2 Chronicles 18 Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

(Has God spoken to you lately if not click to listen to God's teaching?)

Max Lucado Daily: You Can Rest Now

We so fear failure that we create the image of perfection. The result?  The weariest people on earth. Attempts at self-salvation guarantee nothing but exhaustion.  We scamper and scurry, trying to please God, collecting merit badges, and scowling at anyone who questions our accomplishments.

Hebrews 13:9 says, “Your hearts should be strengthened by God’s grace, not by obeying rules.”  Jesus doesn’t say, “Come to me, all you who are perfect and sinless.”  Just the opposite.  “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Let grace happen, for heaven’s sake.  No more performance for God, no more clamoring after God.  Of all the things you must earn in life, God’s unending affection is not one of them.  You have it.  You can rest now!

From GRACE

2 Chronicles 18

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2 Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” 4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”

5 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”

“Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”

6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”

7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.

8 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

9 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 10 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”

11 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

12 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”

13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”

14 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”

“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”

15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”

17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”

18 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

“‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

21 “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

22 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from[a] the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.

24 Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”

25 The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”

27 Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”

Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

30 Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” 31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, 32 for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

33 But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 34 All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Romans 5:6-15

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Where Sinners Go

January 8, 2013 — by Dave Branon

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

My friend was having a conversation with a man who didn’t have much good to say about the Christian faith. My friend knew that if he were to sound too “religious,” he would jeopardize any chance to witness. So, in the middle of their discussion, he said, “Hey, Bob, do you know where sinners go?”

“That’s easy,” he replied. “You’re going to tell me they go to hell.”

“No,” my friend responded. “They go to church.”

Bob was speechless. That wasn’t what he expected. He wasn’t ready to hear from a Christian who realized he wasn’t perfect. My friend had a chance to share that Christians understand their sinfulness and their need for continual spiritual restoration. He was able to explain grace—the unmerited favor we have with God despite our sinfulness (Rom. 5:8-9; Eph. 2:8-9).

Perhaps we don’t give those outside the church a clear picture of what’s happening inside. They may not understand that we’re there to praise our Savior for providing “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14).

Yes, sinners go to church. And sinners—forgiven ones—go to heaven because of God’s grace.

We’re far from perfection, yet perfect forever,
For Christ is our righteousness, Lord, and our Savior;
No justification for sin can we offer,
Yet sanctified fully, we’re now His forever. —Lee
A church is a hospital for sinners, not a club for saints.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 8, 2013

Is My Sacrifice Living?

Abraham built an altar . . . ; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar . . . —Genesis 22:9

This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”

We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.

It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Generals With Secrets - 6782

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Man, it had been a week for bombshells. One of America's most revered military leaders, and then head of the super-secret CIA, resigned because of an admitted affair. For all the secrets of his agency, his personal secret exploded into headlines around the world.

I just groaned when I heard about these sordid revelations. I hate to see another hero fall and another family ravaged. And then, questions arose around another of this country's top military leaders. Well, sadly, it doesn't take me long to remember other "generals" whose secrets have blown their world apart, including high-powered politicians and sadly even preachers. With the scandal spotlight turned on military leaders, my mind raced to another general with a dark secret. And even though his exploits were in a different time, his story is the story of so many guys.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Generals With Secrets."

Now, according to the Biblical history in our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Kings 5:1, Naaman was a "commander of the army" of the king of Syria. A "great man and highly regarded...a valiant soldier." But Naaman was a general with a secret; something that, in spite of all his conquests, he couldn't conquer. Like most men's secrets: Whether it's an addiction, or an affair, a collapsing marriage, a raging temper, a pattern of deceit, a sexual weakness, or that ticking emotional time bomb just behind all the smiles and the bravado.

Well, for General Naaman, it was a killer disease - leprosy; that medical monster that eats away fingers and feet and faces, and ultimately life itself. I can only imagine the general's disbelief the morning he saw that first telltale spot as he bathed. The man who had won so many victories was powerless against this one. That's a feeling so many of us men know when we face our inner monster.

So General Naaman organized a convoy to accompany him to seek out a prophet in Israel who reportedly could help. Of course, champions don't go to country preachers. Oh, no! Naaman went to the king! Who responded, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life?" So General Naaman had no choice but to lead his whole convoy out to the "boonies" where the prophet Elisha lived.

Now, he tried to buy a cure with the fortune he brought with him, but no deal. Elisha was a prophet who ran a non-profit ministry. And the prescription he gave this military icon infuriated him. Like most guys, Naaman wanted to do something big to solve his problem. But the prophet told him to go dunk himself seven times in the dirty, stinkin' Jordan River. And even though Naaman was dying from his disease, his reply was simple, "Ain't gonna happen, Rev.!"

Well, it did happen. Naaman's servants convinced him to give it a try, and what a scene it must have been. One of the Middle East's greatest and proudest, stripped down, holding his nose and walking into a repulsively muddy river. Strange thing about God; He doesn't heal the proud. He heals us when we finally humble ourselves and do it His way.

And the Bible reports the outcome: "So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times...and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young man." And then General Naaman announced for all to hear, "I will never again make sacrifices to any other god but the Lord."

You know, for so many "generals" - "make it happen" guys like me - the problem isn't leprosy. It's cancer. Spiritual cancer that drives all the dark things that we hate, but that we do. Things that hurt the people we love - the searing words, the anger; the pornographic bondage, the marital betrayal, that uncaring selfishness, the sinful desires that take us to where we never thought we'd go. Secret or not, our "disease" is no secret to us or to God.

But, thank God, Jesus tells us where we can find the cure. And he tells us "make it happen" men that God saves us "not by works so no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:9). So much for my pride. He points us, not to a dirty river, but to a bloody cross. Where Jesus "carried our sins in His body" and "freed us from our sins by His blood" (1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 1:5).

And the moment a man is most powerful is when he finally realizes his powerlessness to fix himself when he bows his knee at the foot of Jesus' cross. You will not conquer until you've been conquered. This could be your day to finally make this happen for you. And I say, "Man, if you've never had experience of Jesus Christ coming in and changing you, as only He can, let this be the day. Go to YoursForLife.net and get this done, and become what the Bible calls "a new creation in Christ."