Hi friends! Today is a rapid fire (biblical) history lesson about the different kings of the north and the south. I would really, really, recommend having a piece of paper out and visually draw lines connecting who is the northern king and the southern king. The southern king starts with Rehoboam and the the northern king line starts with Jeroboam. The timelines criss cross pretty frequently that it gets a wee bit confusing. In any case, it ends on a really exciting note as it sets up the story for the one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament and a compelling lesson for us. Tomorrow's reading will be fun.
Scripture to Read
Audio Bible
Questions to Consider
What does this teach me about God?
What does this teach me about humanity?
What about this scripture is challenging to me? What inspires me?
- My Thoughts -
Alrighty, as promised I would offer some commentary on this today. Both our nation and the UMC is divided. Things have always been divided, that's a given, 50% of people sway one way and 50% the other. Wow Nick, big brain observation there. But, really, we are more than just divided, we are angry. The gut reaction is to go out separate ways and do our own thing...but I think this scripture passage shows what happens when we don't have adversity to our beliefs. We become complacent. When we become complacent we slip. When we slip, God's heart is broken and sin runs rampant. The truth of the matter is every liberal needs a conservative to help keep them grounded and every conservative needs a liberal to keep them dreaming. Every progressive minded theologian needs a conservative theologian to remind them of the scriptures that we want to ignore. In the process we learn from one another and realize our common ground is our deep and passionate love of the Bible. This same thing can apply to our love of country, of the sanctuary of 20 South Franklin or even the meals around the table within our own homes.
However, this also means we must engage with the things that are uncomfortable. If we don't, we become complacent, and when we become complacent, we let sin in and break God's heart in the process.
Who is a progressive friend in your life? Who is a conservative? Who reads the Bible different than you? Would you be willing to reach out to that person and ask if they would be open to talking everyday for a week? A month? Just an experiment in growth and in fellowship.
Prayer
Heal our nation O Lord, but deeper and harder to admit, Lord, I need you to heal my soul. Take the pain of my heart away. Take away the resentment. Heal my soul, Lord. Amen.
Not gonna lie, that's a big ask. This is something I'll work on doing, but I don't know if I'm there yet...