When Heroes FallSample

FINISHING WELL

Asa was a king of Judah who was committed to obeying God. At the beginning of his reign, Asa destroyed the altars and idols of false religions. Furthermore, “he commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands” (2 Chronicles 14:4 NIV). God rewarded Asa’s works by giving all of Judah peace during those years.

However, toward the end of Asa’s reign, something shifted in his heart. A threat came from the king of Israel, and he panicked. Where once he would have turned to the Lord for protection, now he turned to another nation for support.

God sent a prophet to inform Asa of God’s displeasure with Asa’s actions. How did the king respond to this? “Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison” (2 Chronicles 16:10, NIV).

We don’t know why Asa went from seeking the Lord’s help and pleasing the Lord to refusing Him—the text doesn’t say. But we do know that Asa didn’t finish how he started. He had been on fire for the Lord and dedicated to rooting out all other gods from the land. But somewhere along the way, he lost his drive to obey God’s commands. He was a fallen hero.

And here is a lesson for us. Our past faithfulness to God can’t keep us from sinning in the future.

Paul wrote, “I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT). Paul didn’t rely on his past victories to keep his heart turned toward God. He focused on how his present behaviors would affect his future.

If we want to avoid making the same mistakes as our heroes, then we must intentionally renew our commitment to God every day. Which means, as long as we have breath in our lungs, we choose to walk in obedience to Him.

As you look ahead toward the remainder of your life, in what areas might you be most tempted to compromise your obedience to God?