Blessing for July 1st 2008
"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9)"
There's something very important in these words that David tells his son Solomon. In all that we do or propose to do for the Lord, the one thing that the Lord closely scrutinizes is "what is the motive behind all this?"
Is it to gain fame & personal glory?
Is it to make ourselves rich materially?
Is it to build our own kingdom?
Sadly, many set out to live a holy life at the outset but their aim gets distorted after sometime. The Lord Jesus Christ pointed out 3 things/thorns that destroys our spiritual life. In the parable of the "sower & the seed" we read Jesus telling his disciples;
"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." (Luke 8:14)
Solomon began well but he went astray and did many things that angered the Lord and finally he lost much. We may have great zeal in our hearts regarding the Lord's work and we must work hard towards that end, but we must check ourselves frequently to see whether our aim really sticks onto bringing glory to the Lord and building his kingdom here on earth.
David's advice to Solomon here is good for us too.
We must all remember to "serve God with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind." Hope we can do that. God bless.
"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9)"
There's something very important in these words that David tells his son Solomon. In all that we do or propose to do for the Lord, the one thing that the Lord closely scrutinizes is "what is the motive behind all this?"
Is it to gain fame & personal glory?
Is it to make ourselves rich materially?
Is it to build our own kingdom?
Sadly, many set out to live a holy life at the outset but their aim gets distorted after sometime. The Lord Jesus Christ pointed out 3 things/thorns that destroys our spiritual life. In the parable of the "sower & the seed" we read Jesus telling his disciples;
"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." (Luke 8:14)
Solomon began well but he went astray and did many things that angered the Lord and finally he lost much. We may have great zeal in our hearts regarding the Lord's work and we must work hard towards that end, but we must check ourselves frequently to see whether our aim really sticks onto bringing glory to the Lord and building his kingdom here on earth.
David's advice to Solomon here is good for us too.
We must all remember to "serve God with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind." Hope we can do that. God bless.