MEASURING SUCCESS

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

As for the other events of Jeroboam's reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Yaudi, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.

2 Kings 14:23-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How do you gauge success in your life?

Is it by the money you make? The job or title you have? The car you drive? The home you live in? The accomplishments you have achieved? The sports victories won?

These are just some of the ways we seem to measure success in our world but are they true indicators of success or deceptions that keep us from finding the real success that the Lord wishes for us.

As we ponder that question, we turn to the scripture today. As Chapter 14 of 2 Kings closes, we see where Jeroboam became king in Samaria during the “fifteenth year of Amaziah…king of Judah. This was the second Jeroboam to ascend to the throne of Israel and we read where he had great success over his forty-one year reign, restoring “the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher”. Despite the battles fought and lost along the way after Israel divided, the two kingdoms…the north under Jeroboam and the south under the rule of King Azariah…nearly regained all the territory present before the split occurred.

Scripture also tells us that the Lord saved Israel “by the hand of Jeroboam”, not necessarily because of his good works but rather because it was God’s will to keep the covenant purpose He made with Israel to not “blot out” their name “from under heaven”. And so the Lord used Jeroboam to carry out His will and save Israel from their suffering.

So Jeroboam was a success right? He had great accomplishments and established himself as a great military leader, rescuing Israel and restoring their land.

And yet, something was very wrong with Jeroboam…something that no military might and power could have victory over.

You see, Jeroboam was spiritually dead and he led his people down that same road. We know this because God’s word tells us that “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins” of the first King Jeroboam…sins “which he had caused Israel to commit”.

Jeroboam has rescued Israel from their Arameans only to surrender them to sin. Worldly victory was overshadowed by spiritual defeat.

So how are we doing today? Are we leading those around us to the wrong victories, trading worldly wins for spiritual losses?

My prayer is that we learn from the lesson in God’s word today. For through Jeroboam, He is speaking loudly to us. True victory only comes when we seek the power of the God to overcome sin and lead others to the glorious righteousness He wishes for all of us…a righteousness through service in Him that will lead to the ultimate victory we’ll experience in life…the victory over the grave through our salvation found in the One who won the greatest victory in history…our Savior Jesus Christ who conquered the grave to live eternal with the Father and open the door for us to follow.

Thanks be to God for His Son.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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