This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site.Donate your own bulletin article here.
Bible Passage: 2 Chronicles 24
A while back, I wrote about restoration. I wrote about how God wants all of our lives restored to his original plan. I specifically spoke of our relationships with friends, co-workers, and family. Did you ever identify any of those broken relationships? Have you prayed that God would restore those relationships? Do you understand that God won’t force those relationships to be restored on their own? You and I have to put in some of the leg work. Are you practicing selective memory, only remembering the wrongs done by the other party? Are you forgetting the rest of the story? Today, I want to tell you about a time when I forgot the rest of the story?
The first time our son ever dressed up at Halloween or for a fall festival celebration, we had him dress up as King Joash. I was in preaching school at the time and the story of Joash came up in one of my classes. I remember how the teacher stated King Joash was a good king; he wanted to restore God’s temple to its original beauty. He did so with the help of the high priest. No one questioned our son dressing up as King Joash, at least for a few years. Wondering why someone would question our son dressing up as a good king, I read more about King Joash yesterday. Wow! He wasn’t a good king after all. Read 2nd Chronicles chapter 24, especially the part labeled “The wickedness of Joash.” You’ll see the rest of the story. How did I ever miss it?
I sometimes try to focus on the positive? I guess I did that with King Joash. Maybe we too sometimes try to focus on the positive, our positives, and we totally ignore the wrong we do in the relationships that need restored. Today’s devo is really just a check up. I just wanted to know how your personal restoration projects are progressing. I was wondering if your restoration projects have even begun. If not, do so by laying down a foundation of prayer concerning those broken relationships. Let us never forget the rest of the story, sometimes things are our fault.
—> Support our free bulletin article ministry by purchasing the 5 Star rated Leave it to God on Amazon today.
Related posts:
In a world where terrorist bombings, stabbings, shootings happen almost weekly, we need hope. In a world where we don't know whether or not we'll keep our job through the end of the month, we need hop...
Some people think that the minor prophets like Amos don't preach to us today. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just read Amos 8 to see what I mean.
While it is not a certainty, we've all probably read Romans 8:28. If we just love God, everything will turn out just fine. "Yeah, right!" some of us might say, including me. But if we look a...
In the book of John, Jesus did things we call miracles, but which were originally called signs. They were things he did that actually pointed to his divinity. Today, in my life, mushrooms point to som...
The book of John is filled with signs, not miracles. Same thing? Yeah, but there is more significance to a sign; a sign points to something greater. The signs in the book of John pointed to Jesus, his...
On October 14, 2003, millions of Chicago Cubs fans wept. They saw a stellar season go down the drain. Two things happened in the fatal 8th inning of the Cubs vs. Marlins game that night in Chicago. Th...
You’ve heard that saying, “Where one tree is cut down, God will provide another.” What? You haven’t heard that saying? It’s true. I’ve witnessed it personally in my own front yard.
At a Noah’s Ark themed Vacation Bible School my son attended a couple years ago, I heard a very interesting conversation. A parent came in the door and saw her teenage daughter dressed in a costume. T...
