In May of 2011, a group of legislators challenged me to finish a book on Hezekiah. In 30 days, the 120 page book was completed. This is a small excerpt relative to our day. Even this excerpt has had 50% of the text of the chapter deleted to allow for a quick read of the high points. As we prepare for elections, it seems relevant.
Hezekiah was a God-Follower – It Rerouted His Life from Bad Example
II Kings 18: 5: He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” St. Francis of Assisi
Trust In God
…... Here is a man, who with little resource, pulled off the greatest upset against the giant of his day. His strongest resource was trust of God.
Common Creation
……Here is a man like us. Young, ambitious, and filled with a life of bad examples, he chose to set a different path. ……..
Greatness Enjoined Willingly By Others
…, he saw accomplished through leadership first in example and second in commanding action that so impressed others they left their commonness and joined him in greatness.
Cultural Imperatives
Our nation of the United States is under testing. Other nations have similar challenges. There is nothing new about the tests before us. Trials come in waves over the centuries. Equality is always questioned by some group and requires a constant adjustment as a nation of ever new citizens grows. Racial barriers rise in differing manners, but they will never totally subside. Poverty will always be with us and require constant adjustment and compassion to address. Distribution of wealth through taxation and business legal edicts will never be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. Governance issues of when and how much to restrict use of common resources and contain greed through legislative restraint remain. Freedoms of speech, religion, and self-assertion need protecting.
How we act today as states and nations leaves the next generation a different set of symptoms of problems than ours. The issues are the same at the core. Leadership cannot rest once an issue is significantly addressed. Leadership is required for continuance of peace and community stability and economic prosperity. Hezekiah had been left with pain and bad example. He left a better line to follow.
Action: Take time to remember a good example left you from the last generation. Too often we focus on the bad and miss the good. There is blessing you can carry forward stronger than the last generation.
Prayer: Father, pull from our heritage goodness. Yes, You placed goodness in our heritage from which we can grow. There is a path in our past meant to be stronger. Help us to sort through the bad and find the good. Help us to pass it on stronger and better.
Phil Larson 405-388-8037
to support financially:
PrayerMetro, Inc. 501c3 508 Tumbleweed Dr. Yukon, Ok 73099
Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said (CEV) Galatians 6:6
I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving. Philippians 4:17
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/PrayerMetro
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/prayermetro
Blog: http://prayermetrodevotion.blogspot.com
to unsubscribe reply with unsubscribe in the subject line.
No comments:
Post a Comment