Thought of the Day !!

"Why did your father, Josiah, reign so long? Because he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He made sure that justice and help were given to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn't that what it means to know me?" asks the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:15b-16

God was sending a message to Jehoiakim, son of Josiah. Jehoiakim was a selfish and greedy king, much unlike his father before him. And Jeremiah was to give him a message, one that would foretell his punishment.

But the verses that we focus on this morning are not about Jehoiakim. They are about Josiah and what we can learn from him. Josiah was a successful ruler "because he was just and right in all his dealings." He took care of those less fortunate than himself and seemed to care about others. For this reason he was blessed by God, for the Lord said that in doing these things, he came to know God.

In caring for others we come closer to God and our relationship with Him strengthens. This is because we become more like Him in the form of His son Jesus. Jesus was all about serving others. As a matter of fact, he stated that he did not come here to this earth to be served, but instead to serve. It seems that Josiah acted in much the same way. It also seems that if we want to be blessed and come closer to God through our Savior Jesus Christ, we will do the same. We will serve as well.

Remember that the most important commandment is to love our God with all our hearts, minds and strength...or with all we have. But the second in importantance is to love each other. Jesus also said that he was giving us another commandment before he left. This was to love one another as he loved us. He loved us by serving us. And he told us that if we want to be great, we must serve.

Have a day filled with service to those you know...and those you don't.

In the love of Christ,
greg