1st Kings 21-22 (100th Devotion Today!!)
Two simple ways to be a Christian.
Ever wondered just what it takes to be a Christian? Maybe you've been going to church your whole life. Maybe you've never stepped foot into a church your entire life. But wherever you are in your faith, there are two simple things I learned about Christianity today, and they can help you wherever you may be.
If you haven't already, please read today's chapters, 1st Kings 21-22, at www.bible.com or with the BIBLE READER widget to the left of this post. They'll help you understand what I'm trying so hard to explain :)
So to get everything started, we've got this King guy, the ruler of Samaria at the time. His name was Ahab, and he wanted this vineyard that was next to his palace, because it was close to his palace. Of course, the vineyard was already owned bu this other guy named Naboth... who refused to sell his land.
Ahab went home to his wife, Jezebel, and poured out his soul to her while he was laying in bed, all depressed. He was so depressed, he didn't even eat. Such a drama queen. (Or... should I say... drama king. Ha ha ha ha. Bible humor.)
Anywho, his wife was all "Come on, man! It's just a mere little peasant. I'll show you how to get the land, you just watch." Normally, I'd be happy for Jezebel, doing the stuff her husband was unable to do. Girl power, right?
Turns out, she was a little too power-hungry, and sent a letter to Naboth's town ordering him to be killed for not following the king's rules. Naboth was stoned to death, and Jezebel gave the land to her husband. Needless to say, it wasn't a very smart move, not only because she murdered someone for their land, but because God was watching. He always is.
God sent this prophet named Elijah to the king to tell Ahab that God had been watching when he did such an evil act, and that his family was going to die as a result. Ahab completely turned form his evil ways, and humbled himself before God, clothing himself in rags and putting his selfish "drama king" ways aside.
God notices what a great job Ahab was doing, and decided not to punish him for his actions. He simply removed the disaster He was going to put on him, and let it all go, because of how humble Ahab was being.
That's the first message of the day for everyone who's reading out there. BE HUMBLE. Just because you're good at something, or you have superiority over someone, that doesn't mean you can take advantage of it. He humble, and you will be blessed like Ahab was.
The second message for the day comes later in the reading. You remember when a prophet told Ahab not to engage in war, for he was sure to die? Well Ahab didn't listen to all the phony so-called-nonsense that the prophet was saying, and went into war anyway. The prophet even told Ahab that dogs were going to drink his blood if he did bad in the eyes of God! Sounds weird and nonsense to me, actually. But this prophet was pretty down with God. They were pretty tight.
Ahab went into war, and even dressed up as someone differently, thinking that all the things the prophet said wouldn't apply if he was dressed as someone else. Big mistake. Ahab was accidentally shot by someone, and was killed later that day. He was put into a chariot to move him away from the battle places, and later when the chariot was being cleaned, all of Ahab's blood was spilled into the pool they were cleaning the chariot with, and guess what?
God was right, again. Some dogs were drinking the water his blood was being washed off with, and dogs actually drank his blood. There are no lies with God, which is my second message.
I encourage you to come back tomorrow to this very website, this very blog. I'm trying myself to understand the great book that God has written, because with today's reading I can be assured that there are no lies in the Bible. If God says that some one's blood will be licked up by dogs, it will happen. Scary, but completely true, and completely accurate. God is, well... GOD. 'Nuf said.
So, be humble, and listen to what God has to say. He says a lot of things you can do to strengthen your relationship with Him, including accepting Jesus into your heart. If you haven't done so yet-- why hold back! One day, it will come down to whether you believe in God or not. Yeah, you might not be asked that question just yet, but you'll eventually have to make that choice, when you pass away one day.
That's not supposed to be depressing, though! It says in God's word that if you have faith in Him, you will live forever. God doesn't lie, as we just learned today. What he says comes true, because He has the power to do so.
Believe it. Ask of it. Love it!! Pass it on.
I'll be here tomorrow. Peace.
Two simple ways to be a Christian.
Ever wondered just what it takes to be a Christian? Maybe you've been going to church your whole life. Maybe you've never stepped foot into a church your entire life. But wherever you are in your faith, there are two simple things I learned about Christianity today, and they can help you wherever you may be.
If you haven't already, please read today's chapters, 1st Kings 21-22, at www.bible.com or with the BIBLE READER widget to the left of this post. They'll help you understand what I'm trying so hard to explain :)
So to get everything started, we've got this King guy, the ruler of Samaria at the time. His name was Ahab, and he wanted this vineyard that was next to his palace, because it was close to his palace. Of course, the vineyard was already owned bu this other guy named Naboth... who refused to sell his land.
Ahab went home to his wife, Jezebel, and poured out his soul to her while he was laying in bed, all depressed. He was so depressed, he didn't even eat. Such a drama queen. (Or... should I say... drama king. Ha ha ha ha. Bible humor.)
Anywho, his wife was all "Come on, man! It's just a mere little peasant. I'll show you how to get the land, you just watch." Normally, I'd be happy for Jezebel, doing the stuff her husband was unable to do. Girl power, right?
Turns out, she was a little too power-hungry, and sent a letter to Naboth's town ordering him to be killed for not following the king's rules. Naboth was stoned to death, and Jezebel gave the land to her husband. Needless to say, it wasn't a very smart move, not only because she murdered someone for their land, but because God was watching. He always is.
God sent this prophet named Elijah to the king to tell Ahab that God had been watching when he did such an evil act, and that his family was going to die as a result. Ahab completely turned form his evil ways, and humbled himself before God, clothing himself in rags and putting his selfish "drama king" ways aside.
God notices what a great job Ahab was doing, and decided not to punish him for his actions. He simply removed the disaster He was going to put on him, and let it all go, because of how humble Ahab was being.
That's the first message of the day for everyone who's reading out there. BE HUMBLE. Just because you're good at something, or you have superiority over someone, that doesn't mean you can take advantage of it. He humble, and you will be blessed like Ahab was.
The second message for the day comes later in the reading. You remember when a prophet told Ahab not to engage in war, for he was sure to die? Well Ahab didn't listen to all the phony so-called-nonsense that the prophet was saying, and went into war anyway. The prophet even told Ahab that dogs were going to drink his blood if he did bad in the eyes of God! Sounds weird and nonsense to me, actually. But this prophet was pretty down with God. They were pretty tight.
Ahab went into war, and even dressed up as someone differently, thinking that all the things the prophet said wouldn't apply if he was dressed as someone else. Big mistake. Ahab was accidentally shot by someone, and was killed later that day. He was put into a chariot to move him away from the battle places, and later when the chariot was being cleaned, all of Ahab's blood was spilled into the pool they were cleaning the chariot with, and guess what?
God was right, again. Some dogs were drinking the water his blood was being washed off with, and dogs actually drank his blood. There are no lies with God, which is my second message.
I encourage you to come back tomorrow to this very website, this very blog. I'm trying myself to understand the great book that God has written, because with today's reading I can be assured that there are no lies in the Bible. If God says that some one's blood will be licked up by dogs, it will happen. Scary, but completely true, and completely accurate. God is, well... GOD. 'Nuf said.
So, be humble, and listen to what God has to say. He says a lot of things you can do to strengthen your relationship with Him, including accepting Jesus into your heart. If you haven't done so yet-- why hold back! One day, it will come down to whether you believe in God or not. Yeah, you might not be asked that question just yet, but you'll eventually have to make that choice, when you pass away one day.
That's not supposed to be depressing, though! It says in God's word that if you have faith in Him, you will live forever. God doesn't lie, as we just learned today. What he says comes true, because He has the power to do so.
Believe it. Ask of it. Love it!! Pass it on.
I'll be here tomorrow. Peace.
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