June 16
1 Kings 15:25-17:24 | PS 134:1-3 | Prov 17:9-11 | Acts 10:24-48
God is sovereign. I think we often forget that. When in politics we hear calls for "four more years" or when those in the other party seek to remove who is in charge, we forget that those in leadership, will remain there or be removed according to God's sovereign hand. They are all vessels. Some for good, others to mete out justice. Also, what is often forgotten, is that if not for God's grace and mercy, America would not currently exist, and for that matter no nation and no individual would currently exist. Grace is God's favor or gifts towards us, His unworthy recipients. While God's mercy is when we, the sinners that we are, don't receive the judgment that we receive for our sinful actions and thoughts. America is often called the "Land of the Free", but we are far from that. Marxism is alive and well and gaining traction with every new movement in our “woke” culture. That which claims to increase freedom is slowly moving us more and more into bondage. Tolerance may seemingly be increasing towards every sinful movement and claim, but intolerance towards the things of God, as clearly stated in Scripture, is rapidly growing. God is our only hope, so few realize this.
As we continue through the book of Kings, many of the leaders of both Judah and Israel will be presented with a short synopsis of certain events, whether they followed David in godliness or Jeroboam in ungodliness, followed by the years of their reign. What might not be apparent at first glance is the length of these reigns has little to do with whether they were "good" or "bad" kings. Some "good" kings had long reigns, such as Asa, while others had shorter reigns, such as Hezekiah. Some "bad" kings had long reigns, such as Manasseh, while others, such as Zimri, had short ones. God is patient, full of grace and mercy. But He is also a God of justice. These leaders are simply vessels who mete out blessings or justice. Remember, we all have free will, as do these leaders. They are not puppets, but God knows their character, and knows what they will do before they even do them. God is outside of time. In 2 Peter 3:8, we read, "But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Of course we should all vote. We should also care who it is that leads us both locally and nationally. But we need to get our eyes more on God and less on individuals. Our votes should be based on where particular candidates stand on the things of God, as spelled out in Scripture. We should not be swept away with every new movement or philosophy. Below the surface there is always more. What might at first seem like freedom for a particular group of individuals, in reality is moving us further into bondage by central authorities who are using these movements to usurp rights from the people. As we move through the history of Judah and Israel, we must realize that America is steeped in sin, a relative cesspool of iniquity, and like these two nations deserve God's judgment. To not see this is either from being spiritually blind or ignorant. Sadly our moving is leading to our decaying to the cheers of many who think we are actually becoming freer. We thank you Lord for continued patience. We thank you Lord for your grace and mercy. May You use us, as You used Elijah, to be those beacons of light at such a time as this.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: