DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- I JUST DON'T GET IT!

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- I JUST DON'T GET IT!

"His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him." (John 12:16)

Hindsight is an amazing thing. We can see things so much more clearly when we look in the rear-view mirror.

It was a glorious day when Jesus entered Jerusalem to the shouting of the throngs of people, proclaiming Him as the Messiah. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel" (vs. 13). That is heady stuff.

Yet His disciples did not understand. They did not catch the significance of this moment. It wasn't until after Jesus had risen from the dead that they looked back and began to comprehend the Scriptural meaning of that day.

Oh, how often I do not realize the importance or the meaning of things that I am experiencing until I have had time to look back and ponder. Then as the Holy Spirit enlightens my eyes I can see how it all fits into the big picture.

I may not understand what I am going through today. But I know that someday it will become more plain to me. In the meantime, I must just trust God that it is a part of His great plan for my life. And actually I may not understand until I get the perspective of Heaven. There is a song that says, "Someday, He'll make it plain to me; Someday when I His face shall see; Someday, from tears I shall be free for someday I shall understand."

In the meantime, He has things under control, whether I understand or not.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A LIFE TO GAIN

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A LIFE TO GAIN

"Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, 'What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.' " (John 11:47-48)

The religious leaders belie their true resistance to Jesus as the Messiah in this simple statement. If everyone accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah and He became king, they would lose their positions – their place of authority. They had it pretty cushy. Rome gave them some latitude in running their religion, but if people accepted Jesus as their Messiah who would set up His kingdom, and if Rome considered Jesus as a threat to their domination and took away what freedom they did have, then they would lose the perks that came with their political position. No doubt there were some theological issues, but also at play was their political status as rulers in Israel. They didn't want to let that go. So they didn't want Jesus.

I wonder how many people don't want to accept Jesus as their Messiah because they fear losing their "good life." If they truly made Jesus Lord, it would impact the way they live and they don't want to relinquish control of their lives to Jesus.

There is no doubt that their lives will change if they truly follow Jesus, but that is not a bad thing. Jesus said that He came to give us life and that abundantly. The change from the old life to the new life is not something to fear but to embrace.

It is true that the new life will result in a new world-view, new priorities, new loves, new motives, and new -- well, just about everything. But living under the lordship of Jesus is a thing to be sought after.

The Apostle Paul wrote that when we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Old things have passed away, and behold all things have become new (II Corinthians 5:17). Getting rid of the old life is not a negative. It is a positive.

Yet many people live in fear of losing their life if they believe in Jesus. But what shall a man profit if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

Following Jesus gives us everything to gain and nothing worthwhile to lose.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FAITH THAT COMES FROM EXPERIENCE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FAITH THAT COMES FROM EXPERIENCE

"So they called the man who was blind, and said to him, 'Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.' He answered and said, 'Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.' " (John 9:24-25)

It is pretty hard to argue with experience. But give the Pharisees at least some credit for persevering in a lost cause. They could not out-argue this man who was born blind until Jesus healed him.

He had lived his life without sight. He had never seen a sunset. He had never seen his parents. He had never seen a flower. Now his eyes were opened to all of God's great creation. Now he could see. It is pretty hard to argue with that.

Some people think that faith is just an intellectual exercise. They don't want things to get emotional. The say, "Don't get carried away by emotion." But imagine the excitement, the joy, the enthusiasm, the exuberance of this man who was experiencing for the first time things we take for granted.

He still didn't know who this Man was who healed him. His faith in Jesus was based solely on the knowledge that something wonderful had happened to him.

Please excuse me when I get emotional about my salvation. When I think of what the Lord Jesus has done for me, I get emotional. I have experienced His forgiveness. I have experience His presence. I have experienced His acts of healing. I can't help it. It is not just the acknowledging of biblical truth and doctrine that moves me, as important as those are. It is the personal relationship I have with the living Lord God of the universe.

No matter how hard the Pharisees tried to dissuade this blind man of his faith in the One who healed him, his experience was undeniable and he could not be shaken. My faith is unshakable, no matter how much unbelievers may question it. God is real – not just in a textbook and head-knowledge, but in my heart and life's experience.

You ask me how I know He live, He lives within my heart.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- PASSING BY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- PASSING BY

"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth." (John 9:1)

This scene really began in chapter 8. Jesus and the Jews were having a heated discussion about who Jesus was. He claimed to be God – Yahweh, the I Am of the Old Testament. The Jews were outraged at such a claim and took up rocks to stone Him, but Jesus passed through the midst of them. He passed by those who rejected Him.

Chapter 9 begins by picking up the narrative. As Jesus passed by the unbelieving Jews, He passed by a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus stopped and healed him by anointing the eyes of the blind man with mud he had made from spitting on the dust of the ground, and then instructing him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash away the mud.

There is a striking contrast – Jesus passed by the unbelievers but stopped to heal a man. The blind man believed Jesus and did as he was told, and he was healed.

It is not as though Jesus had ignored the unbelieving Jews. He had spent time trying to change their minds about Him. But the time came when they wanted to kill Him, that He left them. He gave them over to their refusal to believe, as it says in Romans chapter 1.

The songwriter said it well: "Is there a heart that is weary, longing for pardon day? Hear the glad message we bring you, Jesus is passing this way." But Jesus doesn't just pass by. He stops to touch and make whole those who are needy and recognize their need.

I love the song that says, "Pass me not, O Gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by." Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" -- those who know their need of God. He stops at the door of the person who knows he is needy and who will open the door to Him.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- TRUE FREEDOM

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- TRUE FREEDOM

"Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.' " (John 8:34-36)

Do you remember the revolution in American society during the '60s and 70's? It was a time of liberation – freedom from rules, freedom from traditional (and biblical) morality, freedom from the taboos of the past, freedom to do whatever people wanted to do.

So there was freedom to smoke marijuana, free sex, freedom to rebel against authority, whether it was parents, university administrations, or the government.

But where did that freedom lead them? It led them into anarchy, into bondage, into addiction, into lawlessness.

Sin is like that. It promises freedom, but it ends up in slavery. The Apostle Paul picked up on this teaching of Jesus in Romans chapter 6:16: "Do you not know that to whom you present ourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" We are slaves to whatever we submit ourselves, whether to sin leading to death, or to God leading to righteousness.

As Christians, we have been set free from the law of sin. We are no longer under its dominion. As Paul continued to write, "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life" (Romans 8:22).

The hymn-writer put it this way: "Freedom from sin, O wonderful story, all of its stains washed whiter than snow. Jesus has come to live in His temple, and with His love my heart is aglow. " There is a "glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). And we can live in that freedom.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE GRACE OF JESUS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE GRACE OF JESUS

"Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." (John 8:9)

This must have been an amazing scene. One minute, these men were in a rage with stoneS in their hands to bring judgment on this woman who was caught in adultery. The next minute, they were dispersing from the crowd with their heads hanging low. All because of the words of Jesus, both spoken and written in the dust.

Initially, they were incensed by this immoral woman. She clearly should be stoned because that is what the Torah demanded (Leviticus 20:10). But they did not see the sin in their own hearts until Jesus said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first" (vs. 7). That brought conviction to their own consciences, and one by one they dropped their stones and drifted away, leaving just the woman and Jesus.

There are so many thoughts that arise out of this scene. One is the tendency for us to condemn other people when we ourselves are guilty of sin. Another is the tendency to be selective in our judgments – accusing some while overlooking the sin of others perhaps more influential in the community. Why didn't they bring the man to judgment? Another is the age of the accusers. The older ones left first, maybe because they had more sins stacked up against them than the younger ones. Another is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).

But the greatest thing that stands out to me is the grace of the Lord Jesus. "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." The Lord Jesus saw a repentant heart, and He did not hold her sin over her head like a sword. His forgiveness released her to live a better life.

Other people may condemn me, but their attacks really do not matter. I am answerable to Jesus, and when I come in humility to Him, He forgives, and says "Go on from here to a better way of living." O, what a Savior!!!!

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SATISFYING THE LONGING

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SATISFYING THE LONGING OF OUR HEARTS

"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:37-39)

My mind is immediately drawn back to the time when Jesus visited the woman at the well in John 4. The woman had come to draw water for her daily use, and there was Jesus, sitting at the well. She had come to quench her physical thirst, but Jesus knew the deeper thirst of her heart. She had an unquenchable craving for belonging, for acceptance, for fulfillment, for meaning in life that could not be satisfied as evidenced by going from husband to husband. None of them could meet her needs and she kept looking. Maybe she found that marriage was not the answer to her longings, so she just shacked up with her sixth man.

Doesn't that sound like a lot of people you know? They have a longing in their hearts for something that they just can't quite satisfy, so they turn to other things trying to quench that gnawing thirst.

Jesus said that He would give water to quench that thirst – water that would be a fountain springing up in their innermost being that would bring everlasting life John 4:14). And out of that fountain would flow rivers of living water.

God gives this invitation: "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters" (Isaiah 55:1). He has given us the Holy Spirit to satisfy the thirsty heart.

I have to ask myself the question: What is flowing out of my life? Is it a fountain of joy and peace? Or is it discontentment because I have not found that true sense of satisfaction in life?

Only Jesus can satisfy the soul. We may look to other things to quench that thirst, but only the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ – can fill that void.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- BREAD OF HEAVEN

 DAD'S RAMBLINGS – BREAD FROM HEAVEN

" 'Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.' " (John 6:27)

We all have many hungers that we want to be satisfied. Hunger for affection; hunger for acceptance, hunger for appreciation; hunger for happiness. And many other things that we think will satisfy the longing of our hearts. So we labor to satisfy that hunger with all kinds of stuff that may satisfy for a short while, but we find that over time, we are still hungry – for what we don't know.

There are many testimonies of people who achieved their goal only to find emptiness in their souls – winning the Superbowl; getting rich; marriage, etc. It is like Solomon in his book of Ecclesiastes where he tried everything only to find it was vanity – emptiness.

Jesus said that He is the bread of life and that whoever comes to Him shall never hunger or thirst again (vs. 35). This bread gives life (vs. 33). Then He really gets down to brass tacks when he said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you….For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed...He who feeds on Me will live because of Me." (vss. 53-37).

When we eat bread, it becomes the sustenance for life and strengthens the very fiber of our being. When we feed on Christ metaphorically, He becomes a very part of our being. The energy that is produced as we meditate and chew on Him is what gives us strength to live. He is our life.

The song writer put it this way: "Only Jesus can satisfy the soul. Only He can take your heart and make it whole. He'll give you peace you never knew, sweet love and joy, and heaven too. Only Jesus can satisfy the soul."

Jesus said that everyone who hungers and thirsts after righteousness would be filled. Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven, feed me til I want no more.

Love, Dad.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE TESTING OF FAITH

 DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE TESTING OF FAITH

"Then Jesus lifted up Hes eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat But this He said to test them, for He Himself knew what He would do." (John 6:5-6)

The disciples had not a clue in the world what was going to happen. All they could see was a bunch of hungry people, and that they did not have enough resources to feed them.

They came up with their own solution – five loaves and two fish. But they recognized that was not nearly enough to feed such a great number of people.

So when Jesus asked how they were going to hand the situation, they were totally in the dark. This was a test. Jesus knew what He was going to do, but He was stretching the faith of the disciples.

The amazing is that Jesus used their meager resources to do a miracle.

How many times do we face situations that we have absolutely no idea about what to do. Be assured that Jesus knows that He is going to do. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

But He tests us to help us develop our faith in His ability to solve the situation. We know that we don't have the ability in ourselves. But when we offer what we do have, He can take that insufficiency and make it the answer to the problem.

We serve a great God who can do the impossible. Could it be that He is testing our faith to see if we will trust Him?

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HEARING, BELIEVING, AND DOING

 DAD'S RAMBLINGS – HEARING, BELIEVING, AND DOING

" 'Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death unto life.' " (John 5:24)

What joy and freedom there is when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus for eternal life. There is no cloud of judgment hanging over our heads because of sin. There is no condemnation because the price has been paid for our sins. There is no fear about the future because we have passed from death into life.

One of the great assurances as Christians is that "there is no therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (o 8:1).

But there is a caveat. There are several issues involved. One is hearing and the other is believing. It is not enough just to hear the Gospel. It is another thing to believe. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are many people who hear, but do not really believe. How do I know? Because they do not do what Jesus said. Our actions are motivated by what we believe, not by what we know.

Jesus put it this way. "Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24). Even the words we read in Romans 8:1 involve a choice of action – to walk after the flesh or after the Spirit. The doing proves the believing.

Here's an illustration. Suppose I want to buy a new car. I hear that such and such a model is a good one, and I believe it. But until I put my money where my mouth is, I will not enjoy the car. I heard that Jesus died for my sins, and I believed it. Now I want to walk out the Christ-life to show my belief.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- DOING THINGS GOD'S WAY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – DOING THINGS GOD'S WAY

"Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his (Zedekiah's) reign, in the tenth month on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of Zedekiah. By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city wall was broken through and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls." (II Kings 25:1-2, 4)

Chapters 24 and 25 are the sad conclusion to the story of a nation that forsook God. It is the story of what might have been. The nation began so well under the reign of King David, but through the years, the people abandoned God's ways to do their own things, and the results were not pretty.

I am reminded of the sermon that Moses preached to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land. That sermon is worth remembering for any nation, for any church, for any home, for any person.

God said to His people, through Moses, that there are blessings and cursings. " 'Now it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all the commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.' " They would be blessed. Then He told them what would happen if they forsook Him for other gods - many curses (Deuteronomy chapter 28).

Sadly they did not heed the word that was given to them, and we finally come to the end of I Chronicles where the house of God was burned, the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and they were carried away as captives to Babylon.

I know that it sounds like a broken record, but this is the history of Israel. They disregarded God's way to go their own way. And story has been repeated many, many times on a national level and on a personal level. It pays to serve God rather than ourselves.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- JOSIAH

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – JOSIAH

"Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adiaiah of Bekzkath. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and waked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." (II Kings 22:1-2)

Josiah was a godly king, He was like a refreshing breeze to a parched land after enduring the other kings. So what made Josiah so special?

We catch a glimpse of his character in the record of his life. His heart was tender and humble toward the LORD (vs. 19). "There was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him" (23:25).

During his reign he rid Judah of the idol worship that was so prevalent, destroying the high places and cleansing the house of the LORD of all the pagan paraphernalia that pertained to the worship of Baal and other false gods. I'm sure that this was not an easy job. There was probably a lot of pressure to keep them.

Our focus verse for today says that Josiah "did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left" from waking in the ways of his father David. The temptation is to either go too far to the right or to the left – too liberal or too conservative; too Calvinistic or too Arminian. Or we can become so dogmatic in our view of eschatology that we miss the point that Jesus made – to just be ready.

There is no middle ground in some areas. There is only one way to Heaven and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus and His salvation. But in many other areas, we need to walk the middle ground of the balance of Scripture – not going beyond what it says, nor believing less than it says.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RA,MBLINGS -- REPLACING GOD

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – REPLACING GOD

"In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah, began to reign. Ahaz has twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done." (II Kings 16:1-2)

Ahaz was one of the few bad kings of Judah. He led the nation into idolatry even as the kings of Israel had done. "Indeed, he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out form before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree" (vss. 3-4).

The one recorded act of his sixteen-year reign shows his utter disregard for God. It happened this way.

Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, came to wage war against Jerusalem. So Ahaz sought to make a treaty with Tiglath-Pilesar, the king of Assyria, for help by giving him a lot of money. It worked, and Assyria defeated Syria and killed King Rezin.

Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pilesar in Damascus. While he was there, he saw a pagan altar that struck his fancy. So he copied the design of that altar and had the priest Urijah build one like it. When he returned home to Jerusalem, he had the new altar set up replacing the old altar that God had given Moses the design for to worship at. In effect, Ahaz put God aside and replaced Him with something profane. That was not good.

But lest I get too judgmental, I must ask myself how many times I have discarded the old and replaced it with something new. New does not mean better. In spiritual terms, discarding the old doctrines for new ones can be disastrous. Satan will replace God and truth whenever he can. We can see in our day the effects of putting God and His Word to the side, and replacing it with human ideas, philosophy and psychology. May God help us to keep His ways even if they seem old-fashioned.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

"Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face….And Elisha said to him, 'Take a bow and some arrows.' So he took himself a bow and some arrows. ...Then he said, 'Take the arrows'; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground'; so he struck three times and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, ''You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.' " (II Kings 13:14-15. 18-19).

I must admit that this story has always puzzled me. How should Joash know how man times he was supposed to strike the ground with arrows? It seems that even the prophet Elisha did not know since he said, "five or six times." Should Joash have struck the ground 100 times? How would he know since the man of God did not explicitly tell him? It seems that Elisha's anger was unwarranted. It just doesn't make sense to me.

My puzzlement is compounded by the fact that Joash defeated Syria three times and recaptured the cities of Israel before he died (vs. 25). How many more times did he need to defeat Syria?

I still don't have an answer to my question, "How much is enough." I don't know. I do know that I have at times asked the Lord, "How much do you expect of me?" What I believe is that God wants all of me.

I also remember what God said He required: 'What does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes…." (Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Micah 6:8). If I seem overzealous for the Lords, it is because He deserves all of me. Partial devotion and obedience is not enough. Half or ¾ is not enough. After all, He gave His all for me when He died on the cross and is worthy of everything I could ever do. I would rather err on the side of "too much."

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

"So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house. Jehoash was seven years old when he became king." (II Kings 11:20-21)

Just to refresh our memory of the situation, we remember from yesterday's Ramblings that Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, king of the northern tribes of Israel. She had married Jehoram, king of Judah. He was also called Joram – not to be confused with Joram, king of Israel. Jehoram and Athaliah had a son named Ahaziah, who reigned in Judah. When Ahaziah died, Athaliah coveted her position as the Queen Mother. She did not want to give up her power, so she attempted to have the rest of the royal family killed. She almost succeeded except that one of Ahaziah's sisters, Jehosheba, rescued Joash from this slaughter, and Joash was hidden in the house of God for seven years before he was crowned king of Judah.

The appearance of Joash really upset Athaliah because she was about to lose her power base. She yelled, "Treason, Treason." But her power was gone and she was really the one guilty of treason. She was the one who worked against the governmental system by killing all the heirs to thee throne except Joash. So Athaliah was killed, and the people rejoiced because they were no longer under the thumb of Athaliah.

This reminds me of the proverb that says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people mourn" (Proverbs 29:2). As citizens of the United States, we have seen our share of wicked leaders, and we have mourned. But we also have been blessed with some righteous leaders, and we know the difference. The rule of righteous leaders produces peace in a nation. Unrighteous leaders bring chaos and confusion.

I am not advocating assassinating wicked leaders. We are to pray for those in authority. This is God's Word: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:1-4). We have the choice to pray or to complain. What do you think will be more profitable?

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

"So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house. Jehoash was seven years old when he became king." (II Kings 11:20-21)

Just to refresh our memory of the situation, we remember from yesterday's Ramblings that Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, king of the northern tribes of Israel. She had married Jehoram, king of Judah. He was also called Joram – not to be confused with Joram, king of Israel. Jehoram and Athaliah had a son named Ahaziah, who reigned in Judah. When Ahaziah died, Athaliah coveted her position as the Queen Mother. She did not want to give up her power, so she attempted to have the rest of the royal family killed. She almost succeeded except that one of Ahaziah's sisters, Jehosheba, rescued Joash from this slaughter, and Joash was hidden in the house of God for seven years before he was crowned king of Judah.

The appearance of Joash really upset Athaliah because she was about to lose her power base. She yelled, "Treason, Treason." But her power was gone and she was really the one guilty of treason. She was the one who worked against the governmental system by killing all the heirs to thee throne except Joash. So Athaliah was killed, and the people rejoiced because they were no longer under the thumb of Athaliah.

This reminds me of the proverb that says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people mourn" (Proverbs 29:2). As citizens of the United States, we have seen our share of wicked leaders, and we have mourned. But we also have been blessed with some righteous leaders, and we know the difference. The rule of righteous leaders produces peace in a nation. Unrighteous leaders bring chaos and confusion.

I am not advocating assassinating wicked leaders. We are to pray for those in authority. This is God's Word: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:1-4). We have the choice to pray or to complain. What do you think will be more profitable?

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

"So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house. Jehoash was seven years old when he became king." (II Kings 11:20-21)

Just to refresh our memory of the situation, we remember from yesterday's Ramblings that Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, king of the northern tribes of Israel. She had married Jehoram, king of Judah. He was also called Joram – not to be confused with Joram, king of Israel. Jehoram and Athaliah had a son named Ahaziah, who reigned in Judah. When Ahaziah died, Athaliah coveted her position as the Queen Mother. She did not want to give up her power, so she attempted to have the rest of the royal family killed. She almost succeeded except that one of Ahaziah's sisters, Jehosheba, rescued Joash from this slaughter, and Joash was hidden in the house of God for seven years before he was crowned king of Judah.

The appearance of Joash really upset Athaliah because she was about to lose her power base. She yelled, "Treason, Treason." But her power was gone and she was really the one guilty of treason. She was the one who worked against the governmental system by killing all the heirs to thee throne except Joash. So Athaliah was killed, and the people rejoiced because they were no longer under the thumb of Athaliah.

This reminds me of the proverb that says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people mourn" (Proverbs 29:2). As citizens of the United States, we have seen our share of wicked leaders, and we have mourned. But we also have been blessed with some righteous leaders, and we know the difference. The rule of righteous leaders produces peace in a nation. Unrighteous leaders bring chaos and confusion.

I am not advocating assassinating wicked leaders. We are to pray for those in authority. This is God's Word: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:1-4). We have the choice to pray or to complain. What do you think will be more profitable?

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – LEADERS IN AUTHORITY

"So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house. Jehoash was seven years old when he became king." (II Kings 11:20-21)

Just to refresh our memory of the situation, we remember from yesterday's Ramblings that Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, king of the northern tribes of Israel. She had married Jehoram, king of Judah. He was also called Joram – not to be confused with Joram, king of Israel. Jehoram and Athaliah had a son named Ahaziah, who reigned in Judah. When Ahaziah died, Athaliah coveted her position as the Queen Mother. She did not want to give up her power, so she attempted to have the rest of the royal family killed. She almost succeeded except that one of Ahaziah's sisters, Jehosheba, rescued Joash from this slaughter, and Joash was hidden in the house of God for seven years before he was crowned king of Judah.

The appearance of Joash really upset Athaliah because she was about to lose her power base. She yelled, "Treason, Treason." But her power was gone and she was really the one guilty of treason. She was the one who worked against the governmental system by killing all the heirs to thee throne except Joash. So Athaliah was killed, and the people rejoiced because they were no longer under the thumb of Athaliah.

This reminds me of the proverb that says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people mourn" (Proverbs 29:2). As citizens of the United States, we have seen our share of wicked leaders, and we have mourned. But we also have been blessed with some righteous leaders, and we know the difference. The rule of righteous leaders produces peace in a nation. Unrighteous leaders bring chaos and confusion.

I am not advocating assassinating wicked leaders. We are to pray for those in authority. This is God's Word: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:1-4). We have the choice to pray or to complain. What do you think will be more profitable?

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- UNEQUALLY YOKED

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – UNEQUALLY YOKED

"Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab." (II Kings 8:26-27)

It gets messy, but if you follow the family trees of Israel and Judah, you will discover that on Judah's side, King Jehoshaphat was followed by his son Jehoram (also called Joram) who was followed by his son, Ahaziah. Jehoshaphat was a good and godly king (I Kings 22:41-43). But his son, Jehoram, was not, perhaps because he married Athalia, who was the daughter of Ahab, King of Israel. Ahab was an evil king, and his daughter Atheliah was no better, having been under the tutelage of Ahab's wife, Jezebel. So when Jehoram married Athelia, he was marrying trouble. Jehoram had no business marrying Athelia. She led him away from God, and that carried on to their son, Ahaziah.

God's Word is true. "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?" (II Corinthians 6"14-15). The term "yoke" infers that there is a common commitment, as oxen in a yoke. It applies not only to marriage, but to any partnership where there is a union.

As a child of light, a Christian has no business becoming yoked to a non-Christian who walks in darkness. They are incompatible. Only bad things can come from ignoring this advice, even to the next generation.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- BELIEVING THE EVIDENCE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – BELIEVING THE EVIDENCE

"And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, 'Get ready.' And they got ready to attack the city. Suddenly, a prophet approached Ahab, king of Israel, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD." ' " (I Kings 20:12-13)

It happened just as the prophet had said. Israel defeated the enemy. But this demonstration of God's intervention did not change Ahab's heart.

Ahab had just seen a great demonstration of God's power at Mount Carmel when in response to Elijah's prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the altar drenched with water. And yet Ahab refused to yield to God.

In today's Scripture, God gave Israel a great victory over Ben-Hadad and the Syrians. The Syrians thought that Israel's God was the God of the mountains and not of the plains. God showed them. God wanted Ahab to know that He was the LORD by giving this victory. But did Ahab humble Himself before God? No.

Unbelief is like that. It doesn't matter how much evidence God gives of His mighty power. If people don't want to believe, they cannot be convinced. A great example of this truth is during the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders stood at the cross and said, "If He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him" (Matthew 27:42b). No they wouldn't! Jesus had performed man, many miracles giving proof of His divinity. And they refused to believe even after Jesus was risen from the dead.

Unbelievers around us today have all the evidence they need in God's creative work. But they reject the evidence to remain in their unbelief. Still we pray that their eyes will be open to the truth. May God help them.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- CASTING A LONG SHADOW

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – CASTING A LONG SHADOW

"Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying:  'Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over the people Israel and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, surely I will take away the prosperity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the sons of Nebat.' " (I Kings 16:1-3)  

Jereboam, the first king of the Northern tribes of Israel, was the benchmark that the kings who followed him were measured against.  Jereboam did much evil, and he left a legacy.  Some of the succeeding kings did more evil, and some less.  But they followed in his footsteps.

Here is the record.  The first king of Israel following Jereboam was his son, Nadab.  He did evil and walked in the way of his father (I Kings 15:26).  He was followed by Baasha, who walked in the way of Jereboam (15:34).  He was followed by Elah, who was like the house of Jereboam (16:7).  Next was Zimri, who "walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin" (16:19).  The next king of Israel was Omri, who "did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him.  For he walked in all the ways of Jereboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin" 16:25-26).  Ahab followed Omri as king over Israel. "And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat….Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him" (16:31, 33).  Jereboam indeed left a long shadow.  Does it seem that the longer the shadow gets that the worse the sins become?

I think we all leave a shadow.  Future generations may not remember much about us, but will be influenced by the legacy that is passed from generation to generation.  I don't know about you, but I want my shadow to be one of blessing, so that future generations will be influenced by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for righteousness.  If I follow Jesus, I am in safe territory,

Love,  Dad