Week 10 - Day 3 - Wholehearted Devotion

July 3, 2008 
Day 3/ Week 10

Wholehearted Devotion

Today's Treasure: 1 Chronicles 28:9

 "My son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts"

I think this advice from Solomon sums up everything I pray for my children. I have gained a great deal of respect for David due to the way he prepared Solomon for the throne. All of his guidance is centered around Solomon staying focused on God's will throughout his life. Each night when I pray for my children, I pray that Landon and Ridge will keep their eyes focused on God throughout the upcoming day. There is nothing more important, in my opinion, than leaving a legacy of wholehearted devotion to your children. Most scholars believe that David lived between one to two years after Solomon was anointed as king. Can you imagine how precious that time was to Solomon? He probably received the precious time with his father that he longed for as a child.

Read 1 Chronicles 22. Review 1 Chronicles 21: 22 – 30. To what location was David referring in 1 Chronicles 22:1 when he said, "The house of the Lord God is to be here"?

A: Mount Moriah – the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite

According to 1 Chronicles 22: 5, why did David make preparations for the house to be built for the Lord?

A: Solomon was young and inexperienced

How would you characterize Solomon's reign based on the prophecy God gave David in verses 9 and 10?

A: Peaceful and quiet. God would love Solomon and Solomon would love God. God would establish the throne of Solomon's kingdom over Israel forever.

What order did David issue in verse 17?

A: All the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon.
To what did David tell Solomon and the leaders of Israel to devote their hearts and souls?

A: To seeking the Lord your God

David handed Solomon all of the directions that he meticulously gathered for the building of the temple. Once he was finished, his words to Solomon were, "Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you." I know there will come a day when I hope I have prepared my children to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and live a godly life. These are the words I will have to say to them at that point. "Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you."

How do the following two references suggest our need to "get busy"?

Ephesians 2: 10 – "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"

2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17 – "All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work"

Based on a comparison of these two verses, how has God prepared us for the good works He ordained for us?

A: By creating us in His image and giving us His word to live by
1 Chronicles 22: 19 – "Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God"
The Hebrew word for devote is nathan. It means "to give, place, add, send forth". David prepared Solomon and showed his devotion to God's will by sending him forth to do God's work.

What is your heart fastened to? The word of God simplifies the way to answer this question. Matthew 6: 21 says, "For where your treasure is, your heart will be also".  

Read Job 23: 12. What was Job's treasure and how much did he treasure it?

A: He treasured the word of God more than his daily bread

David knew that the most important aspect of influence in his life would be leaders whose hearts were devoted to seeking God's will. He commanded them to seek the word of God first above all things and surround themselves with people that do the same.

Read 1 Chronicles 28. According to verse 6, who chose Solomon as king?

A: God

David commanded the following commands to Solomon in verse 9:

A: serve God with wholehearted devotion and serve God with a willing mind
David gave Solomon the plans for the temple, but who had given the plans to David?

A: the Holy Spirit

David commanded Solomon to acknowledge the God of his father and serve him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind. There are three aspect of this advice that we should carry into our own lives.

1. Acknowledge God first thing every morning. It will create a difference in your day that you will not believe. Joshua 24: 15 says, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve"  

2. Serve Him with wholehearted devotion. Decide if you have a divided heart and acknowledge who your heart belongs to. Draw a diagram of your heart and divide it into separate spaces. Write all the things, according to importance, in the sections of your heart. This activity makes it real!!! God should be who your heart belongs to above all things. When your heart is divided it can cause significant pain. Just think of how blessed your life can be when you are obedient to the Holy Spirit.

3. Serve him with a willing spirit. God wants us to serve him because we want to…not because it looks good to others or because we feel it is the right thing to do. Find pleasure in seeking Him. When you are more concerned with what others are thinking of what you do, you are not doing it for the right reasons. When we serve God with a willing spirit, He will bless you beyond belief.
We will close today's lesson with an amazing verse. Read Deuteronomy 30:6 and turn it into a personal prayer for your wholehearted devotion to God.

Deuteronomy 30: 6

"The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live"

Okay, I don't know about you, but the thing that jumps out to me in this verse is "AND LIVE". God wants us to live a life full of blessings and joy. He is giving us the exact prescription for that life.

Have a blessed day
In Him,
Tiffany (remember all the knowledge is from Beth!!)