Living On Mission with Josiah and the Book

Living On Mission with Josiah and the Book

I think Josiah must have been a big fan of HGTV, just like me. Ok, maybe not. But, he was doing some renovations on the temple. (Flip that Temple! Ok, ok. I’ll stop.)  At some point while work was being done on the temple, High Priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law and told Secretary Shaphan about it. Secretary Shaphan dutifully took it to King Josiah and read it in his presence.

 

King Josiah’s reaction to the Book was incredible.

 

King Josiah was devastated. He was so distraught that he tore his robes – a physical expression of the grief in his heart. He instructed High Priest Hilkiah to, “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.” (2 Kings 22:13)

 

Josiah realized that he, and the people, and all of Judah had broken the laws and the heart of God. He knew that God was angry, and rightfully so, because they were completely ignorant of His Laws. The Truth was revealed in the words on that scroll. That Truth impacted Josiah and set him on a course to align his heart and his actions with what had been discovered.

 

Josiah was changed by the Truth of God’s Book.

 

What about you and me? Are we devastated when we discover that we have been going against something in God’s Word? Do we allow God’s Book to change our hearts, our behavior, and the course of our lives? Can we change our ways and “do everything it says we must do?”

 

Let’s practice living on mission, and be people who know the Book and do what it says!

 

Pastor Angela

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “The Manual”

Supplies: Bible; at least one owner’s manual for a frequently used item in your household

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What do you think is the least read book in the average home?  I haven’t looked up any study, but I’d be willing to bet that near the top of the list would be owner’s manuals.  These pamphlets of information come with everything, yet we rarely crack the stapled spine.  When Chris and I moved to Normal last January, we came across our “manuals” folder in the file cabinet.  We had a good laugh as we thumbed through the various instruction books, spme of which were for appliances and gadgets we hadn’t owned in years.  It was evidence as to how little that folder was ever accessed.  

I bet you have a similar folder.  Go raid it and bring back a manual for each person in the family.  If you are more efficient and simply throw out your manuals, first: congratulations!  You at least have the courage to acknowledge you’re never going to read them.  Second: hop on line and access a manual for one of your gadgets.  (Your phone, tablet or computer is probably easiest to find.)  Take a minute and search through the manuals, finding one tidbit you didn’t know.  Share with the rest of the family what you learned.  Now don’t you feel better?

READ

I’m guessing another book at the top of my made up study would be the Bible.  While it’s more interesting than what you just read, it’s could also be considered an owner’s manual.  God’s Word gives us guidance on how to live a life pleasing to Him.  The Jews of King Josiah’s age had fallen into the trap—they tossed the Word when they didn’t think it was going to be helpful anymore. Read 2 Kings 23:21-25 together and see what Josiah did after they found the Book of Law.  Paraphrase for younger children. 

THINK

As awesome as it was to discover God’s Word, King Josiah knew that having the scroll wasn’t enough.  There was no way he was going to stick the parchment in some woven file box and call it good.  He knew that the purpose of an owner’s manual was to give directions that would make things better.  The Book of the Law was full of information that could make the lives of the Jewish nation better, but only if they read and applied what was in there.  Josiah didn’t settle for just exposing his people to the Word of God; he put it into practice by observing the Passover for the first time in decades/centuries and removing false idols “that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that [was] found in the house of the Lord.” (2 Kings 23:24)

APPLY

What about you?  Too often we treat the Bible like an owner’s manual, in that we keep it, but we never really look at it or use it.  Are you “establishing the words of the law” in your own life?  Or is your copy of the book tucked away collecting dust?  I challenge you to take/find your own Bible and put it somewhere nearby (at your bedside or on the kitchen table).  Commit this week that you will begin each day with a helping of God’s Word.  Maybe it’s a few verses in Psalms before you get out of bed, or a Gospel chapter shared together over breakfast, agree together that you will read and apply God’s Word this week.

PRAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word.  What a blessing it is to be able to hear from Your heart and be guided in our day-to-day living.  Help us and encourage us this week as we seek to not just have Your Words, but to read and use them.  In Your Name we pray, Amen.

REPLY

Did you and your family enjoy this devotional blog?  We'd love to know about it!  Our hope is to continue providing this weekly opportunity for families to do a devotion together.  If your family did this devotion, please shoot us an email, text or just post a comment to this blog.

Living On Mission with Josiah

Living On Mission with Josiah

A couple of things jumped out at me immediately when I was reading about Josiah in 2 Kings 22. 

 

The first thing I noticed was that Josiah, “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:2)  This sounds a lot like discipleship to me.  Of course he wasn’t taught or discipled directly by David, but evidently someone had learned some things from David and passed them down to others. We can be impacted by the lives of others. We should also think about the impact that our lives can have on others. Am I living a life I would want someone else to follow?  I’m so glad that Josiah was impacted by David instead of some of the other not-so-great-ok-actually-evil kings in his heritage.  What a great thing to be influenced by David who loved God wholeheartedly and ALWAYS turned back to God no matter how far he strayed.

 

Missional thought: Let’s be mindful of who is influencing us and who we are influencing.

 

The second thing I noticed was that Josiah instructed his finance department NOT to ask the construction leaders for receipts for the items they had to purchase in for the temple.  He said, “…they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.” (2 Kings 22:7)  (Obviously they didn’t have the IRS breathing down their necks!)  This shows either remarkable trust in these men based solely on their position, or that Josiah had built relationships with these workers. Bless him if this was based on respect for their position. How rare to find someone who is quick to honor another in this way! And double bless him if he had actually spent time building relationships with these men who served him as the king and served God by rebuilding the temple. I love that Josiah chose to honor and trust the people around him.

 

Missional thought: Relationships matter. Trust matters. Be a person who builds relationships of trust. 

 

Let’s practice living on mission!

 

Pastor Angela

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “8 Is Enough”

Supplies: Bible; photos of family members at the age of 8 (2nd or 3rd grade)

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What were you like when you were eight?  Looking back, I was a pretty typical third grader in the early 80’s.  I was average height with an average “build” and long red hair.  I lived with my parents on a one-block street where everyone knew and liked each other.  I had a sticker collection and loved to roller skate.  I played Barbies with my best friend who lived across the street.  I wore a lot of purple and carried a Pac-Man lunch box.  I watched Scooby-Doo after school and played Frogger on our Atari until I beat every level. Just your typical eight year old.

What about you?  Take turns sharing with each other what you remember about being eight.  Did you have any unique passions?  Was there anything that made you stand out from the crowd?  Do you remember liking that time of life or was it challenging?  If someone in your family hasn’t reached the ripe old age of eight yet, have them speculate about what they think they’ll look like and be like at that age. 

READ

Read 2 Kings 22:1-2 together.  Paraphrase for younger children. 

THINK AGAIN

I think we can safely say that Josiah was NOT a typical eight year old.  Few of us had to deal with the kinds of pressures and responsibilities that were thrust at Josiah.  While most of us were trying to be King of the Hill, he was was trying to be an actual king.  And let’s face it—he didn’t have the best role models in the world.  Both his father and his grandfather were evil leaders who turned their nation further and further from God.  Yet, Josiah managed to rise above his predecessors to do great things…beginning as a third grader.  Today when we see and eight year old in a difficult home life, we turn it into the justification for the inevitable poor behavior.  Josiah breaks the mold by turning from his upbringing, choosing instead to follow the one true God and becoming a leader comparable to King David.  It’s tempting to attribute this inspiring turn-around to the people in the story: Josiah’s character, his mother’s influence, surely SOMEone deserves the credit.

In truth, God is the only answer to what made Josiah different.  God’s prevenient grace went ahead and began to tug on Josiah’s heart, drawing Josiah closer and closer to the God who loved him, until Josiah was able to choose for himself whom he would follow.  Josiah’s choice changed the nation for awhile, leading them back to God.  And it was all built of the foundation laid by that same God.

APPLY

God’s prevenient grace doesn’t just work on ancient eight year old kings.  It’s at work today in the hearts of everyone in your family.  Take some time to think: what foundation is God laying in my life right now?  How is Jesus setting the stage to draw me closer to Himself and His plan for my life?  What do I need to do to step up and build on that foundation?  Share your thoughts with your family.  Decide what action steps you need to take to engage and use that grace that God is pouring into your life.  

PRAY

Dear Jesus, thank You for the incredible ways You draw us close to You.  Help us remember, Lord, that now matter how old we are, we can turn our hearts to You and experience Your greatness.  In Your Name we pray, Amen.

REPLY

Did you and your family enjoy this devotional blog?  We'd love to know about it!  Our hope is to continue providing this weekly opportunity for families to do a devotion together.  If your family did this devotion, please shoot us an email, text or just post a comment to this blog.

Boy-King -- A Letter from Pastor Todd

Dear PoC Family:

I have experienced God’s “just in the nick of time” grace many times in my life.  Here is just a sampling:

• When I was a young teen, I was playing with a nail gun on a construction site with some men from the church.  I hit the hammer onto a board when the gun backfired somehow, sending the nail toward my right eye.  It happened so fast.  The next thing I remember, I’m taking my glasses off only to find that the nail had shattered the right lens of my glasses.  God’s grace came to me in the form of a plastic lens.  
• When I was in senior high, I was driving home from work.  I had just picked up my paycheck and was driving home on a snowy and mountainous West Virginia highway when a semi decided to pass me on the side of the road that had not been plowed yet.  His trailer jack-knifed and spun out of control, hitting my car like a baseball and sending me hurling against the side of the mountain cliff.  It happened so fast.  The next thing I know, I was laying in the middle of the road staring at my unrecognizable car with blood running down my face.  God’s grace came to me in the form of an old Buick that was too old for seatbelts.
• When Kim and I first set out (with our incredible launch team) to plant Point of Change, we took a huge leap of faith.  One day we were praying here in the IBEW (our church building), praising God for His clear direction and next step for our church.  The next day I was having a full-blown panic attack because this crazy leap of faith came without a paycheck.  I remember sitting in the kitchen at the house telling God that we weren’t going to make it unless He stepped in.  The months leading up to the launch had happened so fast that it never occurred to me that my salary would be gone.  So, that was a loooooooooonnnnnnnnng Monday that ended with a phone meeting with my friends Lynn and Megan, our newly appointed Finance Team leaders.  They were calling to tell me to come pick up my first paycheck.  The launch team had decided to kick it into high gear and provide a part-time salary.  God’s grace came to me in the form of an answer to prayer and the kindness of friends.

This Sunday we are starting a new sermon series called, “Boy-King:  Guilty of Everything”.  It focuses on the life of Josiah as recorded in 2 Kings 22 & 23.  This young 8-year-old boy becomes the King of Judah after His sinful father is murdered.  What’s more, young Josiah has been raised in a court that has been apostate (formal disaffiliation and abandonment of God) for 57 years and that subjected all opposition to a reign of terror.  The young boy-king’s life is on a trajectory that seemingly can’t be stopped.  The nail has left the nail-gun!!  The car is racing towards the cliff!!  The paychecks have stopped!!!!  The only thing left to stop Josiah from barreling down his inherited path of destruction is the grace of God.  But, how will the grace of God come to Josiah?  In what form?

PoC, your life and my life have both been on a set path for some time.  Look at our nation, our fathers and our mothers, their choices and the choices of those who have come before them.  When you look at all that you inherited, what is the likely outcome?  I don’t know about you, but my life SHOULD have looked very different had it not been for God’s amazing grace.

And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  Acts 20: 32

For the next three weeks, PoC is going to be exhilarating, joy-pumped, and grace-full.  Now would be a good time for us to invite those friends and family members to share in the waterfall!!

I’m praying for you!  Let’s keep talking about Jesus.

Pastor Todd