DOING RIGHT WHEN THOSE AROUND YOU ARE DOING WRONG

PROCLAMATION

“And Abijah rested with his ancestors … Asa his son succeeded him as king … Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of The Lord his God.”  2 Chronicles 14:1-2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
When Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, the northern tribes, and he did evil in the eyes of The Lord. (1 Kings 15:25-26)  Baasha killed Nadab and became king of Israel (1 Kings 15:27-28) and he also did evil in the eyes of The Lord following in the sinful ways of Jeroboam worshiping idols. (1 Kings 15:33-34)  Asa king of Judah, the southern tribes, was the only king during this period who did what was good and right, and he followed the ways of The Lord.

APPLICATION

It is very hard to do the right thing and follow The Word of God when all of the people around you are doing that which is wrong.  Standing alone and doing right is difficult when the crowd is doing that which is wrong.  Today we are bombarded with influences which encourage us to sin and to turn away from the teachings of The Word of God.  There are many negative worldly influences including political leaders, movie stars, television personalities, co-workers, and friends that can exert a lot of peer pressure on us to behave in an ungodly manner.  We need to read and study The Word of God, to stay “prayed up,” and to associate with and encourage believers who are also struggling to do the right thing in the face of pressure to do that which is wrong.  The Lord God did not say that it would be easy, but He said that He would be with us and never leave us. (1 Kings 8:57 and Hebrews 13:5)