One Year Bible, July 2

2 KINGS 20:1 - 22:2                                                                                                             
DEATH POSTPONED: During the years of the Assyrians besieging Jerusalem, KING HEZEKIAH was sick, and ISAIAH came and told him to "get his house in order" because he was going to die. When Hezekiah wept and prayed, God gave him 15 years more. Unfortunately, in a fit of pride, Hezekiah showed off all his riches to the son of the king of BABYLON!   So Isaiah told him that God would let the Babylonians take away all he had shown off, PLUS his sons.

THE EVIL 12-YEAR-OLD: MANASSEH.  He undid the works of Hezekiah. He put it ALL back and made Judah to WORSE THAN THE HEATHEN!  He was carried in bonds to Babylon in the midst of his reign, but repented and was restored. But it was too late. "Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much..." (and may have even killed Isaiah.)  When Manasseh died, his evil son AMON reigned two years until he was assassinated by his servants.

AN 8-YEAR-OLD KING: JOSIAH.  Another great REFORMER. He fulfilled the prophecy of 1 Kings 13:2 and purged Jerusalem of idolatry.

RESPONSE:   Matt 7:6 says, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."  Is that what Hezekiah did?   You know what?   The devil (Babylon - the antichristian world-spirit) doesn't want us to have anything nice!   And even unbelievers seem to think that Christians shouldn't have anything either!   It's as if all of us should have taken a vow of poverty.  But DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT!  It takes money to spread the Gospel!  But we don't boast in our riches. We don't boast in what we know. We don't boast in our accomplishments. We boast in the Lord if we boast at all! All we have came from Him anyway!

ACTS 21:17-36                                                                                                                  
FAITH IN THE MIDST OF CONFUSION:  This is Paul's fifth visit to Jerusalem, and his first in five years to visit with James and all the elders.  Not only had Paul made three missionary journeys, but He had already written at least Galatians and 1 Corinthians concerning the issue of FAITH ALONE IN JESUS ALONE.   After Paul had recounted all God had done among the Gentiles in the last five years, the elders all rejoiced with him and shared how over 10,000 Jews had been saved in Jerusalem, and were all  "zealous of the law".   While the Church Council had agreed that Gentiles did not have to become Jews to be saved, but that they endeavor not to offend Jewish believers by keeping from things offered to idols, from blood and from strangled and from fornication; they never did address the question of Jewish customs.  The bad news was that some new Jewish believers were spreading it around that Paul was telling Jews to forsake the law of Moses after they became believers.

In an effort at conciliation, Paul joined others in a ritual of purification in the Temple, and when he was seen there, other false accusations were made.   Confusion ensued and Paul was grabbed.   When the Roman cohort heard there was chaos and a death-threat, they rushed in and grabbed him back.   In the midst of the confusion and persecution, Paul knew what was at stake: Faith vs Law; the grace of God vs works.

RESPONSE:   We have to give an account of everything we say, and sometimes we give account to people we don't think we have to, and for things we didn't even say!   Word are filled with power.   With all the media stuff and ways people have to communicate now, we seem to be surrounded with words all the time - and they tend to lose their importance.   HOWEVER, God hears it all - and will hold us accountable.

When I used to be on several radio stations, people would recognize my voice when I was in public. They may not always know what I looked like, but they would know my voice. So, when I was out in public, I had to be careful how I talked and what I said.  Especially so, because I used to be short-tempered, impatient, angry, bossy, and complaining.  How embarrassing to have someone know who I was when I was acting that way!  The Apostle Paul had much more at stake than just some audience somewhere.  He had to defend the Gospel to people who wanted to add to it! A lot hung on his words. What is hanging on your words? What is at stake in what you say? Whose salvation depends on how you handle yourself?

PSALM 150:1-6                                                                                                           
"Praise Him" in every verse!   Praise Him all the time, every where, because of His goodness and greatness.

PROVERBS 18:9-10                                                                                                
My mother said it this way: "If you don't like work, you are no good."

RESPONSE:   "The Name of the Lord is...." God's Name is definitive of God's Character. It is a revelation of Who He is. I must train my heart to believe it is SAFE to trust God. His Grace (His sufficiency, His strength, and His power) is poured out toward me and that gives me the confidence to rest "in Him".   I get there (into the "strong tower") as I force my heart to submit to Truth about God's goodness and His greatness.