The books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles tell of the history of the nation of Israel and their leaders. As I read through it some if it sounds too audacious to be true (even though it obviously is.) Men and women become drunk with power, kill off their entire families to preserve their ruling position, meet secretly to overthrow kings, manipulate entire nations to get what they want, bribe each other and other rulers for personal gain, submit to other forms of worship, and in some cases, worship the One True God.
The books provide only a brief commentary on the lives of people who ruled. They might give details on a few instances which sum up the character of the ruling parties, but each part essentially lets us know if that person was evil in the eyes of God or if they chose to follow Him.
Who we are and the legacy we leave will be determined by the sum total of all our life experiences and the decisions we make. Those closest to us will see the depth and intricacy of our lives, but it still leaves one big question. Did we live to serve God or not? In the footnotes of history that is what will matter most.
That is the lasting inheritance that I want to leave for my children and the generations that follow. In spite of my flaws and many mistakes I pray that they would know that I loved God and did the best I could to follow His leading.
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