Tuesday, June 8, 2010

June 8

Today's Reading

1 Kings. Now that Solomon's power was solidified, we are given some detail about his wisdom and the resources necessary to keep his house in operation. Cathy and I recently watched the movie, "A Night With The King," which is the biblical story of Esther. It makes me think that the house of Xerxes of Persia was much like the more ancient Solomon of Israel.

Acts moves today from the glorious victories of the early church to some of the significant trials. Yesterday we read about Ananias and Saphira. Today we learn about the complaints over racial discrimination within the church and persecution intensifying from outside.

Psalms. "Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy." Planting the love of Christ can be painful work; not everyone has an open heart to receive it. Some do receive it, however, and the harvest is the deepest joy for us. I felt that joy recently when a man who has attended our church for a long time came up to me suddenly and said, "I want to be baptized!"

Proverbs. Watch out for those who love to spread juicy gossip. It is easy to be caught up in their sin and very difficult to imagine the damage it causes.

What do you see today? What questions do you have?

3 comments:

  1. Solomon asked God for wisdom out of a humble and pure heart and God gave him so much more than he asked for. What an example for our leaders!

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  2. The question I always have is about how the Lord bestowed great wisdom and knowledge on Solomon. We often joke as Christians about praying for attributes because it seems that the way the Lord builds them within us is to provide challenging situations where we have the opportunity to practice and hone them. So how much did Solomon have to do to for his wisdom? If not what must it have felt like to one day be common and next brilliant? I can only guess incredible!

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  3. I think, Mike, that God gave him wisdom early because he needed it for such a great task. While I believe it was a gift, I don't personally think it had to be given instantaneously. In other words, he may have received it early and quickly, but it still may have been a growing process.

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