Week 25 Devotions

June 18 - - When Athaliah, the wicked mother of Ahaziah, learned that her son was dead, she set out to kill the rest of his family also, so that she could reign as Queen (II Kings 11:1). But, a sister of Ahaziah was able to hide one of Ahaziah’s infant sons, Joash and his nurse, for six years without Athaliah knowing about it. After six years of putting up with Athaliah’s incompetent reign, a godly priest named, Jehoiada, went out on a limb and gathered support from the military to place the young boy, Joash, on the throne where he belonged (11:4; II Chronicles 23:1-11). If word of the plot had leaked to Athaliah, she could have had Jehoiada and Joash killed. But, Jehoiada was willing to risk his life so that God’s law could be restored as the law of the land. When Joash was crowned king, Jehoiada presented the young boy with a copy of God’s law (II Kings 11:12; II Chron.23:11), had the evil Athaliah killed (II Kings 11:13-16; II Chron.23:12-15), had Joash and God’s people make a covenant to follow God (II Kings 11:17-21; II Chron.23:16-21), and served as Joash’s adviser for as long as Jehoida lived. Jehoiada was more than just a priest. He was a devout man of God who was determ-ined to use whatever position and opportunities God gave him to influence others to serve the Lord also. Jehoiada lived to be 130 years old. And because he had “done so much good in Israel for God and His Temple”, Jehoiada was buried in the same place reserved for the kings who served Israel (II Chron.24:16). God places doors of opportunities before us everyday, to influence others for Him. His promise to all people is that if we “seek after Him, we will find Him” (Matthew 7:7&8; Jeremiah 29:13&14; Deuteronomy 4:29; Hebrews 11:6). So, how are those who don’t know God going to find God unless those who do know God share God with them? As Paul says, “Faith comes from listening to the Good News about Jesus Christ” (Romans 10:17). But, “how can people believe in Christ if they have never heard about him? And how can people hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Rom.10:14). And who is commissioned by God to tell others about Him? You and I! Unfortunately, after Jehoiada’s death, Joash started listening to advisers who did not share Jehoiada’s love for God. And when Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah tried to call God’s people to repentance, King Joash had the son of Jehoiada killed. But, regardless of whether everyone receives our message or rejects it, our responsibility is to simply be faithful. Jehoiada was. There are many great people of faith that we read about in scripture, some of whom belong to the Great Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11). Jehoiada’s name is not one we normally hear about. And yet, it took great courage on his part to steer the kingdom of Judah in the direction he knew it should go. Most of us will also navigate through life without much fanfare. But, the point is not whether the world notices us so much as it is that we are faithful to God. Jehoiada was. What about us? June 21 - - When we read through God’s Word, isn’t it amazing how long God waits before He pronounces His judgment? While some would question God exercising judgment at all, I don’t understand sometimes why He waits as long as He does before lowering the boom. The fact is, when we look at others and think that God should be punishing them, the apostle Paul says in Romans that we are really condemning ourselves (2:1-16). God has demonstrated unbelievable kindness, tolerance, and patience in our lives. He has blessed us way beyond anything we deserve. And why? Because, God wants us to turn to Him (Romans 2:4). But, instead, we stubbornly refuse to give up our selfish and evil ways that only ruin us anyway. If God’s goodness toward us, is not sufficient in our giving our affection to Him, then God turns to other ways of getting our attention. He first uses minor incidents to get our attention so we don’t have to suffer any major judgments. God said to those living in Israel and in Judah: “I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But, still you wouldn’t return to me. I kept the rain from falling when you needed it most, ruining all your crops...But still you wouldn’t return to me....I struck your farms and vineyards with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured all your fig and olive trees. But still you wouldn’t return to me.....I sent plagues against you like the plagues I sent against Egypt long ago.....But still you wouldn’t return to me......I destroyed some of your cities as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.....But still you wouldn’t return to me” (Amos 4:6-11). It seems as though most of us just don’t get it until it’s too late. Not until we find ourselves wallowing in the consequences of our decisions do we finally come to our senses and turn to Him (Luke 15:11-32). Not until we find ourselves in the stomach of a whale do we finally relent from our stubbornness and repent of our sins (Jonah 2:1-10). Not until we find ourselves struck with the hideous disease of leprosy do we see how rebellious we’ve been and repent of our sins (Numbers 12:1-12). “The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day” (Lamentations 3:22&23). God’s desire for us has always been the same: “Do what is good and run from evil - - that you may live!” (Amos 5:14&15). “The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). “Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good” (Romans 12:9). God doesn’t want us simply going through religious motions (Amos 5:21-23). We may fool others, but we never fool God. What God wants from us is, “a river of righteous living that will never run dry” (5:24). Now that we know what God wants, what is preventing us from doing it?