Friday, April 28, 2006

An Incomplete Account of Suffering

Day 52: Elihu
Job 32-37

- I read this response by the younger Elihu (younger than Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) a few weeks ago but never got to my response because of how long this reading was.
- Elihu is upset because none of the three friends of Job have been able to give Job a reasonable answer to why he is suffering. Since they were his elders, he allowed them to speak first. But now he felt that he must say something.
- Elihu's reasons for Job are a bit better than the three. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar were unphased by the idea that suffering is always directly linked to sin. As I mentioned in a previous post, this is not always true when we look at other exampls from the bible (eg. David). Elihu explains that sufferring is a way for God to teach, discipline and refine us. However, he still is under the assumption that God always responds to our cries (33:13-18). He assumes that Job is arrogant and unrepentant for something that he has done.

Sometimes, suffering is not understood. We must put our trust in the Lord for who he is rather than for what he does. Even when there doesn't seem to be a logical explanation, we must trust in the sovereignty of God and accept suffering as part of His will. He is in control and that is all that matters. Definitely easier said than done.

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Regular Season Fantasy Hockey Complete

So the NHL regular season is over and fantasy hockey comes to an end. My SportingNews teams were overtaken by Big Gill. His combination of Sharks (Thornton/Cheechoo) and Huet proved to be the winning factor in the end. I think my Yahoo division was largely filled with people who didn't care too much about tweaking their teams. I was able to pick up guys like Vishnovsky, Kariya and Huet late in the season after they became hot. Even still, probably the biggest factor was guessing that the Sens and Flames would have decent seasons with Hasek and Kipper at the helm for the most part. Ranked 644 overall for Yahoo's Rotisserie scoring isn't too bad. Go Avs Go!

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NHL Playoff Preview

Round 1:

East

(1) Ottawa (52-21-9, 113 pts) vs.
(8) Tampa Bay (43-33-6, 92 pts)
Regular season series: Senators won 4-0

Well, I think the regular season series speaks for itself. Despite missing their top three defensemen (Chara, Redden, Phillips) for much of the latter part of the season they were able to capture top in the East. Now Havlat is back to play with Arnason (they traded for him largely to centre the second line with Havlat) and Hasek could be ready to play in the first round as well. TB is not the Stanley Cup team it used to be with underachieving scorers like Lecavelier and St. Louis. Atlanta would have made for a much more entertaining, high scoring series.

Sens in 5

(2) Carolina (52-22-8, 112 pts) vs.
(7) Montreal (42-31-9, 93 pts)
Regular season series: Hurricanes won 4-0

Totally love the Habs but I think they're going to have a big problem with the Hurricanes. For starters, I think they have an issue with starters. Aebischer has some playoff experience but hasn't played as well as Huet in the regular season. My guess is that they give Huet the go-ahead. I don't think their defense can handle the 3rd best offense in the league. Carolina has the talent to go the distance in these playoffs.

Canes in 6

(3) New Jersey (46-27-9, 101 pts) vs.
(6) NY Rangers (44-26-12, 100 pts)
Regular season series: Tied 4-4

I dislike the Devils with a passion verging on hate. I can't believe they actually took the Atlantic Division. Brodeur gives them the goaltending edge over the rookie Lundqvist. Rangers hold the scoring edge and have a much better power play and penalty kill. I like scoring and I love Jesus. Down with the Devils!

Rangers in 7

(4) Buffalo (52-24-6, 110 pts) vs.
(5) Philadelphia (45-26-11, 101 pts)
Regular season series: Sabres lead 3-1

This will be the series to watch in the East IMHO. Forsberg is back but I think Buffalo definitely has the offensive edge. They seem to be able to generate goals from all these guys i'd never heard of before this season. Afinogenov, Kotalik, Vanek? Ryan Miller gives Buffalo the goaltending edge over Esche. I think if Philly can stay healthy and plays at their full potential, they will take the series.

Flyers in 7

West

(1) Detroit (58-16-8, 124 pts) vs.
(8) Edmonton (41-28-13, 95 pts)
Regular season series: Tied 2-2

Not counting tonights loss to Nashville, the Wings went 17-0-3 in their last 20 games of the season. They are scary hockey machine and I'm just so thankful that Colorado didn't pull 8th place. I don't think the Oil stand a chance. Legace is much more reliable than Roloson. Datsyuk and Zetterberg are unstoppable it seems (both should be healthy and rdy to go). Detroit boasts the league's top powerplay, 3rd best penalty kill and the 2nd best overall offense behind Ottawa. Edmonton has just been too inconsistent but I think they'll give a good fight and pick up one win at home.

Wings in 5

(2) Dallas (53-23-6, 112 pts) vs.
(7) Colorado (43-30-9, 95 pts)
Regular season series: Stars lead 3-1

I'm worried about this series but I'm glad that the Avs are playing Dallas instead of Detroit or Calgary. Give some of the others teams a chance to soften them up first. I give Turco the edge over Theodore. But I like how Theodore has played in the last few games and I think he'll close that door despite a mediocre Avs defense in front of him. Colorado has the edge in special teams (PK: 6th vs 10th PP: 9th vs 20th) and an overall scoring edge. I think Theodore will be the x-factor. Just need to see some of that Kiprusoff action and the Avs should be able to pull through...
/biased pick

Avs in 7

(3) Calgary (46-25-11, 103 pts) vs.
(6) Anaheim (43-27-12, 98 pts)
Regular season series: Tied 2-2

The Kiprusoff Flames will take another run at that Cup. For 8 million dollars, Iginla hasn't produced much at all. Despite the 3rd worst offense in the league, they still manage to win games. If Kipper brings his A-game and the Flames defense keep the shots per game below 40, then they should have no problem dispatching the Ducks. If they can keep Selanne and Mcdonald at bay, they will have no problem. Anaheim will manage to win at home a couple times because the Flames are terrible on the road.

Flames in 6

(4) Nashville (49-25-8, 106 pts) vs.
(5) San Jose (44-27-11, 99 pts)
Regular season series: Tied 2-2

I bet if I had a chance to play on a line with Joe "MVP" Thornton, I could score 56 goals too. This high powered Sharks offense sporting the Maurice Richard and Art Ross trophy winners will take a big bit out of a Nashville team without Vokoun. Mason actually got a few shutouts in the last couple weeks but when I checked, I saw it was against St. Louis. In fact, as Danny pointed out to me, they probably wouldn't have even made the playoffs if they didn't play 24 games against St. Louis, Chicago and Columbus (Detroit probably wouldn't have that great of a record either). If Toskala can keep the pucks out of the net, the Sharks should make it to the next round no problemo.

Sharks in 5

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Friday, April 14, 2006

Never Assume

Day 51: Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar
Job 4-7

- these are 3 of Job's "friends". I put friends in quotations because they don't really seem like friends once they start spewing out accusations against Job.
- Eliphaz, in ch 4-5, points out that sin begets suffering. He rhetorically asks "when have the innocent or upright been oppressed?" Really, he's suggesting that Job must be doing something wrong because suffering is clearly a consequence of sin. In most cases this is correct, but God doesn't work according to a rigid set of rules. It's very clear in the bible that God often draws away from His people and hides Himself from us. Many psalms of David talk about this fact and David had one of the closest friendships with God. He remarked, "Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" "Why have you forsaken me?" "Why have you rejected me?" As Rick Warren pointed out in his book The Purpose Driven Life, God promised He would never forsake us but He never promised that we would feel Him all the time. Anyway, this seems to be the fundamental flaw of the conclusion drawn by Eliphaz.
- In the end, he urges Job to appeal to God and confess his sins.
- Job responds with a disappointment in his friends. They have come but have not been of any consolation to Job. If I had more time, it would be interesting to break down the verses in an attempt to understand exactly what Job is trying to say. He seems to be confused, and rightly so. He doesn't understand why he has been made to suffer like this because he knows that he has not wronged God. I don't think it's a sin to ask God when we don't understand circumstances in the way Job does.

I think I need to be careful when I judge others. Here is a prime example of where assumptions go wrong. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar incorrectly assume that Job must have done something wrong and all make this clear to Job (the latter two even more harshly than Eliphaz). Like Job says, this is not what friends should be doing. Rather than accusing Job, they should be praying with Job and should know Job better. They should know that Job has not anything wrong and should not have to even question his integrity. For them to make such accusations is an insult to their friendship.

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Thursday, April 13, 2006

Blessed Be Your Name

Day 50: Job
Job 1-2

- Job is an old old book, despite appearing in the middle of the old testament. In the first verse, Job is described as "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." I think it would be awesome to live in a way that would have people describe me in this way.
- he was very rich and was described as the greatest man of all the people of the East.
- his sons would have many parties and Job would always make burnt offerings to the Lord afterwards in case his sons had sinned or cursed God in their hearts.
- there's some dialogue between God and Satan. Basically, Satan says the only reason why Job fears and obeys God is because of his great wealth and stature. Take that away, and he will curse God just like everyone else. So God allows Satan to do whatever he wants to Job's things but he is not allowed to harm Job himself.
- after that, the Sabeans stole all of his oxen and donkeys and killed all his servants, a fire from heaven burned up his sheep and servants attending to them, the Chaldeans took his camels and killed his servants, and a wind knocked down the house of his eldest son killing all of them.
- when Job heard this he tore his robe, shaved his head and FELL DOWN IN WORSHIP saying:
"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." He didn't sin in all of this.
- Job's second test is his health. Satan says that if you take away his health, without killing him, he will curse God. So God allows Satan to inflict painful sores upon Job's body. Job's wife was foolish and even tried to encourage him to curse God and die. But Job still did not sin.
- Job's three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) went to sympathize and comfort him. They wept, tore their robes and just sat with Job for a week without saying anything.

I studied the book of Job way back a few years ago. One important thing that I had to keep in mind later on when the dialogue between Job and his three "friends" began was that the book is written in a poetic style. So it was crucial, to understand what was going on, to not take things literally.

Job is an amazing character and one that I could learn a great many things from. When I look at how God allowed Job to be tested, I'm so sure that I would have listened to Job's wife and cursed God for my suffering. The one comfort I have is that God promises that we will not be tempted beyond what we can handle and that God will always provide a way out - just like he did for Job. Remembering the story of Job will come in handy when I'm going through the darker periods of life.

Another important point was how his friends acted. They truly exemplify what it means to be a real friend...that is, until they open their mouths and try to give Job advice. I think sometimes when someone is going through tremendous suffering, all you can do is mourn with them and just be there with them. Jobs friends sat with him for an entire week not saying anything. I think that's something to keep in mind next time someone I know is going through a really rough time and I don't know what to say.

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

No Fear in Death

Day 49: Mordecai
Esther 3:1-15, 5:9-6:14, 10:1-3

- in sort of a continuation of yesterday's selection on Esther, these verses highlight her uncle Mordecai.
- Haman was made king Xerxes' right hand man and was given a lot of power and wealth over the kingdom of Persia. All were required to kneel before him out of respect when he passed by. But Mordecai refused because he worshipped God and God alone.
- so Haman sought to not only kill Mordecai but to get rid of all the Jews.
- after getting the king to agree that the Jews did not obey the laws of the king and deserved to be destroyed, Haman set out to build a 75 ft high gallows to hang Mordecai at the advice of his wife.
- one night, the king was having trouble sleeping so he had one of his servants read to him about the chronicles of his reign. They came across the part where Mordecai uncovered an assassination plot and he was not given any reward. So the king orders Haman to dress Mordecai up in the kings robes and lead him through the streets saying "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!"
- after the Jews are delivered, Mordecai was made second in power to king Xerxes and was held in high esteem by many of his fellow Jews because of his concern for the welfare of the Jews.

I think Mordecai, like his niece, showed tremendous courage under fire. He knew that Haman had the power to have him killed and he still refused to kneel before him. Mordecai was willing to risk his life in order to be set apart for God and that's how we need to act in this world too.

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Beauty and Courage

Day 48: Esther
Esther 2:1-23, 4:1-5:8, 7:1-8:8

- whenever I think about Queen Esther, I remember the story from Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey audio tapes. This was one of my favorite stories.
- Anyway, so King Xerxes had banished his wife, Queen Vashti because she refused to be paraded around in front of him and his guests during a massive party.
- so his advisors told him to hold a beauty pagent to find a beautiful young lady to be the next Queen. They were to undergo 12 months of beauty treatments before being presented to the king. Esther beats out all the girls and becomes the next queen.
- her uncle Mordecai uncovers a conspiracy planned by a couple of the king's officials. Queen Esther reported it and credited Mordecai. Both conspirators were hung but Mordecai received no reward.
- later on, Mordecai learns of a plot by Haman to destroy all the Jews. He implores Esther to go to the king and plead with him to intervene. The problem was that nobody could enter the inner court of the king without being summoned. The consequence was death.
- anyway, she does finally go and the king extends his scepter to her to spare her life. She invites him and Haman to a couple dinners before finally revealing Haman's wicked plan to the king and her Jewish heritage. Also, Haman had built a 75 foot tall gallows to hang Mordecai who refused to bow before him when he passed by. Instead, king Xerxes had Haman hung on the gallows.
- although Xerxes could not reverse the decree, he gave Esther permission to send out another proclaimation saying that the Jews would be able to defend themselves against any attack. And in the end, the Jews were spared.

The story of Esther is definitely one of courage. It was God's plan to have her become Queen and to then save the Jews from near destruction. God has plans for all of us as well and we just never know what sort of purpose lies behind our jobs and life opportunities.

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Monday, April 10, 2006

Fasting and Prayer

Day 46: Ezra
Ezra 7-9

Well I read about Ezra yesterday but I accidentally closed my browser while typing it up twice. So I just gave up. My three point summary is:

1. Ezra and some of the Levites are permitted by Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem and restore the temple of the Lord. They are given money from the Babylonian treasury for this task and to make sacrifices to God.
2. One big point that stuck out was the fact that before setting off for their journey, they fasted and humbled themselves before God and asked for journey mercies. This was cool because I just finished doing the 30 hour famine and I also think that the next time I have a major decision, i'm going to fast and spend more time in prayer asking for God's guidance.
3. Ezra has this long prayer asking for God's mercy on all of them after many of them intermarry with people from surrounding nations, despite God's prohibitions in the Book of the Law.

Day 47: Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1-2

- Nehemiah finds out that Jerusalem is in ruins and it upsets him greatly. Walls have been destroyed and gates burned down with fire.
- he asks for mercy for all of them and then quotes God's promise saying:
"but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'"
- Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer. From what I remember hearing, cupbearers are usually very close to the king. So one day, king Artaxerxes asked him why he was so sad and Nehemiah told him that he wished to return to Judah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. The king not only agreed but also sent an army of officers and cavalry to protect Nehemiah and all the timber he needed to make repairs. And so the rebuilding of Jerusalem began.

It's interesting that Nehemiah also fasted as he wept, mourned and prayed for Israel. I think it would be really great to take a whole day to fast and pray in a place of solitude. Maybe this summer sometime.

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Saturday, April 08, 2006

30 Hour Famine

So I made it 30 hours without much of a problem. Surprising considering that in the past month or so I've been eating unhealthy amounts of food. One problem was that I don't think I drank enough water during the fast.

It was really awesome to hang out with the teenagers. They made me feel young again and I was able to goof off and it was all good. There wasn't a huge turnout of people considering how many junior high/senior high students go to our church, but I think the kids still had fun. I was extremely encouraged by the amount of maturity and leadership that existed within the group. God has really raised up many young people with hearts for God and that's admirable in a generation that seems to be drawing farther away from Him.

We watched a couple videos showing the food shortages, AIDS epidemic and lack of clean water in many parts of Africa. I think the stats work out to five people dying from starvation (maybe kids?) every minute and over 1 billion people do not have access to clean water. I don't stop to consider this reality very often. The average shower uses over 100 L of water. There really isn't any reason for there to be such a huge disparity between the rich and poor. It reminded me how we need to give generously to those in need.

In many ways, I felt ashamed that after only 30 hours of fasting, I would be able to eat again. Even though we felt a small pang of what millions of people feel everyday, we had the option of ending the fast whenever we wanted to. For those dying of starvation, fasting is a tragic reality. For us, it was a choice. But our youth pastor reminded us that God blessed us to be living under these circumstances and instead of feeling guilty, we should thank God, not take our blessings for granted and do what we can to help others. I guess the key is to follow Paul's example by being content in all circumstances.

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Friday, April 07, 2006

Reading the bible...

Day 45: Hilkiah (2 Chronicles 34:14-33)

- a bit of background on what's going on...Josiah is king over Judah and was one of the good ones. He was leading Judah into an age of reform. During his 18th year of reign, he set out to purify the land and the temple of God.
- Hilkiah was the high priest at the time and he found the book of the Law given to Moses by God in the temple of the Lord. The book was given to Shaphan, the kings secretary.
- Shaphan began to read from the book of the Law and Josiah realized that they had not kept the laws of the Lord. He tore his robes and immediately ordered them to find out what else the book says and what will happen to Israel and Judah.
- Hilkiah and others sought the advice of Huldah, a prophetess. She basically said that God was going to bring disaster upon them because of their sins. However, because of Josiah's response and humbleness, he would pass away in peace and would not witness this great disaster.
- after this, the king gathered all the people from the least to greatest, and read the words in the Book of the Covenant and they renewed their covenant before God...
"...to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book." (verse 31)
- he continued to lead them in the ways of the Lord throughout his reign.

Again, we see the rare occurance of a king faithful to God. The judgment and disaster spoken of was the Babylonian exile of all Israel and Judah. Reading about Josiah reminds me of how important it is for us to constantly be reading the bible. It was only when he actually read the words written in the Book of the Covenant that he realized how badly they've screwed up. I think for Christians, we are blessed with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and full access to God's word. It would be pretty stupid of us not to consult it on a regular basis to keep ourselves accountable to God. I'm really glad that I've finally found a way to read bible more. All these years I think I've really been missing out on so many truths. I just pray that I can sustain this.

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Thursday, April 06, 2006

Day 44: Manasseh

Amazing Love, How Can It Be?

2 Chronicles 33:1-20

- Manasseh became king over Judah at an even younger age than Uzziah (12 yrs) and reigned even longer (55 yrs).
- he was an evil king who rebuilt altars and idols that his father Hezekiah destroyed.
"He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger." verse 6
- the Lord even tried to talk to them but they refused to listen.
- God allowed the Assyrians to take him prisoner. Then Manasseh cried out to God and humbled himself greatly. The Lord was moved by his plea and brought him back from captivity on Babylon to Jerusalem.
- then he knew the Lord was God.
- he removed all the idols, altars and the detestable objects. He told the people of Judah to worship God and God alone.

Very interesting change of heart for Manasseh, but only after God brought great suffering upon him at the hands of the Assyrians. I cannot believe how compassionate and forgiving God was and is. Even though Israel, under Manasseh, was doing more evil than all the nations they had destroyed, God forgave him once he honestly repented. This kind of love is so far beyond my comprehension. There's no way I could forgive someone who wronged me to that degree. It gives me hope that God will accept me just as I am, as long as I humble myself before Him.

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Day 43: Uzziah

The Pride Dilemma

2 Chronicles 26

- made king of Judah at the age of 16 and ruled for 52 years
- started out good and did what was right in God's eyes
- was guided by the prophet Zechariah
- he defeated the Philistines and the Arabs and became very powerful. But once he got all this power, his pride led to his downfall.
- he sinned by trying to burn incense to the Lord. This act was reserved for priests only.
- as a punishment, God afflicted him with leprosy for the remainder of his life

I've spoken to many people about the issue of pride. In our weekly bible study, we've been covering Philippians and one of the biggest barriers to being completely humble and having that servant heart is pride. It messes with our minds and inhibits our reliance on God for everything. Personally, pride has been a huge issue in everything from relationships, school, work, how I act and who I try to pass myself off as. I know self-esteem is important but I find that too often I'm placing myself on top of the world (or at least trying to).

This sense of pride has given me a horrible fear of rejection. I play everything safe. Don't try to be friends with someone unless I'm sure it will work out and I won't get rejected. Haven't really considered dating anyone in part for a fear of being rejected (in part...this is a complicated issue haha). Pretty close to giving up on med school because my application (as a whole) is sub-par and I'm afraid of being rejected...and I haven't even applied once yet. Don't do too many things (games, sports, etc) that I'm not good at for fear of being rejected or dejected. Sure, everyone goes through the same thoughts but I think it has been a big obstacle in my life, keeping me from getting to where God wants me to go. And it all has to do with pride. I need to work on giving that up and not living according to my prideful/sinful human nature and just rely more on God. Pride was Uzziah's downfall. Let the priests do their job; I just need to focus on doing mine by following Christ wholeheartedly.

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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Day 42: Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 17-20

- Jehoshaphat was Asa's son and he devoted his ways to the Lord.
- the nations surrounding Judah were afraid of the Lord and did not wage war against Jehoshaphat because of this.
- he amassed a very large army of over a million men.
- he allied himself with king Ahab by marriage.
- some years later, Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against Ramoth Gilead. He agreed but first asked God for counsel.
- 400 prophets of Israel are gathered and they all say to go for it. But Jehoshaphat wasn't convinced and wanted a prophet from the Lord.
- Ahab said there was one named Micaiah but he always prophesied bad stuff about Ahab.
- so Micaiah was brought forward and he claims that the lying spirit had entered the mouths of all the prophets to entice Ahab to go to battle. So Ahab throws him in prison and Micaiah states that Ahab will in fact die in battle and never return.
- so both Ahab and Jehoshaphat go to battle. Ahab tries to disguise himself as a regular soldier while Jehoshaphat wears his royal robes. When the enemy saw Jehoshaphat, they tried to kill him thinking he was the king of Israel. But Jehoshaphat cried out to God and God saved him. Ahab was struck with a random arrow and eventually died.
- Jehoshaphat's righteousness is incomplete. Although he rid the land of Asherah poles and idols, he still sided with those who hate the Lord.
- he later appoints judges in the land and ordered them to fear the Lord for He is the ultimate judge over all.
- armies from Moab and Ammon attacked Jehoshaphat. But the people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord. Jehoshaphat stood in front of all his people and said:

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.' "

- through a prophet, the Lord promised to deliver them and they all fell down in worship.
- they went out singing, "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."
- and with that, they defeated the Moabites and Ammonites and there was peace again because all the kingdoms were afraid.
- Jehoshaphat reigned 25 years and walked in the ways of the Lord.

Jehoshaphat came close to screwing up but he realized his mistake and God blessed him. One point that struck me was how he turned to God for guidance before attacking Ramoth Gilead (although he made the wrong choice by fighting) and also when he was attacked by Moab and Ammon. I should not be afraid to turn to God and ask for help whenever I am in need. For example, I should pray for the strength and inspiration to finish writing this history term paper right now...

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Monday, April 03, 2006

Day 41: Asa

2 Chronicles 14-16

- king Asa brought peace to Judah for 10 years and did what was right in the eyes of God.
- he broke down idols and built up fortified cities.
- Judah fought against the Cushites and defeated them after Asa prayed to God for help.

"The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." 2 Chron. 15:2

- king Asa gathered together all Judah and Benjamin and the anyone from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who were living with them.
- they made sacrifices to God and entered a covanent to seek the Lord with all of their heart and soul. Anyone who refused this covanent was put to death.
- the peace ended when Asa tried to take matters into his own hands by making peace with the king of Aram to solve a problem rather than asking God for help. His last years were spent at war.
- from then on it seems that Asa was bitter and refused to turn to the Lord. He contracted some foot disease but he refused to ask God for healing.

Asa started off so well but it seems that after screwing up he let bitterness overwhelm him and he refused to admit his error and repent. He was even reminded by Azariah that if he forsook God, God would forsake him.

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Sunday, April 02, 2006

Day 40: Jabez

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

- Jabez in Hebrew sounds similar to the word for pain.
- the bible calls him more honourable than his brothers.
- he cried out to God for blessing, for the enlargement of his territory, guidance, safekeeping and protection. God granted his request.


Today's reading is a short one compared to the previous few. It's funny because I've read the book The Prayer of Jabez many years ago and I even had the opportunity to hear the author Dr. Bruce Wilkinson speak in Edmonton a few months ago. I think in the book it said to write up 1 Chronicles 4:10 and stick it on your bedroom wall or somewhere as a constant reminder. In fact, I've had that verse stuck up on the wall next to my closet for many years now and I don't think I've taken a look at it in at least a year. It's a simple but powerful prayer that I think I could benefit from by taking a closer look at it.

It's interesting to see how God works in my life. Just in the last bible study meeting we discussed prayer and how to go about praying for specific things. Then in our coffee time discussion at church this morning, we again talked about prayer. Now prayer comes up again with Jabez. To be honest, my prayer life has been pretty stagnant. The idea of keeping a prayer journal came up and it sounds like a very cool tool to keep track of how God is answering my prayers. I've found an old little notebook that I think I'm going to start keeping track of everything I should pray for and then as I tick off answered prayers I can thank God for that. I'm not a big fan of keeping a daily journal of life events (although this blog is sorta like that) but I think this will be okay. It just might end up being that push that I need to start praying more often.

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Saturday, April 01, 2006

What's your vision?


Memories of an evening of worship... (thx for the pic Sheridan) Posted by Picasa

It's been about 2 weeks since our evening with Pastor Karl Feltmate and I must say I'm really encouraged by what has been going on in our church since then. The Crossroads group (our young adults fellowship) has finally come up with a vision for the next 6 months or so: to know, to grow and to share. We hope to encourage each other and to break down these barriers that are keeping us from really getting to the point where we can "bear with one another in love". I think we've all reached the point where we can have fun together but would we be able the shoulder the burden of someone else? I'm excited to see where God leads us for the rest of 2006.

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Day 39: Josiah

2 Kings 23

- Josiah was one of the good kings in Judah who listened to the commands of the Lord.
- the first 20 verses in the chapter describe how Josiah had to go about cleaning up the mess that the previous kings had made. Destroying all the altars to other gods, killing all priests of Baal and other gods, removing unholy things from the temple of the Lord, desecrating all the high places set up for idol worship, etc.
- then he instructs the people to celebrate the passover feast which had not been done since the days of the judges.
- but the Lord was very angry with all that had happened and vowed to remove Judah from his presence just as he did with the rest of Israel.
- Josiah was killed in a battle against the Egyptians and buried in Jerusalem. He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.
- unfortunately, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord rather than good and only reigned 3 months. After that, Neco, pharaoh of Egypt at the time, imprisoned him and made Eliakim king (who was also a son of Josiah).
- Eliakim had his named changed to Jehoiakim and he ruled over Judah for 11 years. He also did evil in the eyes of God.


Looking at this timeline in my NLT study bible, there wasn't a single good king of Israel. All of them sinned greatly in the eyes of God. Judah was a bit better but not by much. Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash (early reign), Hezekiah and Josiah were all good kings out of the 20 kings of Judah. It seems that sinful human nature reigned supreme back then as it does now.

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