The end is more important than the beginning.

and they abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and served the Asherah poles and the idols. So there was wrath against Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 2 Chronicles 24:18

Joash started out as a good king. He even repaired the temple. As long as the priest Jehoiada was alive, he followed godly advice and honored God. The time came, however, when this priest died and he surrounded himself with other counselors that gave him advice. He listened to their evil advice and abandoned God. In the same way, we might’ve started well in our journey but maybe there was a point in our lives when we took the wrong path. Judah and Jerusalem ended up being destroyed and Joash was assassinated by his servants. What a tragic end! In what ways could we have possibly abandoned God in our own lives? Have other things taken His place? If we don’t live our lives under the careful guidance of the Holy Spirit, we might end up losing God completely.