Category: Josiah

Contagious Conduct

“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images.” 2 Chron 34:3 (ESV) What caused Josiah, at the age of sixteen, to begin to seek God? When you look at his family tree, you find that both his father, Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh, did evil in the eyes of the Lord. It is obvious that Josiah did not receive his spiritual heritage from them. When you look into the life of his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, you find a much different portrait. “Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.” 2 Chron 29:1-2 (NIV) I wonder if Josiah was influenced by the godly life that his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, lived. Another possibility is that Josiah began to seek God when he became a daddy, at the age of sixteen, to Jehoahaz. For me personally, when I became a dad my understanding of God’s love and my pursuit of God intensified. There’s something about seeing your own flesh and blood and embracing the awesome responsibility of parenthood that draws you to God. You recognize your dependency upon God. Regardless of your age or life stage, assess your level of thirst for God? Are you passionately seeking God daily and allowing Him to have full access to your mind, emotions, and will? Is there anything or anyone you desire more than you desire God? I have discovered in my walk with God, whatever you feed grows and whatever you starve dies. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Tags Devo

Encouragement Josiah Teachable

Be Teachable

“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” 2 Chronicles 34:1-2 (ESV) Be Teachable. Can you imagine an eight-year-old child becoming the President of the United States of America? That’s hard to fathom. Yet, in the sovereignty of God, Josiah became the king of Judah when he was the tender age of eight. God enabled Josiah to reign for thirty-one years. How does an eight-year-old rule his kingdom? He doesn’t by himself. Josiah surrounds himself with people who can help. He willingly brings people around him who can do what he can’t and who can exercise gifts that he may not personally have. Josiah becomes an effective king by being teachable. Josiah allows others to speak into his life. You need four people in your life to help you reach your God-given potential. You need a “Paul” who will mentor you. You need a “Timothy” to invest your life in. You need a “Barnabas” to encourage you and to bring out the best in you. And you need a “Nathan” to speak the truth in love to you. Are you teachable? Do you allow God to stretch you and mold you and grow you? Are you willing to allow others to get close enough to you in order to learn from them? Ask God to bring a Paul, a Timothy, a Barnabas, and a Nathan into your life. Be willing to be a Paul, to be a Timothy, to be a Barnabas, and to be a Nathan in someone’s life. Seek to add value to others as you allow the life of Christ to be expressed through you. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

God's Word Josiah Responsive

Be Responsive

“Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.”2 Kings 22:18-19 (NIV) At the age of twenty-six, Josiah encountered the reading of the Book of the Law. Though he was a king, Josiah allowed the Word of the Lord to impact his life. Instead of seeking to get God’s Word to conform to his life, Josiah conformed his life to the Word of God. “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” Matt. 13:23 (NIV) Do you read the Bible? When you read the Bible, are you allowing God’s Word to take root in your life? Are you tender towards God and sensitive to what He speaks into your life? Jesus wants us to move from being hearers of the Word only, to being doers of the Word. Is your heart responsive to God’s Word? How do you respond? Have you allowed God’s Word to affect you emotionally and intellectually? Strive to have a consistent daily intake of God’s Word. A healthy daily discipline is to read four chapters of the Bible each day. In one year, you will have read through the entire Bible. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Influence Josiah Reformation

Reformation in Action

“Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers.” 2 Chronicles 34:33 (NIV) God used Josiah to bring forth a reformation in Israel. Here are a few of the reformation verbs found in II Kings 22-23 and II Chronicles 34-35: removed, burned, did away with, took, ground it to powder, scattered, tore, desecrated, pulled down, smashed, cut down, covered, defiled, slaughtered, got rid of, purged, cut to pieces, broke to pieces, tore down, and crushed. Josiah was willing to tenaciously follow God’s lead and remove all the detestable idols. Like his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, Josiah cleansed the nation of idolatry, repaired the temple, restored the worship, and celebrated a great nationwide Passover. Josiah tenaciously renewed the Covenant and reformed the culture. What is keeping you from reaching your God-given potential? What are you giving your life to? Where does your life give evidence of tenaciously following God’s lead? God placed you right where you are so that you could be an irresistible influence for God’s glory. God allowed you to wake up this morning so that you could spread the aroma of Christ through your conversation and your conduct. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:14-15 NIV). God did not call you to reflect the environment, but to set the environment. God did not save you so that you would embrace the way of the world. God saved you so that you would tenaciously follow the way of Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Josiah Mentoring Teachable

Adding Value

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” 2 Chronicles 34:1-2 (NIV) Can you imagine an eight-year-old child becoming the President of the United States of America? That’s hard to fathom. Yet, in the sovereignty of God, Josiah became the king of Judah when he was the tender age of eight. God enabled Josiah to reign for thirty-one years. How does an eight-year-old rule his kingdom? He doesn’t do it by himself. Josiah surrounded himself with people who could help. He willingly brought people around him who could do what he couldn’t and who could exercise gifts that he may not personally have had. Josiah became an effective king by being teachable. Josiah allowed others to speak into his life. You need four people in your life to help you reach your God-given potential. You need a “Paul” who will mentor you. You need a “Timothy” to invest your life in. You need a “Barnabas” to encourage you and to bring out the best in you. And you need a “Nathan” to speak the truth in love to you. Are you teachable? Do you allow God to stretch you and mold you and grow you? Are you willing to allow others to get close enough to you in order to learn from them? Ask God to bring a Paul, a Timothy, a Barnabas, and a Nathan into your life. Be willing to be a Paul, to be a Timothy, to be a Barnabas, and to be a Nathan in someone’s life. Seek to add value to others as you allow the life of Christ to be expressed through you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

2 Chronicles Josiah Purity

Contagious Conduct

“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images.” 2 Chron 34:3 (ESV) What caused Josiah, at the age of sixteen, to begin to seek God? When you look at his family tree, you find that both his father, Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh, did evil in the eyes of the Lord. It is obvious that Josiah did not receive his spiritual heritage from them. When you look into the life of his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, you find a much different portrait. “Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.” 2 Chron 29:1-2 (NIV) I wonder if Josiah was influenced by the godly life that his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, lived. Another possibility is that Josiah began to seek God when he became a daddy, at the age of sixteen, to Jehoahaz. For me personally, when I became a daddy my understanding of God’s love and my pursuit of God intensified. There’s something about seeing your own flesh and blood and embracing the awesome responsibility of parenthood that draws you to God. You recognize your dependency upon God. Regardless of your age or life stage, assess your level of thirst for God? Are you passionately seeking God daily and allowing Him to have full access to your mind, emotions, and will? Is there anything or anyone you desire more than you desire God? I have discovered in my walk with God, whatever you feed grows and whatever you starve dies. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 217: 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

God's Word Josiah Responsive

Be Responsive

“Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.” 2 Kings 22:18-19 (NIV) At the age of twenty-six, Josiah encountered the reading of the Book of the Law. Though he was a king, Josiah allowed the Word of the Lord to impact his life. Instead of seeking to get God’s Word to conform to his life, Josiah conformed his life to the Word of God. “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23 (NIV) Do you read the Bible? When you read the Bible, are you allowing God’s Word to take root in your life? Are you tender towards God and sensitive to what He speaks into your life? Jesus wants us to move from being hearers of the Word only, to being doers of the Word. Is your heart responsive to God’s Word? How do you respond? Have you allowed God’s Word to affect you emotionally and intellectually? Strive to have a consistent daily intake of God’s Word. A healthy daily discipline is to read four chapters of the Bible each day. In one year, you will have read through the entire Bible. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Influence Josiah Reformation

Reformation in Action

“Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers.” 2 Chron 34:33 (NIV) God used Josiah to bring forth a reformation in Israel. Here are a few of the reformation verbs found in II Kings 22-23 and II Chronicles 34-35: removed, burned, did away with, took, ground it to powder, scattered, tore, desecrated, pulled down, smashed, cut down, covered, defiled, slaughtered, got rid of, purged, cut to pieces, broke to pieces, tore down, and crushed. Josiah was willing to tenaciously follow God’s lead and remove all the detestable idols. Like his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, Josiah cleansed the nation of idolatry, repaired the temple, restored the worship, and celebrated a great nationwide Passover. Josiah tenaciously renewed the Covenant and reformed the culture. What is keeping you from reaching your God-given potential? What are you giving your life to? Where does your life give evidence of tenaciously following God’s lead? God placed you right where you are so that you could be an irresistible influence for God’s glory. God allowed you to wake up this morning so that you could spread the aroma of Christ through your conversation and your conduct. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Cor 2:14-15 NIV). God did not call you to reflect the environment, but to set the environment. God did not save you so that you would embrace the way of the world. God saved you so that you would tenaciously follow the way of Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Josiah Mentoring Teachable

Adding Value

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” 2 Chron 34:1-2 (NIV) Can you imagine an eight-year-old child becoming the President of the United States of America? That’s hard to fathom. Yet, in the sovereignty of God, Josiah became the king of Judah when he was the tender age of eight. God enabled Josiah to reign for thirty-one years. How does an eight-year-old rule his kingdom? He doesn’t by himself. Josiah surrounds himself with people who can help. He willingly brings people around him who can do what he can’t and who can exercise gifts that he may not personally have. Josiah becomes an effective king by being teachable. Josiah allows others to speak into his life. You need four people in your life to help you reach your God-given potential. You need a “Paul” who will mentor you. You need a “Timothy” to invest your life in. You need a “Barnabas” to encourage you and to bring out the best in you. And you need a “Nathan” to speak the truth in love to you. Are you teachable? Do you allow God to stretch you and mold you and grow you? Are you willing to allow others to get close enough to you in order to learn from them? Ask God to bring a Paul, a Timothy, a Barnabas, and a Nathan into your life. Be willing to be a Paul, to be a Timothy, to be a Barnabas, and to be a Nathan in someone’s life. Seek to add value to others as you allow the life of Christ to be expressed through you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Encouragement Josiah Teachable

Be Teachable

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” 2 Chron 34:1-2 (NIV) Be Teachable. Can you imagine an eight-year-old child becoming the President of the United States of America? That’s hard to fathom. Yet, in the sovereignty of God, Josiah became the king of Judah when he was the tender age of eight. God enabled Josiah to reign for thirty-one years. How does an eight-year-old rule his kingdom? He doesn’t by himself. Josiah surrounds himself with people who can help. He willingly brings people around him who can do what he can’t and who can exercise gifts that he may not personally have. Josiah becomes an effective king by being teachable. Josiah allows others to speak into his life. You need four people in your life to help you reach your God-given potential. You need a “Paul” who will mentor you. You need a “Timothy” to invest your life in. You need a “Barnabas” to encourage you and to bring out the best in you. And you need a “Nathan” to speak the truth in love to you. Are you teachable? Do you allow God to stretch you and mold you and grow you? Are you willing to allow others to get close enough to you in order to learn from them? Ask God to bring a Paul, a Timothy, a Barnabas, and a Nathan into your life. Be willing to be a Paul, to be a Timothy, to be a Barnabas, and to be a Nathan in someone’s life. Seek to add value to others as you allow the life of Christ to be expressed through you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Barnabas Encouragement Josiah Mentoring Nathan Paul Teachable Timothy

Potential Essentials (1)

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” 2 Chron 34:1-2 (NIV) Be Teachable. Can you imagine an eight year old child becoming the President of the United States of America? That’s hard to fathom. Yet, in the sovereignty of God, Josiah became the king of Judah when he was the tender age of eight. God enabled Josiah to reign for thirty-one years. How does an eight year old rule his kingdom? He doesn’t by himself. Josiah surrounds himself with people who can help. He willingly brings people around him who can do what he can’t and who can exercise gifts that he may not personally have. Josiah becomes an effective king by being teachable. Josiah allows others to speak into his life. You need four people in your life to help you reach your God-given potential. You need a “Paul” who will mentor you. You need a “Timothy” to invest your life in. You need a “Barnabas” to encourage you and to bring out the best in you. And you need a “Nathan” to speak the truth in love to you. Are you teachable? Do you allow God to stretch you and mold you and grow you? Are you willing to allow others to get close enough to you in order to learn from them? Ask God to bring a Paul, a Timothy, a Barnabas, and a Nathan into your life. Be willing to be a Paul, to be a Timothy, to be a Barnabas, and to be a Nathan in someone’s life. Seek to add value to others as you allow the life of Christ to be expressed through you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor