No Trace

Josiah…did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  He lived the way King David had lived.  He didn’t turn away from it to the right or the left.  2 Chronicles 34:2

Josiah was only 8 years old when he became King of Judah and despite the poor examples from his father and grandfather the Bible tells us that, “While he was still young, he began to worship the God of King David (2 Chronicles 34:3).  Altars to Baal were ordered to be torn down, the poles used to worship Asherah were removed, and we are told that everything was cut to pieces, smashed, broken and scattered.  2 Chronicles 34:5 says, “He burned the bones of the priests on their altars.  That’s the way he made Judah and Jerusalem pure and clean.”  No trace of foreign gods remained and when the books of the law were found in the temple the very words of God moved Josiah to the point of weeping.  It was Josiah’s tender heart and his desire to walk in the way God wanted that touched God and held back his vengeance until after Josiah died.

We bring a lot of things on ourselves.  Our selfish desires and lack of obedience only brings heartache and destruction.  God’s people had turned to worshipping false gods.  It is easy for us to criticize and think we wouldn’t do that, but would we?  Anything we put in a place of more importance than God is a false god in our life.  When we try to handle things our own way or ignore “little” sins we are setting God in second place. We must have no trace of false gods in our life. 

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  Galatians 6:7-8

Like Josiah, I want to remove all traces of anything that does not align with God.  I want to live a life pleasing to God.  Get behind me Satan.

Pastor Julia Scott