Notes From the Pastor's Desk
February 16, 2025
How You Can Live a Godly Life
Read 2 Kings 18:5-7. All of Israel's kings were not good ones, but Hezekiah King of Judah, was a very noteworthy king. He was known as a reformer, warrior and builder. As a godly king his first job was to purge, repair, and reopen the temple. He had to root out Canaanite fertility cults and other pagan influences. Hezekiah is an example that a person can live a godly life no matter what their status in life. What were the secrets of his godly life?
I. The Secret of His Trusting
The Bible says, “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel&rddquo; (2 Kings 18:5). The word “trust” is synonymous with “faith.” Anyone who has lived a godly life has been a man, woman, boy or girl of faith (Heb. 11). We should lean on the Lord as a crippled man does his crutches. When Hezekiah received the disturbing, threatening letter, he spread it before the Lord, trusting God to deal with the problem (2 Kings 19:4). He did not waver because the Lord was the Foundation of his life and being.
II. The Secret of His Cleaving
2 Kings 18:6 tells us, “He clave unto the Lord.” The idea is of “adhesion” as of something being glued to another. Included in this is love, loyalty, and fellowship with God. We should be so attached and fixed when it comes to our relationship with God, that every day of our lives we will move closer and closer to the Lord. That means resistance to sin and rebellion against God, and a strong persistence in doing the will of our Heavenly Father. We should not let a day go by that we are not as close to the Lord as we were the day before. We should get nearer, not farther away from Him.
III. The Secret of His Following
Hezekiah “departed not from following Him” (2 Kings 18:6). In Psalm 63:8 the Bible says, “My soul followeth hard after thee.” The Psalmist is saying, “I will hold onto you for dear life, or I will stay close to you or cling to you.” It is so easy to get out of touch with God. All you have to do is let down your spiritual guard and fail to spend quality time with the Lord. We should follow Him for His glory and for our good
IV. The Secret of His Obeying
2 Kings 18:6 says he, “Kept His commandments.” You can think of obedience but a danger is that you stop short of obeying the Lord. You get almost there but not quite.
V. The Secret of Realizing
2 Kings 18:7 says, “And the Lord was with him.” If you are going to live a godly life, it is essential to know the Lord is with you in you as you live from day to day. Knowing He is present, a consciousness that He is with you, affects the way you walk and talk. It is both a promised (Heb. 13:5) and a pertinent (2 Kings 18:8) presence. It is a knowledge of the presence of God that brings about the prosperity of the saints of God. Be the one who lives a Godly life.