Scripture:

2 Chronicles 11:15-16

15 Then he appointed for himself priests for the [a]high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he had made. 16 And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

"What We Will Not Let In Our Gates"

Today, in our portion, we get the picture of not only wicked times but wicked leaders. In Vv. 15, we see Jeroboam's wicked acts of idolatry and demon worship.   We know from 1 Kings that he even went as far as creating his own priesthood, not Levites, not God's set-apart people, but people from the northern kingdoms.    The times were wicked, and many were caught up in it.  But here is verse 16, we see something of importance, something significant that the Levites and those who had "set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel.

What we tolerate is important, and the Levites and these godly people would not tolerate the wickedness of their times, and they refused to be part of it, so much so that they left their homes and traveled to Jerusalem to worship and sacrifice to the Lord.    This is a reminder that we have a choice in what we allow in our homes, to influence our children, to influence us, what we will tolerate, it reminds us that we have a choice, to choose what is good, to choose the Lord, to guard our gates, to refuse to "go with the flow."

Today, our God Shot is "Be Set Apart." 1 Peter 2:9 says that you and I are set-apart, and I love this; it says we are a "peculiar people," a holy nation, a royal priesthood. Peculiar means "different." We don't look like the world around us.  The second part of this is that to consider what we allow through the gates of our homes, our TV, our music, the internet, our phones, people, what we allow to be an influence, to guard this gate, to keep our hearts ready to seek and serve the Lord...

Lord, help us guard our gates, help us never go with the flow, tolerate evil, help us guard the gates of our homes, what we allow in, and what we will not allow, protect our families, our children, our homes, let our hearts always be set to seek you, to serve you in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

1 Kings 12:24

24 ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord.

"When Plans Collide"

A little context for today's portion, Solomon, in the later part of his life, allowed his wives to drag him away from the Lord, serving other gods, and as a result, the Lord told him that the kingdom would be ripped from his hand, but not all of it, because he had promised to David, who was faithful to the Lord.  Furious and determined to reunite the divided kingdom by force, Rehoboam (David's grandson) assembled a massive army of 180,000 warriors. However, the LORD intervened by sending the prophet Shemaiah with a clear directive.

So, here we have the Lord moving in all of this to do what?   To drive people back to Him, they had strayed from the Lord and their hearts were far from Him, they had turned away and like so many other times, they had to be motivated by pain rather than obedience.   But here is another reminder that nothing can stop the plan of God in our lives.   We can resist it, we can fight against it, but that would bring more disaster, that would only put us in a position to be fighting against God and that never turns out well.

So today's God Shot is to recognize God's plan, His purpose in our lives, and align ourselves with it, which will bring peace.   Notice that Rehoboam was going to try to reunite the Northern Kingdom by force, but because it was God's plan (because of their sin) God warned them not to go, and their obedience brought peace. 

Father, may we always seek out your purpose in our lives, your plan, my our hearts and our lives align with it, may we never fight against that which you have established, and pursue you and your Kingdom, Lord direct us, speak to us, lead us into your purpose in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Proverbs 31:25

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future."

"Prepared"

One of the things the Lord has been impressing on me is that we should be prepared. In verse 27, it says she does not eat the bread of idleness; in verse 25, it says "she laughs without fear of the future."   Why?  Is it because she is careless or unaware of reality?   No.   It is because she is prepared and free from anxiety, knowing that she is prepared for whatever tomorrow brings.   Two things:

• Strength and Dignity 

Being "clothed" in these qualities speaks of her inner character that defines who she is, and implies that her actions are guided by godly wisdom, resilience, and self-respect.

Laughs Without Fear of the Future

She is prepared; if the Lord came, she would be ready. Her life is prepared, ready. She is not just waiting for the next life event; she is prepared for it.

Oh man... The God Shot today is a zinger, it asks the question, are we prepared for Christ, are we clothed in the Character of Christ, is our future secure because of our relationship with Him?   Are we ready for His return, prepared to be with Him? Our lives should be lived in preparation for eternity, and I think we forget that.   This prompts us to re-evaluate our position and asks whether we're prepared.

Lord, if we are off track, place us back on the right path; if we are just carrying on living only preparing for today, change us, let us be like the Proverbs 31 woman in that our life is built around you and your Kingdom, our purposes are built on yours, we are not idle or unprepared, in  Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 9:8

8 Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

It Belongs to Him

When you have God's favor, people will see it.   Something to note about today's portion is that the Queen of Sheba understood that God blessed Solomon and placed him in his position, and as a result, the people he served were blessed.    This is something to pay attention to, because it reminds us that God is always positioning us for His "Purpose," His purpose in us and "through" us.  Notice that she says "setting you on His throne."   Daniel says something similar in Daniel 4:17, "The Lord is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and He gives them to whomever He pleases."     It is God who gives wisdom, it is God who raises us up, it is His throne, His "PURPOSE" in our lives that matters.   It is just as much what He is doing in us as it is what He will do through us.

So, today's God Shot is that God has what you need to succeed and the places He has placed you are for His "PURPOSE", IN YOU and THROUGH YOU. His plans are so much bigger than just giving you power; it is that you are blessed, you are transformed, you are a blessing.   The important bit is that we would love the purpose more than the position.

Lord, thank you that you are still positioning people like us with purpose, to work in us and through us to be a blessing and to be blessed, that your wisdom, your power, your understanding is unmatchable and it is available to those who ask, so I ask that you would give us wisdom and power to live in your purpose, to live for it, and through it the world around us would look different, the people we serve would be blessed, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 10:10

If the ax is dull,

And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom [a]brings success.

Don't Waste Your Time

I love this portion, because most of us get the point on the surface.   The moral of the story here is work smarter, not harder.   But how many of us have invested a lot of hard work into something that in the end wasn't worth it or didn't produce fruit?   One of the truths you learn as you get older is that time is precious, that once wasted, you cannot get it back.  It is not that you shouldn't keep trying to accomplish things, but rather that you should consider who you will do it for, so as not to waste your time.  Wisdom is the process by which we determine what things we should be doing and what things we should not; that is what Solomon is saying: don't waste your time. In ministry, you learn that people will ask you to start many things, but not all of them are you supposed to do. Other things we need to consider are their results, is it worth all the energy, this is wisdom, knowing what you should and should not do. 

So today's God Shot is: "Don't waste our time."   Consider, plan, and do preparations now so that you make the most of your time.   Because in the end, your time is the most precious thing you have.    It is not that we should not accomplish much, nor that we shouldn't try, but we should consider the cost, be prepared, and sharpen our axes before we cut the wood.

If you:

1. Plan before you prepare
2. Consider the cost
3. Seek Wisdom from the Lord

You will not waste your time...

Lord, I pray that we would do the things you prepared us to do, that we would guard our time, our strength, and not waste any of the resources you have given us, that we would be fruitful, that what we put our hands to would prosper, that we would have you favor, that our axes would be sharp and our labor short, that in the end we would accomplish more.