Seize the Moment – Day 969
Focus on the Heart of the Matter!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 11. Happy Veteran’s Day!
Have you ever lost sight of the heart of the matter because you got caught up in the details? It is easy to get so focused on doing something that you forget why it is you started doing it in the first place.
Upon reopening the temple in Jerusalem and consecrating the priests and Levites, King Hezekiah called for a celebration of the Passover. He sent messengers throughout the lands of Israel and Judah, to bring together the remnant of God’s people. He called everyone home for a family reunion at Yahweh’s house. God favored Hezekiah’s efforts because of the purity of his heart to unify His people in right worship. Therefore, as we see in 2 Chronicles 30:18-20, God was willing to forgive and heal His people:
For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
This is a powerful example of spiritual leadership. The Assyrian Empire had ravaged Israel and had made Judah its vassal state. After 250 years of civil war, with hatred and animosity between the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah, Hezekiah could have easily justified punishing disobedience to the letter of the law. But he remained focused on the heart of the matter – the healing of God’s people and their unity of worship at the temple (21-27). God was their only hope!
Seize the moment and keep a right perspective as you walk through difficult circumstances and uncertain times – Don’t lose focus on the heart of the matter!
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YOUTUBE:
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