June 2023

  June 8, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Kings 20-22 / John 13:18-38

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Kings 21:9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Trouble seems to always be waiting right around the corner. Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of other people’s troubles. While it is good to help someone, we must be mindful not to get ourselves into the same trouble we are trying to help them out of. Too often we invite trouble into our lives. In the Disney movie, The Lion King, Mufasa, the father lion tells his son; “I am only brave when I have to be. Being brave does not mean you go looking for trouble.” There is always trouble out there, that does not mean we must go look for it. Jesus warned of trouble in Matthew 6:34 when He said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Someone once said, “Do not trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.” That is just a clever way of saying, if you see trouble, run the other way. Stay away from trouble. 

 

        Hezekiah was a King who worshipped God. His son, Manasseh, who followed him as King of Judah, must have seen his dad’s faith in God. He knew of the captivity of Israel for not obeying God. He knew his dad destroyed the false gods, yet he rebuilt them. Even the Children of Israel around him had to know this was not right. Yet his sinful heart decided to do things his own way. Doing so is just inviting trouble. When you invite trouble in, trouble always accepts the invitation. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Some troubles of life cannot be avoided. In John 16:33 Jesus said, “…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Jesus did not say there would be no trouble, just that he is bigger than you biggest trouble.

 

Will you trust Him?

 

 

  June 7, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Kings 18-19 / John 13:1-17

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Kings 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Imagine if you will that you were watching a football game, the score was something like 28 to 7, there were three minutes left in the game and it has been the most boring non-eventful game ever. So, you turn it off and go to bed. Only to wake up in the morning to headlines of how the losing team pulled off some miracle plays and won the game, 35-28 in overtime. You get to school or work and that is all everyone is talking about, and you missed it. The lack of faith in the losing team to pull out a win caused you to miss, possibly, the greatest ending to a football game in a lifetime. What even makes it worse, is the guy who is in your face telling you, “I knew they could win; I told you, right, I told you they would win.”

 

        After reading the preceding chapters of how God allows Israel to be taken off the promised land for their sinfulness, it may be easy to imagine the next few chapters will tell how Judah was taken captive also. However, 2 King 18 says King Hezekiah loved the Lord and did that which was right before Him. Still, when we get to chapter 19, the outlook is not good. They are surrounded by the Assyrian forces and overpowered. The cities around them have been taken. Yet, God sends an invincible testament. God says the Assyrians will not take this city. How is that going to happen? Vs 34 says; “For I will defend the city, to save it.” Never underestimate our Invincible God. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        It may seem at times that the world around you is crashing in. Like there is three minutes left in the game of life and you are losing. Remember, with God on your side, the game is never over. His power is invincible, and His testament is sure.

 

Will you trust God to help you today?

 

 

  June 6, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Kings 16-17 / John 12:23-50

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Kings 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        “If you do not stop that, you are going to be in big trouble young man.” This was step one. Followed by, “I mean it, you better cut that out or you will be sorry.” That was step two. After that, it was kind of up in the air. There could be a step three which was, “this is your last warning, I have had it with you.” However, step three was not guaranteed. What am I talking about? These were the normal warnings I would hear as a child before being punished by my mom. Steps one and two were given as clear warnings. After that, I was risking it. If she was having a bad day, well step two was the end of the warnings. If dad was home, step one was the only warning. One thing I could never say was, I was not warned. I was always warned there was a price to pay for misbehaving.

 

        2 Kings 17:6 may seem to be a harsh and swift punishment by God. However, this was the result of the inevitable truth. God repeatedly warned them this would happen. 2 Kings 17:13 says; “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” They cannot say they were not warned. This was inevitable for their sin. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        I am so glad Eph. 2:4 says that God is “rich in mercy” toward us. However, this same Bible says in Gal. 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Both are inevitable truths. 

 

 Why would we ever try God’s patience??

 

 

  June 5, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Kings 14-15 / John 12:1-22

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Kings 15:28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Most of us go through life just doing, saying, and living life as it comes. Our thoughts range from what we have enjoyed in the past and would like to do again, to what is for dinner. Generally, we do not think too far into the future. If we do, it is about retirement, insurance for loved ones to live on, burial plots, and possibly a few relics we may leave to our children and grandchildren. Our thoughts seldom stretch too far past the next generation. However, have you considered that what you say, do, and how you live your life, may influence tomorrows for many hundreds of years?

 

        Throughout 1 & 2 Kings there is a familiar line we find in today’s verse. 2 Kings 15:28 says, “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.” The sins of Jeroboam made Israel to sin for a long time. Way back in 1 Kings 12 we read how he feared that the people might return to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord. If they did, they might also return to the King of Judah, and then kill Him. So selfishly, he built two calves and created a new history of how these calves were the god’s who saved Israel in the past. He set evil men up as priests for the new religion, created feast days, and made Israel worship these calves. Here in 2 Kings 15, we find Israel and their Kings still following his made-up religion. You see, what we do today may influence many tomorrows.

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Many times, I have said people are watching us. What we do, good or bad, leaves a mark and a memory on the lives of those around us. If we are going to create lifetime memories, we should be leading people closer to the God, who can help them. 

 

What memories will you leave behind?

 

 

 June 3 & 4, 2023
 June 3 – Daily Reading – 2 Kings 11-13 / John 11:38-57
 June 4 – NO READING

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Kings 12:14-15 But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD. Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Scruples? What in the world are Scruples? Some will say, I know, Scruples was a card game where players were faced with a dilemma and had to try to give an answer that would be the ethical thing to do. They would be kind of right. Some may say it was a 1980’s mini-series on TV. They too would be correct. However, just what are Scruples? The first definition of the word Scruples given by dictionary.com is “a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions.” In other words, it is a person with a conscious toward what is right. We do not hear that word used to often anymore. I wonder why?

 

        In our text today it says, “…they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen:” In other words they did not even have to count the money they handed over to the workers. No ledgers, no bookkeeping. The workers were given the money with no question as to what it would be spent on, or how much they would spend. Why was the business of the temple handled in such a careless fashion, you might ask? That is answered in the last line of today’s verse; “…for they dealt faithfully.” They could be trusted. These were moral upright men of God. They served with a conscience. They had SCRUPLES! A moral consideration for God and His work that kept them from doing wrong. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Oh, that the world today would see Christians in this light again. Moral, Upright, Faithful, People of character, and believers who live by the standard of God’s Word. Men and women with SCRUPLES!

 

Call it what you will, do people see you as
Faithful, Upright, Scrupulous?

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

          In each of the devotions this week, and every week, we see the hand of God at work. That is Who We Seek. We saw Him in the devotion:

   ● That’s What He Said
  ● That’s What He Sought
  ● That’s When It Stopped
  ● That’s What He Saw
  ● That Was Their Sin
  ● That Word Is Scruples 

      In preparation for your Sunday worship of your Lord and Saviour, pray today that He will meet you where you need Him most because, That is Who We Seek.

       Enjoy today with your church and hear what God has prepared in the heart of His man for you this week.

   See you tomorrow.  

 

 SUNDAYS:

       Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastors heart. Whatever scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs.

June 5, 2023	2 Kings 14-15	John 12:1-22
June 6, 2023	2 Kings 16-17	John 12:23-50
June 7, 2023	2 Kings 18-19	John 13:1-17
June 8, 2023	2 Kings 20-22	John 13:18-38
June 9, 2023	2 Kings 23-24	John 14
June 10, 2023	2 Kings 25	John 15
June 11, 2023	No Passages Assigned

That is Who We Seek