Uncategorized

Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he took everything, even taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the care of the commanders of the guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.  Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the LORD, that the guards would carry them and would bring them back into the guards’ room.

 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. (I Kings 14:25-30, NASB)

The Bible doesn’t speak well of King Rehoboam. As a result of King Rehoboam’s sin, the beauty of the Lord’s temple was besieged. The Egyptians took all the treasures out of the temple, including the gold. Then, King Rehoboam replaced God’s gold treasures with bronze objects.

This is what Matthew Henry’s Commentary says about this passage: “Sin exposes, makes poor, and weakens any people. Shishak, king of Egypt, came and took away the treasures. Sin makes the gold become dim, changes the most fine gold, and turns it into brass.”

When we choose to ignore God’s way, our path grows dim. We cannot see the clear  light of truth. We stumble. We fall.  Before we know it, the gold turns to brass. Our works become useless.

I like this passage from Isaiah 30:19-21 (NIV):

‘O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”’

Whenever I have quieted my anxious mind, God sent direction and guidance. I know without a doubt this gift became available once I accepted Him in my heart at the age of eleven. From the day I got saved, He pointed me to my first teacher: June. She was a wonderful elderly woman who owned a Christian bookstore in a marketplace where my parents owned a business. A natural bibliophile and a spiritual babe in Christ, I spent hours at June’s book shop, reading everything I could get my hands on (especially the comic books..I loved the comics!!). One day, June asked my mother if she could go over the Bible with me. My mother agreed. For a season, June and I spent hours pouring through Scripture. June became my first “Sunday School teacher.” The truths I learned from Scripture during that season are pure gold. Even today, I can remember a lot of what June and I discussed. Those precepts which I cannot mentally recall are stored in my spirit, waiting to come forth at the right time.

God has creative ways to guide us in this life. As long as we aren’t like Rehoboam, He’ll bring out the gold in our lives and use it for His glory.

Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. As she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died. All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place. (I Kings 14:17-20, NASB)

This passage speaks of another king of Israel, Jeroboam, who had turned away from the Lord and worshipped other gods. After the kingdom of Israel was split in two, Jeroboam had an opportunity to rule over a portion of Israel. Yet in God’s eyes, Jeroboam “wasn’t like His servant David, who kept (God’s) commandments and followed (Him) with all his heart” (I Kings 14:8b, NASB) As a result, calamity came to Jeroboam’s house.

God gives us many opportunities to glorify Him. Though we may never become leaders of nations as in the case of Solomon and Jeroboam, we may become a leader of children (parents), a spouse or a friend to someone in need. Yet the pull of other “gods” can cause us to take such opportunities lightly…and lead to calamity in our house. Seeking God’s original purpose for the relationships He has entrusted to us allows us to glorify Him in all areas of life.

Ironically, this rings trues with last Monday’s post on Proverbs 14:1.

Question for you: What relationships has God entrusted to you? How are you glorifying Him in it?

“A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands” (Proverbs 14:1)

Last week while perusing the pages of the Bible, this verse leapt out at me. Has that ever happened to you? At this point in my journey, it’s a morsel of sound wisdom. As a woman in my home, I have the ability to build it up or tear it down…with my own hands. The actions I take, the words I speak and the tone that I set in my home shape the course of the lives that live within its walls. Those lives can be  built up (or torn down). God has given women a powerful ability to influence their family for eternity.

When I think of my mishaps in this area, the impatience, the frazzledness and all the other daily struggles of home life, I can easily allow the enemy to pull me down into guilt and condemnation. But by leaning on Him, each day to pursue the ginormous tasks He’s given me: to help my spouse become God’s man, to teach our children the fear of the Lord and to string together words that point to God’s grace, I can flourish.

You can too! It’s not in our own strength but in His.

So, I’m keeping this verse at the forefront of my mind. I’m continually evaluating how I interact with those closest to me and I’m asking God for guidance to help me build up my home and the hearts that dwell there. Some ways that He’s shown me include:

• *Spending time alone with Him daily before I go about my daily tasks
• *Whittling down my activities to align with my four most important roles in life (at this season): child of God, wife, mother and writer
• *Making lunches and dinners (leads to eating out less often!!)
• *Listening to my spouse and building him up with words of encouragement

Question for you: How are you building up your home? Are there any areas which you’d like God to help you build your home? 

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. (I Kings 11:40-42, KJV)

Solomon had turned away from the Lord by taking foreign wives (over a thousand of them!) and worshipping other gods. As a result, God sent Jeroboam to Solomon with the message that Israel will be divided into two kingdoms as a result of Solomon’s sin. Whenever we think of Solomon, we associate him with the book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom. However, Solomon turned away from the Lord and his folly led to his downfall. All of his acts are recorded in the book of the acts of Solomon as it says in this passage.

God knows our deeds and they are recorded in His book. As believers, we will have to give an account for our actions, not to determine our salvation. Our salvation is a free gift purchased by Christ’s death and resurrection. But God will determine our rewards based on our actions in this life.

Paul writes in I Corinthians 3:10-15 (KJV):

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Question for you: Are you at peace with what your life is built upon?

The winner of Christine Lindsay’s Shadowed in Silk is: Christa Allan!! Congratulations, Christa.

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched (I Samuel 10:24-26, KJV)

God’s plan for how we should live is written in His book. I often forget that during the hustle and bustle of life. Things like: love your enemies, give them two coats when they take one or whoever wants to be the greatest must be the least. These timeless principles are the norm for those in the Kingdom, but they have to be imprinted on our minds and hearts to make them a reality in our lives.

The prophet Samuel told the Israelites the manner of the kingdom, wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. In this way, the people knew the standard. They didn’t have to go through life, shuffling around, wondering. It was there. It was read. It was written.

Note to Readers: Since today’s scripture in Joshua reflects a key principle which we had discovered earlier this year. I’m re-posting the March 2nd post concerning this topic.

 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.  And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. (Joshua 24:25-27, KJV) 

I didn’t know the value of hand writing words of the Bible until I tried it for myself. When I found this verse in the Bible which commands the kings of Israel to do the same, I figured it was very important.

Hand writing bible verses shows you nuances in the words which you may have overlooked by just reading or hearing them. It slows you down and causes you to notice and ponder word choice, meaning and sentence structure. I know this sounds very “school-ish” but by taking the time to slow down, you’ll remember concepts and principles in the Word better. As a result of remembering them, you’ll keep them just as verse 19 states “that he may learn to fear the Lord, to keep all the words..to do them.”

Now, I write verses which stand out to me during my during my prayer journaling time using a One Year Bible. Over a period of months and years, I’ll be transcribing His thoughts over my natural thoughts, much like reprogramming a computer. Try it for yourself and reap the rewards of inscribing His word on your heart.

And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.  And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.  And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions. (Joshua 18:8-10, KJV)

A few months ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, anxious. I felt like my days were too busy and I was running around in circles but accomplishing little to nothing. Do you ever have days like that? So I opened a journal and wrote at the top “Ten Years from Now.” Then I wrote what I’d like my life to be like in ten years. It was a pretty long list, covering important relationships, health, career, finances and my spiritual growth. But before I could write these things down, I had to see them just like the Israelites had to physically see the promised land before they wrote it down in their book.

The source of my anxiety was that I could see a clear vision of myself in the future but my present life didn’t match up. Writing down that future vision was the first step in making course corrections in my life.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? What are you doing to get there?

Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

(Joshua 10:12-14, KJV)

The Christian life is not lived apart from tests and  challenges. But the key factor to excelling in the midst of trials is whether we call upon God to fight on our behalf, especially when the trial seems insurmountable. When we do this, miracles happen! As in the case with Joshua, the sun stood still and the moon stayed so that they could win their battle against the Amorites.

When we call upon Him and look to Him in the midst of difficulties, He often opens doors for us which we could nothave done on our own. This can result in opportunities to heal broken relationships, make positive changes in our lifestyle and experience personal growth and healing. God will hearken to us and He will hear us as we depend on Him.