Of Peace And Rest

WEdnesday, May 24, 2023

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Galatians 5:13

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Memory of the Month: John 10:27-28

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Today's reading: 1 CHRONICLES 22-24 JOHN 8:28-59

Of Peace And Rest

1 Chronicles 22:9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

Solomon was given the job of building the temple by God and his father David.

God said that Solomon would be a man of peace and rest and that He would give him rest from all his enemies on every side.

There are two sides of this. Solomon was given peace and rest along with riches and wisdom but somewhere along the way he became distracted from his main motivation-God. Solomon disobeyed God by bringing in women from many countries and many other gods. He made places of worship for them and this led Solomon far from the heart of God.

While we read how great and wise a King was Solomon, we must never miss the great tragedy that was also Solomon and the lesson God has for us in it.

David states that God would not allow Him to build the temple in 1 Chronicles 22:8 But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.

So Solomon came along and did not have to fight for the kingdom. All the fighting had been done. He enjoyed peace on every side and was wise in acquiring riches and dealing with people. But his wisdom and ego led to moral laziness and spiritual weakness.

We could spend time comparing the history of our country to the life of Solomon as king but that is not our objective. Our objective should always be one of introspection. We must compare our lives to that of Solomon's as it appears in the Word of God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Some of us deprive ourselves of spiritual health with unconfessed sin. Reluctance to confess keeps us away from God's power. Admission of guilt can only come after recognition of guilt. Solomon, somehow, must have thought he was above judgement or was simply blinded by his desire to please so many-along with pleasing himself.

We must immerse ourselves in prayer for the desire to glorify God with our bodies and minds so that He gives us wisdom and peace from our enemies on every side.

The use of that wisdom in living in obedience allows us to live in peace with God's wall of grace around our hearts, souls, and minds. When we decide to sin the wall is down and peace is gone.

We must realize what the most wise king Solomon forgot-peace on every side remains only when you have the inner peace of obedience to God. God's inner peace is forfeit to sin.

Peace with God is our only peace.

Peace with God is redeemable.(1 John 1:9-If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.)

Live to love to face God...

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Fill me with desire for Your righteousness increasing my faith and removing my desire for the world. Forgive my laziness.

Great God of peace and mercy,

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen