He Cannot Break His Promises

Have you ever had someone promise you something and then not come through?  Whether it is something little or something big, a promise made by a co-worker or your spouse...it is never a pleasant experience when a promise is broken.  I'm sure we've all had it happen at least once in our leaves and, unfortunately, I'm sure we've all broken a promise or two of our own.  Life just happens sometimes - we forget what we've said, we get stuck in traffic, we lose track of time, we just don't feel like it...the list goes on and on.  

Nehemiah 9:8 - You found [Abraham's] heart faithful before You, 
                      And made a covenant with him
                      To give him the land of the Canaanite,
                      Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
                      Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite - 
                      To give it to his descendants. 
                      And You have fulfilled Your promise,
                      For You are righteous.

Life doesn't happen to God.  He doesn't forget what He said, He doesn't get stuck in traffic or lose track of time, and He always feels like it.  Why?  Because He is righteous.  The Hebrew word for 'righteous' is tsaddiyq meaning "just, lawful, righteous" (Strong's H6662).  God is just!  The dictionary defines 'just' as "guided by truth...based on right...done or made according to principle" (Dictionary.com).  He is the measure of righteousness, of justice, of goodness...  Do you know what that means?  He cannot break His promises.

But here is the catch - His promises are not for everyone.  His promises are only for those who are in relationship with Him, whose hearts He finds faithful.  We enter into His covenant, into His promises when we give Him our hearts and our faithful to Him.

Would God find your heart faithful today?  

• If so, I challenge you to trust that His promises are unbreakable.  What promise of God's word are your struggling with today?  Write it down and stick it somewhere you will see it throughout the day.  If He said it, He meant it.  His promises may not be fulfilled in our timing, but He knows best.
• If not, I challenge you to take a step towards faithfulness today.  What is it that is holding you back?  What stands between you and 100% faithfulness to God?  Write it down.  Rip it up.  And make it a part of your past.

Being the Doorman

I've always thought it would be neat to live somewhere where I had a doorman (though I truly want to live in the country so I'm not sure how this would work...).  The idea of a doorman, interesting isn't it?  Open the door for all to enter (or some anyhow).  But just because they open the door doesn't mean I have to walk through it.  The doorman could open the door and wave his hand toward the inside....but I don't have to go in.  He could ask me to go in.  But I still don't have to.  He could hope and wish and want me to go in.  ...But I still don't have to.  In the end, it is my choice - my heart has to decide whether I want to go through the door or not.

2 Chronicles 30:18-19 - 18 For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed.  For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying "May the good Lord pardon 19 everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary."

All of these people had previously been worshiping idols (something God strictly prohibits...if you don't believe me, check out the 10 commandments).  ;)  They should have been properly purified or cleansed through a ritualistic process.  However, due to a reform that Hezekiah had implemented, a great amount of people were very zealous, or passionate, about worshiping the God of their fathers, the only true God.  To go through the ritual of purification would have taken a grand amount of time and may have squashed the zealousness of the people.  Who wants to squash a zealousness for God??  So Hezekiah prayed that the people who's hearts were truly seeking God would be pardoned.

The first thing that jumps out at me here is this: following ritual was NOT of the utmost importance.  Had they followed ritual the reform may not have been as grand or lasted as long - "they were loth to forbid them...lest they should discourage new converts, and send those away complaining whom they desired to send away rejoicing" (Henry).  There are different rituals in each denomination today, some more serious than others.  The important thing to remember is this: "ritual institutions must give way, not only to public necessity, but to a public benefit and advantage" (Henry).  Is it really beneficial to exclude people from communion (or any other 'ritual' for that matter)?  Is it even remotely our job to judge those who participate?

I also notice that it was Hezekiah who said the prayer.  He took notice of his people - he saw their passion and he prayed for them - "It is the duty of those that have the charge of others, not only to look to themselves, but to those also that are under their charge, to see wherein they are wanting, and to pray for them, as Hezekiah here" (Henry).  The Hebrew word for 'prayed' here is palal, meaning "to intervene, interpose, pray" (Strong's H6419).  Hezekiah saw a need and he intervened on the people's behalf.  We should always be observing those under our charge, noticing what they need, and intervening for them!  Prayer is a powerful thing and it is here for our taking.  Who knows what would happen if I prayed for everyone in my care once a week!  Or what about once a day?!? 

Here's the thing though: It wouldn't have made a difference that these people, despite their uncleanliness, were allowed to participate or that Hezekiah prayed over them IF their hearts had not been in the right place.  Over and over again we see just how important the condition of the heart is - "the inward man [must] be engaged," we must "make heart work of it.  All is nothing without this" (Wesley, emphasis added).  I love Wesley's phrase there: "heart work."  Everything we do for the Lord should be "heart work."  

Bringing this all together, it is important to remember that we cannot know the condition of someone's heart, that is only for God.  This means that, like the doorman, it is our responsibility to open the door for each and every person that comes by (openness and prayer).  It is their responsibility (and choice) to walk through. 

I challenge you today to open the door.  

• Ritual and rules are good - but don't let them be the reason someone is not included...especially when it comes to spiritual matters.  
• And pray!  Keep intervening for those under your charge, whether you are sure about the condition of their heart or not...every individual could always use a little prayer throughout the day - everyone is struggling with something.

Doing the "Right" Thing

At one point in high school I had a summer fling.  A boy who I had had a crush on for a very long time finally gave me notice and we dated until he left for college (a mere 3 months)...leaving me at home broken-hearted.  

Well...I wasn't broken for very long and that isn't the point of the story... 

Anywho, what I'm getting at is a conversation we once had.  While we both claimed Christianity and attended church regularly, we still had some varying view points.  I remember walking one day at our town's local dam and him asking me this: if there is a woman who is "good" in every sense of the word - she has never done anything wrong in her life, you mean to tell me that just because she doesn't "accept Christ" that she won't get into heaven?  I didn't know how to answer that at the time except with a "no, she won't."  But that doesn't really feel good does it?  To just leave it at no?  There has to be a reason.  And there is.

2 Chronicles 25:2 - He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.

Amaziah is this man's name.  Yes, he did right in the sight of the Lord but, again, the issue lies in his heart.

If you remember from before, 'whole' in the Hebrew is shalem meaning "complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace" (Strong's H8003).  In fact, a number of versions of the Bible, including the King James, translate shalem as 'perfect' (Online Parallel Bible).  What Amaziah needed was to have a whole heart, a perfect heart, a safe heart in the Lord.  He had to give His heart to God 100%.  

It didn't matter that Amaziah did all the right things.  Works aren't what get us into heaven!  It is by grace through faith that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).  And faith originates in our hearts.  God has opened His hands to us...all we have to do is give Him our hearts!

I could live my entire life doing the "right" thing but if I haven't given God my whole heart, it won't mean a thing - "Such is the character of too many...they do that which is good, but not with the heart, not with a perfect heart" (Henry).  


I challenge you today to examine your actions, your "works."  Are you giving God your whole heart or are you just going through the motions?  It is so easy to fall into that trap...we go through the motions, do what is good...and forget to give God our heart in the process.  Make it a point right now to give Him your heart and do every little thing for His glory.

Moment by Moment

Every day we are faced with a ton of choices:

Do I sleep in today or not?
Am I going to have a good attitude about work today or a bad one?
Should I wear these shoes or the other ones?
Should I wear a scarf or not?
Am I going to pack a lunch or buy today?
Are we going to cook tonight or get delivery?
Am I going to watch TV or go for a walk?
Early to bed or stay up for a little while?
Should I brush my teeth or not?  (The answer here is "you should")  ;)

The list goes on and on...and on...and on...

What about the bigger choices?  The choices that will make a life-changing difference?

2 Chronicles 16:7,9 - 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the arym of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand... 9 For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.  You have acted foolishly in this.  Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

I absolutely fell in love with the imagery of the beginning of verse 9.  Let's take another look at just that section:

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

Beautiful isn't it? 

Okay, now that we have seen the beauty, we can take a step back and truly examine this passage.

Because the eyes of the Lord roam all of the earth we have two choices before us:

1. We give Him our hearts completely.  
2. Or we don't.

If we are giving Him our everything, our entire hearts, we should naturally be relying on Him.  "Rely" is translated from the Hebrew word sha'an meaning "to lean on, trust in, support" (Strong's H8172).  If He has our hearts completely, the natural outcome is that we trust Him, that we lean on Him for our support...no matter what the circumstance.  Asa did not do this...instead of relying on the Lord, he tried to rely on a human.  We cannot rely on any human being 100%, not our spouses, not our parents, not our best friends.  Humans make mistakes, even when they don't mean to, even when they are trying their hardest not to.  Fact is: they aren't God - "It is a foolish thing to lean on a broken reed, when we have the rock of ages to rely on" (Wesley).  As seen in vs. 7, Asa's reliance on the king of Aram didn't work out.  And because he relied on a human for his troubles and neglected to rely on the Lord (therefore not giving God his entire heart), there were consequences.

1. If we give Him our hearts completely, He will strongly support us.
2. If we don't, He won't.  Simple as that.

Because Asa didn't give the Lord his heart completely, the Lord allowed wars to ravage Israel, He no longer strongly supported Asa.  In my study of the word 'heart,' if there is one thing I have learned, it is that if we don't give Him all of us, He won't give us all of Him.  I've written on it over and over because it is in His word over and over.  Why is that?  My hunch is that it isn't an easy thing.  Giving 100% of our heart to God is a daily choice, a daily struggle.  Scratch that, it is a moment by moment choice.  Every thing we are faced with - our daily routines, our worries, our fears, our problems, our triumphs, our joys - we have to choose to give those to God.  It might be the hardest thing we have to do.

I challenge you today to say a prayer.  Ask God to give you the strength you need to choose Him, to rely on Him, to trust in Him, to lean on Him.  Pray for an extra few moments before you make a choice to hear His voice so that the choice becomes easier.  This life is a journey but He is here to help us every step of the way...  Give Him your heart today.

If God Has the Heart...

"Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift the must be chosen and cultivated, a gift the ultimately comes from God." - Francis Chan, Crazy Love

For clarification purposes, 'obsessed' here is a good thing.  Chan defines it as "To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic" - in this case, God.

2 Chronicles 15:12,15 - 12 They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul... 15 All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him.  So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

All of Judah rejoiced, in other words, they were joyful.  But why?

Because they had sworn this covenant or oath with their entire heart after seeking God earnestly.  'Earnestly' in the Hebrew is translated from two different words: kol meaning "all, the whole" and ratsown meaning "pleasure, delight...will" (Strong's H3605, Strong's H7522).  This means that they searched after Him, not only with all of their heart, but with all of their pleasure, all of their delight, all of their will - they were obsessed. 

Because of this obsession, this covenant, God let them find Him and granted them rest...on every side.  Ultimately, He was the cause of their joy.  But they could not have truly rejoiced if they had not given all of their hearts: "Those only experience pleasure and comfort of [Christianity]...that are sincere and upright in it.  What is done in hypocrisy is a mere drudgery.  But, if God has the heart, we have the joy" (Henry).  

If we can truly let go of ourselves and give Him our all, our everything, He will provide true, unending joy.  As Francis Chan said, joy doesn't depend on circumstance or environment...ultimately God is responsible.  But if He doesn't have our heart, how can He affect our attitude?

I challenge you today to examine your attitude?  Is it a little rough?  Are you having a glass-half-empty kind of day?  Are you depressed and stuck in a rut?  Maybe what you need is to give Him all of you.  If He has your heart, you will have joy.  "We have a God who loves us more than we love our children or even ourselves - a God who sent His Son to die for us and who has prepared a place in eternity just for us" (The Dobson's, Night Light).  There is ALWAYS something to be joyful for!  God will get you there...you just have to give Him all of you.   

It Is Not Building Churches

"Today in history class, we are going to learn about viking burial rituals..."

Hmmm...okay...

But really, did you know that when vikings were buried, all of their belongings were buried with them?  This obviously included precious valuables but also food, weapons, and jewelry (Matador Network).  

When life came to a close, what was important for them?  Possessions, belongings, things...

...stuff.  

And the reality of it is that they will never see those things again.  So if "stuff" isn't important, what is?

King David had just witnessed an amazing offering for the soon-to-be-temple.  He knew his reign and life were coming to a close and he offered a beautiful prayer to the Lord.  Below is just a snip-it of the prayer in its entirety, but take notice of what one word sticks out:

1 Chronicles 19:17-19 - 17 Since I know, O my God, that you try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.  18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of your people, and direct their heart to You; 19 and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision. 

You see, David knew what was important.  Unlike the vikings, he didn't talk about material things - not about the wealth I'm sure he had accumulated, not about his weaponry or the wars he had won, and not about food (the good or the bad).  He talked about the heart.

First, he acknowledges the truth of the matter:  God knows and tries the heart.  The Hebrew word for 'try' is bachan - "to examine, try, prove" (Strong's H974).  Let's take a look at the English definition of 'prove': "to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument" (Dictionary.com).  God will establish the genuineness of our hearts - He can see ALL of the evidence...  This is fact and David knew it.

He then goes on to confess the integrity, or uprightness, of his own heart - in my opinion, to show that he was sincere (Strong's H3476), the whole time knowing that God would see the truth anyhow.

Then he brings his own people before the Lord, the people that he had ruled over, fought with, and cared for.  He doesn't ask that they be kept safe or that they have great wealth...he asks that the Lord preserve the intentions of their heart and direct their hearts toward Him - "Since it is from Thy grace that Thy people have such willing minds, continue that grace to them, that they may persist in the same generous disposition towards Thee and Thy worship" (Wesley).  Matthew Henry expounds further: "...that what good God had put in their minds He would always keep there, that they might never be worse than they were now, might never lose the convictions they were now under, nor cool in their affections to the house of God, but always have the same thoughts of things as they now seemed to have."  While David's prayer was not this lengthy, I do believe that all of this is what he had in mind.  This prayer should be a regular one among believers.  It would be the ultimate in building one another up!  And think of the effect this prayer could have on your children!

And lastly, he lifts up a prayer for his own son, Solomon.  Again, notice that he doesn't ask for Solomon to have wealth or that he would live a long and healthy life.  He only asks that Solomon would have a perfect, or whole, heart for the Lord and His work (Strong's H8003).  David knew that the Lord had blessed the work of the temple - but he also knew that Solomon's heart had to be in the right place: "It is not building churches that will save us if we live in disobedience to God's law" (Henry).

In the end, it would do the people (including Solomon) no good if they build the temple and forgot where their hearts belonged.  That is the key!  God does not look at the temples we build or the work we do...He looks at our heart!

I challenge you today to examine your life.  Are you doing the Lord's work?  Are you building up His church (and I do not mean the building)?  Are you serving Him in any capacity?  If so...is your heart in the right place?  Because if not...all of the former will have been in vain.

A True Reason to Rejoice

In our society we are taught to receive willingly.  Let's take a look:

• Have you seen how many people are on our welfare program?  4,300,000.  Or the number of people using food stamps? 46,700,000.  And what about unemployment? 5,600,000. I'm not trying to get into politics here.  The programs have good intentions but they can definitely be abused.  I just want to point out how many people are willingly (and probably joyfully) receiving (Welfare Statistics).
• People my age seem to think they should get a huge paycheck for doing the bare minimum.  Show up, get paid.  That's how it works right?
• Christmas has become almost entirely about receiving.  Yeah, we say we know the true meaning of Christmas.  But when we don't get gifts, we are a little (if not a lot) disappointed.

The list could go on.  I just wanted to give a visual of how we LOVE to receive, and how we do so willingly and joyfully.

1 Chronicles 29:9 - Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made the offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

We are not talking about tithe here.  We're talking about going above and beyond their tithe.  These people were rejoicing over the fact that they gave so willingly!  Did you catch that?  They didn't receive, they gave...and rejoiced because they did so.

That is quite the opposite of our society.  Maybe even ourselves.  For my husband and I, going above and beyond tithe is a stretch.  It makes the budget tight...really tight.  Though we don't stress about it anymore, and it often makes my heart happy, I'm not sure that I would use the word "rejoice" when I'm writing out that check.

Then why did it come so easy to these people in Chronicles?  Two things.  First, rejoicing was "an affect of God's grace in them" (Wesley).  They had a whole heart when they gave.  "Whole" in the Hebrew is shalem - it can also be translated as "complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace" (Strong's 8003).  What can we get from all of that?  Their heart was in the right place.  They weren't giving to look good, they weren't giving to get something, they weren't giving because they felt guilty.  They were giving out of their hearts.  And God blessed that.  His grace provided the joy they needed for giving so willingly.

And because they gave, they had joy in knowing that the Lord's house would be built, that His work would be done.  When we give with a whole/perfect/complete heart, we should be confident in knowing that the Lord will use it to fulfill His purposes.  That should bring us true joy!  With our giving, His work is being done!

I challenge you today to focus more on giving than receiving.  Instead of receiving so willingly, try to give willingly - but make sure your heart is in the right place.  If it is, God's joy will emanate through your soul and give you a confidence of accomplishing His work - a true reason to rejoice!