Lessons from the Old Testament
I’ve been reading the Old Testament recently, specifically stories about the kings in Israel and Judah after the kingdom divided. So many kings did not follow the Lord their God. Many embraced other gods, allowing and even empowering the people to fall away from following God. Often when I read these stories they start sounding like a broken record to me. Over and over I read words like, “King So-and-so did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father So-and-so had done. He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped and bowed down to them. He forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.”
As I started these passages recently, I said a quick prayer asking God to make these stories more meaningful to me this time. When all the kings start getting jumbled in my mind – because, let’s face it, there really are a lot of strange names mentioned – their stories can lose meaning. Of course, God heard and answered my prayer. Here’s what He’s teaching me through these stories and how I see it applying to us at UBC right now.
The Old Testament kings followed examples that had been set for them. Some kings followed and honored God, as their fathers had done. Many, however, followed the examples of their fathers and other predecessors who did not seek to honor God. This is key. To whom am I looking as an example? Whose path am I following? Whom do I imitate?
It’s important to have role models who influence how I think and live. It’s even more important to test those examples against scripture. “How it’s always been done” may be familiar but may not lead me to live as God teaches in scripture.
This year, as we celebrate UBC’s 90th anniversary, we can reflect on the many godly leaders here over the decades and how God has used this group of believers to glorify Himself. - Kathy Raines, Minister of Administration