The Kings

I am reading about the kings that reigned over Israel in the OT. I am fascinated with the things they were able to accomplish at such a young age and how God used them and sometimes punished them. Everything was about pride.

I find the story of Uzziah the most intriguing. He was 16 when he became king and he did a great job as king, up until the last days of his life, when he succumbed to his selfish desires=pride. Ultimately he stopped seeking God, didn't talk to Him as much and assumed he was doing a great job all by himself. Unfortunately he forgot that His God was doing the prospering...not him. He was the most powerful person in the entire kingdom as king, he could do ANYTHING. However, there was one thing he could not do, and this may be the reason he tried. He felt He deserved the honor of burning incense on the altar in the temple. Azariah, the priest, and 80 other BRAVE priest approached him and told him he couldn't do this! He was not allowed/permitted to burn incense. They called him unfaithful and a disgrace. He got all hot tempered and was getting all over them when he broke out in leprosy and was rushed out of the temple. He knew he was wrong and above all he knew the skin disease was a punishment from God.

It amazed me to see the boldness and determination of the priests to keep the Temple pure and holy. They could have been killed on the spot by command from the king and surely they knew this. However, their job was to ensure that the Temple be a place of praise and glory for God. God, in the end was glorified and took care of the prideful attitude of this king.

What's so sad is that Uzziah spent the rest of his life in quarantine and was never allowed to enter the Temple of God. He was cut off from everything. He had leprosy for the rest of his life. Even after his life was over he continued to be punished by not being granted a king's royal burial. The skin disease prohibited him from being buried in the royal cemetery. He died and was only remembered as "the guy with the skin disease". How sad is that? He did so much good. He made the country a better place. He had a strong military. However, because he allowed his relationship with God to dwindle, his great name was reduced to basically nothing.

I pray that God would humble me every single time I think I am doing fine on my own or when I feel like I've got things under control. God, never let me behave in such a way that I forget that you are God alone. You never change. You never falter. Help me trust you.

I am a runner!

Not in the putting on my Nike's and hitting the road sense, but in the Christian faith, yes. I have always read the scriptures about "pressing on toward the prize" and "run the race with endurance", but I am realizing more and more that I am in a relationship with God and I am running either with or away from God. I have to realize that I am in a race and run like I mean it. I can't allow myself to "hit the wall" when I am challenged or just get tired. I have to depend on God to guide me and lead me through, over or under the trials I will face. Beth Moore made it clear in saying that sometimes we go through the fire, sometimes God allows us to avoid it and sometimes God decides to take us home. I just want to glorify my Savior and show others the love of God through my relationship with Him. Are you a runner?