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!"