Choose Counselors Carefully!

“Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. He did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction” (2 Chronicles 22:2-4).

The reign of king Ahaziah in the southern kingdom of Judah was short due to a variety of factors. But the one problem highlighted in the text above is the advisors who had the king’s ear. First, it was his own mother. Usually, out of all people, you can trust mom to give you good advice. But Athaliah was an exception. Rather than guiding him in the right direction, she “...was his counselor to do wickedly.” In this case, the hand that rocked the cradle was the hand pointing him toward evil. Then, if that wasn’t bad enough, there were other “...counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.” These counselors helped Ahaziah’s father down the wrong path and they were more than happy to “serve” the young king as well. All this bad advice doesn’t absolve Ahaziah of his own responsibility to choose good and avoid evil. But right choices are hampered when you surround yourselves with bad counselors.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with seeking the advice of others. The Bible affirms the importance of wise counsel. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” (Proverbs 12:15; cf. Prov. 11:14; Prov.15:22). But we need to learn to discern between wise and unwise advice. Not all counselors have our best interests at heart. After affirming the wisdom of walking with wise persons, the proverb writer tells us that “...the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Prov. 13:20). Bottom line? Choose your counselors carefully!

God loves you!

Mike

The Fleas Of Ravensbruck

“In his Church & Culture blog, James Emery White shares this story: The barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were kept in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck were terribly overcrowded and flea-infested. They miraculously had been able to smuggle a Bible into the camp, and in that Bible they read that in all things they were to give thanks, and that God can use anything for good. Corrie’s sister Betsy decided this meant thanking God for the fleas. This was too much for Corrie, who said she could do no such thing. Betsy insisted, so Corrie gave in and prayed to God, thanking Him even for the fleas.

  “During the next several months, a wonderful, but curious, thing happened. They found that the guards never entered their barracks. This meant the women were not assaulted. It also meant they were able to do the unthinkable, which was to hold open Bible studies and prayer meetings in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp. Through this, countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ. Only at the end did they discover why the guards had left them alone and would not enter their barracks. It was because of the fleas” (preaching.com).

It certainly can be difficult to be thankful for the “fleas” in life, but we are called to be thankful in everything. Hear the words of the apostle Paul to the Thessalonian church: “...in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18; cf. also Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6). This doesn’t mean that we have to enjoy the circumstances that bring pain and suffering to our lives. But it does mean that we can try to be grateful to God for the good that He can bring out of those times of difficulty.

The next time the “fleas” of life materialize, try to focus less on the insects but more on the God Who is not limited by the circumstances and can carry us through the tears and pain.

God loves you!

Mike

Entering And Exiting

By now you have probably noticed the phrases posted above the doors as you enter and exit the auditorium: “Enter Hungry” and “Exit Looking More Like Jesus.” Thanks to Kendra for designing and placing these important reminders for each of us. Let’s take a minute or two to consider each one.

“Enter Hungry.” What is our motivation for attending the gatherings of the church? I hope we enter hungry for the encouragement we receive from and provide for our fellow believers. Both giving and receiving are vitally important. If my hunger is only for what I can get out of the service or how my needs are going to be met, then I may be satisfied but others may be missing out on what they need. I hope we enter hungry to serve one another and not just to be served. I hope we enter hungry for the word of God. That’s the diet believers need and that is why we emphasize the Scriptures in our teaching. I hope we enter hungry to worship God and not ourselves. The focus of worship is not entertainment or putting on a flawless performance. It is flawed people joining together to offer their hearts to the only One worthy of our worship.

“Exit Looking More Like Jesus.” The filling we receive when we gather together has a purpose. When we encourage, serve, learn, and worship together, we are preparing to be more like our Savior. The purpose isn’t just to satisfy our spiritual hunger. When we are spiritually nourished, we are better able to share with hungry people around us. Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35,48,51). When we look, live, and serve like Jesus, we become bread dispensers. Jesus told Philip that “Anyone who has seen Me the Father” (John 14:9). Hopefully, when the world sees us as disciples, they can see Jesus. I pray that we can be hungry for fellowship, service, learning, and worship. I also pray that all of that helps us look more like Jesus to the world around us.

God loves you!

Mike

Obituaries

“The 105-word "memorial" in a small-town newspaper in Minnesota was unquestionably blunt. The Redwood Falls Gazette in Redwood Falls, Minn. — population 5,254 — removed the notice from its website this week after it sparked an outcry from many readers who argued it went too far. The notice opens in typical fashion. Kathleen Dehmlow (nee Schunk) was born in 1938 in Wabasso, Minn., and married Dennis Dehmlow 19 years later. The couple had two children, Gina and Jay. By the third paragraph, the death notice takes an unexpected turn. "In 1962, she became pregnant by her husband's brother Lyle Dehmlow and moved to California," it reads. "She abandoned her children, Gina and Jay, who were then raised by her parents in Clements, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schunk." The notice ends on a particularly harsh and bitter note. "She passed away on May 31, 2018 in Springfield and will now face judgement. She will not be missed by Gina and Jay, and they understand that this world is a better place without her.””*

Can you imagine relationships being so bad in a family that an obituary such as this is the result? How incredibly sad. It reminds me of an incident in the Scriptures. The prophet Elijah sends a letter to Jehoram, the wicked king of Judah, warning him of the coming judgment of God. When the punishment came, just as predicted, note the brief but haunting “obituary” for Jehoram: “He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings” (2 Chronicles 21:20).

May God help us all to live in such a way that those around us would say that the world was a better place with us rather than without us. May our passing cause regret rather than celebration. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

God loves you!

Mike

*npr.org