June 30: 2 Chronicles 19-23

June 30, 2 Chronicles 19-23

2 Chronicles 19 After the battle, Jehoshaphat returned in safety to Jerusalem. He was met by Jehu, the prophet, who told him that he had helped the wicked (Ahab) and helped those against the Lord. But there was some good in Jehoshaphat and he destroyed the Asherah’s, and also had his heart to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and appointed Judges over the people and called all the people to get right before the Lord, to be just, and to fear the Lord. Also - stop taking bribes or showing partiality. He also set appointed Levites and priests to give judgments on Israel in the disputed cases - but all under the fear of the Lord. 

2 Chronicles 20 After this, the Moabites & Ammonites came against Judah for battle, a lot of them. Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned to seek the Lord. Additionally, he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. Judah assembled the people to seek the Lord.

Here we get records of Jehoshaphat’s prayer. Basically, they are corporately seeking the Lord and we see a great example of a prayer, as Jehoshaphat reveres God and His attributes. In his prayer to God, we learn the following about God: He is God in Heaven, Ruler, Powerful, Mighty, Warrior, Savior, Judge, and Guide. He also recognized that they are powerless without God and their eyes are on Him. 

Meanwhile, all Judah was standing before the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord came upon a prophet, Jahaziel, “Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s." God was going to fight this battle for them. “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” And it was so. What was the result in God’s people? Jehoshaphat bowed his head to the ground and worshipped the Lord and they praised God with a loud voice. They got up early the next morning and Jehoshaphat reminded them to believe in God and His prophets, and they will succeed. And a very famous refrain that we can all repeat and cry out:

“Give thanks to the Lord,

    for his steadfast love endures forever.”

When they were praising and singing, God set an ambush against the enemies coming after them. They basically attacked each other and literally all of them were destroyed. When Jehoshaphat and the people went to go check on it, they were all dead and there was with them many great goods, clothing and precious things - they took all they could carry - it took them 3 days to gather all the spoil, they were blessed by God. They returned to Jerusalem praising God and the fear of the Lord came upon all the surrounding countries that heard of what God did for them. God gave Judah rest. At the end of Jehoshaphat’s life, he made a commercial alliance with Ahaziah, Israel’s King, to make ships. Eliezer, the prophet, prophesied against it and said, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.” 

2 Chronicles 21 Jehoshaphat died and his son Jehoram reigned in his place. He had brothers that Jehoshaphat took good care of with gifts and things, but Jehoram was given the Kingdom. As soon as he was King of Judah, he killed all his brothers and the princes of Israel. He was 32 when he became King, lasted only 8 years and acted like Israelite Kings. Oh yeah, he married Ahab’s (King of Israel) daughter and like many before him, “And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” But because God made a covenant with David, He was not willing to destroy Judah. 

Jehoram made high places for false worship and brought Judah into whoredom and made Judah go astray. Then he gets a letter from Elijah, the Prophet. “Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father's house, who were better than you, behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.” Nothing is hidden from God. If you obey God blesses you. If you disobey, you may end up having your bowels come out of your body. 

The Lord stirred up anger in the Philistines against Jehoram and they attacked and took all the possessions of Jehoram, including his wives and kids. They left only one son, Jehoahaz. Then God struck Jehoram with the disease and he died a painful death. Judah did not even give him a proper burial. Do you want this to be your legacy? “And he departed with no one's regret.”

2 Chronicles 22 So, the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Judah) made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, King in his place. He was 22 when he became King and only lasted for 1 year. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and acted like Ahab - Ahaziah’s mom was his counsellor and gave wicked advice. He went to war with Syria and was wounded. God ordained it that Ahaziah would travel where he did… He was on his way to meet up with Jehu, whom God anointed to destroy the house of Ahab, and while he was doing that, he also destroyed Ahaziah (killed). So, the wicked mom, Athaliah, found out that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all that was left of the royal family (hers) and reigned in his place. However, Jehoshabeath was the daughter of the King, she took Joash and hid him for 6 years. Yup - the mom was wicked alright. 

2 Chronicles 23 Finally, a reprieve from all the nastiness! Jehoiada was a priest and he entered into a covenant with he commanders of Judah. He also gathered all the Levites from around Judah. He called an assembly and revealed that the King’s son was still alive, and that he should reign. Jehoiada was bringing back what had been lost - the law and fear of God. He reinstated Sabbath, guarding the temple, Levitical rules and the like. The Levites and all of Judah did what Jehoiada said. Then they brought the kings son, Joash and they anointed him King. When the mom, Athaliah heard the noise she cried out that this was treason. She was killed, not in the temple of course. 

Jehoiada then made a covenant between himself and all the people and the King that they should be God’s people. They agreed. They tore down the false altars, broke down the house of Baal and killed the Baal priest. The people were on the right track again…

To sum it all up:

• We are also called like those in Judah, to get right before the Lord, to be just, and to fear the Lord. Also - stop taking bribes or showing partiality.
• For us, do not be afraid, God is fighting our battles for us when we go to Him and rely on Him (not on our own strength).
• What is your legacy? Did you live your life for you or for the service of others? Will anyone say about you, And he departed with no one's regret…?
• Remember, God guides all and ordains all. Rest in that assurance. 

June 29: 1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18

June 29, 1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18

1 Kings 22 Syria & Israel continued without war for 3 years. There was a city named Ramoth-gilead that Syria had hung on to. Ahab, Israel’s King, wanted to get back Ramoth-gilead and enticed Jehoshaphat to go with him to get it. Now Israel & Judah were going to work together. However, being a godly man, Jehoshaphat King of Judah wanted to seek God’s will first. So Ahab gathered most of the prophets together and all of them unanimously agreed that they should go to battle and they would conquer. There was another prophet who was not there, that being Micaiah. There was only one problem, Ahab hated him because every prophecy he gives is against Ahab! One of the prophets made for himself horns of iron and said that with these horns they shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed, and all the other prophets agreed with him - triumph was guaranteed!

Still, they called for Micaiah anyway. He was warned to give a favorable prophecy to Ahab, just like all the other prophets. However, Micaiah said that whatever God tells him to say he will say. I am pasting some of the text here, because it is so powerful! “And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”  And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.” Wow! Look at the dialogue that we get to be privy to? There are no limits as to what God can and will do to accomplish His will.

Then one of them came up to Micaiah and punched him in the face, furious about what he just heard - they are all liars and only you hear from God? Micaiah was arrested and Ahab said to keep him until he returns. Micaiah said that if Ahab returns from war, Micaiah is a liar and God has not spoken through him. 

Well, you can guess how this one turns out! Ahab, being sneaky, decides to disguise himself in battle, while leaving Jehoshaphat in the royal robes. In battle, they spotted that Ahab was disguised and an archer shot an arrow between the scale armor and breastplate of Ahab. He died that night, like was prophesied. 

The Prophet was right. God had His way.

Jehoshaphat was a good King, like Asa his Dad. He died. 

2 Chronicles 18 is not much different than that of 1 Kings 22, except for the Chronicler points out how devious Ahab was and how much (vs 31) God was for Jehoshaphat, making it all work out for him.

To sum it all up:

• Remember, God is Sovereign and will have His way, even if it seems ludicrous to us
• Crazy story isn't it? Do you believe that God’s Word is truth, especially here? I do. I will live and die by God’s Words. 

June 28: 1 Kings 20, 21

June 28, 1 Kings 20, 21

1 Kings 20 We learned from 1 Kings 15 that Ben-hadad, King of Syria, broke his covenant with the King of Israel and made a covenant with Judah. Now, Ben-hadad has gathered his large army to attack Israel. He wants to reduce Israel to basically be his slaves. He requested all the silver and gold of Ahab, King of Israel, along with his wives and kids. Ahab was going to do it, but the elders of Israel told him not to. 

Then a prophet came to Ahab and told him that there was going to be war, and that Ahab was to start it and that they would win - so that he would know that God is Lord. He mustered up an army that was way smaller than that of Ben-hadad’s. Israel went out at noon towards the Syrians, meanwhile Ben-hadad was getting drunk with a bunch of his leaders. Israel completely pummeled Syria that day and Ben-hadad escaped. A prophet came to warn Israel to get ready for a spring battle, as was the customary time to go to war. Meanwhile, Ben-hadad was also getting ready for a massive spring battle, with advantages that he was scheming on. 

As God spoke, Ahab won the battle again. Ahab spared Ben-hadad’s life, and made a covenant with him and let him go. 

Then a prophet went to a man, as the Lord commanded him, and told another man to strike him. The man refused, and his punishment for disobeying God was immediate death. A lion killed him. Then the prophet said to the next man, strike me, and the man did and wounded him. Stay with me… So then, the prophet disguised himself and put a bandage over his eyes. Then comes by Ahab and the prophet gives an illustration of choosing to disobey or obey. Then the prophet removes his bandage and Ahab knows he is a prophet, and the prophet said to him, ”Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people”. Ahab went home vexed and sullen. Stay tuned…

1 Kings 21 We now deviate back to Elijah! We learn of a man called Naboth, who owned a vineyard. King Ahab wanted it, so he went and offered to Naboth money or a better piece of land. Naboth refused the King, because he did not want to give to Ahab the inheritance from his fathers. Ahab went home vexed and sullen, again! Jezebel, his wife, couldn't believe that he was refusing to eat and so depressed. She reminded him that he was king and to get up and do something about it. Instead, she did. She set up Naboth for absolute failure by having wicked men falsely accuse Naboth. And it happened just like that. Naboth was accused of cursing God and he was stoned to death. Jezebel got her way and now Naboth could have the vineyard and he took possession of it. 

“Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.” Elijah is to go call out Ahab, and that is what he does. Ahab has caused Israel to sin.

Ahab was an incredibly wicked man. Yet, when Ahab heard this, he repented like never before and God relented from killing him. That being said, God would bring destruction upon his son. 

To sum it all up:

• Lots going on here. Underlying theme is to fight the lure of wickedness and pursue righteousness. Obey what God is calling you to.

June 27: 1 Kings 17-19

June 27, 1 Kings 17-19

1 Kings 17 We are now introduced to Elijah, a prophet. Ahab is the 7th King of Israel and did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all the Kings before him. Elijah goes to him and lets him know that there is going to be a sever drought for 3 years. This drought was ordained by God, and we soon will see why. God told Elijah to go into hiding at a brook, where God would provide for him food from ravens that feed him, and water from the brook. Elijah obeyed, and God fed him well. Soon, the brook dried up, so God told him to go to another town, where a widow would take care of him. He obeyed. 

He got to the town and found the widow collecting sticks. He asked her for some bread and water, and she said that she was down to her last little bit of food - she was gathering sticks she and her son could have one last meal together and die from starvation. Elijah told her “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” She did as Elijah said, and God did what He said He would do. 

A little while later, the widow’s son died and she blamed Elijah. Elijah went and prayed over the boy to the Lord, and God supernaturally brought the boy back to life. After this, the widow fully believed that Elijah was a man of God - not sure how the miracle of food never running out wasn't enough to convince her, but I only see in part…

1 Kings 18 Some time later, God told Elijah to go confront Ahab and the rains will soon come. At this time, Israel did not serve God, but Baal and Asherah. The famine was severe throughout the land. Ahab tells Obadiah, his servant who loved God and even secretly took a hundred prophets of God and hid them in a cave and fed them, to go look for grass for the animals. Ahab went one way and Obadiah went the other way to look. On his journey, Obadiah ran into Elijah. Elijah tells Obadiah that he needs to go tell Ahab that Elijah is here and wants to meet with him. Obadiah, rightfully so, thought it was a bad idea and that he may be killed for doing so. Elijah was not real popular to Baal worshippers, because he opposed them. Regardless, Obadiah obeyed and the stage is set for them to meet. 

When Ahab saw Elijah, he called him a ‘troubler of Israel.’ Elijah responded, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.” True statement. Elijah wanted all the prophets of Baal and Asherah to gather (850 false prophets total). 

Elijah wanted to prove that God is real and Baal/Asherah are not, so he challenged the false prophets to put their money where their mouth is. Here is the quick summary: You get a bull to sacrifice to your gods, and I get a bull to sacrifice to my God. Whichever God/god answers with fire, is the real God/god. They liked the idea, so they set it up. They made their altar and sacrificed their bull and danced and cried out all day. Around noon, Elijah started mocking them, saying things like, “maybe he is relieving himself…” I think that is funny! When Baal was not answering them, they started cutting themselves (customary in those times) until the blood was gushing. No fire. 

Then Elijah made his altar. He repaired one of the old altars that was for the Lord that was torn down, and he also grabs and uses 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. He made a trench around the altar and poured water on the altar and they did it so much that it filled the trench (wet wood does not burn well…). Elijah announced it this way, “let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Elijah wanted the people to see that the Lord is the only true God. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” That is our God, Mighty and Powerful. Then Elijah had the men there seize all the false prophets and killed all of them (850). 

Then Elijah instructs Ahab to go home and have some dinner, because the rains are coming! Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and told his servant to look for rain, and the heavens opened upland poured down rain. Elijah ran to Ahab’s house…

1 Kings 19 Meanwhile, Ahab told his wife, Jezebel, what Elijah had done. Jezebel sent messengers to Elijah basically saying by tomorrow she would have him killed for killing all of her prophets. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. He did not seek God in this and we are also not told that the Lord told him to do that. He was sitting under a tree and he wanted to die. An angel touched him and told him to get up and eat. So he did, and the angel did it again, explaining that the journey he was about to go on was long and he needed it. So he ate. Then he arose and spent 40 days and nights on Horeb, the mountain of God, with only the food that he ate. 

He came to a cave and stayed in there. Then the Word of the Lord came to him and asked him what he was doing. God had not told him to do the running or hiding. Yet God provided for him. Elijah seemed to have forgotten all of the amazing things that God had done and was having a pity party. So, God put His power on display for Elijah. God told Elijah to and stand on the mountain and watch. God displayed strong winds, then an earthquake, then a fire - and the Lord was not in any of them. Then came a low whisper, and God asked Elijah what he was doing here. Elijah still missed the point of what God had just displayed for him, and gave God a litany of things that Elijah had done for God (not the other way around). 

God told him to head back down and anoint Jehu as King over Israel and “Elisha… you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” That is a crazy word from the Lord. New King. New prophet. Nonbelievers are to die. 7,000 saved (that is not a lot of people that have not bowed to Baal…).

Elijah found Elisha, as he was plowing a field. Elisha was very excited about the opportunity to mentor under Elijah. All Elisha wanted was to kiss his parents goodbye. So he did, and he sacrificed the oxen that he was plowing the field with and gave it to the people.

To sum it all up:

• Everything is ordained for God’s purpose. Even if you don’t understand what is going on, trust that God is in control and is working on everything behind the scenes to have His purpose fulfilled. 
• When you come to the Lord, when He calls you, you are to leave your former life and follow Him. That may look different for different people, but we are new in Christ, the old has passed and the new has come. If you claim to follow Christ, does your life look any different now than it did before? 

June 26: 1 Kings 15:25‐16:34, 2 Chronicles 17

June 26, 1 Kings 15:25‐16:34, 2 Chronicles 17

1 Kings 15:25-34 We left on in the beginning of chapter 15 with Asa being obedient to God and continual wars between Israel & Juda. 

We move on to looking into the lives of some of the kings of Israel. Nabad, Jeroboam’s son, is now King. And, “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.” Brace yourself, this is going to be pretty common in Israel for the next couple hundred years. Nabad had an adversary named Baasha, son of Abijah. He killed Nabad and reigned in his place. Once King, he killed all the people of Jeroboam’s house (per the prophecy…). Baasha reigned for 24 years and also “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” There was continual war between Asa & Baasha.

1 Kings 16 Jehu got a Word from the Lord against Baasha. God’s judgment was coming on Baasha’s house because he was like Jeroboam. Death was coming. 

Elah, Baasha’s son, ruled next - for 2 years (you can see where this is going). His servant, Zimri, conspired against him and when Elah was drunk, Zimri killed him and reigned in his place. When he became King, he killed everyone in Baasha’s house, per the prophecy. After 7 days of being King, Omri and Israel (the commander of the army), killed him and burned his house down, because he “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Israel was divided - half followed Tibni, half followed Omri. Tibni died, Omri is now King. Omri “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” and died.” Next King was Omri’s son, Ahab. and he “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.“ It must have been bad! He served false gods, made baal a house and did all sorts of abominable things to God. What a horrible season for the Israelites!

2 Chronicles 17 Back to Judah… Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, reigned in his place as King. He was not like the current Israelite Kings. Rather, “the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.” Now, that is much better and for the most part, he stays the course. 

Jehoshaphat sent his officials to go to the cities of Judah to teach God’s law. And they did. God used Jehoshaphat to strengthen Judah spiritually and militarily. What was the result? “The fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.” Remember, obey and you are in God’s favor, disobey and you are not.  

To sum it all up:

• Sin leads to death. Sin leads to more sin. Kill the sin in your life before it kills you.
• Remember, obey and you are in God’s favor, disobey and you are not. I am not trying to oversimplify it, but it really is that simple. Easy, no. Simple, yes. Simply chose that regardless of what battles you have coming up or are currently in, you will covenant to stay faithful to God and rely on Him fully. 

June 25: 1 Kings 15:1‐24, 2 Chronicles 13‐16

June 24, 1 Kings 15:1‐24, 2 Chronicles 13‐16

1 Kings 15:1-24 continues to show the cycles that Israel & Judah will be going through for some time. During Jeroboam’s reign in Israel, Abijah became King over Judah. He only reigned for about 3 years. He did what was evil in God’s sight and didn't follow what God had called him to. God wanted His kings to be like David - pursuing God with their whole heart (except for David having Uriah killed because he slept with his wife and impregnated her).

Then we are introduced to a very brief overview of Asa, who becomes King over Judah. He was King for 41 years and did what was right in God’s sight. He went so far as to removed his mother from being queen because she had made an abominable image. He tore it down and burned it.

There was war continually between Asa & Baasha (King of Israel). Asa made a covenant with Ben-hadad (the son of the king of Syria) just like their dads did. Ben-hadad broke his covenant with the King of Israel and made a covenant with Judah. Therefore, King Baasha (Israel) stopped building Ramah (a place only a few miles from Judah’s capital). Confusing? Simply put, Judah & Israel are continually fighting and Judah just made another ally against Israel. 

2 Chronicles 13 takes the 1st eight verses of 1 Kings 15 and explains them with more detail for the Chroniclers readers. We get insight into what the war looked liked between Abijah and Jeroboam - a battle between kingdoms. Abijah declared Judah’s love for God and how they put all their trust in God, whereas Israel & Jeroboam have made false gods, kicked out the priests and Levites and serve false gods. Therefore, Abijah put Jeroboam and the Israelites on warning that they were not fighting them, but God. The odds were against Judah as well. Israel had double the men and a fantastic battle plan. But what did they lack? God. If God is on your side, you cannot lose. Because they relied on the Lord, Judah prevailed - even when the odds were against them. After the battle, Jeroboam never recovered his power and the Lord eventually struck him down and he died. Meanwhile, Abijah was growing in power. He also had 14 wives and multiple kids. 

2 Chronicles 14 Abijah died and Asa, his son, reigned in his place. This is too good to not remember… “And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.” Asa was on the right path and wanted Judah to serve God whole-heartedly. God gave peace to Judah for a season, as they sought to honor and worship Him. 

Then Zerah, and Ethiopian came against Judah with one million men… Hardly a small army! Asa went out to meet him and the battle lines were drawn. Asa cried out to God to deliver them, because the relied on the Lord. Judah triumphed again, as they trusted in the Lord for what they needed. 

2 Chronicles 15 Asa was just getting warmed up and he wanted all of Judah to follow God. “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah… and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you… But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” When a man or woman of God speaks, listen! And Judah did (temporarily…). Asa tore down the high places and idols and also repaired the altar of the Lord. All of Judah entered into a covenant with God to serve Him only, and God gave them rest. Even Asa’s mother, Maacah, was removed as queen, because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. The only thing that Asa didn't do was to tear down the high places. Other than that, “the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.” 

2 Chronicles 16 The end of Asa’s life. There was more threats with Israel and more deals made. But, Asa forgot what Yahweh had done and relied on other kings to help them out instead of God. Not the end of the world, but disobedience to our Holy God has massive ramifications and He will not be trifled with. Even more so, Asa was not convicted of this - he had to be told from a prophet that what he had done was wrong. Had they relied on God instead of the ally armies, things would have been different - but they did not. When Asa heard that God was disappointed in him, he became angry with the Prophet and had him put in jail, and also inflicted cruelties to other people during that time. When Asa was in his 39th year of being a King, his feet became diseased - severely. Who knows, maybe gout or something of the sort. He did not rely on God to heal him, but his physicians. He ended up dying after 41 years of leadership, which started out strong and ended a little on the weak side. 

To sum it all up:

• God is not looking for perfection, He is looking for pursuit in us. We are to pursue Him above all other things. When we do - we find His blessing and favor. When we do not, well - let’s just say we are then an opposing force to the Creator & Sustainer of the Universe… you pick:)
• Do you trust God for what you need? Or do you rely on your own expertise or merit?
• Finish strong. Obey God till the end regardless of how hard or horrible it is. God is worth every effort that we put in. Now go - and plan to finish strong. 

June 24: 2 Chronicles 10-12

June 24, 2 Chronicles 10-12

2 Chronicles 10 is very similar to what we studied yesterday in 1 Kings 12. However, what is customary to the Chronicler, he continues to tie David and Judah together. This is reminding his generation of their history and also the Chronicler also emphasizes that if there is obedience, there is blessing. If there is disobedience, there is not. God was fulfilling things the way He saw fit…

2 Chronicles 11 gives much more details than that of 1 Kings 14. In addition to what we studied yesterday, we learn that Rehoboam built multiple defense cities to fight off Jeroboam. The Levites ended up leaving their common lands and coming to Judah because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out because they were serving God (he appointed his own priests for his false gods…). Also, and believers in Yahweh made their way to Judah. This all went on for a period of 3 years (that is, 3 years the people were obedient).

The Chronicler adds in here that Rehoboam had 18 wives, 60 concubines and lots of sons and daughters. He appointed Abijah to be lead son, to take over the throne, and he provided greatly for all his kids that he had spread out in the defense cities. Smart military move. 

2 Chronicles 12 Once Rehoboam had things going good, he turned from the Lord and abandoned the law. Let this not be in your own life! In the 5th year of his reign, due to the peoples unfaithfulness, God brought in the King of Egypt to battle them. They had abandoned God, so it goes back to what the Chronicler emphasizes = Obey and there is blessing, Disobey and there is not. Well, after the Egyptian King came in and took over, they humbled themselves, and God relented from wiping them out, but made servants out of them. Rehoboam ended up dying and his legacy was that he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

To sum it all up:

• Like yesterday, if God gives instructions, obey - REGARDLESS.
• When things are going good - do not abandon the God the brought you to that point - that would be very foolish and arrogant. Instead, stay humble and praise God for the good in your life. 

June 23: 1 Kings 12-14

June 23, 1 Kings 12-14

1 Kings 12 We are about to see the prophecies fulfilled. Rehoboam, one of Solomon’s sons, was to be made king. Meanwhile, Jeroboam, who had fled from King Solomon, had returned from Egypt. Jeroboam and the leaders came to the new king, Rehoboam, and told him that Solomon had made their lives hard and they wanted it to be lighter (towards the end of Solomon’s reign, he apparently had been harsh to them…). Rehoboam requested 3 days to figure out what he was to do, and then he would give them an answer. Rehoboam took counsel form the older men who were with Solomon, and they advised him to serve the people and speak good to them. If he did that, the people would serve him forever. Then Rehoboam went to the kids he grew up with and asked what they thought he should do - their response was incredibly foolish, ordained by God, but foolish. They told him to make their punishment harder. He listened to the young peoples advice, to the demise of Israel, and fulfilled God’s Word. This is a turning point in Israel’s history - the kingdom is about to divide. 

When all Israel heard what Rehoboam said, they left for their homes and would not be forced to submit to this new king. Rehoboam stayed as king over Judah, but not the rest of Israel. He pulled together about 180,000 troops and got ready for battle. The Word of the Lord came to him and he was told not to go fight his own people, and he obeyed. God is in charge!

Jeroboam lived in the hills and did not want Israel to turn back to Jerusalem (David), because the people would kill him and love Rehoboam. So, he took counsel and made not one, but two calves of gold (remember Aaron?). He delivered the fake gods to the people. This was a great sin for the people, and they also made temples on the high places and pointed priests to minister. The downhill slide continues…

1 Kings 13 can be very confusing when we read it. We have a man of God, a prophet, that came to Jeroboam while he was making offerings to the false gods. The prophet cried out that from the house of David, Josiah would come, and would sacrifice Jeroboam on the altar and told him a sign was coming that day: The altar would be torn down and the ashes poured out. Then Jeroboam cried out against him and stretched out his his hand and called for this man to be seized. As he did, his hand ‘dried’ up, so much so that he couldn't even draw his arm back. Just then, the altar was torn down and the ashes poured out (just like the prophet just said). He was astonished (obviously) and asked the man to come to heal him, and God did. Then he wanted him to come to his house and have dinner together and get his reward. The prophet declined, as God told him not to eat or drink on the route that he took - he had to go another way home (sounds absurd on the surface, but regardless of what God asks, we must obey). 

Meanwhile, there was another old prophet who heard about what happened. He saddled up on his donkey and went to find the man, sitting under an oak tree. He said to the man sitting by the tree, come home with me and eat some dinner. He refused, because God had told him not to. But the prophet told him that God had told him otherwise. So, without consenting God, he decided to go with him. Disobedience leads to an unfortunate end for him. While they are sitting there eating together, the Word of the Lord comes and reveals that he just disobeyed, reminding him that he wasn't supposed to eat or drink on the route he came. He leaves, only to be killed by a lion on the road. The old prophet heard about that, and went to go get him. The lion was sitting there next to the dead man and his donkey (the lion was of God, as it is not customary for a lion to kill and not eat). They brought the body back and buried him. Long story short - God cannot be fooled or mocked.

The people stayed in sin and did not turn from evil…

1 Kings 14 Jeroboam’s son became ill. So, he sent his wife in disguise (so nobody would know that Jeroboam was seeking God’s counsel) to find Ahijah the prophet and give him gifts and seek him. God already warned Ahijah that she was coming, even though disguised. When she came in, Ahijah the prophet knew it was her. He explained to her that when she gets home, her son will die because of the sins of Jeroboam, and that the kingdom will be torn away from them. Jeroboam did not fear God and obey like David, and like he was warned. In addition, all the males of Jeroboam, both slave and free, would die. It happened just as the Lord said it would. Jeroboam died after reigning for 22 years. His son, Nadab ruled in his place.

Rehoboam reigned in Judah for 17 years and did evil in God’s sight. He built high places and worshipped other gods. Five years into his reign, the king of Egypt attacked and took all the treasures of Solomon’s temple, including his gold shields! So, they made some shields out of bronze. Concluding: There was war between Israel & Judah (Jeroboam & Rehoboam) continually…

To sum it all up:

• If God gives instructions, obey - REGARDLESS. 
• If God speaks to you about something and somebody contradicts it, go to God and find out if what you have learned is true or not!
• Do not fear man, nor what man can or cannot do. James 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Do not be in sin because of another man’s advice or even their convictions. We have to stand before the King of Kings someday - and he is the one that we have to answer to. Not the people you may be trying to please! Submit to Christ today and pursue wisdom that He gives you!

June 22: Proverbs 30, 31

June 22, Proverbs 30, 31

Proverbs 30 starts out with a confession of being completely worn out. Have you ever felt that way? I know I sure have. Go to God when you are - He cares. Then the author goes on to confess that he is aware of his limitations of knowledge, and shows that through some rhetorical questions, a lot like Job did. He knows that God is bigger than all and in control of all. Then he moves into how God’s Words matter, so don’t mess with them. If you are coming to God for everything, you will stay reliant on Him. You will not desire riches nor poverty, but you will desire what you need and God gives it. 

Then we transition into a litany of what fools do and then it leads to greed and disobedience. This author must have spent some time contemplating, because he says, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.” The interesting thing about these statements, is that they are mostly instinctive and easy, yet he does not understand them. He goes on with other contemplative ideas and points out how some things on earth that are small, are incredibly wise. Take for example small ants that provides for their colony or locusts with no king all march in order… God is incredible, isn't He?

Proverbs 31 Starts out by calling its readers to live above reproach - which is in line with pursuing wisdom.

Then we get to verses 10-31, which is set up as an acrostic poem (the first word in each verse beginning with following letters of the alphabet) in Hebrew. Some have said that this is to show that the character of a godly woman covers everything… I read through this section and I cannot help but think of the wife that God has given to me. She has, in so many ways, surpassed the woman described here. How has she done that? By God’s grace and her continual pursuit in her life and her love for Christ. The author is right, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” A great wife is very precious, and if God has given you her or you are her, keep it up - you are priceless. A godly woman will be trusted by her husband, as she seeks to honor God and do good. A godly woman is confident in what God has called her to and her home is her ministry - where ministry happens! A godly woman is teachable and wise, as she gets things done all day long. She takes care of her home and all those that are in it. “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also…” What a great expression of love right there. The husband and kids aren't complaining about her, but they are blessed because of her. This is also incredibly powerful, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” A virtuous woman knows that the outer things are of little value if her heart does not fear the Lord. So much for what culture is attempting to re-write. 

To sum it all up:

• Continue to pursue wisdom and get your heart in line with Gods - don’t settle for less
• A godly woman. Yeah, by her fearing the Lord, she is able to serve her family well and her community - and is content with where God has her. Blessed are the men and kids who can wake up and say that they are blessed because of the woman in their home. 

June 21: 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9

June 21, 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9
Happy Fathers Day!

1 Kings 10 We have another semi-famous story of the Old Testament, that of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Queen had heard of the famous Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, and she came to test him with hard questions. She entered Jerusalem with pomp and incredible gifts. She told Solomon all of her tough questions and all that was on her mind, and God revealed to Solomon all of the answers. Needless to say, after seeing his wisdom and wealth, she was breathless. Her being breathless is saying something, as she was pretty important in her own world. She gave him her gifts, including giving him 157 million dollars worth of gold, which was not even really noticeable in his treasury. Each year, Solomon brought in more than 875 million dollars worth of gold, which he made shields out of and thrones and the like. Solomon had more money than he knew what to do with. “And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.” 

In addition, “Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.” Solomon was truly given all this by God for God’s glory, but the tides are about to change in a the story and we see what the author has been hinting at for the last 10 chapters…

1 Kings 11 God had warned Solomon to not stray or disobey, but Solomon was very disobedient: “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women…” Why did God warn the Israelites not to marry foreign women? Because “for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods”. It gets worse, “Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.” Unlike his father, Solomon did not keep God as his number 1. He had a problem with women, in the sense that he had everything man could ask for and had 1000 plus women at his disposal. With the women, came their foreign gods and disobedience, which is what Solomon went after. Solomon even built high places for the foreign gods and made offerings and sacrifices to them. An abomination.

God was angry with Solomon because he had turned away from God and disobeyed Him. But, for the sake of David and Israel, God chose to not destroy Solomon or Israel. However, God will rip the throne away from Solomon’s son. Meanwhile, God was raising up an adversary (or two) against Israel. The first adversary was Hadad, an Edomite. He was young when Israel took over Edom and killed most. Another adversary was Rezon, who was an adversary of Israel - he hated Israel.

Then we learn about Jeroboam, who was a servant of Solomon - but had lifted his hand against the King. Meanwhile, Ahijah was a prophet. Ahijah put on a new garment and when he met Jeroboam on the road, he took the garment and ripped it into ten pieces and said, “thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken me and worshiped…” God was working behind the scenes, as always. 

Then Solomon died, and he had reigned for forty years…

2 Chronicles 9 Is not much different than 1 Kings. However, not much detail is given to the downfall of Solomon, as that was fairly common knowledge to the hearers

To sum it all up:

• Even the wisest man is sometimes foolish and can’t see the things that lead up to our own downfalls sometimes. 
• This is another reminder to guard our hearts and to pursue what God wants - not what we want 
• God is Sovereign and was planning all of this behind the scenes, including the adversaries, the women, and Jeroboam. 
• Don’t be too quick to throw Solomon out with the bathwater, sort of speak. God gives us some very incredible insights as to what happens when you pursue self and not Him - it is a destructive path. Some go as far as saying that He was not a Christian - but God promised to never leave him, so we can leave it at that.

June 20: Ecclesiastes 7-12

June 20, Ecclesiastes 7-12

Today, we have another guest blogger. It is my beloved wife, Dana Parriera. If you would like to follow Dana’s blog, please visit http://www.rebelliousbeauty.com 

Ecclesiastes 7 The Preacher continues with his sermon of reality. That there is a ‘contrast of Wisdom and Folly’. Notice here that they are capitalized. (In my ESV Study Bible anyhow.) And I think it is that way, because it reiterates the thought that Solomon touched on so much. And that was this idea of Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly in Proverbs 9 (As well as other chapters, like 2, 8.) But here, we are to remember that there are 2 ways to this life. Two roads if you will. Jesus, Himself, told us about these two roads. How one was wide and the other narrow, in Matthew 7:13-14. Just think of it like the same thing, with Lady Folly and Lady Wisdom, each holding signs - inviting you to travel down their own road. Lady Wisdom leads the way to the narrow road. And Lady Folly leads the way to the wide road. 

With all this in his mind, the Preacher, starts restating as he did in Chapter 1, about it the brevity of life. And how it is better to go to the junkyard and the graveyard, so that you can remember that life it short. That way, you will have a better grasp on reality. And will not get sidetracked with the busyness of life. Meanwhile, forget that life is short and without Hope in Jesus, is meaningless. 

Even with the thoughts swirling through the listeners mind, of understanding the ways between Wisdom and Folly and the two roads that they represent. One can not help but see the unfairness that swims all around. The imperfect life with imperfect people, and the love of sin. This love of sin, which entices men to the wide road of Folly. The Preacher can’t help but see the downfall of men, through some women. And then claims to be the wisest man, yet still can’t seem to understand all the men, or any women. Seriously, women aren’t that hard to figure out;) But in the end, the Preacher ends with the heart. And how deep down, this life is a battle not against the flesh, or trying to figure out the humanness of people. But instead, the heart. And how the struggle is really against Spiritual powers and the battle of the heart. 

Ecclesiastes 8 With thoughts of Spiritual matters, the Preacher continues and begs his listeners to heed all that he is trying to say. He tries to reason with the listeners, telling them that they can be wicked, have long lives, and fake worship at Church but they will still die. And when they die, if apart from God - who cares that they fooled everyone on this Earth? When it is the Lord Who will Judge them… 

Instead, we should Fear the Lord. When you Fear the Lord, you are to keep His Commandments. This sounds easy, but I assure you. That it will be the hardest thing you ever have to do throughout your life! But that you should Fear the Lord. And take it from the Wisest man on the Planet, that it is what you should choose to do.  

But the Preacher states, that even if you Fear the Lord and follow only His Ways. Don’t think that life will all of a sudden be peachy for you. Instead, know that nothing will change. Life will still be unfair. The wicked will still have long lives. And those that Fear the Lord, will still die. Those that Fear the Lord, will struggle with pain and suffering all the days of their life. This isn’t a Monopoly game. And you won’t get handed a ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card.’ Instead you have to have the right perspective. Knowing that all the good and bad things are from the Lord and that you would do well, to just eat and drink and be joyful:) 

We as humans, won’t be able to figure all these things out in life. Somethings will never make sense. We won’t be able to find all of the answers. We won’t be able to figure out why God does the things He does. But that doesn’t mean that we will go cray without knowing all of these things. Instead it means that we hand over our trust to God, and enjoy this crazy ride He has placed us on. To be faithful to Him, in all that we do. Whether we are given much or little. Whether we are given life or death. Whatever it may be. That we know in our heart. That God has got this… Even if we never get the answers or understanding we are looking for.

Ecclesiastes 9 If you are still not convinced. The Preacher reminds us that death will come to us all. This idea that we will cease from life. Cease from breathe. Cease from owning. Cease from influencing. Cease from actions. Cease from goals. Cease from dreams. Cease from doing evil. Cease from doing good. Cease from everything. And eventually. Cease from memory…

Do you remember your Great Great Great Grandparents name? 

Well. Do you? 

Chances are, probably not. Sad. Don’t you think? And if this is the case for you. What makes you think that your Great Great Great Grandchildren will remember your name? 

With this in mind. The Preacher notes that the only thing that will be remembered is their love or hate. Again leading back to Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly. But we will go back to this in a minute…

Right after this. The Preacher gives us some Hope. He reminds us that there is more to this life then just what we see. But instead, there is Hope in Jesus and living a life of obedience to God. The Preacher states in verse 8, “Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.” Both of these references are to that of a Spirit lead life in Jesus, towards God the Father. The white garments refer the to the good and righteous deeds of the Saints as in Revelation 19:8. As well as the oil represents the pouring and the symbol of having the Holy Spirit. As in Matthew 24:24-51.(As well as many others.) And gives Hope in something greater than this life. And that is… Yahweh.

Then, right after. The Preacher hits a couple of things that he noticed when trying to figure out men. Remember when he was studying man, he noticed in Chapter 7, how the main downfall of men, was through women? (Ecc 7:25-26) Well. The Preacher gives an answer to the problem most men might have. And that is that of a wandering eye, as well as body and heart, to women who don’t belong to them. To give men a solution to their most common problem of seeking the forbidden woman. And that solution. Is to have a wife of your own, and to accept her as a gift from the Lord and to enjoy only her. To enjoy only the wife, that you are given.

Then the Preacher reiterates his love of identifying good verses evil. Right verses wrong. And that is through the eyes of Lady Wisdom verses Lady Folly. And starts explaining the difference between them. (Now remember. Solomon who is the Preacher. Also wrote Proverbs. So it makes perfect sense that he is reiterating his own previous thoughts on this.)

Lady Wisdom makes Herself known right away, what she is all about. Proverbs 9:10a states, “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.” But what is the Fear of the Lord? Well there are two answers. But I have one that is my favorite. The first is stated in Proverbs 14:27, which states that the Fear of the Lord is Eternal Life with Him. But another, that helps us out a bit more, on how to live in this life. Is pointed out in Proverbs 8:13, which is the Fear of the Lord is the hatred of evil… Lady Wisdom who points to Jesus and His Communion of bread and wine, in Proverbs 9:5. Also points to love, which we are called to act in. 

Which only leaves Lady Folly and her Wide Road of hate. As in Proverbs 14:29b, which states, “But he who has a hasty temper exalts Folly…” And if Lady Folly is the opposite of Lady Wisdom. Then we also know that Lady Folly is foolish. Lady Folly is the way to Eternal Life without Jesus, which we call Hell:(… Lady Folly who points the way, away from Jesus. And Lady Folly who also loves evil. 

So the Preacher ends with the wisdom in following Lady Wisdom in this life. 

Ecclesiastes 10 Still preaching about the difference of Wisdom and Folly. The Preacher states, that this life won’t make sense. But that our foolishness will be revealed in our behavior, whether we like it or not. And those who are following Folly, still might make it big in our world. But that in the end, we will reap what we sow. And we aren’t just talking about this life. 

But even then, those that follow Folly might hit the Million Dollar Jack Pot. Those who follow Folly might become a famous Actor or Musician. That those who follow Folly might be in a position, that isn’t deserved for what they are inside, whether wise or a fool. But this all makes sense when life isn’t fair. Right? But again. We will reap what we sow. And even our thoughts will give away the answer of who we are following. As we know that the Lord can read the thoughts of man (Matthew 9:4, Luke 11:17, ect) and so we won’t be judged just by our actions. But by the very thoughts we contain in our own mind. And that is why the Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to take our thoughts captive, as we are responsible for those as well…

Ecclesiastes 11 The Preacher states that since we are all dependent upon the Lord. There is only so much we can do. But we can do what we can. Share what food you have to others. (Cast your bread to the waters) Share what the Lord has given you with others. Since you don’t, the eternal ramifications of your kindness and of following Wisdom, you might as well take comfort and delight in the good days. But also know that bad days are always to come. Be ok, with not understanding all the things of the Lord. But that doesn’t mean you should ever stop studying them. But have the mentality that we will die soon, and all that matters is that if we are Loving the Lord or not. And that judgment will come at the end of all of this. So be generous with what you have. And love the blessings that God has given you. Because you might not have them tomorrow…

Ecclesiastes 12 So. If you are choosing to be Wise and follow the ways of Lady Wisdom. Enjoy the memories of innocent childhood, before you knew that people were evil. Enjoy the memories of getting married and children. And try to remember the blessings that the Lord has given you. As there will always be bad things in life, but you can spend your time being joyful in the Lord and knowing that it was only He, that gave you the things that you used to cherish. It was only He, that gave you the things that you do cherish. It is only He, that gives you the things that you will cherish. 

To keep things in perspective. That the Lord God of the Universe loves you. And that should be enough for us, to accept this cycle of life that He has put us on. The references to the cycle of life, in its ups and downs. Its pleasures and pains. Its positives and negatives. All have their place. But it is our responsibility to know that it is the Lord who has done this. 

I think it was some dead Preacher in the 1800’s who stated something like: the Lord has chosen for this world, to be the arena of our faith. 

It reminds me, that it is like we are thrown into an arena. Whether we like it or not. But we are here. So we must pick up our sword. We must choose our side. We must fight to the death, in whatever we are called to. Whether for the Lord or adjacent the Lord. Hopefully, for the Lord. To grow in the Faith of Christ. As we will not get out of the arena alive. And knowing that… will make us stronger and more wise. 

The Preacher ends with the point of life for a Believer. I have always heard that the Westminster Confession being spoken. Which is - The chief end of man is to Glorify God and Enjoy Him forever. (Chief end of man means - what is the purpose of man. What is his duty on this earth.) 

What is it again? Oh right. It is - The chief end of man is to Glorify God and Enjoy Him forever.

But can I say “Gag!?!” (Sorry, I am not bitter or anything:) But. Who stated that? Where is that in the Bible?? How is one simple person suppose to live that? It feels like it just stops short! It feels like it is just not enough... I am not stating that we should not Glorify God. Obviously we should do that. And we should also Enjoy Him. But why don’t we pick something out of the Bible that clearly states what we are to do and how we are to live? Something that God wrote through man to us? Something easy to understand and to do… Wouldn’t that make more sense? Wouldn’t that make more sense to quote all the time something understandable? Something tangible. Something that we didn’t just memorize? And say words to?

Instead. We should lean on the words of the Preacher. 

What is the chief end of man? What is the purpose of man? What is the duty of man throughout this life? Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us what to do. So if I may. I would like to change the Westminster Confession… :) And change it to this, that people should quote all the time. 

“What is the chief end of man? To Fear God and keep His Commandments. For this is the whole duty of man...”

And what does this mean? Well, it is gonna take the rest of your life, to learn. To obey and submit. To surrender the flesh. To die to the old self. To learn to hate evil and to love wisdom. To see God through the eyes of a servant. To accept Jesus the Savior, who is an Amazing God. To know Jesus died for you. And for the thankfulness that fills your heart, you are willing to take up your own cross of self sacrifice and follow him. To learn love and to show love. 

To Fear God. 

To Obey God. 

To Thank God. 

To Live for God. 

To Love the way God Loves. 

To spend your entire life to Know Him. The Way that He deserves to be loved. 

In Holiness.

Well. That’s it...

To sum it all up (From me, Joshua!):

• Don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to have a life. If you are not careful, life will pass you by. Jesus is calling you to live your life to its fullest, now. I am not talking about ‘your best life now’ or anything of the sort - I am talking about living every moment to the fullest and hitting life head on with intent. 
• Are you pretending to be a Christian? Stop it - you are only fooling yourself, even if you think you have everyone fooled. Hanging out with Christians and singing some songs on Sunday doesn't mean you're really one, except that you are a phony. 
• Dana made a great point about remembering your great great grandparents name. We live our lives thinking that we are sooooo important, but in reality, we are only truly important to God and that is who we should be living for, because that is who we will eventually be living with. 
• Who or what are you following? God? Self? Pleasure? Ideas? Only you can answer this and if you are not following God, you are on the wrong road… in the words of the famous rock band AC/DC, “…on a highway to Hell.”
• Even though I disagree a little bit with Dana on her passion about the shorter Westminster Confession of Faith, she makes a very valid point - in order to Glorify God and enjoy Him, we must fear Him and obey what He has called us to. I don't think that we should throw out the Confession, but we need to understand that there is some requirements in order Glorify Him. It is not about us, it is about Him!