There is an interesting verse in II Chronicles 17:6. It reads, “And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah” (KJV).

 This verse refers to a king named Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, king of Judah. Both Asa and Jehoshaphat were good kings, those that followed God.

Asa began his reign by destroying the altars of the strange gods, breaking the images, and cutting down the groves set aside for idol worship. He issued a command to all of Judah to “Seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandments” (verse 4).

When Asa’s son, Jehoshaphat, became king he didn’t follow the path of the kings of Israel but rather followed the God of King David. He refused to worship Baalim as others had done before him.

If you read all of chapter 17, you’ll find that King Jehoshaphat became very wealthy. Even his enemies brought him gifts.

What makes one person good and another evil? What determines the path each of us will take?  What makes a person start out good and turn evil? Those seem like difficult questions, but the answers are really simple. It is all about the heart.

Back in I Kings 11:3, scripture says that Solomon’s wives “turned away his heart.” A man who had been given wisdom plus wealth and honor turned against God and worshipped idols because he allowed his heart to be turned away from God.

Our hearts need constant care to keep them faithful to God. Take some time to read the following scriptures to see what God says about the heart:

• Matthew 5:8—“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
• Matthew 6:21—“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be”
• Matthew 12:34—“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
• Ephesians 6:5—“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ.”
• Philippians 4:7-8—“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
• II Thessalonians 3:5—“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”
• Hebrews 4:12—“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
• Hebrews 10:22—“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
• James 4:8—“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
• I Peter 3:4—“Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

 Jehoshaphat knew that to be obedient to God, he must be lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He had to focus on God’s commandments and laws in order to be pleasing to Him.

Things are no different for us today. We must focus on God’s commandments, keeping our hearts pure and directing our hearts to His will and not ours.

If we do that, it can be said of us that our hearts were lifted up in the ways of the Lord.

Sandra Oliver