The Right Priorities, Now

 

"In the first year of his reign, in the first month,

he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them."

2 Chronicles 29:3

King Ahaz was not a good king. We are told that he was unfaithful to God, that he worshiped the gods of Syria, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and set up altars to false gods in every corner of Jerusalem. All this brought ruin upon him and upon Israel.

After Ahaz died, his son, Hezekiah took the throne. Though his dad was a rotten king, amazingly Hezekiah was a very good king who honored the Lord. He became king at the age of 25, and we see right away that this young king would establish his throne on the right priorities. He did not begin his reign focusing on civil programs, but had the wisdom to know his people needed spiritual renewal. What encourages me the most about this young king is that he didn't wait to get the right priorities set. We learn in 2 Chronicles 29:3 that he re-opened the temple in the very first month of his reign, and later in the chapter we are told that they began to sanctify the temple on the first day of the first month. What an example of godly leadership, he knew the spiritual priority, he saw what needed to be done, and he didn't wait, he did it!

Hezekiah understood the ruin his father had brought upon Israel by turning from the Lord, so when he began his reign it was first things first. He began to turn the nation's heart back to God. Is there an area of your spiritual walk that you know has been closed up or neglected? Is there something that you know you need to do to be stronger in the Lord? First things first, don't wait, don't put it off, honor the Lord, do it, no excuses, start today!

All In

 

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also,

He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34

I saw some athletes wearing matching shirts with their team motto written in capital letters on the back. I've seen the two word motto used before and I like the message, because it's a simple but powerful call to total dedication. On the back of the shirts it just said "ALL IN".

When Jesus calls us unto Himself, His call is one that calls us to be

"ALL IN". The Lord doesn't play around when He calls us to follow Him. When Jesus uses the term, pick up the cross, it literally means to be willing to die, and that is not being partially in, or mostly in, but "ALL IN".

I just saw a new Gallup poll that said the 70% of Americans are very or moderately religious. I understand what it is to be very religious, but I have to wonder, what is it to be moderately religious? Is it really possible to be moderately religious? I look at religious commitment to be somewhat like the marriage commitment, is it possible to be moderately married? I really believe a core weakness of the church in these days is a refusal to count the cost of being true followers of Jesus.

Jesus is very clear, there is no such thing as being moderately Christian. If you are going to follow Jesus, He calls you to be "ALL IN". Lord Jesus, every one of us is weak, revive our strength by Your Spirit that we may put away any half-hearted lukewarm ways and follow you with all our might. Amen!

Heart of Flesh

 

"Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them,

and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh."

Ezekiel 11:19

The heart of man's problem is the heart of man. We can come up with the most well-designed, reasonable and intellectual arguments, but if the heart of the listener is callous, the argument will fall flat. Billy Graham tells the story of when he spent a long time answering the questions of a college student. He finally asked the young man if he would commit his life to Jesus if his questions were all answered. The student said that he wouldn't, and so Billy knew his issue was not one of the head, but one of the heart.

In my years of ministry, I have seen over and again that even sound Godly wisdom, and direct bulls-eye preaching have no affect on the hardened heart. The preaching and wisdom just bounce off the heart like a dart striking a brick wall. The stony heart needs to be replaced with a heart of flesh, and that miracle begins with our prayers.

We are all called into the heart-changing business, which would lead us to wrestle and weep and plead with those we love. Let us begin by wrestling and weeping and pleading in prayer.

May God break out hearts to bring others to our Savior's love, the only love that can soften hearts

Contrast

 

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening" (Acts 16:25).

The above verse begins with the word "but", which leads us to a contrast or a change of direction in the narrative which might be unexpected. You see, Paul and Silas had been arrested, beaten with many stripes, and thrown into the darkest, coldest part of the prison at Philippi without any trial. One might expect the noise coming from Paul and Silas' cell to be cursing or complaining, "but" what was heard was the peace of prayer and worship unto God. Notice too, that the other prisoners were listening, and we can only imagine how amazed they must have been by this powerful witness.

The way we live our lives in Christ ought to serve as a contrast to the world. How we respond when we suffer loss or are hurt or offended can be a powerful testimony. Just as the inmates in that dark prison listened to Paul and Silas, there are neighbors and co-workers and relatives watching and listening to us. When something difficult or hurtful happens, and they expect to see anger or vengeance in us, "but" see peace and forgiveness, it speaks volumes of the reality of Jesus in our hearts.

Paul and Silas were not robotic Christians who felt no physical or emotional pain. They most certainly hurt, but in the midst of the hurt they magnified the Lord so they were able to respond as the Lord, and it was dynamic. What an example we have here from Paul and Silas, I pray it will stir us to be different, and be determined to live as powerful testimonies to our Jesus.