Thought for October 10

 History:

• 1780: Great Hurricane of 1780 hits Caribbean killing 20,000-30,000
• 1845: Naval School [Naval Academy] opens at Annapolis
• 1871: Great Chicago Fire extinguished after 3 days--300 dead, 100,000 homeless
• 1886: First dinner jacket worn to a ball in Tuxedo Park NY
• 1889: Barnard College formed after Columbia refuses to admit women
• 1933: First synthetic detergent goes on sale--Dreft
• 1935: Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" opens on Broadway
• 1956: Movie "Giant" premiers
• 1961: Bob Newhart Show premiers
• 1963: "From Russia with Love" premiers
• 1973: Spiro Agnew resigns as VP
• 1978: Susan B Anthony dollar approved by Congress
• 2018: Hurricane Michael [Category 4] hits Florida
• Born: Henry Cavendish [discovered hydrogen], Giuseppe Verdi, Helen Hayes, Thelonious Monk [Jazz pianist], Frank Sinkwich [UGA Heisman winner], Ed Wood, James Clavell, Ben Vereen, John Prine, Nora Roberts, Tanya Tucker, Gavin Newsom, Brett Farve, Dale Earnhardt Jr., 
• Died: Abel Tasman [Tasmania], William Seward, Adolphus Busch, Edith Piaf, Lyudmila Pavlichenko [Soviet sniper with 309 confirmed kills], Orson Welles, Yul Brynner, Clark Clifford, Christopher Reeve, Joan Sutherland, Scott Carpenter, 

Thought:

Reading 1 Kings 9:6-9, some verses that are underlined in red in my Bible. As the chapter begins, God has promised Solomon a kingdom that will endure IF Solomon walks before God with integrity and righteousness. In 6-9, God also promises what will happen if Solomon or His Sons turn away from God, fail to keep His commandments. and serve other gods. 

Reading this passage causes me to look at our nation today. What does God say will happen if people are disobedient and worship other gods?

• Cut off from the land [9:6], cut off from God's house, cast out of His sight. Does this trouble you or perhaps explain what has happened to the USA. Our land is overrun by foreigners, our churches sit empty and abandoned. A few weeks ago, our pastor said that 75% of the population of Nashville was lost. 
• The Temple will become a heap of ruins [9:7] and everyone will be astonished  and ask, "Why?" Look at the grand churches of Europe--museums, tourist attractions. For Israel the Temple was destroyed, for us they simply stand as monuments to a bygone era. 
• And when people ask "why," the answer is simple---they adopted other gods. Who are our children's heroes---XMen, athletes, Tik Tok celebs, entertainers, rap musicians? And they got this from us, the parents and grandparents. We take them to a concert, or movie, or game late on Saturday or out of town, and miss church on Sunday. Then we expect them to prioritize spiritual things. Our jobs got more important that our families, our hobbies became priorities. 

Now if you will turn over to 2 Chronicles 7:14 you will see something interesting. In the passage from 1 Kings 9:1, the warning from God comes immediately after Solomon has built the Temple. In 2 Chronicles the familiar passage follows the feast of dedication for the Temple. Perhaps the warning is also that building pretty buildings and attending "church" are not enough. God warns us of what will happen, but in His grace and mercy offers an opportunity for repentance--If My people will humble themselves, pray, seek God, turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear, forgive and heal. 

Nothing has changed--God's promises for good and for adversity have not changed. And thankfully His invitation to repent remains open. This reminds me again that the issue is not with what others are doing, but with what God's people are doing. Lord help us!

Blessings

Larry