“He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him;
he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses.
And the LORD was with him;
he was successful in whatever he undertook…”
II Kings 18:6-7a
Success! Here’s the means to have it!
Following a long string of rotten, wicked, evil kings, Hezekiah becomes king of Judah in II Kings 18. His reign as king is summarized above: “he was successful in whatever he undertook.” Even if royalty is not the goal for you and me, success surely figures into our aspirations.
Success seems to elude many of us. We are distracted and even confused about which goal to chase. The new year has us re-evaluating our life and coming up short. Is the answer to get up earlier, get more organized, or to work harder?
For Hezekiah, success had three elements – all found in the two verses above:
- Hold fast to the LORD
- Do not cease to follow Him
- Keep the commands the Lord gave Moses
Far from being a simple recipe – do this and that happens – this is lifestyle, a mindset and a heartset for living real life.
Hold fast to the Lord
There are so many things to hold onto in this life. Some of them we would readily agree call for a loosening of the grip: our obsession with our phones, social media, television, entertainment in general, shopping, gluttony, etc.
Still others are good things to hold dear. People and passions that we not only want to hold onto, but somehow know it is our job to hold onto. Our spouses, children, family, relationships, and ministry – these are all important. Providing healthy meals, answering emails promptly, paying the bills – these are all good things to hold onto, right? Of course, they are. But realizing we have only two hands, 24 hours per day, and are limited by the dimensions of time and space, how can we possibly hold onto them all (literally or figuratively)?
Here’s the amazing, simplifying truth: all we need do is hold fast to God – HE will hold fast to all those we love! He will carry them, cover them, provide, and watch over them. He’s got it.
What a relief to know it’s not all my job. And all those years I thought it was! I can hold fast to God, knowing HE is holding fast to everything – and everyone– else. It’s about keeping the main thing…the main thing.
Do not cease to follow Him
If I’m holding fast to God, following Him should be a natural result. The word “cease” might suggest we begin our day holding on, but allow the tyranny of the urgent and the ever-present “to do” list to distract us.
Keep the commands the Lord gave Moses
If I’m holding on and following, obedience will surely follow. Ours should be an active, lived-out faith. But we see “command” and our knee-jerk response is legalism, drudgery, and rules. If we are truly holding onto God, trusting Him, and following Him, we can trade up: duty becomes delight. “Have to” becomes “want to.” A heart that loves God will want to please God.
Perhaps, like me, you’ve wasted too many years mired in “have to.” Here’s to a 2014 of “delight to,” as we hold fast, follow, and obey.
Now that’s what I call success!
Editor’s note: I’m convinced that holding fast to God also includes holding fast to His Word. You’ve invited to join me this spring in our continuing study through the Gospel of Mark. We will pick up in chapter 8. Each week I’ll be making a post about a truth or teaching from that week’s study. If you live in Northwest Arkansas, come join us on Thursday mornings. Otherwise, you can purchase a book and do the study with us on your own. Or you can follow the link I’ll be posting weekly to listen to the teaching lecture. Or do both. I’m praying today for all of us — that 2014 would be a year to hold fast to God!
Here’s the link to order or download the book from Joy of Living:
http://joyofliving.org/html/mark.html
Photo attribution: www.wholeheartedleaders.com
