Day 142

1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 3:15-4:22.  “Temple vs. Palace”

Solomon did many great things and was a good king for a while, but as you will discover from your reading this week, not everything he did was right.  In chapter 7 of 1 Kings we read the details of the palace compound that Solomon built for himself.  Now certainly the temple of the Lord was impressive, but the palace of the Forest of Lebanon described in 7:2-5 was over four times the size of the temple alone.
At this point in his reign as king, Solomon is still following the Lord closely, but the amount of effort and material that went into building his own palace compared to the temple indicate to me the direction that Solomon’s heart is really going.  Whose legacy is he more concerned with, his own or the Lord he serves?  
Or maybe I should ask you that same question.  Are you more concerned with the legacy of your temple (your life: body, soul, mind and spirit); or are you more concerned with the legacy of your palace (your earthly treasures: house, cars, toys, etc.)?
Remember the words of Jesus, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

General Questions for each day:
Summarize the day’s Bible passage in your own words.
What thoughts, actions, attitudes or beliefs are addressed in the passage?
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to apply this passage to your life today?