[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY APRIL 15

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY APRIL 15

WORD OF WISDOM

Before the crowbar was invented....crows simply drank at home!

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DAILY DEVOTION

You Can't Add to What Jesus Did


Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

Titus 3:5

Paul said, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians
3:7-8).
What does Paul mean by loss? He means that even good things are bad things
if they become a substitute for the best thing. In the win/loss column, put
another "L" for LOSS.
Suppose you're on a plane trip. The plane is going down and you grab your
knapsack instead of your parachute and jump out. Is the knapsack bad? No,
it's just not the best choice to save your life.
The worst form of badness may be human goodness when that human goodness
becomes a substitute for the new birth.
No knapsack full of "works of righteousness" will save you. Cast yourself
completely upon the work of redemption-the work of the cross. You cannot add
to what Jesus did

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DAILY BIBLE READING

2 Kings 7-9 New King James Version
The Syrians Flee
7 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord:
'Tomorrow about this time a [a]seah of fine flour shall be sold for a
shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.' "

2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and
said, "Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?"

And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not
eat of it."

The Syrians Flee
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said
to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, 'We will
enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if
we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army
of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us,
we shall only die." 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the
Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to
their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the
Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses-the noise of a
great army; so they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired
against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to
attack us!" 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp
intact-their tents, their horses, and their donkeys-and they fled for their
lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went
into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and
clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another
tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day
of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some
[b]punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the
king's household." 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the
city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly
no one was there, not a human sound-only horses and donkeys tied, and the
tents intact." 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the
king's household inside.

12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now tell
you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry;
therefore they have gone out of the camp to [c]hide themselves in the field,
saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get
into the city.' "

13 And one of his servants answered and said, "Please, let several men take
five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may
either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or
indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from
those who are consumed; so let us send them and see." 14 Therefore they took
two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the
Syrian army, saying, "Go and see." 15 And they went after them to the
Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the
Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told
the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the
Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of
barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have
charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died,
just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying,
"Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel,
shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria."

19 Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, "Now look, if
the Lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?"

And he had said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall
not eat of it." 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in
the gate, and he died.

The King Restores the Shunammite's Land
8 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying,
"Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the
Lord has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land
for seven years." 2 So the woman arose and did according to the saying of
the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the
Philistines seven years.

3 It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from
the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for
her house and for her land. 4 Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant
of the man of God, saying, "Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has
done." 5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the
dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life,
appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My
lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to
life." 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him.

So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, "Restore all that
was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the
land until now."

Death of Ben-Hadad
7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it
was told him, saying, "The man of God has come here." 8 And the king said to
Hazael, "Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and
inquire of the Lord by him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?' " 9
So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing
of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said,
"Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I
recover from this disease?' "

10 And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover.'
However the Lord has shown me that he will really die." 11 Then he [d]set
his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12
And Hazael said, "Why is my lord weeping?"

He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of
Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will
kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their
women with child."

13 So Hazael said, "But what is your servant-a dog, that he should do this
gross thing?"

And Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you will become king over
Syria."

14 Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him,
"What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me you would surely
recover." 15 But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and
dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael
reigned in his place.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah
16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel,
Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began
to reign as [e]king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became
king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way
of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter
of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the
Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He
promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

20 In his days Edom revolted against Judah's authority, and made a king over
themselves. 21 So [f]Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then
he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the
captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. 22 Thus Edom
has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. And Libnah
revolted at that time.

23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not
written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24 So Joram
[g]rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of
David. Then Ahaziah[h] his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the
son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two
years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His
mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 And
he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the
Lord, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of
Ahab.

28 Now he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of
Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 Then King Joram
went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had
inflicted on him at [i]Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria.
And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the
son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Jehu Anointed King of Israel
9 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to
him, "Get[j] yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to
Ramoth Gilead. 2 Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the
son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from
among his associates, and take him to an inner room. 3 Then take the flask
of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, 'Thus says the Lord: "I have
anointed you king over Israel." ' Then open the door and flee, and do not
delay."

4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 And
when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said,
"I have a message for you, Commander."

Jehu said, "For which one of us?"

And he said, "For you, Commander." 6 Then he arose and went into the house.
And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, "Thus says the Lord God
of Israel: 'I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over
Israel. 7 You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may
avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the
servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab
shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both
bond and free. 9 So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 The
dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be
none to bury her.' " And he opened the door and fled.

11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him,
"Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?"

And he said to them, "You know the man and his babble."

12 And they said, "A lie! Tell us now."

So he said, "Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, 'Thus says the Lord: "I
have anointed you king over Israel." ' "

13 Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it [k]under him on the
top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, "Jehu is king!"

Joram of Israel Killed
14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against
Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel,
against Hazael king of Syria. 15 But King [l]Joram had returned to Jezreel
to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he
fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, "If you are so minded, let
no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel." 16 So
Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and
Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

17 Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of
Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company of men."

And Joram said, "Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say,
[m]'Is it peace?' "

18 So the horseman went to meet him, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it
peace?' "

And Jehu said, "What have you to do with peace? [n]Turn around and follow
me."

So the watchman reported, saying, "The messenger went to them, but is not
coming back."

19 Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, "Thus says
the king: 'Is it peace?' "

And Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow
me."

20 So the watchman reported, saying, "He went up to them and is not coming
back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he
drives furiously!"

21 Then Joram said, [o]"Make ready." And his chariot was made ready. Then
Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his
chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and [p]met him on the property of
Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he
said, "Is it peace, Jehu?"

So he answered, "What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother
Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?"

23 Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, "Treachery,
Ahaziah!" 24 Now Jehu [q]drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram
between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in
his chariot. 25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, "Pick him up, and
throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for
remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that
the Lord laid this burden upon him: 26 'Surely I saw yesterday the blood of
Naboth and the blood of his sons,' says the Lord, 'and I will repay you
[r]in this plot,' says the Lord. Now therefore, take and throw him on the
plot of ground, according to the word of the Lord."

Ahaziah of Judah Killed
27 But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to [s]Beth
Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, [t]"Shoot him also in the chariot."
And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to
Megiddo, and died there. 28 And his servants carried him in the chariot to
Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king
over Judah.

Jezebel's Violent Death
30 Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint
on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. 31 Then, as
Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your
master?"

32 And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" So
two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 Then he said, "Throw her down."
So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on
the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. 34 And when he had gone in, he
ate and drank. Then he said, "Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury
her, for she was a king's daughter." 35 So they went to bury her, but they
found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This is the word of
the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'On the
plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 and the
corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the
plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, "Here lies Jezebel." ' "

Footnotes
2 Kings 7:1 A third of an ephah, or about 8 gallons
2 Kings 7:9 Calamity
2 Kings 7:12 Hide themselves in ambush
2 Kings 8:11 fixed his gaze
2 Kings 8:16 Co-regent with his father
2 Kings 8:21 Jehoram, v. 16
2 Kings 8:24 Died and joined his ancestors
2 Kings 8:24 Or Azariah or Jehoahaz
2 Kings 8:29 Ramoth, v. 28
2 Kings 9:1 Lit. Gird up your loins
2 Kings 9:13 Lit. under his feet
2 Kings 9:15 Jehoram, v. 24
2 Kings 9:17 Are you peaceful?
2 Kings 9:18 Lit. Turn behind me
2 Kings 9:21 Harness up
2 Kings 9:21 Lit. found
2 Kings 9:24 Lit. filled his hand
2 Kings 9:26 on this property
2 Kings 9:27 Lit. The Garden House
2 Kings 9:27 Lit. Strike