Stay The Course To Finish Well

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -unless indeed you are disqualified 2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV

If a year was a football match, the referee would be about to blow the half-time whistle now. The half-time is an opportunity to take a very short break to review the past performances and strategise for the rest of the game. I am keenly aware that as many as our faces are, so are our experiences. This is about our individual lives. It might look like we are a team and we are playing the game together and there might be joint lessons to learn, but ultimately, this is a personal game. Our Christian races sometimes intersect but they are entirely different.

Today, I hope to x-ray the life of King Asa, the third king of Judah and the fifth king of the house of Israel who ruled for 40 to 41 years, as an encouragement and a warning. We may pick lessons that we may all use to check ourselves and recommit, especially to God, for the second half of 2022, and hopefully, for the rest of our lives. Please read 2 Chronicles chapters 14 to 16.

Five things about King Asa from the scriptures

1.     He did what was right and told others to do so too

2.     He was consistent for a sustained time (35 years of consistency!)

3.     He was aware of his limitations and asked God for help when he had a big battle ahead of him

4.     He was zealous for the Lord to the point of going against his family member who refused to do God’s will – 2 Chronicles 15:16

5.     He backslid suddenly and permanently – 2 Chronicles 16:1-3, 7-10

How to finish well – One word, three things

Stay

1.     Stay reflective

2.     Stay focused on God fully

3.     Stay teachable

King Asa served God with zeal but he left the high places intact as shown in 2 Chronicles 15:17. I bring you the same message as Hanani the Prophet took to King Asa.

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9a)

God is looking for those whose hearts are fully committed to him. Our alliances shift and we become prone to war when our trust and faith levels in God become low. Stay the course and finish well.

Further Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 14-16 (A shorter version is in 1 Kings 15:9-24)

Prayer: Ask God to give you a teachable spirit, open your eyes to see the places where you have put your faith in men rather than in God and the grace to finish well.

Song: Oh Jesus I have promised by John Ernest Bode