It's been stated that many people can withstand the test of adversity, but few can withstand the test of prosperity. Take an ancient king, Uzziah, as an example.
"And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah ... He did right in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him." (2 Chronicles 26:1, 4-5)
So far, so good. A sixteen-year-old boy, under the godly influence of a prophet of God, rules righteously. And, as he does so, God prospers him. But, as is so often the case, the seeds of destruction are sown in success.
"But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." (2 Chronicles 26:16)
"Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling." (Proverbs 16:18) For all the good that King Uzziah did, he lived out his last days in isolation as an unclean leper. Pride was his downfall.
The inherent danger of being used of God is that we can much too easily attribute His work to ourselves. We can begin to believe that what He is doing in and through us is what we are doing in our own strength and wisdom. Pride begins to rear its ugly head.
"God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6) Pride and humility work a bit like magnets. With God, pride is like the same polar charge: they strongly repel each other. Humility, however, is like polar opposites: they are attracted and drawn to each other.
The lessons from the life of King Uzziah are of the danger of pride, but also of the opportunity of humility: "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10) May our Father find each of us to be humble servants whom He can strengthen and support as we live for Him today.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
"And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah ... He did right in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him." (2 Chronicles 26:1, 4-5)
So far, so good. A sixteen-year-old boy, under the godly influence of a prophet of God, rules righteously. And, as he does so, God prospers him. But, as is so often the case, the seeds of destruction are sown in success.
"But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." (2 Chronicles 26:16)
"Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling." (Proverbs 16:18) For all the good that King Uzziah did, he lived out his last days in isolation as an unclean leper. Pride was his downfall.
The inherent danger of being used of God is that we can much too easily attribute His work to ourselves. We can begin to believe that what He is doing in and through us is what we are doing in our own strength and wisdom. Pride begins to rear its ugly head.
"God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6) Pride and humility work a bit like magnets. With God, pride is like the same polar charge: they strongly repel each other. Humility, however, is like polar opposites: they are attracted and drawn to each other.
The lessons from the life of King Uzziah are of the danger of pride, but also of the opportunity of humility: "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10) May our Father find each of us to be humble servants whom He can strengthen and support as we live for Him today.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
posted by steve @ 9:18 AM
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