Royals Part I: United KingdomPrøve

# Indulgence Have you ever opened a pack of chocolate biscuits and gone on to eat the entire packet? Or started to watch the first episode of a show only to find yourself many hours later having binged the whole series? “Too much of a good thing” is real. Solomon was blessed by God with wisdom, wealth, and fame. But instead of being satisfied with what he had, Solomon wanted more—more wives (700 plus 300 concubines!), more horses and chariots, more wealth. He also chose foreign wives who introduced false gods and worship. Solomon even built altars for these gods. Despite starting well, Solomon now resembles Pharaoh more than God’s anointed King of Israel. “Where our treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) This is easily seen in Solomon’s life but I wonder if we see it as easily in our own lives? You don’t have to have all the wives, wealth, and status of Solomon to fall into this trap! Anything in our heart that we crave more than God is our treasure—our career, our outward appearance, our health, even our family and children. Holding too tightly to these things only introduces worry and anxiety to our lives. When we treasure intimacy with our Lord instead, not only do our worries and anxieties fall away but we also find we can truly enjoy these things like we never could before. Thought Point What are your treasures that you struggle to let go of? How might these be taking your focus away from drawing near to God? Prayer Point Ask the Lord to help you see the difference between the things of the world and the things of God. If anything has become more important than God in your life, let it be revealed and replaced by a desire to draw near to God.