Don’t expect God to do other than He has said He will do.

2 Chronicles 6

Now Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 2 Chron 6:13 I’ve known essentially two kinds of pastors in my life: those who act like pastors and those who act like themselves. Sometimes the man feels that he has to act a certain way in order to be a pastor. He takes himself too seriously, and always appears thoughtful and introspective. But then you have the man who is a regular guy and happens to be a pastor. He is still thoughtful and introspective, but he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. He jokes and interacts with people from his congregation and puts them at ease. A pastor must recognize that his role is not to be a CEO, but to be a servant leader. Solomon has seen all the people come to the temple offering their sacrifices for their sin. Solomon has a large platform built so that he can be seen and heard by the people. But, this act was one of humility. He climbs upon the platform, only to fall to his knees before the people and to speak to God in his humility. Many kings and leaders wouldn’t do this, for fear that people wouldn’t properly respect him. Solomon has no such care as he gives ultimate honor to the Lord. Do you have trouble humbling yourself in positions of authority? Do you enjoy being in charge and do whatever you can to retain your position? Then you need to ask God to humble you. Often what we try hardest to hold onto is the thing that we loose our grasp on. A true servant leader is humble. Jesus humbly went to the cross. What further example do you need? Don’t lord your position over people at church, work or in the community.

2 Chronicles 5

And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 2 Chron 5:6 Every church service has some moment where one person is offering up a prayer on the behalf of the entire congregation. Sometimes these are genuine prayers offered up in sincerity, and sometimes it’s just people talking with their eyes closed. I used to love it when Russ prayed in church. It was like he was personal friends with God and could talk to Him for all of us. There was something genuine in His voice as he asked God to bless the message and the church. One thing that Russ didn’t skimp on was praying for sin. He didn’t just tag his prayer with, “and forgive us our sins. Amen.” Russ prayed that we would see our sin and that God would show it to us. Sin wasn’t a side note, but was a very serious matter when approaching God. Here as we see the temple having been completed there is a great sacrificing by all the people. You have millions of people all coming together at once and offering the sacrifices for their sin as they entered into this holy place. You can come to church willing. You can come to serve. You can come and give your tithe. But, if you come to church unwilling to deal with your sin, then you have not honored God in your worship. Forgiveness is His business. He forgives us by the blood of Christ. That forgiveness allows us to know that we have entered into a relationship with God, without any fear of losing that relationship. Even though Christ covers all of our sins, that doesn’t mean we never again acknowledge that we have sin. The process of becoming like Christ (sanctification) comes through acknowledging that we are sinners and choosing to cut sin from our lives. Are you working to cut sin from your life? Or do you come to church and ignore the 800lb gorilla, pink elephant, etc that is the sin in your life that you need to deal with? It’s time to come before the Lord with clean hands to serve and a pure heart to worship Him. He loves when people recognize their sin to turn from it. He will love you for it too.

2 Chronicles 4

Thus Solomon made all these utensils in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze could not be found out. 2 Chron 4:18 Often when we are preparing to spend money as a church, we seem to have a wrong attitude. The dominating factor always seems to be money. The majority of churches I have seen never look for what is going to work out the best, but how cheap can they solve the problem. As a result of this I’ve seen churches deal with construction needs because they built, but they built trying to hit a number and not to fill a need. I’ve seen churches regret the smaller bus they purchased just a year or two later, because they were trying to hit a number and not a need. When Solomon had the utensils built for the temple, he must have thought about how utensils at his own home were often lost. Solomon didn’t just want what they needed, but he also had the replacements made while a skilled craftsman was available. He went above and beyond the need in order that any future needs would already be filled. Think about how you spend your money. Do you always purchase the cheapest thing, or do you look for value in your purchase? Whether it’s paying a minister and supplying a ministry we need to stop asking “How much can we get away with?” Instead let us ask “How can we bless this minister or ministry?” When our churches gain that attitude, we will truly be stewards of what God has given us. Not by being cheapskates, but by doing what is really needed.

2 Chronicles 3

He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz. 2 Chron 3:17 My son came to me the other night and said “We need a name for our car.” I asked him why he thought it needed a name. He said “We called our old car Taurus, but we just call our new car the van.” I told him the old car WAS a Taurus, so we really didn’t pick a name, but maybe the van could use a name. He said he wanted to name it Betsy. That name has a lot of significance, which he obviously has remembered from previous conversations. My first vehicle was a ’75 Ford truck that our every member of our family called Betsy. Then when I was away for basic training, I named my rifle Betsy. So it’s a name that my son thought would be a good fit and a reminder I suppose. Names are important, and here we see that Solomon actually names the two great pillars on the front of the temple. One is named Jachin (“He will establish”) and Boaz (“quickness”). From the time of Adam the lineage of Jesus had begun. But David’s family is where the promise of a forever kingdom really began. The ultimate fulfillment of that would be Jesus. So it’s fitting as David’s son builds the temple that the prominent pillars to the front are a foreshadowing of that promise. Literally you can say that every time people came past those pillars into the temple, they knew that “He will establish quickly”. Today we could do the same thing to the entrances of our church. Just as Christ established quickly the means of salvation through the cross, he will establish his final kingdom quickly. No one knows the hour, but the time is soon approaching. Are you ready for Him to establish quickly? Or do you fear you may be unprepared when Jesus shows up? Do you pray “Lord Jesus come quickly?” Or are you satisfied for Jesus to stay away?

2 Chronicles 2

The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods. 2 Chron 2:5 Think of some of the great kingdoms and civilizations of the world. The Assyrians were mighty and dangerous people, some of the first to use iron weapons against their enemies. Alexander the Great lead Greece to conquer lands as if he were simply playing Risk. And the Romans stretched their empire as far as they could, until they found that they had conquered too much. The footnote is that none of these kingdoms exist anymore and have each gone back to their previous small stature. Assyria’s descendants are contained within the small nation of Syria. Greece is within the boundaries it had before Alexander. And Vatican City is all that is left of the once great Roman empire. A great kingdom comes not by its victories, but by it’s ability to remain. God’s Kingdom is such a kingdom. Solomon wasn’t just building a house for his God, like all other nations did. Solomon knew this house couldn’t be less than the one the Philistines built for Dagon for example. This house was the one and only temple of the living God. Do you sometime forget that your faith is different than the faith of those who do not know Jesus? Sometimes we are too willing to just let our faith sit alongside every other faith and religion on this earth. Remember that our God is above all gods. He has no equal. We cannot concede that our faith and our God is just one of many. He is the one and only. Have you thanked God for His unique character and love for you?

2 Chronicles 1

In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you." 2 Chron 1:7 Have you ever wondered what you would ask for if you had three wishes? From the first time I heard about genies in lamps, I’ve wondered this question. I usually thought I’d wish to be taller, richer, famous. Honestly, most people would probably ask for some different variations of my requests. What would you really ask for? Have you ever thought about it? Solomon had many options to choose from, and he choose wisdom. Ultimately, most of the things that we might choose would be temporary and fleeting. Riches can be squandered. We shrink with age. Fame is fleeting. If I could ask something, I would ask that the Holy Spirit would never allow me to miss an opportunity to share the gospel. There are few feelings worse than knowing you missed a gospel witness. Solomon was blessed because he didn’t waste such a special gift from the Lord. He asked for something that would last him his entire life and allow him to serve God in a greater way. How would you have answered God? When you pray, do you find yourself praying more for issues that will improve your walk with Him, or simply the various issues of the day. There is nothing wrong with praying for the little things, but don’t miss out on the big things in your life like patience, faith, and gospel obedience.

1 Chronicles 29

Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly. 1 Chron 29:9 Lt. Colonel Stuber was a bad dude. I’m sure that if he ever saw combat, he just stared the enemy to death with one of his hard looks. During basic training he was our commanding officer and often showed up to see how we were doing. When we were learning to use gas masks, we were actually put into a gas chamber to show us that the masks were effective. After a few moments, we had to remove our masks and identify ourselves to be let out of the chamber. When the command was given to remove masks, Stuber yelled out his name, social security number, unit number and ended with our yell, “Bulldogs, Hooah!” Then he calmly walked out. Everyone else felt a little better that it could be done after watching him do it. As King David is talking to his people about the building of the temple, David calls for those who will consecrate themselves to the work of the temple. The first to answer that call were the rulers, princes, and military commanders of Israel. They responded first and led the people by example who were then more willing to give themselves to the work. A good leader is someone who will never ask others to do things that they aren’t willing to do themselves. How do you lead at work or school? What about in your home? Do you direct your children or siblings to do something that you won’t do yourself? The way to win people is to be right there with them. That’s why Jesus made such an impact on people. He came down to where we were and walked and talked with us and showed us how to build the Kingdom by His own example. Are you living the example of Jesus?

1 Chronicles 28

As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind ; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 1 Chron 28:9 My wife has mentioned that our six-year-old son has been coming up often and saying “I love you Mommy.” He then follows it up asking his mom for something. Does Tyler really love his mom? I would say yes. But, he’s not really speaking to her out of love, but out of his own desire to have or do something. He didn’t realize that his Momma has seen this trick before, and that she knew full well what he was doing. Our motivations for doing something are as important as why we do it. David is telling Israel that Solomon will build the temple, and then David speaks to his son. David tells Solomon to serve with his whole heart and a willing mind. Then he tells his son that God searches our hearts and thoughts. During the process of building a temple, I’m sure that Solomon could become prideful about the work that he was accomplishing. David is telling his son to simply do the work as a servant of the Lord, and not for any personal credit. Do you serve out of selfish or selfless motivations? Why are you on the praise team? Why do you serve on your committees? You don’t necessarily have to quit doing these things, but you need to quit accepting credit that belongs to the Lord. He knows the sin that you may never act on, but you certainly think about. Ask God to help your thoughts line up with your service.

1 Chronicles 27

This Benaiah was the mighty man of the thirty, and had charge of thirty; and over his division was Ammizabad his son. 1 Chron 27:6 I served as an intern at my first church in seminary. My job was basically to handle presentation software for the service, handle the website, and assist in the music ministry. Before I was voted on, our Minister of Music came to me and asked if I would be willing to lead the worship in his absence. The church was over 1,000 people, had three worship services, and I had really no experience. He could tell I was hesitating and he said “It will probably never happen, but the committee wants to know if you’ll do it.” So I said yes, thinking it would probably never happen. A month later, David had to be gone for a mission trip, so I was responsible for the whole show. I prayed like crazy every day, and when Sunday came, I had complete confidence in the Holy Spirit to lead me, and the services all went very well. But, I learned that you need to be prepared for whatever you said you would do. Israel has an impressive fighting force, and the army is divided into 12 divisions with a commander over each. Two of those divisions were led by a father, with a son as a second in command. This verse tells us that Benaiah was one of David’s 30 mighty men, or the special forces of Israel. There would be times that Benaiah could be called away to fight with just these men, and in that event Ammizabad, his son, had to be ready to lead. While there was a chance that Benaiah would never be gone if a war broke out, Ammizabad always had to be ready to take command. Many people know that responsibility could fall on them at any moment, and they need to be ready. Whether it’s a teenager moving out of the house or a couple having their first baby, people often find responsibility coming on them quicker than they could have imagined. We need to be prepared at any moment for God to call us to new responsibilities. What would happen if God called away the pastor of your church? Would non-ministers in the church step up and take responsibility for Kingdom work? Are you ready to step into an area that you know someone is soon to leave? We need to be ready for whatever responsibilities the Lord chooses to put on us. Do not allow yourself to be unprepared, but pray that God will equip you for the tasks He calls you to.

1 Chronicles 26

The lot to the east fell to Shelemiah . Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a counselor with insight, and his lot came out to the north. 1 Chron 26:14 Have you ever heard of someone giving a “canned” response? When I was in high school I was on the illustrious dairy cattle judging team in FFA. As you might have guessed, this competition is between teams who evaluate dairy cattle, and then explain to a judge who previously ranked the animals, why you ranked them the way you did. A big no-no is to give canned answers where you’re just filling in animal’s number, but not really discussing them in great detail. Judges can sniff those out pretty easily, because it doesn't indicate that you really evaluated the animals at all. Here we see a short statement about Zechariah. He wasn’t just a counselor, but a counselor with insight. He had wisdom and prudence, and he didn’t make decisions based on a set of canned answers. To have insight means to understand the person you’re talking to and the situation that they are in. When I am asked for advice, I always seek to listen more than I talk. The more I listen and allow the other person to expose the situation, the more likely I am to see the real issues and help with a solution. Would people call you a counselor with insight? Would anyone come to you for advice? Do you choose wise counselors? Are your decisions affected by people with a spiritual understanding or the self-help wordly counsel that is readily available on tv, radio, newspapers and the best-seller list.

1 Chronicles 25

All these were under the direction of their father to sing in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the direction of the king. 1 Chron 25:6 As a parent, I thought that children’s church is the greatest invention. We attended a church where the children were in the worship service until the sermon, and then they were taken elsewhere so the parents could listen to the message. There came a point that our five year old son decided he didn’t want to go back there anymore. Initially we were disappointed because our attention would be taken away from the sermon. But, it soon became clear that even though Tyler was coloring or playing, he was also listening. Many times we were surprised to learn what he had taken in during that time. This scripture tells us that the fathers were responsible for leading their families into worship. The kids were there and mommy was there as were grandparents, aunts and uncles. But, the father had the ultimate responsibility. One day as a father, I will stand before God and have to be accountable for whether my children worshipped. If you are a woman, allow your husband to lead you into the service. You can help him, but turn those responsibilities over to dad. And if you are a man, remember that you are responsible for leading your entire family into worship. And you can lead your family into worship when you’re not in church. Have a short time of singing your favorite songs at home. Or read a verse together and discuss it for a few moments. If you have older children, allow them to give a short devotional. Men, lead your family before the throne of God. Women, assist your spouse in this task. Children, follow the lead of your parents.

1 Chronicles 24

David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices for their ministry. 1 Chron 24:3 What’s the difference between a large church and a small church? Usually the army of staff that you find in a large church. There used to be pastors, music ministers, and youth ministers. Now we also have children’s ministers, education ministers, outreach ministers, senior adult ministers, and basically any other position the church wants or needs to create. Some people feel that mega-churches operate more like a business with a huge staff that cannot be justified. But, if the church agrees that the staff is needed, there is no biblical problem with having a 40 member staff. In this passage here, we see the first real mega-church. They took all these priests and divided them up according to different areas of ministry. When they were done, there were 24 different ministers each serving in a different area. Even though each of them served in a different area of ministry, they were all Levites, so they were all qualified to be ministers in God’s house. There is a willingness in churches today to water down the qualifications for ministers and deacons. A big reason is that so many men have ruined their testimonies or disqualified themselves from ministry. As a result, some churches have made concessions in particular areas in order to round out their deacon or minister ranks. A church would be better off with fewer staff than to bend the rules. Has your church softened God’s standards for the offices of the church? “Requalifying” an unqualified person flies in the face of God’s Word? Maybe you have entered into an office of the church and you know that you don’t really belong there. You are better to admit and quit than to stay in disobedience to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 23

and 4,000 were gatekeepers, and 4,000 were praising the LORD with the instruments which David made for giving praise. 1 Chron 23:5 My church in college decided they wanted to incorporate new elements into the worship service. Instead of just being led by piano and organ, we began including guitars, brass instruments, and I began playing the drums. At first we muffled the drums as much as possible, since it was clear that many people did not like them. After I had been playing for a while, I left for basic training and the drums were only played sporadically while I was gone. After I returned I began playing again, and had many people come up and say how much they had missed the drums in the service. We eventually removed all the muffling materials, and found that people really enjoyed the changes we made to the worship service. David was huge on praising the Lord. He had even made instruments for 4,000 people to play as the people gave praise. Some Christians choose not to use instruments in their worship services, because they believe that it distracts from worshipping God. However, Old Testament Israel saw the benefits of instruments to be used in leading the people to praise God. The most important aspect of praising the Lord is not in how it is done, but that it is done. God deserves our praise, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. If some people choose to exclude instruments, they have the right to, but it should never become an issue of doctrine. Music is a great gift from the Lord whether the music is new or old and if it is played on instruments or acapella. Do you have an issue with the worship in your church? Is the issue a biblical one (such as focusing more on man and performance than God) or simply an issue of personal taste? You have a responsibility to praise the Lord right where you are, regardless of whether a song or instrument is your favorite or not.

1 Chronicles 22

David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore now I will make preparation for it." So David made ample preparations before his death. 1 Chron 22:5 Preparing for your untimely death is not the most enjoyable experience, but something that has to be considered. When I was 25 I realized that I needed some security for my wife and children in the event that I died. So I took out a life insurance policy on myself to provide for them if anything ever happened to me. I have to admit, it was slightly unsettling. Someone once told me that life insurance is just a gamble; “You are betting that you might die prematurely, and the life insurance company is betting that you won’t so they can just collect your premiums.” While this was my least favorite responsibility as a father and husband, it was probably the most necessary to provide security for my family. In the same way, David was also making preparations. God had told David that he would not build God’s temple, but that Solomon would. Since Solomon had no experience with such a task, David prepared things so that the work would go easier for his son. And notice that David made “ample” preparations. I didn’t buy a $10,000 life insurance policy, because it wouldn’t provide for my family’s long-term needs. In the same way, David put in motion all that Solomon would need to be successful for the Lord. Do you invest ample time in your service for the Lord? If you’re involved in some ministry in church, do you find that you are often unprepared for the task? Have you made ample preparations for your death? I don’t just mean taking care of family that is left behind, but are you prepared to stand before God? If you are not saved, then you’ve missed the most important preparation that you have to make before death. A person who dies without a relationship with Jesus will find that he or she has not made ample preparations before their death.

1 Chronicles 21

And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand." And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 1 Chron 21:15 During my time as a substitute teacher, I quickly realized that I had to lay down the law quickly or I might lose control of my entire class. I often told a class that I would write up everyone if the class started to lose control. One class of 5th graders was particularly disrespectful upon my arrival. They would get up and walk around while I was talking and talk to their neighbors. I had to threaten them with all of them being reported to their teacher. After the threat, and their getting to know me better, they were a lot better the rest of the day. Towards the end I had a talk with them about treating substitutes and teachers, and I took out the note about their earlier disobedience because they had made a change for the better. There were many problems with David’s census. David was doing this for his own pride as he established his fighting force during a time of peace. Also there was a call from the Lord that an offering was to be given by every person if a census was taken, probably to keep the focus on the Lord and not man (Exodus 30:12). We find that the Lord declares judgment on Jerusalem and 70,000 Israelites die. As an angel is coming to destroy Jerusalem, God relents and the Scripture actually says God was sorry over the destruction. However, the destruction was the fault of David, and not of God. The Lord didn’t change His mind, but David and others were still voicing their repentance. They didn’t just hear the judgment and stand back and take it. They continued to let the Lord know they admitted their fault and their willingness to turn from it. The Lord would have continued the destruction if David had not chosen continued repentance. Are you facing consequences from your sin? Have you ceased to repent because the discipline has already started? Continue to voice to the Lord your willingness to turn away, making it sure not only before Him, but in your own heart as well. You must decide to turn away, otherwise once His discipline is done, you may allow yourself back into the sin that caused you the problem in the first place. You would not be the first to go back to sin once the previous punishment was over.

1 Chronicles 20

David took the crown of their king from his head, and he found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it; and it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 1 Chron 20:2 Soon after D-Day, certain military units were given Presidential Unit Citations. While some men were awarded individually, certain units that accomplished their tasks on that difficult day, were all recognized. After the initial days of the fighting, replacement soldiers came in to take the place of those who were wounded or killed. Since they were part of the unit, they were given the citation badge to place on their uniforms. However, some of the original soldiers took exception to this policy. They felt these soldiers were being rewarded for something they didn’t do, and they had a valid point. Here in 1 Chronicles 20 we come across the incident of David’s affair with Bathsheba. All that this account says is that the army went to war and David stayed in Jerusalem. But in this case, we see that as soon as the fighting is over, David shows up to take the crown from the king of Ammon and place it on his own head. As king he certainly had a right to that crown, but he hadn’t really done anything. David was a great warrior, but not in this battle. Have you ever taken credit for something that you really didn’t deserve? Maybe someone else actually did the work, but you were given credit and you accepted it. When we take something we don’t deserve, even if others mistakenly give it to us, we are being deceitful. I must be quick to work diligently, and even quicker to deflect the credit

1 Chronicles 19

So when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. Thus the Arameans were not willing to help the sons of Ammon anymore. 1 Chron 19:19 Disciplining our children is not very fun, but it’s a part of the role that I accepted in becoming a father. I have noticed that my children aren’t saddened by what they did wrong, but by the punishments attached. My son can sit through a talk about why he shouldn’t hit his sisters, and remain pretty calm. But, if he hears that he has lost a favorite toy or activity as a result, suddenly he breaks out into tears. Clearly he isn’t upset by what he has done, but by the consequences. I want to teach my children real repentance; that they would be broken over their sin, not just the consequences. In this case we see the Arameans suddenly decide to make peace. They weren’t a part of the conflict between David and Ammon, but when asked to take sides, they take sides against Israel. They don’t attempt to make peace with David, who they know has been a successful king. Instead they fight all out, until it becomes clear they cannot win. Only then do they decide to make peace. They didn’t do so because they thought it was the best thing, but they saw only consequences on the horizon as the losing party. Are you broken over your sin or just getting caught? Remembering the consequences can be a good deterrent to keep us from sin. I love my wife and have no problem remaining married to her until death. However, I have seen the consequences of divorce, and I also know I want no part of that destruction to come upon my family. Ask God to lead you to make the right choices to be more like Jesus, and not just to avoid punishment for your sin.

1 Chronicles 18

So David reigned over all Israel; and he administered justice and righteousness for all his people. 1 Chron 18:14 During my time substitute teaching in the public schools, I began to notice that the teachers gravitated towards the popular kids. You would see an occasional teacher who would be open to relating to all the students, but too many seemed to try to hang out with the popular kids. The worse part was when two kids might make similar mistakes, and the least popular of the two received a greater punishment. These teachers who were expected to be fair and caring showed themselves to be partial to particular students. Who do you think of when you think of a great leader? David is often considered to have been a great leader, and here are three key ingredients. We read that David administered justice, or judgment. He was the decider of court cases and disputes, and that he was trusted to act in a judicious manner. David was also an administrator of righteousness. This means that David sought to lead the country to do what was godly, or right before God. And finally David did this for all the people. There were no favors for the wealthy or pandering to the poor. David was the same leader for all the people. In your opportunities to lead at work, school or home, do you lead like David? Are your decisions fair, holy, and impartial? If not, you need to realize that the way you lead reflects on your relationship with Jesus and how others see Him.

1 Chronicles 17

"O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 1 Chron 17:20 I’m excited as the summer Olympics are growing closer. It doesn’t matter if it’s gymnastics or running, I watch all these events with a lot of interest. However, the medal system has always seemed a little weird to me. First, second and third are exchanged for gold, silver and bronze medals. The old adage “second place is just the first loser” always seems to apply at the Olympics. The first place winner is on the highest point of the podium by himself. The winner gets all the attention. Only the winner gets to hear his national anthem played. I’m sure I’d be happy to win a silver medal in an Olympic event, but I’m sure it’s nothing like winning the gold. As we read here, David points out that God is the one and only. No one can stand in the place of God on the podium. No one can stand next to God on the podium. He is completely unique and irreplaceable. I’ve never seen a life changed like the life of the Christian. I’ve known people from other religions and certainly I saw something different about them. However I watched many of them simply trying to follow a list of rules to be different. I follow Jesus to be different. He is actually making the changes within me. I live for Him not to fulfill a list, but to fulfill a relationship. Do you recognize that as a Christian you have a faith relationship that no other religion can understand? God is not someone to “try”, but to follow. You’ll find no one else to stand in His place or replace Him in your life.

1 Chronicles 16

Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. 1 Chron 16:8 Have there ever been times that saying thanks seemed inadequate? When we first moved to our church in Arkansas, we had no washer and dryer because we had been in an apartment. My wife said that one of the ladies in the church wanted to talk to me and I went and saw her. She gave me a check for $500. She said it wouldn’t cover everything, but she hoped it would help. I had only been in the church for a few weeks, and we barely new each other. I didn’t know how to thank her, and she told me that she remembered what it was like starting out, and she wanted to do this for us. She remains a good friend still. While earthly gifts are nice, how can you thank the Lord for all the things He does for you? He not only brings salvation, but He keeps on forgiving us and helping us to move on and move past our failures. He loves us unconditionally at all times, and lays out a plan for our life if we’re willing to follow it. How do you thank the Lord for that? In this passage it teaches us two big ways to thank God: tell Him thank you, and tell others of what He has done. When you tell God thank you, you are going to the source of your blessings and showing God your appreciation. And when you tell others, you are in fact giving a witness of how God has worked in your life. So are you really thanking God? Do you call upon his name, or just throw out a quick “thanks”? Do you tell others how God has saved and blessed you? That’s how God knows we are truly thankful.

1 Chronicles 15

It happened when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart. 1 Chron 15:29 I recall a church service I went to at a black church in Birmingham, Alabama. I had several youth with me for a mission trip, and the local churches hosted us on Sunday. I walked in with these 10 white kids, and the church just bent over backwards to make us feel welcomed. An associate pastor’s wife was sitting next to us, and she leaned over to me and said, “I don’t know how you do it where you come from, but if you want to shout for joy or raise your hands here, you do it.” That wasn’t normally my style, but after watching the people of that congregation rejoice in worship for an hour, I was just overwhelmed with joy and excitement for the Lord. I’ve never sang so loud and felt so free to worship the Lord in all my life. The kids next to me that I brought, moved their lips and nothing else. Too often we become concerned with the human eyes around us, instead of God’s constant eye that watches us. Here we see David decide to move the ark by God’s rules instead of his own. As a result, the people are bringing the ark back into Jerusalem, and David is just excited and celebrating. As he comes into town, he has lost or removed his outer tunic. For David, this would have been the expensive, kingly robe that distinguished him from the others around him. His wife, Michal, sees David and the Bible says she despised David. She had grown up in King Saul’s home, and she knew what a king was supposed to act like. This dancing and celebrating (literally “laughing” in the Hebrew), is in stark contrast to Michal’s despising of her husband David. Do you worry what people around you think as you worship the Lord? Do you restrain yourself because others restrain themselves? Remember, when you are in a worship service, there might be 1000 people in the service, but it’s still a bunch of individuals worshipping their God. You worship for Him, not for the people around you. Ask God to help you worship Him, and to allow others to worship Him without worrying about those around them.

1 Chronicles 14

They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire. 1 Chron 14:12 When I was a 8 or so, I heard of people having good luck charms. Maybe it was a lucky hat or even a rabbit’s foot. I decided that would be really cool, so I began looking for my lucky charm. One day we were out playing kickball on at the playground, and I looked down to find a penny on the ground. I thought this must be my lucky charm, especially since I had been looking for one. I was never really that great at kickball, so I thought this was my chance to prove my newfound luck. I held the penny in my hand, and tried to kick, but got out. The next time up, I tried putting it in my shoe and saying “Come on lucky penny.” Again I had no success. Before I left the playground, I got rid of that penny, having determined it wasn’t so lucky. The Philistines had a similar experience with David. They decided to come up against Israel’s new king and bring him down immediately. David had given their nation a set back several years ago when he killed Goliath, and the Philistines wanted to avoid a similar outcome. To help swing the battle in their favor, the Philistines brought their handmade gods and idols. Instead of helping, Israel totally routed them (the Bible uses that lovely Old Testament word “smote”, usually reserved for God’s fiercest judgments). The Philistines left these idols behind as they ran, and David had them all collected up and burned. What are you trusting in for no good reason? Does your security come from financial investments? There are people from the 1930’s who would caution you about that. Have you built a business or home with your hands that you trust in? There are tornado victims across this country that would tell you to rethink your trust. Remember, our trust should be in the Lord alone. So much that we rely on or trust in can be gone in a moment. Trust God.

1 Chronicles 13

They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 1 Chron 13:7 There are times that I’m more likely to follow instructions than others. When I’m putting together a toy for my kids, I usually attempt to put it together without looking at instructions. My thought is that I’m an adult, and this is a toy for a child, so I should be able to use my “adultness” to conquer this toy. Usually I find myself running into a problem, and then I look at the instructions, only to find that I missed a step. However if I’m setting up a new cell phone or computer, I follow the instructions to the letter. Why is there a difference? I usually take more care with things of greater value. In the case of moving the ark, there was definitely a right way to do it. When the ark was built, it was done specifically so it could be carried on poles by the priests as God commanded. When David has it moved, he doesn’t find the instructions for how to do it, but tries to come up with his best idea. He gets a brand new cart, probably a very expensive one, and has the ark placed on it. After a while Uzza reaches out to stop the ark from falling off the cart, and he dies as he touches it. David is upset at God, but should only be upset at himself. There was a right way, and there was his way, and he just assumed his was the best. Have you been ignoring instructions that God has given you? What does the Bible say about forgiveness and love? What about making disciples and giving cheerfully? Have you been following the Bible’s instructions, or your own idea of what they mean?

1 Chronicles 12

All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king. 1 Chron 12:38 I really enjoyed the series “Band of Brothers”, which follows a regiment of the 101st Airborne in the European theater of WWII. It is a true story, and much of the movie centers on an officer, Richard Winters. He was not a solider until the war started, and quickly moved up the ranks from Lieutenant to Major during the course of a year. Much of this was due to his bravery in combat as well as leadership. This man was truly one of the great warriors of the 101st and almost despised his rise in rank because he could no longer fight with the men. But, after making it through D-Day, Winters said he promised God that if he made it through the war, he would find a little corner of the world and live the rest of his life in peace. After WWII, he trained others, but never fought in another war himself. It’s an interesting dynamic to see men of war also be men of peace. We’ve seen David’s mighty men and their deeds, and here we see all the men of Israel who are able bodied to fight, coming together to make David king. However, they are coming with a perfect, or peaceful heart. Their intention is not to make David king by force, but by simply obeying the leading of God for their nation. They were going about God’s plans by peace and obedience, not by fighting and war. How do you go about obeying the Lord? Do you attempt to make Him submit to you, or do you submit to Him? Too many people try to fight the Lord when He reveals His will to them. If you are fighting God, you have chosen the wrong battle. Choose peace, and allow God to show you how His will brings greater benefit than anything you could fight for.