Scripture:

1 Kings 9:3-4

3 And the Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments,

Why It Matters

As I read these words in both this portion today and in 1 Chronicles, we would tend to think that when God gives His but... condition to this answer to prayer and He tells them if you turn away this place will be a byword, a proverb, that He is being harsh, but in reality you and I know that they do turn away, the temple is destroyed, but we also know that God knew this, that He already had a plan for redemption.   This really is the graciousness of God in that He is telling Solomon, telling Israel, that He wants their heart, not their buildings, not their sacrifices, their "heart."     This is why it matters...   This is about the relationship; first, God is speaking to His creation, Solomon, relationship; second, He is telling Solomon His heart, relationship; third, He is telling Solomon how to stay in relationship.

So today's God Shot is that He wants a relationship with you, that He hears you, that He is speaking to you today, that He is still saying the same things, that He wants your heart, He wants a people who are devoted to Him. (2 Chron 16:9).   He doesn't want your leftovers, your spare time; He wants authenticity, commitment, true hearts of worship.

Today I pray that we would guard our relationship with the Lord, that anything that has our attention would not compare to our heart after Him, that we would be a people who love God, pursue Him, His way, and as a result reap the blessings of that pursuit, in Jesus' name, Amen!