God wants our full devotion. Therefore, we should continually pursue him.
This week, in our Sunday school classes, were studying 1 Kings 11 in which we learn about the rebellion and judgment of Solomon. At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, he faithfully pursued the Lord just as his father David had done. And the Lord blessed him in some incredible ways.
However, as so often happens among those that have been richly blessed, Solomon began to take the favor of God for granted. He rebelled against the Lord by taking 700 wives and 300 concubines for himself, a clear violation of God’s instructions and Deuteronomy chapter 17.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, he didn’t take these women from among his own people. Many of these women came from the homes of the pagan nations around them. They began to exert influence upon Solomon, turning him away from his God and leading him into idolatry.
As a result of Solomon’s rebellion, the Lord judged him, telling Solomon that his kingdom would be ripped from the hands of his son and given to one of his servants. In fact, the Lord sent the prophet Ahijah to a man named Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officers. Ahijah took the robe that he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces and gave ten to Jeroboam. This was a sign that ten of the twelve tribes of Israel would follow Jeroboam, leaving Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, to rule only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Because of Solomon’s rejection of the Lord, his kingdom would be torn in two, and the consequences of his sin would bring anguish into the life of his son and all of his people.
So, what are the lessons for the kids we’re discipling—whether the kids in our homes or the kids in our Sunday school classes? I think this lesson presents us with a tremendous opportunity to talk to our kids about owning their faith. Right now, many of our kids live in homes where parents are encouraging their kids to grow in their faith. Many of the kids who participate in our ministries are being discipled on a weekly basis. Many are regularly hearing about God and being challenged with spiritual truths. And all of those things are very good, but my concern is that many of these kids may mistakenly assume that their faith is strong simply because they’re frequently around the things of God. However, proximity to godliness does not equal godliness itself.
You may be aware that many children who attend church while growing up stop attending church after high school. One reason for this is that many kids never develop the kind of spiritual disciplines that would keep them close to the Lord. They never take personal responsibility for their faith, and like Solomon, they give their affections to other things.
In responding to Solomon’s example, we need to challenge our kids in the following ways…
- We need to encourage any children that haven’t yet chosen to place their faith in Christ to do so right away.
- We need to encourage our children to make spiritual disciplines (Bible study, prayer, Scripture memory, corporate and private worship, and service within the local church) a regular part of their lives.
- We need to encourage children that are on the right track to talk about their faith with parents, teachers, and friends. We should encourage them to seek spiritual accountability that will help them to continue growing in their faith.
God wants our full devotion. Therefore, we should continually pursue him.
