1 Kings 15:14
"But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days."
"But they were sincere." This is the statement you often hear as someone tries to defend another's actions. Sincerity is often the guidelines many people use to determine if someone is right or wrong, but sincerity isn't everything. Just because someone is sincere doesn't mean that they are doing right.
King Asa was a very sincere king. God said that his "heart was perfect with the LORD all his days." In other words, God was showing us that Asa was sincere in everything he did. When you study his life, you find that he did a lot of good things, and he did them sincerely; however, he still was not completely obedient to what God wanted him to do because he would not remove the high places. Though his sincerity was admirable, his obedience was not complete. There are several things you can learn about sincerity from Asa's life.
First, God enjoys sincerity. God would not have pointed out the sincerity of Asa if He didn't enjoy it. God enjoys it when He sees a Christian put their whole heart into what they are doing. One of the problems we fight in Christianity today is that there are people who are simply doing what they are doing as a penance they feel they must pay and there is no sincerity. Sincerity can be read by all, and God enjoys seeing His children's sincerity.
Second, sincerity isn't always right. Asa was sincere in all that he did, but he still wasn't right because he hadn't removed the high places. Just because a person is sincere doesn't make what they're doing right. There are many people who are sincerely wrong. I have talked with many Christians who are caught up into wrong doctrine who are sincere about what they do, but that doesn't make their actions right. Your sincerity doesn't justify your wrong actions.
Third, God desires obedience over sincerity. God would not have pointed out Asa's disobedience if He wanted sincerity over obedience. God's greatest desire for the Christian is for them to obey Him. It would be better to obey God and not be sincere than to disobey God and be sincere. God would rather you go soul winning and not be sincere as you go than for you to be sincere in all you do and sit at home and never tell anyone about Jesus Christ. This could apply to anything God commands us to do. God's first requirement is for us to obey.
Fourth, God's ultimate desire is for the Christian to have obedience and sincerity together. In verse 5, God shows us that David was a king who not only obeyed Him, but was sincere in all he did. Obedience is important, but when it is done without sincerity it will never do the work God intended for it to do. Why not strive to be obedient and sincere together?
You will always find that the greatest Christians are the ones who are obedient and sincere about what they do. Let this devotional challenge you to be obedient, but also to put your heart into what you are doing for God and be sincere with it. Both obedience and sincerity together will help you to make the greatest impact on the lives of those you are trying to help.