2 Chronicles 12:9–10: “So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.”

September 29th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Great blessings were poured out on King Solomon and beautiful things given to him. But, sadly, he made many bad choices, including marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. And Solomon’s son Rehoboam learned his father’s sins well, and because of them the blessings were gone and the beautiful things lost to another pharaoh. Here we see gold shields replaced by inferior copies made of brass, a metal often used in Scripture to describe judgment. The king’s lack of faithfulness reduced his spiritual condition to such a degree that it became a poor copy of what had once been the true faithfulness of Judah’s most famous king—David. How painful it is to watch the children of men and women of God turn from the faith of their parents.

There is a vast difference between serving the Lord and serving the things of this world. Why settle for second best? Scripture urges us to possess those things that we cannot lose and cautions those who would sacrifice the eternal for the temporary:

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? (Luke 9:24–26).

Or as Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” There is a promise in Revelation that calls out to all who desire to be wise in the things of God. “To him who overcomes”—the things of the world—”I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).

“LORD, we desire to be wise in Your eyes and walk with You today. Help us to choose that which will last for eternity.”