MANY STORIES in the Bible are not aha moments—they are narratives of action taken by men and women to please God.
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)
Mary, the sister of Lazarus, knew that it was vital for her to sit at the feet of the Master—and Jesus said, "She has chosen what is best." (Luke 10:42)
When the apostles were arrested and brought before the council, Peter replied, "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:28-29)
God wants us to do the same!
PEOPLE CHOOSE NOT to offend each other but offend God.
We live in a time when people talk mostly about systemic evil and not personal sin.
We forget that one gives birth to the other—people water down the Word of God and celebrate mediocrity.
THE NARRATIVE
WHEN JOSIAH ascended the throne of Judah, things were bad. People celebrated mediocrity.
Many of the kings before him had led the people to worship strange gods—and God was displeased.
IF YOU ARE going to walk with God, the things that matter to Him would matter to you.
And if you are a leader, you must lead by example.
The king was bothered about the people who took God seriously and made God attractive.
He directed his minister of state to tell the priest to account for the temple's collection and give the money to those who maintained the temple. (2 Kings 22:3-7)
He made the best of the situation by ensuring that they were well cared for.
WHEN THEY FOUND the Book of the Law, he asked them to read it to him.
He desired to know what the Lord wanted him to do. He was set to give God pleasure.
Does your life give God pleasure? If it does, you have done well. And if it doesn't you need to change your ways.
Obedience begins with knowing what God expects of you.
As his minister read the book to him, he was filled with sorrow, and he tore his clothes. (2 Kings 22:11)
He knew that sin aches the heart of God, and it's a reproach to a people. (Proverbs 14:13)
He was troubled by what they had done and wanted to do something.
Josiah humbled himself. And he who humbles himself before God is exalted. (James 4:10)
As a result, God promised to take him to the grave in peace. (2 Kings 22:20)
Obedience is the road to freedom; humility is the road to pleasure - C.S. Lewis.
He called all the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets—and all the people from the least to the greatest. (2 Kings 23:1-3)
The king read in their hearing all that was in the Book of Covenant.
He renewed his covenant with the Lord, and the people pledged themselves to the covenant. (2 Kings 23:1-3)
And he commanded that all the strange gods be removed from Judah.
Josiah put his trust in God.
ABRAHAM DID the same. When he had nothing left to hope for, Abraham still hoped and believed.
He didn't doubt God's promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, giving honour to God for the promise, he became strong because of faith and was absolutely confident that God would do what he promised. (Rom. 4:18-21)
You cannot serve God without a commitment to His word—and everything you do begins with a conviction.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
TIMES OF LIFE should be moments of intentionality—Josiah was deliberate in his acts to please God.
And if you ask why, we should obey God, in the last resort, the answer is, 'I am." To know God is to know that our obedience is due to Him - C.S. Lewis.
Happy Father's day.
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