From: July 3, 2026
“Then he said, ‘What is that monument that I see?’ And the men of the city told him, ‘It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.'” (2 Kings 23:17 ESV).
The book of Kings reminded readers that God’s Word never failed. More than three hundred years earlier, an unnamed man of God had stood before Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel and boldly prophesied that a future son of David named Josiah would destroy that very altar (1 Kings 13). Now, after hearing the rediscovered Book of the Law read in the temple, Josiah carried out every detail of that prophecy. He destroyed the altar, defiled the high places, and removed the idolatrous shrines throughout Judah, including the former Northern Kingdom of Israel. Yet when he came to the tomb of the faithful prophet who had first spoken God’s Word, he honored it and left the bones undisturbed. Josiah’s reforms were not driven by political ambition but by covenant obedience. His actions were in response to God’s Word.
God’s Word is just as living and powerful today as it was in Josiah’s day. When we hear it, we must decide whether we will ignore it or allow it to reshape our lives. The same Lord who fulfilled His ancient promises also fulfills every promise He has made in Christ. As we read, hear, and obey God’s Word, He exposes the idols that compete for our hearts and calls us to wholehearted devotion. May we respond as Josiah did, with humble repentance, decisive obedience, and confident trust, knowing that we serve the God whose every promise is fulfilled.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that every word You have spoken is true and trustworthy. Thank You for fulfilling Your promises throughout history and ultimately through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give us hearts that tremble at Your Word and lives that respond with joyful obedience. Reveal any idols that compete for our devotion and give us courage to remove them. Help us to trust every promise You have made and to live each day as people who believe that Your Word will always be fulfilled. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 3, 2025
“And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.” (2 Kings 23:10 ESV).
King Josiah, in his sweeping reforms, deliberately targeted the Valley of Hinnom—also known as Gehenna—as a place to abolish one of the most horrific practices in Judah’s history: child sacrifice to the false god Molech. Josiah’s action was not merely political but deeply spiritual. He chose this specific valley, long associated with pagan worship and unthinkable evil, to make a public and permanent statement against idolatry. By defiling Topheth, he rendered it unclean and unusable for further worship, effectively ending its role in false religion. This valley, once a place of burning, would later become a metaphor in the New Testament for God’s final judgment, a vivid picture of hell. Josiah’s zeal for the Lord and his commitment to purify Judah extended to even the darkest corners of the nation’s past.
We must also confront and cleanse the “valleys” in our lives, the places where sin has taken root or where we’ve allowed compromise to go unchecked. Like Josiah, we are called to act decisively, not half-heartedly, against the sins that grieve the heart of God. It may involve tearing down idols of pride, pleasure, or personal ambition. It may mean renouncing past sins and reclaiming territory once given over to darkness. The Lord desires not just surface reform but deep, transformative renewal. Let us not tolerate what God abhors. Instead, may we, by His grace, make a clean break from sin and be instruments of righteousness in our homes and communities.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we praise You for the example of King Josiah, who had the courage to cleanse the land of wickedness and restore true worship. Help us to see the hidden valleys in our own hearts where sin still lingers. Give us the boldness to confront them and the faith to trust in Your power to redeem and restore. May our lives reflect Your holiness and our worship bring You honor. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
From: July 3, 2024
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2 ESV).
The first psalm begins with both a blessing and a warning. For it describes both the way of life and the way that leads to death. The key is deciding whose counsel to follow.
The psalm warns against following the counsel of the wicked. For this way does not lead to blessing, but to death. Sure, it looks like a good way to go. Everyone seems to be on this broad road. But as the Proverb cautions, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Prov. 14:12).
The way of blessing is narrow. And as Jesus said “Those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). It is not the way of the crowd, but of the cross. The way of blessing is found in delighting and meditating on God’s Word and following God’s Son. The psalmist says that those who follow this way are blessed.
Whose counsel do you follow? Which way are you headed?
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for giving us Your Word. We delight in it and study it. For in it You have given us the way of eternal life through Your Son Jesus. Thank You for Your many blessings. Direct our feet this day to walk where Your Spirit leads. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 3, 2023
“When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair” (2 Kings 22:11 NLT).
Josiah was crowned King of Judah at age eight after his father, Amon, was murdered by conspirators. Both his father and his grandfather, Manasseh, were unrighteous kings who had led the people into idolatry. Apparently, during the 55-year reign of Manasseh, the Book of the Law had been lost. How this came to be is not explained, but it was found in the Temple by the high priest when Josiah commissioned him to collect money for Temple repairs.
When the Book was brought before Josiah and read to him, he tore his clothes in repentance. After inquiring of the Lord concerning His Word, Josiah cleaned house and publicly made a covenant with the Lord to keep His commands.
According to 2 Kings 23:25, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.”
If only our nation’s leaders and its citizens would rediscover the Word of God, repent of their wicked ways and turn back to Him.
PRAYER: Dear Father, when knowledge of Your Word is lost, the people drift into terrible sin and suffering. We repent of our silence wherever we should have been speaking out. For as Your Church, we are Your prophets, always speaking forth Your Word, so that the people have no excuse. Fill our minds and our mouths with Your Word and strengthen us to speak, so that repentance and revival come to our land. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 3, 2022
ARE YOU TELLING EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS?
Paul gave his testimony and explained the calling that the Lord Jesus had given him to the rioting crowd in Jerusalem. Just moments before, many in the crowd had tried to kill Paul. However, the Roman guard was alerted and intervened, putting Paul in chains and taking him away. Paul considered the great crowd still following and asked the Roman commander for permission to speak to them. This was an unusual request. Yet even more unusual was that after Paul spoke to the commander in fluent Greek, which clearly impressed him, the commander gave Paul permission. As he spoke in their native tongue of Aramaic, the crowd grew quiet, listening to Paul. When most people would’ve been in a hurry to escape from such a crowd, Paul saw it as another opportunity to “tell everyone” what Christ had done for him.
We have received the same calling from Jesus to be His witnesses. Like Paul, we are called to tell everyone about what we have seen and heard from Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to boldly tell everyone about Your Son, Jesus Christ. Empower us to be both gentle and attractive to those who You are calling to salvation. In Jesus’ name, amen.