Godly Virtues, Please

TEXT: 2 KINGS 14:1-7

Key Verse: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did” (2 Kings 14:3).

A song writer, while imploring Christians to build a godly legacy with their lives, wrote: ‘While passing through this world of sin, and others your life shall view, be clean and pure without and within. Let others see Jesus in you. Your life is a book before their eyes. They are reading it through and through. Do others see Jesus in you?”

Our text reflects the impact and the influence of Amaziah’s father on him. This underscored the importance of paying attention to the type of influence which we should, either overtly or covertly, have on those that draw inspiration from us. It is obvious that king Joash influenced Amaziah much more than any other person. Parents, guardians, teachers and other stakeholders, who have the responsibility of mentoring children and the upcoming generations, should be conscious of the enormity of the task God has placed on them.

Amaziah started well, but he did not finish well. He was not as good a king like David, his ancestor. He did what his father, Joash, did by not removing the places where people worshipped on the high hills. Also, he killed, as a legal punishment, those officials who had murdered his father. He did not kill their children however, just to obey the laws of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:16).

So, we should know that every child is a delicate little person. He is an individual who is capable of growing at his own pace, having his own personality, his own intelligence, aptitude and temperament. He grows up physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually. He is an imitator, very observant and sensitive to what is happening around him.

All stakeholders, therefore, owe it a responsibility to the larger society to ensure their comportment, actions and inactions are geared towards building an enduring godly heritage that can help upcoming generations.

Thought for the day: Godly virtue is better than reputation.