Victory in Christ

When Josiah was king he followed God’s commands, but later found out there were parts of God’s word that he was not aware of. “Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read from it before the king. And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, ‘Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book.’” (2 Chronicles 34:18-21) Today we have God’s Word readily available, but we can also be guilty of not following It fully. The Bereans were an example of a people desiring to know and follow the entire Word of God.  “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) We have an additional source of help to gain knowledge that goes along with diligent study of His Word. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)

Today’s reading: 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35

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In our legal system, we often see errors made where guilty are set free and innocent are wrongfully punished. With God’s judgement, the outcome will always be the correct and just one. “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1:3) “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.” (Colossians 3:25)

Today’s reading: Nahum 1-3

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What were you doing when you were 12 years old? For Manasseh he was being a king. At first he struggled to follow the right path. “And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen” (2 Chronicles 33:10) But things changed when trouble came. “Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) God wants all to be saved, (1 Timothy 2:4) but we shouldn’t be like Manasseh and wait for calamity to come before we obey God.

Today’s reading: 2 Chronicles 32-33

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A lost copy of the law was found and read to King Josiah. From the king’s reaction they must not have been following the commands of the law. “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, ‘Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.’” (2 Kings 22:11-13) It is hard to follow something that you do not know about. The Sadducees had the same problem when questioning Jesus about the resurrection. “Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?’” (Mark 12:24) God has preserved His word to be our guide to living. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The people of Berea were an example to us of how to know what God’s word says. “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

Today’s reading: 2 Kings 20-21

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In this section of scripture God is compared to someone who makes pottery. “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8) For the clay to be turned into the final product, it takes time. If we want to be the Christian that God would have us be, we have to be longsuffering and never give up. The clay sometimes has to be reformed if it gets out of place. We must be willing to let ourselves be molded by studying His word and seeing where we need to change our lives. He can mold us, but we have to be willing to let Him.

Today’s reading: Isaiah 64-66

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Many times in scripture we see comparisons to farming and things that grow in nature. In Isaiah chapter 61 we see another one of these comparisons. “For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” (Isaiah 61:11) Our Heavenly Father provides the same salvation to all people of every nation if we will sow His word into our lives.

Today’s reading: Isaiah 59-63

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There are times when we do not understand what is going on in our lives, but God always knows. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 Faith in Him will lead us through anything that this world can throw at us.

Today’s reading: Isaiah 54-58

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David made his share of mistakes, but he knew where salvation could be found. “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!” (Psalms 40:16) David’s words remind us that salvation is available to everyone, but it requires us to seek God by studying and following His word. If we consider all He has done for us, we should want to do what this verse encourages us to do; say continually, “Great is the LORD!” 

Today’s reading: 2 Kings 19; Psalms 46, 80, 135

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In all that the Israelites did, God was still with them. He wanted them all to be saved, but they had responsibilities of their own.“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22) God wants the same for everyone today. “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”(1Timothy 2:3-4) Even though He wants all to be saved, it is up to us to follow Him and follow His word to receive salvation.

Today’s reading: Isaiah 44-48

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