"Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook." - 2 Kings 18:5-7
In the box-office smash, Finding Nemo, the fish named Dory constantly encourages herself and Marlin, the father of the abducted fish, Nemo. Her uplifting, though monotonous, refrain is "Just keep swimming; just keep swimming."
It's as if she believes that something good, or at least better, is just one flip-flap swim-stroke away.
For those of you who read The Bible with us, a slight adaptation of Dory's refrain is sometimes useful, just as it is today, namely, "Just keep reading; just keep reading." Today's Bible verses are a good example. After four pages of gloomy prophecy from Isaiah and despicable living by Ahaz, the "just keep reading" philosophy pays off as the last half-page of Bible reading includes today's section of verses about Hezekiah.
Isn't it amazing how a positive and uplifting final word has the power to totally change the tone of all the ill that preceded it?
This is why I love God's word so much.
Do you love God's word? Do you chase after God's word with purpose? What would that purpose be?
I love God's word and chase after it because it encourages me to persevere, which means to persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles.
It doesn't matter if there's four or four-hundred pages of gloomy prophecy and despicable living. I know that if I "just keep swimming: just keep reading; just keep persevering," then the sure-to-come positive and uplifting final word has the power to totally change the tone of all the ill that preceded it.
We know this because Jesus pushed through and then bore a whole bunch of, uh, bad stuff, but his righteous life and glorious resurrection had the power to totally change the tone of all the ill that preceded it.
God's final word is always a word of life.
Today's a real day. Probably gonna be some gloomy and despicable stuff to deal with.
Just keep swimmin'. Persevere.
Keep your chin up. Stay positive, like Hezekiah in days of old. Good things are just one flip-flap swim-stroke away.
God has promised and sealed it in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
No comments:
Post a Comment