Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 22-25
Meditation Verse: 24:20
Thought
This is the other side of the promise, "When you are with the Lord, He is with you." If we forsake the Lord, He turns away His blessing and help from us. He does so to warn us and rebuke us, that we would acknowledge our guilt and repent. Joash, who was saved by Jehoaida the priest and brought to the throne because of him, turned away from the Lord after his death. His son rebuked him with these words, and Joash had him killed. He was attacked by Aram with a much smaller army, yet routed and severely wounded. His own officials plotted against him and killed him for taking the life of Jehoaida's son.
Application
It is so easy to trust in our own power these days and think we're so great, that we bring success by our diligence and determination. That's actually the message we hear day in and day out. But success actually comes from knowing and serving the Lord. Success doesn't all look the same. The commission we've been given is to proclaim the Gospel, not get rich or make a name for ourselves. We aren't even promised many believers for our efforts. Even many of those we disciple will turn away from the truth, especially in this day of lies. That looks like failure, not success. But there will be some who devote themselves to the Lord as He deserves. That is success, but only what the Lord can bring. So success in the life God intends depends entirely upon the Lord, from start to finish. If I turn away from the Lord, I may have a measure of worldly success, the kind the world admires, but it will end with complete loss. If I'm half-hearted toward the Lord, I may enjoy some success that looks like it's from the Lord, but He warns me that I cannot serve two masters, so I need to check my heart: Who am I truly serving?