Week 29: Not Far Enough
Today’s Text: Second Kings 11-15
Key Text: Second Kings 12:1-3
“In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifice and burn incense there.”
He was crowned at the age of seven, so obviously he had help running the kingdom for a while. Guided by the high priest Jehoiada, he did much that was good – doing what was right “in the eyes of the LORD” while the priest guided him. Still, he didn’t go far enough, allowing some pagan rituals to continue. When his guide died, he abandoned God, and even had Jehoiada’s son killed; not a happy ending for anyone.
Sometimes, in our own spiritual reforms – we don’t go far enough either.
I am not talking about leaving everything of our old life behind; dressing in sackcloth and ashes or heading to the mountaintop to live as a hermit.
I am speaking though about how we are called to be “in the world but not of the world.”
It seems to me that too often, believers are content to put religion in a nice, convenient box, say on Sunday mornings at 11:00 and Wednesday evenings at 7:30, right after a pot-luck supper.
We need a more radically involved faith than that.
We need to live out our faith daily, whenever and wherever we are called to truly be people of the Book; people of the Way.
Of course, that is sometimes inconvenient to do. It can even be dangerous.
It’s our calling though.
So, consider how – if you are a disciple of Christ – how you are living a new life – a counter-cultural life – for God.
If you are not, it may be time for a little reflection – and more than a little reform.
Go far enough – for Him.
