July 2021 – Page 2 of 2 – Sonshine's Journal

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021

What are you trusting in?

Isaiah 25 What are we trusting in?

Isaiah is looking into the future, and he sees that God is God and He alone should be praised. Men seek self-salvation and praise for themselves. Why trust in idols, for they fail every time. This reminds us of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah asked the question we all need to ask: “If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” [1Kings 18:21]

Where is our focus; on God or the dead idol? Jeremiah wrote: “Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.” [Jer 10:5]

The truth is this: Vs. 4 God protects the innocent who are poor and needy Vs. 5 He humbles the boasting of foreigners [Is 25] and this is also true; one day God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove his people’s disgrace and they then they will say look here is our God. They will say we waited and He delivered [Is 25:9]

Are we waiting for God or seeking help from worthless idols?

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021

Are you ready to meet God?

Isaiah 13-17 What gives you a thrill? What heightens your anxiety? Isaiah as God’s servant reveals to us the man without God. God has spoken, and it will come to pass.

Yesterday we read about King Ahaz and how he trusted in Assyria to protect him, but in the end, that plan failed. These chapters reveal the consequence of trusting in anything other than God’s plans.

The graphic picture of King Ahaz should tell us the consequence of misplaced trust. It is interesting to read that the warriors who will come against these nations that oppressed Israel didn’t care a whit about gold or silver; it was just the nation’s conquest and the killing of people. This is a tragic picture of men who care nothing about God and only lust for power, which comes through death. It is like reading of that young man who killed two on the golf course and left his truck running there. Then, when another golfer came to ask him to move his truck, he killed him. Why? Just for the thrill of it. That is the graphic picture here.

Oh God, come quickly! Are we ready? That is the message Isaiah is trying to get across to the people of Judah. It is the same message to us today as we live in such turbulent times.

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021

Are we faithful to God?

2 Kings 16 King Ahaz goes down in history as one of Judah’s worst kings. This chapter is a must-read for any leader to see how quickly one can move from faithfulness to compromise. The list of Ahaz’s sins is like reading the seven deadly sins of the Hollywood elite. It begins with “he did and he did” and finally ends with “he died and was buried.”

Ahaz rejected (Lev 18:21)
He offered sacrifices & burned incense on the high places
He presented himself as a servant and dependent on an enemy
He bribed the Assyrian king and opened the door for him to conquer Israel whom he promptly deported.
He had built an altar just like the Assyrian’s.
He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front and put it on the north side of the new altar. AND the priest consented as the king requested. The high priest, unfortunately, cooperated with the king!
He removed the Sabbath awning.

When we read this list, we say, I would NEVER do that, but is that true? Malachi wrote about this same problem. Do we offer our best to God? We say I would NEVER compromise but do we? Does God present an opportunity to witness, but we take the easy way out? We say that we would NEVER build altars, but do we try to keep up with the neighbor next door?

Remember Paul’s warning: “And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?” [2Cor 6:15]

July 14, 2021July 14, 2021

Angering & Returning to God

2 Kings 16-17; 2 Chronicles 28 God has his prophets, His Word, and the witnesses of even His enemies to remind us of the truth: obey God, and He will bless. It seems that this is the message we all need to hear. God will use even our enemies to remind us of His truth, yet we all, with hardened hearts, ignore Him and His Word. King Ahaz is a perfect example. King Ahaz was not a good king and these chapters. “In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.”

[2Chron 28:25] God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with another, but men continue to ignore Him and His principles. Return to me, says the Lord God, and He will turn to you. “The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you if you return to him.” [2Chron 30:9]

If you have walked away or turned from Him, take heart, and return to Him that He may bless you is a truth that we all need to hear and to apply.

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

Do you know what your job is?

Amos 7 to 9, “Never Underestimate the Power of One Praying Person”

God asks the sheepherder Amos: Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? It is a rhetorical question, of course. Later, as Amos walked the halls of King Amaziah’s palace, he “saw” God making locusts that would devour the crops, followed by fire to consume the fields as a consequence of unfaithfulness. Amos’ heart broke for the nation. As we look about us and see the sin of our nation, is our heart broken? Do we plead with God as Amos did?

Amos prayed that the Sovereign Lord forgive Israel for they were weak. It must have knocked Amos off his feet to hear God say that He had decided it would not happen—more than once! Yet God did and does bring consequences to unrepentant people. The people would experience not just a physical famine but a spiritual famine to get their attention. He said they would wander about looking for a message from the Lord, but He would be silent. That is the consequence for an unrepentant people.

What does this mean to us today? It means you can be like an Elijah or an Amos. God is listening to your petitions, and He will respond—sometimes He may even change his plan, but sometimes He executes His plans because He sees no repentance. Remember our Savior who told a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. [Luke 18:1]

Our job is to pray and leave the results to God.

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

Beware of Fame

2Kings 14, 2Chron 26 You have heard this phrase: “the apple never falls far from the tree.” We find the truth of that parable in the life of King Uzziah, the son of Amaziah. Amaziah had a problem with pride, and Uzziah, it seems, had the same problem. So whereas many wanted to see the death of Amaziah and sent assassins to carry out that dastardly deed, they looked up to his son Uzziah (also called Azariah).

Uzziah was a good king for many years. He did what the Lord desired, and he reigned for 52 yrs. He did what the Lord approved just as his father Amaziah did…BUT. There is that little word again to draw our attention to the whole story. What happened after the “BUT?” The author of 2Kings doesn’t tell us the entire story, but the Chronicler does. It seems that, like Amaziah, he had a problem with pride. He became very famous and powerful, and BUT, (there is that little word again BUT) once powerful, his pride destroyed him. His undoing was fame. He thought he could do not only what a king does but also what a priest does. So there is a lesson here for us; beware of fame because it becomes a temptation. Remember, these wise words: “After pride came, disgrace followed; but wisdom came with humility.” [Prov 11:2]

Will Uzziah’s son learn from his grandfather and father? Stay tuned.

July 5, 2021July 5, 2021

“What Went Wrong?”

2Chron 24 Nations rise and fall; so do leaders. Jehoiada was a faithful priest who rose up to lead at a time when a wicked queen sought to take the nation away from God. He was not only faithful in that but he sought to protect the young king and raise him in a godly way.

“Joash did what the Lord approved throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.” But when Jehoiada died so did Joash’s mentor and without his leadership he was swayed by the officials of Judah to sin. It was only by God’s grace that Jehoiada never saw that outcome.

So what can we learn from this story? Some children raised under a godly parent/tutor still go astray. We don’t have the reasons why this happened but we can learn what to do now. Parents must test children to see if they will obey. Did Jehoiada keep such a tight rein on the young Joash that he never was tested to discern good from evil? We must allow our children to pass and fail while they are under our roof so that when they enter the world they can stand strong against the ways of evil. We do that with our children by following Deut 6; teach them as they walk, sit and stand. Allow them to make decisions that even though you know the outcomes you can use them as teachable moments.

July 3, 2021July 3, 2021

Faith or Doubt?

2Kings 6&7: What do you believe about God? Is He the God of the impossible? Can God work even when we are cynical and scoff?

True story: In a time of severe famine, the people of Samaria had lost all hope. They were like the “walking dead.” In addition, the Arameans surrounded their city. Inside the city, people were even willing to eat a donkey’s head and their children. 🙁 In the midst of this, a man of God had a word of encouragement for them; the famine would end the very next day. And how did the king respond? “May God judge me severely if Elisha [the prophet of God] still has his head by the end of the day!” [2Kings 6:31] Like many, the cynical king said that the prophecy was like pie in the sky. Not only can’t it happen, but it won’t happen.

Many, like the king and his right-hand man, doubted the work of God. How about you? Do NOT forget the counsel of James: “the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea; he will not receive anything from the Lord.” [James 1:6-7]

Where are you? Are you saying, “God can’t do anything about my situation?”

God has a word for you this day. Life may seem to be desperate. You may feel like you are at the end of your rope, and there is nowhere to turn. You have exhausted all options. It is now or never. God has a word for you this day:

Trust in Me! I am the God of the impossible. [Luke 1]

July 2, 2021July 2, 2021

What is on Your Wish List?

what would you answer God if he asked that same question

1Kings 1-4 Elijah has been God’s voice in the northern kingdom. He has not seen one righteous king but some righteous people. As his ministry comes to a close he seeks to turn King Ahaziah back to the Lord, but because he would not, Elijah reminds him that he will die soon. Ahaziah refused to seek Yahweh and dies in his sins. Even though Elijah has faced the wickedness of men, God has used him as His messenger.

Where is God using you?

In 1Kings 19:19 Elijah’s successor, Elisha, is chosen and Elijah reveals to him that God is taking him home to heaven.Elijah asks him an important question:

What can I do for you?

2Kings 2:9 Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you” In some ways, this reminds us of the same question posed to Solomon by God. 2Ch 1:7 “Tell me what I should give you.” Solomon asked for wisdom and discernment and God was pleased. “Because you requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king, you are granted this and riches as well.

What would be on your list if that same question was asked of you?

July 1, 2021July 1, 2021

“The Consequence of an Unforgiving Heart”

Obadiah 1, Jer 49:7-22, Ps 82-83 How many of us have heard of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. It went on so long that no one knew what the original feud was about! This book follows somewhat that same pattern. The book speaks to the nation of Edom, whose ancestor was Esau, the twin of Jacob. His hatred of Jacob from when he stole Esau’s birthright to the last he when stole the blessing was an ongoing feud. The Edomites were haters of Judah, and they carried a bitter grudge for centuries. Esau may have acted like he forgave Jacob when he returned home, but years later, they turned over the Judahites to the Babylonians. They were traitors to the core, in times of calamity, all because of an unforgiving spirit.

Although Obadiah, [servant of the Lord,] occurs twenty times in the OT, he is the only one who had a vision. His book is the shortest in the OT and is not referenced in the NT. Seven times in vs. 12-14, Obadiah reminds Edom that they “should not” have done what they chose to do. What lesson are we to learn from Obadiah? It comes out of Psalm 83:16-18 “that they may seek you, O Lord…and know that you alone are the Lord, the Most High over all the earth.” That should be our prayer for our lost brethren and us as well.

Do you know the Lord God Most High?