WEBVTT

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Day 91, or April 1st. Please don't add anything.

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Our thoughts today are from 1 Kings 3, verse

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3. Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking

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according to the instructions given him by his

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father David, except that he offered sacrifices

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and burned incense on the high places. Now the

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big picture of this verse. The first book of

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Kings is dominated by King Solomon, but only

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until halfway through. After that, the kingdom

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splits, and there are lots of kings with lots

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of names. Solomon had a significant rival for

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the throne in the person of one of his older

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brothers, born to David, when he ruled in Hebron.

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With the help of his mother Bathsheba, and the

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fact that he was the favourite son from the favourite

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wife, Solomon finally acceded to the throne on

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the death of David. Solomon's rule was quickly

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established, but then he went off the rails by

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assembling a vast army of horses and chariots,

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the very thing he was warned not to do, in the

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book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17, verse 16. Now

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today's action step. One of the reasons I wouldn't

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make a good sculptor or painter in oils is that

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I always want just one more touch before it's

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finished. The skill is knowing when you have

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the perfect result and leaving it alone, not

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adding anything else. Solomon had the same problem,

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only he had the power and authority to add so

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much more. He asked God for wisdom and got it.

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He also received untold riches as a bonus. Then

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he started adding things. We read that very early

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in his reign, he walked according to the teachings

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of his father David. But that wasn't enough for

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Solomon. He also followed the pagan practices

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of the day by offering sacrifices on the high

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places. He didn't stop there. He became increasingly

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independent of God. As believers, we need to

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remind ourselves that our salvation requires

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no additions. If you are trusting in God plus

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whatever, we need to delete the whatever, and

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then we are totally secure, whatever life throws

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at us.