Scripture
18“O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.” 1 Chronicles 29:18-19
Observation
I’ve prayed this over my sons too. That they would desire to the presence of God and walk in obedience to God over all else is what every parent prays for. Solomon started out doing exactly this. He made God the priority in His life and put Him first in everything he said and did. When Solomon chose God over gold, glory, and girls (2 Chron 1:11) it was proof of his wholehearted pursuit. Sadly, after God blessed him and the Kingdom of Israel the gold, glory, and girls became his focus his heart became fragmented. Solomon started strong on the temple, but delayed its completion. He got distracted by building his own palace and a palace for his Egyptian bride. (1 Ki. 6:38, 7:8,51). All of this culminating in not only fractured heart, but a hardened heart towards the Lord. “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4).
Application
One of our family traditions is to sit around the table eating Cyndi’s homemade ice cream cake and telling the birthday boy what we love about him. Aden turned 19 this past Sunday and each of us, from youngest to oldest, told him what we loved, appreciated, admired, and learned from him over this past year. I could barely hold it together as I told him I saw him make the switch from “I have to” to “I want to” in His relationship with God. Aden chose to pursue a personal, daily, and intimate relationship with Jesus, not because his parents told him to, or because it was “the right thing to do”, but because he actually loved Jesus and wanted to sit at His feet. It’s the move from a religion about God to a relationship with God. It’s a move from half-hearted mental ascent to whole-hearted passionate pursuit. No one can make this decision for us. Solomon’s story reminds us that we must make this choice over and over again. Solomon started out strong but, began to choose other pursuits- gold, glory, and girls. He was literally given everything and squandered it all over a divided heart that turned into hardened heart.
Heart Checks:
Am I Choosing Obedience over my Convenience?
Am I Choosing God’s Presence over my Preferences?
Am I Choosing God’s Instructions over my Plans?
Am I Choosing Holiness in my Relationships?
Am I Finishing My God-given assignment?
Am I using my God-given gifts for my own glory?
Prayer
6Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
7for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today!
8The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
Psalm 95:6-8
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