1 Kings 20-21, Humility Rewarded

 ““Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.””

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭21‬:‭29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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Interestingly Ahab does not seek the Lord when he is against the wall, but God comes to his aid and does the impossible.  God demonstrates His power multiple times to make it uncoincidental…even after all that Ahab continues to do what he thought was best.  Which was wrong…even though God decides to punish Ahab, he turns in humility and God spares him!

God really is looking for us to be humble and seek Him rather than figure things out on our own.

1 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 17, Seek God

 “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬-‭4‬, ‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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Seeking the Lord is right in every moment of life.  Attempting to know Him and to love Him more intensively will always produce further sanctification.  Obedience is part of seeking and especially when temptation is at hand following His direction is great evidence of our love.

Lord, strengthen my heart to seek you every moment of every day!  I want to know You and serve You alone…

1 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 13-16, Dependance on God

 “And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.””

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭14‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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Dependence on God rather than our own strength or wisdom is critical for following God.  It’s very easy for me to fall into my own strength without paying attention to this.

Lord, I need my eyes open to see when I depend on my own strength and ideas.  I need my ears tuned to your voice so that I can know where You are leading.

2 Chronicles 10-12, Giving God Glory

 “When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” (The Lords destruction followed…)

 “And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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How easy it is to get comfortable and feel like things are all going your way…and become self dependent rather than leaning on God.  After He has cared for and protected us, we gladly accept the credit for all of Gods work.  We actually think all of His provision was because of our own great wisdom and awesomeness…and therefore turn from Him.

God is patient with us, but is unwilling to give up glory and will eventually pull away his blessing and may even allow suffering…this always brings destruction!  But is is also meant to remind us that all good things are from God, not ourselves.

Lord, I need your patience, but open my eyes quickly when I am taking credit for Your blessing so that I can. Give You glory.

1 Kings 12-14, Wiser Counselors

 “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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Seeking wisdom from the wise rather than your friends is always the right move.  Your friends will lead you astray and right into the claws of destruction.

Ecclesiastes 7-12, Work Diligently

 “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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Wisdom for the ages: whatever you are working on, do it with all your heart…and in the process, enjoy the blessings God has given you!

Ecclesiastes 1-6, Better Expectations

 “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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This has always been one of my favorite books of wisdom.  It seems a bit depressing, but it also helps to reframe what is important and what things to ignore.  Love God, serve Him, take pleasure in whatever He provides and hold all things loosely.  In other words, set the bar of your life expectations low and seek to please God…any joy you experience is a bonus!