Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - "No Kid Gloves" – Wednesday, 29 October 2014 - Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34:1-13

Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - "No Kid Gloves" – Wednesday, 29 October 2014 - Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34: King Josiah
1-2 Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He behaved well before God. He kept straight on the path blazed by his ancestor David, not one step to the left or right.
3-7 When he had been king for eight years—he was still only a teenager—he began to seek the God of David his ancestor. Four years later, the twelfth year of his reign, he set out to cleanse the neighborhood of sex-and-religion shrines, and get rid of the sacred Asherah groves and the god and goddess figurines, whether carved or cast, from Judah. He wrecked the Baal shrines, tore down the altars connected with them, and scattered the debris and ashes over the graves of those who had worshiped at them. He burned the bones of the priests on the same altars they had used when alive. He scrubbed the place clean, Judah and Jerusalem, clean inside and out. The cleanup campaign ranged outward to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and the surrounding neighborhoods—as far north as Naphtali. Throughout Israel he demolished the altars and Asherah groves, pulverized the god and goddess figures, chopped up the neighborhood shrines into firewood. With Israel once more intact, he returned to Jerusalem.
8-13 One day in the eighteenth year of his kingship, with the cleanup of country and Temple complete, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the mayor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the historian to renovate The Temple of God. First they turned over to Hilkiah the high priest all the money collected by the Levitical security guards from Manasseh and Ephraim and the rest of Israel, and from Judah and Benjamin and the citizens of Jerusalem. It was then put into the hands of the foremen managing the work on The Temple of God who then passed it on to the workers repairing God’s Temple—the carpenters, construction workers, and masons—so they could buy the lumber and dressed stone for rebuilding the foundations the kings of Judah had allowed to fall to pieces. The workmen were honest and diligent. Their foremen were Jahath and Obadiah, the Merarite Levites, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites—these managed the project. The Levites—they were all skilled musicians—were in charge of the common laborers and supervised the workers as they went from job to job. The Levites also served as accountants, managers, and security guards.
"No Kid Gloves" by David Roller
Josiah was only eight years old when his father was killed and he inherited the throne. Regents ran the kingdom of Judah during his first years, but when Josiah turned sixteen, he had a spiritual awakening: “he began to seek the God of his father David” (v. 3).
When Josiah was twenty, he began directly addressing the evil his father had nurtured during his reign. Typically, we think of older folks as the ones who point society toward righteousness. In this case, it was a youngster who showed the way back to God.
Josiah didn’t just pay his religious dues; he went far beyond that by purging the country of evil. He swept across his kingdom, smashing and cutting down the false gods, and even burning the bones of the false priests. It is clear that Josiah was actually doing the crushing and cutting. He fervently fought for righteousness on the front lines.
When Josiah was twenty-six, he ordered that the temple be repaired. He found the funding, employed skilled workers, and appointed the Levite musicians as the general contractors.
One king—one teenager—made a difference and turned his country around.

Hymn for Today:

"Give of Your Best To The Master" by Howard B. Grose
1. Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example,
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion;
Give Him the best that you have.
Refrain:
Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.
2. Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.
Refrain:
Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.
3. Give of your best to the Master;
Naught else is worthy His love;
He gave Himself for your ransom,
Gave up His glory above.
Laid down His life without murmur,
You from sin’s ruin to save;
Give Him your heart’s adoration;
Give Him the best that you have.
Refrain:
Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.
Thought for Today:

“God will reward our efforts when we seek to better understand our faith, and when we pledge to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength"(Diane Leclerc).
Prayer Needs:
For the deelopment of Christian leaders in Saint Martin.
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