There are times in life when things are just good. When this happens, it’s easy to kick back, relax, and take it easy.
But chances are, we got to those good times by doing the opposite of kicking back and taking things easy. You see, good times tempt us to relax our grip on the good times we enjoy.
This is what we see in the remainder of the book of 1 Kings. In chapter 8, God’s people are at their highest point. They’re a superpower; mighty in number, resources, and influence. They are experiencing a time of unheard of peace and prosperity, and they are continuing to do the things that got them to that place:
- Acknowledging they are the benefactors of God’s mercy, grace, and power.
- Realizing the importance of God’s presence and putting Him in the center of their lives.
- Proclaiming God’s holiness and confessing their sinfulness.
- Petitioning God’s mercy and forgiveness for their sin.
- Asking God to reveal Himself to others through them.
- Sacrificing what they have to honor God.
These are the actions and attitudes that fostered their peace and prosperity.
But as we’ll see throughout the rest of the book, when we feel we’ve “arrived,” we have a tendency to relax the very actions and attitudes that fostered our peace and prosperity in the first place. It happened with the nation of Israel, I believe it’s happening with the United States of America, and it can happen to us as individuals.
Are you diligent in the things that promote God’s presence and blessing in your life, or have you relaxed your grip on such things?