Seize the Moment – Day 967

The Dangers of an Unrestrained Life!

2 Chronicles 28

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 9.

 

What are the restraints you to choose to put upon yourself and your family to experience God’s best for your lives?

 

In 2 Chronicles 28:19, the Chronicler captures a nuance that is a necessary component of faithful living, “For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord.” According to a commentator, Ahaz’s “lack of restraint” meant more “to favour licence [sic] rather than true liberty.”[1] It implies negligence and has connotations of unbridling something, like a horse or your tongue – to set it free, to let it go out of control.

 

As we learned in yesterday’s devotion, Jotham, the father of Ahaz, had a successful kingship because he “ordered his ways before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 27:6). Ahaz rejected his father’s faithful life. He closed the temple for right worship and set up altars throughout Jerusalem and high places throughout Judah for the people to worship wherever they wanted (2 Chronicles 28:24-25). Ahaz’s rebellion led Judah into apostasy, which led to God’s justice (16-22).

 

Don’t let your life get out of control! Jesus’ followers are called to demonstrate restraint, known as self-control, the fruit of the Spirit, which is God’s work in us so we can live in true freedom from sin (Galatians 5:16-25). Self-control is an important ingredient to your health and prosperity; it is necessary for success. We set bedtimes, put boundaries around certain relationships, have work hours and job descriptions, limit our online usage and media consumption, budget our money, and set diets for our eating and drinking. Without restraints, we live in grave danger to lawlessness and licentiousness!

 

Seize the moment and take on the restraint of the easy yoke of Jesus for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” – your true freedom is to live in submission to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; Galatians 5:1).

God bless you!

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

 
 

FOOTNOTE:

 

[1] Martin J. Selman, 2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 502.


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