PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 1 Kings 10:9 ): Please forgive me, Father, for last night. I am convicted in my heart and feel You have not delighted in me for my thoughts last night as You say You have delighted in Solomon here. I envied and lusted over the wives of my friends while we were out last night. I love my wife greatly and “lusted” over her as well, but for some reason I found myself also lusting over the wives of my friends, Father. Please forgive me, Father. Help me to be better at being a Godly man in general, but especially when I’m out in this world. I have a tendency to lust rather frequently and I cannot seem to stop myself. I need You help with this, Father. Help me to combat the enemy and the world of these lustful thoughts, Father. Help me to immediately repent when it does happen instead of being content in those moments with embracing my sin. Help me to seek You when my weakness arises so that You can give me strength to halt it.
PROMISE ( 1 Kings 10:3-5 ): Your promise to Solomon was that he would gain the favor of great wisdom while leading Your people. Even a queen from another land was able to recognize this and was astonished at how wise You had made Solomon. You are faithful to Your promises and have fulfilled this promise in Solomon.
ATTITUDE ( 1 Kings 10:4-5, 9 ): In these two verses, the queen of Sheba had observed greater things than was rumored about Solomon. As a result, she was truly appreciative of it all and gave great praise to You for all she had observed. My request today, Father, is that You would give help me embracing a heart towards others like the queen of Sheba. A heart which sees Your greatness in others and, instead of becoming envious or jealous, chooses to celebrate and praise those things in their lives and You for doing that for them.
COMMAND ( 1 Kings 10:9 ): The queen of Sheba may provide a great example here, but I also see a great command being told through her actions towards Solomon. I am to embrace and praise You and the blessings You’ve bestowed onto others instead of becoming jealous and envious towards them. I am to see You in others and praise Your presence over them instead of wishing that was me. Help me to follow this command better in my own life, Father, as I do have issues with this quite often. I do tend to see others and wish it was me for those particular blessings, moments, and/or situations. Help me to instead see You in them.
EXAMPLE ( 1 Kings 10:6-7 ): The example the queen of Sheba provides here is something I was taught quite often even while serving in the military—trust but verify. The queen heard such amazing rumors about Solomon, but she wasn’t quite sure about them based on the hearsay; she had to verify it with her own eyes. In these verses, that’s exactly what happened. She trusted that her people were giving her truth, but she verified it with her own eyes that not only was it true, but it was even greater and more blessed than anything she had been told. This trust but verify mindset is one that I do not always do, unfortunately, even though I had been told to do so for about two decades, now. I need to be better at trusting the word of others while at the same time verifying that what is being spoken is actually truth according to You, Father. Help me to be better at this.
*DAILY NOTE: It has been a few days since my last quiet time, Father. I know I am not to live a legalistic lifestyle in my faith, but at the same time I know that You want an obedient and consistent relationship with me. How can I claim to be obedient and consistent in my faith if I cannot even do my quiet times in obedience and consistency? Help me with this, Father. Nurture my heart and my spirit. Nudge me when You feel I need nudging. Convict me when You feel I need convicting. Thank You for getting me back to You today, Father. I need this quiet time today as I did not like the things I was thinking last night. You spoke to me today exactly how I needed to be spoken to in this moment and I am so grateful to You.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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