It’s Friday again and time for 5 Minute Fridays. You can join in HERE. Five Minute Fridays are where women from all over come together to write on one topic for five, unedited moments. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely LOVE free writing, and I love the community at Five Minute Friday!
I’ve been studying on some of the kings of Israel for an upcoming workshop I’m doing next weekend (gulp!), and I was drawn back to the stories of David and Solomon. If you look at these two men, it would seem that David had the bigger doozies as far as sinning went. I mean, he did steal another man’s wife, force himself on her, and then have that man killed to cover up his tracks when the woman got pregnant. Solomon on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any huge, glaring sin that would have made the Jerusalem Herald, yet God was not pleased with Solomon.
I don’t have time to look it up (5 minutes, people!), but one verse said something like, Solomon did not follow the Lord with his whole heart, as his father David did. In fact, because he was not wholehearted in his devotion to God, he allowed his foreign wives to influence him to worship other gods. In fact, his preoccupation with exotic women was Solomon’s downfall really. Like his father before him, Solomon had an eye for the ladies. The man had 1,000 wives and concubines. When I was little, they told this story in Sunday school and I remember asking the teacher, How big was their bed? (the poor woman was totally flustered!).
Even though David messed up many times (he also got in more trouble for counting the people), his desire for God outweighed his desire to hide from the consequences. While he sinned in spectacular ways, his repentance was passionate and sincere – because he loved God with all of his heart.
Solomon didn’t. His heart was divided.
I have that problem too sometimes – a divided heart. There is another verse (again, no time to look it up but I think it is in I or II Kings somewhere), that says that God is seeking the whole earth for those who are wholehearted.
What does it mean to be wholehearted in this world that clamors for our attention and pulls on us from multiple directions? I think it starts with a desire to truly know God. I’m reminded of Mary and Martha. Martha was distracted by “all these things,” but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet – her attention focused wholly on Him.
I believe that being whole starts with being wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus. It’s really the only way to get through this world in one piece.
Blessings, Rosanne
4 Comments on 5 Minute Fridays – WHOLE
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Amen. Good stuff.
Thanks for stopping over Kristen! 🙂
Great reminder that wholehearted devotion is what God is looking for- and I love your question about Solomon’s bed! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Carly! Even though I know it is what God wants, it’s so hard to remain whole in such a busy world. 🙂 Btw, my Sunday school just loved me (insert eye roll here). I was always asking awkward questions. lol