Uzziah
Part 2
(Reminder: I’m doing an A to Z devotional blog.)
Last week we dove inside this Scripture:
“The year King Uzziah died I saw the Lord! He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the Temple was filled with his glory.” (Isaiah 6:! LB)
King Uzziah was 16 years old when he ascended the throne, and he reigned 52 years. What kind of king was he?
“He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done.” (2 Chronicles 26:4 NLT)
So we have a good king who’s great friends with the prophet Isaiah. That’s not all. Check this out:
“Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” (2 Chronicles 26:5 NLT)
He had a godly instructor—his own personal pastor—and he wisely followed the advice of Zechariah. Uzziah consistently sought God’s guidance and prayed for his nation. But that’s not all. Check this out:
“But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God. . . ” (2 Chronicles 26:16 NLT)
When his godly influence passed away, you’d think Uzziah would’ve had such a strong relationship with God, he would have simply continued in godly leadership. But instead of seeking after God on his own, he simply gave up and followed the influence of the culture in which he lived.
What a tragic mistake.
He became prideful and assumed he could run his life and the country on his own. The result? His life fell apart.
We all have godly influencers in our lives (hopefully). But no matter how solid your pastor, spouse, evangelist, missionary or friend is in Christ, we still need to solidify our own relationship with Christ.
Whose responsibility is it to ensure you actually grow in Christ and develop strong spiritual roots?
The apostle Paul gives us the answer:
“See that you go on growing in the Lord and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.” (Colossians 2:7 LB)
King Uzziah failed to accept the responsibility to continue his spiritual growth after his personal pastor died.
May we never make this mistake.
Let’s take our spiritual responsibility seriously.
It’s up to YOU to nurture your relationship with your Savior.
OK, but what does this really mean?
It means if you’re a parent, you build into your kids’ lifestyles that being in church and Sunday school (or Power Hour) is what we do.
It’s non-negotiable.
Some of our teens have told Pastor Joden they haven’t been consistent in church enough yet to actually have a personal faith.
If I were a parent, this would horrifically frighten me.
Parents will have to account for this someday before the Almighty.
What else does it mean to nurture our relationship with Christ?
It means we make reading the Bible a good, daily habit. Even if it’s just for one minute a day. It means we pray daily—seeking His will, listening for His direction, placing our trust in Him.
It means we give God our finances . . . all of them . . . and let Him have complete control.
The game UNO is never mentioned in the Bible. Probably a good thing. The disciples may have been tempted to spend more time playing cards than fishing for people.
Love,
Susie
