Christian Foundations

1 Kings 9

The Lord reiterates His promise to bless Israel for faithfulness and to judge her for sin.


INSIGHT

Three things happen when Israel lives in a righteous relationship with the Lord. First, God is glorified. Second, Israel is blessed, receiving the fullness of life for which she longs. Third, the unsaved world is drawn to want to know God because of the magnificent picture they see of Him.

Because so much hinges on Israel's standing before God, the Lord makes it clear to her how serious her position is. If she will trust and obey Him, He will bless Israel forever. However, if she lives in sin, He will utterly destroy her.


PRAYER

· Give the Lord praise for His perfect and holy justice and goodness:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations (Psalm 100:4-5).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

· a stronger desire to be obedient to God's commands,

· our nation's military personnel,

· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.

For He has founded it upon the seas

And established it upon the waters

(Psalm 24:1-2).

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