Resolution Connection

It has been some time since I have put my thoughts onto digital paper and without good reason. With the new year fast approaching I feel it important to contribute my thoughts on the passing of 2008. This year has brought us many joys and troubles. We lost our Grandfather, and my uncle had lost his common-law wife. My daughters hip has not gotten worse but has not changed much for the better. I spent more time working and going to school then spending at home. 2008 felt very pressured for me to get more things done than I could handle. This year also brought us great joy in seeing the birth of our new church building! I enjoyed my education this semester by learning how to play and teach more instruments. I also enjoyed learning about the psychology of music.

This coming year I look forward to having more time with family and friends as our service time is much earlier in the day. With that opportunity I think it is wise for us to ask; how can we make the best use of our sundays? Church is a time for connection, it helps connect you to God, your own faith, and your friends and family. I believe God has afforded us some needed time to connect with all three.

Take up your harp and follow me.

23 Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

I'm reading a book from Oliver Sacks "Musicophilia", he is the author of the movie awakenings with Robin Williams. In his book I've been reading how music effects the brain. Oliver gives countless case examples of people becoming suddenly musical and also some who have seizures when listening to music. There is a profound power in music that can change the way we think, believe and the way our body reacts. In the case of Saul his mind is plagued with an evil spirit that the Lord has sent upon him for his rebellion against God's word. To clarify my view is that God had not sent a spirit as in an evil, ghostly, heavenly being, but if you read the footnotes it says an injurious spirit. That spirit is the injury or wound that would happen when the Spirit of the Lord has departed from someone. It said when the spirit of the Lord had departed from saul then he was plagued with the injury in his mind.

David came with the spirit of the lord and brought his instrument to set at ease the mind of his king. Whenever david played the kings countenance changed. Unfortunately the healing that david provided was only temporary. If this was not so then david would only of had to play once. There was a cycle that was happening with saul that was more of a downward spiral, evoking great anger to the point of throwing a javelin at David. The music could cure the distress but not the cause of the distress. Which leads me to the current harp and bowl ministries that are arising across the nation. The music can in fact act as a curative measure to the state of man when coupled with different ingredients. I can not deny the fact that music could cure someone on it's own by triggering motives and emotions in peoples mind and spirit. Yet I believe the transformative powers of music are most potent when coupled with three things. The willingness and openness of the distressed person to the therapeutic process, the quality of the music to meet the individual needs, and the musician's commitment to the distressed person.

For the church we need to expand the quality of our services to better meet the needs of the people, we need to provide higher commitment and communicate that commitment to the people, but without the desire of the people to want change all this is for not. We are definitely not all musicians but we all have our own God given tool to effect change. So we have our own harp to use, Jesus said "take up your cross and follow me". He could of also said take up your instrument of change and follow me. So that's what I'm doing, I'm committed to seeing change in the people we serve and to the quality of music that I provide. My faith is being placed in God that he will use the gifting to His pleasure. So God be praised forever, and with any luck it will be very creative!

Grace is enough: What is enough?

We sing a song at church called "Your grace is enough" written by Chris Tomlin and Matt Maher. I enjoy singing this song a great deal but I don't feel the congregation does. Usually when I lead out with this song there are very few voices singing along. So I have to ask my self; what's the problem? One answer may be that the song is not catchy enough, but that can't be true it is ranked very highly with ccli with many thousands of people singing this across the world. Another answer is that it may be too difficult to sing, but that can't be true because it has less interval spacing than happy birthday. So what is it about this song that leaves many mouths in neutral? Maybe it is our self concept of grace. I will explore this today as well as looking at our ability to understand what enough is.

Lets take a look at the founding scripture of this song in the message:

2 Corinthians 12:9 (The Message)

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson


7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

A self concept is a composite view of feelings, beliefs or attitude that someone has about their identity, worth, capabilities and limitations. (http://www.birf.info/home/bi-tools/qlinks_s.html) With these attitudes we shape the information coming in to fit our personal concepts. It is like the expression "trying to put a square peg into a round hole" we often try to change the incoming information to match our receptors or the way we can perceive the information. Like paul we initially try to fit God into our small little hole of perception only to find out that it is impossible. Paul thought it was not a gift from God to have the injury he did, but God had answered him three times that His grace is enough. It was at that point when Christ's strength really came into more power in Paul's life. I could press on more in this but I want to simply state that I want more of Christ's strength in me, I want more of His strength in our church. The strength to hold us together in unity while we are moving in our new church project.

The second part of God's statement to Paul is a huge problem with our culture. The second part I'm referring to is the "it's all you need" part. My daughter today was upset because we got the other kids new boots but we did not get her any. Her boots we're perfectly fine and she loved them, but it wasn't until something new and shinny come into the house that she wanted to get rid of her trusted boots. From very young to very old we are enamored with items that are new. We can be often given over to jealousy and unrighteous buying habits because of our desire to have new things. I look at our new building we are getting and I can't help but wonder what attitude we are bringing into the place. Are we just excited because it is something new or do we really see it as something we really need. When we see that it is God's grace that is providing for us we are set up for victory. When we align ourselves with the fact that God is providing our need then we can separate our cultural desire for something new.


You can read Matt's bible study on this song at www.worshiptogether.com

God loves windsor

I mentioned yesterday how God loved the earth and how I saw many parts of revelation as an example of worship. I should rephrase the word worship for loving, in heaven there is a whole lot of loving going on. I didn’t go into revelation 4 too much but lets take a look at what the first sights that John saw.

4 1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God….
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

The very first thing John saw was a door and the first thing he heard was a trumpet. It’s funny but at the sound of worship (trumpet) I begin to see a doorway in heaven opening up. One of the prophecies for Windsor was an open heaven, and again I believe that comes with worship. As the trumpet is sounded, Jesus is revealed. That trumpet is a loud clear Holy praise that is coming from heaven into earth. It makes so much sense that for real change on the earth we need the power of God in this place. It says He inhabits the praises of His people, so if you want God to live here then it’s time to pour out the lovin.
God loves Windsor and he has not given up on us, he hasn’t given up on our failed economy, our highest unemployment rate, our highest rate of cancer in Ontario, our highest rate of divorce. Once this city experiences the lovin of God that comes from Holy worship and people seeking him, this city will be forever changed for God’s glory.
Our father who is in heaven, how great and honored is Your name, Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Gives us this day the abundance of heaven that sustains and enriches the very world around us. Let us walk in forgiveness both from your throne and to the earth, to this city. Lead us far from temptation with angels guarding our hearts and the hearts of our youth, how your great power with our youth that they know that for sure you have not stopped the lovin.

God loves Earth

God, I thank you for this day, I pray that I may hear your counsel today. There is more things in this world that can take away our attention from you coming up everyday. So with having the ears to hear You I pray that my eyes can see Your hand in Your creation.

I think we far too often miss that God is in creation all around us because He built it and sustains it. We get caught up in all the things that man has done wrong to the world and how bad things are. The fact is if God can wipe away our sins from us, he can wipe away all the damage that man has done to the earth.

For some, this world is a source of trouble and is unfixable. For another, this world is God's creation and it's our inherited right to take care of it. When Jesus said do not conform to the things of this world He was referring to the sinful nature of mankind. His creation is still beautiful. Which makes me wonder why He would destroy it? Some people see revelations as the epic war that destroys everything, I don't. Lets take a look at some of the so called darker parts of revelations.

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.


People may see this as God slamming the earth with fire and it being utterly horrific. It may be, but I see this passage completely different, all the parts mentioned above are worship related. The worship of silence, haven't you had a service where God has spoken to everyone and there is supernaturally a silence over everyone? What about the seven angels, the same number of lights on the candle representing the aspects of the Spirit? Now the most obvious the incense in the tabernacle was clearly praise and worship! Don't we sing the song Fire Fall Down? Are we afraid of the fire hitting the roof of the building and burning us alive? No we expect the fire of God to mean His presence and his cleansing power. Thunder rumblings and lightnings are all symbolic of God's word from his throne going out into all the earth (Rev. 4) (Eze. 1). So I see this as an invasion of Holy worship being poured out on the earth, that kind of worship will change the earth! A third of the earth would be consumed by God's worship instantly, real change!

What do you think? Leave a comment!

Made to worship

This morning while getting a ride to school, Chris Tomlin's song "Made to worship" was on in the car. So here is a look at that song and where you can find it in the bible.

Here are the lyrics:

Before the day, before the light,
Before the world revolved around the sun.
God on high stepped down into time,
And wrote the story of His love for everyone.

He has filled our hearts with wonder,
So that we always remember:

You and I were made to worship,
You and I are called to love,
You and I are forgiven and free.
When you and I embrace surrender,
When you and I choose to believe,
Then you and I will see who we were meant to be.

All we are and all we have,
Is all a gift from God that we receive.
Brought to life, we open up our eyes,
To see the majesty and glory of the King.

Even the rocks cry out, even the heavens shout,
At the sound of His holy name.
So let every voice sing out, let every knee bow down,
He is worthy of all our praise.

Copyright © 2006 worshiptogether.com Songs / sixsteps Music / ASCAP (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) Alletrop Music (BMI) / Stephan Sharp Publishing Designee.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI Song No. 4794118

The scripture verse set for the song is:

1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I like Jeff Deyo's view on this he used these scriptures:

Isaiah 43:7 says, “All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” And Revelation 4:11 says, “For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

So without reiterating the obvious points I continue with a simple commentary. I have felt discouraged lately, doing devotions are great but I focused on the word and less on the spirit. What happened is I felt the conviction of the scriptures but without the hope that the Spirit brings. For us to grasp the Spirit and wonder of God simply look outside at the majesty of the clouds or any of the beauty of nature. God makes things beautiful and His hands have made us for beauty. He has made us for His enjoyment and our worship to him is beautiful. So I probably will play this song on sunday but anyone who reads this devotion may have a better grasp of why I chose this song.

You can find more about Made to worship at http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=559865

Friendship in christ

I'm writing this daily devotional during service, I am paying attention but I feel the need to finish my devotions today as soon as possible. This morning I read 2 kings 17:24-26

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires."

I didn't find much encouragement in the scripture so I just let it rest on my heart, considering that since the people did not worship the Lord He sent lions to devour them. Lately the scriptures have not been really encouraging me. Yesterday I read in 1 John how to love and that if you didn't love like Jesus loved then you do not know God. I'm lucky God knows me well, because He himself is encouraging me today. What I was discouraged about yesterday was something that happened at work right after I did my devotions. I get out on the sales floor and the Furniture consultant walks by with utter disgust on her face, she told me that the customer she was helping out just asked her out on a date in front of his wife. I was so upset at the state of humanity that such atrocities happen. The first thought was "am I supposed to love even these people?" The Lord is still answering that for me.

Today I was very encouraged to see the children very involved in worship. The kids were dancing, playing with flags, and playing the instruments I brought them. There was a very big difference because the kids felt a part of the worship today, instead of being off to the side. I felt spiritually the lions were comming to devour our children because they seemed very far off in worship, last week I left the stage to encourage some of the kids. Today I saw first hand once they had some instruments to play, they were involved. They are eager to find an appropriate way to worship with the Lord. As a father and friend to the children I see many things that the Lord would have me do to include them more.

Andrew is speaking about being a friend to Jesus, he says the scriptures are great things to go to but you need to have a conversation between you and Jesus. Andrew says the scripture defines the Lord in John 15:15

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

Hearing the words from Jesus shows me more of what was said when I read 1 John. I hear from Jesus' mouth that as friends of God we need to love each other deeply. Because of the friendship of God we learn how to love each other, and by demonstrating the godly love to one another we demonstrate our love to God.

"Open the eyes of my heart Lord"
Blessings to God who reigns forever.
Now to pay attention more to Andrew's word. Look for it on our later podcast.

test

Showing Pastor Bowo new features

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.

I read in 1 John 4 from the message:

God Is Love

7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

I take a mental list of all the people in my life that I absolutely love, then I begin to think of the people that I don't love like that. How can we love someone more than another, it is because of the bonds of love we feel for our family out way the bonds of our friends who are outside our circle. You would never think of hating your child because there is something simply wrong with that, maybe it's that they are from you and you feel a responsibility for them. Maybe it's the time that you invest in their life, maybe it's the happiness that they bring you when they love you unconditionally. I'm making a mental list of why I love my family so much.

So I take the list of people I love, and I take the list of why I love them. I take these lists and I compare them to all the people I come into contact with. Do I love everyone with the love of Christ? It is the most clear command of our Lord Jesus, if we can't keep that command how can we say that we love God. So father I pray that you would breath your love within me, forgive me as I forgive all those that may have wronged me. Help me not to be hurt when people get rough with me, help me to walk talk and live in love.

Blessings,

Times of Direction

Today I continue in 1 John chapter 2 there's a heaviness to this scripture more than the weight of eating too many whoppers at burger king. Burger king itself prides itself on giving people what they want, their slogan "Have it your way" sums up an entire generation of mankind. The danger of have it your way is that it often times conflicts with God's way.

The author sets out to reassure the readers the forgiveness of sin offered through Christ. Shortly after his opening statement his encouragement changes direction. With the statement in verse 3: We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. This does not lead me in encouragement and reassurance because if this is truly the case there is not one person on earth that has the truth. There is no one who can follow in perfect obedience unless miraculously empowered from God. And even through Divine intervention, the will of man finds it's way to supersede God's. Unfortunately knowing man kind this scripture has probably done more harm then good. The weight of scripture can be heavy but I believe the intent is to provide a balance, if the standards for excellence were too low then there would be little to strive for. John then reiterates his point:

9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him[c] to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

God sets out direction for us to follow but not a set of directions. His direction is love, love one another. There is no recipe to following God. If God were to give us a to do list, we would focus on the Law of the list and God would inevitably be taken out of the picture.

C. S. Lewis wrote "We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules; whereas He really wants people of a particular sort" (1952:77)

As Jesus prayed "Not my will but Yours be done" I pray that also. Lead us everyday Lord.

In times of light

One of the most favorite games our youth like to play on friday nights is flashlight tag. It's a simple game really, someone gets a flashlight and tries to find people in a dark room. The funny thing is that we usually play at our church office which is quite small with limited hiding spots. Most people get caught in the first 2 minutes. If you're really inventive you can find a decent hiding spot but after waiting 10 minutes you get pretty bored and hope you get caught. It's funny how often our youth want to play this game!

I was reading in 1st John today about being in the light. There's a couple points I want to draw out of this scripture and then relate it to my flashlight tag story. First let us read by the light of the Holy spirit:

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The first point is that God is light and in him is no darkness. This through me off because God is in everything and he is everywhere, from the highest heights even to the lowest depths so wouldn't the darkness be part of him. God is found In the Heavens and in the lowest parts of the earth, in the deepest darkest parts. God is in everything but not everything is in God. Thinking about the flashlight helped me grasp the duality of God, you would never say that the darkness is in the flashlights beam but you would say the light of the flashlight is in the darkness. So it is with God although the very presence of God is said to be the air we breathe, everything is in Him and through Him, but it is when we choose to believe and seek God that we have relationship with Him.

The second point is that we invent crazy spots to hide from God. Some people bury their head in the sand of TV, games and other time soaking ventures. The funny thing is that God is everywhere so there is no where to go. Humanity has created these great hiding spots but eventually boredom is going to sink in. If you want to be in the light as God is then hold on to verse 9 which says He is faithful and just to forgive. The cool thing is that God gives us his light for us to give.

So God is pointing His light at everyones heart today and saying "Tag your it!", and then hands you the Light.

I wanna be in the light
As You are in the light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh Lord be my light and be my salvation
Because all I want is to be in the light
- Charlie Peacock

In times of trouble

Jude

24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.


This doxology written a long time ago is our blessed assurance and our hope for eternity. It comes with a hefty warning though,

3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4For certain men whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.


Jude was in desperate times seeing corruption creep into the church, it wasn't too long after and the world went into what we call the dark ages. Of all the things that we can do is, it is to share about Jesus and see that we fight and defend our faith. We are in a time of peace but that can slip away at the change of the wind. I pray that my Lord Jesus forgives me of all my sins and that I would be a true and faithful servant into all eternity.

God be God in my life, I need You more and more, Your grace is the glory of the church, Your grace is the adorning hair on your bride blowing west for the wind comes from the power of your throne.

Lead us not into temptation

Continuing with King solomon and the Lord's prayer motifs, we take a look into 1 kings final account of King solomon found in chapter 11. Here we see that the King was lead astray by the foreign women that he loved. It was here that he was pulled away from the Lord our God nullifying the covenant between him and the Lord.

1 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.

I've been meditating on Solomon and how he got led astray, it completely baffles me how the wises person on the earth could be so confused. I believe the answer is found in Ecclesiastes where Solomon declares all things are meaningless, but also declares I applied myself to wisdom and also of madness and folly.

16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

Without the mercy and grace of Jesus life would be very meaningless and discouraging, I humbly think that because Solomon actually got everything that his heart could desire he realized there was something missing and he could not get it for Jesus had not yet come. Everyone needs a saviour no matter how much you own or know or who you are.

Jesus Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from the evil one.

In search of knowledge

I was looking more into the queen of Sheba and it led me to another scripture in acts 8:26-40

The Ethiopian Eunuch

26-28Later God's angel spoke to Philip: "At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza." He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.
29-30The Spirit told Philip, "Climb into the chariot." Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"

31-33He answered, "How can I without some help?" and invited Philip into the chariot with him. The passage he was reading was this:

As a sheep led to slaughter,
and quiet as a lamb being sheared,
He was silent, saying nothing.
He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial.
But who now can count his kin
since he's been taken from the earth?

34-35The eunuch said, "Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?" Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

36-39As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, "Here's water. Why can't I be baptized?" He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn't mind. He had what he'd come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be.

40Philip showed up in Azotus and continued north, preaching the Message in all the villages along that route until he arrived at Caesarea.

Here is an example of one of the queen's descendants on a road of worship seeking wisdom. Now Philip literally appears on the scene and was able to answer the minister of the queens finances question very easily and with great effect. The Eunuch wasn't just looking for knowledge but he was seeking wisdom. When wisdom speaks there is a great effect where as when it's at a level of knowledge it may not have a deep impact on the person. This wisdom indeed had a great impact because the Eunuch wanted to be baptized right away.

I pray that the Lord would bless our church with great wisdom that we can truly impact the lives of the people we come in contact with.

The Queen of Sheba as mentioned by Jesus

Today, I'm still looking for answers about the queen of sheba so we're going to look to Mathew 12:42.

Matthew 12:42 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.

This is a beautiful scripture where Jesus is asked to perform a miracle like some kind of Circus trick. The evil pharisees wanted proof for their unbelief but Jesus showed them a prophetic word regarding his death and ascension. Jesus said that just like Jonah he would be in the belly of the earth for 3 days and the people of Ninevah will rise up and scoff the decision or judgment of the pharisees. Where the queen of Sheba comes into play is the next thing that Jesus says. He makes reference that the queen of the south had visited solomon for she heard of the great wisdom of solomon, she was so impressed that she gave him the most lavish offering that anyone has given. This reminds me of the girl who poured out the oil on Jesus' head.

It says that the queen of the south will condemn the judgement that the pharisees made, I want to find out through Israel's timeline if her people had anything to do with destroying the temple. That would be too rich. I pray that the Lord leads me in discernment as I embark on this journey through history. I embark on an ancient trip to show in more detail the glory of Christ.

The Queen of Sheba

1 Kings 10

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at [a] the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
6 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."

10 And she gave the king 120 talents [b] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

Because I have little time today I'm just posting the scripture that will be my study for the next little while. Some of the questions that I have are:

Did Solomon have relations with the queen? (There is a Solomonic lineage in the Ethopian tradition)
Where exatly is sheba?
Why does Mathew 12:42 indicate that the queen of the south will judge Jesus' generation
What myths and lore are there surrounding this meeting?
How much is 120 talents of gold?

So If you are reading this please leave a comment and perhaps we can study this together.

"Who is this king of glory, the Lord strong and mighty"

A child will lead the way

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,[a]
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.[b]
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.” [c]

I was inspired again on Sunday to hear the Lords prayer coming from the children. Many of them have memorized it because they have taken it up in Sunday school but one girl said my older sister taught it to me. What a great example of how to show love in your family by teaching God's word. I'm watching my children intently now trying to foster good relationships now so that when they are grown they will not grow apart.

I pray today that the relationships that we have will continue to grow and prosper all around.

Forever and ever amen.

Today I've got somewhat of a two part devotion today, I'm going to continue in 1 kings chapter 9 but I've also got it on my heart to explore the Lament side of worship.

In 1 kings 9 we see a little more of the happenings of Solomon. The chapter starts off with a conversation with God. This is the second time that God actually appears to Solomon, God says that He has heard his prayer and continues to give a warning.

1 Kings 9

The LORD Appears to Solomon

1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4 "As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

6 "But if you [a] or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you [b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' 9 People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.' "

Well what can you say, God keeps his promises.

Which leads me to the darker times of Israel, the books of lamentations and the later prophets really show what it is like to be separate from God. Because Solomon had went after other Gods, the Lord rejected his throne and the outlook for Israel was bleak to say the least. There was a deep dark cry that emanated from the hearts of Israel. The dire cry of a people who have been crushed, stripped naked, and left homeless. Through this cry we see books of the bible like Lamentations and all the later prophets. There are songs that you feel the turmoil and pain. How often are we apt to really tell God exactly how we feel? How often in church have we sung this song:

Lamentations 1:20


20 "See, O LORD, how distressed I am!
I am in torment within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,
for I have been most rebellious.
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is only death.

nice encouraging song eh? Or how about:

15 Joy is gone from our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our hearts are faint,
because of these things our eyes grow dim
18 for Mount Zion, which lies desolate,
with jackals prowling over it.
19 You, O LORD, reign forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.

In most churches that I've been at, people are more apt to sing You've turned my mourning into Dancing rather than our dancing has turned to morning. What happens though if we don't get a real grasp for what's going on in the church we may be forcing people to sing songs of joy when really they are breaking inside. It seems that by admitting to the hurt or pain people feel we are somewhat of less faith or lacking the strength of the Lord (the joy of the Lord is our strength). In contrast though, over half the psalms are songs of lament, you here lines like Why have you left me God? and why have you forsaken me? I guess we want the church to be as encouraging as possible. There's nothing wrong with encouraging someone to see the light at the end of the tunnel but if we insist that they move on without them really dealing with the issues is setting them up for a later fall. What I refer to is the picture up top, this is a fall bulb that grows in the darkest of dirt. Without that dark nasty filthy dirt that flower would not have the sustenance to grow. The dark times were necessary in the life of Jesus to produce the everlasting gift that we know as salvation.

So my prayer is this, let me worship in spirit and in truth. If the truth is that things are bleak help me find a healthy way of expressing it and pouring it out to You God.

19 You, O LORD, reign forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.

Place Settings

Thanksgiving is coming up soon and I'm really looking forward to having dinner with all of our family. With every passing holiday it's yet another opportunity to show the ones you love how much you care. At our families get together the meal is planned with all the fixings and the table has a spot for everyone. There is always room no matter how much we have to crowd together.

God is setting up His table and he has prepared so much for us, there is room for everyone and he has sent messengers to all the ends of the world to send invitation. I gave my RSVP the day I asked Jesus to be my Lord. We read in John 14 that Jesus has gone to make a place for us:



John 14

The Road

1-4 "Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking."
5Thomas said, "Master, we have no idea where you're going. How do you expect us to know the road?"
6-7Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him!"


I choose this scripture instead of the banquet verse to show the contrast between this verse and 1 kings 8. In chapter 8 Solomon holds a festival and brings the Ark to the temple that he had erected and prayed a beautiful prayer and offered many sacrifices and offerings, the Lord showed up but on the condition that he would leave if the people turned away from him. What Solomon had said though really caught my eye:

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.
12 Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever."


Solomon clearly recognized that he had built the temple of the Lord. I like that Solomon had later clarified his position by saying that no earthly place could contain the whole of God(v.27). Since it was built by mans hands instead of God it would ultimately pass away and as we know it was destroyed. Since the new temple has been crafted by the eternal one Jesus we share into His eternal kingdom . Solomon did what he was supposed to do and fulfilled the prophecy(v.24) but without grace what is built by man does not last.

Solomon had prayed that anyone who would pray towards the temple that the Lord would hear them and see there need and answer them. The Lord agreed on condition that Israel needed to follow him. People around the world saw the significance just think what stands in place over Solomon's temple now, and does not the Islamic faith believe that if you pray towards Mecca that Allah would hear your prayer? The fact is with the new kingdom it does not matter which way we face because the Lord will hear you from heaven from wherever you are because he is everywhere.

So this thanksgiving as you set your table or sit at a family dinner with a place set for you, remember the place that Jesus has prepared for you.

"He brought me to his banqueting table, and His banner over me is love."

Your Kingdom Come

Today I read in 1 kings 7,

1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.

After reading this passage I had to really think about Jedediah's(Solomon) situation. Some of the questions I just had to ask myself are; Why did it take longer to build Solomon's Palace then it did the Temple, in addition why did he make his Palace and his wife's palace in the same manner of God's? I can reason out that it took longer for his palace to build because he focused all his energy on building the temple, and maybe he built his own palace because of the excess of materials. I don't want to make assumptions to what has happened but was this the beginning of trouble for Solomon? Looking at Solomon's end demise and the state of the kingdom after he died gives us clues on what may have happened. The picture up above shows the few remnants of the temple Solomon built, I'm sure glad the temple that the Lord is raising up now in the hearts of man will last for all eternity.

1 Kings 11

Solomon's Wives

1 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. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 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 [a] 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.

The simplest way I can express what I see is that Solomon was more focused on building his kingdom rather than God's. The foreign women that God told him not to pursue he did for the sake of making treaties. Still to this day Israel struggles with treaties because of all the corrupt alliances made. It was only for David's sake that God did not remove Solomon right away but it was made clear to him that the kingdom he established would be torn apart from him. God is not interested in us building our own kingdom or our own ministry but to build to spec and design, His kingdom. So again back to the Lords prayer, Thy kingdom come.

I do not want to take away form Solomon's teachings in proverbs and other passages denoted to him by showing his demise and fall. Regardless of how he fell he still was endowed with wisdom from God. He was turned by evil and twisted by the demons that he tried to control, at a time in the world he was pretty much as powerful as a man could be. Unfortunately that ultimate power corrupted him ultimately. He lost track of the love of God it reads chapter 11:

9 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."

I may continue on with the life of solomon but I feel sad to see such an awesome man of God just be turned by the ways of the evil one.

Thank you Lord for the shield of faith that you have given your servants, there is not a chance we can make things on our own without Your spirit. I pray that you would strengthen me as I write this and bless those who read this. All things are possible through You.

"Not my will but Yours be done, may my heart shine like the sun."

On earth as it is in Heaven.

I'm starting to read 1 kings chapter 6 and I'm stunned at how much detail and study is required to get the fullest understanding out of this passage. Although performing a detailed summary of this chapter would be great, it is not the focus of this online devotional. What I can say though is that God has modeled this temple and has given the dimensions to Solomon because each one has a heavenly representation. God wants to have on "earth what is in Heaven." The key scripture that I found the most encouraging is this :

11 The word of the LORD came to Solomon: 12 "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel."

Revelation 21 1-4 says
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Luke 11:2 (the lords prayer) Is foundational to the kingdom of God. As the Lord is preparing me my daily bread and moving me into abundance I keep seeing the Lords prayer and how the words of Jesus were for the establishment of the kingdom, the covenant that will never be broken, and the eternal rest for His people.

Today I pray that I think clearly who's kingdom I'm building, are we building a place for ourselves or are we building to spec and design God's kingdom?

Daily bread for everyone

Last night at youth group I challenged the youth to see past our limited view of God. We said the Lord's prayer and the I had them focus on the "Give us this day our daily bread" part. If I hadn't studied yesterday I couldn't give them a great encouraging word, but because I did I challenged them to think of Solomon's daily bread, 20 Kiloliters of daily bread! How big do we see God's provisions for us? is it just two slices of bread? or is it daily bread deserving of a king? I equated it out to having 5000 bottles of coke, then Pastor Joe said after that again we limit God because it would be equal to 10000 2 liter bottles of coke.

So reading farther we see part of a treaty that solomon works out that he shares his Daily bread with an ally. If you are following this with me please read all of 1 kings chapter 5

1 kings 5:8-10

8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon:
"I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and pine logs. 9 My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household."

10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors [a] of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths [b] , [c] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The LORD gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

Here his portion he gave was twenty thousand cors or 125,000 bushels or 4,400 kiloliters that is equivalent to 2,200,000 2 liter bottles of coke. Solomon as we learned was given 20 Kiloliters of grain a day according to the Jewish calendar of 354 days that would equal to 7080 total grain income of which he gave 4,400 to Hiram. Which shows that the daily bread Solomon was given went to far greater use than feeding the people at his own table but financed the building of the temple.

So again I pray Lord expand my image of you, Give us this day our daily bread. So with that we want to see us live in abundance and to give in abundance. As the Lord is leading me to study more each day, I'm seeing his daily bread come alive in me and now I have more to give.

"God in my living, there in my breathing, be my everything"

Daily Bread

Backtracking from 1 kings 4:22-27

22 Solomon's daily provisions were thirty cors [c] of fine flour and sixty cors [d] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.

26 Solomon had four [e] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses. [f]

27 The district officers, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king's table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

The 20 kiloliter silo in the picture up top would have been filled everyday for the king and for all who ate at his table. 30 cors of flour and sixty cors of meal are equal to a total of 560 bushels or 19.8 Kiloliters. That is a lot of daily bread, that is abundance beyond compare. When we pray give us this day our daily bread, what do we have in mind?

Luke 11:2-4

2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]' "

"You are our daily bread, you are everything I could want and more so I live my life to praise your name"

Relaxed and confident

Today I spent my morning teaching some young disabled people how to relax. It was a great time and I feel like I made a real difference for them. In fact one of the teachers commented how quiet everyone was today they were a lot more receptive.

Unfortunately I couldn't get my devotions done first thing in the morning but through the course of the day God has spoken to me on the importance of relaxing. The confident relaxed christian can do so much for the kingdom of God because they are receptive to hear God's word and confident to do respond to him. If you are relaxed but not confident you may end up being sluggish and timid, if you are too confident and not relaxed you may come off to strong and over bearing. The Word of God says in Proverbs 28:1

1 The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one's after them;
Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.

So my prayer for today is for the Lord to impress His Spirit of confidence and relaxation on me. If you are reading this and want to learn how to relax leave me a comment and I will be happy to help anyone with relaxation.

Show Up

Recently I've been joking about an advertising campaign called "Show up." We have so many programs and special teachings going on at our church but the one thing that we are lacking is people showing up. So I thought of getting a t shirt that simply says "show up." Then I was thinking of some simple post cards that say "show up." It was more of a personal joke for me but reading to day in Hebrews 10:25 I realize maybe this isn't a joke and God is speaking something important to me.

Hebrews reads as such:

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Wow, this isn't just scripture to back up a novel idea. God instructed me to open to Hebrews today instead of going to 1 Kings, so if you have read my devotional and have received a post card via email you may understand why I am sending you something. I'm really concerned that the Day of the Lord is fast approaching contrary to my current belief and it would be a shame if we were just too busy for God.

So today Lord I pray for direction and guidance, how can I encourage your believers to show up to church with the rest of us. Our to at least encourage them to show up to any church and get involved. Please Lord search my heart and reveal to me what I can do to change and be far more encouraging. Bless you Lord,

"In my heart and my soul I give You control consume me from the inside out!"

Continueing with 1 kings

God I thank you that you have kept me over the years. I pray for exceeding faithfulness and joy to be poured out on all who take time and read this devotion of mine.

Lord you have lead me to seek out and to know more of king solomon so today I continue in 1 kings chapter 4:29-34

Solomon's Wisdom

29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

The wisdom that you put in Solomon was even greater than what you have put in Bill Gates, but I can clearly see and can relate to how much Mr. Gates has acquired through his wisdom. Wisdom goes far beyond good ideas. I have so many good little ideas but I have no clue on how to implement them or how to get the funding to start them. I am in such desperate need of Godly wisdom that goes past gut instinct but becomes attuned listening to the throne room of God. Today I ask that you would lead me in every phone call and in every email, in my comings and goings.

It is written that there are numerous items of information of wisdom recorded by solomon that are no longer available to us, I pray that God you would reveal the artistry and wisdom to this generation in forms of songs, art, poems and dance.

"There must be more than this, Oh breath of God come breath on us"

It's monday again, and I continue my devotional series but I'm going to leave 1st kings for a little while. Yesterday I sang a song from Jeff Deyo called "Jesus I surrender." This morning I'm going to explore that song what it means to me and look at the scripture verse Jeff based the song off of.

Here's the chorus:

Jesus, I surrender
I draw nearer
I fall down
Master, be my Savior
Be my shelter
Be my God

One of the observations I've had is that the farther I get away from God many things seem to fall apart. Songs that remind us to surrender give us a great chance to come close again to God and remarkably the life issues that you were struggling with begin to work themselves out. When I was singing this song I was thinking of returning to the very throne of God, the most logical thing to do when coming to the throne of God after a long time away would be to fall down in worship. Many people on sunday had chosen to come to the front and fall down to the lord, for them I see a great passion and if I see it for sure the Lord sees much more. The chorus continues to say Master be my Saviour, this is a great cry to the Lord it says I'm sorry for disobeying you or simply ignoring you, please save me. He then continues to say be my shelter which speaks of habitation, I don't want to live apart from you, I want you to be my God which is my everything.

The scripture verse that Jeff based this song from was:

Psalm 5:7 (The Message)

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
it's incredible!
I enter your house; here I am,
prostrate in your inner sanctum,
Waiting for directions
to get me safely through enemy lines.

to find out more about Jeff Deyo visit http://www.jeffdeyo.com/

Thank you Lord for your servant Jeff I pray that you bless him with strength health and peace for him and his family.

Lord I also pray that you would fill our congregations with inspiration from heaven to write and pen beautiful songs that will touch many generations.

GOOD MORNING, LORD

Most of us wait until we're in trouble,

and then we pray like mad hatters.

Wonder what would happen if,

some morning,

we'd wake up and say,

"Anything I can do for You today, Lord?" -Burton Hillis

God's wisdom

Today I continue in 1 kings chapter 3 v 16 -28

A Wise Ruling

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19 "During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."

22 The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours."
But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.' "

24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."

26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!"
But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"

27 Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice

How do we know that this wise ruling is from God? Maybe Solomon was just a smart guy. To find that answer lets look into previous books and see if this is the wisdom of God or just the smarts of man. Has God made a similar ruling in the past? Solomon's father David divided a land in 2 to expose the truth in 2 Samuel 19:29. God also had two trees in the garden one for eternal life and one for the knowledge of good and evil. Throughout the bible you see God offering choices to expose the truth in our hearts. Instead of just exposing us in our sins he covers us with grace and gives us a choice, wether or not we obey the choice reveals the truth.

"I will choose to say, blessed be your name"

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, Prv. 1:5

Today I continue through the book of kings chapter 3:1-15

1 Kings 3

1AND SOLOMON made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the City of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem.
2But the people sacrificed [to God] in the high places [as the heathen did to their idols], for there was no house yet built to the [a]Name of the Lord.

3Solomon loved the Lord, walking [at first] in the statutes and practices of David his father, only he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.

4The king went to Gibeon [near Jerusalem, where stood the tabernacle and the bronze altar] to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. One thousand burnt offerings Solomon offered on that altar.

5In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, [b]Ask what I shall give you.

6Solomon said, You have shown to Your servant David my father great mercy and loving-kindness, according as he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great kindness and steadfast love, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

7Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father, and I am [c]but a lad [in wisdom and experience]; I know not how to go out (begin) or come in (finish).

8Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who cannot be counted for multitude.

9So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge and rule this Your great people?(A)

10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

11God said to him, Because you have asked this and have not asked for long life or for riches, nor for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to recognize what is just and right,

12Behold, I have done as you asked. I have given you a wise, discerning mind, so that no one before you was your equal, nor shall any arise after you equal to you.

13I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings equal to you all your days.

14And if you will go My way, keep My statutes and My commandments as your father David did, then I will lengthen your days.

15Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

We wouldn't have the book of proverbs or the song of solomon if he did not pray this prayer. I love how God moved in his dreams, he was gracious and kind. In my opinion I do not believe God showed up because Solomon gave a thousand burnt offerings, I believe God showed up like he did because Solomon had opened his mind to God that day. Solomon was consumed with God more than the offerings were consumed. God is awesome and He granted solomon an awesome gift, and some with a condition. If you walk in my ways and obey my statues and commands as David your father did, I will give you long life. Just like in the ten commandments it says Honour your mother and father and you will be given long life. So in a sense God was saying, "Yes you have lost your father, but I will be your father and guide you in the ways you should go."

So today I want to clarify that God is Abba Father and there is none like him in all the earth.

Step by step you'll lead me and I will follow you all of my days

Please post a comment if you have read this devotional, even if you just leave your initials that would be great.

Changing of the guard

Continuing in the book of 1st kings chapter 2:13-46

Yesterday I left off with David's final charge to Solomon regarding cutting off the people who would cause trouble for the kingdom. As a good son and wise leader, Solomon followed through with wisdom to carry out David's orders. King solomon in the next chapter prays for wisdom and he was given it, I believe this is an example of the foreshadowing of wisdom and that he began to move in that wisdom before he even prayed then the full measure of wisdom would come.

His brother Adonijah asked for David's maid Abishag for his wife, knowing me I would have said okay, because of the hurt brought upon my brother for not becoming king. Solomon knew though that by giving Abishag to Adonijah would be giving over the kingdom to Adonijah and his supporters Joab and Abiathar the priest. Both of those men were on David's hit list so to say.

The King sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada to strike down Adonijah and Joab, Because Abiathar carried the ark of the Lord Solomon spared His life. In eastern cultures it would be clear to Solomon that Adonijah sought to be king, many heads have been lost chasing a crown.

After the retribution of Joab and Abiathar Solomon put Benaiah in charge of the army and Zadok in charge of the Priesthood. The last verse(46) ends with The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.

In conclusion what it says to me is that firm decisions out way a plea that should never have been pleaded. It's often at work when a customer asks me to break the rules to get them a better deal that it always turns out bad and they don't really appreciate the product anyways. Bugging the clerk for better deals at most major chains is putting the employee at risk for trouble with management, there are appropriate ways of getting a better deal but bugging the salesperson is not one. The stores have a Store operating manual that explain what is exceptable and what is not, some people live by the moto rules are meant to be broken. Well as christians we live by a Store Operating Manual called the Bible how often do we say regarding the scriptures "rules are meant to be broken."?

"Step by step you'll lead me and I will follow you all of my days."

Old sins not forgotten

Today as I read on in 1st kings chapter 2, I'll go into a compelling part of God that has always intrigued me. First we read out of the amplified bible 1kings 2:5-10:

5You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, avenging in time of peace blood shed in war, and putting innocent blood of war on the girdle on his loins and on the sandals of his feet.

6Do therefore according to your wisdom, but let not his hoary head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in peace.

7But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table; for with such kindness they met me when I fled because of Absalom your brother.(A)

8And you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan [on my return], and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.

9So do not hold him guiltless; for you are a wise man and know what you should do to him. His hoary head bring down to the grave with blood.

10So David slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

Delving in, David's previous dying words explored in verses 1-4 are a lot more upbeat and challenging. The latter half he finishes with what would seem to be vengence and retribution, He doesn't tell Solomon what exactly to do but to rather use his wisdom to take care of things. I don't know about you but this is epic, here we have a king who served with all his heart and fought many battles and is still concerned on his death bed about taking care of the kingdom. There was innocent blood that was calling out for retribution, I believe David was making sure that even though he could not perform justice he was clearing his conscious before death so that he would not be held accountable. He also wanted to help secure his sons rule of the kingdom by removing the traces of sin and the last remnants of David's enemies.

I titled this devotion old sins not forgotten, but I am not implying that Jesus does not forgive all sins. There is a remnant of our flesh that needs wisdom to deal with, what have I done to cut off the things that would potentially harm the kingdom of God? Are there attitudes in your life which are hindering other christians, as Pastor rose says you do not sin in a bubble. In addition we come together as a body every week and we bring our offering just as we are. What are we bringing to church with us every week? Are we held accountable for the people that we've turned away from Jesus because the way we treated them in and out of church? I'll let each of you answer that.

I can delve much further but if I can leave anything it is this, what would life be without Jesus? The sins of man that have carried on generation to generation is astonishing but Jesus paid for it all and wants everyone to come to him so that he can wash the guilty stain form our lives.

what can wash away our sins? what can make us whole again? Nothing but the blood, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Show yourself a man

This weeks study will be in 1st Kings starting in chapter 2. from the amplified version we read:

1 Kings chapter 2, verses 1 to 4

1WHEN DAVID'S time to die was near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2I go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man;
3Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may do wisely and prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
4That the Lord may fulfill His promise to me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, there shall not fail you [to have] a man on the throne of Israel.

Written here is the words of a great King who hasn't much time left here on the earth. There was trouble brewing for solomon, his brother Adonijah had self proclaimed himself as King. There was going to be some tough measures to be taken place and Solomon was going to have to rely on God for his strength to firmly establish His rule. Although Solomon's kingdom would reign in peace there was a condition to be met. For david to put a condition on his blessing is very remarkable, it is because He knew that it was God that has established the rule of solomon, and God was going to do great things, but he also knew you have to do it God's way or everything will fall apart. Solomon was different then David's other sons, Solomon was not nearly aggressive Adonijah who just took the kingdom by assumption (He was wrong he died) or Absalom who tried to take the kingdom by force (He was wrong he died). Solomon did not need the aggression but the most important thing was to do what's right and He would live. Not only would He live but if his sons kept the Lords commands there would be a dynasty unlike any other.

Eventually that dynasty lead to Jesus. Everything the Lord has established has and will reign forever.

So my challenge to myself and to anyone who reads this is, how important is it for You to keep the charge of the Lord, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies?

A Punn of God

Again this morning I find another great example of the Humor of God as written in the book of Jeremiah.

In Jeremiah 1:11-12 we read:

11 The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
"I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.

12 The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching [a] to see that my word is fulfilled."

Have you ever wondered what the little [a] was? The footnote it is referring to says the Hebrew word fro watching sounds like the Hebrew word for almond tree. The message makes a great paraphrase:

11-12God's Message came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
I said, "A walking stick—that's all."
And God said, "Good eyes! I'm sticking with you.
I'll make every word I give you come true."

The Lord had spoken to Jeremiah when times were great under the king Josiah, but because of the great sin of Israel there was a debt that needed to be paid and things were going to change drastically. All situations change in time, some for the good and some for the bad. What is important is that we seek the Lord in the moment we are in. In that moment we are required to listen and watch for God.

By: Joe Graham
Tell me what do you get from this passage?