Good day dear friends.
This is the day of the Lord! Let us remember the Lord has made this day and it was made to rejoice and praise His precious and holy name! So, make plans to be in God's House for worship!
Here are the study guides for yesterday and today:
Saturday: 2 Chronicles 25, 26As you read the story of Uzziah, Zechariah, and Azariah, what sense do you have of potential power jealousies between king and priest?
Sunday: 2 Chronicles 27, 28How do you explain the evil reign of Ahaz, following the righteous reign of his father Jotham?
Prayer Time: Nations and governments always need our prayers, but usually we’re inclined to pray too generally; here are specific persons and issues for which I will pray daily:
If the way you lived your life, from start to finish, determined where you were buried, where would you be buried? In modern terms most of us don't care where we'll be buried because as someone once said, "This is just the shell; the nut's gone!" But for the ancients, your place of burial was as much a matter of honor in death as it was in life. And this was especially true for the kings. If the king lived a worthy life in the eyes of God, he would be allowed to be buried among the other kings in a royal cemetery that signified honor.
But let's pretend for a moment, your children and/or relatives would have to determine where you would be buried based on how good you lived your life. And by that I mean, how much good did you do, how much love did you spread, did you obey and honor God, and did you make God real to others? Where would they place your body?
If you've been out in the open and have seen the news in the last few days you know that the last of the Harry Potter books has come out and most readers wanted to jump to the very last part of the book to see what happens to Harry and the other kids. Nellie and I were in WalMart and as much hoopla as the "Reserve Your Copy Now" got, there were stacks of brand new books just sitting there waiting for buyers. Of course it was way early on Saturday and the true Potterites had already bought and read the entire book and were now sleeping it off. But I went over to the book and where did I turn? To the very last page. And what did I learn? Ha ha, you have to read it for yourself! But what I'm trying to say is the end of our life, if it were important to determine burial, would have to be a great ending to a great life. And even if our burial may or may not matter to us, living a great life should matter to us as it matters to God.
Start with the end in mind, someone once wrote, and we should do that too. If our end means a reunion with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, then the days between then and now matter. Every day matters with Christ. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is victory." What do you say?
PRAYER: Loving God, make my life count. Let me count on You and trust You and let me live my life in a way that tells others, especially my family and those around me, God matters! I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
This is the day of the Lord! Let us remember the Lord has made this day and it was made to rejoice and praise His precious and holy name! So, make plans to be in God's House for worship!
Here are the study guides for yesterday and today:
Saturday: 2 Chronicles 25, 26As you read the story of Uzziah, Zechariah, and Azariah, what sense do you have of potential power jealousies between king and priest?
Sunday: 2 Chronicles 27, 28How do you explain the evil reign of Ahaz, following the righteous reign of his father Jotham?
Prayer Time: Nations and governments always need our prayers, but usually we’re inclined to pray too generally; here are specific persons and issues for which I will pray daily:
If the way you lived your life, from start to finish, determined where you were buried, where would you be buried? In modern terms most of us don't care where we'll be buried because as someone once said, "This is just the shell; the nut's gone!" But for the ancients, your place of burial was as much a matter of honor in death as it was in life. And this was especially true for the kings. If the king lived a worthy life in the eyes of God, he would be allowed to be buried among the other kings in a royal cemetery that signified honor.
But let's pretend for a moment, your children and/or relatives would have to determine where you would be buried based on how good you lived your life. And by that I mean, how much good did you do, how much love did you spread, did you obey and honor God, and did you make God real to others? Where would they place your body?
If you've been out in the open and have seen the news in the last few days you know that the last of the Harry Potter books has come out and most readers wanted to jump to the very last part of the book to see what happens to Harry and the other kids. Nellie and I were in WalMart and as much hoopla as the "Reserve Your Copy Now" got, there were stacks of brand new books just sitting there waiting for buyers. Of course it was way early on Saturday and the true Potterites had already bought and read the entire book and were now sleeping it off. But I went over to the book and where did I turn? To the very last page. And what did I learn? Ha ha, you have to read it for yourself! But what I'm trying to say is the end of our life, if it were important to determine burial, would have to be a great ending to a great life. And even if our burial may or may not matter to us, living a great life should matter to us as it matters to God.
Start with the end in mind, someone once wrote, and we should do that too. If our end means a reunion with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, then the days between then and now matter. Every day matters with Christ. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is victory." What do you say?
PRAYER: Loving God, make my life count. Let me count on You and trust You and let me live my life in a way that tells others, especially my family and those around me, God matters! I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
