2 Chronicles 34; 2 Kings 23

There was a rocking Passover; thousands of sacrifices over a seven day period. A Passover like this hadn’t been celebrated since the days of Samuel. Josiah was all in where God was concerned, and as king of Judah he wanted God’s people to be all in, too.

That’s how it often is when someone comes face to face with God, and accepts God’s saving grace. We feel the emotion and want everyone we love to experience what we have. We should want that.

But Scripture tells us Josiah, in his zeal for the Lord, seems to have thought he could make people want what he had found in God.

And Josiah took away all the abomination from the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers. (2 Chronicles 34:33)

The writer of 2 Kings says in verse three, the people joined in the covenant Josiah made to the Lord. But I wonder; was it their covenant with God or were they just honoring Josiah’s covenant with Him? I think it’s the latter because the minute Josiah was dead, they were right back worshiping their old idols.

Here’s the thing, Christian parents: you can make your kids go to church with you, you can have them repeat a prayer of confession, arrange for them to be baptized, even send them to Christian schools. But unless they internalize it and meet Jesus at the cross themselves they are simply honoring your faith. The moment they are on their own, they will do what’s in their own hearts.

You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

I hope you do make your kids attend church with you. I hope you send them to good Christian schools. I hope you pray with them and take them to youth group activities.

But I also hope you are talking to them about what and why you believe Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life. I hope you talk to them about sin and their need of a Savior. I hope you share your own walk with the Lord, including your struggles and victories as they are mature enough to understand. I hope one day you will have the privilege of being present as they choose Jesus for themselves.

But whether or not they choose Jesus is a decision you can’t make for them. You can’t make them be a Christian. You can’t make them drink the water. You can, however, keep bringing them to the water until they recognize their thirst and want to drink it for themselves!

I’m praying for you today.