SOLOMON’S HALF HEART (1 Kings 1 to 11)

There’s only one thing worse than never starting a project, and that is when we start well and then fade away as time goes on. Solomon was a great starter and a great finisher, at least to begin with. He started and completed two massive building projects—a temple in Jerusalem fit for God, and then a palace fit for a king. Ironically, the Bible tells us that Solomon took almost twice as long to build his palace compared to the time it took to build God’s temple. By the time the temple is completed, Solomon’s reign is half over, and his focus has diminished.

Other things – like 700 wives and 300 concubines – sidetrack and distract him. Consequently, the example he sets for his children sows the seeds for a kingdom that will ultimately split.

It wasn’t that Solomon didn’t have the ability; it was simply a case of not focusing on his primary call to do the main thing.

THE MAIN THING OFTEN CHANGES DURING OUR LIFETIME as our lives develop. In the kingdom of God, the main thing prepares you for the next one God has for you. The challenge is in moving from one thing to the next in God’s timing. What is your “main thing” now? Is it education? Family? Ministry? Is it time to prune away some “distractions”? Or is it time to take a step back and refocus in order to move on? We may be multi-talented, but doing what God wants us to do is the main thing!

Part of Walk Thru the Bible’s otLIVE live event.