When You're Not Excited to Read the Bibleنموونە

Devotional Day 3: A Floating Ax

Who’s the person you think about all the time? They’re always on your mind, simply because you love them a whole lot or you care about what they’re going through. I want you to know right now that you are that person to God. You are always on His mind. He’s thinking about you. Today we’re going to talk about how precious you are to God. Your problems, your praises, everything in your heart, all of your emotions, God cares about them and they’re precious to Him. You know why? Because you are precious to Him. I think it’s Max Lucado who says, “if God had a fridge, your picture would be on it.” You are His child. He loves you so very much, and I just want to make sure you know that there is someone who loves you, someone who laid down His life for you. That’s how much Jesus loves you.

We are continuing in our series called, “But I’m not excited to read the Bible,” and we’re learning that that doesn’t have to be true, that the Bible is anything but boring. It’s full of exciting stories and interesting tales, and they’re all true. Everything in God’s Word is true. You can stand on His promises. They’re sturdy. It’s like the old hymn says “On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.” Speaking of sinking, join me now in 2 Kings - this is in the Old Testament - chapter six, beginning in verse one.

One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.” “All right,” he told them, “go ahead.” “Please come with us,” someone suggested. “I will,” he said. So he went with them.

Now, two quick things before we continue in this story. In case you’re new to the faith, I want to make sure you know that a prophet was simply one of God’s mail carriers. He would give His messages through prophets and prophets would tell all the other people. That’s simply all it is. The other thing is if you’ve walked in the faith for any length of time, you’ve heard of the prophets, Elisha and Elijah. Elijah came first. He mentored Elisha with an S, and the way I’m trying to remember it is Elisha with an S came second and he was Elijah’s successor.

When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!” “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

That is so encouraging to me. God used Elisha, the man of God as we just heard the Bible refer to him, to help this man. We don’t even know his name. And it’s just a reminder that God has His eye on you and on me. I want to go to the gospel of Matthew now, Matthew chapter 10. Join me in verse 29 and I should tell you, this is Jesus speaking.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny yet? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Wow. Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. Now, if you’re unfamiliar with why people would be buying sparrows, it’s because Jesus hadn’t died yet for our sins, and people, the Jews, were still sacrificing animals as a way of asking forgiveness for their sins and washing their hearts clean. When Jesus died, He erased all of that. It’s of course the greatest love story ever told. Jesus took my sins and your sins upon Himself on that cross. He died for us and all we have to do is receive the free gift of His love and forgiveness, and believe in Him. Believe that not only did He die, but that He rose again three days later. Defeating death and hell and the grave and everything we’re scared of. People don’t buy sparrows anymore to sacrifice because Jesus was the sacrificial lamb. The lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. And this lamb, this God says to you and I that He counts the hairs on our heads. That is just so tender to me. Someone wrote a hymn. It was actually two people I believe, called His Eye is on the Sparrow, and I want to wrap up our time together by reading a few words from this hymn.

Why should I feel discouraged and why should the shadows come and why should my heart feel lonely and long for heaven and home, when Jesus is my portion? A constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow. Oh yes, I know He watches me.

Yes, He watches us. He can’t take his eyes off of us because He loves us that much. Yes, He’s the God who does miraculous things like bring an axe head up from the water, but He also counts the hairs on our heads, and that makes Him the very best.