What are you thirsty for?

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
Lamentations 3:22-24

I am thirsty for the Lord. At least... I think I am. I say I am. I hope I am. But do my choices show that? Do my desires reflect that? Do I have a heart for the Lord like David did? A faith like Moses? A dedication like Abraham? Or am I more like Saul? Reluctant to step up for my faith. Or Solomon? Wanting, but coming up short? These are questions that I have struggled with as I go through a season of digging deep into the Word, growing in my faith, and searching out Truth. As I have looked deep within, I come up asking myself, "Whose Kool-Aid are you drinking?"

In my readings of the Old Testament these days, I am astonished at how quickly these rulers start out on the right track, and then quickly get detoured into sinful acts, idol worship, and lustful desires. I almost want to get mad at them... tell them how weak they are... Question their hearts... Give them a piece of my mind. And then I realize we are just like them... getting so caught up in the things of this world. Temporary things. Oh, how I can identify with Solomon... He started off so well. He asked the Lord for wisdom and discernment, and the Lord obliged. Oh, how we too should seek Him before we jump into our endeavors. But do we? Really?

"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

"The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." I Kings 3:7-14.

God is so good. He wants to show us the way. He wants to guide us in our decisions, big and small. All we need to do is ask. He awaits.

God called Solomon to build the temple. And Solomon did. He completed it in 7 years.

"In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it." I Kings 6:38

"It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace." I Kings 7:1

God then granted Solomon the means to build himself a palace. This took 13 years. Um... yeah. 7 years for God, 13 for himself. I'm starting to see Solomon's priorities shift. In fact, they are starting to look familiar... I think I can identify...How much of ourselves do we give to God, and how much do we save for ourselves?

In all of the blessings Solomon received as a result of seeking God and living faithfully, Solomon lost himself somewhere. He became powerful, wealthy, full of great wisdom, insightful, and strong. With that came much attention and adoration from others. Somewhere in there, his pride got the best of him. He went from humble to proud, conceited, pompous, and arrogant. He lost sight of the Lord, his priorities, and his purpose. He gave in to sinful acts, idols, and lust.

"The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command. So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen." I Kings 11:9-12.

As a result, Solomon suffered consequences. Not only did Solomon suffer consequences... His son suffered as well. Oh how easy it is to get caught up in the things of this world... the things that are not eternal. But God is eternal. He has a place for us if we will seek Him in all our ways. He wants to be a part of our lives, if we will simply allow Him to enter in.

Like the kings of the Old Testament, we too submit to idols... the things that take up space in our thoughts and in our day that should be where God is. We all have our own "palace" of some sort that we are building... How much time do we spend on it? Is there any time left for God? What propaganda is our world selling to us right now? Who are we listening to? Is it Godly? Are we seeking Him? He has something for us. It's huge. It's life changing. It's eternal.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Whose kool-aid are you drinking?