I've been reading the records of the kings of Israel and Judah in the Old Testament. The records are filled with wicked king after wicked king who led the people of God in idol worship, sin and rebellion against God. And then every once in a while you find a king who was fully devoted to God and would destroy the idols, shrines and high places and lead the people back to God.

I've glossed over these passages before but as I read them today, I was particularly struck by the tremendous courage of these kings who were devoted to God and led the people back to Him. Certainly it couldn't have been an easy thing to go against the tide of what had become "normal" in that culture and to bring about significant cultural change. It had to have taken a great deal of courage and conviction to stand up against the cultural current and turn things around.

As I mentioned, I've glossed over these passages before, feeling somewhat removed from the cultural context but I wonder how removed we really are. Do we not live in a culture that is full of idolatry, sin and rebellion? Certainly our idolatry, sin and rebellion looks different than it did back then, but is it not still idolatry, sin and rebellion? Doesn't it seem that these things have become the cultural norm for us? We adapt ourselves to less than godly ways of living and become numb to them because that's what's normal.

I wonder, then, where are the leaders, the people fully devoted to God who would follow the example of these courageous kings and rise up with courage and conviction to bring change? It may not be any easy road to walk, but doesn't God deserve for us to take a stand for Him?

May God fill you with passion, devotion, conviction and courage to be all he has created you to be and to stand up for what is right.