Category: 1st and 2nd Chronicles-BibleTrekToday
Trek through 1st and 2nd Chronicles
The Gracious and Merciful God!
Scripture reading for June 5th: 2nd Chronicles 27-30, Acts 23
Key Scriptures: 2nd Chronicles 30:8-9 “Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that He made them a desolation, as you see. So not now don’t be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to His Sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that His fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you if you return to Him.”
Hezekiah lead Israel in a revival of worship and repentance. He urged the not to be stubborn, but to seek the Lord for His mercy by returning to God. God was merciful and full of compassion to those who humbly repented. God stands by His people and gives courage!
Acts 23:11 “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage for as you have testified to the facts about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your great mercy and for standing with Your people. Give me courage today. Amen.
Prospering in God’s Will
Scripture reading for June 4th: 2nd Chronicles 23-26, Acts 22
Key Scriptures: Acts 22:14-16 “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be a witness for Him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His Name.'”
Ananias was sent by God to Saul, who had been struck blind by his vision of Jesus. Ananias gave Saul a Word from God. Saul would be a witness of all that he had seen and heard. He had new eyes that saw the Son of God and understood His will. He was to be obedient and be baptized and began calling on His Name.
2nd Chronicles 26:4 “And he (Uzziah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”
Prayer: Lord, help me to be obedient to You and Your Word and to seek You in all things so that I may prosper in doing Your will. Amen.
Believe in God
Scripture reading for June 1st: 2nd Chronicles 20-22, Acts 21
Key Scriptures: 2nd Chronicles 20:20-21 “And he rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise Him in holy attire, . .”
King Jehoshaphat had just held a prayer meeting interceding for God’s help against an enemy that had surrounded them. There were lots of voices trying to keep God’s people from obeying. The king warned them to believe in the Lord and trust His prophets! He then sent out the worship team to do battle!
Acts 21:13-14 “Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your Lordship and prophetic word. Help me to trust You and Your Word today. Amen.
Declaring the Word!
Scripture reading for May 31st: 2nd Chronicles 16-19, Acts 20
Key Scriptures: Acts 20:24-27 “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”
Paul was giving his farewell to the Ephesian elders. He told them of his mission to declare the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus. He had not held anything back and now was pressing on to complete the task given him by Jesus.
2nd Chronicles 19:4 “Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and bought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your calling on my life. May I press on to complete the task you have given me of fully preaching Your Word. Amen.
Holy fear!
Scripture reading for May 30th: 2nd Chronicles 13-15, Acts 19
Key Scriptures: Acts 19:17-20 “And fear fell upon them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”
As Paul preached at Ephesus, he saw the fear of the Lord Jesus bring conviction to those who believed. This caused confession of sins and true repentance in turning from the practices of the occult. A real revival brings cleansing and deep conviction and turning to God with heart and soul.
2nd Chronicles 15:3-4 “For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.”
Prayer: Lord, let their be true repentance that brings deep conviction and a fresh commitment to You as Lord. Amen.
Believing by hearing!
Scripture reading for May 29th: 2nd Chronicles 9-12, Acts 18
Key Scriptures: Acts 18:8-10 “Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are My people.””
Paul, coming to Corinth, went first to the Jews to preach Christ Jesus. The synagogue ruler believed and his whole household. Paul was encouraged by the Lord to stay longer and keep preaching the Gospel. A great harvest was to be found in that city, first from the Jews and then from the Gentiles, as many as were drawn to seek the God of Israel.
2nd Chronicles 11:16 “And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You seek out lost people and draw them to seek You. May I follow Your instructions today. Amen.
Boldness to Declare!
Scripture reading for May 28th: 2nd Chronicles 6-8, Acts 17
Key Scriptures: Acts 17:24-27 “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself Gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their was toward Him and find Him.”
Paul found himself in Athens among the philosophers of the city. They loved debating the latest new ideas. Paul preached Jesus Christ to them and pointed them to the Creator of heaven and earth. He stated that this God did not live in temples and was the giver of all life. He even determined each person’s residence and length of time there. This God was worth getting to know!
2nd Chronicles 7:13-14 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by My Name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your great knowledge and understanding of all men. Give me boldness like Paul of old to share a testimony of the Creator and redeemer. Amen.
Making our praise heard!
Scripture reading for May 25th: 2nd Chronicles 2-5, Acts 16
Key Scriptures: Acts 16:25-26 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.”
Paul and Silas spent time in stocks, after having been beaten. They spent their time there in the darkness singing hymns and praying. About midnight, the Lord sent a great earthquake that loosened all the bonds and opened the jail doors. The jailer was ready to take his own life, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul reassured him that they were all there. The jailer’s question brought salvation to him and his household!
2nd Chronicles 5:13 “and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For He is good and His steadfast love endures forever,” the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud.”
Prayer: Lord, it is my duty and desire to worship You in all circumstances. Teach me to make Your praises heard. Amen.
God knows our heart!
Scripture reading for May 24th: 1st Chr. 28-29, 2nd Chr. 1, Acts 15
Key Scriptures: Acts 15:8-11 “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and He made no distinction between us and then, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
At the Jerusalem Council, Jewish believers began to argue that circumcision must be added to all Gentiles who had come to believe in Jesus. Peter, a Jew himself, stood up and gave apostolic guidance. God gave the Holy Spirit and tongues as evidence to both Jew and Gentile. God alone knows the heart and He shows no favoritism.
1st Chronicles 28:9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.”
Prayer: Lord, search my heart today, and help me to depend only on Your grace for salvation. Fill me with the Holy Spirit empowering me to live fully for You. Amen.
Courage to speak!
Scripture reading for May 23rd: 1st Chronicles 24-27, Acts 14
Key Scriptures: Acts 14:1-3 “Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of His grace granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
As Paul and his missionary team went from city to city, they went to Jews first at the local synagogue. The Gospel message of Jesus Christ brought great controversy and division. They were prepared for this and continued to speak boldly and allow the Lord to work with them confirming their message with signs and wonders. God’s army moves under His direction.
1st Chronicles 24:19 “These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for order and direction of Your people enabling them to follow Your example of boldness in the face of opposition. Grant me courage to speak today. Amen.