Begin well, finish well

2 Chron. 24

Joash became the king when he was only seven years old and he reigned in Jerusalem for fourty years. He had an excellent adviser in Jehoiada the priest and, as such, he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD as long as Jehoiada lived.

Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD that had been in disrepair. He collected contributions and was successful in restoring it. He did really well.

But Jehoiada became old and died. Without any adviser and guide, Joash began to stray. Other officials of the kingdom came to him bowing down. Joash obeyed them and abandoned the house of the LORD and began serving the sacred poles and idols. God sent prophets among them to bring them back, but they would not listen to them. He even ordered that Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, be stoned to death because Zechariah had prophesied against the evil practices of Joash.

The LORD brought the Arameans to Jerusalem who pillaged it. Their booties were sent back to Damascus. The great army of Joash were defeated by a small Aramean army. At the end, he was killed by his own servants.

What a tragedy!

1. There must have been many Christians who are like Joash – who obeyed and followed the LORD so long as there is someone to guide or counsel them, but behaved wildly in their absence since they are without proper foundation. Be it the church or the society, such people pose dangers for everyone because they are invariably unreliable. Good Christians show their real character when they are alone.
2. Like Joash, there are also selfish people who refuse to acknowledge the kindness of others upon them. Such people tend to follow the advices of their false friends rather than the people who really love them.
3. There are also people who sway back and forth with every gust of the wind. They are happy when the going is good, but fall back and  stumble at the slightest problem.

How important it is to be always weary of our lives as Christians. To start really well, but end in complete depravity is never a good thing. If we start out well, we must finish well.

A person who always needs to be propped up does not have a good foundation. Likewise, a person who is swayed by every idea or thought or influence is like water. Therefore, let us take a look at ourselves where our foundations lie – is it on Jesus or somewhere else?