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As Arnold Schwarzeneggar so famously articulated it in the movie Terminator - "I'm back!"
If you've wondered where I've been...I've been inundated with completing tax returns for nearly 100 clients before the April 15th deadline, which obviously has precluded me from staying faithful with my blog. But, with only a few extensions left to file I think I can get back to sharing my thoughts with you as we journey through the Bible three chapters at a time.
However, today we'll do four chapters and finish the book of 1 Kings.
Here are a few things worth blogging about...
1) Fear can grip the heart of any Christian! No matter how Godly a person might seem to be, we are all vulnerable to the attack of Satan who loves to instill fear in our hearts. On the heels of chapter 18 which tells about the incredible fearlessness of Elijah as he confronts King Ahab and the 800 Baal prophets in a monumental challenge on the top of Mount Carmel, chapter 19 shows just how human he really is! Once he realizes the Queen wants him killed, the Bible says, "Elijah was afraid and fled for his life." How can this happen?
Simple! There are moments when we feel bold, and then there are moments when we feel helpless and frail. And, in spite of the miracles God does along the way as he flees to the deserts of Mount Sinai, Elijah feels fearful. Once he gets to Mount Sinai, he comes to his senses and feels absolutely shameful about his kneejerk reaction to run. He asks God to kill him and reasons with God as to why he ran. God causes a mighty wind to rend the rocks, then causes an earthquake and blazes of fire to take place in front of Elijah, then out of no where allows His still small voice to speak to him. It's almost as though God is saying "Elijah, I'm right here with you! I haven't left you and there's nothing to fear!"
God understands our fear. But, He also wants us to get rid of it. He wants to prove to us just how powerful He really is. He may not cause a rushing mighty wind or an earthquake or a blaze of fire or even speak to you audibly, but He's there with you. The stories we read in the Old Testament are there to remind us that God IS WITH US, and that He fully understands our situation. They are they to remind us that nothing is too difficult with God and that there's nothing to fear but fear itself!
2) Little in God's Hand is more than enough! Throughout the Old Testament we've seen how little things in God's Hand can accomplish impossible tasks! In chapter 20, God uses 232 commanders in Israel's army to defeat an entire Aramaen army. Remember Gideon's 300 men who defeated an entire army of more than 400,000 trained soldiers? In 2 Kings, you'll read about how 1 man led an entire army into captivity!
You may feel you have little to offer God for His service, but know this that God loves that! That way, He gets all the glory! God loves to take the little or nothing that we have and use it to accomplish great things. There is nothing impossible with God! Give what little you have and let Him use it to add His supernatural and infinite power to it! Attempt great things for God and expect great things from God!
3) Evil is characterized by covetousness, pride, arrogance, selfishness, and a hatred for the things of God! Sadly, in chapter 21-22, we read just how "evil" King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, have become. They characterize all of the above traits! Ahab covets Naboth's vineyard to the point that it effects his attitude! Jezebel's pride and arrogance causes Naboth to be murdered! Ahab's selfishness causes him to enjoy the taking of Naboth's vineyard regardless of the fact that he was murdered for it. And, Ahab's hatred for God's prophets are indicative of the evilness of his own heart. He hated to hear these prophets pronouncing God's words to him because they were never encouraging words...duh!
If there is any covetousness, pride, arrogance, selfishness, and/or bitterness in your heart towards God or His word, it is a by-product of the evil that has taken over your heart! Ask God today to take it away from you before it destroys you just like it destroyed Ahab and his wife, Jezebel!
Well, these are my thoughts...what are yours! Have a God-blessed day!
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Quotes To Live By!
The greatness of a man is not measured by his position, power, plaudits, or pleasures, but by what it takes to discourage him. - Dr. Jerry Falwell
A truly GREAT man doesn't discourage easily. He understands the risks in life. And if he fails, he fails FORWARD! - Dr. John Maxwell
"I will speak the ill of no man, but all the good of everyone." - Benjamin Franklin
Life is about living out your passions and figuring out how to get paid to do it. - Glenn Beck
You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving! - Anonymous
Love...as though you'll NEVER get another chance! - Anonymous
A truly GREAT man doesn't discourage easily. He understands the risks in life. And if he fails, he fails FORWARD! - Dr. John Maxwell
"I will speak the ill of no man, but all the good of everyone." - Benjamin Franklin
Life is about living out your passions and figuring out how to get paid to do it. - Glenn Beck
You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving! - Anonymous
Love...as though you'll NEVER get another chance! - Anonymous
1 comment:
Hear, hear. This is a man of my mettle.
Let me quote something I wrote in a free e-book I've put on the web, Walkabout: The History of a Brief Century:
“Our understanding of evil is incredibly subjective: we automatically assume that it’s always done by others, that it’s something unfair or immoral that offends, injures, or threatens us, and that we’re always the good guys in the story. This conception of evil is political, not based on faith. It’s a paramount tool of leaders looking to unite followers. There’s a universal rule: if you want a population to do your bidding and pay you money, you’ll have to show them an enemy, and that enemy is the external evil we’re talking about. The only difference between a political leader and a charismatic religious leader going for your pocketbook is that where the politician tries to turn you against minorities, foreigners, and terrorists, the preacher adds witches and demons to the list. But objectively speaking, any outside evil is irrelevant to you and me, because the only evil that matters is our own pride, greed, and selfishness. They are the main things standing between us and God.
“Time was when everybody knew that selfishness is bad for you. But we’re no longer raised that way: now our greed and covetousness are the very motors of the economy, and they are energetically nurtured by all the advertisement and entertainment that shape our culture and our outlook on life. Our preachers should be screaming bloody murder about this, but instead, they’re fighting fairy-tale windmills, or else they’re actively promoting intolerance and right-wing, pro-big-business politics."
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