Share the Good News

2 Kings 7:9 – “Then they said one to another, ‘We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischeif will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.'”

Whether a compliment about how one looks or does something, a wedding proposal, or a good grade – no matter what the occassion or report, whenever somebody has good news, he automatically shares it with others almost every single time. The only times when a person witholds good news is when they are trying to surprise another person or they are selfish and are trying to horde the news all to themselves.

In our passage above, four lepers had just entered into the camp of the Syrians, an army that had surround Samaria and caused a great famine to occur in the city – a famine that has led people to eat their own children. These four lepers, knowing that in Israel, they were considered outcasts and were bound to die alone due to their disease decided that since they were going to die already, they might as well try seeing if they could live and be fed from the Syrian camp. Interestingly enough, what they found instead was deliverance and spoils from a scared Syrian army that had left the camp trying to run away from a fake enemy due to the Lord’s deliverance. These lepers then plundered two tents. After the two tens, they realized that they had done wrong in witholding this good news. They had known of this deliverance and were indulging themselves, while their fellow brother Israelites were starving in the city. They then made this statement. What these men realized was that it was wrong for them to withold this good news that could benefit all while they selfishly endulged themselves.

Today, so many of us Christians are doing the same thing, though we may not realize it. We like these lepers were condemned sinners – outcasts away from the family of God. But when we humbled ourselves and decided that our only form of deliverance came from the Lord, we receive the great freedom and benefits of serving Christ. Unfortunately, like these lepers many of us have been witholding this good news to ourselves. We have been told by the Lord to share the Good News of the Gospel to all – to tell others the deliverance, the provision, the blessings, and the victory that we have experienced in Christ; but instead, we choose not to. We need to step up and share the Word of God with those around us knowing that it is our job and that we have this great Gift that will not only save us but everyone who receives Him. Do not withold the great blessings you have already been given in Christ. Share them with all you can, for you can be the source of Good News for not only that one person but all those around them as well.

Wait on the Lord

2 Kings 6:33 – “And while he yet talked wiwth them, behold the messenger came down unto him: and he said, ‘Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?'”

Patience is one of the hardest virtues to develop, and it becomes even more difficult when one is looking for deliverance from trouble – deliverance that probably was promised to you. I can only imagine what it took for certain Allies troops felt when they were waiting for reinforcements from Axis attacks during WWII. It must have been so difficult.

The background passage for the verse today speaks of how Israel is currently being besieged by the King of Syria. This siege has caused a famine to break out in the city, so that, people are now even starting to eat their children. Once the king of Israel heard about this while walking in the city, he decided that it was time to send a messenger to kill Elisha, because he attributed this whole famine to the Lord or to Elisha, the Lord’s prophet. The messenger when arriving then stated this statement probably as a message from the king to Elisha, “Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?” The king was basically blaming God for the trouble and deciding that it was no longer any use to wait for God’s deliverance, indicating that Elisha must have already previously spoken of God’s deliverance from this siege just at a later time. The king of Israel decided that he would no longer be patient and endure the trouble as he waited on the Lord’s deliverance and instead was ready to take matters into his own hands.

So often, we do the same thing, especially in troubling situations. We assume that the LORD is out to get us and is just sending us trouble to spite us or hurt us or get some sick pleasure from watching our suffering. Then, when we hear His promises in the Word, we decide maybe He isn’t that way and wait on Him for a little bit of time. Finally, though after waiting a long time and not seeing the deliverance, we begin to question again God’s love, grace, and mercy and then decide to take matters into our own hands. It is when we start doing that that we mess up, realize we have made a huge mistake, and turn in repentance to the Lord. But what would have been more simple was to just continue trusting Him in the first place. Our God is a faithful God who will never leave us, forsake us, or change in front of us. Instead, the Lord always seeks to deliver His children in His time. And even if the trouble was allowed byt he Lord, it is always in a manner that will draw us closer to Him or bring glory to Him. After making the statement in the verse above, the messenger receives a message from the Lord by Elisha that the famine would end and a great deliverance would ensue. It was exactly what happened. All the king needed to do was wait and see an incredible deliverance that he could never bring about in any way alone. Let us not grow weary in waiting of the Lord for in His time, all things work together for good to them that love Him.

A Good Soldier

2 Timothy 2:3-4 – “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

One of my favorite hymns when I was growing up was called Onward! Christian Soldiers. I loved it because it allowed me to picture myself in a romanticized battlefield setting, where I would be a great soldier taking down all the evil around me, as if war was something beautiful. It was only as I grew older that my romanticized picture fell apart. As I learned more and more about world wars and the horrors of it, I realized that war is not a pretty picture. It is not normally the stuff of legends and glorified heroes but the daily grind and pain of fighting against other human beings for a cause that at times may not seem worth it. It is the daily giving up of one’s own life to serve a better purpose. It is the endurance of difficulty and hardship.

When I think of this and relate it to this hymn, I realize the spiritual war that we as Christians wage is not easy as well. It requires us to be good soldiers not just plain ordinary soldiers who go into war as if it was a fun thing to do, but good obedient disciplined soldiers of Jesus Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul paints a picture of a good soldier, giving us three characteristics of a soldier.

1) A good soldier endures hardness.

When you remove yourself from the Hollywood versions of WWII battlefields and really begin to ask those of that greatest generation what that war was like, they will tell you that it was not easy. Each day they had to endure and continue on, even in the homefront, where many people went without so that the soldiers could be provided for. A good soldier endures hardness and difficulty. When pains come and wounds appear, a good soldier does not just pack up and run, he stays on the battlefield protecting and helping his fellow soldiers. It is not the coward that receives the Medal of Honor but the unbelievable hero who does anything to protect his fellow man. In the same manner, we as Christians must be willing to endure hardship for our faith. Each day we are looked upon by unbeliving coworkers, family members, friends who question our faith. They do not understand why we believe what we believe, and even in some cases, they will try to dissuade you from believing. They will try to dissuade you from being obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be difficult when family and friends abandon you for your faith. It will be hard when you are mocked for your faith. It will not be easy. But we must endures as a good soldier.

2) A good soldier does not entangle himself with the affairs of this life.

On Memorial Day, I already wrote about this particular phrase, because it is one of the key things that are preventing Christians from being the effective movers and shakers of society that we are called to be. So many of us are caught and entangled with the things of this life. We are so busy trying to work and earn a living that we forget to stop and volunteer to help those who are less fortunate. WE are so busy trying to get ahead in our careers that we forget to show love and compassion to our fellow workers but instead push and shove our way to the top. We are so busy trying to buy that new car or house and think little of those fellow brothers in Christ in India or China who may need transportation to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. We are just so caught up in this world. In Matthew 13, Jesus Christ speaks of the Parable of the Sower in which he talks about one type of soil in which the seed fell into – the thorny soil. He then explained how that soil represented those people who hear the Word of God, allow it to grow in their lives, but then also allow the cares and riches of this world to grow next to it, eventually choking the growth of the Word. It goes along with just the last devotional. We need to choose this day whom we will serve. If God is God then serve Him. If Baal (idols) are then serve them. Later on in this chapter, Paul speaks of vessels in the house and how some are of gold and silver while others are of wood and earth, but he then makes a bold statement in vs. 21, where he states, “If a man therefore purge himself from these [things of dishonor], he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” It is when the Christian decides to remove the hindrances in his life, that he becomes a useful and good soldier of Jesus Christ.

3) A good soldier seeks to please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

When a soldier enlists himself into the army, he makes the decision that from now on, his one goal is to serve his nation. He has no other goal except to please the nation which has enlisted him into its service. It is very similar to what happens when you get a job. From that point forward, your job is to make sure that you put a smile on the customer’s or your boss’s face. They should be pleased with your work. We as Christians need to get this picture into our head, and Paul makes a conscious effort to drill it into our minds as well. He first tells them to remove the things that entangle, then he tells them to add what is good. Paul tells them to replace their desires of this world with Jesus Christ. As Christians, our goal should be to please our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has called us to this service. We are called from that point on to honor and glorify our Lord Christ. Iin cahpter 1 vs. 9, Paul reminds us that we are called to a holy calling because of God’s own purpose and grace. God has called us to serve Him and to seek to please Him. We are called to flee our youthful lusts and follow after righteousness, faith, love, and peace (2 Timothy 2:22). We are called to be servants of the Lord. To become a good soldier of Jesus Christ, we must seek to please Him.

To reiterate, a good soldier is one that endures hardness, does not entangle himself with the affairs of this life, and strives to please the one who has called him to this service. Are you a good soldier? If not, then why not begin today, so that you can be effective in this dificult war that we are in. It is not easy. It is not romanticized. It takes discipline and hard work, but the victory guaranteed us in the end is well worth the effort.

Just as Guilty

Genesis 3:6 – “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Take a moment and examine the verse above. What do you see that is so special in this verse? Who do you think is to blame for the first sin? If you ask anyone who has studied the word extensively, most of them would say Eve did. The problem of sin began with Eve eating of that fruit from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She was told clearly by God that if she should eat of that tree she would surely die, yet she took of that tree and ate it. It was her fault! She was the one that got Adam to eat of it too. So it is her wrong. Do you agree with them?

If you do, take another moment and look at that verse above again. There is something that you missed completely and that I had missed until today. It is a small phrase that can easily be glanced over. The phrase is right at the end – “with her.” Adam was with Eve the whole time. While she was at the tree and the snake came by and tempted her, Adam was there. When Eve picked the fruit, Adam was there. When Eve placed the fruit into her mouth, Adam was there. Adam was present during this whole predicament. We give the blame to Eve for being tempted and first eating the fruit, and rightly so, but Adam should be as much to blame, for not only did he partake of the fruit as well, but he could have stopped it all. Adam could have easily told Eve, “No. The serpent is tricking you. God says the truth, and we can trust in Him.” But he didn’t; instead, he stood by, watched, and partook.

Like Adam, many of us Christians are doing the same exact thing. We see our fellow Christian brethren doing what is wrong, and we do nothing to stop it. We find that they are reveling in their sin and continuing to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, but we don’t say, “Hey! Wake up! You’re a Christian. You need to stop being like this.” Instead, we just sit by and watch and allow them to continue in order “to spare their feelings.” Eventually, we will succumb to the sin as well. Throughout Scripture, we as Christians are called to stand by and correct our fellow brethren.

2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 – “If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an emeny, but warn him as a brother.”

1 Thessalonians 5:14 – “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encouraget he fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

Galatians 6:1 – “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fualt, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be temnpted.”

Matthew 18:15-20 tells us of how to confront a brother in sin against us.

We as Christians are called to help and encourage each other to grow in the Lord, which means that we must not stand idle when fellow Christians are falling to sin. We must encourage them before they step into sin to turn away and if they do to exhort, rebuke, and draw them back but doing it with humility and love not a judging attitude. Are you going to be like Adam just watching as others continue to sin, or will you take a stand and stop it? If Adam had stopped Eve, what do you think our world would be like today?

It Will Take More and More. So Pick a Side.

1 Kings 20:4-6 – “And the king of Israel answered and said, ‘My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.’ And the messengers came again, and said, “Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, ‘Although I have sent unto thee, saying, “Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and its hall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.”‘”

1 Kings 18:21 – “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, ‘How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word.”

I remember as a child watching cartoons where Goofy or Donald Duck end up in a predicament where a cliff seems to break apart between them. So instead of picking a side what they end up trying to do is spread both their legs apart between two sides until they fall into the precipice or are lunged to one side by something. This is the picture I think of when I look at our passage from 1 Kings 18 today. Here we find, Elijah telling the people of Israel that it is now time to make a decision. Now is the time for them to decide whether they will serve God or Baal, a false god. Before that time, they lingered between God and Baal, serving both, but one cannot serve two masters, he must either hate the one and love the other or despise the one and love the other. There was no way to serve both. This is the question that must be answered by every person seeking to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Will you continue to serve both God and the things of this earth, your false idols or will you stand with the one true God fully devoted to Him? For God demands your all – no partiality.

But an interesting thing that you need to note before making this decision is our other passage for today in 1 Kings 20. In this passage, we find that King Ahab is approached by an enemy king demanding silver and gold, wives and children – a demand to which King Ahab quickly agreed to in order to preserve his life and kingdom, but right after making that agreement, King Ahab was given another entangling agreement that would cost even more in that now, the enemy king would send messengers into the house of Ahab and take away anything that Ahab enjoyed. You may say, “What does this have to do with making a decision to serve God or my idols?” It is very obvious. When we choose to have idols before God, what we are really doing is committing a sin – for the first commandment states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” And when sin takes even a small slice of your life, an inkling, just a crack on the sidewalk, it will then demand more and more. Have you noticed that when you give into eating sweets after a long hard workout, you tend to eat more and more. You say that you’ll only take one scoop of ice cream, then that becomes two, then three, then a whole quart. Sin is like that, you give it just a small section of your life, and then it will demand more and more just as King BenHadad did to Ahab after he gave a little. So the decision we must come to now is – Is there sin in your life that is keeping you from serving God fully? Let go of it. Because just like Donal or Goofy, eventually the precipice between God and your idols will grow to far apart and since sin keeps taking more and more eventually you will fall to the side of sin rather than the side of God. So abandon your sins today and choose Christ.