KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, July 06, 2017
Chapters: II Kings 14, II Chronicles 25
Message: Giving God All Your Heart
Hello My Friend,
As much as I love serving God, the one thing I fear most as a Christian is falling away from Him and back into the world. I’ve been in the world, it is cruel, selfish, and wicked, the last thing I ever want to do is go back to the life I lived when Jesus was not in it. As much as I hate the world, I know my flesh, and what it longs for, and all it would take for me to fall back into it is to get around one person, one job, or one opportunity that will change my heart. The key to staying faithful to God, no matter what we face, is giving Him all our heart. “O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” – Psalm 31:23-24.
When David was king of Israel he may have made a few blunders in his life, but he never blamed God nor did he forsake Him when confronted about his sins. That was not always the case after he died, in fact, none of the kings of Israel, and few of those in Judah had a perfect heart for God. In Judah, after Joash died, his son, Amaziah reigned, he walked with God, but not with a perfect heart, which means his heart wasn’t completely set on God. In the beginning he did very well as king, he had all the people executed that killed his father and put an army together to avenge himself of the Syrians, but wished to know his military strength.
“Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield. He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver. But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this. Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger. But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.” – II Chronicles 25:5-13.
“for God hath power to help, and to cast down.” We have to be careful when we start to win the battles that are before us because it is God who gave us that power to win. More often than we care to admit we tend to boast of our accomplishments, the problem is not in telling them, but in our attitude, if we leave God out of the glory we are setting ourselves up for losing the next battle. How? We tend to cal on God a little less when we are confident in our works. Now, after Amaziah’s victory over Edom he made a grave decision that would be the death of him, since he did not walk with God with a perfect heart when he saw the idols in Edom he took them and began to worship them. Not only did Amaziah lose sight of God, he also got filled with pride, so much that he thought he could take on any nation, including Israel, he sent for Jehoash and a civil war broke out.
“Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face. And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents. Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.” – II Kings 14:8-12,19.
“But Amaziah would not hear.” The thistle that was in Lebanon (Amaziah), sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon (Jehoash), saying, Give thy daughter (a part of Israel to be united with and possessed by the kings of Judah). And there passed by a wild beast (Jehoash and his army), and trode down the thistle (destroyed it). Amaziah’s arrogant and smug attitude was the death of him, not to mention his turning from God to idols. We can boast about out accomplishments, but we must not ever forget that it is God who made it all happen, and just as fast as He can give the blessing He can take it away. “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 25:28-30.
God truly does everything He can to get us to give our entire heart to Him, the trials, the afflictions, the joys, and even the tears are placed before us so that we are the best that we can be through His power. Although most of Israel revolted from God, they were still His people and He still loved them just as much as He loves all His people. He tried time and time again to get the current king to listen to Him, once in a while He was able to do that, such as the case with Jeroboam.
“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher. For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.” – II Kings 14:23-27.
“For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel,” God saw the affliction of Israel, it grieved His heart to see their state and how they just ignored Him. As much as we like to believe that God picks and chooses those He wants to be saved from birth, the truth is He rather see everyone saved. Does He know who will get saved? Yes, of course He does. From birth God has given all the potential to get saved, but now they have to come to Him through His Son. No matter who you are or what you have done in the past, God is willing to reach out His hand to you and save you if you believe in and trust in His Son as your Saviour. Sadly, many will reject Him and their hearts will be turned away. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” – Romans 1:16,21,24-25,32.
Jesus Christ Magnified: Today, Jesus is revealed through the affliction that God saw in Israel. Jesus sees the fate of the lost and very bitter world, God sent Him to be the helper Israel and all if us need. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16.
Today’s Prayer: God, As much as I love You, I know that my flesh has a way of desiring things that may weaken my heart. I do not want to fall back into the world, I want to live all my days here on earth with You in it. Lord, give me Your power and strengthen my heart so that I give You my all. Let me not become too boastful or forget to acknowledge that You are the source to every blessing and talent I receive. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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