Another gentleman from our Sunday School class has passed away. Ernie Mann, beloved husband of Lana Mann, has passed away after a stay in hospital. Ernie was a veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force. He is most assuredly with Jesus as we speak! I pray for comfort, hope, and strength for Lana.
Taking a Break
I have to take a break from writing for a few days. I’m battling a possible eye infection and it’s painful to type with my eyes. My doctor has prescribed antibiotic eye drops and he wants me to rest my eyes. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Please pray for God’s healing for my eyes. Thank you!
Consequences II
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. (2 Chronicles 16:7-10, NASB)
God wants us to rely on Him. When we don’t, there are consequences, like King Asa faced.
In the Bible passage above, King Asa, king of Judah, has an encounter with Hanani, a prophet of God. Prior to this, King Asa, who was the grandson of King Solomon, relied on God when the Ethiopian army came to do battle with Judah. The Ethiopians greatly outnumbered the army of Judah. Yet because Asa humbled himself and asked God for His favor, God gave the Ethiopian army into Judah’s hands.
But in the situation described above, Asa was feeling heat from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Instead of calling on God for help, Asa emptied the treasury of the House of God, and instead paid the king of Aram to fight against Israel. God was angry. Hence Hanani’s sermon to King Asa. As a result of Asa’s lack of faith, Hanani told him, “Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” The king then shot the messenger.
God wants us to rely on Him. He wants to be involved in all of our decisions. God loves us. There are consequences when we don’t include Him in our decision-making. They may be financial or personal in nature, but we will see consequences. He loves us, and He wants to be in our lives. For me it’s comforting to know He’s watching out for me. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
Consequences
Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.” ’ ” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to the word of the Lord (1 Kings 12:21-24, NASB)
Going against God’s commands has consequences. King Rehoboam was in a pickle because of his father’s actions. His dad, King Solomon, didn’t follow God’s law, which said to not have any idols, but to follow Him only. Solomon had many foreign wives, which was a problem, because late in his life he drifted away from the Lord his God, and honored the idols of his wives. Because of this, God said that He would rip the Kingdom of Israel apart, and that Solomon’s son would see the consequences.
King Rehoboam indeed saw the kingdom torn apart. While he ruled the Kingdom of Judah, which included the sons of Benjamin, the other ten tribes formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. Rehoboam wanted to go to war, and force reunification, but as we see from the passage above, God tells him not to attack Israel, because “this thing has come from Me.” For once, they listened to the counsel of the Lord, and Judah stood down!
https://biblepic.com/2_chronicles/11-4.htm.
Even today, there are consequences for not following God. He wants us to be reconciled to Him, to spend eternity with Him. But the problem is that we’re all sinners, and God can’t tolerate sin to be in His presence. But He has a plan of salvation. God sent His Son Jesus to take away our sins. Jesus became sin for us and took our place on the execution rack, a Roman cross. He took the punishment we deserve, and died in our place so that we will have eternal life with Him in heaven. The choice is ours: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved!
Work
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart. (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, NASB)
Work. Many of us (me included) consider work, or labor to be drudgery. But that’s not what God intended it to be. Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden to attend to all the plants God had put there. But when they sinned, God expelled them from the garden, and told them that they would have to do laborious work in order to plant and harvest their crops. THAT’S when work became difficult. But what does the wisest man who ever lived say about our work? It’s there in the Bible passage above.
In short, King Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, says that one should “enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him.” Yikes! And why should we enjoy ourselves? “For this is [our] reward.” Later, the Apostle Paul wrote that in our labor, we should work as to the Lord. The Lord is indeed our Boss. (Old bumper sticker: “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter.”)
So God wants us to appreciate everything He’s given to us, including our labor. When I pray for someone, I pray that God will bless him or her in their work. That means that God will make them happy in their labor. I’m at the age where many of my contemporaries are retired from their professions. But our labor isn’t about just a paying job. It’s any kind of toil. If we drag a trash can to the curb; if we clean our house; if we cut the grass, that’s the labor in which we’re to revel. Many of my friends from Sunday School are in hospital. Their work is to recover and rehab.
The wisest man who ever lived says that our work is “the gift of God.” Through our labors, “God keeps [us] occupied with the gladness of [our hearts].” Work, or labor, is one of God’s gifts to us. We’re to appreciate all of our work, to treat it as a blessing. We will be working in heaven. Life for us who believe in Jesus is just a dress rehearsal for eternity!
Grandchildren
Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their father. (Proverbs 17:6, NASB)
I can indeed attest that “grandchildren are the crown of old men.” Sue and I have 12 grandkids, and each one is precious. I’m not sure if King Solomon was a grandpa when he wrote this. He probably was, else how would he have known what treasures they are? And it’s possible if he had grandsons, that one could have been an heir to his throne, and an ancestor to Messiah Jesus!
Our grandchildren, in order of their birth, are: Luke; George; Jackson; Colleen; Wade; Michael; William; Samuel; Wyatt; Hadley; Westley; and Louisa. (Didn’t think I could do it, huh?) These are 12 of our 18 most precious earthly gifts.
Dear Jackson, Colleen, Sam, Louisa, Luke, George, Michael, Wade, William, Wyatt, Hadley, and West,
You are all so precious to us. We love you all. One of the things we dreamed of when we retired was to travel to see you all and spend as much time as possible with each one of you. But then Pops got sick. So we have to see you whenever you can visit us, and talk with you whenever we can, and do FaceTime. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you!
We pray every day for each one of you. We pray that God will bless your Mom and your Dad (this is really important!) and your family. We pray blessings on your home, and that God will keep peace in your house. We pray that God will keep you healthy and that He will protect you. If you’re sick, we pray that God will heal you. We pray for you as you go to school and learn. We pray for you as you work and play, and as you go to your activities. We pray that you will learnmore about God, and grow to love Him more every day. We pray that you will ask Jesus into your heart, if you haven’t already.
Love God and love other people. Honor your father and your mother, and God has promised you long life if you do. Love your brothers and sisters, your cousins, and your aunts and uncles. Love Jesus.
With so much love,
Pops
Pride
When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2, NASB)
King Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs, had much to say about pride, and its destructiveness to us. In the verse above, Solomon says that pride begets dishonor, “but with the humble is wisdom.” Indeed!
C.S. Lewis said that pride is the worst of sins, because it leads us into many other sins. He also said that if we think we don’t have a problem with pride, then we have a problem with pride!
Pride led to many sins we read about in the Bible. When God promised Abraham that He would give Abraham an heir, and that through him Abraham would be the father to many nations, his wife Sarah became impatient and thought she knew better than God. Sarah gave Abraham her maid, and the result was Ishmael was born. The sons of Ishmael to this day remain in strife with the sons of Jacob. Dishonor!
Holy Spirit in Us
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:4-8, NASB)
Tomorrow, 28 May, is Pentecost Sunday. We remember this day the appearance by the Holy Spirit into the lives of Jesus’ disciples. After the Spirit came upon them, they were preaching about Jesus, Who was crucified, buried, risen from the dead, and had ascended into heaven. Jesus had told His disciples that He would speak to His Father, Who would then send His Spirit to them. I’m sure they didn’t understand just what this meant. They also spoke in various tongues so foreigners would understand them. The people who witnessed this display thought His disciples were drunk. You can read this account in Chapter 2 of Acts.
https://wiirocku.tumblr.com/post/182178219570/acts-18-nkjv-but-you-shall-receive-power-when.
The passage above is Dr. Luke’s account of Jesus talking with His disciples prior to His Ascension into heaven. Jesus tells them not to leave Jerusalem, “but to wait for what the Father had promised,” that is, the Holy Spirit. Jesus then tells them that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Do you know that you are Jesus’ witnesses? If you know Jesus, from the moment you believed in Him, the same Holy Spirit moved into your heart. We Jesus-followers have the very same power within us as Jesus’ disciples displayed in Acts 2! We must unleash the power of the Holy Spirit within so we can be His witnesses to the ends of the earth!
On this Memorial Day I’d like to remember loved ones and friends who have served our Nation, and have passed on.
My Father-in-Law, Bob Brower, who served in the European Theater during World War II. He crewed in B-17s as a radio operator and waist gunner.
Neighbors: Andy La Mar (Hedly), an F-15E Strike Eagle Weapons Systems Operator.
Friends from our Germany assignment: John Davis, an F-4 Weapons Systems Operator.
Squadron/Classmates: Kosta Asselanis, who flew C-141s; and Rod Williams, who was a B-52 navigator.
Dads of USAFA Squadron/Classmates: General Jack Catton, Sr., who flew bombers during World War II, and commanded Air Force Major Commands; and Colonel Cliff Birchman, who flew fighters in Vietnam. I got to meet both of these gentlemen when I was a Cadet. They’re heroes of mine.
Friends and squadron mates who were killed in training accidents: Dave Mayer, USAFA classmate, A-7D accident in Turkey; Kyle Perdue, A-10A mishap in Kentucky; Joe Rayhill, A-10A accident in Arizona; Ross Mulhare, F-117A mishap in California; Mike Stewart, F-117A accident in Nevada; Ralph Gardner, USAFA classmate, F-16C accident in Republic of Korea.
Sunday School class: Don Seymore, USMC, two Purple Hearts in Vietnam; Gene Cole, Army Special Operations (a Snake-Eater!), served in Vietnam; Brigadier General Dick Abel, USAF, one of my mentors; Ed Blanks, U.S. Coast Guard; Rudy Davis, U.S. Army, Infantry.
God Answers
The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 9:3-5, NASB)
For a second time, God appeared to King Solomon in a dream. Solomon had just finished dedicating the Temple in Jerusalem. It was a big deal! All Israel was there. Thousands of animals were sacrificed to the Lord God. The celebration lasted for a couple of weeks. When the dedication was complete, King Solomon mounted a platform built for the occasion, got down on his knees, lifted his hands to heaven, and delivered a great prayer. He asked God to guide the people, and asked forgiveness beforehand for the sins Israel would commit. The verses above contain God’s answer.
First, God promises that “My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually” at the site of His Temple. Forever is a long time! And of course the first and second temples were destroyed. God keeps His promises. He is the Promise Keeper. If the Temple is no more, what of it? We know there’s going to be a New Jerusalem, to take the place of heaven and earth. God will dwell there forever. If you’re a Jesus-follower, you’ll be there perpetually with Him!
God’s second promise: “As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'”
Unfortunately, Solomon blew it. The wisest man who ever lived had 1,000 wives, many of whom were foreign. Solomon worshiped their gods, which the Lord didn’t appreciate. Thus began a steady decline of the ancestors of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. King Solomon’s son would see Israel split into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. There would follow a few godly kings, many evil kings, and finally, the defeat of both kingdoms.
God doesn’t like it when we’re disobedient to Him, when we refuse to obey His ordinances. He wants us to believe in His Son Jesus Christ. When we do, we can look forward to spending eternity with Him in Paradise!
Wisdom
Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. . . So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” . . . God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.” (1 Kings 3:6, 9, 11-13, NASB)
In the Bible passage above, God appeared to King Solomon in a dream, and asked Solomon what he wished. Solomon replies as written above. I think if I were to be asked what I want by God, my list would be short. “I want to get out of this bed and walk!” But Solomon was free to ask for whatever he wished.
Instead, he humbled himself, and expressed his gratitude to God. What he asked God to do: “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” God’s reply is extraordinary too. Because Solomon didn’t ask for long life, or for God to remove His enemies, or for great wealth, He granted Solomon’s request: “Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.”.
1 Kings 3:12 image. Found at Bible Hub, https://bibleencyclopedia.com/slides/1_kings/3-12.htm.
King Solomon was indeed granted all these things. God gave him great wisdom. Solomon’s wisdom is recorded in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. His great wealth is documented in the Bible. God blessed Solomon greatly. The One of his descendants Who had greater wisdom was Jesus Christ, Who is God.
Jesus took His ancestor’s wisdom exponentially further. He walked among us and taught us things that nobody in history could have, or will ever again. Just one thing He taught us is that we have to love Him to have eternal life with Him in His Kingdom. Do you love Him?