howevers......and other dangerous things

6/27/2020

Hi Beachside friends!
In my reading this morning I came across this in 1 Kings 22:43...
He (Jehoshaphat) walked in the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from doing it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.
This turned me to thinking about things that might qualify as "HOWEVERS" in my life. Here's the deal! Like Jehoshaphat, I deeply desire and make purposeful decisions to "walk in the way of my Father." I truly seek to "do right in the sight of the Lord." And when I listen to God speaking to me...through His Word; through His Spirit; through the counsel and teaching of godly men and women who share my desire for holy living that honors our God...I am often made aware of "HOWEVERS" that I have allowed to remain in my life. Things, thoughts, actions, behaviors, attitudes...that should be "taken away," yet they remain. I'm asking God to help me see clearly the things in my life that would have me to fall short of being the "good and faithful servant" that he calls me to be. I'm praying that you will join me.
And here are some questions for you to think over, discuss with and respond to with your Beachside Youth Family!
1. Was Jehoshaphat a goodly man and king?
2. What does "doing right in the sight of the Lord" mean to you?
3. What is really wrong with having "HOWEVERS" in our lives? Isn't it OK to be obedient most of the time? Isn't it OK to have things in our lives that are maybe just a little shady or marginally bad...as long as we don't let them get out of control...as long as nobody finds out...as long as nobody gets hurt? Can't we love God and the "high places?"
4. Are there things that need to be "taken away" in your life. (Don't need to share your answer here if you don't want to...between you and God)
I miss you all! It's been good seeing some of you at Church and backyard pool parties. Pray for each other...keep in touch...stay glued (abide) to Jesus!
MartyG

9 Comments

Mark G

6/27/2020 11:23:50 am

Great discussion questions, brother!

1 Kings 22 says that Jehoshaphat was a good king... and that he did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight.

This is a wonderful affirmation from God and testimony of His faithfulness.

But the "however" shows Jehoshaphat lacking in faithfulness to do the complete work that God desired. God wanted him to hate the sin and disobedience, to search for it and not tolerate it and to remove it. But Jehoshaphat didn't. God still loved him, because He is faithful, not because Jehoshaphat was a perfect king.

There is only One perfect King, and He is our Lord, Jesus. Hold onto Him, walk with Him, and with courage and faith deal with the "however's" that the Lord shows you as He is allowed to search your heart and know you! Bring those things into the light of confession and repentance, and know the complete freedom that you have in Christ! Invite a brother or sister to share in accountability with you, pray with you, and the power of sin and secrecy and darkness is broken.

Love each of you greatly, praying for His refining work in each of our lives. Enjoying watching that work of His hand, as we grow and mature further in Christ.

Marty Gresham

6/27/2020 06:02:37 pm

Such great counsel Mark! So grateful to have a friend like you!
MartyG

Hannah

6/27/2020 04:14:18 pm

1. Jehoshaphat was a godly man.

2. Doing what is right in the sight of the Lord means that you are doing what is right...the way God sees right and wrong. If I do what someone else thinks is right, but God doesn’t think that it is right, then I am doing WRONG in the sight of the Lord.

3. Having ‘HOWEVERS’ in our lives is very wrong. We cannot be lukewarm, loving God and sin at the same time. We need to fully devote ourselves to God and only God.

Miss you too, Marty!

6/27/2020 06:05:21 pm

Excellent answers and encouragement Hannah! May we grow away from any form of "lukewarm" when it comes to our life with Jesus! Thanks little sister!
MartyG

Brooke Wu

6/28/2020 06:55:15 am

Jehoshaphat was a good man and a good king

Doing something right in the sight of the Lord means doing his will or what he knows is right to do

It isn’t ok to have ‘HOWEVERS’. But we are sinners and will always have them but God wants us to do our best and become more and more like Jesus.

6/30/2020 09:19:08 pm

Great comment again Brooke! Holiness is our aim! Jesus leads the way for us! The Holy Spirit is our Helper!
Speaking of "HOWEVERS," what do you make of
Romans 6:12-14?
Paul writes that we are to present ourselves as instruments of righteousness. The word "instruments" is really properly translated as "weapons!" What does it mean..."weapons of righteousness"...and, "sin shall not be master over you?" Blessings!
MartyG

7/1/2020 10:15:49 am

Thanks for giving me something to think about.......
When sin is our master, it leads to death. But when we obey God’s word and teachings, it leads to righteousness. We have been set free from sin and we are now servants (weapons) of righteousness because we have offered ourselves to God who saved and gave life.

I read 15-18 too so that helped me understand it more

Joshua Wu

6/29/2020 11:58:39 am

1. Jehoshaphat was a good king and it does say he was right in the sight of the Lord. He even put his life on the line by agreeing with Ahab to dress royally while Ahab disguised himself during the battle where Ahab died. This helped prove that he could do his faith. Jehoshaphat ended up getting chased but unscathed after the battle because the Lord protected him. Also he removed many idols that even his father didn’t get rid of.
2. To do right in the sight of the Lord is basically doing your faith, doing God’s will, and showing it by following his word with actions.
3. Jehoshaphat didn’t remove idols from the high places because he feared a major rebellion, doing the same thing as Abraham by protecting himself because he didn’t think God would protect him. When we have something in our lives we keep, it will come back to bite us. King Saul was told by God to destroy the Amalekites but he spared the king and some livestock. The descendents of the Amalekites have warred against Israel for several thousands of years just because Saul disobeyed the Lord and didn’t kill the king.
We can’t keep things like these in our lives or as Pastor Bert says, Amalekites. They will ultimately destroy us if we don’t put that sin to death.

6/29/2020 06:16:19 pm

Excellent insights Joshua. We have an excellent example in Scripture of SIN being likened to "missing the mark." We all know by experience that we can hit a target...especially if its a big one...but miss the bullseye. While we struggle in this body of flesh and fall short of perfect performance...we take great joy and find our security in knowing that we are "perfect" in relationship with the Father because of what Jesus has done for us. Good post brother!
MartyG

Junior High Connect

howevers......and other dangerous things

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