The king acted immediately, assembling all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, and then proceeding to The Temple of God bringing everyone in his train—priests and prophets and people ranging from the least to the greatest. Then he read out publicly everything written in the Book of the Covenant that was found in The Temple of God. The king stood by his pillar and before God solemnly committed himself to the covenant: to follow God believingly and obediently; to follow his instructions, heart and soul, on what to believe and do; to confirm with his life the entire covenant, all that was written in the book.
Then he made everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin commit themselves. And they did it. They committed themselves to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
Josiah did a thorough job of cleaning up the pollution that had spread throughout Israelite territory and got everyone started fresh again, serving and worshiping their God. All through Josiah’s life the people kept to the straight and narrow, obediently following God, the God of their ancestors. – 2 Chronicles 34:29-33 (The Message)
“The Greatest Win is Within!” I’ve had the privilege to be part of a strong, growing and thriving church for a little over a year now. And there are a few things that I have learned along the way. I continue to learn more and more as time goes on. But one of the first sayings that really stuck with me was the title of this blog. It’s something that Pastor Joe Cotinola (Senior Pastor of Victory Outreach Whittier) says a lot. At first I thought it was just one of those cool preacher sayings. But the reality is…this is truer than we think. Ministry will always be there…but will you? That’s a question that we have to answer everyday. We can easily be replaced!
Here are a few quick things that Josiah did to set himself up for the future and ultimately win that battle within:
1. He was Open
Here we have a young man that surrounded himself with so many people. In the beginning of the verses above it says that he positioned himself around priests, prophets and even people ranging from great to small. This shows me that he was open to those around them. Usually people who are closed minded tend to live an isolated life. He was young and he had a huge task ahead of him. Instead of pretending to know all the answers, he actually surrounded himself with others and he even went to God. Are you open to those that God has placed around you?
2. He was Broken
Continuing on in the scripture it says that he made a covenant with God. He was a man that knew how to be broken in the presence of God. He wasn’t emotional. Why? Because emotional promises don’t last long. We read on to see that this was actually a promise that became an action and stood the test of time. When we’re broken, we’re able to hear God’s voice and we’re able to communicate to others what God is telling us. When we can do that, we’ll make a huge impact. Josiah was that man.
3. He was Out-Spoken
Josiah didn’t stay silent about what God told him to do. He acted on it…and he acted right away. But it wasn’t just a one time thing. Vision leaks…so I’m sure that he repeated things more than once. It actually became a lifestyle for him. I believe that’s what Pastor Joe was trying to tell me. That greatest win is something that we have to choose to strive for everyday. And even though others will take the time to envision us…I’m the one that has to make the final choice! We can be here today and gone tomorrow or we can make the changes to be a man or woman that will stand the test of time!
