On the Right Track?

By Jenny Pfister and Betsy Leigh

Have you ever had to stand up against the majority for a cause that was not popular?  Do you feel alone in living the obedient life that God has called you to walk?  Do you feel that everyone is “throwing rocks” at your stand?  Do you get weary of doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord?

In today’s Scripture, we are introduced to a young man who became King of Judah when he was only sixteen.  His name was Azariah.  The significant thing that stands out in this passage is that, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” (2 Kin. 15:3 NIV)

Would that not be a wonderful description of you—or me?  Not how smart we are, or what a wonderful position we fill, or how much money we make, but that we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper study of right)

There are many who try to do what is right in the eyes of other people.  That is like walking on shaky, unstable ground.  People are fickle!  The very ones who place a laurel on your head one minute may be the very oneswho cry for your head the next minute.  I have been there!  It is not pleasant!

Azariah followed in the steps of his father, who also followed after the Lord.  This chapter also mentions his mother, Jecoliah.  This is the only mention of her in the Bible, but she must have had an influence in Azariah’s life or she would never have merited mention.  This godly mother must have taught her son to do right in the sight of the Lord.  In the midst of an ungodly world, she had prepared her son to be a mighty man of God by doing what is right in God’s eyes.

Does God really bless us when we prove ourselves to be faithful by doing what is right?  You better believe He does!  In fact, it’s a promise.

Sometimes life requires us to stand up and be counted.  Sometimes we must choose between immediate gratification or a denial of self.  Sometimes we simply must go against the grain because our goal is to please God, not man or even ourselves.  In the long run, we will be better persons and will be blessed for it.  Do what is right.

The world’s standards are rather messed up . . . imagine that!  But this is nothing new.  In fact, many times in Bible history, the righteous have fallen into the world’s idea of right.  Perhaps one of the saddest Scriptures in the whole of God’s Word is this:

They thought they were right!  That is the crazy part.  But they were only right in their own eyes . . . not God’s.

What is character?  It is the will to do what is right even when it is not easy.  It is deciding ahead of time what is truly non-negotiable.  Count on it, the day will come when so-called “progress” calls for compromising your convictions.  In that moment, what hangs in the balance is your moral authority.  So you must be clear about your convictions.  You will be tempted to believe that once you reach a certain level of success, these challenges disappear.  No, success does not make anything easier, it just raises the stakes.

James tells us, “Therefore, to him who knows to do right and does not do it, to him it is sin. (Jas. 4:17 NKJV)  So what is it that is right?  He has told you what is right: “. . . and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8)

Doing what is right in God’s eyes ensures that we are “on the right track!”

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