THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013
2 Kings 10:32–12:21
Acts 18:1–22
Psalm 145:1–21
Proverbs 18:1
“Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.” (2 Kings 12:2,3)
Throughout the history of the divided kingdom, we read variously about the kings’ weak to half-hearted to earnest attempts to honor God’s law and to shepherd His people according to it. Quite a few times, we encounter the qualifier “however,” indicating that the king in question did demonstrate a desire to follow his commitments to the One True King but fell short of whole-hearted devotion. These shortcomings often revolved around allowing the ongoing worship of pagan deities, introduced from the surrounding communities, whose influence had infiltrated the Israelite nation through intermarriage and poor spiritual boundary-setting. Despite his great wisdom, King Solomon even fell victim to sowing syncretistic practices.
Turning to ourselves, we all face numerous “however” defects of character. Through God’s grace, we may become fruitful for His Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23). Keenly aware of his human frailty, Paul could joyfully testify: “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
As an aside, I recently reviewed an article from The Atlantic magazine. Written by David Brooks in 2001, “The Organization Kid” discusses Princeton University students’ motivations. Brooks observed a strong desire for conformity and achievement, according to socially acceptable paths. Yet, despite this hunger to conform, the students placed shockingly no emphasis on character development, substituting worldly success for strong character as the ultimate goal. In the article, Brooks explains:
“The most striking contrast between that elite [previous generation] and this one is that its members were relatively unconcerned with academic achievement but went to enormous lengths to instill character. We, on the other hand, place enormous emphasis on achievement but are tongue-tied and hesitant when it comes to what makes for a virtuous life… Today’s students do not inherit a concrete and articulated moral system – a set of ideals to instruct privileged men and women on how to live, how to see their duties, and how to call upon their highest efforts. Although today’s Princeton and today’s parents impose all sorts of rules to reduce safety risks and encourage achievement, they do not go to great lengths to build character, the way adults and adult institutions did a century ago.”
We will witness the deleterious effects of this departure from character formation in the years to come. As a practical matter, as Christ-followers, we must redouble our commitment to growing in Christlikeness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and seeking to honor God on a moment-by-moment basis. We must remind ourselves that our achievements will disappear like a vapor, but our character may sow eternal benefits via transformed hearts and minds.
“One night, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9,10)
How we all long for these “status report”-type encouragements from our loving Father! The Lord Jesus had anointed Paul for the purpose of witnessing: first to the Jews and now turning to the Gentiles. While opposition may have mounted, Paul boldly proclaimed the truth of the Gospel, knowing that, while life and limb may suffer, it is indeed well with our souls.
While this message specifically applied to Paul’s situation in Corinth, we have Christ’s overwhelming promise of Matthew 28:20b to carry us through difficult patches: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
All you have made will praise you, O Lord;
your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.” (Psalm 145:8–13)
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and loving towards all he has made.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
To all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he wicked he will destroy.” (Psalm 145:17–20)
Psalm 145 echoes this call to proclamation of God’s goodness and that of His Kingdom. His compassion extends even to us, and we may rejoice and share about His grace, compassion, richness of love, and slowness to become angry with our stubborn disobedience. While He is wholly other and entirely holy, we have multiple promises in Scripture and life experience to portray His immanence and relational closeness to His children. It amazes me to fathom that: “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;/ he hears their cry and saves them.” (19)
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are indeed near and care deeply for Your followers. Please help us to develop characters that reflect Your heart and draw others winsomely to Your throne. Please prepare fields in which we may serve You – for Your glory. In Your precious Name, Amen.
________________________________________
1) Blog: http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1
2) Facebook: http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS
No comments:
Post a Comment