Let Your Heart Be Loyal...
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 26. 2007 and is filed under Devotions.
Let Your Heart Be Loyal...
Keep your heart with all diligence,
for out of it spring the issues of life.
(Proverbs 4:23)
In 1 Kings 8, we read of the day that King Solomon and the people of Israel successfully completed building the temple of the Lord. It was a glorious event and a triumphant time. Solomon had finished the work that began many years earlier in the heart of his father David. And as soon as everything was in its proper place within the temple we are told that, "the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:11). Then King Solomon stood before the altar in the presence of the whole assembly, spread out his hands toward heaven, and offered a heartfelt prayer of intercession and supplication, as he dedicated the people and all they had accomplished to the Lord God of Israel. When he finished praying he spoke to all those who were gathered, saying,
"Let your heart... be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day" (1 Kings 8:61)
You will not find a greater leader than the one who leads people into God's Holy Presence. If all we knew about Solomon was what we learn of him in this one day, we would assume he went on to continue leading the people to do great things for God. Tragically, however, we read in 1 Kings 11 that Solomon had not done what he had exhorted the people to do – he had not watched over the issues of his own heart. Instead, "his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel... he did not keep what the Lord had commanded" (1 Kings 11:9-10).
How does this happen? How does a godly man, whose commitment and faith had influenced an entire nation for the kingdom of God, turn his heart away from the Lord? Solomon was one of the wealthiest, wisest men of all time; his life was marked by success and accomplishment. Yet, in the end, he was a failure in this life because he allowed his temporal power and position to quench the passion in his heart for his Eternal King. As a result, although I do not believe that his soul was lost, he did suffer great loss in this life. The Lord removed him from his earthly throne – He took away his influence and "raised up an adversary against Solomon" (1 Kings 11:14).
As I reflect upon this, I realize that the recipe for Solomon's downfall was always in place, and the same is true for us. What protects us from falling victim to the adversaries who would rob us of our effectiveness for God is only one thing – continual daily dependence upon the Lord. As we walk in fellowship with Him – filled with the Spirit, praying, and interceding on behalf of those around us – we will be protected from the evil plots and schemes that surround us every day. Even in the midst of trials, we will be safe because we are walking with God in the center of His will for us. However, when we stop seeking the Lord and start depending upon our own wisdom and strength, we will be drawn away, and our downfall, like Solomon's, will be imminent.
I am sure that Solomon's heart didn't grow cold overnight, and neither does ours. It is a gradual and initially-imperceptible process. It is easier to know when we are filled with the Spirit than to recognize when we are not. But, whenever we start resting on our own successes and strength instead of His, we are headed for a fall. The simple, childlike faith and wonder that once characterized our walk with the Lord begins to fade, our prayer life wanes, and we become easily distracted and engulfed by the busyness that clamors for our attention each day.
But just as the recipe for our downfall is already in place, so too is the recipe for victory. As we yield our lives to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to have full control, our hearts will burn within us with a renewed fervency each day. We will desire fellowship with Him and long to spend time in His Word and in prayer. Our hands will be filled with the work He chooses, and we will recognize the snares that would have otherwise easily entangled us. And, while difficulties and trials will still come our way, we will find His grace and power accompanies us as we walk those roads with full dependency on Him.
We guard our lives and protect our hearts and minds when we chose to abide in His Presence and be filled with His Spirit. If we let our guard down, and choose, as Solomon did, to fill our lives with our own successes and desires, we too will soon loose our influence for the Lord and our effectiveness for His kingdom because the recipe for our downfall is already in place.
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; and he said; "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
(1 Kings 8:22-23) |
In Him,
Lloyd Pulley
Senior Pastor
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