The danger of blessings

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Chronicles 26:1–28:27 
Romans 13:1-14 
Psalm 23:1-6 
Proverbs 20:11

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

2 Chronicles 26:16 (CSB) "But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction..."
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

One of my very favorite passages in the Bible is Isaiah 6:1-8. Those verses allow us to peer into Heaven. We see the Heavenly Temple and God's glory filling it. We hear the angels crying out, back and forth, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

But, this captivating passage begins with these words:

"In the year that King Uzziah died..." (Isaiah 6:1)

You see, Isaiah 6:1-8 was God's way of encouraging the prophet Isaiah. A very good king died and the future was now uncertain. But God reminded Isaiah through a vision that He was still sitting on the Throne of Heaven ruling over every detail of planet earth.

However, when we read the story, we realize that Uzziah didn't simply die. I suspect that Isaiah mourned the fact that a very good king, who started wonderfully well, ended horribly. Uzziah was such a godly man and he led the people to follow the Lord. Yet, he made a huge mistake and sinned against the Lord. His life ended in bitter health and his reign ended with him as an object of people's pity.

So, what happened? What caused Uzziah to turn from a very good king to a pitiful excuse for a leader?

"But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction..." (2 Chronicles 26:16)

Because he followed the Lord so passionately, God blessed him.

As God blessed him, he became powerful.

As he became powerful, it went to his head and he became proud.

As he became proud, he failed to submit to the Lord's authority over his life and he fell into sin.

As he fell into sin, it led to his demise.

Do you see how we must be so very careful when the Lord blesses us? We must receive those blessings humbly and continue to acknowledge God's authority over us and our inability to do anything of consequence without Him. Otherwise, what begins as God's blessings will end with God's discipline and judgment.

So, whatever you plot in life and however God chooses to bless you, stay humble, my friend. Stay humble.