The Good Old Days

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Ezra 1-3

It must have been a hard seventy years in Babylon. But now the Israelites were home. Not only that, but they had the blessing of the king of Persia to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. This wasn’t just freedom from the chains of captivity, it was the freedom to finally worship God without fear of death.

The first thing they did was to build altars, and sacrifice their offerings to the Lord. I can imagine the excitement because they all knew without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Blood was finally shed. Praise the Lord!

Then after everyone was resettled in their homes, the building of a new temple on the original site began. When the foundation was laid, a worship service was held. Lots of singing. Lots of praise. Lots of joy.

And lots of tears. The old guys, those who had lived in Israel before the captivity seventy years earlier wept. I’ve heard some sermons condemning them for holding onto tradition, resisting change. I think that’s unfair. The Bible doesn’t tell us what those tears were about except to say the people remembered the temple that was.

Personally, I think these old folks were sad knowing the contemporary temple would be inferior to the temple they had known, and I think they longed for the good old days.

(Sigh)

Before Worship

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2 Chronicles 24

For many years I have been concerned about what passes as worship in our 21st century churches. More and more it’s become about concert style productions, loud instruments, pounding beats… and emotion.

What I see in this chapter of 2 Chronicles is about what happens before the songs begin. The people consecrated themselves. There were animal sacrifices for sin, blood spilt, blood sprinkled for cleansing. Before a note was sung, sin was dealt with.

No one just walked up and started singing praise songs. Praise was the natural response to sins forgiven.

Along with that, I also noticed that the people consecrated themselves They weren’t consecrated by the songs they sang, but by the sacrifices they offered.

After the cross, we are told to sacrifice ourselves, our bodies, humble ourselves, repent of sin. All of that requires intention. That’s what it means to consecrate ourselves. Not one and done. Every time they worshiped, those priests consecrated themselves first.

And so should we.

It Has To Be Their’s

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2 Chronicles 21-24

Oh, Joash. Every time I read your story I secretly hope it turns out differently. Why, Joash? How? You did such great things for the Lord as long as Jehoiada was there to guide you. Was it just religion to you? How could you not see the connection between blessing and obedience? How could you be so easily led astray?

Hold on!

Parents, let this be a warning. Are you raising a Joash? Do your kids do the church thing, go to Awana’s, learn to pray at meals? Can they recite John 3:16 and tell you what happened the third day after Jesus died? I hope so.

But you do know raising good kids isn’t enough, right? They might be able to do and say the right things, but you aren’t raising robots. There will come a time when voices, sometimes subtle and sometime loud and strong will try to lure your children away from everything you know is true.

Talk to your kids about spiritual things. Read the Bible together and ask them what they believe. Guide them to internalize the truth. Answer their questions and show them where those answers are in the Bible.

Your precious children, those dear ones God has entrusted to you, can’t live on your faith. It has to be their’s.

When is the Right Time to Build?

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2 Chronicles 13-17

The life of King Asa is one of those sad tales of someone who was devoted to God, but in the end turned his back on the One who had blessed him. But something struck me as I was reading about Asa’s obedient years.

God had given Judah one decisive victory after another to the point no other nation wanted to go up against them. There was peace in the land. So did Asa throw a party? Did he go on vacation? Did he put his feet up and just revel in the peace?

2 Chronicles 14:6a says, “Because the land experienced peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah.“

Asa knew you don’t start fortifying your cities when the enemy attacks. You don’t start a building project in the middle of a war.

Too often we let our guard down when things are going well. God’s blessings seem to overflow, we’re healthy, our family is good, maybe we’ve experienced a spiritual victory. Life is good!

Do we understand that is when we are the most vulnerable? That’s the time to sharpen our swords, to take out our Bibles and allow God to teach us and strengthen us. It’s the time to pray. Because the enemy will attack again. And that is no time to start a building project.

The Most Beautiful

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2 Chronicles 6-8

I sat here this morning trying to picture the dedication of Solomon’s beautiful temple. All that gold, the fanfare, the crowds, the excitement and wonder, God’s Presence so powerful everyone stopped in awe of Him. I think of the emotion, the uplifted hands, the bowing low before a Holy God. I think of the sacrifices and the singing. I imagine hearts devoted to God, determined to obey Him, loving Him, and praising Him.

This went on for seven days! That amazing temple, built for God, was reason to celebrate. I wish I could have seen it first hand.

And yet, I am reminded that I am the temple of God in 2026. God Himself has built this temple named Connie for Him to live in. I might look in the mirror and think He didn’t build a very beautiful home for himself. But in reality, there is nothing more beautiful than a heart where Jesus is. There is nothing more worthy of celebration than a heart cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb.

People may have looked at Solomon’s temple and said, “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” But when God looks at me through the precious blood of His Son, He says the same thing.

Praying Scripture

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1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Way too often when I pray I jump right into the “I wants” or the “I needs” without stopping and at least acknowledging who I’m speaking to. I might start out with a “Dear God,” and I might even throw in a “Thank you for this day,” but pretty much the bulk of my prayers can read like a ransom demand.

Today, I read how David began his prayer and wondered how my prayer life would change if I did the same. Sometimes as I’m praying a verse will come to mind and I’ll pray that back to the God. I think that pleases Him.

So I’m going to attempt to memorize these four verses and get in the habit of praying them back to God when I go to Him, before I lay my requests at His feet. I’m convicted by the thought that my prayer time ought to be a time of praise and adoration much more often than it is right now.

Does God know how much I love Him? Of course. But I think He’d like to hear me express that once in a while, too.

My Prayer for Parents

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1 Chronicles 22

Here is a father’s heart.

In David’s charge to Solomon we see a man devoted to the work of the Lord. Yes, he would not build the temple, would not realize his longing to do something amazing for God. So instead, he poured out his heart to his son and challenged him to carry on.

“I’ve provided what you need, son. Now go do something amazing for the Lord. You will succeed if you carefully follow God’s law. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.” (from 22:13)

Parents, do you recognize your own heart’s desire here? Are you devoted to the work of the Lord? Do your children see your passion for the Truth, for the Gospel to reach lost souls? Do they see you actively taking part in the Great Commission? And are you equipping your children to carry on when you are gone? Can you honestly say you are giving them a firm foundation on which to build their lives and ministry?

I think it’s a bit like teaching your child to ride a bike. Do you remember what that was like? You probably provided them with training wheels at first and let them get used to maneuvering the bike with the help of four wheels instead of two. Did you talk to them about balance and show them how to move the handle bars to control the direction of the wheel?

Then the time came for removing the training wheels. Did you grab the seat and run along side the wobbly bike for a distance until you felt your child was balancing the bike on their own? What was it like to finally let go and watch that precious one take off? “Don’t be afraid,” you might have said. “I’ve given you everything you need to be successful. Be strong and courageous.”

Parents, spend time with your children. Read the Bible with them. Talk about what you are reading. Answer their questions. Show them what serving God looks like. Go to church with them and teach them reverence for God’s house. Because one day that child will get on that bike and ride away. He or she will walk out your door and head toward a life you can’t control.

My prayer is on that day, you’ll be able to say, “I’ve given you what you need. Now go do something amazing for the Lord. You will succeed if you carefully obey God. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.”

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

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1 Chronicles 12-15

What is the difference between worship God accepts, and worship God rejects?

Obedience.

It has nothing to do with the music or whether or not hands are raised and people are singing with smiles on their faces. Read about these two examples of identical expressions of worship. (13:8; 15:28)

Worship leaders, stop emphasizing the outward expressions of worship. Stop going for the emotion. Stop worrying about “Bubba” and worry more about whether or not God is accepting our worship. So many of you seem to try so hard to get people engaged. The question you should be asking is, “Is God engaged?”

I’ll tell you right now, He isn’t engaged with expressions of worship coming from unrepentant hearts. That kind of worship makes him sick. That kind of worship makes him angry. That kind of worship ends in death.

Just this morning I heard Josh Howerton, a young paster I respect, defend popular Christian singer, Brandon Lake who is being criticized for saying that when our worship services begin with “Holy, Holy, Holy,” Bubba can’t worship because he doesn’t understand what the song is saying. I guess these men believe we should dumb down our worship so the regular people are satisfied.

My question is: are we worshiping people or God, because I’m pretty sure God understands “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

Worship leaders, please spend more time preparing hearts to worship God. Talk about the importance of presenting clean hearts to the Lord before we sing a note. Talk about the danger of offering worship God can’t accept. (Think about Nadab and Abihu who tried to offer unauthorized fire to the Lord).The people sitting there in that room need to understand that offering worship God can’t accept not only makes God sick, it angers Him, and ends in death. Yes, dear worship leaders, you might be leading someone in that direction.

Worry less about the outward expression of worship and more about the holiness of the people who are there to worship. Worry less about generating an emotion and more about the Holy God to whom we offer our worship. Because God doesn’t accept counterfeit worship, no matter how good it looks or makes us feel.

All that glitters is not gold.

Does Old Testament Genealogy Matter?

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1 Chronicles 7-11

Some people consider reading these difficult-to-read names tedious at best, and a waste of time at worst. But, friend, let me remind you these are God’s Words! If God Himself were sitting with you, reading these chapters to you, would you still consider it tedious, a waste of time?

These names tell a story and with it comes a lesson with the potential to grow us.

This morning as I read, I saw a few hundred names among billions of people who have inhabited the earth. Each individual is recognized as having a part in the unfolding of God’s plan. Some are listed as warriors, giant killers, gatekeepers, chiefs, and Levites. Some are listed as dads and sons. There are even some moms and sisters thrown in. But each name represents a person who played a role in the history of God in Israel.

I wonder if God were writing the genealogy of His New Testament kingdom today, where would your name be listed? As a warrior, a gatekeeper, a giant killer, a parent? Or would your name be listed at all?

The question I think God is asking me today is, am I actively involved in the unfolding of God’s plan in 2026? Are you?

Given

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1 Chronicles 6

When it says these towns and pasturelands were “given” to the Levites, I wonder what that looked like. Were the residence of the towns agreeable? Did they have to give up their homes to make room for the new residents? Surely there were shepherds already using that pastureland. I wonder what they thought.

And who did the “giving” anyway? Was it decided in a boardroom? The US is rearranging voting districts in some states. Lots of red tape. Lots of debate. Lots of anger. I know God was in the assignment of land as we read in Chronicles. But there were people involved, too. I wonder what that looked like.

And… what would God say to us through the oft repeated genealogy and geography lesson?

First, I am reminded that the “giving” was not earned. The very fact the Jews were living in the Promised Land is a picture of God’s grace. God had the authority to give and take, assign and reassign according to His will for His children. Not because they deserved it. But because He is who He is.

Secondly, it reminds me that God has a place in His kingdom for all of us who are His through the blood of Jesus. None of us deserve what is given us. Yet because our gracious God has showered us with blessings, we are free to serve Him.

These chapters might be tedious reading, but it’s also beautiful! It shows us that God is intimately, personally involved in each of our lives. He knows us by name, and He has given us real estate in His kingdom. You are where you are today by the grace of God, and this little mission field you have has been given to you for a reason.

I’m thanking God for grace today. I’m thanking Him for allowing me to live in this part of His beautiful creation. And I’m thanking Him that not only does He know my name, but He is with me to use me right here for His glory.

What God has “given” me, I give back to Him to be used as He desires. May He be glorified today.