God’s plan – Be Still…

2 Chronicles 22:1-12 – A Family Affair

Read 2 Chronicles 22:1-12

God will always make a way for his will to be done—especially when a divine promise is involved. Jehoram’s remaining and youngest son, Ahaziah had a very short, yearlong reign. His mother, Athaliah, interferes, but God doesn’t allow her to kill of the potential heirs to the throne as Ahaziah’s replacement. Brilliant!

It’s helpful to remember that Ahaziah’s mother was the daughter of King Ahab, the evil king that had ruled Israel. The evil of that nation had tremendous influence it seems with Judah’s last two rulers. The intermarriage between Israel and Judah a generation ago was wreaking havoc on God’s plan for his people.

1 Chronicles 22:1-19 – The Temple

Read 1 Chronicles 22:1-19

Turns out the threshing floor location David purchased for his sacrifice in our last reading will become the eventual building site for the temple. Isn’t it great to see how God works behind the scenes to make things happen? God can and will use our mistakes, brokenness, and sinful decisions for good, turning them into something beautiful.

With this chapter, we are beginning the wind down of David’s reign as he prepares his successor, son Solomon. The material in this closing section of 1 Chronicles is unique to this book. We don’t have any parallel story lines from other Biblical passages. Today we see how David aids Solomon for what God will be doing in his life. Isn’t that what any good father would do, prepare their child for the future?

Ecclesiates 6:10-12 – What’s Your Future?

Read Ecclesiastes 6:10-12

This passage oozes with the notion of predestination. That’s a “churchy” word meaning different things to different people. Known as a Christian doctrine for some denominations, it has been debated by theologians for centuries. Basically, it means that God has figured everything out ahead of time, knows what’s going to happen in our lives, and there is nothing we can do to change it. Does that give you assurance or scare you just a little bit?

In terms of our salvation, however, this can be a bit unnerving. What if God didn’t “choose” me to be saved? I have a hard time believing that some people of faith would not be saved because they weren’t “predestined.” After all, Jesus commanded us to evangelize and make new disciples. Why would he do that if it was already predestined who would be saved?

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 – Enjoy Life

Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

God wants us to enjoy life, not trudge through each day just going through the motions. We often set unrealistic expectations on ourselves for what we can accomplish in a day and end up feeling like we failed. Here we’re told that God has given us the work we are to do. What is that work for you?

If we’re focusing on what God wants, and we already know that his timing is perfect, then our day should go exactly like it should. If we are enjoying the life God has given us, living it to please him, then we have accomplished something very great. There are plenty of people who don’t have this connection to God and are not feeling fulfilled.

Luke 22:63-23:55 – Guilty or Not Guilty?

Read Luke 22:63-23:55

Reading about Jesus’ final hours can be an emotional encounter, especially when we put ourselves in the scene. We’ve been walking with Jesus to the cross, and today we arrive. Seeing it dramatized is also a very powerful way to remember. I’ll never forget the car ride home in silence after our family watched Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” when it first came out in theatres.

Sometimes we want to rush ahead to what happens next, but the first disciples didn’t know this was only the beginning of the miracle of all miracles. Let’s stay where we are in this moment, seeing our Savior’s sacrifice of love.