The Queen Of Sheba

II Chronicles 9: 8

Blessed be the Lord your God Who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.

These are the words of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, King David's son. 

She recognized God's love and goodness. She expressed her faith in God as the Lord over Israel Who could establish them forever (unlike any other god or idol worshipped in this World); and that He is their true King, setting Solomon on His own throne over His people, to preside over His chosen ones with Divine justice and righteousness. 

O my Father, You are the One Who sets up and puts down all who have authority. You turn their hearts whithersoever You choose, like the rivers of water. 

You gave this Queen of Sheba the insight to recognize You as the Lord God Who loved Israel, and Who set this man on Your throne in Your place of authority to rule the people according to Your goodness and righteousness. 

You are the King over all kings, the Lord over all lords. You rule with absolute right, in all You do. You are the standard for what is right. 

My Lord God, You came to this Earth to be with us as one of us, so that You could fit us to be able to be with You where You are (John 17:24). This is Your determination from before the Creation of this Earth. 

You chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to form the Nation to whom You would give Your Law, so that as they obeyed You, You would bless them, and others in other Nations would see Your goodness and want to worship You, too. 

The Queen of Sheba had heard about the wisdom You gave to King Solomon and she had to go see for herself if the report was true. She said, "behold the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You surpass the report that I heard." Father, You had this foreign queen hear about Your man, and when she came to check him out, she was astounded! 

You are amazing, my Lord God! Everything You do surpasses our imagination. You are working out Your great Plan of the Ages through the choices of our World leaders. You are showing Yourself mighty and capable of everything You want to do. And You are setting the stage for the culmination of this Age of Man. 

Dear Father, please continue to lead our leaders, guide them into Your ways for the benefit of Your peoples. And continue to protect Your righteous men and women from the machinations of our enemy and his minions. Please bring Your righteousness back to this Nation before the end. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Wise Reprover

Proverbs 25: 12

Like an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

We need to watch our words. Our words come from our attitudes. Our attitudes come from what we believe. So we are admonished to, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Another version calls it the "issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). 

Golden earrings and ornaments are very beautiful as well as valuable. For our words to be valuable and beautiful, we need God's wisdom. We gain God's wisdom from His Word. 

But no matter how desirable and beneficial our advice is, it can only be received by an ear that is listening. We waste our words on those who have no desire to hear us. 

So we also need His discernment to determine who is ready to hear the reproof we have to offer. 

It can all be a very delicate situation, when dealing with close family members or friends we value. 

O my Father, You dealt with me with such gentleness and compassion. Please teach me how to display that same gentleness and compassion toward those dear to me who are harming themselves and others. Strengthen me to face the opposition and, having done all, to stand. 

And soften the hearts of the hearers to hear Your Words, to understand Your ways, and to accept Your reproof. Whether You will use me or another of Your children to confront them, please do confront them to turn them around, to repent of the evil they have been believing and turn to Your beautiful Truth. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Tapestry of Time

Proverbs 24:33-34

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want like an armed man.

God's Word is so right and true! A little here, a little there, and either great good or great evil will be accomplished! 

The little things grow into great things, whether for good or bad. We form our habits with all the little things. 

O my Father, teach me to use the moments You give me for good; help me to use all the "little minutes" productively.

Lord, lead me every day, dear Father, to make the best of every moment, not even let the good take precidence over Your best for me.

I desire to serve You, Father, my Lord; teach me Your ways, use my skills and abilities to Your best advantage; so that Your purposes will be fulfilled according to Your great Plan of the Ages, even in my life as one tiny thread in Your great Tapestry of Time!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Season My Speech

Psalm 141: 3

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 21: 23

He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.

I pray, O Lord, that You would set Your guard over my mouth, keep watch over the words that proceed out of my lips and fingertips; guide my thoughts and attitudes that I would remember to think before I speak or type, considering the hearers and how they may perceive my words. 

Teach me how to season my speech with Your lovingkindness and grace, that I may not criticize, but encourage and build up; that I may "encourage, comfort, and urge [them] to live lives worthy of God who calls [them] to live lives worthy of God Who calls [them] into His Kingdom and glory" (I Thessalonians 2:11-12), inviting them and inspiring them to return to You, O Lord!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

This Place

I Kings 8: 22-53

Solomon's prayer dedicating the Temple:

... Listen to the prayer which Thy servant shall pray toward this place ... and forgive ...When they sin ...if they repent ... and pray toward this place ... hear and forgive ...

This is the first Temple built to worship God. It's based on the plans God gave Moses for the Tabernacle, that was the tent that the people carried with them while they wandered in the Desert. 

It also had elements of other temples, pagan temples, that Solomon was familiar with, so it was more complicated than the tent was. But it retained the basic format, having the altar and holy place and most holy place, and the furniture that was in the Tabernacle. 

Solomon recognized that even God's whole Creation cannot contain Him, let alone this house he had just built; nevertheless, this house, this place, would be the focal point of where God will see from Heaven and answer the prayer directed toward this place. 

And Solomon knew that Israel would need forgiveness repeatedly, "for there is no man who does not sin" (v. 46). 

And he even had a missionary heart, concerning those in other Nations, "For they will hear of Thy great Name and Thy mighty hand, and Thine outstretched arm" (v.42), "in order that all the peoples of the Earth may know Thy Name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel..." (v. 43). 

God's purpose is that all peoples, every tribe, every nation, every language group, would hear and know that, "There is no god like Thee in heaven above or on Earth beneath..." (v. 23). 

God's Plan of the Ages is still being carried out by the people in this World. The Tabernacle was made according to the "pattern" God showed Moses, the real Temple in Heaven. And now this Temple was also built according to that same basic Pattern. 

What is real is what is spiritual and what is material is only temporary, only a shadow or reflection of what is real. Our eyes can only see what is material. One day we will have eyes that can see what is real, but right now we can understand by looking at the models we have here. 

They're not the genuine articles, but they show us enough to see what God is doing. Like a model car isn't a real car, but is shows what the real car looks like. 

There's a connection between the Temple in Jerusalem and the Temple in Heaven, as that is the place where God has "set" His Name, and the prayers directed toward that place will be heard by God. 

Today we as Christians are God's Temple. We don't need to position ourselves geographically to face in any specific direction to assure that God hears our prayers, He has put His Holy Spirit within each of us, and we are the living stones that comprise His Temple on Earth today. The church is not a building, it's the people that are the building. 

But God's Plan has not changed. He still wants people everywhere to know that He is God, not anything else. He is the only God, everything else people worship is only an idol, a false god. 

Only God can give Life. All the false gods deal only death; division and separation and dis-ease. God provides unity and relationship and health. God is the Source of everything good, everything we are made for, everything we need. 

God loves what He made, and He wants us to know Him, and to love Him back, and to love one another as He loves us. Love is Life. God's Love gives us life. 

O my Father, strengthen me to clearly show others Who You are. Give me Your clarity of Purpose, to promote Your ways and Your Kingdom, so I won't be distracted by worldly pursuits. Keep my feet straight on the path You have placed me on, and I know You will never let go of my hand.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Dominion Forever

Psalm 139: 23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Revelation 5: 12-13

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing ... To Him Who sits n the Throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.

God alone is God! He will not share His glory of Godhood with any other! He alone is the Creator and Sustainer and Finisher of all that He has made, which is everything that exists! 

He has told us of Himself and His ways, and He has redeemed us out of the prison and slavery of sin. 

O my Father, try me, search me, uncover whatever is still in my heart that is hurtful; expose the sin I am still hiding from myself, so I can confess it, forsake it, and be cleansed and healed. 

Mold me and make me into a vessel that is fit for Your use! Here I am, Lord, use me!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

"Repeats A Matter"

Proverbs 17: 9

He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter (he does it again) separates intimate friends.

I was puzzled by this verse for a long time. But as I thought about it, and came back to it to consider it again, I finally came to an understanding of what it means. 

It means that I can preserve a friendship with one who has wronged me in some way by forgiving them and not bringing it up again; but if they take advantage of my graciousness and do the same thing again, or are otherwise inconsiderate or do wrong to me again, then the friendship would still be broken.

I am to do my part to heal the relationship, but they are also responsible for doing their part. 

I cannot change their attitudes, I can only work on "inviting" them to do right, and "inspiring" them to act on their "higher nature." It is up to them to do so. 

O my Father, help me to learn from You to be as shrewd as a serpent yet as gentle as a dove in my relationships with others, that I not push them away, but draw them back to You.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!