At our church, we are currently studying 1 Kings. One reason I love my church is because they can take a book from the Bible that is hard to connect with and make it relatable. One question that has been sticking with me through this study and that I keep coming back to is..."How do we continue to walk the road of faithfulness with the Lord and finish well?"
This question comes from studying Solomon, who is the featured character in the first 10-12 chapters. Solomon began his kingship in humbleness, seeking the Lord for the grace and wisdom to be king. His biggest desire was making the Lord known and creating a temple for the Lord where others could come and worship. The Lord revealed Himself to Solomon two different times and blessed Solomon with more wealth than we could even imagine. As Solomon dedicates the temple to the Lord in 1 Kings 8, he has several times where he just breaks out in praise to the Lord....
"O Lord, God of Isreal, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below-- you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way." 1 Kings 8:23
"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.Yet give your attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God."1 Kings 8: 27-28
"Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Isreal just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses......And may these words of mine, which I have prayed befroe the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant....so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other." 1 Kings 8: 56-61
As Solomon's character develops, you begin to see cracks in his solid foundation. He intermarried with other women, which the Lord commanded him not to do. These women were from evil people with different gods. Solomon rationalized this sin by thinking he was building his kingdom by making connections with other nations. But, he was disobeying God. Solomon ended up having 1000 wives and something happened in the midst of those relationships that caused his heart to be turned away from God. This was not the same as just a simple sin, because he eventually bowed to those other gods, turned his back on the Lord and worshipped something else.
This whole scenario seems so sad to be. That a man with such blessings from the Lord that had been tracking with the Lord decided to worship something else and turn his back on God. He never went back and repented but continued to live his life this way. Solomon's heart completely changed. His father King David had committed a major sin with adultery and murder, but his heart was always after the Lord. Solomon's heart worshipped another.
At church and in community group, we have talked about this story and talked about the fact that sometimes the second part of life is the most dangerous. Our pastor said that sometimes sin feels like an event or step that takes you down a path that leads somewhere else causing the next "sin step" to make sense. Solomon's sin lead him down a path leading somewhere else. In some cases the gods he was worshipping called for sexual sacrifices and in other instances, child or even infant sacrifices.
I think on this and plead it would not be the same for me or any of us as we continue on our journeys with the Lord. To be living in step with the Lord and to witness His presence and then get so wrapped up in sin, that you completely leave the Lord. So, how does one finish this life well walking with the Lord so that we complete our journey of faith and so that the next generation will have something to look to?
One answer to this question we talked about in community group is letting other people speak into your life and speaking into other peoples' lives? Calling people out in love when you sense something isn't quite right or when you witness an event that is wrong. The Lord causes us to judge other believers in love. Not out of gossip or self righteousness, but just out of love and wanting that believer to finish the race that is before him. Also, not neglecting prayer, reading the Bible and being accountable to other Christians.
I don't know all the answers, but it has been a good lesson to think on over the past couple of weeks. I am thankful we serve a merciful and grace giving God that only asks we confess and repent our sins and continue to believe in Him and HE WILL BE FAITHFUL to forgive us. Our hearts have to want to come back to Him though and we have to WANT to be cleansed. Obedience must come from the heart and flows out of trust in the Lord.
Also, with this story that is filled with just a tragic ending, it makes you know that the Bible is real. If it wasn't real, why would stories like this be included? If it was just some make believe story, why would these terrible endings and people choosing other gods be included? It just shows we all need Jesus and need redemption. And, the Lord can use anyone and save anyone. All we have to do is Believe and Confess and Repent and TRUST.
Anyway, I am sorry for this long post, but I thought I would share something that has really been on my heart lately. Continue on the path of faithfulness, friends.
This question comes from studying Solomon, who is the featured character in the first 10-12 chapters. Solomon began his kingship in humbleness, seeking the Lord for the grace and wisdom to be king. His biggest desire was making the Lord known and creating a temple for the Lord where others could come and worship. The Lord revealed Himself to Solomon two different times and blessed Solomon with more wealth than we could even imagine. As Solomon dedicates the temple to the Lord in 1 Kings 8, he has several times where he just breaks out in praise to the Lord....
"O Lord, God of Isreal, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below-- you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way." 1 Kings 8:23
"But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.Yet give your attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God."1 Kings 8: 27-28
"Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Isreal just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses......And may these words of mine, which I have prayed befroe the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant....so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other." 1 Kings 8: 56-61
As Solomon's character develops, you begin to see cracks in his solid foundation. He intermarried with other women, which the Lord commanded him not to do. These women were from evil people with different gods. Solomon rationalized this sin by thinking he was building his kingdom by making connections with other nations. But, he was disobeying God. Solomon ended up having 1000 wives and something happened in the midst of those relationships that caused his heart to be turned away from God. This was not the same as just a simple sin, because he eventually bowed to those other gods, turned his back on the Lord and worshipped something else.
This whole scenario seems so sad to be. That a man with such blessings from the Lord that had been tracking with the Lord decided to worship something else and turn his back on God. He never went back and repented but continued to live his life this way. Solomon's heart completely changed. His father King David had committed a major sin with adultery and murder, but his heart was always after the Lord. Solomon's heart worshipped another.
At church and in community group, we have talked about this story and talked about the fact that sometimes the second part of life is the most dangerous. Our pastor said that sometimes sin feels like an event or step that takes you down a path that leads somewhere else causing the next "sin step" to make sense. Solomon's sin lead him down a path leading somewhere else. In some cases the gods he was worshipping called for sexual sacrifices and in other instances, child or even infant sacrifices.
I think on this and plead it would not be the same for me or any of us as we continue on our journeys with the Lord. To be living in step with the Lord and to witness His presence and then get so wrapped up in sin, that you completely leave the Lord. So, how does one finish this life well walking with the Lord so that we complete our journey of faith and so that the next generation will have something to look to?
One answer to this question we talked about in community group is letting other people speak into your life and speaking into other peoples' lives? Calling people out in love when you sense something isn't quite right or when you witness an event that is wrong. The Lord causes us to judge other believers in love. Not out of gossip or self righteousness, but just out of love and wanting that believer to finish the race that is before him. Also, not neglecting prayer, reading the Bible and being accountable to other Christians.
I don't know all the answers, but it has been a good lesson to think on over the past couple of weeks. I am thankful we serve a merciful and grace giving God that only asks we confess and repent our sins and continue to believe in Him and HE WILL BE FAITHFUL to forgive us. Our hearts have to want to come back to Him though and we have to WANT to be cleansed. Obedience must come from the heart and flows out of trust in the Lord.
Also, with this story that is filled with just a tragic ending, it makes you know that the Bible is real. If it wasn't real, why would stories like this be included? If it was just some make believe story, why would these terrible endings and people choosing other gods be included? It just shows we all need Jesus and need redemption. And, the Lord can use anyone and save anyone. All we have to do is Believe and Confess and Repent and TRUST.
Anyway, I am sorry for this long post, but I thought I would share something that has really been on my heart lately. Continue on the path of faithfulness, friends.
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