THE BATTLE OF DEVOTION (1 KINGS 14-16)                                                    Posted 2.15.08

INTIMATE DEVOTION

1 Kings 15

Intimate devotion with the Lord is described in His Word as “hearts…fully committed to Him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Many of us would claim commitment to God, but what about FULL commitment. There is a big difference between my full bottle of water and my half-full, barely full or empty bottles of water. Which “bottle” best represents your relationship with the Lord?

1 Kings 15 takes us through an effective process for maintaining full devotion to the Lord.

REVIEW (Read 1 Kings 15:1-8 and 2 Chronicles 13)

Examine Your History for Changes Needed
A recurring theme presents itself in these chapters, “He committed all the sins his father had done before him…” (1 Kings 15:3). Many of these leaders continued to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors. We must be willing to examine our history for changes needed. What mistakes do we tend to repeat?

Abijah showed promise in the stories in 2 Chronicles 13, but he ultimately chose a life apart from God. Even in his courageous speech before defeating Jeroboam and Israel, he espoused misinformation about God’s call on Jeroboam’s life. Abijah had great potential but never fulfilled it for the Lord. He embraced the sins of his family rather than becoming a catalyst for change. He was quick to point out Jeroboam’s faults but refused to see his own.

What about you? As you review your history with the Lord, what needs to change?

Examine Your History for Examples to Follow
A recurring role model also presents himself throughout Judah’s history. David, whom God describes as, “fully devoted” (see 1Kings 3). The Lord regularly encouraged the leaders of Judah and Israel to learn from David’s example, and we can as well. No matter how bleak our past or disappointing our failures may be, God has taught through David the sureness of His forgiveness, the tenderness of His grace, and the difference one life can make that is fully devoted to Him.

Whose example are you following? Kings David’s is a great place to begin!

Examine Life for God’s Activities
God is always at work. Even in the midst of Abijah’s disobedience and Israel’s rebellion, verse 4 reminds us that, “God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.” God was actively pursuing His children. He was fulfilling His promises to David and laboring to bring His children back to Himself.

The Divine fingerprints are all around us. When we take the time to notice Him, appreciate Him, welcome Him, and respond to His touch, necessary changes begin to take place.

How is God at work in your life? Remember the things He has done and embrace His ability to do even more than you can ask or imagine. He is Faithful!

REMOVE (Read 1 Kings 15:9-14 and 2 Chronicles 14-16)
Once we begin the review process, the next step is to remove the obstacles, hindrances, and interruptions to our full devotion. Asa is a wonderful example.

Verse 11 lets us know that Asa did review his past for changes needed and worthy role models. He chose to follow God as David did, and then took the next appropriate step in the process: removal. He removed prostitutes, idols, and even his own grandmother from power in order to be who God wanted him to be.

Notice it does not say he kicked his grandmother out of the house. He simply negated her wicked authority. We must refuse to compromise our full devotion to God.

What needs to be removed from your life? Who or what is hindering your full devotion to God?

REFILL (Read 1 Kings 15:15 and 2 Chronicles 14-16)
Asa’s replenishment of the temple and the many stories in 2 Chronicles, reveal a man who was refilling not only his own life, but the lives of all in Judah with the things of God.

He expressed his full devotion in 2 Chronicles 14:11 as he cried out, “LORD, there is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God. For we rely on You.” His heart overflowed with dependence upon and trust in the Lord. What fills your heart today?

2 Chronicles 14:6 and 15:19 expose a by-product of filling our lives with God: peace. For most of Asa’s reign, Judah experienced peace and rest. God’s peace is a gift. It does not always apply to outward circumstances, but He does promise in Philippians 4:6-7 that as we fill our lives with faith in Him, His peace will guard our hearts and minds. In what way do you lack peace? Review the situation, remove the hindrances, and refill your life with the things of God. You will not be disappointed.

REMAIN (Read 1 Kings 15:16-24 and 2 Chronicles 16:1-14)
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of full devotion is remaining that way. There are so many forces at work against our daily lives: financial concerns, physical health, relationships, politics, emotional stress. God challenges us to remain full no matter the circumstances.

So many of the leaders we’ve discussed throughout this study completely turned their backs on the Lord. Asa did not, but here at the end he does falter. God’s Word holds true, however. Asa was fully committed, he simply erred in judgment.

The details are provided in the Chronicles account. Asa turned to a foreign king for help in war instead of the Lord. He then became angry with a prophet for pointing out his error. He mistreated the prophet and others for no apparent reason, and finally, he refused to ask for God’s help when he developed diseased feet.

All simple mistakes. All easily repaired through our final step: repentance.

REPENT (Read 1 Kings 15:25-34)
Repent means to turn away from. As we study scripture, we find that God has great tenderness toward a repentant heart. Many of the wicked kings we have studied remained in power for multiple years. God is patient. He was working in their lives toward repentance.

The final kings mentioned in this chapter, Nadab and Baasha were two who never seemed to grasp the importance of repentance. Their legacy was evil and sin. They followed the path of Jeroboam and suffered in similar fashion. Though God even used Baasha to accomplish his plan, Baasha never recognized the God who had a plan for his life. Their terms of service varied greatly, but the final result was the same: no repentance.

These kings held on to family sin, caused others to sin and angered God fully. God gave both more than a generous amount of time to repent, yet they refused. What about you? Of what do you need to repent or turn away from? What is hindering your full devotion to God?

Intimate devotion is a full and complete devotion to God. In what way have you “emptied out” or “lost” some of your devotion to God? May I encourage you to review, remove, refill, remain, and repent! God is ready, willing, and able to restore your relationship with Him immediately! There is no better way to fill your life!