Live Wholeheartedly
The other day I was reading 2 Kings 22 and 23 and really felt the Lord put this message on my heart. A message of how to follow him wholeheartedly, like Josiah did in these chapters! If you’ve never read it before, here’s a little summary. There was a man named Josiah, although he really was more like a child. Josiah was only 8 years old when he became king. Crazy right? Josiah, despite his age, was considered a good king in the eyes of the Lord, much like King David. In the eighteenth year of his reign, he ordered Shaphan, his scribe, to go the temple of the Lord and see Hilkiah, the high priest. Josiah’s aim was to fix the run-down House of the Lord. While cleaning, Hilkiah found the Book of the Law. They brought it to Josiah and read it aloud to him, but everyone was scared at the evils written in it towards the people of the Lord. However, the king had such a humble response that the Lord spared him from the disaster and showed him mercy. He is such a loving God!!
So, here are a few of my takeaways from this incredible story:
1. God can use you no matter your age or background. God is not limited by age. Old or young, he can use us all. All he needs is a willing heart. Josiah was 8 years old when he became king. I feel like I was still learning to ride a bike at 8 years old… and Josiah was learning to lead a kingdom! God also is not limited by our upbringing. For 340 years or so, the Kingdom of Israel had turned its back on God. Josiah’s grandfather was Manasseh and Josiah’s father was Amon. Both were evil men who worshipped false gods. Josiah, raised by that and around that, had a big decision to make. Am I going to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, or follow God? We read "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." (2 Kings 22:2) Despite how Josiah was raised and what had been done in the past, he chose to break free from those generational curses and sin and walk in holiness. Lineage doesn’t equal legacy. In other words, how you started doesn’t have to be how you finish. Josiah made a choice to serve God and follow him regardless of what his lineage said he would do. He would go on to restore the temple of God and reinstate the law of God.
2. We can only follow God wholeheartedly when we know and are led by scripture. In 2 Kings 22:8, the priests found the Book of the Law (aka the Bible) and brought it to Josiah. When he read it, he was moved deeply to follow God wholeheartedly. Hearing the truth of the Word of God led Josiah to realize that there were things in his life that he needed to remove to follow God wholeheartedly. In scripture they called these the “high places.” It’s the reading, speaking, and hearing of the Word of God that shows us the way in which we should go. And it’s the truth of scriptures that set us free. Josiah not only heard the Word of God and knew the Word of God, but he put it into action. He was truly led by the Word.
I also want to note that Josiah surrounded himself with godly, positive people. There were people who influenced Josiah for good, like Hilkiah the priest, Shaphan the scribe, and Huldah the prophetess. Hilkiah was the one who found the Law Book and initiated the reformation movement. Shaphan’s inspiring speech would have helped Josiah to spur the reformation. Huldah was the prophetess who interpreted the word of God to the young king. They took prominent roles in the life of Josiah. The encouraging lesson here is that one can be raised in the worst possible environment, yet choose to surround themselves with God fearing, wise, and truth-filled friends. To follow God whole heartedly, we must be rooted and grounded in the scripture and we need to surround ourselves with people who will hold us accountable and remind us of truth when we’re weak.
3. Lastly, we must remove idols or “high places” from our lives. We must get rid of anything that is keeping us from following God wholeheartedly or causing division in our hearts. I like to categorize these “high places” as three things: Distractions. Divisions. Destroyers. We have things that will distract us from intimacy with God. These things can be social media, Netflix, sleep, busyness, work, etc. Then there are things that divide us from God. Often, at least for me, this masks itself in selfishness, laziness, pride, fear, and earthly desires. These things create divisions and distance between us and God. Finally, the destroyers. This is us giving into those very things that divide our hearts and they will destroy us. These can often come in the form of those lustful and earthy desires, thinking they will satisfy us, but they only end up destroying us. Things like money, fame, status, followers, etc. They promise so much, but deliver only destruction. Having “high places” and idols consuming your heart will destroy your peace, your joy, your purpose, your purity, and ultimately your relationship with God.
A big idol in my life for a long time was marriage, even though that sounds so... good?! Idols can “seem good,” but can become dangerous when they become the treasure of your heart. I so badly wanted to be married. Sometimes even more than I wanted God’s will for my life. When I was 22, I found myself in a place where all my friends were getting married and I was single, and I felt angry with God. This went on for 2 years until I finally surrendered it. But that idol of marriage and a spouse was beginning to destroy my relationship with Jesus. I cared more about being one with a sinful human than being one with a perfect God. Now that I am married, I’ve realized, as grateful as I am for my spouse, he doesn’t fully satisfy! Only Jesus can completely and wholly satisfy us. I learned that no one and no thing deserves to be on the throne of my heart, besides Jesus.
When Josiah took notice of the idols around him and in his life and realized what it would do to him, he immediately took action and turned toward God with all he had. In Jeremiah 29:13 God tells us, “If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.” That’s the end goal for all of us here, isn’t it?
In summary, you can follow God wholeheartedly. It is possible! You are not too young or too far gone. No matter how you were raised or what’s been spoken over you, you can follow God, for he’s already chosen you! Once you choose to follow him, you can do that by knowing and living by Scripture and surrounding yourself with strong believers. From there, together we can learn to tear down what divides our hearts or keeps us from God, repent, and keep running towards God with whole hearts!
Challenges:
Choose God. Often in our lives we are considered a product of our lineage and environment. But people forget that we have a choice in who we will be. We have that same choice and opportunity today. No matter our age, it is never too early or late to start rising above our lineage and environment and to start following God and making a difference for his kingdom.
Check your surroundings. Who are you surrounding yourself with? Take a look at your community and make sure the people around you are pushing you to be the best version of yourself and helping you to look more like Jesus every day.
Dive into scripture. If you’re not already, carve out time to read God’s Word each day. It could be 20 minutes, or it could be 2 hours. The only way we are going to learn more about our God is by reading his Word!
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for this day! Thank you for who you are and what you have done in our lives. Lord, help us to keep our focus on you and to seek you first in all we do. May we wholeheartedly live for you and not the people or things of this earth. We choose YOU, Lord! Help us to live open-handedly, allowing you to use us in a way that will further your Kingdom. May we live like Josiah, humble and eager to serve you. We love you and give you all the glory and praise. In Jesus’ name! Amen!