"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
*Thanks to Chelsie Toering for her photography*
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
An Undivided Heart
When you think about promises or vows what comes to mind? Maybe marriage vows? Marriage vows are like promises that are made in dedication of a heart to your spouse. They are meant to be permanent. They are in complete, wholehearted devotions to one another. Right? Well, they are supposed to be.
The story of Asa can be found in 2 Chronicles 14. This is a story of a king who was " good in the eyes of the Lord". After years of wars going on between Judah and the surrounding tribes, God gave years of peace Judah when Asa became king. Asa removed all the idols, and foreign alters that were found in the cities. Asa was a good king, and the people adored him. During the years of peace he built up the fortified cities and commanded Judah to obey the Lord their God of all his commands and to seek after Him.
The story of Asa thus far, is very applicable. There are three words that resonate with this story. Three ways to capturing the confidence, and the faith, and trust that Asa is an example of. The first word is Removal.
The second word in verse 3 is "removed". Asa got rid of the things that were distractions and hindrances to the people of Judah. Initially this was Asa saying "I want to be fully yours". ( Now would be a good time to ask yourself: is there anything that I need to remove from my life?) The second word is Reliance. As verse 11 says , Asa called out to the Lord, he did so because he relied on God for his deliverance. (Think about what it might look like to rely on God...Think about this: the flesh doesn't need to be invited for reliance ( on our part). The flesh shows up right away, at the first sign of trouble. The flesh shouts it response to our call of reliance. On the other hand, the Spirit wants to be invited, it is longing for and invitation. The Spirit may not show up right away. The Spirit, God, He whispers his response to our call of reliance to Him. Now that's what reliance on God looks like). This is where I need to become like Asa; it is important when something happens to pause, invite the Spirit, take a break and listen to God. The last word is Renewal. Take a look at the next chapter, 2 Chronicles 15 says:
* This is a part of a series Senior Pastor Jeff Manion of Ada Bible Church has been speaking on*
The story of Asa can be found in 2 Chronicles 14. This is a story of a king who was " good in the eyes of the Lord". After years of wars going on between Judah and the surrounding tribes, God gave years of peace Judah when Asa became king. Asa removed all the idols, and foreign alters that were found in the cities. Asa was a good king, and the people adored him. During the years of peace he built up the fortified cities and commanded Judah to obey the Lord their God of all his commands and to seek after Him.
8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.After years of peace the Cushite army went up against Asa and his army in a war. Asa called out to God saying:
"LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."It is not surprising , but it is amazing that the Lord "struck down" the Cushite army before Asa and Judah. The passage says that the Cushites fell and couldn't recover because of how powerful the forces of God are (verse 13). After continuing on and destroying other cities Asa and his army returned to Jerusalem.
The story of Asa thus far, is very applicable. There are three words that resonate with this story. Three ways to capturing the confidence, and the faith, and trust that Asa is an example of. The first word is Removal.
The second word in verse 3 is "removed". Asa got rid of the things that were distractions and hindrances to the people of Judah. Initially this was Asa saying "I want to be fully yours". ( Now would be a good time to ask yourself: is there anything that I need to remove from my life?) The second word is Reliance. As verse 11 says , Asa called out to the Lord, he did so because he relied on God for his deliverance. (Think about what it might look like to rely on God...Think about this: the flesh doesn't need to be invited for reliance ( on our part). The flesh shows up right away, at the first sign of trouble. The flesh shouts it response to our call of reliance. On the other hand, the Spirit wants to be invited, it is longing for and invitation. The Spirit may not show up right away. The Spirit, God, He whispers his response to our call of reliance to Him. Now that's what reliance on God looks like). This is where I need to become like Asa; it is important when something happens to pause, invite the Spirit, take a break and listen to God. The last word is Renewal. Take a look at the next chapter, 2 Chronicles 15 says:
12 They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.I think that pretty much says it all. They renewed their hearts to the Lord. They rededicated their lives to Him.
15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.The marriage vows, are kinda like this. This covenant with the Lord, is wholehearted, with all of the hearts and souls. No messing around with half sincere dedications, this is the real deal. So now, I'm asking myself, is the half hearted stuff worth it? To give up something so marvelous, just so that I can live my life with out seeking out God? I want to be like Asa, removing, relying and renewing my life with Christ.
* This is a part of a series Senior Pastor Jeff Manion of Ada Bible Church has been speaking on*
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