Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Kristyn Getty singing their song Speak O Lord, declaring the desire we all should have as Christians to seek out God’s truth and direction through His word.
Highlight Passage: 2nd Chronicles 16:9a [NKJV] …
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. …
… Follow God = All is well1 … WELL, … perhaps not!
===========
Highlight Context – 2nd Chronicles 15-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Asa refused to rely on God and suffered the consequences - along with God’s people.
============
Reference Passage #1 - Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… But are we willing to do so?
Reference Passage #2 - Luke 9:23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… As often as I cite this verse, I hope you know it’s truth … and live by it!!
Reference Passage #3 - Romans 8: 28 [NKJV] …
28 All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purposes.
… Knowing this, … believing it, … and living it are very different things, aren’t they?
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Tim Gustafson, cited an Old Testament reference about King Asa to illustrate how we might think God’s ways are simplistic and easy to follow, especially in the Old Testament. The ODB author wrote, … Life seems straightforward in the laws of the Old Testament. Obey God and get blessed. Disobey Him and expect trouble. It’s a satisfying theology. But is it that simple? King Asa’s story seems to fit the pattern. He led his people away from false gods and his kingdom thrived (2 Chron. 15:1–19). Then late in his reign, he depended on himself instead of God (16:2–7) and the rest of his life was marked by war and illness (v. 12).
Seems straight forward and simple to follow, doesn’t it? Do right by God and all goes well. Mess up; and get messed up. Well … not so fast. What do you do about Job, … who was just an upright guy and loved the Lord; … and WHAMMO?!! And there was Joseph, who really did the right thing in refusing to bed his master’s wife; and … WHAMMO!! And there was Jeremiah, who was a chosen Prophet of God and was totally obedient in carrying God’s message to Judah; … and, you guessed it … WHAMMO!!
So, life is not just a simple “do well and walk in the roses” formula, is it? … No, life can be - and often is - way messy!! And in some respects, it’s like a minefield at times; and as we walk, we don’t always know where the mines are. But as I learned years ago; and now I often teach others: “Would you rather go first - on your own - through the minefield; or would it be better to follow someone who knows were the mines are? … DUH!!! … No brainer, right?
Well, … God has given us the Master mine locator in our Savior and Lord, … King Jesus! … And I don’t know about you, but I plan to do all I can to follow Him - step-by-step - through the minefields for the rest of my life.
My Prayer Today: O, Heavenly Father, … O Lord, shine Your light brightly on my path so I can know where to step today. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment