13 September 2019
Don’t Stop Halfway
Psalm 37:5
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
We just finished studying the zealous king, Jehu, in 2 Kings 10 in our Women’s Bible Study at church. This guy completely and totally eradicated evil from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Finally all the people had no exterior hindrances to living godly lives EXCEPT for the fact that Jehu made no provision for them to worship God the way God instructed his people to worship him back then. God’s presence was only behind the curtain with the Ark in the Temple located in Jerusalem. When Israel divided into two kingdoms, no king of the northern kingdom ever made a way for the Northerners to get to the Temple in the South to worship God. Instead, new temples were constructed. Seems like a good idea except for the fact that this was their idea and not God’s. There was only ONE way to make sacrifices for your sins and worship God. The reason there was only ONE WAY is because today, there is still only ONE WAY to be made right with God, and that is through his Son, Jesus.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT
Jehu kept those little temples open that were constructed when the kingdom split. He did NOT lead his people to the only place where true worship was possible, and it’s a shame because he had gone to all that trouble to expel the worship of false gods only to provide false worship of the One, True, Living God for the people.
What was he supposed to do? Perhaps make a treaty financial or otherwise with the King of Judah in the south where the Temple was located? But a king who needs permission from another king isn’t much of a king. Looks like the pride of all the northern kings is what stood in the way of godly worship. Anyone of us can go to the meticulous trouble of exacting evil from our exterior simply by avoidance. But when we don’t clean out the idols in our heart, why even bother?
Psalm 37:5
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
This is the solution. No matter what it requires, ask God to show me what is hindering my worship. Don’t stop halfway. Go all in. If Jehu wanted to completely restore godliness and righteousness, he could have. But he stopped halfway. Dear heart of mine, do not stop half-way today; trust God; he will help me!
Dear God,
Help me not to be too lazy or indifferent to protect my surrounding as well as my heart today by committing everything I do and say to you and to trust you today for all I do and say. There is no reason why you won’t help me. Thank you for your Son, who is, indeed, the only way, the only truth, and the only life, and the only way to YOU. Thank you for helping me trust in you to guide me, and I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Don’t Stop Halfway
Psalm 37:5
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
We just finished studying the zealous king, Jehu, in 2 Kings 10 in our Women’s Bible Study at church. This guy completely and totally eradicated evil from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Finally all the people had no exterior hindrances to living godly lives EXCEPT for the fact that Jehu made no provision for them to worship God the way God instructed his people to worship him back then. God’s presence was only behind the curtain with the Ark in the Temple located in Jerusalem. When Israel divided into two kingdoms, no king of the northern kingdom ever made a way for the Northerners to get to the Temple in the South to worship God. Instead, new temples were constructed. Seems like a good idea except for the fact that this was their idea and not God’s. There was only ONE way to make sacrifices for your sins and worship God. The reason there was only ONE WAY is because today, there is still only ONE WAY to be made right with God, and that is through his Son, Jesus.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT
Jehu kept those little temples open that were constructed when the kingdom split. He did NOT lead his people to the only place where true worship was possible, and it’s a shame because he had gone to all that trouble to expel the worship of false gods only to provide false worship of the One, True, Living God for the people.
What was he supposed to do? Perhaps make a treaty financial or otherwise with the King of Judah in the south where the Temple was located? But a king who needs permission from another king isn’t much of a king. Looks like the pride of all the northern kings is what stood in the way of godly worship. Anyone of us can go to the meticulous trouble of exacting evil from our exterior simply by avoidance. But when we don’t clean out the idols in our heart, why even bother?
Psalm 37:5
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
This is the solution. No matter what it requires, ask God to show me what is hindering my worship. Don’t stop halfway. Go all in. If Jehu wanted to completely restore godliness and righteousness, he could have. But he stopped halfway. Dear heart of mine, do not stop half-way today; trust God; he will help me!
Dear God,
Help me not to be too lazy or indifferent to protect my surrounding as well as my heart today by committing everything I do and say to you and to trust you today for all I do and say. There is no reason why you won’t help me. Thank you for your Son, who is, indeed, the only way, the only truth, and the only life, and the only way to YOU. Thank you for helping me trust in you to guide me, and I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
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