Reading: 2 Chronicles 34-36; John 19:1-22
“And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” – 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (KJV)
Most time, a lot of people will ask, “If God loves us so much, then why would He let these horrible things happen to us?” You may have heard that question from several persons. It is a very common question people ask whenever we try to reach out to them with the love of Christ. Sometimes we wonder if God really allows such horrible things happen as they claim.
If we read through the preceding verses in this chapter, the Bible explains how these kings have really gone astray and did what was evil in the sight of God during their rule. It so happens that after they did “evil in the sight of the LORD,” they became overruled. They lost their position, their privilege, overthrown and carried captives.
This is not necessarily God punishing them for not obeying Him but for having free choice that God gave to us as special gift to make choices and it is our choice to either follow Him, or abuse our gift. Unfortunately, when these kings abused their free will and power, they lost their position as kings of Judah. It is the same thing with us today. We have free will, so we can do whatever we want. It is all our choice. Every command in the Bible is a guideline to how we can live a healthy life and enter the kingdom of God. The Bible is not only a wonderful book full of inspiring stories, morals, and rules we can all follow, but it also teaches us the wisdom from God in making choices in life. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”. – 2 Timothy 3:15 (KJV)
When we ignore God, we lose our way and we stray away. But even though the people of Jerusalem suffered so much by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, God still found a way to save His people. That is when He sent His loyal servant, Daniel, to be an example of His love. When Daniel showed God’s kindness to King Nebuchadnezzar and to King Darius, they favored him. Even though we mess up, God’s grace always shines through for us in the midst of unfavorable situations.
I admonish you today to always heed God’s words. Always do the best you can to not abuse your free will by sinning against God. Do your best to keep His words and His commands. Read the Bible every day so you can remind yourself what you should do to live a healthy life. When you do these things, you will begin to see wonderful things happen to you. You will be able to see God reveal Himself in so many mysterious ways and manifest His works through you.
Prayer: Father, deliver me from the weakness of abusing my free will in Jesus Name.
Pastor Alfred Samuel