Read: 2 Kings 14-15

Think: How good is good enough?

These kings were comparing themselves to their fathers, the kings who went before them.. But that wasn’t enough. They murdered, stole, and forgot the law of the Lord.

In our day and age, it’s not just about following in the footsteps of those that came before us or being a good person… What is a good person? Your friend at school? Mother Teresa? Who do you compare yourselves to?

Truth is, there is no good enough! We all need Jesus grace! And this is good news. We don’t have to be good enough. God gave us the gift of Jesus because he knew on our own, we could and can never be good enough to save ourselves.

Those that came before the kings in the passage weren’t the right people to be looking for for a standard. It should have been God’s law… And for us, it needs to be Jesus- look to him and follow. Don’t compare yourself to others And don’t believe the lie that it’s all about being good enough.

Pray: Thank Jesus for his death on the cross and for the gift of grace.  Thank Him that you don’t have to be “good enough.” Pray that you will be able to accept Jesus’ unconditional grace and mercy and pray that you will be able to show that to others.

READ: 2 Kings 11-13

THINK: This is a pretty crazy and depressing part of Scripture as it briefly recounts the stories of the kings of both Israel and Judah as they largely ignored God and led their people in pursuing idolatry and pagan worship. There is a lot to be said about that, but the part of this section that jumps out most to me is the death of Elijah.

It’s almost impossible to overstate what an incredible blessing he was to his nation during his lifetime. At the beginning he was just a guy plowing a field, but he turned into an amazing prophet of God who performed miracles and spoke truth in a broken land even when nobody else stood with him and his very life was endangered by those in power.

Sometimes the legacy of a man is seen most clearly at the end of things. And at the end of Elisha’s life even a wicked king understood his significance and, more importantly, the deep importance of seeking God. Jehoash, obviously, failed to fully recognize and accept God’s providence, and his nation paid the price. But it is striking that even he, a king who “did evil in the sight of the LORD” went to Elisha in his moment of need. As much as he must have despised or ignored Elisha when he had the opportunity, he very clearly respected him.

And Elisha’s legacy lived on even after his death! When some men threw a dead body into his tomb, the guy came back alive after touching Elisha’s bones. That’s crazy. But I think the Bible includes that story to show how the impact Elisha made by obeying God lasted beyond his lifetime. There’s an old story of a monk who was shipwrecked along a journey and washed ashore on a small island. He had only a bag of seeds with him. Before he died he planted the seeds. Almost 20 years later, some travelers came upon the island. They found a skeleton, a note, and an island overflowing with luscious fruit trees. The impact of the monk grew after his own death.

I want to have a legacy like Elisha. I want to be so committed to God and to speaking his truth and love and building his kingdom that even those who oppose me know that I’m worth coming to for counsel in times of crisis. I want to live a life of impact, and I want that impact to happen during my lifetime but continue after I’m gone. We all can’t be Elisha. But if we’re willing to fully submit to God, we can all have an Elisha-like legacy.

PRAY: Submit yourself fully to God. Ask him to show you what and who he wants you to be, and live to make an impact and leave a legacy.

READ: Acts 21:1-36

THINK: Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was one of the legendary generals of the Civil War. He earned his nickname, Stonewall, in the first major battle of the war, Bull Run. While many of his fellow Confederate officers were retreating and collapsing in the face of intense Union pressure, Jackson refused to call for a retreat. And he stood his ground right alongside his men, prompting Confederate General Bernard Bee to remark in amazement, “Look, there stands Jackson like a stone wall.” And he was Stonewall Jackson from that point forward. Many were struck by his courage and his seeming obliviousness to danger and so, after the battle, someone asked him why he seemed so unafraid. Jackson replied, “My religious belief teaches me to believe that I am as safe in battle as I am in bed. God is in control, and I do not concern myself about death but to always be ready no matter where it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live and they would be equally as brave.”

Jackson wasn’t perfect, and we could rightly criticize the side he chose in that war, but he understood something incredibly profound: that knowing Christ completely changed his identity and purpose in life. Paul understood this too. When the prophet came and informed him that if he went to Jerusalem he would be captured and imprisoned, many of his friends and fellow believers tried to dissuade him from going. They thought that this was a sign that Paul shouldn’t go to Jerusalem. Even Luke, the writer of the book, admits he thought this. But Paul knew better. He knew that God had called him to go. So he was gonna go. No matter what.

The crazy thing about Paul’s determination, I think, is that he was far more concerned with the consequences of not doing what God called him to than he was with the certain consequences of doing it. He was more afraid, by far, to avoid his mission than he was to be jailed and even killed. He trusted that God was in control and that, though following God wasn’t always the easiest path it was absolutely the best path.

Do we have that same attitude? Are we even close to it? As you think about the things you’ve done for God’s kingdom over the last few weeks or months – and especially about the things that you haven’t done – is your Christian life marked more by boldness or fear? What would it look like if you were more terrified of not doing what God has called you to than you were of how the world would react when you do?

My prayer for all of us is that we will embrace Paul’s spirit. That we will embrace Jackson’s notion that if all people believed that God is in control and that his ways are best – even if not easiest – they would be equally as brave as he was. We were not created for fear, but for boldness. Believe that God is in control and that whatever he calls you to is the absolute best path for you to take. We are hear to bring change, and that requires bold faith!

PRAY: Thank God for his sovereignty and for the incredible blessing of being used by him to make a difference in this broken world. Confess the times when you’ve let fear cripple your faith and you’ve chosen not to follow him because you were afraid of the way the world would react. Ask him to help you, like Paul, be bold!