Take Wise Counsel From Others - If It Makes You Uncomfortable, Then You Are Probably Doing Something Right

Today's Reading
1 Kings Chp 12

Let me start with the following premise: that we are born sinners, and once we accept Christ as our savior God will always be molding as until the day we die.  Sometimes it may feel as if we are in the refiners fire, and other times it may not.  In either state, we are to keep moving (run) as it says in Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

To this end, the movement towards Christ and the molding/transformation of our heart includes our acceptance of teaching from others as these people are placed in our lives for a reason.

For Rehoboam, unfortunately, he does not accept this counsel - and the consequences are not good, nor are the consequences for Israel.  Rehoboam fulfills the prophecy of Ahijah in 1 Kings 11:29 that the kingdom established under the House of David, including both Solomon and then his son Rehoboam would be divided. 

 ¹³ The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, ¹⁴ he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

Although Rehoboam would not be able to change God's plans, the words of God for me I see are that wise counsel is critical and that if I am to invite others to pour themselves into my life - I am to listen and follow their advice, even if I don't like it.

My Prayer: Lord, you're counsel is great and your plan for me is great!  Forgive me when I neglect our relationship and when I don't seek you out.  Forgive me when I don't trust you or your words for me.  Please help me submit to you, your plan for me, and help me both seek wise counsel and to take this wise counsel, even if it is uncomfortable.

Easy Come Easy Go

Today's Reading
1 Kings Chps 4-11


Even though the Lord is initially very pleased with Solomon who chooses wisdom over riches, etc, Solomon shows us how God my bless you and then how quickly he can punish you by taking away that which he has given you.


Witness the series of events in Solomons's life as depicted in Kings:

1 Kings 6:39-7:1 (NIV)

He had spent seven years building [the Lord's temple]. It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. 

The above verse indicates how Solomon sows the seeds of his downfall as he spends more time  building his own palace vs the Lord's temple.

1 Kings 11:1-2 (NIV)

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter---Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. [2] They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

...

1 Kings 11:4-6 (NIV)

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. [5] He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. [6] So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

...

1 Kings 11:9-13 (NIV)

The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. [10] Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. [11] So the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. [12] Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. [13] Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

For me, I need to understand how God has blessed as I have a covenant with Him that I follow Him and I am faithful to Him, He will bless me also. At the same time I need to recognize that a blessing by God is according to God's definition, not mine.  I also need to understand that God blesses me at his discretion and he can easily take away.  I need to be thankful for what I have and stay close to Him.


My Prayer: Lord, I know you have blessed me, in many ways tangible and not tangible.  Forgive me for thinking that these were through me or my own doing.  Help me truly praise you and credit you for how are solely to credit for the blessings in my life.  Help me follow you, trust you, love you and be like you.

God's Gift of Wisdom is Available to All

Today's Reading
1 Kings Chps 1-3

As we all know Solomon is anointed king following David and Solomon goes to the Lord and the Lord tells Solomon that he can be granted any wish and Solomon asks for discerning heart and wisdom, for he does not know how to rule.  This is of course is pleasing to the Lord.  What is important to understand is that God does not grant this wish without strings.  The strings are that wisdom is ONLY through an ongoing relationship with and obedience to the Lord:

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 1:10-14)

What we need to recognize is that this same gift of wisdom is available to all of us if we also follow in the ways of the Lord.  We may not have the wisdom of Solomon but Truth is available to all.  We need to love the Lord with all of our heart, pray, follow, trust, etc. 

My Prayer:  Lord, You are great and Your word is great.  Your truth has guided me in all ways.  Forgive me when I neglect you, put others or other things ahead of You.  Help me love you with all of my heart, seek you out, trust you, and follow you.

It is Only Through Authentic Humility That We Can Seek Forgiveness

Today's Reading
2 Samuel Chps 13-24

Of course I sin...I am disobedient to the core.  Yet even worse, I am arrogant.  I expect forgiveness...and I often don't even ask for it.   How am I truly to be set free and forgiven if I do not humble myself before the Lord and truly seek His forgiveness.  While David has his moments, he most of the time is humble man, truly remorseful of his sin.  Here towards the end of his reign and life, he seeks to make atonement for his wrongs against God:

“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” (2 Samuel 24:10)

And as God carries out His wrath against Israel because of David's wrongs, David once againt prostrates himself:

“I have sinned; I, the shepherd,^[c] have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.” (2 Samuel 24:17)

And again, David humbles himself to the point where he is not above anyone and he pays his fellow countryman Araunah to purchase (vs seizing it) a threshing floor to be used to build an altar.

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. ²⁵ David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. (2 Samuel 24: 24-25)

 
My Prayer: Lord, you are love, compassion, and mercy.  You create these things as an expression of your love for me and I am in awe that you would create these things and express these just for me.  You are truly great and I love you.  Forgive me for my neglect of you Lord Christ as I have worshipped my job and my rest more than I have loved you.  Give me strength.  Give me trust.  Give me energy.  Help me seek you fervently all time the time.

Something Good Can Come of Something Bad

Today's Reading
2 Samuel Chp 12

Clearly David sinned.  Yet even with this sin God is able to create something good and it is always mysterious how he uses us and what we do for his glory.  After God as Nathan said struck down and killed the child born to David and Bathsheba, God shows mercy and does not kill David.  David then proceeds to have another son - Solomon:

²⁴ Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him; ²⁵ and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah (v24-25)

My Prayer: Lord, your designs and your plan are great.  I know I sin so please forgive me and thank you for mercy Lord.  Purify me and transform me and help me be more like you.  I love you Lord Christ.

Faith In God vs Man

Today's Reading
2 Samuel Chps 10-11

I've been reading about how David was anointed by God and how God was with David everywhere he went.  When I read about people such as David it is tempting to worship the person vs see in the person what God has done and what God is doing.

We clearly cannot have faith in man in the same way that we have faith in God.  In this chapter (11) David commits adultery and murder:

But the thing David had done displeased the LORD (v26).

My Prayer: Lord, it is ONLY You who is perfect, pure and holy.  I on the other hand am unclean.  I sin daily at least in my heart if not with my body and sometimes overtly.  Thank you for your example, your love and of course for your death on the cross and resurrection as it is through these things I can be forgiven and live in eternity with you.  Help me Lord Father, purify me and help me have complete faith, trust and love with all of my heart in You.

Humility Defined As Trusting God Even When You Don't Want To

Today's Reading
2 Samuel Chps 8-9

I know that humility is important.  In this story with David, I see humility because David reaches out to a lame son of Jonathan and shows kindness and compassion...is is I suppose humility through lack of arrogance.  David could have had anything.  In fact, the Lord was giving David military victory everywhere he went:

The LORD gave David victory wherever he went. 2 Samuel 8:6

...

The LORD gave David victory wherever he went. 2 Samuel 8:14

Yet, with all of the power that David had, David worked to do what was just, good, and right:

David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. 2 Samuel 8:15

More specifically, the humility I see with David is that David focuses on God's glory and not his own.  David's humility results in him "taking in" the lame son of Jonathan - Mephibosheth.  David reaches out to Mephibosheth and ensures that he has provision and care for the rest of his life - despite that he is lame in both feet and he is an offspring of Saul's family - and Saul sought David's death.

 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 2 Samuel 9:7

We must avoid temptation to circumvent God's will and focus on our own glory vs God's glory.  

Right now, I can see that I am trying to circumvent God's will in the rearing of my own son Zach.  I am trying to force Zach into a love of Christ.  This is not my job!  I am to shepherd his heart - and pray that God grows in Zach's heart.  I must trust God and not force my will onto Zach.  This is difficult because I want Zach to love the Lord.

My Prayer:  Lord...Father...you have come into my heart and my life and transformed me and saved me from eternal death and a life of sin here on earth.  You ARE GREAT!  Forgive me for my neglect and laziness regarding my relationship, study, prayer, and quiet time.  I thank you that you can and will forgive me.  And I thank you for my blessings - primarily my family, Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  But there is so much more!  Thank you Lord Father!  I pray that I can humble myself by trusting in you and seeking out your guidance and direction with Zach.  Reveal to me how I can shepherd his heart.