Daily Devotional For Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Good morning and good day! Our devotional for today follows the One Year Chronological Bible Reading for today. I have selected from it this passage from 1 Kings 2:1-5:
“As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: (2) ‘I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. (3) Observe the requirements of the LORD your God, and follow all His ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. (4) If you do this, then the LORD will keep the promise He made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow Me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel’” (NLT).
How many parents, even Christian parents, do you think instruct their children to obey the Lord in all they do so that it will go well with them all the days of their lives? In a world that is full of so much evil, sin, cruelty, injustices and violence, it is really impossible for us to think of any government, including ours, that would put the Lord first.
Any government that did that would not be well-liked nor appreciated. Doing what is right is not the same as doing what our peers or others want or even what is popular. The problem in America is that many politicians feel they have to take opinion polls and do what their constituents want rather than what is best for the country. This is why our country is really ruled by self-interest groups, big corporations, and short-term goals rather than long-term goals that seek the best for the country.
When our country was founded it was done so by men who believed in the Christian faith and thus they established a Christian nation with a Christian government. Today, all of that has changed. We still have a Christian governance in our US Constitution but the nation itself is no longer Christian and neither are most of its elected officials. If I were to be fair, most of us complain about our government without having the responsibilities of governing it. We do not make the decisions over foreign policy for example. It is easy to be cynical without understanding all the complexities of those jobs and the people who serve in them and the huge wall they face in accomplishing policies.
History has taught us to be weary of any government that calls itself “good” because most, if not all of them, are led by ungodly people. Even when we assess politicians, we use a term to describe them – ideological. Typically, we use this term in a negative way not a positive way. It is hard to have a “good” government when people within even the same communities do not agree and are polarized by differing opinions. Now, what does all of this have to do with our text?
I am so glad you asked. Scripture reminds us that there is a King and a government that is to come which is not only good, but perfect. Look at Romans 14:17, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (NLT). God is not only powerful but He knows what to do. David was reminding Solomon of this above. Trust God and trust God only – not yourself and not your government.
God gave David a promise to David when he actually took the throne as king that his dynasty or the Davidic line would be eternal. You can read this in 2 Samuel 7:!2-16. The New Testament shows us that Jesus was the promised son of David (Matt. 1:1). This was proven by His resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:3-4)
When we look at 1 Kings 1, this takes us all the way back to the later days of David, where God’s promises to David are shown to have occurred as promised by God. For David, he had to accept that the kingdom promised by God to him would be fulfilled in his son Solomon. Unfortunately, David’s descendants did not honor the Lord and as a result, the kingdom split and eventually both kingdoms were conquered starting in 722 BC with the Assyrians, then the Babylonians in 606, 598 ad 586 BC; then the Persians in 539 BC. After them came the Greeks (332 BC) and then the Romans (63 BC). Israel did not become an independent self-governing nation again until 1947 AD.
In the first few verses, David challenges his son to be a man – lead under the guidance of the Lord only. So, David focuses on the character of Solomon – obedience to God before he focused on the actions his son must take to ensure God’s promises. Many Christians today want God’s promises without being obedient to the Lord. They want to live their lives the way they want independently of any kind of submission to the Lord’s will. Then they wonder why God’s promises are not being fulfilled in their lives and why God seems distant. No good loving parent rewards a disobedient God, especially God our Father.
Reflection Assignment: In what areas of your life do you need to be obedient to the Lord? When do you plan to start doing this? Do you live your life at times expecting God to live up to His promises while you go live your life however you choose to live it? What promises do you want God to fulfill in your life through your obedience?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 14:12, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to be the godly person I should be to You out of gratitude. I know I need to step up. I know I need to be more like Christ. Please convict me to be who You saved and called me to be. I want my family and children to be who You want them to be. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly