A Loyal Heart~

September 28, 2020 – Debbie Graham
2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 25

A Loyal Heart

Focus Verses
2 Chronicles 25:1-2 “Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.”

When I was a kid, I remember my parents telling me to do something and me thinking, “I will do it because you said to, not because I want to.”  My heart and mind were set on doing what I wanted to do, not what they were instructing me to do.  That seems to me what Amaziah did.  He knew what God wanted him to do, and he did it because it was right.  However, because he didn’t have “a loyal heart,” it meant nothing.  Other versions of the Bible use words like, wholehearted, perfect heart, whole heart, and blameless heart.

G. C. Morgan says this about Amaziah, “… but the fact remains, that notwithstanding the general direction of his life, either through personal indulgence, or ambition, or carelessness, the whole heart was not set on doing the will of God.  One room possessed by the foe inside the fortress is ever the gravest peril.  Sooner or later, almost inevitably, the man in that room opens the door for foes without.  Thus it was in the case of Amaziah, and thus it is in the case of all who are not wholly devoted.”  Wow.  Read that line again.  “And thus it is in the case of all who are not wholly devoted.”

I am certain that each of us know someone in our lives who know and say the right things, yet are not wholly devoted and do their own thing to advance themselves in some way.  Their hearts are not set on doing the will of God because they are searching for a certain outcome instead of trusting God.  If I am honest, if we all are honest, we can likely see in our own lives where we do the right things, but do not have a loyal heart.  We should note what happened to Amaziah as we read 2 Kings 14, and 2 Chronicles 25.  “After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there” (2 Chronicles 25:28).  We must fully surrender our heart to the Lord and do what is right with a loyal heart.

We must be true to God.  We must submit to Him with complete surrender and do what He says without question or thoughts for selfish gain.  We must be all in.  When we hear of good things that are taking place, we shouldn’t just sign up to have our name on a list, for personal indulgence, or do it because someone else is encouraging us to “do the right thing.”  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we need to be prodded, but our heart must follow.  John tells us how the Lord feels about being lukewarm in Revelation 3.  “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (vs.3).  No thanks.  Let us have a loyal heart and not be complacent or willing to compromise for selfish gain.

Let’s ask the Lord to examine our hearts, and change our ways when He reveals any area of us not having a fully devoted heart.

Prayer
Lord God, please help me to be loyal to You with my whole heart.  Help me to trust You in complete surrender and devotion.  Help me to not only do what is right but do it with a loyal heart.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.