It seems that a great downfall of leaders in the bible was the presence of strength. That's an ironic quality to become a person's downfall, but especially in the case of Uzziah, his strength brought his ultimate demise. When it comes to leadership (and even just daily living for everyone), God isn't interested in strength. As a culture, we ... [Continue Reading]
What will it take? (Jonah)
There are times when we run away from God. Jonah is a key example of this because God told him to go to Nineveh to preach to a lost people, but Jonah despised the people and didn't want to do as God wished. Once he set sail on a ship heading in a different direction, Jonah endangered the lives of the others on board. It took being thrown in the ... [Continue Reading]
A tragic reality (2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 25)
In my prior posts I never made much mention of a tragic reality of sin that was a part of Israel's history during this time period: the separation of the kingdom. Due to the sin of Solomon and his many wives, the kingdom was broken into two parts: Judah and Israel. In this portion of the reading there is fighting between the two kingdoms, and it really ... [Continue Reading]
Freedom (2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24)
I spent some time today preparing for my lesson on Sunday night with the high school students. This week we're looking at the concept that maximum freedom comes under God's authority. I thought about that in relation to today's reading. Israel faced a lot of stuff during this period of history, and most of the trials they dealt with were as ... [Continue Reading]
It ‘ s all about the heart (2 Kings 9-11)
On Monday night I had an unexpected visit from a few Mormons who were canvassing the neighborhood. At the time when they rang the doorbell I was getting ready to fry a turkey for dinner, so I invited them around back to chat while the turkey was being fried. I have to confess that I don't know nearly enough about their beliefs, but I do know enough to ... [Continue Reading]
The Seven Checkpoints: Walking Wisely in a Fool ‘ s World
The latest sermon from LifePoint Student Ministry. Inspired by Andy Stanley and Stuart Hall's book by the same title, The Seven Checkpoints is a way for students to evaluate their relationship with God. In this fifth message we are taught walk wisely and by making good decisions. Download walking_wisely_in_a_fools_world.mp3 ... [Continue Reading]
Never lie to a prophet (2 Kings 5-8)
Sometimes I wish the bible was like the "choose your own adventure" books that I read as a kid. It's not that I'm necessarily unhappy with the outcomes in the bible, but I'm curious what would have happened in some circumstances. One of those circumstances is Gehazi's foolish choice to lie to a prophet. I mean, come on, Elisha ... [Continue Reading]
Two people I ‘ d like to meet (2 Kings 1-4)
I think Elijah and Elisha are definitely in the running for being the two coolest guys in the Old Testament. Can you imagine being whisked away in a chariot from heaven and being removed from the earth? Or what about having such a strong calling from God that you could call a curse on some kids and have bears maul them because they challenged that ... [Continue Reading]
Setting the stage (Obadiah)
I have to confess that I read Obadiah and left with a lot of confusion. To help gain some understanding, I looked up some information on the book that I found to be pretty helpful, so I'm going to post it here. The text I am reproducing here comes from the ESV Classic Reference Bible. I hope you find this as useful as I did.Obadiah wrote this ... [Continue Reading]
When evil is good (2 Chronicles 21-23)
Opposites are funny things. In order the enjoyable to exist there also must exist the boring, for how can we know what it is to enjoy something if we've never been bored? How can we experience love if we've never experienced hate? Likewise, how can we know good without the experience of evil? The house of Judah experienced evil in the ... [Continue Reading]
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