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From the Heavens

Daily Reading

2Chronicles 13-17

Daily Thought

The Hebrew people were now a divided Kingdom, Israel to the north under Jeroboam its king, Abijah reigning over the southern kingdom of Judah. They were divided and different. Judah was ruled by a man born from God’s chosen line of David; Israel’s king was a rebellious son of Solomon’s servant, illegitimate to the throne. Judah followed the Lord God, whose priests were of God’s chosen line of Aaron and tribe of Levi. In Israel, “whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams” became a priest (2Chronicles 13:9) and presented offerings to golden calves made by Jeroboam.

One difference seemed to favor Israel–they had an army of 800,000, Judah half that size. And now, Abijah had marched Judah’s army into Jeroboam’s ambush. Judah was surrounded, completely enclosed by an enemy twice its size. The enemy was north, south, east, and west, but Israel could not guard the skies, and Judah’s source of strength came from the heavens. God was on high, and he was Judah’s God. “Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you,” warned Abijah. “O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed” (2Chronicles 13:12). Jeroboam did not succeed, and never recovered. “The Lord struck him down, and he died. But Abijah grew mighty” (2Chronicles 13:20-21).

Israel and Judah were divided and different, but only one difference mattered, “We keep the charge of the Lord our God,” said Abijah, “but you have forsaken him” (2Chronicles 13:11).

Daily Prayer

My Lord and Savior, You have placed me in a battlefield on earth, in a world that loves neither You nor Your ways. I cannot be a friend to the ways of the world and follow You at the same time. I must make a choice, and I choose You, which means I fight the world and the world fights me. No matter, though, because You are with me and will never leave me, so I can stand in Your Name.

Thank You for so great a salvation. You are my strength and my confidence and I trust fully in You. My eyes will stay true, my heart pure, my path straight, so long as I love You, listen to Your Word, and follow Your ways.

Amen

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Rafting the American River

Daily Reading

2Chronicles 9-12

Daily Thought

The Chronicles speaks to Israel of its glory and its fall. Solomon’s reign was the kingdom of God’s favor, the apex of the nation. In the words of a foreigner, the Queen of Sheba, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness” (2Chronicles 9:8). 

But forever faded as the nation disregarded the words of Moses, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). 

I grew up in Sacramento. Sacramento summers cook; north of a hundred degrees is normal. The American River, the cool run-off from the Sierra snow, was a popular solution. The flow of the river is mostly calm and mostly shallow, wonderful for rafting, and surprisingly dangerous for drowning. Life jackets are recommended. The victims are overwhelmingly young and male. “We are old enough, we are strong enough, and we can swim,” say the young men. “Life jackets? We don’t need life jackets.” The danger of the river is not the current, but the misplaced confidence of young men who believe they are strong enough.

Solomon’s son Rehoboam inherited Solomon’s throne and his wealth, but not his wisdom. “When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him” (2Chronicles 12:1). “Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you” (2Chronicles 12:5) was God’s response, and Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything (2Chronicles 12:9). Chronicles is a work written by a nation who forgot God and now wondered if God would remember them.

Daily Prayer

My faithful Father, You are the Rock, the foundation on which a life will stand firm. May I always remember that, when I am weak, but even more so, when I am strong. Protect me, God, from myself, from becoming full of myself. “I am not strong enough” are not words of the weak, but of wise.

What You say, You do. Your Word is true, right, and good. It shall be my guide in life, my constant companion. May I always seek not the pleasure of this world, but your pleasure, and remember that the world is not friendly toward me because it is not friendly toward You. May my love for Your Word continue to grow.

Amen

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What Kind of Savior

Daily Reading

2Chronicles 6-8

Daily Thought

Listen to the pleas of Solomon, “Of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place, listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive” (2Chronicles 6:21). “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel” (vv 24-25). “Hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel” (v 27). “Hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive” (v 30).

Solomon anticipates great sin, so he asks for great forgiveness. “If they sin against you–for there is no one who does not sin–if they turn their heart repent and plead with you, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you” (vv 36-38).

God’s answer came quickly, “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. They bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’” (2Chronicles 7:1, 3). Our God forgives.

She had an excuse for not coming to church, “Oh, but you don’t know what I’ve done,” she explained. “I’m not the kind of person God could ever forgive.”

They cried out again, “Crucify him” (Mark 15:13). Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” (Matthew 26:67-68). Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head (Matthew 27:28-30). They kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” (Luke 23:21). So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him (John 19:16-18).

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

“You’re right, I don’t know what you’ve done, what kind of person you are,” I said. “But here’s what I do know. I know what Jesus has done and what kind of Savior he is and what kind of person God forgives and how great is his grace.”

Daily Prayer

Loving Father, Your love endures. I’ve put it to the test! So have others. All of us. And yet Your love lasts forever and forgiveness is always in front of me. So, God, thank You for forgiving me by the blood of Your Son.

God, may I live life with confidence, not in my own strength, but in the absolute certainty that Your Son did everything needed to restore my relationship with You forever. Your love endures forever.

Amen

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Redemption

Daily Reading

2Chronicles 2-5

Daily Thought

King David was a man after God’s heart, but that does not mean he did not sin. “I have sinned greatly” (2Samuel 24:10), was David’s confession to his God after commanding a census. By God’s will David was chosen king, and by God’s power David attained the throne, but when he counted his people he was counting his soldiers, relying on his own strength to rule his kingdom. Repenting of this sin, David purchased property on Mount Moriah where he built an alter to worship the Lord. 

A greater sin yet was David’s adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, Uriah. Out of this sin, David married Bathsheba, and later they had a child, naming him Solomon (2Samuel 12:24).

David’s sins came with great cost, but even in the darkest of sin shines the power of God’s redemption. “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). From the depths of sin, God produced a man and a mountain, and “Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah” (2Chronicles 3:1). This does not justify sin but displays grace and reminds us to trust God’s salvation. Satan would have us deflated by failure, but we are made large through salvation and must press on confidently, because we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

Daily Prayer

Holy God, how great a salvation. As your servant King David asked, “O LORD, who am I that You care for me,” I am amazed by Your grace, that You turn your attention toward me. I keep turning my attention away, yet You look upon me and care about me and restore me.

God, may my focus never waver. Keep me from being distracted by things. May I look to You first, may I seek Your kingdom, your goodness, You always.

Amen

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A Peanut Butter and Chocolate Milkshake

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 28-2Chronicles 1

Daily Thought

David left his son Solomon with much silver and gold, but true wealth came in his words, “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought” (1Chronicles 28:9).

Once, when I was on a diet, I passed by Leatherby’s Family Creamery, an ice cream parlor second to none. I succumbed to my favorite, a peanut butter and chocolate milkshake, ordered it and brought it home. Realizing I could not drink the shake and keep the diet, I put the shake in the freezer, got on my knees, and prayed, “God, keep me from drinking the shake.” This was a double-minded prayer. If I did not want the shake, it should be in the disposal, not the freezer. Later, I drank the shake.

You cannot follow God, serve him wholeheartedly, and be double-minded. When Solomon became king, God offered Solomon whatever he wanted, “In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask what I shall give you’” (2Chronicles 1:7). Solomon spurned riches and honor and asked for wisdom. Wealth and power would make him a mighty king, but wisdom would make him a good king, a godly king. God granted Solomon wisdom and knowledge, and then gave him riches and possessions and honor, as well.

Why did God give him riches, too? Isn’t that like keeping the milkshake in the freezer?

No, it means that Leatherby’s is still in town and an ice cream shop is good for the town, but it is not good for my diet. God gave Solomon a challenge that would test and could strengthen his wisdom, would riches and possessions and honor serve God and God’s kingdom or would they make the king fat.

Solomon would be a great king, but not fully, not with his whole heart. He would drink the world’s riches of wealth and wine and women. At the end of his life, Solomon reflected, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. The full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, 12).

Daily Prayer

My God, my Lord, my Savior, I will serve and follow You fully, keeping my eyes on You, focused on the prize, a glorious day to come when I might hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” You are what is good in life and I long to be godly. I will guard my heart against distractions. Strengthen my will and give me wisdom to choose well.

God, You are the center of my life, and all else revolves around You. You are first in everything. I trust my life to You, knowing that my life will only be great when it is first good and godly. This is my resolve. I pray this will be my actions, as well.

Amen

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This Is Why We Sing

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 25-27

Daily Thought

Heman was the king’s seer (2Chronicles 25:5).  He was also his director of music. King David selected the sons of Heman, along with those of Asaph and Jeduthun, to be the orchestra, exalting God and filling the house of the Lord with music. To prophecy is to to forthtell, to speak God’s Word for today, or foretell, to speak God’s Word for the future, but there must be more, because the sons of Heman, Asaph, and Jeduthun “prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals” (1Chronicles 25:1). The music itself spoke God’s Word, not to the present or the future, but to the soul. Prophecy tells us more than what is or what will be, but it speaks to who we are and who is our God. There is a power in beauty that declares the divine and opens our hearts to the wonders of our Creator.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
~A Psalm of David 19:1-4

It is not the heavens alone, but the majesty and mystery of creation, of art and music touches our heart, sings to the soul, declares God’s glory, prophecies with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. This is why we sing.

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, fill me with Your Spirit, with Your Words, with Your songs, that I might declare Your wonders and Your glory, the beauty and mystery of life. You touch my mind and I understand, but worship is more than what I simply think. There is language deeper than words, unlocked by the heavens, by music, by creation, by wonder, that express Your glory. Your grace and love and truth are displayed not only in what I do and what I say, but in what I sing. What a strange and wonderful thing is music. Thank You for it. Where words fail to express Your glory, music proclaims it to the world. What a wonderful God.

Amen

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All I Got

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 22-24

Daily Thought

I can’t sing harmony. I can’t dance. I can’t dunk a basketball. I can’t play drums. I can’t paint a beautiful sunset. I’ve tried. Sometimes hours a day, day after day, for months, and even years. The motivational poster says, “You can do anything you set your mind to do.” Apparently not.

God’s temple would be built, not with the bloodied hands of David, but with hands that know peace, because peace is the character of God’s kingdom. The one who batters the enemies of God will not be the one who builds the house of God. “My son,” David said to Solomon, “I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth'” (1Chronicles 22:7-8). There are times when determination simply will not substitute for ability, opportunity, or permission. And that’s okay.

I still sing (in the shower), I have fun playing basketball (passing more than shooting), and I enjoy sunsets. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8).

On the other hand, those things I can do, I give it all I got.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, You gave me life, formed me, and filled me with abilities and talents. May I delight in them. Free me from any desire to be something I am not, and help me discover who I am and what I can do for You. I am individually designed by You, so I know it is a good work You have done in me.

I look at all You create, God, the majesty, the wonder, the beauty, and it works. The world holds together, everything in its place. I trust the sun to rise each day, because I trust the One who created it. You created me on purpose, from Your pleasure and for Your pleasure. Today, I am grateful for everything. Tomorrow, too. And the next day.

Amen

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Was It Not I?

Daily Reading

1 Chronicles 18-21

Daily Thought

“After this,” the first two words of 2Chronicles 18, point backward as the cause for what follows. God reminded David, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth (2Chronicles 17:7-8). Now watch what happens “after this”: “David defeated the Philistines and subdued them” (18:1); “he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David” (18:2); “David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath” (18:3); “David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians” (18:5). In chapters 19 and 20, victories continued. He defeated the Ammonites and more of the Syrians. Rabbah was overthrown, and “David took the crown of their king from his head” (20:2). “Thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites” (20:3). Finally, the the giants of the Philistines “fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (20:8).

“The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went” (18:6, 13), but by chapter 21, after winning over and over again, David began to think he had more to do with the winning. That is the temptation of success: “Was it not I?” David’s pride began to grow, so God used the master of temptation to expose it, “then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel” (21:1). The census was designed by David to display his might, but it was designed by God to betray his heart. The sin of the census reminded David of his true strength and returned his heart to God. David’s sin became David’s confession, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people?” This is not a question, but a statement, the confession of a godly man, no justification, no rationalization, no shifting the blame. “It is I who have sinned and done great evil” (1Chronicles 21:17). The best confessions begin with the pronoun “I” and include no other. He owned it.

Daily Prayer

God Almighty, You are my Lord and my Savior. You go before me and I do well to follow You. You lead to victory over sin, over Satan, over death, and You give me faith, hope, and love. Yet, I continue to do things on my own, seek to be in charge, and steal the glory that rightfully belongs to You.

What amazes me is Your mercy and grace. When I confess my failures, when I acknowledge my sin and my need of You, You grab my hand again, forgiving me, and leading me again along that wonderful path of Yours, the path that leads to life. You are my true Strength, the Master of my life.

Amen

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Do Nothing

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 15-17

Daily Thought

David had learned to trust God when he had something to do, something to accomplish, something to conquer. When he was young, David stood before Goliath, a giant warrior, ”You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head” (1Samuel 17:45-46). Such was David’s faith and God was with him. David learned to seek God before each battle.as he did in his most recent, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand” (1Chronicles 14:10), and David trusted God and fought the Philistines and won.

David intended to build a house for God and this was a good intention. David saw that he had a house and God did not, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent” (1Chronicles 17:1), so build him one. Nathan the prophet agreed, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you” (1Chronicles 17:2). Then God visited Nathan and said, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in'” (v 4). God had other plans, but for a man of action, “Do nothing” is difficult to hear. For David, a hands-on guy with a vigorous faith, this may be the tougher test. Sometimes the hardest thing God wants us to do is nothing. David must trust God when he has nothing to do, nothing to add or accomplish. 

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). So David trusted God and did nothing.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, You delight in me. There is nothing I can add to Your worth or Your wealth. You have no need of my offerings or my sacrifices. You desire them, not for Your gain but for mine. When I give I gain. My faith and trust grows. My relationship strengthens.

All that I am, God, comes from You. I am happiest when I pursue what You have created me to do. Take my desires God and shape them to Your will. You delight in me. I long to delight in You. May I desire You fully forever.

Amen

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History Repeated

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 12-14

Daily Thought

The Chronicles follow the Samuels and the Kings, and there is a sense that we are reading the same stuff over again. The death of Saul and his sons in 1Chronicles 10 was told before in 1Samuel 31. David’s mighty men, listed in 1Chronicles 11, were listed before in 2Samuel 23. Uzzah and the Ark is found in 1Chronicles 13 and 2Samuel 6. Why was Chronicles written if the stories had already been told?

In 1Samuel, God spoke to David, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (1Samuel 7:16), but in 722BC, the northern tribes of Israel were conquered and taken captive by Assyria, never to return. All of God’s promises of an enduring, everlasting kingdom depended now on Judah, but in 586BC, Judah was exiled to Babylon. Forever seemed to be over. Seventy years of captivity followed. Then, as the Jews returned from captivity and began to rebuild Jerusalem, they questioned, “Are we still the people of God?” Chronicles is the answer. It tells the same story of the same history but with a different focus. God is still keeping his promises because God is forever faithful. 

Although Chronicles is placed after Kings in our Bibles, it is the last book in the Jewish Scriptures. It is a retelling of Israel’s story to a people returning from captivity, slavery, and exile, and questioning their future. The opening nine chapters of genealogy trace back, not just to Abraham, but all the way to Adam, to remind Israel that they are God’s people, and his plan for them extends from the very beginning, the first man. When God repeats the exact same story over again without changing anything, that is the good news–nothing has changed! Chronicles reminds God’s people that God’s promises are sure, but his blessings depend on their faithfulness, and they had been unfaithful. “If 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 and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2Chronicles 7:14).  I am still your God, you are still my people, and this is how we will move forward.

Daily Prayer

My forever faithful Father, God of heaven and earth, Creator of all, Creator of me, I shall live my days serving You and Your desires in this world. Teach me and lead me into Your everlasting life, Your kingdom of grace and truth. I pray that my heart remains at all times true to You, for You are always faithful, worthy of my trust.

Your faithfulness is amazing, because if I were you, I’d be done with me. I am not always true. I am not often true. All too often I pursue my desires over Yours. Your patience is incredible, because I put it to the test, and yet, Your grace is there waiting. I ask for forgiveness and You grant it, and I return by Your side, walking again along Your path. Fill my heart with Your love, so that I will not stray, but will remain forever faithful to You.

Amen