2 CHRONICLES 21:20 – “He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”
THEME OF THE DAY: A SAD AND WORTHLESS LIFE. Today’s scripture easily makes the list of one of the saddest accounts in the Bible. It is about the reign of Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, as the King of Judah.
Unlike his father, Jehoram did not follow the ways of the Lord. He dishonored his father, murdered his brothers as well as some princes of Israel, enticed God’s people to gross sin, and his life was a waste. At his death, here read his epitaph, “And he departed with no one’s regret.”
As sad and worthless was the life of Jehoram, he serves us well as a warning. Not in avoiding the heinous sins he committed, but a warning to avoid choosing the ways of the world and wasting our one life God gave us in the wrong direction, on the wrong things and pursuits.
If we are to make our one life truly count for now, after we are gone, and into eternity, three things need to be in our thinking and living.
First, all of life is to be lived for one single purpose. It is the one Jesus gave us before He returned to heaven – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Being a witness for Christ is not just about sharing the Gospel. It includes sharing the Person of the Gospel, the Lord Jesus. We do that by loving people, serving people, helping people, investing in people, and all in the name of Jesus for Jesus. This includes our actions and words. If we rise each day arming ourselves with the mindset we are living witnesses for Jesus in every conversation, every encounter with people, and every action we take, our one life will be well-invested.
Next, live all of life knowing we are writing our legacy each day to be left after we depart this world. It is not “Are we going to leave a legacy?”, but “What kind of legacy are we leaving?” I officiated a funeral of a person whose legacy was sad. I gave the sizable audience opportunity to say something about the deceased. One man came forward and said, “He was a good golfer”, then he returned to his seat. So sad. So wasted. We have one goal when we leave this world, and that is to leave this legacy – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Such a Christ-centered legacy is built one decision at a time, one day at time, and will live on and influence others long after we are gone from this world.
Finally, remember the Day of Judgment. We are going to give a detailed account before the Lord on how we lived our one life – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Don’t fear this accountability. Be wise and prepare for this accountability. And remember, we not only are writing our legacy each day, but also detailed accounts of what is going to be judged on Judgment Day.
One life. That is what God gives us. Make it count by living it for what matters most – Jesus, His Gospel, His people, and leaving a Christ-centered legacy for our families and all who know us.
PRAYER: Father, help me to be wise and invest my one life in what matters for eternity, not this fleeting world.
REFLECTION: One life to live. Don’t waste it in the wrong place – this world and on wrong things – self.