D. D. I. Y: Don’t Do It Yourself – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 13 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – Acts 13 – 15; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)

Read the “0520 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.” (2Chronicles 16:1-6)

Good morning. Take a look at the message that God had sent king Asa in chapter 15…

“And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2Chronicles 15:1-2)

And as a result, king Asa had no more war up to and including his 35th year. For some reason, in his 36th year, king Asa went to king Ben-hadad for help against Israel. He didn’t go to the Lord. The Lord had another message for king Asa…

“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.
” (2Chronicles 16:7-10)

You will notice that Asa became angry with this, and in verse 10, we can see three attributes of Asa’s anger.

1) Asa was angry with the preacher sent from God.

2) Asa was angry with the Word of God.

3) Asa was angry with the people of God.

And all this anger reminds me of what God asked Jonah…

“Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4)

Are you relying on your own strength, or the strength of others instead of the Lord? Could the reason that you are failing be that you want what you want and not what God wants? King David had many enemies. His plan to cover up the adulterous affair he had with Bathsheba failed. He wanted to build a temple to God, but God stopped him. He could have gotten angry when his sin was found out. He could have gotten angry because the good thing he was trying to do in building the temple was stopped. But he didn’t. In Psalm 37, king David gives us a guide to being a succcess in God’s eyes…

“A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” (Psalm 37 1-9)

1) Trust In The LORD.

…and do good. He is not going to steer you in the wrong direction. The last part of this verse, verse 3, tells us we will dwell in the land and be fed.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

If God says He will do it, He will. Trust in the LORD.

2) Delight In The LORD.

…and He will give you the desires of your heart. God will put His desires in your heart: you will want what God wants.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

The Holy Bible shows us what God desires. When we delight in the Lord, He gives us His desires. In fulfilling those desires, He will give us good success.

3) Commit Thy Way Unto The LORD.

If you are trusting and delighting in the Lord, you will want to commit the direction you are taking to Him.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

4) Rest In The LORD.

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)

If you are trusting and delighting in the Lord, and have committed your way to Him, you can find rest in the Lord. He gave you the trust. He gave you the delighting in Him: His desires became your desires. And He showed you the direction in which you should go, and what to do. You can rest in the Lord because He gives that to you too.

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” (Psalm 119:165)

And if nothing offends you, then why are you getting angry?

5) Cease from anger.

“Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4)

No you don’t. King Asa was angry. It did nothing for him but his anger did hurt others. And he was angry to the end…

“And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him.” (2Ch 16:11-14)

Cease from anger.

Peace.


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Desiree Ann Jones
Desiree Ann Jones
10 months ago

amen we only have three pages of discipleship lthen i will graduate from disciplesip so i can be able to teach. adults teens. im ready to make the difference.

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