Determination

II Kings 18:3-8 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord … he removed the high places … he trusted in the Lord … he held fast to the Lord … he rebelled against the king of Assyria and world not serve him … he struck down the Philistines.

King Hezekiah is a good example of what one does when determined to do what is right and honorable in following the Lord.  He did not just decide to do what was right, he acted on his decision.  He got rid of everything that might keep him from following through on his decision.  He removed things that would tempt him to sin (the “high placed” and idols).  He rebelled when he couldn’t do anything else, and refused to let outside influenced control his actions.  He destroyed (“struck down”) things that could cause him present or future distraction and trouble.  And he was proactive in his pursuit of doing what was right.  These verses tell us he not only trusted in the Lord.  He held fast to the Lord.  This tells me he was not naïve about the potential he had to give up and give in to the things that could tempt him away from his determination to follow God.

Guard rails on the road of life

Proverbs 11:5a The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight …

I was really struck by this verse this morning.  As I grow older I find myself reflecting on the events and experiences of my life and although I have regrets of bad actions and wrong decisions, I see my life as a straight road toward God and His will.  The bumps and curves are small in comparison to the over-all straightness of my life-road.  My righteousness, created in me by God when I gave my life to Him at age six, has kept me moving straight ahead.  I picture my “road” as a highway with guard rails along both sides.  The guard rails are righteousness and my vehicle is my blamelessness in Christ.  The road signs along the say show me getting closer to my destination, the heavenly city and my mansion.  The road continues on straight ahead … 

Righteousness protects you

Proverbs 13:6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

There is no worry about the consequences of living righteously because that righteousness is guarding me.  I have often thought of this when driving on the highway and seeing how many brake lights go on when a patrol car show up!  If I have been putting my righteousness to work in my everyday life, I will be obeying the speed limit so my righteousness is guarding me from being given a ticket for speeding!  My righteousness guards me from being overthrown by any wickedness or sinful way of living, even more drastic things than speeding.  And that is how I want to live my life, not being afraid of being caught doing something wrong.