Zephaniah
July 16
Zephaniah 1:1, 2 Chronicles 34:1-7
A young king pleases God
During the reign of King Josiah, God chose Zephaniah as a prophet to speak to the people of Judah. King Josiah was only eight years old when he became king after his father Amon was murdered. King Josiah pleased the Lord—as King David had done—and obeyed all the laws of God.
When he was a few years older, he started destroying the places where people worshiped the heathen gods. He smashed the altars of the god Baal and tore down the incense-altars. He went around from place to place getting rid of heathen altars and idols until he had cleared the whole country of idols.
How can I be a good leader?
Maybe you have never thought of yourself as a leader, yet others may be following your example without you even knowing it. That makes you a leader! A leader is not someone who just bosses others around. Here are a few things that will make you a good—or a better—leader:
Be courageous: Being a good leader takes courage. People respect leaders who know what is truly important and who stand up for what they believe in.
Be an example: Do what is right and change what is wrong. Josiah found out all he could about living a life that is pleasing to God. Then as he grew older and saw all the wrong, sinful things around him, he did what he could to stop the evil.
Be loyal to God: Serving God and doing what is right could make you unpopular with certain people. Josiah was not concerned about what people thought of him. Unlike his father, he chose to please God rather than people.
Verse for today
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. Titus 2:7a