Scripture Reading: I Kings 10, 11, and II Chronicles 9
Focal Passage: I Kings 11:4-6
Have you ever gotten distracted from your task at hand? Perhaps you started a project at work, and then got interrupted by phone calls or more pressing, immediate needs and the project got pushed aside. Before you knew it, days went by before you got back to the project. Maybe you are like me and your wife gives you a list at the grocery store and the meat aisle distracts you for a few minutes (I always have to see if they have any good deals on steaks or shrimp). In my basketball coaching days, my teams would sometimes run a full-court pressure defense to try to distract players from their normal routine of bringing the ball up the court. We hoped they would feel the pressure and make mistakes by throwing the ball away to our team. Distractions are a part of life and coping with those distractions is often the difference between a self-disciplined person and one that simply "goes with the flow".
King Solomon went from a blessed hero in I Kings 10 to a man that was being overrun by his enemies and dies in I Kings 11. What a difference a chapter makes! This huge difference in these two chapters is summed up in the focal passage. Solomon was distracted by his wives (no jokes here about women). His wives seduced (convinced) him to follow after their gods. His heart was not completely faithful to the Lord. One of the gods, Ashtoreth, was a god we read about yesterday in Sunday School (I Samuel 7:3,4). This god was a female deity worshiped as a god of fertility and war. She was also one of the main gods in Canaanite religion. Solomon went from a man that had great wisdom given to him by God, to a man that served other gods and even built places of worship to these other gods. He was distracted and his loyatly and faithfulness to God waivered.
Before we judge Solomon too harshly, let's ask ourselves a question: have I been distracted away from God? Do you need to confess a time in which you have been distracted and your attention and faithfulness to your relationship with God has waivered? It could be school, work, family, church, technology, addictions, cares of this life, vacation, hurt....the list goes on and on. The possibilities are as endless as the choices in a grocery store! Pray this for me and I will do the same for you if you would like for me to: God, help me not to be distracted from You, or Your purposes for my life. Help me to live what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8. Help me to see everything else besides Christ as simple distractions!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Building Project
Focal Passage: I Corinthians 3:10-17
My dad and oldest brother have a gift or a skill that I wish I could duplicate. This skill allows them to look at something that may need some work and envision what it will look like when they are all finished. I may be able to talk about what I would like for it to look like and may even find some pictures that illustrate what I want, but I lack the skill to accomplish the task. This morning I walked over to the house that our church is remodeling just to see the progress that is being made. It is exciting to see something gradually being built or changed to look new and fresh. It is amazing what new tile, new paint, new bathroom, and just up-to-date construction can do to an old home. The reality is that no matter what you do to change the appearance on the outside, the house has to have a strong foundation for that remodeling to make any substantial difference. Another way of putting it is: if the walls can't stand, what's the point of painting them?
In I Corinthians 3:10-11 Paul reminds the church at Corinth the most significant thing about working in God's church is to never get away from the foundation that has been laid. Quite simply: the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church may involve itself in many different discussions and ministries (may do remodeling) from time to time, however, it must never get away from the basic message of salvation is found in Christ and Christ alone. In today's American church culture, the church is always trying to find the next best movement to attract people into its doors (the seeker friendly church, the purpose driven church, the simple church, and now the transformational church). All of these movements, strategies, models can have their place in ministry settings if the church does not change the foundation from which it was founded.
The church (the people of God) is the bride of Christ. Christ is the head of the church. Christ ought to lead, guide, direct His people to fulfill the Great Commission, by living out the Great Commandment, and bringing unchurched people to a saving knowledge of the Great Confession. With all the printed materials we read, all the opinions we have about what the church should do and be, we (as God's people) must never forget what Paul reminded the church at Corinth of so long ago: NO ONE can lay any other foundation than what has already been laid - that is Jesus Christ.
What are you doing within your church to build upon the foundation of Christ and Christ alone? What does your church do to fulfill the Great Commission, live out the Great Commandment? When was the last time you witnessed someone express the Great Confession, much like Peter did? Share your answers to these questions in the comment section of the blog.
My dad and oldest brother have a gift or a skill that I wish I could duplicate. This skill allows them to look at something that may need some work and envision what it will look like when they are all finished. I may be able to talk about what I would like for it to look like and may even find some pictures that illustrate what I want, but I lack the skill to accomplish the task. This morning I walked over to the house that our church is remodeling just to see the progress that is being made. It is exciting to see something gradually being built or changed to look new and fresh. It is amazing what new tile, new paint, new bathroom, and just up-to-date construction can do to an old home. The reality is that no matter what you do to change the appearance on the outside, the house has to have a strong foundation for that remodeling to make any substantial difference. Another way of putting it is: if the walls can't stand, what's the point of painting them?
In I Corinthians 3:10-11 Paul reminds the church at Corinth the most significant thing about working in God's church is to never get away from the foundation that has been laid. Quite simply: the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church may involve itself in many different discussions and ministries (may do remodeling) from time to time, however, it must never get away from the basic message of salvation is found in Christ and Christ alone. In today's American church culture, the church is always trying to find the next best movement to attract people into its doors (the seeker friendly church, the purpose driven church, the simple church, and now the transformational church). All of these movements, strategies, models can have their place in ministry settings if the church does not change the foundation from which it was founded.
The church (the people of God) is the bride of Christ. Christ is the head of the church. Christ ought to lead, guide, direct His people to fulfill the Great Commission, by living out the Great Commandment, and bringing unchurched people to a saving knowledge of the Great Confession. With all the printed materials we read, all the opinions we have about what the church should do and be, we (as God's people) must never forget what Paul reminded the church at Corinth of so long ago: NO ONE can lay any other foundation than what has already been laid - that is Jesus Christ.
What are you doing within your church to build upon the foundation of Christ and Christ alone? What does your church do to fulfill the Great Commission, live out the Great Commandment? When was the last time you witnessed someone express the Great Confession, much like Peter did? Share your answers to these questions in the comment section of the blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)