Author Archives: cazehner

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About cazehner

I'm a woman who loves God's Word, the Bible. And I love sharing what it is God reveals to me through his Word. I pray that everything I write is consistent with Scripture, and that everyone who reads this blog will be drawn closer to the Savior. I am praying for you.

May 25

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I Kings 8:62-66, 9:1-14, 17-19, 24-28, 10:22; 2 Chronicles 7:4-22, 8:1-8, 11-18, 9:21; Psalm 132

There were conditions for God to dwell in the temple Solomon built. And it had nothing to do with how much gold was used. The condition for God to remain with Israel was their obedience. If they followed the Lord there would always be a descendent of David’s on the throne and God would bless the nation. If they disobeyed the opposite would be true.

We know that Israel chose the latter and God was true to his word.

America has been blessed. Was there ever a nation since the Old Testament nation of Israel that was founded on Biblical principles? And in just a couple hundred years of existence God honored obedience until The United States became the riches, most powerful, best nation on earth. But we, like Israel have chosen the latter. And God can’t bless disobedience.

I believe God is saying to us what he said to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This is Memorial Day weekend. We set aside a day to honor the men and women who have served our country in the military. I am a proud daughter of a Marine and a proud aunt of a Soldier. I believe in our military and thank each and every one of those who serve. I remember with gratitude those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms designed for us by our forefathers.

You know we are losing those freedoms, though, don’t you? God cannot bless a nation or an individual who refuses to obey. Christian, let’s determine to pray for our leaders. Let’s speak out in love. Let’s demand that the constitution be followed for a nation under God. Let’s be careful to vote for and support those who desire to obey God.

God wants to bless his people. But here are the conditions: 1) humble ourselves, 2) pray, 3) seek his face, 4) turn from our wicked way. Then and only then can we be blessed. And God promises to bless us when we take those steps.

I trust you will have a good holiday weekend. And I hope you take some time to ask God what he would have you do. I pray that God will lay on the hearts of Christian young people to get involved in our political system. We need leadership willing to obey him.

Dear God, I thank you for the United States of America, one nation under God. I thank you for the Christians who are in positions of leadership. Give them the courage to stand for what is right according to your Word. Convict those in authority who are not following you. Convict those of us who sit back and allow decisions to be made that don’t glorify you. May we humble ourselves, call on you, seek your face and turn from sin. Thank you for the men and women who have served and are serving this nation in the military. Give wisdom to their leaders, grant safety to the troops. Bless their families. God, I pray that we will be the nation under God that our forefathers expected us to be. May we honor you. 

May 24

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2 Chronicles 6:1-7:3; I Kings 8:22-61

Wouldn’t it have been something to have been there? The temple’s dedication ceremony must have been incredible. Trumpets and singing, psalms and prayers. Then God appeared in fire from heaven. It’s too bad no one captured it for YouTube. I would have liked to be a part of it all.

But once again I am reminded that the same God lives in me. When a person accepts Jesus as Savior, the God of Creation takes up residence in the heart of the redeemed.

My salvation as a child was not quite so dramatic. Even when I re-dedicated my life at a later age, confessing sin and allowing Jesus to cleanse me there was no fire from heaven. I’ve heard of dramatic conversions. Paul for one. Accounts shared by missionaries.

But just because there wasn’t a clap of thunder or trumpets sounding doesn’t mean I didn’t go from being on my own to having God Himself enter my heart. I don’t need fanfare to know once I was lost but now I’m found.

Reading this Old Testament account makes me realize what a very big deal it is that God lives in me. I may not have heard it, but the Bible says there is rejoicing in heaven when a person comes to Christ. Trumpets and singing? Prayers and psalms? Heaven knows the magnitude of the reality of Christ living in me.

May I know it, too.

Father, I am humbled by the fact that you are here with me right this minute, that you live in my heart as real as you were the day you entered Solomon’s temple. Help me walk through the day today with that knowledge. Help me to live honoring the privilege of having you so near.

May 23

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I Kings 7:13-51, 8:1-21; 2 Chronicles 4:1-5:14

God wants us to know him. He put it all out there in creation – the heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows his handiwork. Throughout his written Word he has said and done countless things to reveal himself to us.

Even as we picture this beautiful temple we see a picture of God Himself. It’s hard for me to wrap my  mind around the Old Testament Presence of God because I am used to him being with me 24/7. He lived in a cloud, separate from humanity. In the Old Testament he is revealed as a Holy, untouchable God who had Solomon place the ark in the middle of a sea suspended on the backs of sculptured bulls. 17,500 gallons of water separated men from God.

But then God touched humanity in the person of Jesus. The Holy God stooped to our level so we could know him better, more intimately than ever before. At his death he broke down the walls between us and the Most Holy Place. And he lives within us in the form of the Holy Spirit.

But here’s something to think about. While we are living this life on earth there is still a separation between us and our Holy God. Jesus stands in the gap and the Holy Spirit prays for us. But we are still separated by a sea of time and space.

Revelation 21:1 tells us that when this life is over there will be no more sea! No pool of water, no time or space. We will see him face to face! We will know him as we are known by him. We will be able to touch him, feel his arms around us.

I am praising God for the promise of that day!

May 22

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I Kings 5:13-18, 9:15-16, 20-23, 6:1-38, 7:1-12; 2 Chronicles 2:2, 1718, 8:7-10, 3:1-17; Psalm 127

Did you read how elaborately Solomon built the Temple? So much gold! Such intricate details! Thousands of men worked together to make it fit for a king – The King! 

It was where God would dwell on earth. It must have been magnificent.

We don’t need that gold-covered stone and cedar building today. God lives in the hearts of believers here on earth. We are his temple.

But God is asking me if my heart is fit for the King. Solomon took great care in preparing that building to welcome God. He saw to every detail. 

Sometimes I think we believe all we have to do is ask Jesus to come into our hearts, then life goes on as usual. But I don’t see that here. Yes, Jesus is faithful to forgive us when we ask and he makes our hearts his home. And if that’s all you want out of your relationship with him I guess that’s between you and God.

Myself, I want his home to be magnificent. I want my life to welcome him. I don’t want a cheaply built temple. I’m sparing no expense. So I’ll continue to read his word and pray. I’ll continue to choose a life set apart. I’ll choose to praise him in all things. I’ll choose to recognize sin and flee. Not because any of that will earn me salvation. His grace did that. I want to live a life that honors him, that provides him with a beautiful place to call home here on earth.

When people looked at Solomon’s temple they must have been in awe. They must have said, “Wow, that’s where God lives”. I want them to say the same thing about me.

May 21

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Song of Solomon 5-8; Psalm 45; I Kings 5:1-12; 2 Chronicles2:1,3-16

When I read the Song of Solomon I see two people who love each other. They see the best in each other and long to stay in each others’ company. She loves him. He loves her.

Isn’t it tragic when love is one-sided? If you have been in that situation you know how devastating it can be. One person pours himself or herself out and the other holds back. The one who loves waits by the phone in anticipation of hearing the other’s voice. The other doesn’t call. Disappointment becomes a way of life for the one who loves.

God is reminding me today that he is the one who loves in our relationship. And when I don’t return his love he is hurt, disappointed, sad. He has poured himself out for me, gave up everything for me, loves me unconditionally. And he’s the one waiting by the phone.

When I get too busy to read his word or attend church, when it’s days between prayers, when he isn’t the first thing on my mind every day, he still loves me. But it hurts him if I do.

I want  my relationship with God to be like the lovers in Solomon’s Song. 

God, forgive me when I allow our love to be one-sided. I want to love you like you deserve to be loved. 

May20

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Psalm 50; Song of Solomon 1-4

Jesus is our bridegroom. Solomon’s Song was always confusing to me until someone told me to read it picturing Jesus as the lover and me as the one he loves. When I do that the words don’t only make sense, they thrill me!

I am loved. Really, totally, unashamedly loved by Jesus. He loves me in an intimate, personal way. And he loves me very publicly. 

His love sees the best in me. He just can’t get enough of me.

As we read the Song of Solomon together, let’s allow God to express his love for us. And let’s be challenged to return his love. It’s a love that will make us want to live up to it’s view of us. And it’s a love that will invite us to rest in it’s sweetness.

Jesus is our bridegroom. And we are loved.

May 19

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I Kings2:13-3:28; 2 Chronicles 1:1-13; Psalm 72

So Solomon is king and the first thing he does as king is to marry an Egyptian girl. Just one of about 600 poor choices Solomon will make in his lifetime. We will see later how this trend effected Solomon’s reign. Because at first, and in what we read today it was a little thing, barely worth mentioning.

Solomon is remembered for being the wisest man who ever lived. His proverbs alone still impact wisdom to 21st century readers. Given a blank check, Solomon chose wisdom over riches, over health or long life, over peace. When God asked him what was the one thing Solomon wanted more than anything, Solomon asked for wisdom. God granted Solomon his wish beyond what Solomon could have imagined and threw in abundant wealth, too.

I wonder, if God asked me the same thing, what I would want more than anything in the world. More money? Youth? A perfect husband? Health? To change the past? Or would I ask for wisdom? Would I ask for power over sin? A better witness? More of Jesus?

I feel like God is asking me to prioritize my desires and find out where he fits. Is he asking the same of you today?

May 18

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I KIngs 1:1-2:9, 2:10-12; 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 25, I Chronicles 29:23-20

Even David got old. We tend to remember him as a young shepherd, a brave young man who killed a giant. But that little boy grew up and he got old.

I am with two of my sisters today, taking care of my brother-in-law’s 92 year old aunt whose body is frail and whose mind is easily confused. There are pictures of her around her home when she was a younger woman. She taught kindergarten for 40 years in this small New York town.

She has been a part of our family for over thirty years and I remember her as a fun woman, quick with a laugh. But today she’ll struggle to stand. She can’t swallow her food easily and will dribble a little on her shirt.

Watching people you love decline with age can be hard. And to tell you the truth, I am not a gifted caretaker. But my sister who is using her STNA training is. I watch both of my sisters lovingly speak to this dear woman, kid her, wash her face, and hug her when they help her to her chair.

I hope if God allows me to see 92 years of this life there will be a Peggy or a Kathy to wash my face, too.

If you are fortunate enough to have an elderly person near you I would challenge you to spend time with them. Listen to them. Make them smile and help them feel worthwhile and loved. They are a gift from God.

In our modern society we tend to disregard the old. We throw things away, tear down buildings, trade in our cars at the first sign of age. But the Bible tells us to honor our elders. It tells us our elders have some things to teach us. While God gives them life we are encouraged to care for them. More than that. We have the privilege of letting them know they are loved.

Dear God, I thank you that in creation you devised a way for us to slow down. But, God I pray for aging people who are alone today. Forgive us for neglecting to hold them in a place of honor. May you prompt us to reach out to a dear one who needs encouragement today. And may you find us faithful.

May 17

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I Chronicles 27:1-29:22; I Kings 1:1-27

Parenting (and grand-parenting) is hard work. You want your children to be good, to listen to what you say. But then those adorable eyes look up at you and that impish grin grabs your heart and… well, you know.

I Kings 1:6 is a verse all parents should study. David had never asked his son Adonijah why he behaved badly. It implies David may never have said no to his son or punished him for disobeying. Now Adonijah was rallying people against David and was making himself king of Israel.

I’m  going to say some things that are not popular in modern-day parenting circles. Parents need to teach their children that disobedience is a sin and the consequences of sin hurt. We need to teach our children to obey us so that they learn how to obey God.

My nephew’s two year old had a plastic bat and he was pretending to hit a ball with it. Then he began hitting the couch. His mommy said, “Colton do not hit the furniture with that bat. If you do it again I will take it from you”.

So this little one came over to Aunt Connie and grinned his adorable grin and gently tapped the chair I was sitting in. My niece came over, took the bat and said, “I told you no.” Colton looked at me with those big brown eyes, silently pleading that I would be his savior. I shook my head and said, “Mommy told you she would take the bat if you hit the furniture”. 

It would have been easy to ignore this little act of rebellion. In fact, I have to say it was kind of cute. (oops… that’s the great-aunt speaking). But if Colton’s mommy had not followed through, what lesson would he be learning?

I often told the teachers I worked with… what you allow, you teach. If you allow a child to get away with something you are teaching them it’s ok to do that thing. Is that really the lesson we want our children to be learning? Because Jesus never says disobedience is ok.

I certainly don’t defend beating a child. But I do defend a slap on the bottom or back of a hand if that child is willfully disobeying. That’s not “violence” as some would say. It’s discipline. There is a difference.

Like I said, being a parent is tough. And I certainly don’t have all the answers. But Scripture does. God wants you to raise children who honor him, who recognize sin as sin,  and who will obey him when he calls them to do something. Where are they going to learn obedience if not from you? From TV? From their friends? In the music they listen to?

And here’s the other side of teaching Godly obedience. We can be angry at our children’s disobedience, we can be disappointed. But we also need to teach them that their behavior does not effect our love for them. Remember, while we were still sinners Jesus died for us. A loving God disciplines. A loving parent disciplines, too.

As people who love the children in our lives, let’s determine to raise them to love God and obey him.

I’m praying for you.

May 16

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I Chronicles 25:1-31, 6:31-53, 26:1-32

It always amazes me how many people were involved in the caring of the temple, even before it was built in Jerusalem. Hundreds of people were assigned duties, from teachers and musicians to priests and guards. Young and old alike, teacher as well as student worked side by side to get the job done.

They didn’t throw out the old way of doing things. In fact, they were careful to obey what God had told Moses hundreds of years before. They didn’t go to a research firm to find out what non-Jews liked in a worship service. They went to Scripture to find out what God said, then they worked together to honor him.

I think that is a recipe for a healthy church no matter what century we’re talking about.