Don’t settle for second best.

Don’t settle for second best when you can have God’s very best.

‘Samuel did what the Lord commanded’(1 Samuel 16:4). Real obedience comes from ‘the heart’. It is more than just ‘keeping up appearances’(1 Samuel 16:7). ‘The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart’ – This is something we must never forget!’. ‘It’s the presence of Your Spirit, Lord, we need’ (Songs of Fellowship, 256) – This is the lesson we must learn from the stories of Saul and David. The great difference between the two men is summed up in verses 13-14: ‘the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David… the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul’. David exerted a good influence upon Saul (1 Samuel 16:23). Sadly, however, Saul’s best days were behind him. He was only a shadow of what he could have become if he had chosen to become ‘a man after God’s own heart’(1 Samuel 16:13-14). Don’t settle for second best when you can have God’s very best!

Jesus Christ is God’s very best.

‘We boast of the Name of the Lord our God…Through the steadfast love of the Most High’ we ‘shall not be moved’(Psalm 20:7; Psalm 21:7). We do not trust in things that ‘collapse and fall’. We build on ‘the Rock’(Psalm 20:8; Matthew 7:24-27; Psalm 18:1-3; Psalm 62:5-7). We ‘rejoice’ in our God. He has made us ‘most blessed for ever’(Psalm 21:1, 6; Ephesians 1:3). Think of Jesus Christ your Saviour. He is absolutely trustworthy. He is completely dependable. His love is an ‘unfailing love’(Psalm 21:7). In Him, there is salvation. In Him, there is joy. With His strong and powerful love, He has saved us. He has given us ‘a new song’to sing, ‘a song of praise to our God’(Psalm 40:1-3). Let us lift our hearts and voices to Him in praise and worship: ‘Be exalted, O Lord, in Thy strength,! We will sing and praise Thy power’(Psalm 21:13).

Reaching out with the Good News of Jesus Christ

‘Reconciled’ to God through Christ, we have received ‘the ministry of reconciliation.’ Saved by Him, we are to ‘work with Him.’ We are ‘not to accept the grace of God in vain’ by living for ourselves. We are to be ‘ambassadors for Christ.’ We must proclaim the urgent message of salvation – ‘now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.’ We must call men and women to respond to God’s message of salvation: ‘Be reconciled to God’ (2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2). If we are to be effective ‘ambassadors for Christ’, we must dedicate our lives to Him: ‘Let us cleanse ourselves… and make holiness perfect in the fear of God’(2 Corinthians 7:1). Without this heartfelt commitment to godly living, we cannot really serve the Lord at all. Our wrong lives will drown out our ‘right’ words. We need true lives as well as ‘true’ words.

Don’t let anyone or anything come before God. He must come first – every time.

The Gospel turns the world’s values upside down – the ‘poor in the world’ are ‘rich in faith’ (James 2:5). We are to live according to the Gospel. We are not to be controlled by the world’s way of thinking. If we ‘show favouritism’, we place ourselves in a dangerous position – ‘judgment without mercy’. Even where there is the threat of judgment, there is the promise of mercy – ‘mercy triumphs over judgment’ (James 2:9,13). God is calling us back from the brink. He is saying, ‘It’s not too late’. Even at ‘the eleventh hour’, God is calling us to receive His mercy (Matthew 20:6-9). He wants to change us. He wants us to put Him first. For Abraham and Rahab, God came first – not Abraham’s son, not Rahab’s country (James 2:20-26; Genesis 22:12; Joshua 2:9). Don’t let anyone or anything come before Him. He must come first – every time.

Let’s Make A New Beginning With God.

2 Chronicles 33:1-34:13
Good work can be very quickly undone – ‘Manasseh… did what was evil in the sight of the Lord… he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had broken down, and set up altars to other gods…’(33:1-3). We must be careful to follow the godly example of those who have served the Lord well. In Hebrews 11, we read about God’s faithful servants. They served the Lord in their day. We are to serve Him in our day – ‘surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,… let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…’(Hebrews 12:1-2). Bad work can also be undone if, like King Josiah, we are ready to make a new beginning with God (34:1-4). He was only ‘eight years old when he began to reign’. Pray that the children will start loving God now and keep loving Him as they grow older.

Be Careful In Your Listening To God’s Word.

2 Chronicles 35:20-36:23
Josiah had been a good king, but ‘he did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God’. His mistake was very costly. He ‘fought’. He was ‘shot’ and ‘badly wounded’. He ‘died’ and was ‘buried’(35:22-24). Be careful in your listening to God”s Word. Failure to obey His Word will be costly: ‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3). After Josiah’s time, there was terrible spiritual decline. Beginning with Jehoahaz (1-2; 2 Kings 23:31-32), the kings ‘did what was evil in the sight of the Lord’(5,9,11-12). Was there any hope for the future? – Yes! ‘The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia… to build Him a House at Jerusalem’. Like Cyrus, we must say to our neighbours, ‘Let us go to the House of the Lord’(36:22-23; Psalm 122:1). His time of blessing may not be far away!

Praise God For What He Has Done In The Past. Pray For More Of His Blessing In The Future.

1 Chronicles 10:1-11:19
Saul’s life can be summed up in one word – ‘unfaithfulness’: ‘he was unfaithful to the Lord’. This is a warning: Don`t become like Saul who ‘did not keep the command of the Lord… and did not seek guidance from the Lord’(10:13-14). David was quite different from Saul. He became king ‘according to the Word of the Lord’. He grew in strength because ‘the Lord of hosts was with him’(11:3,9). David was helped greatly by his ‘mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel’(11:10). These things were ‘written for our instruction’ (Romans 15:4). Praise God for what He has done in the past – ‘Blessed be the Lord for ever!’(Psalm 89:52). Pray for more of His blessing in the future – ‘O that some one would give me to drink from the well of Bethlehem’(11:17; Revelation 22:17; John 7:37-39).

Take Every Thought Captive To Obey Christ.

1 Chronicles 11:20-12:7
Here, we read of ‘the mighty men of the armies’(26), ‘the mighty men who helped him in war’(1). What are we to learn from this list of names? We must look on from here to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 where we learn some vitally important lessons regarding spiritual warfare. We learn what our war is not and what our weapons are not: ‘we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly’. We learn where our strength comes from and what it is to be used for: ‘the weapons of our warfare… have divine power to destroy strongholds’. We learn about the goal of our warfare: ‘We… take every thought captive to obey Christ’, pressing on toward an ‘obedience’ which ‘is complete’. Make this your prayer, “Lord, help me to be ‘valiant…, a doer of good deeds’(22).

Be ‘A Doer Of God’s Word’ – Obedient To God And Blessed By God.

1 Chronicles 12:8-13:14
‘The kingdom of Saul was turned over to David according to the Word of the Lord’(23). What was God’s purpose in giving the kingdom to David? ‘In the days of Saul’, there had been spiritual neglect. Now, God was calling His people to return to Him – ‘let us bring again the ark of our God to us’(3). The people returned to the Lord (4). They rejoiced in Him (13:8). Sadly, their joy was short-lived. Failure to do God’s will lead to the withdrawal of God’s blessing (13:9-10). Where the Word of God remains among God’s people – honoured and given its rightful place – , there will be blessing (13:14). How are we to honour God’s Word? – ‘Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only’. Pray that you will not be a ‘hearer who forgets’. Pray that you will be ‘a doer of God’s Word’- obedient to God and blessed by God (James 1:22,25).

Let’s Live Our Lives ‘According To The Word Of The Lord.’

1 Chronicles 14:1-15:15
David recognized that it was ‘the Lord’ who ‘had established him king over Israel’(14:1). David sought to honour the Lord in everything. We see this in his battles with the Philistines – (a) He ‘inquired of God’(10,14); (b) He ‘did as God commanded him’(16,10-11); (c) He gave all the glory to God – ‘God has broken through… the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations’ (11,17). We must learn from David – Seek the will of God; Do the will of God; Give all the glory to God. David was not only a political leader – a king. He was also a spiritual leader, a leader of worship. He calls us to be sanctified, set apart for the Lord. We will not be blessed by the Lord unless we honour Him in our hearts. Let’s be sure to hear and heed this call to live our lives ‘according to the Word of the Lord’(15:11-15).

Our Meditation On God’s Word Is To Be Accompanied By Obedience To His Word.

1 Chronicles 15:16-16:6
David called God’s people to worship. They were ‘to raise sounds of joy’, praising the Lord with ‘loud music’. David did not leave it to others. He gave the lead. Along with all the others, he was there, ‘dancing and making merry’. He was a true spiritual leader. He ‘blessed the people in the Name of the Lord’. He called upon the people to ‘praise the Lord’(16,28-29,2,4). God calls us to worship Him continually’(6). May God help us to be the kind of people who take ‘delight in the Word of the Lord, meditating on His Word day and night’(Psalm 1:2). Our meditation on God’s Word is to be accompanied by obedience to His Word – ‘be careful to do according to all that is written in it’(Joshua 1:8). This is the true ‘spiritual worship’ God is looking for – the dedication of our lives to Him (Romans 12:1).

We dare not look back.

‘Dead in trespasses and sins’, we have been ‘made alive’ in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). We dare not look back (Luke 17:32; Genesis 19:26; Luke 9:62; 2 Peter 2:20-22). We have been purified ‘from dead works to serve the living God’ (Hebrews 9:14). Christ ‘saves to the uttermost’. How dare we ‘shrink back’ from Him? ‘Have faith. Be saved’ (Hebrews 7:25; 10:39).

Love God ‘with all your heart…’ – not just a part.

Saul chose convenience rather than obedience. He did what he wanted – not what God commanded (1 Samuel 15:3,9). Saul was disobedient. God was not pleased with him (1 Samuel 15:10). Saul made big claims for himself: ‘I have performed the commandment of the Lord’ (1 Samuel 15:13). This was nonsense. Samuel saw through it immediately – ‘What then is this bleating…?’(1 Samuel 15:14). Saul had done what suited himself. God said one thing. Saul did another. Saul tried to ‘pass the buck’. He blamed ‘the people’ (1 Samuel 15:21). Saul appears to confess his sin. Still, there is this element of ‘passing the buck’. He blames ‘the people’ – ‘They put me up to it. It was their idea’ (1 Samuel 15:24). This was ‘the last straw’. For Saul, this was ‘the end’ – ‘the show was over’. He would be replaced (1 Samuel 15:26-28). Love God ‘with all your heart…’ – not just a part (Deuteronomy 6:5)!

Jesus Christ: God’s way to victory over temptation

Genesis 39:1-23
In chapter 38, we read of unbridled lust. Here, we read of dah restraint: ‘how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’(9). Sin brings complications, and so does obedience! There is, in fact, only one complication – sin. We live in a sinful world, which has no real interest in obedience to God. We must be realistic: ‘all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’(2 Timothy 3:12). Obedience and persecution – we see both in the story of Joseph. He was tempted, but he did not sin (7-9). Temptation is not sin. God provides ‘the way of escape’(1 Corinthians 10:13). Christ is ‘the way’(John 14:6), God’s way of escape. We go to Him when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:16; 4:15-16). Joseph was put into prison, ‘but the Lord was with him, and showed him steadfast love’(20-21) – ‘persecuted, but not forsaken’’ (2 Corinthians 4:9).

Make a new beginning with God – right now!

2 Kings 4:1-44

The situation seemed hopeless – ‘The child was lying dead on his bed’(32). What did Elisha do? – He ‘prayed to the Lord’(33). What are we to do when everything seems hopeless? Pray: ‘Restore us again, O God of our salvation… Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?’(Psalm 85:4,6). When we are at our lowest ebb, God is waiting to hear from us. Our prayer may not be eloquent – but it must come from the heart! Perhaps, we can hardly put our prayer into words. God looks beyond our inadequate words. He looks into our hearts. If, in our hearts, we are saying to Him, ‘Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and provide me with a spirit of willing obedience’, He will hear and He will answer (Romans 8:26-27; Psalm 51:12). You can make a new beginning with God – right now!

Pleasing God – nothing matters more than this!

2 Kings 13:1-14:16
We love making comparisons. ‘This one’s better’. ‘That one’s better’. Some kings were better than others. What’s the difference between a bad king and a good king? It’s really very simple. The good king does what is ‘right in the eyes of the Lord’(14:3). The bad king does what is ‘evil in the eyes of the Lord’(13:11). This is not a matter of popularity. It is a matter of obedience. It’s possible to be popular among the people without being obedient to God. Obedience is more important than popularity. We must choose obedience – even when popularity doesn’t come into it. There is one King who stands head and shoulders above all other kings. Jesus Christ is ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’(Revelation 19:16). How does your life look ‘in the eyes of the Lord’? Pleasing Him – Nothing matters more than this.

“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, loooking to Jesus.”

2 Kings 18:1-37
Hezekiah ‘held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him…’(6). We give up so easily. We start well, then we lose our way. We don’t stick at it. Some people are all smiles – when things are going well. When the going gets tough, they lose their smiles – and you can’t see them for dust! What’s the problem? – They’ve taken their eyes off Jesus. They’re looking around at everyone and everything – except Jesus. Notice how different Hezekiah was! He ‘held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him’. This is what makes the difference – Keeping your eyes on Jesus. What is it that keeps us going? We are ‘kept by the power of God’- He ‘is able to keep us from falling’(1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24). ‘Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus’(Hebrews 12:1-2).