Break Chains (2 Kings 8)

    This entire section is really interesting to me in a strange way. In verse 7-15, King Ben-hadad tells his servant Hazael to go talk to Elisha to see if he’ll recover. Elisha tells Hazael that the king will get better but he would die. 

    What does that mean? That is interesting to me because Elisha basically predicts the kings murder. Then Elisha starts to cry. Hazael asks, “what’s wrong?” Elisha says “I’m crying because, “God has shown me the evil you will do when you succeed the king.” Hazael goes back to the king and tells him, “ you will surely get better,” Hazael finds some opportunity to be the king and Hazael kills Ben-hadad.

    This entire section is amazingly fascinating to me. Hazael knows what will happen and still does it. There is just something wrong about that. There is something really raw and genuine too. Hazael apparently didn’t believe it however God saw the evil in his heart.

      We follow our hearts desires no matter if we know the bad it will produce or not. Seriously ask yourself, do you actually eat that cake even if you know for a fact that you’ve already indulged yourself on enough fat foods for the day? You do it for the instant rewards right? You aren’t looking down the line. I can’t tell you how many times I knew the wrong actions in my head wouldn’t produce a good thing and I still did them. I did them because I wanted to do it! I did it because it would bring something that was an instant gratification. I knew I would need to make-up with God. Why would I do it? Because I am a selfish man. I am trapped in this body.

     Only Jesus Christ is our hope. Only He can break the chains of evil against myself and against Him.... Thank You Jesus my Lord! You are our only hope. You are our rescuer. Jesus, I love You! I worship You with all my heart, soul, strength, mind and life. You hold me from the evil in my heart.

-Matthew

Real Love

Surely he has borne our griefs

    and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

    smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed.  

-Isaiah 53:4-5

      I’ve read this many times. If we didn’t know this was written about 500 years before Jesus, it sounds like it’s describing something that just happened. It names no one but we know that someone is dying for us, “upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” He gives us peace. He is our true source. Without Him everything is chaos. When your world is going up in flames, you/ we all need something else to focus on. Christ can be your peace. It's not just wishful thinking. When I was younger, I've always heard those promises in my life to "trust in the Lord." I've been through some pretty tough stuff for my age. For example, when I went to "Basic Training" in the Army, I remembered that promise so I bought a little pocket bible to take with on the field in my uniform. Anytime I was bored (hurry up and wait), or stressed, I'd rip that out and focus on a verse or two. I know that God was with me there. When everyone else was stressed, tired, or sick of the drill Sergeant yelling, I'd usually be able to be content. I was at ease, not that everything was "easier" just more manageable when I focused on His truth. He always has me, will always be with me, He won't fail, and He loves me.
          I love this story. It's one of the premier examples in the bible. The disciples wanted to cross over to the other side of the cove. Jesus stayed back to pray. When Jesus was done, He decided to go and see them so Jesus walked on the water. The disciples saw Him and thought it was a ghost. Jesus said it was Him so Peter said, "Lord if that's you call me to walk out to You." Jesus said, "come." Peter stepped out and walked on water to Him. He didn’t even think, “hey that’s water, and not solid ground!” until he looked around at the wind, waves and water! He was just looking at Jesus. When he looked at everything all around him, that’s when he started to sink. He brought peace with the assault on sin by paying the price. That’s why we celebrate Easter! We’re celebrating God conquering our sin.

       Have you ever really thought about Easter? Yes, God became man and died for our sins, that is an awesome thing that our true Father did for us but ever thought about what it means? When God Himself decided to create humanity with a freewill to choose Him or not, God knew we would sin. He wasn’t surprised at us when we chose to disobey Him. He knew that His ultimate plan was a long long journey and this was only the beginning. Creating humanity meant that He would need to die for us. He knew this before He even created the universe. That is an amazing kind of love that is very hard to comprehend.

     Father, Your love is beyond everything I’ve ever thought to be good. Thank You Jesus, You are everything to me.

“real love is not afraid to bleed”

-Rend Collective

-Matthew