DCLM Daily Manna Thursday, May 19, 2022

TOPIC:  The End Matters Most

TEXT: 2 CHRONICLES 16:1-14

KEY VERSE: “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign” (2 CHRONICLES 16:12, 13).

DCLM Daily Manna Thursday, May 19, 2022 MESSAGE

It is expected that the nearer a person is to the end of his life, the more effort he should put to obeying God and preparing for eternity. Instead, we find many people becoming more reckless in their living and at the end, dying in such an ignoble manner. Though they may have had a good start, they end up messing up everything.

Such was the case of King Asa. He started off as a God-fearing king. His good deeds and trust in the Lord earned him a peaceful reign and victories over formidable enemy nations. But at the end of his reign and life, he veered off from God. Instead of trusting God when he faced a threat from a less enemy nation, he looked up to another nation for help.

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When he was rebuked for his foolish act, he became furious against the prophet and imprisoned him. Asa became very oppressive and aggressive on the people. Even when he became diseased in his feet, he ignored God and sought help from ungodly physicians.

We must be careful not to end our lives as Asa did. It is not enough to start well; we must ensure we end well because that is what matters most. Believers must constantly gauge their lives to see that they do not decrease in the grace of God.

To end well, we must constantly have our eyes on the prize that is set before us. We must not allow anything to derail us. Lastly, we should seek more grace to run the race successfully.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It is not enough to start well; it is far more important to end well!

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 SAMUEL 20-22