“And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord God.” 2 Chronicles 14:2
Do what is right and don’t do what is wrong. When I would misbehave as a child my mother would sit me down with some paper and a pencil and set me to task. Write this simple sentence a certain number of times according to my crime. Maybe it was 25 times, maybe 100. (Yes, I could be a little rebellious at times.) This sentence I wrote is very simple in its grammatical structure, but more importantly, it is very simple in its message. But when you ponder the sentence you have to ask yourself, who determines what is right and what is wrong? By only chapter three of the Bible mankind had proved that they could not, on their own, distinguish between right and wrong. So God stepped in and made a clear line in the sand. Don’t do these things and do these, the Ten Commandments. But the New Testament brought Jesus and His list today moves in a new and different direction, a fluid direction. Jesus Himself tells us the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and then to love others as much as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:29-31) Very, very simple. He then tells us what not to do. Don’t engage in “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-20) Very, very simple. As good king Asa took the throne, he did what was right and did not do what was wrong. He followed the Lord and commanded the people to do the same. He tore down the altars to false gods, removed the idolatry and exiled the cult prostitutes (both heterosexual and homosexual.) He simply did what God’s law instructed and did not do what God’s law was set against. A simple formula for King Asa in 880 B.C. and a simple formula for us today in 2021 A.D, 2900 years later. Today, study the Word of God, heed what it says and do what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord. And in this way, you will find the peace, joy, and freedom that can only come from walking in absolute obedience to the Lord.
“You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you…” Deuteronomy 6:18
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