Reading Chronicles

Chronicles is usually one of the books, after Leviticus, where Bible reading plans go to die. Most people (including me!) don't usually find the retelling of ancient history all that compelling. The lives of the Hebrew kings aren't that exciting, really, unless the guy in question is wicked, and then its only interesting because of the (typically bloody) way that his life ends. But since I believe that "all Scripture" is inspired by God, I've been trying to read afresh the sections I haven't spent much time in, instead of simply reading again the parts that are inspiring to me. And so I found myself in Chronicles this morning, reading about Jehoshaphat. He was, all things considered, one of the better kings of Judah. He was a man who honored God in many ways, though he displeased God by making alliances and intermarrying with the house of Ahab. Nevertheless, though he sinned and was disciplined by God for it, the overall tone is positive-"His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord."

Over and over again, you see the same pattern. Kings whose hearts are "devoted to the ways of the Lord" are blessed, while those whose hearts are not come judgment. As I read, I couldn't help but think about my own life: What if God were keeping a Chronicle of all of his saints, like he did of the Hebrew Kings? Where would he judge my heart to have been? Would I be one of the ones of whom the summary reads "but his heart was not completely devoted to the Lord as his father David's had been" or would I read something else? What about you, dear reader, how would God summarize your life in His Chronicles?