Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

“Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.  He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.  And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.  From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.”—II Kings 18:5-8

Hezekiah, King of Judah was the son of the evil King Ahaz. Ahaz had sacrificed one of his other sons to pagan gods, worshipped on the high places and under trees, was a puppet for the King of Assyria, and built his own altar at the temple of the Lord. But Hezekiah decided to reject his father’s wicked ways and took Judah in a much better direction by following Yahweh.

A common problem in Israel and Judah was not that they didn’t worship the one true and Living God, but that they blended their devotion to Him with the worship of many other false gods as well. Their affections were divided and this deeply grieved the heart of God. He not only wants to be put first in our lives, He is also a jealous God. He does not want to share His glory with anyone except His sons and daughters.

How do we know if we are blending our worship of God with idols? Take a look at your calendar and your bank account. You can tell who a person worships by what they spend their time, energy and resources on. Put Yahweh first in your life and you’ll be blessed as Hezekiah was.

“Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when my focus wanders away from You and Your Word. Help me to order my values and priorities rightly with You alone at the top. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.”

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

—Proverbs 3:5-6

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.—Hebrews 12:1-3