Read: 2 Kings 20:1-22:2
Have you ever been to a family reunion and wondered how in the world you came to be a part of such an odd group of people? Why do some family members seem to share your values and your sense of humor while others are so...well...not like you?
In each story in 2 Kings, we read the name of the father and the mother. Yet it made no difference. Hezekiah followed the Lord and believed his promises. But two generations after him did not; this angered the Lord and cost the Israelites. The family did not matter; it was who the man was that mattered, and whether he obeyed the Lord.
We are all from families. Some of them are wonderful, some not so much. But we cannot blame who we are entirely on where we come from--if at all. What matters is this: we are individually accountable to God.
We cannot run to men or women to be safe, or to learn how to navigate this world, or to fulfill our needs. People cannot fully protect us from evil. Only the righteous--those who have the Holy Spirit living in them, those who choose to believe that the promises of God are true and that he is faithful and just--will be safe (Proverbs 18:10).
Reflect:
- How have you seen God's faithfulness in the past? Have you made the choice to believe God’s promises?
- How has where you come from affected your faith? Whom do you need to thank for giving you the example of obeying The Lord?
- What do you need to break free of or to stop using as an excuse, so you can grow closer to God?
