Generous love

In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God (2 Chronicles 31:20).

WHEN I was growing up, my family attended an occasional professional baseball game and often watched the college basketball playoffs on TV. Overall, sports were a peripheral pastime, a practice that continued with my kids. But our daughter has become a diehard NBA Golden State Warriors basketball fan. She’s a faithful follower of her team and can hold her own in a discussion of players, stats, and the Warriors’ winning seasons.

Hezekiah, a standout among Judah’s history (2 Kings 18:5), understood passion and commitment. More than a recounting of a great season in Israel’s history, 2 Chronicles 31 gives us a window into the sacrificial nature of uninhibited worship. Hezekiah believed in the worthiness of God, and his belief translated into action as he called the people to spiritual renewal (2 Chronicles 29:5). But first, places of worship for false gods had to be removed and distractions destroyed (2 Chronicles 31:1). God’s people had to learn that worship couldn’t be found in songs, declarations, or other expressions unless it was combined with obedience.

Though we often worship corporately, our individual choices are also an act of worship (2 Chronicles 31:2-3). Our adoration becomes real and powerful when our obedience ceases to originate from obligation and flows from generosity rooted in love (2 Chronicles 31:4-9). Then we’re able to see how giving to God sacrificially can bless others (2 Chronicles 31:10-12,14).

We make God preeminent by setting our hearts on what’s “pleasing and good” to Him (2 Chronicles 31:20). Hezekiah didn’t want to give God a portion of his life; he knew that adoration requires complete commitment (2 Chronicles 31:21). Like that good king, as God guides us, may our own worship be pure and our devotion wholehearted.