Tagged: daily bread

“Though the Aramean force came with few men, the Lord surrendered a very large force into their power, because Judah had abandoned the Lord.” –2 Chronicles 24:24 Jehoiada, the priest, brought about a great revival for the people of Judah. They repented of idolatry and adored the true God for almost forty years (2 Chr 23:17). They even restored the temple (2 Chr 24:4ff). However, after the death of Jehoiada, the people of Judah “forsook the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols” (2 Chr 24:18). They even...

“She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he did not die.” –2 Kings 11:2 The queen mother, Athaliah, killed off the whole royal family, with the exception of one infant, Joash (2 Kgs 11:1-2). Seven years later, Joash and the priest, Jehoiada, were the central figures in overturning the wicked, idolatrous reign of Athaliah. This pattern is often repeated throughout God’s plan of salvation. An evil system dominates society and destroys so many people that only a few believers survive. Eventually, though, this remnant, by God’s power, overturns the forces of evil. Right now, new Athaliahs are killing off God’s...

“This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.’ ” –Matthew 6:9 The writer of Sirach exclaimed: “How awesome are you, Elijah!” (Sir 48:4) Yet the awesome Elijah is only a creature of the totally awesome God. “Let us praise Him the more, since we cannot fathom Him, for greater is He than all His works; awful indeed is the Lord’s majesty, and wonderful is His power” (Sir 43:29-30). “To whom can you liken God? With what equal can you confront Him?” (Is 40:18) Jesus instructs us to address as “Father,” “Abba,” “Daddy,” this...

“Elisha answered, ‘May I receive a double portion of your spirit.’ ‘You have asked something that is not easy,’ [Elijah] replied.” –2 Kings 2:9-10 To receive a double portion of God’s Spirit, that is, to be filled with the Spirit, is a matter of leaving and staying. We must leave behind sin, selfishness, pride, ego, the world, the flesh, and the devil. In addition to leaving these evil things, we must leave behind good things. For instance, Elijah told Elisha to stay in Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho (see 2 Kgs 2:1-6). It was good to stay in these places, or...

“My command to you is: love your enemies.” –Matthew 5:44 We worship a God Who loves enemies, Who does not avoid them but lays down His life for them. When we kneel before the cross, close by the Lord’s crucified feet, we hear His words, “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34). For while we were still His enemies, He died for us (see Rm 5:8). The Lord promised to set us free from the hands of our enemies (Lk 1:74) and to set a table before us in the sight of our foes...