Asa is one of the lesser-known kings of Israel, mostly because he’s a rather uncomfortable character to read about, but he happened to be in my quiet time last week (2Ch. 14–16) and so I took some time to think about him. He is one of those who started well and ended poorly, trusting himself rather than God to provide solutions to problems. And in the end he turned from truly trusting God, trusting rather in the “science” of his day and age than in the Eternal One. This doesn’t mean that he ceased worshipping God, no he just stopped trusting Him.

This reminded me of a scary statistic read to us when I was in seminary. Only about 20% of those who enter ministry end well. Remembering this has sent me back to my knees, praying that God would keep me from ending poorly. As I was praying, this verse came to mind: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1Co. 14:12 – NASB). We are called to constantly check ourselves: our motives, our attitudes, our actions, our intake and outflow. Are these in line with what God desires? If not, what are we doing to bring them in line? Asa failed in this regard and serves as a warning to all of us.