Today's reading: Isaiah 6, 7; 2 Chronicles 26, 27; Philemon
S) " 2 He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; however he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people continued acting corruptly." - 2 Chronicles 27:2 (NASB)
O) If you read through First and Second Chronicles, you see all of the highs and lows for these successive kings. One king does well, the next does poorly, the next does well - it's a roller-coaster through the history of God's people. Over and over, we see models of kings who fail to raise their princes well, and so the son fails. Or, less often, we see kings who do raise their sons well and the kingdom does well. Here was have an in-between example. Uzziah had done a great job with the kingdom, up until his prideful demise (entering the temple). Apparently here, he taught his son (Jotham) well, even teaching him to avoid his terminal error. But as the final sentence tells us, the father still created grief for the son. Despite the fact that he taught his son well, Uzziah's mistake had begun leading his people astray, so Jotham had to deal with a corrupt people under him.
A) My goal as a parent is to raise my children in such a way that they grow up and serve God. They need to grow up knowing that He is real, and there is a relationship to be had with Him on a personal level. They need to know that there is grace and mercy from an ever-loving God, who desires them. A huge part of that, is teaching them the ways of the Lord. Another crucial element in that is the ability to humble myself before my kids, so that if I'm ever sinning in their presence I can admit that to them, and teach them the errors of my ways. But that's not enough. I need to remind myself daily, that my actions today will directly affect the issues they'll have tomorrow. Spiritually and emotionally, as their father and the king of the little kingdom God has given me, I have the ability to bless their future, or curse it. I have mercy and forgiveness through Jesus, but there are still natural and spiritual consequences for my actions, that will affect my children. I need to be sure that I'm not leaving my children to deal with a corrupt people under them.
P) Father, please forgive me for my sins. Thank you, for your mercy and forgiveness. Some one had to pay for my sins, and I thank you that in Jesus' sacrifice, there was a blood-purchase for my innocence. Thank you, Lord, for that grace. Holy Spirit, remind me daily that my actions affect more than just me. They affect my wife and marriage. They affect my children and family. Please give my wife and children grace in the bad seeds I may have sewn into their futures. Thank you for blessing my family thus far. Please keep your hand over my people, Lord. Please bless my "kingdom" in Jesus' name. Amen.
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