Key Verse: Matthew 6:21, "For Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Have you ever thought about what you'd ask for if you were granted a wish? King Solomon was given an opportunity to ask God for anything.
Solomon became the king of Israel after the death of his father, David. One night during a dream, God appeared to Solomon and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. Without hesitation Solomon told God he wanted wisdom to govern and to know the difference between right and wrong. Because God was so pleased with the request, he gave Solomon both wisdom and riches.
Solomon's reputation for being a man of wisdom quickly spread thoughout the world. Soon people flocked to ask the king for wise counsel. Solomon's wisdom grew and so did his wealth and fame. He had wealth, and he had 1,000 beautiful women as his wives and concubines. But that's where the trouble started. All of those foreign women led Solomon to ungodly worship. By the time he was an old man, his heart had turned away from God. The wisest man who ever lived did the most unwise thing: He allowed his heart to turn from God.
Jesus warned about the dangers of prosperity. Paul said the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Solomon lost his perspective and allowed what he had to become more important than what he believed. Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Student Devotion Week 31: King David: The Devastation of Sin
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
Psalm 101 was written during David's younger years. In it he spells out his position on holy living. He wrote that he'd be careful to lead a blameless life by staying away from evil. He also declared he'd keep a protective eye on the godly and not allow liars to enter his presence. David went so far as to proclaim that even those who served him would have to live a life above reproach.
When David reached middle adulthood, his high standards started to erode. One look at a beautiful woman and David quickly became an adulterer, a deceiver, and eventually a murderer. Sadly, he fell into a pattern of sin without feeling much guilt. Finally, when the prophet Nathan confronted him about his evil ways, David confessed his sin and repented. That's the end of the story, right? Wrong.
Today the entertainment industry floods television, movies, and music with stories of people sinning and suffering no consequences. That's not reality. David was forgiven, but he had to deal with family problems that resulted from his sin, including the death of some of his children and a rebellious son who almost cost him his throne. Look at David's later years if you believe sin comes without a high cost.
Sin is a big deal to God. God forgives freely, but negative consequences for sinful actions still affect not only you and those around you now, but also future generations. As it's been said, you're free to choose your actions, but your not free to choose the consequences of your actions. How you deal with sin is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a Christian.
Psalm 101 was written during David's younger years. In it he spells out his position on holy living. He wrote that he'd be careful to lead a blameless life by staying away from evil. He also declared he'd keep a protective eye on the godly and not allow liars to enter his presence. David went so far as to proclaim that even those who served him would have to live a life above reproach.
When David reached middle adulthood, his high standards started to erode. One look at a beautiful woman and David quickly became an adulterer, a deceiver, and eventually a murderer. Sadly, he fell into a pattern of sin without feeling much guilt. Finally, when the prophet Nathan confronted him about his evil ways, David confessed his sin and repented. That's the end of the story, right? Wrong.
Today the entertainment industry floods television, movies, and music with stories of people sinning and suffering no consequences. That's not reality. David was forgiven, but he had to deal with family problems that resulted from his sin, including the death of some of his children and a rebellious son who almost cost him his throne. Look at David's later years if you believe sin comes without a high cost.
Sin is a big deal to God. God forgives freely, but negative consequences for sinful actions still affect not only you and those around you now, but also future generations. As it's been said, you're free to choose your actions, but your not free to choose the consequences of your actions. How you deal with sin is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a Christian.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Student Devotion Week 30: King David: Seeking God's Heart
Key Verse: Acts 13:22 "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'"
When David was young, he was a shepherd who looked after his father's sheep. He spent his days looking for grazing land, protecting the sheep from wild animals, and thinking. A shepherd's life is lonely, and David had a lot of time to think about God. As a musician, he took many of those thoughts and created some of the great passages in the book of Psalms. David had a heart for God.
During those years the Israelites were locked in a fierce battle with the Philistines. Their chief warrior was a giant known as Goliath. He stood nine feet tall and carried a spear with a tip that weighed 15 pounds. While David was delivering some food to his three brothers serving in the Israelite army, he heard the challenger from Goliath. David couldn't believe no one would fight this man who dared to defy the army of the living God.
With five smooth stones and a sling, David took on the giant. The years David spent in solitude as a shepherd prepared him for this battle. While he was experienced with a sling, a weapon he'd used to protect his sheep form wild animals, his greatest assets were a heart for God and a belief that with God anything was possible. Armed with courage and the Spirit of the Lord, David took down the giant with one stone.
The Bible states that David was a man after God's own heart. And his love for God had intensified during his lonely days as a shepherd boy. So when it came time to stand up to a pagan giant, David took the challenge because of his deep love for God.
David would soon become the king of Israel. God was preparing to use David in a powerful way.
When David was young, he was a shepherd who looked after his father's sheep. He spent his days looking for grazing land, protecting the sheep from wild animals, and thinking. A shepherd's life is lonely, and David had a lot of time to think about God. As a musician, he took many of those thoughts and created some of the great passages in the book of Psalms. David had a heart for God.
During those years the Israelites were locked in a fierce battle with the Philistines. Their chief warrior was a giant known as Goliath. He stood nine feet tall and carried a spear with a tip that weighed 15 pounds. While David was delivering some food to his three brothers serving in the Israelite army, he heard the challenger from Goliath. David couldn't believe no one would fight this man who dared to defy the army of the living God.
With five smooth stones and a sling, David took on the giant. The years David spent in solitude as a shepherd prepared him for this battle. While he was experienced with a sling, a weapon he'd used to protect his sheep form wild animals, his greatest assets were a heart for God and a belief that with God anything was possible. Armed with courage and the Spirit of the Lord, David took down the giant with one stone.
The Bible states that David was a man after God's own heart. And his love for God had intensified during his lonely days as a shepherd boy. So when it came time to stand up to a pagan giant, David took the challenge because of his deep love for God.
David would soon become the king of Israel. God was preparing to use David in a powerful way.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Student Devotion Week 29: David and Jonathan: A Deep Friendship
Key Verse: John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
The story of David and Jonathan is a story of true friendship. David was commissioned to calm King Saul's spirit with the harp. When David met Jonathan, Saul's son, they became instant friends. That friendship would be tested many times as Saul's jealousy of David grew.
God was with David. His victories in battle made him a celebrity. King Saul became jealous and tried many times to kill David. Once Jonathan talked his father out of a murderous plan. Another time Jonathan helped David escape from his father. Jonathan put his own life on the line for his friend David.
Because he was the oldest son, Jonathan was the heir to the throne of Israel. Yet Jonathan recognized the anointing God had placed on David, and he told him that one day David would be the next king. Jonathan was perfectly content with the idea of serving alongside David as second in command. But his wish would never come true. Both Jonathan and Saul died during a battle with the Amalekites, David mourned and fasted over the death of his good friend.
If you want to have good friends, then you have to be a good friend. David and Jonathan were willing to die for each other. David summed up his love for his friend in a funeral song he wrote about Saul and Jonathan (see 2 Samuel 1:17-27).
Wouldn't you love to have a friend like that? Are you willing to be a friend like that?
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