Generations Deep

King Solomon is someone who intrigues me every time I read about him. A man who at a young age was given the Kingdom of Israel and expected to fill the shoes of his father King David. In 1 Kings 11 Solomon allows his heart to be drawn away from God by the gods of his many wives. I could spend a lot of time and thought on that, but this morning verse 38 is what grabbed my heart. The Prophet Ahijah meets Jeroboam and tells him he will inherit part of the Kingdom from Solomon because he had not been faithful to the Lord. Jeroboam was an ordinary guy who was serving the King as an officer over the labor force when God comes to him and gives him the charge to lead Israel. His mandate was this.

1 Kings 11:38
"Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you."

1) Heed the Commands of God. Hearing God and taking heed to what His is speaking for the times and seasons marks the life a leader. God is not detached from your life nor is he indifferent to what he has called you to do or the work of your hands. Success comes when you learn to listen and heed the voice of God.
2) Walk in the Ways of God. It is not enough to just hear God, but the word has to be mixed with faith and activated in your life. Knowing the will of God is half, but the other is walking it out inside of your daily life. Life is built by the decisions you make daily and you are constantly choosing to walk in what you know God to have spoken.
3)Do what is right in the sight of God. There are voices that come from multiple sources trying to influence your leadership. What is popular or politically correct is not always what is right in the sight of God. Hear God, make the choice to walk in His ways and be ready for the world to try to sway you to what is right in their sight rather then the sight of God.

God will establish you and produce something that will last for generations. What you do today will matter in the lives of your children and grandchildren. God took the Kingdom away from Solomon's son and not Solomon himself. The legacy you leave behind for those who follow after you matters.