A Wasted Life

A Wasted Life

Jezebel

Read: 1 Kings 16:30-31

Coming home late in the evening, Casey fell onto the sofa, exhausted. She knew that it shouldn’t have been this way—working a job she hated while taking night classes. Casey had grown up in a loving, supportive family. After high school, she started college on a full scholarship. Looking back, Casey thought she must have gone crazy that first semester. She dropped out of school, went through a series of worthless relationships, and even spent a year on the streets. Now she wished that she could regain half of the opportunities she had thrown away.

Jezebel also wasted her opportunities. As a Sidonian princess, she enjoyed wealth, power, education, and a sharp intellect. More important, Jezebel had the chance to rise above her pagan upbringing when she married the king of Israel. Although Ahab was not a godly man, Jezebel had access to the Israelite prophets so she heard about God’s miracles—in fact, she witnessed at least one. Yet she chose to direct her energies and resources toward fighting against God. Jezebel had many prophets killed, and she pressured countless Israelites into adopting idol worship. In the end, she was betrayed by a servant; nothing remained of her except for a few bones scattered over a field and the continuing cycle of depravity that eventually wiped out her family line.

Each of us represents a unique combination of family background, natural abilities, education, and life experiences. We may feel resentful when we look at someone who seems to have been given more opportunities than we have, but what determines the direction of our lives is our response to the opportunity to know and follow God. Even if we pour our energies and resources into some noble cause, in the end nothing will remain of eternal value if we neglect our relationship with God. However successful we may appear in the world’s eyes, our lives will have been wasted.

[Paul said,] “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Philippians 3:8