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It's a Heart Condition
You may be wondering if this is another one of those health emphasis articles that highlights the benefits of eating certain types of foods while discouraging the use of others to promote cardiovascular health. As exciting as that sounds (or maybe not so exciting), our brief focus will be on something far greater. What could be more important than helping people avoid bypass surgeries, too many donuts, the battle of the bulge, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and possibly even premature death? While God is interested in our temporal health, He is infinitely more interested in our spiritual heart condition.
There has been much discussion in media and government in the past several years about the appropriate use and display of the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments on United States federal and local government property. There is no doubt that this issue will be debated for years to come, but one thing is certain: God’s ultimate concern regarding His law is that it be displayed in the hearts and lives of His people. This, too, is about our heart conditions.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible illustrating this point can be found in 2 Kings 22. It says that in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign in Jerusalem, through an interesting turn of events, the book of the law was discovered in the house of God. This book included all of the details relative to the system of sacrifices, health laws, and the holy ten-commandment law.
Let us glean a few nuggets of truth from the story:
1. In verse 8 it becomes clear that God was at work making certain that people, including the king, found and understood His law. Previous kings did evil in the sight of God, and violence was out of control.
Lawlessness is on the rise in our day, yet God leads people faithfully to know the benefits His holy law provides all who choose to live by it.
2. Verse 10 shows that God used Shaphan to read and share the truth he learned with King Josiah, who in turn was convicted and willing to reform his life and kingdom. God is still using people who understand His will to help others get closer to Him. Are you willing to learn and be used in the same way?
3. Verses 12-20 reveal that as King Josiah was learning God’s will, he continued to seek further counsel. God loves to draw us closer to Him and continue to lead us through providence, His Word, and the counsel of other people, as long as we are receptive to His guidance.
There is much more to the story, but one thing becomes abundantly clear, the more we read: If God’s law becomes a part of our lives, debates on whether to display monuments or not become moot, because our lives will clearly reflect His character. What kind of world would we enjoy if all of us allowed God to change us individually as King Josiah did? It would be heavenly.
L. DAVID HARRIS, assistant registrar, Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland, is founder of Each 1 Reach Many Ministries, author of Know Peace Within: A Life in Transition, and the two-volume set Alive at 5: Victory in Retrospect. To find out more, visit www.reachmanyradio.com. |
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