Day 158: Love the Gift Giver - God; Then Treasure, Do Not Love, the Gifts

Today we read 2 Kings 20-21, 2 Chronicles 31-32, and Psalm 143-144. We read about a God who hears prayers and sees tears. We read about a people who are blessed because they are God's people, not for any other reason. We also read that the blessings, like in this story where God gives riches to King Hezekiah and God blessing him with an extension to his life, these things may have given him or drawn out his pride. We are also reminded that God sees our hearts. He knows whether we love Him with our whole heart or we love to "make things happen" more. Are we willing to make alliances with those we know reject God and seek to replace Him with other things? Do we "show" others what we are and what we have in a way that says "look at my name" and look at what I have instead of, "look at my God," and look at what He has done for us and blessed us with? Maybe we can ask ourselves questions in the presence of others, even our enemies, how can I help intercede for them to the Lord? How can I help them navigate to Him for atonement? How can I help them see God's character and name in how I live and lead? How can I show God's justice, mercy, and humility by being prodigally generous in a way that points back to God? What is my free will offering look like?  

Credits

Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.