PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 1 Kings 11:11 ): Solomon began going against Your command for him to stay faithful to You throughout his kingship. He began to pull away from Your promise of continued wisdom and reign over all of Israel for him and his descendants if he simply remained faithful to You. He chose to begin worshipping false idols because he caved to the pressures of the world to do so. I too have caved to the pressures of the world quite often in my own life, Father. I too have often put worldly desires and “things” over You in my life, just as Solomon did. Please forgive me for my disobedience in this matter, Father. Forgive me for being so weak and often giving into the world instead of leaning on You for strength to resist them. Help me by reminding me that You are always with me to provide me strength, especially in those times when I am beginning to dip into my own weaknesses in this world.
PROMISE ( 1 Kings 11:11 ): You made a promise not only to David, but also to Solomon. David was a man after Your own heart and so he was blessed thoroughly throughout his reign as king of Israel. Solomon was also a man which You blessed with great wisdom and who did so much for You in faithfulness, until close to the end of his life. Near the end he began to pull away from You, which broke the agreement in Your promise. So, You chose to enact the alternative promise if Solomon broke Your blessings promise, but You didn’t do so fully all during Solomon’s lifetime. Instead, You told him that because of David, You will allow him to continue to reign until his death, which You did. You promised him that the punishment for his disobedience would not come on him, but on his descendants. This alternate promise was filled with and fueled by Your amazing grace, because You could have easily just punished him fully on the spot. Thank You for showing me such grace, Father.
ATTITUDE ( 1 Kings 11:22 ): Hadad was a man who escaped death in his youth when king David’s army was defeating his hometown. He fled to Egypt and was essentially taken in as a son of the Pharaoh. He was given an absolutely amazing life there and could have remained in Egypt living a glorious life. His heart, however, was moved by You to go back to his hometown and he listened to You about this. I often hear You trying to nudge me in certain directions, Father, but I do not always listen. Help me to be better at embracing a follower’s attitude in my heart, Father, so that I may be better at following Your wishes for my steps.
COMMAND ( 1 Kings 11:11 ): Once again, I see a simple, yet difficult to follow, command from You in this verse. Your command today is to follow Your covenant and Your statutes, because You’ve commanded to do so. I know as well as You do that I have not been the most obedient follower, Father. I am trying, but I feel like I’m not trying quite hard enough. Keep doing Your great works in me, Father, so that I may become better at listening to You, but also following You.
EXAMPLE ( 1 Kings 11:4-6 ): Solomon provides a great example of how not to finish our lives on this earth. He was doing so great at honoring, glorifying, praising, worshipping, and following You up until he was old in age and close to death. It was at this time that he not only let his guard down towards his many wives, but also put up walls in his heart towards You. He began worshiping the false gods of his wives’ people, which obviously angered You due to his disobedience. He did so well for most of his life, but for some reason decided to go the way of the world near the end of his life. Help me to not be like this, Father. Even though I’m not perfect, continue to remind me of Solomon’s fall from faith throughout my life so that I do not repeat his mistakes in my own life.
*DAILY NOTE: Today I had a great moment giving a piece of my testimony to some of my Real Men 300 brothers. I was obedient in telling that story because I gave the unmasked truth to my Christian brothers. I gave Your story and the lessons I learned looking back on my own testimony. It was not easy and I shed quite a bit of tears as I was trying my best to get through my testimony to them. In my quiet time, You reinforced the fact that I must remain obedient to You and follow You no matter how difficult it is, so I thank You for reinforcing that, Father. I thank You for noticing that I was an obedient follower this morning and unashamed. Thank You, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
Comments