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Devotional For The Week – 22 September 2008 Sermon Title: Beware of Success “Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam” (26-27). Introduction The world loves to hear success stories. Being successful is good, but we must be careful of the subtle pitfalls that success brings along which might lead us away from God. In today’s sermon we find a person who allowed success to go to his head. In 1 Kings 11:26 we are introduced to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat and Ephraimite. He was a mighty man of valour and an industrious man who rose from rags to riches. He was noticed by King Solomon who made him in charge of the whole labour force of the house of Jacob. One day, on the way to Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah met Jeroboam and prophesied over him, stating that God was going to tear King Solomon’s kingdom into 12 parts, of which 10 tribes would be given to Jeroboam. God was doing this because King Solomon and the people of Israel had forsaken God and gone after other gods. The prophecy came true and Jeroboam became a king overnight. Yet instead of giving glory and praise to God, Jeroboam ended up letting his ambition overtake him (1 Kings 12:26). Driven by his ambition to keep the kingdom and the people’s allegiance, he installed two golden calves at Bethel and Dan so that the people would not need to travel to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the temple. He gave the excuse to the people that it was more convenient, but his actual motive was to prevent loss of both revenue and loyalty of the people. In doing so, he sinned by transferring trust in the living God to himself. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord by leading the people into idolatry (1 Kings 12:30). As we read of Jeroboam, let also us beware the following pitfalls of success and guard our hearts from turning from God. Beware of success that that will remove the focus of God We need to examine ourselves to see if the success that God has given us has removed our focus from God. Are we too busy with our new found success (or work) that we have no time for church? Are we too busy to read the Bible or spend time with God? True worship helps us to keep our focus of God. For as Hebrews 12:2 states, we need to constantly fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Beware of success that replaces faith in God Jeroboam believed and trusted in God to fulfill the prophecy, but when it came to pass, he forgot the grace of God. He forgot that everything he had was from God and he had not earned it. He mistakenly thought that this was due to his own achievement. We should trust in Christ and not in ourselves. We should give thanks and praise to God for what He has given us. We should not think that we have achieved it by ourselves. Beware of success that reduces our fear of God Jeroboam chose what was strategic for him. He did not fear God but feared the loss the tithes and the loyalty of the people. So he made alternative arrangements to protect his own interests and installed two golden calves for the people to worship, one at Bethel and Dan. He told the people not to go to Jerusalem but to worship at Bethel and Dan. In doing so, Jeroboam sinned against God. He forgot that King Solomon’s kingdom had been torn and divided simply because he had forsaken God and gone after other gods. Now Jeroboam was doing the same thing that God hated. Not only was he straying away from God but was also encouraging the people to do so. Conclusion There are lessons for each of us to learn when we read of Jeroboam’s success and how he turned away from God after that. Do we fear God and keep His commandments? Do we allow things take place of God? We must learn to give praise and thanks to God for any success that God gives us. Prayer Response Dear Jesus, Thank You for all the blessings You have given me. Let me always remember that it is by Your grace that I have received them. I did not earn it by my own merit. Let me always have my eyes focused on You and You alone. Cleanse me from all my unrighteousness. Let me not harbour any pride in my heart and always have a holy fear of You in my heart. Amen Devotional based on a message by Rev Lim Jen Huat
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