May the mumbling commence!
Hard times will make us show our true colors. It is true.
But, so do times of success and power.
King Hezekiah of Judah faced both circumstances in his lifetime. Which one tripped him up? Read from Second Chronicles chapter
thirty-two:
And Sennacherib's officials further mocked the Lord
God and his servant Hezekiah, heaping insult upon insult. The king also sent letters scorning the Lord, the God of Israel. He wrote, "Just as the
gods of all the other nations failed to rescue their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail." The Assyrian officials who brought the
letters shouted this in the Hebrew language to the people gathered on the walls
of the city, trying to terrify them so it would be easier to capture the
city. These officials talked about the God of Jerusalem as though
he were one of the pagan gods, made by human hands.
Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah
son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven. And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the
Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib returned home in disgrace to his own land. And when he
entered the temple of his god, some of his
own sons killed him there with a sword.
That is how the Lord rescued Hezekiah and the people of
Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the others who
threatened them. So there was peace at last throughout the land. From then on King Hezekiah became highly
respected among the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the Lord arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah,
too.
About that time, Hezekiah became deathly
ill. He prayed to the Lord, who
healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the
kindness shown him, and he became proud.
So the Lord's
anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented
of his pride, and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves.
So the Lord's
anger did not come against them during Hezekiah's lifetime. (Verses 16-26)
A vast army was laying siege to Jerusalem. Hezekiah did not flinch. Hezekiah became deathly ill, but he did not
flinch. Hezekiah was a master of hard
times.
And the Lord God rewarded him with money and power and
miraculous signs. People honored him,
and Hezekiah began to believe that he deserved the honor and wealth. Success brought Hezekiah down. He became proud.
And pride brings the anger of the Lord. Hezekiah saw this coming and repented of his
pride. All Jerusalem humbled themselves
before the Lord and disaster was avoided.
Let’s be very careful when we encounter success. Let’s remember who is at the center of our
lives. Let’s remember whom we
serve. Read from First Corinthians
chapter nine:
If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would
deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good
News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher.
This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have
become a servant of everyone so that
I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Jews, I become one of them
so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish
laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can
bring them to Christ. When I am with the
Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can.
In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. (Verses
17-21)
Let’s not drink too deeply from the compliments that
people give us. We will be poisoned with
pride if we do. Let us instead adhere to
the Law of God and the Law of Christ.
Let’s remember whom we serve. We
serve Jesus, and we serve the people of God.
Yet, we serve the people of God not for their own interests but within
the structure that the Spirit of the Living God gives us.
Bottom line – it’s all about the Lord; it is
NOT about me.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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