KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Friday, June 15, 2018
Chapters: I Kings 9, II Chronicles 8
Message: I Hear You, But…
Hello My Friend,
If there is one thing I have learned over the years since dedicating my life to Christ, other than just how merciful God is, it is that God will do whatever it takes to keep us faithful to Him. That means if He has to remove some things and people from our lives, even family and friends, that could turn us away from Him then He will do it. How then do so many Christians fall away from God? They stop walking with Jesus. Serving God is not what makes one a Christian, it is walking with Jesus every day that does, the more we get around Him the more like Him we become. Let me tell you, as wretched and sinful as I am, there are some things that God will not allow me to fall into, He will stop me in my tracks before I fall, and He has done it several times. You see, when we walk with Jesus every day He will intervene should we walk into dangerous territory, but He is our strength, and all it takes is one day away from Him for us to weaken and stop walking with Him altogether. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” – Hebrews 6:4-6.
Over the years we ask a lot of things from God, the closer our walk with Jesus the more we hear Him answer us, yes, even when He says no, but many times the yes’s are dependent upon our faithfulness to Him. Okay, since we belong to Him and He belongs to us, we can expect that He would want us to always be faithful to Him, seeming that He is always faithful to us. After Solomon prayed the longest prayer recorded in history he offered great sacrifices and then they had a great feast. Later that night when he was sleeping God spoke.
“And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:” – I Kings 9:3-7.
“But if ye shall at all turn from following me,” Again, God hears every sincere prayer, and He will follow through, but that is dependent upon our faithfulness to Him. God assures Solomon that he and his family will live successful, prosperous lives as long as He followed Him with all his heart, just as his father did. God also came with a warning, turn away from Him and they will not only be judged, but He will turn His back to them. God will not hear our prayers if we are living a sinful life, with no intention of repenting. “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” – Proverbs 28:9.
It had been twenty years since Solomon built the Temple for God, and it has been a successful and prosperous twenty years too. After the Temple was built he accomplished several more things with the help of Hiram, to pay Hiram for his services Solomon gave him some land, it was actually land that none of the Jews dwelt on, but the Canaanites. However, Hiram was not pleased at all with what he got so he Solomon bought the land back.
“And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day. And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold. And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.” – I Kings 9:10-15.
“And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised;” Solomon taxed the people in order to rebuild the broken cities that he had purchased back from Hiram. However, this would cause problems later, not for him, but his son when he took over. When we follow Jesus, it is natural to want to make things right with people if they feel they have been wronged, but we must not put burdens on others in order to do that, it will only cause more problems. “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” – Matthew 23:3-4.
People do not just wake up and just wake up and decide that they do not want to walk with Jesus anymore. Rejecting or walking away from Jesus comes gradually as we allow the corrupt world to creep in, and if we are not careful it will overtake us and we will fall into that dangerous territory. In the beginning, Solomon was Godly, and followed in his fathers footsteps, but all it took was one wrong decision for him to start allowing the world to creep in his life and it would eventually overtake him, his first mistake, married the Pharoah’s daughter.
“And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come. Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch, Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded. And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures. Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.” – II Chronicles 8:11-16.
“because the places are holy,” While Solomon kept the law of Moses to some extent after he married, he would eventually fall as he married many more women of different faiths. Those who are holy (saved) cannot allow the world to come into their lives, this includes those who are not likeminded in their faith. You cannot believe that Jesus has the power to save you from hell and not believe that He is God Himself in the flesh. God may allow us to work with people of different beliefs, and be friendly to them, but we are to never bring them into our lives unless they have been converted themselves. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – II Corinthians 6:14-16.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” – I Kings 9:3.
Today’s Prayer: God, It truly is amazing what You have done in my life since the day I got in that water and dedicated my life to Your Son. The walk has not always been easy, I have been tempted and tried, and even walked into some dangerous territory, but You have always kept me from going any further, even pulling me out more times that I care to admit. Lord, let me never lose sight of Your faithfulness to me, and Your willingness to give me the things I need and desire through my faithfulness to You. Keep my heart tender, never let it harden to the point that walking in sin is more important than walking with Jesus. He is my strength, my guide, my comfort, my hope, and my foundation, I am nothing without Him, and I never want a day without Him. I love You Lord, and pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2018 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.