"He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one's sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings."
2 Chronicles 21:20 (NKJV)
2 Chronicles 21 tells about the death of King Jehoram of Judah. He only reigned for eight years and he was a bad king who did not follow God. The Bible tells us that when King Jehoram died no one expressed any sorrow at his passing, the people were happy to see him go and to get rid of him. But, there are other kings we can read about who when they died the people mourned over them, they were good kings that the people were sad to see go. It was not the position that these men held that they were honored for, it was who they were and the influence they had on the people they ruled.
We all have relationships with people in our family, at our place of work, people we socialize with, and other types of relationships. The type of relationship we have with these people may be different, but the one thing that is the same is that we have an influence on these people. Positive or negative we are influencing the people around us. But, are we the kind of people who are helping and encouraging to those around us or are we a negative influence? If our relationship with these people ended today, for whatever reason, would they say a sad good-bye or would they just say good riddance?
We don't always realize what an impact we make on other people, good or bad. Think about Jesus and how He lived; I am sure that He was a positive influence on those around Him. David is another example. He had people around him who were in distress, in debt, and who were discontented. David became their captain and chose to be a positive influence on these people. We all know people like this that we are happy to see arrive and sad to see leave. But on the other hand, there are some people that we are sad to see arrive and happy when they leave. The question for us is which type of person we will be? Our relationships with others are important and an opportunity for us to make a positive difference in people's lives.
2 Chronicles 21:20 (NKJV)
2 Chronicles 21 tells about the death of King Jehoram of Judah. He only reigned for eight years and he was a bad king who did not follow God. The Bible tells us that when King Jehoram died no one expressed any sorrow at his passing, the people were happy to see him go and to get rid of him. But, there are other kings we can read about who when they died the people mourned over them, they were good kings that the people were sad to see go. It was not the position that these men held that they were honored for, it was who they were and the influence they had on the people they ruled.
We all have relationships with people in our family, at our place of work, people we socialize with, and other types of relationships. The type of relationship we have with these people may be different, but the one thing that is the same is that we have an influence on these people. Positive or negative we are influencing the people around us. But, are we the kind of people who are helping and encouraging to those around us or are we a negative influence? If our relationship with these people ended today, for whatever reason, would they say a sad good-bye or would they just say good riddance?
We don't always realize what an impact we make on other people, good or bad. Think about Jesus and how He lived; I am sure that He was a positive influence on those around Him. David is another example. He had people around him who were in distress, in debt, and who were discontented. David became their captain and chose to be a positive influence on these people. We all know people like this that we are happy to see arrive and sad to see leave. But on the other hand, there are some people that we are sad to see arrive and happy when they leave. The question for us is which type of person we will be? Our relationships with others are important and an opportunity for us to make a positive difference in people's lives.
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