Saturday 21 July 2012

Open Heavens Devotional: HANDLE WEALTH WITH CAUTION – Saturday, July 21, 2012 By Pastor E.A. Adeboye


Memorise: And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice. 1 Kings 11:9
Bible in one year: 1 Samuel 21-24
Our God is a generous God who delights in the prosperity of His saints. He grants to them the power to get wealth. However, this wealth has eroded the faith of some while some others have turned their trust to the wealth they have. God so loved Solomon that He blessed him to a point where silver was like ordinary stones during his reign. Since he had so much material things, he began to acquire women contrary to the law of kings. He married 700 wives; as if that was not enough, he added 300 concubines. One man to 1,000 women! There are some he will sleep with once in three years! Most of his wives were non-Israelites; they were princesses from various kingdoms. Not many kings or presidents in our time can beat Solomon’s evil record. 1 Kings 11:4 says:
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Wealth brings power and wealth is a very dangerous thing. Solomon married these strange wives because he could afford to. This is one area where poverty acts as a safeguard for the poor. There are some evil things that some poor people could have acquired if they were rich. But because they are poor, their minds are completely away from such things. The poor hardly argue with God’s Word but the rich do that often because what they have beclouds their mind. Solomon got so intoxicated by his wealth that he multiplied wives to himself, who then influenced him to build shrines to their gods and goddesses near Jerusalem. They further influenced him to join them in worshipping their idols until his heart was totally turned away from God. God became angry with the one He loved so much. If Solomon was poor, would he have been able to amass those wives? I doubt it. The wealth that takes you away from God’s will and Word is a curse not a blessing. Handle your wealth with lots of care, prayers and fear of God.
PRAYER POINT:
The wealth that is not brought under God’s control will end up controlling its owner. Pray that the wealth that will lead you astray will never come to you.

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