DCLM Daily Manna 16 January 2022
TOPIC: Futile Shortcuts
TEXT: 1 KINGS 15:16-24
KEY VERSE: “Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus…” (1 KINGS 15:18).
DCLM Daily Manna 16 January 2022 OUTLINE
Many people are quick to take the easy way out. They seek shortcuts to finding a solution to an enduring problem. For a while, it may seem to be working. Soon enough, they realise that greater problems have been created. Asa, king of Judah, sought futile shortcuts. Although he started well, for “he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father”, success for him came at a great price. Baasha, the king of Israel, waged war against him, and seized part of his territory. When Asa realised he could not dislodge Baasha, he turned to the wrong source for help.
He gathered all the treasures in the house of the Lord and delivered them to Benhadad, king of Syria, with the plea that he should break his alliance with Baasha. It worked, because the king of Syria attacked Israeli cities, forcing the king of Israel to withdraw from Judah. From then on, however, Asa’s life took a downward plunge. His rebellion soon brought a strange disease upon him. Yet, in his sickness, he refused to turn to God. Instead, he kept hopping from one physician to the other, all to no avail.
Soon, he died from that sickness; a pitiable end of a king that began his reign by doing right in the sight of God. We must avoid taking the easy way out. It may appear simple and straightforward but it does not last. Worse still, it has the tendency to turn the heart from God, to make us self-conceited, and to think that we can solve our own problems. Resist the pressure to seek shortcuts in dealing with life challenges. Instead, let your dependence rest on the Almighty.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Shortcuts often lead to damning problems.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 5-6
