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Finishing Poorly (Lessons from Fallen Kings)

A lesson from history :
Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the Lord see and avenge!" At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash. When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 24:22-25)
A good start does not guarantee a good finish. To finish well we must get the basics right. Joash started very well. In fact the Bible tells us earlier that "Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest" (2 Chronicles 24:2). But in the end he got the got the basics wrong. One of those basics is that you don't repay kindness with unkindness. How does a man kill the son of his lifelong mentor? But in asking that question, I find that in truth we are all guilty of the same. How easy it is to repay the kindness of our loved ones with disloyalty and unfaithfulness. Loyalty and faithfulness are rare commodities these days in the church, in marriages, in politics, at work and many spheres of life. We all stand guilty. Lord, help me to get the basics of life right in order that I may not only start right but also finish well. Amen!

Copyright © Chola Mukanga 2013
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