Tag Archives: Christianity

Be Uzziah and Do Not Be Uzziah

Be Uzziah and Do Not Be Uzziah • 2 Chronicles 26
Be Uzziah and Do Not Be Uzziah • 2 Chronicles 26

Anyone remember Uzziah?

2 Chronilces 26. Wow, what an astonishing chapter!

Uzziah was only 16 years old when he was made king of Judah. Imagine following a 16 year old king into battle! Yet, under his 52-year rule the kingdom saw a rebirth that hadn’t happened since Solomon. His fame grew. They knew his name in Egypt. His power grew. All because he “did that which was right in the sight of The Lord” and because he “was greatly helped.”

“Greatly helped.” I love that phrase. Aren’t we all? Without the help of The Lord, what could any of us accomplish?

Let me give you the Uzziah highlight reel:

He went out and “made war with the Philistines.” He didn’t just react to a people that hated God, he picked a fight with them! He build tower after tower after tower. He designed sheilds, helmets and body armor. It says “he made engines of war.” Terminators? Robocops? I don’t know, but whatever it was, it crushed his enemies. He was a skilled farmer and “loved the soil.” This was an incredible man!

It says Uzziah was “marvelously helped…”

It would be great if the story ended there, unfortunatley, it does not.

It says Uzziah was “marvelously helped… until he was strong. For when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly and was unfaithful to The Lord, his God.”

Uzziah entered the temple and tried to burn the incense only the priests were supposed to burn. You see, you cannot do everything yourself. Some things are meant to be done by others. The priest (shockingly) stood up to Uzziah (of course he did have 80 other priests back him up).  Azariah the priest said, “It is not for you to do this.” Uzziah could’ve have said, “You are right. I am sorry. Forgive me, Lord!” and oh, what a king that would’ve been. But instead scripture says Uzziah “was enraged.” Immediatley, he was struck with leprosy. He was therefore forced to live the rest of his days seperated from everyone and his rule went to his son, Jotham.

Pride. Anger. My mom would say he “got too big for his britches.” Uzziah is the king of If Only. If only he would have done this. If only he would have done that. Try your hardest to not be an If Only kind of person!

When we think things are going great and it’s because of all OUR hard work, then we need to step back and say: Forgive me Lord, all the glory goes to You for without You, I can do nothing. What was I thinking Lord? You are everything!

Be Uzziah in the sense that through a humble servant God can accomplish marvelous works. Do not be Uzziah in the sense that remember who it is that’s really in charge.

Never forget that we are all “greatly helped.” And thank God for that!

Sorry this got a little long in the tooth. This message was gleaned from Matt Chandler’s message @ theresurgence.com

God bless!

A Beautiful Walk

A Beautiful Walk, Acts 3:1-10
Acts 3:1-10

I don’t have any money. But what I do have, I’ll give to you.*

Peter said this to the lame beggar at the gate of the temple called Beautiful. The man had been handicap since birth. Every morning he was carried and set down at the gate where he would beg. This was his life.

One morning, He saw Peter and John pass by and asked to recieve alms. Peter stared him down, “Look at us!” The beggar got excited. He thought he was going to get some money! “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – WALK!” In an instant his legs were strengthened and with a LEAP, the lame man walked. I imagine he probably did more than walk too. I don’t have any scripture to back this up, but I figure he most likely moonwalked.

Sometimes we ask God for something and He gives us something else. If God gives you something else, you can bank on that something else being much much better.

Sure, some extra money would’ve helped this man. No doubt about it. But God, through Peter, gave the lame man something far greater than he could have ever imagined: a new life! God is in the business of making things new and better.

One last thought: Could any other name have healed that man? In the name of Moses! No. In the name of Abraham! Nothing. In the name of Caesar! Give me a break. Only the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God has power. Just the name, folks! No other name EVER could done one little thing to help that man.

Be on the look out. If you ask God for something. He may surprise you with something… else. Something Beautiful.

God bless!

*Acts 3:1-10

His Love Is Relentless

MrPatVincent
His Love Is Relentless, Matt 20 • MrPatVincent

My wife and I had an interesting conversation yesterday morning about the 11th hour.  I believe we will be surprised with who’s in Heaven when we get there.

“Wait, what? Am I in the wrong place…How did YOU get here?!”

Right? I mean, we all think: this person is holy and that person obviously is not or this person is saved and that person obviously is not. But scripture tells us another story.

Let’s look at the cross. There were two thieves on each side of Our Lord that day. Now, you didn’t find yourself at the business end of a crucifixtion for nothing! Suffice it to say, these two were probably what we would consider “not holy” and definitely “not saved.” However, at the last possible moment one of them accepted Jesus into his heart and Jesus saved him! Talk about saved at the last moment! Thank God for that kind of Mercy and Grace, right? I don’t know about you, but I need it everyday!

Quickly let’s also look at Jesus’s teaching about the 11th hour and “Idle-all-day” people (Matt. 20:2-16). Some workers work all day long and some only work for one hour, yet all were are paid the same amount. My favorite part of this parable is that the lord of the vineyard KEPT going out every hour to look for labourers! He looked for people who were idle… all day! Jesus will never stop! Even until the last hour of the day, He will search for you! His love is relentless!

In Ecclesiatetes 7:8, Solomon tells us better is the end of a thing than the beginning. I’ve ran marathons, that statement is very true! Sometimes it’s how you finish that makes the difference. Goal-setting resolutions can never match the unbelievable blessing of God’s divine intervention to have Mercy on us!

So you see, it’s never too late. God is waiting on you, not the other way around!

God Bless!

Not Struggling To Be Free

mrpatvincent
Not Struggling To Be Free – 2 Cor. 12:9

When I was little, I was scared of quicksand. I was absolutely certain I was going to fall into some quicksand and never get out. I don’t have facts on this, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t even any quicksand in West Virginia. Anyways, try telling that to a 10 year old.

Anyone who has ever seen a Western or Indiana Jones, can tell you – don’t struggle! It will only make you sink faster! If you just remain calm, you may have more of a chance… to find a rope, or branch, or call out for help, or something.

2 Cor. 12:9-10 tells us that God’s Grace is sufficient. His power is made perfect in our weakness. Boast happily in your weaknesses and then the Power of God may rest upon you. If that doesn’t make your heart burst in praise, I don’t know what will. The weaker you are, the easier it is for God to jump in and blow that hardship out of the water? Sign me up!

Tenth Avenue North has a song called, “The Struggle.” It has a line that really resonates with my wife and I. “We are free to struggle, We’re not struggling to be free.”

Thank God for that.

God Bless!

The Stars Are Out Tonight

MrPatVincent
The Stars Are Out – Joshua 1:9

Every night at around 10 o’clock, I let my dog out for one last time. The first thing I do is look up to the sky and see if “the stars are out.” I’ll tell my wife, “Man, the stars are really out tonight!” or “No stars out tonight!” Now, I know full well that the stars are not precarious things that are sometimes there and sometimes hiding. It’s just that on certain nights, I cannot see them. I can thank Miss Grewe at East Dale Elementary for that.

There are times when you feel like God is not there. Saint John of the Cross called it “The Dark Night of The Soul.” You walk out into that night and there are no stars. The sky is black. Your gut sinks as you peer into the cold vast nothing. You are unprotected, alone and forgotten.

God has gone out of His way to let you know how ridiculous that is: Deut 31:8, Heb. 13:5, Joshua 1:9, Phil. 4:6-7, and Psa. 55:22 just to name a few. Over and over He tells us we are not alone, He will never forsake us and He protects His children. So when your flesh is weak and when your heart fails, remember – God is there, He has not left you and He alone can get you where He needs you to be.

The stars are ALWAYS out there, it’s just sometimes you can’t see them.

God Bless!

No Longer Orphans

no_longer_orphans

The Human condition leaves many people feeling disconnected, isolated and forgotten. “Who cares about me? What does any of this mean?” A.W. Tozer called it “cosmic orphanage*.”

This feeling couldn’t be further from the truth. John 1:12 tells us that anyone who “even believes in His (Jesus) name” is now a Child of The King! God gives you that right!

To be a child is to join in the inheritance of the Father. We are co-heirs with Christ! (Romans 8:17) Not just conquerors, but MORE than conquerors! Romans 8:37)

So forget this disconnected, isolated and forgotten nonsense. You are no longer outside the Father’s house in the cold, alone and naked. The Father welcomes you in. Take that human condition and kick it out the door. Claim your right! God bless!

Listen to: Hello, My Name Is – Matthew West

*Mornings with Tozer Daily Devotional

Mercy Over Sacrifice

mercy_over_sacrifice

Twice Jesus said that He desired mercy over sacrifice (Matt. 9:13 & 12:7). Telling us something once is enough, but twice? He really must’ve wanted us to get it! So what does it mean to desire mercy over sacrifice?

Jesus was quoting from Hosea 6:6. The Israelites were offering sacrifices to God because it was their duty not because they desired to please Him. Their hearts were not close to God. There was no relationship.

Jesus is saying He desires that we genuinely love him. He desires that we follow His will because we truly want to. He doesn’t want us coldly following rules like the Pharisees.

God sees the heart and no amount of rule following can replace a heart that isn’t true. Mercy wins over sacrifice, everytime. God bless!

Sides of the Same Coin

sides of the same coin

A.W. Tozer said Faith and Prayer are two sides of the same coin. They are inseparable!* A faithful Christian prays. A prayful Christian has faith. I guess you can pray without faith and you can have faith and not pray, but that’s not the most effective way to deflect the enemies arrows.

James tells us if we don’t have something, it’s because we haven’t asked for it (4:3). We are also told to pray without stopping (1 Thes. 5:17). Brittany’s Mom made a good point on this very subject the other day: the question isn’t “Are you praying?” It is “Why have you stopped praying?”

According to Tozer, it doesn’t take much wisdom to know our next move: Pray, pray, and pray!

God Bless!

*Mornings with Tozer, Daily Devotional Readings

Restore to me the Joy

restore_to_me

Are you a happy witness? That may sound like a childish question, but I would like for you to take a few seconds to meditate on it. Am I happy in my Christian walk?

Everyone loves a camp fire. Camp fires put out a lot of heat and light. But if you don’t keep your eye on it, the fire will die down. Ever notice how cold it seems AFTER a fire burns out? It didn’t seem that cold before you started! It also seems so much darker AFTER a fire. Your body got used to the warmth. Your eyes got used to the light.

To keep the fire going you have to keep stoking the flames. You have to put more logs on the fire. You have to keep your eye on it. David prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,” (Psa. 51:12).

Only Jesus can restore your joy. Only He can sustain you. It is through His salvation that all things have their luminance. It is through His salvation that all things have their warmth. Renew your relationship with Jesus and then you will rekindle your happiness in your Christian walk.

God bless!

Intercede

Intercede

Anyone ever ask you to pray for them? Sounds… almost… peaceful, doesn’t it? In reality they are asking you to engage in warfare. Intercession is throwing yourself into the spiritual battle raging all around us (Eph. 6:12).
How do I pray for someone? Charles Stanley mentioned this once and it always stuck with me: Pray Eph. 1:17-19. This scripture is the perfect intercessory prayer to get you started.
Take comfort that you are not alone in this fight. As you intercede, Jesus intercedes for you (Heb. 7:25). As sons and daughters of God, we have a direct line to go boldly to the Throne (Heb. 4:16).
So, the next time someone asks you to pray for them, roll up your sleeves, arm yourself with Eph. 1 and get ready to fight! God bless!