Weekly Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 14-25

We finished 2 Kings this week and I'm so excited to start 1 Chronicles soon. This week we read about several kings of Israel. Most of them were evil and very few followed the LORD. I don't have a lot to say about this weeks reading, but I did want to share this verse with you, because it really blessed me.

But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.” 2 kings 14 :6

I love that we are not judged based on what anyone else has done, but rather on our own actions. Although, if we are being honest, as much as it is a blessing to know that we are responsible for our own actions, it can also be terrifying. After all, we know that we fail far more often than we like to admit. Sure, we can compare ourselves to others and find plenty of people worse than us to make us feel good. Or, we can find people who appear better then us and make us feel defeated. However, things become clear when we stop looking right and left at people, and start looking up to Jesus. When we look at Jesus, the only One who truly lived a perfect life, we see how broken we really are. When we have an accurate view of ourselves, then we can truly begin to be transformed.

You see, we are not judged on the actions of others, or on how our actions compare to others. Rather, we are judged by one simple action: the action of surrender.

You see, the most heroic people in the Bible made some of the biggest mistakes. It's not our successes or failures that get us into heaven, it is whether or not we recognize that we fall incredibly short and that we need Jesus to rescue us. Jesus was the only man to have lived and died without ever sinning, yet he died the death that we deserve so that His perfect life could count towards us! All that is required of us is that we believe. This isn't just a momentary belief, but rather a daily, continual belief. Something we have to press into and strive for. And yes, we will fail, but in the end it is our belief in Christ and our surrender to Him that we are judged by. Nothing else truly matters. It is a great comfort to me that if we believe in Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and confess our shortcomings to Him, we are not judged on the actions of any other man, nor even on our own actions, but rather on the perfect actions of Christ. So let's once again surrender our will to His and recognize that the only action that ever matters is the action of giving up our priorities for His priorities. Praise Jesus! He is so good!

~Abigail Escobedo