King Josiah, in contrast to many ungodly rulers, provided Godly leadership to Judah.  His heart to do what was right set a tone for all who followed.  His influence and leadership brought God’s blessing upon the entire nation.

Joshua was another Godly leader who said, :As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Whether a parent, boss, teacher, … a Godly leader’s influence has a profound, positive impact upon all who follow.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, for all who lead today, give us a heart to honor and follow You.  May our influence be a positive one upon those who watch our lives.

DAILY READING:   2 Chron. 34-6;  1 Tim. 4

Although Hezekiah ended up being prideful, the major portion of his life and reign honored the Lord.  Manasseh, his son who followed him as king did evil in the Lord’s sight.

Children can break your heart if you are a Christian parent.

Through many distresses, however, Manasseh humbled himself and got right with God.  It’s painful to watch our children suffer, but when they come back to God, we will rejoice.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, for those of us who may have children who don’t seem to want to serve You, give us the faith and patience today to keep trusting You and praying for their return.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 32-3;  Luke 15

When Hezekiah began his reign over Judah, he took immediate measures to restore worship in the temple, and wisely instructed the priests to “remove all defilement.”  They did so and made sure their lives and function again pleased the Lord.  This brought one of the great visitations of God to His people.  Hezekiah “sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.”

Our lives easily become cluttered with God-displacing items and practices that gradually take control of us. Be like Hezekiah.  Remove the defilement as the Holy Spirit directs.  Enjoy the result.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, we want to be like King Hezekiah and remove the defiling issues in our lives.  Put Your finger on those things today.  I want to be pure before You.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 29-31

Uzziah had a marvelous beginning as king of Judah.  His exploits were amazing, all because he sought the Lord.  ^“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.”  In his pride, he thought he didn’t need the priests to minister to the Lord.  He displaced them by burning incense before the Lord, a job that was theirs alone.  God smote him with leprosy then and there.  His pride devastated his life.

Lovingly and respectfully maintain your own place before the Lord, and be sure to humbly be sensitive to those around you, in honor, preferring them above yourself.  God will exalt you in due time.

DAILY PRAYER:  Father, today I honor You by humbling myself and looking to respect and honor those around me.  Keep me from pride.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 26-8;  James 4

The kings of Judah who sought the Lord experienced obvious protection, prosperity, and favor.  Those who didn’t reaped tragic calamity.

Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it will be done unto you,”  and “Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name.  Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full.”

Our joy can be full.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, I want to live in Your favor, and I want to see Your blessing upon my loved ones.  Thank You for Your promises,

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 21-5

2 Chron. 20 contains spiritual principles that should be in the heart of all Christians. It is in this chapter that Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, seeks the Lord’s help when he discovers hostile armies are about to attack.

In this passage,we learn that we should trust God, praise and thank Him for His enduring love, and “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,”  for the battle was not theirs, but God’s   As the tribe of Judah (which means praise) sang to the Lord, He ambushed the enemy and Judah didn’t even enter the battle.

Praise the Lord in the face of all your battles today.  He will save.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, thank You for Your mighty power which delivers and defends us.  We trust You today for every challenge.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 16-20

[Personal note:  When I mentioned some health challenges just days ago, I was referring to a temporary back condition and a cold which hit me hard. There was no cancer issue, gratefully.]

As instituted by the law of Moses, the Levite priests were to present morning and evening offerings and burnt incense to the Lord.  Their continual intercession pleased the Lord and anchored His presence and blessing to those they served.

In like manner, we are NT priests unto God.  Our devotion and faithfulness to Him through prayer and the reading of the Word are our offerings.  He is pleased, relationship with Him is maintained, and we are blessed.  It’s a wonderful life.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, like the OT priests, we want to continually please You with our prayer and consecration to Your ways.  Be exalted over us as we serve You daily.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 11-5

Wealth, favor, spiritual blessing … Solomon appeared to be as blessed as any man in the Bible. Sadly, his end was severely blemished by his weakness for [ungodly] women.  He began chasing the idolatrous lifestyle of his many wives and concubines.

Our takeaway is this:  keep centered on the spiritually healthy disciplines that strengthen our spirit man’s relationship with the Lord and don’t coast into spiritual indifference.  It can happen so subtly and quickly.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, we are grateful for the abundant way You flood our lives with blessing.  Keep us close to You so we don’t end up like Solomon.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 7-10

[I have been indisposed due to personal health challenges and having the entire family in our home for a week.  However, today begins a step toward recovery.]

God forbade David from building the temple because he had too much blood on his hands from his military conquests.  God allowed him to gather the materials and give the plans for the new temple to his son, Solomon.  In reading 2 Chron. 1-6, is is noted that David carried the vision and burden for the temple in his heart and his son did the actual building.  This can be a healthy example of how fathers and sons can function to be productive in God’s Kingdom.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, give us the wisdom to pass on to our sons the vision we have to build Your Kingdom.

DAILY READING:  2 Chron. 1-6