- He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. 2 Chronicles 22:3-4 – You’ve heard the old saying it only takes one bad apple to ruin the whole bunch. Yet what if all you did was eat those bad apples? That’s exactly what this new king did for his short, evil, year-long reign. It says here he took counsel from his mother and others who guided him in doing evil. He only ate the bad apples and felt the clear sickness to follow. Right now in your story you have a bunch of “apples,” a bunch of different voices you can listen to on how to live. In the bunch there is some great, beautiful apples and there is some rotten ones as well. You can imagine the sickness that would follow if literally you only ate the rotten ones, so why do we think when we only listen to the rotten voices we’ll be alright? Those rotten voices will always be around, but we don’t have to let them be our counsel. Take counsel from the voices that speak life and are guiding you to the life God has for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1536
- And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land. 2 Chronicles 22:12 – An evil queen took over the kingdom after the death of her son who was king. Guided by her lust for power and idolatry, she began to murder anyone that might try to take the throne away from her. Yet, amiss all the turmoil, someone shows kindness to a young, helpless prince by hiding him for years to protect him from the evil outside. While sounding like the start of a fairy tale, this is the story found in our chapter. What we also see is a message we need to remember. That while the powers at play may be choosing evil, we don’t have to. Maybe the government you’re under isn’t choosing the holiest of actions. Maybe the boss you work under is rude, lies, and cheats those who work for them. Maybe your parent isn’t a follower of Jesus and isn’t in anyway living how they should. Whatever your situation may be, you can still choose the holy path. Those above you, around you, and below you may not be choosing to follow Jesus, but you can still choose that path. Be the one who does what is right even when others are choosing what’s wrong. What our world needs more of is light in the darkness, so shine bright for all to see, especially in the areas where darkness has taken a greater hold. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 2611
Daily DEVO 