Bible

Prodigal

/ Gail Johnson / 5 Comments

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (KJV) 

Every year, we pull scriptures to piece together the perfect Christmas program. What we don’t include is Christ’s genealogy. Sadly, people admit they skip those hard-to-pronounce names in devotional time. What they don’t realize is there are astounding stories behind those names!

Hang with me here. I know it’s the busiest part of the year. But I want to share a story within Christ’s story. A tale of horror, rebellion, and captivity. It’s also a story of love, mercy, and forgiveness.

You can read the story later in 2 Kings 20:21, 21:1-18, 2 Chronicles 33:1-20, Jeremiah 15:14.

Child King

The Bible tells us that Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king and reigned for fifty-five years. His parents were Hezekiah and Hephzibah. Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of God. He removed the wickedness his daddy Ahaz committed in the land and brought back the worship of YHWH.

Manasseh, on the other hand, followed in his grandaddy’s footsteps and did evil in the Lord’s sight by delving into the occult, human sacrifices, and idolatry. Idol worship often included temple prostitution. In his commentary, Adam Clark writes that Ahaz (grandaddy), Manasseh (grandson), and Amon (great-grandson) did their best to destroy every copy of the written law.

Transgressor

Below is a list of Manasseh’s transgressions according to 2 Kings 21:1-18.

Rebuilt the high places of idolatry Hezekiah destroyed.
Built pagan altars in the temple of God.
Built altars in two courts of the house of God for the hosts of heaven
Worshiped Baal and the hosts of heaven (sun, moon, and stars)
Sacrificed his own son by fire to Molech in the Valley of Hinnom
Observed times. Practiced divination. Consulted spiritists and mediums.
Carved and set an Asherah (Canaanite fertility goddess) pole in the temple.
Shed innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other. (Tradition says he had Isaiah sawn into.)

Eighteen verses later, we read, “And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.”

A tragic ending if we stop reading there. But God wasn’t through with this transgressor.

Captive

When we sin, it affects everyone in our lives. If only we had listened. If only we had not . . .

Earlier, the Lord promised David and Solomon he would care and protect Israel if they heeded his words and kept his commandments. Yes, Israel and Judah had been riddled with wicked kings, but the evil had never been as prevalent as in the days of Manasseh. The Bible says, “he (Manasseh) seduced his people to do more evil than the nations God had destroyed before the children of Israel.” God told his prophets that because of what Manasseh, king of Judah, had done and made Judah do, he would forsake them and deliver them to their enemies (Kings 21:10-15).

While Manasseh was busy destroying his kingdom, the world around him watched, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. Remember, the surrounding kingdoms knew God protected his people. Earlier, during Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrian army besieged the kingdom, but God sent an angel to destroy them. Judah was safe in the arms of God. Right?

But the Lord’s people had abandoned Him for other gods. While they worshiped their idols, the Assyrian king invaded and captured a thirty-five-year-old Manasseh with hooks, bound him in chains, and transported him back to Babylon, where he remained for twelve years.

Prodigal

Rather than spending his reign caring for his people, Manasseh wasted his time, money, and energy killing innocent people, committing perversion in the house of the Lord, and seeking false gods that couldn’t help in time of need.

Thankfully, Kings 21:18 isn’t the end of Manasseh’s story. In his affliction, Manasseh humbled himself and prayed. God heard his prayers and brought him back to Jerusalem and his kingdom. “Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.” 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 (KJV)

Is that a love story, or is that a love story?!

Beloved

Jesus told a story of another boy who squandered his blessings and forsook his upbringing. And when all was lost, came to himself and repented.

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15:18-20 (KJV)

My friend, God’s love is no different today. If you think you’ve gone too far, all you have to do is turn around. Change directions and run to the Father. Plead mercy. Ask forgiveness. Invite Jesus into your heart.

He’s waiting.

Thankfulness

/ Gail Johnson / 12 Comments

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4 (KJV)

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.

Henri-Frederic Amiel (1821-1881)

Butterfly Thoughts

/ Gail Johnson / 16 Comments

Good morning! I shared one of my butterfly photos two weeks ago with a poem and scripture. This week, I’d like to share the thought behind the picture.

I spied this little fella with his face planted in a Stokes’ aster. He was holding on with all his might. He fluttered here and there, devouring every drop. No matter how many times he flew around the garden, when he settled on the aster once more, it was as if he’d never tasted it before.

Eyeing his actions, I thought about my goal this year. I’m on my third reading of the New Testament. No studying. No memorizing. Just reading through the stories and letters. And you know what? I’ve gleaned jewels I’ve never seen before.

For example, love is woven into the fabric of John’s writing. He reminds us to love one another. He also shows us Christ’s love for mankind. But John didn’t always follow his own advice. In fact, he wanted to call down fire to devour some people in Luke 9:54.

Now, I knew all that, but the one thought that stuck with me was John wrote about the very thing he didn’t always have. Love for others.

I write about hope because it is the one thing I didn’t have before I met Jesus. And that got me thinking.

The Power of the Word

What if we spent time with the Living Word and the written Word? What if we intentionally planted our faces in the Bible and devoured every word? How would that affect our thinking? Our behaviors? Growth? Marriages? Families? Ministries? Writing?

Let’s take a look at what the psalmist writes about the Word.

I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

Psalm 119:162

A victorious army plundered the defeated cities. They celebrated their bounty. I’m not sure my butterfly rejoiced, but he definitely collected his treasure with gusto. Do we delight in the Word? Do we read it with purpose?

I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Psalm 119:16

Synonyms for delight are joy, thrill, pleasure, and relish. Do we delight in His Word? If not, we need to ask for a fresh anointing for our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to understand. Reading the Bible should give us as much delight as eating our favorite dessert! Or doing our favorites things. (You see mine.)

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11

We should desire the Word in our hearts. And like that butterfly, enjoy the process while gleaning every nook and cranny. We should long to understand the truths and apply them to our lives. But most of all, we should relish every second we have with Him.

I do. How about you?

What do you think about when watching nature? Does it remind you of His truths?