DEVOTIONS

  July 5, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 28-30 / Acts 9:1-19

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 29:36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        I am amazed at today’s verse. Not even the entire verse. Just the last line. “… for the thing was done suddenly.” If I did not know better, it would sound like this revival took place overnight. However, there was a lot of work that went into this renewal of worshiping of God. In the first part of the chapter, Hezekiah is made King, and decides to lead these people back to worshiping the Lord. He has the temple doors reopened that Ahaz had nailed shut. He then tells the priests and Levites to clean up everything, beginning with their own hearts. Following this cleaning and restoration of the Temple, they began the process of sacrificing animals for the sins of the King, and the past sins of the leaders and the nation. Next, the people began to bring in their sacrifices to be offered up for their own sin. So many, that the priests could not keep up and had to enlist the help of other Levites to flay the animals for the priests to sacrifice. The singers and musicians then assembled, and the people began to sing and praise the Lord. Does that sound like it just suddenly happened? 

        However, if we read the verse again, it does not say all the preparation to worship happened suddenly. What happened suddenly was, God had prepared the hearts of the people for the work to be done and the worship to be given. When God moves on His people, it does not take long to see the evidence of God’s hand in their life. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        When God saves our soul, it happens in an instant. However, the work He does in our lives to make us more like His Son Jesus can take a lifetime. People’s lives at the moment of salvation change suddenly, but the changes in that life can take time. 

Has God suddenly changed you?

  July 4, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 24-27 / Acts 8

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 25:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        A father and four-year-old daughter were heading off in the family car. When they got in the dad said, “Honey, you need to sit down and buckle your seat belt.” To which the daughter replied, “but daddy, when I sit down and can’t see out the window. I want to stand up.” The dutiful father said, “You have to sit down, it’s the law.” Now the daughter began to cry saying,” but daddy, I won’t be able to see everything.” The father, growing impatient said, “Sit down! If you do not, I will take you back in the house and leave you home.” Reluctantly, the girl sat down and buckled in. A few minutes into the trip the father glanced over at his daughter to see her sitting there with her eyes closed smiling just a big as he had ever seen. He asked her, “sweetheart, what has you smiling?” The little girl said, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside.”

 

      In 2 Chron. 25:2 it says of King Amaziah; “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.” He performed his religious duties, however, not for the right reasons. His worship rituals were at best a halfhearted obedience. In verses 7-9 he questions God’s wisdom about a battle and complains about how much money was spent on the battle. He is reminded God can take care of both situations. Doing a spiritual duty just to get it done is not worship. It becomes work and is worthless.  

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Why do we pray, read our bibles, attend church, or serve in ministries? God designed all these things to help draw us closer to Him. Yet, doing them with little focus on God, and intending to just get them done, may not be helping.

 

Has Worship of God become a Spiritual Duty?

 

 

  July 3, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 21-23 / Acts 7:30-60

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 21:20 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        I have thought in the past, one of the saddest sights to see is a person who has lived so long that they have outlived all their relatives and friends. They come to enjoy a very long life, but they come to this day of departure with no living earthly companions. No one to morn on their day of farewell. However, I have come to think there is one sadder than that. It is someone who has lived a short life, who has many family members, and those who have been brought up with them who are still alive, but at their passing, no one cares that this person is gone. Or worse, they are kind of glad for their departure. How sad. 

 

       Jehoram was given the kingdom of Judah, simply because He was the oldest son of King Jehoshaphat when he died. He started out as king following the wrong people. He married the daughter of wicked King Ahab of Israel. Instead of following his father’s example, 2 Chronicles 21:6 says he did evil like his wife’s father. Even God was displeased with him as King and sent him a message through Elijah the prophet. God says in 2 Chronicles 21:13 that his brothers, who he had killed, were better than he was. Verse 20 of this chapter records the end of his sad life. When it comes to the end of his short forty-year life, and dies from a disease God has given him, it says; “…and departed without being desired.” … Meaning no one cared or regretted his death. They would not even bury him with the former kings.. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        When we come to the end of our journey, we do not need to be famous or wealthy. What we do need is to have a testimony that God can use to lead others to himself, through a well lived life for Christ.

 

What will the preacher and God have to work with when you exit this life?

 

 

 July 1 & 2, 2023
 July 1 – Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 18-20 / Acts 7:1-29
 July 2 – NO READING

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” We have all heard these words as someone prepares to testify in a courtroom or takes the oath of office in the United States. This is not just a pledge. It is a pledge invoking the name of the Lord God Almighty. The one true God, who does not take pledging lightly. When you say I do, you are saying that you will not only tell the truth, but that you will tell all the truth to the best of your ability, and not make anything up that is not the truth. Judges are also required to take an oath before they set in judgment of others. Almost every oath includes an anti-bribery statement and a non-partisan statement. Where did they get that idea?

 

        In our text today, King Jehoshaphat set up judges to judge situations that might arise in the cities. He tells them in 2 Chronicles 19:6 “And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.” In other words, what you do is serious because you are judging for God, and He is watching. In the next verse, they are given three oaths to abide by. No iniquity, or sinful dealings. Nor respect of persons. No racial, economical, or gender biases. And finally, nor taking of gifts, or no bribes. That sounds like the anti-bribery, non-partisan statements of judicial systems today. Old fashioned, Bible Basics. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Whether standing before a courtroom full of people, or taking an oath of office, these are principles that God has always endorsed. Jesus died for all humanity, non-partisan. To pay for our sin, no iniquity. No gift can buy that, no bribery.

 

Do you see that as the whole truth?

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

      In the midst of our everyday lives, there is a Wonderful Reality. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We have seen that this week in:

 

  ● Wise Request
  ● Worshipful Rest
  ● Welcome Response
  ● Wrong Reasoning
  ● Worldly Relations
  ● What’s Right

      To know that God loves us, sent His Son Jesus to die for us, rose again, and ever lives for us is a Wonderful Reality.

       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.

July 3, 2023	2 Chron. 21-23	Acts 7:30-60
July 4, 2023	2 Chron. 24-27	Acts 8
July 5, 2023	2 Chron. 28-30	Acts 9:1-19
July 6, 2023	2 Chron. 31-33	Acts 9:20-43
July 7, 2023	2 Chron. 34-36	Acts 10:1-22
July 8, 2023	Ezra 1-3	Acts 10:23-48
July 9, 2023	No Passages Assigned

Wonderful Reality

 

  June 30, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 14-17 / Acts 6

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Every day we are faced with decisions. What do I have for breakfast? What clothes should I wear? Many of these decisions may not seem important, but we never know. For example, one lady every year, when fixing the Christmas ham, cuts two inches off each end before placing it in the baking pan. Her husband asked; “Why do you do that?” She said, “Mom always did that, so I do.” She called her mom and asked why she did that. Her mom said, “your grandma always did that, so I did too.” So, she called grandma and asked why did you always cut two inches off the ham before cooking it?” Grandma said, “Oh dear, I did so because the only pan I had to bake with was too small for the ham, so I cut some off each end to make it fit.”

 

        Asa, King of Judah, enjoyed years of peace in his nation. This peace resulted from his decision to follow God, and to lead Judah to do the same. 2 Chron. 14:5-6 said the kingdom was quiet before him because the Lord had given him rest. Even when there was a huge battle with the Ethiopians, Asa called upon and trusted in God, and God delivered for him a great defeat. Yet, later in his reign, when another battle came up, instead of trusting God again, he called upon the worldly Syrians for help. In 2 Chron. 16:7-9 he was told; because you did not rely on the God who has always blessed you and defended you, but instead trusted in worldly relations, your days of peace are over. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        I love the song, “This World Is Not My Home.” It reminds me that, even though I dwell in this place called earth, I have a Heavenly Father who loves and watches out for me while I am here, until I get HOME. Man will let you down. God will lift you UP! 

 

Who do you rely on for daily help?