The Simple Life

But it was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. And when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them…. 2 Chronicles 22:7-8 (ESV)   "God ordained it." This phrase should send a chill of fear down the spine of the Godless and a chill of delight down the spine of the Godly. Those who fight against the will of God will lose one hundred percent of the time. Satan will lose, those who ignore God will wish they had not, and those who challenge God will prove they are fools.   God has a place in this universe that is exclusively His. He is the definition of love, uses His power and authority for the good of others, and will eventually destroy all who have believed and lived Sa...

And after all this the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. 2 Chronicles  21:18-20  (ESV)   All people will answer to God for their lives and account for how they used the gifts God gave them to honor Him. Jehoram was an evil king who killed his brothers to protect his power and tried to make ignoring God normative. He, like anyone who is intoxicated by their power and authority will experience, came to a tragic end.   What is it about money and power that so quickly corrupts man? Could it be that those who have money and power begin to have a glimpse of w...

Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father's house, who were better than you, behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day." 2 Chronicles  21:11-15  (ESV)   Money, power, and position cannot save one from God's wrath. Those who ignore God will reg...

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever. 2 Chronicles 21:5-7 (ESV)   What is it that makes us think that we can ignore God and His ways and be successful? Where in history will it confirm that the ignorance of God will equal success in any form? History is clear. Those who ignore God have chosen to live a miserable life. They may have moments of temporal pleasure yet face a miserable eternity. This makes no sense, yet it happens over and over again.   It must be similar to gambling at a well-established casino. Somehow, gamblers think that they will be the ones who beat the ...

And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around. 2 Chronicles 20:29-30 (ESV)   The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of being poor makes money your God. The fear of being sick makes health your God. The fear of being lonely makes friends your God. The fear of losing out makes being a part of the crowd your God.   Fear is often a barometer for what is happening in our lives. Fear connotes loss. We do not want to lose money, fame, fortune, and so on.   If we do not want to lose something, we work towards keeping it. Those who seek God find God, and those who fear losing God seek Him.   It is hard for rich people to fear anything but a loss in the temporal realm-a loss of health that renders their money useless or a loss of money that changes the dynamics of their "relationships." Fearing God bri...

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, "Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever." 2 Chronicles  20:20-21  (ESV)   Trust in God, and you will be positioned to win, no matter your challenges. Believe those who know God and speak His Word to you, and you will be successful.   We all listen to someone. Some only listen to themselves, some only listen to those who agree with them, and others seek out the voice of God. The voice of God is unique in that it contains no opinions, no perspectives, and nothing that can be up for debate. God is, always ha...