Walk In the Fear of God

Nehemiah 5:9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?

As witnesses for Christ, we have a tremendous responsbility not only to speak for the Lord but also to live for him.  The testimony of a witness in a court of law is only as credible as the character of the witness.  If his character can be discredited, then his testimony can be invalidated.

As a witness for Jesus Christ, we should walk in the fear of God.  We should live right because the heathen our enemies are watching.  Here Nehemiah warns them to change there behaviour because the lost people would reproach (look down on) them, if they did not live right.

Christ, you are being watched every day.  Everything you do will either support or discredit your witness for Christ.  Do you pay your bills?  Do you read your Bible? How do you respond to frustrating situations?  Do you lose your temper?  Do you stare at other men or women who are not your husband or wife?  Do you use kind, loving words?  Are you patient?

The lost are watching.  How are you living?  Lets walk in the fear of God.

Stirred Up

Ezra 1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying…

 The second law of thermodynamics says that everything tends toward disorder, and our lives tend toward disorder, complacency, and apathy unless acted upon by an outside force.  Revelation 3:15-16 describes the apathetic Christian well, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

In Revelation 3:19, we see God’s solution to apathy is to rebuke us and chasten us.  We need God to to stir us up as he stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia and the people to rebuild the temple.  The word stir here means “to wake, to open the eyes, to lift up.”  Notices some things about God’s stirring:

1.  He does the stirring.  God is the original cause, the first-mover.  There is no spontaneous movement.  Any movement in us is because God has started it.  In the beginning when the earth was without form and void, the Bible says,  ”the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).  ”We love him, because he first loved us” (John 4:19). 

I am so glad that when we were dead in trespasses and sins, He loved us and sent His Son to die for us.  Now, the Holy Spirit is trying to convince men of their need of salvation (John 16:8), and the Father is drawing men to Christ (John 6:44). 

2.  We must respond to God’s stirring.  When God stirred King Cyrus’ spirit, he acted.  When God stirred the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, and the Levites, they decided to go up to build the house (Ezra 1:5).  When God stirred others to give to help them as they went, they willing gave silver, gold, beasts, goods, and precious things. 

Today, God is trying to stir up Your Spirit.  It may be through His Word, through circumstances, through other believers, through preaching or teaching, through chastening, or some other means, but He is trying to get Your attention.  He is trying to wake you up to truth and to His plan for Your life.  Will you listen?  Will you respond?  Will you act based upon the stirring in your spirit?  Or will you remain in apathy and slumber, refusing to respond to His wake up call to You?

First Things First

2 Chronicles 29:3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.

At twenty-five years of age, Hezekiah begins to reign over Judah.  He will end up reigning for twenty-nine years, but in the first month of his reign, he does a very significant thing — he opens the doors of the house of the Lord and repairs them.  He asks the Levites to go in and clean out the temple, so that they can begin to worship and sacrifice to God.

Hezekiah could have done a lot of things when he first came into power.  I am sure if you or I were made king, we would have some plans and things we would like to do.  Instead of indulging in some pleasure, taking some trip, building some new house, or something like that, Hezekiah put God first.  We should put God first in the following ways:

1.  First in our day.  I am a firm believer that God should get the first part of our day.  34 times the phrase “early in the morning” is used in the Bible, and I think that may have been because God’s people were meeting him early in the day.  If you don’t get a chance to meet God first thing in the day, then you are more likely to find sometime later on to read your Bible and pray.

2.  First in our family.  Every family decision and activity should take into consideration, “What would God want us to do?”  Going to church should be a non-negotionable.  Family devotions should be part of our weekly schedule.  Obedience to Scripture should be more important than anything else you do as a family.

3.  First in our future.  The Bible tells us that we are not our own, we are bought with a price, so we should glorify God in our body and spirit, which are God’s.  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  We should seek first the kingdom of God and ask Him what He would have us do with our life.  Our prayer should be “not my will but thine be done” as Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42.

4.  First in our finances.  If God is first in our life, He will be first in our finances.  If we struggle to give Him the firstfruits of all our increase as the Bible says to do in Proverbs 3:9, then that is a good indication that he is not first in our life.  Generosity is like a spiritual thermometer; it lets us know the temperature of our heart.

5.  First in our week.  In the Bible, we see that the New Testament church gathered often on the first day of the week (John 20:19, Acts 20:7) and would bring their offerings on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2).  I hope that you will make it a priority, if at all possible, to gather with other believers on Sunday (and as often as possible) to worship, praise, and listen to God’s Word (Hebrews 10:25).

A Wife’s Influence

2 Chronicles 21:6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

Jehoram was thirty two years old when he began to reign in Israel.  He reigned for eight years and did much evil in the eyes of the Lord. He…

• Made high places in Judah (high place = place of idol worship) (v.11)
• Caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication (fornication = spiritual unfaithfulness to God and sexual sin) (v.11)
• Compelled all of Judah to partake in this fornication (v.11)
• Was plagued with a sickness of the bowels because of his wickedness (v.14-15)
• Departed without being desired (v.20) – when he died no one missed him!

Jehoram made his own choices to rebel against God, but the Bible also tells us that one of the reasons he did wickedly was because he had a daughter of Ahab to wife.  Ahab was a very wicked king, and no doubt his daughters would have been greatly influenced by him.

When I was a student in Peru, Bro. Austin Gardner, taught us about “the power of influence.”  He told us that those who influence have tremendous power.  The men and women who influence the leaders of nations, churches, and homes have great power.  Such is the case with a wife.  She can influence her husband and family for good or for evil.  Here Jehoram was greatly influenced by his wife to sin.

I am grateful for a wife who uses her power of influence for good.  She continually encourages me to serve and live for God.  She never complains about the ministry.  She shares with me what she is reading in her Bible.  She prays for me.  She likes to be hospitable.  She loves to go to church.  She desires to win souls.  That is the kind of wife a man needs. 

I hope that all those in positions of influence today will use that influence for God and for His glory!

On Whom Are You Relying?

2 Chronicles 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

This verse hit me like a shot today.  In 2 Chronicles 16:1, Asa is confronted with a challenge to his kingdom.  The king to the north of him, Baasha, built a city that would cut him off from others nations.  Asa immediately sends money to the ungodly Benhadad, king of Syria, to help him make war against Baasha.  The war is successful and Asa is freed from the threat in his Northern border.  He even took the material from the city Baasha built and made two of his own cities.

But in the next verse (the verse above) we see that God was not happy with Asa.  A seer (prophet, person who sees what God reveals) comes and tells Asa that he has made a serious mistake.  He relied on someone other than God, and it cost him a greater victory.

The application for us today is – we rely on many things and people other than God, which costs us greater victories. 

When we are sick, it could be doctors and medicine rather than God.  That is what we find Asa doing in 2 Chronicles 16:12, “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.” 

When we are in financial difficulty, it could be loans and credit cards rather than prayer and seeking God’s help.  When our churches are struggling or dying, it could be man’s methods and pragmatic approaches to church growth rather than the preaching of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit of God. 

When we have an addiction, it could be some self-help group rather than the real freedom that comes through Jesus Christ.  When we have a need, it could be to try to work things out in our own strength and wisdom rather than falling on our faces before God and begging for His power.

What are you relying on?  You efforts may give you some victory, but such reliance on self could cost you a far greater victory.  Don’t be satisfied with what you can do; trust in God and watch what He can do!

How to Divide a Nation in One Step

2 Chronicles 10:8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.

This is such a sad event in history!  Here Rehoboam is crowned king on the throne where his grandfather David and father Solomon sat.  In the first few days of his reign, a group of people led by Jeroboam come and ask him the following in 10:4:

Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.

Rehoboam asks for three days to make a decision.  I am not sure if he knew how serious a decision this was or not, but the decision he makes will affect the rest of his life and the future of the kingdom.

Rehoboah then talks with the old men who counsel him to be kind, to please the people, and to speak good words to them and they will continue to serve him.  Rehoboam, however, forsook the counsel of these old men and asks the young men what he should do.  They tell him to speak roughly and to make things harder for the people.

When Rehoboam answers them after the counsel of the young men, they rebel and the kingdom divides!  Why did it happen?  1 Kings 11:9-13 says it was allowed of God because of Solomon’s sin, but it was caused by Rehoboam’s pride.

He did not want to be humble and a servant.  He wanted to be harsh and demanding.  He wanted to show them he was in charge.  He was prideful.  And his pride cost him alot.

What about us?  Are we following the advice of the older men?  Are we loving and services our families or barking out orders and being harsh with them?  Are we speaking roughly to those in our churches, classes, and places of influence?  People may have to obey and follow you regardless of how you treat them, but if you really want them to submit and win their heart, treat them gently, with love, with kindness, and speak good words to them.

Examine your words, your actions, and the way you treat people.  If you are rough with people, beating people into submission, and being harsh, maybe you need to confess your pride to God and ask Him to give you a servant’s heart.

Praying Down Fire

2 Chronicles 7:1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

It has been said that all of our failures are prayer failures.  There is no doubt that often we fail because we fail to pray.  As I read my Bible this morning, I was deeply impressed with Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 6 that lasts for 29 verses.  In the prayer, Solomon praises God (6:14-15), asks God to keep His promises (6:16-18), and then submits his specific requests in regards to the temple that has just been built, the people of Israel, and the strangers who would come to pray there. (6:19-42).

After Solomon is done praying, “…the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.”

That is the kind of praying that I want to do.  I want the fire to fall when I pray.  I want God to accept my service to Him.  I want the glory of God to be shown.

What about you?  Are you tired of praying with no results and with no power?  The Bible teaches us how to pray and what to pray, but I don’t think the problem as much a lack of knowledge as maybe it is a lack of desire.

We should study the Bible’s teaching on prayer, so that we can pray prayers that get answered, but we also need to hunger for the fire to fall.  Maybe we don’t see the fire fall from our prayers, because there is sin in our life, because we are selfish with our prayers, or because we have sinned in ceasing to pray. 

May God give us a hunger for Him and for His glory.  May we return to the secret place of prayer and cry out to God for Him to do great and mighty things.  May we pray the prayers that God promises to answer.  Most of all, may we just pray!

Determined to Exalt God’s Name and Kingdom

2 Chronicles 2:1 And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.

Solomon is determined to do something for the Lord’s name and the Lord’s kingdom.  Often my primary motivation for what I do is for my own name and my own kingdom.  What fuels your service?  Is it your name or His name?  Notice how Solomon exalted God’s name:

1.  He prepared His heart.  In 2 Chronicles 1, Solomon prepares his heart by seeking God (1:5), offering a thousand burnt offerings (1:6), choosing wisdom over riches, wealth, honour, victory, and long life (1:10-11).  His service for God began by surrendering his heart.  What we do is a result of who we are in our heart.  Luke 6:45 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”  How is your heart?  What is in your heart?  Surrender your heart to God because that is where a great work for God must begin.

2.  He was motivated by the greatness of God.  In 2 Chronicles 2:5, we read, And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. The reason that Solomon wanted to build such a house was because He was in awe of God’s greatness and wanted to do something worthy of God’s name.  Our God deserves our very best and our trusting Him to do great things.  Anything less than an impossible vision and dream is an insult to the character, power, and greatness of God.

3.  He was willing to work hard.  This is the difference between great dreams and great works.  Many have desires to serve God but few see God really use them.  Could it be that they lacked the diligence, daily service, and hard work necessary to follow through with the desires God put in their heart?  In 2 Chronicles 2-5, we see that Solomon had to hire labourers, prepare materials, and continually give himself to the building of this house.  Paul talked about this in 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

4.  God’s glory filled the house.  After they finished building and sacrificing to God, 2 Chronicles 5:14 tells us “the glory of the Lord…filled the house.  May we attempt great things for God that would bring glory to His name and exalt His kingdom; and may our efforts be filled with the glory of God, as we surrender our heart and our efforts to Him.

A Costless Christianity

1 Chronicles 21:24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

David has just sinned against the Lord in commanding the people to be numbered.  Because of his sin, 70,000 men died in Israel.  This is a good lesson in the effect that our decisions as leaders have on those who follow us.

David cries for mercy, and the angel tells him to go sacrifice at the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  When David arrives, he asks Ornan to give him the threshingfloor for the “full price.”  Ornan responds by offering to give him not only the threshingfloor but the oxen for the offering, the threshing instruments as wood for the fire, and the wheat he is threshing for a meat offering.  Ornan says, “I give it all.”

Imagine how you would have felt if you were David.  Would you have been excited that you got a “good deal” on worship?  Would you have thought, “I can fulfill me obligation to God without having to pay a dime!”  ”What a deal!”  “I can go to go to Heaven without having to do, give, or change anything!”

Notice David’s attitude about this ”good deal” in verse 24.  He says there is no way I am going to take it without paying the full price for it.  I am not going to take something that is yours for free and then turn around and give it to the Lord without cost.

David did not want a costless Christianity.  He knew that if it did not cost Him, he would not value it.  He did not want to give something to God that did not cost Him anything.

What about you?  Do you want a costless Christianity?  Are you shopping around for the best deal on Christianity?  Are you looking for the place you can get the most for the least?  Or are you committed to giving your best, your all, your everything to God? 

I am so glad that God gave Himself, His all, His best, His only begotten Son for You and me.  Salvation cost Him everything.  It cost you and I nothing.  It is a free gift, yet, if we really love Him, we will give yourselves back to Him as  living sacrifice.  David could have taken the threshingfloor.  He did not have to pay for it, yet he chose to pay for it because he loved God and wanted to give something back to God for all God had given him. 

If you won’t give you all to Jesus, you are not worthy of Him.  Matthew 10:37-38, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Giving Thanks

1 Chronicles 16:7-8 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

David was a man who lived in awe of the goodness of God.  Most of the psalms were written by him and many express his appreciation for all God had done.  1 Chronicles 16 details David’s gratitude and thanksgiving to God. 

David appointed certain Levites who entire job was to thank and praise God.  Some were to praise Him with psalteries (lyre) and harps (v.4-5); others with cymbals and trumpets. (v.5-6)

The purpose of praise was to…

• Make known the deeds of God. (v.8)
• Cause God’s people to rejoice. (v.10)
• Remember what God has done. (v.12)
• Remind us of God’s promises. (v.15-19)
• Glorify God. (v.28)

We should praise God for…

• His protection. (v.21-22)
• His salvation. (v.23)
• His glory and works. (v.24)
• His greatness. (v.25)
• His creation. (v.26)
• His honour. (v.27)
• His strength and gladness. (v.27)

How do we praise Him…

• By singing (v.23)
• By witnessing (v.24)
• By giving (v.29)
• By worshipping (v.29)
• By fearing (v.30)
• By giving thanks (v.34)