July 30

2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27, Romans 13:1-14, Psalm 23:1-6, Proverbs 20:11

Pray: Lord, thank You for Your greatness. Thank You that when I am weak, You are strong. Lord, the Devil is scheming and I know he desires to keep me from spending time with You. Don’t let him win! Give me a measure of Your strength so that I might not give into discouragement, deception and doubt! Help me honor You in all my ways. Amen.

Read: In 2 Chronicles we read today of the exploits of King Uzziah and his fortification of Jerusalem. We also read of how Uzziah’s pride was the thing that caused his downfall. Isn’t it incredible how the things that caused people to fall in Scripture are some of the same things that cause us to fall today? Do you struggle with pride? Could that struggle lead to your downfall? C.S. Lewis tells us that pride is the launching pad for all other sins. As fallen and sinful beings, we struggle with things like pride daily and we must fight against that pride daily or it could lead to our believing that we could manage this life on our own. May Uzziah’s struggle serve us well so that we don’t face similar struggles.

Edify: As difficult as it is, sometimes, to agree with the way that our government is run, we are called to have respect for the authority that has been given to them. Granted, one of our many freedoms is the freedom of speech, but that does not give license to be disrespectful to others who have been chosen to lead. We are called to be of support. Will you join me today in prayer for our leaders… those who lead from the White House to the courthouse… those who lead our churches… and those who lead our homes?

Practice: May today be a day of prayer and thanksgiving to and for those that lead us and lead us well. Tell someone who leads you well, "Thank You." It may be your boss, your husband, your wife, your pastor, a community leader… whoever it is that has led and led well. We don’t express our thanks often enough to those who make a difference by giving of themselves and sharing their leadership for the betterment of humanity.