Beginning and Ending Well

2 Chronicles 26:3-5 “Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle preached a sermon message on beginning and ending well as an introduction to the book of Amos. He stated how the Christian life goal is to love God and love others by proactively providing caring interest with spiritual development and touching lives for the better with holy dignity, honor and respect. One life lived in surrender to our King. In Romans 12:1 the Apostle tells us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,  which is your reasonable service.” The key is that our Christian walk through live is not about “flash in the pan” experiences, but longevity.

Hosea 8:7a “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.”

When any people in history did not walk with the Lord (meaning living aligned with God’s holy Word, Will and Way), they have reaped what they have sown, where divisions and problems occur - (see Job 4:8-9, Hosea 10:12, Proverbs 1:31, Proverbs 11:18, 24-25, Proverbs 14:14, Proverbs 11:24-25, John 4:36, 2 Corinthians 9:6, Galatians 6:7-9, James 3:17-18). During times of prosperity, people naturally tend to forget God in immoral pride. The unholy trinity of pride involve income, influence and impact in our life, where we can selfishly believe that we did it all on our own and learn to unrighteously depend on ourself alone. The thoughts and associated decisions are not a mistake, but a prideful response.

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Every “good” response to God’s ability in our lives are another brick in the wall towards a good ending. Pastor Kyle used the Old Testament example of Israel’s King Uzziah story in 2 Samuel 26:1-23 to illustrate that a bad ending sours a great beginning. 2 Chronicles 26:15b-16a tells us, “And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong. But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God.” As the old saying goes, “One ‘Aw Fooey’ whips out a thousand at-a-boys” and all that people end up remembering about you. Pride causes us to believe that laws and rules do not apply anymore to us and ethics erode.

That seed of pride starts with a little over-confidence. The act of pride happens over a period of time, as we become comfortable in everything. It is not hard for us to abuse goodness. Fallen humanity needs boundaries established for our physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being. We all make mistakes and decide how we are going to respond. Sovereign Lord God’s holy Word exists to change us; not for us to try to change it when we disagree. The Word of God in the Holy Scriptures of the Bible is there to tell us the truth and transform us through life-changing repentance. The role of the church (the body of Christ) is to keep each other on track. Everything we do in church is the work of God for the people of God for the God’s glory. We are to be a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ / making devoted disciples and minister to the needs of others. The world today has a low regard for the Holy. When we walk into the presence of the Lord, we need to act differently. The antidote to pride is gratitude and then to treat every action in life as a holy act of worship to God. We walk on holy ground and as a child of God, we are holy ground. We carry the power and presence of God, who bought us in redemption unto salvation; reflecting the Son’s light. This guides and seals our good ending.

In Christ, Brian