“[King Uzziah] sought after God in the days of Zechariah, the one who instructed him in the fear of the Lord. And in the days that he sought after the Lord, God caused him to succeed.”
— 2 Chronicles 26:5

Following God often brings joy and contentment. But the devil is constantly engaged in his one most successful stratagem of reaching his slimy arm out of the pit of Hell and holding some bauble in front of our eyes and turning it this way and that and saying, “Ahhh, will not this bless your life, will not this make you happy, will not this fulfill your wildest dream?” And you say, “Yes,” and you bite and there is a hook. Be not deceived.

We are told of King Uzziah in the Old Testament that as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. And we see that he sought the Lord as long as the prophet Zachariah lived. But tragically there came a time when Zachariah died, and Uzziah no longer sought the Lord. And it shows us the importance of the prophetic office and the proclamation of the Word of God, and how many foolish people there are who suppose that because they have made some progress in the Christian religion that they can now ignore the various ordinances that God has established—they can go their own way and still live a good life. They suppose that the strength is in themselves and it is not there at all. Soon what was there dries up, withers away, and they find themselves totally incapable of withstanding the sin and temptation that they face. We need to be faithful in season and out.

Lord, give me strength for today to recognize those forces in my life that lead me toward You and those that lead me away from You, and to always choose the former and avoid the latter. Help me to choose my friends and associates carefully…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN BE
FAITHFUL IN SEASON AND OUT.