July 8
1 Chron 5:18-6:81 | PS 6:1-10 | Prov 18:20-21 | Acts 26:1-32
It truly is quite simple: in life we either choose to be for God or against Him. This is both a life decision with eternal significance along with a day to day decision. God will indeed fight on behalf of His own and fight against those who are against Him. You can't always tell by appearances. There are also times that those who are for Him will do sinful things and those who are against Him will do moral things. These are matters of the heart and faith along with daily choices of obedience. The Bible does not state that those who are for Him are always materially blessed and those against are always materially cursed. God cares for His children, and as such will always bless, but this at times necessitates discipline. We read in 1 Chronicles 5 of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh who settled on the east of the Jordan River. In an earlier battle against four groups of people, we read the conclusion in 5:20-22, "They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated...Many of the Hagrites were killed in the battle because God was fighting against them. The people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh lived in their land until they were taken into exile." But we read later of these same tribes of Israel in 5:25-26, " But these tribes were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They worshiped the gods of the nations that God had destroyed. So the God of Israel caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath-pileser) to invade the land and take away the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as captives. The Assyrians exiled them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day."
In the life of Paul, many years later, there was a time, though he didn't realize this that he was fighting against God, as we read about his encounter with the Lord, Jesus on the Road to Damascus in Acts 16:13-14, "About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.'" But later, after his conversion, we read of God's sovereign protection upon Paul, as we read in 26:22-23, "But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”"
So, what does your life look like? Decide today, are you God's friend or enemy? There are only two choices, as there is no middle of the road option. You have either made a choice to worship God for who He is, or not. Once you have made that decision, you then have a second decision, will you move forward today in obedience or disobedience. God was and still is very much sovereign. God acts on behalf of nations, but also works on the day to day life of individuals. Many think they are good people, in fact, this is the most popular religion. But none of us are good (Romans 3:10-12). None of us deserve His favor, His grace, His mercy. These are undeserved gifts. May we never forget who He is and who we are. God's child, that is who you should want to be.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: