When an entire nation strays from God . . .

Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. (1 Kings 16:30-33)

When an entire nation strays from God . . .

During his 22-year reign “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” (v. 30). After marrying Jezebel, a Sidonian princess, Ahab formally sanctioned Baal worship in Israel. Jezebel was a Baal worshiper and Ahab supported her to the point of constructing a shrine for Baal and an Asherah pole (vv. 32–33).

It is hard to ignore the impact of this moment on Israel’s history. The nation was teetering on a knife's edge. None of its kings had been righteous—not a single one! Its history had been characterized by violence, chaos, and increasing theological drift. Now their king was partnering with his wife to draw Israel into worship of a rival deity.

This sounds so much like our world . . . our Nation today. A country once built upon Godly principles has shifted sideways.  Our political leaders are endorsing and making ungodly laws and the people of God are quiet. When we do speak we are silenced. Politicians claiming to be CHRISTian dare name the name of Jesus publicly. 

What is our role in such an ungodly Nation and world? Will we allow our Nation to receive the punishment of God or step up for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

In His footsteps. . . . to our youth

Walk where Jesus would have you to walk. Live the life He has designed for you. Follow His footprints, not the world's.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

God has designed a plan for each of us. We choose the path we will walk however. After all, Jesus walked this earth. He designed in fact! Why not trust Him rather than the world? 

The world and its ruler wold have us to choose a different path. He wants us to chase riches, people, fame, applause, and quick fixes. God wants us to chase eternity with Him. We get to choose. His path is not always easy, but it is best. The struggles are worth it, as long as we are struggling with God and not against Him!

Young people . . . please choose Christ!

we learn from our mistakes

 Learning from our mistakes . . .  are we?

And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house down upon himself with fire, and died, because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin. (1 Kings 16:18-19)

We would like to think that we learn from our mistakes. Unfortunately, we often repeat them again and again. In 1 Kings, we witness a generational chain of sin where no one seemed to learn from failures. We like to talk about how foolish the Jewish people were, yet we see to do the same. How long do we keep making the same mistakes before we realize how dumb we are?

What should we learn from this period of instability and chaos? First, we see the far-reaching consequence of Jeroboam’s sins. The decision to turn from the Lord led to complete chaos. But we must remember that while God was disciplining them, He had not abandoned them.

We have time to turn from our lifestyle of sin. God is patient, but how patient? 

trust God and value family

 Trusting God?

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)

These seem like simple words, but so many say they trust God yet worry to death about money. While money is needed, God is essential to life! 

I often ask young people, "How much money is enough?" I receive answers like; "six figures", "$100,000 a year", even "millions!" 

I have learned the value of hard work and many times long work, but one thing I have learned more than anything is to trust God and value family. Money is not my priority, but a tool for our life's ministry. 

What about you?

Do not take His Word for granted . . .

It might sound like a simple statement, but do not take His Word for granted . . .

(Matthew 11:28-30) "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.""

We all (Christ followers that is) love to read His Word. We love to share it when others are struggling, when they are tired, even when they are sick or even lost a loved one. However, when we need the Word for ourselves . . . like I do today . . . we sometimes take it for granted, like they are merely words!

As a teacher of high school students, this time of year is busy to say the least; proms, dinners, college signings, college visits, recommendations, and oh yeah  . . . graduations! It has been ramped up a bit this year for me as my wife and I both sponsor classes who have been tasked with planning the junior/senior prom and senior Baccalaureate celebrations respectively. To make things more challenging, my wife has been dealing with an on-the-job back injury which has limited her ability to be the active Eveready Bunny she usually is.

Whew . . . . take a breath . . . it is almost over! One event to go . . . graduation! God is able!

I am leaning on the verses above today as I am existing on fumes. We are almost done . . . the finish line is in sight. Gotta keep pushing! I will not take His Word for granted!

So who doesn't want to be happy?

So who doesn't want to be happy?

https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs 

The bible reads that blessed, or happy is the man who delights in the ways of God and seeks out His words throughout the day.

(Psalms 1:1-3 ) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Some advice not only for those I teach/coach/mentor who are moving on to college and careers, but for those of us a bit older as well. You 'wanna be happy? Seek God and follow His ways!

This does not mean to keep your head in the bible all day or stay locked into your prayer closet. It simply means to stay focused upon Him ad His directions. Surround oneself with Godly influences .  . . . including social media, entertainment, and other media. Real success only comes from knowing the Lord and His will for each of us.

God is still a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! 

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011%3A6&version=KJV

Go ahead . . . be happy!

God chooses!

Choose today . . .

God does what He chooses and when He chooses. Despite His blessings to each of us, if we do not agree with Him and honor Him, He can take away everything He once granted us. He is God and we are not! Just consider Solomon . . .

And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you  (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),  because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.  However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes.  But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes. And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. (1 Kings 11:31-36)

Solomon had his life and legacy laid before him. He was heir to David's throne and God had granted him all the wisdom in the world. However, he ignored it and decided to follow the world . . . and lost it all. Yet unlike the prodigal son, we do not hear much of his turning back to God, simply regret. (Ecclesiastes 2)

God chooses to bless whom He chooses. Yet He can also choose to remove those blessings and pass them on to someone else. Will we live a life of regret or a life of obedience and blessings? 

Choose today! (Joshua 24:15)

A heart not loyal to the Lord God

But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. (1 Kings 11:1-4)

Where are our hearts today? It shows in the choices we make. Solomon did not follow after the teachings of his father David. God was clear to the children of Israel: Do not marry outside of your faith. Solomon did not heed the instruction and as a result he turned toward other foreign gods and worshipped them.

We read further that Solomon would keep his kingdom as God promised David, but his children would lose it. The Kingdom of Israel would be torn apart as a result of the choices of Solomon . . . pleasing his desires over pleasing his God.

How are our choices impacting our lives?
Do we even realize the results, or are we so caught up in this world that we cannot even see it?
Have we turned from our God and began to worship the gods of this world?

Godly advice . . .

 Godly advice . . . common sense really . . . to help our youth!

(1 Peter 5:5-9) Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Let's break these words from Peter down to some commons sense advice for our youth.

• Listen to your elders and heed their advice.
  
• Live humbly, not boastfully.
• Trust God.
• Know what is going on in the world.
• Satan is alive and well . . . and well-disguised!
• You are not alone in your struggles!

Great advice from a struggling apostle for our struggling youth and we adults struggling to help them navigate life. 

With all that wisdom . . . Except. . . .

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. (1 Kings 3:1-3)

In the verses following, God would grant Solomon all the wisdom he needed for life as a king. Except, he began to stray to foreign women and foreign gods! With all that wisdom . . .

We too can make some dumb decisions, even though we know better. We like to say how ridiculous the Jewish people were in their decision making, yet we do the same day after day. After all, we have eternal salvation in Christ . . . He died on the cross for us . . . yet we still sin! We say we love the Lord and we are His children, except we still choose sin.

Grace is not to be abused! We have work to do!

The stories of the Bible are not fairy tales!

Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn . . . (1 Kings 2:1-3)

As Solomon took over for David, there was much blood shed and violence. Decisions had to be made and lives were in the balance. There was no time for compromise or back room deals to be made. God's will needed to be carried out swiftly.

The violence in these verses makes them difficult to read. Revenge was the order of the day. But we must remember that the stories of the Bible are not fairy tales! Battles were fought, men and women died. God had given Solomon the throne, but that did not mean he would be exempt from the challenges that came with possessing it.

We face at work or at home that are sometimes challenging and even distasteful. Our challenges are not fairy tales either. They are real and life changing to us, even if not to others.  

Rather than seeing them as a burden, what if we viewed them as God’s appointed work? Let's ask God for His wisdom as we engage in these difficult situations, that He will help us act in obedience to Him.