Jeroboam's deception and downfall

In the book of 1 Kings, chapter 14, Jeroboam, son of Solomon, had a son who was sick.  He instructed his wife to travel to Shiloh and seek out the prophet Ahijah.  He wanted her to disguise herself and ask about their son.

When she arrives, the Lord had already instructed the prophet of the deception.  Because of it, the prophet spoke of the Lord's instruction, saying that their son would be dead as soon as she arrived back at their hometown.

Also, for the sins Jeroboam had set on the Lord's people, his family would be destroyed and his future family would have no place in Israel.

Speak of your sins, and the Lord will forgive

In Psalm 32 is a blessing to those who tell the Lord of their sins, and He will forgive you.

If you keep silent and do not acknowledge your transgressions, your soul will waste away like the sun drying up one's skin.

Seek out the Lord and tell him where you sin.  He will forgive you.

But first, you must tell Him where you need His help.

Jeroboam

In the book of 1 Kings, chapter 13, we meet a man whom we had previous met: Jeroboam.  He ruled over the rest of Israel that was not under King Solomon's son.

In this chapter, a man of God came to the altar where Jeroboam had been standing by.  The man of God cried out and offered a prophecy, that the altar would be torn down and poured out into ashes.

Then, as Jeroboam told his guards to seize him, Jeroboam's hand dried up and the altar turned to ash, just as the man of God had said.

Jeroboam apologized and offered a meal to the man.  But the man refused, for it was against the will of God.

The man left, and was soon met by an old prophet.  By false means, the prophet offered a meal to the man and he accepted.  God was not pleased by this.  As the man went away, he was attacked and killed by a lion.

Put your problems in God's Hands

It was November and I was driving to work.  It was roughly ten or so years ago.

My wife and I were having severe financial troubles.  So much so that even after working a full-time job and a part-time job, we still had barely enough money to cover the overdrafts in our checking account.

We listened to Dave Ramsey daily on the radio, we read his books--we wish we could've afforded his Financial Peace University class at the time, but there was no way we could afford it.

I don't remember what prompted me to do this, but I clearly remember the exact spot on the road when I prayed to God.  I not only pleaded with Him to help us, I said, "God, I put all of our money problems in Your hands.  Please show us what we need to do."

Immediately, three words came to mind: property tax refund.

Living in Minnesota--I'm sure this is the same across many states--we qualified for a property tax refund.  It was a separate form that we needed to send in, after our tax forms.  I forgot to do so.  I made a note to check it out.  That night, I got the forms and sent them in.  In less than two weeks, we got our refund.

And it all came about because I placed our problems in God's Hands.

One of my wife's (and mine) favorite poem is Footprints in the Sand.  In it, where it talks about where there are only one set of prints, that was when God carried you.  I get the chills just thinking about it.  Well, in doing so, you are asking God to lift you up, to guide you, to help you.

In other words, place your troubles in God's Hands.  You'll be amazed at what could happen when you do so.

Amen.

Why are Christians so critical of other Christians?

Christians have a large enemy: Satan.

And Satan loves it when Christians fight against other Christians.

There has been a fantastic surge of great Christian movies out on the market lately.  From God's Not Dead and I Can Only Imagine to Fireproof and Christian Mingle.  And that is only the tip of the iceberg.

The other day, a relative of mine complained about the God's Not Dead franchise and how it doesn't preach about certain Christian values the way he thought they should be.  Other Christians have also complained about mega church pastors like Joel Osteen, and how his message isn't Christian enough.

Whatever your opinion is on all these, step back and imagine Satan watching all of this unfold.  He's enjoying the show.

Why do us Christians do this to other Christians?  We believe in the same God, the same Son of God Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross for our sins.  So what's the problem?

Stop chastising other Christians!

Stop criticizing other Christians!

To paraphrase what it says in the book of John, chapter 8, verse 7: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Enjoy the positive movies and positive messages.  Let each one come to God in their own way, by His Holy Hands.

Amen.