Day 190 – Finish the Way You Started

2 Chronicles 34–35
2 Corinthians 6

Chronicles gives us the timeline that Kings leaves out, and it's worth sitting with. Josiah was eight when he became king. At sixteen, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. At twenty he started tearing down the high places. At twenty-six he ordered the temple repaired, and that's when the scroll was found. So the book didn't start his reform. It confirmed a direction he'd been walking for ten years. Then comes the Passover, and Chronicles can't help counting it. Thirty thousand lambs and goats out of the king's own holdings. Nothing about it was minimal. And then chapter 35 ends his reign in a way that has troubled readers for centuries. Pharaoh Neco marches north, sends word that he has no quarrel with Judah, and Josiah disguises himself and rides out anyway. Chronicles says plainly that he would not listen to what Neco had said at God's command. An arrow finds him at Megiddo. Paul, urging the Corinthians not to receive God's grace in vain, says now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. Together, these passages remind us that a good start is not the same as a good finish.

At the heart of these chapters is a simple idea. A strong beginning guarantees nothing. Grace has to be received again today, and part of receiving it is staying willing to hear God even when the messenger is someone you'd rather not listen to.

What does this look like once the day begins?

First, think of a warning you've been given recently. From your spouse, a colleague, a doctor, someone whose opinion you tend to discount. Take it seriously enough to act on one part of it today.

Second, do something for God this week that costs you an amount you have to think about. Josiah supplied that Passover out of his own possessions. He didn't organize other people's generosity.

Third, find the area where you're living off momentum from years ago, and do one small concrete thing in it today. Paul says the day of salvation is now, not the day you first believed.

As you go through your day, remember this. Grace is received today or not at all. Yesterday's obedience was good, and it won't carry you through this afternoon.

Thank you for joining me today. May the Lord give you ears that listen, hands that give freely, and a faith that stays green all the way to the end. Until tomorrow, remain faithful in the small things and trust God with the rest.