II Chronicles 15:2 …The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
No One is Entitled
The Bill Rice Ranch sits not six miles from where a Civil War skirmish was fought. I am not referring to the Battle of Stones River, but to the fighting at a little four-way stop called Triune. In any event, a lot of fighting happened in this area. Many Americans in that civil war wondered, “Whose side is God on?” Abraham Lincoln said, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
Well, in Israel of old, they were fighting a civil war much like our own Civil War. I suppose people on both sides of the divided nation were likewise wondering whose side God was on. There was a king, Asa, the king of Judah. He was a good king. II Chronicles 14:2 tells us, “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” He was a king of the chosen line of David, and he had a fantastic track record. He took away the altars of the strange gods, he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, he took out of the cities of Judah the high places, he built fenced cities, and he sought the Lord God.
So, how amazing that after a good track record and an astounding victory from God, God sent a man, Azariah, to Asa, not with words of celebration or congratulations, but with a warning. He said, “Hear ye me Asa… the LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”
Why a warning at this place in his life? It is because when we do well, come from a good position, and consider ourselves a good person, it is very easy to feel entitled. We think, “Hey, God is with me.” God is never with you if you mean that God is going to follow you around. No, God is with you if you are with Him. We have a choice. The New Testament says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
The prophet goes on to say, “Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble turned unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.”
The long and short of this is that no one is entitled. No one, no matter your nationality, position, history or denomination, has the title deed to a great relationship with God. Did Asa take this to heart? Initially, he certainly did. The Bible tells us that he deposed the queen mother because she had made an idol in a grove. He was ruthless because he realized that no one is entitled. God is with me as long as I am with Him. There is joy in serving Jesus, but, more importantly, there is joy in seeking and loving Him.
Two things characterize a person who does not feel entitled: gratitude and submission. Today, are you happy? If you are, then you are not entitled. Are you joy-filled? If you are, it is not because you feel entitled. Are you living in submission? If you are, you are certainly not feeling entitled. The happiest people are those who are gratefully serving and seeking God Almighty. The Bible says, “And all Judah rejoiced… for they… sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them.”