Half-Hearted Devotion to Christ
12/21 Reading Portions: 2 Chronicles 25; Revelation 12; Zechariah 8; John 11
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
12/21 Reading Portions: 2 Chronicles 25; Revelation 12; Zechariah 8; John 11
2 Chronicles 25:2
And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.
AMAZIAH
King Amaziah’s life is prophetic truth of what we are, but at the same time, his life is a warning to us of what we should not be. First, as a prophetic truth of what we are. Since you and I have been saved by God’s grace in Christ, the heavenly Father sees Christ in us because Christ’s righteousness has been placed on our account— called imputation. We have not loved YHVH, our God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength every moment of every day since we’ve been saved. There are moments when we have been given over to fleshly lusts and desires. There are moments when our thoughts were not rooted and grounded in Christ. Only the Lord Jesus has done so perfectly and without the slightest stain of sin in every thought, word, and deed. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
This verse is also a warning. While the reality is that we will never live up to what Christ has lived while He dwelt upon earth, we should desire to come closer every day to the standard He has set. And by God’s grace, we will grow in grace and be strengthened in faith from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). Our prayer should be, “Lord, make me as holy as you can make a sinner saved by grace.” Living a Christian life by external duties without internal devotion will cause us to make impulsive decisions without heavenly counsel, just as Amaziah did when he hired soldiers from the northern kingdom (2 Chr 25:6). Moreover, it may cause us to incorporate devious doctrines in our worship, just as Amaziah brought back to Judah the idols of Edom after defeating them and set them up to worship them (2 Chr 25:14). Half-hearted devotion to Christ gives way to laying up treasures on earth. Jesus taught us,
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21