Just Do It (1 Chronicles 28 & 29)

1 Chronicles 28:20 Be strong and steadfast, and go to work; do not fear or be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you.

As David’s time was ending, he was preparing the way for Solomon to continue the journey. David had gotten together all of the provisions to be used for the house of the Lord, that was to be built by Solomon. He instructed his son to go to work. Others translations say “do it.” He didn’t want Solomon to just talk about the building, daydream about it, and then put the plan away. He wanted him to actually get up and make it happen. 

We can have all the good intentions in the world, but if we don’t act on them, they are meaningless. We can plan to spend time in the Word. We can plan to bring clothes to the shelter. We can plan to spend time with the elderly. We can plan to make our house into a home. We plan to do it today, but then something comes up, so we push it off until tomorrow. And tomorrow becomes next week, or next month. If we don’t purposefully get off the sofa and take that first step, we have pushed God’s plan to the side. Let God show you the way to be strong and steadfast, courageous. Put your fears to the side, and trust in the Lord to help you. Then go do it. 

Casting Lots (1 Chronicles 25-27)

1 Chronicles 25:8 They cast lots for their functions equally, young and old, master and pupil alike. 

These three chapters go into detail about the services that were given to the families. The services weren't given to the best in each family or the most successful. The men cast lots, and allowed God to take charge of who got which service. 

In the Old Testament, casting lots was done to see who would get whatever job was on the table. We hear about casting lots on who would get to throw Jonah out of the ship when he was running way from God. The Lord divided land for Joshua by lots being cast.  In the New Testament, the soldiers cast lots for Jesus's clothes. We aren't given specific about the "casting lots" in the bible.  It could have been two objects, one marked with a line and one not marked. Or someone pulled the short straw. Or even flipped a coin. 

I love that the jobs weren't given by a popular vote. God was allowed to choose through the lots, so everyone was on an even playing field. We shouldn't let our position in life stop us from faithfully serving God. He wants us all.

How Do you Start Your Day? (1 Chronicles 23&24)

1 Chronicles 23:30 They are to be present every morning to offer thanks and to praise the LORD, and likewise in the evening

David was dividing up the rules and duties to the descendants of the house of Levi. David was growing old, and wanted everything and everyone in their right place before he died. The family of Levi, who was one of the sons of Jacob, was set apart to serve in the temple. They were the original priests of their time. Moses and Aaron were descendants of Levi, and so their ancestors were also called to serve in the temple. David added some duties to them, including being present to offer thanks to God in the morning and evening. 

God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt. Many years later, he allowed David to be king and fought every battle with him. David wanted to make sure the people remembered all the good things God had done for them, so he challenged them with praising the Lord. This is something we should ALL do every morning and evening. In the morning, we should be praising God for allowing us to wake to another day. We have another chance to spread his love to others. At the end of the day, we should praise his name for all the blessings we have been given, and pray for another day to spread his love. 

Is the first thing you do in the morning to mindlessly scroll on social media? To see what has happened since you went to sleep? Catch up on the news in your town or area, or the business of someone else across the country? Do you scramble to the kitchen for coffee or tea? Grumble about having to get up and go to work? Aimlessly wonder around trying to figure out what to wear, what to eat, what to do today?

God is right there, waiting on you to realize the blessing he has given you in just waking up. Yet we are more likely to turn away from him to our phones, to our needs, to make "us" first. To the worldly things. That is similar to sitting down at meals and not offering grace for the food he has provided for you. When our eyes open in the morning, the first thing we should do is praise God. He should always be the first thing on our mind. And if not, we need to fix our mind on him.           

Our Spiritual Legacy Lives On (1 Chronicles 22)

1 Chronicles 22:13 Only then shall you succeed, if you are careful to observe the statutes and ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and steadfast; do not fear or be dismayed.

David prepared the way for Solomon to build the house for God. It is forever known as Solomon’s temple, even though David did all the leg work to get all the supplies, manpower, etc ready for Solomon. But he didn’t begrudge Solomon. David’s legacy would live on through Solomon.

It happens in life that someone else gets credit for what we have begun. We need to know that God sees all our hard work, even if we are not publicly credited for it. We are a piece of his big plan. The easiest way to see this is a mother. We raise our children to be strong, know right from wrong, and show them how to please the Lord. They grow up to be (hopefully) good Christian leaders. Yet, we rarely get credit for all the behind the scenes work. We should humble ourselves before God as mothers, just as Mary did. We take on the task, knowing they will outshine us one day. That is something we should pray for, not that our name be remembered, but that our spiritual legacy will live on through them.

We need to teach our children how to be strong and steadfast, how to be humble before the Lord. So that they can continue on after we are gone, and then they can teach their own. 

The Wrath of God (1 Chronicles 21)

1 Chronicles 21:7 This command was evil in the sight of God, and he struck Israel.

At the beginning of this chapter, it says "a satan" rose up against Israel. The word "satan" in Hebrew means adversary or accuser. So someone or some people rose up to possibly taunt David into thinking their group was larger than Israel, that they were outnumbered. They planted a seed of doubt in David's mind. So basically a 'mine is better than yours' issue. David wanted to prove himself, and got a count of his people to show off how many he had brought together. But this angered God. In Exodus 30, only God could call for a census. There was no reason for another man to know how many people God had. There was no need to show off in such a way. These people belonged to the Lord, not David. 

God gave David a chance to choose between three consequences. David chose to "Fall into the hand of God" instead of three months of fleeing from neighboring groups or three years of famine. David would be punished, but he would have to choose the punishment. He had an idea based on each of the punishments what the outcome could be, and he had to decide which was the best option. He chose the option of the plague because it would not shield he nor his family to God's wrath. He could have chosen famine, knowing that he and his would be fine because of all his riches. Even the three months, as his family could have stayed hidden. He knew it was better to depend on God's mercy than neighboring people. He knew he did wrong and deserved punishment, so he chose to allow the plague of the angel of God to come into the land and destroy what they wanted. 

David did atone and God showed mercy. God gave David a way out. God always gives us a way out from his wrath through repentance. We should still try to NOT invoke God's wrath. He doesn't send plagues like he did in the Bible. I have found myself in his wrath, and having things not turn out like I had hoped, or things continuing to get worse in certain situations caused me to really see that I had indeed angered God, I deserved what I was getting, and I needed to seek forgiveness. Our God is a loving God, and he wants us to be happy. We need to seek his love first, before seeking to fulfill our desires. 

You are Not Alone in Your Battles (1 Chronicles 20)

1 Chronicles 20:8 These were the descendants of the Rephaim of Gath who died at the hands of David and his servants.

Te author of Chronicles was careful to write this sentence so it said "of David AND his servants." It wasn't David alone who went into battle. It wasn't only David who took down the enemy. His servants helped. They because they were asked to. They helped because they were needed. They helped so David wouldn't have to do it alone. 

You are not alone in your battles. There are people God put in your life to help you each day win over the devil's lies. They will be there because they want to, because they know they are needed. It is ok to need help. It is ok to have to depend on another for help. Just last night, my son had First Communion practice at 5:30-6:30, my oldest had soccer at 5:30-7,  my youngest had soccer at 6-7, and then my son had a baseball game at 7:30. I began to panic on how I would get this all accomplished, as husband was on call at the hospital, and that usually means late evenings.  I remembered the people God had recently put in my life. I reached out to a few parents who also had kids going to one of these things, and they were able to pick up or drop off so I could get all my kids where they were supposed to be without being frantic. This isn't the most dramatic thing or most serious thing out there, BUT when we find ourselves feeling frantic, we need to reach out. Our battle companions are there, waiting to help us win.

When the Enemy Lurks Nearby (1 Chronicles 19)

1 Chronicles 18:13 Hold firm and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people…and may the LORD do what is good in his sight.”

When Joab realized he was surrounded on all fronts, instead of fleeing, he trusted in God and stood firm against the enemy. We have evil all around us at all times, and it feels as of late, it is getting closer and closer. There are so many new fads that go against church teachings, life choices that go against church teachings, and the enemy seems life he is right there in our ears whispering false truths. We must stand firm. Christianity is not just a feeling. It is a choice. Staying close to God is a choice. Doing what is right is a choice. We can choose to stand firm again Satan and all his lies, or we can chose to fall in line with human transgression. 

I know that God will hold me up as I stand against the evils of the world. I trust that he will do what is good. I will be courageous in the way of Satan’s lies for the sake of my people. Lord bless me with strength to keep fighting everyday for what you tell us is right. 

Missed Blessings (1 Chronicles 18)

1 Chronicles 18:13 Thus the LORD brought David victory in all his undertakings.

In everything that David did, God made him victorious. David did not resist God. David followed God’s word, David’s heart was for the Lord. So God blessed him in return. 

There have been times in my life where I have resisted what I felt God was telling me, or what I knew was God’s plan. Thinking that I did know what was best, or I could handle the situation my way.  I didn’t always see the consequences of my errors at the time, but looking back, I can see that  if I HAD followed what I should have, certain times would have been much smoother. I can see the missed blessings I lost out on because I chose not to follow God. I hope to use these lessons to help others in difficult situations, so they can maybe make the better choice. 

Lord, thank you for continuing to guide me, even though I have chosen to not always follow your way. Thank you for the blessing you have given me and the mistakes you have helped me through. I pray to always hear your word clearly. 

Who am I (1 Chronicles 17)

1 Chronicles 17:16 Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far?

God had promised that He would David’s enemies, and he would build a he for David. David asks a question very similar to one many of us ask. Who am I that you, God, would bless me? With all the billions of people in the world, how am I any greater than anyone else? I am not anyone special. I was not born to rich parents or under sovereign rule. I make mistakes daily. Yet God still sees something in me that  he thinks is worthy to give blessings to. If he can see worth in me, why can I not see it in myself?

There are days, Lord, I have to remind myself I am worthy of your love. Even when I have sinned, you have given your life for me. Thank you for loving me and continuing to pursue me. Thank you for calling me yours. 

He Delivered Us (1 Chronicles 16)

1 Chronicles 16:35 “Save us, O God, our savior, gather us and deliver us from among the nations, That we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in praising you.”

This reminds me of one of the acclamations we make in Mass: Save us, savior of the world. For by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. 

Today is a fitting day to have this verse and remember this acclamation. We got to celebrate Resurrection Sunday yesterday, and we know that Jesus is our Savior, who set us free by his death and resurrection. It was such a wonderful day. We didn’t mention the “bunny” at all, and the kids didn’t ask anything about it this year. They thanked me for their treats in their baskets. They loved coloring our chickens’ eggs and making a new Paschal candle. We talked extensively about what Jesus had to endure before he was even nailed to a cross. I haven’t had them watch The Passion yet, but we do watch Greatest Adventures Easter Story. My 12 and 8 year old actually read along the gospel story on Good Friday Mass, and spoke the part of the crowd along with the congregation. 

I want them to begin to understand the big picture of what He did to deliver us from our sins. One day they will understand why it brings me to tears each year to say out loud “crucify him.” I want them to understand Easter is so much more than candy and eggs. I see the dots connecting in their eyes more each year. So we will praise his name together at dinner with our candle lit. And I will let my mama heart rest, knowing I am doing my part to raise them in the church.

I’ve Got Joy in my Heart (1 Chronicles 15)

 1 Chronicles 15:25 Thus David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with joy from the house of Obed-edom. 

This first time David tried to bring up the ark for Jerusalem, he didn’t do it the right way. He didn’t consult God about the move, he didn’t have the right people moving the ark, and he didn’t hold the ark correctly. This time, David has it all set up correctly. He has put together a fantastic display ahead of the ark, proceeding into Jerusalem with music, singing, and dancing. Now that it is being done correctly, now that they are following God’s word correctly, it has brought them lots of joy. 

Worshipping God should be joyful. On days like today, Good Friday, we are sorrowful, remembering the death of our Savior on the cross. But come Resurrection Sunday, we will be singing and dancing again! When we listen to God’s word and live it out the way HE wants, our lives can be filled with joy. God is the only one who can completely fill our hearts. If we feel we are longing for something or missing out on something, we should focus our attention on what truly matters. Is our heart aligned with God? Are we putting him first? Are we living according to his word? Rearranging my heart and life has brought me so much joy, because I know God is first. My life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but even in the storms, I go to God first. 

Let’s bring our hearts to God this Sunday with joy, just as the Israelites did. Let us remember he sent his only son to die for us so that we may live. He took our sins away. Let us sing, play music, and dance our praises on Sunday, and remember them come Monday also. 

What are you Praying for? (1 Chronicles 14)

1 Chronicles 14:13 Once again the Philistines raided the valley, and again David inquired of God.

God set up David to be king. God made it so David was powerful. The enemy saw this and constantly tried to tear him down. But each time, David turned to God and GOD PROVIDED. 

During this early time of David’s reign, he fully trusted in God. God provided because David asked for the right things. David prayed to God for things that were necessary. There are many times in our lives we pray and our prayers go unanswered. But what are we praying for? Are we praying correctly? God answers all prayers, but not always to what we think the answer should be. But His answers are usually better in the long run. We must continue to seek God and trust that his plans are the right ones. When he tells us to go around issues, we need to listen. He is protecting us from the evil hiding in the shadows. 

Fear your Sin (1 Chronicles 13)

1 Chronicles 13:12 And David was afraid of God that day.

David decided to bring the ark of the Lord to where the people were celebrating because “it seemed right in the eyes of the people (v4). Then David didn’t follow God’s specific laws for transportation of the sacred ark. Then when Uzzah touched it because the cart stumbled, it angered God and he killed Uzzah.

It seems David was trying to show off a little in front of the people. He had won great battles, and wanted all the people to celebrate together, and wanted to have the Lord with him. It was more about being in David’s presence instead of the Lord’s. And he consulted with the people, and never asked God if HE wanted the ark to be moved. It seemed right to the people to do this, so David went along with his plan. He didn’t take to heart what he had been instructed before. Like he half listened, and chose to do something else, like throwing God on a cart instead of up on their shoulders. God was already angry before Uzzah touched the ark. That was just the last straw. 

We do similar things today. Where we been God’s rules to fit our lifestyles. One of the main reasons there are so many different churches, so many different ordinal numbers or branches of churches, is because leaders didn’t like how another person rules didn’t flow with what they wanted to believe. What worked for them. So the changed rules to accommodate their opinions and started a new church. Then some people felt a few rules weren’t for them and they broke away and started a new one. Again and again, we bend what God has given us to follow. We try to keep him in a box of our life rules, instead of living our life for him. 

God gave us specific rules for a reason. Those reasons didn’t change just because the world is. In the face of these changes, we need to stick to God’s rules more than ever. We need to stop shoving him in that box and putting him on the cart. We need to stop listening to what the people say is best for our lives and start remembering God’s word. We need to worry more about our sins. Why are we trying to make God fit in a box? What are we doing in our lives that we need to reword his rules? Or modify them? If our sins are what makes God angry, we need to fix ourselves, not try to fix God. 

Rejoice Together (1 Chronicles 12 )

1 Chronicles 12:40 For there was rejoicing in Israel.

The soldiers came to Hebron to make it known that David was their rightful king, and the people of Israel agreed. All their neighbors came bringing food and provisions, and they ate and drank and celebrated David being their king. The people came together to serve God and it brought them joy.

Together. It’s like the age old theme of “there is no I in team.” Yes we can serve God individually, but it doesn’t get our church far. If we are all acting for ourselves, we are not unifying ourselves to God’s plan. We can’t allow things of this world allow us to get distracted from unity. We must stick together as a people of God. Just like the soldiers couldn’t allow anything to distract them of pull them from being in the unified army, we cannot allow anything to pull us from God’s army. 

I must remember that together with my church, we are called to serve the Lord. If one in our church is struggling, we are all weak. This person needs to be brought back up by the love of Christ’s people. Us. You and me. We need to open our eyes and see those around us who are struggling and help them find their way; help them see how God is the true fulfillment. God wants us all to rejoice together. 

Remember what God Gave You (1 Chronicles 11)

1 Chronicles 11:9 David became ever more powerful, for the LORD of hosts was with him.

David did not become great in a day. God had big plans for David way before David was born. God chose David, and God molded him. David became great because of God. But it wasn’t an easy process. Think of a sculpture. It is shaped, molded, and put in the fire many times before it is finished. David was just a shepherd boy that God made into a king. David put his trust in God and defeated a giant. He built a great city because he kept God near to him.

All the gifts we receive are from God. Though we do have the power to make our own choices, God lays out a plan before us. The way to greatness isn’t a straight paved road. If everything was meant to be easy, God wouldn’t allow weeds to grow in the garden. It doesn’t matter how often we clear out the troubles in our garden or our life, there will always be more. We must put our trust in God. We need to know that no matter how many time we are overwhelmed, God will pull the weeds. No matter how many people push us down, God will pick us back up. No matter how many times, God will walk with us back out. We will be greater than ever.

Evil Comes From Within (1 Chronicles 9&10)

I Chronicles 9:1b Now Judah had been exiled to Babylon because of its treachery. 

We just went through all the family lists from the beginning of the Bible. We can see the line from Adam to David. And the biggest point from previous Bible stories is summarized in this one line. Judah was exiled not because someone stronger took them over. It was because they themselves failed. They failed to keep their promise to God. They failed to push away false idols. They failed to remember the Sabbath Day. They allowed themselves to lie, cheat, and steal. They let the seed of evil take hold of their hearts and it grew, pushing God out.

The people’s unfaithfulness was their downfall. It is still this way today. Our unfaithfulness severs our relationship with God. We allow the world to sneak in and fill our minds and hearts with falsehoods about what is right and wrong. We have let society stretch the boundaries for what is ok, what is moral. All of the things we are now forced to accept is allowing the devil to take hold. If we don’t turn away from these lies and treachery, we will end up in our own spiritual exile. 

Romans 1:25-31 brings light to what we are seeing in today’s world. Our hands are dirty, and so are our souls.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Stay Close to Those who know Your Heart (1 Chronicles 5:23-26)

1 Chronicles 5:23-26 The half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land of Bashan as far as Baal-hermon… men who were warriors, famous men, and heads over their ancestral houses. However, they acted treacherously toward the God of their ancestors by prostituting themselves to follow the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. Therefore the God of Israel stirred up against them the anger of Pul…
The people of this group were godly men, faithful leaders. Then they moved away from their land and what they knew, away from their spiritual center. They allowed their minds to get filled with filth and failed to guard their hearts. 
This happens so often today. If someone find themselves in a new location and allows themself to fall to the desire to “fit in,” they might find themself lowering their standards. If there isn’t a good, stable, Christian environment to fit in with, it’s too easy to fall away. Every the strongest of will will try to adapt to their new place. Many immigrants fall from their spiritual center when moving to a new country. Eventually, they loose sight of their ancestry as the new location smothers out their beliefs. Even children moving to a new school can struggle with this. Trying to make new friends and wanting to be accepted can make us let go of what we hold true. 
When we had moved to Little Rock back in 2008, I didn’t have that opportunity. I made friends with people at work, and allowed myself to hang out with people who had very different views that I don’t accept. I let myself let my guard down and got lost. It took me to a dark place, and I was scared. I was very glad when we relocated to another state and I found a great set of people that changed my world. I was so sad when we had to move again last summer. I as finally happy, filled by God’s love. I was afraid to go through what I went through in LR again.  I was fortunate that when we moved to our city, my husband’s job had a person hired to help the spouses get acquainted with people. Through her, I met a great Catholic family, and through them more. And they all go to the school my kids attend, and we go to church together. It has made this move so much better. 
We can help others by reaching out to new people and help them find their landing place so they don’t potentially get lost in the crowd. 

Pray like Jabez (1 Chronicles 3&4)

1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Oh, that you may truly bless me and extend my boundaries! May your hand be with me and make me free of misfortune, without pain!” And God granted his prayer.

Jabez isn't specifically mentioned in the lineage, except to say he was the most distinguished of his brothers. But he stands out in the Bible because he is named. We are told that he prayed to God for blessings, greater property, being free of misfortune and pain, and God granted his prayers. He must have been a godly man for God to grant is prayers and for it to be written down. It is unfortunate we do not know more about this man. His faith was great, that we can be sure of. 

We shouldn't be afraid to go to God with our requests. Yes God knows what we need before we do, but we still should humble ourselves and ask him for them. Pray for your job to continue providing. Pray that you house remains protected. Pray that your car keeps on working. Pray for your children's souls. Pray for those who are struggling to fill their void because they are looking in the wrong places. None of these are silly or unimportant requests. Allow God to hear your plea.  Pray daily. Pray true. He will hear you. 

Where do You Come From? (1 Chronicles 1-2)

The book of Chronicles tells us the lineage of David. Around 500 BC, the person who wrote the Chronicles compiled the history to show to true lineage from Adam to David. The may have done this to have proof written down of David’s true claim to rule. He uses several books in the Bible to get his history correct, including Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua and Ruth. 

I love ancestry and to see how things all tie together. As I was reading these first two chapters, I recognized names from previous stories we have gone through in the Old Testament. It was neat to read again how they all piece together. And seeing how the David line leads to Jesus, all these beginning people were important. 

Have you ever tried to grace your lineage? I can trace mine back to 1545 France. I haven’t tried further,  but I know with sites like ancestry.com, it probably wouldn’t be so hard. To see names and dates, people and places, all who had to come together for me to be here, it can be a bit overwhelming. Just as all the names in the first 2 chapters can be. But each one is there for a reason. Just like our names will be in someone’s lineage one day.