FINISH THE RACE WELL!
FINISH THE RACE WELL!
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. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. —I Kings 11:4-6
The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (But he was lying to him.) So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house. —I Kings 13:18-19
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. —Psalm 97:6
Will you and I finish “with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith?” To do so we must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Solomon did not finish well. When he grew old, his—
- Wives turned his heart after other gods
- Heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been
- Heart followed the detestable gods of the Sidonians and Ammonites
- Life was one of evil in eyes of the Lord
Here’s a man for which the God had said—
“Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. —I Kings 3:11-15
Solomon started well, but He did not finish well. Let that be a warning to us. We need to continue in the Word our Lord has spoken to us and abide in that word. Beware of the people that would turn us away from our Lord, our own hearts that would turn us away from our Lord, idols that would turn us away from our Lord and the evil that would turn us away from our Lord.
Yes, Dear Father, please help me to be discerning and on guard against those things that would impact my heart away from You. May I talk with You often and may You place the guard of peace over my heart and mind in Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Yes, may this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u10sd6x85wg