No Bullying Allowed – 1 John 4:4

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“You are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” According to the Apostle John, there is a bully in this world who actively works against God by threatening, intimidating, tempting, and deceiving people including the children of God with his evil influences: “This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” (vs. 3). Fortunately, we have a Big Brother who is bigger and stronger than the bully who thinks he controls this world. In fact, our Big Brother, Jesus, has already overcome and defeated this bully. Therefore, the Spirit of Jesus who dwells in us is more powerful than the evil spirit, Satan, who controls this world. You have nothing to fear from this bully. Whenever this bully threatens or intimidates you, you can call on your Big Brother, Jesus, who is always near because His Spirit dwells in you to help you take on and defeat this bully.

We Shall Be Like Him – 1 John 3:2

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“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” The Apostle John indicates that Christ is the prototype for our own resurrection. In other words, our resurrected bodies will take the same form as the resurrected Christ. Although Christ has been raised from the dead, we have not yet been raised. So we have hope for being resurrected from the dead and having resurrection bodies like Jesus, but, as John points out, “we are God’s children now.” So the redeemed of God have one foot in eternity and one foot in this present world. But the power of Christ’s resurrection is already at work to purify us so that we start becoming like Christ now: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (vs. 3). John goes on to say that God’s chidren do not make a practice of sinning (vs 4), but instead practice righteousness (vs. 7). You are enabled to practice righteousness because you are born of God and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and working through the Word of God to empower you to refrain from sinning and to practice righteousness (vs. 9-10).

Successful Service – 2 Chronicles 31:21

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“And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.”

During his reign over Judah, King Hezekiah cleansed the temple, restored temple worship, and organized the priests.

In other words, he made serving God his personal and professional responsibility and he was successful at it.

Hezekiah’s formula for success in serving God was simple:

  1. Align your service to God with His commands;
  2. Seek God’s will in everything you do for Him; and
  3. Make serving God your main priority.

You can be successful for God if you will follow this simple formula for serving Him.

Truth Professionals – 1 John 1:6-7

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“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” The Apostle John says in the preceding verse (vs. 5) that God is light. Therefore, those who walk in darkness are not walking with God, no matter what they say. John says that if you are walking in darkness then you are not practicing the truth. By contrast, those who walk in the light reflect God’s glory; they walk in the same way Jesus walked (vs. 2:6). The light in which they walk includes both correct doctrine (truth) and God’s moral law (holiness). If you “walk in the light” then you practice the truth and your behavior is consistent with your doctrine. When you live your life each day according to God’s redemptive love and moral law, then you are living the truth. You are like a practitioner of the truth, a truth professional. Just as doctors practice medicine and attorneys practice the law, Christians practice truth. As a practitioner of truth, when you “walk in the light” then your life is known to others: “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Be a truth professional and let the way you live your life and the way you say you live your life be one in the same and to the glory of God, and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all sin.

A Sudden Change of Heart – 2 Chronicles 29:36

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“And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had prepared for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.” During the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, he closed down the temple and built altars in many places around Jerusalem and in many cities in Judah to make offerings to other gods. When Hezekiah, his son, became king, the first thing he did was to open and repair the doors of the temple. Then he called in the Levites and priests and commanded them to cleanse and consecrate the temple. Sixteen days later they completed the repairs and consecration of the temple and the people of Judah brought so many sacrifices that there were not enough priests to prepare the burnt offerings. God had changed the people in such a way that they “were of a willing heart” (vs. 31). The change of heart of the people and the restoration of  temple worship happened suddenly. In fact, it was so sudden a change that the people, who but a few days earlier were ready to comply with wicked King Ahaz in his idolatrous ways, were now ready to be obey and worship God. King Hezekiah recognized the hand of God on the people and he seized the opportunity to repair the temple and restore the people of Judah to the worship of God. Like Hezekiah, we must be spiritually perceptive and prepared so that we can seize any opportunity to lead or restore a person to faith in God when the Holy Spirit is drawing her or him.

God’s Marvelous Help – 2 Chronicles 26:15

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“And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.” During his fifty-two year reign in Jerusalem, King Uzziah built towers, dug many wells, organized a large army, conquered surrounding nations, and made devices for the defense of the city. Uzziah was a remarkable king who had a broad interest in the improvement of his kingdom and because of his many achievements, his fame spread among other nations. For all his accomplishments he became strong because he was marvelously helped by God. Unfortunately, Uzziah began to trust in his own strength forgetting that it was the marvelous help of God that brought him prosperity and success. Uzziah transgressed against the Lord by entering the temple to burn incense on the altar, a ceremony of religious worship that was performed by a priest. It seemed that Uzziah was not content with the authority God had given him as king and apparently wanted to add priestly functions to his royal power. You also, have been marvelously helped by God. In fact, the “marvelous help of God” is a fitting description of the enabling power of the Holy Spirit that is at work in your life: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit will marvelously help you and make you strong in the Lord; but remember where your strength comes from and give God the glory because pride is always lurking behind any success that you may achieve through God’s help.

Time for a Tune-Up? – 2 Chronicles 23-24

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“And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (vs. 2). The story of Joash, king of Judah, is an object lesson we all need to take to heart. When Joash’s father, the king, died prematurely, his father’s mother usurped the throne. She had all of the royal family killed, but Joash, the infant heir to the throne, was concealed in the temple for six years by his aunt and uncle, Jehoida, the high priest. Jehoida led a coup to restore the throne to the house of David and install the rightful heir, Joash, as king. In the first part of Joash’s reign while Jehoida was alive, Joash was devoted to the restoration of the temple and adherence to God’s law. After Jehoida, the high priest, died Joash succumbed to the evil counsel of certain leaders in Judah who identified with the evil ways of Ahab, the former king of Israel and so Joash established idolatrous practices in Judah. Joash even commanded that the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Jehoida, be put to death because he spoke against the king. In a battle with the Syrians Joash was severely wounded and brought to Jerusalem where he was killed by his own officials in revenge for Zechariah’s death. King Joash’s faith was dependent upon Jehoida and once Jehoida was gone, so was Joash’s faith. Furthermore, Joash listened to bad advice from the wrong spiritual advisors. Joash couldn’t handle dissent–everyone around him had to agree with him. The lessons we can learn from Joash are to always guard your faith; don’t let your faith be based on the faith of someone else; be careful who you listen to for spiritual advice and then be careful of the spiritual advice that others give; and don’t dissociate yourself from those who disagree with you because God may be using them to reprove and discipline you! Your faith requires continual maintenance–is it time for tune-up?

When God Does What You Ask For – John 16:23-24

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“Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” This enigmatic command is repeated by Jesus three times in John 14-16 (see 14:13-14, 15:16, and 16:23-24). It must be important if Jesus repeats it to His disciples three times on the same occasion (at the Last Supper). What does Jesus mean to ask the Father in His name and the Father will do it? The obvious answer is that up to this point Jesus had been with His disciples in person and so there wasn’t much need to pray to God the Father when Jesus was right there with them in person to supernaturally intervene in people’s lives. Now Jesus is going away (in physical presence) and so He is teaching them a different way to ask of or pray to God that applies also to us. With each repetition of this command Jesus taught the disciples more about how this new prayer relationship with God works. When Jesus tells the disciples in chapter 14 that He will do whatever they ask in His name, He also tells them to believe that He acts by the authority of God the Father because He is of the same nature as the Father and they can act on His authority (as God) when they do the same works that He did (vs. 10-14). In chapter 15 Jesus tells the disciples that He will tell them what He has heard from the Father, that is, He will reveal God’s plans or will to them so they can be productive for God’s Kingdom (vs. 15-16). In chapter 16 Jesus tells His disciples that they can have a happy and fulfilled life because they can talk to God the Father directly in Jesus’ name. God will do what you ask of Him (and you will have a happy life) when you ask by the authority granted you by Jesus as His obedient disciple and you ask those things that are consistent with God’s character and will.

The Dwelling Places of God – John 14:23

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“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” The Greek word for “home” (monē meaning dwelling place) used in this verse is the same word used for for “many rooms” in vs. 2 of this chapter: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” In vs. 2 Jesus gives the assurance that each of His followers has an eternal dwelling place with Him and He is going there to prepare it. In vs. 23 Jesus and the Father come to dwell (by the Holy Spirit) with those who love Him and keep His word so that His followers can prepare for their eternal dwelling place: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (vs. 15-16). Jesus gives us an assurance for this life that there is an assurance of eternal life with Him. The Holy Spirit (and Father and Son) dwell with us to help prepare us for our eternal life with Them. In other words, you will dwell with God then because He dwells with you now so that you will be prepared to live eternally in the place Jesus has prepared for you!

Your Divine Counselor – 2 Chronicles 10:16

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“And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David. So all Israel went to their tents.” The reign of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, is marked by the division of Israel into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). The division of the kingdom was the direct result of Rehoboam listening to the wrong people and following their bad advice. When Rehoboam became king, the people of Israel gathered before Rehoboam and asked him to lessen the use of forced labor. Rehoboam first conferred with the elders, the older men who were Solomon’s advisors, and then with the young men who were his friends and contemporaries. The older men advised Rehoboam to lighten the service of the people but the young men advised Rehoboam to increase the service of the people. Rehoboam, “forsaking the counsel of the old men” (vs. 13), threatened his subjects “according to the counsel of the young men” saying he would increase their forced labor even more than what Solomon, his father, required. As a result of Rehoboam’s poor decision-making, all the people of the northern tribes renounced allegiance to Rehoboam according to the saying of vs. 16. So be careful not only about the the spiritual counsel you choose to follow, but also about who is giving the counsel. The Holy Spirit is the One you should seek for spiritual advice–He is your Divine Counselor. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).