‏‏‎ ‎90 Day Bible Challenge

Day 31 of 90 - 2 Chronicles 2-2 Chronicles 17

Day 30 of 90 - 1 Chronicles 18 - 2 Chronicles 1

Day 29 of 90 - 1 Chronicles 6 - 1 Chronicles 17

Day 28 of 90 - 2 Kings 21 - 1 Chronicles 5

Day 27 of 90 - 2 Kings 10 - 2 Kings 20

Day 27 - COMPLETE!

On Day 27, we read 2 Kings 10-2 Kings 20, and I was completely struck by the way Elisha died. Why? Because he was a miracle worker. Elisha had a double portion from Elijah, and he did double the miracles Elijah did. Elijah performed 8 miracles. Elisha performed 16. Here is a quick list.

Elisha divided the waters in the Jordan river 2 Kings 2:14
Elisha healed from waters at the spring of Jericho 2 Kings 2:21
Elisha destroyed the mockers by bears from the woods 2 Kings 2:24
Elisha provided water for kings 2 Kings 3:20
Elisha provided oil for the widow 2 Kings 4:1-4
Elisha gave a gift of a son in 2 Kings 4:16-17
Elisha raised a child from the dead 2 Kings 4:35
Elisha provided healing from the pottage 2 Kings 4:41
Elisha multiplied bread miraculously (2 Kings 4:43)
Elisha healed Naaman (2 Kings 5:10)
Elisha had Gehazi smitten (2 Kings 5:27)
Elisha caused the iron to swim (2 Kings 6:6)
Elisha provided sight to the blind (2 Kings 6:17)
Elisha smites men with blindness (2 Kings 6:18)
Elisha restores the sight of these same men (2 Kings 6:20)
Elisha does a miracle after his death, and a man comes to life by touching Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:21)

So Elisha worked 16 miracles, but scripture tells us he became sick and died. The reason this blessed me is because I believe that sometimes, we assume those who are saved don’t get sick. Or, we assume that those who are sick, are sick because of sin. This is nothing new. The disciples made the same assumptions with the blind man in John 5 when they asked “who did sin? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” And Jesus says “no one sinned.” Elisha didn’t die because he was sinning. He died because he was done. He fulfilled everything God had him in the earth to do, and in the same reading today, we saw how God extended the life of Hezekiah but allowed Elisha to transition. Why? Because we all have an appointment, and transitioning into heaven isn’t a penalty; it’s a reward.

Today, I pray for those who are wrestling with questions of faith because they are experiencing sickness or a loved one is seeking answers. I pray that this will be consolation for someone. That it matters not what we die of; it matters who we die in. May our prayer be “Lord, don’t let me just die old…let me die FINISHED.” I pray that we complete the purposes for which he called us, and that every ounce of his will, his plan, and his intention for our lives will be rung out of us like a rag, until we hear Jesus say “Well Done.”

Day 26 of 90 - 1 Kings 22 - 2 Kings 9

Day 26 - COMPLETE!

Today we read 1 Kings 22- 2 Kings 9 and the story of the Widow woman with nothing but oil in her house really ministered to me. In 2 Kings 4 we are told from the outset that her husband was a man from the company of the prophets, but he died and left her in a heap of debt. Now the woman is asking Elisha for help so that the creditors don’t sell her two boys as slaves. The first lesson I see here is this: don’t just be prophetic...have a plan. The man was in the school of prophets but didn’t see his death coming. Why? Because we prophesy in part. As well, he didn’t have a plan in place for his family when he transitioned. And there are many of us who are spiritual but not practical. We can speak life to everyone else but we don’t have a life insurance policy. We can travel the world to worship with the greatest of them, but we don’t have a will. We are super saved but don’t have a bank account. And God wants us to be balanced in all things. Just think: because this prophet did not have a plan, his wife had to turn to another man to ask for help. Don’t leave your house uncovered for the sake of ministry. Remember, before there was church; there was family. And God would want me to be focused on being a parent with a plan over and above my preaching itinerary in the land.



But that’s not all! When the woman comes to Elisha he tells her to go and borrow empty jars from her neighbors. Today, i thought to myself “if god told me to borrow empty jars from my neighbors, they wouldn’t have a clue who i am.” Why? Because my neighbors are strangers. Why? Because i haven’t taken the time to develop relationships with those who live on my street, in my development, or in my city. And this convicted me because Jesus literally tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But if we don’t know them, how can we love them. And if ever we need to ask for a favor from them, how do we think they’d respond if we don’t even know their name. You see, I believe we are in a real crisis as it relates to evangelism because people don’t care about your God if you don’t care about their person. In order to introduce Christ to others you should first be willing to introduce yourself to them. We never know who is on our street to bless us if we never take the time to say “hello.”

Day 25 of 90 - 1 Kings 11 - 1 Kings 21

Day 25 - COMPLETE!

On Day 25, we completed 1 Kings 11 - 1 Kings 21, and there were so many interesting details that I had never seen before. Firstly, in 1 Kings 11, Solomon’s wives “turned his heart after other gods” and as a result, God tears the kingdom away from him, and now, the kingdom will now go to Jeroboam instead of to one of Solomon’s sons. This angers Solomon so much that he tries to kills Jeroboam in 1 Kings 11:40. But here’s what’s interesting. Solomon was an eye witness to the immutability of God’s word. He, himself, saw how David wanted to build a house and God said no “your son, Solomon will build it,” so how did Solomon think that the word of the Lord would change simply because it didn’t meet his preferences. Secondly, Solomon only succeeded as king because he was able to build during a time where there was no war. Solomon wasn’t a fighter, he was a builder. Nowhere in scripture does it say Solomon fought any battles because it’s impossible to build new temples during moments of war. Yet, Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam because of actions he could’ve controlled. Solomon tried to take on another man’s ability (war), out of season, all because he messed up. Don’t let your mistakes turn you into someone you’re not.

But this isn’t even the key verse for me! The key verse for me is 1 Kings 13:22 when the old prophet, who tricked the new prophet into eating at his table, then turns around and starts prophesying accurately about the new prophet’s demise. He says “You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.” The crazy thing is, the only reason the new prophet got distracted was because his distraction come in the form of something familiar. And because he listened to the wrong voice, he was killed by a lion and his body was left lying on the road. But his distraction disguised itself in attraction. His distraction shared his background, his burden, and his calling. The warning for all of us is to hold onto what GOD SAID, even if people you like, try to convince you otherwise. Deception is not coming from people who look like deceivers. It’s coming from people who look like a prophet; and when you disobey God, they will be the very ones predicting your demise. Don’t be tricked, and don’t fall to something or someone familiar.

Day 24 of 90 - 1 Kings 2 - 1 Kings 10

Day 24 - COMPLETE!

On Day 24, we completed 1 Kings 2 - 1 Kings 10, and the thing I love most about Solomon in these chapters, was that he was a man of priorities. When I read 1 Kings 6 and 7, I realized that he was in charge of building God’s temple, and building his palace. But he chose to build God’s temple first in Chapter 6, before he built his own house in Chapter 7. 1 Kings 6:38 tells us that “in the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details... He had spent seven years building it.” When you really pay attention to the ornamentation and detail attached to this temple, you know this wasn’t a rush job. And Solomon took seven years to make sure God’s house was completed before he started on his own.

What I heard God say as I read this was ‘order matters. Build God’s house first before you build yours.” Take care of God’s mission before you focus on yours. Seek God’s Kingdom first before you rush to your to-do list. Check “his book” before facebook. It’s a simple choice but it has major implications. When I call my daughter into the kitchen to eat dinner, I fix her plate before mine because I want to make sure she’s good before I focus on me. In the same way, God commands us to seek him first. He doesn’t require that we seek him only, but in seeking him first, we ensure that our priorities are in order. I wonder what would’ve happened if we didn’t spend years seeking our agenda before God’s. I wonder how much money we could’ve saved, and how many relationships we would’ve been protected from, if we had placed God’s needs over and above our own.

Not only did Solomon build the temple, but he completed it. I have grown so weary of people (including myself) starting strong but not completing anything they start. I have learned to make more moves and less announcements; to focus more on completion than confession. It’s when we talk about what we are going to do, that we waste time on all the wrong things. What is pending in your life that you haven’t completed? It may take 7 years to do, but the best time to begin…is now!

Day 23 of 90 - 2 Samuel 17 - 1 Kings 1

Day 23 - COMPLETE!

On Day 23, we completed 2 Samuel 17- 1 Kings 1, and the stories in these chapters are literally no different than the most popular dramas on ABC or NBC in 21st Century Pop-Culture. Long short, David has impregnated Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah, in an attempt to cover up his error. Nathan, the prophet, exposes him and tells him that his entire family will be punished as a result. In the next chapter, Amnon, David’s son, rapes Tamar, David’s daughter. Absalom is David’s other son, and he finds out what Amnon did to his sister, and he waits for two years, and then kills Amnon.

When David finds out about Tamar, he does nothing. And when David finds out about Amnon, he does nothing. Over time, Absolom decides that he will crown himself king. And around that same time, he plots to have his own father, David killed. So we see this interesting turn of events because Absolom wants to kill David, but David wants to save Absolom. In the middle of all of this, David’s nephew Joab, steps up to the plate and eventually kills Absolom so that David can stop “sleeping with one eye open and the other closed,” and when David finds out in 2 Samuel 18:33 he is distraught. He literally cries out, “o my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you.” Because in part, this will always be his son, but on the other hand, this same son plotted to kill David.

So in comes Joab with a strong word for David. At this point, Joab is the only person that can really tell David the truth and he says these words that resonated with me so deeply: 2 Samuel 19:6 You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absolom were alive today and all of us were dead.”

When I read those words, I thought about a play I wrote years ago titled LOVING YOU IS KILLING ME. Why? Because David was literally consumed by someone who was committed to destroying him. David couldn’t see the truth that was staring right in front of him, but before we judge David, we first need to ask, have we ever been David? Have you ever been blinded by “love” that you didn’t see the “lust?” Have you even been so hung up on fixing something broken that you didn’t realize how much it was breaking you. I pray, ultimately, that God will open all of our eyes so that we don’t waste our time, energy, and love on people who, truly, want us dead.

Day 22 of 90 - 2 Samuel 3:22 - 2 Samuel 16

Day 22 - COMPLETE!

On Day 22, we completed 2 Samuel 3:22-2 Samuel 16, and of all the stories we read that spoke to me, the ones that hit me were 2 Samuel 11 and Samuel 13. David convinced himself that if he covered up his acts, no one would find out; and instead of things getting better for him, they got worse. Poor Bathsheba. She was minding her business and was beckoned by a man of power and influence. She had no say in the situation, and before she knew it, she was pregnant and her husband was dead. Although I’ve read this story so many times, what really hit me this time was this; God sees all. Even when you think you’ve outsmarted people, you can never outsmart God.

Then, there was Tamar and Amnon, and there are so many lessons we can learn from this horrific story, and this terrible act of incestuous rape, but this story teaches me a valuable difference between LOVE and LUST. Amnon thought he loved Tamar, but after he abused her, he hated her all the more. Why? Because love stays. Lust leaves. If Amnon had been honest with himself, he would’ve escaped death and delivered his sister from a lifelong stigma. But his emotions tricked him into thinking he was in love, when in fact, he was in Lust. At first glance, it may be hard to tell the difference because love and lust are identical twins on the outside, but fraternal foes on the inside. Here are a few practical clues.

If a person treats you liked a leased vehicle, then 9 times out of 10, lust is driving them to your lot. If a person really loves you, they will be patient and kind. Simple as that. Lust, however, is impatient and aggressive. Lust will act now, and listen later. My prayer is that God will help us to peel back the layers of resemblance and identify the differences. I also pray for every Tamar in our churches, in our families, and in our world—-both male and female—-that they might be *completely* free and healed from self-blame, unwarranted guilt and shame.