The One True God

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 16-18; Acts 13:1-25

"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." (1 Kings 18:36-37 NIV).

It’s amazing what God will do to call His people back to Him. And it’s amazing how often we resist that calling. The Israelites turned so easy to other gods time and again. Yet, they had seen and heard all of the great things God had done for them.

On Mount Carmel, Elijah shows the people just how real God is and how false all the other gods are. It takes a physical sign for the people to believe.

I’m so thankful for the times God does show up and remind me of His love and faithfulness. This could be through a spectacular sign, but it could also just be through the hug of a friend, through the encouraging words of a sermon, or from an inner nudge from the Holy Spirit.

I pray that I will always remember everything He has done for me, in both big ways and small, and that I will stand firm in my faith.

How is God evident in your life, both in big ways and in small?

Rules Rules Rules

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 10-11; Acts 8:26-40

^“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” (1 Kings 4: 11).

Growing up, it was sometimes hard to obey. I didn’t understand why certain rules were in place. Only now do I see that they were often for my own safety.

A bedtime was to ensure that I had enough sleep and did well in school. A curfew was to keep me off the roads after a certain hour of the night, when the unsafe drivers started to come out. A speed limit was to help prevent reckless driving, and to keep pedestrians safe. Although some rules may have seemed ridiculous, they all had their purpose.

King Solomon must have chaffed under the “no foreign wives” rule that God had set in place. He must have thought that he was wealthy and wise enough to do whatever he wanted. His disobedience cost him his relationship with God. I wonder, in the end, if he thought it was really worth the cost.

You see, God had seen into the future. He understood that the heart of man could stray easily. He must have seen that men like Solomon would soon start worshiping the pagan god’s of their wives. It’s rather sad that a man that started off so well, building a beautiful temple for the Lord, and desiring wisdom over all else, would end his life on such a low note. It’s rather depressing in fact.

But just the same, it’s a good reminder that rules are there for a reason. The rules God sets down, our parents set down, and even our government sets down more than likely serve for our ultimate best interests and general well being.

There are purposes in rules, even if we don’t see it at the moment. King Solmon reminds us of this.

Where's Your Heart?

Today’s Readings: 1 Kings 8-9; Acts 8:1-25

"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." (1 Kings 8:56-61 NIV).


After the temple is complete, Solomon prays over the temple, and over the people before him. It’s a beautiful prayer, reminding the Israelites how faithful God has been to all of them through good times and bad. He had seen them through trials and adversities of all kinds, so it was only fitting that they now stay true to Him, not only in their words in actions, but in their very heart as well. By staying true to God, the entire world will see the truth about Him.
What bold words, and how true they are even to this day. The best way to witness to the world around us is to have our hearts right with God. I firmly believe that when our hearts are focused on Christ, everything else will slowly fall into place. We may not know the answers to life’s questions, but we can certainly follow our Lord wholeheartedly, and let Him take care of the pieces.

Where is your heart today? Is it focused on God?

Of Temples and Palaces

Today’s Reading 1 Kings 5-7

Today we read the spectacular descriptions of Solomon’s Temple & Palace. It’s almost hard to picture these places. There was wood paneling from floor to ceiling, and more gold and bronze then you’ve probably ever seen in one place. The job was immaculate, perfect. Both places were works of art. There was no limit to the amount of money being spent. These were wonders of the ancient world to be sure.
Yet in the middle of reading about these descriptions, we come across an interesting fact: While it took Solomon seven years to build the temple, it took him thirteen years to build his palace (1 Kings 6:38, 7:1 NIV).
As I read this, my heart was smote with a personal application for today.
How often do we focus all of our attention on the wrong things? How often do we spend twice as much time being busy, as we do on the things of God?
For me, quite often my days revolve around lists. I eat my breakfast, read a pleasurable book, exercise, spend time talking to friends, work on crafts, and only get around to doing my devotions at the end of the day, right before my husband walks through the door. I felt a bit guilty today as I read those words above. Even if no one else sees the application, God spoke to me through these words. He asked me what was truly more important. Was it crafts and hobbies and friends, or was it Him? Easily I can answer Him. But then I have to ask myself, do my actions follow suit? If I truly love God most of all, why don’t I spend more time with Him? Why is He such an afterthought?
As Christians, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God resides inside each of us. Yet often, we spend more time working on things in the outside world, then working on our hearts. We neglect the inside for the outside.
I certainly need to do some cleaning up in my own heart tonight.

Lord, you are so important to me. Please help me to show that in the way I live my daily life. Help me to make you my number one priority, each and every day.

The Daunting Role of Parenting

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 1-2; John 18:19-40

I read something today that reminded me how beautiful life really is. Check out the post here.

As this little baby continues to grow inside of me, I can’t help but wonder what they’ll look like, how they’ll sound, and what exactly God will do with their life. I know there’s a perfect plan in store for my little one. And I know that I live the following years amazed that God has chosen me for the daunting task of motherhood.
I don’t see myself as measuring up. In fact, I see myself as coming up miserably short. I’m such an imperfect human being. Yet God has chosen to place me in this beautiful role. He has a plan that even I can’t see.
In 1 Kings 1-2, we’re once again reminded of the mistakes King David made as a parent. His children were highly undisciplined and selfish. If they saw something they wanted, like the throne, they took it. Yet, God used David for good. He saw past the imperfections and called him a true man after God’s own heart.
I pray that God does the same for me. Yes, I can look at David’s situation and say that I’ll never have children as undisciplined and selfish as his, but the truth is, there’s just some things I can’t control. My baby will be born into this world as a sinner. It will be up to my husband and I to teach this little one a better way. It will be up to us to direct this little one toward God, the only one that can take and change a sinful heart into something beautiful.
In order to do this I will have to depend on the Lord like never before. I will need strength and patience as I face temper tantrums and disobedience. I will have to have unconditional love when my little one is at their most unlovable.
But already it’s there. While this little one is still in the womb, God has already started to give me a gift of love that is like no other. Because I see this little one as God’s perfect creation, faults and all, the way God intended.

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16 Amplified).