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7/31/2008
Today's Reading:
1 Corinthians 15.35-58, 2 Kings 11 and Micah 2
Today's Devotional:
Waiting for the Lord
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your Word that never returns void and always speaks a message of hope, of wisdom, of direction, or of correction and sometimes all of them at once. Lord, You never cease to amaze me through events You bring into my life and how timely Your messages are in my life. I pray that today You will use my time to the full and help me to accomplish not only things of this world, but also things that will impact eternity for others. Bless those who read this posting, my family and friends, and all those I meet today. Give me the wisdom to see what needs to be done and the courage to do it I pray in Jesus' name. Lord, I thank You and praise You in and will give you all the honor and the glory in Jesus' name. Amen.
God can take the least of us to rule over the greatest. God can take the weak and have them rule over the strong. God's plans a bigger and better than our plans.
God is always on time. He is never late, and He is seldom early. Ask God for the wisdom to discern His will and His timing for the events in your life. 7/30/2008 Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 15.1-34, 2 Kings 10 and Micah 1
Today's Devotional: Bad Alliances
The Good News on which my faith stands is that Jesus died for our sins as written in Scriptures (Isaiah 53:5) , that He was buried and that He was raised to life three days later, as was also written in Scriptures. Do you have a foundation that can stand for all times and that can give you strength and encouragement everyday? Let's consider Romans 10:9 - 10 9. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. There are so many testimonies I have of God's greatness: He moved me away from my comforts and brought me into a new community and allowed me to receive an invite through the newspaper to attend a Christmas production at the church which almost 8 years later I still attend. He put me on an accelerated path of growth into leadership - not only in my community and workplace, but also in my church. Through weeks of spiritual emphasis - baptism of the Holy Spirit, attending cleansing stream - purification and release from strongholds, a heart to serve. He has blessed my family through my career development and growth by first finding me a new job that I didn't even originally apply for, but allowed me while interviewing for 3 other jobs to run into the person who for most of the 8 years has remained my boss and my boss's boss. He has blessed my wife and I through the incredible blessing of children (3) including a son whom during one of my devotional times He promised that I would have and do. He has blessed a childhood dream of a horse with property and house where I know have chickens, bunnies, cats, dog, and 2 horses and 1 pony. He has helped me to read many different translations of His Word as well as different formats such as the Chronological Bible and speaks into my life everyday that I take/make the time to seek His face. And I still have wind in my lungs which tells me that God still has more for me to praise Him about - and more details can be found on this site. He has done things that when I start to feel down or if the enemy tries to plant a seed of worry, I remember that there is no benefit in worrying but to bring all things before God in prayer and supplication. If I can't make a hair grow on my head, then what benefit will worrying bring.
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You for all that this week will bring as I head back to work after most of the month off on vacation with RFKC and my family. Lord, give me wisdom today so that You may receive praise and glory. Help me to make right decisions and to plan out my day in order to accomplish all that You have for me. Give me the words to speak to bring the realization of You to those around me. Help me I pray to grow and become even more like You. Help me to be the person You have planned for me to be - for before my birth, you had planned for me to have a hope and a future - a life that is better than I could hope for or imagine. Be glorified today I pray and I will give You the praise and the honor and the glory, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 7/29/2008
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and time to spend with You. I put all my trust and hope in You for I know that You know the plans You have for me to give me a hope and a future. I know that the enemy comes to rob, kill, and destroy, but that You have come that I may have life and life to the full. Thanks for our family trip back to visit our families and bring us back home safe and sound. Lord, I praise and worship You and will give You all the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Looking up the definition, we see that alignment means to position something for proper performance.
positioning of something for proper performance: the correct position or positioning of different components with respect to each other or something else, so that they perform properly
Lord, Your Word speaks to us about alignment and You give us order not to restrict us or hold us back, but so that we can live a life that is glorifying to You and that we can shine the best way and provide the proper performance through our lives. Help us today to review our lives and see if there is any part that is out of alignment.
Our marriage:
Our family:
Our church:
Our work:
Can you consider any other areas we need to ensure we stay in alignment with the way God wants things to be done and what happens when we get out of the covering of God by getting out of alignment?
7/26/2008 Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for the great time You have given me and my family over the past few weeks. Lord, guide and protect us as we make the way home and give us favor with those we encounter on our journey. May You be glorified in all we say and do and may we rejoice in Your greatness, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Bless the children, my brothers and sisters, the widows and the poor in and through me I pray that You will receive all the praise and all the glory in Jesus' name. Amen. 7/23/2008 Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your Word and the truths that are found there. I thank You that You spoke about the way out yesterday and that You reaffirmed it in today's reading:
12If you think you are standing firm you had better be careful that you do not fall. 13Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out. (1 Corinthians 2)
Lord, I thank You for the brothers and sisters around the world. I thank You for encouragement and hope that is given by Your people. Help us to remember that we weren't put on earth to get through it alone, but You wanted us to help one another, pray for one another, encourage one another -- You gave us one another.
Lord, we give You all the praise and all the glory and all the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen. 7/22/2008 Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for the incredible blessings and promises You have give us. Lord, even though we try to follow Your ways daily, it is hard. I find that not being with or getting to fellowship with other believers makes it challenging. I have become weak and turn to You my Lord and all my brothers and sisters that You may help me through prayer. Give me wisdom Lord through Your Word. Give me encouragement and courage through Your Spirit and Your people. Lord, I know that Your Word says You won't give us more than we can handle. I also know it says that when we are going to be tempted that You will give us a way out. Help me Lord to remember this in moment of trials and to choose the right answers and choices I pray. God, You are awesome and I give this day up to You. This is my last full day with my side of the family so please help me to build bridges and not tear them down. Help me to speak hope and love to my parents and sister today. And may You be glorified in all I say and do in Jesus' name. Amen.
7/21/2008 Heavenly Father,
I thank You for having chosen me before I had chosen You. Lord through Your Holy Spirit I ask that You speak to me and everyone who reads this posting giving us wisdom and direction. I pray Lord that You will not only show us the next step we are to take, but that You will also give us the courage to step out and take a step for You. Help us to be like Peter who was given the opportunity to walk on water when Jesus said come, and then had the courage to step out of the boat and walk on water, allowing You to use him to show the power and miracles that can take place if we not only have the faith, but also have the courage to be obedient to You and Your words. Lord, You are so incredible and I thank You for this new day and will give You the praise and the honor and the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.
7/19/2008 Heavenly Father,
We have Your Word to teach us the way and the truth and the life we are to live. We look at the people around us and the churches around us and do we see them embracing people, do we see them reaching out to people, do we see them disciplining people using the Bible? Lord, from Your Word, the Bible, we see that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, nobody comes to You but through Him. If people in churches aren't demonstrating the love of Jesus by reaching out to their communities and to the people in need, isn't there something missing? If people in churches aren't embracing new people attending the church, isn't there something missing? If people in churches aren't preaching Your Word, preaching the Good News, then isn't there something missing? God, I praise You for having brought me to a place where they do outreach, not just to the community but also to the world. I also thank You that they are an embraching church that continues to grow and thrive because of Your principles. I praise You for a pastor who leads and demonstrates the love of God. Lord, as I visit the town where I grew up, I lift up the city to You. I feel that there are many things missing here and that You are the only solution. Help them to turn their hearts back to You. Lord, I stand in the gap for this place and pray that Your mercy and Your grace will be sufficient for them to turn back and that churches that are preaching and teaching Your Word, outreaching and embracing this city, will grow and prosper, rasie up and train the people to be embassadors for God, in Jesus' name I pray. And Lord, I will give You the praise and the glory and the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Lawsuits against Fellow Christians
1 Corinthians 6 If any of you have a dispute with another Christian, how dare you go before heathen judges instead of letting God's people settle the matter? 2Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? Well, then, if you are to judge the world, aren't you capable of judging small matters? 3Do you not know that we shall judge the angels? How much more, then, the things of this life! 4If such matters come up, are you going to take them to be settled by people who have no standing in the church? 5Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians. 6Instead, one Christian goes to court against another and lets unbelievers judge the case!
 7The very fact that you have legal disputes among yourselves shows that you have failed completely. Would it not be better for you to be wronged? Would it not be better for you to be robbed? 8Instead, you yourselves wrong one another and rob one another, even other believers! 9Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God's Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts 10or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves--none of these will possess God's Kingdom. 11Some of you were like that. But you have been purified from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Use Your Bodies for God's Glory
12Someone will say, "I am allowed to do anything." Yes; but not everything is good for you. I could say that I am allowed to do anything, but I am not going to let anything make me its slave. 13Someone else will say, "Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food." Yes; but God will put an end to both. The body is not to be used for sexual immorality, but to serve the Lord; and the Lord provides for the body. 14God raised the Lord from death, and he will also raise us by his power.
15You know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ. Shall I take a part of Christ's body and make it part of the body of a prostitute? Impossible! 16Or perhaps you don't know that the man who joins his body to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? The scripture says quite plainly, "The two will become one body." 17But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes spiritually one with him.
18Avoid immorality. Any other sin a man commits does not affect his body; but the man who is guilty of sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; 20he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory.
Elijah on Mount Sinai
1 Kings 19 King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had put all the prophets of Baal to death. 2She sent a message to Elijah: "May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets." 3Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah.
 Leaving the servant there, 4Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. "It's too much, LORD," he prayed. "Take away my life; I might as well be dead!"
5He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, "Wake up and eat." 6He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7The LORD's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, "Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you." 8Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. 9There he went into a cave to spend the night.
Suddenly the LORD spoke to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"
10He answered, "LORD God Almighty, I have always served you--you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left--and they are trying to kill me!"
11"Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain," the LORD said to him. Then the LORD passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks--but the LORD was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake--but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake there was a fire--but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.
13When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"
14He answered, "LORD God Almighty, I have always served you--you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left--and they are trying to kill me."
15The LORD said, "Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria; 16anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Anyone who escapes being put to death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and anyone who escapes Jehu will be killed by Elisha. 18Yet I will leave seven thousand people alive in Israel--all those who are loyal to me and have not bowed to Baal or kissed his idol."
The Call of Elisha
19Elijah left and found Elisha plowing with a team of oxen; there were eleven teams ahead of him, and he was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha. 20Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you."
Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"
21Then Elisha went to his team of oxen, killed them, and cooked the meat, using the yoke as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he went and followed Elijah as his helper.
The Prophet's Task
Amos 3 3Do two people start traveling together without arranging to meet?
4Does a lion roar in the forest unless he has found a victim?
Does a young lion growl in his den unless he has caught something?
5Does a bird get caught in a trap if the trap has not been baited?
Does a trap spring unless something sets it off ?
6Does the war trumpet sound in a city without making the people afraid?
Does disaster strike a city unless the LORD sends it?
7The Sovereign LORD never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets.
8When a lion roars, who can keep from being afraid?
When the Sovereign LORD speaks, who can keep from proclaiming his message?
The Doom of Samaria
9Announce to those who live in the palaces of Egypt and Ashdod: "Gather together in the hills around Samaria and see the great disorder and the crimes being committed there."
10The LORD says, "These people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don't even know how to be honest. 11And so an enemy will surround their land, destroy their defenses, and plunder their mansions."
12The LORD says, "As a shepherd recovers only two legs or an ear of a sheep that a lion has eaten, so only a few will survive of Samaria's people, who now recline on luxurious couches. 13Listen now, and warn the descendants of Jacob," says the Sovereign LORD Almighty. 14"On the day when I punish the people of Israel for their sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel. The corners of every altar will be broken off and will fall to the ground. 15I will destroy winter houses and summer houses. The houses decorated with ivory will fall in ruins; every large house will be destroyed."
Amos 4 Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan, who mistreat the weak, oppress the poor, and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor! 2As the Sovereign LORD is holy, he has promised, "The days will come when they will drag you away with hooks; every one of you will be like a fish on a hook. 3You will be dragged to the nearest break in the wall and thrown out." | 7/12/2008
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer this Question:
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
AND, look how far the love of God will take you
L-O-V-E- O-F -G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%
Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top! 7/4/2008 From July 4 - Mark 12.28-44, 1 Kings 4-5 and Hosea 7.3-16 Conspiracy in the Palace Hosea 7 3The LORD says, "People deceive the king and his officers by their evil plots. 4They are all treacherous and disloyal. Their hatred smolders like the fire in an oven, which is not stirred by the baker until the dough is ready to bake. 5On the day of the king's celebration they made the king and his officials drunk and foolish with wine. 6Yes, they burned like an oven with their plotting. All night their anger smoldered, and in the morning it burst into flames.
 7"In the heat of their anger they murdered their rulers. Their kings have been assassinated one after another, but no one prays to me for help." Israel and the Nations 8The LORD says, "The people of Israel are like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them 9and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. 10The arrogance of the people of Israel cries out against them. In spite of everything that has happened, they have not returned to me, the LORD their God. 11Israel flits around like a silly pigeon; first her people call on Egypt for help, and then they run to Assyria! 12But I will spread out a net and catch them like birds as they go by. I will punish them for the evil they have done.
13"They are doomed! They have left me and rebelled against me. They will be destroyed. I wanted to save them, but their worship of me was false. 14They have not prayed to me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for grain and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! 15Even though I was the one who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against me. 16They keep on turning away from me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Because their leaders talk arrogantly, they will die a violent death, and the Egyptians will laugh."
When we listen to the ups and downs around the world, is this really a new thing? When we listen to people talking and not realizing what is going on around them, is this really a new thing? Are we setting ourselves up for success or failure?
Where does your hope come from? Mine comes from the Lord. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. The Lord was looking near and far for someone to stand in the gap, here I am to stand in the gap and ask God to spare this land, to bring His people to stand for truth and righteousness. Ezekiel 22: 30-31 Joshua 24:15 Israel did: Solomon did: Jesus did: Heavenly Father,
It is incredible how so many years ago for our own good, you provided the law, not to restrict what we could do, but to protect us from what we might do. Lord, to then step out even further and send Jesus to come as our Lord and Savior, to rescue us from our sins and to teach us in person was so incredible and to this day is still so incredible as I find that Your Word is alive, it isn't just words on a page, but are words that will speak to me and speak to us in our moments where we will take the time to look to You - in times of great joy and celebration, in times of deep sorrow and pain - You provide another way for us to connect with You. Lord, when I read today's word, it so spoke truth and revelation about how if we just follow these two steps, we would actually be able to cover the full 10 commandments because our hearts would be honoring to You. First, we need to Love You Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength. Second, we need to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If we do the first, then we would only do things that would bless Your heart my God. We wouldn't think thoughts that would not honor You. We wouldn't allow feelings to prevent us from honoring You - and allowing the devil to create and grow a bitter root in us. If we do the second then we would only do things that would help, encourage, and correct our neighbors. We would never do something that would hurt them or take away something that is theirs. If we look at these and compare them to the original 10 Commandments, it is clear that these two would keep us in alignment with them. 10 Commandments: 1) You shall no other gods before me. (lines up with 1 above) 2) You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (lines up with 1 above) 3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.(lines up with 1 above) 4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (lines up with 1 above) 5) Honor your father and your mother. (lines up with 1 & 2 above) - which we see in Exodus, Deuteronomy is the first commandment with a promise - so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you 6) You shall not murder (lines up with 1 & 2 above) 7) You shall not commit adultery (lines up with 1 & 2 above) 8) You shall not steal (lines up with 1 & 2 above) 9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (lines up with 1 & 2 above) 10) You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's (lines up with 1 & 2 above) Lord, in all these cases by loving You first and loving our neighbors as ourselves second, we can keep ourselves from dishonoring You while at the same time keep ourselves from murdering, committing adultery, stealing, lying, and coveting. Lord, give us wisdom and strength, courage and faith, to walk out these two high callings. Help us to shine like a light in this dark world, being lights upon hills where people can find peace and comfort, support and encouragement, hope and a path to learn and have an encounter with You. And we will give You the praise and the glory, the honor and the glory, forever and ever, in the name of the Father, the Son (our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (who is our comforter and counselor), AMEN. Today's Reading: July 4 - Mark 12.28-44, 1 Kings 4-5 and Hosea 7.3-16 7/3/2008 Part of the thing with free will is that we get to choose. God wants us to choose life. The Devil wants us to choose death.
God tells us the truth to help. The Devil lies, cheats, robs, and destroys to
hold us back. God wants us to have life to the full. The Devil wants us to held back and dried up God wants us to choose eternal life with Him. The Devil wants us to choose eternal life apart from
God with him.
Eternal Life - Don't be held back by worrying - Eternal Life - Life to the full If you need wisdom to turn and ask God who will give it freely. If you lack wisdom, ask God
Today's Reading: Mark 12.1-27, 1 Kings 3 and Hosea 6.1-7.2 God doesn't want our sacrifices, He wants our hearts. God doesn't want our sacrifices, He wants our obedience. God wants us to know Him more than an offering. 7/2/2008 When you pray, do believe it will happen?
When you pray, are expecting it to be done?
When you pray, do you let go of any worry or anxiety surround things?
Do you have the faith of a child?
Do you pray believing that it will come to pass?
Do you release any fears, anxities, or worries to God once you pray and hand them over to him?
When do you pray?
Do you pray continuous? Having conversation throughout the day with God
Do you pray when you need something?
Do you pray when you are worried about something?
Do you pray when you realize that you have gone the wrong way and need God?
Today's Reading: Mark 11.15-33, 1 Kings 2 and Hosea 5.4-15
Jesus Goes to the Temple
(Matthew 21.12-17; Luke 19.45-48; John 2.13-22)
Mark 11 15When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Temple and began to drive out all those who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, 16and he would not let anyone carry anything through the Temple courtyards. 17He then taught the people: "It is written in the Scriptures that God said, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.' But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!"
18The chief priests and the teachers of the Law heard of this, so they began looking for some way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city.
The Lesson from the Fig Tree
(Matthew 21.20-22)
20Early next morning, as they walked along the road, they saw the fig tree. It was dead all the way down to its roots. 21Peter remembered what had happened and said to Jesus, "Look, Teacher, the fig tree you cursed has died!"
22Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. 25And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done."
The Question about Jesus' Authority
(Matthew 21.23-27; Luke 20.1-8)
27They arrived once again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders came to him 28and asked him, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?"
29Jesus answered them, "I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things. 30Tell me, where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?"
31They started to argue among themselves: "What shall we say? If we answer, 'From God,' he will say, 'Why, then, did you not believe John?' 32But if we say, 'From human beings . . .'" (They were afraid of the people, because everyone was convinced that John had been a prophet.) 33So their answer to Jesus was, "We don't know."
Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things."
David's Last Instructions to Solomon
1 Kings 2 When David was about to die, he called his son Solomon and gave him his last instructions: 2"My time to die has come. Be confident and determined, 3and do what the LORD your God orders you to do. Obey all his laws and commands, as written in the Law of Moses, so that wherever you go you may prosper in everything you do. 4If you obey him, the LORD will keep the promise he made when he told me that my descendants would rule Israel as long as they were careful to obey his commands faithfully with all their heart and soul.
5"There is something else. You remember what Joab did to me by killing the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. You remember how he murdered them in time of peace as revenge for deaths they had caused in time of war. He killed innocent men, and now I bear the responsibility for what he did, and I suffer the consequences. 6You know what to do; you must not let him die a natural death.
7"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead and take care of them, because they were kind to me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.
8"There is also Shimei son of Gera, from the town of Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me bitterly the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he met me at the Jordan River, I gave him my solemn promise in the name of the LORD that I would not have him killed. 9But you must not let him go unpunished. You know what to do, and you must see to it that he is put to death."
The Death of David
10David died and was buried in David's City. 11He had been king of Israel for forty years, ruling seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12Solomon succeeded his father David as king, and his royal power was firmly established.
The Death of Adonijah
13Then Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, went to Bathsheba, who was Solomon's mother. "Is this a friendly visit?" she asked.
"It is," he answered, 14and then he added, "I have something to ask of you."
"What is it?" she asked.
15He answered, "You know that I should have become king and that everyone in Israel expected it. But it happened differently, and my brother became king because it was the LORD's will. 16And now I have one request to make; please do not refuse me."
"What is it?" Bathsheba asked.
17He answered, "Please ask King Solomon--I know he won't refuse you--to let me have Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, as my wife."
18"Very well," she answered. "I will speak to the king for you."
19So Bathsheba went to the king to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king stood up to greet his mother and bowed to her. Then he sat on his throne and had another one brought in on which she sat at his right. 20She said, "I have a small favor to ask of you; please do not refuse me."
"What is it, mother?" he asked. "I will not refuse you."
21She answered, "Let your brother Adonijah have Abishag as his wife."
22"Why do you ask me to give Abishag to him?" the king asked. "You might as well ask me to give him the throne too. After all, he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab are on his side!" 23Then Solomon made a solemn promise in the LORD's name, "May God strike me dead if I don't make Adonijah pay with his life for asking this! 24The LORD has firmly established me on the throne of my father David; he has kept his promise and given the kingdom to me and my descendants. I swear by the living LORD that Adonijah will die this very day!"
25So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah, who went out and killed Adonijah.
Abiathar's Banishment and Joab's Death
26Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, "Go to your country home in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not have you put to death now, for you were in charge of the LORD's Covenant Box while you were with my father David, and you shared in all his troubles." 27Then Solomon dismissed Abiathar from serving as a priest of the LORD, and so made come true what the LORD had said in Shiloh about the priest Eli and his descendants.
28Joab heard what had happened. (He had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom.) So he fled to the Tent of the LORD's presence and took hold of the corners of the altar. 29When the news reached King Solomon that Joab had fled to the Tent and was by the altar, Solomon sent a messenger to Joab to ask him why he had fled to the altar. Joab answered that he had fled to the LORD because he was afraid of Solomon. So King Solomon sent Benaiah to kill Joab. 30He went to the Tent of the LORD's presence and said to Joab, "The king orders you to come out."
"No," Joab answered. "I will die here."
Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said.
31"Do what Joab says," Solomon answered. "Kill him and bury him. Then neither I nor any other of David's descendants will any longer be held responsible for what Joab did when he killed innocent men. 32The LORD will punish Joab for those murders, which he committed without my father David's knowledge. Joab killed two innocent men who were better men than he: Abner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, commander of the army of Judah. 33The punishment for their murders will fall on Joab and on his descendants forever. But the LORD will always give success to David's descendants who sit on his throne."
34So Benaiah went to the Tent of the LORD's presence and killed Joab, and he was buried at his home in the open country. 35The king made Benaiah commander of the army in Joab's place and put Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place.
The Death of Shimei
36Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in it and don't leave the city. 37If you ever leave and go beyond Kidron Brook, you will certainly die--and you yourself will be to blame."
38"Very well, Your Majesty," Shimei answered. "I will do what you say." So he lived in Jerusalem a long time.
39Three years later, however, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to the king of Gath, Achish son of Maacah. When Shimei heard that they were in Gath, 40he saddled his donkey and went to King Achish in Gath, to find his slaves. He found them and brought them back home. 41When Solomon heard what Shimei had done, 42he sent for him and said, "I made you promise in the LORD's name not to leave Jerusalem. And I warned you that if you ever did, you would certainly die. Did you not agree to it and say that you would obey me? 43Why, then, have you broken your promise and disobeyed my command? 44You know very well all the wrong that you did to my father David. The LORD will punish you for it. 45But he will bless me, and he will make David's kingdom secure forever."
46Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, who went out and killed Shimei. Solomon was now in complete control.
Hosea Warns against Idolatry
Hosea 5 4The evil that the people have done keeps them from returning to their God. Idolatry has a powerful hold on them, and they do not acknowledge the LORD. 5The arrogance of the people of Israel cries out against them. Their sins make them stumble and fall, and the people of Judah fall with them. 6They take their sheep and cattle to offer as sacrifices to the LORD, but it does them no good. They cannot find him, for he has left them. 7They have been unfaithful to the LORD; their children do not belong to him. So now they and their lands will soon be destroyed.
War between Judah and Israel
8Blow the war trumpets in Gibeah! Sound the alarm in Ramah! Raise the war cry at Bethaven! Into battle, men of Benjamin! 9The day of punishment is coming, and Israel will be ruined. People of Israel, this will surely happen!
10The LORD says, "I am angry because the leaders of Judah have invaded Israel and stolen land from her. So I will pour out punishment on them like a flood. 11Israel is suffering oppression; she has lost land that was rightfully hers, because she insisted on going for help to those who had none to give. 12I will bring destruction on Israel and ruin on the people of Judah.
13"When Israel saw how sick she was and when Judah saw her own wounds, then Israel went to Assyria to ask the great emperor for help, but he could not cure them or heal their wounds. 14I will attack the people of Israel and Judah like a lion. I myself will tear them to pieces and then leave them. When I drag them off, no one will be able to save them.
15"I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins and come looking for me. Perhaps in their suffering they will try to find me." 7/1/2008 I saw this posting today and wanted to get your feedback? It is interesting as it compares faiths.
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Finally Back
I'm finally back after a long and tiring school term. I'm assuming I will be busy this term as well but I will try to post on there as often as I can. I've been going through a lot of bumps lately in my faith and I'm trying to get back on track. It is so easy to fall off but much harder to get back on. I have to remind myself of what I used to have in order to motivate myself, which is a sad reality. But I refuse to stray away. I refuse to be defeated. I refuse to forget that I was bought at a price and my life is not my own. So I will continue to struggle. God is always by my side and I heard Him speak a prophesy over me a few nights ago. It is still a blur because it hit me so hard. Bust I just wanted to mention that for myself later when I read back on this. I have a purpose.
So onto the post! I recieved this in an e-mail the other day and I thought I found it quite interesting. I will not give in my two cents. I will just post it on here so that you can read it and think about for yourselves. Take care everyone, and thanks to those who continued to check up on me and leave me comments. Thank you for your prayers.
ALLAH OR JESUS?
It's a strange coincidence, but I was reading selected verses from the Q'uran Sunday night in my friend's office and there was not a single line about killing infidels. In fact most of it read like Christ's preachings in the New Testament.
So I have no idea where the militant side of Islam originated. Maybe it is a reaction to the Crusaders or maybe to the more recent Israeli and US mis-adventures.
By Rick Mathes
Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs.
I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.
When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked"Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imamsand clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against theinfidels of the world. And, that by killing an infidel, which is acommand to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case,can you give me the definition of an infidel?"
There was no disagreement with my statements and without hesitation, he replied, "Non-believers!"
I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. Allfollowers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?"
The expression on his face changed from one of authority and commandto that of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in thecookie jar.
He sheepishly replied, "Yes! ."
I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imaginePope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr.Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!"
The Imam was speechless.
I continued, "I also have a problem with being your friend when youand your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me. Letme ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah who tells you tokill me in order to go to Heaven or my Jesus who tells me to love you because Iam going to Heaven and He wants you to be with me?"
You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.
Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the "Diversification"training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslim's beliefs.
I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but withthe liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no waythis will be widely publicized.
Please pass this on to all your e-mail contacts. This is a true storyand the author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader in prison ministry.
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