Key Verses: 1 Kings 15:11 & 14b
Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David……Asa’s heart was loyal to the Lord all his days.
Here’s some encouragement for us all. While kings who did evil in God’s eyes came and went with frequency in the northern 10 tribes, now called Israel, Asa, King of Judah, remained constant for 41 years. Character, formed by a rock-solid determination to always do what is right, will win in the long run. Often there are difficult times for the person who fervently desires to please the Lord, and sometimes it seems that a short cut would be advantageous, but we must resist. We need to ask God to harden our backbones, keeping us upright in all our decisions and deeds.
What a marked contrast between Asa in the south and Ahab in the north. “Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30). Nevertheless, God had a plan! We are about to witness the arrival of a firebrand preacher in the north by the name of Elijah.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord, someone asked, “Where is the God of Elijah?” The answer came back, “He’s waiting for an Elijah to call on Him!” I’m calling on You, Lord God! Others are calling on You! I pray that You will continue to show Yourself strong through me and others. In the Name of Someone greater than Elijah, the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!!!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
The character of our political leaders is so very important (Asa and Ahab). Our second Canadian Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, was solidly converted to Christ back in Scotland before he came to Canada. As our first Leader of Canada’s Loyal Opposition, he was involved in the negotiations with Britain for our peaceful separation from political and economic control. I’ve had the privilege to lecture on Mackenzie’s life to political parties; I extolled the virtues of this man before the Law Society of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here’s just one story about this godly leader.
Prime Minister Mackenzie arrived at his office at 7:00 a.m. each morning. The Prophet Daniel, Mackenzie’s political hero, prayed with his window open each day (Daniel 6:10-13). Mackenzie, with the door open and on his knees, would pray out loud for God’s blessings on Canada for a new day. This was repeated at noon and again before he left for home at 7:00 in the evening. His staff, who were expected to arrive before him in the morning and leave after him at night, would gather around the door to listen to the Prime Minister pray. All Canadians need to know that this may be one of the main reasons why Canada has been blessed so greatly.
Yours for living “right in the eyes of the Lord,”
David
Up Next in Year 1 | May
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100 Words - YR1 May 6 - ELIJAH
Key Verse: 1 Kings 18:22
Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.”Who would have guessed that the odds favoured the one against so many formidable opponents? Yet that is precisely what happened. This dramatic confrontation has f...
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100 Words - YR1 May 7 - SUCCESSOR
Key Verse: 1 Kings 19:12
After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.Here we are brought to a standstill as we catch a glimpse of the stillness there is in God. Let us remember how Jesus slept while His disciples struggled with the storm...
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100 Words - YR1 May 8 - SULLEN AND DI...
Key Verse: 1 Kings 20:43
So the King of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.
Here is a prime example of a failure in godly leadership by King Ahab. The Lord arranged tests for Ahab. Ahab failed those tests! While Ahab still had his title as King, his wife, Jezeb...