Finished with the History!

I Chronicles 1-10 The lineage of Israel was so long, & yet it was said of very few that they obeyed God. Only in one group of “begets” was the note that they carried out their work and followed the instructions given to them. Obedience is so important, yet so very rare.

I Chronicles 11-23 Study God and His strength, seek His presence day and night. God is serious business, take Him seriously. We can’t dabble in being a disciple; we must be 100% sold out!

I Chronicles 24-II Chronicles 7 Serve God with my whole heart and eager mind, for God examines every heart & sees through every motive. If you seek Him, He’ll make sure you find Him. But if you abandon Him, He’ll leave you for good. Look sharp now! God has chosen you to build His holy house. Be brave, determined! And do it! -- The Lord pulled me up short here, as I had decided to not go to work and face an issue that had been given to me. Instead, I was sitting home, “being spiritual”, reading my Bible! So I closed my Bible, and went to work, praying all the way for the right heart, mind and motive to do whatever was ahead. He “made sure” I found Him, and although it was not a pleasant afternoon, it was a godly one & He taught me some more leadership skills. When I go up North and start a WATW, I’ll need the experience He provides in these current issues. I praise You, Lord, for teaching & growing me through it all.

II Chronicles 8-24 Solomon built a house especially for his wife who was Pharaoh’s daughter, because the house where King David lived was sacred. So, it sounds like all the time he was involved in doing “God’s Work” he knew his private life didn’t please God. He kept a “regular schedule” of worship, but must have been living a double life.

II Chronicles 25-36 There is one thing that God desires—requires—of us, and that is to love Him and put Him first in our lives. The history of the kings of Israel & Judah seems to always say 2 things about their reign. 1) Whether they were good or evil in God’s sight, and 2) whether or not the got rid of all the idol worship. There is a lesson for me in all this—is God #1 in my life, and am I ruthless in continually weeding out any idols that try to set themselves up in my life?

Ezra Even thought the returning Jews were afraid of what their neighbors might think, they did what God had called them to do anyway. Sometimes it’s a fearful thing to follow the Lord.

They praised God while they were laying the foundation to the temple. Foundation work is hard and not showy, but without it, what is built upon it doesn’t have stability and security.

Found my life goal in there—again. Ezra had committed himself to studying the Revelation of God, to living it, and to teaching Israel to live its truth and ways. Can’t have a better goal than that. Don’t cultivate the good opinion of others—please God, not onlookers.

Nehemiah Nehemiah knew what he wanted when the king asked. He had prayed & had a plan from the Lord. He also knew that his strength was found in the joy of the Lord. Radical, exuberant praise is what God deserves—always!