2 Chronicles 30:18-20

Lord. Most of the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves, but they ate the Passover contrary to what was written.

But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

Encouraging Words…

Here we have the people of Israel coming back to God and celebrating His Passover after many years of turning their backs on Him and living sinful lives. They were breaking the law of their covenant with God and this offense was deserving of death. However, Hezekiah, who prefigured Christ, petitioned on their behalf because he knew that their hearts had changed and they desired God. God heard his prayers and blessed the people because the condition of their heart was more important than the letter of the law. Oh how blessed we are to serve such a loving and merciful God.

Psalm 143:10 (142:10 LXX)

Personal Challenge…

Paul admonishes us to be crucified in Christ. Jesus commands us to take up our cross and to follow Him. How can we do this and not be changed? How can we do this and not be submissive to the will of God? We can’t! If we want to be guided in the land of righteousness, to be used by God, to build His kingdom, then we must submit our will to Him and follow His teachings and leading. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Ephesians 6:4

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Personal Challenge…

When do we as fathers stop bringing up our children in the training and admonition of the Lord? Never! We always have the opportunity to speak into the lives of our children, grandchildren, and God willing, our great-grandchildren…whether in word or deed. As fathers it is our responsibility to raise them up loving and respecting God and their neighbor, and to not provoke them to wrath. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner and forgive me of my shortcomings in this responsibility.

2 Corinthians 9:6

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Personal Challenge…

So often, if not always, this verse is applied to the giving of money. But money is only one of the many resources that our God gives us. What about these: time, a kind word, a gesture of love, prayer, patience, silence when it would be so easy to gossip or put someone down, and the list goes on and on. We have nothing in our lives that does not already belong to God and that is on loan to us from Him. He wants us to give it all away bountifully. If we hoard His blessings then we eventually become full and will not be able to receive any more. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Ephesians 5:14-16

Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Encouraging Words and Personal Challenge…

When Christ died on the cross, rose again, and ascended into heaven He put death and the grip that it had on creation to death. We still live in a fallen world, but one that has been redeemed by our Lord Jesus Christ. When He woke us individually from our slumber, our death, because we did not know Him, He set us on a new course in our lives. This is a course of participating in His work to redeem as much of the lost world as possible for Him before He returns. We must do our work wisely and diligently for we only have so much time to be His laborers. Glory be to God!

Psalm 139:1-3 (138:1-3 LXX)

O Lord, You test me and know me;
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thoughts from afar;
You search out my path and my portion,
And You foresee all my ways.

Encouraging Words…

What a blessing it is to know that we serve a loving, caring, and protective God. He is ever present in our lives, not in a judging and controlling way, but in a guiding and encouraging way. Glory be to God.

Ephesians 4:26-27

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

Personal Challenge…

Anger is one of the passions that we have in our lives. As with the other passions it is not wrong to exercise it appropriately. It is when we allow the passion to control us, to hold on to us day after day, that we sin. Even Christ was angry at the money changers. In that anger He cleared His Father’s temple and then released the anger so that it did not hold on to Him and lead to sin. Through Him and the Holy Spirit we can learn to do the same with the passions in our lives. Glory be to God!