End Like You Started
Monday, June 29
2 Chronicles 16:11-13 (NIV)
“The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.”
Devotion
Today’s passage records the sobering end of King Asa’s reign. In the thirty-ninth year, he was afflicted with a severe disease in his feet. Yet even in his illness, he did not seek the Lord, but turned only to the physicians. He died in the forty-first year of his reign.
Asa began his reign with fiery devotion. He tore down idols, rebuilt the altar, called the nation to prayer, and trusted God completely when a million-man Ethiopian army attacked. Outnumbered and outmatched, he cried out, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether many or those who have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You” (2 Chronicles 14:11). God delivered a stunning victory. For years, Asa walked in humility and dependence, and the land enjoyed peace.
But over time, self-reliance crept in. When threatened again, instead of seeking the Lord, Asa used temple treasures to hire a foreign king. Later, facing illness, he turned only to physicians—likely mixing natural remedies with occult practices—rather than crying out to God. His “feet” (his walk with God) became diseased. What started in passionate dependence ended in independence, compromise, and spiritual stagnation.
Pastor Jentezen warns us: beautiful beginnings can lead to catastrophic conclusions if we stop seeking God. Success, routines, or self-sufficiency can quietly replace the desperate hunger we once had. We walk by faith, not by sight—yet diseased feet stop forward progress, affect balance, and eventually spread.
Today's Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the grace to begin well. Help me to finish well too. Keep my heart humble and dependent on You, and never let success, routine, or self-reliance replace my hunger for Your presence. Teach me to seek You first in every season, whether in strength or weakness. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Apply It Today
Examine your walk today. Have you grown self-reliant in ministry, family, finances, or daily decisions? The same God who met you in your early passionate days still waits for you to return. Don’t let an “ingrown toenail” of compromise become gangrene. Renew your covenant to seek Him first—today and every day.
Resources
- How you finish matters. If you missed yesterday’s message, “End Like You Started”, take a moment to watch and be challenged to stay committed to God from beginning to end.
- A simple reminder can make a big difference. Download this week's wallpaper and let God's truth strengthen your heart every day. Wallpaper