Monday, August 4, 2008

When is enough, ENOUGH?

How easily do you give up? What does it take for you to throw in the towel and call it a day? When is enough, enough? I am ashamed to admit that it is far too easy for me to get to that point. I am afraid that patience and long suffering is an area that God still needs to grow me. Raising my children is a constant reminder for me that this is NOT one of my strengths. Gods Word paints a similar story, His patience is tried to the breaking point during Jeremiah’s mission and He has made the decision to bring His children to account for the way they have behaved.
King Hezekiah’s earlier reforms only lasted until his son succeeded him. Suddenly following the series of bad leadership that followed, a king of a different sort appears on the scene. His name was Josiah and like Hezekiah he too made sweeping reforms. He removed the offensive idols to Baal from the temple, the Asherah poles from the high places and burned them in the Kidron Valley. He cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the One True God. He also combed the countryside for unauthorized places of worship and killed hundreds of priests that served other gods like Molech (the vile god of the people of Ammon) & Chemosh (the vile god of Moab). He made serious efforts to “thin the herd”, separate the “wheat from the chaff” and get Gods people back on track.
Previously, King Hezekiah was rewarded for reforms such as these, by being given an additional 15 years of life. By contrast, Josiah was he rewarded only by being spared from witnessing himself, the destruction of the kingdom he fought so hard to protect. Josiah’s reign is truly a high point in the history of Judah, but it will not be enough to atone for three centuries of sinning on the part of Israel. The apparent lesson is that sin sometimes sets in motion certain consequences, which even subsequent good intentions cannot forestall.
But for Jesus, we too would be feeling the full wrath of God, as He grows impatient with our wayward behavior and hearts. I lean on Christ to remain vigilant and ALL IN!

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