II Chronicles into Ezra

I just poured my second cup of coffee so I'm set to start typing.  There is so much in the Bible that is thrilling and enlightening that I have to skip over so much to mention just a few thoughts, but over time, we will get to a lot of them.  Every year I will cover the Bible six times, and I'm hoping to mention different things in the same 20 chapters every time, so that in time, you will gain a wonderful working knowledge of God's Holy Word.  Now, I hope you know that reading this is not a replacement to your own reading of God's Word.  Pick out a few chapters each day, and determine to read the Bible through each year at least once! Here are a few thoughts: 1) DISOBEDIENCE, CANNOT PROSPER  II Chron. 24:20 "Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper?"  Simple question with a profound thought!  Why are you still doing what you know God will not bless??  We need to search our lives and look for those "pockets" of disobedience and lay them before the LORD.  He sees what no one else sees and it is HE we seek to please.  No pleasing...no prospering!! 2) THE CONDITION OF CHRISTIAN PROSPERITY  II Chron. 26:5- "and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper."  It's still true today, that as we seek God, He prospers us!  But, the danger of prosperity is found in verse 15- "for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong"  (16) "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction."  How I've seen this over and over!  Someone gets a taste of God's blessings and it goes to their heads and they start thinking and acting like they are somebody.... well, they are the same "nobody" they were before God started blessing them!  We had better never forget that "promotion" cometh from the LORD!! 3) THE ROAD TO REVIVAL  II Chron. 29 tells us the road to Revival in Israel. (vs.3) They opened the doors of the house of the LORD  (vs. 3) They repaired the house of the LORD (vs. 4) They brought in the priest and the Levites (vs. 5) They were asked to sanctify themselves (vs. 5) They sanctified the house of the LORD  (vs. 19) They brought back the vessels for the house of the LORD (vs. 22) They sacrificed upon the altar for the sins of the people, and (27) The Song of the LORD began!!  The people had not sung to the Lord for over 100 years!  **This was revival!! 4) THE UNSEEN HELPER II Chron. 32:7,8 "for there be more with us than with him:  With him is an arm of flesh:  but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles."  We too have this unseen helper in the LORD.  He will help us and He will fight our battles for us!!  Take heart O Christian!! 5) STIRING THE SPIRIT  I love this thought and yet I'm also convicted by it.  In II Chron. 36:22, and in Ezra 1:1, we see that the LORD stired up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia.  I think that if God could stir up the spirit of a heathen king, He ought to be able to stir up our spirit as well.  I would not want to be less receptive to God's efforts to stir me up than a heathen king!  Dear God, please do the stirring, and let me do the yielding today for your glory!! 6) THE PREPARED HEART  Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments."  Ezra prepared his heart to do these three things:  seek, do, and teach!  That same pattern is for all of us today as well.  May God allow us to seek His will, then do His will, and then to teach others to do likewise.  Well, so much for today!  Have a blessed day and keep God's Word alive in your hearts and let God stir up your spirit!    Dr. Mike Mutchler