Israel

by

1 Chronicles 2:7 How Will You Be Remembered?

The son of Karmi: Achar, who brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things. 1 Chronicles 2:7

Tombstones often have some words on it saying something about the person. Often, they are just child or spouse of someone else. Some will state something about the person or some common saying of the person.

People are usually remembered for something that they did great or did on a regular basis. Things that impacted others in some great way. While most people do not impact hundreds of thousands of people, some people have that level of impact.

In the genealogical records in Chronicles, Achar is listed as sone of Karmi and the one who brought trouble upon Israel by taken something that was to be destroyed according to God’s command.

Everyone is remembered for something by at least a few people. Some are remembered by many people, depending on the level of their impact. Most people feel as if their little acts will not impact a lot of people, but just themselves and maybe a few others.

A ‘small’ sinful act does not appear to impact anyone else but can have a great impact on others down the road. That sinful act tells others that maybe it is acceptable to sin, thus leading others to sin in the same way or even greater ways.

Believers are to be holy, set apart, different from the rest of the world. Every action of a believer is supposed to be a reflection on who God is and what He is like. Holding onto sin or sinful things does not represent God or lead others to God, but away from God and into sin and death.

When a believer dies, he must think about how he will be remembered–as one who was devoted to God? Or one who sinned against God and brought on trouble to others?

If you are reading this, you are still alive and can live for God. Examine your life and see if you are taking or doing things that God has banned. Jesus paid for your sins and took them away, not so you can take them back, but so that you can live completely devoted to God.

Everything you say or do will have an impact on others. Will that impact be to lead people towards God? Or away from God?

How will you be remembered–leading to or from God?

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will live your whole life for God; that you will lead others to God; that God will strengthen you to reject anything He bans; and that people will be able to remember you as one who fully loved, served and obeyed God.

by

2 Kings 17:7 Results Of Sin

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 2 Kings 17:7

There is an old saying that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Everyday people do many different things, both good and bad. Due to whatever action that one does, there is another reaction to it, sometimes good, sometimes negative. Often people do not expect anything negative to come from their actions, so they do the actions anyways.

God had destroyed Judah and sent them into exile because they had sinned against Him and worshiped other gods.

As finite human beings living in the here and now, many people do not think about the end results of their actions. The only thing on their minds is immediate pleasure.

Many nations around the world have some history of being predominantly Christian at some point in their history. Even though they had been delivered from the bondage and slavery of sin, the people of those nations have chosen to reject God and worship false gods.

Although some of these nations worship physical false gods, all work on worshiping self, self-pleasure and things. As a result, God has brought about disaster on nations and people.

Some believers have chosen to walk away from God partially or fully to live in sin and follow false gods in their lives. God works to draw them back but will allow them to suffer for their choices. Full joy, satisfaction, purpose, peace and love will elude them in worshiping the false gods. Ultimately death, eternal death awaits them.

God brings on disaster in the hopes of drawing people back to Him. As long as there is breath, there is a chance to repent and turn to Him.

You may or may not be drifting away from God following false gods in your life. If you are following any false god in your life, repent and turn back to God. He is waiting, ready and willing to forgive you of any sins you have committed against Him in following false gods and take you back as His child.

Make God the one and only God in your life. Leave the life of sin and do not go back to a life of sin and death.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will reveal any false gods in your life; that God will give you strength to leave the false gods; that you will follow and worship God alone; and that you will never go back to your old life of sin.

by

1 Kings 9:9 Why There May Be So Much Disaster

People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them–that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ 1 Kings 9:9

Every time a major disaster occurs affecting a large number of people, many will wonder why it happened. Almost immediately people will blame other people or God for what occurred. Some will blame others for the long-term effects of some action, while others blame for immediate choices made.

Seldom do people take responsibility and blame themselves for the disasters.

God told Solomon that he and the people must follow Him. If they don’t and follow other gods, He will bring great disaster on them, until the people of other nations will see and recognize that they left God, and He destroyed them.

It is sadly common for many who claim to be believers in Jesus to walk in sin and follow false gods more than following God. Sin is justified and accepted as good, twisting scripture to make it acceptable.

While God is patient and full of grace and mercy, there comes a point in which He will punish the choices of believers.

Communities or nations that begin to follow false gods as a whole and do not have true believers standing for God’s truth and ways, may begin to feel the judgement of God come upon them. He allows disasters to occur to try and get their attention back to Him so that He may forgive them and heal them of the disaster.

In the same way that Israel has experienced disasters for turning away from God, other nations have also experienced it and America is beginning to feel His strike against them. Believers need to stand strong and true for God and refuse to follow the false gods of this world to avert greater disasters.

You may be tempted at times to follow the false gods of this world–money, fame, sexual immorality, self-pleasure, or more. The world will do whatever it can to draw you away from God into its sinful pleasures that bring about death and destruction.

Focus your entire heart and life upon God and His ways. Do not allow the temptations pull you into sin and judgment. God will make a way for you out of temptation and provide more life than this world will ever offer.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will follow God alone with all of your life; that God will give you strength and direction to flee temptations to sin; that God will never have to bring disaster upon your life due to sin; and that the world will see you follow God.

by

Judges 21:25 Doing As You Want

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Judges 21:25

Everybody loves freedom. They love to be able to do and say what they want, when they want and how they want with no one to tell them that they cannot do something.

Although people know leadership and rules are needed, many will fight against leadership and rules. No one wants to be tied down to someone else’s commands. Any time that there is no one to lead or correctly guide them, people will begin to do as they see fit, throwing out most rules.

Israel had a time in which they had no king, so the people chose to do as they saw fit.

Nations that do not have a king will always have someone to lead them in some form of government. The manner in which that leader leads them will often dictate how the people will choose to live their lives.

In nations that treasures freedom, people will often put leaders in position that will not really lead but will allow freedom to reign. People are allowed to do nearly anything and everything that they want, throwing out all former rules in the belief of full freedom. The result of this is that there is chaos and death.

Many believers and churches have chosen the ways of the world, claiming freedom under grace, rather than following God’s ways.

God is a God of rules and order that bring about life, abundant and eternal life, not just a temporary pleasure. Although God’s rules may appear to be restrictive, they are there to guide one to true living.

Regardless of what national leader a believer has, God must be his king and ruler of his life. He must be willing to live as God desires, not as he sees fit.

You may live in a nation that pushes freedom or one that is more restrictive and controlling. Either one should not make a difference in how you live your life.

Make the choice to allow God to be the King and Ruler in your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to dictate every action, word and thought in your life. Living in this way will bring you life that will extend into eternity. It will remove chaos and bring about order.

Honor God with your whole life, serving Him with everything in you, not just serving self.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you make Jesus the King of your life; that you will obey the commands of God; and that you will only do what God directs you to do.

by

Judges 17:6 Results Of No Leadership

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Judges 17:6

People often desire complete, unrestricted freedom to do whatever they desire with no negative consequences. In order to gain this type of freedom, they will need to have a leadership that will not guide them or hold them accountable for their actions, or have no leadership at all.

It is rare for a group of people to have no leadership, but it is common for the leadership to allow freedom for chaos. People need to be led to keep chaos from occurring.

The former king had died and now Israel had no king. As a result, everyone did as they saw fit.

Without leadership, people will do whatever they desire, which will often lead to confusion and chaos. Selfishness and greed will rise up in the hearts of people leading them into sin and sinful activities. Instead of looking out for the good of others, all that is sought is building up self, even at the expense of others.

Believers are to be led by God. He is to be their king, their ultimate ruler or king and commander of everything that they say, do or think. Since God is eternal and has created everything, He knows what is best for each and every person. He knows how to perfectly lead in a way that if full of order and true life.

The world rejects God’s leadership, because they do not want to be held accountable and desire to please self at any expense. Upon rejection of God, all leadership is doomed to fall apart and lead to chaos. All chaos leads to is death–eternal death, which is the desire and goal of Satan.

Every person needs Jesus, a King who will lead them in the ways of God.

You must be willing to ask yourself who is king in your life. Do not allow yourself to be the king of your own life. It will only lead to death.

Put God on the throne of your life and allow Him to lead you into His ways that lead into eternal life. Rejecting God will only bring about no true leadership which will lead to death.

Are you doing only as you see fit? Or are you doing things the way God is ready and willing to lead you in? Who is your king?

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will allow God to rule over your life; that God will give you strength to reject the ways of this world; and that you will only do what God leads you to do.