Josiah Reigns in Judah
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Josiah Repairs the Temple
In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house (that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons), and let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”
2 KINGS 22:1-7
Points to Ponder:
1. Serve the Lord…..whatever you are and whatever you do.
Presidential candidates would tell you what they would do the first 24 hours after they take office and then roll out a 100-day plan of some sort. These are supposed to be the priorities of what the country….well… AND more importantly….. to get them elected.
As for Josiah, his first-day or 100-day plan was to renovate the Temple. the young king has his priority right. He used his position, power, and possession to first put the house of the LORD in order (NOT his own). The long-neglected temple could use a serious renovation project. It reminds me of how David prepared everything for Solomon to build the temple. May I suggest that just like Josiah, where you work (or study) is where you should serve the Lord?
Who do you serve? Who/what do you work for?
Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:23
- You are a king? Good! Serve the Lord!
- You are a slave? Good! Serve the Lord!
- You work at Kaiser? Good! Serve the Lord!
- You are in college? Good! Serve the Lord!
- You are engineers, scientists, janitors, HR, social workers, programmers, technicians, accounting …..?
GOOD! SERVE THE LORD AT WHERE YOU WORK!
2. Be a marketplace Christian
Do your colleagues and classmates know you are a Christian? You don’t tell them by making an announcement but by your “salt-n-light” behaviors! The world would know you are different when you work with the biblical work ethic, minister to your coworkers like they are your neighbors, and care for your customers like they are Jesus. We don’t just love each other in church, right?
We love
and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
2 Peter 1:7
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