About a hundred years after King David died, one of his descendants named Jehoshaphat took the throne of Israel. He inherited a divided and distracted kingdom. He had the choice to lead with courage and conviction or compromise. He chose to lead God’s way no matter what. His decisions weren’t easy or popular at times. In fact, he removed his grandmother from her place in the palace because of her idolatrous influence on the people. He wasn’t driven by what was popular politically but led with moral conviction based on the precepts that God had given them to live by. He understood that you can’t lead people to God while tolerating what pulls them away from Him. He loved his family, friends and nation enough to speak the truth and do whatever it took to stand for righteousness in an unrighteous generation.
The love God calls us to show is one that calls people out of their sin rather than to accept it. He is looking for leaders like Jehoshaphat who will stand up in their generation to lead with conviction of what is right and what is wrong. 2 Chronicles 17:6 says, “He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord” (NLT). He wasn’t just passionate about God’s Word, he was bold enough to stand for righteousness when the culture around him was opposed to it. He taught people the truth and called them to live holy lives. He also demonstrated this commitment in his own life. Because of his courage and leadership, the nation turned back to God.
He faced the same pressure to fit in than to stand out that we do. Like him, we must identify what is distracting us and pulling us away from God first. Once he got his heart right, he then found the boldness to stand up to the culture around him. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” We must keep our eyes on Jesus who showed us how to love with grace and truth. He will strengthen you and give you the courage to stand up for Him so you can lead others to salvation.
Photo by Hannah Reding on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 