Kings and Conviction

There is a time for everything... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

Though I have not been keeping up on this blog, my faith journey is well underway. I am learning so much about God's faithfulness and the history of man's faithfulness to God from the Old Testament. I am currently in the book of 1 Kings. Samuel, Sual, David, and Solomon have all passed on, and we find the kingdom of Israel divided under the reign of Jeroboam and his many successors to follow. The convicting message from all these kings is that we are not much further ahead today. We have idols and a misdirected faith in ourselves before we look to God. We are divided, hoping to gain whatever we can for ourselves and let those who are left make the best of what they have.

The problem with self-made idols comes especially when we let ourselves down. I have been there. God feels out of reach, and we are unsure how to handle the situation we have fallen into. There becomes a personal conviction for something more, but without God we can not be sure what that is. We have no clear direction or foundation to steer us through wherever we may be. In these moments of being overwhelmed or unsure, we should certainly turn to the Lord to guide us. (Especially during this pandemic.) Yet today, I am faced with an opportunity to respond to something in my own life. My first thought of a response is the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, when we are told that life has a season for eveything.

Though this will be breif, I will explain this season in my life.

After a prolonged break-up with my most recent, former girlfriend, I was able to turn things around in my faith and have certainly developed a better relationship with God. My time of being single allowed God to show me who I could be outside of a relationship, and that I had responsibility as a 20-something to my church and to my family. Currently, I am in a relationship (with a different girl) and I do believe God allowed her to be in my life for a purpose. Regardless of my relationship status, reading through the book of 1 Kings (and Samuel) has shown me the seriousness of not following your conviction to repentance. God allowed Isreal so many times to repent, especially after King Jeroboam, yet they did not. Thereafter, God brought judgment on Isreal by dividing the tribes, and allowing the kings to fight with each other causing many to lose their lives in such a short time. Though sin can ruin much in a short time, it may us take a lifetime of faithfulness to begin our relationship with God. That is where the challenge lies.

Today, I am certainly entering a new season of life; the door of "my" youth group is beginning to close, the door to my career is fully opened, and everyday I am learning new mercies and direction from the word of God. By understanding the book of Kings and conviction they must have had, I long to never be like the example of Jeroboam the sinner, but like the example of David: a man after God's own heart.

Though there is a time to mourn, there is also a time to dance. God answers the prayers of the faithful, and strengthens those in need... His mysteries are great, yet His glory is greater. May God lead you and speak to you through His word. Be encouraged by nothing but the power of Christ. Peace to you. Amen.