Mon.’s Devo - Israel’s Fall

Read: 2 Kings 17:1-18:12; Acts 20:1-38; Psalm 148:1-14; Proverbs 18:6-7 Hoshea had murdered Pekah to become king of Israel while Ahaz was reigning in Judah. Hoshea ruled for nine years and worshipped idols though not as bad as those before him had. He was attacked by King Shalamaneser of Assyria and forced to pay heavy tribute. Hoshea tried to get out of the payment by hiring the Egyptians to come help him. King Shalamaneser found out and besieged Samaria. The city fell after three years and all the people were taken captive to Assyrian towns. *** This happened because of their years of worshiping other gods and not following the Lord. God had sent prophets to get them to repent, but they ignored the warnings and continued in their sin. God swept them away and only the tribe of Judah remained. *** The Assyrians sent their own people to live in Israel to replace the Israelites. But these foreigners didn’t worship the Lord, so God sent lions to kill some of them. They reported back to the king of Assyria asking for Jewish priests to come and teach them how to worship their God, so they could live in peace. The king sent one of the priests to teach them how to worship the Lord but, they continued to worship their gods along with God. God is a jealous god and doesn’t share his glory with other gods. *** Meanwhile in Judah, Hezekiah was ruling. He was 25 years old when he came to rule and reigned for 28 years. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord like David did. He removed the pagan shrines, the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles, he crushed the bronze serpent that Moses had made because the people had made it a god. He refused to pay the king of Assyria tribute and conquered the Philistines. *** Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Israel during his rule and it fell in his ninth year. *** In Acts, Demetrius had stirred up a riot in Ephesus because Paul’s group had cost his business so much loss. The mayor diffused the riot and everyone went home. Paul encouraged the believers and left for Macedonia. He went from there to Greece and stayed three months. Paul had many converts from all the places he had visited that traveled with him. They met him in Troas. It was Passover week. They met to eat the Lord’s Supper and listen to Paul preach since he was leaving the next morning. At midnight, Paul was still teaching. A young man fell asleep who was sitting next to the window. He fell three stories. Paul ran down and took him in his arms. He professed he was alive and well. They came back up and ate the Passover meal together. Paul left and went to Assos and met the rest of his team there. They sailed to the island of Amos and then on to Miletus. Paul was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem in time for Pentecost. *** At Miletus, he sent letters to the elders at the church at Ephesus asking them to meet him there. He gave them his last good-bye because he was about to be in Jerusalem where he knew he would suffer even more persecution and prison. He encouraged the leaders to feed the flock they had and to beware of false teachers. They were to always teach the message of God’s grace through Christ. It is God’s grace that will enable us to receive the inheritance God has for us. He told them to let generosity and giving be their main motivation. They gave Paul a teary good-bye, then escorted him to his ship. *** What a powerful leader and example Paul was to them and is to us. *** Lord, may we be bold like Paul and put everything in the right perspective. Paul lived to die for Christ. May we have the same motivation. May our lives be poured out for your glory.

Sun.’s Devo - God Reigns

Read: 2 Kings 15:1-16:20; Acts 19:13-41; Psalm 147:1-20; Proverbs 18:4-5 Today’s reading sounds as if Israel changed kings like we change clothes. I’m going to try to simplify it for us. Jeroboam II ruled for a total of 41 years over Israel. In his 27th year, Uzziah became the king of Judah. Uzziah reigned 52 years. He was a good king who pleased the Lord except he didn’t destroy the pagan shrines. He was struck with leprosy and when he died, his son Jotham became king. *** In Uzziah’s 38th year, Zechariah began to rule in Israel. He was king for six months before he was assassinated. He was the fourth generation of Jehu’s descendants which fulfilled Gods word to Jehu. *** Shallum, a man not related to Jehu, became king of Israel. He only ruled one month. Menahem killed him to become Israel’s next king. He was a ruthless killer and ruled for 10 years. He was invaded by King Tiglath-pileser from Assyria and Menahem made the rich people pay 50 pieces of silver each to pay for the lives of Israel. When Menahem died his son, Pekahiah became king. He lasted 2 years and was assassinated by his army commander, Pekah. He reigned for 20 years. During his reign Tiglath-pileser returned and began capturing towns in Israel. Pekah was assassinated by Hosea. *** All the kings of Israel were idolators who did not please God, while in Judah, there were kings who did worship the Lord and pleased him in everything except none of them took down the pagan altars and the people still worshiped their gods on them. Uzziah of Judah was succeeded by his son Jotham. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord. *** Jotham died and was succeeded by his son, Ahaz. He did not please the Lord but followed the idolatry of Israel’s kings. He was attacked by King Rezin of Aram and Jerusalem was besieged. Ahaz began to lose other territory to the Edomites. Ahaz went to Damascus to discuss peace with King Tiglath-pileser. While he was there he noticed his altar and drew a picture of it and had it sent to Uriah his priest. He had him make one just like it and used it to offer sacrifices. He removed the bronze altar from the Temple of the Lord and placed it on the north side and put his new altar in front of the Temple. Ahaz instructed his priests to start using the new altar instead. He would use the old altar for his own personal use. He made more alterations to the Temple to please the King of Assyria. *** Jesus was crucified north of the Temple. He was replaced by what the Jews thought was a better way just like this new altar Ahaz had copied from the heathen. The worship of the Jews had become so diluted and changed by the time Jesus arrived, he didn’t recognize it. *** King Ahaz worshiped idols so his priests were not Levites. They were heathen priests… Judah had stooped to a new low. When Ahaz died, Hezekiah became the next king. He would have a lot of ungodliness to clean up. *** In Acts, the seven sons of Sceva tried to do what Ahaz was doing. They tried to get godly results with heathen means. They were trying to cast demons out of people using the name of Jesus when they were not even regenerated themselves. They ended up being defeated. This only strengthened the church. Others who had been sorcerers renounced their idolatry and burned their books of evil spells. *** Paul was led by the Spirit to go to Achaia and Macedonia then to Rome. *** The idol makers, led by Demetrius, in Ephesus united together against the Christians because their business had suffered so much by the converts. His main concern was his loss of income but he cloaked it by defending their goddess Artemis. His speech inspired the people to riot. They all ran to the amphitheater taking Gaius and Aristarchus, (Paul’s workers in the ministry) with them. *** The mayor stood up to speak and told them that this was no way to solve the problem. Paul and his men had not broken any laws so if Demetrius and the craftsmen wanted to make a legal charge agains them, they were welcome to do that. Otherwise, they didn’t want to arouse the attention of Rome and then all be in trouble. *** He then dismissed them all to go home. *** The truth stirs up a lot of hornet’s nests. That is what has been going on in our nation. The truth that has been hidden for so long is coming out and people don’t know how to handle it. *** Lord, may we have wisdom to navigate the times we are in. May we not let our emotions cause us to do rash things. May we wait upon you for our marching orders. Thank you that your plan is perfect and right.

Sat.’s Devo - King After King…

Read: 2 Kings 13:1-14:29; Acts 18:23-19:12; Psalm 146:1-10; Proverbs 18:2-3 Jehu’s son, Jehoahaz ruled Israel 17 years while Joash reigned in Judah. Jehoahaz was evil and worshiped idols so the Lord allowed King Hazael of Aram to defeat them repeatedly. Finally Hazael asked the Lord for help and God gave them peace for a while. But they continued in idolatry so God reduced their army. *** As Elisha was dying, Jehoahaz went to visit him. Elisha told him to shoot some arrows out the eastern window. When he did, Elisha told him that it was the Lord’s arrow of victory and he would have complete victory over the Arameans at Ahpek. Then he told him to take the remaining arrows and beat them on the ground. He obeyed and hit the ground three times with the arrows. Elisha told him that because he only hit the ground three times, he would only defeat the Arameans three times. This happened just as Elisha said. *** Elisha died and was buried. A group of Israelites were burying a man and they were attacked by Moabites raiders. They quickly threw the man in Elisha’s grave and when the man landed on Elisha’s bones, he jumped back to life. Elisha had asked for a double measure of Elijah’s power and this last man made the score double. Elisha had now raised twice as man men from the dead as Elijah. Our works continued even after we die. *** Jehoahaz died and his son Jehoash became the king of Israel at the age of 16. Two years later, Amaziah became king of Judah. He was 25 years old. Amaziah had all the officials who had assassinted his father killed but not their children. He then picked a fight with Israel. Jehoash tried to get him to leave in peace but Amaziah had just won against Edom and was feeling strong enough to take Israel on. Amaziah refused to leave so they went to battle. Judah lost and Amaziah was captured by Jehoash of Israel. Jehoash’s army demolished 600 feet of Jerusalem’s wall and stole the gold and silver from the Temple. He also took loot from the palace and hostages. *** When Jehoash died, his son Jeroboam II reigned over Israel. Amaziah had to flee for his life but was killed and brought back to Jerusalem to be buried. His sixteen year old son, Uzziah was crowned king in his stead. *** Jeroboam II ruled Israel and worshiped idols. He reigned for 41 years and because of the Lord’s mercy, he was able to recover some of their land as God had promised through his prophet Jonah. When he died, his son Zechariah became king of Israel. *** In Acts, Apollos who was a excellent teacher and believer arrived in Ephesus from Egypt. Priscilla and Aquilla heard his teaching and realized he only knew about John’s baptism. They told him about Jesus’ baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Apollos felt compelled to go to Achaia and was used to skillfully refute the arguments of the Jews there that opposed Christ. God greatly used him in Corinth. *** Meanwhile, Paul went to Ephesus and explained to a group of men about the Holy Spirit. He explained to them that John’s baptism was only to repent. Jesus’ baptism was to salvation and the baptism in the Holy Spirit was to have power to be his witness. All twelve of them prayed for Jesus’ baptism and Paul laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. *** Paul would teach on the Sabbath at the synagogue and then take the believers and teach them daily how to walk with God. He did this for two years. God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. Handkerchiefs and aprons that he had touched carried the power to heal and cast out demons. *** Lord, may we return to this kind of power. It is our desire to see people set free and delivered in any way you see fit. Our nation needs you. The world needs you. We put all our hope in you.

Fri.’s Devo - The Reign of Joash

Read: 2 Kings 10:32-12:21; Acts 18:1-22; Psalm 145:1-21; Proverbs 18:1 The people of Israel continued to worship other gods, so God began to shrink Israel’s territory. King Hazael of Aram took some of the territory east of the Jordan from the tribes of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh. *** After reigning 28 years, Jehu died and his son, Jehoahaz became king. Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah had married Jehoram the king of Judah. Two of Jehoram’s offsprings were Jehosheba and the Ahaziah. We read yesterday, that Jehu killed Ahaziah as he was escaping. When this happened, Athaliah, the queen mother began killing everyone in her family so she would have total control. Jehosheba took the infant of her brother, Ahaziah and hid the baby. They kept him hidden for six years in the Temple of the Lord. His name was Joash. He was raised by the priest Jehoiada. Meanwhile Ahaliah reigned and she was evil. *** When Joash turned seven, The priests planned a coup and surrounded the Temple with guards. They brought Joash out and placed the crown on his head and presented him a copy of the law. They anointed him and proclaimed him king. *** Athaliah heard all the shouting and came to see what was going on. She cried, “Treason!” They took her and killed her at the gate of the palace. *** Jehoiada then led the people to make a new covenant with the Lord. They tore down the temple of Baal and killed the priest of Baal in front of the altars. *** Heavily guarded, Joash was escorted from the Temple to the palace where he reigned for 40 years. He followed the Lord under the tutorship of Jehoiada. He wanted to restore the Temple of the Lord but the priests kept using the money for themselves. A plan was implemented to isolate money for the Temple and the Temple was restored. *** King Hazael of Aram began taking territory from Israel. When he came for Jerusalem, Joash collected all the sacred objects previous kings had dedicated the Lord along with the gold in the treasury of the Temple and the palace and gave it to Hazael and to save Jerusalem. *** Joash’s own trusted advisors plotted with his officers to assassinate Joash. His son, Amaziah became king. *** In Acts, Paul and Silas left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met the couple Aquila and Priscilla who had just arrived from Italy. They had been deported to Corinth. Since they were tentmakers, they worked with Paul. *** Every Sabbath Paul went to the synagogue to teach about Jesus. The Jews rejected his teaching so he gave them up and went to the Gentiles. *** Paul was given a vision to encourage him to not be afraid to speak out. He would be safe. He stayed there for a year and a half teaching the Word. *** Gallio became the new governor of the territory. Some of the Jews thought he might be on their side, so they brought Paul before him to be judged. They accused him of persuading people to worship God in ways that went against their laws. Gallio threw them out of his court and told them to settle this matter among themselves. The Jews took Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue that allowed Paul to teach at and beat him right in front of Gallio. Gallio ignored them. *** Some time later, Paul left Corinth and took Aquila and Priscilla with him to Syria. He stopped at Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem and then back to Antioch. *** Lord, I thank you that what the devil meant for harm, you turn for good. We see this in Judah’s life. You always preserve a remnant to carry on your name. May we be strong and courageous as we stand as your remnant.

Thurs.’s Devo - The God We Know

Read: 2 Kings 9:14-10:31; Acts 17:1-34; Psalm 144:1-15; Proverbs 17:27-28 Yesterday we read where the armies of Israel and Judah were fighting the king of Aram. King Joram of Israel was wounded and taken to Jezreel to recover. King Ahaziah had gone to visit him. While they were gone, a prophet came to the battle field and anointed Jehu the king of Israel. The people with Jehu agreed that he should be king. He instructed none of them to tell King Joram. *** Jehu got into a chariot and rode like a madman to Jezreel to kill King Joram. King Joram came out to meet him and when Joram realized Jehu was not coming in peace he turned to flee. Jehu shot him in the back but it went through his heart. Jehu had his body thrown into the plot that had belonged to Naboth, to avenge Naboth’s blood. *** King Ahaziah saw what was happening and he fled. Jehu ran after him and shot him in his chariot where he died and was taken to Jerusalem to be buried in the City of David. *** Jezebel made herself beautiful and sat in the window of the palace. She shouted down at Jehu and called him a murderer. Jehu shouted up asking if there was any one on his side. A couple of eunuchs stuck their heads out and Jehu told them to throw her down. They did and she died on the pavement. Jehu trampled her body under his feet. Later he told someone to go bury her and all they could find was her skull, her feet, and her hands. She had died on the plot of land she had gotten for Ahab by killing Naboth, just like Elijah had predicted. *** Ahab had 70 sons who were being brought up in Samaria. Jehu sent word to Samaria for them to crown one of the sons of Ahab and come out and find him. They were so afraid, the asked Jehu what they could do to have peace. He told them he wanted the heads of all of Ahab’s sons and they brought them to him. He had then divided and put in two baskets and placed them on the sides of the city gate. *** The next day, Jehu went out and addressed the people. He took ownership of killing Ahab’s family and explained that he was fulfilling Elijah’s words about the family of Ahab. He killed all of Ahab’s family, officials and friends. On his way to Samaria he met a few more of Ahab’s supporters and killed them also. *** Then Jehu called a meeting of all who worshiped Baal. He told them he was going to worship with them. Instead it was a plot to kill them. Once gathered, he stationed 80 of his men outside the building. The worshipers of Baal offered their sacrifices and offering inside while Jehu offered sacrifices to God outside the building. As soon as Jehu had finished he gave the command to go and kill all the worshipers of Baal. Then he had the pillar in the temple of Baal smashed and converted the building into a public toilet. *** God was pleased with what Jehu had done, and promised him that his descendants would be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation. Sadly, Jehu didn’t obey the Lord with all his heart and worshiped the golden calves that Jeroboam had set up. *** In Acts, Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica and found a Jewish synagogue. They preached for three Sabbath’s explaining the prophecies about Jesus. Many Jews, and Greeks became believers. But some of the Jews were jealous and made trouble for them. They grabbed Jason out of the crowd because he had housed Paul and Silas. The mob accused Jason of treason. He was let out on bond. *** That night, they took Paul and Silas to Berea. The next day they to the Jewish synagogue and taught. Many of the people there received the message of Paul and Silas and believed. But the Jews from Thessalonica found out where Paul and Silas had gone and came to stir up the people there. Paul and Silas went from there to Athens. *** In Athens, Paul was very disturbed by all the idols in the city and went to the synagogue to address it. He debated with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. Paul and Silas were taken to the city council to tell the about their new teaching. The Athenians were all about any new idea. *** Paul had seen a shrine on his way that had the inscription “To an Unknown God”. He used that as his text and said he was here to explain who that unknown God was. Then he told them about God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. He gave them the message of salvation through Christ and when they got to the part about how Jesus died and rose from the dead many of then laughed in contempt, but others wanted to hear more and became believers. *** Lord, I am amazed at how Paul never gave up preaching the truth. May we be that bold and persevering. Than you that we serve the Almighty God, our Creator and King. Thank you, that to us, you are not the Unknown God, but the God we can know and be known by.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Unfinished Business - Finished

Read: 2 Kings 8:1-9:13; Acts 16:16-40; Psalm 143:1-12; Proverbs 17:26 Elisha went to the woman who Elisha had risen her son back to life and warned her to move out of Israel because God was sending a famine which would last for 7 years. She moved her family to live in the land of the Philistines till the 7 years was over. *** After the famine, Gehazi was sitting with the king telling him stories of when he assisted Elijah. He was at the part where Elijah raised the woman’s son from the dead when she walked into the room to ask for her land and house back. Gehazi introduced her to the king and she told her story. The king had her house and land restored to her and she was given the money that her crops made while she was gone. When we take care of God’s servants, God rewards us. She took care of Elijah and now God was taking care of her. *** Elisha then went to Damascus, the capital of Aram. Their king, Ben-hadad was in bed sick. Ben-hadad heard Elisha was in town and had 40 camels laden with goods to be sent to Elisha to ask if he would recover from his sickness. The man who brought the message to Elisha was Hazael. He was the one God had told Elijah to anoint as the next king of Aram but Elijah didn’t do it. Now, Elisha would finish Elijah’s assignment. He saw all he would do to Israel in a flash. It was so devastating, he began to weep. Hazael asked him what was so upsetting and Elisha shared with him all he would do to the people of Israel. Hazael asked how he could possibly be so powerful to do that. Then Elisha told him he would be the next king of Aram. Elisha told Hazael that Ben-hadad would recover, but he would die. *** When Hazael returned to Ben-hadad he told him that Elisha told him he would recover, but he left out the part where he would surely die. The next day, Hazael smothered Ben-hadad to death and he became the next king of Aram. *** In Judah, Jehoram had succeeded his father Jehoshaphat as king. He did even more evil than his father and married one of Ahab’s daughters. *** During Jehoram’s reign the Edomites revolted from serving Israel and appointed their own king. Jehoram tried to get the Edomites back under his submission but the attack failed and his own army deserted him. Jehoram reigned for 8 years and then his son, Ahaziah became the next king of Judah. *** Ahaziah was young - 22, when he came to reign. His mother Athaliah was the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. Omri was Ahab’s father and he was evil. Ahaziah went to fight with King Joram against Hazael of Aram. King Joram of Israel was wounded in the battle and returned to Jezreel to heal. Ahazeal went to see visit him. *** Elisha sent one of his young prophets to go to Ramoth-gilead and find Jehu. He was to secretly anoint him with oil and tell him that he would be the next king of Israel, then he was to flee. This was the other unfinished business given Elijah to do (1 Kings 19:15-16). He did it and when the officers asked Jehu what the prophet told him, he told them, he had just been anointed king of Israel. The news spread quickly and they blew the ram’s horn and announced that Jehu was king. *** What Jehu didn’t tell them was that the rest of the message was that he would destroy the family of Ahab to avenge the deaths of God’s prophets who died by the hands of Jezebel. He was to wipe out the entire family of Ahab, even the slaves. *** President Trump has this same mandate, to clean out the mess that former evil presidents have done, namely the Clintons. He is to avenge all the murders of Hillary, who was a type of Jezebel. We are watching that take place in our day. *** In Acts, Paul, Simon, and Luke were in Philippi, a major city of Macedonia. It was also a Roman colony. A fortune teller followed them daily proclaiming that they were men of God and had come to tell other how to be saved. She became such a nuisance that Paul finally cast the spirit of divination out of her. There went many paychecks, so her handlers were very upset. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials of the city. They accused them of teaching illegal practices. *** When a mob formed, the city officials had them beaten with wooden rods and thrown into prison. They were put in the inner dungeon and their feet put in stocks. *** Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God while the other inmates listened. Around midnight, there was a massive earthquake ad the doors of the prison flew open. The jailer awoke and thought he had lost all his prisoners. He took his sword to kill himself, but Paul told him to stop because they were all there. The jailor could’t believe it. He fell down before Paul and Silas and asked how to be saved. He must have been listening to their singing. They led him to salvation and shared the truth with his family. They all believed and were baptized. They fed Paul and Silas and were filled with joy. ** In the morning, the officials sent word to the jailer to set the men free. But Paul protested that they were Roman citizens and had been beaten without a trial. The city officials were very alarmed when they heard this and begged them to leave their city. Paul and Silas went back to the home of Lydia and soon left town. *** Lord, may we be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel. Thank you that your truth can not be beaten out, snuffed out or covered up. Your truth is power and light. May we shine your truth today. May we finish anything our predecessors didn’t do. May we be instrumental in bringing your kingdom to earth.

Tues.’s Devo - God of the Suddenly’s

Read: 2 Kings 6:1-7:20; Acts 15:36-16:15; Psalm 142:1-7; Proverbs 17:24-25 The school of prophets had outgrown their building and needed to build a larger place. They went to the Jordan River and began cutting down trees for lumber. One of the prophets lost his ax head in the river and was very upset because he had borrowed it. Elisha threw a stick into the water where the ax head had dropped and it floated to the surface so the band could retrieve it. *** The army of Aram was at war with Israel, but every time they tried to sneak up on Israel’s army, they were warned ahead of time by Elisha. The king of Aram thought he had a mole within his ranks but they told him that Elisha, the prophet tells the king even what he talked about in his bedroom. Now the king of Aram wanted to seize Elisha. *** The king of Aram heard that Elisha was in Dothan and sent horses and chariots and a great army to capture Elisha. Elisha’s servant woke up the next morning to see that they were surrounded with troops, chariots and horses. When he told Elisha, Elisha told him not to be afraid because there were more on their side. Then he prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened. This time, the servant saw the army of God on the hillside. There were horses and chariots of fire. *** When the army of Aram approached Elisha, he prayed that their eyes would be made blind and they were all blinded. He led them to the center of the city of Samaria where he prayed that they could see again. The king of Israel saw the army and asked Elisha what he should do with them and he told him to feed them, so he made a great feast and fed them and sent them home. From then on, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel. *** Much later, King Ben-hadad besieged Samaria causing a great famine in the city. When the king learned that women were eating their own children, he tore his clothes in despair. The king blamed Elisha for all their troubles. He sent for Elisha so he could behead him. Elisha sent him back with a word from God. Tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of flour would cost only one piece of silver and twelve quarts of barley grain would only cost one piece of silver. The officer with the king said that that couldn’t happen even if God opened the windows of heaven. Elisha told him it would happen but he would not be able to partake in any of the blessing. *** Four lepers decided to defect to the Arameans hoping for mercy. When they went to their camp they found it empty of soldiers but full of provisions. After eating and drinking and getting what they wanted, they decided to share the good news with the king. They went in the middle of the night to the king and told him what they had encountered. When the king verified that it wasn’t a trap, the people ran out and plundered the camp. The officer who doubted it was trampled by the people and never got a taste of the reward. *** When we think there is no answer, God always has a way out. He is the God of “suddenly’s.” He will suddenly turn situations around for the good - we just need to keep believing. *** In Acts, Paul and Barnabas wanted to go back and visit all the places they had been and encourage them. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark, but Paul was against it because John Mark had left them the last time. They disagreed so strongly that Barnabas took John Mark with him and went to the island of Cyprus and Paul took Silas and stayed on the land. *** Paul went to Derbe, which was over 400 miles from Jerusalem. Next, they went to Lystra where they picked up Timothy whose father was Greek but whose mother was a Jew. He had never been circumcised but to please the Jews, Paul had him circumcised. *** As they traveled, God showed them exactly where to go and where not to go. One night, Paul saw a vision of a man pleading with him to come to Macedonia and help them. So, they went to Philippi, a major city in Macedonia and stayed their a few days. They met Lydia outside the city and told her and her family about Jesus. She believed and her whole family was baptized. She urged them to come stay at her house. *** Lord, I thank you that you are concerned about borrowed ax heads as well as nations. You care for the one and the ninty-nine. Thank you that you cared for us.

Mon.’s Devo - Stories of Elisha

Read: 2 Kings 4:18-5:27; Acts 15:1-35; Psalm 141:1-10; Proverbs 17:23 The son of the woman who housed Elisha was working in the field with his father when he got a bad head ache. The father sent him home to his mother. He died in her lap around noon so she took him upstairs and put him in Elisha’s bed. She had her servant saddle a donkey and off they went to find Elisha. They found him and told him what had happened. Elisha wanted to send Gehazi with his staff but she insisted that Elisha come. Elisha laid on the child and his life went into the child. He was restored to life and given back to the woman. *** Elisha traveled to Gilgal to meet with a group of prophets he mentored. There was a famine in the land at the time. Elisha had them gather vegetables to make a stew. Unknowingly one of the men brought back poisoned gourds and put them in the stew. The first ones to taste the stew knew at once the stew was poisoned. Elisha threw some flour into the pot and told them to eat and it was fine. *** A man from Baal-shalishah brought him grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from his first fruits of grain. Elijah told his servant to feed the prophets and God multiplied the bread and they had left overs. *** The king of Aram had a commander who was a much favored warrior, only he suffered with leprosy. The warriors name was Naaman and he owned a captive girl from Israel. She told Naaman’s wife that she wished he would go see the prophet in Samaria because he could heal his leprosy. *** Naaman told the king what the girl had said, so he Naaman with sent letters to the king of Israel. He also sent 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold and ten sets of clothing as a gift. *** When the king of Israel read the letter from the King of Aram he thought he was instigating a war and tore his clothes in despair. Elisha heard the king had torn his robe and sent a message to him. He asked him why he was so upset, he was to send Naaman to him and he would learn that there was a true prophet in Israel. So he sent Naaman to Elisha. *** When he arrived at his house, Elisha sent Gehazi out to tell him to dip in the Jordan seven times and then he would be healed. Naaman was insulted that Elisha didn’t come out in person to see him and that he had told him to dip in the muddy Jordan River. He started to leave mad, but his wise servant reminded him that if the prophet had told him to do something difficult, he would have done it. Why not do this simple thing - wash and be clean. He agreed, and came out the seventh time clean. *** He returned to Elisha and met him face to face. He tried to give him the gifts he had brought but Elisha refused them. Naaman told him from then on he would not worship any God but the true God. Elisha sent him away in peace. *** Gehazi coveted those gifts and ran after Naaman and made up some story why Elisha needed 75 pounds of silver and two changes of clothes. He took these gifts and hid them. *** Elisha called him in and told him that since he deceived him and took Naaman’s gifts, he and his descendants would also receive Naaman’s leprosy. When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy. *** In Acts, men from Judea came to Antioch teaching the people that you must be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed and argued with them. The church sent Paul and Barnabas and some other believers to Jerusalem to ask the elders and apostles about this. *** Along the way they stopped in Phoenicia and Samaria to find that the Gentiles there were also being converted. *** When they arrived in Jerusalem they presented their question to the elders and apostles. Peter stood and testified how the Gentiles had received the gospel and the Holy Spirit just like the Jews. Barnabas and Paul gave their stories of the Gentiles they had seen come to the Lord. Finally, James stood and quoted what the prophet Amos had prophesied concerning the Gentiles. He concluded that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised, but to abstain from eating food offered to idols and from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals and from consuming blood. They sent Judas and Silas back with Paul and Barnabas to deliver this new decision. They stayed for a while to encourage the church then returned to Jerusalem. *** This was a time of great transition in the church just like now. We are having many of our “sacred cows” crucified on the altar of understanding and revelation. Change is messy and sometimes hurtful but always good in the long run. 
 *** Lord, may we open our hearts to receive correction, guidance and revelation that is true. Give us great discernment to see what is of you and what is of man. May we walk in newness of life and Sprit.

Sun.’s Devo - Water to the Thirsty

Read: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17; Acts 14:8-28; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 17:22 Joram ruled over Israel and he tore down the pillar of Baal but still worshiped the golden calves that Jeroboam had erected. Meanwhile, Jehoshaphat was in his 18th year of ruling Judah. *** King Mesha of Moab rebelled against sending tribute to Israel. They usually gave Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. King Joram gathered his troops to go to war against Moab. He invited Jehoshaphat and his army to join them. *** On their way, they picked up the king of Edom and his army. After traveling through the wilderness for 7 days, they ran out of water and were afraid that they would all die. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of God among the troops. Elisha was with Israel’s men so they called him out. *** When King Joram asked him if they were going to die, Elisha told him the only reason he would help them was because of Jehoshaphat who feared God. He asked for a person who could play a harp to play while he waited on the Lord. *** God responded and said that this dry valley would be filled with pools of water. There would be no rain because if would be a miracle from Him. God would give them victory over Moab and they would conquer the best of their towns. They would cut down their good trees, stop up all their springs and ruin the good land with stones. *** The next day at the time of the morning sacrifice, water started pooling and was everywhere. *** The armies of Moab were camped nearby and when they saw the sun shining across the pools of water, it looked red. They thought it was blood and that the armies had killed themselves so they went in for the plunder, but met live armies instead. It was like Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones became a flesh and blood army. They did everything Elisha had said they would do. *** When the king of Edom saw he was losing, he sacrificed his heir to the throne on the wall. The Israelites then returned home. *** One of the prophet’s widow came to Elisha and told him how her husband served him and now that he was dead, she was in debt and the creditors were coming to take what she had - even her two sons. Elisha asked what she did have. She had one flask of olive oil. Elisha told her to borrow all the empty jars she could find from her friends and neighbors. When she had done that, he told her to start pouring the oil from the flask into them. It filled everyone of the vessels she had, then stopped. He told her to sell her oil and pay her debts and live off the excess. *** Elisha went to Shunem which means “double rest”. Elisha was invited to eat at the home of a wealthy woman and her husband. Her house became a regular stop for Elisha. The woman convinced her husband to build Elisha a room on their roof where he could stay when he came. *** Elisha enjoyed resting in her house and wanted to repay her with a gift. He asked his servant, Gehazi to ask the woman what she would like. She wanted nothing in return, but Gehazi noticed she had no son. Elisha called her to come to him and told her that this time next year she would be holding a son. She begged him not to get her hopes up for nothing. Next year she had a son. *** God brought water out of nowhere when his people called out to him. He caused oil to multiply when the lady was willing to obey. He caused the barren womb to bear fruit in the woman who gave out of her abundance. God can do anything and will do it for the poorest widow to the richest king. *** In Acts, Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra. Paul recognized faith in a man who was crippled from birth. He called him out and told him to stand up. The man leaped to his feet and walked. Some in the crowd yelled that Paul and Barnabas were gods like Zeus and Hermes. They brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas. *** Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes to show that they were just humans like them. They told them they had come to bring them the Good News so they should turn from worshiping idols and worship the true God. *** Some of the Jews from the towns Paul and Barnabas had fled from came and tried to win the people over to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. The believers gathered around him praying and Paul got up and walked back into town. He and Barnabas left for Derby the next day. *** Many believed in Derbe and they returned to the places they had preached at to encourage the new believers there. They appointed elders for the churches and then preached their way back to Antioch. Back home they reported to the church all the things God had done and how the door had been opened to the Gentiles to receive the gospel. *** Lord, bring water to the dry valleys in our nation. Melt the hearts of stone and make them soft to receive your message of salvation.

Sat.’s Devo - Truth Comes with Power

Read: 2 Kings 1:1-2:25; Acts 13:42-14:7; Psalm 139:1-24; Proverbs 17:19-21 God began to judge Ahab’s dynasty. Moab rebelled against Israel and Ahab’s son, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of his palace and was seriously injured. He sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub to ask the God of Ekron if he would recover. God did not appreciate that and sent Elijah to intercept them. He sent the messengers back to Ahaziah to ask him if there was no prophet in Israel he could have asked. The Lord said he would die and never leave his bed. *** Ahaziah sent fifty men to arrest Elijah but Elijah called down fire from heaven and it consumed the men. This happened twice. The third group sent was led by a very wise leader. He went up to where Elijah was and fell down begging him to spare his men and come with him. The Lord told Elijah to go and he would be okay. *** Elijah stood before the king and said the same thing he had said the first time, and it happened. Ahaziah died and his son, Joram became the next king. *** It was time for Elijah to leave the earth and Elijah told Elisha to stay in Gilgal because he was going to Bethel. Elisha refused to leave Elijah so he followed him to Bethel, then to Jericho, then to the Jordan. All along the way, prophets told Elisha that this was the day Elijah was leaving. *** When Elijah got to the Jordan, he folded his cloak and struck the water and it divided and they walked on dry land. It was on the other side that Elijah finally caught his transport to leave. All of the places he went on this last day were places angels had shown up on earth. I wonder if he was looking for them to take him to heaven. Just a thought. *** Before he left, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted and he said he wanted a double share of Elijah’s spirit and to become his successor. Elijah told him that if he saw him leave, he would have them. Elisha did see Elijah leave in a whirlwind and saw the chariots of heaven. 
 *** After Elijah had gone, he took his cloak and folded it and struck the Jordan. It parted and he walked across. The prophets saw this from afar and realized he had the same spirit Elijah had had. They begged him to let them look for Elijah’s body. Elisha finally let them go but after three days they came back empty… just like they found Jesus’ grave after three days. *** The water supply in Jericho was bad so Elisha emptied a bowl of salt into the river and it became pure. It would no longer cause death or infertility. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and we bring life and prosperity to the earth because of Jesus in us. *** Elisha was mocked by a bunch of young boys and when he cursed them, two bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of them. God was not going to let his word in Elisha be taunted. *** In Acts, when Paul and Barnabas left that Sabbath, the people begged them to come back and teach them next week. The next week, the whole town showed up to hear them. The Jews were jealous of their popularity and argued with everything they said. Paul and Barnabas told them that they had to tell the Jews first, but since they rejected it, they would offer salvation to the Gentiles. They quoted Isaiah 49:6, “I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation the farthest corners of the earth.” The elite of the town drove them out of town but the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. They went to Iconium and the same thing happened. A number of Greeks and Jews believed their message, but the Jews in charge rejected their message. They did many miracles and signs and wonder there. The town was divided in their beliefs. They were attacked by a mob and fled to Lycaonia and preached the Good News there. *** Everywhere the Good News went it caused an uproar of opposition. We cannot expect the change we are hoping to come to our nation to happen peacefully. But, we can trust that God has a plan to release his Spirit with miraculous signs and wonders and result in many coming to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. *** Lord, we anticipate with joy what you are doing and going to do in our world. Thank you for the times we are living in. May we be bold and courageous.

Fri.’s Devo - Ahab’s End

Read: 1 Kings 22:1-53; Acts 13:16-41; Psalm 138:1-8; Proverbs 17:17-18 In Jehoshaphat’s third year of reigning over Judah, he went to visit Ahab, king of Israel. Ahab brought up the fact that Ramoth-gilead belonged to Israel, but Aram controlled it. Ahab asked if Jehoshaphat would help him get it back. Jehoshaphat agreed to help him but before they went to war, Jehoshaphat wanted to ask what the Lord had to say in the matter and if they would succeed. *** Ahab had found him some new false prophets after Elijah killed all of his. They all agreed he would succeed. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of God and reluctantly Ahab sent for Micaiah. Ahab’s prophets had gone to dramatic antics to prophecy Ahab’s victory and Micaiah sarcastically agreed with them. Ahab rebuked him and told him to tell the truth. Micaiah then told Ahab he saw Israel scattered with no shepherd because Ahab had died in battle. Ahab told Jehoshaphat that that was why he didn’t ask Micaiah anything because it was always bad for him. *** Micaiah went on to tell Ahab that God had sent a lying spirit to speak through his prophets to convince Ahab to go to war so he would be killed. Ahab had Micaiah sent to prison until he returned. Micaiah said, that would never happen because he would not return. *** The next day Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to war with Aram and Ahab disguised himself as a regular soldier. The commanders of the chariots of the Arameans were told to only fight with Ahab. They couldn’t find him, but one of the foot soldiers released an arrow into the midst of the Israelites and the arrow found the crease in Ahab’s armor. He bled to death on the battlefield. They washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria and the dogs came and licked his blood just like Elijah had prophesied. *** Jehoshaphat was a good king who followed God. He didn’t remove all the shrines where people worshiped idols, though he did banish the male and female shrine prostitutes. He made peace with the king of Israel, Ahab. When Ahab died, his son Jehoram became king. He worshipped Baal just like his father Ahab had done. *** In Acts, Paul and Barnabas were at the synagogue in Antioch. Paul spoke of the history of the nation of Israel. God led them out of Egypt to the land of Canaan to destroy the seven nations of Canaan. God then gave them judges and prophets to rule them. The people begged for a king, so God gave them Saul for 40 years. God replaced him with David who had his heart. John the Baptist prepared them for one who was coming, who would be a descendant of David. God sent the Messiah, but his people didn’t recognize him. They killed him on the cross and placed him in a tomb. God raised him from the dead and he appeared to his followers. These people are now his witnesses to the people of Israel. Paul and Barnabas are the result of God’s witnesses. They believed and had come to share their good news with the people of Antioch. Through believing in Jesus, they could be made right in God’s sight. This was something Moses’ law could never do. This is the salvation that Habakkuk and many of the prophets foretold. *** Lord, thank you that your Salvation has spread all over the world and we are living witnesses of what you can do in a person’s heart. Thank you that we have been made right with You and we can boldly come before you anytime. May our lives reflect this glorious privilege.

Thurs.’s Devo - God Sees Everything

Read: 1 Kings 20:1-21:29; Acts 12:24-13:15; Psalm 137:1-9; Proverbs 17:16 Yesterday, we read where God told Elijah to anoint Hazael the king of Aram and he didn’t. Now the king of Aram, which is Benhadad came against Israel. He threatened Ahab to bring back 32 other nations’ armies to conquer Samaria. He demanded that King Ahab give him his silver and gold, his wives and the best of his children. Ahab agreed, but this was not enough. Then Benhadad added that he was sending officers to go through, not only Ahab’s palace, but the homes of his officials and take anything they found valuable. This was not okay with the officials. They were fine with Ahab losing all this things, but not them. *** They sent word to Benhadad that he could just have Ahab’s things. This meant war. *** God sent a prophet to Ahab telling him that God would hand all these enemies into his hand today. He told him to send the troops of the provincial commanders. The provincial army was made up of 232 young men. They went out while 7,000 followed at a distance. It was around noon and Ben-hadad’s men were already drunk. When Ben-hadad heard a small army was approaching he ordered them killed even if they were coming in peace. *** Israel’s army attacked the army of Aram erupted into chaos. The Syrian army panicked and ran. God had caused the Israelite’s small army to win over a much greater army and yet we don’t read of any acknowledgement made to thank or glorify God who brought about their victory. *** The prophet told Ahab to be ready in the spring because Benhadad would return. When they did, they returned with a huge army and attacked at Aphek. The prophet told them that the Arameans thought God was a god of the hills and not the plains so they attacked in the plains. But Israel would know that God was the Lord. He is the Lord over the whole earth because he made it. *** Israel’s much smaller army killed 100,000 Arameans in one day. The rest fled to Aphek where the wall fell on them and killed another 27,000. Benhadad’s army advised him to surrender and bank on the mercy of Israel. Ben-hadad offered to give back towns his father had take from Israel and to let them trade in Damascus. Ahab made a treaty with him and released Ben-hadad. *** A prophet had another man hit him so he would look wounded. He disguised himself and went to the king. He explained that he had been put in charge over a prisoner and had lost him. Now he would be ordered to either die or pay 75 pounds of silver. He wanted mercy from Ahab but instead, Ahab told him he deserved his punishment. The prophet took the disguise off and revealed his identity. He told Ahab that because he had spared Benhadad who God wanted dead, he and his people would now die instead of him and his people. Ahab went away angry and depressed. *** Later, Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard that was right beside his palace. He wanted to take Naboth’s vineyard and turn it into a vegetable garden. It takes years to produce a vineyard and produce good wine and now Ahab wanted it for something totally different. He tried to buy it from Naboth but this was land passed down to him - his families’ inheritance. When he wouldn’t sell to Ahab, Ahab was depressed. Jezebel found out what happened and was disgusted with Ahab. She told him she would get it for him. She had Naboth accused of blaspheming the king and God and then had him stoned. She went to Ahab and told him he could have his vegetable garden - Naboth was dead. *** God sent Elijah to Ahab as he was going to claim Naboth’s vineyard. Elijah asked Ahab if it wasn’t enough that he murdered the man; now he was stealing his land. His payment would be that the dogs would like his blood at the very place they licked the blood of Naboth. God would destroy all his male descendants, slave and free all over Israel - just like he killed all of the family of Jeroboam and Baasha because of the trouble and sin he had caused Israel to enter into. *** The dogs would like Jezebel’s body on Naboth’s land. All of Ahab’s family would be eaten by dogs and vultures. This was the ultimate curse. *** When Ahab heard this, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and fasted. God saw this and told him that he would not destroy his dynasty during Ahab’s lifetime because he humbled himself. *** In Acts, the gospel continued to be spread around the world. Barnabus and Saul had returned to Antioch from their mission in Jerusalem. They had brought John Mark back with them. *** Some of Saul’s teachers were Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen, the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas! As these men prayed and fasted, God called out Barnabas and Saul to mission work. John Mark went with them to the island of Cyprus teaching and preaching as they went. Then they went to Paphos and met a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus or Elymas. He was closely associated with the governor, Sergius Paulus. The governor invited Paul and Barnabus to visit him and tell them their mission. The sorcerer tried to convince the governor not to listen them. Paul finally confronted the sorcerer and cursed him with blindness. He immediately became blind. When the governor saw this he believed and was able to listen with his heart. *** On their way home, John Mark left and went back to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas continued to Antioch and were asked to share their experiences the next Sabbath. *** Lord, may we confront evil and declare righteousness. May we walk in the Holy Spirit and do the works you have called us to walk in.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Deliverance

Read: 1 Kings 19:1-21; Acts 12:1-23; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 17:14-15 Elijah had come back to Jezreel expecting to be promoted to Prophet of Israel but instead, he was met with a death threat from Jezebel who was not impressed with his power. All of her prophets were now dead and she was determine to pay Elijah back. *** Elijah fled to Beersheba where he found a tree and sat under it praying for the Lord to end his life. He went to sleep and was awakened twice and told to eat warm bread and drink water provided by angels. This food would sustain him 40 days and nights on his journey to Mt. Sinai. When he got there he found a cave to sleep in on the mountain. God came to him and asked him what he was doing there. He explained how Israel had strayed so far from Him and had killed all His prophets and he was the only one left. *** God told him to get up and stand by the opening of the cave. He caused a windstorm to hit the mountain first, then an earthquake and then fire. God did not speak out of any of them, but when he spoke, it was with a whisper. *** God asked him the same question and got the same answer. God then gave Elijah his assignment. He was to first go to the wilderness of Damascus which was around 200 miles from where he was. There he was to anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then he was to anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, then he was to anoint Elisha to replace him as God’s prophet. *** Elijah did not do as the Lord asked. He went straight to Elisha who was closer to where he was and found him plowing 12 teams of oxen. He threw his mantle across his shoulders and walked away. Sounds to me like Elijah was done. *** Elisha understood what Elijah had just done and used the wood from his plow to make a fire. He slaughtered his oxen and cooked them on the fire and gave the meat to people in the town. Then he went with Elijah to be his assistant. *** It would be Elisha who would anoint Hazael to be king of Aram and Jehu the king of Israel. *** In Acts, King Herod Agrippa began persecuting the Christians. When he saw how popular it made him he continued. He killed James with the sword and arrested Peter all during the Passover week. Agrippa was going to try Peter after the celebration but the church began to pray earnestly for Peter’s life. *** The day before the trial, an angel of the Lord woke Peter up and told him to get up. His chains fell off and he was told to dress and go with him. Peter obeyed but thought he was dreaming. The angel took him out of the prison and to the gate leading to the city. It opened and the angel disappeared. He ended up going to Mary’s where the other believers were staying. They were amazed to see him. *** Meanwhile back at the jail. They woke to find Peter missing. When he couldn’t find Peter anywhere, he ordered all the guards to die. Then Agrippa left to stay in Caesarea for a while. *** While he was in Caesarea, the people of Tyre and Sidon came to Agrippa to make peace. When Agrippa came to meet with them the people shouted that Agrippa was a god, not a man. He accepted their worship and was immediately struck with a sickness. He was consumed with worms and later died, thus proving he was no god. Lord, when you move we can expect deliverance for us and judgement on the wicked - just like what happened for Peter and happened to Agrippa. Thank you for being our deliverer. Thank you that we have no fear of the future because we know who is guiding us and it is your purpose that will stand. May we fulfill your purpose in our lives and not give up before our assignment is through.

Tues.’s Devo - Spreading the Gospel

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-46; Acts 11:1-30; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 17:12-13 The drought was in its third year and God told Elijah it was time to go to Ahab, who had been looking everywhere for him for these three years. *** Ahab had met with his officer in charge of his palace, Obadiah. Ahab was running out of pastureland for his horses and mules. He sent Obadiah one way to search for grass while he went the other way. Obadiah ran into Elijah who was on his way to see Ahab. It took some convincing to believe Elijah was telling the truth, but Elijah did meet with Ahab. *** Ahab blamed Elijah for the famine and drought, but Elijah blamed Ahab and his family because of their Baal worship. He told him to round up all the worshippers of Baal and Asherah and meet him on Mt. Carmel. Eight hundred and fifty false prophets met the one prophet of God. Elijah proposed a duel. They would each offer a bull on their own altar and see which god answered in fire. *** The prophets of Baal took all day calling out to Baal, cutting themselves and doing all sorts of rituals, to no avail. Finally, at the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prepared his offering. Then he built a trench and had the men pour huge amounts of water three times over his offering. Elijah prayed to the Lord and immediately the fire of God came down from heaven and burned up the bull and all the water. The people fell down worshiping the Lord. Elijah called for all the Baal prophets to be seized. Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. *** Elijah told Ahab to go eat and drink something because a mighty rainstorm was coming. Ahab obeyed while Elijah went back to the top of Mt. Carmel and bowed down in intercession. He would pray then send his servant to go and see if God had responded. On the seventh time his servant came back saying he could see a small cloud rising from the sea. *** Elijah told Ahab to hurry and get in his chariot and get home. The sky turned black and the storm came. God empowered Elijah to run even faster than Ahab’s chariot. He ran all the way to the entrance of Jezreel. *** Think of the miracle of this. Elijah hadn’t eaten all day and had slaughtered 850 prophets, then he ran for miles! *** One of the things I take away from this story is that in the midst of a famine, Ahab gave to the Lord what they were in lack of which was food and water. He had the king give up two bulls that would have produced a lot of meat and he had over 9 gallons of water poured out on the altar. When we are in need of something from the Lord, we are to give what we have, of what we need. God takes our offering and multiplies it and gives it back to us. *** In Acts, the people of Jerusalem had heard what had happened with the Gentiles before Peter arrived. The Jewish leaders criticized Peter for going into the home of a Gentile and eating with them. Peter told them the whole story and their criticism turned to praise. They then understood that the gospel was for the whole earth. *** Others that had been scattered to far places like Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch preached the word of God and brought the gospel to the Jewish people there. Some of the believers who went to Antioch and Cyrene began to tell the Gentiles the Good News and many of them believed. *** When the church at Jerusalem found out, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. He was encouraged when he got there and saw how God was moving among the Gentiles. Barnabas went on to Tarsus to find Saul and brought him back to Antioch to help disciple the new believers. That was the place they first called the believers “Christians.” *** The prophet Agabus came to Antioch from Jerusalem with a word from the Lord. He told them that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman Empire. This would greatly affect the believers in Jerusalem so they took up an offering and took the gifts back to those in Jerusalem. *** Lord, remind us to give of our need and our abundance. Thank you that your Gospel was given to us also. May we be faithful to give it to others.

Mon.’s Devo - Prophesies Fulfilled

Read: 1 Kings 15:25-17:24; Acts 10:24-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11 Jeroboam’s son Nadab reigned in Israel while Asa ruled in Judah. Nadab followed in the sins of his father and was assassinated by Baasha who become the next king of Israel. *** Baasha slaughtered all of Jeroboams descendants fulfilling the words of Ahijah the prophet. Baasha ruled Israel for 24 years. God sent Jehu the prophet to tell Baasha that because he had followed Jeroboam in his evil idol worship, his descendants would die and be eaten by dogs and vultures. *** Baasha died and his son, Elah became the next king. King Asa was now in his 26th year of ruling Judah. Elah’s army officer, Zimri killed him in his own palace and became the next king of Israel. He killed all the descendants of Baasha just like Jehu had prophesied. *** Israel was divided between those who wanted Tibia their king and those who supported Omri. Tibni was killed, so Omri became the king of Israel. He bought a hill from a man named Shemer and built a city on it. He named it Samaria in honor of Shemer. *** Omni was more wicked than any of the kings before him and led Israel to worship idols worse than ever. When he died, his son Ahab became king. Asa had now reigned in Judah 38 years. Ahab was the most evil king Israel had had to date. He married Jezebel and they began to worship Baal. He built a temple to Baal in Samaria. *** During Ahab’s reign, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations it cost him the life of his oldest son and when he set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son. This was the fulfillment of Joshua’s prophecy over Jericho. *** Because of Israel’s idolatry, Elijah the prophet told King Ahab that it would not rain until he gave the word. Then God told Elijah to go and hide by the Kerith River. God commanded the ravens to bring him food every morning and evening. He drank from the river until it ran dry, then the Lord told him to go to the village of Zerphath and a widow had been instructed to feed him. *** When he found this widow, she only had enough flour and oil for one more meal and then she would die. Elijah didn’t waver - he told her to cook him a meal first and her flour and oil would never run out. She obeyed and there was always enough flour and oil. *** Later, her son became sick and finally died. She went and got Elijah and blamed God and Elijah. Elijah took the boy upstairs to his room and laid him out on his bed. He stretched out on top of him to give him his life and prayed. He repeated it three times till finally the son came back to life. He gave the son back to his mother and she believed that he was a man of God. *** In Acts, Peter and Cornelius finally met. Cornelius began to worship Peter, but Peter stopped him. He told him he was just a man. He explained that ordinarily it was unlawful for a Jewish man to enter into a Gentile home or to associate with them, but God had showed him this was not how he should think. Cornelius told Peter of the vision he had seen of a man in dazzling clothes. The man had told him to seek out Peter who was staying with Simon. He would have a message for him. *** Peter gave him the message which was the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his men and they began to speak in tongues. Peter was amazed to see that the Holy Spirit was for the Gentiles too. He had them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and invited them to stay with them for several days. *** Lord, help us to lay down any prejudices we might have to do your will and spread the gospel to every creature. Thank you that you are faithful to your word and it will be fulfilled no matter how long ago you spoke it. Your promises are “yes” and “amen.”

Sun.’s Devo - Breaking Down Walls

Read: 1 Kings 14:1-15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8 It is good to know that the Kings were written by the prophets and emphasize the Kings of Israel, where the Chronicles were written by the priests and emphasized the kings of Judah. *** Israel’s king was Jeroboam. Jeroboam’s son became very sick so Jeroboam sent his wife, disguised to the prophet Ahijah. He had been the one who had prophesied him becoming king. She was to ask him if his son would recover. God told the now blind Ahijah about the rouse and he called Jeroboam’s wife out, then told her what would happen. Her son would die when she walked back into the house. God was not happy with how Jeroboam had gone after every false god but Him, the only true God. God was going to bring his dynasty to an end and destroy all his male descendants starting with the one that was sick. He would be the only one to get a proper burial. *** God would raise up a king who would destroy his family. The whole nation of Israel would be uprooted and scattered beyond the Euphrates River because of the Asherah poles they had set up. *** Everything happened as Ahijah had said and when Jeroboam died after reigning 22 years, his son Nadab became king of Israel. *** Meanwhile in Judah, Rehoboam’s reign was not a godly one either. He had built pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles everywhere in Judah. *** In his fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took everything of worth in the Temple. He took the gold shields which Rehoboam replaced with bronze ones. He had them protect him every time he went into the Temple. There was constant war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Rehoboam died after reigning 17 years. His son Abijam became the next king and only reigned three years. He participated in the same evil practices that Rehoboam had. When he died, Asa his son became the next king. *** Asa was a good king and followed after the Lord like David. He got rid of the pagan shrines and displaced his grandmother from being the queen mother because she worshiped Asherah and caused Judah to sin. He cut down her obscene Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. He gave to the Temple all the gold and silver his father had dedicated to the Lord. *** War continued between Israel and Judah. King Baasha was now king of Israel who fortified Ramah which was the gateway from Israel to Judah. His plan was to make it impossible for someone in Israel to go to Judah. Asa took all the silver and gold left in the Temple and sent it to Ben-hadad the king of Aram. He asked him to break his covenant of peace with Israel and join his side against them. Ben-hadad agreed and began attacking the towns of Israel. Baasha then stopped his building project in Ramah and Asa took the building supplies for himself and used them to fortify Geba instead. *** Asa should have relied on the Lord to protect them and not Ben-hadad so in his old age, he became diseased in his feet. When he died, his son Jehoshaphat became king. *** In Acts, God wanted to knock down some walls of prejudice and racial tension. He sent a Roman officer name Cornelius to Peter, a Jewish believer. The walls of political and racial difference needed to fall in the heart of Cornelius. For Peter, it was a religious wall of prejudice that needed to come down. Both were shown by signs and wonders that God was breaking down these walls of separation so the gospel could spread throughout the world. Both men yielded to the Holy Spirit. *** Lord, may we yield to the Spirit and let him have his way in our lives. Break down the walls we have allowed to be built in our lives. Most of us don’t even know they are there. May we be made aware and allow you to dissolve them with love.

Sat.’s Devo - The Altar at Bethel

Read: 1 Kings 12:20-13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6 Rehoboam returned home with only Judah and Benjamin on his side. He began to mobilize an army to fight Israel but God sent the prophet, Shemaiah to tell him to not fight against his own relatives. What had happened was the Lord’s will. Rehoboam obeyed and returned home. *** Jeroboam made Shechem his capital and lived there. He was afraid that if his people went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord at the feasts, they might decide to align with Rehoboam and want to make him their king instead of him. To stop them from traveling to Jerusalem, he set up two golden calves - one in Dan and one in Bethel so the people could go to either of them to worship the Lord. He elected priests who were not Levites to serve at his pagan shrines all over the nation. And he ordained a new date to celebrate that was the counterfeit of the Feast of Tabernacle. It was on the same date only a month later. At the first celebration of this new feast, he went to burn incense on the altar he had set up at Bethel. *** God sent a prophet from Judah to meet him there. As Jeroboam was there about to offer his incense, the prophet shouted out about a child named Josiah who would be born into the dynasty of David. He would sacrifice the priests who came here to offer incense and he would burn human bones on this altar. As a sign that what he was saying was true, the altar would split apart and its ashes would be poured out on the ground. *** Jeroboam lifted his arm and pointed at him and ordered his men to seize the prophet. When he did, his arm was paralyzed. The altar cracked and its ashes poured out on the ground. The king begged the prophet to pray for his arm and he did. His arm was restored and the king asked him to come home with him and eat and he would give him a gift. He refused and told him God had told him not to eat or drink in this place, but return a different way than the one he came. *** There was an old prophet who lived there and his sons come home and told him what had happened. He chased the young prophet from Judah down and asked him to come eat with him. When he refused the old prophet told him that an angel had told him to bring him home to eat. This was a lie. The younger man listened to the older prophet and went home with him. While they were eating. The older prophet told him because he disobeyed the Lord, his body would not be buried in the grave of his ancestors. *** The young prophet left and was attacked by a lion and killed. The lion stood and protected his body until the older prophet could come and get it. He laid him in his own grave and asked to be buried beside him when he died. He knew that what the young prophet had prophesied would come true. *** Jeroboam didn’t repent after what happened and continued to appoint anyone who wanted to become a priest and let them preside over the pagan shrines. This led to Jeroboam’s dynasty being destroyed from the face of the earth. *** In this story, it is important to understand how sacred bones were in the Old Testament. When the young prophet prophesied that the bones of the priests who offered on the altar would be burned, this was the biggest curse that could be given. No one wanted their bones to be burnt, that would mean their lives were totally extinguished and they wouldn’t live on in the afterlife. The older prophet wanted the younger prophet to be buried in his grave and him beside him in the same grave so his own bones would be protected. *** Two hundred years later, Josiah came back to this place and had his men dig up the bones of the prophets who were buried around the altar. When they began to dig up the young prophet’s grave, Josiah had them leave it alone. So the older prophet was using the young prophet to save his bones. Little did that older prophet understand, God sees all and knows the intents of all hearts. He would be judged by his actions of deceit. *** In Acts, all the believers were scared to meet with Saul because of his reputation for killing Christians. Saul continued to travel with the apostles around Jerusalem teaching and preaching. Some of the Greek-speaking Jews tried to kill Saul for his beliefs and when the Christians heard this, they sent Paul away to Tarsus, his home town. *** The churches throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria grew in strength and numbers. Peter raised a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed for eight years. It turned the whole population of Lydda and Sharon to the Lord. *** One of the much loved believers in Joppa died. Her name was Tabitha. People came from all around to mourn her death. Peter went in and raised her from the dead. This brought many others to believe. *** While they were in Joppa, Peter stayed at the home of Simon the tanner. *** Lord, we long to see the miracles of Acts manifested in abundance on the earth. May we be found worthy of manifesting your power.

Fri.’s Devo - The Downfall of Solomon’s Kingdom

Read: 1 Kings 11:1-12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5 Solomon did exactly what the Lord told him not to do. He loved foreign women who turned his heart away from the Lord. He followed them in worshiping false gods and did evil. He built a pagan shrine to Chemosh on the Mount of Olives. He built another for Molech and other gods of his foreign wives. *** God was very angry with Solomon and told him he was going to take the kingdom away from him once he died. He would leave him one tribe for the sake of David. *** God raised up three advocates: Hadad the Edomites, Rezon of Damascus and Jeroboam of Nebat. Of the three, Jeroboam was the biggest threat to Solomon’s kingdom. God had chosen Jeroboam to be the ruler over the ten tribes and sent a prophet to tell him. The prophet explained to Jeroboam that God was taking the kingdom from Solomon because he had worshiped other gods and not followed the Lord. God promised Jeroboam that if he followed the Lord and obeyed his laws, then God would always be with him and establish his dynasty as he did for David. *** Solomon died and his son Rehoboam became king. All Israel gathered at Shechem and the leaders of Israel asked Rehoboam if he would lighten their load and not work and tax them like his father did. Rehoboam told them he would report back in three days with an answer. *** Solomon first consulted the elders who advised David. They told him to listen to the people and be kind to them and they would follow him all his days. Solomon then asked his own peers who told him to threaten the people and tell them he would be even tougher than his father. Solomon took the advise of his peers and when he told the people his speech, they cursed the dynasty of David and broke from Rehoboam. He was left with those who lived in the towns of Judah. He sent Adoniram, the commander of the labor force to calm the people down. When they killed him, Rehoboam fled for his life. *** In Acts, Saul was on the war path to imprison all Christians. As he was coming into Damascus on his mission, he was blinded by a light from heaven. He fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him why he was persecuting him. Saul asked who he was, and he said he was Jesus. Jesus told him to get up and go into the city and he would then tell him what he must do. *** When Saul stood, he realized he was blind. He had to be led to Damascus and stayed there waiting for three days not eating or drinking. *** A believer named Ananias lived there and God told him to go to a certain house and ask for Saul of Tarsus who had been praying. Ananias was to lay his hands on him and pray that he could see again. *** Ananias recognized Saul’s name and knew of his persecutions. He argued with the Lord, but God told Ananias that He had chosen Saul to take the message to the Gentiles and kings, as well as the people of Israel. He would suffer greatly in Jesus’ name. *** Ananias found Saul and prayed for him. Scales fell from his eyes and he could see. He was first baptized, then he ate. Saul stayed in Damascus a few days with believers and began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues telling everyone that Jesus was the Son of God. *** The people were amazed at his change of heart. Some believed his teaching and others plotted to kill him. He was told about their plans and was lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall where he escaped. *** There is no greater miracle than a changed heart. *** Lord, may our hearts always be loyal to you. May we boldly proclaim who Jesus is and how great our God is.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Golden Age

Read: 1 Kings 9:1-10:29; Acts 8:14-40; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 17:2-3 God put his approval on everything Solomon had built and promised to always watch over the place he had built to honor his name. If Solomon followed him in integrity and godliness as David had done, God promised to establish his family on the throne forever. But, if one of his descendants disobeyed his commands and served other gods, then he would uproot Israel from the land he had given them and reject the Temple. Israel would become a mockery and be ridiculed along the nations. When they see the disasters God brings all will know it was because they abandoned the Lord. *** Solomon then gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to King Hiram of Tyre to thank him for all the timber and gold he had provided. When Hiram went to see these towns he called them Cabul which means “worthless”, though he gave Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold for them. *** Solomon had many other building projects which he used foreigners as his forced laborers. He had cities just to store his horses and chariots. He drafted Isrsaelites to fight in his army, be his government officials, and command his armed forces. *** He moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter to the city of Gezer which he had gifted to her as a wedding gift. *** Solomon also built a fleet of ships to import and export goods with. *** The queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon because she had heard of all his wealth and wisdom. She brought him caravans of spices, gold and precious jewels as a present. He shared with her his wisdom and showed her all he had built. She was overwhelmed at the organization of his government and wealth of his nation. She listened to his wisdom and answers to all her hard questions about life. *** Solomon received about 25 tons of gold a year and with that gold he made 200 shields to be hung in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. He also had a huge throne made with two large lion figures on both sides of the throne and other lions on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne. All of his drinking cups were made of solid gold. *** Solomon became the richest and wisest king on earth. People from all over came to get his advise and hear his wisdom. 
 *** He imported horses and chariots from Egypt and Cilicia. He then sold them and exported them to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram. *** All this opulence is what we are about to enter into in our nation. We are entering into the time of Solomon’s wealth. The wealth of the wicked is being transferred to the righteous and we have a leader who is a type of David. He is telling us we are entering into the Golden Age. *** In Acts, the disciples had been scattered because of persecution, so they were forced to carry out the great commission of Jesus. Some went to Samaria and they received the message of Jesus so Peter and John went to lay their hands on them and tell them to receive the Holy Spirit. *** Simon, who had been a sorcerer, saw this and tried to buy this power from them. Peter told Simon that the gifts of God couldn’t be bought and rebuked him. Peter told him he needed to repent of thinking this way and exposed his jealousy. Simon did repent and asked Peter to pray for him. *** Philip was told by an angel to go south toward Gaza. On the way he met a eunuch, the treasurer of Ethiopia, who served the queen of Ethiopia. He was on his way to worship in Jerusalem. He was sitting in his carriage reading the book of Isaiah. The Holy Spirit told Phillip to go and listen to what he was reading. He was reading in Isaiah 53 which describes Jesus’ first coming to a tee. He asked the man if he understood what he was reading and he asked Phillip to join him in his carriage and explain it to him. Phillip joined him and explained the whole gospel to him. *** As they rode on, they came to some water and the Ethiopian asked Peter to baptize him in the water. When he came out of the water the Spirit of the Lord snatched Phillip away and the eunuch continued his journey rejoicing. Phillip landed in the town of Azotus where he preached his way to Caesarea. *** Many scholars believe that the Queen of Sheba left Jerusalem pregnant with Solomon’s baby and that this Ethiopian was part of his bloodline. *** Lord, thank you for the power of salvation. It has endured for generations and is still alive today. It is your power to save, deliver and set free. May we spread the good news of your salvation today.

Wed.’s Devo - The Presence of God Fills the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 8:1-66; Acts 7:51-8:13; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 17:1 After Solomon built the Temple, he called all the elders and leaders of Israel together at the Feast of Tabernacles to bring the Ark from the tent to the Temple. They sacrificed so many animals they lost count. *** The priest carried the Ark into the Holy of Holies and placed it beneath the wings of the golden cherubim Solomon had had made. Inside the Ark were the two stone tablets God had written and given to Moses. Once the priest left the Holy Place, the cloud of God’s glory filled the Temple. *** Solomon blessed the Lord, then addressed the people. He explained how his father David had wanted to build this Temple to the Lord, but the Lord said he was not the one to build it - one of his sons would. Now they were witnessing the fulfillment of David’s desire. *** Solomon kneeled on the ground in front of the altar and prayed so the people could hear him. He praised God and thanked him for his promises. He prayed that the promise to let one of David’s sons sit on the throne would be fulfilled. He also prayed that every prayer prayed from this temple would be heard and answered. He gave five different scenarios: attack from enemies, drought, famine, the influx of foreigners, and when going out to war. In each case, he prayed that when they repented and prayed from this Temple that God would hear their prayer and forgive them and teach them to fear Him and walk in his path. He prayed that if they found themselves captive to any enemy, that their captors would be merciful to them. *** When he finished his prayer, he stood up and blessed the congregation and prayed that God would always be with them and give them the desire to obey his laws. He prayed for justice to the people and that they would be a witness to the people of the earth to who God is. *** Solomon offered more sacrifices and dedicated the Temple to the Lord. The celebration continued for 14 days and when it was over, the people blessed the king who sent them home joyful and glad because of God’s goodness and kindness to David and to them. *** In Acts, Stephen was at the end of his speech and everything had crescendoed to these last statements. He called them stubborn, heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. He asked them if they were going to forever resist the Holy Spirit. Their ancestors had persecuted every prophet that told of the Messiah, who they now murdered. *** Needless to say, the Jewish leaders were not pleased with Stephen’s accusations and they shook their fists at him. Stephen gazed into the heavens and saw the glory of God with Jesus standing at his right hand. He told them what he was seeing and they closed their ears with their hands and dragged him out of the city and stoned him. They laid their coats at the feet of Saul who was a young man then. *** Saul witnessed the stoning of Stephen in full agreement. Then persecution swept over the church in Jerusalem scattering the believers for their lives. Saul went from house to house throwing all believers in prison. Those who fled, preached the truth wherever they went. Those who heard believed and were saved. Signs and wonders, miracles and healings followed the believers. One man who witnessed all the miracles was Simon, the sorcerer. People had followed him because he worked magic, but he had not seen these kind of miracles before. He was baptized along with many people and began following Philip amazed at the miracles he saw. *** Lord, thank you that whenever we need you we can pray from the Temple in our hearts and you come to rescue us. Thank you for your desire to bless us and fill our temple with your presence. May we be your witnesses to the world and to all we meet. May signs and miracles follow us to reveal your glory.

Tues.’s Devo - The Buildings of Solomon

Read: 1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33 Everything Solomon built reflected the opulence and glory of God. The Temple took 7 years to complete but his palace took 13 years to finish. Can you imagine the beauty of that place! He also built a building called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Four rows of pillars were set in place that were to represent the trunks of trees. Then on top of the pillars rested beams that were the floors of three tiers of rooms. On each tier there were rows of fifteen rooms each. The rooms were to look like the foliage of the trees. *** He built the Hall of Pillars which was a hall of pillars 75 ft. long and 45 feet wide. A porch was in front with a canopy over it. *** He built the Hall Of Justice where he would sit on his throne and settle legal matters. It was paneled with cedar. His palace was behind the Hall of Justice. *** Every building was put on foundations of huge blocks of stone cut to fit perfectly. Some were 15 ft. long, and some were 12 feet long. The walls were made of these stones also. How did they carry these massive stones? *** Solomon asked for Huram by name to come from Lebanon and craft his metal work. He cast huge bronze pillars to set inside the entry room at the Temple. They were elaborate and spectacular. He named the pillar on the south Jakim which means “He will set up” and the one on the north he named Boaz which means “In him is strength.” He wanted his Temple to represent what the Lord had set up and magnify God’s strength. *** A great basin was made for the priests to wash in. It was set on the backs of 12 bronze oxen. Three faced north, three east, three west and three south. This basin held 11,000 gallons of water. *** Huram made bronze water carts with panels decorated with carved lions, oxen and cherubim. The carts held basins that held 220 gallons of water each. Huram also made utensils to be used in the sacrificing of the animals. *** Solomon had the gold altar and all the furnishing which had been in the Tabernacle rebuilt and overlaid with gold. He brought all the gifts David had dedicated to the Lord and placed them in treasury rooms. *** In Acts, Stephen was still giving the history of the Jewish nation to the council. He was at the part where God spoke to Mose in the burning bush and sent him back to Egypt to deliver the people out of bondage. Moses had been rejected and now he was coming back to save them. Moses would be their ruler and savior. By many wonders and miraculous signs he would lead them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and through the wilderness for 40 years. Moses heard from God and gave them life-giving words. Sounds a lot like Jesus! *** Sadly, the people refused to listen to Moses and rejected Moses and God at Mt. Sinai and had Aaron make them a golden calf to worship. They served the stars of heaven as their gods. They worshiped idols all 40 years of walking through the wilderness after all God had done for them. *** God gave Moses the blueprints of the Tabernacle and it was constructed in the wilderness. Years later, David asked God if he could build God a Temple. God allowed Solomon to actually build it though God told him that he wouldn’t live in a Temple made with human hands. Heaven was this throne and earth his footstool. But he allowed Solomon to build a Temple to represent his majesty on earth. *** Now, we house the Temple of the Holy Spirit and take that with us everywhere we go. May the glory of God shine from our temples today.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Glory

Read: 1 Kings 5:1-6:38; Acts 7:1-29; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 16:28-30 King Hiram from Tyre made the best lumber in all the world. He got his wood from the cedars of Lebanon. Hiram had been a friend of David’s so Solomon asked if he would supply the lumber needed for the Temple and the workers to do the work. Solomon would pay them whatever King Hiram deemed reasonable. King Hiram was elated and asked for wheat and oil in return. It was a win win for both of them. *** It took a work force of 153,600 laborers to build the Temple. The Temple was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. The Holy of Holies was one third of the building which was overlaid with gold. That was where the Ark of the Convent sat. The interior of the rest of the Temple had carvings of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers all overlaid with gold. Two cherubim with touching wingspans were placed in the inner sanctuary. They reached 15 feet across and were covered with gold. Everything in the Temple was to represent the glory of God in the garden of Eden. Even the floor was covered in gold. *** In Acts, Stephen was being questioned by the council and his face was reflecting the glory of God. When they asked him if he had blasphemed Moses and God, he led them into a history lesson starting with Abraham. God had given Abraham the outline for his whole posterity. Stephen went through the story of Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons. He told how God used Joseph to led his family to Egypt to preserve them through a horrible famine. When Joseph died, he had instructed them to bury his bones in the burial place Abraham had buried his people. Then, like God had told Abraham, the people of God were oppressed in Egypt for two hundred years. When they cried out to him, God raised up Moses who was born a Jew but raised in the household of Pharaoh. When he grew up, he saw an Egyptian mistreating a Jewish laborer and secretly killed the Egyptian. When he realized his secret was a public matter, he fled to the wilderness where he married a foreigner and had two sons. *** The stories in the Bible tell God’s plan using very common and broken people. God used their failures to bring about his purposes. We see how God can turn the worse scenario into something good and he does the same with our lives. God will bring glory to his name. *** Lord, we pray that we would make it easy for you to be glorified through our lives. May we walk in the plan you have laid out for us to walk in. All glory to your name!

Sun.’s Devo - God's Favor

Read: 1 Kings 3:3-4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27 Solomon started out loving the Lord and obeying the decrees of David, but he offered sacrifices and burnt incense at the local high places. One night after offering 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord, God appeared in a dream to Solomon and asked him what he wanted and he would give it to him. Solomon reminisced over how his father was faithful and honest and served God. God had showed David great favor. His request was for an understanding heart to lead the people and discernment in how to judge them. *** God was so pleased with his answer that he promised to give him wisdom, discernment, wealth and fame. If he continued to serve him and obey his decrees he would also give him long life. *** Solomon’s wisdom was tested when two prostitutes came to the king and both claimed a baby was their own. They had both had babies a few days apart. During the night one of them rolled over on her baby, killing it. The next morning the other lady noticed that the baby laying next to her was dead and not hers. The one the other lady had was alive. She claimed that she had switched the baby and the live baby was hers. Solomon asked for a sword and was going to cut the baby in half and give a half to each lady. One was OK with it, the other lady cried out for the baby to live even if it became the other ladies’ baby. Solomon then gave the baby to the mother who would risk not raising their own baby just to have it live. Surely, she was the rightful mother. All Israel marveled at Solomon’s decision. *** Solomon appointed his priests, and officials. He also had twelve district governors. The people in the land experienced contentment and plenty. They all owned their own home and a garden. They lived in peace and safety. Other nations they had conquered paid tribute to them. God blessed Solomon with opulent abundance and great wisdom, understanding and knowledge. He composed around 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. He could speak about any subject with great knowledge. *** In Acts, with revival of souls and a whole new gospel, came brand new problems. The Greek-speaking believers were not Jewish and they complained that their widows were not being treated as well as the Jewish widows. A meeting was called of the elders and they selected 7 men who were well respected and full of the Spirit of God. They would handle the day-to-day operation of the church while they spent their time praying and teaching. *** These seven men prayed for people and laid hands on them. Stephen was one of them and miracles and signs followed his ministry. One day a member of the sect of Jews from other areas of Asia debated with Stephen about Jesus. They couldn’t stand against Stephen’s wisdom and the Spirit of God in him, so they resorted to false testimony against him. They accused him of blaspheming Moses and God. Stephen was arrested and brought before the high council. While they were presenting their case against Stephen, his face glowed like an angel’s. *** God will take up for his own. His glory cannot be manufactured or copied. Stephen allowed the glory of God to flow out of him in the worst of situations. May this encourage us that greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.

Sat.’s Devo - David’s Loose Ends

Read: 1 Kings 2:1-3:2; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25 Before David died, he talked to Solomon about all the loose ends he was leaving to Solomon. The first was to deal with Joab. He had killed Abner and Amasa who were two of David’s army officers. He had masked it as an act of war when it was really revenge in a time of peace. *** The next order was to bless Barzillai and his sons who brought provisions for David’s army when he was fleeing Absalom. He was to make them permanent guests at his table. The third was to judge Shimei who threw stones at him and cursed him when he was fleeing Absalom. *** David died having served 47 years as king of Israel. He served 7 years in Hebron and 40 in Jerusalem. *** Solomon had his own loose end to tie up which was Adonijah. He was still hoping to take the kingdom from Solomon and tried to come through Bathsheba. Adonijah went to Bathsheba and asked her if she would ask Solomon if he could marry Abishag the one who lay with David in his old age to keep him warm. Solomon saw right through that and saw it as a way to prove he was the rightful king. He had Adonijah killed. Solomon had Abiathar, the priest who had sided with Adonijah, sent back home and deposed from his position as priest. Abiathar was a descendant of Eli. *** When Joab heard what Solomon had done to Adonijah and Abiathar, he knew he was next. He went and took hold of the horns of the altar and refused to come out. David had Benaiah kill him right before the altar to atone for the deaths of Abner and Amasa. *** The last person Solomon had to deal with was Shimei who had cursed David. Solomon had him build a house in Jerusalem where he would be on house arrest. He was not allowed to leave Jerusalem or he would be killed. Shimei agreed to the terms. Three years later two of Shimei’s servants fled to Gath and he went to bring them back. News reached Solomon that Shimei left Jerusalem, so now he could legally kill him. *** Solomon made an alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt and sealed it with the marriage of Pharoah’s daughter. David was building his palace and the Temple at the time so the people still worshiped God at the local places of worship. *** In Acts, we read yesterday how Barnabas had sold a pice of land and gave all the money to the apostles. This must have given him lots of notoriety because Ananias and his wife Sapphire sold some property and brought part of the money to the apostles but claimed it was all the money they had gotten. Peter discerned that he was lying and called him out on it. Annanias fell dead. He didn’t die because he didn’t give all the money to the church, he died because he lied about it and his motive was evil. They took his body out and buried it. Three hours later, his wife showed up and they asked her if the price Ananias had given them was the price they had sold the land. She agreed with her husband and Peter called her out for conspiring with her husband. He told her what had happened to him would happen to her, also. Sure enough, she fell dead and they buried her beside her husband. *** When the people in the church found out what had happened, the fear of the Lord fell on them. The apostles were working great miracles and signs and wonders. The church grew and grew and many were healed and saved. *** Those in the religious order were filled with jealousy. They cousin’t compete with miracles from God so they arrested the apostles and put them in public jail. But, the angel of the Lord came and set them free and told them to keep doing what they were doing. *** When the leaders found they had miraculously escaped the jail and were out preaching and teaching in the open, they arrested them again and questioned them. They reminded them that they had told them not to teach in the name of Jesus. Peter told them again that they had to obey God and not them. *** Gamaliel, one of the Pharisees who was respected by the council stood up and reminded them of two other revolutionaries who had followers but when they died, their followers eventually scattered and nothing came of it. He advised them to leave them alone, surely they would die out also. But, if they are from God, nothing they could do would be able to stop them. They listened to Gamaliel and took his advice. They called in the apostles and flogged them and ordered them again not to speak in the name of Christ. They let them go and they went home praising God that they had been worthy to suffer for Jesus. Every day they taught in the Temple and from house to house. *** Lord, may we be bold and not afraid of suffering for Christ. When we see the Holy Spirit moving in power and miracles, may we be filled with the fear of the Lord.

Fri.’s Devo Your Kingdom Come

Read: 1 Kings 1:1-53; Acts 4:1-37; Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 16:24 David was getting old and had not named his successor. David’s first son had been Amnon, who Absalom killed because he raped his sister, Tamar. David’s second son was Chilean, the son of Abigail. His third son was Absalom, who was now dead, and his fourth son was Adonijah. All of these sons were given to David when he lived in Hebron. When he moved to Jerusalem he had another set of sons. Solomon was the fourth son born to David in Jerusalem and David had promised his mother Bathsheba that Solomon would be the next king. *** Adonijah began telling people that he was going to make himself the next king. He rode in chariots and had fifty men run before him. David saw this and never did anything about it. Joab and Abiathar the priest agreed to help Adonijah become king. Zadok, the priest and Nathan the prophet, Benaiah and all David’s bodyguards refused to support Adonijah. *** Nathan reported to Bathsheba what was going on and encouraged her that if she wanted her son to become king, she needed to go talk to the king. She did. She told David of the celebration Adonijah was planning where he was going to make his kingship official. If that happened she and Solomon would be treated like criminals. Nathan came in and confirmed everything she had said. David swore to Bathsheba that her son would be king. He ordered Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah to put Solomon on his mule and ride him to Gihon Springs. There they were to anoint him with oil, blow the ram’s horn and shout, “Long live King Solomon!” When Solomon returned, he would sit on David’s throne as king. *** People joined in the procession to Gihon Springs. When they shouted “Long live King Solomon” it was so loud the ground shook and the ones at Adonijah’s celebration heard it. When they were told what had happened, they all scattered. Adonijah ran to the tabernacle and took hold of the horns on the altar begging for mercy. Solomon said that if Adonijah was loyal to him, he would live. If he made trouble, then he would die. Adonijah came and bowed before Solomon. *** In Acts, Peter was giving his sermon on the day of Pentecost. The people saw the great miracle of the flames of fire and the people speaking languages they had not learned. Peter took them through the scriptures teaching them about the Messiah. The priests, the Temple guards and some of the Sadducees were very disturbed that they were teaching that Jesus rose from the dead. They arrested them and put them in jail for the night. Of those that listened to Peter’s message, 5,000 believed. *** The religious council met the next day and Caiaphas, the one who had sentenced Jesus to die, was there. They brought in Peter and John and asked them who gave them the power to do what they were doing - healing a crippled man. Peter answered them and said that he was healed by the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. *** Then he explained to them that the one they had rejected had now become the most powerful person on the earth… ‘the stone they rejected had become the cornerstone’. This was a scripture they would have been very familiar with (Psalm 118:22). He went on to say that by Jesus name only, there is salvation. *** The members of the council were amazed at Peter and John’s boldness and their evidence was standing right before them healed. After a brief meeting, they called Peter and John back in and told them they could go but they could never speak about Jesus. Peter and John asked them if they thought God wanted them to obey them or Him. They said they would not stop telling about all they witnessed. The council threatened them then let them go. *** Peter and John went back to the other believers and told them what had happened. They realized they were witnessing the scriptures about those who would oppose the Messiah (Psalm 2:1-2). *** The disciples were beginning to understand their assignment. The very ones who hated Jesus would hate them, but they must continue to work God’s miracles like Jesus did. They prayed and the place shook as all were filled with the Holy Spirit. They went out and preached with great boldness. The believers were of one mind and purpose and gave what was needed so that no one was in lack. One person, Judas, sold a field and brought the money and gave it to the apostles. *** Just like with David, God’s Kingdom does not come without great opposition. *** Lord, as we enter into the age where the Holy Spirit is being poured out as it was in Acts, may we be bold and fearless in the face of opposition. May we be generous.