As I continued my journey through 2 Kings, I see this never-ending pattern of good things happening when a king consistently applied God’s principles and bad things when they didn’t. In today’s world, we often face the same issues. Except in our country, it’s not a king but a leader. It might be our leaders in congress or a decision made by leaders within a company or even a decision a coach makes in a sporting event.

Think about the things that have brought you the greatest reward. For me it’s simple; just knowing what the objectives are, getting them done, and feeling that I’ve accomplished something. The snag for me is always when the objectives are not clear. The king named Ahaz seemed to face a similar predicament. The objectives were not clear. In 2 Kings 16, he felt he had to go to extremes to get right with God. He sacrificed his own son in fire thinking that would set him on the right course. Thank goodness the way for us is to simply understand that God’s grace is enough. It’s enough to bring us home to a bright future. We don’t have to do the things the old way like they did in the Old Testament. We can all thank God for His love through Jesus who has paid for our past, present, and future sins.

Ahaz was in a rut and couldn’t get out. It takes guts to get out of the ruts and a king named Hezekiah had what it took. He listened to God, got busy, and confidently took actions to benefit his people. There’s a video about choosing to listen to God for direction, having the courage to do what’s right, and staying on course. Here is the link: Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns.

The lesson for me in this reading is that we should stand firm with God’s principles and be like a beacon of light for others to follow. Take a look at the photo of the week. 

Mark