June 28
2 Kings 13:1-14:29 | PS 146:1-10 | Prov 18:2-3 | Acts 18:23-19:12
One day, unless the Rapture comes first, we will all go the way of our fathers who preceded us. Death is one of those guarantees in life. Throughout our lives, if one were to look at an honest highlight reel, there would be many good and bad things that could be mentioned. Often at a funeral service, the bad things are omitted and the good aspects of one's life is featured. But, in reality, only one thing defines us. Were we men and women of faith, or of the world? Did we place our trust in the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, or not? This is what identifies us. I would like to say that all of us who place our trust in Jesus Christ go on to live perfect lives, but that is not true. We are still vulnerable and capable of godless acts. Likewise, it would be easy to point our fingers at those who have not made a decision for Jesus Christ and live awful lives. But that is not true. These godless individuals are capable of beautiful acts. This is part of the danger of those thinking that they get to heaven by being good. All of us, every single one of us, will have both good and bad moments. May we never forget that.
As we continue the book of 2 Kings it can get confusing. Some of the kings share names. Many of the names sound alike. But, notice each king is defined with one sentence, before going into the chronicle of their lives. We read in 2 Kings 14:3, concerning Amaziah, king of Judah, "And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done." We read of Jehoash, king of Israel (not to be confused with the king of the same name in Judah), in 13:11, "And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them." Yet when the two of them battled, it was the evil king who offered the wise advice to the good king, and it was the evil king who prevailed in this battle. Each king of Judah was compared with David. Though David was guilty of both adultery and murder, along with many other godless acts, he was a man of faith who followed God. This is what defined him, and every one of the kings of Judah were compared to this standard. Jeroboam was the first king of the northern tribes of Israel, and brought pagan worship to the nation. Every king of Israel, unfortunately, chose to follow the pattern of Jeroboam, and was deemed evil in the eyes of God.
We focus way too much on the highlight reel, and not enough on the decision. Now in my mid-sixties, I can look back and remember many moments which warm my heart when I acted as a vessel for God, along with many moments which I am embarrassed, when for one reason or another I represented Him poorly. Yet, over thirty years ago I made a decision. That decision was to repent of my former ways and submit my life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is what defines me more than any other identifier. Yes, I am a husband, father, grandfather, doctor, etc. These are all part of the highlight reel. My true identify is child of the One True God, Bride of Jesus Christ. What about you? How are you identified? Please spend less time on those things which are not of eternal significance, and make a commitment to follow Jesus. Then, one day, your legacy will be less what you did, but more on who you were in Christ.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: