Tag: Solomon

31.m. “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

 

Matthew 6:25  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 Philippians 4:6   do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

 1 Peter 5:7    casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 Luke 12:5    But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father. 

“You cannot say that Jesus Christ ever troubled about what he should eat, or what he should drink; his food and his water consisted in doing his Father’s will.” (Spurgeon)

 We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father. Do not worry about tomorrow: If you must worry, worry only about the things of today. Most of our worry is over things that we have absolutely no control over anyway and is therefore foolish as well as harmful. Jesus reminds us of the importance of living for the present day. It isn’t wrong to remember the past or plan for the future; to some degree both of those are good. Yet it is easy to become too focused on either the past or the future and to let the day and its own trouble be ignored. God wants us to remember the past, plan for the future, but live in the present and not to be anxious.

What causes us to become worried, anxious, fearful, troubled, disturbed, nervous, tense, and afraid? Is our focus on things we have no control over and our lack of faith in God having control over them? Belief, trust, and reliance in the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present one and only God will consume the anxiousness, worry, and fear in your life and fill you with love, peace, hope, faith, strength, joy, and courage, to face any challenge today may bring.  We have a choice. We can take our eyes off of Jesus Christ and try to face the trials of the day in our own self-reliant way knowing we are not truly capable. When we choose to face whatever trial or trouble that comes our way in our own power, wisdom, and strength there will be anxiousness, worry, fear, etc…. 

Turn your eyes to Jesus, look full into His wonderful face and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

28.d. ““Be strong; fear not!”

Ephesians 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

 Deuteronomy 20:3-4    and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them,  for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

 Joshua 1:6-7    Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

 1 Chronicles 28:20   Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

 Isaiah 35:3-4   Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

 Isaiah 40:31    but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength

 1 Corinthians 16:13   Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

 Philippians 4:13    I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 Colossians 1:11    being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

Be strong, let not your heart faint, be courageous, do not be afraid, fear not, He will come and save you, wait for the Lord, stand firm, Him who strengthens me ….. in what, for what reason, and why does scripture remind and exhort us continually? It is common for every one of us, no matter how mentally and physically strong we are to become weakened by a single event or over time by life’s endless way of burdening us.  We are going through life with strength and purpose and then all of a sudden we notice that strength we once had, that faithful hope we once relied upon, and that solid foundation we stood upon, is severely weakened or absent and we no longer find peace, joy, strength, and courage.  This happens and I am not sure what is worse, getting blindsided with a punch in the gut or just slowly losing all strength and courage.  When blindsided at least there is an event we can put things into perspective but when there is a continually wearing down of our foundational strength it seems this is worse.  Life has a way of, abruptly or over time, lessening our resolve, strength, confidence, and courage.  Battles we easily overcame now seem to be defeating us.  Could it be we are strong in many areas of our life and God is just showing us and leading us and teaching us that there is still more refining in us that needs to be done?  Could it be we have become neglectful or complacent? Could it be we have chosen to follow worldly passions over Godly pursuits?  Could it be we have hardened our hearts and minds to the things of God?  Whatever the reason our eyes need to focus on Jesus and our hope strengthened in Him alone.  When our hope is in His strength, power, and love, and we have surrendered all hope and trust in ourselves, it is then we will become strengthened, encouraged, and full of hope.  When we are weak He is strong.

26.o. “Serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind”

 

Galatians 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

 1 Thessalonians 3:5    For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

 Romans 1:28    And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

 1 Corinthians 1:21   For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom,

 Ephesians 4:18   They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

 1 Chronicles 28:9  “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Legalism caters to and recognizes our flesh by putting the focus on what we achieve for God, not on what Jesus did for us. We can have a living, free, relationship with God as a loving Father based on what Jesus did for us and who we are in Him. Or we can try to please God by our best efforts of keeping the rules, living in bondage as slaves, not sons. Living that way makes the whole gospel in vain.  Such is the battle we all face.  We lean more toward what we can do to make ourselves right before God rather than what He has done through Christ, thereby resting, relying on, and trusting in this alone.  It is when we recognize, take captive, and discard these thoughts of self-reliance we will truly be able to honor and glorify Jesus Christ through faith in Him alone.  If there was an equation, to sum up, this type of thinking it would be; My works + the work of Christ = eternal life.  This way of thinking literally says Christ’s sacrifice was not enough.  Anything added to Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin = nothing, zero, failure.  In Christ alone, there is forgiveness, salvation, redemption, and eternal life.  Don’t be tempted or allow your mind to be tricked into thinking you can in any way add any benefit for your soul other than through Jesus Christ.

16.z. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

John 10:22   At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

2 Corinthians 4:3-4   And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Matthew 17:5    He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Acts 3:23   And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’

1 John 2:19   They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Revelation 3:20    Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The religious leaders wanted Jesus to speak plainly, and here He spoke more plainly than they probably wanted. Jesus previously told them they were not true shepherds. Here Jesus told them they were not even true sheep, because the Messiah’s sheep believe and hear His voice. They are not only untrustworthy shepherds of God’s people but are showing that they ought no longer to be classed among the sheep that pay attention to His voice. People have a choice to hear and follow Jesus Christ.  It is not that you were not chosen, but rather you rejected being chosen.  When there is a knock at your hearts’ door there is a choice.  When you hear the knock will you eagerly open it? It is our choice of what and who we open the door of our heart to.  Sadly, things of this world are welcomed in and the Word of God, Jesus Christ, salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life are denied entry.  Those that choose this will perish from this life to eternal hell.  Those that choose to open the door do so with a desire to know and be known by Jesus Christ.  Turn your ears away from the noise of this world that is knocking and shouting at the door to your heart.  Reject opening that door to them and listen for the knock and voice of Jesus Christ.  If you listen to it, it is knocking right now.

14.w. “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times”

John 2:18   So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

John 6:30   So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?

Matthew 21:23   And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Acts 4:7    And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

Mark 8:11   The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.

Matthew 12:38-42    Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”  But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Matthew 16:1-4    And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.  He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.  An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

“But you cannot interpret the signs of the times”.  Wars, rumors of wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, ungodliness, lawlessness, rioting, hate, fear, delusion, false teachings, unable to separate false from the truth, falling away from God, and denying God, in more and more increasing numbers and occurrences are all signs of the times and the return of Jesus Christ.  These are signs but where is the voice crying out in the wilderness proclaiming them?  We understand the “World” not seeing and believing but why is it the Christian church silent on these signs?  Have we diluted our walk with Jesus Christ to the point where we are unable to see them ourselves?  Have we bought into a lukewarm comfortable life so close in resemblance to the unbelievers that our eyes are closed to the signs?  Have we strayed far enough away from Jesus Christ that our pastors and teachers, wanting to be culturally correct, do not preach and teach the signs of the times?  Is our heart turning to stone and we are not allowing the Holy Spirit into it to teach, lead, and instruct us?

Some may say we have had wars, famine, disease, riots, wars, earthquakes, etc…. and Jesus has not returned.  It was not true before and is not true now.  The frequency surely has increased and yet it is denied.  The number of countries across the globe experiencing these signs is overwhelming and yet it is denied.  When there should be repentance and a turning to Jesus Christ there is denial and defiance.  Where there should be preparing and looking for the return of Jesus Christ there is denial and defiance.  When there should be a proclaiming of the signs of the times there is silence.

In the last days, God will send a strong delusion and people will grab hold of this like finding a lost treasure.  They will believe they have found truth and they are fighting for the right cause and belief.  They believe lies because they have denied the truth.  These too are signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ.  All of the warnings and signs have been given so that through them people will repent and turn to Jesus Christ.  When Jesus Christ returns will He find you watching and waiting or unprepared?  I imagine there are many right now that are waiting for signs before they get serious about their faith in Jesus Christ.  It is both “not too late” and “too late”.  It is never too late to repent and trust Jesus Christ but the signs would indicate the return of Jesus is closer than ever before.  A heart that rejects the need for redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ will certainly reject the signs of His soon return.   Rejection is an intentional choice.  You are just one breath away from eternity and your choice of belief or rejection will determine Heaven or Hell, blessings or torment, peace or anguish, Eternal light or complete darkness.

Jesus has called us to believe and trust in Him alone.  He has demonstrated His love for us in that He died for our sin.  He has promised blessings now and for eternity. He has told us He will return to gather us onto Himself.  He has told us what the signs will be to indicate His pending return and that we are to watch and be ready.  And He has given warnings of what awaits those who reject Him. If you choose to reject His love how much more will you receive His wrath?  Watch and be Ready!  The signs are there if you are seeking and desiring the return of Jesus Christ.

5.k. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you

Job 12:12  Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Job 8:8   “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out.

Job 32:7   I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’

1 Kings 12:6-8   Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”  And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”  But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

Hebrews 5:12   For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

Pro 1:2  To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,  to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,  to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

There is worldly wisdom that comes to most.  It comes with time and age. It is cultivated through experience and observing good and bad, right and wrong, worldly and godly, smart and foolish, and justice and injustice.  This wisdom can teach a man how to walk a worldly path and avoid troubles that have come to others.  This wisdom can make one appear to have the secrets of knowledge and understanding.  However, in the end, this wisdom only has the ability to help in worldly things.   It is missing wisdom that comes from a surrender of self to Jesus Christ.  Without this godly wisdom, we will miss grace, mercy, love,  forgiveness, salvation, redemption, and eternity in heaven.  Godly wisdom is a gift to those who desire and seek after things of God.  This desire and seeking drive us to His Word, to our knees or to our hands lifted high in praise and worship of Jesus Christ.  It is in this reverence we touch the surface of godly wisdom and it is in this that we will grow and mature.  Choose today to start fresh and committed to seeking and growing in Godly wisdom.

2.r. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

2 Chronicles 21:16  And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.

And after all this the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

1 Kings 11:11    Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.

1 Kings 11:14    And the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon,

1 Kings 11:23     God also raised up as an adversary to him,

Ezra 1:5    Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 10:5-6     Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!  Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the street

Amos 3:6     Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?

Isaiah 45:5-7     I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,  that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.  I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Do you ever wonder what God is not in control of?  Is He in control of everything?  We see “the Lord stirred up against Jehoram,”  “I will tear the kingdom from you”, “the Lord raised up an adversary”, “everyone whose spirit God had stirred”, “the staff in their hands is My fury”, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?”, and “I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord who does all these things.”

God uses both the godly and ungodly too manifest is plans and purposes.  He is the creator of all there is so it is well understood that He can control it.  Do we live our lives like God is in control?  Do we pray like God is in Control?  Do we trust God like He is in control?  People reject God’s calling in their life.  They choose to ignore Him.  However, even in their rejection and the problems and troubles, they cause on others God can and does use it for good.  We may not see it but we can trust it is true.  One example is with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Evil and lost people did this but it was ordained by God for the salvation of all who believe.

We know how David cried out to God and stating what appeared to be an oversight by God, in that, there were evil people who seemed to prosper, denounce God, treat others with harm, and God was seemingly blind to it.  He wasn’t and isn’t blind to actions, but more than that, He knows the thoughts and intents of each person’s actions.

The problem we have is that we don’t have the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of God.  We chase after answers with our limited understanding and knowledge.  We convince ourselves that we no best and if we were God we would do it differently.  He is God, not us.  His ways are not our ways.

So why is it that we say God is in control and then do not believe or trust Him when seemingly bad things happen?  He does not change.  He has been the same forever and there is no changing in Him.

I think the closer we are to Him the more we learn and grow in our trusting of Him.  The closer we are we have fewer questions and we have more praise.  The closer we are doesn’t mean we have fewer questions but it does mean we have one answer “God is in control” and in this, we can find a peace that passes all understanding.

You have to imagine the Israelites were full of questions and afraid when they were at the banks of the Red Sea with the Pharaoh and his warriors approaching. When we face the impossible, tragic, and terrible, trials in our life, know that there is a God who is in control and will work out all things for the good of them who are called by His name.

1.y. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

2 Chronicles 13:1   In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.

“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages. Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died.

Psalms 22:4-5   In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.  To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Daniel 3:28    Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

Nahum 1:7     The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Psalms 146:5    Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Ephesians 1:12   so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

To hope in God in a time of trouble is a wise decision/choice.  In life, we more than likely will come up against a trial or some trouble that is very real and much bigger than we can handle either physically or mentally.  We see Abijah faced with almost certain defeat being outnumbered 2 to 1.  To get this in perspective, Abijah had 400,000 valiant men that went to defend against Jeroboam’s 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.  What thoughts would be going through your head if you were faced with this?

Abijah called out Jeroboam’s sin and disregard for God, warning him that God was on their side and to fight them was to fight against God. But Jeroboam did not listen and such it is with those who disregard God and serving Him.  Abijah and those 400,000 men called on the Lord and were given success over Jeroboam and the 800,000 warriors.  500,000 men lost their lives that day following after false gods and idols.

Power, financial stability, and worldly wisdom do not give us success. In fact what is more than likely going to happen is a harden heart, deaf ears, stiff neck, and blind eyes to the things of God.  These all come at a cost to your soul if you have not chosen in your heart and mind to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ.  It seems as though we give a nod toward Jesus on Sunday but then lose sight of living for Him soon after.  Neglect of His word and complacency are certain to happen when serving and honoring Jesus is not our intentional heart and mind choice.  We pretend we are ok and we try to perform good things to act as though we honor and serve Him but His word and the want of His word is not first in our heart and mind.  Shallow thoughts will never lead us to honoring Jesus Christ.  Partial obedience will never honor Jesus Christ.  Sporadic time in His word will never grow us into mature Jesus honoring followers.

Humbly honoring, serving, following, glorifying, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ is a heart and mind choice that is so more than a one-time commitment at the time of seeking forgiveness and repenting of your sin to Jesus Christ.  It is so much more than a one-time event.  It is a conversion of the heart and mind and then a daily surrender of self for the single purpose of Humbly honoring, serving, following, glorifying, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ.  Why this daily surrender?  If we don’t we certainly will not find the heart, mind, and soul-deep satisfaction that comes through intentionally and purposely surrendering each moment of each day for the purpose of honoring Jesus Christ.  Without this intentional choice, our heart and mind will be led by self and all of its meaningless follies in search of satisfaction.

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2 Chronicles 12:1  When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’” Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.” When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”

So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made, and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom. And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.

So King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:10-14    And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.  “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,  lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,  and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,  then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Deuteronomy 32:18    You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

1 Kings 9:9     Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this disaster on them.’”

Jeremiah 2:31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’?

Hosea 13:6-8    but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.  So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.  I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.

After 5 years of prosperity and blessings, Rehoboam abandons God.  Remember for three years the Levites, priests, and others who fled the idol worship brought on by Jeroboam gave security to Rehoboam.  He received and the influx of God-honoring, God following, and God obeying fellow Israelites.  What has happened that drew Rehoboam away from following God and all of the blessings that had come during Solomons time?

We never know how slippery the slope is away from God.  We never know what it is that fills the first void of the heart that no longer seeks and desires God.  What we do know is that we need to be on guard of our heart and mind.  We must take inventory of what is actively trying to pull us away.  It would be nice if this pulling came like a roaring lion and gave plenty of notice of how it will attack our seeking and desiring God.  We would have reason to fear and run to the arms of Jesus Christ.  We would know of our pending destruction and see a reason to stay close to God.

However, it is never like this.  The pull comes like the sweet taste of honey and what can be wrong with a bit of honey?  It slips into our inner being disguised and satisfies some natural desire or lust.  It plants a seek and we don’t even know it and before long the seed has taken root in our heart and mind.  The leaves blind our eyes and plug our ears so that we no longer see things of God or hear His call to us.  We have been over grown by what appeared to be sweet honey because we chose that first step away from God.  Had we stayed close to Him we would have tasted and known the bitterness temping us.  It would have been clear as the sun at noon.

Why do you think these examples were given to us in God’s word?  They were given to us to keep us aware of the temptations of our heart and soul if we do not intentionally choose to give all our heart, soul, and mind to God.  Seek and desire Him above all else and He will give you the desire of your heart.  How many lives come to disaster by the lure of the sweet taste of honey?