Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor, LHBC

2 Chronicles 21:5-11; 20 (NLT)

5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 6 But Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. 7 But the Lord did not want to destroy David’s dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.

8 During Jehoram’s reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own king. 9 So Jehoram went out with his full army and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went out at night and attacked them[b] under cover of darkness. 10 Even so, Edom has been independent from Judah to this day. The town of Libnah also revolted about that same time. All this happened because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors. 11 He had built pagan shrines in the hill country of Judah and had led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to give themselves to pagan gods and to go astray. 

20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. No one was sorry when he died. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.

There are lyrics to a well known Christian song that used to play on the radio quite a bit during my early days of being a Christian that have always stuck with me. 

I wanna leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough?

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace

Who blessed Your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy.

What do you want for your legacy to be when you pass away? The lyrics of the song speak to the reality that we ought to want to leave a Kingdom legacy. We ought to want to be remembered not just for the trophies we accumulated, or the accolades/ treasures we have built on this earth, but rather we ought to desire to be remembered for what we have done to build God’s kingdom and invest in what truly matters. 

In 2 Chronicles 21 we see a sobering story of a king who missed it. He spent his whole life living for himself, and in doing lived in total disobedience to the Lord. He walked in idolatry, following the ways of the wicked king Ahab years earlier. In doing so he brought forth judgment on the people of Judah. He was a poor king who chose to live for himself rather than look to honor the Lord. What is most telling about King Jehoram’s story is found in v.20. The way Jehoram lived his life invoked the response of no one really caring that he had passed away. A statement made about a life not well lived.

I don’t know about you but I want to glorify God by leaving a kingdom legacy when the Lord calls me home. I want to leave knowing that I have made a difference for the Kingdom of God. I want to be remembered as one who loved God with all my heart and soul, loved my family and led them to the truth, and loved others. I want to be known and remembered as one who has helped give hope to our city. Not for my namesake, but for God’s. For us as Christians, God has saved us and changed us. He also has called us to be people who make the most of the time we have, loving God, loving others, and giving hope to our world. Will you choose to join me in doing that? Would you choose to make the decision to live a life that leaves a kingdom legacy? May we choose to glorify God in how we live and in doing so leave a legacy for His namesake.

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and grace. Thank You for saving me. Help for me to make the most of my time here on earth by choosing to live a life that glorifies You. Help me not to follow the example of Jehoram who wasted his life, but rather help me to learn from it and choose to live a life that counts by loving You, loving others, and giving hope to others. In Jesus’ name, amen!

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK: 

Luke 2:11: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.