You just have to look

Today we said goodbye to the Sea of Galilee. Our first stop was Har Megido which is known as Armegeddon. It's about 5500 years old which makes it one of the three oldest cities in the world. We discussed the types of worship that took place there and considered what we worship in our own lives. What do you worship? We are living in God's grace, but one day, he will remove his grace and pour out his wrath. Live with a sense of urgency. We also visited Solomon's Stables from 890BC. There were enough stalls for 450 horses. We thought of Solomon as a wise King because he asked God for wisdom. However, he did many things that God told him not to do, like own many horses (he had 40,000 total), purchase horses from Egypt, had many wives, married a princess of Egypt. Why was he called a man after God's own heart, then? Because he did what we all should do - he repented. Admit your sins, repent and turn away from those sins and talk to someone about your struggle.

Our second stop was Mt. Carmel located in the Jezreel Valley. This is where Elijah told Ahab there would be no rain for 3 years because of the people's idolatry towards Baal and Ashera. To show the people that the Lord is God, Elijah and the Baal prophets both built altars and prayed for fire to consume the altar. Baal did not provide fire, but God did after 12 buckets of water were poured over the altar. Afterwards, Jezebel put a bounty on Elijah and he ran to the desert. He was ready to give up. God provided him with shade, food and water which sustained him for 40 days as he traveled to Mt. Horab. What's the lesson? God never changes. He is with us on the mountaintops and in the valleys. You just have to look. Jezebel ended up being eaten by dogs as was prophesied. What's the lesson there? God always keeps his word.

Our third stop was Ceasarea by the Sea. This was during the time of Jesus. Herod the Great built a palace for Augustus that jutted out into the Mediterranean Sea. It was built so that the whole world would know there is a Herod. There are two kinds of legacies. The kind that let's the whole world know there is a God. The other is to let everyone know there is us. Which kind of legacy are you leaving? The palace, I imagine, was beautiful, but all that remains are bits and pieces. Don't let that be your legacy, too.

We are in Jerusalem now. I know God has much more for us on our trip. Continue to pray that we will have eyes to see and ears to hear.