Get Back to the Job!

2 Chronicles 29:11 - So my sons, don’t be lazy or waste any more time. The Lord chose you to serve him in the Temple and to burn incense.” (ERV)

2 Chronicles 29 tells the story of Hezekiah. Like his ancestor David, he was a king who did what was right in the sight of the Lord contrary to the kings before him (2 Chron.29:2). Having reinstated the Temple in Jerusalem within the first month of his reign, King Hezekiah called a meeting of the priests and Levites. In that meeting, he directed them to prepare themselves to return to their work of serving the Lord in the Temple. He recounts the history of the people of Judah and their unfaithfulness to God leading to the anger of the Lord and disregard from the surrounding nations.

As part of an agreement with the Lord to restore the broken relationship, Hezekiah gives the priests and Levites one instruction - ‘don’t be lazy or waste any more time’. Why? Because the Lord has chosen them to serve in the Temple. The ERV uses the word lazy, whereas other translations use the word negligent.

2 Chronicles 29:11 - My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him… (NIV)

Today’s passage serves as a wake-up call to us. How many gifts or opportunities have we neglected or stopped using altogether? Not because of a new season but simply because we have been lazy. This passage reminds us that we ought not to waste any more time but get back to the work the Lord has given us. Why? Because the Lord has chosen us to serve him in this particular way.

Questions to think about: Are there any opportunities or gifts I have neglected? Do I need to stop wasting time and making excuses and simply get to the job? Have I prayed for the Holy Spirit’s help as I take up the task of returning to the job?