2 Chronicles 26:16 “But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.”
IT COMES BEFORE THE FALL
Uzziah was a good king. He was the longest ruling king of Judah and did many great things for the Lord. But…pride entered the scene. The above verse reads, “But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God…” Uzziah began to think he could do anything.
There is much danger in thinking that way. For Uzziah, the result was leprosy imposed by God to humble him and remove him from power. He spent the rest of his life virtually in solitude, and his son ran the kingdom. Don’t you bet he begged God every day for cleansing? Don’t you bet every morning he would jump up and look to see if the leprosy was gone? Regrets!
TEACHING MOMENT
We want our children to be proud of their accomplishments, but we must also teach them how to be humble. A proud person can become annoying very quickly. A humble person is always giving credit to someone else for their success. As believers, we know everything we are and do is because of the Lord God. He deserves all the credit.
The next time your child has a success (ballgame win, an A in school, etc.) help them to point to God. Remind them that He is the one who gives them their abilities. Remind them that He is the one who allows them the strength to compete in games or the intellect to achieve good grades. And then help them to voice that to others.
We all like to be recognized for things we do. That motivates us to continue doing good. But let the recognition of others roll off your back like water off a duck’s back. Then let the Lord’s pleasure in you sink deep in your soul. After all, only His praise really matters.
A Moment In Time 