June 26, Day 33

More than anything as I read today's reading I realized this book of the Bible very clearly links the our behaviors with God's favor. If you've listened at all to the tele-evangelists of our day, you hear a lot about being in "Gods favor." (Perhaps even spoken with a very charming but deceptive southern drawl.) And a lot of this "name it and claim it" religion is based around equating God's favor with material blessings. THIS IS NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT TODAY. I'm talking about all of the blessings that come with being in God's favor... we see that today in the lives of the various kings...

For some of the kings there are only mere paragraphs describing their reign, no matter how long that reign was. Generally they start off with "he followed the ways of the kings of Israel" or "he did evil in the eyes of the Lord." How would you like this to be your legacy recorded for eternity. To continually have this tag line associated with your name, translated into nearly every language around the world, for everyone to read and learn from?

Yet there are other kings that require many paragraphs and even chapters to describe. And they tend to start with "he walked in the ways of the Lord." We see a couple of those kings who started off good but didn't finish the race. These are kings like Uzziah. He wanted to follow God, but something happened... His pride kicked in. Don't we all struggle with this. But to me the warning is that your ministry can and will be diminished if you forget who gave you this ministry in the first place. Then we see other kings like Hezekiah and Josiah who not only walked in the ways of the Lord but encouraged others to as well. Both of these kings have chapters written about them. And very clearly the author is linking God's favor to their devotion to following him and calling others to as well. We see some common themes from both of these kings. For one, they called the nation together to celebrate the feasts God had given them. They were called to remember the past and act in the present. Both kings have chapter dedicated to how they celebrated the passover.

Aren't you and I called to do the same? Aren't we called to remember the past and celebrate in the present? At our church we're invited to do the same each week during our communion service. How can you remember the sacrifice in the past made on your behalf and celebrate in the present today?

After a great description of how Hezekiah called people to repentance and offered purification sacrifices and celebrated the passover... we see a small but significant verse. 2 Chron 30:26 records, "There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem." Is this not describing the favor of the Lord? It doesn't say that God gave all the people of Judah new homes and made them happy! Yet it does say there was great joy in Jerusalem! GREAT JOY! Is there great joy abounding in our society today? Are people remembering the past and celebrating this in the present? As I look around I answer no to both of those questions. We are consumed with consuming and getting. When gas prices are rising we're fretting about how we're going to afford to pay our cable TV bill or how we're going to be able to get our nails manicured? But there is not GREAT JOY! Don't you see, great joy is a result of God's favor. It is not a result of getting more stuff. It is a condition of the heart in response to your obedience to God's laws.

In today's society we are not much different than the kings who get a few paragraphs of description. We are putting up our altars to worship the "Baal" of today. We are shopping, consuming, and hoarding all the while worshipping the god of materialism. Sure there are a few "kings" like Uzziah who in our own individual homes are trying to purify the place, but when pride gets in the way we're nearly indistinguishable from the pagan world around us.

A few other significant verses are recorded in relation to Hezekiah's receiving God's favor... 2 Chron 31:20-21 ends with "In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered." 2 Chron 32:30b ends with "He succeeded in everything he undertook." Wouldn't this be a great source of joy as well? To know that everything you undertake will result in success? King Uzziah tried in his own way to achieve success only to face downward spiral. The key to true success is what we learn from Hezekiah... seeking God and working wholeheartedly .

Won't you join me today in trying to recover "Great joy" in the land we live in by seeking Him and working wholeheartedly?

June 25, Day 32

2 Chronicles 7 - 2 Chronicles 22

In my role at work I attempt to solve problems. To be specific, I attempt to help others solve "Human Performance Problems." Some may say that I'm just a trainer, but I like to think of myself as a problem solver. In order to solve the problem, I often have to diagnose properly. There are a lot of presenting symptoms of the problem but to really solve the problem and get a ahead of it, you must look for the root cause. So today's focus of this posting is centered around the root cause....

Something that has always troubled me as I read this part of the Bible is understanding "good kings" from "bad kings." The books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings have always confused me because you also have two kingdoms to look at (Israel and Judah). Sometimes Israel refers to all the Israelites... sometimes it refers to all the Israelites except those in Judah... and other times it means those in Judah. So for a simple minded guy like myself, this presents a lot of confusion.

In today's reading we have the luxury of only focusing on Judah and the kings of Judah. Well actually it starts earlier than that because we start with Solomon. Who was king of all of Israel before the split. After his death, His son Rehoboam takes the throne. Soon thereafter we see the people revolting and the kingdom of Israel splitting. Since this is what has always confused me, I read and re-read this passage to see what is the "root cause" of the split of Israel?

It is a simple answer to say "fallen man" is the root cause. God's design didn't originally include ruling by kings... but yet this is what the people wanted and they started putting their faith in a king rather than THE KING. However, let's look a little deeper. Rehoboam's fallen state is expressed in some behaviors I can learn from.

When the people questioned him about the taxation they'd been subject to during Solomon's reign and asked him what he'd do about it, he sought counsel. First he consulted the elders who said basically to show some empathy to the people. Secondly he consulted the younger men who'd grown up around him (or his friends). They told them to give a harsh answer to the people. So why did they encourage him to be harsh? Perhaps it was because he was a new leader. As a new leader of people in my workplace, I certainly can identify the need to establish "who is in charge" early as well as the struggle to exercise this establishment judiciously. Perhaps they wanted him to see how far his "title" would get him and of course the king should be in charge. And simply stated, at the end of they day all of these suppositions are rooted in pride. They encouraged him to act in pride... and of course this is what he chose. It even says he "rejected the advice of the elders."

Let's think for a moment. Is it always wise to take the advice of the elders? "They lived in a different time." "They have an outdated view of society." These are common arguments I've heard and even given as someone has encouraged me to consult my elders. Certainly there is some merit to the argument. And so maybe it is not always wise to implement exactly the advice they are giving you.... But perhaps they've seen patterns of things happen in the past as well. Maybe there is some wisdom to their counsel. In this case, they knew if you come down harsh you'll have trouble. But if you give them the answer they are looking for (maybe just a little empathy) they will be your servants for life. Of course this would require laying down a little bit of their pride.

We'll we know what Rehoboam chose. He chose to tell them if they thought Solomon was rough, then they would think he was even rougher. And the rest as they say "is history." The people revolted, Israel was divided and Rehoboam's dominion was reduced. Jeroboam was chosen king of Israel and 2 Chron 10:19 says "Israel has been in rebellion to the house of David to this day." 2 Chron 12:15 says "there was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam." Not only were God's people divided, they was in conflict with one another.

So what is the root cause of this division? Fallen Man? We'll sort of... but that sounds like victim language to me. "We can't help it we were created sinful." I think the root cause was pride. Pride in realizing the counsel of elders may have some merit. And foolishness to think the decision was an "either or" decision. I think Rehoboam thought he had to either take the side of his elders OR the side of his friends. Rather than looking at a win/win solution. Could he not have chosen to pursue the path of unity and ask them to create a plan together on how to answer and take advantage of each of their viewpoints?

As a leader today... it is easy for me to identify with Rehoboam... and to learn from Him. I am a leader in my home, my workplace, and my community there are always conflicting points of view. My pride often gets in the way and I just want to make the decision based on what is going to "make me look good" in the eyes of those I'm leading. Sometimes I even struggle because I want to assert my dominance. (That's easy when your kids are toddlers... but probably won't work so well when my son gets to be a young man.) The kingdom was divided then and it will always be divided when pride gets in the way. Just look at what has happened over the course of time to the Church. Where did all the denominations come from? Pride.

However, God's word always provides solace as well. The solution is always there. God is the solution. Specifically in today's reading I draw my hope from watching the reform in Judah that Asa instituted. 2Chronicles 15:15 records... "They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side."

Oh Lord, Thank you for pointing out the root cause of division and strife. Help me lay my pride down and make decisions that unify rather than divide. Help me seek you eagerly so that I might find you. So that you might grant me rest on every side as well."

June 24; day 31

Whoo hoo! We're more than 1/3 of the way done already with our 90 days. God is teaching me so many things. I'm continually impressed with the issue of multi generational faithfulness. What an impact that you and I can have today to change the face of history in our family generations.

1 Chronicles 23:12-2 Chron 6
Currently in my job, I'm facing a bit of a leadership challenge. I won't go into all the specifics and the doldrums of the mundane, but suffice it to say it is enough that if I let it, it steals my joy and my enthusiasm for performing my job with excellence. (Honestly, some days I just plain don't want to go into work because I know the issue is still going to be there and its not going away.

When this happens my first instinct is to avoid the pain and try to work around it. If this doesn't work, then my next step is to complain. Then when that doesn't work, I look for someone else to help motivate me... and on and on. When this particular challenge started (... can I even remember when it started or was it always there? I'm not sure but that's not important to the story...) I began looking for my supervisors approval of how to handle it. Of course that never came - directly. So today as I was reading the many names and lists of people in Chronicles I stumbled across the passage where David is providing a word of admonishment and blessing to Solomon.

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work." 1 Chron 28:9-10

Today I was doing my reading outside during my lunch hour. I was sitting on a park bench under a shade tree. When I read this, it was almost as if God himself were speaking to me about my "crisis." I could hear Him as my heavenly father, speak to me just as David spoke to Solomon.

The challenge I received from this was multifaceted...

1. Am I acknowledging the Lord and serving Him wholeheartedly? The answer to this is... "NO" because I'm trying to seek the approval of man and attempt to avoid this struggle. Perhaps He's ordained this struggle for a specific part of my development I need right now...
2. ... serve him with a willing mind.... Well, I think you know the answer to this challenge too given what I've said previously about not wanting to go to work some days. God has ordained the day - and its struggles - yet I my mind is not willing.
3. ... [the Lord] understands every motive behind the thoughts... uh oh! BUSTED! My motives are known. If I were engaging in conversations to tackle the problem... but it was merely to make me look better or to escape the confrontation... then the Lord knows. I'm not fooling Him.
4. If you seek Him, He will be found... but if you forsake Him, he will reject you forever. Well at least here I can't say I've forsaken him - completely. However, I haven't been seeking him to help me deal with these challenges or provide me with the words he wants me to share.
5. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. God has chosen me... me... to build a sanctuary. He's chosen me to lead this group of people at this very time. He's chosen me to experience these challenges right now. He's chosen me... what an awesome privilege it is.
6. Be strong and do the work. This is when real chills went up my spine because I could almost hear my earthly father saying something like this... "suck it up and just do it." Once when I was complaining about growing up and the accompanying responsibilities my dad just looked at me and said "You're just growing older, and sometimes growing older sucks." So when I read this, I imagined that God was telling me the same thing. That this challenge wasn't designed for my enjoyment. Rather it was designed to develop my strength so just do the work.

Who says God doesn't still speak to us... so gotta go now... I've got work to do!

June 23, Day 30

1 Chronicles 9:17 - 1 Chronicles 23

Today we move from reading about names to understanding about individuals. We've already read a little bit about Saul, David and the other kings from our study of First and Second Kings. Now we reconfirm what we know and learn a little new stuff as well.

The part I found interesting was in Chapter 21 we see David taking account of the numbers of fighting men he has around him. Verse 1 records, "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." I began wondering, why would taking a census be attributed to Satan, rather than just a good practice of leadership? I read and re-read this verse and then backed up to read this in context and the paragraphs preceding it are titled in my Bible as "War with the Philistines." So I found myself wondering.... could it be that David took a census out of fear?

Back up with me to how David even became chosen as king. Samuel had already anointed him, but after his defeat of Goliath, the people started realizing his gifting. God had already shown David from his early days of being a shepherd that as long as God was fighting with Him, no strength of the enemy could hold them back. Yet, here we now see David taking a defensive posture and counting the size of his army versus the size of the opponent.

Reading on in 1 Chron 21:3 we see Joab trying to talk David out of it, but David pushed ahead. And then finally in verse 6 we read that God chose to punish Israel because David's command was evil in the sight of God. Why was it evil? Ultimately, it comes back to pride. Can I win on my own? Who needs God if my army is stronger, bigger, faster, better looking, etc...

Identify with me today, where are you trying to count your army rather than relying on God for your strength. I know for one, I'm trying to do too much on my own without asking God for his strength and provision. Whether it be daily devotions with my kids or making decisions at work, either way, I ask God once and believe that is enough. Rather than continually trusting that He will provide.

I take my warning from 1 Chronicles 21:14... even after David had repented, God still enacted judgement on Israel. 70,000 men died in a plague because of David's pride. When I count for the purposes of proving my strength, God may choose to remove this source of strength to help me depend on Him anew. Please pray for me today, that I learn to rely on Him and not my own "numbers" for strength.

June 22, Day 29

1 Chronicles 1- 1 Chronicles 9:17

Ever have trouble concentrating? Surely I found myself there today as I was reading the list of names and genealogies. As it does often, my mind started to wander to "what is the purpose of this? and What is God trying to teach me here?"

This is what I came up with... we each matter to God? In order for us to know who we are we have to know whose we are. God's promise to the Israelites was that they would be His chosen people. This genealogy clearly shows how God has preserved and recorded their lineage. They could look back and then see where they came from. Additionally, we also know God has made some big promises already... and peeking ahead in the prophets, we know He is going to make some bigger promises to come. So knowing that Jesus is the Messiah and that many people would challenge this in the future, it is important for God to record the lineage of His chosen people in advance, so they can see how improbable it is that just anyone could be the Messiah in the future. Rejoice with me today, that God knows your name. He knows where you've come from and what (or whom) will come after you. Do you know Him? Is your name written down in His book?

On an earthly note, do you tell your children where you've come from? Do you share with them the stories of their ancestry? I didn't grow up with many of those stories, but I was fortunate to grow up with family close in proximity to us. So I what I didn't hear, I could observe. Yet, I often wish I would know more about where our family came from and the personal issues that those before me struggled with. Did they follow God? Would they have done anything differently about their life? Friends, today, I promise to be more transparent with my children so they will know not only who they are... but whose they are!

June 21; Day 28

2 Kings 15-2 Kings 25:30

One step forward and two steps back. A good king then three or four bad kings. Then maybe two good kings and another one or two bad ones... but the cycle never stops. There is never a continual run of good kings... nor is there a continual run of bad kings. Why is this? I found myself pondering this question. Why wouldn't God just let the nation slide into oblivion if that is what they want so badly? OR if they were His chosen people, why wouldn't he just continue to raise up godly leaders to follow him and lead his people towards him? Think about this for a moment. It makes my head hurt when I ponder it. We know God had given us free will... we see it exercised many times when a king chooses to do something contrary to God's plans. So if we are evil at heart and can't do right on our own... how are people able to make good Godly choices in a fallen world? On the other hand, if God really wanted Israel to prosper, why wouldn't he have just intervened on their behalf? I don't know that I have an answer... but it is clear from reading this history, that there was an ebb and a flow to Israel's obedience and consequential blessings (or curses.)

Two things hit me here as I ponder this... the call for unity... and God's discipleship of his people.

First the call for unity. Perhaps it is so difficult to gain forward momentum because everyone in Israel was shooting at a different goal. Some were trying to follow the Lord, and others were trying to do whatever they could to avoid following Him. So occasionally a leader would surface who would be able to get more people following the Lord than not and blessings would result... but there is still were those who were distracting their efforts and so full blessing was not realized. Then there were leaders who - intentional or not - encouraged the people to fall away from God's plan. Obviously God couldn't bless this. Now fast forward to today. God has protected and preserved a remnant on this earth. Those people who are called by God to serve and worship Him. Through them, His Word has been preserved through the ages and His work is being accomplished on this earth. Yet there are those who remain "outside" of the remnant. And either intentional or not - they are distracting God's work from being accomplished. We're all not firing in the same direction and of course it is difficult to gain forward momentum when this is the case. Even within the Church we can't agree to serve Him in unison. We're so concerned about our own individual ways.... and serving Him in our own unique way - that sometimes we're even shooting over the church next door in our efforts. There will always be evil in this fallen world. In order to shine God's light brighter, we need to be unified to gain forward momentum against the enemy of this World.

Secondly, God's discipleship of his people. I remember talking to a mentor once in my office. It was soon after I started my career and he was giving me advice. His advice was to view the challenges in the workplace as a way to develop "heart wood." What he was doing was comparing developing as a person to the way a young tree develops. As a tree grows it is often susceptible to the winds and the weather. If the wind blows too hard the tree is in jeopardy of blowing over or breaking. But there is a certain amount of stress necessary for the tree to develop strength. If the tree never faces any resistance, it will topple under its own weight as it grows, because it never developed any heart wood.

As I read about the struggles of the nation of Israel and feel the "two steps forward and one steps back" push and pull occur, I realize that perhaps God is disciplining His people to develop heart wood. Making them stronger now, so that as they grow and are prospered, they will not topple under their own weight. There is a certain amount of challenge they need to be able to realize their dependence on God. They need to know He is God and they are not. Likewise, they need to realize that their actions have consequences - both good and bad.

Have we learned these lessons today? Are we developing heart wood? Perhaps the remnant God has preserved is growing stronger. I see that every day. Some of the Christians I know are getting deeper and deeper in their relationship with the Lord. Yet, as a whole, I see less and less of us truly depending on God. When times are tough, it seems we have to have a "fall guy" to take the blame for anything. Why are gas prices high? Who's fault is it that the middle east is in turmoil? Who is going to lose their job because of the sub-prime lending crisis? Rather than repenting as a nation, we blame individuals and sink further and further into our individualistic world. Until we realize were all interconnected and one's decisions have implications for more than just themselves; and until we realize that God's discipleship process is not easy, we are not likely to see more than "one step forward and two steps back."

June 20; Day 27

2 Kings 4:8 - 2 Kings 14

Doing and believing are two separate things. As I read over the parts of the various kings I find myself always asking, why is one King good and the next king so bad? In many cases they are even father and son. Though their genetics are related, their actions really aren't. And then interspersed with the kings, the Bible records the acts of the "man of God." We see in some cases God blessing the nation because of its leadership and in other cases, God curses the nation because of its leadership.

As I read and contrast these various kings and prophets, I conclude that doing what is right by God does not always imply that you know who God is. In many cases, these kings knew what God's commands were and chose not to follow them. Of course this is disobedience and God cannot bless disobedience. In other cases they knew what God's commands were and followed them - or at least attempted to follow them - but there is never any mention about their relationship with God. The Bible doesn't record any conversation or prayer between these leaders and God. So God can appreciate the actions they took, but with out a relationship with Him, He cannot fully bless them either. In other cases - such as the case with Elisha - it records not only was he obedient (and walked in the ways of the Lord) but also his ongoing conversations and dialogues with God. We see he had a relationship.... and for this God was fully able to bless Elisha's actions and obedience.

So as I apply this to my life, in what way am I posing and pretending to know God? Am I simply being obedient to God's commands or is there on-going relationship and dialogue with God? Is he able to fully pour out his blessings on the "nation" that I'm leading because I'm doing more than complying with his laws? Simply following God's laws gets tiring. There are many times when I'm tempted to give in... to just be like the rest of the world. Yet, in those quiet moments when I take time to listen to God, he renews my strength to continue. He helps pull me back to reality and shows me the traps I'm about to walk into. HE helps me see what I would give up to gain a few moments of breaking the rules.

Help me do more than obey your commands... Help me know your heart and anticipate your ways.