THE LORD SPOKE (June 28)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: II Chronicles 14-16

Can you command someone to seek the Lord? That's what King Asa did. He actually "commanded Judah to seek the Lord" (14:4). If you're in a position of authority you can do just that but the secret of Asa's success was that he (initially, at least) did it himself and therefore was leading by example. "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God" (14:2).

A prophet named Azariah clarified that idea of seeking the Lord when he told Asa, "The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." (15:2). That's pretty simple math. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. So, why do we fail so often?

The result this time was that the people assembled at Jerusalem and "they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.... They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them" (15:12,15). That's what it takes - a covenant, a commitment, a promise to God himself! The results were amazing but years later Asa left off his former commitment and everything changed again. Now God forsook him and the people suffered for it too. Oh, the importance of a leader's personal example! God brought another prophet to remind Asa that "the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (16:9).

When God's eyes range in your direction today, what will He see? Is your heart fully committed to Him? Is it making a difference in how you act and react? Is it evident enough that others can see it too?


New Testament: Colossians 1

“The dominion of darkness.” It’s a strong thing and very real. There are two worlds and they constantly fight against each other. One is characterized by darkness, doom, disease, death, and is controlled by the Devil. The other is represented by life, light, liberty, love, and is ruled by the Lord. The two are at constant enmity. There is an on-going battle between them.

Knowingly or not, we are often pawns in this encounter. God has, through Christ, rescued us from the dominion of darkness. But the Devil has not given up and, because of our sin nature, we may be sucked back in. When we toy with sin, the danger is there. When we let down our moral guard, the demons are ready to give us more fodder. When we grow tired of the struggle, the Devil is more than glad to pick up the slack.

God has done His part in providing the redemption. He also helps us in our part - prompting, reminding, strengthening , and constantly equipping us for the battle. All the necessary power is there available to us but we must access it. There is, by God’s own design, a divine-human cooperative that must be activated and maintained. Paul outlines a series of actions that require effort on our part:

1. hear and understand (vs. 6)
2. be filled with the knowledge of His will (vs. 9)
3. live a life worthy of the Lord (vs. 10a)
4. bear fruit in every good work (vs. 10b)
5. grow in the knowledge of God (vs. 10c)
6. be strong in endurance and patience (vs. 11)
7. give thanks with joy (vs. 12)

The result is nothing less than our redemption. This is explained as “being brought into the kingdom of the Son” (vs. 13). Whereas we were previously “alienated from God and enemies in [our] minds because of [our] evil behavior”, we can now be reconciled to god, “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (vs. 22).

No wonder Paul calls this a “mystery” and defines it as “glorious riches”. It is “the hope of glory”. Christ in you!