Day 173, 20th February: 1 Kings, Acts and Psalms

Distractions
By Sara Clarke

Today’s readings
1 Kings 9:10-11:13
Acts 15:1-21
Psalm 77:1-9

1 Kings 9:10-11:13
These verses tell us of how Solomon was the wisest and the richest King in all the earth (10:23). Solomon had built a fleet of trading ships (9:26) which meant that he could do business with distant lands, increasing both his fame and his wealth! Many people heard of Solomon’s fame and his faith in God, which is seen in the visit of the Queen of Sheba, who just had to find out if all the noise about Solomon was true (10:6).

However despite Solomon’s fame, riches and wisdom he made a major mistake. He allowed himself to be distracted by the gods that his many wives worshiped. Even though God had appeared to Solomon twice warning him to stay devoted, Solomon’s heart turned away as he was distracted by other gods (11:4).

In Acts 15:1 we read that some believers were trying to distract the Christians in Antioch by saying that they had to obey the law of circumcision in order to be saved. However Paul and Barnabas disputed this and so went to the elders in Jerusalem. Peter recognised and spoke out that it was not good to put heavy demands on the new Gentile Christians and pointed those present to the fact that it is Jesus who saves us! (15:11) The elders in Jerusalem realised the importance of not distracting those who were turning to God with heavy rules but to release them to follow and serve Jesus.

In our faith it is always good to seek out the support and advice of other Christians, just as Paul and Barnabas did, in order that we don’t get distracted by all that life throws at us. Most importantly other believers can help remind us to focus on Jesus the one who saves!

Psalm 77:1-9
The person who was writing this psalm was facing an horrendously difficult time, it pressed on him so much that he couldn’t sleep or even speak! But in verse 5 the writer talks of how he remembers the old times, when he would sing in the night. The Psalms are written by real people facing real problems, just as we face. But this psalm reminds us that even when our present situations seem unbearable we can look back to how God has been there for us in the past.

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Today’s picture was taken by…
Luke Brown. Thanks Luke!

If you’d like to take your own picture to potentially be featured on the blog, then get your Soul Survivor Bible in One Year, and take a picture of yourself – and your Bible – at some interesting or colourful location. Then email it to us at editor@soulsurvivor.com.

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