keep us loyal to You...

I've been stuck in 1 Chronicles 28-29 for over a week now trying to soak it in so that I could accurately portray it the way I should after reading about King David in the later part of his years & his mission to give Solomon, his son the kingdom. What I love most about this story is the wisdom he imparted to Solomon who would write over 3,000 proverbs & be known as the wisest man to ever live. What has stuck with me is what David told Solomon who repeatedly in chapter 28 was referred to as "chosen". Here's just a sneak peek of all the wise words including what God was speaking to David about Solomon.


 ⁶ He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’
⁸ “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.
⁹ “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”~1 Chronicles 28:6-10

Here's what I want to emphasize. David knew what it took to follow God & to live a life that was pleasing to Him even though he had some bumps in the road along the way. After all He is the only man to be referred in the Bible as a man after God's own heart. His first piece of wisdom in the above scriptures was for Solomon to intimately know God. When I looked up know in the Hebrew for "know" in this passage of scripture it defined it as: relationally to learn, to discover, to experience. Secondly, he instructed him to serve God delightfully with a whole heart and a willing mind (the inner being with thoughts & emotions), Thirdly, he told him to seek Him because in seeking he would find Him. Fourthly, He warned him to not forsake(or abandon) God or he would be rejected forever. Lastly, he instructed to take it seriously to be strong & to the work God had purposed for him to do.

What great advice to plant into not only our children but those around us. I get the privilege to speak into the lives of countless women. When I read this I couldn't think of any better words of advice to tell someone who needs encouragement. Because the truth is... we do have to seek God to find Him. We do need to put our game faces on because there is much to inherit & Satan would like to rob us(John10:10) all of our inheritance by wearing down of the Saints(Daniel 7:25) We must be aware of our purpose. We must endure right now like never before. 

My hearts concern is the level in which Christians are being defeated & ultimately giving up. We must take the advice of King David to Solomon because if we do not take serving & seeking God seriously we stand the chance of being rejected forever. Now is the time to dig in. Now is the time to walk in His glory. We are so close, too close to give up or retreat back from our pursuit of the One who loves us with an everlasting love. We can not let circumstances or life cause us to stop conversing with our Savior & best friend Jesus. He is for us, He is interceding at the throne for us (Romans 8:34) I would encourage any who are reading to endure(Matt 24:13).We're almost HOME!  Let us echo the prayers of David in 1 Chronicles 29:10-13.

^"Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! ¹¹ Yours, OLord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.¹³ “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! ¹⁵ We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace." 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

My prayer is what David prayed in verses 17 &18 "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and honest intent. And know I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to You."

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.~John 10:10

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.~Matthew 24:13

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.~Romans 8:34

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.~1 Kings 4:29