Month: June 2025

Order Your Way

2 Chronicles 27, Isaiah 9-12

“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 27:6). 

Jotham could be considered to be an overlooked person in the Bible, but his accomplishments and example were great. He was young when he ascended to his position as a king: only 25 years old! However, at that point he had the spiritual maturity to humble himself before God unlike those around him. Because of that, he made a quiet yet profound impact on Israel during his reign (not to mention conquering the Ammonites). 

We will take this example and then examine Isaiah 9-11. Here, we find once again that wrath will be upon the wicked in the form of judgement from God. The language in these chapters do not spare us from imagery of fire and death. These seem to allude to a judgement of the wicked that has not come completely to pass just yet. 

Speaking of not coming to pass yet, prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11 makes allusions to the (then) coming messiah: Jesus Christ. “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). The root of Jesse spoken in this chapter is Jesus as he is in fact a descendant of Jesse according to the genealogy found in Luke 3. Here, we have a much more hopeful note to look to after the judgement that must pass. Importantly, that remnant that he will gather up is foretold in Isaiah 10:20.

 “In that day the remnant of Israel,

    the survivors of Jacob,

will no longer rely on him

    who struck them down

but will truly rely on the Lord,

    the Holy One of Israel.”

This “remnant of Israel” speaks of those who truly rely and trust in the Lord.

This brings us back to Jotham from 2 Chronicles 27. He sets an example for us as he walked steadfastly before the Lord, humbled himself, and put his trust in Him. Jotham overcame the war with the Ammonites with God on his side. Furthermore, the “remnants of Israel” were relented of the judgement that passed on the wicked, as they also walked with the Lord. If trusting in the Lord and setting your spiritual anchor with him allows for you to weather a calamity that only God can create, imagine what else you weather in your life if you put your trust in him! 

Therefore, we must live like Jotham. Stay faithful, even when the world around you is falling apart. Order your life before God. Strength grows in obedience. Hold on to Isaiah’s vision. Jesus has come, and He’s coming again. In Him, we find light in our darkest moments. With that, we will only begin to understand the praise that adorns the short chapter of Isaiah 12:

“Surely God is my salvation;

    I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;

    he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)

-Colby Leggitt

Discussion Questions

  1. What does it look like for you to “order your ways before the Lord” in your current season?
  2. Are there areas in your life where you’re tempted to compromise instead of staying faithful?
  3. What does it mean to be still before the Lord?
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Woe to the Complacent…

Amos 6-9

Today we are reading out of the third of the minor prophets, Amos. However, if the first three chapters make you feel a little uneasy: that’s entirely the point! Amos 6 starts with “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,

    and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,

you notable men of the foremost nation,

    to whom the people of Israel come!”

Amos is speaking on behalf of God to the people of Israel in a time of prosperity. However, in a time of complacency, the people of Israel have once again allowed for themselves to become spiritually corrupt. They “lie on beds adorned with ivory,” and “lounge on (your) couches,” but they “will be among the first to go into exile.” (Amos 6:4-7). This is because they “do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.” Because the people of Israel have become so complacent and uncaring of those in need lest it take away from their pleasure, God seeks to divide and destroy the nation as it currently stands. 

Amos 7-8 essentially goes into vivid imagery of how Israel’s destruction will be met. First, the locusts. However, Amos convinces God to relent to an impending famine. Then, the fire. However, yet again Amos convinces God not to destroy the land. Then, God showed Amos a vision of him holding a plumb line, which is a device used to measure the straightness of a vertical drop. However, when God was “setting a plumb line among my people Israel,” he was measuring their righteousness to his standard. And for this, he must judge them and divide them. 

Surely this should serve as a MASSIVE wakeup call for Israel. Unfortunately, the priest of Bethel (Amaziah) was not wanting Amos to prophesy against Israel in the city of the king. That didn’t end too well for him. Read Amos 7:17 for more on that. Ouch.

We must use this time when Israel was judged as a reflection on our own lives. What does it mean to be complacent? Does God despise complacency? Is it not okay to be comfortable? Although it almost certainly looks to be that way, I would argue that the grave mistake that Israel was making was their complete ignorance of righteousness and their spiritual lives. Are we more concerned with our personal comfort than with the brokenness around us? Do we avoid lamenting over sin and injustice because it disrupts our peace? Although we must always strive for times of peace, we must be aware of our own sin and also make active attempts to comfort those around us who are not at peace. 

Furthermore, God says that a famine will fall upon Israel after all. However, it’s a little different than the usual famine. It’s “Not a famine of bread… but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). Are we listening for God’s voice or have we tuned Him out in our own prosperity and ignorance? The greatest famine we could ever face is not material, but spiritual when we no longer hunger for God’s Word or even notice when it’s absent. With that said, we must heed the words of Amos and continue to hunger and thirst for the righteousness that God offers us through his words. 

Although most of this sounds like a dire warning and a time for lamenting to come, we actually don’t get to end off our devotion with a bad note! As God promises in Amos 9 that there will be a restoration. “The days are coming… when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile” (Amos 9:13-14). Therefore, if we apply this message to our own spiritual journey, we can know that even if we are burdened by the weight of our own complacency and sin, that it is not too late to act. There is hope for our own restoration, just as God promised that there will be a restoration for the people of Israel. 

-Colby Leggitt

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Where in my life have I grown complacent or overly comfortable?
  2. What injustices am I ignoring or avoiding?
  3. Am I listening for God’s Word daily or has it become background noise?
  4. How can I live today with urgency for hope in restoration through repentance?
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Not-So-Famous Amos

Amos 1-5

I love a good chocolate chip cookie! I can’t say that vending machine cookies are my favorite thing, but if I need a sugar fix, a bag of Famous Amos cookies can do the trick. However, today’s devotion and scripture contain no chocolate chip cookies (unless you would like to eat one while you’re reading).

I can’t think of any songs or poems proclaiming Amos’ greatness. He wasn’t a king, a priest, or in any elevated position. Amos 1:1 says that this not-so-famous Amos was “Among the sheepherders from Tekoa.” Even the place he was from isn’t famous to our modern-day ears. (I had to cheat a little bit to find out more about Amos by going to chapter 7). In Amos 7:14, he says, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.” He didn’t speak out so he would gain fame. He spoke out because God called him to.

Once again, God shows us that he can use anyone from any background as a vessel for His word. Amos had powerful things to say, and He was willing to be God’s vessel. Some of his writings might be a little bit difficult to read and understand without knowing about the events of his day so if you need a Cliff Notes version to help you gain clarity, I recommend this video from The Bible Project.

Remember, it doesn’t matter what your age, gender, race, or education is. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been raised in the church or are just starting on your Christian journey. God can use you to further His Kingdom and share his love!

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection:

• What gifts or talents has God given you that you can use for furthering His Kingdom?

• What is one way that someone else has shared God’s word with you? What made it effective, and how can you effectively share God’s word with someone else?

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Imagine

Isaiah 5-8

As you might have noticed from previous days, I love to take time to imagine I am in a different place or time. When I visualize an event or outcome, it helps me to understand what is happening better. It deepens my understanding and my connection to whatever and wherever I am because I can see it and almost be a part of it.

My encouragement today is for you to try to visualize Isaiah chapter 6. This is one of my go-to scriptures to connect with God before prayer because it helps me to slow down, focus, and reminds me just who I’m praying to. I want to try to share with you the journey I go on with this passage, and I hope that it helps you to enter His presence in a new way.

In chapter 6, we see that Isaiah is having a vision. He says he sees, “The Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe filling the temple.” This is such a strong reminder to me that I’m not just sitting down and having a chat over coffee. I’m talking to God, the creator of the universe. His presence is so vast and mighty that I imagine myself looking up in awe. He is marvelous. He is magnificent.

In my mind, I can smell the sweet but potent smell of incense burning in the temple while my eyes travel to the seemingly unending flow of the fabric of his robes. They glisten with an iridescent sheen. They are as white as newly fallen snow.

I hear the flutter of wings and look even higher up above my creator. I see creatures that are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They have six wings and are melodically crying out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” It’s almost like a chant. They repeat it over and over again, until I hear myself repeating it too. I feel centered. I feel open and at peace. Nothing else matters at this moment except my connection to my God.

I still smell the incense, but it’s now mixed with the smell of smoke. The cool stone foundations under my feet begin to tremble so much so that I fall on my face and kneel. I hear the most beautiful yet powerful voice of God.” Again, I am reminded just who I’m in the presence of. When I lay my cares and worries down at His feet, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is able to take them from me. I feel His power and His love all around me as I kneel in his presence.

In my mind, I hear him speak to Isaiah, telling him to speak the words God wants to share with His people. Although I’m not given the same message to speak as Isaiah, I open my heart to God’s leading. I open my ears to His words. “Here am I. Send Me!” I say just as Isaiah had said. I wait and I listen. I feel a warm breeze wrap around me. My spine begins to tingle, and my eyes fill with tears. I am unworthy to be in the same room as my creator, and yet he desires to hear me and spend time with me. No matter is too big or small for Him to hear. He wants me to be in His presence and He wants to guide me. I am His child. This magnificent God, whose power cannot be contained, created me and has a plan for me. I am in awe, and I am humbled.

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection:

• Even if you are not a person who is able to visualize, what is one new thing you could do to deepen your connection with God today?

• If you enjoyed trying out this visualization, perhaps try out visualizing other stories such as being with God in the Garden of Eden or being on the mountain with Moses as the Ten Commandments were given. 

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Hope

Isaiah 1-4

Regardless of your political ideas and loyalties, I believe we can all agree that the world is a mess right now. War and the threat of new wars are a daily reality. Mud-slinging goes back and forth between our politicians while important issues that they should be finding solutions to go unresolved and forgotten until the next election cycle. The soaring cost of buying a home or even purchasing groceries shows no sign of significant improvement. Anxiety and stress levels are high, causing many both inside and outside of the church to feel hopeless.

And yet, we have hope! Although there is quite a bit of reading material from the Bible today, I’m going to focus on just one verse that can bring all of us hope. In the NASB 1995, Isaiah 2:4 says:

“And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nations, And never again will they learn war.”

Imagine living in a time and place where God is our judge. Of course, he is already in our hearts, but the nations of our world don’t worship and obey him. Even the USA, with “In God We Trust” printed on our money, documents, and buildings, does not truly and wholly worship God.

Imagine no more need to create bigger and faster weapons. In verse four, by turning weapons into plowshares and pruning hooks, they are creating tools used for growth instead of destruction. Without war or the threat of war, more creativity and time could be devoted to feeding the hungry and easing each other’s burdens. No one would fear their loved ones becoming a casualty of war or going off to fight only to return as a different person because of their experiences.

I encourage you today, as we await God’s Kingdom, to seek out ways to bring good to the damaged world we live in. Regardless of the hate and dismay, help to cultivate life and renewal for your family, church, and community. Seek peace whenever possible and spread hope far and wide.

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection:

• What are ways that you can spread the hope of God’s peace to others in your family, church, school, work, community, etc…

• Take time to imagine what life will be like in God’s Kingdom. What does it look like, smell like, and feel like?

• Are you feeling hopeless? Who is someone you can talk to who can help restore your hope? 

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He’s a Leper!

2 Kings 16 & 2 Chronicles 26

In our house, we’re movie nerds, and one of our go-to movies is “The Lorax,” based on the story by Dr. Seuss. In the movie, the Lorax is an orange furry mythical creature who tries to protect a forest full of adorable animals from a character called the Once-ler. Now, the Once-ler is a young man who is full of dreams. He wants to do good things, find success, and make his family proud. At first, he does just that! He has a successful start to his business, and things are looking great. However, in his arrogance, he goes back on his promise not to destroy the forest and begins chopping down trees, all while singing a very catchy song called “How Bad Can I Be?” The Once-ler is so blinded by his ambition that he can’t see the wrong he is doing.

The Once-ler and King Uzziah have a lot in common. He became king at a young age and sought out God’s wisdom to establish his reign. He fought to give his kingdom success, and he made his people proud. He even gained fame beyond his borders for his strength and valor. However, this fame and strength went to his head and corrupted his heart. He became proud and arrogant and dismissed the law. In 2 Chronicles 26:16, we see him enter the temple of God and burn incense on the altar of incense. It was not his right or place, even as a king, to do this. In verse 18, Azariah and eighty of his fellow priests enter the temple and rebuke him for these actions. And yet, Uzziah did not listen and repent. Instead, he was enraged and defiant, so God struck him with leprosy on his forehead. Only then did King Uzziah rush to leave God’s temple.

King Uzziah, much like other kings we have read about, started with great intentions and ambitions. Yet because of his pride, he lived the rest of his life in a separate house infected with leprosy, while his son Jotham took over running his house. Don’t follow the Once-ler and don’t follow King Uzziah. Seek and listen to wisdom.

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection:

• If you’ve never seen it, check out “The Lorax” and see if you think King Uzziah and the Once-ler led a similar life.

• Imagine you are one of the priests confronting King Uzziah. Close your eyes and picture the temple around you and breathe in the scent of incense. How does it feel to confront the king? Do you have the courage to stay and rebuke the king as Azariah did? 

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Fish Food

Jonah 1-4

We all probably know the highlights of the story. Jonah was commanded to go to Nineveh, but thought he could hide from God if he fled to Tarshish. After a storm bombards their ship, Jonah confesses what he has done to his shipmates. They aren’t even followers of God and can’t believe what he has done. Jonah tells them to toss him overboard and eventually, they do and he is swallowed by a great fish sent from God. Jonah repents and is vomited out of the fish in Nineveh. He spreads God’s word and the people of Nineveh listen and repent. Jonah gets mad that God showed Nineveh compassion, gets angry about his plant dying, and begs God for death.

Today, I want to focus on Jonah’s time in the sea and in the whale. As a child, I remember being introduced to the story of Jonah. Thanks to Disney’s “Pinocchio” and its depiction of the inside of the whale, I envisioned Jonah in a vast yet watery cavern of a stomach. I thought it sounded a little fun, honestly. In my mind, he had light, could eat seafood, and just needed to hang out for a few days before his live submarine dropped him off at Nineveh. However, Jonah’s experience was nothing like Pinocchio’s.

In his prayer from the belly of the fish, he recounts his dismay as the seaweed wrapped around his head as he sank to the sea floor. He details being on the brink of death and how, in those seemingly last moments, he desperately calls out to God for help.

We can further imagine what it might have been like for Jonah, thanks to a passage from “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. In Chapter 9 a character named Father Maple reads this hymn for the crew:

“The ribs and terrors in the whale,

Arched over me a dismal gloom,

While all God’s sun-lit waves rolled by,

And lift me deepening down to doom…..

…In black distress I called my God,

When I could scarce believe him mine,

He bowed his ear to my complaints

No more the whale did me confine….

…I give the glory to my God,

His all the mercy and the power.”

I don’t know what Jonah’s life was like before this event, but I have to imagine that this is the lowest and darkest event that he had experienced. And yet, he cried out to God and God answered. Even though Jonah made a calculated decision to run away from God, God still answered when Jonah called out. Jonah could never truly outrun God or be too damaged for God to care for. God didn’t just listen to Jonah’s cries, he saved him, redeemed him, and entrusted him to still go speak to the people of Nineveh.

In our fast-paced, chaotic lives it can be easy for us to make a calculated decision to run from God and try to hide. Inevitably, we will have a time or times in our lives when we hit rock bottom and feel as though we can see the mountains of the deep rising around us, suffocating us. But don’t lose hope! Just as God still loved Jonah no matter how far he ran, God still loves us. God can break the chains that hold us down in our distress. He offers love, freedom, forgiveness, and a purpose.

If you are feeling low or see someone around you who is struggling, it’s time to cry out to God. God loves you and has a plan for you. Let him comfort you and free you from whatever might be holding you back.

-Lacy Dunn

Reflection:

• Is there anything weighing you down that you feel like you can’t escape? If so, take some time to give your burden to God. Also, talk to a Godly friend or mentor who can help you so you aren’t alone.

• What do you think Jonah looked like and smelled like after arriving in Nineveh via whale vomit? Imagine what you might do if you saw Jonah arrive in your town/city like this. 

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Not So Amazing

2 Kings 14 & 2 Chronicles 25

Everyday when I get home, my sweet dog Brynleigh greets me at the door. She usually gives me a few little barks of hello and then follows me around as I settle in. This darling little corgi is so full of love and devotion, but I am not the object of her affection. When she greets me at the door, she has her orange and blue ball either in her mouth or very close by. While I’m settling in, she’s not worried about me being comfortable. She’s impatiently waiting for me to drop everything and play ball with her. She is 100% devoted to her ball and loves it more than anything or anyone on the planet. Sure she loves me or at least tolerates me in her way, but she practically worships her ball.

King Amaziah is not so different from my beloved corgi. When I see the name Amaziah, I correlate it to the word “amazing,” but we find that he wasn’t the amazing king we would hope for. It says that although Amaziah generally did right in the sight of God, he didn’t do so with a full heart. We see him go through the motions and even make some good decisions, but because his heart is not completely rooted in being a faithful follower of God, we see him fall away. We see him become proud and seemingly believe that he is, in fact, an amazing king.

After Amaziah and his army came home from battle, he didn’t give glory to God or seek His wisdom. Instead, he brought home idols that represented the gods of the sons of Seir. He didn’t just bring them home as plunder or decoration though, he actually started worshiping them. God sends a prophet who confronts him and asks in 2 Chronicles 25:15, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their people from your hand?” But, the amazing king just tells the prophet to stop talking. He didn’t want to hear wisdom and he certainly didn’t want to make any changes in his life.

At the pinnacle of his reign, Amaziah decides to pick a fight with King Jehoash of Israel. Jehoash dishes some major shade his way in return. Here is how I would imagine part of Jehoash’s response if it were in modern times. “Look, thanks to your massive ego, I know you think you are amazing and unstoppable but why don’t you just stay home and polish your trophies. I could crush you and all of Judah too, so don’t embarrass yourself.” In truth, I don’t know if King Jehoash’s reply to King Amaziah was meant to be as sarcastic as I’ve implied or if it was meant to be a more sincere rebuke but either way, the amazing king didn’t listen. His army was defeated, his city was plundered, and he was captured. He really should have just stayed home.

Before we start pointing a finger at King Amaziah’s downfalls and inflate our egos, let’s take a minute to see how similar we might be. Are there times that we go through the motions but don’t give our whole selves to God? Have we ever pushed away wisdom and then suffered the consequences? Of course we have. We have all fallen short, just like the amazing king.

Unlike Amaziah, my hope is that when we fall short that we would seek wisdom. When an idol gets between us and our relationship to God, my prayer is that we would be rooted firmly enough in God’s love to cast it aside. Let’s strive to be whole heartedly devoted to God who truly is amazing.

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection Questions:

• If you were King Jehoash, how might you have responded to King Amaziah’s message?

• What is a potential idol that you might have? How did it become an idol and what can you do to remove it?

• What does it look like to give your whole heart to God? Set aside some time to dig in to scripture, meditate, or have a discussion with a Godly friend about what it means to give your whole heart to God. 

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Five Deaths and A Resurrection

2 Kings 12-13
2 Chronicles 24

A few months ago, our worship team was looking for new songs for Easter services. We began practicing a song called “Rattle” by Elevation Worship, but I realized the bridge had a peculiar phrase. Here is how the first part of the bridge goes:

“My God is able to save and deliver and heal

And restore anything that He wants to

Just ask the man who was thrown

On the bones of Elisha

If there’s anything that He can’t do…”

My mind was whirling trying to remember who was thrown onto those bones, why did it happen, and what was the outcome? To my surprise, only two verses are devoted to this miraculous event. 2 Kings 13:20-21 very casually mention that in haste, a dead man was put into Elisha’s grave and as soon as he touched Elisha’s bones he was “revived and stood up on his feet.” To be honest, I would love more information. How did the man die and who was he? Did he live a long time after he was brought back to life? Did he do anything amazing with the extra time he was given? Alas, scripture doesn’t give us more details.

However, it does tell us a bit about the lives of Joash and Jehoiada. Joash was only seven years old when he became king of Judah and had a long reign. During his reign, he commanded that repairs would be made to God’s house. King Joash was ready to roll with this project and even specified they needed to do the work quickly but the priests were like,“Meh, lets do repairs another day” and didn’t get to work like they had been commanded.

Enter Jehoiada. Jehoiada was the chief priest who had even played matchmaker for Joash. Joash asks Jehoiada what the hold up is and commands him to get this project moving. Jehoiada does as King Joash commands and the repairs are finally made. Sadly, Jehoiada passes away and Joash begins listening to ungodly advisors.

King Joash was so misled by these advisors that he even has Jehoiada’s son Zechariah stoned to death. Things went from bad to worse from there. King Joash became sick and was eventually murdered by his own servants. He wasn’t even buried in the tombs of the kings because he was so reviled for his evil acts.

So what does it matter? People lived, did good, did evil and all eventually died. So what? It matters as a reminder for us to examine how we live our lives. Elisha was so connected with God that even after he was dead and buried, his bones radiated God’s power. Jehoiada was respected because he followed God’s laws and he was even buried in the area where other kings were buried. On the other hand, King Joash, although he possessed power and wealth, allowed himself to be led astray from God and died in disgrace.

I hope that we can all be a little bit like each of the men from today’s passage. Let’s be ready to take action for good like King Joash was while he was young. Let’s grow in wisdom and share it like Jehoiada did. Let’s speak the truth with passion, no matter the cost, like Zechariah did. And when we feel spiritually weak or even dead, let’s rise up and become restored with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ, like the man thrown into Elisha’s tomb did.

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection Questions:

• You might have noticed that I didn’t bring up Jehoahaz and Jehoash. What happened as a result of their disobedience to God?

• Do you have a Godly mentor like Jehoiada in your life? If so, who are they and how do they inspire you? If not, who is a Godly person you could take inspiration from?

• Imagine that you are the guy who died and suddenly came back to life after touching Elisha’s bones. What thoughts are going through your mind? Who do you go visit first? What change do you make in your life with this new chance?

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Jehu is Different

2 Kings 9-11

In Second Kings chapters 9-11 we read largely about the obedience of King Jehu in attempting to remove idolatry from Israel.  In the midst of that content there is an interesting concept that rings fairly true to today.  In Second Kings 9:22 Joram asks Jehu if he has come in peace.  Jehu responds, “How can there be peace as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”  Jehu is clearly communicating that peace does not come between God and evil.  Our application should be a bit cautious, but clear.

Some would take a verse like this to somehow support a Christian committing an act of violence against an unbeliever.  This is not a proper application of this concept and should not be condoned.  Rather, it is important to recognize that there is a difference between the ways of God and the ways of evil, and those who support the ways of God will be different than those who support the ways of evil.  King Jehu recognized that the ways of Joram were opposed to the ways of God so there would be no peace between them.

In the New Testament we find language that concurs with this concept.  Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”.  First Peter 1:1 says in part, “To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered through Pontus…”  Once we become a believer, we align ourselves with God and His plan and ways.  This causes us to become strangers in the world, as we are different than the world.  Our citizenship is no longer of the world, but rather we become citizens of heaven.  Our eternity will be on the earth, after Jesus restores it through the millennial kingdom.  This is why Paul says at the end of Philippians 3:20, “And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”.  However, our hearts and lives belong to God, who currently resides in heaven.  Our citizenship is with God in heaven, not of this earth.

Therefore, there is not peace between us and the world.  We are different.  Our lives should look different and we should be different than the world.  I believe this is the connection we can make to King Jehu’s response of clearly communicating that peace does not come between God and evil.

How should we respond then?  We should recognize that our lives are different from the world.  Sometimes that will cause awkwardness in our lives.  I attempt to hold pretty clear boundaries for the movies, shows, videos, or even reels I will watch.  If someone sends me a link of a video to watch I will ask about what it is and the content of it.  I sometimes ask if it includes any of the things I attempt to not visually consume.  This causes tension or awkwardness socially.  But I know it is best for me to be different in this way.


However, even though there is not peace between God and the world, we should still strive to live at peace with others.  Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  My response to King Jehu’s question should not lead me to go against God’s call to peace found here.  I live a different life than the world, but I also strive for peace with others, that I might show them the love of God each day of my life.  In doing this, I may win one for Christ!

-Michael Cisler


Reflection Questions

What are ways in which you can live more for God, and therefore not be at peace with the world?

How can you show others around you that you are intentional about living at peace with all people?

In what ways can we cope with the tension that sometimes is created by living at peace, but being different?

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