2 Chronicles 29
Scripture:
1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them.
4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side
5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.
6 Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the LORD’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him.
7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel.
8 Therefore, the anger of the LORD has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes.
9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.
10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.
11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”
Observation:
Hezekiah was a real man! At 25 years old, in the first month of his first year as king be began to set things right with the Lord. In other words, Hezekiah took responsibility and responded with action. As Spirit-Empowered Men, I believe, God has called us to be responsible at home, at work, in the church, and in the community. God needs more men like Hezekiah to say enough is enough and set their hearts on serving the Lord. Your family needs you to stand up and put the things of God first in your life. Your work place needs you to be the man of God in that environment and shine the light of Jesus to everyone around you. Your church need Spirit-Empowered Men to lead in prayer, worship, giving, and acts of service. Your community needs Godly men to be role-models for others to follow. Hezekiah showed us how it’s done. Will you be that man?
Application:
- Personal Application: Take responsibility for who God has called you to be, at home, at work, in the church, and in the community.
- Family Devotional: Read this chapter to your family. Explain how you, as the priest of the home, carry the responsibility of modeling what it looks like to serve the Lord. Ask them if they have any questions about what it means to serve the Lord. Make a commitment to them, that from this day forward you plan to lead by example in serving God. Pray for them.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for the courage to serve Him even when it’s not easy. Ask God to help you lead your home in the things of God. Ask God to help you to let your light shine to those around you at work. Ask God to show you where in the church He wants you to serve. Ask God to protect your heart from sin as you set out to be a role model for the community.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will unite around the common purpose of serving the Lord and that the family relationships will be stronger than ever as you serve God together.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, September 20 – Sunday, September 27:
- Sunday, September 20: 2 Chronicles 23
- Monday, September 21: 2 Chronicles 24
- Tuesday, September 22: 2 Chronicles 25
- Wednesday, September 23: 2 Chronicles 26-27
- Thursday, September 24: 2 Chronicles 28
- Friday, September 25: 2 Chronicles 29
- Saturday, September 26: 2 Chronicles 30
- Sunday, September 27: 2 Chronicles 31
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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