Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, but not wholeheartedly. 2Chronicles 25:2
What a legacy! To be known throughout the generations as a person who half-heartedly served the Lord... Now there's something to aspire to!
The thing is, when the kings of Israel and Judah are discussed, Amaziah is not a name that usually comes up. I'd venture a guess that many Christians don't even know who Amaziah was. And his impact on the world - though good - was limited. As I consider his story, it seems to me that Amaziah could be the "poster child" for modern American Christianity. I mean, here's this guy. He comes from a good family - his dad was Joash, the famed king of Judah who took office at the ripe old age of seven and served the Lord wholeheartedly throughout most of his lifetime. (Joash had some issues later in life, which led to his demise.) Amaziah comes on the scene, and he's out to follow God. He executes the guys that assassinated his father. He listens initially to the prophets God sends to him. He sees victory as a result of following the Lord. But then he falls into idolatry, and the people he was charged with leading are the ones who end up getting hurt.
The Bible says, "Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight..." Compared to many of the kings who had come before him, Amaziah was a pretty good guy. Compared to many who would come after him, Amaziah did really well. Amaziah's problem is a common one today - it's the problem of comparison. When we use the world around us as a standard, it's not hard to measure up. Compared to 99% of the people in the world, I may be doing really well, but the thing is - God is not impressed with that. He is not measuring me against the rest of the world. He's not grading on the curve. Doing better than most is NOT good enough, because God measures us against the TRUTH. His standard is righteousness, and even if I'm at the top of the class, I do not measure up.
"...But not wholeheartedly." This is the thing that cuts me to the core, and calls me to repentance. I'm out here and I'm trying to do what is pleasing in God's sight... I'm trying to serve Him, and I'm singing songs for Him, and I'm talking to people in the church about Him... I'm living kind of a crazy lifestyle for him, packing up my house every few days and moving down the road... But am I really serving Him WHOLEHEARTEDLY? Too often, I'm afraid the answer is "no." It's easier to hit the "snooze" in the morning and sleep a few minutes than to get up and spend time with the Lord in prayer. It's easier to pick up a novel and read some good fiction than to pick up my Bible and read. It's easier to put on a video to watch than to spend time studying God's Word...
And here's the clincher: I've been [semi-]diligently working through an online course in evangelism this year. I've been very serious about completing my lessons, and have been often brought to tears by the reality of the need in the world around me, my heart broken by our failure as the people of God to genuinely live out our faith and make a difference in the world. But in reading through the final course requirements I have just discovered that beyond the written lessons, there is a life application requirement to officially completing the course. They actually expect me to put what I've been learning into action! I'm supposed to actually go out and TALK to people - one-on-one! And the very idea leaves me "shaking in my boots". You see, the reality is, all through the year as I've studied, there has been a sort of half-heartedness to my studies. I've been so busy thinking that what I was learning was important, I've failed to place proper importance on applying the information.
So I was just thinking... I guess this is where the journey really begins - putting it into practice - wholeheartedly doing what is pleasing in the Lord's sight. I don't want to be like Amaziah, remembered for my mediocrity about the things of God... Do you?
...Just a thought...
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