Tag: Christianity

Reflections on I Kings 1-2

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

David makes Solomon the next king and charges him to be faithful to God.

  • Exalting Oneself – Adonijah exalted himself as the next king only to be humbled when David made Solomon king. Later Adonijah tried a new scheme to exalt himself as king, and it cost him his life.  Are you seeking to exalt yourself?  Will you humble yourself before the Lord and let him exalt you in his own way and time (James 4:10)?
  • Faithful to God – David charges Solomon to faithfully follow the ways of the Lord with all of his heart and soul (2:1-4). Are you faithfully following the ways of the Lord?  Does your heart desire to be faithful?  In what ways are you tempted to be unfaithful?

I Kings 1-5: The Call to Faithfulness

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(2) God wanted David’s descendants to walk before Him in faithfulness with all their heart and soul (v4).  What does faithfulness to God look like in the context of v3?

Why does faithfulness require us to pay close attention to ourselves (v4a)?  Do you?

Why is the phrase “with all their heart and soul” so significant to being faithful?  How would you describe your heart?

(2) David charged Solomon to be strong (v2).  Why is being strong essential to being faithful to God?

In what specific situations in your life do you need to be strong?

What hinders you from being strong?

Where does strength ultimately come from (Ephesians 6:10)?

(3) Solomon answered the call to faithfulness – loving the Lord and walking in His ways (v3).  How do “loving” and “walking” relate to each other (see also John 14:15)?

(3) God offered Solomon anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom.  Why is wisdom essential for faithfulness to God?

(3-4) Despite Solomon’s overall faithfulness, he followed the way of the world in two ways – he married Pharaoh’s daughter as part of a treaty (3:1) and amassed many horses for his army (4:26, see Deuteronomy 17:16).  From the world’s point of view, why do both of these things make sense?  What spiritual dangers do they bring?

In what ways are we tempted to follow the way of the world today instead of being faithful to God?

What principles from this study do we need to apply to our lives to help us overcome these temptations?

Sermon Songs: Revelation 2:1-7

On By BrianIn Revelation Hymns

MusicNotesBehold our Lord – He is with us, As His church to Him belong
Serving, enduring for Jesus, Living right, in doctrine strong
As we do this, living like this,
Jesus will commend our church

But now this I have against you, You have strayed away from love
From dull hearts turn to love anew, People and your God above
Come remember, Come and repent,
Church arise to love again

If we will not, He may remove, Our Church – may this never be
But to those who conquer in love, Life with Him eternally
Let those with ears, His words now hear,
As the Spirit speaks to us

To the tune of “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending”

Psalm 119 Reflections

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Which psalm or verse especially reflects your heart today?  Use those words to talk to the Lord.

  • Heart – The psalmist seeks the Lord with his whole heart (v2, 10). His heart is in awe of God’s Word (161).  He wants God to incline his heart to God’s Word (v36).  He keeps God’s Word with his whole heart (v34, 69).  Why is the heart so important?  How is your heart?
  • Value – God’s Word is valuable! His Word guards our way (v9), keeps us from sin (v11), counsels and guides us with wisdom for our lives (v24, 98-100, 105), strengthens us (v28), and comforts us (v50).  In what ways have you experienced the value of God’s Word?  How might remembering its value spur you on to learn and live it?

Psalm 119 Reflections

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Which psalm or verse especially reflects your heart today?  Use those words to talk to the Lord.

  • Delight in Word – Again and again the Psalmist speaks of his delight in the Word. Because of his delight, he meditates on the Word.  Do you delight in God’s Word?  Do you meditate on it, ponder it, think about it?  How might you grow in this area?
  • Obey the Word – The Psalmist not only delights to meditate on Word, but he wants to know it so that he might obey it. How much do you desire to obey God’s Word?  How do you need to grow in your obedience?