| II Kings 10:31 “But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.” I recently skimmed an article detailing the pressures of being voted “most likely to succeed” by one’s high school peers. I suppose there are many ideas of what success entails, but there is something to be said for the end of something. It is great to begin well; it is even better to end well!
Jehu was a man who began well but ended poorly. He probably would have been elected “most likely to succeed.” Everyone remembers Jehu for his zeal for the Lord. In fact, he did many good things, like removing Baal worship from the country. He was anointed by God and given direction by God. He actually reminds me of several people I knew in Bible college. He had lots of zeal!
In spite of his good start, the Bible says that Jehu “departed not from after them [the sins of Jeroboam], to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.” He had a lot of zeal, but he “took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. . . .” Make no mistake, a good start is crucial. But just because you start well does not mean you automatically have a good ending. A good ending is preferable to a good beginning because people remember how well you end.
The way to end well is to continue doing what you did to begin with! At some point, Jehu stopped being zealous. Don’t be distracted or become complacent by a good beginning. Don’t be satisfied with only a good start; strive to end well! |
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Camp Quotes… “You can’t always have friends, but you can always be one.” -Evangelist Bill Rice III Prayer Requests: 1. Safety for staff and campers 2. Campers traveling home tonight and tomorrow morning 3. Families traveling to Family Camp this weekend |