Corona Devo 990

Go with God.  Move with God.  Be flexible and even nomadic in pursuit of Christ and in finding those who are also authentically seeking Him and staying true to the Bible.

Non-believers, but God's people too (including us!)-- can get off track, can misconstrue truth, or can flat-out worship the wrong things--and we must have our spiritual wits about us to be discerning...and to be obedient to follow God wherever He is and wherever He is going.  

Often, that will take us right out of our comfort zone, but we must side with God and those living for Him if we are going to stay true to our Lord.

Such was the case in the Old Testament Book of 2 Chronicles.  Two kings (Rehoboam and Jeroboam), both from Israel (land of "God's people") were taking sides against each other.  I'm sure they each had their social and political stances, as all enemies do, but the main line drawn in the sand between them was the opportunity to worship the Lord.

The most well-studied and devout followers-of-God on Jeroboam's side made the dramatic decision to abandon their pasturelands and property and move to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the Lord...( 2 Chronicles 11:14).

That's big.  

Many of us don't make a peep when others or social/cultural/governmental institutions infringe on our religious beliefs and privileges (and rights!), but if we do not stand-up for God's Truth, who will?

I guess that is what the priests and Levites who were living under Jeroboam thought.  Rehoboam was their political "enemy", but the freedom to worship the Lord was their driving life-force, and so all other allegiances took a backseat, and they could not...not go.

May our faith convictions-for-Christ be as strong as the priests and Levites living among the northern tribes of Israel.

Go with God.  Move with God.  Be flexible and even nomadic in pursuit of Christ and in finding those who are also authentically seeking Him and staying true to the Bible.

(13) But all the priests and Levites living among the (Jeroboam) northern tribes of Israel sided with Rehoboam. (14) The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the Lord as priests.

(15) Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made. (16) From all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 

(17) This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon, for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.  ~2 Chronicles 11:13-17

Go with God.  Move with God.  Be flexible and even nomadic in pursuit of Christ and in finding those who are also authentically seeking Him and staying true to the Bible..

That's the teaching I felt falling on my heart as I read about the (Israelite) peoples who were living under two different rulers in the Book of 2 Chronicles.

One of their kings (Jeroboam) was leading his people down a pagan path.  He had decommissioned the priests and Levites who were educated in the requirements of appropriately worshiping the Lord, and Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made (2 Chronicles 11:15). 

We don't have to be an Old Testament scholar to recognize the "red flags" here.  When someone (1) Abandons God's ways and removes anyone trained in knowing/teaching them, (2) Appoints their own "priests" to serve, and (3) Makes their own idols (goat and calf idols he had made )...the spiritual hair on the back of our neck ought to be standing up!

Jeroboam was not walking with God.  But all the priests and Levites living among the northern tribes of Israel (13), and those who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel (16) made bold, public, faith-declaring decisions to walk with God.  They went where they were able to worship Him, even though it cost them their pasturelands and property.  They made the emotional/physical/spiritual/financial decision to move to be close to God.  They were flexible and even like-nomads in their pursuit of having freedom to worship their God and to live amongst others with the same hearts for Him.

May our faith convictions-for-Christ today be as strong as the priests and Levites living among the northern tribes of Israel were in 2 Chronicles.

~~~

From all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

(17) This strengthened the kingdom of Judah... for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.  ~2 Chronicles 11:16-17

Lord, we sincerely want to worship You today.  Make us bold.  Do let us compromise or be intimidated into "going-with-the-flow" of culture, and if necessary, may we abandon comforts that are superficial in order to pursue You, the One True God.  May we faithfully follow in the footsteps of Godly people, including David and Solomon, and we praise You for their example to us.  Amen.

While it is true that any of us can get off track...we must have our spiritual wits about us to be discerning...and to follow God wherever He is and wherever He is going.  

Go with God today.  Move with God today.  Be flexible and even nomadic today in pursuit of Christ and living amongst those who are also seeking Him.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com