139 - "Trying to Make My Life Better or Draw Nearer to God?" 1 Chronicles 24-26

                                                                  

1 Chronicles 25:9 - 24 men are part of this remnant and they are needed to worship God in the temple.  Each had 12 sons and brothers.  Amazing plan.  Fast Forward.  Each of us is part of that chosen remant today.  Part of God's Plan A.  Romans 11:5 - a "chosen remnant of grace" for this moment to worship our God.  Repentant Worship! " I Chronicles 22:1 shows this restored community that everything, even their failures, points them to the priority of putting Me first in their lives.  My Son made that possible.  He is your ticket to the party.  You will enjoy that hope only in the temple."  66 LL.  And where is the Temple today?  I Cor. 6:19-20 says our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  Not our own!  Bought with a price!  Therefore glorify God and worship Him alone~

"When you feel empty tomorrow, when life's troubles and disappointments continue, you will be tempted to devote more energy to making your life better than to drawing closer to Me.  It is not easy to practice the priority of rebuilding the temple over rebuilding your life.  And it's difficult even to know when you're violating it."  So, what captures my energy?  Am I trying to make my life better or more concerned about drawing near to God?

There is Something about getting older 

that makes you want to go shore up, be pensive, say something that matters. 

And the sun sets on yet another day.

These psalms we have just read from the now-aged soul of a young man 

who once, more than once, hit bottom 

and spent a lifetime rising up in rescue. These psalms are grace words 

for me.  For you.  This circumstance.

Whether the psalm is like a hammer breaking us to pieces or melting hearts 

like snow or even oxygen that we can 

catch our breath this shortness of life---these psalms never ever become old. 

    "Be strong and courageous. 
Do not be afraid or discouraged."
           I Chronicles 22:14

If we set our face like a flint.  If we surrender in sweat and tears.  If we humble ourselves to look within.  If we live in the moment not the past or future.  If we abandon control and trust braving the wind.  All I can do is be strong.  Be courageous.  And never let fear or discouragement define my life.  Because the Lord is with us, we can build our houses and follow Him pushing through the fear and discouragement. 

 PHOTO:  Bev at Rockport.  Desiring to devote more energy to drawing closer to God rather than making my life better.  "Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave..." I Chron 22:11 All I can do is try to be strong; try to live courageous. Build my own house. 

The most beautiful moments of his life happened last evening on Sabbath Sunday as he breathed his last breath on Earth and moved to Another Time, straight into the presence of his waiting Ever-Present Eternal God who called his name, Max Barnett. His great success was building the Kingdom of God and many people will join him in Heaven because of the Gospel that Max shared with them. Isaiah 45:22. The line in heaven will be miles long of former University of Oklahoma students waiting to thank him for the eternal investment in their lives. The Gospel is the power of salvation. Romans 1:16. And Max lived it. And, he devoted his entire life to drawing nearer to God not trying to make life better on earth. He laid up his treasures in Heaven. God doesn't look at accomplishment quite like we do. Max lived fully alive. "It is a grand thing to see a man dying full of life." Charles Spurgeon. God's Word was always on his mind and heart, like a fire shut up in his bones. Jeremiah 20:9. I first met Max in 1976 in Titusville, Florida. I still remember what he told me that first encounter: "Bev, look at all those people out there---who is watching and caring for them? Go and make disciples." And I remember the last time I saw him in February 2026 at his Celebration of life that he attended. I whispered in his ear 2 Bible verses: Colossians 1:29 It is the Beautiful Energy of Christ that has always been so powerfully at work in you. Isaiah 46::4 God will carry, sustain, and rescue you through your cancer to the very end. Max is now rescued for all Eternity. But God is not finished with Max on Earth. 

138 - "Passionate Attachment to the Wrong Things"

I've sinned greatly by doing this.
I beg You, my God, to take away my guilt.
I have done a very foolish thing: to number my fighting men.
I Chronicles 21:8

Ownership!
Oh! That we all respond like this king of old when we stumble down paths that were never ever meant to be.  Joab tried to talk David out of numbering his fighting men.  Joab knew it was wrong; David knew it was wrong.  But, the King's word overruled his subject.  Trumped by an evil thought. Stunned by a very Good God, David responded with a swift surrendered heart.  And, it was the time when kings go out to war.  David did not join in the season and his heart is captured by his surroundings.  May we be at the right place at the right time with blinders on to this world of ours tugging at the skirts of our hearts.

Quicken my heart to be as swift a runner as this seasoned heart of David, the king after Your very own heart.  Oh God!  Change me!

" I Chronicles 22:1 shows this restored community that everything, even their failures, points them to the priority of putting Me first in their lives.  My Son made that possible.  He is your ticket to the party.  You will enjoy that hope only in the temple."  66 LL.  And where is the Temple today?  I Cor. 6:19-20 says our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  Not our own!  Bought with a price!  Therefore glorify God and worship Him alone~

"When you feel empty tomorrow, when life's troubles and disappointments continue, you will be tempted to devote more energy to making your life better than to drawing closer to Me.----- [Wait!  I feel awfully empty today wrestling with those who don't want to be in my presence]---- It is not easy to practice the priority of rebuilding the temple over rebuilding your life.  And it's difficult even to know when you're violating it."  So, what captures my energy?  Am I trying to make my life better or more concerned about drawing near to God?

"Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave..." I Chron 22:11

If we set our face like a flint.  If we surrender in sweat and tears.  If we humble ourselves to look within.  If we live in the moment not the past or future.  If we abandon control and trust braving the wind. That is so many "if's" and I can't keep them all.  All I can do is try to live courageous.  And never let fear or discouragement define my life.  Because the Lord is with us, we can build our houses and follow Him pushing through the fear and discouragement.  

The most beautiful moments of his life happened last evening on Sabbath Sunday as he breathed his last breath on Earth and moved to Another Time, straight into the presence of his waiting Ever-Present Eternal God who called his name, Max Barnett. His great success was building the Kingdom of God and many people will join him in Heaven because of the Gospel that Max shared with them, the power of salvation. Isaiah 45:22. And, he devoted his entire life to drawing nearer to God not trying to make life better on earth. God doesn't quite look at accomplishment quite like we do. Max lived fully alive. "It is a grand thing to see a man dying full of life." Charles Spurgeon. God's Word was always on his mind and heart, like a fire shut up in his bones. Jeremiah 20:9. I first met Max in 1976 in Titusville, Florida. I still remember what he told me that first encounter: "Bev, look at all those people out there---who is watching and caring for them? Go and make disciples." And I remember the last time I saw him in February 2026 at his Celebration of life

God doesn't look at accomplishment quite like we do.  No big people and no little people in His Kingdom.  Keep the charge this day, no matter where you are.  David kept on building the temple.  Keep on keeping on building this temple in which we live---to our dying day.  For etched in David's mind was I Chronicles 22:19:  Set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God.  Arise and Build.

"David was old and full of days."  I Chron 23:1.  And my ears perk up.  Because I. am. full. of. 20,000 days.  He made Solomon his son king over Israel.  So, here's the son acceptable in the eyes of God no more, no less than his father---a man after God's own heart.  May we all do the work before us today, fitting together, because we are:  letters of Christ, 2 Corinthians 3:2, cared for by many, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God.  Not on tablets of stones but on tablets of human hearts.  Oh God!  

PHOTO:  The Gulf of Mexico where I've dropped a few tears and longed to draw closer to Him. 

137 - "Sit In Awe of the One Who Has Brought You Thus Far" 1 Chron 17-20

                                                                     

When David received startling change of plans from Nathan, David sat before the Lord his God. "Who am I?" I Chron 17:16. And this family you have given me. That you have brought me thus far. 

Can I sit this day in utter awe of the One who rules my life while I lay down the control?

1Chronicles 18:6 God gave MAJOR victory over and over to David wherever he marched. Humble yourself, David. 

PHOTO:  The Woodlands. Lauren qualifies for KONA Triathlon World Championships. The lush greens. The Brightness after the rain. I sit in awe of the One who made my family members who they are.

136 - "Attend To God's Motions Both in His Providence and Influences" 1 Chronicles 14-16

"As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”  So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army. 1 Chron 14:15

It would seem beautiful to know that all we had to do was listen to the tops of the poplar trees.  God calls us all to faith, not sight.  Even in this text.  What did David do?  He inquired of God about the attacking Philistine army.  May that direct us in all our ways to acknowledge Him who directs our paths, our every step.  "In distress, fly to Him; when wronged appeal to Him; and when we know not what to do, ask counsel at His oracles to put ourselves under His direction and beg of Him to show us the right way."  Matthew Henry.

And may the sound in the tops of the going in the tops of the mulberry trees, direct us "to attend to God's motions both in His Providence and in the influences of His Spirit." 

PHOTO:  Tracer, the future generation.  Walking with a past generation.  His Pops in Spring 2023.                  No matter what you come against, may you depend on God Alone.  Your dad and mom did when they first met you at 3 small pounds. Against the odds.  Here you are!  God bless!  

135 - "Wait Patiently for the Lord" 1 Chronicles 11-13

This is the view out of my window

at the high school where I teach.

Seems like I'm waiting on some things to happen,

or am I waiting on God?

Thinking this night of fishermen and shepherds

who were doing what they were called to do.

Waiting on God, not on circumstances to change.

I Chron 11:3 ~ The elders of Israel came to David.  Samuel had prophesied a long time ago that David would be king.  David waited on no man to move.  David waited on God.  They crowned him at just the right time in history.  Tonight, I asked a friend about what God could possibly be doing in my life.  Her response staggered me.  Just trust in the pain.  How can we figure out God and what He is up to.  Love the truth that David lived in the present moment, not trying to figure out the best position to become a king.  Oh God, help us all find You this present hour.  

PRAYER FROM PSALMS

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way or even because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.  Rest, Bev.  God is doing you good through even t.h.i.s.  Help me, God, to see things from your perspective.  Psalm 37:7

134 - "I Want To Be Greater Than David" 1 Chronicles 8-10

The valiant men stripped Saul of his head and armor. I Chronicles 10:8.  On a mount separating two unfriendly regions. And Saul's body is hung on the fence.  No more breath. I stood there on Mount Gilboa where you can see as far as the eye stretches both east and west. They chose that spot so that both directions could see Saul was dead. I stood at the spot where they hung Saul's body. And I so wondered as I stood there what it would have been like to have a father-in-law that wreaked so much havoc on you; and I wondered what it was like to live in those days.  Did they struggle with being invisible or independent.  Did they try to manage their lives to just make things work.  And the words of Saul haunt me---you remember the dancing in the street party where the women sang to Saul and he contemplated:  "They have ascribed unto David ten thousands but to me they have ascribed thousands."  I Sam 18:6-9.  From that day and forward to his very death, Saul never dealt with what really went on in his own soul.  May I deal this day with these misgivings that plague me. I struggle with everyone having a place, a space, an ace in the hold.  Things are not that tidy for me.  May we be a people known for surrender.  May I repent of anything that is not dependence on my Lord. 

I wrestle today, my LORD, with this mantra of Saul. Someone I trusted with my heart once told me: We will see who is right by the results of your life and church growth. I didn't think it was right then nor now. We are here for your glory, not numbers and prestige. Saul wanted to be somebody better and greater than David.  Father, help me to put on the full armor of God not just a shiny armor of protection.  Clothe me in this chink that I may learn to think better than this.  Thank you for detaching us from anything that makes us want to look for credit and praise for ourselves. 

PHOTO:  Reminds me of Mount Gilboa where you could see forever.  Something contemplative about miles and miles.  Something going on in my heart where I feel invisible and have found Something far better and I was looking for the wrong thing. 

133 - "For What Do I Wait?" 1 Chronicles 6-7

It's terribly Quiet here at the Quarries.

For what do I wait this night?

Psalm 39:7

Do I wait for things to turn around?

I'm at the Hyde Park Track Banquet setting things up for the season awards.  By myself.

I am feeling worse as days progress.  

I hit an all-time low today with this job. 

Here is the tribe of Levi in today's reading. I Chron 6:1. It's a long chronicled list.  Here are names we recognize astonishingly with such respect:  

Aaron and Moses---instruments in God's Hand to deliver Israel.  Faith.  Forbearance.  Foreshadowing.  Moses the Prophet.  

Aaron the Priest.  And we know them.  

And they are right next to Abihu and Nadab in the genealogy---your remember the terror they brought, the very strange fire. 

One rebuilt the temple and lived for God; the other tried to rebuild their lives---and lived for themselves.   "Devote your first energies to rebuilding the temple, not your lives." 66LL.   To the exiled but still proud community in this list, God underlined sin.  To the restored but discouraged community in this list, God aroused hope.  66LL.  

That's it, God.  Arouse my hope.  I have it. 

We come down so hard on ourselves for being discouraged, but I wonder if the real question is this---do we have hope this day?  

We are no longer exiles. 

We are living in hope. Delivered. Adopted. Beloved. 

PHOTO: These two girls. Megan and Hannah have meant so much to me over their high school career.  We are all letters written not with ink but with heart. 1 Cor 3:2.  As the ink dries on this track season, may God pass on things from our lives that matter for Eternity.

132 - "The Fabric Rose; The Fabric Tugged" 1 Chronicles 3-5

132 The fabric of the Temple was all built in silence. No hammers. No chisels. No iron tools. it Rose like an "exaltation"---so we too live our lives in quiet and confidence. #talkingtomyself

The Temple was built in silence. 
No hammers | No chisels | No iron tools were heard.

I Kings 6:7.
It rose like an "exhalation," says one commentary.

"No hammer fell, no ponderous axes rung.
Like some tall palm the mystic fabric sprung." Reginald Heber

The fabric rose in silence in the Old Testament. I Kings 6:7.

The fabric of the Sanctuary - roof, walls, floor. 
The fabric tugged in silence in the New Testament. Mark 5:27.

The fabric of the Savior Himself - his robe. 

We are to live out our lives in quietness and in confidence. Isaiah 30:15.
Thy Kingdom Come. 

Never an Observer. Always a Participator.

But that still small Voice.
The One we hear behind us, saying, this is the way. Walk in it.

And the commentary speaks to me:  "Don't mistake notoriety for spiritual progress."                                  The Kingdom went unnoticed by the Caesars and the philosophers of the day.                                                       The commentator said it grew silently like a baby in the womb, unheard, unnoticed, unknown.                   But this New Kingdom.  

Changes people 

in degrees, 

radically, 

publicly, 

inches. 

This new humanity was not so sudden.

“Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you." No better thought. No better plan.

PHOTO:  I have tugged at His fabric for as long as I can remember.  Even as a Catholic school girl.  Sacred Heart was my first invitation to the Savior.  But the real tug came when I was in my junior year at LSU and wild as the winds of a tornado.  I knew there had to be more.  A whole lot more than what I was experiencing.  And I found Him. And I turned to a whole new life. And I raised up a generation of kids offering them the Truth I found. Trying to live it out my troubled past before them every day. This is a grandkid.

131 - "This *One Thing* Made Him Fall" 1 Kings 3-4

He loved the LORD, only this...
Can it be said of us. Only but this one thing. I Kings 3:3.

Let's lay aside that "only" one thing and run the race before us.

Solomon knew that God showed great favor to his father, David.

"Ask what I shall give you."  I Kings 3:5.
"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” I Kings 3:9

This pleased the LORD that Solomon didn't ask for himself but for his calling. 
May this very day, we see through what "only" we can do.

And David ends with a prayer for Solomon. Psalm 72:6. May he be like rain falling on the fresh mown grass. An answer to the drought in so many lives.  

Father, cause us to live like rain failling on a parched land.  Empower us today with the Energy that stirs so powerfully within.

PHOTO:  It's rain.  Falling in the Hill Country.  Let Him fall all over me. 

130 - "Deal With What Is Happening In Your Own Soul" 2 Kings 23-25

130 All we can deal with is what is happening in our own soul. We can lead people but we cannot make them follow God, not even our own children.  We lay them in the lap of our LORD.  We can invite, intrigue, engage, entertain in sober ways what is holy and what counts in life.  

                                                                

The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord

to walk after the Lord, and

to keep His commandments and His testimonies, 

and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul

to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book.

 II Kings 23:3.  

And all the people entered into the covenant.  King Josiah had just heard from his God that he could not stop the ruin of Jerusalem.  All we can deal with is what is happening in our own soul. We can lead people but we cannot make them follow God, not even our own children.  We lay them in the lap of our LORD.  We can invite, intrigue, engage, entertain in sober ways what is holy and what counts in life.  Josiah led his people to abolish idolatry, serve God in righteous living, find true repentance.  Many of those he led were compliant hypocrites who will stand before God, alone.  While Josiah could rein in the wickedness, he couldn't change their very souls.  

Judah and Jerusalem overflowed with wickedness. Would our forefathers have thought that America could do the same and evolve into such an evil place?  I grew up with broken people who never locked their doors, fearing no break-ins.  No more.  We all live behind bars and locks and gates.  In Josiah's 18 years of exemplary service, he lived from a humbled heart.  Yet, he could not change his nation.  "The records of God's word teach that all the real godliness or goodness ever found on earth is derived from the new-creating Spirit of Jesus Christ." M.Henry

Through Passion and Passover, revival broke out under the good hand of Josiah. The Mighty Hand of God.  God rained on them His Presence, His Favor.  Josiah must have been beside himself.  But, it only lasted until the traitors cut off the life of Josiah to raise up the next king.  Evil reigns again.  And the point of the passage is t.h.i.s. ~ We must take care of our own souls to stand next to the pillars in our own lives, make a covenant, keep His Word, carry out His Words. And when we can't; when we don't; when we won't, take care of your soul and repent under the Holy Hand of a very Good God Who is always doing us good. Colossians 1:29. 

God of Jacob, such is the generation of those who seek your Face not your Hand.
May we be a generation of people who deal with what stirs in our own soul.
May we seek your Face not our own ambition, safety, personal peace.
May our decisions never be made apart from Your Face.
Psalm 24:6

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. 2 Kings 23:16

Never before or after---a king like him---yet his own son, Jehoahaz, could not be influenced.  I remember telling words about a decade ago spoken to me in angst.  "We will see who was right by the size of your ministry."  I didn't believe it then.  I don't believe it now.  Josiah's own son couldn't be swayed by the strongest of kings.  We will all individually give account to God for our lives not for how our sons and daughters and followers turn out.