GOD’S WORDS OF WARNING COME TRUE

Posted on October 15, 2025 by randscallawayffm

We have all lived long enough to know that when two opposing forces or nations are attacked; they unite as one when faced with a common enemy. This was certainly the case for God’s people, divided for centuries into two kingdoms; Judah in Jerusalem and Israel in Samaria.  The opposing force where the evil nations around them who powerfully overtook them. And God allowed it.

As God foretold; the sins of His people were many and were multiplying exponentially. “Evil desire gives birth to sin which leads to death.” (James 1:15) The results of their sins caused death and destruction of all that is good.  A few kings, mostly from Judah, “did what was right in the eyes of God” but were not completely perfect. Pride in doing good would cause them to take credit for all God did. Pride would then bring shame to their families and cause others to sin to cover up their sins. In our study of the Kings, we realize how quickly we can turn from God to satisfy our selfish natures. 

The Laws of God were set aside and eventually forgotten.  The Big Ten Commandments given to them by Moses were broken daily from the inside out and outside in.  Some of the sins of the kings of Israel and the evil kings of Judah which caused all people to sin included;

  • Worshiping of all the idols of other nations who were evil and opposed to God
  • Building high places to burn incense and worship the stars
  • The worship of Baal and other idols in the Temple of God! Evil Kings had the audacity to move God’s altar aside to accommodate altars to Baal!
  • Outside the Temple, God’s people got caught up in the customs and cultures of the godless nations who surrounded and lived among them.
  • God’s people, whose hearts were eventually far from Him, adopted the ritualistic sacrifice of their own children as this was a requirement of the worship of other gods by throwing their children into a bonfire! 
  • God’s people turned to murder, rape, ravaging the helpless, while stealing whatever their hearts desired—for their hearts were far from God! 

As you have probably figured out, this will not end well! This is not good for you, says God! Turn from your wicked ways and turn back to Me! God warns His people for a full century about these decadent detestable behaviors not of Him with a promise of discipline. Now it is time, after repeated warnings, to fulfill what God promised.

This discipline from God is not what He wants for His people but He knows what they need to turn from evil and turn back to the One who has never stopped loving them with “compassions that fail not.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Great is God’s faithfulness even when we are not faithful to Him.

2 Kings 24

During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. 2 The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.

5 As for the other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 6 Jehoiakim rested with his ancestors. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

Jehoiachin King of Judah

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done.

10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 11 and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him.

In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.

15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother, his wives, his officials and the prominent people of the land. 16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans. 17 He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah King of Judah

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.

The Fall of Jerusalem

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Stay tuned for what lies ahead in the Babylonian captivity! —God’s discipline for His beloved people.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We can continue to live in a fallen state of heart, mind and soul that consistently seek self satisfaction which leads to a depressed state of mind that wants more and more self gratification; or we can run, not walk, first to Jesus who with outstretched arms is ready to forgive us and reconcile (reconnect) us back to God. There are only two choices. Who will you choose? Darkness or Light? Death or Life?

That which “caused the heart of God to burn with anger” were sins that destroyed His relationship with His people which led them to love less and sin more.  Sin breaks the heart of God because His desire is to give His best to us.  When we refuse all His blessed gifts; His righteous anger burns because we are saying no to the best of all He has to give!  God loves us that much and more!

As parents, we can understand this “heart condition.” We tell our kids not to run out into the street with a warning; you might get hit by a car!  We teach “do not play with matches” with the warning; you could start a fire you cannot control and cause harm to you and others. Or maybe we give them the gift that long for but now decide it’s not for them. A sadness comes over us when they do not return the love and provisions we have for them.

God did and does the same as our loving Father. He warned His people repeatedly through his prophets to His beloved people to stop worshiping idols who cannot hear and cannot do anything for you and turn your hearts back to me who has all and desires to provide all you need! 

God still does that today through his prophets who proclaim Truth with the right path to walk with God in His ways that empower us to be more like the God who created us “in His own image”!  In fact, God gave us authority through Jesus, His Son, to be proclaimers, too!  (See Matthew 28:20; 2 Corinthians 5:20)  All who believe are saved. All who are saved are proclaimers of the Savior and Lord of our lives!

God gave His People (Israel and Judah) many opportunities to turn from evil that only produces violence against His created; but they no longer listened. 

As we have also experienced as parents, when we nag with repeated warnings to stop doing those things that are not good for them and that cause pain to others around them, while stunting their growth as maturing adults; they no longer listen until the promised punishment for the wrong is delivered.  We discover quickly we must live what we preach as we love, discipline, and forgive our children.  Since we are not perfect; God also provides us with the opportunity to teach forgiveness to our children by pointing the way to the One who was/is and always will be perfect—Jesus who forgave and forgives us.  We forgive because He forgave.

God warned the people for over one hundred years that continued disobedience would lead to disaster. We get into trouble when we forget what God has done for us.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) But God made a way for us to come back to Him with full pardon—His Name is Jesus.

CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT—

The people who led Israel and Judah astray were conformists, weak people who followed the crowd and pleased the people. God warned them of their folly by raising up men and women who were distinctively different and sought to please the Lord, but these faithful witnesses were ignored, abused, and martyred.

At this critical time in our history, God is seeking dedicated, distinctive people—not cookie-cutter, carbon-copy Christians. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4), and to love the world and trust it is to lose the love of the Father (1 John 2:15–17). We are to be living sacrifices for the Lord (Romans 12:1, 2), distinctive people whose lives and witness point to Christ and shine like lights in the darkness.      –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Lord,

I offer my life to you, all that I am with all that you have given to me.  Make we a vessel of your love, mercy, and grace.  May your glory be seen in me as I proclaim You as Truth, the Only Way, to Eternal Life now and forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

LOST, FOUND, RENEWED!

Posted on October 14, 2025 by randscallawayffm

When a Godly leader knows of God but then reconnects with God, they hear God more instinctively.  Godly leaders listen, trust, and obey God with their whole heart, mind, and soul. When this happens; God accomplishes great things through them.  Eventually, this leader will someday step down. What legacy will they leave? In ancient times, the obvious next choice is their son. Will the son carry on the work of the father?

A king like Josiah would be a “hard act to follow” as he did more to bring the people back to God than anyone else. This passage is proof!  Josiah reunited the people of Judah and Jerusalem as one nation of Isreal!  He got rid of all the idols in the Temple as well as destroying all the high places where they were worshiped outside the Temple in every town!  All this was accomplished as God worked through His servant king, Josiah, to bring His people back to Him. 

God’s Law, hidden, forgotten, and once lost was now found! Like finding treasure, God’s Law was read immediately by King Josiah. It broke his heart as he realized that their current lifestyle worship of many gods as an acceptable part of their culture was detestable and unholy to God. Their sins that broke the heart of God now broke the heart of King Josiah. Changes must be made immediately!

Josiah’s renewed heart now aligned with the heart of God. He worked diligently to rid the land of all that was not God.  ALL God’s people then stood with their king and pledged themselves to God’s Covenant as their king stood in the presence of the Lord, vowing to follow all the Lord’s Law “with all his heart, and all his soul.”  What a beautiful moment in the story of God, (HIStory), that must have been!  The nation of Israel as one said yes to God with agreeable hearts and souls in Covenant with Him.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:14

Imagine the leader of our nation, or any other nation, humbling themselves before God with no agenda but God’s Will be done. Imagine the leader calling on all people to renew their promise to God to trust, obey, and follow Him with all their hearts, minds, and souls.  Imagine a nation of people turning away from all deeds of evil for their own self-gratification and turning to God. Imagine what it would be like if the greatest commands of God, Love God. Love Each Other, taught by our perfect example Jesus, our Savior and our Lord, truly became a way of life!

Wow! What an incredibly different world that would be!  It could happen!

2 Kings 23

Josiah Renews the Covenant

Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. 5 He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. 6 He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. 7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.

8 Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.

10 He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek. 11 He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melek. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.

12 He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley. 13 The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the people of Ammon. 14 Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.

15 Even the altar at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also. 16 Then Josiah looked around, and when he saw the tombs that were there on the hillside, he had the bones removed from them and burned on the altar to defile it, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God who foretold these things.

17 The king asked, “What is that tombstone I see?”

The people of the city said, “It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it.”

18 “Leave it alone,” he said. “Don’t let anyone disturb his bones.” So they spared his bones and those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.

19 Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria and that had aroused the Lord’s anger. 20 Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

21 The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to arouse his anger. 27 So the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’[b]”

28 As for the other events of Josiah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

29 While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo. 30 Josiah’s servants brought his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

Jehoahaz King of Judah

31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 32 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done. 33 Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, and there he died. 35 Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Necho the silver and gold he demanded. In order to do so, he taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments.

Jehoiakim King of Judah

36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is sovereign (supreme authority over all), omnipotent(all powerful) and omnipresent (everywhere present always).  So why do we try to hide our sins from the God who knows all?  We a foolish lot at times, right?  We think we know it all and can take care of ourselves even though God created us “in His own image” to commune with Him in a lovingly intimate relationship that grows and expands daily!  Sin separates us from this beautiful relationship with our Creator who loved us so much He gave us His Son to save us. God is magnificent and glorious in every way!  Our response is to trust and obey Him in all circumstances for our good as this gives Him glory!  God wants His best for us.

It is our sins that separate us from God, blocking the blessings God wants to pour out over us.  But all is not lost—Jesus came to seek and to save the lost without God and bring them back to Him. Jesus took our sins on his shoulders and willingly sacrificed His sinless life to pay the penalty of punishment for our sins.  Jesus did want we could not do for ourselves—remove all our sin and the shame that hovered over us like a dark cloud of despair.  Jesus set us free! 

Josiah obeyed God with undivided devotion and initiated great reforms. While repairing the formerly neglected temple, God’s Word was found. Josiah used God’s Word to bring drastic changes to the nation’s lifestyle.  One man’s heart fully committed to God made a powerful difference because of God in him.  “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9

We can be different than we were before knowing what Jesus did for us.  But a choice has to be made. Do we rise above the past, look to Jesus, repent in His Name with a humbled heart and renewed mind with a desire to be and make a difference in our lives? Or do we remain controlled by the past, clutching to our sins while gripping the shame of it all while making excuses?  Many choose to stay right where they are, stuck in the muddy past, wallowing in pity, with no place to go but down. 

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Josiah was a “runner”, energetic to go with God!  Josiah made a difference because he chose to be different in his relationship with God who cleansed his heart, renewed his mind, refreshed his soul, and restore the joy of God in him and him in God.  Hearts aligned in harmony—ah what a difference God makes in our lives!

Lord,

Align our hearts to Your heart. Teach us your will.  Help us to commune and walk with you daily as we surrender all of who we are to Jesus.  May your glory be seen in us.  You are the difference made in us!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

TREASURE!

Posted on October 13, 2025 by randscallawayffm

It takes a while for me to get in the mood to clean out closets or reorganize what has been thrown into the attic or garage; but when I get in the “get it done” frame of mind it is always illuminating and gives me peace when all is neatly organized and a new space is created by throwing out what is no longer needed or does not belong in our lives any longer. 

But what also happens when remodeling or reorganizing is finding items you had long forgotten.  The last time we remodeled I found items I formerly cherished and displayed because they were given to me by those who loved me well. Those items were dusted and cleaned and brought out once more to be seen in the light of day!  Rediscovering precious gifts are like finding new treasures!  How many times have we said, “I didn’t know I still had that!” 

The rule of thumb for most of today’s reorganizers is: “If it gives you joy, make a place for it. If it no longer gives you joy and you cannot reason why you have it; throw it out!

What if what you find when remodeling is so great a treasure that it is used to cause a great revival of an entire nation?  Wait, what?! 

Josiah, who became king at the tender age of eight, loved and obeyed God with undivided devotion. In the eighteenth year of his reign, this young adult decided to remodel the much need in repair Temple. While repairing the formerly neglected temple, God’s Word was found. What a treasure!  The Word of God had hidden in the rubble and neglected for many decades of decadent kings who “did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 

Josiah was different.  He not only “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord;” Josiah followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

For a man like Josiah to discover God’s Word that was formerly hidden was the same as unearthing a long lost, priceless treasure!  He cherished this treasure found and used God’s Word to bring drastic changes to the nation’s lifestyle. God used one man to bring a revival to an entire nation!

2 Kings 22

The Book of the Law Found

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5 Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the Lord— 6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. 7 But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 13“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God alone is to be worshiped.  God’s Word is to be heard, read, studied, and written on our hearts permanently.  God’s Law and the Fulfillment of His Law is His Story of Redemption, fulfilled by Jesus, His Son. God’s Word, in a sense, is the biography of Jesus!  God/Jesus/Holy Spirit—Three-In-One loves us and wants God’s best for us.

God is the One and Only who can save us from our sins. God had a plan from the beginning to remove mankind’s sins that block our view of God and our relationship with God.  God’s Word is given to us to tell us who He is, who Jesus is, what He has done to save us, and teaches us all that He requires of His created to live an abundant life with Him. 

We need God. We need to know God.  We need to learn how He works so we discover and imitate His character and habits; so that we may become more like Him.  But we cannot do this without His help. God delivers us from evil daily when we ask; because He gave us what we need most—Jesus who died to remove our sins.

It is God who provides His loving forgiveness and follows up by cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, remodeling our lifestyles, with reshaping and remolding our souls to be holy before Him. All this happens through the gift of God’s Holy Spirit who comes to live in us to consistently restore His eternal joy with His peace as His work is accomplished in us!  

We are different, like Josiah, because we love God back, receive his gifts as treasures found, and follow His ways.  We desire to be holy and do what is right in the eyes of our Lord!  We can only do this because of Jesus who redeemed us from our sins!

Just like Josiah, we cannot control the way our forefathers responded to God. But we can control the way we respond to God. We have a say in our lives as God gave humans the gift of free will to choose. We have a choice.  We can choose to walk humbly with God and all that is good and gives life eternal or we can choose evil that leads to death. Choose well and someday—generations from now—your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will thank God for the seeds you sowed.

What is the treasure that we seek?

(The quick answer is reflected in our bank accounts and lifestyles.)

Pause now, reflect on the treasures we work hard to acquire. Talk with God, read His Word, then listen. There will always be some remodeling projects in our future! God longs to walk and talk with us. God delights in all the details of all the lives of the world He chose to die for and forgive because He loves us greatly and faithfully.  His love never changes, quits, or gives up. 

God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is the treasure that we seek! 

God’s Word unearths the Truth we long for in our lives!

Oh Lord,

You are my strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
I’m seeking You like a precious jewel, Lord, to give up I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God, Holy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God, Holy is Your name

Taking my cross my sin my shame, Raising again I praise Your name
You are my all in all

When I fall down, you pick me up, When I run dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all…  (You are My All in All, written by Denise Jernigan)

Thank you, thank you, thank you…forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

THE INTENSITY AND DEPTHS OF PURE EVIL

Posted on October 11, 2025 by randscallawayffm

How far will people go to do evil in the eyes of the Lord?  It seems lately that mankind is testing those limits in even greater measures than our ancestors did. Yes, I know our grandparents said the same, but now that I am a grandparent I get what they were saying.  But sin by any measure is still sin.  It seems that some generations have choose to no longer hide or deny, but to justify sin as right and good! 

The view of many in our world think that “everything’s going to be okay and should not be judged as evil but as mere expressions of following our hearts.” World leaders tell us that “the means justifies the end” so just trust them.  We watch as some local leaders have dissolved once healthy city budgets in projects to please rich influencers who they hope will support their own political careers to greater heights and notoriety.  

Some of God’s churches have accepted the lies of worldview thinking while setting aside the commands of God.  Just last night at a family gathering, Randy and I shared a story from our childhood with our kids and grandkids of a preacher in our generation who would not drink cola from a can so others would not think he was drinking a beer!  My Grandma Lacquement, who I loved dearly and respected greatly for her faith, would not allow a newspaper or magazine (hard copy media before tech media, for those who are way younger reading this) to be placed on top of the family Bible on her side table!  She worshiped God and revered His Word.  She didn’t reprimand anyone; she would just quietly remove anything on top of God’s Word that landed there as a habit. We got the message as her grandkids!  The worship of God, with a humbled response of love and service to God, was real and evident in those who raised me to love God above all. I look back and cherish those who loved me and nurtured my faith in God. 

Therefore, our children were raised knowing that we love and serve God. Our grandchildren got the message, too.  But in the world in which they conduct their lives is extremely different than ours in what is acceptable and what is not.  Decisions made are vital and sometimes a matter of life or death.  It seems more is acceptable, even by laws made, even though not always beneficial for us. Paul wrote about this over a meat issue! (Read the whole chapter.)

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”–Paul, teaching the Corinthian church who included old worldly customs into their new belief of Jesus.  1 Corinthians 10:23-24

These words were part of a lesson over eating meats sacrificed with how that looks to those who do not.  Paul explains further; it’s more about but our intimate relationship with God and our reverence for Him. Paul sums up his lesson with;

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 

Hard decisions, no matter what generations we come from, must be made daily declaring who we follow. God helps those who believe, trust in Jesus, and rely on God’s gifts of His power, wisdom, and His ever present strength by His Holy Spirit living in us. A rule of thumb for me is when in doubt, don’t.  First consult with God and wait until you hear from God’s Holy Spirit who guides us to all that Truth with the right steps to take in the right Spirit. Peace comes when the right decision is made with His Holy Sprit’s guidance.  When I “follow my heart” (which is deceitful says Jesus); chaos occurs.  I would rather follow the heart of God in all things.

It makes us wonder then if Barna’s predictions with proof through his church surveys is right— “The church has become more affected by society then affecting society with God’s message of Truth.” George Barna, a prophet for our times, based on real surveys of the American church, also said, “There is no difference in the behaviors of those who say they believe in God that those who say they do not.”  (The State of the Church, George Barna)  I highly recommend reading this for all church leaders!

A look back—

That godly King Hezekiah should have such a wicked son is another one of those puzzles in biblical history. Manasseh lived a most ungodly life and yet had the longest reign of any king in Jewish history. It was as though the Lord took His hand off the nation and allowed all the filth to pour out of people’s hearts. 

Could this be happening in our generation?  The Lord God is allowing evil to do all that evil does in order to expose the Enemy for who he really is as the Deceiver of all when Jesus comes back? 

My question for us today is—why wait?  Follow Jesus now! He is everything we need!

2 Kings 21

Manasseh King of Judah

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” 5 In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

7 He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.” 9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. 12 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evil in my eyes and have aroused my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

17 As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. 22 He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to him.

23 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace. 24 Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

25 As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How would it be to be known as the one most wicked in the eyes of God? Yikes!

Apparently, the miracles during the reign of Hezekiah made little impression on Manasseh’s heart. Remarkably, Manasseh became the most wicked king in Judah’s history, so much so that he is blamed for the fall of the southern kingdom!

We don’t know which prophets delivered this message, but nobody could misunderstand what they said. If Manasseh and the people didn’t repent and turn from their evil ways, God would send judgment so severe that just “hearing about it would make their ears tingle.” (Verse 12)

How will we be remembered?  What would the One who sees and knows our hearts write about us?

No matter how blatant evil becomes with nothing held back or hidden—God has not given up His authority. God knows and is in control even when we don’t see or feel it. Jesus will come back again.  God wins in the end. (I read ahead!)

Come back to God. Love Him completely with nothing held back. Take His Word as Truth for our good that declares His glory.  Believe that Jesus did exactly what God told Him to be and do—Seek and save the lost without God.  Jesus laid down His life for ours, once and for all, to remove our sins.  Receive this precious forever gift of salvation through repentance of all sins in the Name of Jesus who is our King of kings and Lord of lords. Surrender to God daily while enjoying a growing, intimately loving relationship with God who created each one of us with purpose. His Peace comes to those who truly believe. He promised and God always does what He says!

Lord,

Thank you again for another lesson from Your story of wisdom that gives us clarity and correction in our thinking and behaving. We find ourselves in your story of redemption just like you planned from the beginning!  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with the beauty of truth, and restore the joy of you in us and us in you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

GOD HEARS AND HEALS

Posted on October 10, 2025 by randscallawayffm

Years ago, my husband, Randy contracted an extremely difficult fungus that spread into his blood stream, sending it to all parts of his body.  We didn’t know what was happening nor did his primary physician who treated him for pneumonia because of his symptoms. Soon though, he couldn’t keep anything down and lost many pounds in two weeks.  Finally, as Randy was obviously losing this battle, the primary sent him via ambulance to a larger city which had a teaching hospital.  An infectious disease doctor knew instinctively what it probably was; but could not treat until the steroids given to treat pneumonia left his system and a test could be run to confirm. Meanwhile, Randy is fighting for life.  The steroids given for pneumonia actually fed the fungus!  My prayer in the wait while watching my husband’s condition deteriorate was; “Lord, may your glory be seen in his healing! May your will be done. I trust You above all.”

When the right test was given; the fungus showed up. Randy was immediately given a heavy dose intravenously which was on standby.  This fairly new and powerful drug was the only method to eradicate the rapidly growing fungus. Each dose took 5 hours to administer with pauses when his body went into a cascade of tremors which had to be treated before continuing the process.  This went on daily for two more weeks.  But the fungus was beginning to slow it’s damage and be controlled by the new medication.

However, the side effects of this treatment would damage his heart, lungs, and circulatory system along with his kidneys.  Signing the paperwork was difficult but it was a matter of life or immediate death.  God heard and God healed.  Twenty-five or so years later, though Randy has gone through heart bypass surgery, angioplasty, and other maladies such as a couple of strokes he is alive and doing well.  We continue to pray the same prayer, “May your glory be seen in his healing.” God heard and He answered each time with prolonging his life on earth. To God be the glory! 

Randy walks 5 miles a day and eats a healthy diet to do his part in God’s healing.  Yes, there will be that Day when we both meet Jesus but for Today we respond to God’s goodness with gratitude as we live for Jesus here on earth, thank God for “bonus days” given to point people to Jesus’ saving grace, while gratefully declaring the glory of God. That is our job on earth until we “all get to heaven”—made possible by God’s healing.

We were made to love, worship, and serve God.  Our God is over all, in all, above all, as He created all.  May His glory be seen in us!  May we never forget God’s amazing love, mercy, and grace for all who believe and call on His Name! 

King Hezekiah is ill, very ill. He is close to death.  The prophet Isaiah makes a visit with words from the Lord God…

2 Kings 20

Hezekiah’s Illness

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

10 “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

Envoys From Babylon

12 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. 13 Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

15 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

20 As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God hears the prayers of those whose hearts are committed to Him.  He responds with His best for us as we respond with trust and obedience to Him.  “May Your will be done and not mine,” is what Jesus taught all of us to pray in humble surrender.  The outcomes of our prayers are all up to God who knows what is best now as well as what lies ahead.  Our circumstances teach us to trust God and build our faith fully if we listen to the lessons!

FUN FACT: According to this passage, Hezekiah’s illness took place fifteen years before his death, which chronologists estimate was around 687 B.C. That means his sickness and healing, as well as the visit of the Babylonian ambassadors, occurred in 702 B.C., the year before the Assyrians attacked Jerusalem.

For the prophet Isaiah to visit King Hezekiah with such a solemn message indicates how serious this experience really was and how much God loved his servant, the king of Judah.  According to Warren Wiersbe, Bible Scholar and historian; “God answered Hezekiah’s prayer by telling Isaiah how to bring about healing and also by giving Isaiah two great promises to share with Hezekiah. First, the king would recover and worship at the temple within three days; second, the Lord would defend and deliver the city of Jerusalem from the Assyrians. Remember, Hezekiah’s illness occurred before the invasion of Sennacherib’s army recorded in chapters 18 and 19. To assure the king of His promises, God sent the miraculous sign of the shadow.”—Wiersbe Study Bible

Pride seeps into Hezekiah’s being upon healing.  Hezekiah’s healing from his near-fatal sickness may have boosted his vision of self-importance. The visit of the Babylonian envoys makes it clear that it was more important to him to make a good impression than to give credit to God.  We all fall for it, right?  Even, “I’m so blessed” can turn into a boast if our heart is self-seeking, as if we were deserving of healing and think we earned God’s righteousness.  Yikes, no!  Only God is to be worship with all praise given to Him!

Hezekiah’s response may seem like a sigh of relief that his generation had escaped judgment but it more so, it was an expression of his acceptance of the will of God. Hezekiah’s pride had been broken once again (2 Chronicles 32:26), but for the sake of the nation and the throne of David, he was grateful there would be peace.

Oh Lord,

You are so patient with us—your compassions they indeed do not fail us. Thank you for not giving up on us as we learn how best to respond to you with pure and humbled gratitude when you will is done in our lives for our good and your glory!  Teach me your ways and I will walk in them. The cry of David is my prayer today! To you be the glory, honor, and praise today and forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

BUT GOD—

Posted on October 9, 2025 by randscallawayffm

When time stands still and it seems all is lost, everything we know is tested and questioned, and we can do nothing to change the circumstance, we wait.  But in the wait, we actively pray humbly and honesty to God who we know—knows!  The wait involves knowing God and listening to what He has to say with an obedient trusting heart.  In the wait, we continue to do what God tells us to be and do as his servants for His glory.

Like Paul preaches; we might be perplexed but we know God is not confused.  So, as we wait for outcomes—we go to God. Then trust and obey what He says. 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” –Paul, the apostle mocked, beaten and thrown into prison frequently for preaching Jesus crucified and risen from death to redeem us. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

To the Corinthian church gone wild; Paul compared the glory of Moses’ old covenant to the glory of Christ’s new covenant, which is far better. He explained that when someone turns to the Lord, they find freedom and reflect God’s glory. He noted that God’s light shining in our hearts is a treasure for the world to see. As we gaze upon the Lord’s glory, his Spirit frees us and transforms us more and more into his likeness. 

Therefore, life circumstances become less “crushing” when we look at them from God’s point of view by His power living in us.  “How will His glory be seen in this?,” we must ask, with a follow up question; “what will we learn from this?” Our prayer in the wait becomes, “May your glory be seen in the outcome of this temporary situation and may your glory be seen in me as I walk through it with You.” “Show me the way to go, and I will follow.”

God knows exactly what is happening to and around us. He walks with us through it all. “

We now resolve the “cliff-hanger” in King Hezekiah’s story.  (Rewind chapter 18, if necessary.) 

2 Kings 19

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold

When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.”

5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’”

8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

“‘Virgin Daughter Zion despises you and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee.
22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride?
    Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 By your messengers you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its junipers.
I have reached its remotest parts, the finest of its forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

25 “‘Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.
26 Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up.

27 “‘But I know where you are and when you come and go and how you rage against me. 28 Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.’

29 “This will be the sign for you, Hezekiah:

“This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 30 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.
31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.

“The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

32 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. 33 By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the Lord.
34 I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.’”

35 That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

With God all things are possible!  God knows our circumstance; but He wants us to know Him.  “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. Let go and know Me, says God. I am God and what I say happens.

King Hezekiah knew that he needed a word from the Lord, so he sent his officers to Isaiah the prophet and asked him to pray and seek God’s help with him. (By the way, this is the first mention of Isaiah in 2 Kings.)  Are you singing with me, “I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered…”  The king had one great burden on his heart: that the God of Israel be glorified before the nations of the earth. Sennacherib had blasphemed the Lord, and

Hezekiah asked God to act on behalf of Judah, not for their sake but for the glory of God’s great name. God listens to prayers like this!

We learn that when the outlook is bleak, try the up-look. That’s what King Hezekiah did when he received the blasphemous letter from the king of Assyria. As I wrote yesterday of our perplexing lawsuits, we laid those letters before the Lord and had to trust Him to work these matters out in His will in His way.  He did.  He always has and always will. Focusing on the Lord and His greatness helps put our problems in perspective.

When all looks scary and hopeless, God provides what we need when we need it most in ways beyond our imaginations! God promised that He would deliver His “remnant” from their enemies and that they would “take root” and become fruitful again. Not only would Sennacherib never enter the city, but he wouldn’t even shoot an arrow at it, attack it, or build a siege mound next to it! When the Lord wanted to wipe out 185,000 enemy soldiers, all He had to do was send one of His angels.  This is our God! This is the same God who sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  Jesus could have called ten thousand angels to rescue Him from this cruel and excruciating pain and suffering—but He did not. God’s love for us held Jesus on that cross of humility and shame so that we could be set free from the punishment of our own sins.  When we think of the price paid in full for our freedom, our current circumstances pale in comparison.  Sigh.  Read this again with grateful praise for the One who suffered much to set us free. Get a grip on all that God has promised by believing in Jesus.  Point the way to Jesus for others who struggle and stew in their problems. Paul urges us…

“So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25, MSG

Lord, May your glory be seen in us today. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you teach us by your power in your Name for your glory, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

STANDING FIRM—TRUSTING GOD

Posted on October 8, 2025 by randscallawayffm

It’s been 16 months since we were involved in a vehicle accident at a well-known dangerous intersection.  No one was seriously injured. We were only shaken and later bruised. The five people in the car who hit us all walked out and seemed fine.  God protected all of us in miraculous ways. Our vehicle was totaled in the hit that pulled us forward and sent us into a spin.  The “cage” of our Explorer that surrounded us kept us safe from serious injury. We praised God immediately for protecting all of us involved. 

But later, the five people on their way to work, in a group of four and later the last person decided to sue our insurance and us over this accident—after all their car and medical expenses were paid.  This journey meant months of legal talk accusations, paperwork, and depositions with lawyers on both sides arguing the cases. At home, we were waiting anxiously and wondering what the outcome would be for us.  But early on, after self-examination of my faith, I asked myself, “Do I trust God or not?” No matter the circumstance or outcome, do I trust God?

Hezekiah is now the new king of Judah. This king did good in the eyes of God!  He believes, trusts, and obeys all the commands of God given to God’s people by Moses. He is the only king in the series of kings that has finally removed the “high places” where idol worship is done. He even destroyed the bronze snake of Moses because even that symbol was worshipped instead of God! Ah, church, do we do that? Yes, sometimes we can get caught up in worshiping the buildings and the stuff inside and outside of our churches.  As called people of ministry, we have several stories of people worshiping places and things over God and His will for their lives!  Sometimes we, too, must kill the “sacred cows” of religious customs that hinders or stands in our way of our intimate, growing relationship with God!

Hezekiah, a man with heart like David’s for God, is now faced with a standoff with the evil and powerful King of Assyria.  King Sennacherib of Assyria taunts and challenges King Hezekiah even after Hezekiah gave him gold and silver as a peace offering. King Sennacherib now sends his high commander to do the “dirty work” of grievous taunting and mocking of Hezekiah and his God. Evil tried to convince Hezekiah that the powerful Assyrians would indeed overcome their country of less means and even their God!  So, they may as well give up now. 

What will Hezekiah do next?  Will he still trust God or not? Will he give in?

2 Kings 18

Hezekiah King of Judah

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

9 In King Hezekiah’s fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes. 12 This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.

13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?

23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

27 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”

28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death!

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.

Wait, what happens next? The story isn’t over yet! We will find out tomorrow in chapter 19!  If you are curious, it’s okay to read ahead!  Hint: God does what He says.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Our accident drew us closer still to the God we love, serve, trust, and obey.  It is said that circumstances beyond our imaginations and control have a way of making us or breaking us. For sure, challenging circumstances reveal the true colors and depths of our faith in our response to them and to God. Throughout our process, worry came but went when I answered the question, do I trust God in this as I have before in all other circumstances or not?  I did trust God and that trust, faith, and hope in God grew in the wait for the final outcome.  The last person’s suit was the most challenging of all.  “Yet, will I trust you,” the quick prayer of Job, would be said often. When those simple words are uttered with humility and faith, peace replaces worry. (James 1 speaks of this “faith building” miracle!)

I will tell the end of our story. Last week, the last case was settled out of court, just as the other four, and was dismissed “with prejudice” which means we cannot be tried again.  It’s finally over!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow, who is still on His throne, has not given up His authority, delights in all the details of our lives and provides peace and joy in all circumstance in ways that only grow our faith in Him greater still!  I also learned to pray for the good will and outcome for the five against us.  No bitterness can take hold when you pray good for those against you.  Our “battles” are not against flesh and blood but against the evil of darkness who tries to overcome our faith.  May what they received from our insurance bless them and may they help others know Jesus.

I trust God.  I will trust Him forever for He is Life to me/us.  Our stuff, finances, or even our beloved families cannot save, rescue, or give us life—only God through Jesus, His Son who is the Truth, Way, and Life forever!

As followers of God, you and I have a huge asset. We know everything is going to turn out all right. God allows and uses our hard times to teach us. When troubles and trials come, thank God for this demonstration of His love. Remember God is with us always. Nothing escapes God’s notice.  God delights in all the details of our lives, so ask Him anything!  But most of all, ask God to help you learn from the situation.

Standoffs build our strength and resolve to walk humbly with God who gives Light that dispels the darkness.

Lord,

Thank you for the circumstances of this past year to teach us and to solidify our faith in You alone.  Thank you for the lessons we are still learning. Thank you for not giving up on us—ever! Your faithfulness to us is as amazing as your love for us! To you be all glory, honor, and praise!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Posted on October 7, 2025 by randscallawayffm

We shake our heads at all the people who still use Ouija boards, stone pendants, crystals, etc. to predict outcomes of current situations. Just last night a singer on The Voice chose her coach based on her swinging pendant she held in her hand.  Wow. We cannot believe that people will fall for leaders who are full of themselves, seeking glory over serving people, and who only want what is good for them. Then we become leaders who fall for the glory seeking habit, too.  We tremble when evil overtakes a person who comes unexpectedly into a place meant for good, where kindness is taught with other lessons are learned to shoot anyone who stands in their way.  The shooter frequently seeks only the glory of notoriety because evil has taken over their entire being and convinced they are not worthy of the love of anyone. 

We wonder why our own finances take a turn for the worse when an unexpected large expense occurs and we don’t have enough to cover it.  We fall for trap to borrow more to pay more with interest!  We have no margin in our lives because we have conformed to the world around us who says we deserve all that we can acquire to satisfy our longings for more. We worship the idols of stuff and sacrifice our time, talents, and offerings for things of this earth that have little to no value that eventually make us feel worthless inside.

Israel had a problem.  We have a problem. We are the same in this problem. The problem is rebellion against the God, the One who created all and owns all. It began with Adam and Eve and continues throughout the ages. This rebellion is called sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”—of God’s best for us! (Romans 3:23)

Sin is anything that stands between the us and our worship of God alone. Sin leads us to worship whatever the current object of our affection in our mind and that we desire to own. These objects of affection include people, things, time, and/or anything else we worship instead of God.  Yes, we have a problem.

God warned Israel about the problem; but they did not listen.  Instead, they saw how other nations who didn’t know God sinned and decided to adopt their practices and conform to their way of sinning which included the sacrifice of their own children to their idol gods!  Ah, but we don’t do that, so we not as sinful as they were, right?  Are you on your phone right now reading this as your child is trying to get your attention?  Yikes.

Mm, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the Publican (Tax Collector) and the Pharisee.  “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”—Jesus, Luke 18:9-14

God knows all hearts and knows all our sins, from the subtle to sensational.  He grieves when we worship anything other than Him.  But it seems most of us would rather worship what we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch rather than the One Who knew us before we were born, knows our name, and holds our future in His hands. Sigh.

2 Kings 17

Hoshea Last King of Israel

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore, Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. 5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 12 They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.” 13 The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”

14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

21 When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Sin is sin. There is no ranking of sin.  Sin divides our attention from God to someone or something else.  Sin disobeys God’s best for us. Sin distracts and deceives us to be someone other than God created us to be with purpose in this life.  But sin is not the final answer.

God created a plan, The Plan, to redeem us of all sin once and for all. Here is the Truth and the Answer to our sin problem: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Let’s go back to Romans 3.  Paul further explains our sin problem that separates us from God to being made right with God.  Being “made right with God” is called “righteousness,” not perfection, but in right standing with God upon humbly repenting of our sins to Jesus who we believe as God’s Son. Jesus did what we cannot do for ourselves—remove our sins. In our imperfection we are made right because Jesus took all sin and sacrificed himself taking our place for the punishment we deserve.  We cannot earn it; only Jesus, perfect and without sin, could be that sacrifice for our sin.  Only Jesus reconciles (reconnects) us back to God.

“So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:

“There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.
No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one.
Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides.
Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air.
They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin,
Don’t know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day.

This makes it clear, doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin. –Paul to the church; Romans 3:9-20, MSG

Paul goes on to explain;

“But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:21-24

Hallelujah! To God be the glory, honor, and praise!

Jesus asks us today;

Do you really believe what I have done for you?

Do you believe that God’s Holy Spirit lives within all who believe with power over sin? 

Do you really believe all that God says to be really real?

Do you mean what you pray? Do you get caught up in just saying words and miss their meaning? Continue to pray often—but do so out of a humble, honest heart. If the fancy prayers and big words aren’t you—use your own. God wants to hear what you honestly pray.  God loves like no other and wants to hear from his beloved.

Lord,

You have my undivided attention. Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, make me new with your fresh mercies filling my soul. Restore the joy of you in me and me in you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m yours and I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

EACH KING—A LEGACY OF GOOD OR EVIL

Posted on October 6, 2025 by randscallawayffm

“God never gave His law to the Gentiles (Psalm 147:19, 20), but the demands of that law are written in the hearts of all people (Romans 2:12–16), so disobedient Gentiles (anyone not a Hebrew of Jewish ancestry) are also guilty before the Lord. As you read the Old Testament, you find God judging Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16—19:29), Egypt (Exodus 7:1—11:10; 12:28–51; 14:1–31), the Gentile nations in and around Canaan (Numbers 31–32; Joshua 5:13—12:24), and even Babylon (Jeremiah 50–51). Because the Jews knew the true and living God and had the witness of His law, however, they were even more accountable. How tragic that enlightened Judah showed no concern about obeying God’s message. Judah had the temple, the law, and the priesthood, but they didn’t have the Lord. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance” (Ps. 33:12).”    —Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

King Ahaz, like everyone God has created, wants to worship. Who he chooses to worship affects the entire nation of Judah.  Created to worship. we often fall for the closest idols and distracting riches of others who seem to be more powerful, engaging, and even, dare I say, entertaining.  This thinking leads to ungodly behaviors which are indeed testable to God and grieves His Spirit.  King Ahaz essentially prostituted himself and the nation of Judah to the King of Assyria in his worship of their idols. The king of Judah essentially bonded them as slaves to the nation of Assyria. Ah, but that’s not all…read on!

2 Kings 16

Ahaz King of Judah

In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.

5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6 At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.

10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. 11 So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. 12 When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it. 13 He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings against the altar. 14 As for the bronze altar that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

15 King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.” 16 And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. 18 He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.

19 As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN, HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Over and over, we are repeatedly warned throughout God’s Word, His Story, to “guard our hearts”. God’s prophets and then His Son, Jesus tell us to watch out!  Don’t be distracted by the Deceiver whose goal is destroy our faith and capture our souls! 

We are created to worship so we must worship. Who or what we choose to worship can make us or break us.  Take a minute and think about what happens daily in our lives. We are bombarded with messages of what to buy, who to follow and be like among famous people who are trending currently, what to acquire and invest our time and efforts in, how to dress for success, how to feel and behave so we will be acceptable in the community.  If we need help; there are medications to help us be who the world wants us to be!  (Some do need medications in severe circumstances but most take pills to escape realty.)  When we do what the world tells us to be and do; we are basically conforming to all this world has to offer!  This is worship of the world.

God’s number one commandment says, “Worship God only.”  Do not conform to this world but to His ways.  There IS a difference!  Jesus came to demonstrate that difference and teach His followers and devoted disciples how to live the difference while passing the difference on to others! The difference is living as citizens in and of the Kingdom of our Most Holy God! (See Luke 4:8, Romans 12:1-2; 2, 2 Timothy 2:22 for a few references, there are more!) Surrender to God is the key to living the difference for God as a form of worship to God.

Ahaz was not devoted to the faithful worship of Jehovah, so this altar probably was copied simply to satisfy his pride. Imagine him saying, “Oh, I love that, let’s do that in our temple in Judah!”  Oh church, we are so easily distracted by shiny, seemingly effect programs of other churches and miss the ministry God is doing in us! We try to copy what God has called others to do without asking God what he wants us to be and do in His Name, for His glory! It’s all about God!  Trust and obey God!

Ahaz vowed to have a royal altar like the one in Damascus! Consequently, the God-designed altar of the Lord was shoved to one side. Ahaz took wealth from the temple, the palace, and the princes. King Ahaz made Judah a bonded nation as slaves under the control and protection of Assyria. Ahaz had no living faith in the Lord and put his trust in the army of Assyria instead, and this cost him dearly.

Ahaz thought that the Lord would be pleased with sacrifices offered on this magnificent new altar, but he was wrong. The Lord doesn’t want sacrifice. He wants obedience (1 Sam. 15:22, 23), and Ahaz worshiped the gods of the heathen nations (2 Chronicles 28:23).

Once we allow worldliness to get into the church fellowship, it will quietly grow, pollute the fellowship, and eventually take over. Ahaz defiled the temple with his “new and improved altar of sacrifice which included a floor show.  It was not until the reign of his son Hezekiah that the Temple was reopened and sanctified for ministry (2 Chronicles 29:1–36).

Therefore, King Ahaz left a legacy of evil.  The unbelief and unfaithfulness of this king did great damage to the kingdom of Judah.  But, his son Hezekiah would be able to repair this damage because he “did good in the eyes of the Lord”!

There are two choices of worship: God or Evil. Choose wisely today—A difference will be made when we choose God to worship, love, trust, and obey!  It is not the good things we do but who we love and serve as we worship the One, True Living God!

Lord,

I choose you because you first chose me.  I worship you this morning with all that is in me. I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul.  In you, alone, is real Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

KING OF THE HILL

Posted on October 4, 2025 by randscallawayffm

In the ancient world, nations were consistently at war over the acquisition of land and wealth.  War was common, a way of life, for all people.  Kings would come and go while common people lived on farms and in villages, trying to survive while land is fought over in numerous, bloody battles. Borders were changed often while the common people wonder who will be their next king in power.  Who gets what depends on the cunning and manipulations of the ones in current power.  Reading through the pages of the Kings of Israel and Judah, I am reminded of a game we played long ago as kids called “king of the hill.” The classic version of this game had simple rules developed while you played:

  1. The first to get on the hill at the start becomes the king.
  2. To become a king, you need to go up the hill and push the current king off.
  3. Play stops by a teacher’s whistle or a parent calling you home; the current king at the top wins.

Did you know there is a “team” version?  Why, yes there is, and we did this as kids without knowing the game had rules of play! In this version, there are two or more opposing teams:

  1. The king is the leader of the first team to get up the hill at the start.
  2. To become the new king, the leader of an opposing team must get on the hill and push the king off.
  3. Allies of the king can push opponents and enemies off, and non-lead opponents can push off allies but not the king.
  4. At the end, the king and his allies win.

Over the years, as I became the teacher on the playground, this game, along with “Red Rover”, “Red Light/Green Light” and even “Mother, May I,” were banned because of bruised bodies caused by overly enthusiastic players! 

During the time of division of God’s people into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, we see that the kings of Israel consistently did what God said was wrong, following their fathers before them. On the other hand, the kings of Judah mostly did what God said was right. (The one exception was Ahaz, who even sacrificed his son to false gods.) These behaviors prompted a“king of the hill” situation between good and evil in civil wars between Judah and Israel.  There were times they would unite against their common enemy as a team sport when other nations wanted what they had. War loomed on every horizon by the Assyrians in this reading and later with other enemies of God’s people.

God used many prophets to speak to these rebellious kings: Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah.  And the words of these prophets are still read and used by God today to warn us of the dangers of following false gods and sacrificing all that is precious to these gods.  Jesus, Son of God, sees all that is going on because he is part of God and is God from the beginning of creation.  When He comes to earth; a new light will shine brightly, piercing the darkness evil has caused over centuries.  But until the Messiah comes…

We learn that God loves His people even when they are unfaithful children. Israel and Judah remained God’s chosen people despite their spiritual adultery.  God is amazing and relentless in His love for us.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

This is the first Word we learn as believers. God loved us and sent His Son to save us as a sacrifice for our sins!  This Truth of God’s relentless love and His power working in us becomes a part of our being and supplies all we need to do good in the eyes of the Lord as we turn from the dark deeds of evil.  It’s a new day with a new life for all who believe and are saved from evil’s grasp and hold on us!  As we grow in God’s love, we will watch God’s powerful work within us transform us.  He will lead us to cease childish games like “king of the hill” with all other people whom God loves; and instead put all our hope and worship to the One and Only King of kings and Lord of lords, King Jesus! 

God gave us Jesus to save us and set us free from our sins.  Believing, repenting, and living this out loud is accepting this gift with humbled, grateful hearts!  God didn’t give up on His people. He never gives up on us.  Keep this thought in mind as we continue to read the story of God and find ourselves within it.

2 Kings 15

Azariah King of Judah

In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 The Lord afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king’s son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

6 As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah rested with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king. 11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

Shallum King of Israel

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.

15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord.

36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

What God did give up was His Son, Jesus who was with Him, a part of Him from the beginning of time and creation.  Believe in God whose compassions never fail with a love for us that does not give up.  From the beginning, God always had a plan to save us.

Believing will cause changes in all we think, say, and do.  We thank God more as we think of how much He loves us without conditions of earning it. His love is amazing and beyond what humans think is love. God simply loves us. Our new way of thinking caused us to live grateful lives in response to His never-ending mercy and grace for us.  Others will notice our behavior and see a new light in us and ask what is different. We can’t wait to tell them of King Jesus!

Pause right not to thank God for never giving up on you. Make God’s faithfulness to us be the model for all our relationships.  Don’t give up on others trying to live to please God!  All are sinners in need of God’s grace!  No one is perfect; but all are perfectly forgiven by a God who loves and forgives!

What if we truly loved others the way God loves us?  What if we never gave up on loving others? What if we embodied God’s love? Paul helps us by giving us explanations of God’s love to be modeled in us—

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your loving kindness and patience with me.  Help me to love others the way you love me!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment