Archive for the Read Thru The Bible 2021 Category

King Hezekiah loved and honored the LORD throughout his rule. And God blessed him abundantly. Even as Hezekiah aged and became arrogant (as did so many of the good kings), he repented and returned to God.

We find ourselves in a similar situation — daughters and sons of a generation who has fallen away from God and forgotten Him. He is inviting us to return to Him, to remember His precepts and celebrate His salvation through Jesus Christ. Let’s do it! Let’s return to God together!! With gusto!!!

God often instructed the Israelites to build holy shrines and altars to commemorate His gifts. God set up a system of holy days every year so that the Israelites would remember all His blessings. God knows we forget. We benefit by consciously making sure to remember God’s blessings–we should do whatever it takes not to forget. For me, I keep journals.

Our ending is much more important than our beginning. All the years of Joash’s good deeds were erased by the wickedness of his final days. But so also, prodigals like me who had bad beginnings, can erase all those years of wickedness if we end well. God forgives! Jesus erases sin. He gives us second chances. Thank You, Jesus!!

God does not break His covenants. From generation to generation, His promises are true. The prayers of believers throughout history are STILL affecting and protecting us today.

Paul says our own physical bodies are like those seeds. Today our physical bodies waste away with age and sickness. But some day they will be “raised in power… a spiritual body… of heaven.” We will be reunited with our physical bodies some day. Only then they will no longer be cursed and disintegrating. They will be perfect and glorified. How cool will that be?!

Our ending matters much more than our beginning. Stay close to God, beloved. Work hard not to fall away from Him as you grow older. Your days are numbered here on this earth. END STRONG!

But the BEST of all, are those of us who feed our souls through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We have a wonderful guide in His Holy Word that no one else has. We have the Holy Spirit, God Himself, living within us, communing directly with our souls. We are the most blessed humans ever to walk the earth!

This is only one kind of fear that Scriptures command of us and that is ‘fear of the LORD.’ When we fear the LORD, we understand His great power and authority; we understand our own smallness compared to Him. When we also glimpse His unconditional love and care for us, we can be completely free from fear. We can rest content. Troubles will not effect our peace and joy.

Having a relationship with God gives meaning to this life. Without God, we are just soulless animals, doomed to live a directionless, pain-filled life that ends in pointless death. This is true even for people who amass great wealth, fame, or power in this life. As the saying goes, ‘You can’t take it with you!’