Living Like A King

Life like Jehoshaphat – Living like A King

Questions:

Have you torn any high places in your life?

Have you ever lived like a king?

Have you torn any high places in your life? Have you ever lived like a king? Has your life been established by GOD? Is it all you ever dreamed it would be? Has your heart been lifted up in the ways of the LORD?

Has your life been established by GOD?

Is it all you ever dreamed it would be?

Has your heart been lifted up in the ways of the LORD?

I am reminded of the story The Whipping Boy, where in a poor boy is spanked from the misbehavior of a young prince. Wouldn’t it be nice if you has someone to pay for your misbehavior? Hmm, you would think that after a while you would begin to feel sorry for the whipping boy as the weight of your own transgression began to weigh on you. But we do have someone who has paid for our transgressions, don’t we? HE, Jesus died for our sins – you would think that we could, in return, live for HIM.

The Bible is full of stories of men and women who both followed the ways of the LORD and those that turned from the ways of the LORD. There are numerous instructions from God on how we are to live, but only one or two primary ones. Those being “keep my commandments” and “thou shall love the LORD thy God with all thy heart…” It is when the men and women of the Bible failed to do these things that life turned bad for them. The inverse is of course true as well in that when they chose to follow the ways of the LORD they were blessed. How is it then that when there is so much evidence we still fail to make the correct choices in our own lives. Can we not learn from the mistakes of others?

Let’s look at the life of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah.

And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; 4 But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand;

The blessing – “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat.”

It is indeed a blessing to have it said of one that the LORD is with him/her. It is quite another to know it in your heart to be true. As a child of GOD we have it on the authority of Scripture that GOD, Christ, is with us. In deed He dwells within us. But is GOD “with us” in all that we do and is there evidence in the blessings? How can I assure myself that GOD will be with me?

Let’s look at the reason why God was with Jehoshaphat. I call this the “because.”

The because – “He walked in the first ways of his father David.”

Notice the Scriptures say “in the first ways of David.” If we consider the first ways do we not find the young man, the boy David even, walking with GOD? As a young man, David learned, while in the field shepherding sheep, to trust GOD. Now Jehoshaphat was 35 when he became king (), nonetheless he had seen how his father, King Asa had lived and worshiped not to mention he know the history of King David.

BECAUSE he walked, because he sought – because he was a godly man – THEREFORE the LORD…

How’s your walk? Who are you walking after? Have you become your mother or your father? Is that a good thing?

The benefit – The LORD established the kingdom in his hand. What if your life was all that GOD wanted it to be?

So much more: “His heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD…” When we walk, daily, in the ways of the Lord are we not in like fashion lifted up?

Here’s the questions,

Have you torn down the high places in your life?

Has your life been established by GOD?

Is it all you ever dreamed it would be?

Has your heart been lifted up in the ways of the LORD?

Are you sticking with your first love?

Are you living for the ONE who died for you?

Are you living like a king living for the King?