Just Read It: The Forgotten Secret That Changed a King’s Life Can Change YoursNäide

Day 1: When You Think You're Doing Everything Right

Josiah inherited a spiritual disaster. At just eight years old, he became king of a nation drowning in idol worship and religious chaos. His grandfather Manasseh had been one of the most wicked kings in Israel's history, filling the temple with pagan altars and even sacrificing children to foreign gods. His father continued the destruction until he was assassinated.

But somehow, this young king was different. By age sixteen, Josiah was already seeking God. By twenty, he was launching an aggressive campaign to tear down every pagan altar, destroy every idol, and restore proper worship. He was rebuilding the temple, reinstating the priesthood, and leading his nation back to God.

By all measurements, Josiah was crushing it. He was sincere, passionate, and effective. He was doing everything right based on what he knew about following God.

Then they found the scroll.

Buried under decades of temple rubble was the Book of the Law—God's actual instructions to Israel that had been lost for generations. When Josiah heard what was written, his reaction was immediate and dramatic. He tore his royal robes and wept.

Here's what makes Josiah's story so fascinating: he was doing his absolute best with incomplete information. The Word of God had literally been lost. Josiah was leading a spiritual reformation based on whatever fragments of truth had survived through oral tradition and cultural memory.

But here's where our situation is completely different: we don't have Josiah's excuse.

We're not operating with fragments of God's Word. We have the complete Bible sitting on our nightstands, loaded on our phones, and accessible with a simple Google search. Yet somehow, many of us are still living like spiritual archaeologists, trying to piece together what we think God wants instead of simply reading what He's already said.

We create our own version of Christianity based on what feels right, what our friends think, what our culture accepts, or what our pastors emphasize most. But we rarely sit down with Scripture and ask, "God, what are You actually saying about how I should handle my money, my relationships, my priorities, my time?"

The tragedy isn't that we don't have access to God's Word—it's that we have complete access and still choose to live on spiritual scraps.

Today's challenge isn't to feel sorry for yourself like Josiah did—it's to stop making excuses and start making time. The Word that transformed a king is sitting right in front of you. The question is: will you open it?

Let's pray: Lord, I confess that I've been trying to follow You based on my assumptions instead of Your instructions. I have no excuse for living on spiritual scraps when You've given me a feast. Help me to prioritize Your Word not as a religious duty, but as the roadmap for the life You want me to live.

In Jesus' name, Amen.