April 2020 – Page 3 of 3 – Sonshine's Journal

April 9, 2020

You must, You must not, You must, You must not

2 Kings 17 He loves me, He loves me not

Do you recall reciting this in your earlier years in a sing-song voice? We remember it when we see a daisy because of the rhythm. God has a sing-song pattern for us to remember what He says. It goes like this “you must worship Me, you must not worship other gods; you must worship Me, you must not worship other gods.” We don’t want to lessen God’s Word to a sing-song pattern but wonder if we said this over and over; it would remind us of what God’s Word says to do and not do.

One wonders if the children had that pattern would they have refrained from worshiping those idols from other pagan nations. They paid no attention to Yahweh; instead, they observed their earlier practices. They worshiped the Lord, and for an added benefit, they served their idols just as their fathers had done. It is no wonder then that God allowed the pagan Assyrians to conquer Israel, and soon the Babylonians will do this to Judah.

There is a lesson for us. We need to be in the Word daily. We need strong biblical leaders that will guide us and teach us. Unfortunately, today we see that we are just like the nation of Israel. Remember these words: “For a person will reap what he sows because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” [Gal 6]

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April 8, 2020

“God Keeps a Remnant”

2Kings 11

How often do we fall for the line that “no one cares what I do.” Is that a true statement?

Jesus challenges us to be salt in an evil world to preservative godliness. In chapter 11 amidst all of the evil Queen Athaliah could muster there were some individuals who remained pure and holy. They were the salt; the remnant that God has preserved.

Jehosheba was the sister of the wicked King Ahaziah, recently deceased. She took his son and hid him—not for just a day or two but seven years! Then there was the faithful high priest Jehoiada, salt in the midst of ungodliness. God has preserved this story to show that even in the midst of the worst kind of evil, God can and will use us for righteousness.

Jehosheba was used by God to hide the little child king, Joash from the wicked queen. The high priest Jehoiada may have taught the young child king the Torah. Both worked behind the scenes for seven years without Athaliah knowing.

Do you feel like all you are doing is not important? Listen to the words of the psalmist: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. A doorkeeper is unknown except to God yet is the salt and the remnant God preserves.

April 7, 2020

“The Sin of Unbelief and the Rewards of Belief”

2Kings 7 to 10 There are two kinds of people in this world; they either believe the Bible, or they don’t believe it. You can’t mix in those people who say they believe some of it. Those are still unbelievers. They have one thing in common; they see the evidence but cling to their unbelief. They look for excuses not to believe even when the evidence is before them. God has no mercy on those, and at death, they will join the Luke 16 rich man in torments.

So what does have to do with today’s reading? The story begins and ends with a man who scoffed at Elisha’s prophecy of the salvation of a city. Lepers find the coats and armor and horses of the enemy left behind; go to the city to report it, but the king surmises a ploy. He sends horses and men to check it out, and the city is saved. In the end, the scoffer was trampled and died just as Elisha said he would because of his unbelief.

Is there any hope? Yes! God gives us a ray of sunshine in the Shunammite woman who obeyed Elisha, leaving her home to reside in the Philistine territory during the famine. After the famine, she returns home to claim her land. In the palace Elisha’s servant, Gehazi just happened to be in the presence of the king and verified her story. The king returned her property and the profit of it during the years she was gone.

Both stories reveal the principle of belief vs. unbelief and the rewards or consequences of each. Which category fits you?

April 5, 2020

What God do you serve?

2Kings 1-3 King Ahaziah had a nasty fall through the ceiling of his apartment. He must have had some severe injuries due to this and wanted to know if he would recover. He knew Elijah was one of God’s prophets yet did not call upon him. Instead, he sent messengers to inquire of the idol god Baal: “Go, ask Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.” As they were going, God’s angel came to Elijah. He was to go and ask the messengers “You must think there is no God in Israel.” As he sat there three g groups of soldiers came to inquire of Elijah. The first two companies of 50 were consumed by fire, but the last captain came and bowed before Elijah and sought mercy. Because he was humble, God told Elijah to go to the king. As he had said to the soldiers, he said to Ahaziah: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel!’ But, just like on Mt Carmel, the question was which God did Ahaziah serve: Baal or Yahweh.

Today many are like Ahaziah. Instead of asking God their question, they seek answers from any other source than Him. Our culture has put aside God and replaced him with the things of this world, which will surely pass away. Just like Ahaziah, we all will die and face the judgment. [Heb 9:27] It will be too late then to decide which God is the true God. I would love to show you the way to the True God: Yahweh. Send me a note if you are interested.

When you enter eternity, which God will you meet: Baal or Yahweh?

April 4, 2020

Know that God is Lord!

1Kings 20-22 God demonstrated his mercy to King Ahab in restoring rain for parched Israel because of the faithfulness of Elijah, Obadiah, and the hidden prophets. He saw God at work on Mt. Carmel and the destruction of the prophets of Baal. Yet, King Ahab forgets God when faced with a new adversarial taunt. Instead of calling on God, Ahab caves to Ben Hadad’s demands and whines to the leaders of Israel. In all of this, Ahab never gives praise to God for his protection and provision. Ahab needed to know this principle: He does great things beyond our understanding. [Job 37] and He places these experiences before us so that our faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God. [1Cor 2]

King Ben Hadad is through and through an apostate. He calls on his gods to judge him severely if he is unsuccessful, and when all his boasting falls flat, he retreats to a harem for protection. Miraculously, God places Ben Hadad in Ahab’s path that he might be destroyed. Foolishly, Ahab makes a treaty with him!

Both of these kings fail to know that He is God of the valleys and God of the mountains. God is the Lord. He provides evidence of His power, but like Ahab, we often capitulate out of fear. Remember that the fear of man is a snare. [Prov 29] God is sovereign; no one can rival his works and mighty deeds. [Deut 3]He is Lord!

April 3, 2020

Jehovah Jireh Our Provider

1Kings 17-19 Today people are beginning to grumble because their comfort zone has been disrupted. They have lost their trust in government officials, others, and even the God of the Bible. They just want the problem fixed which is precisely what the wicked King Ahab wanted too. Yet God is God, and He will not share his glory with another. To teach the evil king and queen, God will use his faithful prophet Elijah to remind us that nothing is too hard for God. He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider.

First, Elijah needs a place of refuge from the wicked king and queen. When the brook dries up, and the food is no more, God sends him to a widow outside the land. Here God tests Elijah with the death of the child. Will he trust God to raise a little boy from the dead? Will the widow learn that Elijah is God’s prophet? In the meantime, God provides a simple man named Obadiah to show weary Elijah the truth that no problem is too hard for God. Obadiah protected and provided a place of refuge for God’s prophets. Step by step, God provided for every need. And when Elijah was weary, He provided a replacement in Elisha to accompany him.

If He could use the unclean ravens or an unnamed widow or an Obadiah, will He not provide for our every need? Yet if God provided for Elijah, will He not do the same for us? Do you trust Him to take care of your essentials this day? “in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?” [Ps 56]

April 2, 2020

You Can’t Fool God!

1Kings 14 The gecko in the garden tries to fool by staying still and changing his coat to match the plant. He thinks they don’t see me just like King Jeroboam thought he could fool the prophet Ahijah. He sent his wife to him disguised as just any woman to get help for their sick child. But, Jeroboam didn’t know that the old prophet was now blind and no disguise would be of help. Yet, God is God, and He would be His eyes.

Is. 46:9 says, “Truly, I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like me.”

Our disguises do not fool God. Even blindness cannot fool God. We may change our clothing, put on a new face, but God sees us as we are. God sees our heart. He sees our motives. He sees the situation.

Do we attempt to conceal ourselves, so the world doesn’t know us a believer? Jesus reminded us: “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” [Luke9]

And also, this is true, if God wants someone to know us; He will reveal who we are. Are we trying to hide behind a disguise? Come out from among them and let the world know who you really are.

April 1, 2020

Be Discerning

1Kings 13 & Gal 1 & Acts 17 (Be A Berean)

After Paul left Galatia, grievous wolves had entered and taken captive their hearts. Paul said to them, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting…” The author of 1Kings has recorded the story of the disobedient unnamed prophet sent to the wicked king Jeroboam. Before we judge this prophet harshly, we need to stop and see ourselves in this tale.

The prophet had stood tall and strong in the face of Jeroboam to warn him! God had sent a sign by Jeroboam’s shriveled hand and the broken altar. He had refused Jeroboam’s gracious gift of a meal and rest. YET—on his way home, he stopped to rest. God had said not to eat or drink or return the same way, but not about resting. An old man approached him, saying he too was a prophet with an angelic message. Was the old man a true prophet? This is when we let our guard down! We wonder why the prophet did not ask God for confirmation. But…why do we not ask God when we hear someone say, God has told me to tell you this or that? Beware of contradicting messages; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t. God is not a man that changes his mind. If we want to know, pray and ask for discernment. Be forewarned; the adversary can use even what seems like righteous words.

Stay alert! Be on your guard. Check the source; be like the Bereans in Acts 17. Check to see if it is true.