relationships (2 Chronicles 26:1-23) Finding Approval

(2 Chronicles 26:1-23)  Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king lay down with his fathers. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him successful.

6 Now he went out and fought against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. 9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and carved out many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, recorded by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officers. 12 The total number of the heads of the households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600. 13 Under their direction was an army of 307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Moreover, Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slingstones. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines of war invented by skillful workmen to be on the towers and the corners, for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. So his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

16 But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was untrue to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 Then Azariah the priest entered after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men. 18 They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been untrue and will have no honor from the Lord God.” 19 But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. 20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they quickly removed him from there, and he himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had stricken him. 21 King Uzziah had leprosy to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, afflicted as he was with leprosy, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And his son Jotham was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, the first to the last, the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, has written. 23 So Uzziah lay down with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He had leprosy.” And his son Jotham became king in his place.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

We all will battle pride until the day we die.  To say that we don't, would be prideful.  Before becoming a believer, one might have a logic or sense that there is no need for God, and/or that God will just deem everyone "good enough".  And I've heard some interesting arguments claiming that God's love is conditional - because - we are only saved when we humble ourselves and repent and ask Jesus into our hearts and lives.  

Understand that because He loves us all unconditionally, the Lord Jesus Christ (God, Himself) suffered and died for us whether we accept Him or reject Him.  Understand that because God is love, He desires that ALL come to know Him.  But also understand that because God is love, He created us with a free will.  God will not force anyone to become a believer.  

No one can be or become a child of God unless and until they choose to be reborn.  God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin, and because He loves us, when we go to Him for His forgiveness, He clothes us with the holiness and righteousness of Jesus.  Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, is to accept Him as our heavenly Father who then adopts us and will never disown us.

Another part of that argument claiming that God's love is conditional is that the Bible talks about certain things as being sin, deserving of death.  UNDERSTAND that unconditional love does NOT mean or include unconditional approval.  These are two completely separate actions.  We are all born with a sin nature, deserving of death.  It doesn't matter who we are or how "good" we are.  "Sin" is a term used in archery for when an archer "misses the mark".  We all miss the mark.  

Even once we become a Christian, we will still struggle with sin.  This means we should strive to remain humble, realizing that we still need God.  Because God loves us unconditionally, He will not force anyone to be or remain obedient.  Rather, He covers His children with His grace so that we cannot lose our salvation.  And because He loves us unconditionally and wants the best for our lives, He will discipline us to get us back to living according to His will, which is to protect, guide and strengthen us.

God loves us.  Period.  And because He loves us unconditionally, He wants to do everything for us.  The only way to find and gain His approval is to allow Him to work in and through us, with His love, strength and wisdom, doing all things to His glory.  We can and should give Him all the credit and the honor because He is worthy and deserves all the credit and the honor.  We can and should boast - but - let us boast in the Lord!

relationships (Ruth 1:6-14) Choose to Love

(Ruth 1:6-14)  Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, because she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them food. 7 So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 May the Lord grant that you may find a place of rest, each one in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and wept. 10 However, they said to her, “No, but we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I were even to have a husband tonight and also give birth to sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has come out against me.”

14 And they raised their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God isn't mentioned in the book of Ruth all that often, but this is one of the times He is.  He provided Israel with food.  What is so amazing, is that this good news traveled to all parts of the world, even to the pagan land of Moab!

So Naomi headed back for her homeland, taking her daughters-in-law with her.  I'm curious why she only changed her mind on that, after they had already packed up and left.  Why try to send her daughters-in-law back to their homes?  And why did both resist this idea at first?  

It appears that the women had grown very fond of each other.  And perhaps the two Moabites didn't have families to go to, really; or if they did, they were dysfunctional.  But maybe Orpah had been complaining, or asking too many questions, being a bit fearful of what Israel was going to be like.  Naomi could have become overwhelmed with the thought of being responsible for these two women.  Or she suddenly thought how difficult it might be for them as Moabites in the land of Israel.  What if they weren't accepted?  Or what if her own friends chose to avoid her because she had Moabite daughters-in-law?  There could have been a flood of all sorts of thoughts, emotions and questions.

We just don't know, but we can see that they had a close enough relationship with each other.  This is admirable, because not all in-laws get along!  Demonstrating love and concern for one another certainly helps family dynamics.  Notice that Naomi even calls them "daughters"!  

My own mom truly loved people and had more than enough room to love and have "many children".  There were only three of us, but growing up, most of our friends would call her "Mom".  Every supper she'd call out, "So how many children am I feeding tonight?"  So when I got married, of course, she was so excited to call my husband her "son".  And as I love this idea of extended family, I called my mom-in-law "Mom".  And she considers me as her daughter, as well.  After my mom passed away, my dad remarried a lovely woman.  There aren't many similarities to my mom-mom, but she also truly loved all of us as if we were her own children.  It is so very comforting to have a safe place to be accepted and loved unconditionally.

Now, according to the Levitical law, if a son died, if there was a single son available, they were to marry the widow, so that a baby would be produced in order to carry on the deceased son's inheritance.  Even though God had already supplied food in Israel, Naomi still felt that her entire situation was completely hopeless.  She definitely was playing the victim-game when it came to her relationship with the Lord.  She blamed God for all her hardships, forgetting that her and her husband had disobeyed God in the first place when they didn't trust Him, and they moved to the pagan country.

This issue goes back to how people seek their own happiness and security and allow their emotions to drive their behavior.  Fear of starvation brought them to the land of Moab.  Some kind of fear and/or worry prompted Naomi to tell her daughters-in-law to go back to their own homes.  Sadness and frustrations led Naomi to feel that God was somehow against her and that there was no hope.

What God wants from all of us is a personal relationship with Him, where we will totally depend on Him for everything.  And when we disobey and/or stray, things will get uncomfortable, but He wants us to return to Him and continue on - with Him - going forward from that point.  This is unconditional love!  The Lord is love, and He is the example of agape love that we should show to others, ESPECIALLY family members.  I love you!  Not because of our feelings or based on feelings.  And not, I love you because... Or, if you do that, then I will love you.  We are to choose to love people, and commit to loving people, just as we love God - because - He loves us NO MATTER WHAT!

relationships (Deuteronomy 11:1-32) Obey to Enjoy

(Deuteronomy 11:1-32))  “You shall therefore love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. 2 Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, 3 and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; 4 and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the Lord completely destroyed them; 5 and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place; 6 and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, among all Israel— 7 but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did.

8 “You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; 9 so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. 11 But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.

13 “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15 He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 17 Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. 22 For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea. 25 No man will be able to stand before you; the Lord your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.

26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

29 “It shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God loves unconditionally!  He is faithful and keeps His promises.  He can do these things because He is sovereign: omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.  We cannot be perfectly obedient, except through the Lord Jesus Christ - when we humble our hearts and accept His free gift of salvation.  

I have heard someone insist that this is conditional love, but it is not.  Because He loved the world, Jesus died for all sin, for all time, for all people - whether they believe in Him or not.  Because He is a God of love, He gave everyone a free will.  A loving God does not force Himself on people, therefore we have a choice.  Even once we choose to become believers, God will not force Himself on us.  Even though we cannot lose our salvation, once we are a child of God, we have a decision to make each and every day and for each and every step we take - to seek out and do God's will, or not.

It is for our own good that we live in God's will.  Again, God's love is unconditional.  Whether we, as children of God, are obedient or not, He still loves us and He will never disown us.  And because He loves us and wants the very best for us, He will discipline and continue to give us life lessons.  Does this sound so terrible?  Just as a parent who teaches their children that eating is a necessity in life, which is to nourish the body and keep up one's strength.  And when we eat together as a family, we also get to enjoy the fellowship of one another and grow closer.  It is for that child's own good that they "obey" - listen - and enjoy!!!