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Devotional – April 18, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 10:9–Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness. TRUTH: When God blesses us, others will see the blessings and will praise God. We must always remember to give God the glory and the credit for His blessings. He is the one who is to be praised. RESPONSE: Lord, I praise You. It is my prayer that others will praise You when they look at my life.
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Devotional – April 17, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 9:8–And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ TRUTH: Solomon had finished the temple and many other grand works and God returned to Solomon and reminded him that the most important thing was his relationship and obedience to God. This time God expands on his promise. If Solomon will follow and obey, God will bless. If Solomon will not, God will utterly destroy. We need to realize that often we are a witness to others about God. We are either an example…
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Book Review – When Grandma’s False Teeth Fly by Mary Lee
Sometimes the best thing to do in a situation is to laugh. However, that is often not the easiest. In Mary Lee’s new book, “When Grandma’s False Teeth Fly,” she explores that idea as Katie, a six year old child, experiences some teasing from the other kids at school for having a chipped tooth. Katie goes home and shares her sadness and embarrassment with her Grandma. Grandma then shares her own story of a situation that happened to her several years ago, and how she learned to laugh and to keep a sense of humor about everything. It is often easy to get embarrassed about lots of things and no…
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Devotional – April 16, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 8:60– so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else. TRUTH: Solomon built and dedicated this beautiful temple to the Lord that he built. Why did he build it? Why did it matter? Because it was to be used by the people of Israel as a way to witness to the other peoples of the world about the one true God. Everything that we have, everything that we are is to be used to share and witness to others about the one true God. Are we using what God has given us to share about Him or…
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Devotional – April 15, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 7:1–Now Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. TRUTH: King Solomon had just finished working on the house of God, now he started working on his own house. Unfortunately, he started losing his focus on God at this point and he spent almost twice as long working on his own house as he did working on the house of God. Do we give God our time and our focus, or are we allowing other things to take our focus? RESPONSE: Father, I pray that You will help me to stay focused on You and not on anything else. I want…
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Devotional – April 14, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 6:13–“I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.” TRUTH: God made a conditional promise to Solomon. If he would walk in God’s ways and lead the people of Israel by example, then God would dwell in the house that he was building and would not forsake them. God has promised us that He will be with us wherever we go. He will make our heart His home and dwell with us forever. Will we invite Him in and seek to follow Him? RESPONSE: Father, my heart is infinitely more precious to You than any building. I am so thankful that…
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Devotional – April 13, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 5:4–But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. TRUTH: Solomon enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous reign. Why? Not because of his superior leadership skills, but because the Lord gave it to him. Solomon gave God credit for what He did and didn’t try to take the credit for himself. Do we give God credit for the work He does in our lives? Or, do we take the credit for ourselves and rob God of His glory? RESPONSE: Father, You have given me everything that I have. Every success is a gift from You and the result…
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Devotional – April 12, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 4:34–Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom. TRUTH: Very quickly into his reign, Solomon achieved wisdom, wealth, and fame. The first two, wisdom and wealth, were a result of God’s blessing on his life. Fame was a byproduct of that blessing, neither good nor bad, but simply an opportunity to share with others about God. God blesses us in various ways so that we will have opportunity to share Him with other people. Are we taking that opportunity in our own lives and giving God the credit? RESPONSE: Father, You…
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Devotional – April 11, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 3:14–“If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.” TRUTH: God often gives us conditional promises. If we will do something, then God will fulfill His promise to us. Do we act in obedience, believing that God’s promises are real and true. It’s important to note that not all conditional promises are for everyone, so we shouldn’t assume that this promise of long life necessarily applies to us. However, God does promise that if we will surrender to Him then He will give us eternal life, and that will go on forever. RESPONSE: Lord,…
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Devotional – April 10, 2012
VERSE: 1 Kings 2:3–Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn. TRUTH: David charged his son Solomon with this just as he was about to die. David had not been perfect, but he had tried to live his life according to these principles. Now he is charging Solomon to do the same. What legacy are we leaving for our children? What will we charge them with when our time on earth is done?…