my burg

Bible reading for Dec 21.  2 Chronicles 25. "And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart." (25:2)  A HALF-HEARTED LIFE. King Amaziah demonstrated a divided heart and life before God.  The Lord blessed him and gave him a twenty-nine year reign.  Earlier he did well, but then turned away from biblical counsel and worshiped a false god. The prophet Elijah said that a divided heart was like walking with one good leg and one bad (1 Kings 19:21). The Lord recognizes and rewards the good his people do in faith (2 Cor 5:10). "God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do" (Heb 6:10).  But as we see, there's tragic loss and sadness in the end for Amaziah because of his divided heart.   REFLECT. The next time you have a flat tire or get one of those shopping carts that has a wheel with a mind of its own, think about the blessing of whole-heartednes...

Bible reading for September 30.  1 Kings 2. "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn..." (1 Kings 2:2-3) A NEW REIGN. David gives his son Solomon a simple but straightforward charge (cf Deut 31:7-8; 2 Tim 4:1-2). He then dies and is buried in the City of David, which was the lower slope of the temple mount in Jerusalem. Though there is a traditional site of David's tomb in Jerusalem (I visited there in 1997) some archaeologists believe the tomb is yet to be discovered in the excavations of the older section of the City of David.  UNFINISHED BUSINESS. Solomon's reign will begin with a clean slate, and so his first actions are to conclude unfinished business from David's reign. Joab will fina...