Joash was a King of the nation of Judah. His mentor and advisor was a priest named Jehoiada. For many years the King was a great leader. Because of the influence of Jehoiada, he made wise decisions and his leadership was pleasing to God. For this reason, the nation was blessed. But then, Jehoiada died.

With the death of his Godly mentor, Joash lost his mooring. He then surrounded himself with ungodly men who led him to make poor choices. These men influenced the King to turn from worshiping God. This led to great suffering in Judah. The first part of his reign was filled with greatness, the second part was marred with failure. Joash was a good man who listened to the advice of wicked people, for this reason, he died in shame and disgrace.

A local college football team was often encouraged by their coach to “Finish the drill”. The coach was telling them to stay focused on the goal. They had to stay strong, remain grounded in their training, and finish what they started. King Joash was a good man who started strong. But he did not remain grounded in his faith and he did not finish the drill.

Years ago I was watching the World Series when the announcer made a profound statement. He said that the championship teams did not get to the top by practicing the doing of great things. These teams were great champions because they hit the field every day and practiced simple and fundamental baseball. Practice keeping both hands on the glove and the impossible over-the-shoulder catches will come.

In the Bible, Jesus promised that we can do great things. However, He taught us to do the simple things. As children of God, the greatest trophy we can hope to receive is to hear Jesus say “Well done My good and faithful servant.” This will happen only if we stay focused on the fundamentals. We must read the Bible daily, pray constantly and surround ourselves with Godly people.

Remember, it does not matter where you started, it is where you finish that counts. So focus on God, be led by the Holy Spirit, put on the mind of Christ, and finish strong.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends