2 Chronicles 17.3-6
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father
David before him. He did not consult the Baals 4 but sought the God of his
father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. 5 The
Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to
Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. 6 His heart was devoted to
the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah
poles from Judah. (NIV)
What makes a person do what he does? Why is one person
driven to succeed and another is content to coast? Why is one super-spiritual
and another is clueless? What does one do when one is king? What would you do
if you were?
It seems Jehoshaphat understood who he was and what he
was anointed to do. As king he could’ve done just about anything and nobody
would’ve been able to stop him – he had a pen and a phone, he could make things
happen. And he did, but here’s the difference: he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult
the Baals but sought the God of his
father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. I
think, on Jehoshaphat’s tomb might’ve been these words: He Sought the God of His Father.
After Solomon, the kingdom in Judah sorta fell into
disarray. But Jehoshaphat came along and restored a lot of what had been
before. He tore down the high places, he got rid of the Asherah poles. He set
the tone for his kingdom that: God was
God and we all ought to heed Him because we need Him. What makes a person
do what he does?
A person does what a person does because of God. (Yes, I
realize there is such a thing as “free will”, but we don’t seem to mind when
God gifts us with abilities and talents we didn’t ask for). God is sovereign
and does what He does with us because He is God. He is uniquely able to
influence our lives in ways no one else on earth can. Jehoshaphat it seems was
uniquely gifted to remember the majesty of David’s unique relationship with
God.
Why are you who you are and why do you do what you do?
And for whom do you do? What will they put on your headstone? Recently I
received this note from my daughter: “…In
addition to us, the Fam, I know you’ve touched so many people just by being who
you are: a loving, caring, hard-working man of God who just wants to leave a
mark on this world, and we love you for it! Happy Father’s Day!” I wonder
what she’ll want on my headstone…
We do what we do because we are uniquely gifted by God to
do it. We are no different than Jehoshaphat of old – he was loved because of
who he was and what he did and his love for God. Jehoshaphat is a breath of
fresh air to me!
Father in Heaven, You alone have made me who I am and I
am grateful for it. In this life we can either credit or blame; but when it’s
all over, we only are who You’ve uniquely gifted us to be. And so, may my life
be used to restore others back to Your original intention; the one You’ve
always had for them. And may Your gifts and influence be obvious in this world
where You often don’t get the credit You deserve, and suffer the blame You do.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment