To gain character and wisdom, we read God’s word. Today, we read 2 Kings 21. Remember that 15 years of life was added to Hezekiah after he had been told he would die. He had pleading with God in a prayer, and God gave him 15 bonus years. This impacted his family in a big way because the next king named Manasseh was born during these bonus years. Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king.

Unfortunately, Manasseh did not follow the example of His father Hezekiah who had destroyed the high places (v. 3). Manasseh was a negative influence as he erected altars to Baal, sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists (v. 5). As a result, disaster and chaos was brought upon Jerusalem.

To be a positive influence for others going forward, we can take the advice of my pastor from years ago named Steve Ramsdell who once said in a sermon, “The best way is God’s path. We can enroll in God’s school of wisdom and apply this wisdom in our life. The book of Proverbs is the textbook to the course”.

This day with You God, we gain wisdom from your Word, from sermons, and the experiences we go through. This wisdom gained is food for our soul. These lessons and the Holy Spirit speaking to us deep in our hearts help us step ahead to being a good parent, good employee, good friend, or good mentor as we walk in Your ways. Amen.