God has never accepted the idea that "the ends justify the means." God is just and perfect in all His ways. People, on the other hand, are far from perfect. That a bond can exist between a loving and merciful Creator and a resisting and rebellious creation is as great a miracle as creation itself! As a king, Asa came very close to being good. He traveled a long way with God before getting off track. His sin was not so much deliberate disobedience as choosing the easy way rather than the right way.
When the odds seemed impossible in the battle with the Cushites, Asa recognized his need to depend on God. Following that victory, God's promise based on obedience spurred the king and people to many years of right living. But Asa was to face a tougher test.
Years of animosity between Asa and Israel's king Baasha took an ugly turn. Baasha, king of the northern kingdom, was building a fort that threatened both the peace and the economy of Judah. Asa thought he saw a way out by bribing king Ben-Hadad of abram to break his alliance with Baasha. The plan worked brilliantly, but it wasn't God's way. When Asa was confronted by God's prophet Hanani, he flew into a rage, jailed Hanani, and took his anger out on his people. Asa rejected correction and refused to admit his error to God. His greatest failure was missing what God could have done with his life if he was willing to be humble. His pride ruined the health of his reign. He stubbornly held on to his failure until his death.
Does Asa's attitude sound familiar? Can you identify failures in your life that you have continued to rationalize rather than admit them to God and accept His forgiveness?
Have you asked God to forgive your failures due to your own stubbornness? Do you know God? Do you know Jesus?
Are you certain that you are going to heaven? If the answer is no or your not really sure and there is something stirring inside you at this very moment to do this, then all you have to do is say a small prayer and you can be assured of your name being added to the Book of Life. Go to the prayer of salvation and pray the words out loud and believe in your heart and you will be saved.
Asa's story is told in 1 Kings 15:8 - 24 and 2 Chronicles 14 - 16. He is also mentioned in Jeremiah 41:9 and Matthew 1:7.
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