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08/01/2023 - 09/01/2023 All day

"Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15)

King Solomon is reputed as of one of the wisest person who ever lived! "God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight,and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda,the sons of Mahol.And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five" (I Kings 4: 29-32).

Much as any would acknowledge his surpassing knowledge, Solomon had one problem. This wise man was just never content with all God had blessed him, especially his marital relationship.

"King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites." They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.”Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love" ( I King 11:1-2).

And, of course, they were consequences. "He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done" ( vv 3-6).

God would punish him for this folly. 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" (vv 11-12). And there is one man who ruined his greatness just because of greed!

Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, as you blessed Solomon abundantly but yet was never satisfied, I pray for contentment in my life to avoid the pitfalls of greed, this I pray in Jesus' name.

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Power for the Day!

17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day

“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)

One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.

But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!

Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.

There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!

Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!