Sinless Perfection

2 Chronicles 15:17 "But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days."

This verse, and verses like it have always perplexed me. How could a man have his heart perfect with God when he did not utterly remove the idolatry from the land? This excerpt from Matthew Henry's commentary on the Bible is enlightening:

"These he connived [secretly allow (something considered immoral, illegal, wrong, or harmful) to occur] at, and yet his heart was perfect. There may be defects in some particular duties where yet the heart, in the man, is upright with God. Sincerity is something less than sinless perfection."

Looking back through the Bible, we see many examples of this. Abraham was far from perfect. He had a habit of lying and there were many instances where he did not trust God at all. However, the Bible tells us he was faithful and he feared God.

We serve a God Who is touched by our human imperfection. As our Creator, He understands our weaknesses. And more than that, He sees our hearts, He knows us more than we know ourselves. He knows our inability to attain perfection and loves us anyway. Indeed, it was this knowledge of our failures that caused Him to send His Son in the first place.

Though I am imperfect, is my heart sincerely seeking God today? When I fall in sin, is my immediate reaction repentance and seeking restoration of relationship with God? Seek not your own perfection, rather seek the One Who is Perfection.

They Fell To Him In Abundance

2 Chronicles 15:9 "And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him."

There is an irresistible attraction in a life fully dedicated to God. There is a magnetic draw that comes from a deep, selfless love for God. The presence of God in a life is one of the greatest advertisements this world will ever see.

God will work through a life like that in amazing ways. He's not looking for perfection. Rather for us to draw close to Him, to seek Him, to be strong and courageous through our faults and failures. Then, when people see that God is with you, they will fall to you (and therefore God) in abundance.

Am I living a life that is causing people to seek God? Would my everyday lifestyle inspire others to give up their idols, even leave their homes, to seek God more?

It Is Nothing With Thee

2 Chronicles 14:11 "And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee."

Here we see a king with a proper perspective and understanding of Who God is. Asa realizes that with God all things are possible because He is all powerful. I don't think we comprehend the magnitude of God's omnipotence. Asa did though. And that allowed him and all of Judah to rest on God.

Another thing to note here is that because Asa made it known Judah was resting on God, and that it was in the name of the Lord that they were fighting to protect their land, by defending Judah, God was by extension defending His own name. Asa's argument here is that God shouldn't allow the Ethiopians to prevail "against Thee." That is powerful. When we align ourselves wholly with God, through our words, thoughts, and deeds, His defense of us is a defense of His Own name, something we know from the Bible that He takes very seriously.

Again, am I resting on God today? Is my life so aligned with Him that His name is defended when I am defended? Is it actually aligned? Or do people just perceive it to be? God knows the difference.

Ye Shall Not Prosper

2 Chronicles 13:12 & 18 "And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper."
"Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers."

Few passages make the distinction quite so clear. A people that rely on God will prevail. A people who fights against the Lord will not prosper. It's as simple as that.

The word "rely" has the idea of resting on, or leaning on. When you rest or lean on something, you're not mobile. That place of rest is where you are and where you will stay until you cease to rest there. Judah was right next to God because it is only when we are right next to Him, close, that we can truly trust and rest in Him.

Am I close enough to God right now to rest and lean on Him? If I rest on Him, am I willing to stop moving, to be still and know He is God?

When He Had Strengthened Himself

2 Chronicles 12:1 "And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him."

A wiser person understands that true strength only has One Source - the One True God. Any other "strength" does not accomplish the will of God. Rehoboam found his strength within himself and thereby was too weak to keep the law of the Lord.

We all know that our flesh is weak. We all know that we are unable to keep God's law in and of ourselves. Our own natural will and drive cannot possibly help us do the supernatural (keep God's law). The strength to do the supernatural must come from the supernatural.

The passage makes it clear that not only was Rehoboam unable to keep God's law in his own strength, he went a step beyond and forsook it. That words means to "desert, abandon, forsake". And since he was in a position of leadership, all Israel went with him. The results of trusting in your own strength are disastrous.

Who's strength am I resting in today? What does it truly look like to strengthen myself in God?

Psalm 27:14

Return to Your House

2 Chronicles 11:4 "Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam."

As humans, we have the strange need to always be in motion. We are always on to the next thing before we've even finished where we were. This can be a good thing if used properly and in balance. However, it becomes a major problem when we allow it to take our eyes off of our Guide.

Before we move on to the next thing, we need to just stop. Take time and be still. Know Who He is. Seek Him, His will, His best. Just stop, just pause. Wait on Him. He waits for you and I to cry out to Him, to seek His wisdom. It could just be that He wants us to "return to our house, because this thing is done by Him."

Am I trying to move on with something in my life prior to seeking God's will on it?

The Cause Was of God

2 Chronicles 10:15 "So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat."

It is unclear how long Jeroboam waited in Egypt, hiding out until Solomon's death. But it is likely that it was quite a length of years. God had given Jeroboam a promise and it was fulfilled, but most likely not in Jeroboam's time-frame.

We see this over and over in the Bible and in our own lives as well. We believe that God has the ability to do supernatural things, yet we attempt to limit Him to natural timing. We "limit" Him in our own minds by our lack of faith and trust. And lack of faith and trust has its root in a lack of knowing Who He truly is.

What promises am I waiting for God to fulfill in my life? Do I have God on my schedule? Or am I patiently waiting, faithfully trusting?