1 Chronicles 26:10 (KJV) The Ice Cream Lesson

1 Chronicles 26:10 (KJV)

Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons; Simri the chief, (for though he was not the firstborn, yet his father made him the chief;)

We had a father in the last church I pastored who was fairly well off and had made his income on his own. He did not grow up in a wealthy home. He just had a gift for making money. I can’t explain it, and I doubt he could have either. He was soft-spoken, giving, kind, and gracious. But he could make money.

Having the resources he did, he did not want his children to think of themselves as entitled. He wanted them to know the realities of life. So he did things with his kids that some of us might question. For instance, he would pull into an ice cream stand and buy just one of them a cone. He chose which one. He chose randomly—not based on who had done something right or who had just come from the dentist. He simply chose one and gave that child something they did not deserve, and did not give it to the others—who sat there watching their sibling eat it.

He wanted them to understand that life is like that. It cannot be explained—life is simply not fair.

I think Hosah illustrates a theme that carries throughout this chapter. We read of strong men, men of valour, able men for strength, great men—and for every one of them there must have been small men, weak men, less able men, ill men, even cowardly men.

For every leader, there are hundreds—sometimes thousands—of followers. Seldom in life do we get to choose which we are.

Though Simri was not the firstborn, his father made him chief of his brethren anyway. I wonder what his brethren were to do?

I do not want to imply that we should be fatalists, accepting our station in life without any effort to improve. But I will say this: one will always be better off if he accepts that things are not always fair and does not allow himself to grow envious of those who have more substance, live in a healthier body, enjoy a brighter mind, or gain a promotion we would have liked.

Sometimes someone else gets the ice cream cone. It’s just not going to do us any good to be upset about it.

Better to be faithful than bitter.

#FaithOverFairness #BeFaithfulNotBitter #BibleTruths #ContentmentInChrist #ServeWhereYouAre

The Ice Cream Lesson: About Envy and Faithfulness

What do you do when life doesn’t feel fair? Have you ever watched someone else receive what you hoped for?

Drop a comment below—I’d genuinely like to hear how you’ve handled those moments.

For more Bible-centered encouragement, teaching resources, and materials to help you stay faithful where God has placed you, visit 👉 marvinmckenzie.org

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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1 Chronicles 26:10 (KJV) The Ice Cream Lesson

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1 Chronicles 25:31 (KJV) The Strangest Name in the Bible

1 Chronicles 25:31 (KJV)

The four and twentieth to Romamtiezer, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve.

I’ve come to the subject of this daily visit with God in a rather roundabout way. When I first read the name Romamtiezer in verse 4, it struck me. “I don’t hear many folks naming their children that these days!” Then his name shows up again at the end of the chapter. He’s only mentioned here—but what a name.

I got curious.

He is the son of Heman, a musician in the house of the LORD for David. We are told that Heman was a seer, or prophet, in the words of God; that he prophesied through instruments of music; and that his children followed him as musicians in the house of the LORD.

The name Romamtiezer means “I have exalted help.” Heman’s other children have equally significant and spiritual names:

• Hananiah — “The LORD has been gracious”
• Hanani — “Gracious” or “favored”
• Mattaniah — “Gift of the LORD”
• Uzziel — “God is my strength”
• Shebuel — “Returned to God” or “captive of God”
• Jerimoth — likely “He is exalted”
• Eliathah — “My God has come” or “God has arrived”
• Giddalti — “I have magnified” or “I have made great”
• Joshbekashah — “The LORD judges”
• Mallothi — possibly “I have spoken” or “utterance”
• Hothir — “abundance” or “overflow”
• Mahazioth — “visions” or “revelations”
• Bukkiah — “emptied by the LORD”

Heman, and therefore his children, were descendants of the prophet Samuel, so their heritage is rich. Though Samuel’s own sons were not great spiritual leaders, the family line that followed him did live for God.

Psalm 88 is attributed to Heman and is one of the saddest psalms in Scripture. He was a man who knew deep affliction and sorrow, yet remained faithful in ministry, in music, and in his family.

I want to key in on the concept of prophecy, or preaching. Heman’s whole life was a sermon:

• His words
• His service
• And his raising of a family

May God grant us more men like Heman!

#LivingSermon #GodlyHeritage #FaithfulInTheHouse #ExaltedHelp #PreachWithYourLife

The Strangest Name in the Bible: It Still Preaches Today

What stood out to you most in this passage?

Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts and how this truth speaks into your life today.

If you’re hungry for more Bible teaching like this, visit marvinmckenzie.org for books, resources, and daily encouragement to help you grow in the Word of God.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 25:31 (KJV) The Strangest Name in the Bible

1 Chronicles 23:27 (KJV) You Can’t Trust Leaders, Time, or Culture

1 Chronicles 23:27 (KJV)

For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:

David had his faults, to be sure. One of the evidences of the supernatural nature of the Bible is that it is honest about its heroes. Every one of them was as human as we are—warts and all. Every one of them, that is, except Christ. He is as human as we are in the temptations He experienced—yet without sin.

David had his faults. But there is very little question about his calling, his devotion, and his greatness as a leader. His final years were spent dedicated to the advancement of the faith among the people of Israel. I can’t help but think of how far his nation strayed from the standards he instituted.

• Some of it was caused simply by human failing. Even Solomon strayed enough that things were set up for a fall.
• Some of it was caused by the passing of time and the handing off of leadership. Rehoboam, the first king anointed without David’s immediate supervision, witnessed the nation divide into two.
• Some of it was caused by international affairs. I don’t suppose there has been a time in history, since the age of government, that nations haven’t tried to take over others. The battle to maintain or gain power, as it has in every nation, had a huge impact on the direction of Israel—politically, economically, and spiritually.

Nothing has changed—for Israel, for the nations of the world, or for the United States. The failings of men, the passing of time and administrations, and the pressures of international affairs demand that governments change. Politics, economics, and even spiritual influences are subject to change.

So here’s the personal application. You and I cannot depend upon any of those to maintain our walk with God. If we are to have a growing, true, and vital relationship with the Lord, we’re going to have to see to that personally.

I do not mean that we do this alone. God has never endorsed that. But He has instituted a place whereby we may grow together in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

That place is small congregations of believers of like faith and practice, organized independently of an outside headquarters and committed to carrying out the one commission Christ gave.

That place is the local New Testament Baptist church.

#FaithfulToTheEnd #LocalChurchMatters #StandStrongInTruth #WalkWithGodDaily #BiblicalLeadership

You Can’t Trust Leaders, Time, or Culture—Here’s What You Can Trust

Are you guarding your walk with God—or just assuming it will hold?
Leave a comment below and share what helps you stay faithful in changing times. Your insight could strengthen someone else.

For more Bible teaching, resources, and encouragement, visit marvinmckenzie.org and stay anchored in truth.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 23:27 (KJV) You Can’t Trust Leaders, Time, or Culture

1 Chronicles 22:8–9 (KJV) Private Interpretation or Plain Truth?

1 Chronicles 22:8–9 (KJV)

But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

I’m thinking just now of Adonijah assuming the throne of his father without consulting the king. I’m thinking of the prophet Nathan and of Bathsheba approaching the aging David with the problem. They not only knew that it was David’s wish that Solomon be the next king, but that it was Solomon who had been instructed to build the Temple, and that it had been God who told King David that it would be Solomon who was to succeed him on the throne.

Though I know of no other place in the Bible where God is said to have told David it was specifically Solomon who would succeed him, I need no other reference than this. I believe the Bible, and I believe David. Further, it is obvious that this message had been communicated to Bathsheba, and likely through Nathan the prophet. It is not a private interpretation.

I am reminded once again that the Bible is a whole book. One must take into account all the Word of God and not cherry-pick verses without considering the whole. So many doctrines I believe to be false (i.e., baptismal regeneration, certain reformed or Calvinistic doctrines, modalism, etc.) are built upon an almost stubborn, tunnel-vision interpretation of isolated passages. There is value in sometimes focusing on what one passage says about a thing, and it is wise to remember that, in our human limitations, we probably never tie things in perfectly. Still, we must not allow ourselves to force a passage to mean something that is inconsistent with the Bible as a whole.

#BibleStudy #WholeCounselOfGod #KingSolomon #RightlyDividingTheWord #BiblicalTruth

Private Interpretation or Plain Truth? What the Bible Really Says

What do you see in this passage—did God make His choice unmistakably clear, or do you see it differently? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d like to hear how you’re connecting Scripture with Scripture.

For more Bible studies, teaching resources, and full lessons, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore the material available there.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 22:8–9 (KJV) Private Interpretation or Plain Truth?

1 Chronicles 19:19 (KJV) Don’t Drag Others Into Your Battles

1 Chronicles 19:19 (KJV)

And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and became his servants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

I can’t help but think that everything in this chapter could have been avoided if Ammon had simply reached out and communicated first.

• If the king had asked questions instead of believing his advisors—who assumed David must be spying on them…
• If he had chosen to apologize rather than hiring an army to fight David…
• If the Syrians had chosen to be peacemakers instead of mercenaries…

They grabbed the dog by the ear—and they were bound to get bit.

It’s amazing how many battles are fought in this one chapter, and yet every time, David and Israel prevail. I’m sure they were good soldiers, but surely the Syrians were too. Something else was at work here—something supernatural, something heavenly. Under David’s reign in this chapter, Israel is never put to the worse. The odds of that happening naturally are not realistic. It is evidence of the hand of God upon them.

Here’s the part of the passage that strikes me: by the end of the chapter, the Bible says Syria never helped Ammon again. It doesn’t say Syria never fought Israel again—it says they never helped Ammon again.

Ammon lost an ally because they chose to fight instead of communicate… to resist instead of reconcile… to escalate instead of humble themselves.

If you choose to resist God, that is your right.

But don’t try to draw others into your resistance.

#ChoosePeaceNotPride #WhenPrideStartsWars #GodGivesTheVictory #FightingGodNeverWins #LostAlliesThroughPride

Don’t Drag Others Into Your Battles: They Started the Fight—But Lost Their Ally

What do you think—have you ever seen a situation where someone pulled others into a fight that should have stayed personal? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d like to hear your perspective.

For more clear, Bible-centered teaching like this, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore the resources available there.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 19:19 (KJV) Don’t Drag Others Into Your Battles