June 20 - 2 Kings 14:1-14 | 2 Chronicles 25:1-24 | 2 Kings 13:12-13 | 2 Kings 14:15-16 | 2 Kings 14:23-27 | 2 Chronicles 25:25-28 | 2 Kings 14:17-22 | 2 Kings 15:1-5 | 2 Chronicles 26:1-21 | Jonah 1:1-4:11

Good morning everyone,

Pride by definition is a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people: a feeling that you are more important or better than other people. Proverbs 8:13 tells us that God hates pride and arrogance, evil ways and perverse conversation; these render men unwilling to hear his humbling, awakening, holy instructions. This morning we read about two kings whose pride was their downfall.

Amaziah, king of Judah was twenty five years old when he took the throne. We’re told he did what was right in the eyes of the the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. He liked to do war and apparently was very successful at it ….. until he wasn’t. Amaziah challenged Joash, king of Israel to battle. Joash tried to warn him off, his own advisors tried to warn him off, but Amaziah’s pride spurred him on. Ultimately he was captured, Jerusalem’s treasures stolen and his own people would assassinate him. 

Then, we’re told, all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah, he reined for fifty two years and he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, temporarily bringing the nation out of idolatry. I like this kid. He was a real go getter, he made things happen. He was creative, inventive, he loved the soil he had people working fields and vineyards, he had a well trained army, he had a really good life ….. until he didn’t. Ahhh, pride! He was unfaithful to the Lord, presuming the position of a priest, lit incense in the temple. Azariah, the priest, backed up by eighty of his most courageous priests, (can you see these guys in the back ground kind of quivering but with mumbles of “yea, yea”) confronted the king. Uzziah became angry and while he was raging the Lord struck him with leprosy. He was banned from the temple and had to live in a separate house until the day he died. Tragic ending to a seemingly great life.

Over and over and over again we see it in scripture and in present day life how kind, humble, God fearing persons will slowly but ever so surely, let pride and arrogance, two of the enemy’s favorite tools, take over and destroy their lives. We forget that it is but by the grace of God that we have anything at all and that it all, in fact, belongs to Him. Right!? God calls us to avoid pride and take on humility as part of our character. Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” 

It hurts my heart, it makes me sad that Uzziah went down, and that Solomon went down and that so many others we that have read about started out so well, but ended up choosing to be out of the grace of God. The lives of these men have been documented for us in the Bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) so that we can learn. So that we can recognize and fight the enemy before he gets a foothold in our lives. Friends, heed the warnings. Don’t let these men’s life stories be in vain. Don’t be sucker punched, subtly blinded by the enemy. God loves us. He loves you and he loves me, He desperately does not want to see us taken down by the the father of lies, Satan or his demons; quite the contrary, it is God’s deepest desire to bless us abundantly. Right on?

One quick thing about Jonah, it was fun to read the story today! Like visiting an old friend, yes? It is a great “mind’s eye” story, seeing Jonah just kicking the dust, sleeping in the hull of a ship, pouting on the hill above Nineveh. Man, while reading about Jonah this morning I thought, “how could you not want everyone to go to heaven?” Think about it. Hell is a for real place, a forever nightmare. The Bible tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation, God wants to see us ALL there :-) 

Alright, I’m out. A huge “thank you” from the bottom of my heart to all of you who are so faithful to follow me in my daily devotional. You totally help me to stay on task and faithful to what I truly believe God wants me to do. I love you guys and pray for you all of the time.

Have a brilliant day and to God be the glory!

God bless you all …