cautionary example

1 Kings 11:5&6

"5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father."

God doesn’t demand perfection from us, nor did He from Solomon. As King David’s son, Solomon inherited Jerusalem’s throne, a thriving trade hub at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and Asia, amassing great wealth. Blessed with divine wisdom and creative gifts to write books and poetry, Solomon may have believed he could do no wrong.

Yet, like all people, Solomon had a tendency to justify his actions, even when they were wrong. Despite being king, he faced pressure from his wives to satisfy their demands. Once he built an altar for one wife’s gods, fairness demanded he do the same for others. "For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites." This idolatry persisted publicly for years, leading others astray. "Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD." Solomon became a cautionary example for us.

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I will make you

Matthew 4:19&20 "19 And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." In our "Follow Me" series, we study Jesus calling His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. By the Sea of Galilee, a thriving fishing hub, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting nets as humble fishermen. His disciples were ordinary workers, not wealthy or educated elites. Jesus approached them and said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Remarkably, they immediately left their jobs to follow Him. This brief exchange conveys a profound truth: Jesus says, "I will make you." Only God can transform us to accomplish His purpose. We should often pray, "Help me, God," seeking Jesus' guidance to follow His plan for our lives.

we also...

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Elisha’s example

1 Kings 19:19-21 "19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." In Luke 9:54, after James and John sought to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus, they referenced Elijah, saying, “even as Elias did?” Jesus then taught three lessons about rejection: 1- Discipleship demands sacrifice, embracing hardship and forgoing earthly security. 2- Following Jesus requires immediate, un...

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