End Well!

The Bible in Eccl. 7:8 (KJV) says “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof…”. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start well but to convey the importance of ending well. When you watch a race, especially if it’s a long-distance race while starting well is great, ending well is even better. It is a strategy that is regularly employed in relays.

Reading the chapters of the bible for 27th April (II Chr. 25 – 28) from my Step by Step book from Walk Through the Bible ministries, the focus was on the lives of Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz, they were the Kings of Judah; it struck me (and sadly if I may add) how Amaziah and Uzziah started well but ended badly. Of these four, Jotham was the only one who started and ended well.

In II Chr. 25:2 (NLT), it was said that “Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not wholeheartedly”. Sadly, by the end of his reign, he had turned away from God (II Chr. 25:14 & 27). The same was said of Uzziah, his son. He started out doing what was right in God’s sight (II Chr. 26:4) but as soon as he became established and powerful (II Chr. 26:16), he fell into sin just like his ancestor Rehoboam (II Chr. 12:1). Uzziah died a leper, while Amaziah was assassinated (II Chr. 25:27). Such dreadful endings.

Jotham was the only one to buck this trend. He started well and ended well (II Chr. 27), and it was said that he was powerful because he was “careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God” (II Chr. 27:6, NLT). When you start and end well, God will definitely prosper you. David went as far as saying that in his lifetime, he had never seen the righteous forsaken, nor their descendant begging for bread (Ps. 37:25). What a sweet and blessed assurance! 

As we go into the month of May, I want to encourage each of us to look at every aspect of our lives and ask God to help us end well. This includes our professional lives because this principle also applies in the workplace (Col. 3:23-24, Prov. 22:29). You may say there’s no point because you started badly, but trust me when I tell you that ending well makes all the difference. Ask Usain Bolt, he started poorly in the 2009 IAAF 100m men's race but ended so well that he set a men’s record in that race. Imagine if he had given up. My charge to you is don’t give up, you can still end well. Simply retrace your steps back to God, He is waiting for you with open arms (Luke 15, Rev. 3:20). May God help us to end well in Jesus' name. Amen!

The God of all Seasons

I recently got a book titled Step by Step from the Walk Through the Bible Ministries. It does exactly that, walking you through the bible in the form of a set of bible chapters for each day of the year preceded by a write-up that is divided into three sections: the big picture; the thinking step; and the action step. Since I just got it, I felt it best to start from the day I got it. This meant the book of Chronicles, 1st Chronicles to be precise.

While reading the chronicles of the Kings of Israel, I noticed a trend which was not just limited to David. This was that when times were tough or when they were just starting, they were faithful to God. But as soon they had established themselves or gained victory over the tough times, they lost their way and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. At the start of Solomon’s reign, it was said that he walked according to the instructions his father gave him and loved God (I Kings 3:3) but by the end of his reign, it was an entirely different matter:  “So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done” (I Kings 11:6, NIV). 

This resulted in his kingdom been divided (I Kings 11:31-33). When the throne passed to Rehoboam, his son, this trend that was in his family lineage continued. When he faced adversity, he followed the Law of the Lord, but as soon as the going was good, he abandoned them (II Chr. 12:1). This decision led to his kingdom been attacked by the Egyptians and the temple which Solomon had spent 20 years building with all sorts of precious stones (II Chr. 8:1) was ransacked. As they noted in my study book, you would think that Rehoboam would have learnt from his father.

Shortly after, I went on to read Hosea 10 and in Verse 1 (NLT), the bible says “…But the richer the people get, the more pagan altars they build…”. This got me thinking about how often people stay faithful to God when they are in the midst of despair or a struggle and how quickly they abandon God when they receive their breakthrough. God is meant to be the God of all seasons of our lives, not just the season of scarcity! I have found myself in this position on several occasions. When I needed a breakthrough, I knew how to pray and go for weekly services. Is it to fast? That wasn’t hard to do at all. But when the breakthrough came, excuses like “I’m busy at work” were not far from my lips.

Picking up from my bible book, one of the things that stood out to me as they dissected the story of Rehoboam was how the devil deceives people into thinking that now they have succeeded, they no longer need God. But that is far from the truth. Jesus told us as much, in John 15:5, He reminded us that He is the vine and we are the branches. Without Him, we can do nothing! But the devil likes to trick people into thinking otherwise, guess what, we are not ignorant (II Cor. 2:11). Do not buy into the lie of “self-made”, no one is self-made! Without God, we are absolutely nothing. The children of Israel and their many Kings learnt this the hard way, I also did, and I pray you won’t have to in Jesus’ name. As we go into a new week, I want you to remember that God is the God of all seasons. The season of scarcity, the season of plenty, and everything in between. In keeping with the action step of the day (23rd April), if you have forgotten that and are beginning to lean on your own strength or understanding, my charge to you is to stop immediately, humble yourself and retrace your steps to God (Prov. 3:5-6). He is merciful and more than ready to welcome you back with open arms (Luke 15).