II Chronicles Chapter 28 Telling others about Jesus with our life and words.
God appears to Israel after they defeated Judah and took 200,000 people for prisoners and took much plunder. God said to Israel they were to return the people and the plunder back to Judah or else they would face God's wrath. They returned everything.
God had humbled Judah in hopes of getting them to also return to Him, but they were even more unfaithful to the Lord.
I am thinking about our witness to those around us. We need to be a light in a dark world. We need to live and speak Christ to those around us. We need to show and speak the love of Christ. How we live and handle situations around us and how we encourage others is a great testimony for the Lord. We are called to love others and pray for them in hopes they will come to the Lord as well.
How they respond is not up to us. Our job is to love them in such a way that we point them to Christ. As was with Israel and Judah, some will respond favorably and many will want nothing to do with Jesus. We can't force people to Jesus. So don't be discouraged if many respond negatively. Just keep loving them and encouraging them and letting your life be a testimony for the Lord. And when the Spirit opens the door, be willing to speak truth to them.
Lord, help my life be a witness to those around me and give me the boldness to speak about you when I should. Amen.
Amen, Pastor Blair! That is my prayer too!
Today’s passage is so fitting for the world that we wake up in today. Like Ahaz, people today will seek the help of friends, even enemies but refuse to seek the help of the only One who can truly come through for them. I pray that His will be done in these crazy days – we know that He can use even a virus for His glory. I pray that many will turn to Him now.
Don’t ever doubt the direct effect of a father on his kids and grandkids. In Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz, we see a father who had a quarrel with the church followed by a son who stopped going to church, followed by a grandson who closed the doors of the church. Little eyes or big eyes … always on us and our walk.
Ahaz was another bad leader. We continue to see that earthly kings can’t be counted on, but God would one day send His Son as the King of kings and He would change everything for us!
Here is what we see in Isaiah 7:10-14.
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And He said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”