Independence Day – Don’t Give Up

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. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our parents 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. 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. 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. This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 2 Chronicles 29:1-10

The best thing that king Ahaz did was father a son, Hezekiah, who would do right in the eyes of the Lord, as his ancestor King David did. From the beginning of his 29 year reign as king, Hezekiah cleaned house and righted the ship, so to say, in the temple and amongst the Levites. People will follow their leader, and Hezekiah was a good leader. For us today, Jesus is our leader, and we know He is a good leader. If you have slipped on deck and fallen, He is there to help you up. He wants you to be well and thrive. He has good things in store for you. Turn to him, He promised to turn to you! There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. Jesus has already done the work to reconcile you to God and to set you free from the bondage of sin, no matter how big or small the sin. As a famed basketball coach famously said, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”