Thoughts for another day

Dec. 16, 2009

Today's verse: 2 Chron. 26:16. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. (NIV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

God gives. He makes us powerful and gives good health, all the material possessions we need & desire and keeps us in comfort. All the while that He’s doing this, we’re on our knees, praying and pledging that even when in plenty we’ll always be devoted to Him, pray and keep Him at the center of our lives. A good example is Uzziah in the above verse.

Time goes on and then we forget God for a day. We feel bad; we go back the next day, pleading His mercy and love. Later, we forget Him for two days; but now, we don’t beg for forgiveness in the same intensity. We feel God understands we can’t be with Him in prayer everyday because we hardly have the time. Our work to upgrade our wealth takes all our time and we’re so busy. We say, isn’t He a God who understands and after all He’s given us all this wealth so we will increase it no?

Gradually, we forget God for a week, a month, a year and slowly He’s totally removed from our lives. We’re happy and reconciled with the fact that He’s an understanding God. We hardly pause to reflect on what we must be doing to keep up our relationship with Him. We even tend to think that by giving us wealth, He hasn’t done a big favor, reasoning that He gives wealth even to unbelievers so what’s the big deal. By this time, God is nowhere for us. Pride takes over and our insides become roughened. We believe we’re gods (that’s what happens with Uzziah too).

Does this story seem familiar? I counsel many people and often I see the same story. At times the move away from God is funny as I recently witnessed: a lady has been well endowed and got a good apartment and all that. After all this comfort, she is discomfited by the neighbors on the top floor shifting their chairs or tables and by so many other inane things. So she’s upset with God! At other times, it could be just the feeling of not needing Him. This is the story of our lives too. It’s time we cognize who God is and allow Him to work out our lives and not our circumstances work Him out!