All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Yet even so, he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. 2 Kings 12:2-3
Some years ago during one of our many lakeside walks Col was irked by an old vinyl covered mattress that had obviously fallen off a boat years before and become water-logged near the water's edge. Finally one day he couldn't bear it any longer and he decided to try and move it. It was quite a mission and took a few days of gradually pulling it clear of the water and then squeezing and rolling it till it was finally light enough for him to dispose of. What a man!!
As I am reading through the book of 2nd Kings right now and the story of good king Joash who began his reign at the age of 6 under the watchful eye of Jehoiada the priest, I was taken by these verses above. It is interesting to me that Jehoiada did not advise that these shrines be taken away. We don't know the reason but even so, they were obviously displeasing to the Lord. Perhaps Jehoiada had a mind to compromise just a little to keep the people happy. We don't know.
What we do know is that it is quite possible for us to follow the Lord and yet still allow things in our lives that are not entirely pleasing to Him. It may be our attitude towards our spouse or a family member, it may be dishonesty in business or paying taxes. Perhaps it is spending time with people who are not helpful to our walk with God; gossip, unforgiveness, pornography, spiritual laziness..... it could be any number of things. So why should we do a clean up?
I was watching a Youtube clip of a plane crash at an airshow with my pilot husband recently and he pointed out where the guy went wrong.... actually this 'cowboy pilot' did a lot of things wrong before he finally died. But what Col pointed out was how low and steep his angle was and that the aircraft was 'dirty'. In other words he had lots of flap hanging out which causes drag so the aircraft doesn't fly properly. This time his sloppy ways caused this pilot's death and the crew with him.
The things that we allow in our lives which are 'dirty' have the same effect in the final result as the flaps hanging out on an aircraft. They cause drag and so we lose momentum and at worst we can crash. They may not even be particularly sinful things but if they are not helpful then let's get rid of them. Paul said "All things are permissable for me but not everything is beneficial." 1 Corinthians 6:12. The writer in Hebrews exhorts us to ".....let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress." Hebrews 12:1 NLT.
It is time to find out what is holding us down, dragging us down and slowing down our spiritual progress. These things affect our functioning in the Kingdom of God and it's time to wake up and be active for God. He has gifted us and called us for such a time as this. Find out where you are supposed to fit in the Kingdom and be effective. One day we will all stand before the Lord and be called to give an account of how we have lived our lives for him. (Romans 14:12 and 1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Let's be ready for that time.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gifts that you have given to me. Help me to clean up my life so that I can be more effective in my service to you. Help me to count each day as my last so that I will not be ashamed to stand before your judgment seat. Thank you for your grace and mercy to help me on this journey. Amen
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