II Chronicles 24:25 His own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulcheres of the kings.
Amuse the World or Change the World?
Think of the three most influential individuals in the last school you attended. What are they doing now? What are they changing now? How are they doing now? Now, I hope they are prospering and God is using them in a wonderful way, but that is not necessarily so. Many times someone who is the “big man on campus” may be doing nothing of significance ten years after graduation.
A great example of this is found in II Chronicles 24. Verse 1 says, “Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.” Seven years old! This guy was a prodigy; he was a young superstar with his entire life ahead of him. Verse 2 tells us that Joash “did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” Then there came a time when Jehoiada, the father figure in Joash’s life, “waxed old, and…died.” After he died, princes flattered this young king, and Joash began to slide away from God. When Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, was used by God to confront Joash, Joash had him killed.
Verse 25 tells us that Joash’s “own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulcheres of the kings.” He did not have a noble burial because he had not lived a noble life. Though he had begun well, he did not end well. This is the story of a child prodigy who grew up to end his life in tragedy.
The point is that the world is amused by prodigies, but it is changed by men and women who do what is right for the long haul. The best way to end well is to start well, but that does not necessarily mean that you will end well. Maybe you are thinking about some superstar or someone you went to school with who is doing amazing things, making amazing money, or has an amazing job, and you think, “I’m doing nothing!” Maybe you are looking at some child who can play the bassoon or a child preacher who wears wing tips and is an amazing orator. I’m not against young gifting, but being a young prodigy is not what changes this world. Doing what is right for the long haul is what changes the course of the world.
End your week well. End this chapter in your life well. End the semester well. Whatever it is, end well. Starting well is good, but you will be remembered for how you finish.