May 12, 2006 - II Kings 15-16 and John 3:1-18
People are not always predictable. There are some people who come from a very bad background, who do well in life. Then, there are others who come from a great background, and they fail. Spiritually, it is the same way. Some people are raised to know the Lord and love the Lord, but they do not follow Him, while some who are raised with no spiritual advantages, end up being very faithful to the Lord. It can be confusing, unless we remember that it is a matter of the heart, not the head.
In II Kings 15 and 16 we continue to see the contrast between the kings of Israel and Judah. The kings of Israel did evil, as they followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam. The kings of Judah basically did right, as they followed in the footsteps of David. However, we see some exceptions. Azariah did right, but God struck him with leprosy. The Bible does not tell us why God struck him, but we can assume it was a form of punishment for sin. Perhaps, he knew better, but he went ahead and did the wrong thing like Moses did. Then, there is Ahaz in chapter 16. After a long line of faithful kings, he departs from God's will, and he practices some of the most terrible sins according to God's commands. He burned his children as sacrifices to pagan idols. Then, he remodeled the Temple using a pagan altar he saw in Syria. What was this guy thinking? It was not his head that was wrong. It was his heart. He decided to do evil, even though he knew right, because he followed his wicked, unchanged heart. He had not put his faith in God, so he followed idols. That is what many people do today. This is true even of those who are raised well in Christian homes and churches.
In John 3 we see the same thing. Nicodemus wanted to engage Jesus in a Bible conversation. He was curious about what Jesus was doing. However, Jesus did not engage his mind. Jesus went to his heart condition. He said that Nicodemus needed to be born again. He needed a change of heart. Then, and only then, would Nicodemus be able to understand the things of God. He was a leader of the Jews. He knew the Bible. It was not a knowledge problem. It was a heart matter. How is it with you today? If you know the truth, are you living it? If not, realize that it points to your heart. You need to fall in love with Jesus. It doesn't count for you to simply know the truth. It must get from your head to your heart. You must be born again.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 17-18 and John 3:19-38.
In II Kings 15 and 16 we continue to see the contrast between the kings of Israel and Judah. The kings of Israel did evil, as they followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam. The kings of Judah basically did right, as they followed in the footsteps of David. However, we see some exceptions. Azariah did right, but God struck him with leprosy. The Bible does not tell us why God struck him, but we can assume it was a form of punishment for sin. Perhaps, he knew better, but he went ahead and did the wrong thing like Moses did. Then, there is Ahaz in chapter 16. After a long line of faithful kings, he departs from God's will, and he practices some of the most terrible sins according to God's commands. He burned his children as sacrifices to pagan idols. Then, he remodeled the Temple using a pagan altar he saw in Syria. What was this guy thinking? It was not his head that was wrong. It was his heart. He decided to do evil, even though he knew right, because he followed his wicked, unchanged heart. He had not put his faith in God, so he followed idols. That is what many people do today. This is true even of those who are raised well in Christian homes and churches.
In John 3 we see the same thing. Nicodemus wanted to engage Jesus in a Bible conversation. He was curious about what Jesus was doing. However, Jesus did not engage his mind. Jesus went to his heart condition. He said that Nicodemus needed to be born again. He needed a change of heart. Then, and only then, would Nicodemus be able to understand the things of God. He was a leader of the Jews. He knew the Bible. It was not a knowledge problem. It was a heart matter. How is it with you today? If you know the truth, are you living it? If not, realize that it points to your heart. You need to fall in love with Jesus. It doesn't count for you to simply know the truth. It must get from your head to your heart. You must be born again.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 17-18 and John 3:19-38.