TODAYS BIBLE READING:
 

Fear and panic often set in when we lose control. Most people have an insatiable desire for control. But this is when God's children should and must be different than all others. We might lose just as much as everyone else, but we understand that we were never in control. For us, we realize that God has and always will be in control. He has given us so much to give us peace. We can stand on the promises of God and the authority of His Word. For those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ we are citizens already of heaven (Philippians 3:20) and simply his ambassadors on earth. Even if we were to lose our life, we simply lose our temporary visa on earth and go to join our fellow citizens. Everything else fades over time, but His Word and His promises endure forever. Money will go, jobs will be lost, loved ones will depart, and physically we will decline. Placing our hope and our trust in that which is fading is a lesson in futility and frustration. We read in 1 Peter 1:24-25, "..All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever."

​

We first meet Jeroboam before he flees from Solomon. He is met by the prophet, Ahijah and he is told God's words that he would become king over ten tribes of Israel. We read in 1 Kings 11:37-38, "So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." Jeroboam had done nothing special, but was offered a gift from God. All he had to do was obey God. But, no sooner do things transpire exactly as the prophet foretold, that Jeroboam chooses to trust in his own strength and wisdom and forsake God. We read in 12:26-28, "And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah." Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!". Jeroboam trusted in himself and his advisors over the prophetic word of God. In chapter 13, a young prophet is given very specific instructions from God as he approaches king Jeroboam. He is also given specific instructions on what to do afterward. He makes the mistake of listening to another prophet, who was lying, (1 Kings 13:18), rather than the specific instructions given by God and it cost him his life.

​

God has not left us orphans in this world. He has proven Himself time and time again. He has left us His Word which will never change. Notice the strength and conviction that Paul had concerning God's unchanging Word in Galatians 1:6-8, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." We can't stand on God's promises and on His enduring Word unless we actually spend time in it. Many choose not to read at all. Others stay in their favorite areas: the New Testament, or the Psalms. But God gave us 66 books, with each one being just as relevant as the day it was written by the power of the Holy Spirit. If fear and panic is what any of you are experiencing, don't hit the panic button. Don't depend on the advice of the godless masses. Even if a religious individual speaks something contradictory to what is in God's Word, don't be swayed. Our foundation, our trust, our peace rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ and all of God's promises which are in the Bible. As Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."