SCRIPTURE
2 Chronicles 15:1-15 (NRSV)
The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times it was not safe for anyone to go or come, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces, nation against nation and city against city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."
When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing as aliens with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. They sacrificed to the Lord on that day, from the booty that they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and with all their soul. Whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. They took an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns. All Judah rejoiced over the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.
DEVOTION
Mercy! Mercy!
Today am reflecting on the words from 2 Chronicles, "The Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you."
This side of the cross, I am so grateful that God has chosen never to abandon humanity.
Jesus is the once and for all time sacrifice for the atonement of sin.
Jesus didn't die for one or even a few--He died for all.
Rather than us seeking God, God sought us, sending Jesus into the world to live, die, and rise again as a brother, friend, and savior to humanity.
Now, the Bible says, "whosoever will call upon the Name of the Lord, shall be saved..." (Romans 10:13)
There is always an open invitation to turn away from our sin and into the love, hug, and smile of Jesus.
Recently I visited a hospice patient. S/he said to me, "Pastor, I'm just not good enough to go to Heaven." My response--"Neither am I."
No one is good enough to earn a ticket into heaven. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our eternal life is not contingent upon anything that we do; instead, it is solely contingent upon the work, blood, and sacrifice of Jesus who gave his life on Calvary's Tree.
As a result, all that we need to do is put all of our faith in Jesus. We must trust that only HE can do the work necessary for our salvation. This knowledge gives us a blessed assurance, peace, and rest.
Will you put all of your hope in Jesus today? If so, please pray with me...
Dear God, I believe--by faith--that you love me and have sought me out to spend eternity with you. Thank you for Jesus and for his life, death, and resurrection. Thank you that because I am putting my all of my hope in Him today, my sins are forgiven and I am assured of eternal life. Please forgive me of all of my sin and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can walk with you. I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen.
SPECIAL NOTE
If you prayed this prayer for the first time, today you are saved! Welcome to the Christian Family.
I want to encourage you to tell a Christian friend what you did today. Ask him or her to help you find a good, Bible believing church, where you can get baptized and grow in your new faith.
I would be so honored if you would take a moment to let me know about your decision by clicking "YES" in the upper right hand corner of this blog in answer to the question, "Did God save you today?"
I am so happy for you and I promise to hold you in my prayers! Peace...
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