Half Hearted
“And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.”
Every king who took the throne in Israel or Judah had the potential for greatness. Every one of them.
Amaziah, king of Judah was no exception. His dad’s name was Joash, who had taken the throne when he was 8 years old. (No, that’s not a misprint.)
Joash had a wise, older priest to help guide him. So, he started out following the Lord, but after the priest died, he drifted from the Lord. And, things didn’t end well for Joash.
Similar story here. Amaziah started out well, but later on turned from God to idolatry.
Unbelievable. Why did he choose to do this? We don’t know, but our clue is found in today’s verse. “…yet not with his whole heart.”
There are many times when I approach life, and my faith half heartedly. Just going through the motions. When this starts to happen, I need to remember these verses.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,”
Colossians 3:23
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
I Corinthians 10:31
I think the key is recognizing when our approach to our faith or life is half-hearted, reject the distractions, and put our focus on God. If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. James 4:8
