2 Chronicles 19:4 “So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.”

GO TO THEM

 What a beautiful picture of love and concern for his people.  Jehoshaphat, the kind of Judah, is the one who went out to his people to bring them back to the Lord.  He was challenged by Jehu, the seer, to seek the Lord.  And he did just that.

We have the same challenge today from our Lord.  We should be going out to the people to bring them back to the Lord. Our hearts should be broken for the lost around us.  If we don’t go out to them, they are destined for an eternal destruction.  Doesn’t that break your heart?

TEACHING MOMENT

 Children naturally want to tell people good news.  They can hardly keep it a secret.  When your little Johnny or Susie comes to Christ, they will want to tell others about it.  Teach them how.

We are witnesses through our words, our deeds, our changed lives and our hunger for His Word.  Teach your children how to tell their story of salvation to others.  Teach them to point others to Jesus by the things they do for Him.

Are you a witness?  Are you reaching out to bring others into the fold?  We all have a responsibility to do so.  It is not just the Pastor’s job or the missionary’s responsibility.  Every believer is a minister of the Gospel. Take your story to the lost world and tell others about the life changing power of the Messiah.

Father, I am grateful for the way You have changed me through Your Son.  Show me how to spread the news.  Give me the boldness and courage to share my story.

2 Chronicles 13:15 “Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, then it was that God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.”

NOT OURS

 This verse could have been written differently.  It could have read “Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, then THEYrouted Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.” Nope, that’s not how it reads.  It was God who routed Jeroboam and his army of 800,000 men.

Don’t you see?  Abijah cried out to God.  The war cry was not so much an attempt to frighten the enemy.  It was a cry to their God.  We don’t know what they cried out.  Perhaps it was something like this – “Fight for Jehovah!  Fight for our God!”  We should do the same.  We have to acknowledge it is God’s battle, not ours.

TEACHING MOMENT

 When your little Elrod or Gertrude learns that it is God who fights for them, they will begin to grow immensely in their walk with Christ.  They do not have to fight the enemy alone.  As they face that bully in school, it is God who will stand with them.  As they are challenged with temptations to lure them away from following Christ, it is God who will have their back.

As Mom and Dad, you must model the same.  You can’t wring your hands and worry when you face a challenge.  You are showing them and even telling them that you are trusting the same God who fought for Judah.  These stories mean something.  They aren’t just inspirational stories.  They are truth.

So, as you face that life challenge today, trust Him.  Cry out to Him.  Give your war cry, not to scare anyone, but to join GOD’S battle.  He has only to speak a word and the enemy is defeated. Let Him fight for you.

Thank You Lord, for facing my enemies for me. They don’t know what they are up against.  Help me show others through my trusting You that they can do the same.

2 Chronicles 9:31 “And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.”

IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY

 Now, I don’t want to sound morbid, but we will all die one day.  Look at today’s verse.  As great as Solomon was, as rich as Solomon was, as wise as Solomon was – he still died and left all he had to his son.  Nothing he accrued here on earth went with him.

The same is true for us.  Whether you are a beggar on the street or the President of the United States, you will meet your Maker one day.  Nothing can prevent that.  So, the question begs to be asked, “Are you ready?”  That is the most important question I may have asked in this devotional book.  Are you ready for eternity?

TEACHING MOMENT

 Your children are your children for a season.  God has entrusted them into your care for one reason – to lead them to Him. That’s your job.  It’s not the Pastor’s job.  It’s not the Sunday School or small group leader’s job.  It’s yours.  If you spend all the time and money you have educating, feeding and clothing them and they die and go to hell, you have not achieved your purpose in child rearing.

That’s kind of heavy, huh?  Now, I know the decision is theirs.  They must make that personal decision to follow Christ as their Savior and Lord. You can’t make them come to Christ. God knows that.  He won’t hold you accountable for their decision.  However, He expects you to do all you can to lead them to that moment.  What they do with it is up to them.

Death is sure.  For some it is early.  For others it is late.  But it will come to all (unless the Lord returns before that day).  Live your life as if it is your last day.  Share Christ with others.  Live Christ in front of others.  And know that you are ready any day to see Him face to face.

O God, My Savior, I am ready.  I long to see Your face.  But Lord, there are many in my life who don’t know You.  Help me lead them to You.

2 Chronicles 3:1 “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” 

COMMITTED

As directed by God through his father David, Solomon began the work on the temple. I bet he didn’t know when he started this project that it would be 20 years until it was completed.  I can’t think of anything I have done consistently for 20 years.  That’s a long time.  But Solomon stuck with it.  Why?

I believe we can find two reasons.  One – he wanted to honor his God.  Every aspect of this construction project had one thing in mind.  He wanted to build a “house” worthy of his God.  Two – he wanted to honor his father.  David had been a great king and father and deserved this obedience.

TEACHING MOMENT

 “So, Carl, what do we teach our children or learn ourselves from this verse?”  I’m glad you asked that. Commitment!  Sticking to something!  Too many people today stop trying.  Too many people today give in when it gets hard.  Your children need to learn to stick with what they started. They need to see things through.

I remember one year the team motto for my favorite football team was “Finish the Drill!”  That was their goal for the year.  Finish what they started.  Finish what they came to do. Don’t stop when the going gets tough.  Hang on.

Have you been tempted lately to throw in the towel?  Have you wanted to just stop?  Don’t!  Go back to the One who gave you your marching orders.  Our heavenly Father will give you the strength and determination to continue. Look to Him for the motivation you need to carry on.

Father, on the days I want to quit, don’t let me. Remind me of my calling to follow You wherever You lead.  When I face an obstacle remind me You allowed it to make me better.

2 Chronicles 2:6 “‘But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?’”

RECOGNIZE HIS “BIGNESS”

Solomon, at the very beginning of his reign as king, recognized just how big his God was.  He had been instructed by his father David to build a temple for worship.  Solomon knew the “house” he was going to build could not contain God.  It would simply be a place to which the people could come to burn incense and offer sacrifices to their God.

If only Solomon had remembered that all his life.  We know how he strayed to other gods and was wooed away to worship them by some of his concubines and wives.  He seemed to forget just how big his God was.  I wonder what he thought of the temple in those latter years when his heart strayed.

TEACHING MOMENT

 When you take your little Johnny or Susie to church on Sunday, ask them if they know why they go.  As you drive past other churches on the way, ask them why people go there.  Ask them who they are going to worship.  And then ask them how God can be in all those churches at the same time.  Their answers may surprise you.

Children need to understand that God is not bound to a building today.  He loves to see us worship Him in our church. That is important, but He doesn’t live there.  The church is NOT God’s house, as so many people call it.  We are!  As believers, He dwells within us through His Holy Spirit.  So, wherever we go becomes His dwelling place.

Now keep that in mind the next time you are tempted to visit some place you shouldn’t go.  Keep that in mind the next time you treat your body as your own.  Our God is too big to live in us, but He chooses to because of our faith in His Son. Don’t forget that.

I am Your temple here on earth, Father.  I know that.  Remind me to treat my body that way.  I am thankful You dwell within me.

1 Chronicles 26:4-5 “4 Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him.”

 OBEDIENCE BRINGS BLESSINGS

If you just read these verses you may think, “Big deal!  He had eight sons.  Why does that mean God blessed him?”  Well, you have to go back a little further in the story.  Obed-edom was the man who kept the ark after the incident when David was moving it the first time and the cart tilted and Uzziah put his hand out to stop the ark from falling and was killed on the spot. Remember?  He welcomed the ark into his home after that.

But then Obed-edom followed the ark to Jerusalem when it was moved the second time by David (this time the proper way by hand).  He could have stayed in his home, but he wanted to be near the presence of the Lord.  Can you imagine having the ark in your home?  How could he not follow it?

TEACHING MOMENT

We don’t have an ark to follow today.  As followers of Christ, we have something even better.  We have the presence of God in our lives through the Holy Spirit. And it will never leave us. That is the message for your children.  God blessed Obed-edom for his obedience and faith.  God will bless us for the same reason.

It is so exciting to know that no matter where we go, He is with us.  Your children need to understand that and believe that.  No matter how they are feeling, He is there.  No matter what is happening around them, He is there.  We just have to acknowledge His presence and rest in it.

Are you aware of His presence today?  Do you feel Him working in and through you?  He will, if you will let Him.  Even though He is there, He will not force Himself on you.  He will not turn you into some sort of spiritual robot. But when you yield, He works miracles.

Father, thank You for Your presence in my life today. Help me to yield to Your leading. Let me encourage others along the way.

1 Chronicles 22:13b “‘Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.’” 

REPEATED WORDS

Have you ever been somewhere like a cave, large room or mountain valley where you could yell something and hear the echo?  It’s pretty cool, especially if you hear your words repeated two or three times before it fades away.

In this passage David is giving his son, Solomon, a charge regarding building the temple for which David had gathered all the items needed.  And in the midst of that charge, he repeats the words God told Moses as he prepared to send the people into the Promised Land.  The same words were told by Moses to Joshua as Moses prepared him to lead the people.  And now here we hear that echo again.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Will you echo those words to your children?  Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.  Those are great words for your children.  No matter what they face in life, they can rest in the knowledge the Lord God is there.

When your children see you being strong and not weak, being courageous and not cowardice, trusting and not fearing and confident and not dismayed, they will learn to do the same.  Do that! Be that!

But perhaps today you are saying, “Carl, I just have too much stuff in my life.” It does not matter what it is.  God has issued this charge to us today. Those words spoken to Moses, Joshua and Solomon apply to us just as strongly.

Father, help me be strong, courageous, fearless and not dismayed.  I want to rely on You for everything I need.  Let me be that role model for others.

1 Chronicles 18:14 “So David reigned over all Israel; and he administered justice and righteousness for all his people.”

EASY TO FOLLOW

Don’t you just love this verse?  If you read just the first part, it would sound like any other king of Israel.  You have to read the second part.  It tells HOW he reigned – with justice and righteousness.  Those two words change everything.  Don’t you think?

David administered justice.  That means he did what was just for all.  Those decisions probably were not easy.  But if you are following the Lord, you will be just.  Then it says he administered righteousness.  Now, David wasn’t righteous by himself.  He relied on God to make him righteous, and through that righteousness flowed to the people.

TEACHING MOMENT

How do you teach your children about justice and righteousness?  It is not easy.  Only by allowing the Holy Spirit to reign in your life can you do that. And your children will only learn justice and righteousness through the saving power of Jesus.

Just does NOT mean fair.  Just means according to God’s justice.  He will always be just and true.  By allowing Him to reign, He can show your children true justice.  And your children will only be made “right” through His righteousness.  Anything else comes up short.

Are you “reigning in justice and righteousness?  Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you in your everyday decisions? Remember, people are being influenced by you. Don’t show them the flip side – injustice and unrighteousness. That would drive them further away from our Savior.

Lord God, You are beside me all the time.  I know that.  But help me as I seek to lead others in righteousness and justice.  Let them see You and not me.

1 Chronicles 15:29 “It happened when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.”

LOOKING AT THE WRONG THING

I don’t know if you remember or not, but Michal was the younger daughter of Saul and David’s first wife.  When David was forced to flee from Saul’s wrath, Saul gave her to another man as his wife.  Years later when David became king he wanted her back.  Apparently, this was done without Michal’s input and she resented it.

Perhaps she thought since she was Saul’s daughter she was better than everyone else. When she saw David acting unkingly (yes, I just made up that word, lol), she was embarrassed.  She didn’t understand David’s abandonment in worship.  She was obviously too full of herself.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Our children must be taught to not see themselves better than anyone else.  By that I mean they should not look down on anyone.  As my brother-in-law used to say, “No one has arrived.”  Instead of looking down on others, we need to teach them to look up to the Lord.  When things are seen through His eyes there is no room for snobbish behavior.

Let me encourage you, mom and dad, to nip an obnoxious attitude in the bud. Don’t let this prideful (in the wrong way) attitude continue.  Not only does this attitude drive a wedge between them and others, but it will also do the same between them and the Lord.

Are you looking down at others? Do you think you are too good for some act of service? No one has arrived.  We are all on the journey.  You may be further down the road, but we are all headed in the same direction – eternity.  Shouldn’t we all be more concerned about bringing as many as possible along with us?

Father, I know pride can be a good thing.  Help me keep my pride focused on boasting on You, not myself.  Thank You for walking with me on the path you have chosen for me.

1 Chronicles 10:13-14 “13So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, 14and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore, He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

 THERE’S ONLY ONE RIGHT ONE

 Most of us who have ever attended Sunday School have heard the story about Saul, the first king of Israel.  God had chosen him above all the men of Israel to be the king and lead the people. Someone who began so humbly became proud quickly and turned his back on God.  He chose to lead his way and not God’s way.

As a result, the kingdom was taken from him and given to David.  These two verses today occur right after the description of his death at the hands of the Philistines.  He died for “his trespass…against the Lord,” “because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep” and “because he asked counsel of a medium…and did not inquire of the LORD.”

TEACHING MOMENT

 There is much to learn from this to teach our children. Our trespasses will kill us.  Wow, that’s harsh, but true.  Unless we confess our sins and turn to Christ, we all die in our sins.  We must all keep God’s Word or face the consequence of our disobedience.  And finally, there is only one true counsel we should seek – God’s.

If we teach our children those three principles that are so vital to their walk with Christ, they will realize life instead of death.  They will experience joy rather than despair.  They will walk in victory rather than defeat.  Isn’t that how you want your children to live?

And the same applies to you.  Make the right choices.  Follow the Lord rather than your own mind.  Our desires can quickly turn us down the wrong path, even when we THINK we are doing the right thing.  See God’s counsel first.  He can always be trusted to give you the right guidance.

O Lord my God, forgive me when I go my own way. Grab me and pull me back to You, where I can hear Your wise counsel.  Lead me Lord, even when I tug against You.