“And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20).
TEXT —2 Chronicles 31:11-21
Message
After the tragic bombing of a marine base in October 1983, the steadfastness of one young soldier moved and heartened the Americans back home. He had been critically wounded in the explosion of the revamped hotel where he and his fellow marines had been staying. Many of his buddies had been killed. He was covered in bandages, and a jungle of tubes was attached to his body. He could not speak. Yet when he was visited by General Paul Kelly, Commandant of the Marine Corps, he indicated that he wanted to write something. Painfully, he wrote the words semper fi, a shortened form of the US Marine motto, Semper Fidelis, which means, ‘Always faithful.
In today’s text, King Hezekiah sought and found faithful men to be officers in the kingdom business despite Israel’s spiritual and moral declension. His predecessors had long forgotten the worship of God. Still, he distinguished himself to seek God and please Him. It is on record that he appointed faithful and God-fearing men to oversee the kingdom’s affairs and ensured equitable distribution of materials as stipulated by the law.
Faithfulness is germane in human endeavours for efficiency and progress, at home, in schools, organisations, business circles, marriages, and most notably in the church of the living God. It is God’s demand for all who wish to serve Him. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Faithfulness implies integrity, honesty, and reliability. God needs regenerated, sanctified men and women in His service. The Old and New Testaments stipulate that as a condition for service in the house of God. His word should be the standard when appointing ministers or workers to officiate in God’s house, such as pastors, choristers, instrumentalists, ushers, finance officers, or any other office. Those to serve at any level must be men and women of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.
Hezekiah succeeded in every work he did. You can also have the same testimony if you are determined to serve God with all your heart, pleasing Him despite the moral and spiritual decadence around the world.
Thought for the day
In the service of the Lord, the demand for faithful brethren is still very high.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
Almighty and everlasting God, l bless your name for who You are. Please, give me the grace to be useful for your Kingdom business, and let me remain faithful all through, in my service to You and mankind in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, l bless your name for who You are. Please, give me the grace to be useful for your Kingdom business, and let me remain faithful all through, in my service to You and mankind in Jesus’ name, Amen.