Daily Devotional for Thursday, June 25

Shallum and Menahem, Israel’s Rulers

“In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin,” 2 Kings 15:17, 18.

The Bible teaches each of us that we are to, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). King Shallum and Menahem were rulers of Israel and a trait that described both of their lives was that each of them sought after power rather than seeking the Lord. Seeking power for self leads to destruction. Each of their power grabbing decisions resulted in outcomes that were evil in the sight of God. The power that He gives though is for His glory. We should never seek power for our own good. God’s power is given to us to accomplish God’s work. When we seek to do His will above all else, He empowers us for His work.
God desires you to have power in life; however, He wants to be the source of power for your life. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
God gives us the power to become His children through our faith in Christ as our Savior. The power we possess as His children comes from Him. Any power we have is to be used for His honor and glory.

FINAL THOUGHT
Seek God first in all things and He will give you the power you need to serve Him.

Andrew McClung