Solomon shows we fall short

Last eve's bible study was on 1 Kings 11 (click the title above).
We learned that God had given Solomon a wise heart - at S's request. A thinking, willing, feeling centre... but as his years numbered and he became older, bit by bit, it was his heart that let him down. He had not only the Pharoe's daughter as a wife - but hundreds of others, who worshipped foreign Gods - and they persuaded Solomon to do the same. You will see 'hearts'mentioned in this first section - five times! Mark 7 - 21-23 says out of the heart comes 'evil from within'.. When we get older in our years, can't we just coast a little in life? - Haven't we learned things from our youth - can't we pass the batton? No old age brings even more challenges that we have ever faced! (This was a main point of our video from Dale Ralph Davies at Keswick last year). We face loss of health, spouse, cancer and death... Older people need ministry of God's people - They need prayer and care. Solomon turned away his heart - then his heart turned away from the Lord.... And Solomon had encountered God twice - in Chapter 3 of Kings 1 4-15 and Chapter 8 1-9 - when God said to Solomon: "Be faithful." This point is that all along God new what Solomon was going to do... and even this priviledged relationship, the intimate experience with God didn't guarantee the pure devotional relationship to God.
So what can we rely on? Well, in God's plan, He was setting the scene for the world - that through David (Solomon's father), - through David's line, would come a King, Jesus, who would be an atonement for ALL. God had this royal person in His sights, PLUS an atoning place - Jerusalem that was to come years later.. Jesus would fulfill the prophesies and overcome death and be the perfect sacrificial lamb. This is the anchor of our faith. Man has and had no power to overcome God's plan. God's promises remain! Jesus is waiting for you. He wants none to perish, but He also says that the gate is narrow and not all will find salvation. You WILL find it IF you look with all your heart, soul, body, mind - everything because Jesus is a jelous God and wants all of you. And He offers you santification for your sins. Don't listen to your feelings - and think - oh this is scary! - that is only a distraction - Satan saying beware, but don't listen to this! Repent, to the Lord, God, and know Him. Keep him close - because there's a lion that prowls.... Keep to his word (the bible), Keep praying - ceaselessly.

And you will experience joy like you never have before - and that experience will give you strength to go on and shelter under his wing, and bare the lighter yoke that the Lord offers.

"Watch you therefore, and pray, always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." - Luke 21 v. 36.
There is nothing to fear when the Lord is here.

God's plan

If there is a book that will reveal much about man's ONE God, then it is this one (link in title) - Satan : His Motive and His methods. I find the whole book striking and clear. In it author Lewis Sperry Chafer explains the 'ages'; how ages is translated from the word 'world' on occasions in the bible. Page 48 - how man can no longer claim his conscience is sufficient to guide him to his highest destiny, since the whole race, when standing on that basis before God, so utterly failed in the past that the destruction of the flood was neccessary.

Later in History the Law was given to Moses, and still it was evident, after time, man could not keep to the letter. In the present age (from Christ's coming) man proves his separation from his Creator by his spirit of self-sufficiency and positive rejection of God. It reads:" The present issue between God and man is one of whether man will accept God's estimate of him, abandon his hopeless self-struggle, and cast himself only on the grace of God which is alone is sufficient to accomplish his needed transformation. All divine love, wisdom, and power have worked together to provide salvation for man, and when this last and supreme effort of God has been rejected, the final pleading of man must be forever past, and the long delayed judgment upon sin be exectured in righteousness." I read somewhere that 'covenant' is linked with the word 'righteousness' which was interesting.

The book goes on to say, "according to the Bible, that which satan purposed is being permited, to the extent of his ability, throughout the course of this age. Though his failure and defeat have been predicted from the beginning, it has pleased God to permit the satanic ambition to come to its own destruction, and to demonstrate its own weakness and wicked folly. No other solution is given of the present power of satan and the manifestations of his increasing authority yet to be experienced in the closing scenes of this age."

Mark Burch (pastor from Willow Park Baptist Church, Canada) reports more people have died through Genocide in the last ten years throughout the world than in the history of the world. That's not including abortion. (Rewanda, India, Africa, and so on...) Reassuring news is that satan's dominion over this age is limited in that " there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God" - (Romans 13:1) In this Scripture it is revealed that Satan, though in authority, is not wholly free from his Creator, and that any direction of the governments of the world which he exercises is by permission from God.

Therefore, the efforts of satan and man are not supreme, but must come to their predicted end when the eternal purpose of God had its realization in the gathering out from both Jews and Gentiles a heavenly people for His own name. If you hear this - come, follow Lord Jesus, God of the universe and your soul.Repent and be saved.