The Book of the Month- II Chronicles (from 2/15/10-3/15/10)

[skywalker]

When You Finally Get It, Keep It!

Solomon took a firm grasp of his kingdom. 
He made 1000 burnt offerings to the Lord. 
He asked the Lord for the wisdom to govern the holy people. 
He became resolved to build God’s house. 
He became resolved to build his own house. 
He became resolved in understanding what kind of place it should be, though his father already established the space.

It was a 6 point plan, to break the bondage of any other kind of building existing in the space that God set aside for his name.

[skywalker]

Are You Willing?

Every king wants to build his kingdom from his own material.  That is why king's conquer.  They want to be able to say:  "This is what I acquired during my reign".  But what happens when it is not your job to acquire?  What happens when your role is simply to put together what was already acquired by the great kings before you?  That is when your ego has its opportunity to create its own place, or to bow to the place that it has been given.

Solomon was the man to build the temple, but the plans for the temple had been long in coming.  It took a great amount of discipline to be determined to do the job that was expected of him without creating his own job for himself.

Of all of the mishaps that Solomon did later in his life, this much he did that was a great offering to God.  Solomon took the plans of the others and made them a reality.  It was the greatest temple ever built, as a result.

[skywalker]

A man of God posesses discipline...or atleast practices it!

The single most dangerous allegation that the devil has against a minister of God is how he carries his vessel.  If the devil can get the public to see the private life of a minister who is struggling with immorality, he knows that he's got something. 

What does he got?  He's got the minister's reputation and he can now do with it what he likes. 

You see it is a trick of the adversary to get a minister of God caught up in carnal affairs and the best way to do that is through his loins.  Reuben lost his birthright, Solomon lost the kingdom, David lost his child, Abraham lost a son, and there were others, many others who allowed their loins to get in the driver's seat.

Why do the loins carry so much power?  Because how you carry yourself in private matters determines how you will carry yourself in public.  If a man can control his privates, no one has to guess about how he controls the public...because it will be out in the open.

[skywalker]

Israel's Civil War

There is nothing civil about Civil War except the agreement that some will die in order for the nation to unify.  Sometimes this takes centuries, decades, a king's lifetime, or...forever, it seems.  The parties involved are on the same team, and so, it is a war unlike any other.

What is tricky about civil war is that it is often difficult to tell which side is right, or which side one should be loyal to because they both have good points. 

Sometimes, the only way to determine where the loyalty should lay is to go back to the basics. 

Judah was not the perfect side of the country, but it was the side that God said he would reveal himself through and so, by that sign alone, Judah held a higher likelihood of being "right".

The problem, which remains today, is when both sides have leaders who are less than ideal.  It makes it more difficult to know who you should follow.  But at the end of the day, Israel (whether they be on the side of Judah) or Israel (whether they be on the side of Ephraim) must be reconciled because God said that they would.  The question is, which side will the leader come from, and if the leader is coming from one side rather than the other, there is a good chance that that side is the one who should be leading, regardless of how imperfect their leadership ability is.

[skywalker]

Is There Anything More Depressing Than Failure?

I hate to fail, I mean I really do.  I take it so personally and often I have trouble letting go of the assignment.  I go over it and over it and over it again trying to determine what I missed, where I went wrong, and what I could have done differently should the opportunity come back again.  You know the irony?  The opportunity does come back and I fail all over again.

The second book of Chronicles really highlights the failure of man.  It shows us how even men of God get caught up in their own agendas and make very grave mistakes.  I mean these are mistakes that offend God!  I found myself thinking that it is impossible to really move a muscle without checking in with God because there is a possibility that I will offend him.  

After I picked myself up from the depression of it all I realized something.  It can't be done.  You cannot live a life without offense to God, because none of us are flawless.  But what we've been blessed to obtain is his Holy Spirit.  His Holy Spirit tells us when we are doing something offensive or when a decision will lead to an offensive act.  

Yes, it is depressing to examine how weak we are, but God uses that very weakness to give us opportunities to hear his voice.  Just thik, if we did everything right, what would there be to talk about or to learn while we are still on earth?