June 3rd - God’s Will Hunting

God’s Will Hunting

(1 Kings 14:19-20; 15:8-10, 12-34; 16:1-29, 31; 21:25-26; 22:41-4)

(2 Chronicles 14:1-15; 15:1-19; 16:1-14; 17:1-19; 18:1; 20:31-33)

Are you hungry?

I know that I surely am. I’m hungry for more. I’m hungry for more of God, more of His truth, more of His Word and more of His teaching.

I want to grow up in the Lord and to become fully committed to Him. Although I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Master and Savior nearly 40 years ago, I still yearn to continue growing in His grace.

Here’s a true confession: I am an active member of a large and busy church. The congregation is filled with friendly and fun people who love the Lord. An energetic and talented team leads rollicking worship each week, building enthusiasm and excitement for the presence of the Lord. Every Sunday, individuals give their hearts to the Lord for the first time. God is absolutely working in our midst.

Still, I am looking for a meaty Bible study. I am starving. I crave challenging content. I have a deep desire to fill up several spiral notebooks with rhema revelations from the living Lord. I want more of Him.

I want to teach others of Him as well. And I am not alone. Christ followers in many congregations seem to feel the same way. Plenty have said so, and we are storming the throne room of God together to ask for more. Much more.

God promises to answer.

Today’s daily Scripture reading contains a wonderful promise for all who will seek God.

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth

to strengthen those

whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

(2 Chronicles 16:7-9, NIV)

Today’s Bible reading seems so timely and appropriate to our modern culture – and even many of our modern churches. Both Judah and Israel vacillated between idolatry and faithfulness, usually led by the hearts of their various rulers.

Does 21^st Century Christian culture vacillate as well?

Modern mega-churches and their celebrity pastors hold church growth workshops and publish volumes of church management how-to’s. Local church leaders race to scoop up the latest lessons in ecclesiastical promotion and leadership. Marketing and efficiency experts advise church staffs and boards, perhaps even adapting secular business models to the church.

Instead of planting small, intimate and mutually accountable congregations in new communities, many large churches now establish satellite video services (on-site, online or in new physical locations). These programs offer today's churches a means of growing their numbers without incurring huge building costs and greatly increased operating budgets. This can certainly be wise stewardship, at least fiscally. May the Lord guide and help us to keep ministry personal as well.

Even our most popular Bible studies are often video-based. While these may provide excellent content, are we supplanting those in our own midst who might otherwise emerge as gifted teachers? Do we build Bible students or simply nudge one another along with our fill-in-the-blank discipleship? The questions beg to be asked.

New patterns of pastoral leadership and Christian ministry emerge almost annually. And we seem to adapt eagerly to fit the models of the latest mega-church.

Much good has come from these ministries. At the same time, however, ought we not to ask some difficult questions? Has the church itself become a new form of pop culture, or are we merely mirroring it in our midst?

Where do evangelism and discipleship fit in this process?

Of course, we can rejoice that the Gospel is now carried technologically to areas where it previously may not have been shared. However, we are prompted to pray that God will preserve congregational fellowship, mutual edification, Christian community and personal accountability.

If, for some reason, I do not show up at church for a few months, will anyone notice? Will someone check in with me in Christian love? Maybe and maybe not.

Many churches now employ small groups, which are intended to function as small churches of sorts. In many cases, this may be so.

Still, our supersizing may cause some of us to remember wistfully the days of the local church family, when folks truly knew and cared for one another. We might look back at centuries of Christendom, in which believers belonged to tightly knit communities. Today, churches talk about “doing life together” in small groups. In the past, folks just naturally shared their lives, for good or ill.

Surely, the bottom line is expressed in today’s Scripture readings in 2 Chronicles. This Old Testament verse contains an eternal truth:

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth

to strengthen those

whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

(2 Chronicles 16:7-9, NIV)

The church is surely growing. Are we growing up as well?

If our hearts are fully committed to the living Lord, what will church look like? What formats will we need? What music will we have? Will we employ trendy graphics and intriguing dramatic skits? Will the pastor include clever quips or amusing anecdotes?

The mechanics and methodologies may differ in each situation. In a sense, the medium hardly matters, so long as people are reached with God’s Good News. The message is everlasting, isn’t it?

^“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything

I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always,

to the very end of the age."

(Matthew 28:18-20, NIV, emphasis added)

God is with us. He has called His people to follow Him, to lead others to Him and to teach one another to love and obey Him.

Are you hungry?

How will you be fed? Whom will you feed as well? And what will you feed them?

Can anyone point me to a solid-food Bible study?

Will you pray with me?

Oh, Lord, We are hungry!

Feed us with Your Word.

Raise up teachers among us.

Instruct us in Your truth,

And equip us to instruct others.

Build Your Kingdom

On earth

And in each of Your disciples.

Grow us up, Lord,

Until Your image in us

Can be clearly seen.

Amen.

June 2nd - Kingdoms in Conflict

Kingdoms in Conflict

(1 Kings 13:33-34; 14:1-18, 21-29, 31; 15:1-8;

2 Chronicles 11:5-12, 18-23; 12:1-16; 13:1-22; 14:1)

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

Artist Unknown

Yesterday, our Old Testament Bible readings included the account of the origins of the divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Today, we focus on this in more detail.

Appointing Idolatrous Priests

After the Levites turned from Israel to Judah, leaving for Jerusalem, King Jeroboam began filling their priestly vacancies with unqualified leaders. Basically, anyone who was willing to perform sacrifices to Jeroboam’s two golden calves could become ordained to the priesthood.

A few years ago, our family attended a wedding in which we beheld a modern-day example of the same practice. The clergyman presiding over the couple’s nuptials was a self-proclaimed pastor of a church with which we were not familiar. Over lunch, we asked him about his congregation.

To our surprise, this apparent man of the cloth chuckled and commented that he had no parish or congregation. He explained that he had simply submitted a personal check to a certain mail-order ordination organization, responding to a classified advertisement in a popular secular music magazine. In return for his financial contribution, he had received a printed and embossed certificate of pastoral ordination.

Jeroboam’s priests carried similar credentials.

But God was not amused. Shortly afterwards, King Jeroboam’s own son became deathly ill. Jeroboam sent his own wife (in disguise) to visit Ahijah the prophet for a comforting report. However, Ahijah (though blind) recognized her and offered a very different message. At the Lord’s instruction, Ahijah informed Jeroboam’s wife that the king’s son would indeed perish.

And it was so.

Idolatry and Repentance

Meanwhile, in Judah, King Rehoboam was not without fault. Once his kingdom became established and strong, the king turned to idolatry as well.

The Lord allowed the Egyptians, led by King Shishak, to oppress Judah until His people repented and called upon His Name again. Shishak took Solomon’s golden shields from the palace, as well as treasures from the Temple.

The conflict between Israel and Judah persisted as well, with constant skirmishes. When Judah’s King Rehoboam died, his son Abijah ascended to the throne. But he was no more faithful than his father had been, fostering idolatry. Even so, Judah’s King Abijah was willing to repent and depend upon God for victory in battle with Israel.

When Judah called on the Lord, he granted them victory. The Scripture offers the secret to the outcome:

“He committed all the sins his father had done before him;

his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God,

as the heart of David his forefather had been.

Nevertheless, for David's sake

the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem

by raising up a son to succeed him

and by making Jerusalem strong.

For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD

and had not failed to keep any of the LORD's commands

all the days of his life – except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.”

(1 Kings 15:3-5, NIV, emphasis added)

What a legacy and promise. The Lord preserved the family lineage of leadership of His treasured David for generations to follow. David’s devotion led to blessing for his son (Solomon), his grandson (Rehoboam), his great grandson (Abijah) and many others afterwards.

What legacy are we leaving to our own children and grandchildren? How might our own faithfulness and devotion to God impact those who will follow after us?

Will you pray with me?

Great and gracious and glorious One,

How we love You.

Remind us to live deliberately.

Grant us Your revelation

And inspiration,

So that we might heed Your calling.

Nudge us to repentance,

If we carry any idolatries

In our hearts.

Purify us,

And make us wholly Yours.

Place Your hand of grace

On generations to follow ours,

And build the foundations

Of faithful legacies

In our families

For Your glory.

Amen.

June 1st - A Divided Domain

A Divided Domain

(1 Kings 12:1-33; 13:1-32;

2 Chronicles 10:1-19; 11:1-4, 13-17)

Rehoboam and the Elders

Artist Unknown

After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam became King. Soon, however, the kingdom of Israel became divided into two rival nations, Israel and Judah. Rehoboam ruled the southern kingdom of Judah, while Jeroboam reigned in the northern kingdom of Israel.

Tough Talk

Young King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, consulted the elders of the kingdom for advice during his initial days on the throne. However, he rejected the advice from these sage seniors, choosing instead to heed the words of his own peers.

How differently might the history of God’s people evolved, if Rehoboam had chosen to listen to wise advisors, rather than those who merely humored him?

Rehoboam enforced heavy levies on the people. His dictatorial approach and harsh demands incited a rebellion. All of Israel’s tribes except Judah and Benjamin separated from the kingdom.

The divided domain was begun.

Idolatry in Israel

To the north, the departing tribes were led by King Jeroboam. Presumably to prevent the people from making pilgrimages to Jerusalem (in Judah) to make sacrifices, Jeroboam constructed local altars in the form of two golden calves.

Does this ring a bell? It surely does. (See Exodus 32.) We can only wonder why the people did not recognize the idolatry of the golden calves. Of course, we might also wonder why we may not recognize repeated idolatrous patterns in our own lives. (Ouch.)

The priests of Israel refused to perform sacrifices at the false altars. The Levites departed from their districts to join Rehoboam in Judah. The faithful followers joined the exodus to Jerusalem in Judah, rather than participating in the idolatry of King Jeroboam of Israel.

The rift was complete.

Conflict Continues

Our subsequent Bible readings will trace patterns of conflict between Israel and Judah. We may also discover how this tension may have made God’s people considerably more vulnerable to outside aggressors as well.

How do disagreements, idolatrous pursuits, unwise leadership, rebellion and other conflicts weaken our stand against spiritual and physical aggressors today? How do sin and false teachings cause rifts and leave God’s people more vulnerable to dangers and divisions?

Will you pray with me?

Mighty Master

And Faithful Father,

Remind us

To look to You

For Your leading.

Teach us

To worship You

Wholly

In Spirit

And in truth.

We live to honor You.

Make Your people one

In Your Name,

For Your glory.

Amen.