202nd Week, II Kings Chapters 10-14 (Clink on Title for Video Introduction)

 Click on Title for Video Intro

Monday, II Kings Chapter 10

II Kings 10

Verse 30

Jeanie Boldt

What a gruesome chapter. What terrible actions. It is hard to believe that some men thought their actions were of GOD. The Lord wanted these sinful people gone but Jehu went way over what was asked. He allowed his power and cruelty to come before the blessing and consent of God.  How wrong he was. Sometimes we need to remember to put our new Christians in the New Testament with Paul’s letters and the story of Jesus. These happenings would make a new believer close the Word. Sometimes it is even hard for me to believe what survival was back before Christ.

Verse 30:  The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

THOUGHT

It is hard to believe the things the Lord asked of Jehu. I believe we need to continually realize that the Lord may ask of us things that we would consider either impossible for us in our minds or way out of the routine of things in our lives. We need to be open and ready. Jehu did his actions without the love and sincerity of God.

Our actions need to always be those of His Will. I feel that when we are close to God in prayer and scripture and thought each day, that our actions will be more likely to be a natural act of GOD!! We will become His servant. Jehu did not. He was acting on his strength and hatred and allowed his feelings to overcome those that he shared with the Lord. 

We need to examine our heart each day and ask that it beat for the LORD. May the blood flow throw our arteries as love from our saving grace of Christ the Lord. If we think like that, this blood will be a nourishment to our bodies to go and move in the way of the Lord. My prayer for all of us is that when the Lord meets us on that special day, He may say, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes, I welcome you into My Kingdom.” I want Him to smile and say, “Good job, Salt Shakers.”

PRAYER

Father God, Thank You  for the strength You give us each week and how You bless our actions. I pray that the strength You give us in the days and weeks ahead will be to us for Your glory. Keep our hearts pure so that our actions will reflect Your Love and Mercy. Help us not to do with our strength and desire but be guided by Your desire. Put people in our lives that need to know You and help us put them in a place that will show them Your gift of salvation. Father, we are so anxious to be in Your kingdom and will do our job the best we can. We want to hear words of praise from You. 

In Jesus Name. AMEN

Tuesday, II Kings Chapter 11

II Kings 11

Verse 18

Bart Strayer

For the next couple of weeks I am traveling with my church choir and orchestra doing media stuff. We have organized prayer rallies all over the state to pray for a revival in our state, and we are taking the worship department (including me) to the rallies.

Verse 18:  All the people of the land went to Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces.

THOUGHT

As we read in this verse, we see that the people of Israel have been revived/awakened. They recognized the sin of Baal worship and did away with it. I want to pose a question to you today. If revival were to break out in our country, what would it look like? What ‘things’ would be torn down? Businesses gone bust? Church programs started? Shift in demand for certain services/products? As the hearts of God’s people change, what would it look like?

PRAYER

Dear God, we pray for a revival in Your American church. We pray that You would move across this nation and awaken the church coast to coast. Help expose areas in our lives that are unclean and need torn down. Like the temples of old, revive us that we may smash down the altars and idols that needlessly occupy our time. Help us in this hour of need. We Pray in Jesus Name. AMEN

Wednesday, II Kings Chapter 12

II Kings 12

Bart Strayer

THOUGHT

Things were a little different back in the days of Joash. It was common for the priest to keep all of the money given by the people and not use it for ‘organizational’ purposes. It was treated more like a salary than a common fund. Nevertheless, the Priest had the resources to get the job done but failed to take the initiative. 

Wow, how relevant is that today?  We see things that need to get done, but can’t seem to take the first step.  Do you have any ‘run down temples’ in your life?

PRAYER

Dear God, we ask that You be our leader with Your finances. We know that all our money is Yours. You have provided it for us. Help provide us the guidance we need with the resources given to us so that we may bring glory to Your Name. We Pray in Jesus Name. AMEN

Thursday, II Kings Chapter 13

II Kings 13

Verses 18-19

Bart Strayer

Verses 18-19:  “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

THOUGHT

I must admit, I have always struggled with these verses of scripture.  Every time I read them I am surprised with Elisha’s response to Jehoash.  Our commentary says that Jehoash struck the ground ‘half-heartedly’. It is hard to see this in scripture. Nevertheless, when we get instruction from the Lord as to the level of duty he requires of us, we must give it our all for His Glory! 

I have noticed that I am getting the ‘half-hearted’ feeling in some of my duties the Lord has called me to accomplish. It is a slippery slope to becoming useless and lazy. When we find ourselves in these situations, I notice that it is my heart that has fallen away from God. My half-heart for God is producing half-hearted results. Prayer and calling out to God is the only thing that helps me from getting into these ‘spiritual ruts’.

PRAYER

Dear God, we thank You for Your goodness! We thank You for helping us know when our hearts are straying from You. Help us in these times of spiritual dryness to recapture our hearts and align them with Your love. We thank You and praise You for who You are! AMEN

Friday, II Kings Chapter 14

II Kings 14

Verses 23-24

Bart Strayer

Verses 23-24:  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah, son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

THOUGHT

Man, here is this guy that is doing displeasing things in the sight of the Lord but yet Israelis are living in a time of prosperity and power. Jeroboam had once again restored the boundaries and increased the size of the kingdom of Israel. I must admit, when people do displeasing things to God and attain success, I get bothered. 

It is my prayer that God make my life broken without Him. My prayer is to make me unable to do anything right without God. It is not successful without God. Then I think what a blessing it is to fail in life without God. It is through my failures without God that draws me back closer to Him.

PRAYER

Dear God, make us unsatisfied with everything that is not Your Will for our lives. We ask for failures without You. Help us see the times that we are distant from You by giving us that incomplete feeling. We thank You for Your ever-working hand in our lives, even when we cannot see it. 

In Jesus Name. AMEN