Date:
Thursday,
May 14, 2015
Chapters: 2 Chronicles 27-29
Message Title: Holy And Acceptable
Hello My Friend,
Holy, it means proper and whole. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we are made proper and whole before God when we believe in His death, burial, and resurrection, and accept Him as our Saviour for the remission of sin. Salvation is the key to being seen as holy before God, but faithfulness to God is the key to being seen holy before the world. While we certainly do not need to be holy to be accepted by God, we are saved by faith and not of our works, it helps a great deal when we want to see God bless our lives beyond salvation. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” - James 2:17,18.
Faith and works go hand in hand when we have a relationship with God, if we lack one or the other, we can be sure that our relationship with God will falter. After Uzziah came Jotham, and then came Ahaz, Ahaz reigned for sixteen years, he was not godly at all, in fact, he had the temple closed up and brought false god worship into Judah. He was so bad that he even sacrificed his own children. Out of anger, God sent them in the hand of the Syrians. “Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.” - 2 Chronicles 28:1-5.
I do not know what happened that caused Ahaz to forsake God and turn to false gods after his own father and grandfather followed God, but it is clear that he had not been trained to serve only God in the first place. If we want holy children we must be holy, we cannot expect our kids to want to worship God when we half heartedly do it ourselves. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6.
After generations of halfhearted kings choosing the follow God on their terms, Hezekiah begins to reign, he walked in the ways of David. He reopened the church, had it repaired and even got the nonpracticing priests to sanctify themselves to serving God the way it was written in the Law of Moses. “Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron. And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.” - 2 Chronicles 29:1-4,16,24.
The key to being holy and seeing God blessing our lives is cleaning out all the filth in our lives. Just like how a hot shower and soap removes all the filth from our flesh and makes us feel refreshed, a daily walk with God does the same to our souls and minds. God will only hear us when we confess and repent of our sins anyway, so, if want to hear Him, we better humble ourselves before Him. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:8-10.
There were so many offerings that there was not enough consecrated priests to fulfill the duties, Hezekiah gathered the Levites, who were more holy than the priest to assist in this matter, and God gladly accepted the offerings. “Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.” - 2 Chronicles 29:31,34-36.
You see how the Levites were more upright than some of the priests? This is nothing new, since God created man, there have been leaders more corrupt than those in the congregation. We do not have to let a corrupted leader destroy our faith in God, no matter what they do, it is God they answer to. If they are living a double life than God will not only expose them, He will bless His faithful through it. God is our judge, and He will judge every one of us according to our actions. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” - Matthew 16:26,27.
Today's Prayer: God, I know that we all have flesh and are capable of falling into sin when our heart is not right with You, I have also seen leaders use corrupt ways to get ahead. Lord, I forgive them, and I pray that they get right with You themselves. Forgive me for judging them, instead I should be praying for them. Give me Your power, wisdom, and guidance to live in Your will. Give me the strength to stand by Your Word at all times, and let me not let the actions of a bad leader or example change my perception of You. In fact, let me be the holy example that You need me to be so that others would want to follow You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Chapters: 2 Chronicles 27-29
Message Title: Holy And Acceptable
Hello My Friend,
Holy, it means proper and whole. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we are made proper and whole before God when we believe in His death, burial, and resurrection, and accept Him as our Saviour for the remission of sin. Salvation is the key to being seen as holy before God, but faithfulness to God is the key to being seen holy before the world. While we certainly do not need to be holy to be accepted by God, we are saved by faith and not of our works, it helps a great deal when we want to see God bless our lives beyond salvation. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” - James 2:17,18.
Faith and works go hand in hand when we have a relationship with God, if we lack one or the other, we can be sure that our relationship with God will falter. After Uzziah came Jotham, and then came Ahaz, Ahaz reigned for sixteen years, he was not godly at all, in fact, he had the temple closed up and brought false god worship into Judah. He was so bad that he even sacrificed his own children. Out of anger, God sent them in the hand of the Syrians. “Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.” - 2 Chronicles 28:1-5.
I do not know what happened that caused Ahaz to forsake God and turn to false gods after his own father and grandfather followed God, but it is clear that he had not been trained to serve only God in the first place. If we want holy children we must be holy, we cannot expect our kids to want to worship God when we half heartedly do it ourselves. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6.
After generations of halfhearted kings choosing the follow God on their terms, Hezekiah begins to reign, he walked in the ways of David. He reopened the church, had it repaired and even got the nonpracticing priests to sanctify themselves to serving God the way it was written in the Law of Moses. “Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron. And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.” - 2 Chronicles 29:1-4,16,24.
The key to being holy and seeing God blessing our lives is cleaning out all the filth in our lives. Just like how a hot shower and soap removes all the filth from our flesh and makes us feel refreshed, a daily walk with God does the same to our souls and minds. God will only hear us when we confess and repent of our sins anyway, so, if want to hear Him, we better humble ourselves before Him. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:8-10.
There were so many offerings that there was not enough consecrated priests to fulfill the duties, Hezekiah gathered the Levites, who were more holy than the priest to assist in this matter, and God gladly accepted the offerings. “Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.” - 2 Chronicles 29:31,34-36.
You see how the Levites were more upright than some of the priests? This is nothing new, since God created man, there have been leaders more corrupt than those in the congregation. We do not have to let a corrupted leader destroy our faith in God, no matter what they do, it is God they answer to. If they are living a double life than God will not only expose them, He will bless His faithful through it. God is our judge, and He will judge every one of us according to our actions. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” - Matthew 16:26,27.
Today's Prayer: God, I know that we all have flesh and are capable of falling into sin when our heart is not right with You, I have also seen leaders use corrupt ways to get ahead. Lord, I forgive them, and I pray that they get right with You themselves. Forgive me for judging them, instead I should be praying for them. Give me Your power, wisdom, and guidance to live in Your will. Give me the strength to stand by Your Word at all times, and let me not let the actions of a bad leader or example change my perception of You. In fact, let me be the holy example that You need me to be so that others would want to follow You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe: Daily Devotion
Ready To Follow Jesus?: God's Price
Visit Our Website: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
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