Cool at 88 degrees, breezy and low humidity-Birmingham weather on Thursday July 3, 2014. I’m sitting at a Starbucks in Brookwood Village nestled against a low hill with a nice shade over the parking lot.
I’m not sure what I thought it would be like to spend ten days in the city of my youth. I’ve been back here only for a day or two at a time since then. I’ve actually spent more time in Israel in the past year than in Birmingham in the last thirty five years.
This morning I was confronted by 2 Kings 22. I was overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility and guilt. Am I as lackadaisical about my actions towards God as Israel was? The truth- I think I may be. Lord forgive me.
Three quick ideas:
1/v.13 Josiah asked the priest to go to the Temple and speak to The Lord for me
I don’t think anyone has to speak for me but the idea from this is the distinct understanding that we are in community. Each one of us had our responsibility and priority. Josiah the King was aware that he needed help as he wrestled with serving The Lord and doing what The Lord said. He hadn’t done such a good job and knew that all of them needed help in their relationship with The Lord. I’m making a big jump here but one that makes perfectly good sense to me-Jesus intercedes for us. We don’t have to go to the Temple but we do need to go to the Father and Jesus is our intercessor. Lord thank you that you are. As I listen to Jesus interceding for me I realize that I must be committed to doing what The Lord expects of me. Half service is no service and Lord I understand this. LORD I WILL DO WHAT YOU SAY FOR ME TO DO AND I KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
2/V.13… for the Lord’s great anger is burning against us- all around me are the lost. They have not gone about their day thinking about doing things against God, in fact most lost people comfort themselves with the vague thought that they aren’t as bad as so and so and will probably be fine if there is a God or they believe in God they just don’t believe the way that The Lord proscribes our belief-they have a cafeteria mindset about their faith. A little of this a little of that and I’ll be fine. Tragically they will not be fine. Separation from The Lord God will be an eternal desperate situation to be in and it will happen not because God is doing something but in fact because they’ve never chosen to be in His family.
Sad that we live in a society in which the current generation is turning against their heritage and faith. The end result is a choosing the wrath of God instead of faith in Christ. Israel knew about turning from God. They had done it so much that they couldn’t return to The Lord God and had earned HIS anger, a burning anger. That literally scares me. This is not an anger that will be soon turned away but is the type of anger that is earned by a final turning away, an absolute refusal, and they were proud of it. This is not unlike today. Our leaders believe that wrong is right and right is wrong. They scurry to sin. They announce their sin proudly before the world spurning God earning His burning anger. LORD SAVE US FROM OURSELVES.
3/v.13 We have not been doing everything it says we must do. Josiah had a good heart and wanted to do the very best he could but when he was confronted with the Word of God he realized that even as a follower with the best of intentions he wasn’t doing what the Word of God said.
We do not know the heart of God, we don’t understand the ways of God because His ways are totally different than our ways. He forgives sin. HE loves us even when we were dead in our trespasses and sin. Jesus came looking for us. HE died for our sin. The Lord loves us with a depth and breadth that is hard for us to imagine and we have a very difficult time believing Him therefore we need the repetition of His Word. He speaks to us in love. His thoughts towards us are only thoughts for good. Jesus loves us this I know because the Bible tells me so. God is love. His love is unbreakable and everlasting. LORD THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE!
THE WORD OF GOD IS A STRONG TOWER. HIS WORD COMMUNICATES HIS PRECIOUS LOVE TO US.
THURSDAY IN BIRMINGHAM
Life is a surprise
It fetes us and forgets us
Sometimes overwhelming us
Today it adjusted me
I wasn’t looking for an insight
Quietly it seized my heart
It was just a daily devotional
2 Kings 22-Lengthy kingly stuff
I was actually thinking of Paul
Acts had my mind
Josiah spoke across the years
The Holy Spirit quickened me
Are you doing what I said
Defensively I said of course
Reading on-I was stopped
No you aren’t
The world is hurting
Who have you loved today?
What are your prayers about?
Have you sweated blood?
Hurting grows
The world is darker
My evil foes revel
While you worry about clothes
Spend time with ME
Listen as I call their names
You are the one to love them
Your hands and feet proclaim
Jesus loves
You are loved-you count
God is good
His love is everlasting
Clay CORVIN 7/3/14