June 12

Two stories of the dangers of being spiritually lukewarm

2 Kings 10:31 Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.

2 Kings 12:2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

Both Jehu and Joash teach us the danger of not devoting our hearts fully to God. That is a phrase that is used to give a commentary on the spiritual legacy of these ancient kings.

Jehu did a lot of good in his life by ridding the land of Baal worship. But his heart wasn’t totally sold out to the Lord. God had part of his heart but not the whole thing. It is interesting how many things of the world pull at our hearts. Money, success, career, pleasure, popularity, and power are the leading candidates in Stamford. All of these idols promise happiness, but they cannot deliver in the end. It is only a heart fully devoted to God that really quenches our soul thirst.

Joash teaches us of the dangers of focusing on externals. Joash did what was right until his mentor died. Then without the external eye of Jehoiada on him, the later years of his life will reveal a slide into compromise. To have a successful life we must be fully devoted to God.

This is a lesson for every parent. Raise your kids to have a faith of their own, not to simply follow your faith. If you don’t train them correctly they will walk away from God the moment they walk away from your home. We must train our children to follow the ways of God even if they run contrary to the culture, or even if no one is watching them.

The lesson for all of us is that to “trust and obey” is the only way to be happy in Jesus. When God says something we follow, simply because God is saying it. Beware of keeping part of your heart for yourself. That compromise will always be the place of your greatest struggle.