2 Chronicles 27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord and did much building on the wall of Ophel. Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills. He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents of silver, and 10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years. So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.
2 Chronicles 17:3-6 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD
2 Chronicles 12:12 And when he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Having God with us, guiding us, leading us, and helping us for good does not happen by chance or good luck. It does not happen because we earned it as if God is in debt to us and owes us something. He created us for His glory and honor and praise. In this creation, He gave us (mankind) a free will to honor and glorify Him. He allowed His creation to choose to do this, or not. Not only did He create us but He also revealed Himself to us through creation, angels, prophets, works of miracles, His written word, and His Son Jesus Christ. We have been given free will to choose to honor, glorify, follow, serve, trust, and obey Him. He has given us words to live by so that in our life this side of eternity we demonstrate our love for Him as creator and worthy of all honor and praise. He has given us precious promises too. He is steadfast in His love toward us. He blesses us and disciplines us with righteousness.
Mankind, we, were created for His honor and glory. We are created to bring honor and glory to Him alone. We are created to worship and praise Him above all else. He gave us His written word so that through it we might gain wisdom, understanding, knowledge of Him and His purpose and plans and continually grow in this so that our honor and glory of Him consume and directs our every thought, word, and action.
He is worthy of so much more than lukewarm lip service from us.
