Revival in Judah under King Asa                       verse 1- 5

So Abijah slept with his fathers – and they buried him in the city of David

and Asa his son reigned in his stead

In his days the land was quiet ten years

and Asa did that which was good and right in the

eyes of the LORD his God – for he took away the

altars of the strange gods – and the high places

and brake down the images

and cut down the groves

            and commanded Judah to seek the

LORD God of their fathers

to do the law and the commandments

                                    also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places

                                                and the images – and the kingdom was quiet before him

LORD gave rest to Judah                                   verse 6

And he built fenced cities in Judah – for the land had rest

and he had no war in those years

      BECAUSE the LORD had given him rest

Rebuilding of Judah                                            verse 7

Therefore he said unto Judah

Let us build these cities – and make about them walls – towers

gates -bars –     while the land is yet before us

            BECAUSE we have sought the LORD our God – we have sought HIM

                        and he hath given us rest on every side

So they built and prospered

Army of King Asa                                               verse 8

And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears

            out of Judah three hundred thousand

                        out of Benjamin – that bare shields and drew bows

                                    two hundred and fourscore thousand

                                                all these were mighty men of valor

King Asa prays for help                                      verse 9- 11

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a

thousand thousand and three hundred chariots

                        and came unto Mareshah

Then Asa went out against him

and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah

And Asa CRIED unto the LORD his God – and said

            LORD – it is nothing with YOU to help – whether with many

or with them that have no power – help us – O LORD our God

                                    for we REST on YOU – and in YOUR name we go

against this multitude

                                                            O LORD – YOU art our God

                                                                        let not man prevail against YOU

LORD gave Judah victory                                  verse 12- 13

So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa – and before Judah

            and the Ethiopians fled

And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar

            and the Ethiopians were overthrown

                        that they could not recover themselves

                                    for they were destroyed before the LORD

and before his host – and they carried away

very much spoil

Spoils of war was plentiful                                  verse 14- 15

And they smote all the cities round about Gerar

            for the fear of the LORD came upon them

                        and they spoiled all the cities

            for there was exceeding much spoil in them

They smote also the tents of cattle

            and carried away sheep and camels in abundance

                        and returned to Jerusalem

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 1        So Abijah slept with his fathers – and they buried him in the city of David

and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years. (8252 “quiet” [shaqat] means be at rest, settle, be still, undisturbed, at peace, tranquil or be calm.)

DEVOTION: Three different Hebrew words were used for “rest” in this chapter. The one Hebrew word for “rest” also means “quiet” and was used two times with that meaning in this chapter.

Asa came into the kingdom with the idea of revival. He wanted to do what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD. He cleaned up Judah regarding the worship of false gods. He tore down the altars of false gods. He took away the high places. He broke the images of false gods.  He cut down the groves where they worshiped the false gods.

God honored him for cleaning up Jerusalem and Judah. HE gave Asa rest from his enemies. HE gave Asa time to rebuild his kingdom. He set up an army.

However, a bigger army came against him and he had to cry out to the LORD for help. Asa was telling the LORD that he was leaning on the LORD for help. Asa was looking at the size of enemy army and the LORD was telling him to be still and know that HE was God.

The Holy Spirit was trying to get us to realize that with the LORD we can have rest. Even when there is war around us, we can lean on the LORD for deliverance.

Asa did things that were good and right during his reign. When trouble came, he prayed to the LORD for help. The LORD helped. The Ethiopians were defeated completely because of the help of the LORD.

Our enemies can be defeated, if we turn them over to the LORD. Too often we want to fight with the army we have here on earth. That army cannot win without the LORD’S help.

The LORD didn’t take away the trouble but gave help to overcome the trouble. HE can help us through all our troubles if we call on HIM. WE don’t need to face our troubles or trials alone. Praise the LORD!!! When was the last time we cried to the LORD for help???

The LORD wants us to bring all our burdens to HIM and then rest in HIM. Worry should not be a part of the life of the believer. HE want us to have perfect peace when our mind is stayed on HIM.

CHALLENGE: Can we have rest in our lives? Can we be still and know that HE is still in control?

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 4        And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandments. (6213 “do” [asah] means to conform one’s actions or practice to, to work about an thing, apply, produce, or commit)

DEVOTION:  Throughout the Old Testament there were enemies to fight against for the children of Israel. During this time period only the two tribes were honoring the LORD in any way. They were given a few good kings and here we have one of the good kings of Judah.

He commanded the people to seek the LORD. When you seek the LORD HE can be found. IF HIS people wanted HIS help they had to purposely seek HIM. Seeking the LORD meant obedience to HIS laws and commands for their nation. During this time period it meant obeying the commandments which is still true today except the Sabbath which was changed to Sunday to honor the day of the resurrection of the LORD. It came to be known as the “LORD’S DAY.”

Obedience is commanded in the NEW TESTAMENT by the LORD and taught by the disciples throughout their writings. It is the key to winning personal victories over sin and the growth of the church.

The Christian life is one of learning. There are divisions of Christians explained in the New Testament. There are baby Christians who are new believers who know very little of the Bible but are willing to learn from a good teacher and the Word of God. There are mature Christians who have their meals on the meat of the Word of God. These are the ones who can teach the baby Christians by their words and actions and attitude. Then there are carnal Christians who are under the chastening of the LORD because they are not willing to learn or teach others the truths of the LORD. They are the ones who seem to be only seeking their own pleasures. They are the ones who need to repent before the LORD’S judgment leads to premature death as I Corinthians 11 teaches.

So each day we have to make a decision regarding whether we will seek the LORD. Each day we work on our relationship with the LORD whether we are baby Christians or mature Christians. We have to work with carnal Christian to help them find their way back to a fellowship with the LORD.  We also have to witness to those who don’t know the LORD yet.

Asa was working with a lot of carnal or baby believers. He started his reign working to help them understand the LORD.

CHALLENGE: We have to do the same during our time here.

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: 5        And he built fenced cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. (8252 “quiet” [shaqat] means be tranquil. Be at peace, rest, lie still, be undisturbed, be inactive, to be in a state of rest from conflict or grand relief)

DEVOTION:  Our world seems to be always at war with come country or some problem that we are facing. Peace sometimes seems so hard to find.

Here we have a nation that is at peace for a time period. No wars to fight. No problems to face. No false worship going on in the nation as far as the king is concerned.

Asa destroyed all the places of false worship in the nation of Judah. He wanted to please the LORD. The people seemed to go along with his removal of the false gods. So there was proper worship going on toward the LORD.

This pleased the LORD. HE wants us to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. Too often we find that we are not worshiping properly. We let other things distract us from giving HIM our full attention.

We need to make sure that we are not putting anything or anyone in HIS place in our lives. This is the only way to have peace and to have our prayers answered in HIS timing. Asa was a good king and Judah was honoring the LORD and because of this the LORD honored him with victory in battle against the Ethiopians.

When we honor the LORD in our daily walk with HIM HE will bless us with victory. HE will continue to send battles our way to keep us close to HIM. These battles strengthen our resolve to serve HIM better.

When we have a victory we need to thank HIM. It is a great life if we don’t weaken or look for help from other sources.

CHALLENGE: Remember that the LORD is only a prayer away from us when we are facing the challenges HE allows in our lives. If we honor HIM HE will honor us!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 11      And Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with you to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on YOU, and in YOUR name, we go against this multitude. O LORD, YOU are our God; let not man prevail against YOU. (7121 “cried” [qara’] means to shout, summon, to have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to, to invite, or utter a loud sound)

DEVOTION:  What a powerful prayer by a king of Judah. He understood the power that was available to him when it was necessary. He went to the source of the power of believers. He prayed to the one who could hear and help.

He understood that the army he was going against was larger and stronger than his army. He understood that without the LORD they would not win the battle. HE understood that obedience came first and then victory over the enemies in our world.

He asked for help. The LORD wants us to be dependent on HIM and shows this throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. HE has not changed between the Testaments. HIS people are different today. The Jews have been set aside because of their lack of belief in Jesus as their Messiah but there is a time period coming when they will be reinstated when the church is taken out and they become witnesses for HIM in the last days before the return of Christ.

God is willing to use a few genuine followers to reach the world for Jesus Christ. Numbers are not important to HIM. HE wants dedicated believer who are willing to fight for HIM with HIS help.

Too often we find believers who think that they are outnumbers by those who are against the LORD and don’t do anything for the LORD. This is a trick of the enemy. He has greater numbers but not greater power.

We have power on our side if we are willing to step into the LORD. Our prayer life is the beginning of the battle. Our meditating on the Word of God is another step in the battle. Our confession of sin gives us the power to do battle. Our churches have to be places where Christians gather to be encouraged to go into the battle. The final victory is ours because we know the end of the story. We just have to belief it will all our heart, soul and body.

CHALLENGE:  Are you a genuine believer who is maturing in the faith on a regular basis and trusting the LORD to give you victory?

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: 14      And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them. (961 “spoil” [bizzah] means prey, booty, valuables taken by violence, plunder, or pillage.)

DEVOTION:  After the battle the children of Judah chased their enemy back to their camp which was in Gerar. They found all their possessions there for the taking. They had won a great victory over an army that was twice their size because they depended on the LORD for victory.

They were taking the spoils to sacrifice to the LORD. They were honoring the LORD after their victory. They were remembering who gave the victory.

We are in a battle each day against an enemy. Our enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil. They are active in our world. They don’t want us to witness for the LORD. They don’t want the church to move forward for the LORD. The enemies of the LORD outnumber us on a regular basis. It seems that we can’t have victory but the LORD can still defeat any enemy we face and give us victory.

It doesn’t matter to the LORD if all of the government officials are against HIM. It doesn’t matter if those who are running our education want to keep any reference to God out the school systems. It doesn’t matter that most of the college are against God and his standard. It doesn’t matter if society is getting more and more antichristian. All those things doesn’t matter to the LORD.

What matters to the LORD is whether those who are genuine believers are willing to fight with HIM. HE has an army that is smaller but HE has more power than any enemy believers can face. If they sit on the sideline and watch what is happening and do nothing that is a sin.

They are challenging us to a battle and we have the power given to us by the LORD to win the battle but we have to fight. Sitting around crying about what is happening to our children is a sin. We have to be training them in the Word of LORD. We have to tell them about the armor we have to defeat the enemy. We have to believe that our God is omnipotent in every situation.

CHALLENGE: Our beliefs are being challenged each day in our society. We can be quiet and lazy or we can fight the good fight for the LORD!

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Prayer of submission                                                verse 11

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Spoils of war                                                              verse 13- 15

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Asa cried to the LORD for help                              verse 11

            Let not man prevail against YOU

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Law                                                                            verse 4

Commandment                                                          verse 4

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 2, 4, 6, 7,

11- 14

LORD his God                                                          verse 2, 11

God – Elohim (Sovereign, Creator)                        verse 2, 4, 7, 11

Eyes of the LORD his God                                      verse 2

LORD God of their fathers                                      verse 4

LORD our God                                                         verse 7, 11

LORD smote the Ethiopians                                    verse 12

Fear of the LORD                                                     verse 14

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Zerah the Ethiopian                                                 verse 9- 14

            Army of 1,000,000

            300 chariots

            Overthrown in Gerar

            Could not recover

            Destroyed before the LORD

            Fear of the LORD came upon them

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Altars of strange gods                                               verse 3

High places                                                                verse 3, 5

Images                                                                        verse 3, 5

Groves                                                                        verse 3

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Quiet                                                                           verse 1, 5

Good in the eyes of the LORD                                 verse 2

Right in the eyes of the LORD                                verse 2

Seek the LORD                                                         verse 4, 7

Do the Law and Commandments                            verse 4

No war                                                                       verse 6

Rest                                                                             verse 6, 7, 11

Sought the LORD our God                                      verse 7

Prospered                                                                   verse 7

Prayer                                                                        verse 11

Rest in the LORD                                                     verse 11

Help                                                                            verse 11

War in LORD’S name                                              verse 11

Victory in battle                                                        verse 13

Spoils of war                                                              verse 13- 15

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Abijah slept with fathers                                          verse 1

Asa reigned in Judah                                                verse 1

            Land quiet ten years

            Took away

altars of the strange gods

high places

brake down the images

cut down the groves

                                    Commanded Judah to seek the LORD God

                                    Commanded to do the law and commandments

                                    Built fenced cities in Judah

                                    Built and prospered

                                    Army:

                                                Judah: 300,000

                                                Benjamin: 280,000

                                    Battle with Ethiopian army in valley of Zephathah

                                    Cried out to the LORD

                                    Defeated and carried away spoils   

                        City of David: Jerusalem                                          verse 1, 15

Army of Judah                                                          verse 8

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org  Also if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

14:14 [13] The “terror of the Lord” was another feature of the holy war. It seized Israel’s enemies and resulted in panic among the enemy (cf. Exod 23:27; Deut 7:20, 23; Judg 7:20–22). The men of Judah destroyed all the villages around Gerar and plundered them because of the holy panic. (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 268). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)

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Interest in the spoil (vv. 13–15) is explained by its use in sacrifice (15:11). (Selman, M. J. (1994). 2 Chronicles: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 11, p. 409). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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14:13–15 plunder. It appears that this great horde was a nomadic people who moved with all their possessions and had set up their camp near Gerar. The spoils of Judah’s victory were immense. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ch 14:13–15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)

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14:11–15. Asa turned to the Lord in urgent prayer and was granted a smashing victory. Falling in uncounted numbers, the Cushites fled to Gerar (ca. 20 miles farther southwest of Mareshah), to an area that may have already been in Egyptian hands. When Asa got there he plundered Gerar and the surrounding villages and returned to Jerusalem in triumph, with plunder that included many animals as well as other material goods. Judah had no more war with Egypt till Josiah and Neco met in battle in 609 b.c. (35:20–24). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 2 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 631). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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14:2–15 The heart of the king. After the note from 1 Ki. 15:11 that Asa did what was … right (2), the Chronicler will be spelling out that righteousness in 14:3–15:15 with material taken from a different source. Matters religious (2–5) and military (6–8) show both Asa’s obedience and God’s blessing, and twice the classic word rest is used (6, 7; see on 1 Ch. 22:9). So too is the Chronicler’s favourite word seek (4; cf. v 7), and the Lord who is sought is spoken of as Asa’s personal God, Israel’s historic God, and the nation’s corporate God (2, 4, 7).

The army he has mobilized is put to the test when Judah is invaded by a larger one. The numbers seem immense (but see Introduction); God’s people are outnumbered and have to trust in him. The enemy has not been identified—a variety of suggestions include that of an Egyptian army (cf. 16:8) led by a Nubian general. The memorable words of v 11 show how in a supreme crisis, as at every other time, the king’s heart is set on the Lord, and it is very clearly the Lord who wins the victory (12–14). (Wilcock, M. J. (1994). 1 and 2 Chronicles. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 408). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press)

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Relying on the Lord (14:2–15). Asa (910–869 b.c.) enjoyed the blessing of God because he removed the symbols of paganism (1 Kgs. 15:11–12). The Cushite (Ethiopian) Zerah attacked Judah from the south, but Asa appealed to the Lord and won an impressive victory at Mareshah. (Mathews, K. A. (1998). The Historical Books. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (p. 166). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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Ver. 11. And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, &c.] Or prayed, as the Targum, with vehemence, being in distress; this he did before the battle began, at the head of his army, and for the encouragement of it: and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help; nothing can hinder from helping, his power being superior to all others, and even infinite, and none besides him could: whether with many, or with them that have no power; numbers make no difference with him, nor the condition they are in; whether numerous and mighty, or few and feeble; he can as easily help the one as the other, see 1 Sam. 14:6. help us, O Lord our God; who are few and weak in comparison of the enemy: for we rest on thee; trust in thee, and rely upon thee for help; the Targum is, “on thy Word we lean:” and in thy name we go against this multitude; expressing faith in him, expecting help from him, encouraging and strengthening themselves in him, going forth not in their own name and strength, but in his; the Targum is, “in the name of the Word of the Lord:” O Lord, thou art our God; and thou only we know, and serve no other, and we are thy people, called by thy name: let not man prevail against thee; for should this enemy prevail against them, it would be interpreted prevailing against their God.

Ver. 12. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah, &c.] With consternation and terror; they were thrown into a panic: and the Ethiopians fled; before them, just as Jeroboam and Israel had, as related in the preceding chapter, ver. 15, 16.

Ver. 13. And Asa, and the people that were with him, pursued them unto Gerar, &c.] A city of the Philistines, Gen. 20:1. and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; they were thrown into such a fright, and into so much confusion, that they could not put themselves in order, and rally again; or there fell such a vast number of them, that there were scarce any remaining alive, which seems to be the sense of the words used: for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; the army of Israel, which the Lord was, as it were, the Commander of, fought for, and led them in the pursuit, and gave them victory; or it may mean an host of angels, employed in destroying this great army; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions of ver. 12 read, “the angel of the Lord smote the Ethiopians:” and they carried away very much spoil; which they found in their camp, and with their slain; even much gold and silver, as Josephus says.

Ver. 14. And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, &c.] The cities of the Philistines, who were auxiliaries and confederates with these Ethiopians, and colonies from them, according to Theodoret, and who says, about Eleutheropolis was a place, called, in his time, Geraron Saton: for the fear of the Lord came upon them; so that they had no power to defend themselves, and oppose the men of Judah: and they spoiled all the cities; of the goods and substance that were in them: for there was exceeding much spoil in them; great wealth and riches of one kind or another.

Ver. 15. They smote also the tents of cattle, &c.] The people that dwelt in tents for the sake of the pasturage of their cattle; the Scenite Arabs, so called from dwelling in tents: and carried away sheep; which those Arabs were feeding in Palestine, and which this great army brought with them for their support: and camels in abundance; which is another circumstance proving them to be Arabs, who abounded with camels: and returned to Jerusalem; with their spoil, and with great joy. ( Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 60–61). London: Mathews and Leigh.

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FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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QUOTES

ENCOURAGEMENT

by Anne R. C. Neale

A simple word of encouragement can make a difference you see,

From someone failing something to making them feel happy,

From turmoil to peace, and fear to Faith,

Encouragement is wonderful, give it to everyone grace.

It doesn’t take but a few minutes you know,

But it makes a big difference to someone that’s so,

You are lifting their spirit up to a high degree,

You are encouraging them to do something and making them happy,

 Encourage the timid, help the weak, too,

Be patient with everyone is the thing to do,

Be joyful always, and pray for them all,

You will uplift them then, a hundred and ten percent, their Spirit and Soul.

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When troubles come upon us, instinctively the first question we ask is: “Why?” “Why me, why this, why now?” That is what Moses asked in Exodus 5: 22. Yet, in retrospect, we see that the question was premature. We now know why — since hindsight is better than foresight.

How long will it take the Lord to deliver us from our troubles? Usually just a little longer than we thought we could tolerate. We must remember the example of Moses when we are tempted to ask the Lord, “Why?” (Quiet Walk)

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Adopting God’s Heart

Vindicate the poork and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. PSALM 82:3

In his book Fields of the Fatherless, C. Thomas Davis writes, “If you searched the Bible from front to back, you’d find many issues close to God’s heart. But you’d also notice three groups of people coming up again and again. They appear so many times, in fact, you have to conclude that God mentions them purposely to make sure they are at the top of our priority list.”
They are orphans, widows and aliens (or strangers). God demonstrated His care and provision for these three groups through His instructions to the Israelite farmers in Deuteronomy 24:19: “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (NIV).

Similarly, if we want our Christianity to be its purest, we too must actively exercise our concern for the left-out and the abandoned: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27-28).

Caring for the fatherless is not simply a compassionate act. Adoption is not merely an additional means of growing our families to the desired size. Caring for orphans is about obedience and expressing the heart of God. Perhaps God is calling you to the redemptive task of adoption, as He has Barbara and me. If not, each of us can be part of supporting, praying for and encouraging those who are in the midst of adoption, those who are seeking to acquire God’s heart for the fatherless. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)

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2 Chronicles 34

Josiah leads Judah into righteousness.

INSIGHT

It is almost impossible to imagine the Law could have gotten lost in Jerusalem. How could that have happened? The whole nation is to worship the Lord; the dominant building in Jerusalem is the temple. Israel’s entire history revolves around the giving and preservation of the Law. How can this happen? Neglect has a poor memory. How quickly we can drift from the Lord in just a short time of spiritual staleness. Consider our nation. The moral fiber we had 20 years ago is nonexistent today. People are people. Israel drifted the same way–but for a longer time. This ought to serve as a warning to us; the same can happen to us as individuals.  (Quiet Walk)

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WHAT HAPPENS IN REVIVAL? PART 2

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4
In a revival the church is given great assurance concerning the truth. It does not have to investigate the truth or set up a commission to look into it. It is given an absolute certainty about it. That is the thing that comes out so clearly in the story in Acts. Take these men, these apostles. You remember how a few weeks before, after the crucifixion, they were very shaken and most uncertain. They had come to a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they had come to see that He was the Messiah; but then He was crucified, and they were shattered and confused in their minds.
You will find, in the last chapter of John’s Gospel, that they were just talking to one another when Peter suddenly said, “I will go fishing. I must do something to relieve this; it is too miserable; it is impossible.” And the others said, “We will go with you.”
You cannot imagine a more dejected picture. They were shaken and uncertain about everything. And then the Lord appeared to them, and He taught them. Ah, yes, this certainly put them in a better condition. But it was only after…the Day of Pentecost that they were filled with assurance and understanding and immediately began to speak to the people about the wonderful works of God. Never again was there any doubt; never again was there any difficulty about understanding. Take Peter himself; look at the sermon that he preached on that occasion. He was absolutely certain and assured. That is something that is absolutely universal in times of revival.
A Thought to Ponder
Never again was there any doubt; never again was there any difficulty about understanding. (From Revival, pp. 204-205, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).

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Doing God’s Pleasure
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)
In this passage with an unusual play on words, we are told to give our salvation a “workout.” The Greek word is katergazomai, an interesting compound word that means to “perform.” When we are told that God is working in us, the Greek word is energeô, which is the “energy” to do work.
Paul puts it this way: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh [energeô] in us” (Ephesians 3:20). This “energizing” is an internal and spiritual resource, demonstrated most poignantly by “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working [energeô] of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). Since the energy to produce comes from the same Creator who saved us by grace, He has every right to expect us to “will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Peter taught us that God provided “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). The Thessalonican church was told that “the word of God…effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). And of course, “all scripture…is profitable….That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Our objective, having been supernaturally supplied by the One who saved us, is to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Colossians 1:10-11).

              (HMM III, The Instituute

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Doing God’s Pleasure
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)
In this passage with an unusual play on words, we are told to give our salvation a “workout.” The Greek word is katergazomai, an interesting compound word that means to “perform.” When we are told that God is working in us, the Greek word is energeô, which is the “energy” to do work.
Paul puts it this way: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh [energeô] in us” (Ephesians 3:20). This “energizing” is an internal and spiritual resource, demonstrated most poignantly by “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working [energeô] of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). Since the energy to produce comes from the same Creator who saved us by grace, He has every right to expect us to “will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Peter taught us that God provided “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). The Thessalonican church was told that “the word of God…effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). And of course, “all scripture…is profitable….That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Our objective, having been supernaturally supplied by the One who saved us, is to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Colossians 1:10-11). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Your Life’s Passion

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. . . . Flee from all this, and pursue righteousness. 1 Timothy 6:10–11

One evening years ago, my wife and I were making our way down a mountain trail, accompanied by two friends. The trail was narrow and wound around a slope with a steep drop on one side and an unclimbable bank on the other.

As we came around a bend, I saw a large bear moseying along, swinging his head from side to side, and quietly huffing. We were downwind, and he hadn’t detected our presence, but he would soon.

Our friend began to rummage around in her jacket for a camera. “Oh, I must take a picture!” she said. I, being less comfortable with our odds, said, “No, we must get out of here.” So we backed up quietly until we were out of sight—and ran.

That’s how we should feel about the dangerous passion to get rich. There’s nothing wrong with money; it’s just a medium of exchange. But those who desire to get rich “fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction,” Paul wrote (1 Timothy 6:9). Wealth is only a goad to get more.

Instead, we should “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (v. 11). These traits grow in us as we pursue them and ask God to form them within us. This is how we secure the deep satisfaction we seek in God.

                    By David H. Roper,  Our Daily Bread)

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