So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made. Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house. -2 Chronicles 12:9-10

Nobody wants to take home the bronze medal. If you’re talking about the Olympics, sure, it’s an honor just to get a medal at all: but nobody wants a bronze medal. We’re after the gold.

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God deserves our very best.

In the above verses we see an instance where the king of Israel essentially gives God the bronze medal, when He wants and deserves the gold.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. -Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Solomon had made 300 shields of gold, at a significant cost, and no sooner then his son Rehoboam’s reign were these shields taken away and stolen. But we see a curious behavior from Rehoboam: he made replacements of his father’s golden shields, this time made of much less costly brass.

And what was the cause of this demotion? The Lord had been demoted and dishonored in Rehoboam’s heart, and in due time, Rehoboam himself would be demoted and dishonored by God. For we read of Rehoboam’s backsliding:

And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. -2 Chronicles 12:1

And it follows after he forsakes the Lord, that a string of consequences followed after, one of which is his losing of all the treasures of the Lord. And in his poverty, Rehoboam cannot afford to replace the gold shields, but uses brass instead.

It’s important to remember who has elevated us to the position we are currently in, and who maintains this condition. When we get proud and deny that God is at the source of our success, He can send us “reminders” to jog our memory.

Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. -Psalms 75:5-7

And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him. -2 Chronicles 10:6-8

Above is a classic mistake: it consists of not respecting the wisdom of the counselors that God has placed all around us: the aged.

Rehoboam had just been made king of Israel in place of his father Solomon, and he was faced with a choice by the people: lighten their burdens (as was suggested by the old men), or increase them to an almost intolerable level (the suggestion of the young men, Rehoboam’s peers).

And unfortunately he heeded the advice of the young men, and as a result his kingdom was torn in half (more like 1/12), never to be officially unified again.

Jesus Christ, the true source of wisdom

God is ageless, but when it comes to wisdom, God has a divine wisdom that far excels all the wisdom of even the most aged men of the earth. Take a look at Jesus’ “age” in the following conversation with the Jews:

Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. -John 8:57-58

When Jesus said, “before Abraham was, I am” He was speaking very boldly of His own divinity. For Jehovah gave the very same answer to Moses when he asked God what His name was, to which God replied: “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).

And so when we lack wisdom, we have a counselor that excels all the wise men that have ever come before us: we have the Holy Spirit. And we need only to ask God to give us wisdom from this never-ending fountain for our every need.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. -James 1:5

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. -John 10:17-18

Even though Judas betrayed Jesus, and a gang of men took Him away to be crucified, it was all done according to God’s plan, and of Christ’s own free will. He is, after all, God in the flesh, and as the above verse states, He has power to lay His own life down, and power to take it up again.

No where was this so clearly displayed than at the very time of Jesus’ arrest. When a band of armed men came upon Him by night in order to deliver Him up to death, we see an interested happening:

Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. -John 18:3-6

The God (now incarnate) who spoke the very world into existence, and lights every man that comes into the world gave a small hint at His authority and power over all earthly situations. As soon as He answered the men that came to arrest Him, they all fell down backward: perhaps like a bunch of bowling pins being bowled over by the force of the bowling ball.

Yet, there was no physical explanation that we see here in the text other than the word of the Lord. He simply spoke, and they were all toppled over—backward—a testimony against them and their stubborn hatred. For had they truly done Him service and worship as the eternal King that He was, they ought rather to have voluntarily bowed their knees to Him.

As Christ willingly offered up His life for a ransom of many, so too ought we to offer up our own lives to Christ: voluntarily and out of love for His sacrifice.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:5-11

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. -Philippians 4:13

I’ve written specifically on this verse before, but it’s so far-reaching, that I keep coming back to it. Here’s part two:

“All things” more specifically refers to all of the things that God’s Will requires. Paul was saying that there is nothing that is too hard or out of reach when it comes to following God’s will.

“All things” does not include sin: we would not say that Christ gives us the strength to sin in all things. On the contrary, we get the strength to oppose and resist our sinful inclinations.

“All things” does not include our own selfish ways and plans that are not part of God’s will. This is the biggest obstacle for not realizing God’s power. It is absolutely imperative that we know God’s will, and seek His strength to walk only in this path. Jesus makes it clear that those who do merely good things—but not things that are according to God’s will—are sinning.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” -Matthew 7:22-23

A “can-do” attitude

Notice again that Paul writes that he “can do all things…” Note that he did not say: “God will do all things on my behalf.” Rather, we are God’s servants, and we are the ones that are to do His will. While it’s true that there are some things that only God can do—such as bring about the ultimate salvation of a soul—the foot work to perform His will is up to us.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? -Romans 10:13-14

Notice again that Paul he did not write: “I can do all things through prayer: all I have to do is pray and everything will happen according to God’s will.” Not only does God expect us to do His work and perform His will, but He looks to us to perform it actively. Not through prayer only, (though prayer is a very important element), but through our actions. And how does God enable us to do His will? Strength.

He gives us strength for a reason

There’s a clear reason why we’re given strength: because we’ll need it! We are expected to put God’s grace to use and to walk in His will and do the works that He has for us.

Let’s say as a metaphor, God’s will is for us to pound a nail into a board. It is by the grace of God that He gives you a hammer. God’s grace is a divine means working in an earthly vessel to accomplish His will. We certainly weren’t going to pound that nail into the board with our bare hand. God has equipped us with His grace. But that hammer isn’t of any effect until it’s used to do work. Once we pick up what God has given us, and drive that nail into the board, it becomes strength.

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Strength is utilizing the grace that God has already given to us.

Strength is God’s grace in action to perform His will; it’s very closely related to what we might call courage.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12:9

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. -Genesis 3:19

The ground has a funny way of turning everything back into dirt. Forces of decay and decomposition erode all things that are buried in the ground. All things tend to break down over time.

The wonder of life

In the midst of these decaying forces, there is a wonderful thing called life. Given from God, the life that is written within a seed can fall to the ground, and upon encountering the forces of decay, will thrive and grow, and sprout up into green life.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. -John 12:24

Jesus compared Himself to a seed. Much as the earth seeks to devour everything that falls into it, Satan tried to swallow up God’s Son in death. Yet Jesus, being as a seed for eternal life, was not conquered by the grave, but instead arose from His tomb as the Prince of Life.

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. -Acts 3:13-15

Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel: -1 Chronicles 28:4

In the verse above, David recounts his past and explains how God liked him and made him king over all Israel. Some Bibles translate like as “took pleasure in.” So God took pleasure in David to make him king.

God loves everybody

While it is certainly true that God hates sin, and He detests the things that man does in His sight, God still wills that all men should repent: He still loves them.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. -John 3:16

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. -2 Peter 3:9

God loves everyone, and wants to see everyone come to the knowledge and salvation that is in Christ Jesus: but does He like you?

God’s favor

God certainly seems to have favorites. He said that He loved Jacob but hated Esau. Jesus only showed certain things to a select few of His disciples: Peter, James, and John. God took pleasure in David and made him king over Israel.

God loved everyone, but that didn’t mean that He made everyone king. That didn’t mean that Jesus showed all the secrets and mysteries of His kingdom to everyone. So what sets people apart? Why does God like one person more than another? While it may very well remain a mystery, at least partially, there are still some strong patterns that can be seen throughout Scripture that would point us toward who God likes.

God’s delight

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. -Psalms 147:11

Quite simply, those that obey God, and love Him with their whole hearts, and show it with their actions, are those whom God takes pleasure in. Someone might say that they are loved by God, (which is true, and was demonstrated on Calvary), but does He like you? Does God take pleasure in what you are doing with your life? Does He like what He sees?

Abraham is a great example of one whom God liked. The Bible says that he became a friend of God. And a somewhat obscure verse in Genesis clues us in a little better as to why God liked Him so much:

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. -Genesis 18:19

We ought to stop and think: does God like us? Does He like what He sees? When He looks into our thoughts and our desires, when He sees our actions and our motives: does He like what He sees?

When we seek to love and glorify God in all that we do, and walk according to His will, we will be fulfilling our very purpose of existence; for we will be pleasing the Lord.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. -Revelation 4:11

And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. -1 Chronicles 29:8-9

Here we see an offering being taken of the people of Israel. King David is collecting all the valuables of the land for a magnificent temple that is to be built by his son, Solomon. David has grand plans for Solomon’s temple: and to magnify God’s goodness he has chosen to seek out for the most amazing gemstones among the people of the land to be used in the building.

Imagine that you have a precious gemstone: would you give it up to the work of the house of the Lord? In David’s time, history was in the making, and he was taking up a collection from the people for precious stones for the temple of the Lord.

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We can form something bigger than ourselves.

Sure, it would be nice to hold on to that gem. But what is it’s potential if kept to yourself? It’s very limited, and for mostly selfish means. But what if you gave that precious stone for the Lord’s use; and what if everyone else did the same? The Lord would be greatly magnified.

And [Solomon] garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. -2 Chronicles 3:6

Next, let’s suppose that you have two stones, one is lesser, and one is most precious: which would you give to the Lord’s work? What if you gave the lesser stone; and what if everyone else did the same? The church would be only mediocre.

When God gets second place in all our deeds and offerings, the work that ought to be great and magnified for the Lord merely becomes mediocre and second-rate. When no one gives their best, the church becomes little more than leftover scraps and castoffs. But God wills more for us.

Perhaps a fitting acrostic would be:

Together
Each
Accomplishes
More

In Christ we ought to strive toward the excellence that God deserves from each of us. If we each did our part to love and serve God with our whole heart and soul, and none put God in second place, what glory the church would have!

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. -1 Corinthians 12:12-13