Introductory Thoughts
The Lord blessed the throne of David and desired to do the same for his posterity. Because the Lord wanted to establish Solomon’s rule, He provided some guidelines for Solomon. One prominent issue involved Solomon following in his father’s footsteps by living with integrity of heart. Integrity is very much a matter of the heart. In fact, four times in scripture integrity is associated with the heart. Twice the Bible refers to the integrity of Abimelech’s heart (Genesis 20:5-6) and another two times it refers to the integrity of David’s heart (1 Kings 9:4; Psalm 78:72). Though these men had little else in common, both understood that integrity involved a matter of the heart. A lack of integrity is first and foremost a heart issue.
Devotional Thoughts
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(For children): What we say and do comes from our heart (Luke 6:45). Let's get God's word in our heart so we know to say and do the right things (Psalm 119:11).
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(For everyone): Do you have a desire in your heart for moral purity? Do you want to be clean, righteous, upright, and holy in your actions?
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What things are you allowing to creep into your heart? We know the heart is a place where much wickedness finds its origins (Matthew 15:19), but these things get in because we allow them access.
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask the Lord to help you guard your heart from wickedness.
- Ask God to purify your heart.
Song
Give Me Thy Heart
