It’s Monday, June 23, 2025. The Old Testament is a raw, unedited report of how Israel lived, struggled for power, and at times “used God” to gain their agendas. In the meantime, He raises up men like Jehoiada the priest to bring Israel back to their roots and back to God’s re-shaping process. But once Jehoiada was gone, they abandoned the lessons like old, outdated garments, but underneath, everything remained unchanged.
Today's Reading:
2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22,23; 1 Timothy 5
Scripture
"After the death of Jehoiada … they abandoned the temple of the Lord… Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to Him… they would not listen.” (1 Chronicles 24:17-19)
Observation
When reading the Old Testament, I often grow weary of the stubbornness of the Israelites. God raises up good men like Jehoiada the priest, yet his lessons were only temporarily heeded. When the guardrails were removed, the people quickly reverted to their old ways. It’s like they didn’t change at all on the inside—just the outside. It was a temporary, cosmetic upgrade.
Application
The things I have been taught are not simply to fulfill some obligation or satisfy certain requirements—like trying to pass a class. What God teaches must activate an entire re-shaping; a total rebuild; a complete overhaul… and when I emerge, I emerge a totally different version of who I was.
In 1 Samuel 10:6, Samuel told Saul: “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you… and you will be changed into a different person.”
Not just a remodeled one—a different person!
I don’t want a cosmetically enhanced image of me. It reminds me of the old country phrase: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” A little makeup won’t fix what’s fundamentally broken.
That’s the lesson Israel never quite learned.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, rebuild me so there are no more touch-ups. No spiritual “lipstick.” No more of me trying to add cosmetic enhancements when the real me is still the same underneath. Take over, and change me from glory to glory into YOUR image, not mine. And as John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” So decrease me until the old is dead, and now, You are free to be completely alive through me!
“If any man is in Christ, he is a new person!
The old one has passed away!” -2 Cor. 5:17
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