pride kills love
"O Lord, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in Your presence, doing what was pleasing to You!" —Isaiah 38:3
The Lord loved King Hezekiah. When Hezekiah became terminally ill at the age of 39, the Lord healed him and gave him 15 more years of life (Is 38:5). The Lord even made the sun go backward as a sign of Hezekiah's healing (Is 38:7-8).
King Hezekiah loved the Lord. He conducted himself faithfully and wholeheartedly in the Lord's presence (Is 38:3). "He put his trust in the Lord, the God of Israel; and neither before him nor after him was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah" (2 Kgs 18:5).
Then Hezekiah became proud (2 Chr 32:25). His house was no longer in order (see Is 38:1). He became deathly sick and didn't even thank the Lord for healing him (2 Chr 32:25). In three years, he fathered a son, Manasseh, and probably did a terrible job of parenting this child, for the son grew up to do "greater evil than all that was done by the Amorites before him" (2 Kgs 21:11).
The great King Hezekiah died a failure after having such a glorious reign. He fell away from the Lord because of the sin of pride. Pride ruined Hezekiah's love. Resist temptations to pride. Don't lose your love.
Prayer: Father, I choose love instead of pride.
Promise: "Those live whom the Lord protects; Yours...the life of my spirit. You have given me health and life." —Is 38:16
Praise: Although a busy priest with many duties, Fr. Peter made time to often visit prisoners and the sick.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Effects of Sin on audio AV 81-3 or video V-81.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, December 4, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 10, 2001