Men, are we serious about our walk with the Lord? Are we as serious as an eight-year-old boy who yields to his earthly father and responds with, "yes dad," in full obedience to authority? I ask you these questions because today’s Scripture is beautifully simple and infinitely powerful in what it reveals. Seek, yield, obey, act.  

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This childlike relationship of loving the Father and surrendering to His will seems so natural and right to me. I confess that trouble arises when I begin to create and exalt things that ought not be, according to the Father. This is disobedience. This might be my ego or a hobby I enjoy. Anything in life that I begin to build up, if it is not of God, has the danger of cluttering the courtyard of His Temple which is in our hearts, my friends. In Matthew 21 when Jesus cleanses the temple, there is a decluttering that occurs. The Word of God in human form tells us that His Father's House shall be house of prayer. In today's passage, at only twelve years old, King Josiah began his own purging of the things around that were not of the Father. Passages like these reveal that spiritual maturity might not have everything to do with age, experience, or knowledge. The path to spiritual maturity begins with the Father initiating a call to His children, and I submit to you that our job is to hear that call and, out of loving obedience, do what He says.

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I ask the questions about seriousness in the beginning because I tend to have follow-through and commitment to the things I’m actually serious about. Is this true for you? Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord because he accepted the Lord as his authority. So often, as men in the world, culture subtly convinces us we are fighting in a competition for our own authority, often against one another. As brothers and sisters in Christ, and under the authority of the Father, there is no room for that kind of competition and comparison. The call is for unity in Him. It seems that every single day is a new beginning in my walk with the Lord. Every morning when I rise, I must seek Him, yield to Him, choose the obedient path, and walk it out in my actions. An obedient child of the One True King is an identity that is not achieved, but one that is received. We must make room for Him in our lives if we wish to walk in His ways.

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It’s never too late, men. It’s never too late to confess, it’s never too late to apologize, it’s never too late to own up to something, and never too late to do the right thing. God has given us His Word, The Holy Spirit, and our Kingdom family of brothers and sisters in order to discern what right looks like for a man in Creation. No one is too old or too young to seek the Father and receive the gift of His Word in our hearts. Once that Seed is truly planted in good soil, as we know from the parable of the sower, the Father will produce His fruit in our lives for His purposes. Men, we have a major role in the Restoration Life process, and that is to be obedient to God by seeking Him and yielding to His will. If we aim for that, no matter what, we will become better men, husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons as we learn to not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but to keep our gaze fixed on the only One who is worthy.

Father God, I declare today as your son that you are the authority of my life. Thank you for revealing to me more and more each day about what it means to seek You. Lord, if there are things in my life that need purging, if I am allowing things that ought not be in Your Temple Court, let us do some spring cleaning together, Father. I seek to be available and dependable to my brothers and sisters, Lord, and I thank you for doing that work in me. Jesus, I thank you for the example you set by being a perfect man and for teaching us the Truth and how to walk in it. May anyone reading this receive Your Word in their hearts in new and deepening ways, God. Only You can restore all things, Holy One, and I am grateful you choose to involve your children in Your work. In Your holy Name I pray, Jesus, Amen.