God’s Provision….

When I read 1 Kings chapter 17 I can’t help but think about God’s provision. First He provides food for Elijah while he stayed at a brook. Then He provided for a widow and her son. When the widow’s son fell sick and died, God even brought him back to life. All of this was done when the people involved trusted God in faith and were obedient to His commands. Faith is always rewarded, sometimes with physical needs being met, and sometimes with more unwavering faith. God honors those that honor Him.

1 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives–the God I serve–there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”5 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. The Widow at Zarephath 8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her son continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have You brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.” 1 Kings 17:1-24

Restorative Power…

What we often forget about the Gospel is its restorative power. When we come to Jesus in repentance, broken, He restores us and gives us back our value. For in Him we are made whole. We are children of the King. Now that’s special.

37 But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “Lord, who has believed our message?To whom has the Lord revealed His powerful arm?” 39 But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said, 40 “The Lord has blinded their eyesand hardened their hearts–so that their eyes cannot see,and their hearts cannot understand,and they cannot turn to Meand have Me heal them.” 41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 42 Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust Me, you are trusting not only Me, but also God who sent Me. 45 For when you see Me, you are seeing the One who sent Me.46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.47 I will not judge those who hear Me but don’t obey Me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.48 But all who reject Me and My message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.49 I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.50 And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.” John 12:37-50

It Just Isn’t In Them….

I find it amazing that immediately after Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, the leading Priests and Pharisees wanted to kill Him. Why would someone want to eliminate Someone Who had the power to resurrect the dead? Wouldn’t you want to associate with that person, especially when it came time for your own death? This just proves that a godless mindset cannot see or understand God. Their blindness to truth deceived them. Their unrepentant hearts block any kind of wisdom or truth from entering into their minds. They are spiritually dead, even though they pretend to be spiritually superior. Pretenders have no capacity for spiritual sight. God will never reward or honor those that think they are above Him. Pretenders, the moral superior, and all those that serve self over God will never experience salvation. It just isn’t in them. No miracle will be enough evidence for people who always need more to believe. If Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead doesn’t convince you, you’ll never be convinced. It’s that simple.

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow Him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in Him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped His public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will He?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest Him. John 11:45-57

Honor God In The Way You Live…

If you ever wonder why countries rise and fall, you might consider their view of God plays a major role. Here in America, this couldn’t be more true. As it says in Romans chapter one, when man abandons God, He grants man his wish. God gives people over to the consequences of a depraved mind, which is when people stop believing in God. Israel suffered this fate numerous times, as does all countries who pay no respects to our Maker. This is not only a collective issue, it also applies to the individual as well. Abandon God, and He will give you over to the consequences of your sin. The results won’t be pretty. Honor God in the way you live, and He will honor you.

8 And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads in amazement. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’9 “And the answer will be, ‘Because His people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them.’ ” 1 Kings 9:8-9

Acquitting The Guilty And Condemning The Innocent…

Seems like this proverb is very relevant today. Our society seems to want to exonerate criminals and condemn those who speak truth and want to do what’s right. If you are “of color” (their words not mine), and you commit a crime, you are fully given permission to resist arrest, fight back, and have zero responsibility in your actions. If you do your job, protecting society from the ever increasing evils, you’re condemned, regardless if it saves lives. God hates this kind of behavior. He talks about it in the book of Isaiah, calling evil good, and good evil. Until people embrace God’s free offer of grace, this type of behavior will continue to grow. Without God, we may know the difference between right and wrong, but we are powerless to do what is right consistently.

15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent–both are detestable to the Lord. Proverbs 17:15

Which One Do You Think Really Loves?

Reading about Solomon’s wisdom on display with the two prostitute mothers, I can help but realize that true love values and honors life. The mother that wanted the child to live even if that meant living with another mother, shows true love. True love promotes life. The mother whose child died wanted the other mother’s child to die as well. Do you think there’s a connection with abortion? One side values life, while the other values self over life. Which one do you think really loves? I think Solomon makes it clear here in this story. God grants him wisdom, the wisest man to ever live (according to God), so in using his wisdom, is he not displaying God’s character? If he honored the woman who truly loved her baby, enough to give it up in order to preserve life, God rewarded her by giving her baby back to her. It’s God’s priority, valuing life, it’s part of creation. When you value self over life, it only promotes a culture than will not honor God. Honor life, and God will honor you back in the form of real love. It’s that simple.

16 Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. 17 “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.19 “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. 20 Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. 21 And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”22 Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.23 Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. 24 All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”26 Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child–please do not kill him!”But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”28 When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice. 1 Kings 3:16-28

The One Reason Jesus Isn’t Welcomed…

The one reason Jesus isn’t welcomed into the hearts of people is because there’s no room for Him there. They are too full of themselves. You can’t invite guests to stay in a house already full, can you? In order to be filled with the Spirit, we must empty our hearts of selfishness and pride. This clears enough space to allow the Spirit to come in and work through a person. When people do not welcome the message of The Gospel, it shows they are too full of themselves, or better put, unwilling to listen and do God’s will.

34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill Me because there’s no room in your hearts for My message.38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with My Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” John 8:34-38