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"He commanded them, saying, 'In the fear of the Lord, with integrity, and wholeheartedly, you are to do the following...'"
(2 Chronicles 19:9, CSB)
For the rest of the week, we are going to shift our focus from Asa to his son, Jehoshaphat. Now, I do not know the real definition of his name, but if my name was Jehoshaphat instead of Bryant, I don't think I'd be too thrilled!
Jehoshaphat followed his father in line to the throne but also made a choice similar to his father: to be faithful to God! Jehoshaphat is considered a good king of Judah because he pointed the people of Judah to God. When Jehoshaphat put some Levites and other people in positions of authority, he commanded them to do things in the fear of the Lord, with integrity, and wholeheartedly.
Upon first reading today's scripture verse, one can perhaps overlook this important little nugget: "in the fear of the Lord, with integrity, and wholeheartedly". However, after reading it more than once and internalizing it, followers of Jesus Christ can and should apply it to our own lives.
May we be people who fear the Lord and have the utmost respect for Him!
May we be people who do things in and with integrity!
May we be people who do whatever we are doing wholeheartedly and passionately!
When I think of "in fear of the Lord, in integrity, and wholeheartedly," I think of my father. He demonstrated this lifestyle to his family when we kids were growing up, and he still does to this day! I remember growing up and constantly playing catch in the backyard. Now, how does playing catch show "in fear of the Lord, in integrity, and wholeheartedly"?
Well, every day, after working a full day as a pastor, my father came home to three children who were full of energy, and came out to the backyard to toss the pigskin with us. He would throw that football with us for hours, and then we would come in and eat at the family table where he prayed for the food, complimented my mom on her cooking, and made us do the dishes! My dad modeled "in fear of the Lord" by always keeping Jesus first in his life, and even as a young boy, I realized that my dad put Jesus before eating, and that meant a lot to me at the time! My dad modeled being a man of integrity by making his family his "first ministry". He did this by throwing a football with all three of his kids, loving on my mom by complimenting her cooking, and how he treated us every day. My dad modeled "wholeheartedly" by giving his all in whatever he did, as he does to this day!
Ultimately, my dad wasn't doing any of this for praise from others, but doing it in fear of the Lord, because as a believer, he wants to honor Christ in all he does! What about you? Where in your life can you do a better job of doing things in the fear of the Lord, with integrity, and wholeheartedly?
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