Readings for the day: 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8, Proverbs 25-26
“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'” (1 Kings 9:4-5)
Someone once told me, “Christianity is always one generation away from extinction.” I’ve never forgotten those words. Christians are not just born. They are born again. Being raised in the faith isn’t enough. Being raised in the church isn’t enough. As much as we trust and believe Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”; there are no guarantees. Every generation must come face to face with God. Every generation must deal personally with God. The covenant must be renewed. Faith must be received. Repentance must be the response.
David had lived a faithful life. Not a perfect life, of course. A faithful life. He was a man after God’s own heart and presumably he had “trained up” Solomon in the faith. Taught Him the Law of God. Showed Him how to love God. Encouraged him to obey God. However, Solomon needed to have his own face to face with God. So after the Temple had been built. After Solomon had gained a reputation for wisdom. In the midst of all the building projects, success, fortune and fame; God had a sit down with Solomon. It was time to define the relationship. To renew the covenant. Walk in my ways and you will be blessed. Reject my ways and you will be punished. And oh by the way, because you are king, your decisions won’t just impact you but the entire nation. No pressure!
Interestingly enough, Scripture doesn’t record Solomon’s response. The implication, I believe, is that Solomon’s life from this point forward will serve as his “answer.” Faith is so much more than raising a hand and making a verbal profession. True saving faith becomes evident in the way one chooses to live their lives. From the moment we accept Christ, is there growing evidence of a spiritual transformation? A hunger and thirst for God’s Word? A desire to spend time with God in prayer? Do we see evidence of the fruit of the Spirit? Is there a passion to serve God and share the good news of the gospel? Or does life go on as normal? I’ve been a pastor for almost 20 years. Been in ministry almost 25 years. The tragic reality is there are so many people who are “Christian” in name only. They raised their hand at camp as a teenager because they were threatened with hell if they didn’t but their lives show no evidence of saving faith. They may have raised their hand and given verbal assent to the idea of Jesus but they have never submitted their lives to His Lordship. They were raised in the church, perhaps even still go to church, but they’ve never personally surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ.
Every generation must come face to face with God. Every generation must encounter Him personally and directly. There is no such thing as a 2nd generation Christian. Every generation must be born again of water and of Spirit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.