2 Kings 15:35 "But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there...."
Jotham became king of Judah and the text tells us that he "did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight" yet he failed to do one thing. It happened to be the same thing his father failed at doing and several other kings-he did not destroy the pagan shrines. He did almost everything else right, but failed to take care of this one thing. And for some reason this same problem (shrines) plagued several generations of kings. Why could they not simply pull the trigger and follow through with this?
There's always that one thing that we struggle so hard to eradicate from our lives. That one thing that we're unable or unwilling to get rid of. Paul called it a "thorn in his flesh." I have a thorn in my flesh. In fact I probably have several! God wants me to eliminate them. He wants complete obedience in this area. God does want 95% obedience, he wants 100%. What do I have to do today to take down that pagan shrine?
Dear Jesus, help me lean on you as I tear down some shrines today. Amen.
