Readings for the day; 1 Kings 15:1-24, 2 Chronicles 13-16
Life is full of challenges. Ups and downs. Successes and failures. Live for very long at all and you will experience struggle and heartbreak. It’s part and parcel of living in this broken world. In over twenty years of ministry, I have had the privilege of walking with people through some of the hardest times in their lives. Times of great fear and stress. Perhaps it was a marriage that was failing. Children who wandered astray. Corporate down-sizing. Cancer. Sudden death. In almost every case, our first instinct is to go with what we know. Play to our strengths. Muster all our resources so we can make it through. We use our wealth, position, privilege, influence, relationships, talents, and abilities to cope with the pain. And although it almost feels instinctual. Rational even. It is almost always the wrong decision.
We see this play out in the lives of the kings of Israel and Judah. Over and over again, they are confronted with crisis. War. Famine. Disease. You name it. And over and over again, God reaches out to His people. He longs for them to turn to Him for comfort and provision and strength and protection. But they reject God. They pay off neighboring kingdoms. They utilize diplomatic back channels. They compromise on any number of levels, hoping to make it through. But God is watching. “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. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars." (2 Chronicles 16:9) God is looking for a people who will seek Him with all their hearts. “And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul...” (2 Chronicles 15:12) When God’s people are faithful, they are blessed. God is their strength. He is their present help in times of trouble. When God’s people are unfaithful, they are cursed. God withdraws His protective hand. Gives them over to their desires and lets them suffer the consequences.
Life is a battlefield. The Kingdom of God is always at war with the kingdom of self. This is true in every sphere. Marriage. Family. Neighborhoods. Schools. Work. Politics. Church. You name it. Every time two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name, He is with them. And in being “with them”, the conflict is joined! The battle engaged! Our enemy will not go gently into the goodnight. He will not fade away easily or give up his territory willingly. The struggle is real, friends. And it impacts every choice we make from the most significant to the most mundane.
When you wake up in the morning, the battle begins. Will you seek God’s Kingdom first or satisfy your own needs? This impacts who gets the bathroom first, who feeds the kids, and who makes the bed. It impacts who makes the morning coffee at work, who takes out the trash, and who fields the nasty phone call. It impacts how money gets spent, how time is scheduled, and where resources are brought to bear. God wants all of it, friends! He will not settle until He is Lord of all of life! Until every knee bows - in heaven, on earth, and under the earth - and every tongue confesses that He is Lord! So let me encourage you to make your “first step” today a step of faith. Place your trust in Jesus for all your needs and watch Him go to work.