“In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” (2 Chronicles 31:21, NIV84)

When I was in my early twenties, I was approached by one of our assistant pastors to attend a leadership class. I had never considered myself to be a leader, so I felt honored to even be asked. We went through the book Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be by Leroy Eims. Part of our homework was to memorize Scripture. The above verse is one we memorized and in this version. It sums up Hezekiah’s life, for he was one of the few good kings of Judah who brought about significant spiritual reforms.

This has become one of my life verses because it shows the way to spiritual prosperity. We’ve seen how Hezekiah immediately determined to turn from the idols his father had served and reestablish the worship of the LORD. We’ve also seen how Hezekiah gathered not only the people of Judah, but also the remnant of the northern kingdom of Israel who were willing to come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. The result of the people coming together in the prescribed way for this important feast was that they became zealous for the LORD.

“When the festival ended, the Israelites who attended went to all the towns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines and altars.” (2 Chronicles 31:1, NLT)

Hezekiah sought to obey the LORD and walk according to His commandments, and the LORD changed the people’s hearts. The Holy Spirit worked in them to want to get rid of their idols and serve the LORD only. Then Hezekiah worked wholeheartedly to establish the giving of tithes throughout the land so that the priests and Levites could devote themselves fully to the Law of the LORD. The people were so transformed that they brought more than enough! Because Hezekiah was wholeheartedly consecrated to the LORD, the people followed his example and consecrated themselves to the LORD. It is no wonder that God prospered Hezekiah and his kingdom as a result.

Serving God isn’t complicated. We must:

-Undertake God’s service according to His Word

-Seek the LORD

-Work diligently with all our hearts

If we will follow this pattern, then we will prosper. We may prosper materially, but we most certainly will prosper spiritually. And we will impact the people around us!