“(Uzziah) sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success…But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” 2 Chronicles 26:5 & 16
The U.S. Government, utilizing the IRS, has issued a decree that all taxpayers shall receive a stimulus check to help during the corona virus outbreak. It was supposed to be automatic. If you paid your taxes, you get a check. I did…but I didn’t. After about a week, I checked, but still…nothing. I became motivated to find out why. It turns out…I’m not eligible!
It is April 30th and ‘Tax Day’ has been over for 2 weeks. EXCEPT… the U.S. Government EXTENDED the filing date due to the… well you know. Just for fun, last night at Bible Study, I asked how may people had filed their taxes. In a room of about 20 people… only 2 raised their hands! I hadn’t filed mine either. But that didn’t make me feel any better.
I am not eligible to receive a stimulus check because I didn’t follow the rules. I HAD been NOTIFIED what I needed to do. I just hadn’t taken the time to notice and obey. Now, the piper is piping and it’s time for me to pay the consequences. But having a PhD in the ‘College of Hard Knocks’ I am not too upset. I have learned my MOST important lessons the ‘hard’ way.
King Uzziah started out well. Have been trained by a pro to follow God… he did. And it is recorded that he was BLESSED by God for doing so. That is UNTIL AFTER! It wasn’t the power that was the problem. Many a good king has had the same power and ruled well. It was his PRIDE that got him. The scary thing is…pride has no way of being measured… UNTIL AFTER.
I cannot tell you how many time I have smashed against the rocks of life. But thank God for Grace. Each time I was given an opportunity to be humbled, repent, and then go on. The Bible doesn’t say that Uzziah was given that opportunity. But he had the same God ‘I’ do… so I imagine ‘he’ did. But didn’t!
I have said it over and over and over. SEEK GOD FIRST! PUT GOD FIRST! THEN… He promises, ‘all things’ will fall into place. But then, power, greed, self sufficiency or even a big check comes along and somehow servant actions change. EVERY man crashes feeling confident he won’t! UNTIL AFTER!
I SHOULD have paid my taxes on time. ‘I’ am called by God to be responsible and do the right thing REGARDLESS of trends, special circumstances or second chances. He holds ME to a higher standard. One more time, by looking around to see what everyone else is doing, I just got bit. I’m sorry Lord! Thank God for GRACE!
