BIBLE READING: 1Kings
10-12
One of the main
themes of the Bible is the fact that there is nothing that can separate us from
the love of God. In fact, there are
numerous passages that remind us that God will never leave us or forsake us
(Deuteronomy 31.8; Matthew 28.20; Hebrews 13.6). Paul even goes into great detail to explain
to us God’s ever present, unlimited love for us.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger,
or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day
long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things
we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans
8:35-39)
There is nothing that we could ever do that will separate us
from God’s love that he has for us, yet we can turn our back on it. The love is still there, the arms still
outstretched to grasp us; yet, we can, we have and we will at times…reject
it. Our reading today takes us down the
dark path of King Solomon, a man who once had it all, wealth, wisdom and the
ever-abiding presence of God. However,
at this point of Solomon’s life, he has chosen to reject God’s love and turn
his attention to other things.
“For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart
after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was
the heart of David his father…Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the
LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. Then
Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech
the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he
did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the
LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him
concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not
keep what the LORD commanded.” (1 Kings 11:4-10)
Church, if it was possible for the world’s wisest man to turn
away and reject the outstretched arms of God to accept the evil ways of this
world, we too are subject to fall. But
remember, God is always there! He is
always ready to accept us back. Let’s
not allow ourselves to get so far that we cannot find our way back.