말보다 말씀! 빚보다 빛!

[Key Verse]
"After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 24:17–18)

[Our Story]
I have warm memories of winter. On cold winter evenings, our family would gather in the master bedroom. After a big family dinner, we would sit in a circle and share conversations. There was no set topic—we simply exchanged stories of all kinds. Each person would unpack their bundle of stories from the day, and when our throats grew dry, we would slice up some fruit together, usually Fuji apples. Someone would quickly fetch a basket of apples from the pantry. When I brought the prettiest apples into the room, everyone would shower me with compliments. Jokingly, they would say that because I chose beautiful apples, I would surely marry a beautiful person. One evening, however, something different happened. As I carried the apples into the room, I noticed a change in my mother's expression. It turned out that one of the apples was rotting from the base. She asked me to show her exactly where I had found it. She explained that if a rotten apple remained among the good ones, it would soon cause the others to rot as well. Looking back, my mother was teaching me about what is now called the "Rotten Apple Theory"—the idea that negative attitudes or behaviors within a group can quickly spread and corrupt the whole.

[Bible Story]
2 Chronicles 21-25 tell the story of Judah's kings as they fell deeper into corruption, much like rotten apples spoiling one another. Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram, upon taking the throne, killed his brothers and followed the counsel of Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, building high places for idol worship (2 Chronicles 21). The prophet Elijah prophesied Jehoram’s miserable death, and the prophecy was fulfilled. After Jehoram, Ahaziah ascended the throne. He joined his uncle, King Joram of Israel, in battle against Aram. When Joram was wounded, Ahaziah visited him, only to be caught up in Jehu’s coup and killed. Upon Ahaziah’s death, his mother Athaliah seized power and tried to annihilate the entire royal line of David. It was a time of bloody violence. Yet in the midst of the chaos, young Joash was saved. Under the protection of the priest Jehoiada, Joash became king, and Athaliah was executed. While Jehoiada lived, Joash repaired the temple that Athaliah’s son had desecrated and restored proper worship. But after Jehoiada’s death, Joash turned once again to idolatry. He was wounded in battle against the Arameans and was eventually assassinated by his own officials. His successor, Amaziah, started well, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord—but not wholeheartedly. After defeating Edom, he brought back their gods and worshiped them (2 Chronicles 25). The stench of corruption was hard to cover.

[Your Story]
Take a moment to look around you. Who are the people you spend time with? If someone is constantly complaining or if you find yourself drawn into their negativity, you might already be within the reach of a "rotten apple." Without even realizing it, you could begin to rot as well. If you catch yourself using a sarcastic tone, criticizing others’ mistakes too often, or meddling unnecessarily in others' affairs, beware—you might be becoming a rotten apple yourself. However, if you choose instead to see God's image in others and let words of praise and thanksgiving flow, you will bear healthy, vibrant fruit together.
Today, I pray that you and I will not rot with negativity but instead ripen beautifully with words of gratitude and encouragement.

"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." (James 1:18)

With blessings,
Pastor Hyung Joong Kim
Copyrightⓒ 2025 by Hyung Joong Kim