We are late in the time of Kings of Judah and have just survived Manasseh and Amon who have not been steadfast toward the Lᴏʀᴅ. When Amon was killed by the royal servants, his young son Josiah was made king.
One mystery is how a son born to an ungodly father rises to be a godly king. At eight years old, his heart was set on the ways of the Lᴏʀᴅ and he walked only in those ways! By the time he was sixteen he was seeking the God of his ancestor David and by his twentieth year, he was ridding the nation of idolatry and altars to false gods.
Even as a young man, he was straightforward in his life for God. While restoring the Temple, the Book of the Law was found and when he heard what God said, he responded with repentance for all that was wrong, how far they had departed from God. With fuller understanding, he pursued a national repentance resulting in ‘all his days they did not turn away from following the Lᴏʀᴅ.’
How ‘straightforward’ are you about what is priority to the Lᴏʀᴅ? No turning aside, doing only right in His eyes, making way for others to be true to God.
Today would be a good day to continue straight up in God.