NT: “Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus. Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I have an opportunity I’ll call for you.” At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would offer him money. So he sent for him quite often and conversed with him. After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, and because Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor, he left Paul in prison.” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭24:24-27‬ ‭CSB)

For two years, Paul was a prisoner of Rome in Caesarea, a city on the Mediterranean coast that served as the Roman capital of Judea. Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator of Judea (the position previously held by Pontius Pilate). Felix was known as a cruel, unscrupulous leader who was accessible to bribery and not opposed to bloodshed. Drusilla was the daughter of Herod Agrippa, great-granddaughter to Herod the Great, and niece to Herod Antipas. Drusilla was legally married to King Aziz of Emesa, a pagan priest-king that converted to Judaism in order to marry her. Felix, after seeing Drusilla, was smitten by her beauty and sent Simon, a Jewish necromancer to coax her away from her husband. Drusilla left her husband and illegally married Felix. These were the two people that sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Christ. Felix probably sent for him in hopes of receiving a bribe. Drusilla was probably curious – especially given her family’s history with Jesus and His followers. What they didn’t expect was what Paul would say and how his words would affect them.

Paul spoke to them about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come. Righteousness is a heavy requirement. All have fallen short of the righteousness of God, and all of our self-righteousness is like filthy rags to God. Jesus taught to be accepted in the kingdom of God, our righteousness had to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees – men whose occupation was to enforce the Law’s righteous requirements on the people. Felix and Drusilla were far from righteous, and they knew it. Self-control is our ability to resist lusts, temptations, and desires in order to live righteously. Self-control is something that everyone lacks to some degree. We are all slaves to our flesh and slaves to sin- and no matter how much self-will we have, there are lusts and cravings that we do not have the power to deny. Though Felix and Drusilla may have had power and authority over others, they lacked the power to control themselves. One day a holy reckoning will occur, when all unrighteousness will be judged by the Holy God and His Son Jesus Christ. Unless we are found to be holy and righteous like God is holy and righteous, we will be swept up in God’s holy refinement and purification of creation. Felix and Drusilla were guilty, and as they stood there before Paul the prisoner as convicted sinners, Felix shook with fear.

Felix’s reaction to Paul’s convicting words was the same reaction many have. Even though Felix was convicted to the point of trembling in fear, he resisted the opportunity to repent and be reconciled to God. Instead, he sent Paul away until the opportunity was more agreeable with him. God does not force Himself on us. Though He may convict us strongly, the decision to repent and follow Him is completely ours. God desires men and women who willfully place their faith in Him and follow Him. It is not enough to simply recognize our failings and feel bad for our sin. It is not enough to try and cover up our guilt through doing good. The only way to truly be saved… to truly be made righteous… to truly be given the grace of self-control, is to willfully repent of our sin, turn to Jesus, place our faith in His holiness, death, and resurrection and follow Him. The longer we save that act for a more opportune time, the more hardened we become and the less likely it is that we will repent. A wonderful opportunity has been extended to all of us to be reconciled to God and made righteous by God. What a waste to throw that away.

Psalms: “Listen to my words, Lord; consider my sighing. Pay attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to you. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you. The boastful cannot stand in your sight; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

King David was a man who was familiar with God’s standard of righteousness. God is completely holy in His righteousness and any fraction of sin cannot exist in His presence. As Felix discovered, the boastful… the evil… the wicked cannot stand in His sight. Therefore, David was a man who feared the Lord – just as Paul was a man who feared the Lord. David’s priority was to come before the Lord every morning and submit his life, with all of its challenges, trials, and imperfections, to God in prayer. And he trusted God to preserve him and justly convict the ungodly.

Psalms: “Be angry and do not sin; reflect in your heart while on your bed and be silent. Selah Offer sacrifices in righteousness and trust in the Lord. Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good?” Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, Lord, make me live in safety.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:4-8‬ ‭CSB)

When times are dark and it seems like more is going wrong than right – when news report after news report is nothing but doom and gloom, it is easy to become discouraged and hopeless… thinking and even muttering out loud, “is there anything good to find in all this mess?” The word translated here as ‘be angry’ has more to do with being deeply disturbed than just mere anger. It means to be moved with grief… to be deeply disturbed… to be fearful and unsettled… to be upset and angry. That word accurately describes how most people feel in the midst of current circumstances – regardless of what side of the political spectrum you fall on… regardless of what position you hold in society, what race or gender you belong to, what nation you call home, or what socioeconomic demographic you fit in. Honesty, that word describes how I have felt recently. That is how King David felt as he lay in his bed at night while his kingship was being threatened and the state of his nation was in turmoil. As David wrote in this psalm, it is ok to feel that way, for that is normal – but it is not ok to stay that way… for when you stay disturbed and discouraged, that will lead to sin: a loss of faith and a lack of obedience as we try to take matters into our own hands and save ourselves. What is the remedy for despair and hopelessness? Offering ourselves, our fears, the things that disturb us, the things that anger us, the things that grieve us to the Lord and trusting in Him. When we cast our cares on Him, trust Him, and place our faith fully in Him, He will let the joyful, peace-filled, reassuring light of His presence shine through the darkness that surrounds us, and allow us to see things clearly from His perspective. When we trust in the Lord, our dis-ease is transformed to steadfast joy, and we are able to sleep peacefully in the midst of the surrounding storms.

Proverbs: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity — every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you. Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you. It will rescue you from the way of evil — from anyone who says perverse things, from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness, from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion, whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2:6-15‬ ‭CSB)

When we, instead of fearing our surrounding circumstances, fear and trust the Lord, He will fill us with His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Discretion (the quality of showing discernment and good judgement) will watch over, guard, and save us. By gracing us with His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment; we will be directed away from sin, deception, and darkness; and led on the path that leads to protection and success. So much of what we see in the news and on social media these days is a by-product of not fully trusting in the Lord and honoring His word, will, and ways. So many, because they do not fear the Lord fully, have been led into perverse thinking. They have blindly ended up on crooked paths that lead away from discretion and end up in deception. Those who truly call Jesus Christ their Lord should be the clearest thinking, level-headed, most discerning people on the planet. Are we? We can be if we do not allow ourselves to fall into sin, but instead, cast our cares on the Lord, trust Him, and allow His light to shine on us.

Psalms: “Answer me when I call, God, who vindicates me. You freed me from affliction; be gracious to me and hear my prayer. How long, exalted ones, will my honor be insulted? How long will you love what is worthless and pursue a lie? Selah Know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:1-3‬ ‭CSB)

It has been suggested that Psalm 4 is paired with Psalm 3 – that both Psalms were written during Absalom’s rebellion against King David. Psalm 3 is a prayer for the morning and Psalm 4 is prayer made at night. Both were written in a time of national crisis. Over a course of time, Absalom (David’s son) endeared himself to the people of the nation… making empty promises and claiming that, were he in power, things would be so much better. Eventually, Absalom proclaimed himself king and an angry mob arose to force King David from power. As David always did in times of crisis, He lifted up his hands, turned his eyes upward, and cried out to the Lord. After all, it was the Lord who chose him as king… it was the Lord who forgave him and showed him mercy when He sinned… it was the Lord who saved him from so many afflictions in the past – so it would be the Lord who would vindicate him now. Instead of forcing his will and demanding his rights, David humbled himself and trusted in the Lord’s grace. You see, the people had taken their eyes off the Lord and placed them on the promising person of Absalom. Blinded by their own self-serving desires, they began loving what was worthless and pursuing a lie. By turning their allegiance to Absalom, not only were they insulting the honor of David, God’s chosen – they were insulting the honor of God himself. David knew that if He remained faithful to the Lord and did not fall into sin, the Lord would continue setting David apart from the masses… the Lord would hear his prayer… and the Lord would preserve his kingship.

In the United States, God does not choose our leader – the people do. President Trump was not, nor is not God’s chosen leader. President Elect Biden is not God’s chosen leader either. In this nation, as the people go, so goes the nation. The quality and nature of our leaders is a direct reflection of the character, priorities, and values of the people. Can those leaders become instruments in God’s hands to bring about His purposes? Yes. Can those leaders be anointed and blessed by God for leadership? Yes, they can, provided they humble themselves and seek the Lord and His righteousness. However, in this age and for the rest of eternity, the only King that has been chosen by God is Jesus Christ. He and He alone is the rightful ruler of our nation and the nations of the world. When we who call ourselves Christians… who claim to be the people of God and followers of Christ, turn our allegiance from God to others, we insult the honor of Jesus and we insult the honor of God. It grieves me to say that God has been greatly insulted in recent days. What must we do in this time of national crisis? Lift up our hands in surrender, turn our eyes to meet God’s face, humble ourselves, repent of our waywardness, and cry out to God for mercy and grace. God will hear the cries of His faithful ones (provided we are truly faithful) and will heal our land as He heals peoples hearts through their repentance and faith in Him.

Proverbs: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

This is the voice of “wisdom,”speaking to his child – but we can infer (because God is wisdom and wisdom comes from God) that this is the voice of the Lord God speaking to all who would desire to be known as His. This truth is applicable for the lowest third-world poverty-stricken peon all the way up to those who have reached the highest echelons of political power and influence. God desires to be known and He desires to grace people with His life, wisdom, power and glory. However, God’s grace is extremely conditional. To receive His grace, we must accept His words, treasure His commands, listen closely to His wisdom, stretch out and open our heart to His understanding, and primarily pursue His word, will, and ways with devoted passion. Oh, if the people of our nation would repent and heed this advice… if our elected officials would repent and heed this advice… if those in power and influence would repent and heed this advice – then God would truly bless America – for America would be a nation that truly blesses God.

NT: “The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.” When it was morning, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who had formed this plot. These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul. So now you, along with the Sanhedrin, make a request to the commander that he bring him down to you as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. But, before he gets near, we are ready to kill him.”” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭23:11-15‬ ‭CSB)

After Paul was arrested, he was brought before the Sanhedrin (the religious leadership) for questioning. That meeting devolved into a shouting match between the Pharisees and Sadducees, with Paul stuck in the middle. The Romans pulled him out and placed him in their custody before he was injured in the melee. Dissatisfied with how things were proceeding, a group of zealous Jews plotted with the Sanhedrin to bring about Paul’s demise. The Lord, however, wasn’t done with Paul. He still had much for Paul to do, including taking the Gospel message all the way to Rome. One thing that we say in our church is that a saint of God is indestructible as long as God has purpose for his life and he remains faithful to that purpose. That was the case with Paul. Even though there was a covert plot to take his life, Paul still had purpose and an assignment from God… and Paul was steadfastly faithful to that heavenly vision and purpose. Because of that, Paul would not die prematurely. The same is true for us. No matter where God may call us or what He may call us to do, the safest place in the world is in the middle of God’s will. If we are faithful to follow the Lord and walk in obedience to His will, His purposes for our lives will reach completion.

Psalms: “I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side. Rise up, Lord! Save me, my God! You strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭3:6-8‬ ‭CSB)

Why was David so fearless in the face of death? It wasn’t because the Lord was on his side. It was because he was on the Lord’s side. He knew that because he stood for righteousness and was faithful to the Lord, the enemies that opposed him did so because they opposed God. When we are aligned with God and committed to His purposes, our purposes are fulfilled as God fulfills His… and He always fulfills His purposes. Whether or not we are part of God’s purposes is up to us… up to our faith and obedience. When we align ourselves with God’s purposes, we are saved, protected, and blessed. Selah… meditate on that for a while and let that truth get rooted deep within you and give you peace.

Proverbs: “Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear the Lord, were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction, they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes. For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:29-33‬ ‭CSB)

Proverbs describes the fate of those who choose to not align themselves with God’s word, will, and ways… who choose to reject the wisdom of God and walk according to their own wisdom and self-prescribed purpose instead. While they may gain the world for a time, they will lose their soul and live in an absence of true sustainable peace. However, those who fear the Lord, listen and act according to His counsel, and welcome His correction – they will be secure and undisturbed by the dangers and fears of the day. As our world slips further and further into uncertainty, we can remain above the turmoil, fear, and anxiety by trusting in the certainty of the Lord.

OT: “On the seventh day of the fifth month — which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon — Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. He burned the Lord’s temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down all the great houses. The whole Chaldean army with the captain of the guards tore down the walls surrounding Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, deported the rest of the people who remained in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. But the captain of the guards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭25:8-12‬ ‭CSB)

When God established his covenant with the nation of Israel, He said this about Himself: “The Lord — the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:6-7‬ ‭CSB) Apparently, the people of the promised nation of Israel remembered the compassionate and gracious part of God’s character, but forgot the not leaving the guilty unpunished part. Nearly 800 years had passed since God established His covenant with Israel, yet despite His countless warnings, they continued to give themselves over to the worship of idols and false gods, and reject God’s word, will, and ways. The cup of Israel’s iniquity had filled to the rim and God’s longsuffering had run out. Righteousness demanded action, so God gave his chosen people over to the consequences of their 800 years of rebellion. God’s chosen city was ransacked and the temple where He chose to rest His name was destroyed. The cup of God’s wrath was poured out, if only just a drop, and God’s covenant people were forced to live with the consequences of their unfaithfulness for 70 years. Even in a sentence of exile for 70 years, God was being very merciful. They deserved much more. While it is true that God is merciful and slow to anger, He does get righteously angry. Many people believe the U.S.A. to be God’s “chosen nation:” the land of freedom and blessing… a nation founded on Christian principles… a benevolent nation that spreads the good news of God’s kingdom across the world. Yet we (the church of America) have grown increasingly distracted and unfaithful. How full do you think our nation’s cup of iniquity has gotten? How full is God’s cup of wrath becoming as He continues holding back judgement while His people forsake His word, will, and ways while they gorge on all that the “American Dream” provides? Being an American… even a “Christian” American does not exempt us from God’s justice… any more that being a chosen Israelite did. This is definitely something that I am asking as I pray for our nation and as we collectively head into a new year.

Psalms: “Lord, how my foes increase! There are many who attack me. Many say about me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭3:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

The introduction for this psalm states that it was written by King David when he had to flee from his son Absalom. Absalom’s rebellion was a consequence of David’s sin with Bathsheeba and Uriah (2 Samuel 12:10-12). It was also a result of David’s neglect and refusal to deal with sin in his own house. No matter how much David deserved judgement, God was merciful to him because he was a rapid repenter. David humbled himself and acknowledged his sin. He repented of His sin and turned to God, and experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness. That is why David, even though he was guilty and deserving of judgement, was able to trust in God’s goodness and faithfulness. His relationship with God was restored through repentance and His relationship with God was maintained through trust and faithful obedience. Even though his own son was out to kill him, David knew that the Lord would protect him and sustain him… and he could live in peace. Instead of experiencing God’s cup of wrath, even in the midst of self-made challenges, David experienced the cup of God’s mercy because he repented and remained faithful to the Lord.

As wonderful as the mercy that David experienced was, the mercy and grace described by Jesus’ gospel is far greater. Instead of us receiving the fullness of God’s wrath and judgement, Jesus the Sinless One allowed God’s cup of wrath and judgement to be poured out on Him. The action that God had to righteously take was served on His Son, Jesus Christ. We now have a choice. We can accept the punishment that Christ received, or we can reject that act of mercy and choose instead to have God’s wrath poured out on us. To accept what Jesus did for us, we simply have to repent (turn away from) our sin, place our faith on Christ and what He did, surrender our lives completely to Him, and follow Him faithfully as His disciple. If we do that, our sin is forgiven, we are given a new life, and are empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to live holy and righteously by the grace we receive through faith. Then we can lay our heads down every night in peace… and wake up the next morning in peace – because our relationship with God is restored and maintained through repentance and faith.

Psalms: “I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with an iron scepter; you will shatter them like pottery.” So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling. Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, for his anger may ignite at any moment. All who take refuge in him are happy.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2:7-12‬ ‭CSB)

This is a messianic psalm that is referenced and quoted several times in the New Testament. The psalm begins with a rhetorical question, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” For nearly the entire time that humanity has existed on earth, men and women, rulers and nations have sought independence from God – rejecting and resisting His word, will, and ways in deference to their own wisdom and desire to promote their own agendas and make a name for themselves… seeking out power and privilege that they can lord over others less fortunate than them. While scheming against God may bring temporary advantages, it is ultimately futile and done completely in vain. The devil offered Jesus the same temptation (Luke 5:4-8). He told Jesus that He could have rulership over all the kingdoms of the world… all he had to do was reject God and worship Satan. Jesus, unlike the rest of humanity, refused. Jesus knew that He was the Son of God, for God the Father had confirmed that weeks earlier (Luke 3:22). Jesus knew, as long as He remained completely obedient to the Father, all He had to do was ask, and the Father would give Him the nations of the world as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession – not just temporarily, but for eternity. Furthermore, those who repent of their aberrant ways and place their faith completely on Jesus the Son, will become joint-heirs with Him for eternity. All of the sinful plotting and conniving for power and prestige ultimately gets you nothing – yet humbling yourself and placing your faith on Christ and becoming utterly dependent on Him and His Spirit graces you with everything… forever. So, be wise and serve the Lord (not yourselves) with reverential awe, for all who take refuge in the Son will be blessed and happy.

Proverbs: “Wisdom calls out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares. She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates: “How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge? If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:20-23‬ ‭CSB)

The wisdom of God is not hiding nor elusive. God wants us to have His wisdom, but it comes with conditions. God has openly shared His wisdom for millennia through His word, and has made His wisdom completely accessible by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus the Son. The problem is, because of their inherent sinful nature, humanity is stubbornly and foolishly independent. They don’t want to submit to the word, will, and ways of God. Like Satan who deceived them into sin, they want to lift themselves up… make a name for themselves… pound their chest and say, “I did this in my own strength and by my own intellect… so give me glory.” If we humble ourselves and seek God’s wisdom, He will pour out His spirit on us, give us His wisdom, lead us in all truth, and fill us with His glory. If we do not heed Wisdom’s warning, we will spend a lifetime striving by the sweat of our brow and ultimately leave this life with nothing.

OT: “The king commanded all the people, “Observe the Passover of the Lord your God as written in the book of the covenant.” No such Passover had ever been observed from the time of the judges who judged Israel through the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the Lord’s Passover was observed in Jerusalem. In addition, Josiah eradicated the mediums, the spiritists, household idols, images, and all the abhorrent things that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this in order to carry out the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in the Lord’s temple. Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭23:21-25‬ ‭CSB)

After reading the law of God, King Josiah came under deep conviction and repented on behalf of the nation who had forsaken God for so long. He then led the nation though its greatest revival and instituted reforms throughout the land. He got rid of any and all forms of idol worship throughout Judah, and even traveled into to Northern kingdom of Israel to cleanse that land as well. While in Israel, he found the altar erected by Jeroboam of old. He then desecrated and destroyed it according to the prophesy that was spoken of him hundreds of years before. After instituting all of his reforms, Josiah called the nation to observe the Passover of the Lord once again. Josiah did all of that because he was zealous for the Lord. After his eyes were opened to the truth of who God was and who God had called the people of Israel to be, Josiah would not allow any false god or idol to distract and steal worship from the One True God and rob Israel of its destiny. Faithfulness to God cannot be forced. In our zeal for the Lord, we do not force people into submission the way other religious systems around the world do. In our zeal for the Lord, we apply the same passion that Josiah had for the land to our lives. We root out and rid ourselves of any vestige of compromise with the world, the flesh, or the devil. We root out and rid ourselves of any semblance of idol worship, until our loyalty and faithfulness is completely committed and dedicated to the Lord. We also make it our goal to glorify the Lord: to everyone and in everything, so that all may know the good news of God and have the opportunity to repent and be set on fire for the Lord as well.

NT: “He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished. As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ …Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus. Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there, came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭22:3-8, 11-16‬ ‭CSB)

When Paul returned to Jerusalem and was seen in the Temple worshipping, unbelieving Jews created a stir and started a riot. They found Paul and began beating him to death… and would have succeeded had the Roman guards not stepped in and arrested Paul. Once the crowds were calmed down, Paul asked if he could address the crowd and began telling his story. Paul was a man who burned with zeal for God – the same zeal that Josiah had. When he believed that this new faith in Jesus was contrary to God and stealing glory from God, he persecuted it vehemently. On his way to Damascus to arrest more “Christians,” he was arrested by the glorified Jesus Christ. When he asked who the Lord was, he was shocked to find out that the Lord was the very Jesus he was persecuting. Blind and humbled, Paul was led by hand to Damascus where a follower of Jesus came and prayed for him. Paul’s eyes were opened and he could see clearly – not just physically, but spiritually as well. His zeal for the Lord never diminished – it just became focused in a new direction. For the rest of his life, Paul lived with a white-hot zeal to live a holy life through grace (not the law) by faith in Jesus Christ, and to take the good news of the Kingdom into all the world, winning as many people to Christ as he could – even if it meant his own suffering and death. To this day, men and women around the world are filled with that same zeal. I know some of them…. People who refuse to compromise the word, will, and ways of the Lord; and faithfully defend, explain, and proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom day after day… People who sell all they have and move to the other side of the world that they may bring the good news of the kingdom to the oppressed and forgotten people trapped in godless religious systems. These people, though they may not be rich, well-known, or powerful – they impact countless numbers of lives and are heroes in heaven. We can be people like that – zealous for God and changing the world one life at a time. The first step is to allow our eyes to be opened to see the Lord for who He really is, repent of our old ways, and walk in His new life.

OT: “The high priest Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it… Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes… “Go and inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah about the words in this book that has been found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.” …So the king sent messengers, and they gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. Then the king went to the Lord’s temple with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets — all the people from the youngest to the oldest. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the Lord’s temple. Next, the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to the covenant.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22:8, 10-11, 13; ‭23:1-3‬ ‭CSB)

When Josiah was 18 years old, in the midst of a temple cleansing project that he commissioned, the long forgotten book of the law was found in the archives of the temple. The fact that the book of the law was lost in the temple goes to show you how far removed from Godly worship the temple had become. Hilkiah the priest gave the scroll to Shaphan, King Josiah’s secretary. After reading through the scroll, Shaphan brought the scroll to Josiah and read it to him. Upon hearing the commands of the Lord God, King Josiah fell under conviction and tore his robes in grief and humility. He was genuinely cut to the heart and immediately sent messengers to a prophet of the Lord to find out if Judah was too far gone, and if it was too late to repent and seek God’s mercy. Josiah then called the entire nation together and had the law read out loud to everyone. At the hearing of the word of God, the entire nation came under conviction and a nation-wide reformation and revival ensued. Genuine conviction led to genuine repentance as the gods and idols that permeated the land were destroyed and the people turned their face to the Lord God. The people of Judah, over fifty years of godless leadership, had lost sight of who God was and who they were. They had forgotten the grand call that was on their lives to be a holy nation that would lead the nations of the world to God (Deut. 7:6-9). In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus spoke to the church in Ephesus and said, “But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love which you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand…” Are we like the people of Judah? Have we forsaken the word of God for the wisdom of the world so long that we have forgotten what it says… forgotten who God is… forgotten who the church is called to be? Are we like the church in Ephesus who had fallen far from the love of God and a love for God? Let’s return to the Lord… Let’s read once again, His word and remember. Let’s allow ourselves to come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit as our eyes are opened to how far we have fallen. Let’s genuinely repent and turn to the Lord and see in our lifetimes a reawakening, reformation, and revival of the Church, the nation, and the world.

Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching, for they will be a garland of favor on your head and pendants around your neck.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:7-9‬ ‭CSB)

Good discernment and the knowledge and understanding of God begins with a holy reverence and respect for the word, will, and ways of the Lord. A fool, on the other hand, is defined as someone who despises wisdom. One of the ways that we gain a reverence and respect for the Lord and avoid becoming a fool, is by listening to and heeding the instruction that comes from godly parents. Righteous discipline and instruction will become a crown on your head and a pendant around your neck: the crown to surround and lead your thoughts and emotions, and the pendant to make your life pleasant and beautiful to others. But what if you don’t have godly parents? What if the instruction that came from your parents was bad? That didn’t stop Josiah. His father and grandfather were, if anything, anti-God. Perhaps his mother was somewhat godly and told him the stories of King David of old. He undoubtedly found spiritual parents to fill the gaps left by his biological parents, and ultimately allowed the word of God to “parent” him and give him wisdom. If we need anything in these days, it is good discernment and godly wisdom – and that begins by turning our face away from all that seeks to “inform” us in the world, and giving reverence and respect to the word, will, and ways of the Lord.

OT: “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them. He built altars in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.” He built altars to all the stars in the sky in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple. He sacrificed his son in the fire, practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him… Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another. This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the Lord’s sight… Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done. He walked in all the ways his father had walked; he served the idols his father had served, and he bowed in worship to them. He abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors and did not walk in the ways of the Lord. Amon’s servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house… Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn to the right or the left.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭‭21:1-6, 16, 19-23; 22:1-2‬ ‭CSB)

It is disconcerting that a righteous and reformative king like Hezekiah could have a son as wicked and dark as Manasseh. No king, in Judah or in Israel, was as evil and godless as Manasseh. Not only did he reverse all the reforms of his father Hezekiah, he desecrated the temple of God by erecting in it multiple altars to the gods and idols of the land – relegating the One True God to a “god” among many. He even engaged in child sacrifice. To add insult to injury, not only was Manasseh the most wicked king in Israel’s or Judah’s history, his reign was also the longest. Manasseh’s son Amon wasn’t any better. He continued in his father’s evil ways until he was assassinated by his own servants. For fifty-seven years, Judah, who was to be a light to the nations, descended into a cesspool of evil and darkness. Then, after over a half-century of darkness and degradation, a little eight-year old boy became king of the land. Instead of following in the footsteps of his father and grand father, he (like Hezekiah) looked back to King David as an example. For many in the world, 2020 was a very dark year, where everything that could go wrong went wrong. That was only one year. Imagine fifty-seven years of complete darkness and godlessness. Many hoped, because of its homophonic similarities with 20/20 vision, that 2020 would be a year of clarity and vision… and in a way it was. Many things were exposed in 2020. Weaknesses in our national infrastructure were exposed… Vulnerabilities in our healthcare systems were exposed… Political corruption at all levels was exposed… Racism was exposed… it goes on and on. Hopefully we learned some important things about ourselves, who we can lean on, and who we can trust. But the darkness of 2020 doesn’t just go away with the flip of a calendar page. If we don’t learn the lessons that 2020 was meant to teach us… if we don’t repent of our evil and turn to the light… the darkness of 2020 will continue. And the longer we look to ourselves, to government, to political parties, etc. to turn the tide, the darker things will become. Fifty-seven years went by in Judah until a king was finally willing to walk in the ways of the Lord and lead them out of darkness. I pray that it doesn’t take us fifty-seven years to humble ourselves, pray, and seek God’s face once again. We can take encouragement in this: no matter how dark it gets and no matter how long the darkness lasts, there is always hope in the Lord and in His faithfulness.

Psalms: “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

How happy! How blessed is the one who does not walk in the ways of the prevailing culture, but instead, [chephets] makes his one desire and primary pursuit the word, will, and ways of the Lord. No matter the darkness, wickedness, or even death that may surround us; if we make following the Lord our primary passion, we will be full of light, life, and fruitfulness. Imagine how difficult it was for young King Josiah to reject the advice and ways of the prevailing culture of his day to pursue the ways of the Lord… but God blessed Him and strengthened him in his resolve. To this day, parents name their sons after Josiah because his life of righteousness that brought life and fruitfulness to a nation. No one names their sons Manasseh or Amon. Their lives were like chaff. Even though Manasseh had the longest reign of all the kings of Israel, he would have been completely forgotten, were it not for the pages of scripture that used his name as an example of how not to live. As we begin a new year, let us resolve, by the grace of God, to follow Jesus fully and make the word, will, and ways of God our primary pursuit. If we do that, 2021 will be so much brighter, and blessed we will be.