Sreedhar's Journey

A father is usually proud of his sons. Daughters are just as important and fathers take pleasure with them differently. When it comes to sons they not only take on the masculine characteristics of the father, but also the responsibilities that come with being a man. I am not the perfect father. My sons, my wife and daughter will tell you that. But I pray that I will never leave behind this situation like Jehoshaphat. 2 Chronicles 21:4, Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel. This man went 180 degrees away from all that his father did. How is this possible? Jehoshaphat allowed other influences into his household. His wife and Jehoram's mother brought foreign gods into the home. What happened? As the man of the house I need to be responsible in instilling Godly values, character, and relationship with the Almighty God in all my family members. Fat

Today is one those days when so many things are going through my mind. I sprained my ankle yesterday and so I am minimizing my movements. I said to someone that the sprain happened just as I was going to have a one week break between assignments. Perhaps God is forcing me to truly take a break. Jehoshaphat had a similar problem. 2 Chronicles 20:2, Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). What do you do? He could not depend on his army. He was incapacitated. Judah will be defeated big time if they went to fight. Jehoshaphat knew that, and he called a fast. Everyone including women and children came. The solution? Organize a praise and worship team. In the end God took over and completely decimated the opposing forces. Based on the account given, I don't think the writer knew exactly what happened. It says there was an ambush. By whom? 2 Chronicles 20:15

You must have heard the phrase, "Like father like son". I just saw pictures of a good friend of mine and his family from Singapore. His sons look exactly like him. My children have a great combination of Lee Yen and me. We are always thankful for the journey God has brought us through. Both as a family and individuals. Asa had a son Jehoshaphat, and he did well in the eyes of the Lord because of the impact of the father. But I believe there is another reason. 2 Chronicles 19:2, And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you. Remember Hanani? He was put in prison because he boldly spoke against King Asa? Now Jehu, Hanani's son, is doing the same with Jehoshaphat. However, this time there is no mention of prison. Based on what is mentioned in this chapter, there seems to have been some major reforms in the legal, government and

I love the way history is recorded so that we can see what happened, and possibly learn from it. However, many historians do not speak up and get heard. Perhaps they feel that they are in a dying profession where the future prospects are poor or even dead. The Bible records history like no other. This statement provides some background to the historical account of how King Ahab died. 2 Chronicles 18:6, But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?” Jehoshaphat is a Godly king. He becomes great friends with the king of Israel. Perhaps there was some move to reunite the two kingdoms. However, this was not to be. Ahab had 400 prophets tell him that he will win a battle. When a prophet of God was called, he surprisingly gave the same message. However, he also delivered the bad news. He gave the background to the whole thing that happened in heaven. This prophet was like Hanani. He was prepared to suffer the consequences for delivering b

When I came to the Lord at the age of 14 (actually I was 13 going on 14 that year), I did so secretly. I did not have a Bible. I saved up enough pocket money to buy my first Bible. This I kept and read secretly because I knew that my parents would not take kindly to my actions. I was blessed reading the Word of God. Jehosaphat also saw great value in the people of Judah knowing God's Word. 2 Chronicles 17:7-9, Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah—the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people. The Bible is very rich in stories from history and solutions for everyday matters. It is a textbook

Are you fickle minded or forgetful? We are constantly challenged to make difficult decisions. I would say the most important decision we have to make is what do we do with our time. Yes, as a child of God, I have all of eternity. However, there is an initial phase that is important for all of mankind. What I do affects the eternal destiny of other people. Hanani chose to do the right thing. 2 Chronicles 16:7, And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. King Asa was in his 36th year. An established king and kingdom. There are songs attributed to him in Psalms, and I am sure he did well through his years. However, he made a grave error. He stopped relying on God. Instead, he relied on Syria against Israel. God spoke to him through Hanani. It was a bold move that resulted in Hanani's imprisonment

In Malaysia sometimes we referred to a place as "cowboy country". What we meant by this is that it was not only a little backward in development, it was lawless. Anything goes. Everyone could do what they liked, and it could be dangerous to go out alone. Sometimes we also use it in the context of an organization. This passage during the days of King Asa seems to indicate that he lived in cowboy country. It seems to indicate that the problem is across the whole region and perhaps the whole world. 2 Chronicles 15:5-6, And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. The issue of the day is that they were abiding in the ruler of this world, Satan. Asa made it a point to return to God and ensure the citizens of the land did that. This resulted in peace for his lands. Many try to cove

What is the biggest challenge you have ever had in your life? Perhaps it has something to do with a life and death situation. Today the biggest scare is cancer. You hear too many stories of this life threatening disease. In the midst of it all we know God is in charge. Asa the new king of Judah knew this when faced with an Ethiopian army of a million men. 2 Chronicles 14:9, Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. I would shiver! How do I do this? Asa, after his father Abijah's successful reign, went on to remove all worship of other gods in Judah. Was this challenge coming because of that? I think, yes. Satan would do anything to deceive. Asa could have melted in the face of this challenge. He could have gone back to the foreign gods for help. But, no he did not. 2 Chronicles 14:11, And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or w

I truly believe that any organization or even a nation can make a comeback with new leadership. It is also possible that the existing leader goes through a personal transformation impacting the entire organization. Abijah took over from Rehoboam and changed the spiritual atmosphere of the people of Judah. The biggest test came when they needed to fight Israel. 2 Chronicles 13:3, Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor. Abijah had half the numbers compared to what Jeroboam had. But, he stood firm and declared that God would give them victory. He belittled the gods that Israel now worshiped, and the quality of the priests appointed. As you read the chapter you thought Abijah is going to lose the battle. But, no! God gives the victory. 2 Chronicles 13:17, Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter

There are leaders out there who try to look big but have little to show for their efforts. A lot of "flash" but no substance. They try to borrow the substance from another person, but it shows. Associating with such leaders is highly risky. They can sink you without you realizing it. Rehoboam was a leader without substance. After being overran by the king of Egypt this is what happened. 2 Chronicles 12:10-11, Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. And whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom. Rehoboam was putting on a show. A show of regality that was false. His term as king was no where close to his father, Solomon. He continued to have skirmishes with Jeroboam who took over most of Israel. Totally sad. All because he no longer followed God. . 2 Chronicles

When there is a leadership change, especially if it is not based on a smooth transition, things can get a little unpredictable and sometimes out of hand. Ever experienced that? I see heads nodding. The people of Israel had the same challenge. The new leader for the 10 tribes of Israel started to worship other gods and so many things changed. 2 Chronicles 11:14, For the Levites left their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the Lord. 2 Chronicles 11:16, And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. We would always assume that when the king of Israel rebelled against God, the people did the same. There were those who still worshiped God and came to Jerusalem. I would do the same, when this new king Jeroboam instituted worship of idols and even Sa

My first job that I took upon returning to Malaysia was a management consulting position. We were a small team, but it was going to grow into a significant entity implementing many strategic projects. The one incident I will never forget is when the Managing Director of the firm called me into his office for a general chat about my employment. He said, "be careful of what you say to clients, because they will take it as the gospel truth". I took that to mean I must make sure that I am absolutely sure of the advice, before I give it. Rehoboam started a downward spiral in relation to taking advice. 2 Chronicles 10:6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 2 Chronicles 10:8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. Two different groups and two very different advices. Whi

The hospitality industry is all about service and upkeep. I remember reviewing the operations of a small hotel in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. There was no service. The upkeep was questionable. No wonder they were losing business. Eventually they will get desperate and open for short hourly stays for illicit business. The situation was very different in Jerusalem during Solomon's days. 2 Chronicles 9:3-4, And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. Solomon attracted large trading partners and became very wealthy. He used the great wealth to showcase Jerusalem to the world. Its stature was world class. Hospitality was top grade. Excellence was normal. Everything was looked into with great thorough. Nothing left to ch

Logically speaking, knowledge should drive our actions. This means our head should drive our actions. However, this is not true. Just because we know something we do not necessarily let that knowledge dictate our actions. I remember studying irrational theory in economics. People are moved to consume or save not based on market information, but on their feelings. Solomon had some challenges here. 2 Chronicles 8:11, Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.” Why did he think his wife is not worthy to live in his home? He built a separate home for her. Was she doing something unholy? Was she unholy herself? Did Solomon marry her against God's directions and wisdom. We could go on guessing. However, we KNOW something is wrong and Solomon KNOWS it. However, he acted contrary to thi

Today I am part of a global round the clock prayer day that stretches over 48 hours because of the various timezones we are crossing. God is doing amazing things around the world and we know greater things are yet to come. As I sit and kneel to pray I am meditating on these verses from this famous chapter of Solomon's famous night encounter with God after the dedication of the newly built temple of God. 2 Chronicles 7:12-14, Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Solomon after a long week of dedication and celebration, was probably seeking God in the e

Do you pray? You may say I am not a praying man. One of the smartest man in ancient times is Solomon. He was a praying man. That tells me that if you are smart, you should be a praying man. This chapter that I read today is Solomon's prayer dedicating the temple built for God. This verse jumps out at me. 2 Chronicles 6:21, And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive. I read this on the web: The Jewish custom of facing Jerusalem for prayer may have influenced the Muslim Qiblah. ... When relations with the Jews soured, Muhammad changed the Qiblah towards Mecca. Another reason given why the Qiblah was changed is that Jews viewed the use of Jerusalem as signalling the Muslims' intention of joining their religion. As prescribed by Solomon, many today are facing Jerusalem for prayer. The Muslims initially did this because of the influence of Judaism

Do you believe in the supernatural? The dictionary uses the word unnatural to explain this word, and attributes this to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil. Personally, when I was a Hindu, I observed many supernatural things. A woman speaking with a man's voice. My cousin having her tongue pierced and needing no medical attention. People walking on fire with bare feet and not having their feet burned. But the greatest supernatural activity is by God himself. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14, indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. The glory of

Every time I add something to my to do list I am concerned about when I could and should complete the task. Every moment of my day and night is filled with things to do. I am glad I finished a book on the weekend. There are many things that keep getting added. But I am happy that many are also getting done. Solomon must have also felt happy when some of the many things about the temple were getting done. 2 Chronicles 4:11, Then Huram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of God: Huram, the master craftsman from Tyre, finished his work. Who is Huram? What is his background? He received great acclaim and mention in the scriptures. 1 Kings 7:14, He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work. It app

In many instances, historic places claimed by multiple cultures and beliefs have to do with the places Abraham had been. In one case is where Isaac was taken by Abraham to perform a human sacrifice, in spite of Isaac being the only male child between Abraham and Sarah. It is Mount Moriah. In this chapter the great Solomon is building the temple in the same place. 2 Chronicles 3:1, Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan  the Jebusite. It also had another significance. The angel appeared to David here. The angel was bringing a plague against Jerusalem, but God stopped the angel there. God used the place to remind everybody that He is holy and in charge. Don't act in your own capacity. In ancient times they always inquired of the Lord. Father, I will always wait on you for any action that I take.

I am very grateful to the Lord for all the different employment and business opportunities He had given me over the years. Each one was perfectly designed and timed. The first job I had in Malaysia gave me exposure to many industries, including property development and construction. This gives me a better appreciation of what is being said in this chapter (2 Chronicles 2). However, the reading that stands out for me is this. 2 Chronicles 2:5-6, And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him? God cannot be contained. He is not a statue. He is not a living creature that we can touch, cut and burn like a tree, wood, metal object or picture. The God of the universe cannot be limited. Solomon was building a temple to honor God, but not to contain Him. I am so blessed to know

When you love somebody so greatly you go out of your way to splurge on them. You don't count the time or the cost. You can spend much time with them and you do not think of the time. In fact you feel time flies by so quickly. You make sacrifices to meet their needs, and even their wants. Solomon felt the same way about his dedication to God. Of course with God it's not about needs or wants. 2 Chronicles 1:6, And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. Solomon was highly acclaimed in his days. People greatly acknowledged his wisdom. They came from many lands and with great gifts to listen to his wisdom. How did he get all this wisdom? What is his secret? Solomon communed with God and a discourse happened. 2 Chronicles 1:9-12, Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

Have you ever given to charity? We can be very tight fisted with our money since what we have is needed for our needs. We constantly look at ways and means to protect it and grow it. But David and the people of Israel had a different view about the assets they had. 1 Chronicles 29:14, But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. The verse says, "all things come from you". And so when we give, we are giving something that God has given. If everything comes from God then we can only give it away or spend it the way God would want it. He is the final authority over our cash and assets. Father, this requires a paradigm shift. I am a child of God and I will submitted to God in how I protect, grow and spend the assets and cash in my hands.

In my days in primary and secondary schools (equivalent of elementary and high schools) we would have school assemblies at the start of the week. We were required to wear the school tie and sing the national, state and school anthems. Significant matters were announced, awards were given and sometimes warnings were given. King David likewise had a big assembly. 1 Chronicles 28:1, Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor. He made a significant announcement. The temple was going to be built and his son Solomon was going to do it. Everyone expected that David would do it. He had the masterplan, the detailed drawings and the materials. They were all ready. But, the work was to be le

I shared about how we need to get our accounting right. We also need to get our organization right. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a naturally organized person. I have to work hard at it. I now have two important apps to help me with this. I also developed a habit of writing everything down in a notebook. My apps are an electronic calendar and trello. Items that are in your head usually get jumbled up. Israel was also very organized, especially their military force. 1 Chronicles 27:1, And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand. It appears that most people of Israel that was not a Levite became part of the military force. They took turns to be on duty. A month at a time. The entire nation wa

In today's world, the accountant, the internal and external auditors, and anyone else that has responsibility for the oversight of financial matters have great expectations laid on them. The firm I used to work for had to be broken up and closed down, because a handful of partners of the firm decided that they could allow a certain way to recognize and report certain transactions. Financial integrity is important. The same thing was true in ancient times. 1 Chronicles 26:20, Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the dedicated things. The people of Israel kept collecting and giving to the temple. The funds were meant for the temple. They probably had simple cash accounting and a schedule of assets to record items in the temple. While this is all true, the subsequent kings started to use these assets for something other than the temple. The temple over time lost everything. The greatest contributor towards this action was that

What I am about to share may seem weird but it is one of the most memorable events of my life. As you may have read in my journey of faith, I became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of 14. I could not go to church until I left for Toronto. I got baptized with the Holy Spirit at the age of 17 and at the same age I was baptized in water in Lake Ontario. One night  when I was attending an evening service at Stone Church, I went forward for prayer in the middle of the worship time and received my gift of prophecy. It was simply amazing. It was also the first time I heard someone prophesying in song. Today I am reading about Jeduthun doing the same. 1 Chronicles 25:3, Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord. God has gifted us with music. At the same time He has a desire to speak to us in current times. We cannot no

A good old friend and well known global leader once said, "A short pencil is better than a long memory". I usually say it with a little twist. A short pencil is better than a "long lost" memory. Writing is such an essential tool in today's world as it was in ancient times. The challenge is maintaining everything through the ravages of war. In King David's times he also ensured that someone was writing. 1 Chronicles 24:6, And the scribe, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, one of the Levites, wrote them down before the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites, one father’s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar. The blessing of all this is that the Bible has become the oldest available document to detail the history of man. Some claim there are other documents, but when dating the oldest available writings, the bible comes out as the oldest and most complete historical