He (Hezekiah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.
2 Kings 18:3-4 (NIV)
He (Josiah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
2 Kings 22:2 (NIV)
In the book of 2 Kings chapter 17, the fall of the northern kingdom (Israel) to Assyria in 722 BC is recorded. Alone and vulnerable, the southern kingdom (Judah) remains intact until its fall to the Babylonians in 586 BC. During this 136-year period, Judah experienced blessing and reform during the reigns of two of her greatest kings, Hezekiah and Josiah, recorded in 2 Kings chapters 18-25. We are reminded that obedient kings have a profound and positive impact on God’s people. These two kings attempted to re-establish righteousness and obedience to God’s commands. Sometimes God just needs to clean house and these two men most certainly did that for Judah. God sent them in the midst of their distress after witnessing the fall of their comrades in the northern kingdom who, after refusing to abandon their sinful ways and pagan worship, were taken away into captivity. This was an opportunity for the people of Judah to get things right before it happened to them as well. Out of God’s love for them He extended this opportunity to be guided on the right path, to cling to Him once more. However, Judah was disobedient in their own right once these two kings had left them and eventually fell into their captives’ hands. That doesn’t take away from the fact that God was trying to reel in their hearts and save them from their own ways. My story tells the same message, as I’m sure yours does too. We need to listen and allow God to remove things from our lives and not go back to pick them up again, only to be carried away by them. Praise God for His redemptive heart towards us. Praise God for His pursuit.
During the Cold War, many Christians in Eastern Europe would memorize entire books of the Bible and then destroy their copies. They had to do that because they would have either been arrested, sent to prison camps, or disappear. There was no room for God in the Soviet Union or their satellite states. To have any God other than those in power was akin to a crime against the state itself. Still, in places like North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, and more, the persecution towards believers forces them to absorb as much of God’s word as possible because they can’t risk being caught reading openly. For those of us not living under the tyranny of a radical theocracy or a commnunist system, memorizing scripture can still serve an important role in our journey of faith.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11 ESV
Knowing God’s word…I mean really knowing it…helps us in the war against sin. Satan, our flesh, and the cultures of the world are constantly whispering, and often yelling, messages in our ears that lead us into sin. By memorizing scripture, we give ourselves a weapons cache to fire back. Jesus demonstrated this when He allowed Satan to tempt Him in the wilderness. Every temptation was met with God’s word. The only way we can do the same is to know how to distinguish messages that line up with scripture and those that do not. A huge fault I see in so many Christians is an utter lack of biblical knowledge. I’m not referring to seeking a degree in theological studies. I’m talking about a lack of knowing what is said in the Bible. When we don’t know what God says, we’ll believe what those opposed to Biblical principles say.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8 ESV
We can’t live out scripture if we don’t know scripture. Every believer should be a student of their Master. To meditate on scripture is to meditate on the Lord Himself. The more we focus on the story of God the more we know Him. The more we know Him the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we live for Him. Just as any relationship thrives on attention and communication, so to does our relationship with the Lord. Our lives of devotion should be a pattern of prayer, reading, and praise.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIV
Our mind is a battleground. Our mind is also malleable. We have the ability to make it into what we want. And since so much of what we say and do is determined by the mind, why not pour more energy into making it a core of light. From the moment we start absorbing things as a child, negative things creep in. We have to fight for hope. We battle for purity. We war for compassion and generosity. The nature of the fallen mind is to look inward, preserve self, seek comfort, elevate self importance or dwell on self pitty. Our minds need transformed. One of the best ways to do that is through meditation and memorization of scripture. That, in turn, will help us to focus on pure and truthful things. Our eyes will turn outwards towards those around us. Our self importance will diminish, yet at the same time, we will feel more loved and valued than ever before.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7 NASB
To abide in Christ is equated to having Christ’s words abiding in us. This isn’t a reference to Christ dwelling in us, it’s a call to know His words. To abide means to obey, stick to, hold to, and follow. When we are so intuned with Christ and His words, then our desires will be His desires for us. The things we ask for in prayer will align with the holy life that Christ is calling us to in the first place.
So whether we live in an area where the Christian faith is heavily restricted or even persecuted, an area where affluence and apathy attempt to shadow the call of piety, or an area where freedom allows us to live out our faith, it is equally important to pursue a rich understanding of God’s word. As followers of Christ, we are called to love Him and to make Him known. We can’t do either if we don’t know Him. No one else has ever loved you more. No one else crafted you. No one else pursues a relationship with you like Jesus does. The greatest gift in this life will be to know Him.
But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them…
Judges 3:9 (ESV)
This verse from chapter three appears several times throughout the book of Judges and contains the main idea of the entire book. God’s people rebel, they are given over to what holds them captive, they are in misery and cry out for God’s help, and God is faithful and true to deliver them…again and again. It became very predictable and quite frankly sad. However, it serves as a mirror for our own stories. We have all refused to lay things down, whether it’s a vice or a character flaw. Anyone who has followed Jesus for a long time knows all too well, what it is like to repent for the same thing time and time again. God’s patience endured then, just as it does now.
In the previous book, Joshua had successfully led the people of Israel in capturing the promised land, divided the land, and called them to serve the Lord as he and His family were resolved to do (Joshua 24:15). In Joshua’s last days and especially after his passing, the people of Israel walked away from God. They walked in such a way that the world around them said was good and ended up in misery. They compromised their faith and pursuit of God and traded it in for the corruption of the world.
Throughout the book, God raises up 12 judges to guide the people back to His love, yet they fall away each time one of the judges is gone. God’s loving kindness is so amazing. His patience in our lives is unmistakable and undeserved, yet He remains true to us. It breaks my heart to know the times I have acted like the Israelites in the book of Judges, yet I press forward attempting to surrender my whole heart completely to Him.
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.””
1 Samuel 7:12 ESV
I’ve been reading a lot lately about God’s deliverance. The entire story of the Bible is a compilation of miraculous occurrences of God’s intervention to rescue and save His creation. He covered Adam and Eve after their sin and fall. He preserves Noah’s family and the animals through the flood. He rescued Lot and his family from wicked Sodom. He preserved Joseph in Egypt. He reached down to save Hagar and her child. He parted the sea for Israel. He tore down the walls if Jericho. He guided David’s stone to take down the giant Goliath. He gave victory to Gideon’s tiny forces against a large enemy. He reached down and struck the army set against Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah.
“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Psalm 86:15 ESV
These are just a handful of the stories of God’s saving grace. If we take the time to stop and reflect, we will see our own story is also full of stories of God’s deliverance. I know mine is. And like the Prophet Samuel, we should set up a stone of remembrance. However that may look. But the greatest act of deliverance is not symbolized in a stone, but in a cross. Not in a mound of stones, but in one that was rolled away. Every Ebenezer points us to where our hope truly is, but none more so than cross of Christ and His empty tomb.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
Ephesians 2:8 ESV
If you’re finding life just a little too heavy right now, like myself, join me in the soul searching experience of remembering and honoring God’s faithfulness. Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.
There are three major movements in scripture that highlight the power meaning of light. One, the creation of the world (Gen 1:1-3). Two, Christ’s incarnation (John 1:1-5). And three, the new Heavens a new Earth being formed (Rev 22:1-5).
Each of these movements were acts of creation to bring about something new. Movement one, the world is made. Movement two, the Word became flesh, which in itself is an act of creation, but also, what Jesus came to do was to create a whole new thing in the Church. The body of Christ is a creation. Those who put their faith in Jesus are called a new creation in 2 Corinthians 5:17. That new creation is not supposed to behave, think, or even feel like the old self, but like the new self. (Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:12-14, Romans 6:6) At the end of time God is going to remake all things into a new heaven and a new earth. This act of creation is talked about in Isaiah 65:17, Hebrews 12:26-27, and Revelation 21:1).
Each of these movements had the same centerpiece, which is Jesus. How did God create everything? He spoke it into existence. Colossians 1:15-17 states it was by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus that all things were created. How can this be that Jesus created all things when Genesis 1 doesn’t mention Jesus? Well it does actually. Pair Genesis 1 with John 1. The very words God spoke were Jesus. He is the word, which is also why Jesus can say that all scripture (God’s word) is about Him in John 5:39. In the final creation it will be the Lamb and the Almighty who serve as both the light and the temple. From beginning, middle, to end, we see Jesus at the center of it all.
Each of these movements had the same purpose which is to bring life. Often light and life are interwoven. We need light, plants need light, animals need light. According to healthline, light gives us well needed vitamin D, helps with mental health and focus, and improves our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. Light is life-giving.
In John 1 Jesus is both the light and the life of men. In Colossians 3:4 Jesus is also referred to as our life. In John 8:12 Jesus is proclaimed as the light of the world. Those who follow Jesus are also called the light of the world. Just as Jesus brings life, we are supposed to be little life-givers ourselves. Our words and actions should inspire and encourage and strengthen the weak and downhearted. We should be serving, loving, sharing, and speaking truth and life to those around us. Where Jesus goes, life goes, therefore where followers of Jesus go, there life should be also. God created life in the beginning, but first had to make light. God created a new life in Jesus, but first the eternal light had to become flesh and enter the world. God will create a new glorious life in the age to come, but first He will become the light and life that shines through it all.
Have you ever found yourself waking up and your mind drifts, either subtlety or quickly, to thoughts of things you wish were different or things you have a problem with? I had this happen only to open up my Bible and read this:
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
Colossians 4:2 ESB
I was immediately convicted. The Lord had seen into my heart and spoke directly to it. What a good God He is. And what a difference it made to switch my mind to prayer with the focus on giving thanks.
We all have a choice to wake up and think on the ‘have nots’ and the ‘I wishes’ or to lift our hearts in gratitude and praise. One poisons our bodies and distorts our views while the other brings peace and helps us keep our eyes on the prize, that is Christ and a life lived in honor to His name.
Praying Christ’s peace over you brothers and sisters.
How do we know who God is and what God is like? Are those things knowable? Major religions throughout history have tried to answer those questions. Here’s what the current largest religions say:
Hinduism: Infinite number of gods and everyone can have their own that they define.
New age: their is a higher consciousness within themselves. Each person is developing as a spiritual deity.
Buddhism: there is no god only infinite rebirths and pursuit of perfection.
Islam: Allah as almighty but not personal. He is both strict and harsh, only showing mercy based on good works and he is ultimately unknowable.
How about for Christians? Is Yahweh knowable? Is he a personable God? Does He want to be known? All of those questions can be answered in the person of Jesus.
He is the image of the invisible God… For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…
Colossians 1:15a&19a ESV
I and the Father are one.
John 10:30 ESV
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…
Hebrews 1:3a ESV
In those passages, Jesus is described as being the image of God, the fullness of God, the radiance of God, that He and God are one, and the exact imprint of God. Is God knowable? Yes. He reveals Himself in many different ways: a burning bush, a pillar of smoke and fire, blinding light, and a voice on the wind. But nowhere does He reveal Himself better than in the person of Jesus. How did Jesus show us Who God is? I just want to propose four aspects of God that we can know based on the life of Jesus.
#1 He Pursued People – All of His disciples He sought out. He found them where they were, when they least expected it, and He invited them to follow Him. He traveled from town to town to share God’s love and message. He intersected with specific people at specific times in their life. The woman at the well is a prime example. Or how about the man who had been lame since childhood and spent his days at the pool of Bethesda. And then there was Paul. Whether in desperation or on the wrong path, Jesus pursued people. Then He invited them into something greater than themselves. I am witness to the unfailing pursuit of God.
#2 He Demonstrated Grace – Everyone Jesus chose to spend time with was an act of grace. The very fact that Jesus came to earth to tabernacled among us is an act of grace. But He also showed immense grace to individuals all of the time. Look at the woman caught in adultery, or Mary of Magdalene. Paul proclaimed that he was chief among sinners yet look how he used him. Peter denied Christ three times, yet Jesus took Him aside to encourage and build him up. All of the disciples abandoned Him when he was arrested yet He never abandoned them or shamed them. Forgiveness and mercy are the centerpiece of Jesus’ message. He displayed it in His treatment of those during his life, He displayed it in His death, and He displayed it in His resurrection.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV
#3 He Gave Extraordinarily – Jesus devoted His life in an all-consuming manor. He taught. He gave His wisdom so that we wouldn’t wander aimlessly in the dark. He cares that we knew truth. He wanted us to see it demonstrated and to understand the heart behind the law. He wanted to breakdown hypocrisy and destroy heartless worship and loveless rule keeping. He served. He served in every capacity. He fed people, he prayed for them, and listened to people, and He washed their feet. He showed that the greatest king is one who serves his followers and that nothing is below a servant with a pure heart. He healed. He healed people physically and emotionally. Any time and in any way we are made whole, it is a gift of grace. It’s an extraordinary act of love by the author of love. He gave His life. The ultimate act of giving was at the cost of His own life.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17 NIV
#4 He Showed A Desire For Connection – One thing Jesus did a lot of was praying. He prayed so much that his disciples ask Him to teach them how. On multiple occasions, Jesus sought isolation to be in that connection. He prayed for hours at a time, sometimes all night long. He prayed to give thanks, he prayed to heal, he prayed in the good moments and in the desperate. Jesus showed us what it meant to pray without ceasing. That shows us something incredible about God’s character. He wants to be connected to you and me. He wants the intimacy that any great relationship requires. God is not distant. Even though He is Holy other, He still wants to have Holy Communion with us. God wants a relationship that is constant and connected.
In Matthew 11, Jesus says come to me. In Revelation 3, He says that He stands at the door at knocks. In John 15, Jesus says to abide in Him. In John 17, Jesus prays for that same connection for us that He has with God.
In all of these things, Jesus showed us the immense love of God. A love that pursues us. A love that constantly shows grace. A love that gives extraordinarily. And and A love that wants an intimate connection with us.
The original Greek word for Christian is “Christianos” which comes from the two Greek words “Christ and tian.” The word Christ means “anointed” and tian means “little.” So the word “Christian” literally means “little anointed ones.” If Jesus was anointed to display the character of God, so are we.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God
God will never allow our faithfulness to be fruitless. There is power in simply being available. We never know who we might notice when we aren’t busy looking at the to-do list for the day or hustling from one place to another.
It starts with making the next right choice; seeking to honor God in the mundane as well as in the extravagant. We also have to be willing to see the hurting people around us and then do what we can to meet their needs. It might be as simple as being a listening ear or shoulder to cry on. And because everyone is met with discouraging messages day in and day out, we should never underestimate the power of encouraging words.
If we love as followers of Christ are meant to, our world becomes a much bigger place. Full of life giving energy, empowered by the Holy Spirit. To have that we need to be open to dialogue, willing to pray for and over others, ready to share why we believe the things we believe, and looking for ways to lend a hand. We can know that every encouraging word, every prayer, every act of service, and every time we make time for others, will be used for other’s good and God’s glory.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…” Who do you know that needs to hear they’re loved? Who could use a helping hand? Who needs to be noticed? Who needs to see Jesus?
Can I stand still in the face of uncertainty? In the face of possible tragedy? If there was a good chance that my world was about to fall apart, could I be still? Most of my life so far has answered with a resounding no. But that doesn’t have to continue to be my story. Nor does it have to be yours.
When the people of Israel faced the looming annihilation from Pharaoh at the sea, they were told to stand and see the salvation of the Lord. When the disciples were falling apart in the middle of a raging sea, Jesus awoke and questioned their little faith.
It’s so easy, even for the heart devoted to Jesus, to be overwhelmed in the face of very real danger. It’s in those moments we either need others to remind us, or we need to remind ourselves, that Jesus is in the midst of the danger. He’s there in the pillar of fire. He’s there in the boat. He’s there. You’re not alone, and most likely you don’t need to do anything other than be still. He’s still the same God that parts the sea and calms the sea.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The Bible talks a lot about sin. I think that may be one reason some avoid reading it. It’s a mirror into the soul. Before entering the temple or tabernacle, priests or levites would wash in a basin at the entrance. They could see their reflection in the water as their filth wash away before walking through the veil. The word of God is a lot like that. Sometimes referred to as a double edged sword, it cuts deep at our imperfections in order to show us just how much we are in need of grace.
In Romans chapter eight, Paul talks about life in the Spirit. He paints the picture of these two warring powers: the flesh and the spirit. When our minds are set on the flesh, trying to please the flesh, we cannot please God. Sin becomes the dominant force. The sin of pride, lust, coveting, stinginess, selfishness, gossip, people pleasing, deceitfulness, and all the like. These things produce death. They have stench and rottenness that spill over to others and infect them with the like. Sin is idolatry, and it needs to be rooted out and destroyed before it destroys us.
Our darling sin must die. Spare it not for its much crying. Strike, though it be as dear as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon his own Son. With stern unflinching purpose must you condemn to death that sin which was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end. If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin, and recovery from its power and guilt, as the immediate presence of God.
Charles Spurgeon
Life in Jesus is the only response to our sin. He is the cure and the sanctifier. He leads us towards truth. He gives us a glimpse of our deepest needs and then He fills them. In the presence of Jesus we see our sin all the more clearly and then we see them washed away by the overwhelming love He shows us. As Spurgeon said, our darling sin must die. So lets allow Jesus to remake us and cast the death blow to each and every one.
For Common Ground 