This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey

Last week, I wrote about King Hezekiah who stood up to what was wrong with the society he ruled and had the courage to take action. Unfortunately, his son’s heart was not focused on God and a corroded social-religious climate retuned. He became king at a very young age and did not have the knowledge or wisdom needed to rule. Neither did he have the character as he allowed idol worship to continue; resulting in decay of the moral fiber in the kingdom he ruled.

The lesson learned for me in this reading is to understand that life is a series of experiences that develops character and wisdom. We should aim to take these experiences and help others along life’s journey. We should try to be a good example; be a good parent, a good employee, a good friend, or a good mentor. We should try to walk in God’s ways.

Charles R. Swindoll who is the founder of Insight for Living and current pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas once said, “A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living”. As parents, friends, employees, or mentors, we can take our experiences and make them useful to the people we know.  

Thanks for letting me share with you this week. Here is the link to this week’s photo of the week which sums up for me this week’s passage.

Mark

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

As I continued my journey through 2 Kings, I read about one king named Jehu who tried to improve society for the better. Jehu reigned for twenty eight years and as recorded in 2 Kings 10, set out to rid his kingdom of idol worship. His efforts pleased God but Jehu was inconsistent in other areas; therefore the potential of his people and his kingdom where not fully realized.

There are many examples today of leaders that have good ideas but are inconsistent or they just don’t follow through. As I look back on my own life, there are some inconsistencies that held me back. I wish I would have been more involved in youth activities at my church growing up. There are so many resources that churches can give to young people. Other things like using my time wisely and studying harder in high school would’ve also helped.

I’ve gotten in touch with some old high school friends recently on facebook. It’s going on 30 years now since I graduated. Sometimes I think my best days are behind me but then I think about it for a while and realize I’m way off base. There’s a lot to look forward to; there’s still time to help others; to be a father, an uncle, or mentor. There’s a video I found that talks about the need to keep working and looking ahead. Here’s the link: Not Home Yet by Steven Curtis Chapman. I can look forward to the day when God calls me home but I’m not home yet. With the time I have left, I hope I can be a good example and hand off some knowledge, skills, and resources to the next group or generation.

I watch very little TV nowadays except for sports. If I get any spare time, I’ll go on facebook or look for videos that might give some encouragement. I came across a video of the coach’s halftime speech in the movie “Any Given Sunday”. The team was behind and the coach needed to get his players fired up for the second half. He tells them that it was up to them to climb their way back into the game inch by inch. He said that a team that fights for every inch will win. The players start to get fired up. You can see it in their eyes and they run out of the locker room ready to claw their way back into the game inch by inch. If all Christians would fight for every inch together, there would be no limits to what we could do.

Sometimes a picture or video can tell a story better than words. Our church uses multi-media within our worship service. I started helping run the computer for the 10:50 service a few years back. Recently, I began a hobby of looking for photos or videos in my spare time that tie together thoughts from Bible readings. They help to highlight a lesson that can be learned from a chapter or part of a chapter. This week’s photo helps to sum up what 2 Kings 10 means to me. Link photo of the week.

Sometime this week, think about the things that encourage you. What is it that makes you keep working hard and looking to the future? What is it that makes you want to fight for every inch? What is it that makes you want to finish each day, each week, and each year strong? In your prayers, thank God for these things and ask for His continued support.    

Mark