Our day began early. The alarm went off at 2 a.m. and we got up to travel to the airport for a flight to California. We will join Christian and Bridget and grandchildren for a week in Palm Desert. It has been since 2001 that we have been here. At that time Debbie’s aunt and uncle lived here.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”    2 Chronicles 36:22,23 ESV

Have you ever come to the end of a book or a movie and you can tell the way that the story ends that it is set up for a sequel. In other words, there is more of the story to be told. The final chapter and outcome has not been revealed or recorded.

Such is the case with the end of the book of 2 Chronicles. This repeated account of what is recorded in 2 Kings focuses only on the Kingdom of Judah. It is the chronicles of Judah’s kings and their history and the record of their idolatry and God’s judgment and the eventual captivity in Babylon.

But that was not the “end of the story.” Judah would not be like the tribes of the northern kingdom Israel, who were conquered by the Assyrians and became referred to as the “lost tribes of Israel.” The Lord had promised David a lasting dynasty. A dynasty that would include the “one” who would “reign over the house of Jacob [David] and of His kingdom there would be no end.” (Luke 1:33)

The last verse of 2 Chronicles do not end with God’s people in captivity, but with an indication of the fulfillment of the hope and future that the Lord had promised His people at the end of 70 years.

The simple message for our lives is that the Lord provides a sequel for that which we experience and for our journey with Him. In the words of baseball great, Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over, til its over.” God is continuing to work out the “story” of our life. We may feel at a dead end, we may feel that our “life is over” due to hardship or heartache. But the Lord is getting ready to “write the next chapter.” He is showing us the He is continuing His work for “His good purpose in our lives.” (Philippians 1:6; 2:13)

Prayer for today….. Lord thank you for the sequels to the story of our lives. Allow us to believe and see that You are a good who is continually working in our lives and accomplishing Your good purpose in and through us, until You “write” the final chapter.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….   ^“When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:10,11

It seems the Lord’s patience with His people led to a belief that the worst that could happen would not happen or could be avoided. Faithful prophets spoke the truth about the future of God’s people, false prophets uttered lies and gave misleading messages.

At first the false prophets denied the Lord would bring captivity to His people, then they began to tell the people it would be for only two years. They found it easier to tell the people what they wanted to hear, than to confront them with what was hard to accept.

While we observe the Lord’s patience and longsuffering with His people, we observe His judgment on the false prophets who would speak lies and deceive His people in His name.

The Lord had a plan and purpose that He was accomplishing in the hearts of His people. The people didn’t understand, but the Lord assured them “I know the plans…” While the present would be difficult and painful the end result would be for their welfare. The Lord wanted them to know that with Him they had a future, they had hope.

The Lord not only communicated the “what” but also the “when.” “At the end of 70 years….” Restoration would come, but it would be in God’s timing and in God’s way. As the Babylonian era came to an end Daniel was reflecting and praying about all that was happening, “I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.” (Daniel 9:2 ESV)

God’s plan for His people’s welfare was to be accepted with their cooperation. The Lord’s message to those in Babylon was,“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce…But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:5,7 ESV)

God’s plan for His people’s welfare would come as they prayed and sought Him. “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:12-14 ESV)

This is exactly what we see happening with Daniel. As Daniel understood the end of the time Jeremiah prophesied was coming to a close, this is how he responded, “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession…” (Daniel 9:3,4 ESV)

As Daniel sought the Lord on behalf of God’s people, the Lord moved on the King’s heart and the return to Jerusalem and rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of the city began to take place. God’s people had hope and they had a future, just as the Lord planned.

Prayer for today….. Lord help us to embrace Your plan, even when the circumstances in which we find ourselves are not what we desire. Allow us to see that You are working for our good and that nothing takes You by surprise. Help us to embrace Your future for our lives through obedience, trust and seeking You.

Today I went to Denver to take my mother to my eye doctor to have her eyes examined. We found that he sight in her left eye is very limited. However, when we returned to her home, her doctor paid a visit and I found that her blood oxygen level is higher than mine! Perhaps all that walking she does at 92 is paying off.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” 2 Chronicles 33:12,13 ESV

Manasseh was one of the child kings of Judah. What is of interest is that most of the child kings were righteous in character and followed the Lord. However, from age 12 the only the commentary is that Manasseh for 55 years “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 33:2 ESV)

Hezekiah brought great revival and reforms only to see them reversed by his son. Hezekiah broke down altars to idols, Manasseh rebuilt them. Hezekiah was committed to following only the Lord, Manasseh followed many gods and even practiced child sacrifice. He practiced witchcraft and sorcery and even set up idols in the “house of the Lord.”

The Lord sent prophets to rebuke and warn, but he and the people “paid no attention.” So the Lord got his attention. The Assyrian armies came and invaded Jerusalem and they, “captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze.”  

The pride of Manasseh suffered a shock. He went from the pinnacle of power, perhaps feeling with his long reign and authority invincible, to becoming a humiliated captive king in a foreign land. That would give anyone time to pause and reflect and repent.

We read that Manasseh, “…entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.” Once again we see the reality scripture declares, “he does not treat us as our sins deserve…” (Psalm 103:10)

Manasseh’s repentance was reflected in his actions. The Lord in His grace and mercy restored him to Jerusalem and to his throne.  ^“And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 33:15,16 ESV)

This is a great story for those who believe the Lord will not respond to their cry for mercy and forgiveness after living a self-centered and even wicked life. It is a great story for those who serve the Lord to see that the Lord is “faithful to forgive” and is “….merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” (Psalm 145:8 NIV) It is a story that reveals, the Lord knows how to humble the proud and to get our attention, when we don’t pay attention. We see that true repentance is revealed by our attitude and actions.

Prayer for today….. Lord thank You for Your mercy and grace. Help us to “humble ourselves” – but if we need to be humbled by You, may we be quick to repent and to learn the lessons that You have for us. 

Yesterday was a good day for me on many fronts. It was an honor to speak at the two services of the Church at Briargate in Colorado Springs. Some of my family members from Colorado Springs visited the second service. In the afternoon, we visited Seven Falls with Stephanie and the boys. I had the best endurance and energy that I have experienced in about a month, so I was pleased with that.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV

Games are won or lost in the “second half” or the final innings. I was recently watching a baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. The Yankees were ahead 6-3 in the bottom of the eight inning, and seemed to have the “game in hand.” The Astros scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth, to lead for the first time in the game and shut down the Yankees in the top of the ninth inning to win the game.

It was good news for the Astros and a sad defeat for the Yankees.

Spiritually, as much joy as their is in an individual turning to Christ after years of rejecting Him, it is equally sad to see those who had a heart for the Lord, only to turn cold and reject the faith of their family and that which they had followed for a large part of their life.

We see in scripture that this had been the challenge for those of all time. King Asa of Judah had done many noble deeds. When he was challenged to follow the Lord, he took courage and action. He removed idols and even the “Queen mother” from her position because of her idolatry. With the Lord’s help and through trusting in the Lord great victories were won against armies far greater than his own.

But then without explanation when facing a battle against the King of Israel, King Asa took silver and gold from the Temple to pay the King of Syria so he would break his treaty with Israel and Israel would stop the attack. When rebuked by the prophet for failing to trust in the Lord, Asa hardened his heart and even began to mistreat the people.

A few generations later we see King Uzziah becoming king at age 16. We read of his reforms and victories,  ^“And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” (2 Chronicles 26:4,5 ESV)

But after a time, he forgot about the connection between his faithfulness to the Lord and the achievements he accomplished. We read, “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.” (2 Chronicles 26:16 ESV)

King Uzziah became a leper and lived out his days in isolation, refusing to submit to the Lord and the admonitions of the prophets.

Victories at “the end” are exciting, loses are devastating and sad. We don’t know all of what was transpiring in these lives and in others who have a sudden turn and change in their hearts. We see for Uzziah it was pride. Perhaps that was the same for King Asa.

The challenge for us is to “not forget the God who made us” – and to remember that our true source of life and strength is found in the Lord.

Prayer for today….. Lord, allow us to be faithful to the end. Allow our hearts to be fully committed to You for and be found faithful to You at “the end.”

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” 1 Corinthians 6:7 ESV

When relationships work there is nothing like it. When relationships “go sour” there is nothing like it. Lines can be drawn, communicating and understanding comes to an end and stalemates occur.

In our modern day system and apparently in Paul’s day when individuals could not settle their grievances on their own, the would go to a judge. The problem Paul addresses is that conflicts between fellow believers was being settled by “secular” means. The “righteous” were being judges by the “unrighteous.”

Paul addresses this issue by pointing out that believers have resources and responsibilities that flow from their connection to Christ. He has already told them, “we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) He now tells them that if they have the role of “judging angels” they should be able to “judge” the things that pertain to this life.

Believers are called to a high responsibility and are called to a higher standard. We are to be those who “seek peace.” We are to be those who are “quick to forgive.” We are to be “slow to speak, quick to listen.”

Paul then calls the Corinthians to a willingness to accept loss or harm over turning to the “unrighteous” to judge contentious issues. He tells them it is better to “suffer wrong” than to cling to “rights” and to turn to the “unrighteous.” He asserts this because “wrong” is the result of the righteous turning to the righteous to judge issues that should be judged by the Church.

In the final analysis Paul wants believers to know that “giving in” is “going up” in God’s eyes. The Lord after all is the final and ultimate judge.

Prayer for today…. Lord give us the confidence to trust in Your ways in every area of our life.

Today I had my monthly IV drug therapy treatment. It took longer than last time because of my blood pressure. Stephanie and her two boys are visiting for a few days. So, they came to Fort Collins with their cousins from Lakewood to enjoy some time together. We took advantage of the grand opening of a new restaurant in town to sample some of their menu items.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind…..” Jeremiah 17:9, 10 ESV

How often we have you heard advice given to, “follow your heart.” Doing what you “feel” is right can be dangerous, especially if it goes against what you, “know” is wrong.

In vain we often see individuals comfort themselves and others with, a “as-long-as-you-are-happy” approach to life. When we do that, it elevates personal “happiness” and “comfort” over commitment and doing what is right, even if it creates discomfort, inconvenience or pain.

If we are going to “follow our heart” we must first make sure that our heart is fully following after the Lord. The prophet speaks to God’s people and says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5 ESV) 

Our heart can be a guide, but it can also be deceitful. Our hearts can be an extension of our “flesh” if we don’t keep its passions and priorities in the right direction. The Lord spoke to King Asa of Judah, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV)

King Asa was for the most part a righteous King. He was successful as he followed the Lord, but he soon ignored the connection between his success and his loyalty to the Lord. He continued to follow his heart, but his heart stopped following the Lord.

Our hearts left “on their own” can be a false and undependable guide. But as the Apostle John declared, “…we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:20 NIV)

In contrast to trusting “just” our hearts we see the prophet declare the Lord’s message, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream…” (Jeremiah 17:7,8 ESV)

We may not always be able to trust our hearts, but we can always trust the Lord. We can surrender our hearts to the Lord, and allow the One who “knows everything” to “test and know our hearts” and to reveal our hearts to us. That’s the safest place to be.

Prayer for today…. Lord, search our hearts and help us to surrender all that we are, to all that we can to You. Then we can be confident that our hearts are being directed by Your Spirit and not our own desires.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 ESV

Happy July 4th – Independence day! I have been thinking about the parallel between political freedom and spiritual freedom. This verse above is a good one for Paul’s statement, among many others of spiritual freedom from the bondage of law and sin and human efforts to attain salvation.

Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” is the document signed on this day in 1776 that declared a separation and freedom of 13 English Colonies, from the political ties and the political bondage to Great Britain.

Our history reveals that our political freedom was “declared.” It then had to be “won.” And freedom must also be guarded or maintained.

The 13 Colonies of Great Britain “declared” themselves independent but they really became “free” when the final war for independence was fought on September 3, 1783, followed by the signing of the treaty documents on January 14, 1784.

Finally the Constitutional Convention resulted in the new constitution for the Republic being signed on September 17, 1787.

It as after this convention that a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “What kind of government have you given us?” He responded, “A republic if you can keep it!”

We then see the greatest test of the nation come in 1860 with the Civil War after the election of Abraham Lincoln. “Four score and seven years” after Thomas Jefferson wrote, “…these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States….” Lincoln pledged on the fields of the Gettysburg battleground, “….that the nation, [conceived in liberty and the proposition all men are created equal] shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Spiritually our freedom in Christ must be declared, secured and maintained. Unlike political freedom, spiritual freedom is not “our” efforts but trusting in that which Christ has provided. However, there must be a desire to secure that life, the gift of freedom from sin and receive life in Christ.

We must understand that the “gravitational’ of the “world” and our own “flesh” as the apostle John describes, as does Paul, constantly “war” against our spiritual freedom. We “hold this truth,” Christ has set us free, or in Paul’s words, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free…” (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)

Liberty spiritually, like freedom politically requires vigilance. We see it in Paul’s words.

“Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be strong, be courageous…” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

“Walk as children of light….and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness…” (Ephesians 5:8-11 ESV)

“…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,  and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)

 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV)

Peter says, “…be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

Freedom! It is one thing to declare. It is another to secure. It is another to maintain.

Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You for the freedom we have politically in our nation and for those who have “kept it.” Thank you for winning the battle for our spiritual freedom. Let us be vigilant and eternally grateful for the life that we have in You.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 ESV

I recall the young man who had great aspirations for ministry. He was impressed by the speakers who addressed hundreds of youth at large conferences and decided, “that is what I want to do!”

Our natural tendency is to focus on status and make “superstars” out of “everyday” people. That is at least what Paul saw happening with the Corinthians and their divisions over who was the “best” of the leaders. What is Paul? What is Apollos? Was it Peter? And then the super-spiritual saw through the shallowness of human comparisons and “one-uped” the others and said, “We are followers of Christ!”

Paul uses an extended discourse to address this issue. I don’t believe we can really appreciate all that was happening in his day with this church. But we do see how Paul responds, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1 ESV)

Regardless of what others said of the leaders of the day, Paul said we are “servants” of Christ and the gospel. He goes on and says, there is one criteria, one requirement that forms the basis of servanthood, “faithfulness!” (1 Corinthians 4:2) As Paul continues we see, “faithfulness regardless of the challenges, obstacles and difficulties that serving Christ brings.

Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the ones who are in the favored position. He says, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.” (1 Corinthians 4:10 ESV)

It is easy to look at the life of others and believe it to be one that is desirable and “trouble-free.” Even present day ministers that find themselves traveling extensively can be viewed with envy by others that never seem to leave the borders of their own state. However, after a while the lure of “travel” loses its attractiveness.

Paul tells that Corinthians about his life. More to enlighten than to complain. While those in Corinth had homes and a stable source of food and adequate clothing, Paul said, “…we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands.” Perhaps it was a “taste” of this lifestyle that lead young Mark to desert Paul and Silas on their first missionary journey.

Faithful servants must not only be prepared to endure hardship, but they must be prepared to respond spiritually, not react carnally. “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.” God-honoring responses to others and the situations one can face can be one of the greatest tests of being a faithful servant.

Paul ends by saying, “we have become….like the scum of the world…” Once again Paul is speaking from a “human” perspective. The challenges of life and ministry did not discourage or cause Paul to lose his focus. Even the things in his life that were “resume’ builders” Paul laid aside. He tells the Philippians, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8 ESV)

Paul realized that the “glory” of life is not in this life, but in faithfully serving Christ and trusting each day of our lives to Him. As a matter of fact, the glory in this life will pass away, but the glory that comes from Christ, lasts forever. That is a good for us to remember.

Prayer for today….. Lord, that You for granting us the perspective of life that is needed so we can be prepared to accept all that life brings. Enable us to simple commit to be faithful followers of You and to look forward to the “glory that will be reveal in us.” (Romans 8:18)