Tag: Michael Cisler

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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Healed How?

2 Kings 5-8

Second Kings chapter 5 includes another miracle performed by God through Elisha.  Yesterday we considered four miracles from chapter 4, today we will consider one from chapter 5, the healing of Naaman of leprosy.  Rather than focusing on the miracle, let’s focus on the heart of Naaman.

In Second Kings 5:10 we find the words of Elisha to Naaman of how he can be cured of leprosy, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”  These seem like simple, albeit specific, instructions.  In the next verse we read, “But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”  Naaman seems to have some pretty simple, albeit specific, expectations of how God would show up in his life.  In his first statement, I wonder if Naaman feels a little ignored or slighted that Elisha did not come out himself to see him.  Naaman is a man of some importance within Aram but Elisha sends his messenger to Naaman rather than coming out himself.  This is a good lesson to us to not think too highly of ourselves as well (Romans 12:3). 

Naaman goes on to communicate what he assumes will happen before he has an encounter with God.  He assumed Elisha would stand, call on God’s name, and wave his hand.  This might seem unique to Naaman, but are we sometimes a lot like Naaman.  Take a moment to consider how you expect to meet with God in worship.  Are there things you anticipate will happen before you experience God during a worship service?  Do you assume there will be songs led by a guitar or piano?  Do you think the speaker must have a dynamic presence on a stage?  Do you think God will show up if the singers have perfect voices and the lighting is ideal?  Is there a simple, albeit specific, formula that you expect to occur in worship before you think God will show up?

I would challenge you today to consider breaking free from your expectations of how to experience God and to lean into the method that is consistent in Scripture and historically.  Naaman experienced God when he followed God’s direction.  This is when we will experience God as well.  When we follow God’s direction for our lives or for our church, we will experience God and the blessing He has in store for us.  By Second Kings 5:14 Naaman was talked into obeying God and it says, “So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”  It was obedience to God that brought about an encounter with Him.  It is our obedience to God, that brings about an encounter with Him today.

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

What are your assumptions, or even preferences, of how you expect to encounter God?

What are the areas in which you need to continue to move toward obedience to God, rather than following your own path?

How can you begin to make that step of obedience today, or what is the first step you can make today?

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Helping Those in Need

Obadiah
Psalm 82-83

Many of the Psalms point to our hearts and minds bringing praise, glory, and honor to God.  Some also provide instruction for living, as we find in Psalm 82.  Psalm 82:3-4 says, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Providing help and justice for those in need is a theme we find throughout the Bible.  The Mosaic law supports this (Deuteronomy 10, 15, 22), the prophets support this (Isaiah 58), the gospels support this (Matthew 25, Luke 10), and the New Testament letters support this (James 1, I John 3).  As we see this theme come up in Psalm 82, we should recognize this does not stand alone within Scripture, but fits within the context of the whole.

Psalm 82 verses 3 and 4 stand in stark contrast to verse 2.  Verse 2 asks, “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?”  We have a propensity to long after our own gain, which sometimes causes us to support the unjust and wicked.  This should not be the case.  Instead, we should defend the weak and fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed, and rescue the weak and needy.

The underdog story makes for great sports.   The 1980 “Miracle on Ice” when the USA beat the Soviet Union in Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey.  The 1983 upset of North Carolina State over Houston for the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship.  Rulon Gardner, who won gold in wrestling in the 2000 Olympics over heavily favored Aleksandr Karelin of Russia.  These underdog stories are easy to spot, since each team or individual was clearly not favored to win.  However, in our lives, I believe it is much more challenging to spot the underdogs in life around us.

Who are the people we should be working so hard to defend, rescue, and maintain their justice?  Are they as easy to spot as the sports underdogs?  Maybe it is easy to see they are poor, or weak, or needy.  Maybe they are the people who are clearly ‘outcasts’ within our social settings because they don’t match the norms of interaction.  However, maybe they are a little harder to see, but we are still called to defend, rescue, and maintain their justice.  I think of our friends who are close talkers, who interrupt when others are speaking, or who struggle with social interactions.  Do we provide for them defense and rescue, or do we relegate them to solitude and the outskirts of our attention?  Sometimes it’s easy to see the needs of those we can help and other times it is far more challenging.

Putting Psalm 82:3-4 in action is more than giving money to a service ministry.  We can give out of our abundance but we can also show kindness to those in need around us every day.  Be encouraged to look for those in need in more diverse places around you, or in more diverse people around you!

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

Who is someone you see regularly who may be weak, oppressed, or needy in ways other than financial or physical?

How can we provide support and defense for those who are socially awkward around us?

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Jehosheba – A Heroic Example

2 Chronicles 19-23

In Second Chronicles 22:10-12 we find the account of Jehosheba hiding her nephew, Prince Joash, when he was one year old so he is not murdered by his wicked grandmother after his father dies.  Joash is hidden until he is seven years old when he becomes king, which will be included in some of next week’s readings.  This is the kind of storyline we would typically find in fictional writings or movies.

Jehosheba is a hero of the Bible who saves a toddler from the evil schemes of a power-hungry authority.  Consider how Moses was saved under Pharaoh’s reign, or Jesus during the time of King Herod.  Even with this heroic act, we know little about Jehosheba.  She was the daughter of King Jehoram and married the priest Jehoiada.  These are two historical figures most people know little about.  Her husband led a rebellion to instill the rightful heir of David to the throne in Jerusalem.  Her father was so evil the Bible says that when he died it was to no one’s regret (2 Chron. 21:20).

I want us to consider this last fact, the daughter of a wicked king performed a righteous act that preserved the line of David.  We all come from somewhere.  I know some whose parents, although not perfect, may be considered by the Bible as ‘wise’ or ‘righteous’.  They follow(ed) the ways of God and set a great example for their children.  I am thankful that this is the experience I have.  However, I also know some whose parents may be considered by the Bible as ‘foolish’ or ‘unrighteous’.  They follow(ed) their own ways or the ways of the world, giving no regard to God, and setting a poor example for their children.  This would have been the experience of Jehosheba.  As she grew up she would have witnessed terrible things.  It is very easy to follow the lead set for us by our parents.

As an adult, Jehosheba chose to do the right thing no matter the influence of others in her past.  She made a choice to help rather than harm.  She chose righteousness, not evil.  It may be a challenge for us to move beyond the example set for us by others, even our parents, if that example was negative.  However, we can see from the example of Jehosheba that we can do it.  We can choose to help rather than harm.  We can choose righteousness, not evil.  Our past does not have to dictate how we choose to live today.

When we choose to do the right thing, it will often not look like saving a toddler from an evil Queen.  This was Jehosheba’s heroic act, not ours.  Sometimes our right action might be showing kindness to someone who hurts us.  If our example in life has been returning an insult for an insult, then responding to an insult with kindness will be a great action!  Sometimes our right action might be obeying the law, when others insist we break it.  If our example in life has been disregard for authority and giving in to the pressures of bad influences, then responding with abiding the law and saying no to temptation will be a great action!

No matter our past, let’s look to Jehosheba as our heroic example!

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

What other people from the Bible followed God more closely than their parents?

What are some of the ways in which they did this?

How could a person overcome some of the multi-generational dysfunctions that sometimes follow them into adulthood, and choose to live heroically instead?

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Hearing What We Don’t Want to Hear

1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18

In First Kings 22 and in Second Chronicles 18 we find the same account of evil King Ahab considering going to war against Ramoth Gilead.  He asked about 400 prophets what he should do and they all said to go victoriously to war.  When encouraged by King Jehoshaphat of Judah to ask a prophet closer to the matter about this, King Ahab’s response is found in First Kings 22:8.  He says, “There is still one man 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.”  Now remember, it is said of evil King Ahab from First Kings 21:25-26, “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.  He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.”  It is no wonder the true prophet of God never had anything good to prophesy, but always bad!

It is noteworthy that King Ahab avoided the truth because he deemed it as bad.  Instead, he listened to the 400 voices that told him what he wanted to hear.  King Rehoboam did the same thing in First Kings chapter 12.  Instead of listening to the advice of the elders, who gave advice he did not want to hear, he followed the advice of his peers.  He followed what he wanted rather than what was best for him.

It would be easy to look at these kings and heap ridicule upon them in judgment.  However, it might be beneficial to consider our own ways.  How often do we gravitate toward people who affirm our immorality, rather than seeking the truth of God?  How often do we lean into confirmation bias, rather than seeking godly ways of thinking about a matter?  The book of Proverbs consistently supports the idea of seeking wise counsel.  Consider Proverbs 1:5, “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance”.  Also, Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”  Clearly, God desires that we would listen to the voices that speak His wisdom into our lives, even if we don’t want to hear it.

One more thing to consider today.  Sometimes we are the ones who need to hear something from God, even when we don’t want to hear it.  However, sometimes we are the Micaiah’s who have something to say that someone else may not want to hear.  Progress in these situations slowly, discerning God’s wisdom to speak in love.  Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”  The words we speak must be spoken in love.  Our goal of speaking should be for us to grow into Christ together.  

Listen to God’s Word, especially if you don’t want to hear it.  Speak to others in love, especially when they might not want to hear God’s Word.

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

How can you actively seek godly voices in your life?

What does it mean to speak the truth in love?  What does each element (truth and love) entail?

When is the right time to speak and when is the right time to be quiet?

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Dealing with Disappointment

1 Kings 20-21

In First Kings 21 we find the account of King Ahab in his attempt to gain ownership of a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth.  After the king makes his appeal to Naboth, Naboth declines his offer.  King Ahab’s response is recorded in First Kings 21:4 where it says, “So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.’  He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.” 

What a response to the disappointment of not getting what he wanted!  He’s acting like a spoiled toddler.  He doesn’t get his way so he sulks, gets angry, lays on his bed, and refuses to eat.  It’s easy to see why King Ahab is known as one of the evil kings of Israel.  However, might there be something in this account that hits a bit close to home for us as well?

Has there ever been anything in your life that you really wanted and did not get?  How did you respond?  Have you ever played or watched a sport in which you really wanted your team to win but they didn’t?  How did you respond?  Have you ever worked hard and wanted to earn a promotion or a good grade but did not receive what you thought you deserved?  How did you respond?  In any of these situations, or others when you did not get what you wanted, did you sulk or become angry or refuse to eat?

We could certainly look to Jesus and see how he handled disappointments in life.  He weeps over Jerusalem in Matthew 23 but resolutely follows God’s leading to Jerusalem.  He prays God will allow a different path in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26 but resolutely follows God’s leading to the cross.  These are two of many examples in which Jesus affirms that he will follow God, no matter the disappointments he faces.

Another biblical example of appropriate responses to things not going their way is the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3.  When threatened with the punishment of being thrown into a fiery furnace if they do not abandon God, they respond by saying that God would rescue them, “But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  These three were also resolute that even if they did not get their way, they would follow God’s leading.

As we face times of disappointment in our lives, let’s commit to resolutely following God, no matter what.  The encouragement Paul gave in First Thessalonians 5:16-18 would be good encouragement for us in these times as well.  “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  Even when we do not get our way we can choose to be joyful, to pray, and to give thanks.

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

  1. Has there ever been anything in your life that you really wanted and did not get?  How did you respond?  What is your typical response to any sort of disappointment? Why do you think you respond this way?
  2. What could be some underlying thought processes of someone who regularly becomes angry or sullen when faced with disappointment (not getting what they want)?
  3. How can a better response to disappointment be a witness to your faith in God?
  4. What would you like to do next time you meet up with a disappointment?
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