April 15, 2016 TAKING GREAT PRIDE
2 Chronicles 16:12: “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.”
2 Chronicles 17: 3, 6: “And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. And he took great pride in the ways of the Lord, and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.”
Asa started out as a good king who followed God, but then turned away from the Lord and no longer followed the Lord and as you read about the life of Asa, you see the tragedy that results when one turns from the Lord. His son, Jehoshaphat became king and unlike his father Asa, he followed the ways of the Lord and the verse above says the “he took great pride in the ways of the Lord” and because Asa’s heart was turned to the Lord, God gave him success. It’s amazing how even as believers, we sometime have trouble “connecting the dots” in getting the basic concept or truth: follow the ways of the Lord and be blessed, or not follow the ways of the Lord and not be blessed! If you read the bible from Genesis to Revelation, you will find that those who followed God were the ones who were blessed and you will find that God is pleased when one has a heart for Him. Following the ways of the Lord does not mean that we will not have trials and difficulties along the way, but it does mean that we will have his comfort and strength during such times. By following the ways of the Lord we also avoid a lot of unnecessary tragedy and heartache that comes when we go our own way. To say we know God is one thing; to follow in His ways is another. God does have a way in which we should walk and we discover His way as we read the scriptures, aided by the Holy Spirit who reveals truth to us. As is always, it is a heart issue. The over-riding and dominant factor that determines how we live comes from the heart. We must remember that the heart is pliable and it possible to “mold” our heart. (As said many times before, God gives us a new heart when we are born again, but it should be our “hearts desire” to live out of our new hearts and to be maturing in our faith-I understand that that may sound contradictory-but it’s not.) If we find that it’s not our heart to follow the Lord fully, let us ask God to change our heart, and then begin to choose to do the things that are conducive to change-primarily, read the scriptures and obey and give expression to what we read-whether we “feel” like it or not. Rather than being led by our emotions, we are to make decisions and commitments based on what is right or best, and let the emotions follow-and they will. We do have but one life to live on planet Earth. What will be our legacy? How will we be remembered? Will we spend our life pursuing our own way or the ways of the Lord? (By the way, when we follow His ways, we are the ones blessed-following His way is not a sacrifice.) What greater gift could we leave behind; what greater life ambition could we ever have that could compare with taking great pride in the ways of the Lord?
Proverbs 16:7: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Chronicles 16:12: “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.”
2 Chronicles 17: 3, 6: “And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. And he took great pride in the ways of the Lord, and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.”
Asa started out as a good king who followed God, but then turned away from the Lord and no longer followed the Lord and as you read about the life of Asa, you see the tragedy that results when one turns from the Lord. His son, Jehoshaphat became king and unlike his father Asa, he followed the ways of the Lord and the verse above says the “he took great pride in the ways of the Lord” and because Asa’s heart was turned to the Lord, God gave him success. It’s amazing how even as believers, we sometime have trouble “connecting the dots” in getting the basic concept or truth: follow the ways of the Lord and be blessed, or not follow the ways of the Lord and not be blessed! If you read the bible from Genesis to Revelation, you will find that those who followed God were the ones who were blessed and you will find that God is pleased when one has a heart for Him. Following the ways of the Lord does not mean that we will not have trials and difficulties along the way, but it does mean that we will have his comfort and strength during such times. By following the ways of the Lord we also avoid a lot of unnecessary tragedy and heartache that comes when we go our own way. To say we know God is one thing; to follow in His ways is another. God does have a way in which we should walk and we discover His way as we read the scriptures, aided by the Holy Spirit who reveals truth to us. As is always, it is a heart issue. The over-riding and dominant factor that determines how we live comes from the heart. We must remember that the heart is pliable and it possible to “mold” our heart. (As said many times before, God gives us a new heart when we are born again, but it should be our “hearts desire” to live out of our new hearts and to be maturing in our faith-I understand that that may sound contradictory-but it’s not.) If we find that it’s not our heart to follow the Lord fully, let us ask God to change our heart, and then begin to choose to do the things that are conducive to change-primarily, read the scriptures and obey and give expression to what we read-whether we “feel” like it or not. Rather than being led by our emotions, we are to make decisions and commitments based on what is right or best, and let the emotions follow-and they will. We do have but one life to live on planet Earth. What will be our legacy? How will we be remembered? Will we spend our life pursuing our own way or the ways of the Lord? (By the way, when we follow His ways, we are the ones blessed-following His way is not a sacrifice.) What greater gift could we leave behind; what greater life ambition could we ever have that could compare with taking great pride in the ways of the Lord?
Proverbs 16:7: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Blessings,
Buddy
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