DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

On last night during our Mid-Week Connections Bible Study, I taught from the Lesson: "Dare to be Different". We looked at the Life and leadership of a Young Boy by the name of Josiah over in 2nd Chronicles 34, who became King at the tender age of 8. He succeeded Amon, his father who was a wicked King and according to Chapter 33, vs. 21-25 of 2nd Chronicles it shares with us that Amon (Josiah's father) did evil in the eyes of God and led the people to do likewise. The genesis of Josiah's reign as King, saw him being met with having to deal with one of the greatest and most prevelant sins of his time, Idolatry and Idol Worship. His father and some of the Kings before him condoned and endorsed this pagan activity.

However, when Josiah took the helm as King, he "dared to be different". He made a conscious and purposeful decision to follow God and all that God desired. So here's what he did as he dared to be different:

1. He sought God at an early age, as he recieved his marching orders from God in order to get God's endorsement and approval for the decisions he needed to make.(2nd Chronicles 34:1-2)
2. He walked in Right standing before God, therefore he set STANDARDS and stuck with them. .(2nd Chronicles 34:1-2)
3. His Character was right as a result of decision to follow God. .(2nd Chronicles 34:1-2)
4. He removed the Problems of the past, he didn't allow what was always done to be a hindrance to what needed to be done. He (purified) or cleaned up the mess that served as obstacles to success. (Verses 3-7)
5. He brought honor to God as result of restoring what belonged to God (the Temple). (vs. 8-28))
6.. He surrounded himself with like-minded people. Those who bought into the Vision of Daring to be different. (vs. 8-28))
7. He refused to Compromise his Standards. (vs. 31-33)

So as you can see Josiah dared to be different, even at a young age, he made a decision that would positively affect his destiny and those around him. Daring to be different, is a key to making a Difference!


PJV