Sunday, February 27, 2022

2 Kings 9 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

2 Kings 9:22

When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

Where is our peace? Do we feel like peace has eluded us lately? Or maybe we feel like we’ve never really had a firm hold on it. Can I submit to you something this morning: maybe our peace is so far off because our idols are so near! Jehu makes an important point here, one we can’t forget. How can there be peace when there is idolatry and witchcraft around? Darkness and light have no union; God and idols aren’t compatible.

Where one abounds, the other will seem distant. There will be chaos and turmoil, not unity and peace – because peace and unity are gifts the Lord gives His people, but idols give their followers death and division. The closer we draw to the Lord, the further the idols will be from us, and the less pull they will have on us. But the closer we are to the idols, the further we are from the Lord, and the Lord’s influence will start to become less and less in our lives.

If our heart is divided between God and idols, there cannot be peace but conflict. We will be in constant turmoil trying to serve both God and idols, and in the end, a divided man will fall and fall hard.

Jesus gave all of Himself that day on the cross; will we really divide our loyalty between Him and the world? He is worthy of all praise and all of our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls; everything good in our life is only because of Him! Idols don’t have to be physically in front of us to tear us down spiritually. What I mean by that is that some idols are feelings, fears, worries, even blessings. It doesn’t have to be a block of wood to be an idol, and just because we’re standing in church doesn’t mean we’re not bowing in our hearts. Anything we put in front of Christ is an idol.

So, let’s worship Him today and ask Him to help us tear down those idols we have erected in our hearts and bowed down to in our lives! If we exalt the Lord from our hearts and humble ourselves before Him, then He will help us tear down those altars of perversion that we create so easily! Let us never trade the peace of Christ for a perversion from the enemy!

Colossians 3:15-17-  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

God bless! I love you all, but His love brings peace! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

 

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