Honoring God Even When Few Follow

2 Chronicles 27:1-9 

    1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.

    3 He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. 4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers. 5 He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. And the people of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The people of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also. 6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

    7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Jotham ascended to the throne of Judah after his father Uzziah died, the king who started well until pride led to disobedience in entering the temple to make his own sacrifice in place of the priests.  This son of that king imitated the good of his father and not the evil of that pride of his father to enter the temple to atone for himself.  Unfortunately, the people of God in Judah followed after their predecessors and after reprobate Israel.  The good examples no longer influenced the sinful patterns learned from the evil examples set for them by the others, and the good which Jotham patterned seemed to only drive himself to build up the infrastructure of Judah and not the people because of their spiritual corruption.  He prepared his heart for God and his ways to that end, driven with a desire to obediently honor and please the LORD his God, most likely with some remembrance of his forefather King David who had a heart set in the direction of God and His ways according to His word.  This is our example as well, to imitate the good examples, even when they are not perfect or even consistent, and even when few or seemingly none follow the Lord with us.  We ought to follow the good in the examples as far as they imitate Christ (Hebrews 13:7, 1 Peter 2:21, 1 Corinthians 11:1), keeping faithful in our labor for the Lord Jesus Christ no matter what example others choose to pursue in the direction of their lives.  Our labor is never in vain when honoring the Lord God in Christ, even when few follow Christ in us.