As I read through the Bible in 90 days these are the thoughts and verses that taught me or inspired me this week. It still amazes me how much I learn and can apply to from Bible to my daily walk.
1. David knew that God was more merciful than man. 1 Chronicles 21:13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
1 Chronicles 21:17 David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? LORD my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”
David took responsibility for his sin. When he was wrong he owned it and accepted the punishment. How often are we tempted to blame other for our sins? This is the call to repent before God and ask him in his grace not to let us fall into the judgment of man.
The life of David teaches us that God’s punishment is always fair and merciful. If we turn to God he will show us mercy and cover us in his grace.
2. We all do this. We get our lives fixed just so perfectly, all is right with the world and we slip into a state of contentment and forget how much we relied on God through the storms.
1 Chronicles 11:5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah……..12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
12.1 After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD.
We need to be in the Word daily. Our goal should be to get stronger in the Lord.
3. God gives a heads up to all the moms in these few verses. I am the mother of three wonderful boys and I often wonder about my ability to train them.
Then I read 1 Chronicles 22:3 He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly.
Mothers take heart. You can influence your boys to be men of God. You can encourage them follow God or to act wickedly. This scriptures encouraged me. I can influence my boys by my example and with my encouragement. Yeah mommy hood!
4. This is a good example of what happens when we get tired and weary. We just want things to be easy. Asa wanted peace; so he made a treaty instead of relying on the Lord.
1 Chronicles 16:7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
Did Asa ask for mercy? Did he cry out the Lord, as David had done? NO! He became angry.
1 Chronicles 10 Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.
This verse was very impactful. After all that happened, he died unrepentant. 1 Chronicles 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.
How prideful do we have to be to not seek help from the Lord? I pray everyday that my heart will remain soft. No matter where life takes me I want to seek help from the Lord.
