2 Chronicles 13
Scripture:
10 “As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them.
11 Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the LORD our God. But you have forsaken him.
12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
Observation:
There are clearly two sides to this verse, those who are committed to the Lord and those who have forsaken the Lord. “As for us, the Lord is our God” and “God is with us; He is our leader” are statements that make me want to stand up with pride and declare my allegiance to the Lord. As a Spirit-Empowered Man, I relate to those statements and wonder why anyone would forsake Jesus. The other side of this verse, touches my heart as a Christian. I sit here and think about all the parents who have kids that have turned away or forsaken the Lord. To be quite honest this breaks my heart. As the father of 3 young boys, I pray that my boys will continue to serve Jesus long after they start making decisions on their own. My heart hopes that, above all else, they will serve Jesus all the days of their life. As a pastor, I believe that there is empathy in Abijah’s voice as he speaks to the nation of Israel. As if he is saying, “come on guys, there’s no point in resisting the Lord, you cannot win here.” Unfortunately, as the chapter unfolds, the nation of Israel does not heed the warning and loses the battle that day. Do you know someone who is resisting the Lord? Does your heart fill with empathy for them as you see the struggles in their life? I encourage you to pray for those friends and family members, that they will turn back to God and make Jesus the Lord of their life.
Application:
- Personal Application: Make a fresh commitment to Jesus and allow Him to be the Lord and the leader of your life. Commit to praying for those who you know have forsaken the Lord.
- Family Devotional: Read this passage to your family. Encourage them to always serve the Lord and ask if they know anyone who has turned their back on the Lord. Take some time to pray for those names mentioned.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God to reveal Himself to those around you that have forsaken the Lord. Spend extra time praying for each of them by name.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will always love Jesus and surrender to his lordship.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, September 6 – Sunday, September 13:
- Sunday, September 6: 2 Chronicles 9
- Monday, September 7: 2 Chronicles 10
- Tuesday, September 8: 2 Chronicles 11
- Wednesday, September 9: 2 Chronicles 12
- Thursday, September 10: 2 Chronicles 13
- Friday, September 11: 2 Chronicles 14
- Saturday, September 12: 2 Chronicles 15
- Sunday, September 13: 2 Chronicles 16
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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