Slippery Slopes

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.

2 Chronicles 25:2 (ESV)

Amaziah, king of Judah, lived on a slippery slope. As we follow his kingship through 2 Chronicles 25, we can see how it deteriorates as he becomes less and less obedient to God. At the beginning of the chapter, he is doing well. He cleans house and seems raring to go. In verses 5-10, Amaziah amasses an army - an army that's too big. A prophet comes and rebukes him and Amaziah repents. He's gone now from doing right to being corrected and doing right. All is not so bad. Then Amaziah strikes down the Edomites and starts worshipping their gods. God gets angry at Amaziah and sends a prophet to rebuke him. This time, Amaziah refuses to listen. The story continues and Amaziah is defeated, captured, and his kingdome is plundered.

I need to be constantly on guard so that my life does not wind up like Amaziah's. I can be pretty good about starting out well. But with every sin, it seems to become harder and harder to repent. With every sin, it seems that my way seems better to me than God's way. With every sin, it seems that the world's way seems better than God's way. I know God's way is best. I know He wants what's best for me. When I am on the slippery slope descending into muck and mire, may I cry out to the Lord rather than enjoying the mud bath. May I cry out and know that He will lift me out of the pit, set my feet on a rock, and give me a firm place to stand.